#### Sample records for ac susceptibility studies

1. Ac magnetic susceptibility study of in vivo nanoparticle biodistribution

Gutiérrez, L.; Mejías, R.; Barber, D. F.; Veintemillas-Verdaguer, S.; Serna, C. J.; Lázaro, F. J.; Morales, M. P.

2011-06-01

We analysed magnetic nanoparticle biodistribution, before and after cytokine conjugation, in a mouse model by ac susceptibility measurements of the corresponding resected tissues. Mice received repeated intravenous injections of nanoparticle suspension for two weeks and they were euthanized 1 h after the last injection. In general, only 10% of the total injected nanoparticles after multiple exposures were found in tissues. The rest of the particles may probably be metabolized or excreted by the organism. Our findings indicate that the adsorption of interferon to DMSA-coated magnetic nanoparticles changes their biodistribution, reducing the presence of nanoparticles in lungs and therefore their possible toxicity. The specific targeting of the particles to tumour tissues by the use of an external magnetic field has also been studied. Magnetic nanoparticles were observed by transmission electron microscopy in the targeted tissue and quantified by ac magnetic susceptibility.

2. ac susceptibility study of a magnetite magnetic fluid

Ayala-Valenzuela, O. E.; Matutes-Aquino, J. A.; Galindo, J. T. Elizalde; Botez, C. E.

2009-04-01

Magnetite nanometric powder was synthesized from metal salts using a coprecipitation technique. The powders were used to produce magnetic fluid via a peptization method, with hydrocarbon Isopar M as liquid carrier and oleic acid as surfactant. The complex magnetic susceptibility χ =χ'+iχ″ was measured as a function of temperature T in steps of 2.5 K from 3 to 298 K for frequencies ranging from f =10 to 10 000 Hz. The magnetic fluid real and imaginary components of the ac susceptibility show a prominent maximum at temperatures that increase with the measuring frequency, which is attributed to a spin-glass-like behavior. The peak temperature Tp1 of χ″ depends on f following the Vogel-Fulcher law f =f0 exp[E /kB(Tp1-T0)], where f0 and E are positive constants and T0 is a parameter related to particle interactions. There is another kind of peak temperature, Tp2, in the loss factor tan δ =χ″/χ' which is related to a magnetic aftereffect. The peak temperature Tp2 is far less than Tp1 and shows an Arrhenius-type dependence on f.

3. AC susceptibility study at the inter- and intragranular properties in (Bi,Pb):2223 superconductor

SciTech Connect

Pop, A.V.; Ciurchea, D.; Ilonca, G.; Deltour, R.; Harabor, A.

1997-11-20

The temperature and amplitude of AC field dependencies of both inter- and intragranular T{sub p} and T{sub g} temperatures of the imaginary peaks of {chi}{double_prime} has been studied for a sintered single phase (Bi,Pb):2223 superconductor. The AC field dependencies for T{sub p} and T{sub g} and the relation between inter- and intragrain force densities were discussed by using Mueller critical-state model. From the {chi}{double_prime} curve, the values of intergrain magnetic critical current density J{sub cJ} was obtained via the application of Beans critical state model. J{sub cJ}(T) dependence near {Tc} agree with the assumption of SNS intergrain junctions.

4. A Genome-Wide Association Study Identifies Two Novel Promising Candidate Genes Affecting Escherichia coli F4ab/F4ac Susceptibility in Swine

PubMed Central

Lu, Xin; Niu, Xiao-Yan; Ding, Xiang-Dong; Liu, Jian-Feng; Zhang, Qin

2012-01-01

Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) expressing F4 fimbria is the major pathogenic bacteria causing diarrhoea in neonatal and post-weaning piglets. Previous studies have revealed that the susceptibility to ETEC F4ab/F4ac is an autosomal Mendelian dominant trait and the loci controlling the F4ab/F4ac receptor are located on SSC13q41, between markers SW207 and S0283. To pinpoint these loci and further validate previous findings, we performed a genome-wide association study (GWAS) using a two generation family-based population, consisting of 301 piglets with phenotypes of susceptibility to ETEC F4ab/F4ac by the vitro adhesion test. The DNA of all piglets and their parents was genotyped using the Illumina PorcineSNP60 BeadChip, and 50,972 and 50,483 SNPs were available for F4ab and F4ac susceptibility, respectively, in the association analysis after quality control. In summary, 28 and 18 significant SNPs (p<0.05) were detected associated with F4ab and F4ac susceptibility respectively at genome-wide significance level. From these significant findings, two novel candidate genes, HEG1 and ITGB5, were firstly identified as the most promising genes underlying F4ab/F4ac susceptibility in swine according to their functions and positions. Our findings herein provide a novel evidence for unravelling genetic mechanism of diarrhoea risk in piglets. PMID:22457712

5. AC magnetic susceptibility of Bi2223-system

Kimishima, Y.; Inagaki, K.; Tanabe, K.; Nagata, N.; Ichiyanagi, Y.

1998-01-01

The AC magnetic susceptibilities χ AC of a Bi2223 sintered sample were measured by the Hartshorn bridge method. The linear AC χ' 0 showed the two-steps behavior at T C1 and T C2, where T C1 > T C2. The χ'0-data between T C1 and T C2 has no H AC-dependence and agreed well with those of powder specimen, and they can be regarded as the intragrain magnetic susceptibility. Below the inter-grain transition temperature T C2 the χ″ 0 showed a positive peak. The temperature dependence of χ' 0 and χ″ 0 were analyzed by the Bean's critical-state model. As a result, the temperature dependence of critical current density J C ∝ (1 - T/T C2) β was obtained with β = 2.3-2.6. The non-linear χ' 2 and χ″ 2 below T C2 resemble the behaviors derived from the Bean model, but the negative divergence of χ' 2 may show the evidence of d-wave paring in the present Bi2223-system.

6. ac susceptibility of chosen chromium compounds with noncollinear spin structure

Juszczyk, S.; Gogołowicz, M.

1993-11-01

Results from the preliminary ac susceptibility χ ac( T) measurements at H( rms)=80 A/ m and ƒ=1 kHz on the chosen chromate Zn 1- xA xCr 2Se 4 with noncollinear spin structure for A=Cu and Ga {2}/{3} are presented. From the temperature position peak of the in-phase (real, χ') part of the complex susceptibility the transition temperatures from a magnetically ordered phase to a paramagnetic one have been determined. The out-of-phase (imaginary of absorptive, χ″) peak is discussed in terms of different spin-lattice relaxation processes causing a dissipation of energy. A proposal that in both the real and imaginary part of the ac susceptibility a significant role can be played by a skin size effect is also presented.

7. Spectroscopic AC susceptibility imaging (sASI) of magnetic nanoparticles

2015-02-01

This study demonstrates a method for alternating current (AC) susceptibility imaging (ASI) of magnetic nanoparticles (mNPs) using low cost instrumentation. The ASI method uses AC magnetic susceptibility measurements to create tomographic images using an array of drive coils, compensation coils and fluxgate magnetometers. Using a spectroscopic approach in conjunction with ASI, a series of tomographic images can be created for each frequency measurement set and is termed sASI. The advantage of sASI is that mNPs can be simultaneously characterized and imaged in a biological medium. System calibration was performed by fitting the in-phase and out-of-phase susceptibility measurements of an mNP sample with a hydrodynamic diameter of 100 nm to a Brownian relaxation model (R2=0.96). Samples of mNPs with core diameters of 10 and 40 nm and a sample of 100 nm hydrodynamic diameter were prepared in 0.5 ml tubes. Three mNP samples were arranged in a randomized array and then scanned using sASI with six frequencies between 425 and 925 Hz. The sASI scans showed the location and quantity of the mNP samples (R2=0.97). Biological compatibility of the sASI method was demonstrated by scanning mNPs that were injected into a pork sausage. The mNP response in the biological medium was found to correlate with a calibration sample (R2=0.97, p<0.001). These results demonstrate the concept of ASI and advantages of sASI.

8. Spectroscopic AC Susceptibility Imaging (sASI) of Magnetic Nanoparticles

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

This study demonstrates a method for alternating current (AC) susceptibility imaging (ASI) of magnetic nanoparticles (mNPs) using low cost instrumentation. The ASI method uses AC magnetic susceptibility measurement to create tomographic images using an array of drive coils, compensation coils and fluxgate magnetometers. Using a spectroscopic approach in conjunction with ASI, a series of tomographic images can be created for each frequency measurement and is termed sASI. The advantage of sASI is that mNPs can be simultaneously characterized and imaged in a biological medium. System calibration was performed by fitting the in-phase and out-of-phase susceptibility measurements of an mNP sample with a hydrodynamic diameter of 100 nm to a Brownian relaxation model (R2 = 0.96). Samples of mNPs with core diameters of 10 and 40 nm and a sample of 100 nm hydrodynamic diameter were prepared in 0.5 ml tubes. Three mNP samples were arranged in a randomized array and then scanned using sASI with six frequencies between 425 and 925 Hz. The sASI scans showed the location and quantity of the mNP samples (R2 = 0.97). Biological compatibility of the sASI method was demonstrated by scanning mNPs that were injected into a pork sausage. The mNP response in the biological medium was found to correlate with a calibration sample (R2 = 0.97, p <0.001). These results demonstrate the concept of ASI and advantages of sASI. PMID:25477704

9. Spectroscopic AC Susceptibility Imaging (sASI) of Magnetic Nanoparticles.

PubMed

2015-02-01

This study demonstrates a method for alternating current (AC) susceptibility imaging (ASI) of magnetic nanoparticles (mNPs) using low cost instrumentation. The ASI method uses AC magnetic susceptibility measurement to create tomographic images using an array of drive coils, compensation coils and fluxgate magnetometers. Using a spectroscopic approach in conjunction with ASI, a series of tomographic images can be created for each frequency measurement and is termed sASI. The advantage of sASI is that mNPs can be simultaneously characterized and imaged in a biological medium. System calibration was performed by fitting the in-phase and out-of-phase susceptibility measurements of an mNP sample with a hydrodynamic diameter of 100 nm to a Brownian relaxation model (R(2) = 0.96). Samples of mNPs with core diameters of 10 and 40 nm and a sample of 100 nm hydrodynamic diameter were prepared in 0.5 ml tubes. Three mNP samples were arranged in a randomized array and then scanned using sASI with six frequencies between 425 and 925 Hz. The sASI scans showed the location and quantity of the mNP samples (R(2) = 0.97). Biological compatibility of the sASI method was demonstrated by scanning mNPs that were injected into a pork sausage. The mNP response in the biological medium was found to correlate with a calibration sample (R(2) = 0.97, p <0.001). These results demonstrate the concept of ASI and advantages of sASI. PMID:25477704

10. Reentrant ac Magnetic Susceptibility in Josephson-Junction Arrays

SciTech Connect

Araujo-Moreira, F.M.; Barbara, P.; Cawthorne, A.B.; Lobb, C.J.

1997-06-01

We have measured the complex ac magnetic susceptibility of unshunted Josephson-junction arrays as a function of temperature T , amplitude of the excitation field h{sub ac} , and external magnetic field H{sub dc} . For small h{sub ac} Meissner screening occurs. For larger h{sub ac} , however, the screening is reentrant in T . This reentrance is not thermodynamic but dynamic and arises from the paramagnetic contribution of multijunction loops. This result gives an alternative explanation of the paramagnetic Meissner effect observed in granular superconductors. Experimental results are in agreement with a simplified model based on a single loop containing four junctions. {copyright} {ital 1997} {ital The American Physical Society}

11. ac susceptibility studies in Fe doped La0.65Ca0.35Mn1-xFexO3: Rare earth manganites

Shah, Wiqar Hussain; Hasanain, S. K.

2010-12-01

The effects of Fe substitution on Mn sites in the colossal magnetoresistive compounds La0.65Ca0.35Mn1-xFexO3 with 0.00≤x≤0.10 have been studied. A careful study in the magnetic properties has been carried out by the measurement of magnetic ac susceptibility. The temperature range of colossal magnetoresistance (CMR) is greatly broadened with the addition of Fe. Substitution of Fe induces a gradual transition from a metallic ferromagnetic with a high Curie temperature (Tc=270 K) to a ferromagnetic insulator with low Tc=79 K. Increased spin disorder and decrease of Tc with increasing Fe content are evident. The variations in the critical temperature Tc and magnetic moment show a rapid change at about 4%-5% Fe. The effect of Fe is seen to be consistent with the disruption of the Mn-Mn exchange possibly due to the formation of magnetic clusters. An extraordinary behavior in the out of phase part (χ″) of ac susceptibility, characterized by double bump (shoulder), was observed around x=0.01 and 0.02. The shoulder in χ″ disappears at x≥0.04 Fe concentration. With increasing Fe concentration the χ″ peak shift to T

12. Exchange anisotropy determined by magnetic field dependence of ac susceptibility

Rodríguez-Suárez, R. L.; Vilela Leão, L. H.; de Aguiar, F. M.; Rezende, S. M.; Azevedo, A.

2003-10-01

ac susceptibility measurements of ferromagnetic/antiferromagnetic (FM/AF) bilayers are usually performed as a function of the temperature. In this work we describe measurements of transverse biased ac susceptibility (χt) of FM/AF bilayers as a function of the applied magnetic field H0. The measurements were carried out at room temperature by means of an ac magneto-optical Kerr effect susceptometer. The χt-1(H0) dependence, at the saturation magnetization regime, exhibits a linear behavior with the applied field parallel and perpendicular to the exchange bias direction. The linear extrapolation of χt-1 versus H0 cuts the abscissa at asymmetrical values of field due to the exchange bias coupling. The inverse susceptibility is calculated in the saturation regime by a model, which takes into account the free energy of both layers plus a term corresponding to the interfacial coupling. The exchange coupling field (HE) and uniaxial anisotropy (HU) are extracted from the best fit to the experimental results. The results obtained are crosschecked by those obtained from ferromagnetic resonance (FMR) and dc magnetometry. The measurements of the exchange bias and the uniaxial field in all of the three analyzed bilayers gave values that are consistently lower when measured by FMR than those obtained by ac and dc magnetometry. It is argued that the apparently discrepant values of HE and HU, obtained by different techniques, might be explained by existence of unstable AF grains at the AF/FM interface.

13. ac susceptibility of an assembly of nanomagnets: Combined effects of surface anisotropy and dipolar interactions

Vernay, F.; Sabsabi, Z.; Kachkachi, H.

2014-09-01

We compute the ac susceptibility of a weakly dipolar-interacting monodisperse assembly of magnetic nanoclusters with oriented anisotropy. For this purpose, we first compute the relaxation rate in a longitudinal magnetic field of a single nanomagnet taking account of both dipolar interactions in the case of dilute assemblies and surface anisotropy. We then study the behavior of the real and imaginary components of the ac susceptibility as functions of temperature, frequency, surface anisotropy, and interparticle interactions. We find that the surface anisotropy induces an upward shift of the temperature at the maximum of the ac susceptibility components and that its effects may be tuned so as to screen out the effects of interactions. The phenomenological Vogel-Fulcher law for the effect of dipolar interaction on the relaxation rate is revisited within our formalism and a semianalytical expression is given for the effective temperature in terms of inter alia the applied field, surface anisotropy, and dipolar interaction.

14. Slow Relaxation of Magnetization in an Isostructural Series of Zinc-Lanthanide Complexes: An Integrated EPR and AC Susceptibility Study.

PubMed

2016-08-26

We report the synthesis, structure, and spectroscopic and dynamic magnetic properties of a series of heterodinuclear complexes, [ZnLn(LH4 )2 ](NO3 )3 ⋅6 H2 O (Ln=Nd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, and Yb), with the singly deprotonated form of a new compartmentalized Schiff-base ligand, LH5 . The Ln(III) ions in these systems show a distorted square-antiprism geometry with an LnO8 coordination sphere. EPR spectroscopy and DC magnetic studies have shown that the anisotropic nature of the complexes is far more complicated than predicted on the basis of a simple electrostatic model. Among the investigated systems, only the Dy(III) derivative showed single-ion magnet behavior, in zero and an applied magnetic field, both in pure polycrystalline samples and in a series of polycrystalline samples with different degrees of dilution at the single-crystal level in the isostructural Y(III) derivative. The rich dynamics observed as functions of frequency, field, and temperature reveals that multiple relaxation mechanisms are at play, resulting in a barrier of 189 cm(-1) , which is among the highest reported for a dinuclear Zn-Dy system. Analysis of the dynamic behavior as a function of dilution degree further evidenced the persistence of non-negligible intermolecular interactions, even at the lowest concentration of 1 %. PMID:27465998

15. Field-dependence of AC susceptibility in titanomagnetites

USGS Publications Warehouse

Jackson, M.; Moskowitz, B.; Rosenbaum, J.; Kissel, Catherie

1998-01-01

AC susceptibility measurements as a function of field amplitude Hac and of frequency show a strong field dependence for a set of synthetic titanomagnetites (Fe3-xTixO4) and for certain basalts from the SOH-1 Hawaiian drill hole and from Iceland. In-phase susceptibility is constant below fields of about 10-100 A/m, and then increases by as much as a factor of two as Hsc is increased to 2000 A/m. Both the initial field-independent susceptibilities and field-dependence of susceptibility are systematically related to composition: initial susceptibility is 3 SI for a single-crystal sphere of TMO (x = 0) and decreases with increasing titanium content; field-dependence is nearly zero for TM0 and increases systematically to a maximum near TM60 (x = 0.6). This field dependence can in some cases be mistaken for frequency dependence, and leaf to incorrect interpretations of magnetic grain size and composition when titanomagnetite is present.

16. Monitoring colloidal stability of polymer-coated magnetic nanoparticles using AC susceptibility measurements.

PubMed

Herrera, Adriana P; Barrera, Carola; Zayas, Yashira; Rinaldi, Carlos

2010-02-15

The application of the response of magnetic nanoparticles to oscillating magnetic fields to probe transitions in colloidal state and structure of polymer-coated nanoparticles is demonstrated. Cobalt ferrite nanoparticles with narrow size distribution were prepared and shown to respond to oscillating magnetic fields through a Brownian relaxation mechanism, which is dependent on the mechanical coupling between the particle dipoles and the surrounding matrix. These nanoparticles were coated with covalently-attached poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (pNIPAM) or poly(N-isopropylmethacrylamide) (pNIPMAM) through free radical polymerization. The temperature induced transitions of colloidal suspensions of these nanoparticles were studied through a combination of differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), dynamic light scattering (DLS), and AC susceptibility measurements. In the pNIPAM coated nanoparticles excellent agreement was found for a transition temperature of approximately 30 degrees C by all three methods, although the AC susceptibility measurements indicated aggregation which was not evident from the DLS results. Small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) results obtained for pNIPAM coated nanoparticles confirmed that aggregation indeed occurs above the lower critical transition temperature of pNIPAM. For the pNIPMAM coated nanoparticles DLS and AC susceptibility measurements indicated aggregation at a temperature of approximately 33-35 degrees C, much lower than the transition temperature peak at 40 degrees C observed by DSC. However, the transition observed by DSC is very broad, hence it is possible that aggregation begins to occur at temperatures lower than the peak, as indicated by the AC susceptibility and DLS results. These experiments and observations demonstrate the possibility of using AC susceptibility measurements to probe transitions in colloidal suspensions induced by external stimuli. Because magnetic measurements do not require optical transparency, these

17. Refined candidate region for F4ab/ac enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli susceptibility situated proximal to MUC13 in pigs.

PubMed

Goetstouwers, Tiphanie; Van Poucke, Mario; Coppieters, Wouter; Nguyen, Van Ut; Melkebeek, Vesna; Coddens, Annelies; Van Steendam, Katleen; Deforce, Dieter; Cox, Eric; Peelman, Luc J

2014-01-01

F4 enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (F4 ETEC) are an important cause of diarrhea in neonatal and newly-weaned pigs. Based on the predicted differential O-glycosylation patterns of the 2 MUC13 variants (MUC13A and MUC13B) in F4ac ETEC susceptible and F4ac ETEC resistant pigs, the MUC13 gene was recently proposed as the causal gene for F4ac ETEC susceptibility. Because the absence of MUC13 on Western blot from brush border membrane vesicles of F4ab/acR+ pigs and the absence of F4ac attachment to immunoprecipitated MUC13 could not support this hypothesis, a new GWAS study was performed using 52 non-adhesive and 68 strong adhesive pigs for F4ab/ac ETEC originating from 5 Belgian farms. A refined candidate region (chr13: 144,810,100-144,993,222) for F4ab/ac ETEC susceptibility was identified with MUC13 adjacent to the distal part of the region. This candidate region lacks annotated genes and contains a sequence gap based on the sequence of the porcine GenomeBuild 10.2. We hypothesize that a porcine orphan gene or trans-acting element present in the identified candidate region has an effect on the glycosylation of F4 binding proteins and therefore determines the F4ab/ac ETEC susceptibility in pigs. PMID:25137053

18. A Toxin-Binding Alkaline Phosphatase Fragment Synergizes Bt Toxin Cry1Ac against Susceptible and Resistant Helicoverpa armigera

PubMed Central

Xiao, Yutao; Zhang, Dandan; Zhang, Yongdong; Li, Xianchun; Tabashnik, Bruce E.; Wu, Kongming

2015-01-01

Evolution of resistance by insects threatens the continued success of pest control using insecticidal crystal (Cry) proteins from the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) in sprays and transgenic plants. In this study, laboratory selection with Cry1Ac yielded five strains of cotton bollworm, Helicoverpa armigera, with resistance ratios at the median lethal concentration (LC50) of activated Cry1Ac ranging from 22 to 1700. Reduced activity and reduced transcription of an alkaline phosphatase protein that binds Cry1Ac was associated with resistance to Cry1Ac in the four most resistant strains. A Cry1Ac-binding fragment of alkaline phosphatase from H. armigera (HaALP1f) was not toxic by itself, but it increased mortality caused by Cry1Ac in a susceptible strain and in all five resistant strains. Although synergism of Bt toxins against susceptible insects by toxin-binding fragments of cadherin and aminopeptidase N has been reported previously, the results here provide the first evidence of synergism of a Bt toxin by a toxin-binding fragment of alkaline phosphatase. The results here also provide the first evidence of synergism of a Bt toxin by any toxin-binding peptide against resistant insects. PMID:25885820

19. Association of 677 C>T (rs1801133) and 1298 A>C (rs1801131) Polymorphisms in the MTHFR Gene and Breast Cancer Susceptibility: A Meta-Analysis Based on 57 Individual Studies

PubMed Central

Li, Kai; Li, Wusheng; Dong, Xi

2014-01-01

Objective The 677 C>T and 1298 A>C polymorphisms of methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) gene have been widely reported and considered to have a significant effect on breast cancer risk, but the results are inconsistent. A meta-analysis based on 57 eligible studies was carried out to clarify the role of MTHFR gene polymorphisms in breast cancer. Methods and Results Eligible articles were identified by searching databases including PubMed, Web of Science, EMBASE, CNKI and CBM for the period up to August 2012. Finally, a total of 57 studies were included in this meta-analysis. Crude ORs with 95% CIs were used to assess the association between the MTHFR polymorphisms and breast cancer risk. The pooled ORs were performed with additive model, dominant model and recessive model, respectively. Subgroup analysis was also performed by ethnicity. The statistical heterogeneity across studies was examined with χ2-based Q-test. A meta-analysis was performed using the Stata 12.0 software. Overall, the 677 C allele was significantly associated with breast cancer risk (OR = 0.942, 95%CI = 0.898 to 0.988) when compared with the 677 T allele in the additive model, and the same results were also revealed under other genetic models. Simultaneously, the 1298 A allele was not associated with the breast cancer susceptibility when compared with the 1298 C allele (OR = 0.993, 95%CI = 0.978 to 1.009). Furthermore, analyses under the dominant, recessive and the allele contrast model yielded similar results. Conclusions The results of this meta-analysis suggest that 677 C>T polymorphism in the MTHFR gene may contribute to breast cancer development. However, the 1298 A>C polymorphism is not significantly associated with increased risks of breast cancer. PMID:24945727

20. Low field AC susceptibility study of intergranular critical current density in Mg-substituted CuBa2Ca3Cu4O12-y high temperature superconductors

Agarwal, S. K.; Kumaraswamy, B. V.

2005-05-01

Measurements of the a.c.susceptibility (χ=χ‧+iχ″) have been made on the Mg substituted high TC superconducting system, CuBa2(MgxCa1-x)3Cu4O12-y (Cu-1234) with x=0, 0.10 & 0.20, at different values of the a.c.field amplitude. Estimates of the intergranular critical current density(JC) made from the field dependent χ″-T curves show an improvement in the Mg-substituted Cu-1234 system. Results have been analysed in the light of the crystal structure and the superconducting anisotropy factor (γ=ξab/ξc) of the Cu-1234 system. Lower superconducting anisotropy emanating from Mg substitution has been found to be significant, resulting in better superconducting properties.

1. Quenching of the initial ac Susceptibility in Single Domain Ni Nanobars

SciTech Connect

Gai, Zheng; Zhang, Xiaoguang; Kravchenko, Ivan I; Retterer, Scott T; Wendelken, J F

2012-01-01

The ac susceptibility measurement probes the dynamic properties of a magnetic material, which is believed to consist of magnetization rotation and domain wall motion contributions. Here we report the observation of a complete quenching of the initial ac susceptibility for a single domain Ni nanobar array, when the ac field is aligned with the long axis of the bars. The vanishing of the susceptibility in one direction is a unique nanoscale phenomena, allowing an unambiguous determination of the magnetic state of the nanostructure and a clean separation of different contributions to its dynamic properties. For example, an unambiguous determination of the surface anisotropy energy is obtained when the field is applied perpendicular to the long axis.

2. Evaluating the association of interleukin-10 gene promoter -592 A/C polymorphism with lupus nephritis susceptibility

PubMed Central

Abdallah, Emad; Waked, Emam; Abdelwahab, Mahmoud A.

2015-01-01

Background Interleukin-10 (IL-10) is an important immunoregulatory cytokine. There are few studies evaluating the association between IL-10 and lupus nephritis (LN). The aim of this study was to evaluate the association of IL-10 gene promoter -592 A/C with LN susceptibility. Methods The study was conducted on 84 patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Patients were divided into LN group (Group I, 48 patients) and non-LN group (Group II, 36 patients). The -592 A/C polymorphisms in IL-10 promoter gene were determined by polymerase chain reaction and restriction fragment length polymorphism in both groups. IL-10 was determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Frequencies of the genotypes were compared between LN and non-LN patients and among LN patients with different pathologic classes. Results There was a significant increase in serum level of IL-10 (P = 0.001) in Group I compared with Group II and significant positive correlation between serum IL-10 and SLE disease activity index (r = 0.466, P = 0.001) in Group I. There were no significant differences in the distribution of the IL-10 gene promoter -592 A/C genotypes or the allele frequencies between Groups I and II. There was no significant difference between AC/CC and AA genotypes with SLE disease activity index, proteinuria, hematuria, anti-double-stranded DNA, and IL-10 in Group I. There was no significant difference in the distribution of AC and CC genotypes among different pathologic LN classes. Conclusion IL-10 suggested to play a role in pathogenesis and development of LN. However, the promoter -592 A/C of IL-10 gene suggested to be not associated with serum IL-10 levels or LN susceptibility. In addition, it appears that promoter -592 A/C of IL-10 gene not associated with LN activity or the pathologic classes of LN. PMID:27069855

3. Susceptibilities of Helicoverpa zea and Heliothis virescens (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) populations to Cry1Ac insecticidal protein.

PubMed

Ali, M I; Luttrell, R G; Young, S Y

2006-02-01

Susceptibilities of bollworm, Helicoverpa zea (Boddie) and tobacco budworm, Heliothis virescens (F.) to Cry1Ac were measured via a diet-incorporated assay with MPV II at the University of Arkansas during 2002-2004. Lethal concentration-mortality (LC50) estimates of five laboratory, seven laboratory-cross, and 10 field populations of H. virescens varied 12-fold. Pooled susceptibilities of H. virescens across all laboratory and field populations varied five-fold. The LC50 estimates for H. virescens were higher than those reported by previous research before the introduction of transgenic crops. However, the ratio of susceptibility of laboratory and field populations was similar, suggesting no change in overall species susceptibility. Individual LC50 estimates of five laboratory, nine laboratory-cross, and 57 field populations of H. zea varied over 130-fold. Pooled susceptibilities across laboratory and field populations varied widely. Among the field populations, colonies from non-Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) crops were generally more susceptible than those from Bt crops. Across the Bt crops expressing Cry protein, colonies from Bollgard (Monsanto Company) cotton had lower susceptibility to CrylAc than those from Bt corn and those from non-Bt crops. PMID:16573337

4. A.C. Susceptibility in MAGNESIUM(1+T)TITANIUM(T)IRON(2 -2T)OXYGEN(4) Near the Breakdown of Ferrimagnetic Order

Lautzenhiser, Frans Peter

1990-01-01

The complex a.c. susceptibility _ {Xac} in t = 0.45 and 0.5 powder samples of the ferrimagnetic magnesium-titanium-iron oxide spinel have been measured. Frequency, a.c. amplitude, and d.c. field were varied with temperatures ranging from 5K to above the ferrimagnetic Neel temperature T _{N} (285K and 225K, respectively). For fixed frequency f, temperature T, and a.c. amplitude H _{ac}, a monotonic decrease in _{Xac} with increasing d.c. field, characteristic of superparamagnetism (SPM), was seen over the range of field 0.5 Oe < H_{dc} < 65 Oe. The derivative -d_ {Xac}/dH_{ dc} shows a sharp peak near T _{p} = 225K in the t = 0.45 sample. For fixed f, H_{dc}, and T, an increase in _ {Xac} with H_ {ac} was observed over the range of amplitudes 10^{-3} Oe < H_{ac } < 10 Oe. At 200Hz, this nonlinear a.c. response reaches a peak at T_{ac} = 55K and 70K in the t = 0.45 and 0.5 samples respectively. The peak temperature T_{ac} is reduced by lowering f. This frequency dependence is seen neither in the ferrimagnetic Neel temperature nor in the broad peaks of the a.c. susceptibility which occur near T = 0.8T_{N}. Although similar to a SPM blocking transition, the transition at T_{ac} is interpreted as a spin glass freezing temperature. The samples used in this study were previously analyzed by Brand et al. (J. Phys. F 15 1987 (1985).) using d.c. susceptibility and Mossbauer effect measurements.

5. Activation of Bt Protoxin Cry1Ac in Resistant and Susceptible Cotton Bollworm

PubMed Central

Liang, Gemei; Wang, Bingjie; Zhong, Feng; Chen, Lin; Khaing, Myint Myint; Zhang, Jie; Guo, Yuyuan; Wu, Kongming; Tabashnik, Bruce E.

2016-01-01

Crystalline (Cry) proteins from Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) are used extensively for insect control in sprays and transgenic plants, but their efficacy is reduced by evolution of resistance in pests. Here we evaluated reduced activation of Cry1Ac protoxin as a potential mechanism of resistance in the invasive pest Helicoverpa armigera. Based on the concentration killing 50% of larvae (LC50) for a laboratory-selected resistant strain (LF120) divided by the LC50 for its susceptible parent strain (LF), the resistance ratio was 1600 for Cry1Ac protoxin and 1200 for trypsin-activated Cry1Ac toxin. The high level of resistance to activated toxin as well as to protoxin indicates reduced activation of protoxin is not a major mechanism of resistance to Cry1Ac in LF120. For both insect strains, treatment with either the trypsin inhibitor N-a-tosyl-L-lysine chloromethyl ketone (TLCK) or the chymotrypsin inhibitor N-a-tosyl-L-phenylalanine chloromethyl ketone (TPCK) did not significantly affect the LC50 of Cry1Ac protoxin. Enzyme activity was higher for LF than LF120 for trypsin-like proteases, but did not differ between strains for chymotrypsin-like proteases. The results here are consistent with previous reports indicating that reduced activation of protoxin is generally not a major mechanism of resistance to Bt proteins. PMID:27257885

6. ac susceptibility of thermally annealed and neutron irradiated Cu-Ni alloys

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Catchings, R. M., III; Borg, R. J.; Violet, C. E.

1985-01-01

Thermal annealing and high-flux neutron irradiation are used to vary the degree of short-range atomic order in Cu-Ni alloys of composition 40, 50, and 60 at. pct Ni. The magnetic state is measured by ac magnetic susceptibility measurements. It is shown that annealing at 350 C causes significant changes in the susceptibility of all the samples. In the 50 and 60 at. pct Ni samples, the transition is broadened and extended to higher temperatures, while the 40 at. pct Ni sample changes from a paramagnetic system to a weakly ferromagnetic system. The neutron irradiation, in contrast to the thermal treatment, causes the development of smaller size cluster formations. The irradiated 60 at. pct Ni sample exhibits no change in the shape of its susceptibility curve from that of the quenched sample, whereas, the 40 pct alloy is changed, by irradiation, from a paramagnetic system to a spin-glass system.

7. Superconductivity and itinerant ferromagnetism of Y9Co7 probed by ac susceptibility.

PubMed

Gordon, R T; Vannette, M D; Strychalska, J; Klimczuk, T; Cava, R J; Prozorov, R

2016-04-27

The ac magnetic susceptibility of a single crystal sample of the compound Y9Co7 has been measured in applied dc fields ranging from 0-6.7 kOe by utilizing a tunnel diode resonator circuit. In agreement with previous measurements on this material, a superconducting transition has been observed to occur at [Formula: see text] K. A broad maximum has been observed in the zero field susceptibility measurements from 2.5 K  <  T  <  8 K and its behavior with applied dc magnetic fields is consistent with that of the itinerant ferromagnet ZrZn2, which supports previous claims of itinerant ferromagnetism in this compound. The susceptibility has also been measured as a function of applied magnetic field and the results indicate that the actual Curie temperature for this system is higher than that suggested by previous reports based on Arrott plots constructed from dc magnetization. PMID:27022686

8. Superconductivity and itinerant ferromagnetism of Y9Co7 probed by ac susceptibility

Gordon, R. T.; Vannette, M. D.; Strychalska, J.; Klimczuk, T.; Cava, R. J.; Prozorov, R.

2016-04-01

The ac magnetic susceptibility of a single crystal sample of the compound Y9Co7 has been measured in applied dc fields ranging from 0-6.7 kOe by utilizing a tunnel diode resonator circuit. In agreement with previous measurements on this material, a superconducting transition has been observed to occur at {{T}\\text{SC}}≈ 2.5 K. A broad maximum has been observed in the zero field susceptibility measurements from 2.5 K  <  T  <  8 K and its behavior with applied dc magnetic fields is consistent with that of the itinerant ferromagnet ZrZn2, which supports previous claims of itinerant ferromagnetism in this compound. The susceptibility has also been measured as a function of applied magnetic field and the results indicate that the actual Curie temperature for this system is higher than that suggested by previous reports based on Arrott plots constructed from dc magnetization.

9. Susceptibility towards Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli F4ac Diarrhea Is Governed by the MUC13 Gene in Pigs

PubMed Central

Ren, Jun; Yan, Xueming; Ai, Huashui; Zhang, Zhiyan; Huang, Xiang; Ouyang, Jing; Yang, Ming; Yang, Huaigu; Han, Pengfei; Zeng, Weihong; Chen, Yijie; Guo, Yuanmei; Xiao, Shijun; Ding, Nengshui; Huang, Lusheng

2012-01-01

Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) F4ac is a major determinant of diarrhea and mortality in neonatal and young pigs. Susceptibility to ETEC F4ac is governed by the intestinal receptor specific for the bacterium and is inherited as a monogenic dominant trait. To identify the receptor gene (F4acR), we first mapped the locus to a 7.8-cM region on pig chromosome 13 using a genome scan with 194 microsatellite markers. A further scan with high density markers on chromosome 13 refined the locus to a 5.7-cM interval. Recombination breakpoint analysis defined the locus within a 2.3-Mb region. Further genome-wide mapping using 39,720 informative SNPs revealed that the most significant markers were proximal to the MUC13 gene in the 2.3-Mb region. Association studies in a collection of diverse outbred populations strongly supported that MUC13 is the most likely responsible gene. We characterized the porcine MUC13 gene that encodes two transcripts: MUC13A and MUC13B. Both transcripts have the characteristic PTS regions of mucins that are enriched in distinct tandem repeats. MUC13B is predicated to be heavily O-glycosylated, forming the binding site of the bacterium; while MUC13A does not have the O-glycosylation binding site. Concordantly, 127 independent pigs homozygous for MUC13A across diverse breeds are all resistant to ETEC F4ac, and all 718 susceptible animals from the broad breed panel carry at least one MUC13B allele. Altogether, we conclude that susceptibility towards ETEC F4ac is governed by the MUC13 gene in pigs. The finding has an immediate translation into breeding practice, as it allows us to establish an efficient and accurate diagnostic test for selecting against susceptible animals. Moreover, the finding improves our understanding of mucins that play crucial roles in defense against enteric pathogens. It revealed, for the first time, the direct interaction between MUC13 and enteric bacteria, which is poorly understood in mammals. PMID:22984528

10. Ac susceptibility of Ho (Fe,CO)11Ti compounds and their hydrides

2015-04-01

The structural characterization and ac susceptibility behavior of polycrystalline samples of HoFe11-xCoxTiHy (x=1, 2, 4, 6, 7, 9, 11 and y=0, 1) intermetallics are investigated. All compounds crystallize in tetragonal ThMn12-type structure. The replacement of Fe by Co causes the lattice constants to decrease, while hydrogen insertion leads to cell volume expansion. A spin-reorientation (SR) transition from a uniaxial to cone/planar structure is observed for the HoFe11-xCoxTi compounds of higher Co content (x>7). By hydrogenation, SR transition appears in all samples due to relative reinforcement of Ho contribution to anisotropy. TSR values increase by Co-content because of the preferential substitution of Fe by Co atoms and consequently, concentration-dependence of contribution of transition metal sublattice to anisotropy, as well as that of Ho. The concentration-dependence of magnetization direction and hydrogen-induced SR in the studied samples are discussed in the framework of two-magnetic sublattice model by bearing in mind the temperature-dependent competition of their anisotropies and dependence of magnetic anisotropy on crystal field interactions.

11. Critical current densities estimated from AC susceptibilities in proximity-induced superconducting matrix of multifilamentary wire

2009-03-01

In a multifilamentary wire proximity-currents between filaments show a close resemblance with the inter-grain current in a high-Tc superconductor. The critical current densities of the proximity-induced superconducting matrix Jcm can be estimated from measured twist-pitch dependence of magnetization and have been shown to follow the well-known scaling law of the pinning strength. The grained Bean model is applied on the multifilamentary wire to obtain Jcm, where the filaments are immersed in the proximity-induced superconducting matrix. Difference of the superconducting characteristics of the filament, the matrix and the filament content factor give a variety of deformation on the AC susceptibility curves. The computed AC susceptibility curves of multifilamentary wires using the grained Bean model are favorably compared with the experimental results. The values of Jcm estimated from the susceptibilities using the grained Bean model are comparable to those estimated from measured twist-pitch dependence of magnetization. The applicability of the grained Bean model on the multifilamentary wire is discussed in detail.

12. Nonlinear and ac Susceptibility of the Dilute Ising Magnet LiHoxY1-xF4

Quilliam, Jeffrey; Meng, Shuchao; Mugford, Chas; Kycia, Jan

2008-03-01

Recent work has called into question the existence of a spin glass transition in the dilute dipolar Ising magnet LiHoxY1-xF4 [1]. Other work has suggested that there is an exotic spin liquid phase found at a Ho concentration of x = 0.045 [2]. In order to carefully study the dynamics of this system, we have put together a SQUID magnetometer which allows for measurements of ac susceptibility and nonlinear susceptibility over a large frequency range. We present results from measurements on single crystals of LiHoxY1-xF4, particularly on an x = 0.045 sample, in an attempt to either reproduce the exotic anti-glass'' physics that was previously observed or to detect a spin glass transition. [1] P. E. Jonnson et al. PRL 98, 256403 (2007) [2] S. Ghosh et al. Science 296, 2195 (2002)

13. Frequency and amplitude responses of ac susceptibility in high temperature superconductors [rapid communication

Liu, S. L.; Wu, G. J.; Xu, X. B.; Wu, J.; Shao, H. M.; Cai, Y. M.; Jin, X. C.

2005-05-01

According to the scaling function of vortex glass phase transition, a general description for the peak temperatures TP of frequency- and amplitude-dependent ac susceptibility has been deduced for high temperature superconductors. The description can be written as lnω0ωPBnhacμ=A(1-tP)q. This description is in good agreement of the experiments in our melt-textured YBCO and Pb doped Hg-1234 ceramic superconductors. The values of the exponents are estimated to be q=3/2 and n=1. And the comparison of our description with YBCO single crystal also sounds excellent.

14. A new AC susceptibility instrument for detecting frequency dependence over a wide range of frequencies

Kodama, K.

2008-12-01

A unique equipment was developed for measuring low-field AC susceptibility over a frequency spectrum ranging from 10 Hz to 4 kHz. The coil system consists of a primary coil for applying an excitation field, and a set of pickup coils linked in series and wound oppositely for compensation. The number of turns for the primary coil is 6,000 and that for the pickup coils is 4,400, using 0.1 mm thick copper wire, wound around a quartz-glass tube of 36 mm in diameter, allowing to measure conventional 10cc samples. The excitation field is produced by a commercial function generator with two independent outputs, capable of generating sinusoidal current with frequencies of 0 to 10 MHz. A mutual inductor coil is connected in series, to which the wave generator supplies, through the second output, a small current that can be adjusted in phase and magnitude to compensate the out-of-balance of the pickup coils. The resulting signal output voltage is fed to a digital rock-in amplifier. The AC frequency spans practically from 10 Hz to 4 kHz due to the limitation of the lock-in amplifier, but can be swept over the entire range with a constant amplitude of the applied field, which is changeable from 0.4 to 1.0 Oe. The outputs from the lock-in amplifier, in both magnitude and phase, are transferred to a PC to obtain the frequency dependence spectrum of both real and imaginary parts of AC susceptibility. The system calibration was made using a paramagnetic Gd2O3 powder as well as several natural samples that have ever been used for inter-laboratory calibrations.

15. AC susceptibility and critical current in the organic superconductor {kappa}-(ET){sub 2}Cu(NCS){sub 2}

SciTech Connect

Gonzalez, M.A.; Velez, M.; Vicent, J.L.; Schleuter, J.; Williams, J.M.; Crabtree, G.W.

1994-05-01

The AC susceptibility (X{prime}, X{double_prime}) has bee measured in a single crystal of the organic superconductor K-(ET){sub 2}Cu(NCS){sub 2} ({Tc} = 9.5 K) as a function of the DC magnetic field, for several frequencies (10 {sup 2} Hz AC fields (l{mu}T

16. AC susceptibility and EPR investigations of superspin dynamics in magnetite nanoparticles

Price, Alex D.

In this investigation we use two complementary techniques to distinguish between superparamagnetic blocking (SPB) and superspin-glass (SSG) freezing phenomena in magnetite nanoparticles. While these manifestations of the superspin dynamics are fundamentally different, they have similar "signatures", especially in dc-magnetization experiments. Even if ac-susceptibility measurements are employed, careful use of mathematical models to analyze the data are needed to uncover which type of phenomena (SPB or SSG freezing) occurs within the material. Yet, by utilizing electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) on a 10 nm Fe3O4 nano-powder as well as on a ferrofluid (based on the same nanoparticle ensemble) we found a very distinct difference in the absorption spectra between the two samples, which indicates markedly different EPR signatures from SPB and SSG freezing behaviors.

17. Simple uniaxial pressure device for ac-susceptibility measurements suitable for closed cycle refrigerator system.

PubMed

Arumugam, S; Manivannan, N; Murugeswari, A

2007-06-01

A simple design of the uniaxial pressure device for the measurement of ac-susceptibility at low temperatures using closed cycle refrigerator system is presented for the first time. This device consists of disc micrometer, spring holder attachment, uniaxial pressure cell, and the ac-susceptibility coil wound on stycast bobbin. It can work under pressure till 0.5 GPa and at the temperature range of 30-300 K. The performance of the system at ambient pressure is tested and calibrated with standard paramagnetic salts [Gd(2)O(3), Er(2)O(3), and Fe(NH(4)SO(4))(2)6H(2)O], Fe(3)O(4), Gd metal, Dy metal, superconductor (YBa(2)Cu(3)O(7)), manganite (La(1.85)Ba(0.15)MnO(3)), and spin glass material (Pr(0.8)Sr(0.2)MnO(3)). The performance of the uniaxial pressure device is demonstrated by investigating the uniaxial pressure dependence of La(1.85)Ba(0.15)MnO(3) single crystal with P||c axis. The Curie temperature (T(c)) decreases as a function of pressure with P||c axis (dT(c)dP(||c axis)=-11.65 KGPa) up to 46 MPa. The design is simple, is user friendly, and does not require pressure calibration. Measurement can even be made on thin and small size oriented crystals. The failure of the coil is remote under uniaxial pressure. The present setup can be used as a multipurpose uniaxial pressure device for the measurement of Hall effect and thermoelectric power with a small modification in the pressure cell. PMID:17614625

18. Ac susceptibility of a coated conductor with high-temperature superconducting film and covered copper stabilizer

Chen, D.-X.

2014-07-01

The ac susceptibility, χ=χ‧-jχ″, of a nearly square sample, cut from a coated conductor tape consisting of a high-temperature superconducting film and a covered copper stabilizer, is measured as a function of temperature, T, at several values of frequency, f. It is found that the χ(f) at T>Tc can be well simulated by a modeling eddy-current susceptibility of the stabilizer, and there is an extra low-T stage, where χ is not constant as expected and may be separated into two parts. The T-independent part is contributed by Meissner currents in the film with over-low |χ‧|, indicating that the film edge was damaged by cutting during tape and sample preparation. The T-dependent part is contributed by both eddy-currents and supercurrents, having a special f dependence with unknown mechanism. Both currents are interacted to each other in a complex way in the T range below and near Tc, resulting in interesting features in χ(T,f).

19. Diapause, cold-hardiness and flight ability of Cry1Ac-resistant and -susceptible strains of Helicoverpa armigera (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)

Technology Transfer Automated Retrieval System (TEKTRAN)

The diapause inducement condition, cold hardiness, and flight ability in Cry1Ac-resistant (BtR) and Cry1Ac-susceptible (96S) strains of Helicoverpa armigera (Hübner) were compared in the laboratory. The BtR strain was derived from the 96S strain and shows 1375-fold resistance to the Cry1Ac toxin aft...

20. Use of an advanced composite material in construction of a high pressure cell for magnetic ac susceptibility measurements

Wang, X.; Misek, M.; Jacobsen, M. K.; Kamenev, K. V.

2014-10-01

The applicability of fibre-reinforced polymers for fabrication of high pressure cells was assessed using finite element analysis and experimental testing. Performance and failure modes for the key components of the cell working in tension and in compression were evaluated and the ways for optimising the designs were established. These models were used in construction of a miniature fully non-metallic diamond anvil cell for magnetic ac susceptibility measurements in a magnetic property measurement system. The cell is approximately 14 mm long, 8.5 mm in diameter and was demonstrated to reach a pressure of 5.6 GPa. AC susceptibility data collected on Dy2O3 demonstrate the performance of the cell in magnetic property measurements and confirm that there is no screening of the sample by the environment which typically accompanies the use of conventional metallic high pressure cells in oscillating magnetic fields.

1. Association Between IL-10 Gene Promoter Polymorphisms (-592 A/C, -819 T/C, -1082 A/G) and Susceptibility to HBV Infection in an Iranian Population

PubMed Central

Moudi, Bita; Heidari, Zahra; Mahmoudzadeh-Sagheb, Hamidreza; Hashemi, Mohammad; Metanat, Malihe; Khosravi, Soheila; Farrokh, Parisa

2016-01-01

Background IL-10 can play a vital role in immune response against HBV. Three biallelic SNPs from the transcription start site control the transcription of the IL-10 gene. An association between susceptibility to HBV and IL-10 polymorphisms has been suggested in patients with HBV infection. Objectives The present study was designed to study the association between polymorphisms in interleukin-10 (-1082 A/G, -819 T/C and -592 A/C) promoter gene and chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. Patients and Methods 221 chronically infected patients and 200 healthy control subjects were enrolled in the study. Three biallelic (-1082 A/G, -819 T/C and -592 A/C) polymorphisms in the IL-10 promoter gene were determined by PCR-RFLP method. Results Persistent HBV infection was associated with IL-10-1082 AG (P = 0.001) and GG (P = 0.004) genotypes and G (P = 0.000) allele. IL-10-819 T/C and -592 A/C genotype and allele frequencies did not show any correlation with the risk of chronic hepatitis B infection. Conclusions These results suggest that polymorphisms in interleukin-10 gene promoter influence clinical outcome of HBV infection and susceptibility to HBV infection. PMID:27148384

2. High Susceptibility to Cry1Ac and Low Resistance Allele Frequency Reduce the Risk of Resistance of Helicoverpa armigers to Bt Soybean in Brazil.

PubMed

Dourado, Patrick M; Bacalhau, Fabiana B; Amado, Douglas; Carvalho, Renato A; Martinelli, Samuel; Head, Graham P; Omoto, Celso

2016-01-01

The Old World bollworm, Helicoverpa armigera (Hübner), was recently introduced into Brazil, where it has caused extensive damage to cotton and soybean crops. MON 87701 × MON 89788 soybean, which expresses the Bt protein Cry1Ac, was recently deployed in Brazil, providing high levels of control against H. armigera. To assess the risk of resistance to the Cry1Ac protein expressed by MON 87701 × MON 89788 soybean in Brazil, we conducted studies to evaluate the baseline susceptibility of H. armigera to Cry1Ac, in planta efficacy including the assessment of the high-dose criterion, and the initial resistance allele frequency based on an F2 screen. The mean Cry1Ac lethal concentration (LC50) ranged from 0.11 to 1.82 μg·mL-1 of diet among all H. armigera field populations collected from crop seasons 2013/14 to 2014/15, which indicated about 16.5-fold variation. MON 87701 × MON 89788 soybean exhibited a high level of efficacy against H. armigera and most likely met the high dose criterion against this target species in leaf tissue dilution bioassays up to 50 times. A total of 212 F2 family lines of H. armigera were established from field collections sampled from seven locations across Brazil and were screened for the presence of MON 87701 × MON 89788 soybean resistance alleles. None of the 212 families survived on MON 87701 × MON 89788 soybean leaf tissue (estimated allele frequency = 0.0011). The responses of H. armigera to Cry1Ac protein, high susceptibility to MON 87701 × MON 89788 soybean, and low frequency of resistance alleles across the main soybean-producing regions support the assumptions of a high-dose/refuge strategy. However, maintenance of reasonable compliance with the refuge recommendation will be essential to delay the evolution of resistance in H. armigera to MON 87701 × MON 89788 soybean in Brazil. PMID:27532632

3. High Susceptibility to Cry1Ac and Low Resistance Allele Frequency Reduce the Risk of Resistance of Helicoverpa armigers to Bt Soybean in Brazil

PubMed Central

Bacalhau, Fabiana B.; Amado, Douglas; Carvalho, Renato A.; Martinelli, Samuel; Head, Graham P.; Omoto, Celso

2016-01-01

The Old World bollworm, Helicoverpa armigera (Hübner), was recently introduced into Brazil, where it has caused extensive damage to cotton and soybean crops. MON 87701 × MON 89788 soybean, which expresses the Bt protein Cry1Ac, was recently deployed in Brazil, providing high levels of control against H. armigera. To assess the risk of resistance to the Cry1Ac protein expressed by MON 87701 × MON 89788 soybean in Brazil, we conducted studies to evaluate the baseline susceptibility of H. armigera to Cry1Ac, in planta efficacy including the assessment of the high-dose criterion, and the initial resistance allele frequency based on an F2 screen. The mean Cry1Ac lethal concentration (LC50) ranged from 0.11 to 1.82 μg·mL−1 of diet among all H. armigera field populations collected from crop seasons 2013/14 to 2014/15, which indicated about 16.5-fold variation. MON 87701 × MON 89788 soybean exhibited a high level of efficacy against H. armigera and most likely met the high dose criterion against this target species in leaf tissue dilution bioassays up to 50 times. A total of 212 F2 family lines of H. armigera were established from field collections sampled from seven locations across Brazil and were screened for the presence of MON 87701 × MON 89788 soybean resistance alleles. None of the 212 families survived on MON 87701 × MON 89788 soybean leaf tissue (estimated allele frequency = 0.0011). The responses of H. armigera to Cry1Ac protein, high susceptibility to MON 87701 × MON 89788 soybean, and low frequency of resistance alleles across the main soybean-producing regions support the assumptions of a high-dose/refuge strategy. However, maintenance of reasonable compliance with the refuge recommendation will be essential to delay the evolution of resistance in H. armigera to MON 87701 × MON 89788 soybean in Brazil. PMID:27532632

4. On the temperature dependence of the ac susceptibility of Fe 3O 4 magnetic fluids

Abu-Aljarayesh, I.; Al-Rawi, A.; Abu-Safia, H.

1993-02-01

The temperature dependence of the frequency-dependent magnetic susceptibility has been measured for Fe 3O 4 magnetic fluids with Isopar-M as a liquid carrier. The temperature range was 80 K ≤ T ≤ 300 K, and the volume fractions ɛ ranged from 0.004 to 0.062. With increasing temperature the in-phase magnetic susceptibility χ' increased from its initial value to a maximum at a temperature TB, then decreased monotonically until around the melting point of the liquid carrier, Tm ≈ 200 K. For T ≤ Tm, χ' increased rapidly to a second maximum at T = TB1. This behaviour was qualitatively similar for all studied samples. For the sample with ɛ = 0.047, χ' decreased with increasing frequency at all temperatures. When a static magnetic field was applied, a reduction in χ' was also observed. The effects of interparticle interactions on the static initial susceptibility χ i, are discussed. Analysis of the data yields information about the effective anisotropy energy, the median magnetic diameter, and relaxation times. The distribution of blocking temperature was calculated from the superparamagnetic blocking model of Wohlfarth. The results are further analysed and discussed within the framework of Lundgren model of spin glasses.

5. Characterization of a Cry1Ac-receptor alkaline phosphatase in susceptible and resistant Heliothis virescens larvae.

PubMed

Jurat-Fuentes, Juan L; Adang, Michael J

2004-08-01

We reported previously a direct correlation between reduced soybean agglutinin binding to 63- and 68-kDa midgut glycoproteins and resistance to Cry1Ac toxin from Bacillus thuringiensis in the tobacco budworm (Heliothis virescens). In the present work we describe the identification of the 68-kDa glycoprotein as a membrane-bound form of alkaline phosphatase we term HvALP. Lectin blot analysis of HvALP revealed the existence of N-linked oligosaccharides containing terminal N-acetylgalactosamine required for [125I]Cry1Ac binding in ligand blots. Based on immunoblotting and alkaline phosphatase activity detection, reduced soybean agglutinin binding to HvALP from Cry1Ac resistant larvae of the H. virescens YHD2 strain was attributable to reduced amounts of HvALP in resistant larvae. Quantification of specific alkaline phosphatase activity in brush border membrane proteins from susceptible (YDK and F1 generation from backcrosses) and YHD2 H. virescens larvae confirmed the observation of reduced HvALP levels. We propose HvALP as a Cry1Ac binding protein that is present at reduced levels in brush border membrane vesicles from YHD2 larvae. PMID:15265032

6. AC Magnetic Susceptibility of the Assembled-Metal Complex {NBu4[FeIIFeIII(ox)3]}∞ (Bu=n-C4H9, ox=oxalato)

Bhattacharjee, Ashis; Nakazawa, Yasuhiro; Kobayashi, Hayao; Sorai, Michio

2002-09-01

AC magnetic susceptibilityAC=χ\\prime-iχ\\prime\\prime) of {NBu4[FeIIFeIII(ox)3]}∞ was measured in the 4-50 K range for different frequencies (0.1-1000 Hz). Both of the χ\\prime(T) and χ\\prime\\prime(T) plots showed two peaks in two temperature regions: 4-33 K and 33-50 K. The χ\\prime(T) and χ\\prime\\prime(T) peaks in the 33-50 K range can be associated with the magnetic phase transition at the Néel temperature (43.3 K). However, the χ\\prime(T) peak in the 4-33 K range was found to be shifted towards lower temperature from 15.5 K to 13.5 K with increasing frequency, accompanied by a decrease in peak height. The fractional relative change in the peak temperature per decade change in frequency was calculated. The χ\\prime\\prime(T) in the 4-33 K range exhibited a broad peak around 25 K. The frequency dependence of χ\\prime(T) and χ\\prime\\prime(T) in the 4-33 K range occurred in the region where the irreversibilities in the ZFC (zero-field-cooled)-FC (field cooled) susceptibilities appeared. In this temperature range, a small heat capacity anomaly was detected and the negative magnetization effect took place in earlier reports. The wait-time dependence study of ZFC magnetization revealed an aging phenomenon. The frequency dependent peaks observed in the AC susceptibility and the aging phenomenon occurred below the Néel temperature might be indicative of the existence of a spin glass-like state in the present material at low temperatures.

7. Study of AC/RF properties of SRF ingot niobium

SciTech Connect

Dhakal, Pashupati; Tsindlekht, Menachem I; Genkin, Valery M; Ciovati, Gianluigi; Myneni, Ganapati Rao

2013-09-01

In an attempt to correlate the performance of superconducting radiofrequency cavities made of niobium with the superconducting properties, we present the results of the magnetization and ac susceptibility of the niobium used in the superconducting radiofrequency cavity fabrication. The samples were subjected to buffer chemical polishing (BCP) surface and high temperature heat treatments, typically applied to the cavities fabrications. The analysis of the results show the different surface and bulk ac conductivity for the samples subjected to BCP and heat treatment. Furthermore, the RF surface impedance is measured on the sample using a TE011 microwave cavity for a comparison to the low frequency measurements.

8. Study of AC electrical conduction mechanisms in an epoxy polymer

Jilani, Wissal; Mzabi, Nissaf; Gallot-Lavallée, Olivier; Fourati, Najla; Zerrouki, Chouki; Zerrouki, Rachida; Guermazi, Hajer

2015-11-01

The AC conductivity of an epoxy resin was investigated in the frequency range 10^{-1} - 106 Hz at temperatures ranging from -100 to 120 °C. The frequency dependence of σ_{ac} was described by the law: σ_{ac}=ω \\varepsilon0\\varepsilon^''_{HN}+Aωs. The study of temperature variation of the exponent (s) reveals two conduction models: the AC conduction dependence upon temperature is governed by the small polaron tunneling mechanism (SPTM) at low temperature (-100 -60 °C) and the correlated barrier hopping (CHB) model at high temperature (80-120 °C).

9. CONSIDERATION OF CHILDREN'S DISTINCTIVE SUSCEPTIBILITY IN ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH STUDIES

EPA Science Inventory

Consideration of children's distinctive susceptibility in environmental health studies.
Pauline Mendola (US EPA, National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory, Research Triangle Park, NC 27711)

Children are a particularly susceptible subpopulation with ...

10. Investigation of magnetic spin glass property in La{sub 0.5}Bi{sub 0.5}MnO{sub 3} sample using non-linear AC susceptibility measurements

SciTech Connect

Kumar, Punith V. Manju, M. R. Dayal, Vijaylakshmi

2014-04-24

We present a comprehensive study on origin of Spin Glass (SG) property in polycrystalline La{sub 0.5}Bi{sub 0.5}MnO{sub 3} perovskite oxide using linear and higher order ac susceptibility (χ) measurements. The third order harmonic susceptibility (χ{sub 3}) vs. temperature (K) with varying magnetic fields from 0.95 to 9.45 Oe and the divergence in their χ{sub 3} (max) allows us to infer the SG behavior occurring in the sample possibly due to co-operative freezing of the spins.

11. A cluster-glass magnetic state in R5Pd2 (R = Ho, Tb) compounds evidenced by AC-susceptibility and neutron scattering measurements.

PubMed

Gubkin, A F; Sherstobitova, E A; Terentyev, P B; Hoser, A; Baranov, N V

2013-06-12

AC- and DC-susceptibility, high-field magnetization and neutron diffraction measurements have been performed in order to study the magnetic state of R5Pd2 (R = Ho, Tb) compounds. The results show that both compounds undergo cluster-glass freezing upon cooling below Tf. According to the neutron diffraction a long-range magnetic order is absent down to 2 K and magnetic clusters with short-range incommensurate antiferromagnetic correlations exist not only below Tf but also in a wide temperature range above the freezing temperature (at least up to 2Tf). A complex cluster-glass magnetic state existing in Ho5Pd2 and Tb5Pd2 down to low temperatures results in rather complicated magnetization behavior in DC and AC magnetic fields. Such an unusual magnetic state in compounds with a high rare-earth concentration may be associated with the layered type of their crystal structure and with substantial atomic disorder, which results in frustrations in the magnetic subsystem. PMID:23676314

12. The effect of enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli F4ab,ac on early-weaned piglets: a gene expression study.

PubMed

Schroyen, M; Goddeeris, B M; Stinckens, A; Verhelst, R; Janssens, S; Cox, E; Georges, M; Niewold, T; Buys, N

2013-03-15

Diarrhoea in neonatal and early-weaned piglets due to enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli-F4 (ETEC-F4) is an important problem in the pig farming industry. There is substantial evidence for a genetic basis for susceptibility to ETEC-F4 since not all pigs suffer from diarrhoea after an ETEC-F4 infection. A region on SSC13 has been found to be in close linkage to the susceptibility of piglets for ETEC-F4ab,ac. Potential candidate genes on SSC13 have been examined and although some polymorphisms were found to be in linkage disequilibrium with the phenotype, the causative mutation has not yet been found. In this study we are looking at the expression of porcine genes in relation to ETEC-F4ab,ac. With the aid of the Affymetrix GeneChip Porcine Genome Array we were able to find differentially expressed genes between ETEC-F4ab,ac receptor positive (Fab,acR(+)) piglets without diarrhoea and F4ab,acR(+) piglets with diarrhoea or F4ab,acR(-) animals. Since the susceptibility to ETEC-F4ab,ac was described as a Mendelian trait, it is not so surprisingly that only two differentially expressed genes, transferrin receptor (TFRC) and trefoil factor 1 (TFF1), came out of the analysis. Although both genes could pass for functional candidate genes only TFRC also mapped to the region on SSC13 associated with susceptibility for ETEC-F4, which makes TFRC a positional functional candidate gene. Validation by qRT-PCR confirmed the differential expression of TFRC and TFF1. In piglets without diarrhoea, the expression of both genes was higher in F4ab,acR(+) than in F4ab,acR(-) piglets. Similarly, TFRC and TFF1 expression in F4ab,acR(+) piglets without diarrhoea was also higher than in F4ab,acR(+) piglets with diarrhoea. Consequently, although both genes might not play a role as receptor for F4 fimbriae, they could be of great importance during an ETEC-F4 outbreak. An upregulation of TFRC can be a consequence of the piglets ability to raise an effective immune response. An elevation of TFF1, a

13. Ac-susceptibility investigations of superspin blocking and freezing in interacting magnetic nanoparticle ensembles

Botez, Cristian E.; Morris, Joshua L.

2016-03-01

We have investigated the effect of dipolar interactions on the superspin blocking and freezing of 9 nm average size Fe3O4 magnetic nanoparticle ensembles. Our dynamic susceptibility data reveals a two-regime behavior of the blocking temperature, T B, upon diluting a Fe3O4/hexane magnetic fluid. As the nanoparticle volume ratio, Φ, is reduced from an as-prepared reference Φ = 1 to Φ = 1/96, the blocking temperature decreases from 46.1 K to 34.2 K, but higher values reenter upon further diluting the magnetic fluid to Φ = 1/384 (where T B = 42.5 K). We found evidence that cooling below T B within the higher concentration range (Φ > 1/48) leads to the collective freezing of the superspins, whereas individual superspin blocking occurs in the presence of weaker interactions (Φ < 1/96). The unexpected increase of the blocking temperature with the decrease of the inter-particle interactions observed at low nanoparticle concentrations is well described by the Mørup-Tronc model.

14. AC-susceptibility investigations of superspin blocking and freezing in interacting magnetic nanoparticle ensembles

Morris, Joshua Logan

We have investigated the effect of dipolar interactions on the superspin blocking and freezing of 10 nm average size Fe3O4 magnetic nanoparticle ensembles. Our dynamic susceptibility data reveals a two-regime behavior of the blocking temperature, TB, upon diluting a Fe 3O4/hexane magnetic nanoparticle fluid. As the nanoparticle volume ratio, Phi, is reduced from an as-prepared reference Phi = 1 to Phi = 1/96, the blocking temperature decreases from 46.1 K to 34.2 K, but higher values reenter upon further diluting the magnetic fluid to Phi = 1/384 (where TB = 42.5 K). We show that cooling below TB within the higher concentration range (Phi > 1/48) leads to the collective freezing of the superspins in a spin-glass-like fashion, whereas individual superspin blocking occurs in the presence of weaker dipolar interactions (Phi < 1/96). The unexpected increase of the blocking temperature with the decrease of the interparticle interactions observed at low nanoparticle concentrations is well described by the Morup-Tronc (MT) model.

15. Ac-susceptibility investigations of superspin blocking and freezing in interacting magnetic nanoparticle ensembles.

PubMed

Botez, Cristian E; Morris, Joshua L

2016-03-18

We have investigated the effect of dipolar interactions on the superspin blocking and freezing of 9 nm average size Fe3O4 magnetic nanoparticle ensembles. Our dynamic susceptibility data reveals a two-regime behavior of the blocking temperature, T(B), upon diluting a Fe3O4/hexane magnetic fluid. As the nanoparticle volume ratio, Φ, is reduced from an as-prepared reference Φ = 1 to Φ = 1/96, the blocking temperature decreases from 46.1 K to 34.2 K, but higher values reenter upon further diluting the magnetic fluid to Φ = 1/384 (where T(B) = 42.5 K). We found evidence that cooling below T B within the higher concentration range (Φ > 1/48) leads to the collective freezing of the superspins, whereas individual superspin blocking occurs in the presence of weaker interactions (Φ < 1/96). The unexpected increase of the blocking temperature with the decrease of the inter-particle interactions observed at low nanoparticle concentrations is well described by the Mørup-Tronc model. PMID:26876797

16. The use of field dependence of AC susceptibility for the interpretation of magnetic mineralogy and magnetic fabrics in the HSDP-2 basalts, Hawaii [rapid communication

Vahle, Carsten; Kontny, Agnes

2005-09-01

We applied the field dependence parameter χHd (%) = [( k300A/m - k30A/m) / k300A/m] × 100 given by de Wall for the subaerial and submarine basalts drilled by the 3109 m deep HSDP-2 borehole on Hawaii in order to verify the hypothesis that mainly composition controls the field dependence of AC susceptibility in titanomagnetite of natural occurrences. When we used this parameter, our data showed a significant scattering compared to data presented in earlier studies. In addition to composition, the effect of measurement temperature, grain size and anisotropy on the field dependent susceptibility were examined and found to be critical. The impact of grain size is weaker than the other effects. It cannot be totally excluded that the observed effects arise indirectly through an overlap of the other effects for the investigated basalts. The most important factor for the variation of field dependence is the degree of oxidation, causing a modification of the titanomagnetite composition or formation of titanomaghemite, and the mixing of Ti-rich with Ti-poor titanomagnetites, which strongly reduces the χHd parameter. Field dependence is not only related to titanomagnetite composition, especially for intermediate titanomagnetites with TCs between 100 and 300 °C. Temperature dependent susceptibility measurements at different field amplitudes for these intermediate types showed at constant geometry of the k( T) curve great differences in susceptibility, resulting in significant changes of the field dependence parameter over the temperature interval from - 100 to 260 °C. Therefore variations of the ambient measurement temperatures are able to influence the field dependence. The second important effect is the degree of particle shape and alignment, which controls the field dependence in different orientations especially for the intermediate titanomagnetite, which is intensively intergrown with elongated hemoilmenite grains. As a consequence, samples with higher degrees of

17. Determination of critical current density and transition temperature of YBa sub 2 Cu sub 3 O sub 7 minus x thin films by measurement of ac susceptibility

SciTech Connect

Li, Y.; Noh, D.; Gallois, B. ); Tompa, G.S.; Norris, P.E.; Zawadzki, P.A. )

1990-10-01

A technique for the determination of the critical current of superconducting thin films by a current-dependent ac susceptibility measurement has been developed. This method has been used to characterize superconducting YBa{sub 2}Cu{sub 3}O{sub 7{minus}{ital x}} films grown {ital in situ} at 1073 K by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition. Two superconducting phases with transition temperatures of 91 and 84 K have been detected by the measurement of ac susceptibility as a function of temperature even though the variation of resistance with temperature indicated a sharp transition. The critical current densities of the two superconducting phases have been determined from the variations of ac susceptibility with current at constant temperature and found to be equal to 1.14{times}10{sup 4} A/cm{sup 2} and 3.6{times}10{sup 3} A/cm{sup 2} at 75 K. The advantages of the technique in comparison to current methods of measurement of critical current are discussed.

18. AC Conductivity Studies of Lithium Based Phospho Vanadate Glasses

Nagendra, K.; Babu, G. Satish; Reddy, C. Narayana; Gowda, Veeranna

2011-07-01

Glasses in the system xLi2SO4-20Li2O-(80-x) [80P2O5-20V2O5] (5⩾x⩾20 mol%) has been prepared by melt quenching method. Dc and ac conductivity has been studied over a wide range of frequency (10 Hz to 10 MHz) and temperature (298 K-523 K). The dc conductivity found to increase with increase of Li2SO4 concentration. The ac conductivities have been fitted to the Almond-West type single power law equation σ(ω) = σ(0)+Aωs where s' is the power law exponent. The ac conductivity found to increase with increase of Li2SO4 concentration. An attempt is made to elucidate the enhancement of lithium ion conduction in phosphor-vanadate glasses by considering the expansion of network structure.

19. AC Electrostatic Field Study : Final Report.

SciTech Connect

Lebby, Gary L.

1990-08-28

The phenomenon of fast transients propagating to the outer sheath of a gas insulated substation (GIS) during switching and disconnect operations as well as the distortion of the electric field gradient around an electric transmission line in the presence of field measuring equipment are examples of electrostatic and electromagnetic field problems that are very much on the minds of both power engineers and maintenance personnel alike. Maintenance personnel working on high voltage equipment want to know the areas that have the highest electric field strength gradients and they want to reduce the risk of being shocked when touching a conventionally 60 Hz grounded GIS enclosure due to fast transients initiated by faults and switching operations. In studying these phenomena during the performance period of this grant, tower configurations for the electric field strength gradient measurements were tested with the ESURF3D program acquired from BPA and gas insulated substation test pole (GISTP) models were tested using the Alternative Transients Program (ATP) version Electromagnets Transients Program (EMTP). The results of these two modeling paradigms are presented in this report not as the last word on these subjects, but as a couple of the many ways one can approach two classical electromagnetic waves problems. 19 refs., 13 figs., 3 tabs.

20. AC Conductivity Studies of Lithium Based Phospho Vanadate Glasses

SciTech Connect

Nagendra, K.; Babu, G. Satish; Gowda, Veeranna; Reddy, C. Narayana

2011-07-15

Glasses in the system xLi{sub 2}SO{sub 4}-20Li{sub 2}O-(80-x) [80P{sub 2}O{sub 5}-20V{sub 2}O{sub 5}](5{>=}x{>=}20 mol%) has been prepared by melt quenching method. Dc and ac conductivity has been studied over a wide range of frequency (10 Hz to 10 MHz) and temperature (298 K-523 K). The dc conductivity found to increase with increase of Li{sub 2}SO{sub 4} concentration. The ac conductivities have been fitted to the Almond-West type single power law equation {sigma}({omega}) = {sigma}(0)+A{omega}{sup s} where 's' is the power law exponent. The ac conductivity found to increase with increase of Li{sub 2}SO{sub 4} concentration. An attempt is made to elucidate the enhancement of lithium ion conduction in phosphor-vanadate glasses by considering the expansion of network structure.

1. Demagnetization treatment of remanent composite microspheres studied by alternating current susceptibility measurements.

PubMed

van Berkum, Susanne; Erné, Ben H

2013-01-01

The magnetic remanence of silica microspheres with a low concentration of embedded cobalt ferrite nanoparticles is studied after demagnetization and remagnetization treatments. When the microspheres are dispersed in a liquid, alternating current (AC) magnetic susceptibility spectra reveal a constant characteristic frequency, corresponding to the rotational diffusion of the microparticles; this depends only on particle size and liquid viscosity, making the particles suitable as a rheological probe and indicating that interactions between the microspheres are weak. On the macroscopic scale, a sample with the dry microparticles is magnetically remanent after treatment in a saturating field, and after a demagnetization treatment, the remanence goes down to zero. The AC susceptibility of a liquid dispersion, however, characterizes the remanence on the scale of the individual microparticles, which does not become zero after demagnetization. The reason is that an individual microparticle contains only a relatively small number of magnetic units, so that even if they can be reoriented magnetically at random, the average vector sum of the nanoparticle dipoles is not negligible on the scale of the microparticle. In contrast, on the macroscopic scale, the demagnetization procedure randomizes the orientations of a macroscopic number of magnetic units, resulting in a remanent magnetization that is negligible compared to the saturation magnetization of the entire sample. PMID:24009021

2. Demagnetization Treatment of Remanent Composite Microspheres Studied by Alternating Current Susceptibility Measurements

PubMed Central

van Berkum, Susanne; Erné, Ben H.

2013-01-01

The magnetic remanence of silica microspheres with a low concentration of embedded cobalt ferrite nanoparticles is studied after demagnetization and remagnetization treatments. When the microspheres are dispersed in a liquid, alternating current (AC) magnetic susceptibility spectra reveal a constant characteristic frequency, corresponding to the rotational diffusion of the microparticles; this depends only on particle size and liquid viscosity, making the particles suitable as a rheological probe and indicating that interactions between the microspheres are weak. On the macroscopic scale, a sample with the dry microparticles is magnetically remanent after treatment in a saturating field, and after a demagnetization treatment, the remanence goes down to zero. The AC susceptibility of a liquid dispersion, however, characterizes the remanence on the scale of the individual microparticles, which does not become zero after demagnetization. The reason is that an individual microparticle contains only a relatively small number of magnetic units, so that even if they can be reoriented magnetically at random, the average vector sum of the nanoparticle dipoles is not negligible on the scale of the microparticle. In contrast, on the macroscopic scale, the demagnetization procedure randomizes the orientations of a macroscopic number of magnetic units, resulting in a remanent magnetization that is negligible compared to the saturation magnetization of the entire sample. PMID:24009021

3. A targeted genetic association study of epithelial ovarian cancer susceptibility

PubMed Central

Earp, Madalene; Winham, Stacey J.; Larson, Nicholas; Permuth, Jennifer B.; Sicotte, Hugues; Chien, Jeremy; Anton-Culver, Hoda; Bandera, Elisa V.; Berchuck, Andrew; Cook, Linda S.; Cramer, Daniel; Doherty, Jennifer A.; Goodman, Marc T.; Levine, Douglas A.; Monteiro, Alvaro N.A.; Ness, Roberta B.; Pearce, Celeste L.; Rossing, Mary Anne; Tworoger, Shelley S.; Wentzensen, Nicolas; Bisogna, Maria; Brinton, Louise; Brooks-Wilson, Angela; Carney, Michael E.; Cunningham, Julie M.; Edwards, Robert P.; Fogarty, Zachary C.; Iversen, Edwin S.; Kraft, Peter; Larson, Melissa C.; Le, Nhu D.; Lin, Hui-Yi; Lissowska, Jolanta; Modugno, Francesmary; Moysich, Kirsten B.; Olson, Sara H.; Pike, Malcolm C.; Poole, Elizabeth M.; Rider, David N.; Terry, Kathryn L.; Thompson, Pamela J.; van den Berg, David; Vierkant, Robert A.; Vitonis, Allison F.; Wilkens, Lynne R.; Wu, Anna H.; Yang, Hannah P.; Ziogas, Argyrios; Phelan, Catherine M.; Schildkraut, Joellen M.; Chen, Yian Ann; Sellers, Thomas A.; Fridley, Brooke L.; Goode, Ellen L.

2016-01-01

Background Genome-wide association studies have identified several common susceptibility alleles for epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC). To further understand EOC susceptibility, we examined previously ungenotyped candidate variants, including uncommon variants and those residing within known susceptibility loci. Results At nine of eleven previously published EOC susceptibility regions (2q31, 3q25, 5p15, 8q21, 8q24, 10p12, 17q12, 17q21.31, and 19p13), novel variants were identified that were more strongly associated with risk than previously reported variants. Beyond known susceptibility regions, no variants were found to be associated with EOC risk at genome-wide statistical significance (p <5×10−8), nor were any significant after Bonferroni correction for 17,000 variants (p< 3×10-6). Methods A customized genotyping array was used to assess over 17,000 variants in coding, non-coding, regulatory, and known susceptibility regions in 4,973 EOC cases and 5,640 controls from 13 independent studies. Susceptibility for EOC overall and for select histotypes was evaluated using logistic regression adjusted for age, study site, and population substructure. Conclusion Given the novel variants identified within the 2q31, 3q25, 5p15, 8q21, 8q24, 10p12, 17q12, 17q21.31, and 19p13 regions, larger follow-up genotyping studies, using imputation where necessary, are needed for fine-mapping and confirmation of low frequency variants that fall below statistical significance. PMID:26848776

4. Motion sickness susceptibility and aerobic fitness: a longitudinal study.

PubMed

Cheung, B S; Money, K E; Jacobs, I

1990-03-01

A longitudinal study evaluated the susceptibility to motion sickness in initially unfit subjects before and after an endurance training program. Motion stimulation was provided by the Precision Angular Mover, in which the subject was tumbled head over heels about an Earth-horizontal axis at 20 cycles per minute in darkness. Maximal aerobic power and the blood lactate response to submaximal exercise were evaluated with cycle ergometry. The training program caused significant improvements in VO2max and endurance capacity, and a significant decrease in percent body fat. There was a significant (p less than 0.0125) increase in motion sickness susceptibility after the physical training, suggesting that increased physical fitness caused increased susceptibility to motion sickness in some individuals. PMID:2156490

5. Structural and AC loss study for pure and doped MgB2 superconductor

Hansdah, J. S.; Sarun, P. M.

2015-06-01

Superconducting polycrystalline bulk MgB2 samples doped with n-C, n-Y2O3 and n-Ho2O3 were prepared by powder-in-sealed (PIST) method. XRD measurement shows the influence of dopants on phase and lattice parameters of samples. The ac susceptibility measurement reveals ac loss and activation energy of the samples. Nano-C doped sample shows less ac loss in all frequency (208 Hz - 999 Hz) among the doped samples; whereas n-Ho2O3 doped sample shows highest ac loss. The activation energy is high for rare earth (n-Y2O3 and n-Ho2O3) doped samples as compare to n-C doped samples which reveals the enhancement in flux-pinning properties of these materials.

6. Structural and AC loss study for pure and doped MgB{sub 2} superconductor

SciTech Connect

Hansdah, J. S.; Sarun, P. M.

2015-06-24

Superconducting polycrystalline bulk MgB{sub 2} samples doped with n-C, n-Y{sub 2}O{sub 3} and n-Ho{sub 2}O{sub 3} were prepared by powder-in-sealed (PIST) method. XRD measurement shows the influence of dopants on phase and lattice parameters of samples. The ac susceptibility measurement reveals ac loss and activation energy of the samples. Nano-C doped sample shows less ac loss in all frequency (208 Hz – 999 Hz) among the doped samples; whereas n-Ho{sub 2}O{sub 3} doped sample shows highest ac loss. The activation energy is high for rare earth (n-Y{sub 2}O{sub 3} and n-Ho{sub 2}O{sub 3}) doped samples as compare to n-C doped samples which reveals the enhancement in flux-pinning properties of these materials.

7. AC biosusceptometry in the study of drug delivery.

PubMed

Corá, L A; Romeiro, F G; Stelzer, M; Américo, M F; Oliveira, R B; Baffa, O; Miranda, J R A

2005-06-15

Conventionally, pharmaceutical substances are administered orally because the gastrointestinal tract possesses the appropriate features for drug absorption. Nevertheless, the gastrointestinal tract physiology is complex and influenced by many factors. These factors must be completely understood for the optimization of oral drug delivery systems. Although in vitro tests provide information about release and drug absorption profiles, in vivo studies are essential, due to the biological variability. Several techniques have been employed in an attempt to conveniently characterize the behavior of solid dosage forms in vivo. The noninvasive biomagnetic technique of alternate current biosusceptometry (ACB) has been used in studies focusing on gastrointestinal motility and, more recently, to evaluate the performance of magnetic dosage forms. This article will discuss the main characteristics of AC biosusceptometry and its applicability for determination of the relationship between the human gastrointestinal tract and orally administered pharmaceutical dosage forms. PMID:15935871

8. AC impedance study of degradation of porous nickel battery electrodes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lenhart, Stephen J.; Macdonald, D. D.; Pound, B. G.

1987-01-01

AC impedance spectra of porous nickel battery electrodes were recorded periodically during charge/discharge cycling in concentrated KOH solution at various temperatures. A transmission line model (TLM) was adopted to represent the impedance of the porous electrodes, and various model parameters were adjusted in a curve fitting routine to reproduce the experimental impedances. Degradation processes were deduced from changes in model parameters with electrode cycling time. In developing the TLM, impedance spectra of planar (nonporous) electrodes were used to represent the pore wall and backing plate interfacial impedances. These data were measured over a range of potentials and temperatures, and an equivalent circuit model was adopted to represent the planar electrode data. Cyclic voltammetry was used to study the characteristics of the oxygen evolution reaction on planar nickel electrodes during charging, since oxygen evolution can affect battery electrode charging efficiency and ultimately electrode cycle life if the overpotential for oxygen evolution is sufficiently low.

9. Study on Bt Susceptibility and Resistance Mechanisms in the Sugarcane Borer, Diatraea saccharalis

Technology Transfer Automated Retrieval System (TEKTRAN)

Dose response and growth inhibition of Cry1Ab-susceptible and -resistant strains of the sugarcane borer, Diatraea saccharalis, were evaluated with Cry1Aa and Cry1Ac toxins. The median lethal concentration (LC50) of the Cry1Ab-resistant strain was estimated to be >80- and 45-fold greater than that of...

10. Association Study of IL-12B Polymorphisms Susceptibility with Ankylosing Spondylitis in Mainland Han Population

PubMed Central

Liu, Li; Yang, Ting; Ding, Ning; Hu, Yanting; Cai, Guoqi; Wang, Li; Xin, Lihong; Xia, Qing; Li, Xiaona; Xu, Shengqian; Xu, Jianhua; Yang, Xiao; Zou, Yanfeng; Pan, Faming

2015-01-01

Objective This study aims to determine whether the genetic polymorphisms of IL-12B gene is a susceptibility factor to Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) in mainland Han Chinese population. Method Eight single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) (rs10045431, rs11167764, rs3212227, rs6556412, rs6556416, rs6871626, rs6887695 and rs7709212) in the IL-12B gene were genotyped by iMLDR Assay technology in 400 patients [96% (384/400) HLA-B27(+)] and 395 geographically and ethnically matched healthy controls in mainland Han Chinese population. The correlation between IL-12B genetic polymorphisms and AS activity index (BASDAI, BASFI) were tested. Results The significant difference was found in genotype distribution between AS and healthy controls (χ2 = 6.942, P-value = 0.031) of the SNP rs6871626. Furthermore, significant evidence was also detected under the recessive model for minor allele A. The AA genotype carrier had 1.830 fold risk compared with C allele carrier (with CC and AC genotypes) [OR (95% CI) = 1.830 (1.131-2.961), P-value = 0.014]. Nevertheless, the difference was no longer significant after Bonferroni correction. Subset analysis on cases with HLA-B27(+) did find the same results. Three genotypic groups (AA, CC and CA) in rs6871626 site was highly associated with the BASDAI and BASFI (P-value = 0.012 and P-value = 0.023, respectively), after adjustment for effect of age, sex, and disease duration, the P-value was 0.031 and 0.041, respectively. The AA genotype of rs6871626 was also significantly correlated with an increased BASDAI and BASFI compared to the AC and CC genotypes in AS patients. Conclusion Our findings suggest that rs6871626 may be associated AS susceptibility and with disease activity (BASDAI, BASFI) in mainland Han Chinese population. PMID:26103568

11. Effect of added dietary threonine on growth performance, health, immunity and gastrointestinal function of weaning pigs with differing genetic susceptibility to Escherichia coli infection and challenged with E. coli K88ac.

PubMed

Trevisi, P; Corrent, E; Mazzoni, M; Messori, S; Priori, D; Gherpelli, Y; Simongiovanni, A; Bosi, P

2015-06-01

Threonine (Thr) is important for mucin and immunoglobulin production. We studied the effect of added dietary Thr on growth performance, health, immunity and gastrointestinal function of weaning pigs with differing genetic susceptibility to E. coli K88ac (ETEC) infection and challenged with ETEC. Forty-eight 24-day-old weaned pigs were divided into two groups by their ETEC susceptibility using mucin 4 (MUC4) gene as a marker (2 MUC4(-/-) , not-susceptible, and 2 MUC4(+/+) , susceptible, pigs per litter). Within genotype, pigs were fed two different diets: 8.5 (LThr) or 9.0 (HThr) g Thr/kg. Pigs were orally challenged on day 7 after weaning and slaughtered on day 12 or 13 after weaning. Before ETEC challenge, HThr pigs ate more (p < 0.05). The diet did not affect post-challenge growth, but HThr tended to increase post-challenge feed efficiency (p = 0.087) and overall growth (p = 0.087) and feed efficiency (p = 0.055). Before challenge, HThr pigs excreted less E. coli (p < 0.05), while after challenge, diet did not affect the number of days with diarrhoea and ETEC excretion. MUC4(+/+) pigs responded to the challenge with more diarrhoea, ETEC excretion and anti-K88 IgA in blood and jejunal secretion (p < 0.001). HThr pigs had a higher increase of anti-K88 IgA values in jejunal secretion (p = 0.089) and in blood (p = 0.089, in MUC4(+/+) pigs only). Thr did not affect total IgA and IgM values, morphometry of jejunum, goblet cells count in colon, total mucin from jejunum and colon, but varied jejunal goblet cells counts (p < 0.05). In the first two post-weaning weeks, 8.5 g Thr/kg diet may be not sufficient to optimize initial feed intake, overall feed efficiency and intestinal IgA secretion and to control the gut microbiota in the first post-weaning week, irrespective of the pig genetic susceptibility to ETEC infection. PMID:24965751

12. Genetic Epidemiology of Tuberculosis Susceptibility: Impact of Study Design

PubMed Central

Stein, Catherine M.

2011-01-01

Several candidate gene studies have provided evidence for a role of host genetics in susceptibility to tuberculosis (TB). However, the results of these studies have been very inconsistent, even within a study population. Here, we review the design of these studies from a genetic epidemiological perspective, illustrating important differences in phenotype definition in both cases and controls, consideration of latent M. tuberculosis infection versus active TB disease, population genetic factors such as population substructure and linkage disequilibrium, polymorphism selection, and potential global differences in M. tuberculosis strain. These considerable differences between studies should be accounted for when examining the current literature. Recommendations are made for future studies to further clarify the host genetics of TB. PMID:21283783

13. Knowledge Gaining by Human Genetic Studies on Tuberculosis Susceptibility

PubMed Central

Qu, Hui-Qi; Fisher-Hoch, Susan P; McCormick, Joseph B

2011-01-01

Tuberculosis (TB) is a serious health issue in the developing world. Lack of knowledge on the etiological mechanisms of TB hinders the development of effective strategies for the treatment or prevention of TB disease. Human genetic study is an indispensable approach to understand the molecular basis of common diseases. Numerous efforts were made to screen the human genome for TB susceptibility by linkage mapping. A large number of candidate-based association studies of TB were performed to examine the association of predicted functional DNA variations in candidate genes. Recently, the first genome-wide association study (GWAS) on TB was reported. The GWAS is a proof-of-principle evidence which justifies the genetic approach to understand TB. Further hypothesis-free efforts on TB research may renovate the traditional idea of TB genetic susceptibility as none of the candidate genes with important roles in containing Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) infection was identified of association with active TB, while the TB-associated loci in the GWAS harbors no gene with function in MTB infection. PMID:21179108

14. Upset susceptibility study employing circuit analysis and digital simulation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Carreno, V. A.

1984-01-01

This paper describes an approach to predicting the susceptibility of digital systems to signal disturbances. Electrical disturbances on a digital system's input and output lines can be induced by activities and conditions including static electricity, lightning discharge, Electromagnetic Interference (EMI) and Electromagnetic Pulsation (EMP). The electrical signal disturbances employed for the susceptibility study were limited to nondestructive levels, i.e., the system does not sustain partial or total physical damage and reset and/or reload will bring the system to an operational status. The front-end transition from the electrical disturbances to the equivalent digital signals was accomplished by computer-aided circuit analysis. The Super-Sceptre (system for circuit evaluation of transient radiation effects) Program was used. Gate models were developed according to manufacturers' performance specifications and parameters resulting from construction processes characteristic of the technology. Digital simulation at the gate and functional level was employed to determine the impact of the abnormal signals on system performance and to study the propagation characteristics of these signals through the system architecture. Example results are included for an Intel 8080 processor configuration.

15. Total AC loss study of 2G HTS coils for fully HTS machine applications

Zhang, Min; Yuan, Weijia; Kvitkovic, Jozef; Pamidi, Sastry

2015-11-01

The application of HTS coils for fully HTS machines has become a new research focus. In the stator of an electrical machine, HTS coils are subjected to a combination of an AC applied current and AC external magnetic field. There is a phase shift between the AC current and AC magnetic field. In order to understand and estimate the total AC loss of HTS coils for electrical machines, we designed and performed a calorimetric measurement for a 2G HTS racetrack coil. Our measurement indicates that the total AC loss is greatly influenced by the phase shift between the applied current and the external magnetic field when the magnetic field is perpendicular to the tape surface. When the applied current and the external magnetic field are in phase, the total AC loss is the highest. When there is a 90 degree phase difference, the total AC loss is the lowest. In order to explain this phenomenon, we employ H formulation and finite element method to model the 2G HTS racetrack coil. Our calculation agrees well with experimental measurements. Two parameters are defined to describe the modulation of the total AC loss in terms of phase difference. The calculation further reveals that the influence of phase difference varies with magnetic field direction. The greatest influence of phase difference is in the perpendicular direction. The study provides key information for large-scale 2G HTS applications, e.g. fully HTS machines and superconducting magnetic energy storage, where the total AC loss subjected to both applied currents and external magnetic fields is a critical parameter for the design.

16. Extending membrane pore lifetime with AC fields: A modeling study

Garner, Allen L.; Bogdan Neculaes, V.

2012-07-01

AC (sinusoidal) fields with frequencies from kilohertz to gigahertz have been used for gene delivery. To understand the impact of AC fields on electroporation dynamics, we couple a nondimensionalized Smoluchowski equation to an exact representation of the cell membrane voltage obtained solving the Laplace equation. The slope of the pore energy function, dφ/dr, with respect to pore radius is critical in predicting pore dynamics in AC fields because it can vary from positive, inducing pore shrinkage, to negative, driving pore growth. Specifically, the net sign of the integral of dφ/dr over time determines whether the average pore size grows (negative), shrinks (positive), or oscillates (zero) indefinitely about a steady-state radius, rss. A simple analytic relationship predicting the amplitude of the membrane voltage necessary for this behavior agrees well with simulation for frequencies from 500 kHz to 5 MHz for rss < 10 nm. For larger pore size (rss > 10 nm), dφ/dr oscillates about a negative value, suggesting that a net creation of pores may be necessary to maintain a constant pore size. In both scenarios, the magnitude of rss depends only upon the amplitude of the membrane voltage and not directly upon the applied field frequency other than the relationship between the amplitudes of the applied field and membrane voltage.

17. Fabrication and study of AC electro-osmotic micropumps

Guo, Xin

In this thesis, microelectrode arrays of micropumps have been designed, fabricated and characterized for transporting microfluid by AC electro-osmosis (ACEO). In particular, the 3D stepped electrode design which shows superior performance to others in literature is adopted for making micropumps, and the performance of such devices has been studied and explored. A novel fabrication process has also been developed in the work, realizing 3D stepped electrodes on a flexible substrate, which is suitable for biomedical use, for example glaucoma implant. There are three major contributions to ACEO pumping in the work. First, a novel design of 3D "T-shaped" discrete electrode arrays was made using PolyMUMPsRTM process. The breakthrough of this work was discretizing the continuous 3D stepped electrodes which were commonly seen in the past research. The "T-shaped" electrodes did not only create ACEO flows on the top surfaces of electrodes but also along the side walls between separated electrodes. Secondly, four 3D stepped electrode arrays were designed, fabricated and tested. It was found from the experiment that PolyMUMPsRTM ACEO electrodes usually required a higher driving voltage than gold electrodes for operation. It was also noticed that a simulation based on the modified model taking into account the surface oxide of electrodes showed a better agreement with the experimental results. It thus demonstrated the possibility that the surface oxide of electrodes had impact on fluidic pumping. This methodology could also be applied to metal electrodes with a native oxide layer such as titanium and aluminum. Thirdly, a prototype of the ACEO pump with 3D stepped electrode arrays was first time realized on a flexible substrate using Kapton polyimide sheets and packaged with PDMS encapsulants. Comprehensive experimental testing was also conducted to evaluate the mechanical properties as well as the pumping performance. The experimental findings indicated that this fabrication

18. A Study of Airline Passenger Susceptibility to Atmospheric Turbulence Hazard

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stewart, Eric C.

2000-01-01

A simple, generic, simulation math model of a commercial airliner has been developed to study the susceptibility of unrestrained passengers to large, discrete gust encounters. The math model simulates the longitudinal motion to vertical gusts and includes (1) motion of an unrestrained passenger in the rear cabin, (2) fuselage flexibility, (3) the lag in the downwash from the wing to the tail, and (4) unsteady lift effects. Airplane and passenger response contours are calculated for a matrix of gust amplitudes and gust lengths of a simulated mountain rotor. A comparison of the model-predicted responses to data from three accidents indicates that the accelerations in actual accidents are sometimes much larger than the simulated gust encounters.

19. AC conductivity and Dielectric Study of Chalcogenide Glasses of Se-Te-Ge System

Salman, Fathy

2004-01-01

The ac conductivity and dielectric properties of glassy system SexTe79 - xGe21, with x = 11, 14, 17 at.%, has been studied at temperatures 300 to 450 K and over a wide range of frequencies (50 Hz to 500 kHz). Experimental results indicate that the ac conductivity and the dielectric constants depend on temperature, frequency and Se content. The conductivity as a function of frequency exhibited two components: dc conductivity s dc, and ac conductivity s ac, where s ac ˜ w s. The mechanism of ac conductivity can be reasonably interpreted in terms of the correlated barrier hopping model (CBH). The activation energies are estimated and discussed. The dependence of ac conductivity and dielectric constants on the Se content x can be interpreted as the effect of Se fraction on the positional disorder. The impedance plot at each temperature appeared as a semicircle passes through the origin. Each semicircle is represented by an equivalent circuit of parallel resistance Rb and capacitance Cb.

20. AC susceptibility of the Hg0.3La0.7Ba2Ca3(Cu0.95Ag0.5)4O10+δ superconductor

Mostafa, M. F.; Hassen, A.

2016-09-01

In this work, the temperature, magnetic field and frequency dependence of the ac susceptibility of Hg0.3La0.7Ba2Ca3(Cu0.95Ag0.5)4O10+δ were studied. The superconductivity still survives even at this amount of Ag. The magnetic field dependence of the irreversibility line (IL) and the flux pinning of this compound are discussed and compared with those of low Ag content. The IL exhibits thermally activated behaviour. A collective creep of the vortex bundle also occurs for this level of doping. A crossover from a two- to a three-dimensional system is suggested at T/Tc = 0.75 and a magnetic field, Hdc = 0.04 T. Based on vortex glass phase transition theory, the effective pinning energy, ueff, was calculated. The change in the characteristic temperature of the studied compound and that of low Ag content samples are summarised. Comparisons with similar materials are discussed.

1. WITHDRAWN: Complex Study of Transport AC Loss in Various 2G HTS Racetrack Coils

Chen, Yiran; Zhang, Min; Chudy, Michal; Matsuda, Koichi; Coombs, Tim

2013-06-01

HTS racetrack coils are becoming important elements of an emerging number of superconducting devices such as generators or motors. In these devices the issue of AC loss is crucial, as performance and cooling power are derived from this quantity. This paper presents a comparative study of transport AC loss in two different types of 2G HTS racetrack coils. In this study, both experimental measurements and computer simulation approaches were employed. All the experiments were performed using classical AC electrical method. The finite-element computer model was used to estimate electromagnetic properties and calculate transport AC loss. The main difference between the characterized coils is covered inside tape architectures. While one coil uses tape based on RABITS magnetic substrate, the second coil uses a non-magnetic tape. Ferromagnetic loss caused by a magnetic substrate is an important issue involved in the total AC loss. As a result, the coil with the magnetic substrate surprised with high AC loss and rather low performance.

2. Complex study of transport AC loss in various 2G HTS racetrack coils

Chen, Yiran; Zhang, Min; Chudy, Michal; Matsuda, Koichi; Coombs, Tim

2013-04-01

HTS racetrack coils are becoming important elements of an emerging number of superconducting devices such as generators or motors. In these devices the issue of AC loss is crucial, as performance and cooling power are derived from this quantity. This paper presents a comparative study of transport AC loss in two different types of 2G HTS racetrack coils. In this study, both experimental measurements and computer simulation approaches were employed. All the experiments were performed using classical AC electrical method. The finite-element computer model was used to estimate electromagnetic properties and calculate transport AC loss. The main difference between the characterized coils is covered inside tape architectures. While one coil uses tape based on RABITS magnetic substrate, the second coil uses a non-magnetic tape. Ferromagnetic loss caused by a magnetic substrate is an important issue involved in the total AC loss. As a result, the coil with the magnetic substrate surprised with high AC loss and rather low performance.

3. Susceptibility study of audio recording devices to electromagnetic stimulations

SciTech Connect

Halligan, Matthew S.; Grant, Steven L.; Beetner, Daryl G.

2014-02-01

Little research has been performed to study how intentional electromagnetic signals may couple into recording devices. An electromagnetic susceptibility study was performed on an analog tape recorder, a digital video camera, a wired computer microphone, and a wireless microphone system to electromagnetic interference. Devices were subjected to electromagnetic stimulations in the frequency range of 1-990 MHz and field strengths up to 4.9 V/m. Carrier and message frequencies of the stimulation signals were swept, and the impacts of device orientation and antenna polarization were explored. Message signals coupled into all devices only when amplitude modulated signals were used as stimulation signals. Test conditions that produced maximum sensitivity were highly specific to each device. Only narrow carrier frequency ranges could be used for most devices to couple messages into recordings. A basic detection technique using cross-correlation demonstrated the need for messages to be as long as possible to maximize message detection and minimize detection error. Analysis suggests that detectable signals could be coupled to these recording devices under realistic ambient conditions.

4. Structural and AC conductivity study of CdTe nanomaterials

Das, Sayantani; Banerjee, Sourish; Sinha, T. P.

2016-04-01

Cadmium telluride (CdTe) nanomaterials have been synthesized by soft chemical route using mercapto ethanol as a capping agent. Crystallization temperature of the sample is investigated using differential scanning calorimeter. X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscope measurements show that the prepared sample belongs to cubic structure with the average particle size of 20 nm. Impedance spectroscopy is applied to investigate the dielectric relaxation of the sample in a temperature range from 313 to 593 K and in a frequency range from 42 Hz to 1.1 MHz. The complex impedance plane plot has been analyzed by an equivalent circuit consisting of two serially connected R-CPE units, each containing a resistance (R) and a constant phase element (CPE). Dielectric relaxation peaks are observed in the imaginary parts of the spectra. The frequency dependence of real and imaginary parts of dielectric permittivity is analyzed using modified Cole-Cole equation. The temperature dependence relaxation time is found to obey the Arrhenius law having activation energy ~0.704 eV. The frequency dependent conductivity spectra are found to follow the power law. The frequency dependence ac conductivity is analyzed by power law.

5. Magnetic susceptibility tensor and heme contact shifts determinations in the Rhodobacter capsulatus ferricytochrome c': NMR and magnetic susceptibility studies.

PubMed

Tsan, P; Caffrey, M; Daku, M L; Cusanovich, M; Marion, D; Gans, P

2001-03-14

The 1H and 15N resonances of the carbon monoxide complex of ferrocytochrome c' of Rhodobacter capsulatus, a ferrous diamagnetic heme protein, have been extensively assigned by TOCSY-HSQC, NOESY-HSQC, and HSQC-NOESY-HSQC 3D heteronuclear experiments performed on a 7 mM sample labeled with 15N. Based on short-range and medium-range NOEs and H(N) exchange rates, the secondary structure consists of four helices: helix 1 (3-29), helix 2 (33-48), helix 3 (78-101), and helix 4 (103-125). The 15N, 1HN, and 1H(alpha) chemical shifts of the CO complex form are compared to those of the previously assigned oxidized (or ferric) state. From the chemical shift differences between these redox states, the orientation and the anisotropy of the paramagnetic susceptibility tensor have been determined using the crystallographic coordinates of the ferric state. The chi-tensor is axial, and the orientation of the z-axis is approximately perpendicular to the heme plane. The paramagnetic chemical shifts of the protons of the heme ligand have been determined and decomposed into the Fermi shift and dipolar shift contributions. Magnetic susceptibility studies in frozen solutions have been performed. Fits of the susceptibility data using the model of Maltempo (Maltempo, M. M. J. Chem. Phys. 1974, 61, 2540-2547) are consistent with a rather low contribution of the S = 3/2 spin state over the range of temperatures and confirm the value of the axial anisotropy. Values in the range 10.4-12.5 cm(-1) have been inferred for the axial zero-field splitting parameter (D). Analysis of the contact shift and the susceptibility data suggests that cytochrome c' of Rb. capsulatus exhibits a predominant high-spin character of the iron in the oxidized state at room temperature. PMID:11456869

6. A study of some features of ac and dc electric power systems for a space station

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hanania, J. I.

1983-01-01

This study analyzes certain selected topics in rival dc and high frequency ac electric power systems for a Space Station. The interaction between the Space Station and the plasma environment is analyzed, leading to a limit on the voltage for the solar array and a potential problem with resonance coupling at high frequencies. Certain problems are pointed out in the concept of a rotary transformer, and further development work is indicated in connection with dc circuit switching, special design of a transmission conductor for the ac system, and electric motors. The question of electric shock hazards, particularly at high frequency, is also explored. and a problem with reduced skin resistance and therefore increased hazard with high frequency ac is pointed out. The study concludes with a comparison of the main advantages and disadvantages of the two rival systems, and it is suggested that the choice between the two should be made after further studies and development work are completed.

7. Dynamic Properties of Dielectric Susceptibility in Ferroelectric Thin Films

Cui, Lian; Cui, Haiying; Wu, Chunmei; Yang, Guihua; He, Zelong; Wang, Yuling; Che, Jixin

2016-02-01

In this paper, frequency, temperature, film thickness, surface effects, and various parameters dependence of dielectric susceptibility is investigated theoretically for ferroelectric thin films by the modified Landau theory under an AC applied field. The dielectric susceptibility versus AC applied field shows butterfly-shaped behavior, and depends strongly on the frequency and amplitude of the field and temperature. Our study shows that the existence of the surface transition layer can depress the dielectric susceptibility of a ferroelectric thin film. These results are well consistent with the phenomena reported in experiments.

8. Emotional Autonomy versus Susceptibility to Peer Pressure: A Case Study of Hong Kong Adolescent Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chan, Kwok-Wai; Chan, Siu-Mui

2008-01-01

A questionnaire consisting of two scales was administered to 550 Hong Kong secondary students to examine their emotional autonomy and susceptibility to peer pressure. Emotional autonomy was studied by the scale (EAS) developed by Steinberg and Silverberg (1986) and susceptibility to peer pressure was studied by the scale developed by Sim and Koh…

9. Study of effect of AC and DC magnetic fields on growth of Pisum sativum seeds

Bahar, Mahmood; Yasaie Mehrjardi, Yasaman; Sojoodi, Jaleh; Bayani, Hosien; Kazem Salem, Mohammad

2013-08-01

This paper concentrates on the effect of the AC and DC magnetic fields on plant growth. The effect of AC magnetic field with intensities of 2.25, 1.66 and 1.49 mT and DC magnetic field with intensities of 3.6, 2.41 and 2.05 mT in exposure durations of 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 and 12 min on two groups of dry and wet Pisum sativum seedlings was studied. In each experiment 10 seeds were used; the experiments were repeated three times for each group and there was a sham exposed group for comparison purposes. The light cycle was 12 h light/12 h darkness and the temperature was 25 ± 1° C. The index of growth is considered to be the root and stem elongation on the sixth day. It was observed that AC magnetic field has a positive effect on the growth in all durations and intensities. Moreover, it is highlighted that during the experiments, the mean growth of dry seedlings significantly increased by a factor of 11 in AC magnetic field with the lowest intensity of 1.49 mT (p < 0.05). It was also shown that AC magnetic fields had a more positive effect on the growth of plants in comparison to DC magnetic fields.

10. Generalized Rotational Susceptibility Studies of Solid 4He

Gadagkar, V.; Pratt, E. J.; Hunt, B.; Yamashita, M.; Graf, M. J.; Balatsky, A. V.; Davis, J. C.

2012-11-01

Using a novel SQUID-based torsional oscillator (TO) technique to achieve increased sensitivity and dynamic range, we studied TO's containing solid 4He. Below ˜250 mK, the TO resonance frequency f increases and its dissipation D passes through a maximum as first reported by Kim and Chan. To achieve unbiased analysis of such 4He rotational dynamics, we implemented a new approach based upon the generalized rotational susceptibility χ{4He}^{ - 1}(ω,T). Upon cooling, we found that equilibration times within f( T) and D( T) exhibit a complex synchronized ultraslow evolution toward equilibrium indicative of glassy freezing of crystal disorder conformations which strongly influence the rotational dynamics. We explored a more specific χ{4He}^{ -1}(ω,tau(T)) with τ( T) representing a relaxation rate for inertially active microscopic excitations. In such models, the characteristic temperature T ∗ at which df/ dT and D pass simultaneously through a maximum occurs when the TO angular frequency ω and the relaxation rate are matched: ωτ( T ∗)=1. Then, by introducing the free inertial decay (FID) technique to solid 4He TO studies, we carried out a comprehensive map of f( T, V) and D( T, V) where V is the maximum TO rim velocity. These data indicated that the same microscopic excitations controlling the TO motions are generated independently by thermal and mechanical stimulation of the crystal. Moreover, a measure for their relaxation times τ( T, V) diverges smoothly everywhere without exhibiting a critical temperature or velocity, as expected in ωτ=1 models. Finally, following the observations of Day and Beamish, we showed that the combined temperature-velocity dependence of the TO response is indistinguishable from the combined temperature-strain dependence of the 4He shear modulus. Together, these observations imply that ultra-slow equilibration of crystal disorder conformations controls the rotational dynamics and, for any given disorder conformation, the

11. Marketing information system online design for craftsmen small medium enterprises (case study: craftsmen ac)

Fitriana, Rina; Kurniawan, Wawan; Barlianto, Anung; Adriansyah Putra, Rizki

2016-02-01

AC is small and medium enterprises which is engaged in the field of crafts. This SME (Small Medium Enterprise) didn't have an integrated information system for managing sales. This research aims to design a marketing Information system online as applications that built as web base. The integrated system is made to manage sales and expand its market share. This study uses a structured analysis and design in its approach to build systems and also implemented a marketing framework of STP (Segmentation, Targeting, Positioning) and 4P (Price, Product, Place, Promotion) to obtain market analysis. The main market target customer craftsmen AC is women aged 13 years to 35 years. The products produced by AC are shoes, brooch, that are typical of the archipelago. The prices is range from Rp. 2000 until Rp. 400.000. Marketing information system online can be used as a sales transaction document, promoting the goods, and for customer booking products.

12. Case Studies and Codes of Ethics: The Relevance of the ACS Experience to ALIA

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ferguson, Stuart; Salmond, Rachel; Al-Saggaf, Yeslam; Bowern, Mike; Weckert, John

2005-01-01

This paper comments on a recent "Code of Ethics" project conducted on behalf of the Australian Computer Society, and proposes a similar project for the Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA). It reviews the scope and methodology of the project, which developed a comprehensive set of case studies and related them to the ACS "Code of…

13. Study Finds Association between Biological Marker and Susceptibility to the Common Cold

MedlinePlus

... W X Y Z Study Finds Association Between Biological Marker and Susceptibility to the Common Cold Share: © ... a cold caused by a particular rhinovirus. The biological marker identified in the study was the length ...

14. Comparative study of evaporation using DC and AC filament electron guns

Lahiri, Sutanwi; Sahu, G. K.; Baruah, S.; Jana, B.; Dixit, A. R.; Bhardwaj, R. L.; Das, R. C.; Kalra, R.; Kaushik, V.; Majumder, A.; Mohapatra, S.; Dikshit, B.; Mishra, K. K.; Bhatia, M. S.; Bapat, A. V.; Mago, V. K.; Thakur, K. B.; Das, A. K.; Gantayet, L. M.

2012-11-01

Electron beam assisted physical vapour deposition (EB-PVD) and purification of metal by repeated melting using electron guns is a well-established technique in industrial metallurgy. Strip electron gun is considered a cost effective alternative to multiple pencil guns for handling of large size substrates. In the electron guns, the thermionic emission of the electrons from a filament is achieved by using AC or DC filament heating. A study of their relative merits and demerits was conducted for the both types of electron guns. Due to finite length of the filament, the magnetic field generated around the filament by heating current drops down towards ends. The DC filament heating results in electron beam with a comet shape having high power density hot spot at one end with low power density tails. With AC filament heating, electron beam oscillates with the frequency as that of heating current. The study of vapour flux distribution using DC gun revealed that highly directional vapour evolution takes place from a smaller hot spot whereas with AC gun vapour evolution occurs from an oscillatory 2D-evaporating source. The vapour deposit on substrate indicated that evaporation using DC gun caused splashing and granular deposit due to volumetric melting and evaporation from the ingot. This is contrary to the AC filament heating wherein quiet evaporation was observed due to surface melting and evaporation. The experimental results are critically reviewed to decide the configuration of electron guns for large-scale evaporation.

15. Association Between P2RX7 Gene and Hepatocellular Carcinoma Susceptibility: A Case-Control Study in a Chinese Han Population.

PubMed

Duan, Shaobo; Yu, Jie; Han, Zhiyu; Cheng, Zhigang; Liang, Ping

2016-01-01

BACKGROUND Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common types of liver cancer. It is hypothesized that P2RX7 genetic polymorphisms have strong association with HCC susceptibility. Therefore, a case-control study was designed and performed to verify the association between P2RX7 gene polymorphisms and HCC susceptibility. MATERIAL AND METHODS A total of 646 subjects were recruited in our study, including 323 HCC patients and 323 healthy controls. Five gene polymorphisms, -762C>T (rs2393799), 946G>A (rs28360457), 1513A>C (rs3751143), 1068G>A (rs1718119), and 1096C>G (rs2230911), were selected. Odds ratio (ORs) and 95% confidence interval (CI) were used to quantify the association between P2RX7 gene polymorphisms and the susceptibility to HCC. All tests were performed using SPSS 20 and a 2-sided P value of less than 0.05 was considered to be statistically significant. RESULTS Our results suggest that allelic frequencies of these 5 SNPs all conformed to Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium (HWE). There was no significant difference in genotype and allele distributions of -762C>T and 1096C>G between the case group and the control group. However, an increased risk of HCC was associated with 946G>A (A vs. G: OR=1.48, 95%CI=1.09-2.01, P=0.013; GA+AA vs. GG: OR=1.46, 95%CI=1.03-2.07, P=0.033). A similar increased risk was associated with 1513A>C polymorphism (C vs. A: OR=1.37, 95%CI=1.05-1.79, P=0.021; AC+CC vs. AA: OR=1.40, 95%CI=1.01-1.93, P=0.041). On the other hand, a decreased risk of HCC was associated with gene polymorphism of 1068G>A (A vs. G: OR=0.68, 95%CI=0.51-0.91, P=0.010; GA+AA vs. GG: OR=0.68, 95%CI=0.49-0.96, P=0.027; AA vs. GG: OR=0.42, 95%CI=0.18-0.99, P=0.048). CONCLUSIONS Our results suggest that 3 of the 5 polymorphisms of P2RX7 described above (1513A>C, 946G>A, and 1068G>A) are significantly associated with HCC susceptibility in a Chinese Han population. Studies with larger sample sizes are recommended to confirm whether our results will be applicable

16. Development of a nano-tesla magnetic field shielded chamber and highly precise AC-susceptibility measurement coil at Î¼K temperatures

Kumar, Anil; Prakash, Om; Ramakrishanan, S.

2014-04-01

A special sample measurement chamber has been developed to perform experiments at ultralow temperatures and ultralow magnetic field. A high permeability material known as cryoperm 10 and Pb is used to shield the measurement space consisting of the signal detecting set-up and the sample. The detecting setup consists of a very sensitive susceptibility coil wound on OFHC Cu bobbin.

17. Theoretical model study of dynamic ferromagnetic susceptibility in mono-layer graphene

Sahu, Sivabrata; Parashar, S. K. S.; Rout, G. C.

2016-04-01

We report here a microscopic theoretical study of dynamic ferromagnetic spin susceptibility of electrons for graphene systems, which deal with a tight-binding model Hamiltonian consisting of the hopping of electrons up to third-nearest-neighbors, impurity and substrate effects besides Coulomb interaction of electrons at A-and B- sub- lattices. The spin susceptibility involves four two-particle Green's functions, which are calculated by Zubarev's Green's function technique. The up and down electron occupancies at A and B sub-lattices are computed numerically and self-consistently. The temperature dependent susceptibility shows a pronounced peak at Curie temperature for critical Coulomb interaction Uc = 2.2t1.

18. [Studies on the genetic susceptibility to dilated cardiomyopathy].

PubMed

Li, Y Y; Zhang, J N; Ma, W Z

1993-01-01

HLA-DQB1,-DRB1 genes of 27 Chinese patients with dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), 7 high risk individuals in a DCM kindred and 17 normal control subjects were analysed with the use of restriction fragment length polymorphisms (RFLP) with full length DQB1 and DRB1 cDNA probes according to the standard and nomenclature of the Xth International Histocompatibility Workshop. The resulting restriction patterns allowed genotyping of HLA-DR and HLA-DQw. D-DQw8 frequency increased significantly in patients with DCM as compared with that of the controls (P < 0.05). D-DQw4 also increased in patients although no statistical significance was shown when Chi-square value was corrected with Yate's correction, whereas D-DQw5 overrepresented in controls (P < 0.05). Over half of the high risk individuals (4/7) in the familial DCM kindred carry D-DQw8 and D-DQw4. These results support the hypothesis that HLA class II genes were associated with an increased risk for DCM, HLA-DQB rather than -DRB may confer genetic susceptibility to DCM. PMID:8104770

19. Numerical study of dc-biased ac-electrokinetic flow over symmetrical electrodes

PubMed Central

Yang Ng, Wee; Ramos, Antonio; Cheong Lam, Yee; Rodriguez, Isabel

2012-01-01

This paper presents a numerical study of DC-biased AC-electrokinetic (DC-biased ACEK) flow over a pair of symmetrical electrodes. The flow mechanism is based on a transverse conductivity gradient created through incipient Faradaic reactions occurring at the electrodes when a DC-bias is applied. The DC biased AC electric field acting on this gradient generates a fluid flow in the form of vortexes. To understand more in depth the DC-biased ACEK flow mechanism, a phenomenological model is developed to study the effects of voltage, conductivity ratio, channel width, depth, and aspect ratio on the induced flow characteristics. It was found that flow velocity on the order of mm/s can be produced at higher voltage and conductivity ratio. Such rapid flow velocity is one of the highest reported in microsystems technology using electrokinetics. PMID:22662084

20. Polymorphisms of folate metabolic genes and susceptibility to bladder cancer: a case-control study.

PubMed

Lin, Jie; Spitz, Margaret R; Wang, Yunfei; Schabath, Matthew B; Gorlov, Ivan P; Hernandez, Ladia M; Pillow, Patricia C; Grossman, H Barton; Wu, Xifeng

2004-09-01

Epidemiological studies have shown an association between low folate intake and an increased cancer risk. Major genes involved in folate metabolism include methylene-tetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) and methionine synthase (MS). We investigated joint effects of polymorphisms of the MTHFR (677 C-->T, 1298A-->C) and MS genes (2756 A-->G), dietary folate intake and cigarette smoking on the risk of bladder cancer in a case-control study. The study population consisted of 457 bladder cancer patients and 457 healthy controls, matched to the cases in terms of age, gender and ethnicity. Genotype data were analyzed in a subset of 410 Caucasian cases and 410 controls. Compared with individuals carrying the MTHFR 677 wild-type (CC) and reporting a high folate intake, those carrying the variant genotype (CT or TT) and reporting a low folate intake were at a significantly 3.51-fold increased risk of bladder cancer (95% CI: 1.59-6.52). In contrast, individuals carrying a variant genotype and reporting a high folate intake were at only a 1.39-fold increased risk (95% CI: 0.71-2.70), and those carrying the wild-type and reporting a low folate intake were at only 1.56-fold increased risk (95% CI: 0.82-2.97). The interaction between genetic polymorphisms and folate intake was significant on the multiplicative scale (P = 0.01). When analyzed in the context of smoking status, compared with never smokers with the MTHFR 677 wild-type, the risk increased to 6.56-fold (95% CI: 3.28-13.12) in current smokers carrying the variant genotype. Analyses of the MTHFR 1298, MS 2756 genes revealed similar results. In addition, age at cancer onset in former smokers increased as the proportion of the heteromorphic haplotype in the individual increased (P = 0.005). Our results strongly suggest that polymorphisms of the MTHFR and MS genes act together with low folate intake and smoking to increase bladder cancer risk. These results have important implications for cancer prevention in susceptible

1. Nonlinear dynamics studies in the Fermilab tevatron using an AC dipole

SciTech Connect

Miyamoto,R.; Jansson, A.; Syphers, M. J.; Kopp, S. E.

2009-05-04

An AC dipole magnet produces a sinusoidally oscillating dipole field with frequency close to betatron frequency and excites large sustained oscillations of beam particles circulating in a synchrotron. Observation of such oscillations with beam position monitors allows direct measurements of a synchrotron's nonlinear parameters. This paper presents experimental studies to measure perturbative effects of sextupole and octupole fields, performed in the Fermilab Tevatron using an ACdipole.

2. Exploratory studies of physiological components of motion sickness: Cardiopulmonary differences between high and low susceptibles

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Naifeh, K.

1985-01-01

A comprehensive examination of cardiovascular autonomic response to motion sickness was studied and whether differences in cardiopulmonary function exist in high and low susceptibility groups were determined. Measurement techniques were developed as was test equipment for its ability to provide accurately new measures of interest and to test the adequately of these new measures in differentiating between susceptibility groups. It was concluded that these groups can be differentiated using simple, brief stressors and measurements of cardiodynamic function.

3. Comparing physically-based and statistical landslide susceptibility model outputs - a case study from Lower Austria

Canli, Ekrem; Thiebes, Benni; Petschko, Helene; Glade, Thomas

2015-04-01

By now there is a broad consensus that due to human-induced global change the frequency and magnitude of heavy precipitation events is expected to increase in certain parts of the world. Given the fact, that rainfall serves as the most common triggering agent for landslide initiation, also an increased landside activity can be expected there. Landslide occurrence is a globally spread phenomenon that clearly needs to be handled. The present and well known problems in modelling landslide susceptibility and hazard give uncertain results in the prediction. This includes the lack of a universal applicable modelling solution for adequately assessing landslide susceptibility (which can be seen as the relative indication of the spatial probability of landslide initiation). Generally speaking, there are three major approaches for performing landslide susceptibility analysis: heuristic, statistical and deterministic models, all with different assumptions, its distinctive data requirements and differently interpretable outcomes. Still, detailed comparison of resulting landslide susceptibility maps are rare. In this presentation, the susceptibility modelling outputs of a deterministic model (Stability INdex MAPping - SINMAP) and a statistical modelling approach (generalized additive model - GAM) are compared. SINMAP is an infinite slope stability model which requires parameterization of soil mechanical parameters. Modelling with the generalized additive model, which represents a non-linear extension of a generalized linear model, requires a high quality landslide inventory that serves as the dependent variable in the statistical approach. Both methods rely on topographical data derived from the DTM. The comparison has been carried out in a study area located in the district of Waidhofen/Ybbs in Lower Austria. For the whole district (ca. 132 km²), 1063 landslides have been mapped and partially used within the analysis and the validation of the model outputs. The respective

4. Study of the decomposition of wet SF6, subjected to 50-Hz ac corona discharges

Derdouri, A.; Casanovas, J.; Hergli, R.; Grob, R.; Mathieu, J.

1989-03-01

Mixtures of SF6 (100 kPa≤PSF6≤400 kPa) and water (concentrations ranging from 240 to 2000 vpm) have been submitted to point-plane 50-Hz ac corona discharges. The only stable gaseous by-products detected, either by gas-phase chromatography or gas chromatography-mass spectrometry techniques, were SOF2 and SO2F2. The variation of their concentrations as a function of the discharge current value (3-25 μA rms), the charge transported (0.15-1.5 C), the water content, the SF6 pressure, and the gap spacing (1.5-5 mm) have been studied. The results indicate that, at least in our experimental conditions, the 50-Hz ac corona discharges behave more like negative than like positive dc corona.

5. AC Conductivity Studies in Lithium-Borate Glass Containing Gold Nanoparticles

Shivaprakash, Y.; Anavekar, R. V.

2011-07-01

Gold nanoparticles have been synthesized in a base glass with composition 30Li2O-70B2O3 using gold chloride (HAuCl4.3H2O) as a dopant. The samples are characterized using XRD, ESR, SEM and optical absorption in the visible range. AC conductivity studies have been performed at RT over a frequency range 100 to 10 MHz. The dc conductivity is calculated from the complex impedence plot. The dc conductivity is found to be increasing with the increase of dopant concentration. AC conductivity data is fitted with Almond-West law with power exponent s'. The values of s' is found to lie in the range of 0.70-0.73.

6. S4AC Case Study: Enhancing Underserved Seniors' Access to Health Promotion Programs.

PubMed

Koehn, Sharon; Habib, Sanzida; Bukhari, Syeda

2016-03-01

The Seniors Support Services for South Asian Community (S4AC) project was developed in response to the underutilization of available recreation and seniors' facilities by South Asian seniors who were especially numerous in a suburban neighbourhood in British Columbia. Addressing the problem required the collaboration of the municipality and a registered non-profit agency offering a wide range of services and programs to immigrant and refugee communities. Through creative outreach and accommodation, the project has engaged more than 100 Punjabi-speaking seniors annually in diverse exercise activities. Case study research methods with staff and current and former senior participants of S4AC include participant observation, individual interviews, and focus groups. Viewed through the critical interpretive lens of the "candidacy framework", findings reveal the myriad ways in which access to health promotion and physical activity for immigrant older adults is a complex iterative process of negotiation at multiple levels. PMID:26731695

7. AT2R -1332 G:A polymorphism and its interaction with AT1R 1166 A:C, ACE I/D and MMP-9 -1562 C:T polymorphisms: risk factors for susceptibility to preeclampsia.

PubMed

Rahimi, Zohreh; Rahimi, Ziba; Aghaei, Amir; Vaisi-Raygani, Asad

2014-03-15

The possible association of angiotensin type 2 receptor (AT2R) -1332 G:A polymorphism with susceptibility to preeclampsia was studied in 252 women consisted of 155 women with preeclampsia and 97 healthy pregnant women. Also, the interaction of this polymorphism with angiotensin type 1 receptor (AT1R) 1166 A:C, angiotensin converting enzyme insertion/deletion (ACE I/D) and also with matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) -1562 C:T polymorphism was investigated. The AT2R -1332 G:A polymorphism was detected using PCR-RFLP method. Significantly higher frequencies of GG+GA genotype and G allele of AT2R were observed in mild (80.2%, p=0.003 and 47.5%, p=0.012, respectively) and severe (77.8%, p=0.034 and 48.1%, p=0.026, respectively) preeclampsia compared to controls (60.8% and 35.1%, respectively). The presence of G allele was associated with 1.69-fold increased risk of preeclampsia (p=0.005). In severe preeclamptic women, systolic and diastolic blood pressures in the presence of GG+GA genotype were significantly higher compared to those in the presence of AA genotype. The concomitant presence of both alleles of AT2R G and AT1R C was associated with 1.3 times increased risk of mild preeclampsia (p=0.03). There was an interaction between AT2R G and ACE D alleles that significantly increased the risk of mild and severe preeclampsia by 1.38- and 1.3-fold, respectively. Also, interaction between MMP-9 T and AT2R G alleles increased the risk of severe preeclampsia 1.39-fold (p=0.028). Our study demonstrated that the G allele of AT2R -1332 G:A polymorphism is associated with an increased risk of preeclampsia. Also, epistatic interaction of G allele and each allele of the AT1R C, ACE D and MMP-9 T was associated with the risk of preeclampsia. Our findings suggest that the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) variants and gene-gene interactions affect the risk of preeclampsia. PMID:24440243

8. ACS experiment for atmospheric studies on "ExoMars-2016" Orbiter

Korablev, O. I.; Montmessin, F.; Fedorova, A. A.; Ignatiev, N. I.; Shakun, A. V.; Trokhimovskiy, A. V.; Grigoriev, A. V.; Anufreichik, K. A.; Kozlova, T. O.

2015-12-01

ACS is a set of spectrometers for atmospheric studies (Atmospheric Chemistry Suite). It is one of the Russian instruments for the Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO) of the Russian-European "ExoMars" program. The purpose of the experiment is to study the Martian atmosphere by means of two observations regimes: sensitive trace gases measurements in solar occultations and by monitoring the atmospheric state during nadir observations. The experiment will allow us to approach global problems of Mars research such as current volcanism, and the modern climate status and its evolution. Also, the experiment is intended to solve the mystery of methane presence in the Martian atmosphere. Spectrometers of the ACS set cover the spectral range from the near IR-range (0.7 μm) to the thermal IR-range (17 μm) with spectral resolution λ/Δλ reaching 50000. The ACS instrument consists of three independent IR spectrometers and an electronics module, all integrated in a single unit with common mechanical, electrical and thermal interfaces. The article gives an overview of scientific tasks and presents the concept of the experiment.

9. Theoretical study of electromagnetic electron cyclotron waves in the presence of AC field in Uranian magnetosphere

Pandey, R. S.; Kaur, Rajbir

2015-10-01

Electromagnetic electron cyclotron (EMEC) waves with temperature anisotropy in the magnetosphere of Uranus have been studied in present work. EMEC waves are investigated using method of characteristic solution by kinetic approach, in presence of AC field. In 1986, Voyager 2 encounter with Uranus revealed that magnetosphere of Uranus exhibit non-Maxwellian high-energy tail distribution. So, the dispersion relation, real frequency and growth rate are evaluated using Lorentzian Kappa distribution function. Effect of temperature anisotropy, AC frequency and number density of particles is found. The study is also extended to oblique propagation of EMEC waves in presence and absence of AC field. Through comprehensive mathematical analysis it is found that when EMEC wave propagates parallel to intrinsic magnetic field of Uranus, its growth is more enhanced than in case of oblique propagation. Results are also discussed in context to magnetosphere of Earth and also gives theoretical explanation to existence of high energetic particles observed by Voyager 2 in the magnetosphere of Uranus. The results can present a further insight into the nature of electron-cyclotron instability condition for the whistler mode waves in the outer radiation belts of Uranus or other space plasmas.

10. Superparamagnetic state by linear and non-linear AC magnetic susceptibility in Mn0.5Zn0.5Fe2O4 ferrites nanoparticles.

PubMed

Suneetha, T; Kundu, S; Kashyap, Subhash C; Gupta, H C; Nath, T K

2013-01-01

The Mn0.5Zn0.5Fe2O4 nanoparticles has been synthesized using citrate-gel-precursor method. The direct mixing of nitrates and acetates yields homogeneous nanoparticles. Phase formation and crystal structure of the synthesized powder were examined through the X-ray diffraction (XRD). Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectra of the sample confirm the spinel structure. The average particle size was determined by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM). The average particle size is found to be about 13 nm. Superparamagnetic-like nature of the nanoparticles of Mn0.5Zn0.5Fe2O4 has been revealed through various dc and linear and non-linear ac magnetization measurements. However, the nanoparticles do not behave like ideal non-interacting superparamagnets. The magnetic particle size is found to be about 8 nm with saturation magnetization about 18.1 emu/g. The blocking temperature (T(B)) of the nanoparticle assembly is found to be about 150 K as observed from dc and ac magnetization measurements. The frequency dependence of the blocking temperature (T(B)) is found to follow Vogel-Fulcher law. The associated characteristic time tau0 is found to be 10(-5) s. This value is different from that generally found for non-interacting superparamagnetic (SPM) systems (tau0 = 10(-9)-10(-10) s). PMID:23646726

11. Differential susceptibility to the environment: Are developmental models compatible with the evidence from twin studies?

PubMed

Del Giudice, Marco

2016-08-01

According to models of differential susceptibility, the same neurobiological and temperamental traits that determine increased sensitivity to stress and adversity also confer enhanced responsivity to the positive aspects of the environment. Differential susceptibility models have expanded to include complex developmental processes in which genetic variation interacts with exposure to early environmental factors, such as prenatal stress hormones and family conflict. In this study I employed a simulation approach to explore whether, and under what conditions, developmental models of differential susceptibility are compatible with the cumulative findings from twin studies of personality and behavior, which consistently show sizable effects of genetic and nonshared environmental factors and small to negligible effects of the shared environment. Simulation results showed that, to a first approximation, current alternative models of differential susceptibility are all equally compatible with the evidence from twin research; that sizable interaction effects involving individual differences in plasticity are plausible, but only if direct environmental effects are correspondingly weak; and that a major role of shared environmental factors is plausible in early development (consistent with the developmental mechanisms postulated in the differential susceptibility literature) but not in later development. These results support the general plausibility of differential susceptibility models and suggest some realistic constraints on their assumptions. (PsycINFO Database Record PMID:27455408

12. Study of DC and AC electric field effect on Pisum sativum seeds growth

Mahmood, Bahar; Jaleh, Sojoodi; Yasaman, Yasaie

2014-07-01

In this research the effect of electric field on two groups of wet and dry Pisum sativum seeds growth was studied. To generate the required electric field a parallel-plate capacitor with round copper plates of 30 cm diameter was used. The experiments were performed once in fixed exposure duration of 8 min in variable DC electric field of 0.25-1.5 kV/m. The other experiments were performed in variable fields of 50-125 kV/m in fixed exposure duration of 8 min, in two groups of AC and DC electric fields. The experiments were repeated three times. In each experiment 10 seeds were used and there was a sham exposed group for comparison, too. After application of electric field, the seeds were kept for six days in the same growth chamber with the temperature of 25 ± 1 °C and 12 h light/12 h darkness. On the 6th day length of stems and height of roots were measured. After doing statistical analysis, in low intensities of DC electric field, the highest significant increase of mean growth (The average of stem length and the height of roots) was seen in 1.5 kV/m in wet seeds. In high intensities of DC and AC electric fields, the highest significant increase of mean growth was seen in AC electric field of 100 kV/m in wet seeds.

13. Kinetic studies of the stress corrosion cracking of D6AC steel

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Noronha, P. J.

1975-01-01

14. Numerical study on AC loss characteristics of superconducting power transmission cables comprising coated conductors with magnetic substrates

Amemiya, N.; Nakahata, M.

2007-10-01

Electromagnetic field analyses were made for mono-layer conductors comprising coated conductors for superconducting power transmission cables in order to evaluate their AC loss characteristics. We focused on the magnetic properties of the substrates of coated conductors. The current distribution in each coated conductor and the magnetic flux profile around each coated conductor were visualized. The influence of relative permeability and the space between coated conductors on the AC loss characteristics of mono-layer conductors were studied based on the visualized current and magnetic flux distributions. The influence of a saturated magnetic property on a calculated AC loss was also discussed.

15. Potentiostatic and ac impedance studies of the hydrogen electrodes used in Ni/H2 batteries

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Le Helloco, Jean-Guy; Bojkov, Hristo; Parthasarathy, Arvind; Srinivasan, Supramaniam; Appleby, A. J.

1992-01-01

In a study of electrode activity for hydrogen evolution and hydrogen ionization, knowledge of the detailed kinetics and of the surface coverage by adsorbed hydrogen is essential. In the Ni/H2 battery, the hydrogen electrode is subjected to high hydrogen pressure; elucidation of the variation of kinetic parameters with hydrogen pressure is therefore of interest. Potentiostatic and ac impedance spectroscopic techniques were used in the present study. The equivalent circuit of the reaction, the kinetic parameters, and their pressure dependence have been determined.

16. Retention studies of recoiling daughter nuclides of 225Ac in polymer vesicles.

PubMed

Wang, G; de Kruijff, R M; Rol, A; Thijssen, L; Mendes, E; Morgenstern, A; Bruchertseifer, F; Stuart, M C A; Wolterbeek, H T; Denkova, A G

2014-02-01

Alpha radionuclide therapy is steadily gaining importance and a large number of pre-clinical and clinical studies have been carried out. However, due to the recoil effects the daughter recoil atoms, most of which are alpha emitters as well, receive energies that are much higher than the energies of chemical bonds resulting in decoupling of the radionuclide from common targeting agents. Here, we demonstrate that polymer vesicles (i.e. polymersomes) can retain recoiling daughter nuclei based on an experimental study examining the retention of (221)Fr and (213)Bi when encapsulating (225)Ac. PMID:24374072

17. Correlation between magnetic susceptibility and heavy metals in urban topsoil: a case study from the city of Xuzhou, China

Wang, Xue Song; Qin, Yong

2005-11-01

Anthropogenic influence, mainly due to urban and industrial activities and traffic exhaust, may affect urban topsoil via atmospheric contamination and solid waste. Magnetic susceptibility measurements were conducted on 21 urban topsoil samples from the city of Xuzhou, China. High intensities of magnetic susceptibility were detected in the majority of the samples. SEM analysis shows that magnetic minerals are in the form of spherules and mainly due to anthropogenic inputs. The heavy metals Pb, Cu, Zn, Se, Sc, Mo, Fe, and Bi show strong correlations with magnetic susceptibility, and Ag, Ba, Cd, Ni, Cr, Sb, and Sn, on the other hand, show a weak correlation with magnetic susceptibility. Whereas, of these metals studied, only Hg has no significant correlation with the susceptibility. The Tomlinson pollution load index (PLI) also shows significant correlation with the susceptibility (χ). The present study shows that magnetic susceptibility is a fast, inexpensive, and non-destructive method for the detection and mapping of contaminated soils.

18. Study on A.C. electrical properties of pure and L-serine doped ADP crystals

Joshi, J. H.; Dixit, K. P.; Joshi, M. J.; Parikh, K. D.

2016-05-01

Ammonium Dihydrogen Phosphate (ADP) crystals have a wide range of applications in integrated and nonlinear optics. Amino acids having significant properties like molecular chirality, zwitter ionic nature, etc. attracted many researchers to dope them in various NLO crystals. In the present study, pure and different weight percentage L-serine doped ADP crystals were grown by slow solvent evaporation technique at room temperature. The A.C. electrical study was carried out for palletized samples at room temperature. The Nyquist plot showed two semi circles for pure ADP indicated the effect of grain and grain boundary, whereas the doped ADP samples exhibited the single semi circle suggesting the effect of grain. The values resistance and capacitance for grain and grain boundary were calculated. The effect of doping was clearly seen in the grain capacitance and resistance values. The dielectric constant and dielectric loss decreased with increase in frequency for all samples. The Jonscher power law was applied for A.C. conductivity for pure and doped ADP samples. The imaginary part of modulus and impedance versus frequency were drawn and the value of stretch exponent (β) was calculated for all the samples.

19. RESPIRATORY DOSE TO SUSCEPTIBLE POPULATIONS ASSESSED BY EXPOSURE AND DOSIMETRY STUDIES

EPA Science Inventory

Respiratory Dose to Susceptible Populations Assessed by Exposure and Dosimetry Studies

Chong Kim1 and Ronald Williams2, 1USEPA National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory and 2USEPA National Exposure Research Laboratory, RTP, NC.

Rationale: Parti...

20. [Recommendations for selecting antimicrobial agents for in vitro susceptibility studies using automatic and semiautomatic systems].

PubMed

Cantón, Rafael; Alós, Juan Ignacio; Baquero, Fernando; Calvo, Jorge; Campos, José; Castillo, Javier; Cercenado, Emilia; Domínguez, M Angeles; Liñares, Josefina; López-Cerezo, Lorena; Marco, Francesc; Mirelis, Beatriz; Morosini, María-Isabel; Navarro, Ferran; Oliver, Antonio; Pérez-Trallero, Emilio; Torres, Carmen; Martínez-Martínez, Luis

2007-01-01

The number of clinical microbiology laboratories that have incorporated automatic susceptibility testing devices has increased in recent years. The majority of these systems determine MIC values using microdilution panels or specific cards, with grouping into clinical categories (susceptible, intermediate or resistant) and incorporate expert systems to infer resistance mechanisms. This document presents the recommendations of a group of experts designated by Grupo de Estudio de los Mecanismos de Acción y Resistencia a los Antimicrobianos (GEMARA, Study group on mechanisms of action and resistance to antimicrobial agents) and Mesa Española de Normalización de la Sensibilidad y Resistencia a los Antimicrobianos (MENSURA, Spanish Group for Normalizing Antimicrobial Susceptibility and Antimicrobial Resistance), with the aim of including antimicrobial agents and selecting concentrations for the susceptibility testing panels of automatic systems. The following have been defined: various antimicrobial categories (A: must be included in the study panel; B: inclusion is recommended; and C: inclusion is secondary, but may facilitate interpretative reading of the antibiogram) and groups (0: not used in therapeutics but may facilitate the detection of resistance mechanisms; 1: must be studied and always reported; 2: must be studied and selectively reported; 3: must be studied and reported at a second level; and 4: should be studied in urinary tract pathogens isolated in urine and other specimens). Recommended antimicrobial concentrations are adapted from the breakpoints established by EUCAST, CLSI and MENSURA. This approach will lead to more accurate susceptibility testing results with better detection of resistance mechanisms, and allowing to reach the clinical goal of the antibiogram. PMID:17583653

1. Superspin relaxation in Fe3O4/hexane magnetic fluids: A dynamic susceptibility study

Botez, Cristian E.; Morris, Joshua L.; Eastman, Michael P.

2012-07-01

We have used frequency-resolved (100 Hz < f < 10,000 Hz) ac magnetic susceptibility measurements to directly determine the Néel and Brown relaxation times in 30-nm-size Fe3O4/hexane magnetic fluids at temperatures between 200 and 300 K. Our data collected on both powder and magnetic fluid samples allow the separation of the contributions from the Néel and Brown relaxation mechanisms that act concomitantly within the above-mentioned temperature range. At all temperatures we find that the Brown relaxation times (τB) are shorter than their Néel counterparts (τN), evidence that the Brown mechanism yields the major contribution towards the system's overall superspin dynamics. τB exhibits a steep two-order-of-magnitude decrease upon heating, from τB = 1 × 10-3 s at T = 237 K to τB = 1.5 × 10-5 s at T = 270 K, a behavior mostly driven by the heating-induced reduction of the liquid carrier's viscosity.

2. [Susceptibilities of clinical bacterial isolates to antimicrobial agents. A study mainly focused on imipenem. Reported by the Research Group for Testing Imipenem Susceptibility on Clinical Isolates].

PubMed

Igari, J

1990-11-01

This study was conducted to investigate susceptibilities of clinical bacterial isolates to imipenem (IPM) and other antibacterial agents at 64 hospital laboratories throughout Japan from September to December of 1988. In this study, identification and susceptibility testing were carried out at each laboratory and the tests were performed according to the disk dilution method recommended by NCCLS in which susceptibilities are classified into "S", "MS", "I" and "R". IPM showed markedly high in vitro activities against Streptococcus pneumoniae, Streptococcus pyogenes, Streptococcus agalactiae, Enterococcus faecalis, Haemophilus influenzae, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Klebsiella oxytoca, Enterobacter aerogenes, Enterobacter cloacae, Serratia marcescens, Salmonella spp., Citrobacter freundii, Proteus mirabilis, Proteus vulgaris, Morganella morganii, Providencia rettgeri, Providencia stuartii, Acinetobacter calcoaceticus, Moraxella (Branhamella) catarrhalis, Alcaligenes spp., Peptococcus spp./Peptostreptococcus spp., Bacteroides fragilis and Bacteroides spp. IPM also had strong activities against Achromobacter xylosoxidans and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, but less active against Flavobacterium spp., E. faecium, coagulase-negative staphylococci (CNS), Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas cepacia. In a study in which activities of IPM against bacteria isolated from different clinical sources were compared, differences in susceptibilities were observed among S. aureus, CNS, A. calcoaceticus and P. aeruginosa, but such differences were not apparent among S. pneumoniae, E. faecalis, H. influenzae, E. coli, K. pneumoniae, E. cloacae, C. freundii, S. marcescens or P. mirabilis. PMID:2287060

3. Cross-Resistance Responses of Cry1Ac-Selected Heliothis virescens (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) to the Bacillus thuringiensis Protein Vip3A

Technology Transfer Automated Retrieval System (TEKTRAN)

One susceptible and three Cry1Ac-resistant strains of tobacco budworm, Heliothis virescens (F.), were used in laboratory studies to determine the level of cross-resistance between the Bacillus thuringiensis (Berliner) toxins Cry1Ac and Vip3A using concentration-mortality and leaf tissue experiments....

4. Study Under AC Stimulation on Excitement Properties of Weighted Small-World Biological Neural Networks with Side-Restrain Mechanism

Yuan, Wu-Jie; Luo, Xiao-Shu; Jiang, Pin-Qun

2007-02-01

In this paper, we propose a new model of weighted small-world biological neural networks based on biophysical Hodgkin-Huxley neurons with side-restrain mechanism. Then we study excitement properties of the model under alternating current (AC) stimulation. The study shows that the excitement properties in the networks are preferably consistent with the behavior properties of a brain nervous system under different AC stimuli, such as refractory period and the brain neural excitement response induced by different intensities of noise and coupling. The results of the study have reference worthiness for the brain nerve electrophysiology and epistemological science.

5. Inheritance patterns, dominance and cross-resistance of Cry1Ab- and Cry1Ac-selected Ostrinia furnacalis (Guenée).

PubMed

Zhang, Tiantao; He, Mingxia; Gatehouse, Angharad M R; Wang, Zhenying; Edwards, Martin G; Li, Qing; He, Kanglai

2014-09-01

Two colonies of Asian corn borer, Ostrinia furnacalis (Guenée), artificially selected from a Bt-susceptible colony (ACB-BtS) for resistance to Cry1Ab (ACB-AbR) and Cry1Ac (ACB-AcR) toxins, were used to analyze inheritance patterns of resistance to Cry1 toxins. ACB-AbR and ACB-AcR evolved significant levels of resistance, with resistance ratios (RR) of 39-fold and 78.8-fold to Cry1Ab and Cry1Ac, respectively. The susceptibility of ACB-AbR larvae to Cry1Ac and Cry1F toxins, which had not previously been exposed, were significantly reduced, being >113-fold and 48-fold, respectively. Similarly, susceptibility of ACB-AcR larvae to Cry1Ab and Cry1F were also significantly reduced (RR > nine-fold, RR > 18-fold, respectively), indicating cross-resistance among Cry1Ab, Cry1Ac, and Cry1F toxins. However, ACB-AbR and ACB-AcR larvae were equally susceptible to Cry1Ie as were ACB-BtS larvae, indicating no cross-resistance between Cry1Ie and Cry1Ab or Cry1Ac toxins; this may provide considerable benefits in preventing or delaying the evolution of resistance in ACB to Cry1Ab and Cry1Ac toxins. Backcrossing studies indicated that resistance to Cry1Ab toxin was polygenic in ACB-AbR, but monogenic in ACB-AcR, whilst resistance to Cry1Ac toxin was primarily monogenic in both ACB-AbR and ACB-AcR, but polygenic as resistance increased. PMID:25216083

6. Inheritance Patterns, Dominance and Cross-Resistance of Cry1Ab- and Cry1Ac-Selected Ostrinia furnacalis (Guenée)

PubMed Central

Zhang, Tiantao; He, Mingxia; Gatehouse, Angharad M. R.; Wang, Zhenying; Edwards, Martin G.; Li, Qing; He, Kanglai

2014-01-01

Two colonies of Asian corn borer, Ostrinia furnacalis (Guenée), artificially selected from a Bt-susceptible colony (ACB-BtS) for resistance to Cry1Ab (ACB-AbR) and Cry1Ac (ACB-AcR) toxins, were used to analyze inheritance patterns of resistance to Cry1 toxins. ACB-AbR and ACB-AcR evolved significant levels of resistance, with resistance ratios (RR) of 39-fold and 78.8-fold to Cry1Ab and Cry1Ac, respectively. The susceptibility of ACB-AbR larvae to Cry1Ac and Cry1F toxins, which had not previously been exposed, were significantly reduced, being >113-fold and 48-fold, respectively. Similarly, susceptibility of ACB-AcR larvae to Cry1Ab and Cry1F were also significantly reduced (RR > nine-fold, RR > 18-fold, respectively), indicating cross-resistance among Cry1Ab, Cry1Ac, and Cry1F toxins. However, ACB-AbR and ACB-AcR larvae were equally susceptible to Cry1Ie as were ACB-BtS larvae, indicating no cross-resistance between Cry1Ie and Cry1Ab or Cry1Ac toxins; this may provide considerable benefits in preventing or delaying the evolution of resistance in ACB to Cry1Ab and Cry1Ac toxins. Backcrossing studies indicated that resistance to Cry1Ab toxin was polygenic in ACB-AbR, but monogenic in ACB-AcR, whilst resistance to Cry1Ac toxin was primarily monogenic in both ACB-AbR and ACB-AcR, but polygenic as resistance increased. PMID:25216083

7. Methodology for Elaborating Regional Susceptibility Maps of Slope Instability: the State of Guerrero (mexico) Case Study

González Huesca, A. E.; Ferrés, D.; Domínguez-M, L.

2013-05-01

Numerous cases of different types of slope instability occur every year in the mountain areas of México. Sometimes these instabilities severely affect the exposed communities, roads and infrastructure, causing deaths and serious material damage, mainly in the states of Puebla, Veracruz, Oaxaca, Guerrero and Chiapas, at the central and south sectors of the country. The occurrence of the slope instability is the result of the combination of climatic, geologic, hydrologic, geomorphologic and anthropogenic factors. The National Center for Disaster Prevention (CENAPRED) is developing several projects in order to offer civil protection authorities of the Mexican states some methodologies to address the hazard assessment for different natural phenomena in a regional level. In this framework, during the past two years, a methodology was prepared to construct susceptibility maps for slope instability at regional (≤ 1:100 000) and national (≤ 1:1 000 000) levels. This research was addressed in accordance to the criteria established by the International Association of Engineering Geology, which is the highest international authority in this topic. The state of Guerrero has been taken as a pilot scheme to elaborate the susceptibility map for slope instability at a regional level. The major constraints considered in the methodology to calculate susceptibility are: a) the slope of the surface, b) the geology and c) the land use, which were integrated using a Geographic Information System (GIS). The arithmetic sum and weighting factors to obtain the final susceptibility map were based on the average values calculated in the individual study of several cases of slope instability occurred in the state in the past decade. For each case, the evaluation format proposed by CENAPRED in 2006 in the "Guía Básica para la elaboración de Atlas Estatales y Municipales de Peligros y Riesgos" to evaluate instabilities in a local level, was applied. The resulting susceptibility map shows

8. Identification of seven new prostate cancer susceptibility loci through a genome-wide association study.

PubMed

Eeles, Rosalind A; Kote-Jarai, Zsofia; Al Olama, Ali Amin; Giles, Graham G; Guy, Michelle; Severi, Gianluca; Muir, Kenneth; Hopper, John L; Henderson, Brian E; Haiman, Christopher A; Schleutker, Johanna; Hamdy, Freddie C; Neal, David E; Donovan, Jenny L; Stanford, Janet L; Ostrander, Elaine A; Ingles, Sue A; John, Esther M; Thibodeau, Stephen N; Schaid, Daniel; Park, Jong Y; Spurdle, Amanda; Clements, Judith; Dickinson, Joanne L; Maier, Christiane; Vogel, Walther; Dörk, Thilo; Rebbeck, Timothy R; Cooney, Kathleen A; Cannon-Albright, Lisa; Chappuis, Pierre O; Hutter, Pierre; Zeegers, Maurice; Kaneva, Radka; Zhang, Hong-Wei; Lu, Yong-Jie; Foulkes, William D; English, Dallas R; Leongamornlert, Daniel A; Tymrakiewicz, Malgorzata; Morrison, Jonathan; Ardern-Jones, Audrey T; Hall, Amanda L; O'Brien, Lynne T; Wilkinson, Rosemary A; Saunders, Edward J; Page, Elizabeth C; Sawyer, Emma J; Edwards, Stephen M; Dearnaley, David P; Horwich, Alan; Huddart, Robert A; Khoo, Vincent S; Parker, Christopher C; Van As, Nicholas; Woodhouse, Christopher J; Thompson, Alan; Christmas, Tim; Ogden, Chris; Cooper, Colin S; Southey, Melissa C; Lophatananon, Artitaya; Liu, Jo-Fen; Kolonel, Laurence N; Le Marchand, Loic; Wahlfors, Tiina; Tammela, Teuvo L; Auvinen, Anssi; Lewis, Sarah J; Cox, Angela; FitzGerald, Liesel M; Koopmeiners, Joseph S; Karyadi, Danielle M; Kwon, Erika M; Stern, Mariana C; Corral, Roman; Joshi, Amit D; Shahabi, Ahva; McDonnell, Shannon K; Sellers, Thomas A; Pow-Sang, Julio; Chambers, Suzanne; Aitken, Joanne; Gardiner, R A Frank; Batra, Jyotsna; Kedda, Mary Anne; Lose, Felicity; Polanowski, Andrea; Patterson, Briony; Serth, Jürgen; Meyer, Andreas; Luedeke, Manuel; Stefflova, Klara; Ray, Anna M; Lange, Ethan M; Farnham, Jim; Khan, Humera; Slavov, Chavdar; Mitkova, Atanaska; Cao, Guangwen; Easton, Douglas F

2009-10-01

Prostate cancer (PrCa) is the most frequently diagnosed cancer in males in developed countries. To identify common PrCa susceptibility alleles, we previously conducted a genome-wide association study in which 541,129 SNPs were genotyped in 1,854 PrCa cases with clinically detected disease and in 1,894 controls. We have now extended the study to evaluate promising associations in a second stage in which we genotyped 43,671 SNPs in 3,650 PrCa cases and 3,940 controls and in a third stage involving an additional 16,229 cases and 14,821 controls from 21 studies. In addition to replicating previous associations, we identified seven new prostate cancer susceptibility loci on chromosomes 2, 4, 8, 11 and 22 (with P = 1.6 x 10(-8) to P = 2.7 x 10(-33)). PMID:19767753

9. Development of a rubella vaccination strategy: contribution of a rubella susceptibility study of women of childbearing age in Kyrgyzstan, 2001.

PubMed

Malakmadze, Naile; Zimmerman, Laura A; Uzicanin, Amra; Shteinke, Luidmila; Caceres, Victor M; Kasymbekova, Kaliya; Sozina, Irina; Glasser, John W; Joldubaeva, Mira; Aidyralieva, Chinara; Icenogle, Joseph P; Strebel, Peter M; Reef, Susan E

2004-06-15

To contribute to the development of a rubella vaccination strategy, we conducted a study to determine age-specific susceptibility among women aged 15-39 years by testing for rubella-specific IgG antibodies. Of 964 women, 13% were found to be susceptible to rubella. Significantly higher susceptibility among women >25 years old was observed. Susceptibility data are important but are not sufficient to develop a vaccination strategy. After considering all available information, we suggested vaccination of women aged <35 years and selective vaccination of older women who were planning pregnancy. PMID:15227627

10. Rodent models of cardiopulmonary disease: their potential applicability in studies of air pollutant susceptibility.

PubMed Central

Kodavanti, U P; Costa, D L; Bromberg, P A

1998-01-01

The mechanisms by which increased mortality and morbidity occur in individuals with preexistent cardiopulmonary disease following acute episodes of air pollution are unknown. Studies involving air pollution effects on animal models of human cardiopulmonary diseases are both infrequent and difficult to interpret. Such models are, however, extensively used in studies of disease pathogenesis. Primarily they comprise those developed by genetic, pharmacologic, or surgical manipulations of the cardiopulmonary system. This review attempts a comprehensive description of rodent cardiopulmonary disease models in the context of their potential application to susceptibility studies of air pollutants regardless of whether the models have been previously used for such studies. The pulmonary disease models include bronchitis, emphysema, asthma/allergy, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, interstitial fibrosis, and infection. The models of systemic hypertension and congestive heart failure include: those derived by genetics (spontaneously hypertensive, Dahl S. renin transgenic, and other rodent models); congestive heart failure models derived by surgical manipulations; viral myocarditis; and cardiomyopathy induced by adriamycin. The characteristic pathogenic features critical to understanding the susceptibility to inhaled toxicants are described. It is anticipated that this review will provide a ready reference for the selection of appropriate rodent models of cardiopulmonary diseases and identify not only their pathobiologic similarities and/or differences to humans but also their potential usefulness in susceptibility studies. Images Figure 2 PMID:9539009

11. Association Between P2RX7 Gene and Hepatocellular Carcinoma Susceptibility: A Case-Control Study in a Chinese Han Population

PubMed Central

Duan, Shaobo; Yu, Jie; Han, Zhiyu; Cheng, Zhigang; Liang, Ping

2016-01-01

Background Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common types of liver cancer. It is hypothesized that P2RX7 genetic polymorphisms have strong association with HCC susceptibility. Therefore, a case-control study was designed and performed to verify the association between P2RX7 gene polymorphisms and HCC susceptibility. Material/Methods A total of 646 subjects were recruited in our study, including 323 HCC patients and 323 healthy controls. Five gene polymorphisms, −762C>T (rs2393799), 946G>A (rs28360457), 1513A>C (rs3751143), 1068G>A (rs1718119), and 1096C>G (rs2230911), were selected. Odds ratio (ORs) and 95% confidence interval (CI) were used to quantify the association between P2RX7 gene polymorphisms and the susceptibility to HCC. All tests were performed using SPSS 20 and a 2-sided P value of less than 0.05 was considered to be statistically significant. Results Our results suggest that allelic frequencies of these 5 SNPs all conformed to Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium (HWE). There was no significant difference in genotype and allele distributions of −762C>T and 1096C>G between the case group and the control group. However, an increased risk of HCC was associated with 946G>A (A vs. G: OR=1.48, 95%CI=1.09–2.01, P=0.013; GA+AA vs. GG: OR=1.46, 95%CI=1.03–2.07, P=0.033). A similar increased risk was associated with 1513A>C polymorphism (C vs. A: OR=1.37, 95%CI=1.05–1.79, P=0.021; AC+CC vs. AA: OR=1.40, 95%CI=1.01–1.93, P=0.041). On the other hand, a decreased risk of HCC was associated with gene polymorphism of 1068G>A (A vs. G: OR=0.68, 95%CI=0.51–0.91, P=0.010; GA+AA vs. GG: OR=0.68, 95%CI=0.49–0.96, P=0.027; AA vs. GG: OR=0.42, 95%CI=0.18–0.99, P=0.048). Conclusions Our results suggest that 3 of the 5 polymorphisms of P2RX7 described above (1513A>C, 946G>A, and 1068G>A) are significantly associated with HCC susceptibility in a Chinese Han population. Studies with larger sample sizes are recommended to confirm whether our results will

12. Comparative Study of DC and AC Microgrids in Commercial Buildings Across Different Climates and Operating Profiles: Preprint

SciTech Connect

Fregosi, D.; Ravula, S.; Brhlik, D.; Saussele, J.; Frank, S.; Bonnema, E.; Scheib, J.; Wilson, E.

2015-04-22

Bosch has developed and demonstrated a novel DC microgrid system designed to maximize utilization efficiency for locally generated photovoltaic energy while offering high reliability, safety, redundancy, and reduced cost compared to equivalent AC systems. Several demonstration projects validating the system feasibility and expected efficiency gains have been completed and additional ones are in progress. This work gives an overview of the Bosch DC microgrid system and presents key results from a large simulation study done to estimate the energy savings of the Bosch DC microgrid over conventional AC systems. The study examined the system performance in locations across the United States for several commercial building types and operating profiles and found that the Bosch DC microgrid uses generated PV energy 6%–8% more efficiently than traditional AC systems.

13. Genome-wide association study of colorectal cancer identifies six new susceptibility loci

PubMed Central

Schumacher, Fredrick R.; Schmit, Stephanie L.; Jiao, Shuo; Edlund, Christopher K.; Wang, Hansong; Zhang, Ben; Hsu, Li; Huang, Shu-Chen; Fischer, Christopher P.; Harju, John F.; Idos, Gregory E.; Lejbkowicz, Flavio; Manion, Frank J.; McDonnell, Kevin; McNeil, Caroline E.; Melas, Marilena; Rennert, Hedy S.; Shi, Wei; Thomas, Duncan C.; Van Den Berg, David J.; Hutter, Carolyn M.; Aragaki, Aaron K.; Butterbach, Katja; Caan, Bette J.; Carlson, Christopher S.; Chanock, Stephen J.; Curtis, Keith R.; Fuchs, Charles S.; Gala, Manish; Giovannucci, Edward L.; Gogarten, Stephanie M.; Hayes, Richard B.; Henderson, Brian; Hunter, David J.; Jackson, Rebecca D.; Kolonel, Laurence N.; Kooperberg, Charles; Küry, Sébastien; LaCroix, Andrea; Laurie, Cathy C.; Laurie, Cecelia A.; Lemire, Mathieu; Levine, David; Ma, Jing; Makar, Karen W.; Qu, Conghui; Taverna, Darin; Ulrich, Cornelia M.; Wu, Kana; Kono, Suminori; West, Dee W.; Berndt, Sonja I.; Bezieau, Stéphane; Brenner, Hermann; Campbell, Peter T.; Chan, Andrew T.; Chang-Claude, Jenny; Coetzee, Gerhard A.; Conti, David V.; Duggan, David; Figueiredo, Jane C.; Fortini, Barbara K.; Gallinger, Steven J.; Gauderman, W. James; Giles, Graham; Green, Roger; Haile, Robert; Harrison, Tabitha A.; Hoffmeister, Michael; Hopper, John L.; Hudson, Thomas J.; Jacobs, Eric; Iwasaki, Motoki; Jee, Sun Ha; Jenkins, Mark; Jia, Wei-Hua; Joshi, Amit; Li, Li; Lindor, Noralene M.; Matsuo, Keitaro; Moreno, Victor; Mukherjee, Bhramar; Newcomb, Polly A.; Potter, John D.; Raskin, Leon; Rennert, Gad; Rosse, Stephanie; Severi, Gianluca; Schoen, Robert E.; Seminara, Daniela; Shu, Xiao-Ou; Slattery, Martha L.; Tsugane, Shoichiro; White, Emily; Xiang, Yong-Bing; Zanke, Brent W.; Zheng, Wei; Le Marchand, Loic; Casey, Graham; Gruber, Stephen B.; Peters, Ulrike

2016-01-01

Genetic susceptibility to colorectal cancer is caused by rare pathogenic mutations and common genetic variants that contribute to familial risk. Here we report the results of a two-stage association study with 18,299 cases of colorectal cancer and 19,656 controls, with follow-up of the most statistically significant genetic loci in 4,725 cases and 9,969 controls from two Asian consortia. We describe six new susceptibility loci reaching a genome-wide threshold of P<5.0E-08. These findings provide additional insight into the underlying biological mechanisms of colorectal cancer and demonstrate the scientific value of large consortia-based genetic epidemiology studies. PMID:26151821

14. Genome-wide association study of colorectal cancer identifies six new susceptibility loci.

PubMed

Schumacher, Fredrick R; Schmit, Stephanie L; Jiao, Shuo; Edlund, Christopher K; Wang, Hansong; Zhang, Ben; Hsu, Li; Huang, Shu-Chen; Fischer, Christopher P; Harju, John F; Idos, Gregory E; Lejbkowicz, Flavio; Manion, Frank J; McDonnell, Kevin; McNeil, Caroline E; Melas, Marilena; Rennert, Hedy S; Shi, Wei; Thomas, Duncan C; Van Den Berg, David J; Hutter, Carolyn M; Aragaki, Aaron K; Butterbach, Katja; Caan, Bette J; Carlson, Christopher S; Chanock, Stephen J; Curtis, Keith R; Fuchs, Charles S; Gala, Manish; Giovannucc, Edward L; Giocannucci, Edward L; Gogarten, Stephanie M; Hayes, Richard B; Henderson, Brian; Hunter, David J; Jackson, Rebecca D; Kolonel, Laurence N; Kooperberg, Charles; Küry, Sébastien; Kury, Sebastian; LaCroix, Andrea; Laurie, Cathy C; Laurie, Cecelia A; Lemire, Mathieu; Lemire, Mathiew; Levine, David; Ma, Jing; Makar, Karen W; Qu, Conghui; Taverna, Darin; Ulrich, Cornelia M; Wu, Kana; Kono, Suminori; West, Dee W; Berndt, Sonja I; Bezieau, Stéphane; Brenner, Hermann; Campbell, Peter T; Chan, Andrew T; Chang-Claude, Jenny; Coetzee, Gerhard A; Conti, David V; Duggan, David; Figueiredo, Jane C; Fortini, Barbara K; Gallinger, Steven J; Gauderman, W James; Giles, Graham; Green, Roger; Haile, Robert; Harrison, Tabitha A; Hoffmeister, Michael; Hopper, John L; Hudson, Thomas J; Jacobs, Eric; Iwasaki, Motoki; Jee, Sun Ha; Jenkins, Mark; Jia, Wei-Hua; Joshi, Amit; Li, Li; Lindor, Noralene M; Matsuo, Keitaro; Moreno, Victor; Mukherjee, Bhramar; Newcomb, Polly A; Potter, John D; Raskin, Leon; Rennert, Gad; Rosse, Stephanie; Severi, Gianluca; Schoen, Robert E; Seminara, Daniela; Shu, Xiao-Ou; Slattery, Martha L; Tsugane, Shoichiro; White, Emily; Xiang, Yong-Bing; Zanke, Brent W; Zheng, Wei; Le Marchand, Loic; Casey, Graham; Gruber, Stephen B; Peters, Ulrike

2015-01-01

Genetic susceptibility to colorectal cancer is caused by rare pathogenic mutations and common genetic variants that contribute to familial risk. Here we report the results of a two-stage association study with 18,299 cases of colorectal cancer and 19,656 controls, with follow-up of the most statistically significant genetic loci in 4,725 cases and 9,969 controls from two Asian consortia. We describe six new susceptibility loci reaching a genome-wide threshold of P<5.0E-08. These findings provide additional insight into the underlying biological mechanisms of colorectal cancer and demonstrate the scientific value of large consortia-based genetic epidemiology studies. PMID:26151821

15. Identification of seven new prostate cancer susceptibility loci through a genome-wide association study

PubMed Central

Eeles, Rosalind A.; Kote-Jarai, Zsofia; Olama, Ali Amin Al; Giles, Graham G.; Guy, Michelle; Severi, Gianluca; Muir, Kenneth; Hopper, John L.; Henderson, Brian E.; Haiman, Christopher A.; Schleutker, Johanna; Hamdy, Freddie C.; Neal, David E.; Donovan, Jenny L.; Stanford, Janet L.; Ostrander, Elaine A.; Ingles, Sue A.; John, Esther M.; Thibodeau, Stephen N.; Schaid, Daniel; Park, Jong Y.; Spurdle, Amanda; Clements, Judith; Dickinson, Joanne L.; Maier, Christiane; Vogel, Walther; Dörk, Thilo; Rebbeck, Timothy R.; Cooney, Kathleen A.; Cannon-Albright, Lisa; Chappuis, Pierre O.; Hutter, Pierre; Zeegers, Maurice; Kaneva, Radka; Zhang, Hong-Wei; Lu, Yong-Jie; Foulkes, William D.; English, Dallas R.; Leongamornlert, Daniel A.; Tymrakiewicz, Malgorzata; Morrison, Jonathan; Ardern-Jones, Audrey T.; Hall, Amanda L.; O’Brien, Lynne T.; Wilkinson, Rosemary A.; Saunders, Edward J.; Page, Elizabeth C.; Sawyer, Emma J.; Edwards, Stephen M.; Dearnaley, David P.; Horwich, Alan; Huddart, Robert A.; Khoo, Vincent S.; Parker, Christopher C.; Van As, Nicholas; Woodhouse, Christopher J.; Thompson, Alan; Christmas, Tim; Ogden, Chris; Cooper, Colin S.; Southey, Melissa C.; Lophatananon, Artitaya; Liu, Jo-Fen; Kolonel, Laurence N.; Le Marchand, Loic; Wahlfors, Tiina; Tammela, Teuvo L.; Auvinen, Anssi; Lewis, Sarah J.; Cox, Angela; FitzGerald, Liesel M.; Koopmeiners, Joseph S.; Karyadi, Danielle M.; Kwon, Erika M.; Stern, Mariana C.; Corral, Roman; Joshi, Amit D.; Shahabi, Ahva; McDonnell, Shannon K.; Sellers, Thomas A; Pow-Sang, Julio; Chambers, Suzanne; Aitken, Joanne; Gardiner, R.A. (Frank); Batra, Jyotsna; Kedda, Mary Anne; Lose, Felicity; Polanowski, Andrea; Patterson, Briony; Serth, Jürgen; Meyer, Andreas; Luedeke, Manuel; Stefflova, Klara; Ray, Anna M.; Lange, Ethan M.; Farnham, Jim; Khan, Humera; Slavov, Chavdar; Mitkova, Atanaska; Cao, Guangwen; Easton, Douglas F.

2010-01-01

Prostate cancer (PrCa) is the most frequently diagnosed male cancer in developed countries. To identify common PrCa susceptibility alleles, we have previously conducted a genome-wide association study in which 541, 129 SNPs were genotyped in 1,854 PrCa cases with clinically detected disease and 1,894 controls. We have now evaluated promising associations in a second stage, in which we genotyped 43,671 SNPs in 3,650 PrCa cases and 3,940 controls, and a third stage, involving an additional 16,229 cases and 14,821 controls from 21 studies. In addition to previously identified loci, we identified a further seven new prostate cancer susceptibility loci on chromosomes 2, 4, 8, 11, and 22 (P=1.6×10−8 to P=2.7×10−33). PMID:19767753

16. Transmission of Multidrug-Resistant and Drug-Susceptible Tuberculosis within Households: A Prospective Cohort Study

PubMed Central

Grandjean, Louis; Gilman, Robert H.; Martin, Laura; Soto, Esther; Castro, Beatriz; Lopez, Sonia; Coronel, Jorge; Castillo, Edith; Alarcon, Valentina; Lopez, Virginia; San Miguel, Angela; Quispe, Neyda; Asencios, Luis; Dye, Christopher; Moore, David A. J.

2015-01-01

Background The “fitness” of an infectious pathogen is defined as the ability of the pathogen to survive, reproduce, be transmitted, and cause disease. The fitness of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDRTB) relative to drug-susceptible tuberculosis is cited as one of the most important determinants of MDRTB spread and epidemic size. To estimate the relative fitness of drug-resistant tuberculosis cases, we compared the incidence of tuberculosis disease among the household contacts of MDRTB index patients to that among the contacts of drug-susceptible index patients. Methods and Findings This 3-y (2010–2013) prospective cohort household follow-up study in South Lima and Callao, Peru, measured the incidence of tuberculosis disease among 1,055 household contacts of 213 MDRTB index cases and 2,362 household contacts of 487 drug-susceptible index cases. A total of 35/1,055 (3.3%) household contacts of 213 MDRTB index cases developed tuberculosis disease, while 114/2,362 (4.8%) household contacts of 487 drug-susceptible index patients developed tuberculosis disease. The total follow-up time for drug-susceptible tuberculosis contacts was 2,620 person-years, while the total follow-up time for MDRTB contacts was 1,425 person-years. Using multivariate Cox regression to adjust for confounding variables including contact HIV status, contact age, socio-economic status, and index case sputum smear grade, the hazard ratio for tuberculosis disease among MDRTB household contacts was found to be half that for drug-susceptible contacts (hazard ratio 0.56, 95% CI 0.34–0.90, p = 0.017). The inference of transmission in this study was limited by the lack of genotyping data for household contacts. Capturing incident disease only among household contacts may also limit the extrapolation of these findings to the community setting. Conclusions The low relative fitness of MDRTB estimated by this study improves the chances of controlling drug-resistant tuberculosis. However, fitter

17. Experimental studies of susceptibility of Italian Aedes albopictus to Zika virus.

PubMed

Di Luca, Marco; Severini, Francesco; Toma, Luciano; Boccolini, Daniela; Romi, Roberto; Remoli, Maria Elena; Sabbatucci, Michela; Rizzo, Caterina; Venturi, Giulietta; Rezza, Giovanni; Fortuna, Claudia

2016-05-01

We report a study on vector competence of an Italian population of Aedes albopictus for Zika virus (ZIKV). Ae. albopictus was susceptible to ZIKV infection (infection rate: 10%), and the virus could disseminate and was secreted in the mosquito's saliva (dissemination rate: 29%; transmission rate: 29%) after an extrinsic incubation period of 11 days. The observed vector competence was lower than that of an Ae. aegypti colony tested in parallel. PMID:27171034

18. Naturally azole-resistant Leishmania braziliensis promastigotes are rendered susceptible in the presence of terbinafine: comparative study with azole-susceptible Leishmania mexicana promastigotes.

PubMed Central

Rangel, H; Dagger, F; Hernandez, A; Liendo, A; Urbina, J A

1996-01-01

Leishmania braziliensis (isolate 2903) was naturally resistant to ketoconazole or the bis-triazole D0870, inhibitors of sterol C-14 demethylase, which produced only moderate effects on the proliferation of promastigotes at 10 microM. In contrast, Leishmania mexicana (isolate NR) was extremely susceptible to the azoles, as complete growth arrest and cell lysis were induced by incubation of the parasites with 0.05 microM concentrations of the drugs for 72 h. The opposite response was observed with terbinafine, an inhibitor of squalene epoxidase: L. braziliensis 2903 was three times more susceptible to the drug than L. mexicana NR (MICs of 5 and 15 microM, respectively). However, when the L. braziliensis stock was grown in the presence of 1 microM terbinafine, which by itself produced only marginal (< 10%) effects on growth, it became highly susceptible to the azoles, with an MIC of 0.03 microM. Analysis of cellular free sterols by high-resolution capillary gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry showed that 14-methyl sterols can support normal growth of L. braziliensis 2903 but not of L. mexicana NR. On the other hand, the higher susceptibility of the L. braziliensis isolate to terbinafine was correlated with a massive accumulation of squalene in the presence of the allylamine while no significant effects on L. mexicana sterol composition were observed at drug concentrations up to 1 microM. Thus, the > 300-fold increase in the susceptibility of L. braziliensis promastigotes to azoles in the presence of terbinafine was attributed to the combined effect of squalene and the methylated sterol precursors on the physical properties of the cell's membranes, leading to the loss of cell viability. Combination therapy with azoles and terbinafine in the treatment of human L. braziliensis infections deserves further study. PMID:9124841

19. Study of the Dependence on Magnetic Field and Bias Voltage of an AC-Biased TES Microcalorimeter

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bandler, Simon

2011-01-01

At SRON we are studying the performance of a Goddard Space Flight Center single pixel TES microcalorimeter operated in the AC bias configuration. For x-ray photons at 6keV the AC biased pixel shows a best energy resolution of 3.7eV, which is about a factor of 2 worse than the energy resolution observed in identical DC-biased pixels. To better understand the reasons of this discrepancy, we investigated the detector performance as a function of temperature, bias working point and applied magnetic field. A strong periodic dependence of the detector noise on the TES AC bias voltage is measured. We discuss the results in the framework of the recent weak-link behaviour observed inTES microcalorimeters.

20. Electric properties of carbon nano-onion/polyaniline composites: a combined electric modulus and ac conductivity study

Papathanassiou, Anthony N.; Mykhailiv, Olena; Echegoyen, Luis; Sakellis, Ilias; Plonska-Brzezinska, Marta E.

2016-07-01

The complex electric modulus and the ac conductivity of carbon nano-onion/polyaniline composites were studied from 1 mHz to 1 MHz at isothermal conditions ranging from 15 K to room temperature. The temperature dependence of the electric modulus and the dc conductivity analyses indicate a couple of hopping mechanisms. The distinction between thermally activated processes and the determination of cross-over temperature were achieved by exploring the temperature dependence of the fractional exponent of the dispersive ac conductivity and the bifurcation of the scaled ac conductivity isotherms. The results are analyzed by combining the granular metal model (inter-grain charge tunneling of extended electron states located within mesoscopic highly conducting polyaniline grains) and a 3D Mott variable range hopping model (phonon assisted tunneling within the carbon nano-onions and clusters).

1. Multicenter Study of Antimicrobial Susceptibility of Anaerobic Bacteria in Korea in 2012

PubMed Central

Lee, Yangsoon; Park, Yeon-Joon; Kim, Mi-Na; Uh, Young; Kim, Myung Sook

2015-01-01

Background Periodic monitoring of regional or institutional resistance trends of clinically important anaerobic bacteria is recommended, because the resistance of anaerobic pathogens to antimicrobial drugs and inappropriate therapy are associated with poor clinical outcomes. There has been no multicenter study of clinical anaerobic isolates in Korea. We aimed to determine the antimicrobial resistance patterns of clinically important anaerobes at multiple centers in Korea. Methods A total of 268 non-duplicated clinical isolates of anaerobic bacteria were collected from four large medical centers in Korea in 2012. Antimicrobial susceptibility was tested by the agar dilution method according to the CLSI guidelines. The following antimicrobials were tested: piperacillin, piperacillin-tazobactam, cefoxitin, cefotetan, imipenem, meropenem, clindamycin, moxifloxacin, chloramphenicol, metronidazole, and tigecycline. Results Organisms of the Bacteroides fragilis group were highly susceptible to piperacillin-tazobactam, imipenem, and meropenem, as their resistance rates to these three antimicrobials were lower than 6%. For B. fragilis group isolates and anaerobic gram-positive cocci, the resistance rates to moxifloxacin were 12-25% and 11-13%, respectively. Among B. fragilis group organisms, the resistance rates to tigecycline were 16-17%. Two isolates of Finegoldia magna were non-susceptible to chloramphenicol (minimum inhibitory concentrations of 16-32 mg/L). Resistance patterns were different among the different hospitals. Conclusions Piperacillin-tazobactam, cefoxitin, and carbapemems are highly active β-lactam agents against most of the anaerobes. The resistance rates to moxifloxacin and tigecycline are slightly higher than those in the previous study. PMID:26206683

2. Magnetic susceptibility of actinide(iii) cations: an experimental and theoretical study.

PubMed

Autillo, Matthieu; Guerin, Laetitia; Bolvin, Hélène; Moisy, Philippe; Berthon, Claude

2016-03-01

In a previous paper, the influence of radioactive decay (α and β(-)) on magnetic susceptibility measurements by the Evans method has been demonstrated by the study of two americium isotopes. To characterize more accurately this phenomenon and particularly its influence on the Curie law, a new study has been performed on two uranium isotopes ((238)U and (233)U) and on tritiated water ((3)H2O). The results on the influence of α emissions have established a relationship between changes in the temperature dependence and the radioactivity in solution. Regarding the β(-) emissions, less influence was observed while no temperature dependence linked to this kind of radioactive emission could be identified. Once magnetic susceptibility measurements of actinide(iii) cations were corrected from radioactivity effects, methods of quantum chemistry have been used on free ions and aquo complexes to calculate the electronic structure explaining the magnetic properties of Pu(iii), Am(iii) and Cm(iii). The ligand field effect on the magnetic behavior (the Curie constant and temperature-independent susceptibilities) was analyzed by considering different solvation environments. PMID:26864302

3. Reversible susceptibility studies of magnetization switching in FeCoB synthetic antiferromagnets

Radu, Cosmin; Cimpoesu, Dorin; Girt, Erol; Ju, Ganping; Stancu, Alexandru; Spinu, Leonard

2007-05-01

In this paper we present a study of switching characteristics of a series of synthetic antiferromagnet (SAF) structures using reversible susceptibility experiments. Three series of SAF samples were considered in our study with (t1, t2), the thickness of the FeCoB layers of (80nm, 80nm), (50nm, 50nm), and (80nm, 20nm) and with the interlayer of Ru ranging from 0to2nm. A vector vibrating sample magnetometer was used to measure the hysteresis loops along the different directions in the plane of the samples. The reversible susceptibility experiments were performed using a resonant method based on a tunnel diode oscillator. We showed that the switching peaks in the susceptibility versus field plots obtained for different orientations of the applied dc field can be used to construct the switching diagram of the SAF structure. The critical curve constitutes the fingerprint of the switching behavior and provides information about micromagnetic and structural properties of SAF which is an essential component of modern magnetic random access memories.

4. Studies of the acetylcholinesterase from houseflies (Musca domestica L.) resistant and susceptible to organophosphorus insecticides.

PubMed Central

Devonshire, A L

1975-01-01

Acetylcholinesterase from the heads of insecticide-resistant and -susceptible houseflies (Musca domestica L.) was studied in vitro. The enzymes could not be distinguished electrophoretically, and their behaviour on polyacrylamide-disc-gel electrophoresis was influenced by the presence of Triton X-100 in both the homogenate and the gels. In the absence of detergent, the acetylcholinesterase was heterogeneous, but behaved as a single enzyme when it was present. By analogy with studies of acetylcholinesterase from other sources, these observations were attributed to aggregation of the enzyme when not bound by membranes. The enzyme from resistant flies was more slowly inhibited than the susceptible enzyme, bimolecular rate constants (ki) differing by approx. 4-20-fold for a range of organophosphorus compounds. The kinetics of inhibition of acetylcholinesterase were consistent with the results of electrophoresis, i.e. they corresponded to those of a single enzyme in the presence of Triton X-100, but a mixture of enzymes in its absence. The susceptibility of the more sensitive components in these mixtures was determined. Images PLATE 1 PMID:1180906

5. Quantitative Susceptibility Mapping Indicates a Disturbed Brain Iron Homeostasis in Neuromyelitis Optica - A Pilot Study.

PubMed

Doring, Thomas Martin; Granado, Vanessa; Rueda, Fernanda; Deistung, Andreas; Reichenbach, Juergen R; Tukamoto, Gustavo; Gasparetto, Emerson Leandro; Schweser, Ferdinand

2016-01-01

Dysregulation of brain iron homeostasis is a hallmark of many neurodegenerative diseases and can be associated with oxidative stress. The objective of this study was to investigate brain iron in patients with Neuromyelitis Optica (NMO) using quantitative susceptibility mapping (QSM), a quantitative iron-sensitive MRI technique. 12 clinically confirmed NMO patients (6 female and 6 male; age 35.4y±14.2y) and 12 age- and sex-matched healthy controls (7 female and 5 male; age 33.9±11.3y) underwent MRI of the brain at 3 Tesla. Quantitative maps of the effective transverse relaxation rate (R2*) and magnetic susceptibility were calculated and a blinded ROI-based group comparison analysis was performed. Normality of the data and differences between patients and controls were tested by Kolmogorov-Smirnov and t-test, respectively. Correlation with age was studied using Spearman's rank correlation and an ANCOVA-like analysis. Magnetic susceptibility values were decreased in the red nucleus (p<0.01; d>0.95; between -15 and -22 ppb depending on reference region) with a trend toward increasing differences with age. R2* revealed significantly decreased relaxation in the optic radiations of five of the 12 patients (p<0.0001; -3.136±0.567 s-1). Decreased relaxation in the optic radiation is indicative for demyelination, which is in line with previous findings. Decreased magnetic susceptibility in the red nucleus is indicative for a lower brain iron concentration, a chemical redistribution of iron into less magnetic forms, or both. Further investigations are necessary to elucidate the pathological cause or consequence of this finding. PMID:27171423

6. Quantitative Susceptibility Mapping Indicates a Disturbed Brain Iron Homeostasis in Neuromyelitis Optica – A Pilot Study

PubMed Central

Granado, Vanessa; Rueda, Fernanda; Deistung, Andreas; Reichenbach, Juergen R.; Tukamoto, Gustavo; Gasparetto, Emerson Leandro; Schweser, Ferdinand

2016-01-01

Dysregulation of brain iron homeostasis is a hallmark of many neurodegenerative diseases and can be associated with oxidative stress. The objective of this study was to investigate brain iron in patients with Neuromyelitis Optica (NMO) using quantitative susceptibility mapping (QSM), a quantitative iron-sensitive MRI technique. 12 clinically confirmed NMO patients (6 female and 6 male; age 35.4y±14.2y) and 12 age- and sex-matched healthy controls (7 female and 5 male; age 33.9±11.3y) underwent MRI of the brain at 3 Tesla. Quantitative maps of the effective transverse relaxation rate (R2*) and magnetic susceptibility were calculated and a blinded ROI-based group comparison analysis was performed. Normality of the data and differences between patients and controls were tested by Kolmogorov-Smirnov and t-test, respectively. Correlation with age was studied using Spearman’s rank correlation and an ANCOVA-like analysis. Magnetic susceptibility values were decreased in the red nucleus (p<0.01; d>0.95; between -15 and -22 ppb depending on reference region) with a trend toward increasing differences with age. R2* revealed significantly decreased relaxation in the optic radiations of five of the 12 patients (p<0.0001; -3.136±0.567 s-1). Decreased relaxation in the optic radiation is indicative for demyelination, which is in line with previous findings. Decreased magnetic susceptibility in the red nucleus is indicative for a lower brain iron concentration, a chemical redistribution of iron into less magnetic forms, or both. Further investigations are necessary to elucidate the pathological cause or consequence of this finding. PMID:27171423

7. Genome-wide association study identifies novel susceptibility loci for cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma

PubMed Central

Chahal, Harvind S.; Lin, Yuan; Ransohoff, Katherine J.; Hinds, David A.; Wu, Wenting; Dai, Hong-Ji; Qureshi, Abrar A.; Li, Wen-Qing; Kraft, Peter; Tang, Jean Y.; Han, Jiali; Sarin, Kavita Y.

2016-01-01

Cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma represents the second most common cutaneous malignancy, affecting 7–11% of Caucasians in the United States. The genetic determinants of susceptibility to cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma remain largely unknown. Here we report the results of a two-stage genome-wide association study of cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma, totalling 7,404 cases and 292,076 controls. Eleven loci reached genome-wide significance (P<5 × 10−8) including seven previously confirmed pigmentation-related loci: MC1R, ASIP, TYR, SLC45A2, OCA2, IRF4 and BNC2. We identify an additional four susceptibility loci: 11q23.3 CADM1, a metastasis suppressor gene involved in modifying tumour interaction with cell-mediated immunity; 2p22.3; 7p21.1 AHR, the dioxin receptor involved in anti-apoptotic pathways and melanoma progression; and 9q34.3 SEC16A, a putative oncogene with roles in secretion and cellular proliferation. These susceptibility loci provide deeper insight into the pathogenesis of squamous cell carcinoma. PMID:27424798

8. In situ study of atomic-vacancy ordering in stoichiometric titanium monoxide by the magnetic susceptibility

Valeeva, A. A.; Nazarova, S. Z.; Rempel, A. A.

2015-02-01

An in situ temperature study of a variation in the degree of long-range order in stoichiometric titanium monoxide has been performed by the magnetic susceptibility method. The measurements have been performed on annealed and quenched titanium monoxide in the temperature range from 300 to 1200 K. It has been found that the degree of long-range order depends on the regime and temperature of annealing of the initial samples. The degree of long-range order in the process of measurement of the magnetic susceptibility varies from 0.21 to 1.00; the larger the degree of long-range order, the smaller the magnetic susceptibility. Furthermore, the long-range order parameter decreases with an increase in the temperature above 1200 K and vanishes sharply at the order-disorder transition temperature. According to the results of this work, the critical long-range order parameter is 0.21 and the temperature of the nonequilibrium disorder-order transition is about 1073 K.

9. Salmonella Prevalence and Antimicrobial Susceptibility from the National Animal Health Monitoring System Sheep 2011 Study.

PubMed

Dargatz, David A; Marshall, Katherine L; Fedorka-Cray, Paula J; Erdman, Matthew M; Kopral, Christine A

2015-12-01

Salmonella is a major cause of foodborne illness and can cause clinical disease in animals. Understanding the on-farm ecology of Salmonella will be helpful in decreasing the risk of foodborne transmission. An objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of Salmonella among fecal samples collected on sheep operations in the United States. Another objective was to compare the use of composite fecal samples with fecal samples collected from individual sheep as a tool for screening sheep flocks for Salmonella. Sheep fecal samples (individual and composite) were collected on operations in 22 states. Salmonella isolates were characterized with regard to species, serotype, and antimicrobial susceptibility profile. Most operations (72.1%) had at least one positive sample and overall 26.9% of samples were positive. The percentage of positive samples varied by animal age class. Composite and individual samples gave similar results. The majority of the isolates (94%) were Salmonella enterica subspecies diarizonae serotype 61:-:1,5,7. Nearly all of the isolates (91.2%) tested for antimicrobial susceptibility were susceptible to all antimicrobials in the panel. The findings suggest that salmonellae typically associated with foodborne disease transmission are infrequently found on sheep operations in the United States. PMID:26540254

10. A genome-wide association study identifies multiple susceptibility loci for chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

PubMed

Speedy, Helen E; Di Bernardo, Maria Chiara; Sava, Georgina P; Dyer, Martin J S; Holroyd, Amy; Wang, Yufei; Sunter, Nicola J; Mansouri, Larry; Juliusson, Gunnar; Smedby, Karin E; Roos, Göran; Jayne, Sandrine; Majid, Aneela; Dearden, Claire; Hall, Andrew G; Mainou-Fowler, Tryfonia; Jackson, Graham H; Summerfield, Geoffrey; Harris, Robert J; Pettitt, Andrew R; Allsup, David J; Bailey, James R; Pratt, Guy; Pepper, Chris; Fegan, Chris; Rosenquist, Richard; Catovsky, Daniel; Allan, James M; Houlston, Richard S

2014-01-01

Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) have shown that common genetic variation contributes to the heritable risk of CLL. To identify additional CLL susceptibility loci, we conducted a GWAS and performed a meta-analysis with a published GWAS totaling 1,739 individuals with CLL (cases) and 5,199 controls with validation in an additional 1,144 cases and 3,151 controls. A combined analysis identified new susceptibility loci mapping to 3q26.2 (rs10936599, P = 1.74 × 10(-9)), 4q26 (rs6858698, P = 3.07 × 10(-9)), 6q25.2 (IPCEF1, rs2236256, P = 1.50 × 10(-10)) and 7q31.33 (POT1, rs17246404, P = 3.40 × 10(-8)). Additionally, we identified a promising association at 5p15.33 (CLPTM1L, rs31490, P = 1.72 × 10(-7)) and validated recently reported putative associations at 5p15.33 (TERT, rs10069690, P = 1.12 × 10(-10)) and 8q22.3 (rs2511714, P = 2.90 × 10(-9)). These findings provide further insights into the genetic and biological basis of inherited genetic susceptibility to CLL. PMID:24292274

11. [Study of relation between crushed lava spectrum and magnetic susceptibility in Xiangshan uranium orefield].

PubMed

Wu, Zhi-Chun; Guo, Fu-Sheng; Liu, Lin-Qing; Jiang, Yong-Biao

2013-12-01

Rock spectrum research is the base of the remote sensing geology. It's of great significance of exploring the relations between rock spectrum and other rock natures. In the present study, 36 fine crushed lava samples each measuring 5 cmX5 cmX 5 cm were tested for its spectrums by SVC HR-768 portable spectrometer. But before measuring each sample, white boards should be calibrated and after measuring the curves of spectrum of each sample should make a 5 nm smooth resample so that meteoric water and noise caused by external environment can be eliminated. After such smooth resample, at the spectrum scope of 1 112-1322 nm, taking band value as horizontal axis and reflectivity as vertical axis, linear equations of rock samples can be obtained. Taking the slopes as the horizontal axis and volume magnetic susceptibility as vertical axis, y= -0. 256 31n(x) + 0. 913 7 was thus obtained and its equation correlation coefficient is up to 0. 78. The result shows that volume magnetic susceptibility is mainly caused by Fe2+ , and that the amount of Fe2+ can be almost measured in the spectrum scope of 1112 approximately 1322 nm that has a good correlation with volume magnetic susceptibility. PMID:24611387

12. Genome-wide association study identifies novel susceptibility loci for cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma.

PubMed

Chahal, Harvind S; Lin, Yuan; Ransohoff, Katherine J; Hinds, David A; Wu, Wenting; Dai, Hong-Ji; Qureshi, Abrar A; Li, Wen-Qing; Kraft, Peter; Tang, Jean Y; Han, Jiali; Sarin, Kavita Y

2016-01-01

Cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma represents the second most common cutaneous malignancy, affecting 7-11% of Caucasians in the United States. The genetic determinants of susceptibility to cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma remain largely unknown. Here we report the results of a two-stage genome-wide association study of cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma, totalling 7,404 cases and 292,076 controls. Eleven loci reached genome-wide significance (P<5 × 10(-8)) including seven previously confirmed pigmentation-related loci: MC1R, ASIP, TYR, SLC45A2, OCA2, IRF4 and BNC2. We identify an additional four susceptibility loci: 11q23.3 CADM1, a metastasis suppressor gene involved in modifying tumour interaction with cell-mediated immunity; 2p22.3; 7p21.1 AHR, the dioxin receptor involved in anti-apoptotic pathways and melanoma progression; and 9q34.3 SEC16A, a putative oncogene with roles in secretion and cellular proliferation. These susceptibility loci provide deeper insight into the pathogenesis of squamous cell carcinoma. PMID:27424798

13. [Susceptibilities of clinical bacterial isolates to antimicrobial agents. A study mainly focused on imipenem. Research Group for Testing Imipenem Susceptibility on Clinical Isolates].

PubMed

Igari, J

1990-10-01

We investigated susceptibilities of clinical bacterial isolates to imipenem (IPM) and other antimicrobial agents at 459 hospital laboratories throughout Japan from September to December of 1988. In this study, identification and susceptibility testing were performed at each hospital laboratory and the tests were carried out according to the 1-dilution or 3-dilution disc technique in which susceptibilities are classified into 4 grades: , ++, + and -. IPM had significantly high activity against Streptococcus pneumoniae, Streptococcus pyogenes, Streptococcus agalactiae, Neisseria gonorrhoeae, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Klebsiella oxytoca, Enterobacter aerogenes, Enterobacter cloacae, Salmonella spp., Citrobacter freundii, Proteus mirabilis, Providencia rettgeri, Acinetobacter calcoaceticus, Moraxella catarrhalis, Alcaligenes spp., Peptococcus spp./Peptostreptococcus spp., Bacteroides fragilis and Bacteroides spp. and should slightly lower activities on coagulase-negative staphylococci (CNS), Enterococcus faecalis, Haemophilus influenzae, Serratia marcescens, Proteus vulgaris, Providencia stuartii and Pseudomonas aeruginosa than on the above mentioned bacteria. In a comparative study on activities of IPM against bacteria from different clinical sources, no remarkable differences were found due to different sources among S. pneumoniae, E. faecalis, H. influenzae, E. coli, K. pneumoniae, E. cloacae, C. freundii, P. mirabilis or A. calcoaceticus, whereas slight differences were found among Staphylococcus aureus, CNS, S. marcescens and P. aeruginosa. PMID:2086814

14. Susceptibility Testing

MedlinePlus

... page helpful? Also known as: Sensitivity Testing; Drug Resistance Testing; Culture and Sensitivity; C & S; Antimicrobial Susceptibility Formal name: Bacterial and Fungal Susceptibility Testing Related tests: Urine Culture ; ...

15. A 52-week safety study in cynomolgus macaques for genetically modified rice expressing Cry1Ab/1Ac protein.

PubMed

Mao, Jie; Sun, Xing; Cheng, Jian-Hua; Shi, Yong-Jie; Wang, Xin-Zheng; Qin, Jun-Jie; Sang, Zhi-Hong; He, Kun; Xia, Qing

2016-09-01

A 52-week feeding study in cynomolgus macaques was carried out to evaluate the safety of Bt rice Huahui 1 (HH1), a transgenic rice line expressing Cry1Ab/1Ac protein. Monkeys were fed a diet with 20% or 60% HH1 rice, 20% or 60% parental rice (Minghui 63, MH63), normal diet, normal diet spiked with purified recombinant Cry1Ab/1Ac fusion protein or bovine serum albumin (BSA) respectively. During the feeding trail, clinical observations were conducted daily, and multiple parameters, including body weight, body temperature, electrocardiogram, hematology, blood biochemistry, serum metabolome and gut microbiome were examined at regular intervals. Upon sacrifice, the organs were weighted, and the macroscopic, microscopic and electron microscopic examinations were performed. The results show no adverse or toxic effects of Bt rice HH1 or Cry1Ab/1Ac fusion protein on monkeys. Therefore, the present 52-week primate feeding study suggests that the transgenic rice containing Cry 1Ab/1Ac is equivalent to its parental rice line MH63. PMID:27338709

16. Influences of Cry1Ac Broccoli on Larval Survival and Oviposition of Diamondback Moth

PubMed Central

Yi, Dengxia; Cui, Shusong; Yang, Limei; Fang, Zhiyuan; Liu, Yumei; Zhuang, Mu; Zhang, Yangyong

2015-01-01

Larval survival and oviposition behavior of three genotypes of diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella L. (Lepidoptera: Plutellidae), (homozygous Cry1Ac-susceptibile, Cry1Ac-resistant, and their F1 hybrids), on transgenic Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) broccoli expressing different levels of Cry1Ac protein were evaluated in laboratory. These Bt broccoli lines were designated as relative low, medium, and high, respectively, according to the Cry1Ac content. Untransformed brocccoli plants were used as control. Larval survival of diamondback moth on non-Bt leaves was not significantly different among the three genotypes. The Cry1Ac-resistant larvae could survive on the low level of Bt broccoli plants, while Cry1Ac-susceptible and F1 larvae could not survive on them. The three genotypes of P. xylostella larvae could not survive on medium and high levels of Bt broccoli. In oviposition choice tests, there was no significant difference in the number of eggs laid by the three P. xylostella genotypes among different Bt broccoli plants. The development of Cry1Ac-susceptible and Cry1Ac-resistant P. xylostella on intact Bt plants was also tested in greenhouse. All susceptible P. xylostella larvae died on all Bt plants, while resistant larvae could survive on broccoli, which expresses low Cry1Ac protein under greenhouse conditions. The results of the greenhouse trials were similar to that of laboratory tests. This study indicated that high dose of Bt toxins in broccoli cultivars or germplasm lines is required for effective resistance management. PMID:25843583

17. Influences of Cry1Ac broccoli on larval survival and oviposition of diamondback moth.

PubMed

Yi, Dengxia; Cui, Shusong; Yang, Limei; Fang, Zhiyuan; Liu, Yumei; Zhuang, Mu; Zhang, Yangyong

2015-01-01

Larval survival and oviposition behavior of three genotypes of diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella L. (Lepidoptera: Plutellidae), (homozygous Cry1Ac-susceptibile, Cry1Ac-resistant, and their F1 hybrids), on transgenic Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) broccoli expressing different levels of Cry1Ac protein were evaluated in laboratory. These Bt broccoli lines were designated as relative low, medium, and high, respectively, according to the Cry1Ac content. Untransformed brocccoli plants were used as control. Larval survival of diamondback moth on non-Bt leaves was not significantly different among the three genotypes. The Cry1Ac-resistant larvae could survive on the low level of Bt broccoli plants, while Cry1Ac-susceptible and F1 larvae could not survive on them. The three genotypes of P. xylostella larvae could not survive on medium and high levels of Bt broccoli. In oviposition choice tests, there was no significant difference in the number of eggs laid by the three P. xylostella genotypes among different Bt broccoli plants. The development of Cry1Ac-susceptible and Cry1Ac-resistant P. xylostella on intact Bt plants was also tested in greenhouse. All susceptible P. xylostella larvae died on all Bt plants, while resistant larvae could survive on broccoli, which expresses low Cry1Ac protein under greenhouse conditions. The results of the greenhouse trials were similar to that of laboratory tests. This study indicated that high dose of Bt toxins in broccoli cultivars or germplasm lines is required for effective resistance management. PMID:25843583

18. Imaging Polarimetry of Young Stellar Objects with ACS and NICMOS: A study in dust grain evolution

Hines, Dean

2004-07-01

The formation of planetary systems is intimately linked to the dust population in circumstellar disks, thus understanding dust grain evolution is essential to advancing our understanding of how planets form. By combining {1} the high resolution polarimetric capabilities of ACS and NICMOS, {2} powerful 3-D radiative transfer codes, and {3} observations of objects known to span the earliest stellar evolutionary phases, we will gain crucial insight into the initial phases of dust grain growth: evolution away from an ISM distribution. Fractional polarization is a strong function of wavelength, therefore by comparing polarimetric images in the optical and infrared, we can sensitively constrain not only the geometry and optical depth of the scattering medium, but also the grain size distribution. By observing objects representative of the earliest evolutionary sequence of YSOs, we will be able to investigate how the dust population evolves in size and distribution during the crucial transition from a disk+envelope system to a disk+star system. The proposed study will help to establish the fundamental time scales for the initial depletion of ISM-like grains: the first step in understanding the transformation from small submicron sized dust grains, to large millimeter sized grains, and untimely to planetary bodies.

19. AC Impedance Studies of Polymer Light-emitting Electrochemical Cells and Light-emitting Diodes

Li, Yongfang; Gao, Jun; Heeger, Alan J.; Yu, Gang; Cao, Yong

1998-03-01

The alternating current (ac) impedance of polymer light-emitting electrochemical cells (LECs) is studied and compared with that of polymer light-emitting diodes(LEDs) in the frequency range from 100 Hz to 5 M Hz. The device capacitance, resistance and interface characteristics are analyzed using the frequency dependence of the impedance and plots of the imaginary component of the impedance (Z") vs. the real part (Z'). At low bias voltages, polymer LEDs behave as pure capacitors whereas the polymer blend in the LEC exhibits an ionic conductivity contribution to the impedance. With dc bias higher than the energy gap of the semiconducting polymer (eV > Eg), the Z" vs. Z' plot of the LEC is a flattened semicircle, while that of LED is a semicircle with a small tail at low frequencies. In the LED, the capacitance is independent of voltages, the film resistance decreases as the bias voltage is increased in forward bias due to charge injection at higher voltages. In the LEC, the capacitance increases at voltages sufficient to induce electrochemical redox and doping near the electrodes. From this increase, the thickness of the i-layer of the p-i-n junction is estimated to approximately 0.8 of the film thickness (at the bias voltage of 3 V). Thus, in the LEC under operating conditions, the crossover region from p-type occupies most of the film thickness.

20. Biocompatible Silver-containing a-C:H and a-C coatings: AComparative Study

SciTech Connect

Endrino, Jose Luis; Allen, Matthew; Escobar Galindo, Ramon; Zhang, Hanshen; Anders, Andre; Albella, Jose Maria

2007-04-01

Hydrogenated diamond-like-carbon (a-C:H) and hydrogen-free amorphous carbon (a-C) coatings are known to be biocompatible and have good chemical inertness. For this reason, both of these materials are strong candidates to be used as a matrix that embeds metallic elements with antimicrobial effect. In this comparative study, we have incorporated silver into diamond-like carbon (DLC) coatings by plasma based ion implantation and deposition (PBII&D) using methane (CH4) plasma and simultaneously depositing Ag from a pulsed cathodic arc source. In addition, we have grown amorphous carbon - silver composite coatings using a dual-cathode pulsed filtered cathodic-arc (FCA) source. The silver atomic content of the deposited samples was analyzed using glow discharge optical spectroscopy (GDOES). In both cases, the arc pulse frequency of the silver cathode was adjusted in order to obtain samples with approximately 5 at.% of Ag. Surface hardness of the deposited films was analyzed using the nanoindentation technique. Cell viability for both a-C:H/Ag and a-C:/Ag samples deposited on 24-well tissue culture plates has been evaluated.

1. Human aquaporin 4 gating dynamics in dc and ac electric fields: A molecular dynamics study

Garate, J.-A.; English, Niall J.; MacElroy, J. M. D.

2011-02-01

Water self-diffusion within human aquaporin 4 has been studied using molecular dynamics (MD) simulations in the absence and presence of external ac and dc electric fields. The computed diffusive (pd) and osmotic (pf) permeabilities under zero-field conditions are (0.718 ± 0.24) × 10-14 cm3 s-1 and (2.94 ± 0.47) × 10-14 cm3 s-1, respectively; our pf agrees with the experimental value of (1.50 ± 0.6) × 10-14 cm3 s-1. A gating mechanism has been proposed in which side-chain dynamics of residue H201, located in the selectivity filter, play an essential role. In addition, for nonequilibrium MD in external fields, it was found that water dipole orientation within the constriction region of the channel is affected by electric fields (e-fields) and that this governs the permeability. It was also found that the rate of side-chain flipping motion of residue H201 is increased in the presence of e-fields, which influences water conductivity further.

2. Study of the design optimization of AC-coupled single-sided silicon strip sensors

Jeon, H. B.; Kang, K. H.; Park, H.; Hyun, H. J.

2015-05-01

The high-intensity rare-isotope accelerator, RAON, will be constructed for nuclear physics research in Korea. AC-coupled single-sided silicon strip detectors (SSSDs) are being investigated for use in the Si-CsI detector of a large acceptance multi-purpose spectrometer to measure the energies of various isotopes. To determine the optimal design, four SSSD design parameters were examined in this study, namely the ratio of p+ implant width to strip pitch ( I/P), the width of the metal layer, the presence of an n+-edge field shaper (FS), and the distance between the guard-ring and sensor edge (DGS). The designed detectors were fabricated on high resistivity n-type silicon wafers of 500 μm thickness. The SSSDs had the strip pitch of 730 μm and 32 readout strips in each, and the size of the sensors was 40.0 × 25.5 mm2. In terms of the leakage current and production yield, the noise improved by up to 30%when the I/P ratio was 0.4, the metal layer was wider than the p+ implantation, and the DGS with n+-edge FS was twice the sensor thickness. The signal-to-noise ratio of the SSSD with the design parameters that provided the optimal leakage current and coupling capacitance was measured to be 29.1 using a 90Sr radioactive source and commercial electronics.

3. GIS-analysis of gully erosion susceptibility: a key study in north-central Sicily, Italy

Agnesi, Valerio; Angileri, Silvia; Cappadonia, Chiara; Conoscenti, Christian; Costanzo, Dario; Maerker, Michael; Rotigliano, Edoardo

2010-05-01

Erosion by water is responsible for severe geo-environmental problems in semi-humid to arid Mediterranean areas. Large sectors of Sicily are affected by intense soil erosion phenomena leading to severe damages in agriculture lands that, in some cases, experience high soil loss rates. An important contribution to sediment yield from these areas is given by gully erosion phenomena; the latter, in the last decades, attracted attention of many researches that developed and applied methods to quantify soil loss volumes and to evaluate proneness of territory to this process. The present research aims to assess gully erosion susceptibility in the basin of the San Giorgio torrent, a mountain stream flowing in north-central Sicily and draining an area of about 9.5 km2; the watershed, which is mainly covered by arable lands, has highly erodible slopes characterized by the outcropping of clays and marls. In order to predict gully erosion susceptibility, a multivariate geostatistical approach is adopted here. In particular, the method is based on the definition of spatial relationships between the geographical variability of a set of controlling factors and the occurrence of gullies on slopes; the linear density of gullies computed on homogeneous domains is selected as the probabilistic function expressing how proneness to gully erosion spatially changes in the studied area. Available thematic maps, which were integrated by field and remote surveys, and a high quality DEM, were used to derive eight layers of terrain variables, selected according to geomorphological criteria and expressing both soil erodibility (bedrock lithology, land use) and erosivity of flowing waters (slope angle, Stream Power Index, SL-factor, Topographic Wetness Index, plan and profile curvature). All the parameters were computed for homogeneous spatial domains, created by intersecting a grid of 50m square polygons and a layer of slope units automatically derived from DEM; therefore, the eight layers

4. AC Dielectric Properties and Positron Annihilation Study on Co and Ti Substitution Effect on Ca-Sr M-Hexaferrites

Mahmoud, K. R.; Eraky, M. R.

2016-06-01

The dependence of AC conductivity σ AC, dielectric constant έ, and dielectric loss tangent tan δ on frequency and composition have been investigated at room temperature for polycrystalline Ca0.5Sr0.5Co x Ti x Fe12 - 2 x O19 (where 0.0 ≤ x ≤ 0.8) hexaferrites. It was found that the parameters σ AC, ɛ ', and tan δ have maximum values at x = 0.4 of the Co and Ti substitution. The behavior of σ AC, ɛ ', and tan δ with frequency and composition was explained on the basis of the hopping conduction mechanism and the Koops model. Positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy (PALS) was used to investigate the defects and changes in electron density for hexaferrite samples. The PAL parameters ( τ 1, I 1, τ 2, I 2, and mean lifetime) show that altering the doping percentage of the Co and Ti ions affects the size and concentration of defects. The results reveal that there are some large voids in the studied samples. The obtained results indicate the high sensitivity of the PALS technique to the enhanced structure changes with changing composition of the investigated samples and correlate the results with the measured electrical parameters.

5. Association study confirms two susceptibility loci for breast cancer in Chinese Han women.

PubMed

Xu, Minggui; Xu, Yihui; Chen, Mengyun; Li, Yang; Li, Wei; Zhu, Jun; Zhang, Mingjun; Chen, Zhendong; Zhang, Xuejun; Liu, Jianjun; Zhang, Bo

2016-10-01

To date, many loci associated with breast cancer have been identified through genome-wide association studies; most of these studies were conducted using populations of European descent. Thus, it is not clear whether these susceptibility loci are also risk factors for Chinese populations. We selected and genotyped 32 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) using the Sequenom iPLEX platform in a female Chinese cohort of 3036 breast cancer cases and 3036 healthy controls. A total of 23 SNPs passed the quality control test. The associations of these SNPs with disease susceptibility were assessed using logistic regression, adjusting for age. The Bonferroni correction was used to conservatively account for multiple testing, and the threshold for statistical significance was P < 2.17 × 10(-3) (0.05/23). We confirmed ten risk-associated variants within three reported breast cancer susceptibility loci in a Chinese Han population: 5q11.2 (rs16886181, P = 5.29 × 10(-6), OR = 1.19; rs1017226, P = 5.24 × 10(-4), OR = 1.22; rs16886034, P = 2.00 × 10(-3), OR = 1.21; rs16886113, P = 1.24 × 10(-3), OR = 1.20; rs16886364, P = 9.20 × 10(-4), OR = 1.21; rs16886397, P = 1.17 × 10(-3), OR = 1.20; rs16886448, P = 1.62 × 10(-3,)OR = 1.20; and rs2229882, P = 5.14 × 10(-4), OR = 1.31), 5q14.3 (rs421379, P = 2.83 × 10(-13), OR = 1.83), and 10q26.1 (rs35054928, P = 7.73 × 10(-6), OR = 1.18). The 10q26.1 locus was found to be a susceptibility locus for breast cancer in Chinese Han women in our previous studies. 5q11.2 and 5q14.3 are confirmed here for the first time as susceptibility loci for breast cancer in Chinese Han women. This study reports three breast cancer susceptibility loci that were previously identified in European populations and are also risk factors for Chinese populations. This study may extend the genetic basis of breast cancer in Chinese Han women and highlight the contribution of multiple variants

6. Association Study between Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome and the Susceptibility Genes Polymorphisms in Hui Chinese Women

PubMed Central

Ha, Lingxia; Shi, Yuhua; Zhao, Junli; Li, Tao; Chen, Zi-Jiang

2015-01-01

Introduction Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is one of the most common endocrine-metabolic disorders. Evidence of familial aggregation analysis and different clinical traits among different regions and ethnicities indicated that the pathogenesis of PCOS is associated with multiple genetic and environmental factors. Our previous research had identified three susceptibility loci (rs2479106, DENND1A; rs13405728, LHCGR; rs13429458, THADA) for PCOS in Han Chinese women. The overall aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between three susceptibility gene polymorphisms and PCOS in Hui ethnic women. Methods 151 patients with PCOS (case group) and 99 healthy women (control group) were recruited from the Reproductive Medicine Center of the General Hospital of Ningxia Medical University. Clinical data and serum hormone characteristics of case and control groups were collected and analyzed. The three susceptibility single-nucleotide polymorphisms have been replicated in both case and control groups. Gene polymorphisms were detected by direct sequencing after polymerase chain reaction. Results The Body Mass Index, LH, LH/FSH ratio and total testosterone were significantly elevated in PCOS patients compared to control group (P<0.05). The frequencies of genotype and allele in rs13405728 were significantly different between the PCOS and the control groups (P<0.05). Of the SNP rs13405728, the PCOS cases with TT genotype stayed at a higher level of total testosterone, TG and LDL than those with the CC and CT genotypes. In contrary, there was no statistical difference between the two groups for SNP rs13429458 and rs2479106 (P>0.05). Conclusion The present study suggested that the SNP rs13405728 in the LHCGR gene was associated with PCOS in Hui ethnic women, and its TT genotype characterized with higher level of TT, TG and LDL. PMID:25978310

7. Effects of the interior static polarization in photoionization of regular'' (A@C60) and giant'' (A@C240) endohedral atoms: A comparative study

Akiyama, Takehiro; Dolmatov, Valeriy

2010-10-01

Recently, photoionization of an atom A confined inside the C60 fullerene (A@C60) has come under a novel theoretical scrutiny by accounting for static relaxation of the system in response to ionization of the atom A, termed the interior static polarization effect [1]. In the present work, we explore how the impact might get altered with increasing size of the fullerene cage. Regular'' C60 and giant'' C240 cages with the Ne atom sitting at the center of a cage, i.e., Ne@C60 and Ne@C240, are chosen for the study. Both carbon cages are regarded as conducting spheres. They are simulated by the corresponding potentials of given inner radii, depths, and thickness [2]. The impact's significance is found to be about the same in both systems. It strongly alters the photoionization of the encaged atom near threshold as well as changes phases of associated confinement resonances. However, the photoionization spectrum of the encaged atom differs much stronger from that of the free atom with increasing size of the cage. [1] V. K. Dolmatov and S. T. Manson, Phys. Rev. A (in print). [2] V. K. Dolmatov, Adv. Quant. Chem., 58, 13 (2009).

8. Study of the DEF Feedback Control System in AC Operation of Superconducting Tokamak

Wang, Hua; Luo, Jiarong; Yuan, Qiping; Xu, Congdong

2007-02-01

AC operation with multiple full cycles has been successfully performed on the superconducting tokamak HT-7. In the experiment, it was discovered that the saturation of the transformer magnetic flux with DEF, a signal name, was one of key aspects that affected the AC operation. The conditions of DEF were examined through the DEF feedback control system. By controlling the working patterns of the subsystems, namely the poloidal field control system and density control system, it was guaranteed that DEF would remain in the non-saturated status.

9. Re-evaluation of putative rheumatoid arthritis susceptibility genes in the post-genome wide association study era and hypothesis of a key pathway underlying susceptibility.

PubMed

Barton, Anne; Thomson, Wendy; Ke, Xiayi; Eyre, Steve; Hinks, Anne; Bowes, John; Gibbons, Laura; Plant, Darren; Wilson, Anthony G; Marinou, Ioanna; Morgan, Ann; Emery, Paul; Steer, Sophia; Hocking, Lynne; Reid, David M; Wordsworth, Paul; Harrison, Pille; Worthington, Jane

2008-08-01

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an archetypal, common, complex autoimmune disease with both genetic and environmental contributions to disease aetiology. Two novel RA susceptibility loci have been reported from recent genome-wide and candidate gene association studies. We, therefore, investigated the evidence for association of the STAT4 and TRAF1/C5 loci with RA using imputed data from the Wellcome Trust Case Control Consortium (WTCCC). No evidence for association of variants mapping to the TRAF1/C5 gene was detected in the 1860 RA cases and 2930 control samples tested in that study. Variants mapping to the STAT4 gene did show evidence for association (rs7574865, P = 0.04). Given the association of the TRAF1/C5 locus in two previous large case-control series from populations of European descent and the evidence for association of the STAT4 locus in the WTCCC study, single nucleotide polymorphisms mapping to these loci were tested for association with RA in an independent UK series comprising DNA from >3000 cases with disease and >3000 controls and a combined analysis including the WTCCC data was undertaken. We confirm association of the STAT4 and the TRAF1/C5 loci with RA bringing to 5 the number of confirmed susceptibility loci. The effect sizes are less than those reported previously but are likely to be a more accurate reflection of the true effect size given the larger size of the cohort investigated in the current study. PMID:18434327

10. Upset susceptibility study employing circuit analysis and digital simulation. [digital systems and electromagnetic interference

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Carreno, V. A.

1984-01-01

An approach to predict the susceptibility of digital systems to signal disturbances is described. Electrical disturbances on a digital system's input and output lines can be induced by activities and conditions including static electricity, lightning discharge, electromagnetic interference (EMI), and electromagnetic pulsation (EMP). The electrical signal disturbances employed for the susceptibility study were limited to nondestructive levels, i.e., the system does not sustain partial or total physical damage and reset and/or reload brings the system to an operational status. The front-end transition from the electrical disturbances to the equivalent digital signals was accomplished by computer-aided circuit analysis. The super-sceptre (system for circuit evaluation of transient radiation effects) programs was used. Gate models were developed according to manufacturers' performance specifications and parameters resulting from construction processes characteristic of the technology. Digital simulation at the gate and functional level was employed to determine the impact of the abnormal signals on system performance and to study the propagation characteristics of these signals through the system architecture. Example results are included for an Intel 8080 processor configuration.

11. Genome-wide association study of ankylosing spondylitis identifies non-MHC susceptibility loci

PubMed Central

Reveille, John D; Sims, Anne-Marie; Danoy, Patrick; Evans, David M; Leo, Paul; Pointon, Jennifer J; Jin, Rui; Zhou, Xiaodong; Bradbury, Linda A; Appleton, Louise H; Davis, John C; Diekman, Laura; Doan, Tracey; Dowling, Alison; Duan, Ran; Duncan, Emma L; Farrar, Claire; Hadler, Johanna; Harvey, David; Karaderi, Tugce; Mogg, Rebecca; Pomeroy, Emma; Pryce, Karena; Taylor, Jacqueline; Savage, Laurie; Deloukas, Panos; Kumanduri, Vasudev; Peltonen, Leena; Ring, Sue M; Whittaker, Pamela; Glazov, Evgeny; Thomas, Gethin P; Maksymowych, Walter P; Inman, Robert D; Ward, Michael M; Stone, Millicent A; Weisman, Michael H; Wordsworth, B Paul; Brown, Matthew A

2011-01-01

To identify susceptibility loci for ankylosing spondylitis, we undertook a genome-wide association study in 2,053 unrelated ankylosing spondylitis cases among people of European descent and 5,140 ethnically matched controls, with replication in an independent cohort of 898 ankylosing spondylitis cases and 1,518 controls. Cases were genotyped with Illumina HumHap370 genotyping chips. In addition to strong association with the major histocompatibility complex (MHC; P < 10−800), we found association with SNPs in two gene deserts at 2p15 (rs10865331; combined P = 1.9 × 10−19) and 21q22 (rs2242944; P = 8.3 × 10−20), as well as in the genes ANTXR2 (rs4333130; P = 9.3 × 10−8) and IL1R2 (rs2310173; P = 4.8 × 10−7). We also replicated previously reported associations at IL23R (rs11209026; P = 9.1 × 10−14) and ERAP1 (rs27434; P = 5.3 × 10−12). This study reports four genetic loci associated with ankylosing spondylitis risk and identifies a major role for the interleukin (IL)-23 and IL-1 cytokine pathways in disease susceptibility. PMID:20062062

12. Study of Anisotropy of Magnetic Susceptibility on Central Chimei Fault, Coastal Range of Eastern Taiwan

Rong, C. Y.

2014-12-01

The Chimei fault is the only major reverse fault across the entire Coastal Range and is also a typical lithology-contrast fault thrusting the volcanic Tuluanshan Formation of Miocene over the sedimentary Paliwan Formation of Pleistocene. To investigate the deformation pattern across the Chimei fault more precisely, we analyzed oriented coring samples of mudstone across the fault zone, damage zone, fold zone and wall rocks along the Hsiukuluan River via anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility (AMS). Prolate (cigar-shaped) and oblate (disc-shaped) ellipsoids appear together at fault zone, damage zone and fold zone, suggesting that strong variation of deformation and lithology in each zone of the Chimei fault. Previous study pointed out that oblate ellipsoid usually appears in the footwall, further indicating that the Chimei fault behaves differently from regular detachment faults. It strongly speculates although the central Chimei fault displays N-S shortening, the deformation is not strong enough to develop penetrative oblate fabric, even in the main fault zone of the Chimei fault. Further studies will be rnrformation is not sobear theequired to identify the magnetic carriers and grain size to improve current concept. Keywords : Anisotropy of Magnetic Susceptibility, Coastal Range, Chimei Fault, Taiwan

13. The environmental risk factors in multiple sclerosis susceptibility: A case-control study

PubMed Central

2016-01-01

Background: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a demyelinating and degenerating disease which involves central nervous system. Environmental risk factors have a key role in MS susceptibility. Here we aim to investigate different risk factors effect on MS susceptibility in a large population of MS patients in Isfahan, Iran. Materials and Methods: This study is a cross-sectional hospital-based study, which was conducted on a large group of MS patients registered in Kashani hospital and a control group from normal healthy population. Demographic data, age at onset of the disease, history of viral infections, vaccination, history of trauma to head, recent stressful events, alimentation, familial history, method of delivery (caesarean section, normal vaginal delivery), disability score and history of smoking were gathered using a designed questionnaire. Results: Totally 536 MS patient with the mean age of 34.37 ± 9.22 and 399 individuals from healthy population with the mean age of 32.53 ± 9.91 were recruited. Significant difference in history of measles infection (control = 15.5%, case = 22.4%, P = 0.009), consumption of dairy products (case = 56.6%, control = 67.5%, P = 0.01) and major stressful life events (case = 62.2%, control = 52.7%, P < 0.05) between these two groups were demonstrated. Conclusion: A significant relation between stress, history of infection and milk consumption was reached that highlights the importance of environmental risk factors in MS pathogenesis. PMID:27376037

14. Methanol use options study: Phase I. Volume II. Appendices A-C. Final report

SciTech Connect

Not Available

1981-05-01

This volume contains Appendices A-E, not A-C as the title indicates. Titles are: list of contacts; coal resources; coal conversion procedures; transportation and distribution of methanol fuels; and transportation, petrochemicals, and utility peaking turbine end uses for methanol. Separate abstracts have been prepared for appendices B-E for inclusion in the Energy Data Base. (DMC)

15. Characterizing iron deposition in Parkinson's disease using susceptibility-weighted imaging: an in vivo MR study.

PubMed

Zhang, Jiuquan; Zhang, Yanling; Wang, Jian; Cai, Ping; Luo, Chunxia; Qian, Zhongming; Dai, Yongming; Feng, Hua

2010-05-12

Brain-iron deposition has been proposed to play an important role in the pathophysiology of Parkinson's disease (PD). The aim of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of characterizing iron deposition in PD using susceptibility-weighted imaging (SWI), and to investigate the correlation of brain-iron accumulation with the clinical status in patients with PD. Forty patients with PD without dementia and 26 age- and sex-matched healthy controls underwent high-resolution susceptibility-weighted magnetic resonance (MR) imaging. The phase shift values of the bilateral red nucleus (RN), substantia nigra (SN), caudate nucleus (CA), globus pallidus (GP), putamen (PU), thalamus (TH) and frontal white matter (FWM) were examined for their relationship with the clinical status. The iron concentrations of the regions involved in PD, such as the SN, increased more significantly, while those in other regions of interest (ROI) did not elevate significantly. No correlation between the increase of the iron concentrations of the SN and duration of PD was observed. PD, however, was closely associated with the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale motor score (UPDRS-III). No significant differences were found between earlier-onset and later-onset PD patients in terms of the iron concentrations of the SN. Brain-iron concentration can be evaluated by SWI. Also, the brain-iron concentration in the SN correlated with UPDRS motor score, indicating that iron concentration can function as an in vivo biomarker to objectively evaluate the status of PD. PMID:20303339

16. Multi-ethnic genome-wide association study identifies novel locus for type 2 diabetes susceptibility.

PubMed

Cook, James P; Morris, Andrew P

2016-08-01

Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have traditionally been undertaken in homogeneous populations from the same ancestry group. However, with the increasing availability of GWAS in large-scale multi-ethnic cohorts, we have evaluated a framework for detecting association of genetic variants with complex traits, allowing for population structure, and developed a powerful test of heterogeneity in allelic effects between ancestry groups. We have applied the methodology to identify and characterise loci associated with susceptibility to type 2 diabetes (T2D) using GWAS data from the Resource for Genetic Epidemiology on Adult Health and Aging, a large multi-ethnic population-based cohort, created for investigating the genetic and environmental basis of age-related diseases. We identified a novel locus for T2D susceptibility at genome-wide significance (P<5 × 10(-8)) that maps to TOMM40-APOE, a region previously implicated in lipid metabolism and Alzheimer's disease. We have also confirmed previous reports that single-nucleotide polymorphisms at the TCF7L2 locus demonstrate the greatest extent of heterogeneity in allelic effects between ethnic groups, with the lowest risk observed in populations of East Asian ancestry. PMID:27189021

17. Enhanced meta-analysis and replication studies identify five new psoriasis susceptibility loci

PubMed Central

Tsoi, Lam C; Spain, Sarah L; Ellinghaus, Eva; Stuart, Philip E; Capon, Francesca; Knight, Jo; Tejasvi, Trilokraj; Kang, Hyun M; Allen, Michael H; Lambert, Sylviane; Stoll, Stefan; Weidinger, Stephan; Gudjonsson, Johann E; Koks, Sulev; Kingo, Külli; Esko, Tonu; Das, Sayantan; Metspalu, Andres; Weichenthal, Michael; Enerback, Charlotta; Krueger, Gerald G.; Voorhees, John J; Chandran, Vinod; Rosen, Cheryl F; Rahman, Proton; Gladman, Dafna D; Reis, Andre; Nair, Rajan P; Franke, Andre; Barker, Jonathan NWN; Abecasis, Goncalo R; Trembath, Richard C; Elder, James T

2015-01-01

Psoriasis is a chronic autoimmune disease with complex genetic architecture. Previous genomewide association studies (GWAS) and a recent meta-analysis using Immunochip data have uncovered 36 susceptibility loci. Here, we extend our previous meta-analysis of European ancestry by refined genotype calling and imputation and by the addition of 5,033 cases and 5,707 controls. The combined analysis, consisting of over 15,000 cases and 27,000 controls, identifies five new psoriasis susceptibility loci at genomewide significance (p < 5 × 10−8). The newly identified signals include two that reside in intergenic regions (1q31.1 and 5p13.1) and three residing near PLCL2 (3p24.3), NFKBIZ (3q12.3), and CAMK2G (10q22.2). We further demonstrate that NFKBIZ is a TRAF3IP2–dependent target of IL-17 signaling in human skin keratinocytes, thereby functionally linking two strong candidate genes. These results further integrate the genetics and immunology of psoriasis, suggesting new avenues for functional analysis and improved therapies. PMID:25939698

18. Antibiotic Susceptibility Evaluation of Group A Streptococcus Isolated from Children with Pharyngitis: A Study from Iran

PubMed Central

2015-01-01

Background The aim of this study was to evaluate the antibiotic susceptibility of Group A streptococcus (GAS) to antibiotics usually used in Iran for treatment of GAS pharyngitis in children. Materials and Methods From 2011 to 2013, children 3-15 years of age with acute tonsillopharyngitis who attended Mofid Children's Hospital clinics and emergency ward and did not meet the exclusion criteria were enrolled in a prospective study in a sequential manner. The isolates strains from throat culture were identified as GAS by colony morphology, gram staining, beta hemolysis on blood agar, sensitivity to bacitracin, a positive pyrrolidonyl aminopeptidase (PYR) test result, and the presence of Lancefield A antigen determined by agglutination test. Antimicrobial susceptibility was identified by both disk diffusion and broth dilution methods. Results From 200 children enrolled in this study, 59 (30%) cases were culture positive for GAS. All isolates were sensitive to penicillin G. The prevalence of erythromycin, azithromycin, and clarithromycin resistance by broth dilution method was 33.9%, 57.6%, and 33.9%, respectively. Surprisingly, 8.4% of GAS strains were resistant to rifampin. In this study, 13.5% and 32.2% of the strains were resistant to clindamycin and ofloxacin, respectively. Conclusion The high rate of resistance of GAS to some antibiotics in this study should warn physicians, especially in Iran, to use antibiotics restrictedly and logically to prevent the rising of resistance rates in future. It also seems that continuous local surveillance is necessary to achieve the best therapeutic option for GAS treatment. PMID:26788405

19. Genetic susceptibility to Barrett’s oesophagus: Lessons from early studies

PubMed Central

Middleton, Mark R; Tomlinson, Ian

2015-01-01

Barrett’s oesophagus (BO) is a common condition, predisposing strongly to the development of oesophageal adenocarcinoma (OAC). Consequently, there has been considerable effort to determine the processes involved in the development of BO metaplasia, and ultimately develop markers of patients at risk. Whilst a number of robust acquired risk factors have been identified, a genetic component to these and the apparent increased susceptibility of certain individuals has long been suspected. This has been evidenced in part by linkage studies, but subsequently two recent genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have suggested mechanisms underlying the heritability of BO, as well as providing the first direct evidence at modern levels of statistical significance. This review discusses BO heritability, in addition to that of individual variants and genes reported to be associated with BO to date. Through this, we identify a number of plausible associations, although often tempered by issues of methodology, and discuss the priorities and need for future research. PMID:27536357

20. Study of the Dependency on Magnetic Field and Bias Voltage of an AC-Biased TES Microcalorimeter

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gottardi, L.; Bruijn, M.; denHartog, R.; Hoevers, H.; deKorte, P.; vanderKuur, J.; Linderman, M.; Adams, J.; Bailey, C.; Bandler, S.; Chervenak, J.; Eckart, M.; Finkbeiner, F.; Kelley, R.; Kilbourne, C.; Porter, F.; Sadlier, J.; Smith, S.

2012-01-01

At SRON we are studying the performance of a Goddard Space Flight Center single pixel TES microcalorimeter operated in an AC bias configuration. For x-ray photons at 6 keV the pixel shows an x-ray energy resolution Delta E(sub FWHM) = 3.7 eV, which is about a factor 2 worse than the energy resolution observed in an identical DC-biased pixel. In order to better understand the reasons for this discrepancy we characterized the detector as a function of temperature, bias working point and applied perpendicular magnetic field. A strong periodic dependency of the detector noise on the TES AC bias voltage is measured. We discuss the results in the framework of the recently observed weak-link behaviour of a TES microcalorimeter.

1. Common Variants Confer Susceptibility to Barrett's Esophagus: Insights from the First Genome-Wide Association Studies.

PubMed

Palles, Claire; Findlay, John M; Tomlinson, Ian

2016-01-01

Eight loci have been identified by the two genome-wide association studies of Barrett's esophagus that have been conducted to date. Esophageal adenocarcinoma cases were included in the second study following evidence that predisposing genetic variants for this cancer overlap with those for Barrett's esophagus. Genes with roles in embryonic development of the foregut are adjacent to 6 of the loci identified (FOXF1, BARX1, FOXP1, GDF7, TBX5, and ALDH1A2). An additional locus maps to a gene with known oncogenic potential (CREB-regulated transcription coactivator 1), but expression quantitative trait data implicates yet another gene involved in esophageal development (PBX4). These results strongly support a model whereby dysregulation of genes involved in esophageal and thoracic development increases susceptibility to Barrett's esophagus and esophageal adenocarcinoma, probably by reducing anatomical antireflux mechanisms. An additional signal at 6p21 in the major histocompatibility complex also reinforces evidence that immune and inflammatory response to reflux is involved in the development of both diseases. All of the variants identified are intronic or intergenic rather than coding and are presumed to be or to mark regulatory variants. As with genome-wide association studies of other diseases, the functional variants at each locus are yet to be identified and the genes affected need confirming. In this chapter as well as discussing the biology behind each genome-wide association signal, we review the requirements for successfully conducting genome-wide association studies and discuss how progress in understanding the genetic variants that contribute to Barrett's esophagus/esophageal adenocarcinoma susceptibility compares to other cancers. PMID:27573776

2. A Genome-Wide Association Study Identifies Potential Susceptibility Loci for Hirschsprung Disease

PubMed Central

Kim, Jeong-Hyun; Cheong, Hyun Sub; Sul, Jae Hoon; Seo, Jeong-Meen; Kim, Dae-Yeon; Oh, Jung-Tak; Park, Kwi-Won; Kim, Hyun-Young; Jung, Soo-Min; Jung, Kyuwhan; Cho, Min Jeng; Bae, Joon Seol; Shin, Hyoung Doo

2014-01-01

Hirschsprung disease (HSCR) is a congenital and heterogeneous disorder characterized by the absence of intramural nervous plexuses along variable lengths of the hindgut. Although RET is a well-established risk factor, a recent genome-wide association study (GWAS) of HSCR has identified NRG1 as an additional susceptibility locus. To discover additional risk loci, we performed a GWAS of 123 sporadic HSCR patients and 432 unaffected controls using a large-scale platform with coverage of over 1 million polymorphic markers. The result was that our study replicated the findings of RET-CSGALNACT2-RASGEF1A genomic region (rawP = 5.69×10−19 before a Bonferroni correction; corrP = 4.31×10−13 after a Bonferroni correction) and NRG1 as susceptibility loci. In addition, this study identified SLC6A20 (adjP = 2.71×10−6), RORA (adjP = 1.26×10−5), and ABCC9 (adjP = 1.86×10−5) as new potential susceptibility loci under adjusting the already known loci on the RET-CSGALNACT2-RASGEF1A and NRG1 regions, although none of the SNPs in these genes passed the Bonferroni correction. In further subgroup analysis, the RET-CSGALNACT2-RASGEF1A genomic region was observed to have different significance levels among subgroups: short-segment (S-HSCR, corrP = 1.71×10−5), long-segment (L-HSCR, corrP = 6.66×10−4), and total colonic aganglionosis (TCA, corrP>0.05). This differential pattern in the significance level suggests that other genomic loci or mechanisms may affect the length of aganglionosis in HSCR subgroups during enteric nervous system (ENS) development. Although functional evaluations are needed, our findings might facilitate improved understanding of the mechanisms of HSCR pathogenesis. PMID:25310821

3. Determining the involvement of two aminopeptidase Ns in the resistance of Plutella xylostella to the Bt toxin Cry1Ac: cloning and study of in vitro function.

PubMed

Chang, Xiaoli; Wu, Qingjun; Wang, Shaoli; Wang, Ran; Yang, Zhongxia; Chen, Defeng; Jiao, Xiaoguo; Mao, Zhenchuan; Zhang, Youjun

2012-02-01

The cloning, expression in vitro, and characterization of two aminopeptidase Ns (APN5s and APN2s) isolated from the midgut of Cry1Ac-resistant (R) and susceptible (S) strains of Plutella xylostella larvae are presented in this paper. The deduced amino acid sequences of APN5s included C-terminal GPI-modification sites, the gluzincin aminopeptidase motif GATEN, and three N-glycosylated sites; those of APN2s had no GPI-modification sites, had gluzincin aminopeptidase motif GAMEN, and had four N-glycosylated sites. O-glycosylated sites were not predicted for either APN. Because APN2R and APN2S cDNAs contained the same nucleotides, only full-length cDNAs encoding APN5R and APN5S were expressed in Trichoplusia ni cells. Far-Western blotting showed that the expressed receptor APN5 bound to the Cry1Ac toxin. An enzyme-specific activity experiment also showed that APN5 genes were expressed in T. ni cells. ELISA revealed no differences in the binding of expression proteins from the resistant and susceptible strain with Cry1Ac. PMID:22371317

4. Further Evidence of Subphenotype Association with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Susceptibility Loci: A European Cases Only Study

PubMed Central

Alonso-Perez, Elisa; Suarez-Gestal, Marian; Calaza, Manuel; Ordi-Ros, Josep; Balada, Eva; Bijl, Marc; Papasteriades, Chryssa; Carreira, Patricia; Skopouli, Fotini N.; Witte, Torsten; Endreffy, Emöke; Marchini, Maurizio; Migliaresi, Sergio; Sebastiani, Gian Domenico; Santos, Maria Jose; Suarez, Ana; Blanco, Francisco J.; Barizzone, Nadia; Pullmann, Rudolf; Ruzickova, Sarka; Lauwerys, Bernard R.; Gomez-Reino, Juan J.; Gonzalez, Antonio

2012-01-01

Introduction Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) shows a spectrum of clinical manifestations that complicate its diagnosis, treatment and research. This variability is likely related with environmental exposures and genetic factors among which known SLE susceptibility loci are prime candidates. The first published analyses seem to indicate that this is the case for some of them, but results are still inconclusive and we aimed to further explore this question. Methods European SLE patients, 1444, recruited at 17 centres from 10 countries were analyzed. Genotypes for 26 SLE associated SNPs were compared between patients with and without each of 11 clinical features: ten of the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) classification criteria (except ANAs) and age of disease onset. These analyses were adjusted for centre of recruitment, top ancestry informative markers, gender and time of follow-up. Overlap of samples with previous studies was excluded for assessing replication. Results There were three new associations: the SNPs in XKR6 and in FAM167A-BLK were associated with lupus nephritis (OR = 0.76 and 1.30, Pcorr = 0.007 and 0.03, respectively) and the SNP of MECP2, which is in chromosome X, with earlier age of disease onset in men. The previously reported association of STAT4 with early age of disease onset was replicated. Some other results were suggestive of the presence of additional associations. Together, the association signals provided support to some previous findings and to the characterization of lupus nephritis, autoantibodies and age of disease onset as the clinical features more associated with SLE loci. Conclusion Some of the SLE loci shape the disease phenotype in addition to increase susceptibility to SLE. This influence is more prominent for some clinical features than for others. However, results are only partially consistent between studies and subphenotype specific GWAS are needed to unravel their genetic component. PMID:23049788

5. Different susceptibilities of Eimeria acervulina, Eimeria maxima, and Eimeria tenella oocysts to dessication

Technology Transfer Automated Retrieval System (TEKTRAN)

Outbreaks of avian coccidiosis may occur when susceptible chickens are raised on litter containing high concentrations of viable Eimeria oocysts. The purpose of this study was to compare the relative sensitivities of E. acervulina, E. maxima, and E. tenella oocysts to dessication. Sporulated E. ac...

6. A NATIONAL STUDY TO ASSESS SUSCEPTIBILITY, VULNERABILITY, AND EFFECT MODIFICATION OF AIR POLLUTION HEALTH RISKS

EPA Science Inventory

Identifying factors that explain heterogeneity of risks will help to identify: 1) the populations that are more susceptible/vulnerable to air pollution; and 2) the emission sources, pollutants and pollutant mixtures that are more toxic. The characterization of susceptibility f...

7. Binding and Oligomerization of Modified and Native Bt Toxins in Resistant and Susceptible Pink Bollworm

PubMed Central

Ocelotl, Josue; Sánchez, Jorge; Arroyo, Raquel; García-Gómez, Blanca I.; Gómez, Isabel; Unnithan, Gopalan C.; Tabashnik, Bruce E.; Bravo, Alejandra; Soberón, Mario

2015-01-01

Insecticidal proteins from Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) are used extensively in sprays and transgenic crops for pest control, but their efficacy is reduced when pests evolve resistance. Better understanding of the mode of action of Bt toxins and the mechanisms of insect resistance is needed to enhance the durability of these important alternatives to conventional insecticides. Mode of action models agree that binding of Bt toxins to midgut proteins such as cadherin is essential for toxicity, but some details remain unresolved, such as the role of toxin oligomers. In this study, we evaluated how Bt toxin Cry1Ac and its genetically engineered counterpart Cry1AcMod interact with brush border membrane vesicles (BBMV) from resistant and susceptible larvae of Pectinophora gossypiella (pink bollworm), a global pest of cotton. Compared with Cry1Ac, Cry1AcMod lacks 56 amino acids at the amino-terminus including helix α-1; previous work showed that Cry1AcMod formed oligomers in vitro without cadherin and killed P. gossypiella larvae harboring cadherin mutations linked with >1000-fold resistance to Cry1Ac. Here we found that resistance to Cry1Ac was associated with reduced oligomer formation and insertion. In contrast, Cry1AcMod formed oligomers in BBMV from resistant larvae. These results confirm the role of cadherin in oligomerization of Cry1Ac in susceptible larvae and imply that forming oligomers without cadherin promotes toxicity of Cry1AcMod against resistant P. gossypiella larvae that have cadherin mutations. PMID:26633693

8. Spatial analysis for susceptibility of second-time karst sinkholes: A case study of Jili Village in Guangxi, China

Zhou, Guoqing; Yan, Hongbo; Chen, Kunhua; Zhang, Rongting

2016-04-01

After a big karst sinkhole happened in Jili Village of Guangxi, China, the local government was eager to quantitatively analyze and map susceptible areas of the potential second-time karst sinkholes in order to make timely decisions whether the residents living in the first-time sinkhole areas should move. For this reason, karst sinkholes susceptibility geospatial analysis is investigated using multivariate spatial data, logistic regression model (LRM) and Geographical Information System (GIS). Ten major karst sinkholes related factors, including (1) formation lithology, (2) soil structure, (3) profile curvature, (4) groundwater depth, (5) fluctuation of groundwater level, (6) percolation rate of soil, (7) degree of karst development, (8) distance from fault, (9) distance from the traffic route, and (10) overburden thickness were selected, and then each of factors was classified and quantitated with the three or four levels. The LRM was applied to evaluate which factor makes significant contributions to sinkhole. The results demonstrated that formation lithology, soil structure, profile curvature, groundwater depth, ground water level, percolation rate of soil, and degree of karst development, the distance from fault, and overburden thickness are positive, while one factor, the distance from traffic routes is negative, which is deleted from LRM model. The susceptibility of the potential sinkholes in the study area is estimated and mapped using the solved impact factors. The susceptible degrees of the study area are classified into five levels, very high, high, moderate, low, and ignore susceptibility. It has been found that that both very high and high susceptibility areas are along Datou Hill and the foothills of the study area. This finding is verified by field observations. With the investigations conducted in this paper, it can be concluded that the susceptibility maps produced in this paper are reliable and accurate, and useful as a reference for local

9. Genomewide search for type 2 diabetes mellitus susceptibility loci in Finnish families: the Botnia study.

PubMed

Lindgren, C M; Mahtani, M M; Widén, E; McCarthy, M I; Daly, M J; Kirby, A; Reeve, M P; Kruglyak, L; Parker, A; Meyer, J; Almgren, P; Lehto, M; Kanninen, T; Tuomi, T; Groop, L C; Lander, E S

2002-02-01

Type 2 diabetes mellitus is a heterogeneous inherited disorder characterized by chronic hyperglycemia resulting from pancreatic beta-cell dysfunction and insulin resistance. Although the pathogenic mechanisms are not fully understood, manifestation of the disease most likely requires interaction between both environmental and genetic factors. In the search for such susceptibility genes, we have performed a genomewide scan in 58 multiplex families (comprising 440 individuals, 229 of whom were affected) from the Botnia region in Finland. Initially, linkage between chromosome 12q24 and impaired insulin secretion had been reported, by Mahtani et al., in a subsample of 26 families. In the present study, we extend the initial genomewide scan to include 32 additional families, update the affectation status, and fine map regions of interest, and we try to replicate the initial stratification analysis. In our analysis of all 58 families, we identified suggestive linkage to one region, chromosome 9p13-q21 (nonparametric linkage [NPL] score 3.9; P<.0002). Regions with nominal P values <.05 include chromosomes 2p11 (NPL score 2.0 [P<.03]), 3p24-p22 (NPL score 2.2 [P<.02]), 4q32-q33 (NPL score 2.5 [P<.01]), 12q24 (NPL score 2.1 [P<.03]), 16p12-11 (NPL score 1.7 [P<.05]), and 17p12-p11 (NPL score 1.9 [P<.03]). When chromosome 12q24 was analyzed in only the 32 additional families, a nominal P value <.04 was observed. Together with data from other published genomewide scans, these findings lend support to the hypothesis that regions on chromosome 9p13-q21 and 12q24 may harbor susceptibility genes for type 2 diabetes. PMID:11791216

10. Magnetic fabric of selected loess/paleosol sections as studied by AMS, anisotropy of frequency-dependent susceptibility and anisotropy of out-of-phase susceptibility

Chadima, M.; Hrouda, F.; Jezek, J.

2015-12-01

The preferred orientation of magnetic minerals in loess/paleosol sequencies can be studied through the anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility (AMS), which can be above all employed in the investigation of the dynamics of the eolian deposition including the changes in paleowind directions. In addition, it can be used in the indication of the post-depositional magnetic fabric re-working, or in tracing the magnetic fabric changes during pedogenesis. Recently developed techniques using anisotropy of frequency-dependent susceptibility (fdAMS) and anisotropy of out-of-phase susceptibility (opAMS) can assess the magnetic sub-fabrics of viscous particles on transition between SP and SSD. The width of the particle size interval investigated by the fdAMS is controlled by the operating frequencies used and their differences. In case of opAMS, the interval is always narrower than that in fdAMS and depends also on the operating frequency used. In three loess/paleosol sequences investigated in the Czech Republic, the degrees of AMS, fdAMS, and opAMS are significantly lower in paleosols than in loess horizons. This indicates that the preferred orientation of magnetic particles created during pedogenesis is much weaker than that of the particles deposited during loess formation. In addition, the degrees of fdAMS and opAMS are much higher than that of AMS. This may indicate strong anisotropy of viscous magnetic particles, because the fdAMS and opAMS are primarily controlled by them. The degree of AMS of the whole rock is low due to compensation effects of SP and SSD particles, whose grain anisotropies are anti-coaxial. The principal directions of AMS, fdAMS, and opAMS are mostly roughly co-axial suggesting more or less identical origins of magnetic sub-fabrics according to grain size. Less frequently, the principal directions of fdAMS or opAMS differ from those of AMS probably indicating post-depositional effects on particular grain-size classes. The fdAMS and opAMS show as powerful

11. A Comparison Study of Single-Echo Susceptibility Weighted Imaging and Combined Multi-Echo Susceptibility Weighted Imaging in Visualizing Asymmetric Medullary Veins in Stroke Patients

PubMed Central

Wang, Chao; Qiu, Tiantian; Song, Ruirui; Jiaerken, Yerfan; Yang, Linglin; Wang, Shaoze

2016-01-01

Background Asymmetric medullary veins (AMV) are frequently observed in stroke patients and single-echo susceptibility weighted imaging (SWIs) is the main technique in detecting AMV. Our study aimed to investigate which echo time (TE) on single-echo susceptibility is the optimal echo for visualizing AMV and to compare the ability in detecting AMV in stroke patients between SWIs and multi-echo susceptibility weighted imaging (SWIc). Materials and Methods Twenty patients with middle cerebral artery stroke were included. SWI was acquired by using a multi-echo gradient-echo sequence with six echoes ranging from 5 ms to 35.240 ms. Three different echoes of SWIs including SWIs1 (TE = 23.144 ms), SWIs2 (TE = 29.192 ms) and SWIs3 (TE = 35.240 ms) were reconstructed. SWIc was averaged using the three echoes of SWIs. Image quality and venous contrast of medullary veins were compared between SWIs and SWIc using peak signal-to-noise ratio (PSNR), mean opinion score (MOS), contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). The presence of AMV was evaluated in each SWIs (1–3) and SWIc. Results SWIs2 had the highest PSNR, MOS and CNR and SWIs1 had the highest SNR among three different echoes of SWIs. No significant difference was found in SNR between SWIs1 and SWIs2. PSNR, MOS and CNR in SWIc were significantly increased by 27.9%, 28.2% and 17.2% compared with SWIs2 and SNR in SWIc was significantly increased by 32.4% compared with SWIs1. 55% of patients with AMV were detected in SWIs2, SWIs3 and SWIc, while 50% AMV were found in SWIs1. Conclusions SWIs using TE around 29ms was optimal in visualizing AMV. SWIc could improve image quality and venous contrast, but was equal to SWIs using a relative long TE in evaluating AMV. These results provide the technique basis for further research of AMV in stroke. PMID:27494171

12. Electrochromism in metal oxide films studied by Raman spectroscopy and A.C. techniques: charge insertion mechanism

Cordoba de Torresi, Susana I.; Takenouti, H.

1990-08-01

Two different types of electrochromic nickel oxide films are studied : nickel hydroxide films prepared by cathodic precipitation from a Ni2 containing solution and nickel oxide films formed by anodic oxidation of a nickel substrate in very concentrated sulfuric acid. Chemical and crystallographic nature is analysed by in-situ Raman spectroscopy and the charge insertion mechanisms are studied by A.C. electrochemical impedance technique. The optical transfer function is also determined by means of 1254 Solartron frequency response analyzer. The complex capacitance C*(w), the differential coloration R/(RAE) and the differential coloration efficiency R/(RQ) are calculated.

13. Unsupervised multiparametric classification of dynamic susceptibility contrast imaging: study of the healthy brain.

PubMed

Artzi, M; Aizenstein, O; Hendler, T; Ben Bashat, D

2011-06-01

Characterization and quantification of magnetic resonance perfusion images is important for clinical interpretation, though this calls for a reproducible and accurate method of analysis and a robust healthy reference. The few studies which have examined the perfusion of the healthy brain using dynamic susceptibility contrast (DSC) imaging were largely limited to manual definition of the regions of interest (ROI) and results were dependent on the location of the ROI. The current study aimed to develop a methodology for DSC data analysis and to obtain reference values of healthy subjects. Twenty three healthy volunteers underwent DSC. An unsupervised multiparametric clustering method was applied to four perfusion parameters. Three clusters were defined and identified as: dura-blood-vessels, gray matter and white matter and their vascular characteristics were obtained. Additionally, regional perfusion differences were studied and revealed a prolonged mean transient time and a trend for higher vascularity in the posterior compared with the anterior and middle cerebral vascular territories. While additional studies are required to confirm our findings, this result may have important clinical implications. The proposed unsupervised multiparametric method enabled accurate tissue differentiation, is easy replicable and has a wide range of applications in both pathological and healthy brains. PMID:21419230

14. Genome-wide association study identifies multiple susceptibility loci for pancreatic cancer.

PubMed

Wolpin, Brian M; Rizzato, Cosmeri; Kraft, Peter; Kooperberg, Charles; Petersen, Gloria M; Wang, Zhaoming; Arslan, Alan A; Beane-Freeman, Laura; Bracci, Paige M; Buring, Julie; Canzian, Federico; Duell, Eric J; Gallinger, Steven; Giles, Graham G; Goodman, Gary E; Goodman, Phyllis J; Jacobs, Eric J; Kamineni, Aruna; Klein, Alison P; Kolonel, Laurence N; Kulke, Matthew H; Li, Donghui; Malats, Núria; Olson, Sara H; Risch, Harvey A; Sesso, Howard D; Visvanathan, Kala; White, Emily; Zheng, Wei; Abnet, Christian C; Albanes, Demetrius; Andreotti, Gabriella; Austin, Melissa A; Barfield, Richard; Basso, Daniela; Berndt, Sonja I; Boutron-Ruault, Marie-Christine; Brotzman, Michelle; Büchler, Markus W; Bueno-de-Mesquita, H Bas; Bugert, Peter; Burdette, Laurie; Campa, Daniele; Caporaso, Neil E; Capurso, Gabriele; Chung, Charles; Cotterchio, Michelle; Costello, Eithne; Elena, Joanne; Funel, Niccola; Gaziano, J Michael; Giese, Nathalia A; Giovannucci, Edward L; Goggins, Michael; Gorman, Megan J; Gross, Myron; Haiman, Christopher A; Hassan, Manal; Helzlsouer, Kathy J; Henderson, Brian E; Holly, Elizabeth A; Hu, Nan; Hunter, David J; Innocenti, Federico; Jenab, Mazda; Kaaks, Rudolf; Key, Timothy J; Khaw, Kay-Tee; Klein, Eric A; Kogevinas, Manolis; Krogh, Vittorio; Kupcinskas, Juozas; Kurtz, Robert C; LaCroix, Andrea; Landi, Maria T; Landi, Stefano; Le Marchand, Loic; Mambrini, Andrea; Mannisto, Satu; Milne, Roger L; Nakamura, Yusuke; Oberg, Ann L; Owzar, Kouros; Patel, Alpa V; Peeters, Petra H M; Peters, Ulrike; Pezzilli, Raffaele; Piepoli, Ada; Porta, Miquel; Real, Francisco X; Riboli, Elio; Rothman, Nathaniel; Scarpa, Aldo; Shu, Xiao-Ou; Silverman, Debra T; Soucek, Pavel; Sund, Malin; Talar-Wojnarowska, Renata; Taylor, Philip R; Theodoropoulos, George E; Thornquist, Mark; Tjønneland, Anne; Tobias, Geoffrey S; Trichopoulos, Dimitrios; Vodicka, Pavel; Wactawski-Wende, Jean; Wentzensen, Nicolas; Wu, Chen; Yu, Herbert; Yu, Kai; Zeleniuch-Jacquotte, Anne; Hoover, Robert; Hartge, Patricia; Fuchs, Charles; Chanock, Stephen J; Stolzenberg-Solomon, Rachael S; Amundadottir, Laufey T

2014-09-01

We performed a multistage genome-wide association study including 7,683 individuals with pancreatic cancer and 14,397 controls of European descent. Four new loci reached genome-wide significance: rs6971499 at 7q32.3 (LINC-PINT, per-allele odds ratio (OR) = 0.79, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.74-0.84, P = 3.0 × 10(-12)), rs7190458 at 16q23.1 (BCAR1/CTRB1/CTRB2, OR = 1.46, 95% CI 1.30-1.65, P = 1.1 × 10(-10)), rs9581943 at 13q12.2 (PDX1, OR = 1.15, 95% CI 1.10-1.20, P = 2.4 × 10(-9)) and rs16986825 at 22q12.1 (ZNRF3, OR = 1.18, 95% CI 1.12-1.25, P = 1.2 × 10(-8)). We identified an independent signal in exon 2 of TERT at the established region 5p15.33 (rs2736098, OR = 0.80, 95% CI 0.76-0.85, P = 9.8 × 10(-14)). We also identified a locus at 8q24.21 (rs1561927, P = 1.3 × 10(-7)) that approached genome-wide significance located 455 kb telomeric of PVT1. Our study identified multiple new susceptibility alleles for pancreatic cancer that are worthy of follow-up studies. PMID:25086665

15. Genetic susceptibility to heroin addiction; a candidate-gene association study

PubMed Central

Levran, O.; Londono, D.; O’Hara, K.; Nielsen, D. A.; Peles, E.; Rotrosen, J.; Casadonte, P.; Linzy, S.; Randesi, M.; Ott, J.; Adelson, M.; Kreek, M. J.

2010-01-01

Heroin addiction is a chronic complex disease with a substantial genetic contribution. This study was designed to identify genetic variants that are associated with susceptibility to develop heroin addiction, by analyzing 1350 variants in 130 candidate genes. All subjects had Caucasian ancestry. The sample consisted of 412 former severe heroin addicts in methadone treatment, and 184 healthy controls with no history of drug abuse. Nine variants, in six genes, showed the lowest nominal P values in the association tests (P < 0.01). These variants were in non-coding regions of the genes encoding the mu (OPRM1; rs510769, rs3778151), kappa (OPRK1; rs6473797), and delta opioid receptors, (OPRD1; rs2236861, rs2236857 and rs3766951), the neuropeptide galanin (GAL; rs694066), the serotonin receptor subtype 3B (HTR3B; rs3758987) and the casein kinase 1 isoform epsilon (CSNK1E; rs1534891). Several haplotypes and multi-locus genotype patterns showed nominally significant associations (e.g. OPRM1; P = 0.0006 and CSNK1E; P = 0.0007). Analysis of a combined effect of OPRM1 and OPRD1 showed that rs510769 and rs2236861 increase the risk of heroin addiction (P = 0.0005). None of these associations remained significant after adjustment for multiple testing. This study suggests the involvement of several genes and variants in heroin addiction that is worthy of future study. PMID:18518925

16. Genome-wide association study identifies 12 new susceptibility loci for primary biliary cirrhosis.

PubMed

Mells, George F; Floyd, James A B; Morley, Katherine I; Cordell, Heather J; Franklin, Christopher S; Shin, So-Youn; Heneghan, Michael A; Neuberger, James M; Donaldson, Peter T; Day, Darren B; Ducker, Samantha J; Muriithi, Agnes W; Wheater, Elizabeth F; Hammond, Christopher J; Dawwas, Muhammad F; Jones, David E; Peltonen, Leena; Alexander, Graeme J; Sandford, Richard N; Anderson, Carl A

2011-04-01

In addition to the HLA locus, six genetic risk factors for primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) have been identified in recent genome-wide association studies (GWAS). To identify additional loci, we carried out a GWAS using 1,840 cases from the UK PBC Consortium and 5,163 UK population controls as part of the Wellcome Trust Case Control Consortium 3 (WTCCC3). We followed up 28 loci in an additional UK cohort of 620 PBC cases and 2,514 population controls. We identified 12 new susceptibility loci (at a genome-wide significance level of P < 5 × 10⁻⁸) and replicated all previously associated loci. We identified three further new loci in a meta-analysis of data from our study and previously published GWAS results. New candidate genes include STAT4, DENND1B, CD80, IL7R, CXCR5, TNFRSF1A, CLEC16A and NFKB1. This study has considerably expanded our knowledge of the genetic architecture of PBC. PMID:21399635

17. The spatial prediction of landslide susceptibility applying artificial neural network and logistic regression models: A case study of Inje, Korea

Saro, Lee; Woo, Jeon Seong; Kwan-Young, Oh; Moung-Jin, Lee

2016-02-01

The aim of this study is to predict landslide susceptibility caused using the spatial analysis by the application of a statistical methodology based on the GIS. Logistic regression models along with artificial neutral network were applied and validated to analyze landslide susceptibility in Inje, Korea. Landslide occurrence area in the study were identified based on interpretations of optical remote sensing data (Aerial photographs) followed by field surveys. A spatial database considering forest, geophysical, soil and topographic data, was built on the study area using the Geographical Information System (GIS). These factors were analysed using artificial neural network (ANN) and logistic regression models to generate a landslide susceptibility map. The study validates the landslide susceptibility map by comparing them with landslide occurrence areas. The locations of landslide occurrence were divided randomly into a training set (50%) and a test set (50%). A training set analyse the landslide susceptibility map using the artificial network along with logistic regression models, and a test set was retained to validate the prediction map. The validation results revealed that the artificial neural network model (with an accuracy of 80.10%) was better at predicting landslides than the logistic regression model (with an accuracy of 77.05%). Of the weights used in the artificial neural network model, slope' yielded the highest weight value (1.330), and aspect' yielded the lowest value (1.000). This research applied two statistical analysis methods in a GIS and compared their results. Based on the findings, we were able to derive a more effective method for analyzing landslide susceptibility.

18. Circadian Gene Variants and Susceptibility to Type 2 Diabetes: A Pilot Study

PubMed Central

Kelly, M. Ann; Rees, Simon D.; Hydrie, M. Zafar I.; Shera, A. Samad; Bellary, Srikanth; O’Hare, J. Paul; Kumar, Sudhesh; Taheri, Shahrad; Basit, Abdul; Barnett, Anthony H.

2012-01-01

Background Disruption of endogenous circadian rhythms has been shown to increase the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, suggesting that circadian genes might play a role in determining disease susceptibility. We present the results of a pilot study investigating the association between type 2 diabetes and selected single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in/near nine circadian genes. The variants were chosen based on their previously reported association with prostate cancer, a disease that has been suggested to have a genetic link with type 2 diabetes through a number of shared inherited risk determinants. Methodology/Principal Findings The pilot study was performed using two genetically homogeneous Punjabi cohorts, one resident in the United Kingdom and one indigenous to Pakistan. Subjects with (N = 1732) and without (N = 1780) type 2 diabetes were genotyped for thirteen circadian variants using a competitive allele-specific polymerase chain reaction method. Associations between the SNPs and type 2 diabetes were investigated using logistic regression. The results were also combined with in silico data from other South Asian datasets (SAT2D consortium) and white European cohorts (DIAGRAM+) using meta-analysis. The rs7602358G allele near PER2 was negatively associated with type 2 diabetes in our Punjabi cohorts (combined odds ratio [OR] = 0.75 [0.66–0.86], p = 3.18×10−5), while the BMAL1 rs11022775T allele was associated with an increased risk of the disease (combined OR = 1.22 [1.07–1.39], p = 0.003). Neither of these associations was replicated in the SAT2D or DIAGRAM+ datasets, however. Meta-analysis of all the cohorts identified disease associations with two variants, rs2292912 in CRY2 and rs12315175 near CRY1, although statistical significance was nominal (combined OR = 1.05 [1.01–1.08], p = 0.008 and OR = 0.95 [0.91–0.99], p = 0.015 respectively). Conclusions/significance None of the selected circadian gene

19. Study of metal corrosion using ac impedance techniques in the STS launch environment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Calle, Luz M.

1989-01-01

AC impedance measurements were performed to investigate the corrosion resistance of 19 alloys under conditions similar to the STS launch environment. The alloys were: Zirconium 702, Hastelloy C-22, Inconel 625, Hastelloy C-276, Hastelloy C-4, Inconel 600, 7Mo + N, Ferralium 255, Inco Alloy G-3, 20Cb-3, SS 904L, Inconel 825, SS 304LN, SS 316L, SS 317L, ES 2205, SS 304L, Hastelloy B-2, and Monel 400. AC impedance data were gathered for each alloy after one hour immersion time in each of the following three electrolyte solutions: 3.55 percent NaCl, 3.55 percent NaCl-0.1N HCl, and 3.55 percent NaCl-1.0N HCl. The data were analyzed qualitatively using the Nyquist plot and quantitatively using the Bode plot. Polarization resistance, Rp, values were obtained using the Bode plot. Zirconium 702 was the most corrosion resistant alloy in the three electrolytes. The ordering of the other alloys according the their resistance to corrosion varied as the concentration of hydrochloric acid in the electrolyte increased. The corrosion resistance of Zirconium 702 and Ferralium 255 increased as the concentration of hydrochloric acid in the electrolyte increased. The corrosion resistance of the other 17 alloys decreased as the concentration of the hyrdochloric acid in the electrolyte increased.

20. Study on the Humidity Susceptibility of Thin-Film CIGS Absorber

SciTech Connect

Pern, F. J.; Egaas, B.; To, B.; Jiang, C. S.; Li, J. V.; Glynn, S.; DeHart, C.

2010-01-01

The report summarizes the research on the susceptibility of a thermally co-evaporated CuInGaSe2 (CIGS) thin-film absorber to humidity and its consequence on composition, morphology, electrical and electronic properties, and device efficiency.

1. The association between RFC1 G80A polymorphism and cancer susceptibility: Evidence from 33 studies

PubMed Central

Huang, Xiaoyi; Gao, Yisha; He, Jing; Cai, Jiao; Ta, Na; Jiang, Hui; Zhu, Jinhong; Zheng, Jianming

2016-01-01

Aberrant folate metabolism is closely related to tumorigenesis. Genetic variations in the Reduced folate carrier 1 (RFC1) may alter the progress of folate metabolism, and thereby cause the initiation and progress of the cancer. Considerable studies have performed to investigate the association between RFC1 G80A (rs1051266) polymorphism and cancer susceptibility, but the conclusions were conflicting. Therefore, we conducted a meta-analysis to reevaluate the association of RFC1 G80A polymorphism with cancer risk. PubMed and EMBASE were searched for eligible studies. The association of RFC1 G80A polymorphism and cancer risk was evaluated by the pooled odds ratios (ORs) and corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs). The significant association was found between RFC1 G80A polymorphism and hematological malignance susceptibility (A vs. G: OR=1.11, 95%CI=1.003-1.23, P=0.045; GA vs. GG: OR=1.18, 95%CI=1.06-1.31, P=0.002; AA+GA vs. GG: OR=1.18, 95%CI=1.07-1.29, P=0.001). Stratified analysis by ethnicity indicated that the association became more prominent among Caucasians (GA vs. GG: OR=1.28, 95%CI=1.12-1.45, P<0.001; AA+GA vs. GG: OR=1.21, 95%CI=1.08-1.36, P=0.001). In term of the cancer type, this polymorphism significantly increased the risk of acute lymphoblast leukemia (GA vs. GG: OR=1.13, 95%CI=1.001-1.28, P=0.048; AA+GA vs. GG: OR=1.28, 95%CI=1.13-1.46, P<0.001) and acute myeloid leukemia (GA vs. GG: OR=2.57, 95%CI=1.37-4.85, P=0.003). No significant association between RFC1 G80A polymorphism and overall solid cancer risk was observed, but a protective association with digestive cancer risk was found (GA vs. GG: OR=0.89, 95%CI= 0.81-0.99, P=0.030). The comprehensive meta-analysis encouraged the notion that RFC1 G80A polymorphism may play an important role in hematopoietic system malignance. These findings need further validation in the large multicenter investigations. PMID:26819637

2. Association of Common Susceptibility Variants of Pancreatic Cancer in Higher-Risk Patients: A PACGENE Study.

PubMed

Childs, Erica J; Chaffee, Kari G; Gallinger, Steven; Syngal, Sapna; Schwartz, Ann G; Cote, Michele L; Bondy, Melissa L; Hruban, Ralph H; Chanock, Stephen J; Hoover, Robert N; Fuchs, Charles S; Rider, David N; Amundadottir, Laufey T; Stolzenberg-Solomon, Rachael; Wolpin, Brian M; Risch, Harvey A; Goggins, Michael G; Petersen, Gloria M; Klein, Alison P

2016-07-01

Individuals from pancreatic cancer families are at increased risk, not only of pancreatic cancer, but also of melanoma, breast, ovarian, and colon cancers. While some of the increased risk may be due to mutations in high-penetrance genes (i.e., BRCA2, PALB2, ATM, p16/CDKN2A or DNA mismatch repair genes), common genetic variants may also be involved. In a high-risk population of cases with either a family history of pancreatic cancer or early-onset pancreatic cancer (diagnosis before the age of 50 years), we examined the role of genetic variants previously associated with risk of pancreatic, breast, ovarian, or prostate cancer. We genotyped 985 cases (79 early-onset cases, 906 cases with a family history of pancreatic cancer) and 877 controls for 215,389 SNPs using the iSelect Collaborative Oncological Gene-Environment Study (iCOGS) array with custom content. Logistic regression was performed using a log-linear additive model. We replicated several previously reported pancreatic cancer susceptibility loci, including recently identified variants on 2p13.3 and 7p13 (2p13.3, rs1486134: OR = 1.36; 95% CI, 1.13-1.63; P = 9.29 × 10(-4); 7p13, rs17688601: OR = 0.76; 95% CI, 0.63-0.93; P = 6.59 × 10(-3)). For the replicated loci, the magnitude of association observed in these high-risk patients was similar to that observed in studies of unselected patients. In addition to the established pancreatic cancer loci, we also found suggestive evidence of association (P < 5 × 10(-5)) to pancreatic cancer for SNPs at HDAC9 (7p21.1) and COL6A2 (21q22.3). Even in high-risk populations, common variants influence pancreatic cancer susceptibility. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev; 25(7); 1185-91. ©2016 AACR. PMID:27197284

3. MGMT Leu84Phe Polymorphism Contributes to Cancer Susceptibility: Evidence from 44 Case-Control Studies

PubMed Central

Yu, Cuicui; Sun, Yan; Jia, Chuanliang; Zhang, Lijing; Salahuddin, Taufiq; Li, Xiaodong; Lang, Juntian; Song, Xicheng

2013-01-01

Background O6-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase is one of the few proteins to directly remove alkylating agents in the human DNA direct reversal repair pathway. A large number of case-control studies have been conducted to explore the association between MGMT Leu84Phe polymorphism and cancer risk. However, the results were not consistent. Methods We carried out a meta-analysis of 44 case-control studies to clarify the association between the Leu84Phe polymorphism and cancer risk. Results Overall, significant association of the T allele with cancer susceptibility was verified with meta-analysis under a recessive genetic model (P<0.001, OR=1.30, 95%CI 1.24-1.50) and TT versus CC comparison (P=0.001, OR=1.29, 95% CI 1.12-1.50). In subgroup analysis, a significant increased risk was found for lung cancer (TT versus CC, P=0.027, OR=1.67, 95% CI 1.06-2.63; recessive genetic model, P=0.32, OR=1.64, 95% CI 1.04-2.58), whereas risk of colorectal cancer was significantly low under a dominant genetic model (P=0.019, OR=0.84, 95% CI 0.72-0.97). Additionally, a significant association between TT genetic model and total cancer risk was found in the Caucasian population (TT versus CC, P=0.014, OR=1.29, 95% CI 1.05-1.59; recessive genetic model, P=0.009, OR=1.31, 95% CI 1.07-1.61), but not in the Asian population. An increased risk for lung cancer was also verified in the Caucasian population (TT versus CC, P=0.035, OR=1.62, 95% CI 1.04-2.53; recessive genetic model, P=0.048, OR=1.57, 95% CI 1.01-2.45). Conclusions These results suggest that MGMT Leu84Phe polymorphism might contribute to the susceptibility of certain cancers. PMID:24086516

4. Genome-wide association study identifies new prostate cancer susceptibility loci

PubMed Central

Schumacher, Fredrick R.; Berndt, Sonja I.; Siddiq, Afshan; Jacobs, Kevin B.; Wang, Zhaoming; Lindstrom, Sara; Stevens, Victoria L.; Chen, Constance; Mondul, Alison M.; Travis, Ruth C.; Stram, Daniel O.; Eeles, Rosalind A.; Easton, Douglas F.; Giles, Graham; Hopper, John L.; Neal, David E.; Hamdy, Freddie C.; Donovan, Jenny L.; Muir, Kenneth; Al Olama, Ali Amin; Kote-Jarai, Zsofia; Guy, Michelle; Severi, Gianluca; Grönberg, Henrik; Isaacs, William B.; Karlsson, Robert; Wiklund, Fredrik; Xu, Jianfeng; Allen, Naomi E.; Andriole, Gerald L.; Barricarte, Aurelio; Boeing, Heiner; Bas Bueno-de-Mesquita, H.; Crawford, E. David; Diver, W. Ryan; Gonzalez, Carlos A.; Gaziano, J. Michael; Giovannucci, Edward L.; Johansson, Mattias; Le Marchand, Loic; Ma, Jing; Sieri, Sabina; Stattin, Pär; Stampfer, Meir J.; Tjonneland, Anne; Vineis, Paolo; Virtamo, Jarmo; Vogel, Ulla; Weinstein, Stephanie J.; Yeager, Meredith; Thun, Michael J.; Kolonel, Laurence N.; Henderson, Brian E.; Albanes, Demetrius; Hayes, Richard B.; Spencer Feigelson, Heather; Riboli, Elio; Hunter, David J.; Chanock, Stephen J.; Haiman, Christopher A.; Kraft, Peter

2011-01-01

Prostate cancer (PrCa) is the most common non-skin cancer diagnosed among males in developed countries and the second leading cause of cancer mortality, yet little is known regarding its etiology and factors that influence clinical outcome. Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) of PrCa have identified at least 30 distinct loci associated with small differences in risk. We conducted a GWAS in 2782 advanced PrCa cases (Gleason grade ≥ 8 or tumor stage C/D) and 4458 controls with 571 243 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). Based on in silico replication of 4679 SNPs (Stage 1, P < 0.02) in two published GWAS with 7358 PrCa cases and 6732 controls, we identified a new susceptibility locus associated with overall PrCa risk at 2q37.3 (rs2292884, P= 4.3 × 10−8). We also confirmed a locus suggested by an earlier GWAS at 12q13 (rs902774, P= 8.6 × 10−9). The estimated per-allele odds ratios for these loci (1.14 for rs2292884 and 1.17 for rs902774) did not differ between advanced and non-advanced PrCa (case-only test for heterogeneity P= 0.72 and P= 0.61, respectively). Further studies will be needed to assess whether these or other loci are differentially associated with PrCa subtypes. PMID:21743057

5. Neonatal candidaemia in Kuwait: a 12-year study of risk factors, species spectrum and antifungal susceptibility.

PubMed

Al-Sweih, Noura; Khan, Ziauddin; Khan, Seema; Devarajan, L V

2009-11-01

A study of candidaemia in neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) over a 12-year period (1995-2006) taking into consideration demographic variables, risk factors, aetiological Candida species and therapeutic outcomes is presented. The yeast isolates were identified by VITEK2 yeast identification system and antifungal susceptibility was determined by E-test. Of 4815 neonates admitted in NICU, 182 cases of candidaemia were detected with an overall prevalence of 4.0% and crude mortality of 27.7%. The annual rate of candidaemia per 1000 admissions was the highest in 1997 (84 cases) and the lowest in 2004 (10 cases). Of the 112 assessable candidaemia cases, 78 (70%) occurred in very low birth weight neonates (< or =1500 g), 65 (58%) were born with gestational age of < or =30 weeks. The main identifiable risk factors were use of > or =2 antibiotics (87%), total parenteral nutrition for >5 days (82%), placement of central venous catheter (78%) and prior colonisation with Candida species (54%). Candida albicans and non-albicans Candida species accounted for 43% and 57% of candidaemia cases, respectively, and C. parapsilosis emerged as a predominant species. No fluconazole resistance was observed in C. albicans and C. parapsilosis isolates. This is the first comprehensive study on the epidemiology of neonatal candidiasis in Kuwait. PMID:18983425

6. Susceptibility Genes for Multiple Sclerosis Identified in a Gene-Based Genome-Wide Association Study

PubMed Central

Lin, Xiang; Deng, Fei-Yan; Lu, Xin

2015-01-01

Background and Purpose Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a demyelinating and inflammatory disease of the central nervous system. The aim of this study was to identify more genes associated with MS. Methods Based on the publicly available data of the single-nucleotide polymorphism-based genome-wide association study (GWAS) from the database of Genotypes and Phenotypes, we conducted a powerful gene-based GWAS in an initial sample with 931 family trios, and a replication study sample with 978 cases and 883 controls. For interesting genes, gene expression in MS-related cells between MS cases and controls was examined by using publicly available datasets. Results A total of 58 genes was identified, including 20 "novel" genes significantly associated with MS (p<1.40×10-4). In the replication study, 44 of the 58 identified genes had been genotyped and 35 replicated the association. In the gene-expression study, 21 of the 58 identified genes exhibited differential expressions in MS-related cells. Thus, 15 novel genes were supported by replicated association and/or differential expression. In particular, four of the novel genes, those encoding myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG), coiled-coil alpha-helical rod protein 1 (CCHCR1), human leukocyte antigen complex group 22 (HCG22), and major histocompatibility complex, class II, DM alpha (HLA-DMA), were supported by the evidence of both. Conclusions The results of this study emphasize the high power of gene-based GWAS in detecting the susceptibility genes of MS. The novel genes identified herein may provide new insights into the molecular genetic mechanisms underlying MS. PMID:26320842

7. Rationale for an international consortium to study inherited genetic susceptibility to childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia

PubMed Central

Sherborne, Amy L.; Hemminki, Kari; Kumar, Rajiv; Bartram, Claus R.; Stanulla, Martin; Schrappe, Martin; Petridou, Eleni; Semsei, Ágnes F.; Szalai, Csaba; Sinnett, Daniel; Krajinovic, Maja; Healy, Jasmine; Lanciotti, Marina; Dufour, Carlo; Indaco, Stefania; El-Ghouroury, Eman A; Sawangpanich, Ruchchadol; Hongeng, Suradej; Pakakasama, Samart; Gonzalez-Neira, Anna; Ugarte, Evelia L.; Leal, Valeria P.; Espinoza, Juan P.M.; Kamel, Azza M.; Ebid, Gamal T.A.; Radwan, Eman R.; Yalin, Serap; Yalin, Erdinc; Berkoz, Mehmet; Simpson, Jill; Roman, Eve; Lightfoot, Tracy; Hosking, Fay J.; Vijayakrishnan, Jayaram; Greaves, Mel; Houlston, Richard S.

2011-01-01

Acute lymphoblastic leukemia is the major pediatric cancer in developed countries. To date most association studies of acute lymphoblastic leukemia have been based on the candidate gene approach and have evaluated a restricted number of polymorphisms. Such studies have served to highlight difficulties in conducting statistically and methodologically rigorous investigations into acute lymphoblastic leukemia risk. Recent genome-wide association studies of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia have provided robust evidence that common variation at four genetic loci confers a modest increase in risk. The accumulated experience to date and relative lack of success of initial efforts to identify novel acute lymphoblastic leukemia predisposition loci emphasize the need for alternative study designs and methods. The International Childhood Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia Genetics Consortium includes 12 research groups in Europe, Asia, the Middle East and the Americas engaged in studying the genetics of acute lymphoblastic leukemia. The initial goal of this consortium is to identify and characterize low-penetrance susceptibility variants for acute lymphoblastic leukemia through association-based analyses. Efforts to develop genome-wide association studies of acute lymphoblastic leukemia, in terms of both sample size and single nucleotide polymorphism coverage, and to increase the number of single nucleotide polymorphisms taken forward to large-scale replication should lead to the identification of additional novel risk variants for acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Ethnic differences in the risk of acute lymphoblastic leukemia are well recognized and thus in assessing the interplay between inherited and non-genetic risk factors, analyses using different population cohorts with different incidence rates are likely to be highly informative. Given that the frequency of many acute lymphoblastic leukemia subgroups is small, identifying differential effects will realistically only be

8. Exploiting the Temperature Dependence of Magnetic Susceptibility to Control Convection in Fundamental Studies of Solidification Phenomena

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Seybert, C. D.; Evans, J. W.; Leslie, Fred; Jones, W. K., Jr.

2000-01-01

It is well known that convection is a dominant mass transport mechanism when materials are solidified on Earth's surface. This convection is caused by gradients in density (and therefore gravitational force) that are brought about by gradients in temperature, composition or both. Diffusion of solute is therefore dwarfed by convection and the study of fundamental parameters, such as dendrite tip shape and growth velocity in the absence of convection is nearly impossible. Significant experimental work has therefore been carried out in orbiting laboratories with the intent of minimizing convection by minimizing gravity. One of the best known experiments of this kind is the Isothermal Dendritic Growth Experiment (IDGE), supported by NASA. Naturally such experiments are costly and one objective of the present investigation is to develop an experimental method whereby convection can be- halted, in solidification and other experiments, on the surface. A second objective is to use the method to minimize convection resulting from the residual accelerations suffered by experiments in microgravity. The method to be used to minimize convection relies on the dependence of the magnetic susceptibility of a fluid on temperature or composition (whichever is driving convection). All materials experience a force when placed in a magnetic field gradient. The direction and magnitude of that force depend on the magnetic susceptibility of the material. Consequently the force will vary if the susceptibility varies with temperature or composition. With a magnetic field gradient in the right direction (typically upward) and of the right magnitude, this variation in the magnetic force can be made to exactly cancel the variation in the gravitational force. Expressed another way, normal buoyancy is exactly countered by a "magnetic buoyancy". To demonstrate the principle, a solution of MnC12 in water has been used. First the variation of the susceptibility of this paramagnetic solution with

9. Antimicrobial susceptibility profiling and genomic diversity of Acinetobacter baumannii isolates: A study in western Iran

PubMed Central

Mohajeri, Parviz; Farahani, Abbas; Feizabadi, Mohammad Mehdi; Ketabi, Hosnieh; Abiri, Ramin; Najafi, Farid

2013-01-01

Background and Objective Acinetobacter baumannii is an aerobic non-motile Gram-negative bacterial pathogen that is resistant to most antibiotics. Carbapenems are the most common antibiotics for the treatment of infections caused by this pathogen. Mechanisms of antibiotic-resistance in A. baumannii are mainly mediated by efflux pumps-lactamases. The aim of this study was to determine antibiotic susceptibility, the possibility of existence of OXAs genes and fingerprinting by Pulsed-Field Gel Electrophoresis (PFGE) among clinical isolates of Acinetobacter collected from Kermanshah hospitals. Materials and Methods One hundred and four isolates were collected from patients attending Imam Reza, Taleghani and Imam Khomeini hospitals of Kermanshah (Iran). Isolates were identified by biochemical tests and API 20NE kit. The susceptibility to different antibiotics was assessed with Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion method. PCR was performed for detection of bla OXA-23, bla OXA-24, bla OXA-51 and bla OXA-58 beta-lactamase genes. Clonal relatedness was estimated by PFGE (with the restriction enzyme Apa I) and DNA patterns were analyzed by Gel compare II 6.5 software. Results All isolates showed high-level of resistance to imipenem, meropenem as well as to other antimicrobial agents, while no resistance to polymyxin B, colistin, tigecylcine and minocycline was observed. The bla OXA-23like and bla OXA-24 like were found among 77.9% and 19.2% of the isolates, respectively. All isolates were positive for bla OXA-51, but none produced any amplicon for bla OXA-58. PFGE genotype analysis suggested the existence of eight clones among the 104 strains [A (n = 35), B (n = 29), C (n = 19), D (n = 10), E (n = 4), F (n = 3), G (n = 3), H (n = 1)]. Clone A was the dominant clone in hospital settings particularly infection wards so that the isolates in this group, compared to the other clones, showed higher levels of resistance to antibiotics. Conclusion The bla OXA-51-like and bla OXA-23like were

10. Common genetic variation and susceptibility to partial epilepsies: a genome-wide association study

PubMed Central

Kasperavičiūtė, Dalia; Catarino, Claudia B.; Heinzen, Erin L.; Depondt, Chantal; Cavalleri, Gianpiero L.; Caboclo, Luis O.; Tate, Sarah K.; Jamnadas-Khoda, Jenny; Chinthapalli, Krishna; Clayton, Lisa M.S.; Shianna, Kevin V.; Radtke, Rodney A.; Mikati, Mohamad A.; Gallentine, William B.; Husain, Aatif M.; Alhusaini, Saud; Leppert, David; Middleton, Lefkos T.; Gibson, Rachel A.; Johnson, Michael R.; Matthews, Paul M.; Hosford, David; Heuser, Kjell; Amos, Leslie; Ortega, Marcos; Zumsteg, Dominik; Wieser, Heinz-Gregor; Steinhoff, Bernhard J.; Krämer, Günter; Hansen, Jörg; Dorn, Thomas; Kantanen, Anne-Mari; Gjerstad, Leif; Peuralinna, Terhi; Hernandez, Dena G.; Eriksson, Kai J.; Kälviäinen, Reetta K.; Doherty, Colin P.; Wood, Nicholas W.; Pandolfo, Massimo; Duncan, John S.; Sander, Josemir W.; Delanty, Norman

2010-01-01

Partial epilepsies have a substantial heritability. However, the actual genetic causes are largely unknown. In contrast to many other common diseases for which genetic association-studies have successfully revealed common variants associated with disease risk, the role of common variation in partial epilepsies has not yet been explored in a well-powered study. We undertook a genome-wide association-study to identify common variants which influence risk for epilepsy shared amongst partial epilepsy syndromes, in 3445 patients and 6935 controls of European ancestry. We did not identify any genome-wide significant association. A few single nucleotide polymorphisms may warrant further investigation. We exclude common genetic variants with effect sizes above a modest 1.3 odds ratio for a single variant as contributors to genetic susceptibility shared across the partial epilepsies. We show that, at best, common genetic variation can only have a modest role in predisposition to the partial epilepsies when considered across syndromes in Europeans. The genetic architecture of the partial epilepsies is likely to be very complex, reflecting genotypic and phenotypic heterogeneity. Larger meta-analyses are required to identify variants of smaller effect sizes (odds ratio <1.3) or syndrome-specific variants. Further, our results suggest research efforts should also be directed towards identifying the multiple rare variants likely to account for at least part of the heritability of the partial epilepsies. Data emerging from genome-wide association-studies will be valuable during the next serious challenge of interpreting all the genetic variation emerging from whole-genome sequencing studies. PMID:20522523

11. A genome-wide association study identifies four novel susceptibility loci underlying inguinal hernia

PubMed Central

Jorgenson, Eric; Makki, Nadja; Shen, Ling; Chen, David C.; Tian, Chao; Eckalbar, Walter L.; Hinds, David; Ahituv, Nadav; Avins, Andrew

2015-01-01

Inguinal hernia repair is one of the most commonly performed operations in the world, yet little is known about the genetic mechanisms that predispose individuals to develop inguinal hernias. We perform a genome-wide association analysis of surgically confirmed inguinal hernias in 72,805 subjects (5,295 cases and 67,510 controls) and confirm top associations in an independent cohort of 92,444 subjects with self-reported hernia repair surgeries (9,701 cases and 82,743 controls). We identify four novel inguinal hernia susceptibility loci in the regions of EFEMP1, WT1, EBF2 and ADAMTS6. Moreover, we observe expression of all four genes in mouse connective tissue and network analyses show an important role for two of these genes (EFEMP1 and WT1) in connective tissue maintenance/homoeostasis. Our findings provide insight into the aetiology of hernia development and highlight genetic pathways for studies of hernia development and its treatment. PMID:26686553

12. Enamel crystals of mice susceptible or resistant to dental fluorosis: an AFM study

PubMed Central

BUZALAF, Marília Afonso Rabelo; BARBOSA, Carolina Silveira; LEITE, Aline de Lima; CHANG, Sywe-Ren; LIU, Jun; CZAJKA-JAKUBOWSKA, Agata; CLARKSON, Brian

2014-01-01

Objective This study aimed to assess the overall apatite crystals profile in the enamel matrix of mice susceptible (A/J strain) or resistant (129P3/J strain) to dental fluorosis through analyses by atomic force microscopy (AFM). Material and Methods Samples from the enamel matrix in the early stages of secretion and maturation were obtained from the incisors of mice from both strains. All detectable traces of matrix protein were removed from the samples by a sequential extraction procedure. The purified crystals (n=13 per strain) were analyzed qualitatively in the AFM. Surface roughness profile (Ra) was measured. Results The mean (±SD) Ra of the crystals of A/J strain (0.58±0.15 nm) was lower than the one found for the 129P3/J strain (0.66±0.21 nm) but the difference did not reach statistical significance (t=1.187, p=0.247). Crystals of the 129P3/J strain (70.42±6.79 nm) were found to be significantly narrower (t=4.013, p=0.0013) than the same parameter measured for the A/J strain (90.42±15.86 nm). Conclusion Enamel crystals of the 129P3/J strain are narrower, which is indicative of slower crystal growth and could interfere in the occurrence of dental fluorosis. PMID:25025555

13. Genome-wide association study identifies multiple susceptibility loci for glioma

PubMed Central

Kinnersley, Ben; Labussière, Marianne; Holroyd, Amy; Di Stefano, Anna-Luisa; Broderick, Peter; Vijayakrishnan, Jayaram; Mokhtari, Karima; Delattre, Jean-Yves; Gousias, Konstantinos; Schramm, Johannes; Schoemaker, Minouk J.; Fleming, Sarah J.; Herms, Stefan; Heilmann, Stefanie; Schreiber, Stefan; Wichmann, Heinz-Erich; Nöthen, Markus M.; Swerdlow, Anthony; Lathrop, Mark; Simon, Matthias; Bondy, Melissa; Sanson, Marc; Houlston, Richard S.

2015-01-01

Previous genome-wide association studies (GWASs) have shown that common genetic variation contributes to the heritable risk of glioma. To identify new glioma susceptibility loci, we conducted a meta-analysis of four GWAS (totalling 4,147 cases and 7,435 controls), with imputation using 1000 Genomes and UK10K Project data as reference. After genotyping an additional 1,490 cases and 1,723 controls we identify new risk loci for glioblastoma (GBM) at 12q23.33 (rs3851634, near POLR3B, P=3.02 × 10−9) and non-GBM at 10q25.2 (rs11196067, near VTI1A, P=4.32 × 10−8), 11q23.2 (rs648044, near ZBTB16, P=6.26 × 10−11), 12q21.2 (rs12230172, P=7.53 × 10−11) and 15q24.2 (rs1801591, near ETFA, P=5.71 × 10−9). Our findings provide further insights into the genetic basis of the different glioma subtypes. PMID:26424050

14. Genome-wide association study identifies new susceptibility loci for adolescent idiopathic scoliosis in Chinese girls

PubMed Central

Zhu, Zezhang; Tang, Nelson Leung-Sang; Xu, Leilei; Qin, Xiaodong; Mao, Saihu; Song, Yueming; Liu, Limin; Li, Fangcai; Liu, Peng; Yi, Long; Chang, Jiang; Jiang, Long; Ng, Bobby Kin-Wah; Shi, Benlong; Zhang, Wen; Qiao, Jun; Sun, Xu; Qiu, Xusheng; Wang, Zhou; Wang, Fei; Xie, Dingding; Chen, Ling; Chen, Zhonghui; Jin, Mengran; Han, Xiao; Hu, Zongshan; Zhang, Zhen; Liu, Zhen; Zhu, Feng; Qian, Bang-ping; Yu, Yang; Wang, Bing; Lee, K. M.; Lee, Wayne Y.W.; Lam, T. P.; Qiu, Yong; Cheng, Jack Chun-Yiu

2015-01-01

Adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) is a structural deformity of the spine affecting millions of children. As a complex disease, the genetic aetiology of AIS remains obscure. Here we report the results of a four-stage genome-wide association study (GWAS) conducted in a sample of 4,317 AIS patients and 6,016 controls. Overall, we identify three new susceptibility loci at 1p36.32 near AJAP1 (rs241215, Pcombined=2.95 × 10−9), 2q36.1 between PAX3 and EPHA4 (rs13398147, Pcombined=7.59 × 10−13) and 18q21.33 near BCL-2 (rs4940576, Pcombined=2.22 × 10−12). In addition, we refine a previously reported region associated with AIS at 10q24.32 (rs678741, Pcombined=9.68 × 10−37), which suggests LBX1AS1, encoding an antisense transcript of LBX1, might be a functional variant of AIS. This is the first GWAS investigating genetic variants associated with AIS in Chinese population, and the findings provide new insight into the multiple aetiological mechanisms of AIS. PMID:26394188

15. An adapted Coffey model for studying susceptibility losses in interacting magnetic nanoparticles

PubMed Central

Osaci, Mihaela

2015-01-01

Summary Background: Nanoparticles can be used in biomedical applications, such as contrast agents for magnetic resonance imaging, in tumor therapy or against cardiovascular diseases. Single-domain nanoparticles dissipate heat through susceptibility losses in two modes: Néel relaxation and Brownian relaxation. Results: Since a consistent theory for the Néel relaxation time that is applicable to systems of interacting nanoparticles has not yet been developed, we adapted the Coffey theoretical model for the Néel relaxation time in external magnetic fields in order to consider local dipolar magnetic fields. Then, we obtained the effective relaxation time. The effective relaxation time is further used for obtaining values of specific loss power (SLP) through linear response theory (LRT). A comparative analysis between our model and the discrete orientation model, more often used in literature, and a comparison with experimental data from literature have been carried out, in order to choose the optimal magnetic parameters of a nanoparticle system. Conclusion: In this way, we can study effects of the nanoparticle concentration on SLP in an acceptable range of frequencies and amplitudes of external magnetic fields for biomedical applications, especially for tumor therapy by magnetic hyperthermia. PMID:26665090

16. Dense fine-mapping study identifies new susceptibility loci for primary biliary cirrhosis.

PubMed

Liu, Jimmy Z; Almarri, Mohamed A; Gaffney, Daniel J; Mells, George F; Jostins, Luke; Cordell, Heather J; Ducker, Samantha J; Day, Darren B; Heneghan, Michael A; Neuberger, James M; Donaldson, Peter T; Bathgate, Andrew J; Burroughs, Andrew; Davies, Mervyn H; Jones, David E; Alexander, Graeme J; Barrett, Jeffrey C; Sandford, Richard N; Anderson, Carl A

2012-10-01

We genotyped 2,861 cases of primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) from the UK PBC Consortium and 8,514 UK population controls across 196,524 variants within 186 known autoimmune risk loci. We identified 3 loci newly associated with PBC (at P<5×10(-8)), increasing the number of known susceptibility loci to 25. The most associated variant at 19p12 is a low-frequency nonsynonymous SNP in TYK2, further implicating JAK-STAT and cytokine signaling in disease pathogenesis. An additional five loci contained nonsynonymous variants in high linkage disequilibrium (LD; r2>0.8) with the most associated variant at the locus. We found multiple independent common, low-frequency and rare variant association signals at five loci. Of the 26 independent non-human leukocyte antigen (HLA) signals tagged on the Immunochip, 15 have SNPs in B-lymphoblastoid open chromatin regions in high LD (r2>0.8) with the most associated variant. This study shows how data from dense fine-mapping arrays coupled with functional genomic data can be used to identify candidate causal variants for functional follow-up. PMID:22961000

17. Experimentally-Measured Susceptibility to Peer Influence and Adolescent Sexual Behavior Trajectories: A Preliminary Study

PubMed Central

Choukas-Bradley, Sophia; Giletta, Matteo; Widman, Laura; Cohen, Geoffrey L.; Prinstein, Mitchell J.

2014-01-01

A performance-based measure of peer influence susceptibility was examined as a moderator of the longitudinal association between peer norms and trajectories of adolescents' number of sexual intercourse partners. Seventy-one 9th grade adolescents (52% female) participated in an experimental “chat room” paradigm involving “e-confederates” who endorsed sexual risk behaviors. Changes in participants' responses to risk scenarios before versus during the “chat room” were used as a performance-based measure of peer influence susceptibility. Participants reported their perceptions of popular peers' number of sexual intercourse partner sat baseline, and self-reported their number of sexual intercourse partners at baseline and 6, 12, and 18 months later. Susceptibility was examined as a moderator of the longitudinal association between perceptions of popular peers' number of sexual intercourse partners and trajectories of adolescents' own numbers of partners. High perceptions of the number of popular peers' sexual intercourse partners combined with high peer influence susceptibility predicted steeper longitudinal trajectories of adolescents' number of partners. Results provide novel preliminary evidence regarding the importance of peer influence susceptibility in adolescents' development of sexual behaviors. PMID:24999763

18. Experimentally measured susceptibility to peer influence and adolescent sexual behavior trajectories: A preliminary study.

PubMed

Choukas-Bradley, Sophia; Giletta, Matteo; Widman, Laura; Cohen, Geoffrey L; Prinstein, Mitchell J

2014-09-01

A performance-based measure of peer influence susceptibility was examined as a moderator of the longitudinal association between peer norms and trajectories of adolescents' number of sexual intercourse partners. Seventy-one 9th grade adolescents (52% female) participated in an experimental "chat room" paradigm involving "e-confederates" who endorsed sexual risk behaviors. Changes in participants' responses to risk scenarios before versus during the "chat room" were used as a performance-based measure of peer influence susceptibility. Participants reported their perceptions of popular peers' number of sexual intercourse partners at baseline and self-reported their number of sexual intercourse partners at baseline and 6, 12, and 18 months later. Susceptibility was examined as a moderator of the longitudinal association between perceptions of popular peers' number of sexual intercourse partners and trajectories of adolescents' own numbers of partners. High perceptions of the number of popular peers' sexual intercourse partners combined with high peer influence susceptibility predicted steeper longitudinal trajectories of adolescents' number of partners. Results provide novel preliminary evidence regarding the importance of peer influence susceptibility in adolescents' development of sexual behaviors. PMID:24999763

19. Investigation on host susceptibility of Tibetan pig to infection of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus through viral challenge study.

PubMed

Kang, Runmin; Ji, Gaosheng; Yang, Xin; Lv, Xuebing; Zhang, Yi; Ge, Mengyun; Pan, Yun; Li, Qingzhou; Wang, Hongning; Zeng, Fanya

2016-02-01

Previous reports showed that infection of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) stimulated a variable host response and pig susceptibility to PRRSV was largely dependent on its genetic composition. In the present study, host susceptibility of Tibetan pig to PRRSV was compared with other two pig breeds, ZangMei black and Large White, by challenge of them with highly pathogenic PRRSV (HP-PRRSV). In the first challenge test, each eight piglets of the three breeds were inoculated with HP-PRRSV and clinical symptoms, viremia and animal mortality were examined up to 28 days post inoculation (DPI). In the secondary pathological study, each twelve piglets of the three breeds were challenged and three pigs of each breed were sacrificed on 4, 7, and 14 DPI for examination of gross damage and lung microscopic lesions. The results showed that no typical clinical signs such as cough, diarrhea and high fever were observed in challenged Tibetan pigs, which however all occurred in Large White accompanied with ∼40% mortality (3/8). In addition, a significant low and short viremia was detected specifically in Tibetan pigs. Based on histopathological analysis of lung sections, a mild to moderate interstitial pneumonia in Tibetan pigs and a much severe pneumonia in Large White were identified on 7-14 DPI. In summary, the study demonstrated that three genetically different pig breeds exhibited a differential host susceptibility to HP-PRRSV and Tibetan pig was much less susceptible to the virus in the three tested pig breeds. PMID:26790936

20. Dielectric behavior and ac conductivity study of NiO /Al2O3 nanocomposites in humid atmosphere

2006-11-01

Humidity sensing characteristics of NiO /Al2O3 nanocomposites, prepared by sol-gel method, are studied by impedance spectroscopy. Modeling of the obtained impedance spectra with an appropriate equivalent circuit enables us to separate the electrical responses of the tightly bound chemisorbed water molecules on the grain surfaces and the loosely associated physisorbed water layers. Dependence of the dielectric properties and ac conductivity of the nanocomposites on relative humidity (RH) were studied as a function of the frequency of the applied ac signal in the frequency range of 0.1-105Hz. The electrical relaxation behavior of the investigated materials is presented in the conductivity formalism, where the conductivity spectra at different RHs are analyzed by the Almond-West formalism [D. P. Almond et al., Solid State Ionics 8, 159 (1983)]. The dc conductivity and the hopping rate of charge carriers, determined from this analysis, show similar dependences on RH, indicating that the concentration of mobile ions is independent of RH and is primarily determined by the chemisorption process of water molecules. Finally, the results are discussed in view of a percolation-type conduction mechanism, where mobile ions are provided by the chemisorbed water molecules and the percolation network is formed by the physisorbed water layers.

1. Genome-wide Association Study Identifies New Susceptibility Loci for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

PubMed Central

Xie, Pingxing; Kranzler, Henry R.; Yang, Can; Zhao, Hongyu; Farrer, Lindsay A.; Gelernter, Joel

2013-01-01

Background Genetic factors influence the risk for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), a potentially chronic and disabling psychiatric disorder that can arise after exposure to trauma. Candidate gene association studies have identified few genetic variants that contribute to PTSD risk. Methods We conducted genome-wide association analyses in 1578 European Americans (EAs), including 300 PTSD cases, and 2766 African Americans, including 444 PTSD cases, to find novel common risk alleles for PTSD. We used the Illumina Omni1-Quad microarray, which yielded approximately 870,000 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) suitable for analysis. Results In EAs, we observed that one SNP on chromosome 7p12, rs406001, exceeded genome-wide significance (p = 3.97×10−8). A SNP that maps to the first intron of the Tolloid-Like 1 gene (TLL1) showed the second strongest evidence of association, although no SNPs at this locus reached genome-wide significance. We then tested six SNPs in an independent sample of nearly 2000 EAs and successfully replicated the association findings for two SNPs in the first intron of TLL1, rs6812849 and rs7691872, with p values of 6.3×10−6 and 2.3×10−4, respectively. In the combined sample, rs6812849 had a p value of 3.1 ×10−9. No significant signals were observed in the African American part of the sample. Genome-wide association study analyses restricted to trauma-exposed individuals yielded very similar results. Conclusions This study identified TLL1 as a new susceptibility gene for PTSD. PMID:23726511

2. Association study of IGF1 polymorphisms with susceptibility to high myopia in a Japanese population

PubMed Central

Yoshida, Masao; Meguro, Akira; Yoshino, Atsushi; Nomura, Naoko; Okada, Eiichi; Mizuki, Nobuhisa

2013-01-01

Purpose Polymorphisms in the insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF1) gene were previously associated with high or extreme myopia in Caucasian and Chinese populations. In the present study, we investigated whether IGF1 polymorphisms are associated with high myopia in a Japanese population. Methods A total of 446 Japanese patients with high myopia (≤−9.00 diopters) and 481 Japanese healthy controls (+1.50 diopters to −1.50 diopters) were recruited. We genotyped seven tagging single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in IGF1 and assessed allelic and haplotypic diversity in cases and controls. Results There were no statistically significant differences in the allele frequencies of IGF1 SNPs and genotypes between cases and controls (P>0.05). However, the A allele of rs5742629 and the G allele of rs12423791 were associated with a moderately increased risk of high myopia (odds ratio [OR] =1.20 and OR =1.21, respectively) with borderline statistical significance (P=0.0502, corrected P (Pc) =0.21 and P=0.064, Pc=0.29, respectively). The haplotype consisting of the A allele of rs5742629 and the G allele of rs12423791 was marginally associated with the risk of high myopia (P=0.041; OR =1.21); this association was not significant after correction (Pc=0.19). Conclusion We found that the IGF1 SNPs are not significantly associated with high myopia in our Japanese population. Our results are in contrast to a previous study in which extreme myopia cases had significantly higher frequencies of the G allele of rs5742629 and the C allele of rs12423791 than controls. Therefore, the IGF1 SNPs may not be important factors for susceptibility to high myopia in all populations. Further genetic studies are needed to elucidate the possible contributions of the IGF1 region to the development of high myopia. PMID:24204106

3. Genome-wide association study identifies multiple susceptibility loci for pancreatic cancer

PubMed Central

Wolpin, Brian M.; Rizzato, Cosmeri; Kraft, Peter; Kooperberg, Charles; Petersen, Gloria M.; Wang, Zhaoming; Arslan, Alan A.; Beane-Freeman, Laura; Bracci, Paige M.; Buring, Julie; Canzian, Federico; Duell, Eric J.; Gallinger, Steven; Giles, Graham G.; Goodman, Gary E.; Goodman, Phyllis J.; Jacobs, Eric J.; Kamineni, Aruna; Klein, Alison P.; Kolonel, Laurence N.; Kulke, Matthew H.; Li, Donghui; Malats, Núria; Olson, Sara H.; Risch, Harvey A.; Sesso, Howard D.; Visvanathan, Kala; White, Emily; Zheng, Wei; Abnet, Christian C.; Albanes, Demetrius; Andreotti, Gabriella; Austin, Melissa A.; Barfield, Richard; Basso, Daniela; Berndt, Sonja I.; Boutron-Ruault, Marie-Christine; Brotzman, Michelle; Büchler, Markus W.; Bueno-de-Mesquita, H. Bas; Bugert, Peter; Burdette, Laurie; Campa, Daniele; Caporaso, Neil E.; Capurso, Gabriele; Chung, Charles; Cotterchio, Michelle; Costello, Eithne; Elena, Joanne; Funel, Niccola; Gaziano, J. Michael; Giese, Nathalia A.; Giovannucci, Edward L.; Goggins, Michael; Gorman, Megan J.; Gross, Myron; Haiman, Christopher A.; Hassan, Manal; Helzlsouer, Kathy J.; Henderson, Brian E.; Holly, Elizabeth A.; Hu, Nan; Hunter, David J.; Innocenti, Federico; Jenab, Mazda; Kaaks, Rudolf; Key, Timothy J.; Khaw, Kay-Tee; Klein, Eric A.; Kogevinas, Manolis; Krogh, Vittorio; Kupcinskas, Juozas; Kurtz, Robert C.; LaCroix, Andrea; Landi, Maria T.; Landi, Stefano; Le Marchand, Loic; Mambrini, Andrea; Mannisto, Satu; Milne, Roger L.; Nakamura, Yusuke; Oberg, Ann L.; Owzar, Kouros; Patel, Alpa V.; Peeters, Petra H. M.; Peters, Ulrike; Pezzilli, Raffaele; Piepoli, Ada; Porta, Miquel; Real, Francisco X.; Riboli, Elio; Rothman, Nathaniel; Scarpa, Aldo; Shu, Xiao-Ou; Silverman, Debra T.; Soucek, Pavel; Sund, Malin; Talar-Wojnarowska, Renata; Taylor, Philip R.; Theodoropoulos, George E.; Thornquist, Mark; Tjønneland, Anne; Tobias, Geoffrey S.; Trichopoulos, Dimitrios; Vodicka, Pavel; Wactawski-Wende, Jean; Wentzensen, Nicolas; Wu, Chen; Yu, Herbert; Yu, Kai; Zeleniuch-Jacquotte, Anne; Hoover, Robert; Hartge, Patricia; Fuchs, Charles; Chanock, Stephen J.

2014-01-01

We performed a multistage genome-wide association study (GWAS) including 7,683 individuals with pancreatic cancer and 14,397 controls of European descent. Four new loci reached genome-wide significance: rs6971499 at 7q32.3 (LINC-PINT; per-allele odds ratio [OR] = 0.79; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.74–0.84; P = 3.0×10−12), rs7190458 at 16q23.1 (BCAR1/CTRB1/CTRB2; OR = 1.46; 95% CI = 1.30–1.65; P = 1.1×10−10), rs9581943 at 13q12.2 (PDX1; OR = 1.15; 95% CI = 1.10–1.20; P = 2.4×10−9), and rs16986825 at 22q12.1 (ZNRF3; OR = 1.18; 95% CI = 1.12–1.25; P = 1.2×10−8). An independent signal was identified in exon 2 of TERT at the established region 5p15.33 (rs2736098; OR = 0.80; 95% CI = 0.76–0.85; P = 9.8×10−14). We also identified a locus at 8q24.21 (rs1561927; P = 1.3×10−7) that approached genome-wide significance located 455 kb telomeric of PVT1. Our study has identified multiple new susceptibility alleles for pancreatic cancer worthy of follow-up studies. PMID:25086665

4. [Study of phenotypical and antimicrobial susceptibility markers in enteric Escherichia coli strains].

PubMed

Aguila, Adalberto; Bernedo, Robert; Llop, Alina; Ramírez, Margarita; Bravo, Laura; Fernández, Anabel; Ledo, Yudith

2007-01-01

Forty strains of Escherichia coli isolated from children under 5 years of age with acute diarreas, coming from different provinces of the country , were analyzed. Four important phenotypical determinants were tested: sorbosa, sorbitol, enterohemolysin and 0157:H7 serology, in order to select those strains from enterohemorrhagic or Shiga toxin-producing category. Likewise, they were characterized by biotyping and antimicrobial susceptibility methods. The use of phenotypical tests showed six strains with presumptive characteristics, four of which were most likely to be Shiga toxin-producing strains. In antimicrobial susceptibility test, the strains showed high resistance mainly to ampicillin and trimethrophin-sulfamethoxasole. Another interesting finding were intermediate resistance and susceptibility values to augmentin, aztreonan and ceftriaxone. There were 12 antimicrobial resistance patterns of which 10 were multi-resistant. PMID:23427442

5. High density genotyping study identifies four new susceptibility loci for atopic dermatitis

PubMed Central

Ellinghaus, David; Baurecht, Hansjörg; Esparza-Gordillo, Jorge; Rodríguez, Elke; Matanovic, Anja; Marenholz, Ingo; Hübner, Norbert; Schaarschmidt, Heidi; Novak, Natalija; Michel, Sven; Maintz, Laura; Werfel, Thomas; Meyer-Hoffert, Ulf; Hotze, Melanie; Prokisch, Holger; Heim, Katharina; Herder, Christian; Hirota, Tomomitsu; Tamari, Mayumi; Kubo, Michiaki; Takahashi, Atsushi; Nakamura, Yusuke; Tsoi, Lam C; Stuart, Philip; Elder, James T; Sun, Liangdan; Zuo, Xianbo; Yang, Sen; Zhang, Xuejun; Hoffmann, Per; Nöthen, Markus M; Fölster-Holst, Regina; Winkelmann, Juliane; Illig, Thomas; Boehm, Bernhard O; Duerr, Richard H; Büning, Carsten; Brand, Stephan; Glas, Jürgen; McAleer, Maeve A; Fahy, Caoimhe M; Kabesch, Michael; Brown, Sara J; McLean, WH Irwin; Irvine, Alan D; Schreiber, Stefan; Lee, Young-Ae; Franke, Andre; Weidinger, Stephan

2013-01-01

Atopic dermatitis is a common inflammatory skin disease with a strong heritable component. Pathogenetic models consider keratinocyte differentiation defects and immune alterations as scaffolds1, and recent data indicate a role for autoreactivity in at least a subgroup of patients2. With filaggrin (FLG) a major locus causing a skin barrier deficiency was identified3. To better define risk variants and identify additional susceptibility loci, we densely genotyped 2,425 German cases and 5,449 controls using the Immunochip array, followed by replication in 7,196 cases and 15,480 controls from Germany, Ireland, Japan and China. We identified 4 new susceptibility loci for atopic dermatitis and replicated previous associations. This brings the number of atopic dermatitis risk loci reported in individuals of European ancestry to 11. We estimate that these susceptibility loci together account for 14.4% of the heritability for atopic dermatitis. PMID:23727859

6. Seven novel prostate cancer susceptibility loci identified by a multi-stage genome-wide association study

PubMed Central

Kote-Jarai, Zsofia; Olama, Ali Amin Al; Giles, Graham G.; Severi, Gianluca; Schleutker, Johanna; Weischer, Maren; Canzian, Frederico; Riboli, Elio; Key, Tim; Gronberg, Henrik; Hunter, David J.; Kraft, Peter; Thun, Michael J; Ingles, Sue; Chanock, Stephen; Albanes, Demetrius; Hayes, Richard B; Neal, David E.; Hamdy, Freddie C.; Donovan, Jenny L.; Pharoah, Paul; Schumacher, Fredrick; Henderson, Brian E.; Stanford, Janet L.; Ostrander, Elaine A.; Sorensen, Karina Dalsgaard; Dörk, Thilo; Andriole, Gerald; Dickinson, Joanne L.; Cybulski, Cezary; Lubinski, Jan; Spurdle, Amanda; Clements, Judith A.; Chambers, Suzanne; Aitken, Joanne; Frank Gardiner, R. A.; Thibodeau, Stephen N.; Schaid, Dan; John, Esther M.; Maier, Christiane; Vogel, Walther; Cooney, Kathleen A.; Park, Jong Y.; Cannon-Albright, Lisa; Brenner, Hermann; Habuchi, Tomonori; Zhang, Hong-Wei; Lu, Yong-Jie; Kaneva, Radka; Muir, Ken; Benlloch, Sara; Leongamornlert, Daniel A.; Saunders, Edward J.; Tymrakiewicz, Malgorzata; Mahmud, Nadiya; Guy, Michelle; O’Brien, Lynne T.; Wilkinson, Rosemary A.; Hall, Amanda L.; Sawyer, Emma J.; Dadaev, Tokhir; Morrison, Jonathan; Dearnaley, David P.; Horwich, Alan; Huddart, Robert A.; Khoo, Vincent S.; Parker, Christopher C.; Van As, Nicholas; Woodhouse, Christopher J.; Thompson, Alan; Christmas, Tim; Ogden, Chris; Cooper, Colin S.; Lophatonanon, Aritaya; Southey, Melissa C.; Hopper, John L.; English, Dallas; Wahlfors, Tiina; Tammela, Teuvo LJ; Klarskov, Peter; Nordestgaard, Børge G.; Røder, M. Andreas; Tybjærg-Hansen, Anne; Bojesen, Stig E.; Travis, Ruth; Campa, Daniele; Kaaks, Rudolf; Wiklund, Fredrik; Aly, Markus; Lindstrom, Sara; Diver, W Ryan; Gapstur, Susan; Stern, Mariana C; Corral, Roman; Virtamo, Jarmo; Cox, Angela; Haiman, Christopher A.; Le Marchand, Loic; FitzGerald, Liesel; Kolb, Suzanne; Kwon, Erika M.; Karyadi, Danielle M.; Orntoft, Torben Falck; Borre, Michael; Meyer, Andreas; Serth, Jürgen; Yeager, Meredith; Berndt, Sonja I.; Marthick, James R; Patterson, Briony; Wokolorczyk, Dominika; Batra, Jyotsna; Lose, Felicity; McDonnell, Shannon K; Joshi, Amit D.; Shahabi, Ahva; Rinckleb, Antje E.; Ray, Ana; Sellers, Thomas A.; Lin, Huo-Yi; Stephenson, Robert A; Farnham, James; Muller, Heiko; Rothenbacher, Dietrich; Tsuchiya, Norihiko; Narita, Shintaro; Cao, Guang-Wen; Slavov, Chavdar; Mitev, Vanio; Easton, Douglas F.; Eeles, Rosalind A.

2012-01-01

Prostate cancer (PrCa) is the most frequently diagnosed male cancer in developed countries. To identify common PrCa susceptibility alleles, we conducted a multi-stage genome-wide association study and previously reported the results of the first two stages, which identified 16 novel susceptibility loci for PrCa. Here we report the results of stage 3 in which we evaluated 1,536 SNPs in 4,574 cases and 4,164 controls. Ten novel association signals were followed up through genotyping in 51,311 samples in 30 studies through the international PRACTICAL consortium. In addition to previously reported loci, we identified a further seven new prostate cancer susceptibility loci on chromosomes 2p, 3q, 5p, 6p, 12q and Xq (P=4.0 ×10−8 to P=2.7 ×10−24). We also identified a SNP in TERT more strongly associated with PrCa than that previously reported. More than 40 PrCa susceptibility loci, explaining ~25% of the familial risk in this disease, have now been identified. PMID:21743467

7. Comparative study of mycorrhizal susceptibility and anatomy of four palm species.

PubMed

Dreyer, Beatriz; Morte, Asunción; López, José Angel; Honrubia, Mario

2010-02-01

A morphological and anatomical study of the root systems of the palm species Brahea armata S. Watson, Chamaerops humilis L., Phoenix canariensis Chabaud and Phoenix dactylifera L. has been carried out to determine possible mycorrhizal colonization sites. Furthermore, the arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) anatomical types formed by the four palm species in association with Glomus mosseae (Nicol. & Gerd.) Gerdemann & Trappe have been examined. The presence of a continuous sclerenchymatic ring in the outer cortex and aerenchyma in the inner cortex that are anatomical indicators of mycorrhizal nonsusceptibility in all four palm species is observed. The root systems of B. armata and C. humilis present only one group of third-order roots, while the third-order roots of P. canariensis and P. dactylifera may be divided into five different groups: short thick roots, mycorrhizal thickened roots, fine short roots, fine long roots, and pneumatorhizas. Third-order and some second-order roots of B. armata and C. humilis are susceptible to colonization by AM fungi, while only the mycorrhizal thickened roots form mycorrhizas with arbuscules in the Phoenix species. The root system of the Phoenix species also presents AM colonization in fine roots with only intraradical hyphae and spores, but without arbuscules, and pseudomantles of spores anchored in the pneumatorings of the second-order roots, which are described for the first time. The mycorrhizas formed by the four palm species are of an intermediate type, between the Arum and the Paris types, and are characterized by intercalary arbusculate coils and not only by intracellular but also by intercellular fungal growth. Our study suggests that a different degree of adaptation may exist among palm mycorrhizas toward the slow growth of palms and low spore numbers in the soil where they grow. PMID:19662440

8. Genetic variants associated with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis susceptibility and mortality: a genome-wide association study

PubMed Central

Flores, Carlos; Barber, Mathew; Huang, Yong; Broderick, Steven M; Wade, Michael S; Hysi, Pirro; Scuirba, Joseph; Richards, Thomas J; Juan-Guardela, Brenda M; Vij, Rekha; Han, MeiLan K; Martinez, Fernando J; Kossen, Karl; Seiwert, Scott D; Christie, Jason D

2013-01-01

Summary Background Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a devastating disease that probably involves several genetic loci. Several rare genetic variants and one common single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) of MUC5B have been associated with the disease. Our aim was to identify additional common variants associated with susceptibility and ultimately mortality in IPF. Methods First, we did a three-stage genome-wide association study (GWAS): stage one was a discovery GWAS; and stages two and three were independent case-control studies. DNA samples from European-American patients with IPF meeting standard criteria were obtained from several US centres for each stage. Data for European-American control individuals for stage one were gathered from the database of genotypes and phenotypes; additional control individuals were recruited at the University of Pittsburgh to increase the number. For controls in stages two and three, we gathered data for additional sex-matched European-American control individuals who had been recruited in another study. DNA samples from patients and from control individuals were genotyped to identify SNPs associated with IPF. SNPs identified in stage one were carried forward to stage two, and those that achieved genome-wide significance (p<5 × 10−8) in a meta-analysis were carried forward to stage three. Three case series with follow-up data were selected from stages one and two of the GWAS using samples with follow-up data. Mortality analyses were done in these case series to assess the SNPs associated with IPF that had achieved genome-wide significance in the meta-analysis of stages one and two. Finally, we obtained gene-expression profiling data for lungs of patients with IPF from the Lung Genomics Research Consortium and analysed correlation with SNP genotypes. Findings In stage one of the GWAS (542 patients with IPF, 542 control individuals matched one-by-one to cases by genetic ancestry estimates), we identified 20 loci. Six SNPs

9. Combining TMS and tACS for Closed-Loop Phase-Dependent Modulation of Corticospinal Excitability: A Feasibility Study

PubMed Central

Raco, Valerio; Bauer, Robert; Tharsan, Srikandarajah; Gharabaghi, Alireza

2016-01-01

Background: The corticospinal excitability indexed by motor evoked potentials (MEPs) following transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) of the sensorimotor cortex is characterized by large variability. The instantaneous phase of cortical oscillations at the time of the stimulation has been suggested as a possible source of this variability. To explore this hypothesis, a specific phase needs to be targeted by TMS pulses with high temporal precision. Objective: The aim of this feasibility study was to introduce a methodology capable of exploring the effects of phase-dependent stimulation by the concurrent application of alternating current stimulation (tACS) and TMS. Method: We applied online calibration and closed-loop TMS to target four specific phases (0°, 90°, 180° and 270°) of simultaneous 20 Hz tACS over the primary motor cortex (M1) of seven healthy subjects. Result: The integrated stimulation system was capable of hitting the target phase with high precision (SD ± 2.05 ms, i.e., ± 14.45°) inducing phase-dependent MEP modulation with a phase lag (CI95% = −40.37° to −99.61°) which was stable across subjects (p = 0.001). Conclusion: The combination of different neuromodulation techniques facilitates highly specific brain state-dependent stimulation, and may constitute a valuable tool for exploring the physiological and therapeutic effect of phase-dependent stimulation, e.g., in the context of neurorehabilitation. PMID:27252625

10. AC-electronic and dielectric properties of semiconducting phthalocyanine compounds: a comparative study

Hraibat, Safa'a. M.; M-L. Kitaneh, Rushdi; Abu-Samreh, Mohammad M.; Saleh, Abdelkarim M.

2013-11-01

The AC-electronic and dielectric properties of different phthalocyanine films (ZnPc, CuPc, FePc, and H2Pc) were investigated over a wide range of temperature. Both real and imaginary parts of the dielectric constant (ɛ = ɛ1 - iɛ2) were found to be influenced by temperature and frequency. Qualitatively the behavior was the same for those compounds; however, the central atom, film thickness, and the electrode type play an important role in the variation of their values. The relaxation time, τ, was strongly frequency-dependent at all temperatures and low frequencies, while a weak dependency is observed at higher frequencies. The relaxation activation energy was derived from the slopes of the fitted lines of ln τ and the reciprocal of the temperature (1/T). The values of the activation energy were accounted for the hopping process at low temperatures, while a thermally activated conduction process was dominant at higher temperatures. The maximum barrier height, Wm, was found to be temperature and frequency dependent for all phthalocyanine compounds. The value Wm depends greatly on the nature of the central atom and electrode material type. The correlated barrier hopping model was found to be the appropriate mechanism to describe the charge carrier's transport in phthalocyanine films.

11. Soybean oil in water-borne coatings and latex film formation study by AC impedance

Jiratumnukul, Nantana

Conventional coalescing agents such as butyl cellosolve, butyl carbitol, and TexanolRTM are widely use in the latex coatings industry to facilitate film formation at ambient temperature. Coalescent aids are composed of solvents with low evaporation rates. After water evaporates, coalescent aids would help soften polymer molecules and form continuous films, then gradually evaporates from the film. Coalescent aids, therefore, are considered as volatile organic compounds (VOC), which are of environmental concern. The main purpose of this research project was to prepare a fatty acid glycol ester from soybean oil and glycol (polyols). The soybean oil glycol ester can be used as a coalescent aid in latex paint formulation. The soybean oil glycol ester not only lowered the minimum film formation temperature of latex polymers and continuous film formed at ambient temperature, but also after it has facilitated film formation, does not substantially evaporate, but becomes part of the film. Soybean oil glycol esters, therefore, can reduce the VOC levels and facilitate film formation of latex paints. In the second part of this research AC-Impedance was used to investigate the efficiency of soybean oil coalescent aid in latex film formation relative to the conventional ones. The coating resistance showed that the efficiency of film formation was increased as a function of dry time. The coating resistance also exhibited the effect of soybean oil ester in latex film formation in the same fashion as a conventional coalescent aid, TexanolRTM.

12. Experimentally Measured Susceptibility to Peer Influence and Adolescent Sexual Behavior Trajectories: A Preliminary Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Choukas-Bradley, Sophia; Giletta, Matteo; Widman, Laura; Cohen, Geoffrey L.; Prinstein, Mitchell J.

2014-01-01

A performance-based measure of peer influence susceptibility was examined as a moderator of the longitudinal association between peer norms and trajectories of adolescents' number of sexual intercourse partners. Seventy-one 9th grade adolescents (52% female) participated in an experimental "chat room" paradigm involving…

13. A comparative study on the landslide susceptibility mapping using evidential belief function and weights of evidence models

Wang, Qiqing; Li, Wenping; Wu, Yanli; Pei, Yabing; Xing, Maolin; Yang, Dongdong

2016-04-01

The purpose of this study is to produce landslide susceptibility map of a landslide-prone area (Daguan County, China) by evidential belief function (EBF) model and weights of evidence (WoE) model to compare the results obtained. For this purpose, a landslide inventory map was constructed mainly based on earlier reports and aerial photographs, as well as, by carrying out field surveys. A total of 194 landslides were mapped. Then, the landslide inventory was randomly split into a training dataset; 70% (136 landslides) for training the models and the remaining 30% (58 landslides) was used for validation purpose. Then, a total number of 14 conditioning factors, such as slope angle, slope aspect, general curvature, plan curvature, profile curvature, altitude, distance from rivers, distance from roads, distance from faults, lithology, normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), sediment transport index (STI), stream power index (SPI), and topographic wetness index (TWI) were used in the analysis. Subsequently, landslide susceptibility maps were produced using the EBF and WoE models. Finally, the validation of landslide susceptibility map was accomplished with the area under the curve (AUC) method. The success rate curve showed that the area under the curve for EBF and WoE models were of 80.19% and 80.75% accuracy, respectively. Similarly, the validation result showed that the susceptibility map using EBF model has the prediction accuracy of 80.09%, while for WoE model, it was 79.79%. The results of this study showed that both landslide susceptibility maps obtained were successful and would be useful for regional spatial planning as well as for land cover planning.

14. Association of gastrointestinal gland cancer susceptibility loci with esophageal carcinoma among the Chinese Han population: a case-control study.

PubMed

Wang, Junqi; Zhang, Baoping; Yang, Zhi; Zhou, Long; Geng, Tingting; Li, Haipeng; Fu, Xiaowei; Xue, Xiaolei; Liu, Mingwei; Tong, Ruifeng; Jin, Tianbo; Zhang, Yong

2016-02-01

Esophageal carcinoma (EC) is a common malignancy worldwide. Previous studies indicated that gastrointestinal gland cancer and EC share some susceptibility loci. Our aim was to identify new single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with EC by investigating whether known gastrointestinal cancers susceptibility loci are found in EC patients. A Chinese Han population case-control study was conducted to assess SNP associations with EC risk. Twenty-six SNPs were selected from gastrointestinal cancer susceptibility loci, and 360 EC patients and 310 controls were genotyped for these SNPs using Sequenom MassARRAY technology. The association of SNP frequencies with EC was analyzed by chi-square tests, and genetic model analysis. After Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium (HWE) p value screening, we excluded two SNPs. Based on chi-square tests, the minor alleles of rs13294589 (p = 0.046) and rs4924935 (p = 0.046) were correlated with reduced EC risk and rs4269383 (p = 0.010) and rs10953615 (p = 0.036) were correlated with increased EC risk. In the genetic model analyses, we found that the minor alleles "T" of rs401681, "A" of rs10088262, and "C" of rs4924935 may reduce the risk of EC. rs401681 has previously been reported to be associated with EC. To the best of our knowledge, we are the first to report an association of the other five SNPs with EC. Our findings provide evidence for the genetic variants associated with susceptibility to EC in the Chinese Han population, which might be used as potential molecular markers for detecting susceptibility to EC in Chinese Han people. PMID:26304507

15. Study of Ac Dielectrophoretic Process of SiC Nanowires: A Universal Method for Alignment of Semiconductor Nanowires.

PubMed

Yao, Limei; Cui, Yan; Cong, Haining; Zheng, Jinju; Shang, Minghui; Yang, Zuobao; Yang, Weiyou; Wei, Guodong; Gao, Fengmei

2016-04-01

In this study, the dielectrophoretic processes of SiC nanowires suspended in three typical solvents, (highly purified water, ethanol and isopropanol) were systematically investigated. Optical microscope and SEM characterizations were used to observe the order of SiC nanowires on the surface of gold microchannels. The gold microchannels were induced by Ac dielectrophoresis of the corresponding dispersion solutions of SiC nanowires, with a concentration of 0.1 mg/mL. The study shows that the dielectrophoresis process is an effective way of synthesizing highly oriented SiC nanoarrays using isopropanol solution. The results also show that the arrangement of SiC nanowires on the interdigital electrode configuration not only depend on the kind of solvent used, but also on the applied frequency (1000 Hz~1 MHz) and voltage (1 V~20 V). PMID:27451739

16. Electron paramagnetic resonance spectral study of [Mn(acs)2(2-pic)2(H2O)2] single crystals

Kocakoç, Mehpeyker; Tapramaz, Recep

2016-03-01

Acesulfame potassium salt is a synthetic and non-caloric sweetener. It is also important chemically for its capability of being ligand in coordination compounds, because it can bind over Nitrogen and Oxygen atoms of carbonyl and sulfonyl groups and ring oxygen. Some acesulfame containing transition metal ion complexes with mixed ligands exhibit solvato and thermo chromic properties and these properties make them physically important. In this work single crystals of Mn+2 ion complex with mixed ligand, [Mn(acs)2(2-pic)2(H2O)2], was studied with electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy. EPR parameters were determined. Zero field splitting parameters indicated that the complex was highly symmetric. Variable temperature studies showed no detectable chance in spectra.

17. Return of research results from pharmacogenomic versus disease susceptibility studies: what’s drugs got to do with it?

PubMed Central

Dressler, Lynn G

2012-01-01

One of the most controversial ethical issues in genomics research is the return of individual research results to research subjects. As new technologies, including whole-genome sequencing, provide an increased opportunity for researchers to find clinically relevant research results, the questions related to if, when and how individual research results should be returned become more central to the ethical conduct of genomic research. In the absence of federal guidance on this issue, many groups and individuals have developed recommendations and suggestions to address these questions. Most of these recommendations have focused on the return of individual results from disease susceptibility studies. However, in addition to predicting the development of disease, genomic research also includes predicting an individual’s response to drugs, especially the risk of developing adverse events. This article evaluates and compares the return of individual research results from disease susceptibility studies versus pharmacogenomic studies. PMID:22676197

18. APN1 is a functional receptor of Cry1Ac but not Cry2Ab in Helicoverpa zea

PubMed Central

Wei, Jizhen; Zhang, Min; Liang, Gemei; Wu, Kongming; Guo, Yuyuan; Ni, Xinzhi; Li, Xianchun

2016-01-01

Lepidopteran midgut aminopeptidases N (APNs) are phylogenetically divided into eight clusters, designated as APN1–8. Although APN1 has been implicated as one of the receptors for Cry1Ac in several species, its potential role in the mode of action of Cry2Ab has not been functionally determined so far. To test whether APN1 also acts as one of the receptors for Cry1Ac in Helicoverpa zea and even for Cry2Ab in this species, we conducted a gain of function analysis by heterologously expressing H. zea APN1 (HzAPN1) in the midgut and fat body cell lines of H. zea and the ovarian cell line of Spodoptera frugiperda (Sf9) and a loss of function analysis by RNAi (RNA interference) silencing of the endogenous APN1 in the three cell lines using the HzAPN1 double strand RNA (dsRNA). Heterologous expression of HzAPN1 significantly increased the susceptibility of the three cell lines to Cry1Ac, but had no effects on their susceptibility to Cry2Ab. Knocking down of the endogenous APN1 made the three cell lines resistant to Cry1Ac, but didn’t change cell lines susceptibility to Cry2Ab. The findings from this study demonstrate that HzAPN1 is a functional receptor of Cry1Ac, but not Cry2Ab. PMID:26755166

19. Cryptoccocal meningitis in Yaoundé (Cameroon) HIV infected patients: Diagnosis, frequency and Cryptococcus neoformans isolates susceptibility study to fluconazole.

PubMed

Kammalac Ngouana, T; Dongtsa, J; Kouanfack, C; Tonfack, C; Fomena, S; Mallié, M; Delaporte, E; Boyom, F-Fekam; Bertout, S

2015-03-01

Cryptococcal meningitis is a mycosis encountered especially in patients with Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome and is fatal in the absence of treatment. Information on epidemiology, diagnosis and susceptibility profile to antifungal drugs, are scarce in Cameroon. Authors evaluated the diagnosis possibilities of the cryptococcal meningitis in Cameroon, and studied the antifungal susceptibility of isolated strains to fluconazole, used as first line treatment of the disease in Cameroon. Between December 2009 and July 2011, 146 cerebrospinal fluids obtained from HIV patients with suspicion of meningitis were analysed. The diagnosis procedure involved macroscopic and cyto-chemical analysis, India ink test, culture on Sabouraud chloramphenicol medium and antigen latex agglutination test. Antifungal susceptibility testing of isolated strains to fluconazole was done by the E-test(®) method. The diagnosis of cryptococcal meningitis gave 28.08% positive cases. Among these patients, 80% were at stages III and IV and 20% at stage I of the HIV infection, according to the WHO previous classification. Cyto-chemical analysis showed current findings in the case of cryptococcal meningitis. India ink test and latex agglutination test exhibited very high sensitivity and specificity (>94%). Fluconazole antifungal susceptibility testing gave MICs lower than 32μg/mL to 92.7% of isolated strains and MICs greater than this value to 7.3% of isolates. These results showed that cryptococcal meningitis remains a real problem among HIV infected patients in Yaoundé. The emergence of fluconazole reduced susceptibility strains is worrying. Nevertheless, efficacy of rapid detection tests is interesting because this will help in rapid diagnosis and treatment of patients. PMID:25467817

20. Paleomagnetism and Anisotropy of Magnetic Susceptibility study of the Miocene Jack Springs Tuff (Nevada, USA)

Shields, S.; Petronis, M. S.; Pluhar, C. J.; Gordon, L.

2014-12-01

The mid-Miocene Jack Springs Tuff (JST) outcrops across the western Mina Deflection accommodation zone, west-central Nevada and into eastern California. Previously, the source location for the JST was unknown, yet recent studies northwest of Mono Lake, CA have identified a relatively un-rotated structural block in which to reference the paleomagnetic data. Although new studies have indicated that this block may be rotated up to 13º, we argue that the probable source area is located near the Bodie Hills, CA. At this site, the paleomagnetic reference direction is D = 353°, I = 43°, α95 = 7.7° (Carlson et al, 2013). Based on these data, the JST can be used to measure absolute vertical-axis rotation as well as enable reconstruction of the paleo-topography using the corrected anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility (AMS) data. A total of 19 sites were sampled to constrain Cenozoic to recent vertical axis rotation within the region and AMS experiments were conducted to determine the flow direction of the JST. Curie point estimates indicate that the JST ranges in titanium concentration from 0.042 to 1.10, indicating a low to moderate titanomagnetite phase (Akimoto, 1962). Demagnetization experiments reveal mean destructive fields of the NRM ranging between 15mT and 40mT suggesting that both multi-domain to pseudo-single domain grains are the dominant ferromagnetic phases that carry the remanence and AMS fabric. Preliminary paleomagnetic data yield stable single component demagnetization behavior for most sites that, after structural correction, indicate clockwise vertical axis rotation ranging from +20°± 10° to +60°± 11° between multiple fault blocks. The uncorrected AMS data yield oblate magnetic fabrics that can be used to infer the transport direction, source region, and paleovalley geometry of the JST. These data are tentatively interpreted to indicate west to east transport of the JST across the Mono Basin region into the Mina Deflection that was erupted and

1. A comprehensive analysis of genome-wide association studies to identify prostate cancer susceptibility loci for the Romanian population.

PubMed

Rădăvoi, George Daniel; Pricop, Cătălin; Jinga, Viorel; Mateş, Dana; Rădoi, Viorica Elena; Jinga, Mariana; Ursu, Radu Ioan; Bratu, Ovidiu Gabriel; Mischianu, Dan Liviu Dorel; Iordache, Paul

2016-01-01

The aim of this study is to examine a large dataset of single nucleotide polymorphism known to be associated with prostate cancer from previous genome-wide association studies and create a dataset of single nucleotide polymorphisms that can be used in replication studies for the Romanian population. This study will define a list of markers showing a significant association with this phenotype. We propose the results of this study as a starting point for any Romanian genome-wide association studies researching the genetic susceptibility for prostate cancer. PMID:27516020

2. Factors controlling building susceptibility to earthquakes: 14-year recordings of Islamic archaeological sites in Old Cairo, Egypt: a case study

Kamh, G. M. E.; Kallash, A.; Azzam, R.

2008-11-01

Cairo City has a large number and different forms of Islamic archaeological sites, in particular, at El-Gammalia and El-Moez streets, as well as Coptic archaeological sites, e.g. at Mari Gergis. Human interference and activities at these historical areas resulted in flooding such sites’ foundations with domestic water, deteriorating its basal courses by salt weathering. The 1992 earthquake is another natural environmental hazard severely affecting many of these sites. The aim of the current study is to examine some factors (of bedrock and buildings) that are expected to control building susceptibility to damage by earthquakes by taking 38 Islamic archaeological sites in the El-Gammalia area as a representative case study. Detailed field recordings of site damage category before and after the quake and continued recording of damage features generated by the 1992 quake over the last 14 years, measuring depth to sub-surface water, measuring buildings’ height before the quake and bedrock sampling at these sites for geotechnical investigations were all considered for achieving this aim. The data has been processed mathematically and graphically (using the Excel package) to examine the main factors responsible for building susceptibility to damage by earthquakes. The selected archaeological sites give an excellent representation of the factors controlling building susceptibility to damage by quakes; it is found that the sites with heights (before the quake) ranging from 12 to 14 m are the most affected ones; the sites with the highest damage category before the quake were more susceptible to more damage by the quake; the sites that had been built on alluvium soil were more affected than those built on the Eocene limestone. The age of these sites has, to a small extent, indirect control on sites’ susceptibility to damage by the quake, particularly in parts flooded with domestic water (i.e. affected by salt weathering). The depth to sub-surface water is an effective

3. An In vitro Study on Post Bleaching Pigmentation Susceptibility of Teeth and Scanning Electron Microscopy Analysis

PubMed Central

Latha, S Pushpa; Hegde, Vani; Raheel, Syed Ahmed; Tarakji, Bassel; Azzeghaiby, Saleh Nasser; Nassani, Mohammad Zakaria

2014-01-01

Background: To determine the susceptibility of teeth for repigmentation after bleaching. Materials and Methods: Forty premolars were assigned to three groups (n = 12). Group 1 was bleached using 30% w/v hydrogen peroxide 15 min 3 times a day every other day for 4 days. In Group 2 was bleached using 16% carbamide peroxide (Polanight), 90 min a day for 15 days. 2 days later, the shades of the bleached teeth were recorded. Remaining 4 teeth were bleached according to Group 1 and 2 and were subjected to atomic force microscopy, scanning electron microscopy analysis. Results: Specimens of athome bleaching were lighter than the specimens of inoffice bleaching. Conclusion: The susceptibility of enamel to pigmentation can be increased after bleaching, and pigmentation is greater if bleaching is performed with H2O2. The percentage change (lighter) was more for athome bleaching specimens as compared to inoffice bleaching specimens. PMID:25395800

4. Intramuscular iron-dextran and susceptibility of neonates to bacterial infections. In vitro studies.

PubMed Central

Becroft, D M; Dix, M R; Farmer, K

1977-01-01

An increased incidence of E. coli sepsis has been observed in neonates given intramuscular iron-dextran for prevention of iron deficiency. Mechanisms for this apparent effect on susceptibility to infection were investigated by comparing phagocytic and antibacterial functions in paired samples of venous blood from 7 infants, median age 5 days, before and after iron-dextran. Post-treatment sera had increased inhibitory effects on leucocyte chemotaxis and markedly reduced bacteriostatic effects agaainst E. coli. The clinical relevance of the effects on chemotaxis is uncertain. The reduction in serum bacteriostasis is similar to that observed in other forms of hyperferraemia not associated with saturation of transferrin, and is a likely cause of the increased susceptibility to infection in vivo. We consider that prophylactic treatment with parenteral iron-dextran is contraindicated in early infancy. PMID:337910

5. Patient and provider attitudes toward genomic testing for prostate cancer susceptibility: a mixed method study

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background The strong association between family history and prostate cancer (PCa) suggests a significant genetic contribution, yet specific highly penetrant PCa susceptibility genes have not been identified. Certain single-nucleotide-polymorphisms have been found to correlate with PCa risk; however uncertainty remains regarding their clinical utility and how to best incorporate this information into clinical decision-making. Genetic testing is available directly to consumers and both patients and healthcare providers are becoming more aware of this technology. Purchasing online allows patients to bypass their healthcare provider yet patients may have difficulty interpreting test results and providers may be called upon to interpret results. Determining optimal ways to educate both patients and providers, and strategies for appropriately incorporating this information into clinical decision-making are needed. Methods A mixed-method study was conducted in Utah between October 2011 and December 2011. Eleven focus group discussions were held and surveys were administered to 23 first-degree relatives of PCa patients living in Utah and 24 primary-care physicians and urologists practicing in Utah to present specific information about these assessments and determine knowledge and attitudes regarding health implications of using these assessments. Results Data was independently coded by two researchers (relative Kappa = .88; provider Kappa = .77) and analyzed using a grounded theory approach. Results indicated differences in attitudes and behavioral intentions between patient and provider. Despite the test’s limitations relatives indicated interest in genetic testing (52%) while most providers indicated they would not recommend the test for their patients (79%). Relatives expected providers to interpret genetic test results and use results to provide personalized healthcare recommendations while the majority of providers did not think the information would be useful in

6. Serum pharmacokinetics and cerebrospinal fluid concentration analysis of the new IgG4 monoclonal antibody GNbAC1 to treat multiple sclerosis: A Phase 1 study.

PubMed

Curtin, François; Vidal, Virginie; Bernard, Corinne; Kromminga, Arno; Lang, Alois B; Porchet, Hervé

2016-07-01

GNbAC1 is a humanized IgG4 monoclonal antibody antagonist of Mulitple Sclerosis Retrovirus Envelope (MSRV-Env), a protein that could play a critical role in multiple sclerosis. This randomized placebo-controlled dose-escalation study evaluated the safety and pharmacokinetics of GNbAC1 in 21 healthy volunteers after single intravenous infusion at doses of 6, 18 and 36 mg/kg. Lumbar punctures were performed at days 2, 15 or 29 to measure GNbAC1 concentrations in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). GNbAC1 was well tolerated. Serum data show a dose-linear pharmacokinetics. A mean CSF/serum ratio of 0.12% was observed at Day 2, increasing to 0.39% at Day 15 and 0.42% at Day 29. Linear regression analysis shows a relationship between GNbAC1 CSF/serum ratio and albumin CSF/serum ratio and a relationship at the limit of statistical significance with the timing of CSF sampling. PMID:27030142

7. Construction of Tunnel Diode Oscillator for AC Impedance Measurement

Shin, J. H.; Kim, E.

2014-03-01

We construct a tunnel diode oscillator (TDO) to study electromagnetic response of a superconducting thin film. Highly sensitive tunnel diode oscillators allow us to detect extremely small changes in electromagnetic properties such as dielectric constant, ac magnetic susceptibility and magnetoresistance. A tunnel diode oscillator is a self-resonant oscillator of which resonance frequency is primarily determined by capacitance and inductance of a resonator. Amplitude of the signal depends on the quality factor of the resonator. The change in the impedance of the sample electromagnetic coupled to one of inductors in the resonator alters impedance of the inductor, and leads to the shift in the resonance frequency and the change of the amplitude.

8. High-temperature studies of the magnetic susceptibility of samarium and the Al{sub 2}Sm compound

SciTech Connect

Uporova, N. S.; Uporov, S. A.; Sidorov, V. E.

2012-02-15

The magnetic susceptibility of metallic samarium and the Al{sub 2}Sm intermetallic compound has been experimentally studied by the Faraday method in the temperature range of 300-1800 K. It has been shown that the temperature dependences of the magnetic susceptibility of Sm and Al{sub 2}Sm in a crystalline state can be described in the framework of Van Vleck paramagnetism theory taking into account variable valence and the contribution from the conduction electrons. Using this theoretical interpretation of the data, the effective valence of samarium in the metallic state and in the Al{sub 2}Sm intermetallic compound has been estimated as a function of the temperature.

9. Cytokine production in arthritis susceptible and resistant rats: a study with arthritogenic and non-arthritogenic Lactobacillus cell walls.

PubMed

Simelyte, E; Isomäki, P; Rimpiläinen, M; Zhang, X; Toivanen, P

2001-02-01

The basis of the different susceptibility to bacterial cell wall-induced arthritis between Lewis and Fischer rats is unclear. Likewise, it is not known why cell walls of some species of Lactobacillus are arthritogenic and those of others are not. With these two questions in mind, we investigated the role of anti-inflammatory (interleukin (IL)-10, IL-4) and proinflammatory (tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha, IL-1 beta) cytokines in Lewis and Fischer rats injected intraperitoneally with cell walls from arthritogenic or nonarthritogenic species of Lactobacillus. Cytokine levels in the serum and in vitro production by peritoneal macrophages and splenocytes were studied. The results obtained indicate that the differences in the production of IL-10, IL-4, TNF-alpha or IL-1 beta do not explain the difference in the arthritis susceptibility between Lewis and Fischer rats. Likewise, the arthritogenicity of different Lactobacillus cell walls appears not to be dependent on their capacity to stimulate cytokine production. PMID:11169216

10. Proton Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy as a Technique for Gentamicin Drug Susceptibility Studies with Escherichia coli ATCC 25922

PubMed Central

García-Álvarez, Lara; Busto, Jesús H.; Avenoza, Alberto; Sáenz, Yolanda; Peregrina, Jesús Manuel

2015-01-01

Antimicrobial drug susceptibility tests involving multiple time-consuming steps are still used as reference methods. Today, there is a need for the development of new automated instruments that can provide faster results and reduce operating time, reagent costs, and labor requirements. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy meets those requirements. The metabolism and antimicrobial susceptibility of Escherichia coli ATCC 25922 in the presence of gentamicin have been analyzed using NMR and compared with a reference method. Direct incubation of the bacteria (with and without gentamicin) into the NMR tube has also been performed, and differences in the NMR spectra were obtained. The MIC, determined by the reference method found in this study, would correspond with the termination of the bacterial metabolism observed with NMR. Experiments carried out directly into the NMR tube enabled the development of antimicrobial drug susceptibility tests to assess the effectiveness of the antibiotic. NMR is an objective and reproducible method for showing the effects of a drug on the subject bacterium and can emerge as an excellent tool for studying bacterial activity in the presence of different antibiotic concentrations. PMID:25972417

11. Operation Method for AC Motor Control during Power Interruption in Direct AC/AC Converter System

Shizu, Keiichiro; Azuma, Satoshi

Direct AC/AC converters have been studied due to their potential use in power converters with no DC-link capacitor, which can contribute to the miniaturization of power converters. However, the absence of a DC-link capacitor makes it difficult to control the AC motor during power interruption. First, this paper proposes a system that realizes AC motor control during power interruption by utilizing a clamp capacitor. In general, direct AC/AC converters have a clamp circuit consisting of a rectifier diode(s) and a clamp capacitor in order to avoid over-voltages. In the proposed system, there is an additional semiconductor switch reverse-parallel to the rectifier diode(s), and the clamp capacitor voltage can be utilized for AC motor control by turning on the additional switch. Second, this paper discusses an operation method for AC motor control and clamp capacitor voltage control during power interruption. In the proposed method “DC-link voltage control”, the kinetic energy in the AC motor is transformed into electrical energy and stored in the clamp capacitor; the clamp capacitor is therefore charged and the capacitor voltage is controlled to remain constant at an instruction value. Third, this paper discusses a switching operation during power interruption. A dead-time is introduced between the operation of turning off all switches on the rectifier side and the operation of turning on the additional switch, which prevents the occurrence of a short circuit between the interrupted power source and the clamp capacitor. Finally, experimental results are presented. During power interruptions, an output current was continuously obtained and the clamp capacitor voltage was maintained to be equal to the instruction value of the capacitor voltage. These results indicate that both AC motor control and capacitor voltage control were successfully achieved by using the proposed system.

12. Identification of some factors affecting pharmaceutical active compounds (PhACs) removal in real wastewater. Case study of fungal treatment of reverse osmosis concentrate.

PubMed

Badia-Fabregat, Marina; Lucas, Daniel; Gros, Meritxell; Rodríguez-Mozaz, Sara; Barceló, Damià; Caminal, Glòria; Vicent, Teresa

2015-01-01

Many technologies are being developed for the efficient removal of micropollutants from wastewater and, among them, fungal degradation is one of the possible alternative biological treatments. In this article, some factors that might affect pharmaceutically active compounds (PhACs) removal in a fungal treatment of real wastewater were identified in batch bioreactor treating reverse osmosis concentrate (ROC) from urban wastewater treatment plant (WWTP). We found that degradation of PhACs by Trametes versicolor was enhanced by addition of external nutrients (global removal of 44%). Moreover, our results point out that high aeration might be involved in the increase in the concentration of some PhACs. In fact, conjugation and deconjugation processes (among others) affect the removal assessment of emerging contaminants when working with real concentrations in comparison to experiments with spiked samples. Moreover, factors that could affect the quantification of micropollutants at lab-scale experiments were studied. PMID:25464308

13. A Genome-Wide Association Study Identifies Susceptibility Loci for Ovarian Cancer at 2q31 and 8q24

PubMed Central

Goode, Ellen L.; Chenevix-Trench, Georgia; Song, Honglin; Ramus, Susan J.; Notaridou, Maria; Lawrenson, Kate; Widschwendter, Martin; Vierkant, Robert A.; Larson, Melissa C.; Kjaer, Susanne K.; Birrer, Michael J.; Berchuck, Andrew; Schildkraut, Joellen; Tomlinson, Ian; Kiemeney, Lambertus A.; Cook, Linda S.; Gronwald, Jacek; Garcia-Closas, Montserrat; Gore, Martin E.; Campbell, Ian; Whittemore, Alice S.; Sutphen, Rebecca; Phelan, Catherine; Anton-Culver, Hoda; Pearce, Celeste Leigh; Lambrechts, Diether; Rossing, Mary Anne; Chang-Claude, Jenny; Moysich, Kirsten B.; Goodman, Marc T.; Dörk, Thilo; Nevanlinna, Heli; Ness, Roberta B.; Rafnar, Thorunn; Hogdall, Claus; Hogdall, Estrid; Fridley, Brooke L.; Cunningham, Julie M.; Sieh, Weiva; McGuire, Valerie; Godwin, Andrew K.; Cramer, Daniel W.; Hernandez, Dena; Levine, Douglas; Lu, Karen; Iversen, Edwin S.; Palmieri, Rachel T.; Houlston, Richard; van Altena, Anne M.; Aben, Katja K.H.; Massuger, Leon F.A.G.; Brooks-Wilson, Angela; Kelemen, Linda E.; Le, Nhu D.; Jakubowska, Anna; Lubinski, Jan; Medrek, Krzysztof; Stafford, Anne; Easton, Douglas F.; Tyrer, Jonathan; Bolton, Kelly L.; Harrington, Patricia; Eccles, Diana; Chen, Ann; Molina, Ashley N.; Davila, Barbara N.; Arango, Hector; Tsai, Ya-Yu; Chen, Zhihua; Risch, Harvey A.; McLaughlin, John; Narod, Steven A.; Ziogas, Argyrios; Brewster, Wendy; Gentry-Maharaj, Aleksandra; Menon, Usha; Wu, Anna H.; Stram, Daniel O.; Pike, Malcolm C.; Beesley, Jonathan; Webb, Penelope M.; Chen, Xiaoqing; Ekici, Arif B.; Thiel, Falk C.; Beckmann, Matthias W.; Yang, Hannah; Wentzensen, Nicolas; Lissowska, Jolanta; Fasching, Peter A.; Despierre, Evelyn; Amant, Frederic; Vergote, Ignace; Doherty, Jennifer; Hein, Rebecca; Wang-Gohrke, Shan; Lurie, Galina; Carney, Michael E.; Thompson, Pamela J.; Runnebaum, Ingo; Hillemanns, Peter; Dürst, Matthias; Antonenkova, Natalia; Bogdanova, Natalia; Leminen, Arto; Butzow, Ralf; Heikkinen, Tuomas; Stefansson, Kari; Sulem, Patrick; Besenbacher, Sören; Sellers, Thomas A.; Gayther, Simon A.; Pharoah, Paul D.P.

2011-01-01

Ovarian cancer (OC) accounts for more deaths than all other gynecological cancers combined. To identify common low-penetrance OC susceptibility genes, we conducted a genome-wide association study (GWAS) of 507,094 SNPs in 1,768 cases and 2,354 controls, with follow-up of 21,955 SNPs in 4,162 cases and 4,810 controls, leading to the identification of a confirmed susceptibility locus at 9p22 (BNC2)1. Here, we report on nine additional candidate loci (p≤10-4), identified after stratifying cases by histology, genotyped in an additional 4,353 cases and 6,021 controls. Two novel susceptibility loci with p≤5×10-8 were confirmed (8q24, p=8.0×10-15 and 2q31, p=3.8×10-14); two additional loci were also identified that approached genome-wide significance (3q25, p=7.1×10-8 and 17q21, p=1.4×10-7). The associations with serous OC were generally stronger than other subtypes. Analysis of HOXD1, MYC, TiPARP, and SKAP1 at these loci, and BNC2 at 9p22, supports a functional role for these genes in OC development. PMID:20852632

14. A prospective study on evaluation of pathogenesis, biofilm formation, antibiotic susceptibility of microbial community in urinary catheter

Younis, Khansa Mohammed; Usup, Gires; Ahmad, Asmat

2015-09-01

This study is aimed to isolate, detect biofilm formation ability and antibiotic susceptibility of urinary catheter adherent microorganisms from elderly hospitalized patient at the Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Medical Center. Microorganisms were isolated from three samples of urinary catheters (UC) surface; one of the acute vascular rejection patient (UCB) and two from benign prostate hyperplasia patients (UCC and UCD). A total of 100 isolates was isolated with 35 from UCB, 38 (UCC) and 28 (UCD). Ninety six were identified as Gram-negative bacilli, one Gram-positive bacilli and three yeasts. Results of biofilm forming on sterile foley catheter showed that all the isolates can form biofilm at different degrees; strong biofilm forming: 32% from the 35 isolates (UCB), 25% out of 38 isolates (UCC), 26% out of 28 isolates (UCD). As for moderate biofilm forming; 3% from UCB, 10% from UCC and 2% from UCD. Weak biofilm forming in UCC (3%). The antibiotic susceptibility for (UCB) isolates showed highly resistant to ampicillin, novobiocin and penicillin 100 (%), kanamycin (97%), tetracycline (94%), chloramphenicol (91%), streptomycin (77%) and showed low level of resistance to gentamycin (17%), while all the isolates from (UCC-D) showed high resistant towards ampicillin and penicillin, novobiocin (94%), tetracycline (61%), streptomycin (53%), gentamycin (50%) and low level of resistance to kanamycin (48%), chloramphenicol (47%). The findings indicate that these isolates can spread within the community on urinary catheters surface and produce strong biofilm, therefore, monitoring antibiotic susceptibility of bacteria isolated in the aggregation is recommended.

15. Landslide susceptibility mapping based on Support Vector Machine: A case study on natural slopes of Hong Kong, China

Yao, X.; Tham, L. G.; Dai, F. C.

2008-11-01

The Support Vector Machine (SVM) is an increasingly popular learning procedure based on statistical learning theory, and involves a training phase in which the model is trained by a training dataset of associated input and target output values. The trained model is then used to evaluate a separate set of testing data. There are two main ideas underlying the SVM for discriminant-type problems. The first is an optimum linear separating hyperplane that separates the data patterns. The second is the use of kernel functions to convert the original non-linear data patterns into the format that is linearly separable in a high-dimensional feature space. In this paper, an overview of the SVM, both one-class and two-class SVM methods, is first presented followed by its use in landslide susceptibility mapping. A study area was selected from the natural terrain of Hong Kong, and slope angle, slope aspect, elevation, profile curvature of slope, lithology, vegetation cover and topographic wetness index (TWI) were used as environmental parameters which influence the occurrence of landslides. One-class and two-class SVM models were trained and then used to map landslide susceptibility respectively. The resulting susceptibility maps obtained by the methods were compared to that obtained by the logistic regression (LR) method. It is concluded that two-class SVM possesses better prediction efficiency than logistic regression and one-class SVM. However, one-class SVM, which only requires failed cases, has an advantage over the other two methods as only "failed" case information is usually available in landslide susceptibility mapping.

16. Why do patients with stroke not receive the recommended amount of active therapy (ReAcT)? Study protocol for a multisite case study investigation

PubMed Central

Clarke, David J; Tyson, Sarah; Rodgers, Helen; Drummond, Avril; Palmer, Rebecca; Prescott, Matthew; Tyrrell, Pippa; Burton, Louisa; Grenfell, Katie; Brkic, Lianne; Forster, Anne

2015-01-01

Introduction Increased frequency and intensity of inpatient therapy contributes to improved outcomes for stroke survivors. Differences exist in the amount of therapy provided internationally. In England, Wales and Northern Ireland it is recommended that a minimum of 45 min of each active therapy should be provided at least 5 days a week provided the therapy is appropriate and that the patient can tolerate this. Sentinel Stroke National Audit Programme (2014) data demonstrate this standard is not being achieved for most patients. No research been undertaken to explore how therapists in England manage their practice to meet time-specific therapy recommendations. The ReAcT study aims to develop an in-depth understanding of stroke therapy provision, including how the guideline of 45 min a day of each relevant therapy, is interpreted and implemented by therapists, and how it is experienced by stroke-survivors and their families. Methods and analysis A multisite ethnographic case study design in a minimum of six stroke units will include modified process mapping, observations of service organisation, therapy delivery and documentary analysis. Semistructured interviews with therapists and service managers (n=90), and with patients and informal carers (n=60 pairs) will be conducted. Data will be analysed using the Framework approach. Ethics and dissemination The study received a favourable ethical opinion via the National Research Ethics Service (reference number: 14/NW/0266). Participants will provide written informed consent or, where stroke-survivors lack capacity, a consultee declaration will be sought. ReAcT is designed to generate insights into the organisational, professional, social, practical and patient-related factors acting as facilitators or barriers to providing the recommended amount of therapy. Provisional recommendations will be debated in consensus meetings with stakeholders who have not participated in ReAcT case studies or interviews. Final

17. Exploring the effect of absence selection on landslide susceptibility models: A case study in Sicily, Italy

Conoscenti, Christian; Rotigliano, Edoardo; Cama, Mariaelena; Caraballo-Arias, Nathalie Almaru; Lombardo, Luigi; Agnesi, Valerio

2016-05-01

A statistical approach was employed to model the spatial distribution of rainfall-triggered landslides in two areas in Sicily (Italy) that occurred during the winter of 2004-2005. The investigated areas are located within the Belice River basin and extend for 38.5 and 10.3 km2, respectively. A landslide inventory was established for both areas using two Google Earth images taken on October 25th 2004 and on March 18th 2005, to map slope failures activated or reactivated during this interval. Geographic Information Systems (GIS) were used to prepare 5 m grids of the dependent variables (absence/presence of landslide) and independent variables (lithology and 13 DEM-derivatives). Multivariate Adaptive Regression Splines (MARS) were applied to model landslide susceptibility whereas receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves and the area under the ROC curve (AUC) were used to evaluate model performance. To evaluate the robustness of the whole procedure, we prepared 10 different samples of positive (landslide presence) and negative (landslide absence) cases for each area. Absences were selected through two different methods: (i) extraction from randomly distributed circles with a diameter corresponding to the mean width of the landslide source areas; and (ii) selection as randomly distributed individual grid cells. A comparison was also made between the predictive performances of models including and not including the lithology parameter. The models trained and tested on the same area demonstrated excellent to outstanding fit (AUC > 0.8). On the other hand, predictive skill decreases when measured outside the calibration area, although most of the landslides occur where susceptibility is high and the overall model performance is acceptable (AUC > 0.7). The results also showed that the accuracy of the landslide susceptibility models is higher when lithology is included in the statistical analysis. Models whose absences were selected using random circles showed a

18. MR susceptibility imaging

Duyn, Jeff

2013-04-01

This work reviews recent developments in the use of magnetic susceptibility contrast for human MRI, with a focus on the study of brain anatomy. The increase in susceptibility contrast with modern high field scanners has led to novel applications and insights into the sources and mechanism contributing to this contrast in brain tissues. Dedicated experiments have demonstrated that in most of healthy brain, iron and myelin dominate tissue susceptibility variations, although their relative contribution varies substantially. Local variations in these compounds can affect both amplitude and frequency of the MRI signal. In white matter, the myelin sheath introduces an anisotropic susceptibility that has distinct effects on the water compartments inside the axons, between the myelin sheath, and the axonal space, and renders their signals dependent on the angle between the axon and the magnetic field. This offers opportunities to derive tissue properties specific to these cellular compartments.

19. Genome-wide association study identifies nox3 as a critical gene for susceptibility to noise-induced hearing loss.

PubMed

Lavinsky, Joel; Crow, Amanda L; Pan, Calvin; Wang, Juemei; Aaron, Ksenia A; Ho, Maria K; Li, Qingzhong; Salehide, Pehzman; Myint, Anthony; Monges-Hernadez, Maya; Eskin, Eleazar; Allayee, Hooman; Lusis, Aldons J; Friedman, Rick A

2015-04-01

In the United States, roughly 10% of the population is exposed daily to hazardous levels of noise in the workplace. Twin studies estimate heritability for noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) of approximately 36%, and strain specific variation in sensitivity has been demonstrated in mice. Based upon the difficulties inherent to the study of NIHL in humans, we have turned to the study of this complex trait in mice. We exposed 5 week-old mice from the Hybrid Mouse Diversity Panel (HMDP) to a 10 kHz octave band noise at 108 dB for 2 hours and assessed the permanent threshold shift 2 weeks post exposure using frequency specific stimuli. These data were then used in a genome-wide association study (GWAS) using the Efficient Mixed Model Analysis (EMMA) to control for population structure. In this manuscript we describe our GWAS, with an emphasis on a significant peak for susceptibility to NIHL on chromosome 17 within a haplotype block containing NADPH oxidase-3 (Nox3). Our peak was detected after an 8 kHz tone burst stimulus. Nox3 mutants and heterozygotes were then tested to validate our GWAS. The mutants and heterozygotes demonstrated a greater susceptibility to NIHL specifically at 8 kHz both on measures of distortion product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAE) and on auditory brainstem response (ABR). We demonstrate that this sensitivity resides within the synaptic ribbons of the cochlea in the mutant animals specifically at 8 kHz. Our work is the first GWAS for NIHL in mice and elucidates the power of our approach to identify tonotopic genetic susceptibility to NIHL. PMID:25880434

20. Genome-Wide Association Study Identifies Nox3 as a Critical Gene for Susceptibility to Noise-Induced Hearing Loss

PubMed Central

Lavinsky, Joel; Crow, Amanda L.; Pan, Calvin; Wang, Juemei; Aaron, Ksenia A.; Ho, Maria K.; Li, Qingzhong; Salehide, Pehzman; Myint, Anthony; Monges-Hernadez, Maya; Eskin, Eleazar; Allayee, Hooman; Lusis, Aldons J.; Friedman, Rick A.

2015-01-01

In the United States, roughly 10% of the population is exposed daily to hazardous levels of noise in the workplace. Twin studies estimate heritability for noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) of approximately 36%, and strain specific variation in sensitivity has been demonstrated in mice. Based upon the difficulties inherent to the study of NIHL in humans, we have turned to the study of this complex trait in mice. We exposed 5 week-old mice from the Hybrid Mouse Diversity Panel (HMDP) to a 10 kHz octave band noise at 108 dB for 2 hours and assessed the permanent threshold shift 2 weeks post exposure using frequency specific stimuli. These data were then used in a genome-wide association study (GWAS) using the Efficient Mixed Model Analysis (EMMA) to control for population structure. In this manuscript we describe our GWAS, with an emphasis on a significant peak for susceptibility to NIHL on chromosome 17 within a haplotype block containing NADPH oxidase-3 (Nox3). Our peak was detected after an 8 kHz tone burst stimulus. Nox3 mutants and heterozygotes were then tested to validate our GWAS. The mutants and heterozygotes demonstrated a greater susceptibility to NIHL specifically at 8 kHz both on measures of distortion product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAE) and on auditory brainstem response (ABR). We demonstrate that this sensitivity resides within the synaptic ribbons of the cochlea in the mutant animals specifically at 8 kHz. Our work is the first GWAS for NIHL in mice and elucidates the power of our approach to identify tonotopic genetic susceptibility to NIHL. PMID:25880434

1. Gender and AIDS-related psychosocial processes: a study of perceived susceptibility, social distance, and homophobia.

PubMed

Schieman, S

1998-06-01

Over the past decade, researchers have accumulated evidence that suggests six main factors are associated with AIDS-related risk reduction behavior: (a) perceived susceptibility (Dolcini et al., 1995; van der Plight & Richard, 1994); (b) attitudes toward condoms (Catania et al., 1994; Maticka-Tynadale, 1991); (c) personally knowing someone with HIV/AIDS (Joseph et al., 1987); (d) perceived peer norms about risk-reduction (Maticka-Tyndale, 1991); (e) previous sexual activity (Joseph et al., 1987); and (f) self-efficacy (Aspinwall, Kemeny, Taylor, & Schneider, 1991; van der Plight & Richard, 1994). Furthermore, there is some suggestion that the epidemiology and sociocultural constructions of the disease has led to considerable gender, racial, and class differences in awareness of AIDS, perception of HIV threat, and HIV-relevant behavior (Cohan & Atwood, 1994; Dolcini et al., 1995; Gillies, 1994). PMID:9642424

2. [Study on in-vitro susceptibility of ESBL-positive Escherichia coli isolated from urine specimens].

PubMed

Grandesso, Stefano; Sapino, Barbara; Mazzucato, Sandra; Alessandrini, Roberta; Solinas, Maria; Gion, Massimo

2010-09-01

Treatment of infections by beta-lactamase-producing microorganisms is very difficult. Our aim was to determine the in vitro susceptibility of 430 ESBL-positive Escherichia coli strains isolated from urinary tract infections. All the microorganisms were isolated in the Microbiology Unit at the Ospedale dell'Angelo in Mestre (Venice) between May 2008 and September 2009 and were confirmed by the double-disk test. All microorganisms were sensitive to imipenem and meropenem, 98.4% to tigecycline, 95.1% to amikacin, 89.3% to nitrofurantoin, 67.5% to gentamycin and 63.2% to piperacillin/tazobactam. Only 22.6% were sensitive to cotrimoxazole, while fluoroquinolone (norfloxacin and levofloxacin) activity was found to be very low (6%). PMID:20956871

3. A study of large scaled landslide susceptibility by using Weight-of-Evidence method: A case study from the Laonung River Watershed, Southern Taiwan

Chen, Chih-Hao; Lin, Ching-Weei; Tseng, Chih-Ming

2013-04-01

The Laonung River watershed which covered an area 1367 km2 is selected as the study area to construct large scaled landslides susceptibility model by using Weight-of-Evidence method. Within the study area, 950 landslides with an area more than 10 ha are identified from FORMOSAT 2 images, aerial photos, and LiDAR derived 1 m high resolution Digital-Elevation-Model (DEM) taken after typhoon Moratko in 2009. Among these, 271 landslides occurred recently and they show bare ground in aerial photos and satellite images. 318 landslides are vegetation recovery, and they are inferred from their topographic characteristics by using aerial photos with topographic map. Additionally, 361 landslides with topographic features of deep seated landslide such as crown main escarpment, down slop scarp, up slop scarp, and transverse cracks are identified from 1m resolution LiDAR derived DEM. Weight-of-Evidence method is a bivariate statistical approach which uses the concept of Bayes' theorem and odds ratio to calculate the weighting of each evaluation parameter. In this study, ten parameters including slope gradient, slope aspect, landform, elevation, lithology, dip-slope, undercut slope, normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), the distance from geological structure and the distance from stream are selected as evaluation factors. For each parameter, the weighting for landslide susceptibility is calculated, and the weighting of all parameters are then summed to generate the landslide susceptibility map. The study results show the area under the success rate curves reaching 80%, and 70% of large scaled landslides falls within top 30% susceptibility index. It implies that the susceptibility model constructed by this study can effectively predict the location of large scaled landslides in the study area. The results can benefit to the management of mitigation plan of the large scaled landslides in southern Taiwan.

4. Spin-coupling in ferric metalloporphyrin radical cation complexes: Mössbauer and susceptibility studies

Lang, George; Boso, Brian; Erler, Brian S.; Reed, Christopher A.

1986-03-01

The ferric metalloporphyrin π-radical cation complexes Fe(III) (OClO3)2 (TPP.) and [Fe(III) Cl (TPP.)] [SbCl6] were examined in microcrystalline form by Mössbauer spectroscopy and magnetic susceptometry over a range of temperatures and applied fields. All measurements on the six-coordinate Fe(OClO3)2 (TPP.) were consistent with isolated molecules having an S=5/2 iron site with zero field splitting (12 cm-1) S2z that is ferromagnetically coupled to the S=1/2 porphyrin radical by an energy term (-110 cm-1) Sṡs. Thus the ground state is overall spin-3. In the five-coordinate [FeCl (TPP.)] [SbCl6] the susceptibility is in reasonable agreement with the results of a calculation based on zero field splitting (12 cm-1) S2z for the S=5/2 iron and antiferromagnetic coupling (200 cm-1) Sṡs with the radical to give an overall spin-2 ground state. However, the Mössbauer measurements require a more complicated model having the same large intramolecular iron-radical coupling, a smaller zero field splitting (3 cm-1) S2z, and weak intermolecular antiferromagnetic coupling between heme pairs given by (32 cm-1) s1ṡs2 or, equivalently, (0.65 cm-1) S1ṡS2. A slightly improved correspondence with the measured susceptibility results. The intermolecular antiferromagnetic coupling probably results from crystallization of the [FeCl (TPP.)]+ cations in face-to-face dimers as observed in other closely related five-coordinate iron (III) porphyrins.

5. Study of the ketogenic agent AC-1202 in mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicenter trial

PubMed Central

Henderson, Samuel T; Vogel, Janet L; Barr, Linda J; Garvin, Fiona; Jones, Julie J; Costantini, Lauren C

2009-01-01

6. Exposure to point-of-sale displays and changes in susceptibility to smoking: findings from a cohort study of school students

PubMed Central

Bogdanovica, Ilze; Szatkowski, Lisa; McNeill, Ann; Spanopoulos, Dionysis; Britton, John

2015-01-01

Aims To investigate the association between frequency of visiting shops and noticing of tobacco point-of-sale (PoS) displays and the development of susceptibility to smoking, or smoking uptake, in secondary school students. Design Two surveys of a school based cohort study carried out in 2011 and 2012. Settings Nottinghamshire, UK. Participants A total of 2270 children aged 11–16 years from eight schools in Nottinghamshire. Measurements We investigated changes in susceptibility to smoking and smoking status in relation to frequency of visiting shops and noticing PoS displays and number of tobacco brands recognized, controlling for a range of potential confounders. Susceptibility to smoking was defined using a set of three questions covering intentions to try smoking, to smoke within the next year and likelihood of smoking if a best friend offered a cigarette. For the analysis we used multinomial logistic regression. Findings Among non-susceptible never smokers, noticing PoS displays more frequently was associated independently with an increased risk of becoming susceptible to smoking [adjusted relative risk ratio (RRR) = 1.74; 99% confidence interval (CI) = 1.13–2.69], but was not associated with smoking uptake. Recognizing a higher number of brands among non-susceptible never smokers doubled the risk of becoming susceptible to smoking and of becoming a smoker, but this did not have a significant effect on transition to smoking among susceptible never smokers. Frequency of noticing tobacco PoS displays was not associated significantly with smoking uptake among those who were susceptible never smokers at baseline. Conclusions Noticing tobacco point-of-sale displays more often and recognizing a higher number of tobacco brands is associated with an increased risk of becoming susceptible to smoking among adolescents in the United Kingdom, and recognizing a higher number of brands is associated positively with an increased risk of smoking uptake. PMID:25488727

7. iGWAS: Integrative Genome-Wide Association Studies of Genetic and Genomic Data for Disease Susceptibility Using Mediation Analysis.

PubMed

Huang, Yen-Tsung; Liang, Liming; Moffatt, Miriam F; Cookson, William O C M; Lin, Xihong

2015-07-01

Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have been a standard practice in identifying single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) for disease susceptibility. We propose a new approach, termed integrative GWAS (iGWAS) that exploits the information of gene expressions to investigate the mechanisms of the association of SNPs with a disease phenotype, and to incorporate the family-based design for genetic association studies. Specifically, the relations among SNPs, gene expression, and disease are modeled within the mediation analysis framework, which allows us to disentangle the genetic effect on a disease phenotype into two parts: an effect mediated through a gene expression (mediation effect, ME) and an effect through other biological mechanisms or environment-mediated mechanisms (alternative effect, AE). We develop omnibus tests for the ME and AE that are robust to underlying true disease models. Numerical studies show that the iGWAS approach is able to facilitate discovering genetic association mechanisms, and outperforms the SNP-only method for testing genetic associations. We conduct a family-based iGWAS of childhood asthma that integrates genetic and genomic data. The iGWAS approach identifies six novel susceptibility genes (MANEA, MRPL53, LYCAT, ST8SIA4, NDFIP1, and PTCH1) using the omnibus test with false discovery rate less than 1%, whereas no gene using SNP-only analyses survives with the same cut-off. The iGWAS analyses further characterize that genetic effects of these genes are mostly mediated through their gene expressions. In summary, the iGWAS approach provides a new analytic framework to investigate the mechanism of genetic etiology, and identifies novel susceptibility genes of childhood asthma that were biologically meaningful. PMID:25997986

8. iGWAS: Integrative Genome-Wide Association Studies of Genetic and Genomic Data for Disease Susceptibility Using Mediation Analysis

PubMed Central

Huang, Yen-Tsung; Liang, Liang; Moffatt, Miriam F.; Cookson, William O. C. M.; Lin, Xihong

2015-01-01

Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have been a standard practice in identifying single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) for disease susceptibility. We propose a new approach, termed integrative GWAS (iGWAS) that exploits the information of gene expressions to investigate the mechanisms of the association of SNPs with a disease phenotype, and to incorporate the family-based design for genetic association studies. Specifically, the relations among SNPs, gene expression, and disease are modeled within the mediation analysis framework, which allows us to disentangle the genetic effect on a disease phenotype into two parts: an effect mediated through a gene expression (mediation effect, ME) and an effect through other biological mechanisms or environment-mediated mechanisms (alternative effect, AE). We develop omnibus tests for the ME and AE that are robust to underlying true disease models. Numerical studies show that the iGWAS approach is able to facilitate discovering genetic association mechanisms, and outperforms the SNP-only method for testing genetic associations. We conduct a family-based iGWAS of childhood asthma that integrates genetic and genomic data. The iGWAS approach identifies six novel susceptibility genes (MANEA, MRPL53, LYCAT, ST8SIA4, NDFIP1, and PTCH1) using the omnibus test with false discovery rate less than 1%, whereas no gene using SNP-only analyses survives with the same cut-off. The iGWAS analyses further characterize that genetic effects of these genes are mostly mediated through their gene expressions. In summary, the iGWAS approach provides a new analytic framework to investigate the mechanism of genetic etiology, and identifies novel susceptibility genes of childhood asthma that were biologically meaningful. PMID:25997986

9. Fine mapping of breast cancer genome-wide association studies loci in women of African ancestry identifies novel susceptibility markers.

PubMed

Zheng, Yonglan; Ogundiran, Temidayo O; Falusi, Adeyinka G; Nathanson, Katherine L; John, Esther M; Hennis, Anselm J M; Ambs, Stefan; Domchek, Susan M; Rebbeck, Timothy R; Simon, Michael S; Nemesure, Barbara; Wu, Suh-Yuh; Leske, Maria Cristina; Odetunde, Abayomi; Niu, Qun; Zhang, Jing; Afolabi, Chibuzor; Gamazon, Eric R; Cox, Nancy J; Olopade, Christopher O; Olopade, Olufunmilayo I; Huo, Dezheng

2013-07-01

Numerous single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with breast cancer susceptibility have been identified by genome-wide association studies (GWAS). However, these SNPs were primarily discovered and validated in women of European and Asian ancestry. Because linkage disequilibrium is ancestry-dependent and heterogeneous among racial/ethnic populations, we evaluated common genetic variants at 22 GWAS-identified breast cancer susceptibility loci in a pooled sample of 1502 breast cancer cases and 1378 controls of African ancestry. None of the 22 GWAS index SNPs could be validated, challenging the direct generalizability of breast cancer risk variants identified in Caucasians or Asians to other populations. Novel breast cancer risk variants for women of African ancestry were identified in regions including 5p12 (odds ratio [OR] = 1.40, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.11-1.76; P = 0.004), 5q11.2 (OR = 1.22, 95% CI = 1.09-1.36; P = 0.00053) and 10p15.1 (OR = 1.22, 95% CI = 1.08-1.38; P = 0.0015). We also found positive association signals in three regions (6q25.1, 10q26.13 and 16q12.1-q12.2) previously confirmed by fine mapping in women of African ancestry. In addition, polygenic model indicated that eight best markers in this study, compared with 22 GWAS-identified SNPs, could better predict breast cancer risk in women of African ancestry (per-allele OR = 1.21, 95% CI = 1.16-1.27; P = 9.7 × 10(-16)). Our results demonstrate that fine mapping is a powerful approach to better characterize the breast cancer risk alleles in diverse populations. Future studies and new GWAS in women of African ancestry hold promise to discover additional variants for breast cancer susceptibility with clinical implications throughout the African diaspora. PMID:23475944

10. Corrosion behaviour of galvanized steel and electroplating steel in aqueous solution: AC impedance study and XPS

Lebrini, M.; Fontaine, G.; Gengembre, L.; Traisnel, M.; Lerasle, O.; Genet, N.

2008-08-01

The efficiency of a new triazole derivative, namely, 2-{(2-hydroxyethyl)[(4-methyl-1 H-1,2,3-benzotriazol-1-yl)methyl]amino}ethanol (TTA) has been studied for corrosion inhibition of galvanized steel and electroplating steel in aqueous solution. Corrosion inhibition was studied using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). These studies have shown that TTA was a very good inhibitor. Data obtained from EIS show a frequency distribution and therefore a modelling element with frequency dispersion behaviour, a constant phase element (CPE) has been used. The corrosion behaviour of galvanized steel and electroplating steel in aqueous solution was also investigated in the presence of 4-methyl-1 H-benzotriazole (TTA unsubstituted) by EIS. These studies have shown that the ability of the molecule to adsorb on the steel surface was dependent on the group in triazole ring substituent. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy surface analysis with TTA shows that it chemisorbed on surface of galvanized steel and electroplating steel.

11. Transverse susceptibility method in nanoparticulate magnetic media.

PubMed

Cimpoesu, Dorin; Spinu, Leonard; Stancu, Alexandru

2008-06-01

Transverse susceptibility (TS) method is a reliable method for the determination of anisotropy in nanoparticulate media. To correctly evaluate the value of anisotropy in various modern nanostructured materials, a number of theoretical problems related to the method have to be well understood to avoid significant systematic errors. This paper presents the state of the art in the TS method which includes the expression for single domain particles with any type of anisotropy, the theoretical and micromagnetic, using Landau-Lifshitz-Gilbert (LLG) equation and stochastic LLG equation studies of the effects of ac field amplitude, inter-particle interactions, and magnetic relaxation. The problem of both real and imaginary parts of the TS signal is also discussed. PMID:18681012

12. In vitro antimicrobial susceptibility testing of Borrelia burgdorferi: a microdilution MIC method and time-kill studies.

PubMed Central

Dever, L L; Jorgensen, J H; Barbour, A G

1992-01-01

The susceptibility of Borrelia burgdorferi, the causative agent of Lyme borreliosis, to various antimicrobial agents varies widely among published studies. These differences are probably due in part to variations in susceptibility testing techniques and growth endpoint determinations. We developed a microdilution method for determining the MICs of antibiotics against B. burgdorferi. The method incorporated BSK II medium, a final inoculum of 10(6) cells per ml, and a 72-h incubation period and was found to be simple and highly reproducible. A variety of antibiotics and strains of B. burgdorferi and one strain of Borrelia hermsii were examined by this method. MICs of penicillin, ceftriaxone, and erythromycin for the B31 strain of B. burgdorferi were 0.06, 0.03, and 0.03 microgram/ml, respectively. We compared the MICs obtained by the microdilution method with those obtained by a macrodilution method using similar criteria for endpoint determinations and found the values obtained by both methods to be in close agreement. To further investigate the bactericidal activities of penicillin, ceftriaxone, and erythromycin against strain B31, we used subsurface plating to determine MBCs and we also performed time-kill studies. The MBCs of penicillin, ceftriaxone, and erythromycin were 0.125, 0.03, and 0.06 micrograms/ml, respectively. Time-kill curves demonstrated a greater than or equal to 3-log10-unit killing after 72 h with penicillin, ceftriaxone, and erythromycin; ceftriaxone provided the greatest reduction in CFU. The described methods offer a more standardized and objective approach to susceptibility testing of B. burgdorferi. Images PMID:1400969

13. Final Report - SRNL Agreement #AC51296V SEM, FIB, TEM Studies of CZT Samples

SciTech Connect

Bradley, J; Dai, Z R; Graham, G A; Teslich, N E

2007-08-28

The aims of this study are: (1) to characterize the surfaces of samples 3-7-8-3 and 4-1-3 using SEM, FIB and TEM techniques; (2) identify raised surface features; (3) prepare FIB-TEM lift-out sections from identified raised surfaces; and (4) perform detailed TEM characterization of FIB Sections. Focusing on the composition and crystallinity of the phases within the sections, including impurities.

14. Studies of structural, optical, dielectric relaxation and ac conductivity of different alkylbenzenesulfonic acids doped polypyrrole nanofibers

Hazarika, J.; Kumar, A.

2016-01-01

Polypyrrole (PPy) nanofibers doped with alkylbenzenesulfonic acids (ABSA) have been synthesized using interfacial polymerization method. HRTEM studies confirm the formation of PPy nanofibers with average diameter ranging from 13 nm to 25 nm. Broad X-ray diffraction peak in 2 θ range 20-23.46° reveals amorphous structure of PPy nanofibers. The ordering or crystallinity of polymer chains increases, while their interplanar spacing (d) and interchain separation (R) decreases for short alkyl chain ABSA doped PPy nanofibers. FTIR studies reveal that short alkyl chain ABSA doped PPy nanofibers show higher value of "effective conjugation length". PPy nanofibers doped with short alkyl chain ABSA dopant exhibit smaller optical band gap. TGA studies show enhanced thermal stability of short alkyl chain ABSA doped PPy nanofibers. Decrease in dielectric permittivity ε ‧ (ω) with increasing frequency suggests presence of electrode polarization effects. Linear decrease in dielectric loss ε ″ (ω) with increasing frequency suggests dominant effect of dc conductivity process. Low value of non-exponential exponent β (<1) reveals non-Debye relaxation of charge carriers. Scaling of imaginary modulus (M ″) reveals that the charge carriers follow the same relaxation mechanism. Moreover, the charge carriers in PPy nanofibers follow the correlated barrier hopping (CBH) transport mechanism.

15. Highly sensitive pseudo-differential ac-nanocalorimeter for the study of the glass transition

SciTech Connect

2015-11-15

We present a nanocalorimeter designed for the measurement of the dynamic heat capacity of thin films. The microfabricated sensor, the thermal conditioning of the sensor, as well as the highly stable and low noise electronic chain allow measurements of the real and imaginary parts of the complex specific heat with a resolution Δ C/C of about 10{sup −5}. The performances of this quasi-differential nanocalorimeter were tested on a model of polymeric glass-former, the polyvinyl acetate (PVAc). The high stability and low noise of the device are essential for accurate studies on non-equilibrium slow relaxing systems such as glasses.

16. Ferrets exclusively synthesize Neu5Ac and express naturally humanized influenza A virus receptors

PubMed Central

Ng, Preston S.K.; Böhm, Raphael; Hartley-Tassell, Lauren E.; Steen, Jason A.; Wang, Hui; Lukowski, Samuel W.; Hawthorne, Paula L.; Trezise, Ann E.O.; Coloe, Peter J.; Grimmond, Sean M.; Haselhorst, Thomas; von Itzstein, Mark; Paton, Adrienne W.; Paton, James C.; Jennings, Michael P.

2014-01-01

Mammals express the sialic acids N-acetylneuraminic acid (Neu5Ac) and N-glycolylneuraminic acid (Neu5Gc) on cell surfaces, where they act as receptors for pathogens, including influenza A virus (IAV). Neu5Gc is synthesized from Neu5Ac by the enzyme cytidine monophosphate-N-acetylneuraminic acid hydroxylase (CMAH). In humans, this enzyme is inactive and only Neu5Ac is produced. Ferrets are susceptible to human-adapted IAV strains and have been the dominant animal model for IAV studies. Here we show that ferrets, like humans, do not synthesize Neu5Gc. Genomic analysis reveals an ancient, nine-exon deletion in the ferret CMAH gene that is shared by the Pinnipedia and Musteloidia members of the Carnivora. Interactions between two human strains of IAV with the sialyllactose receptor (sialic acid—α2,6Gal) confirm that the type of terminal sialic acid contributes significantly to IAV receptor specificity. Our results indicate that exclusive expression of Neu5Ac contributes to the susceptibility of ferrets to human-adapted IAV strains. PMID:25517696

17. Evaluation of debris flow susceptibility by means of a transferability procedure: a study case in Messina area

Cama, Mariaelena; Luigi, Lombardo; Conoscenti, Christian; Rotigliano, Edoardo

2016-04-01

Debris flows can be described as rapid mass movements, gravity induced able to transport large quantities of material downslope. This type of landslides is strongly controlled by the topography and usually occur in region characterized by steep slopes and at least seasonal heavy rainfall. One of the problem when dealing with debris flow susceptible areas is that the eroded surface is usually very shallow and it can be masked by the vegetation already few years after a landslide event. Therefore, debris flow prone areas very often suffer from lack of reliable landslide inventories necessary to calibrate and validate susceptibility models. In order to deal with this problem, transferability procedure (spatial partition) have already proved to be efficient in areas which show analogous topographic, lithological and climatic characteristics. A procedure to evaluate whether it is possible to apply model transferability is here proposed. This approach is based on the assumption that debris flow trigger in different locations under similar topographic conditions and includes: i) a test of similarity between training and test areas aimed at identifying thresholds in catchment similarity which allow to successfully perform the transferability; ii) the calibration of the susceptibility model in the training area; iii) the validation of the model on the test area. The debris flow susceptibility is here evaluated using a stochastic approach and the all procedure is implemented in a R script which can be easily used to test the procedure in other catchments. The study areas chosen to perform this study are located in the Messina province (southern Italy) respectively on the Ionian sector (Itala catchment) and on the Tyrrhenian sector (Saponara catchment). Itala catchment was hit by the sadly known debris flow event of the 1st October 2009 (37 fatalities and huge damages) while Saponara catchment on the 22nd November 2011 (only two years after the 2009 event) experienced a very

18. Corrosion susceptibility study of candidate pin materials for ALTC (Active Lithium/Thionyl Chloride) batteries

Bovard, Francine S.; Cieslak, Wendy R.

1987-09-01

The corrosion susceptibilities of eight alternate battery pin material candidates for ALTC (Active Lithium/Thionyl Chloride) batteries in 1.5M LiAlCl4/SOCl2 electrolyte have been investigated using ampule exposure and electrochemical tests. The thermal expansion coefficients of these candidate materials are expected to match Sandia-developed Li-corrosion resistant glasses. The corrosion resistances of the candidate materials, which included three stainless steels (15-5 PH, 17-4 PH, and 446), three Fe-Ni glass sealing alloys (Kovar, Alloy 52, and Niromet 426), a Ni-based alloy (Hastelloy B-2) and a zirconium-based alloy (Zircaloy), were compared to the reference materials Ni and 316L SS. All of the candidate materials showed some evidence of corrosion and, therefore, did not perform as well as the reference materials. The Hastelloy B-2 and Zircaloy are clearly unacceptable materials for this application. Of the remaining alternate materials, the 446 SS and Alloy 52 are the most promising candidates.

19. Genome-wide association study identifies a psoriasis susceptibility locus at TRAF3IP2

PubMed Central

Ellinghaus, Eva; Ellinghaus, David; Stuart, Philip E.; Nair, Rajan P.; Debrus, Sophie; Raelson, John V.; Belouchi, Majid; Fournier, Hélène; Reinhard, Claudia; Ding, Jun; Li, Yun; Tejasvi, Trilokraj; Gudjonsson, Johann; Stoll, Stefan W.; Voorhees, John J.; Lambert, Sylviane; Weidinger, Stephan; Eberlein, Bernadette; Kunz, Manfred; Rahman, Proton; Gladman, Dafna D.; Gieger, Christian; Wichmann, H. Erich; Karlsen, Tom H.; Mayr, Gabriele; Albrecht, Mario; Kabelitz, Dieter; Mrowietz, Ulrich; Abecasis, Gonçalo R.; Elder, James T.; Schreiber, Stefan; Weichenthal, Michael; Franke, Andre

2011-01-01

Psoriasis is a multifactorial skin disease characterized by epidermal hyperproliferation and chronic inflammation, the most common form of which is psoriasis vulgaris (PsV). We present a genome-wide association analysis of 2,339,118 SNPs in 472 psoriasis patients and 1,146 controls from Germany, with follow-up of the 147 most significant SNPs in 2,746 PsV cases and 4,140 controls from three independent replication panels. We identified an association at TRAF3IP2 on 6q21 and genotyped two SNPs at this locus in two additional replication panels (the combined discovery and replication panels consisted of 6,487 cases and 8,037 controls; combinded P = 2.36×10−10 for rs13210247 and combined P = 1.24×10−16 for rs33980500). About 15% of psoriasis cases develope psoriatic arthritis (PsA). A stratified analysis of our datasets including only PsA cases (1,922 cases compared to 8,037 controls, P=4.57×10−12 for rs33980500) suggested that TRAF3IP2 represents a shared susceptibility for PsV and PsA. TRAF3IP2 encodes a protein involved in IL-17 signaling and which interacts with memebers of the Rel/NF-κB transcription factor family. PMID:20953188

20. AC conductivity and electrochemical studies of PVA/PEG based polymer blend electrolyte films

Polu, Anji Reddy; Kumar, Ranveer; Dehariya, Harsha

2012-06-01

Polymer blend electrolyte films based on Polyvinyl alcohol(PVA)/Poly(ethylene glycol)(PEG) and magnesium nitrate (Mg(NO3)2) were prepared by solution casting technique. Conductivity in the temperature range 303-373 K and transference number measurements have been employed to investigate the charge transport in this polymer blend electrolyte system. The highest conductivity is found to be 9.63 × 10-5 S/cm at 30°C for sample with 30 weight percent of Mg(NO3)2 in PVA/PEG blend matrix. Transport number data shows that the charge transport in this polymer electrolyte system is predominantly due to ions. Using this electrolyte, an electrochemical cell with configuration Mg/(PVA+PEG+Mg(NO3)2)/(I2+C+electrolyte) was fabricated and its discharge characteristics profile has been studied.

1. Antimicrobial susceptibility monitoring of respiratory tract pathogens isolated from diseased cattle and pigs across Europe: the VetPath study.

PubMed

de Jong, Anno; Thomas, Valérie; Simjee, Shabbir; Moyaert, Hilde; El Garch, Farid; Maher, Kirsty; Morrissey, Ian; Butty, Pascal; Klein, Ulrich; Marion, Hervé; Rigaut, Delphine; Vallé, Michel

2014-08-01

VetPath is an ongoing pan-European antibiotic susceptibility monitoring programme collecting pathogens from diseased antimicrobial non-treated cattle, pigs and poultry. In the current study, 1001 isolates from cattle and pig respiratory tract infections were tested for their antimicrobial susceptibilities. Non-replicate lung samples or nasopharyngeal/nasal swabs were collected from animals with acute clinical signs in 11 countries during 2002-2006. Pasteurella multocida and Mannheimia haemolytica from cattle and P. multocida, Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae and Streptococcus suis from pigs were isolated by standard methods. S. suis was also isolated from meningitis cases. MICs of 16 antibiotics were assessed centrally by broth microdilution following CLSI recommendations. Results were interpreted using CLSI breakpoints where available. P. multocida (231) and M. haemolytica (138) isolates were all susceptible to amoxicillin/clavulanic acid, ceftiofur, enrofloxacin and trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole. Resistance to florfenicol and spectinomycin was 0.4% and 3.5% in P. multocida, respectively, and absent in M. haemolytica isolates. Tetracycline resistance was 5.7% and 14.6% for P. multocida and M. haemolytica. In pigs, 230 P. multocida, 220 A. pleuropneumoniae and 182 S. suis isolates were recovered. Resistance to amoxicillin/clavulanic acid, ceftiofur, enrofloxacin, florfenicol, tiamulin and tilmicosin was absent or <1%. Trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole resistance was 3-6% and tetracycline resistance varied from 14.7% in A. pleuropneumoniae to 81.8% in S. suis. In conclusion, low resistance to antibiotics with defined clinical breakpoints, except for tetracycline, was observed among the major respiratory tract pathogens recovered from cattle and pigs. Since for approximately half of the antibiotics in this panel no CLSI-defined breakpoints were available, setting of the missing veterinary breakpoints is important. PMID:24837878

2. Genome-Wide Association Study Identifies Novel Susceptibility Genes Associated with Coronary Artery Aneurysm Formation in Kawasaki Disease

PubMed Central

Guo, Mindy Ming-Huey; Huang, Ying-Hsien; Yu, Hong-Ren; Huang, Fu-Chen; Jiao, Fuyong; Kuo, Hsing-Chun; Andrade, Jorge

2016-01-01

Kawasaki disease (KD) or Kawasaki syndrome is known as a vasculitis of small to medium-sized vessels, and coronary arteries are predominantly involved in childhood. Generally, 20–25% of untreated with IVIG and 3–5% of treated KD patients have been developed coronary artery lesions (CALs), such as dilatation and aneurysm. Understanding how coronary artery aneurysms (CAAs) are established and maintained in KD patients is therefore of great importance. Upon our previous genotyping data of 157 valid KD subjects, a genome-wide association study (GWAS) has been conducted among 11 (7%) CAA-developed KD patients to reveal five significant genetic variants passed pre-defined thresholds and resulted in two novel susceptibility protein-coding genes, which are NEBL (rs16921209 (P = 7.44 × 10−9; OR = 32.22) and rs7922552 (P = 8.43 × 10−9; OR = 32.0)) and TUBA3C (rs17076896 (P = 8.04 × 10−9; OR = 21.03)). Their known functions have been reported to associate with cardiac muscle and tubulin, respectively. As a result, this might imply their putative roles of establishing CAAs during KD progression. Additionally, various model analyses have been utilized to determine dominant and recessive inheritance patterns of identified susceptibility mutations. Finally, all susceptibility genes hit by significant genetic variants were further investigated and the top three representative gene-ontology (GO) clusters were regulation of cell projection organization, neuron recognition, and peptidyl-threonine phosphorylation. Our results help to depict the potential routes of the pathogenesis of CAAs in KD patients and will facilitate researchers to improve the diagnosis and prognosis of KD in personalized medicine. PMID:27171184

3. Genome-Wide Association Study Identifies Novel Susceptibility Genes Associated with Coronary Artery Aneurysm Formation in Kawasaki Disease.

PubMed

Kuo, Ho-Chang; Li, Sung-Chou; Guo, Mindy Ming-Huey; Huang, Ying-Hsien; Yu, Hong-Ren; Huang, Fu-Chen; Jiao, Fuyong; Kuo, Hsing-Chun; Andrade, Jorge; Chan, Wen-Ching

2016-01-01

Kawasaki disease (KD) or Kawasaki syndrome is known as a vasculitis of small to medium-sized vessels, and coronary arteries are predominantly involved in childhood. Generally, 20-25% of untreated with IVIG and 3-5% of treated KD patients have been developed coronary artery lesions (CALs), such as dilatation and aneurysm. Understanding how coronary artery aneurysms (CAAs) are established and maintained in KD patients is therefore of great importance. Upon our previous genotyping data of 157 valid KD subjects, a genome-wide association study (GWAS) has been conducted among 11 (7%) CAA-developed KD patients to reveal five significant genetic variants passed pre-defined thresholds and resulted in two novel susceptibility protein-coding genes, which are NEBL (rs16921209 (P = 7.44 × 10-9; OR = 32.22) and rs7922552 (P = 8.43 × 10-9; OR = 32.0)) and TUBA3C (rs17076896 (P = 8.04 × 10-9; OR = 21.03)). Their known functions have been reported to associate with cardiac muscle and tubulin, respectively. As a result, this might imply their putative roles of establishing CAAs during KD progression. Additionally, various model analyses have been utilized to determine dominant and recessive inheritance patterns of identified susceptibility mutations. Finally, all susceptibility genes hit by significant genetic variants were further investigated and the top three representative gene-ontology (GO) clusters were regulation of cell projection organization, neuron recognition, and peptidyl-threonine phosphorylation. Our results help to depict the potential routes of the pathogenesis of CAAs in KD patients and will facilitate researchers to improve the diagnosis and prognosis of KD in personalized medicine. PMID:27171184

4. The importance of population susceptibility for air pollution risk assessment: a case study of power plants near Washington, DC.

PubMed Central

Levy, Jonathan I; Greco, Susan L; Spengler, John D

2002-01-01

In evaluating risks from air pollution, health impact assessments often focus on the magnitude of the impacts without explicitly considering the distribution of impacts across subpopulations. In this study, we constructed a model to estimate the magnitude and distribution of health benefits associated with emission controls at five older power plants in the Washington, DC, area. We used the CALPUFF atmospheric dispersion model to determine the primary and secondary fine-particulate-matter (< 2.5 micro m in aerodynamic diameter) concentration reductions associated with the hypothetical application of "Best Available Control Technology" to the selected power plants. We combined these concentration reductions with concentration-response functions for mortality and selected morbidity outcomes, using a conventional approach as well as considering susceptible subpopulations. Incorporating susceptibility had a minimal effect on total benefits, with central estimates of approximately 240 fewer premature deaths, 60 fewer cardiovascular hospital admissions (CHA), and 160 fewer pediatric asthma emergency room visits (ERV) per year. However, because individuals with lower education appear to have both higher background mortality rates and higher relative risks for air-pollution-related mortality, stratifying by educational attainment implies that 51% of the mortality benefits accrue among the 25% of the population with less than high school education. Similarly, diabetics and African Americans bear disproportionate shares of the CHA and ERV benefits, respectively. Although our ability to characterize subpopulations is constrained by the available information, our analysis demonstrates that incorporation of susceptibility information significantly affects demographic and geographic patterns of health benefits and enhances our understanding of individuals likely to benefit from emission controls. PMID:12460806

5. The importance of population susceptibility for air pollution risk assessment: a case study of power plants near Washington, DC.

PubMed

Levy, Jonathan I; Greco, Susan L; Spengler, John D

2002-12-01

In evaluating risks from air pollution, health impact assessments often focus on the magnitude of the impacts without explicitly considering the distribution of impacts across subpopulations. In this study, we constructed a model to estimate the magnitude and distribution of health benefits associated with emission controls at five older power plants in the Washington, DC, area. We used the CALPUFF atmospheric dispersion model to determine the primary and secondary fine-particulate-matter (< 2.5 micro m in aerodynamic diameter) concentration reductions associated with the hypothetical application of "Best Available Control Technology" to the selected power plants. We combined these concentration reductions with concentration-response functions for mortality and selected morbidity outcomes, using a conventional approach as well as considering susceptible subpopulations. Incorporating susceptibility had a minimal effect on total benefits, with central estimates of approximately 240 fewer premature deaths, 60 fewer cardiovascular hospital admissions (CHA), and 160 fewer pediatric asthma emergency room visits (ERV) per year. However, because individuals with lower education appear to have both higher background mortality rates and higher relative risks for air-pollution-related mortality, stratifying by educational attainment implies that 51% of the mortality benefits accrue among the 25% of the population with less than high school education. Similarly, diabetics and African Americans bear disproportionate shares of the CHA and ERV benefits, respectively. Although our ability to characterize subpopulations is constrained by the available information, our analysis demonstrates that incorporation of susceptibility information significantly affects demographic and geographic patterns of health benefits and enhances our understanding of individuals likely to benefit from emission controls. PMID:12460806

6. Development of a computer algorithm for the analysis of variable-frequency AC drives: Case studies included

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kankam, M. David; Benjamin, Owen

1991-01-01

The development of computer software for performance prediction and analysis of voltage-fed, variable-frequency AC drives for space power applications is discussed. The AC drives discussed include the pulse width modulated inverter (PWMI), a six-step inverter and the pulse density modulated inverter (PDMI), each individually connected to a wound-rotor induction motor. Various d-q transformation models of the induction motor are incorporated for user-selection of the most applicable model for the intended purpose. Simulation results of selected AC drives correlate satisfactorily with published results. Future additions to the algorithm are indicated. These improvements should enhance the applicability of the computer program to the design and analysis of space power systems.

7. Functional Characterization of the Osteoarthritis Susceptibility Mapping to CHST11—A Bioinformatics and Molecular Study

PubMed Central

Reynard, Louise N.; Ratnayake, Madhushika; Santibanez-Koref, Mauro

2016-01-01

The single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) rs835487 is associated with hip osteoarthritis (OA) at the genome-wide significance level and is located within CHST11, which codes for carbohydrate sulfotransferase 11. This enzyme post-translationally modifies proteoglycan prior to its deposition in the cartilage extracellular matrix. Using bioinformatics and experimental analyses, our aims were to characterise the rs835487 association signal and to identify the causal functional variant/s. Database searches revealed that rs835487 resides within a linkage disequilibrium (LD) block of only 2.7 kb and is in LD (r2 ≥ 0.8) with six other SNPs. These are all located within intron 2 of CHST11, in a region that has predicted enhancer activity and which shows a high degree of conservation in primates. Luciferase reporter assays revealed that of the seven SNPs, rs835487 and rs835488, which have a pairwise r2 of 0.962, are the top functional candidates; the haplotype composed of the OA-risk conferring G allele of rs835487 and the corresponding T allele of rs835488 (the G-T haplotype) demonstrated significantly different enhancer activity relative to the haplotype composed of the non-risk A allele of rs835487 and the corresponding C allele of rs835488 (the A-C haplotype) (p < 0.001). Electrophoretic mobility shift assays and supershifts identified several transcription factors that bind more strongly to the risk-conferring G and T alleles of the two SNPs, including SP1, SP3, YY1 and SUB1. CHST11 was found to be upregulated in OA versus non-OA cartilage (p < 0.001) and was expressed dynamically during chondrogenesis. Its expression in adult cartilage did not however correlate with rs835487 genotype. Our data demonstrate that the OA susceptibility is mediated by differential protein binding to the alleles of rs835487 and rs835488, which are located within an enhancer whose target may be CHST11 during chondrogenesis or an alternative gene. PMID:27391021

8. Complement factor B polymorphism (rs641153) and susceptibility to age-related macular degeneration: evidence from published studies

PubMed Central

Wang, Xin; Zhang, Ying; Zhang, Mao-Nian

2013-01-01

AIM To determine whether single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) rs641153 is associated with the risk of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), we performed a systematic meta-analysis of 15 eligible studies. SNP in the complement factor B (CFB) gene is considered to have significant association with AMD susceptibility, but there is great discrepancy in these results. METHODS The eligible studies were identified by searching the databases of PubMed, EMBASE, and Web of Science. Odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were used to assess the association. All data were analyzed using Stata software. RESULTS The association between rs641153 and AMD risk was statistically significant under the homozygous model (AA vs GG:OR=0.26, 95%CI=0.15-0.45, Ph=0.973, I2=0.0%, fixed effects), dominant model (AA+GA vs GG:OR=0.49, 95%CI=0.40-0.59, Ph=0.004, I2=56.4%, random effects) and recessive model (AA vs GA+GG:OR=0.30, 95%CI=0.17-0.51, Ph=0.983, I2=0.0%, fixed effects). The same results were also observed in the stratified analyses by ethnicity, source of control and sample size. CONCLUSION Our meta-analysis suggests that rs641153 in the CFB gene may play a protective role in AMD susceptibility, the late AMD in particular, both in Caucasians and in Asians. PMID:24392338

9. A prospective study of tuberculosis drug susceptibility in sabah, malaysia, and an algorithm for management of isoniazid resistance.

PubMed

Rashid Ali, Muhammad Redzwan S; Parameswaran, Uma; William, Timothy; Bird, Elspeth; Wilkes, Christopher S; Lee, Wai Khew; Yeo, Tsin Wen; Anstey, Nicholas M; Ralph, Anna P

2015-01-01

Introduction. The burden of tuberculosis is high in eastern Malaysia, and rates of Mycobacterium tuberculosis drug resistance are poorly defined. Our objectives were to determine M. tuberculosis susceptibility and document management after receipt of susceptibility results. Methods. Prospective study of adult outpatients with smear-positive pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) in Sabah, Malaysia. Additionally, hospital clinicians accessed the reference laboratory for clinical purposes during the study. Results. 176 outpatients were enrolled; 173 provided sputum samples. Mycobacterial culture yielded M. tuberculosis in 159 (91.9%) and nontuberculous Mycobacterium (NTM) in three (1.7%). Among outpatients there were no instances of multidrug resistant M. tuberculosis (MDR-TB). Seven people (4.5%) had isoniazid resistance (INH-R); all were switched to an appropriate second-line regimen for varying durations (4.5-9 months). Median delay to commencement of the second-line regimen was 13 weeks. Among 15 inpatients with suspected TB, 2 had multidrug resistant TB (one extensively drug resistant), 2 had INH-R, and 4 had NTM. Conclusions. Current community rates of MDR-TB in Sabah are low. However, INH-resistance poses challenges, and NTM is an important differential diagnosis in this setting, where smear microscopy is the usual diagnostic modality. To address INH-R management issues in our setting, we propose an algorithm for the treatment of isoniazid-resistant PTB. PMID:25838829

10. Association between Estrogen Receptor Alpha Gene Polymorphisms and Susceptibility to Idiopathic Scoliosis in Bulgarian Patients: A Case-Control Study

PubMed Central

Nikolova, Svetla; Yablanski, Vasil; Vlaev, Evgeni; Stokov, Luben; Savov, Alexey; Kremensky, Ivo

2015-01-01

BACKGROUND: The current consensus on idiopathic scoliosis maintains that it has a multifactorial etiology with genetic predisposing factors. AIM: Estrogen receptor alpha gene has been considered as candidate gene of idiopathic scoliosis. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We conducted a case-control study of Bulgarian population samples (eighty patients with idiopathic scoliosis and one hundred-sixty healthy unrelated gender-matched controls) trying to investigate the association between common genetic polymorphisms of estrogen receptor alpha and the susceptibility to idiopathic scoliosis. Molecular detection of the restriction polymorphisms XbaI and PvuII was performed by polymerase chain reaction following by restriction fragment length polymorphism. The statistical analysis was performed by Pearson’s chi-squared test. RESULTS: Our case-control study showed statistically significant association between the PvuII polymorphism and susceptibility to idiopathic scoliosis and curve progression. No genotype or allele of XbaI polymorphism was found to be correlated with the onset or severity of the disease. CONCLUSIONS: The identification of molecular markers with diagnostic and prognostic value could be useful for early detection of children at risk for the development of scoliosis and for prognosis of the risk for a rapid deformity progression. That would facilitate the therapy decisions and early stage treatment of the patient with the least invasive procedures. PMID:27275235

11. ac transport studies in polymers by resistor-network and transfer-matrix approaches: Application to polyaniline

Nagashima, H. N.; Onody, R. N.; Faria, R. M.

1999-01-01

A statistical model of resistor networks is proposed to describe a polymer structure and to simulate the real and imaginary components of its ac resistivity. It takes into account the polydispersiveness of the material as well as intrachain and interchain charge transport processes. By the application of a transfer-matrix technique, it reproduces ac resistivity measurements carried out with polyaniline films in different doping degrees and at different temperatures. Our results indicate that interchain processes govern the resistivity behavior in the low-frequency region while, for higher frequencies, intrachain mechanisms are dominant.

12. ACS Quicklook PDF products

Suchkov, Anatoly

1999-12-01

This report details the features of the ACS quicklook PDF products produced by the HST data pipeline. The requirements closely follow the design of paper products recommended by the Data Quality Committee, with appropriate changes required to fully support ACS.

13. Haematite natural crystals: non-linear initial susceptibility at low temperature

Guerrero-Suarez, S.; Martín-Hernández, F.

2016-06-01

Several works have reported that haematite has non-linear initial susceptibility at room temperature, like pyrrhotite or titanomagnetite, but there is no explanation for the observed behaviours yet. This study sets out to determine which physical property (grain size, foreign cations content and domain walls displacements) controls the initial susceptibility. The performed measurements include microprobe analysis to determine magnetic phases different to haematite; initial susceptibility (300 K); hysteresis loops, SIRM and backfield curves at 77 and 300 K to calculate magnetic parameters and minor loops at 77 K, to analyse initial susceptibility and magnetization behaviours below Morin transition. The magnetic moment study at low temperature is completed with measurements of zero field cooled-field cooled and AC susceptibility in a range from 5 to 300 K. The minor loops show that the non-linearity of initial susceptibility is closely related to Barkhausen jumps. Because of initial magnetic susceptibility is controlled by domain structure it is difficult to establish a mathematical model to separate magnetic subfabrics in haematite-bearing rocks.

14. Assessment of the E-Selectin rs5361 (561A>C) Polymorphism and Soluble Protein Concentration in Acute Coronary Syndrome: Association with Circulating Levels

PubMed Central

Sandoval-Pinto, Elena; Ramon Padilla-Gutiérrez, Jorge; Valdes-Alvarado, Emmanuel; Janet García-González, Ilian; Valdez-Haro, Angelica; Francisco Muñoz-Valle, Jose; Enrique Flores-Salinas, Hector; Rivas, Fernando; Valle, Yeminia

2014-01-01

Introduction. The acute coronary syndrome (ACS) is a complex disease where genetic and environmental factors are involved. E-selectin gene is a candidate for ACS progression due to its contribution in the inflammatory process and endothelial function. The rs5361 (561A>C) polymorphism in the E-selectin gene has been linked to changes in gene expression, affinity for its receptor, and plasmatic levels; therefore it is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. The aim of this study was to determine the association of the rs5361 polymorphism with ACS and to measure serum levels of soluble E-selectin (sE-selectin). Materials and Methods. 283 ACS patients and 205 healthy subjects (HS) from Western Mexico were included. The polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism was used to determine the rs5361 polymorphism. The sE-selectin levels were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Results. Neither genotype nor allele frequencies of the rs5361 polymorphism showed statistical differences between groups. The sE-selectin levels were significantly higher in ACS patients compared to HS (54.58 versus 40.41 ng/ml, P = 0.02). The C allele had no effect on sE-selectin levels. Conclusions. The rs5361 E-selectin gene polymorphism is not a susceptibility marker for ACS in Western Mexico population. However, sE-selectin may be a biological marker of ACS. PMID:25147432

15. A Genome-Wide Association Study Identifies A New Ovarian Cancer Susceptibility Locus On 9p22.2

PubMed Central

Song, Honglin; Ramus, Susan J.; Tyrer, Jonathan; Bolton, Kelly L.; Gentry-Maharaj, Aleksandra; Wozniak, Eva; Anton-Culver, Hoda; Chang-Claude, Jenny; Cramer, Daniel W.; DiCioccio, Richard; Dörk, Thilo; Goode, Ellen L.; Goodman, Marc T; Schildkraut, Joellen M; Sellers, Thomas; Baglietto, Laura; Beckmann, Matthias W.; Beesley, Jonathan; Blaakaer, Jan; Carney, Michael E; Chanock, Stephen; Chen, Zhihua; Cunningham, Julie M.; Dicks, Ed; Doherty, Jennifer A.; Dürst, Matthias; Ekici, Arif B.; Fenstermacher, David; Fridley, Brooke L.; Giles, Graham; Gore, Martin E.; De Vivo, Immaculata; Hillemanns, Peter; Hogdall, Claus; Hogdall, Estrid; Iversen, Edwin S; Jacobs, Ian J; Jakubowska, Anna; Li, Dong; Lissowska, Jolanta; Lubiński, Jan; Lurie, Galina; McGuire, Valerie; McLaughlin, John; Mędrek, Krzysztof; Moorman, Patricia G.; Moysich, Kirsten; Narod, Steven; Phelan, Catherine; Pye, Carole; Risch, Harvey; Runnebaum, Ingo B; Severi, Gianluca; Southey, Melissa; Stram, Daniel O.; Thiel, Falk C.; Terry, Kathryn L.; Tsai, Ya-Yu; Tworoger, Shelley S.; Van Den Berg, David J.; Vierkant, Robert A.; Wang-Gohrke, Shan; Webb, Penelope M.; Wilkens, Lynne R.; Wu, Anna H; Yang, Hannah; Brewster, Wendy; Ziogas, Argyrios; Houlston, Richard; Tomlinson, Ian; Whittemore, Alice S; Rossing, Mary Anne; Ponder, Bruce A.J.; Pearce, Celeste Leigh; Ness, Roberta B.; Menon, Usha; Kjaer, Susanne Krüger; Gronwald, Jacek; Garcia-Closas, Montserrat; Fasching, Peter A.; Easton, Douglas F; Chenevix-Trench, Georgia; Berchuck, Andrew; Pharoah, Paul D.P.; Gayther, Simon A.

2009-01-01

Epithelial ovarian cancer has a major heritable component, but the known susceptibility genes explain less than half the excess familial risk1. We performed a genome wide association study (GWAS) to identify common ovarian cancer susceptibility alleles. We evaluated 507,094 SNPs genotyped in 1,817 cases and 2,353 controls from the UK and ~2 million imputed SNPs. We genotyped the 22,790 top ranked SNPs in 4,274 cases and 4,809 controls of European ancestry from Europe, USA and Australia. We identified 12 SNPs at 9p22 associated with disease risk (P<10−8). The most significant SNP (rs3814113; P = 2.5 × 10−17) was genotyped in a further 2,670 ovarian cancer cases and 4,668 controls confirming its association (combined data odds ratio = 0.82 95% CI 0.79 – 0.86, P-trend = 5.1 × 10−19). The association differs by histological subtype, being strongest for serous ovarian cancers (OR 0.77 95% CI 0.73 – 0.81, Ptrend = 4.1 × 10−21). PMID:19648919

16. Field Evolved Resistance in Helicoverpa armigera (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) to Bacillus thuringiensis Toxin Cry1Ac in Pakistan

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Helicoverpa armigera (Hübner) is one of the most destructive pests of several field and vegetable crops, with indiscriminate use of insecticides contributing to multiple instances of resistance. In the present study we assessed whether H. armigera had developed resistance to Bt cotton and compared the results with several conventional insecticides. Furthermore, the genetics of resistance was also investigated to determine the inheritance to Cry1Ac resistance. To investigate the development of resistance to Bt cotton, and selected foliar insecticides, H. armigera populations were sampled in 2010 and 2011 in several cotton production regions in Pakistan. The resistance ratios (RR) for Cry1Ac, chlorpyrifos, profenofos, cypermethrin, spinosad, indoxacarb, abamectin and deltamethrin were 580-fold, 320-, 1110-, 1950-, 200-, 380, 690, and 40-fold, respectively, compared with the laboratory susceptible (Lab-PK) population. Selection of the field collected population with Cry1Ac in 2010 for five generations increased RR to 5440-fold. The selection also increased RR for deltamethrin, chlorpyrifos, profenofos, cypermethrin, spinosad, indoxacarb, abamectin to 125-folds, 650-, 2840-, 9830-, 370-, 3090-, 1330-fold. The estimated LC50s for reciprocal crosses were 105 µg/ml (Cry1Ac-SEL female × Lab-PK male) and 81 g µg/ml (Lab-PK female × Cry1Ac-SEL male) suggesting that the resistance to Cry1Ac was autosomal; the degree of dominance (DLC) was 0.60 and 0.57 respectively. Mixing of enzyme inhibitors significantly decreased resistance to Cry1Ac suggesting that the resistance to Cry1Ac and other insecticides tested in the present study was primarily metabolic. Resistance to Cry1Ac was probably due to a single but unstable factor suggesting that crop rotation with non-Bt cotton or other crops could reduce the selection pressure for H. armigera and improve the sustainability of Bt cotton. PMID:23077589

17. Field evolved resistance in Helicoverpa armigera (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) to Bacillus thuringiensis toxin Cry1Ac in Pakistan.

PubMed

2012-01-01

Helicoverpa armigera (Hübner) is one of the most destructive pests of several field and vegetable crops, with indiscriminate use of insecticides contributing to multiple instances of resistance. In the present study we assessed whether H. armigera had developed resistance to Bt cotton and compared the results with several conventional insecticides. Furthermore, the genetics of resistance was also investigated to determine the inheritance to Cry1Ac resistance. To investigate the development of resistance to Bt cotton, and selected foliar insecticides, H. armigera populations were sampled in 2010 and 2011 in several cotton production regions in Pakistan. The resistance ratios (RR) for Cry1Ac, chlorpyrifos, profenofos, cypermethrin, spinosad, indoxacarb, abamectin and deltamethrin were 580-fold, 320-, 1110-, 1950-, 200-, 380, 690, and 40-fold, respectively, compared with the laboratory susceptible (Lab-PK) population. Selection of the field collected population with Cry1Ac in 2010 for five generations increased RR to 5440-fold. The selection also increased RR for deltamethrin, chlorpyrifos, profenofos, cypermethrin, spinosad, indoxacarb, abamectin to 125-folds, 650-, 2840-, 9830-, 370-, 3090-, 1330-fold. The estimated LC(50s) for reciprocal crosses were 105 µg/ml (Cry1Ac-SEL female × Lab-PK male) and 81 g µg/ml (Lab-PK female × Cry1Ac-SEL male) suggesting that the resistance to Cry1Ac was autosomal; the degree of dominance (D(LC)) was 0.60 and 0.57 respectively. Mixing of enzyme inhibitors significantly decreased resistance to Cry1Ac suggesting that the resistance to Cry1Ac and other insecticides tested in the present study was primarily metabolic. Resistance to Cry1Ac was probably due to a single but unstable factor suggesting that crop rotation with non-Bt cotton or other crops could reduce the selection pressure for H. armigera and improve the sustainability of Bt cotton. PMID:23077589

18. Time-kill studies on susceptibility of nine penicillin-susceptible and -resistant pneumococci to cefditoren compared with nine other beta-lactams.

PubMed

Spangler, S K; Jacobs, M R; Appelbaum, P C

1997-02-01

Broth MIC and time-kill methodology was used to determine the activity of cefditoren relative to those of penicillin G, ampicillin, amoxycillin, WY-49605, cefuroxime, cefpodoxime, cefdinir, cefixime and cefaclor against three penicillin-susceptible, three intermediate and three penicillin-resistant pneumococci. MICs of all agents rose with those of penicillin G. Cefditoren was the most active agent (MICs 0.002-0.5 mg/L), followed by WY-49605 (0.008-1.0 mg/L), amoxycillin (0.015-2.0 mg/L), cefuroxime (0.015-4.0 mg/L), cefpodoxime (0.03-4.0 mg/L), ampicillin (0.015-8.0 mg/L), cefdinir (0.03-16.0 mg/L), cefixime (0.125-64.0 mg/L) and cefaclor (0.5-128.0 mg/L). All beta-lactams were bactericidal at the MIC after 24 h, and produced 90% killing after 12 h at concentrations above the MIC. Bactericidal concentrations of cefditoren, even for penicillin-resistant strains, were < or = 0.5 mg/L at 24 h. Additionally, cefditoren and WY-49605 were the only compounds that killed 99% of all strains after 6 h at > or = 4 x MIC. Cefditoren and amoxycillin killed 90% of all strains at 8 x MIC, and WY-49605 at 4 x MIC, after 4 h. Ampicillin had time-kill kinetics similar to those of amoxycillin, but MICs were 1-2 dilutions higher than the latter drug. Cefuroxime and cefpodoxime were the most active of other oral cephalosporins tested. Cefditoren and WY-49605 had the lowest MICs and most favourable time-kill kinetics of all beta-lactams tested. PMID:9069533

19. Absence of Association between N-Acetyltransferase 2 Acetylator Status and Colorectal Cancer Susceptibility: Based on Evidence from 40 Studies

PubMed Central

Wang, Jun; Liang, Guo dong; Li, Jing ying; Zhu, Yi dan; Su, Yun tao

2012-01-01

Background and Objectives N-Acetyltransferase (NAT) 2 is an important enzyme involved in the metabolism of different xenobiotics, including potential carcinogens, whose phenotypes were reported to be related to individual susceptibility to colorectal cancer (CRC). However, the results remain conflicting. To assess the relationship between NAT2 phenotypes and CRC risk, we performed this meta-analysis. Methods A comprehensive literature search was conducted to identify all case-control or cohort studies of NAT2 acetylator status on the susceptibility of CRC by searching of PubMed and EMBASE, up to May 20, 2011. Crude odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were used to assess the association. Results A total of over 40,000 subjects from 40 published literatures were identified by searching the databases. No significantly elevated CRC risk in individuals with NAT2 slow acetylators compared with fast acetylators was found when all studies pooled (OR = 0.95, 95% CI: 0.87–1.04, I2 = 52.6%). While three studies contributed to the source of heterogeneity were removed, there was still null result observed (OR = 0.96, 95% CI: 0.90–1.03, P = 0.17 for heterogeneity, I2 = 17.8%). In addition, we failed to detect any associations in the stratified analyses by race, sex, source of controls, smoking status, genotyping methods or tumor localization. No publication bias was observed in this study. Conclusions This meta-analysis suggests that the NAT2 phenotypes may not be associated with colorectal cancer development. PMID:22403658

20. Increased Long-Flight Activity Triggered in Beet Armyworm by Larval Feeding on Diet Containing Cry1Ac Protoxin

PubMed Central

Jiang, Xing Fu; Chen, Jian; Zhang, Lei; Sappington, Thomas W.; Luo, Li Zhi

2013-01-01

Evaluating ecological safety and conducting pest risk analysis for transgenic crops are vitally important before their commercial planting. The beet armyworm, Spodoptera exigua, a long-distance migratory insect pest, is not a direct target of transgenic Cry1Ac-expressing cotton in China, but nevertheless it has recently become an important pest. Migrants leaving their natal field arrive in other appropriate habitat far away in a short time, often followed by larval outbreaks. S. exigua has low susceptibility to Cry1Ac. However, our results from laboratory experiments identified (i) sublethal effects of Cry1Ac protoxin on larval development rate, larval and pupal weight, and adult lifetime fecundity, and (ii) increased long-flight behavior triggered by Cry1Ac which may contribute to larval outbreaks elsewhere. No significant differences in larval mortality, pupation rate, adult emergence rate, longevity, pre-oviposition period, or oviposition period were observed between controls and larvae fed on artificial diet incorporating a low concentration of Cry1Ac protoxin. The negative sublethal effects on some developmental and reproductive traits and lack of effect on others suggest they do not contribute to the observed severity of S. exigua outbreaks after feeding on Cry1Ac cotton. Interestingly, the percentage of long fliers increased significantly when larvae were reared on diet containing either of two low-dose treatments of Cry1Ac, suggesting a possible increased propensity to disperse long distances triggered by Cry1Ac. We hypothesize that negative effects on development and reproduction caused by Cry1Ac in the diet are offset by increased flight propensity triggered by the poor food conditions, thereby improving the chances of escaping adverse local conditions before oviposition. Increased long-flight propensity in turn may amplify the area damaged by outbreak populations. This phenomenon might be common in other migratory insect pests receiving sublethal doses

1. Proteomics-based identification of midgut proteins correlated with Cry1Ac resistance in Plutella xylostella (L.).

PubMed

Xia, Jixing; Guo, Zhaojiang; Yang, Zezhong; Zhu, Xun; Kang, Shi; Yang, Xin; Yang, Fengshan; Wu, Qingjun; Wang, Shaoli; Xie, Wen; Xu, Weijun; Zhang, Youjun

2016-09-01

The diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella (L.), is a worldwide pest of cruciferous crops and can rapidly develop resistance to many chemical insecticides. Although insecticidal crystal proteins (i.e., Cry and Cyt toxins) derived from Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) have been useful alternatives to chemical insecticides for the control of P. xylostella, resistance to Bt in field populations of P. xylostella has already been reported. A better understanding of the resistance mechanisms to Bt should be valuable in delaying resistance development. In this study, the mechanisms underlying P. xylostella resistance to Bt Cry1Ac toxin were investigated using two-dimensional differential in-gel electrophoresis (2D-DIGE) and ligand blotting for the first time. Comparative analyses of the constitutive expression of midgut proteins in Cry1Ac-susceptible and -resistant P. xylostella larvae revealed 31 differentially expressed proteins, 21 of which were identified by mass spectrometry. Of these identified proteins, the following fell into diverse eukaryotic orthologous group (KOG) subcategories may be involved in Cry1Ac resistance in P. xylostella: ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporter subfamily G member 4 (ABCG4), trypsin, heat shock protein 70 (HSP70), vacuolar H(+)-ATPase, actin, glycosylphosphatidylinositol anchor attachment 1 protein (GAA1) and solute carrier family 30 member 1 (SLC30A1). Additionally, ligand blotting identified the following midgut proteins as Cry1Ac-binding proteins in Cry1Ac-susceptible P. xylostella larvae: ABC transporter subfamily C member 1 (ABCC1), solute carrier family 36 member 1 (SLC36A1), NADH dehydrogenase iron-sulfur protein 3 (NDUFS3), prohibitin and Rap1 GTPase-activating protein 1. Collectively, these proteomic results increase our understanding of the molecular resistance mechanisms to Bt Cry1Ac toxin in P. xylostella and also demonstrate that resistance to Bt Cry1Ac toxin is complex and multifaceted. PMID:27521921

2. Measuring Nematic Susceptibilities from the Elastoresistivity Tensor

Hristov, A. T.; Shapiro, M. C.; Hlobil, Patrick; Maharaj, Akash; Chu, Jiun-Haw; Fisher, Ian

The elastoresistivity tensor mijkl relates changes in resistivity to the strain on a material. As a fourth-rank tensor, it contains considerably more information about the material than the simpler (second-rank) resistivity tensor; in particular, certain elastoresistivity coefficients can be related to thermodynamic susceptibilities and serve as a direct probe of symmetry breaking at a phase transition. The aim of this talk is twofold. First, we enumerate how symmetry both constrains the structure of the elastoresistivity tensor into an easy-to-understand form and connects tensor elements to thermodynamic susceptibilities. In the process, we generalize previous studies of elastoresistivity to include the effects of magnetic field. Second, we describe an approach to measuring quantities in the elastoresistivity tensor with a novel transverse measurement, which is immune to relative strain offsets. These techniques are then applied to BaFe2As2 in a proof of principle measurement. This work is supported by the Department of Energy, Office of Science, Basic Energy Sciences, Materials Sciences and Engineering Division, under Contract DE-AC02-76SF00515.

3. [Comparative studies on activities of antimicrobial agents against causative organisms isolated from patients with urinary tract infections (1996), III. Secular changes in susceptibility].

PubMed

Kumamoto, Y; Tsukamoto, T; Hirose, T; Yokoo, A; Shigeta, S; Takahashi, T; Shiraiwa, Y; Ogiwara, M; Yoshida, H; Imafuku, Y; Murai, M; Watanabe, K; Uchida, H; Kobayashi, Y; Matsuda, S; Fujime, M; Fujita, K; Igari, J; Oguri, T; Yamaguchi, K; Matsumoto, T; Kashitani, F; Kaku, M; Ooe, H; Mochida, C

1998-03-01

Susceptibilities to various antimicrobial agents were examined for Enterococcus faecalis, Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella spp., and Pseudomonas aeruginosa that were isolated from patients with urinary tract infections (UTIs) in 10 hospitals during June 1996 to May 1997, and the results were compared with those obtained during the same period in earlier years. 1. E. faecalis Among E. faecalis strains, those with high susceptibilities to ampicillin and minocycline appeared to have decreased in the latest study period. 2. S. aureus To almost antimicrobial agents, S. aureus isolated from uncomplicated UTIs showed low susceptibilities. But the MIC50s of those agents for S. aureus from complicated UTIs have changed better state. Particularly, the MIC50s of imipenem and clindamycin were 0.125 microgram/ml or below in the latest period for the first time in our history. 3. E. coli The susceptibilities to piperacillin and quinolones of E. coli isolated from uncomplicated UTIs were better than those isolated from complicated UTIs. 4. Klebsiella spp. The susceptibilities to almost antimicrobial agents of Klebsiella spp. have been better during the latest period, compared to those during period of 1995-1996, but to ofloxacin and ciprofloxacin have appeared to have been lower. 5. P. aeruginosa The susceptibilities to quinolones of P. aeruginosa have been better during the latest period compared those during periods of 1995-1996. But, the susceptibilities to cefozopran, carbapenems and monobactams of P. aeruginosa isolated from complicated UTIs appeared to have been lower. These susceptibility changes should be utilized in determining clinical treatments. PMID:9597551

4. Development of a single-phase harmonic power flow program to study the 20 kHz AC power system for large spacecraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kraft, L. Alan; Kankam, M. David

1991-01-01

The development of software is described to aid in design and analysis of AC power systems for large spacecraft. The algorithm is an important version of harmonic power flow program, HARMFLO, used for the study of AC power quality. The new program is applicable to three-phase systems typified by terrestrial power systems, and single-phase systems characteristic of space power systems. The modified HARMFLO accommodates system operating frequencies ranging from terrestrial 60 Hz to and beyond aerospace 20 kHz, and can handle both source and load-end harmonic distortions. Comparison of simulation and test results of a representative spacecraft power system shows a satisfactory correlation. Recommendations are made for the direction of future improvements to the software, to enhance its usefulness to power system designer and analysts.

5. Magnetic susceptibility and heat-capacity studies of NiS2-xSex single crystals: A study of transitions at nonzero temperature

Yao, X.; Kuo, Y.-K.; Powell, D. K.; Brill, J. W.; Honig, J. M.

1997-09-01

Heat-capacity and magnetic-susceptibility studies have been carried out on NiS2-xSex single crystals for 0.38<=x<=0.58 and 0<=x<=0.71, respectively. These and earlier physical measurements document the gradual evolution, with rising x, of the alloys from good insulators to poor metals at low temperatures. The transitions between various magnetically ordered or disordered phases are marked by anomalies in these physical measurements. The trend of magnetic susceptibility with temperature indicates that alloys near the crossover to the highly correlated metallic state exhibit increasing charge-carrier localization with rising temperature; this is ascribed to the dominance of entropic contributions to the free energy. It is stressed that these variations in properties are achieved by isoelectronic substitutions in the anion sublattice that leave the cation sublattice undisturbed.

6. Identification and Antifungal Susceptibility Profile of Candida guilliermondii and Candida fermentati from a Multicenter Study in China.

PubMed

Cheng, Jing-Wei; Yu, Shu-Ying; Xiao, Meng; Wang, He; Kudinha, Timothy; Kong, Fanrong; Xu, Ying-Chun

2016-08-01

With molecular sequencing as a gold standard, the Vitek MS, Bruker Biotyper MS, and Vitek-2 Compact systems correctly identified 92.7%, 97.0%, and 15.2% of 164 Candida guillermondii isolates, respectively, and none of 8 C. fermentati isolates. All of the isolates showed high susceptibility to echinocandins, but some C. guilliermondii isolates showed low azole susceptibility. PMID:27252461

7. Studies on the activation energy from the ac conductivity measurements of rubber ferrite composites containing manganese zinc ferrite

Hashim, Mohd.; Alimuddin; Kumar, Shalendra; Shirsath, Sagar E.; Mohammed, E. M.; Chung, Hanshik; Kumar, Ravi

2012-11-01

Manganese zinc ferrites (MZF) have resistivities between 0.01 and 10 Ω m. Making composite materials of ferrites with either natural rubber or plastics will modify the electrical properties of ferrites. The moldability and flexibility of these composites find wide use in industrial and other scientific applications. Mixed ferrites belonging to the series Mn(1-x)ZnxFe2O4 were synthesized for different ‘x’ values in steps of 0.2, and incorporated in natural rubber matrix (RFC). From the dielectric measurements of the ceramic manganese zinc ferrite and rubber ferrite composites, ac conductivity and activation energy were evaluated. A program was developed with the aid of the LabVIEW package to automate the measurements. The ac conductivity of RFC was then correlated with that of the magnetic filler and matrix by a mixture equation which helps to tailor properties of these composites.

8. A Combination of Geographically Weighted Regression, Particle Swarm Optimization and Support Vector Machine for Landslide Susceptibility Mapping: A Case Study at Wanzhou in the Three Gorges Area, China

PubMed Central

Yu, Xianyu; Wang, Yi; Niu, Ruiqing; Hu, Youjian

2016-01-01

In this study, a novel coupling model for landslide susceptibility mapping is presented. In practice, environmental factors may have different impacts at a local scale in study areas. To provide better predictions, a geographically weighted regression (GWR) technique is firstly used in our method to segment study areas into a series of prediction regions with appropriate sizes. Meanwhile, a support vector machine (SVM) classifier is exploited in each prediction region for landslide susceptibility mapping. To further improve the prediction performance, the particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm is used in the prediction regions to obtain optimal parameters for the SVM classifier. To evaluate the prediction performance of our model, several SVM-based prediction models are utilized for comparison on a study area of the Wanzhou district in the Three Gorges Reservoir. Experimental results, based on three objective quantitative measures and visual qualitative evaluation, indicate that our model can achieve better prediction accuracies and is more effective for landslide susceptibility mapping. For instance, our model can achieve an overall prediction accuracy of 91.10%, which is 7.8%–19.1% higher than the traditional SVM-based models. In addition, the obtained landslide susceptibility map by our model can demonstrate an intensive correlation between the classified very high-susceptibility zone and the previously investigated landslides. PMID:27187430

9. A Combination of Geographically Weighted Regression, Particle Swarm Optimization and Support Vector Machine for Landslide Susceptibility Mapping: A Case Study at Wanzhou in the Three Gorges Area, China.

PubMed

Yu, Xianyu; Wang, Yi; Niu, Ruiqing; Hu, Youjian

2016-01-01

In this study, a novel coupling model for landslide susceptibility mapping is presented. In practice, environmental factors may have different impacts at a local scale in study areas. To provide better predictions, a geographically weighted regression (GWR) technique is firstly used in our method to segment study areas into a series of prediction regions with appropriate sizes. Meanwhile, a support vector machine (SVM) classifier is exploited in each prediction region for landslide susceptibility mapping. To further improve the prediction performance, the particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm is used in the prediction regions to obtain optimal parameters for the SVM classifier. To evaluate the prediction performance of our model, several SVM-based prediction models are utilized for comparison on a study area of the Wanzhou district in the Three Gorges Reservoir. Experimental results, based on three objective quantitative measures and visual qualitative evaluation, indicate that our model can achieve better prediction accuracies and is more effective for landslide susceptibility mapping. For instance, our model can achieve an overall prediction accuracy of 91.10%, which is 7.8%-19.1% higher than the traditional SVM-based models. In addition, the obtained landslide susceptibility map by our model can demonstrate an intensive correlation between the classified very high-susceptibility zone and the previously investigated landslides. PMID:27187430

10. An electrochemical study of corrosion protection by primer-topcoat systems on 4130 steel with ac impedance and dc methods

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mendrek, M. J.; Higgins, R. H.; Danford, M. D.

1988-01-01

To investigate metal surface corrosion and the breakdown of metal protective coatings, the ac impedance method is applied to six systems of primer coated and primer topcoated 4130 steel. Two primers were used: a zinc-rich epoxy primer and a red lead oxide epoxy primer. The epoxy-polyamine topcoat was used in four of the systems. The EG and G-PARC Model 368 ac impedance measurement system, along with dc measurements with the same system using the polarization resistance method, were used to monitor changing properties of coated 4230 steel disks immersed in 3.5 percent NaCl solutions buffered at pH 5.4 over periods of 40 to 60 days. The corrosion system can be represented by an electronic analog called an equivalent circuit consisting of resistors and capacitors in specific arrangements. This equivalent circuit parallels the impedance behavior of the corrosion system during a frequency scan. Values for the resistors and capacitors, that can be assigned in the equivalent circuit following a least-squares analysis of the data, describe changes that occur on the corroding metal surface and in the protective coatings. Two equivalent circuits have been determined that predict the correct Bode phase and magnitude of the experimental sample at different immersion times. The dc corrosion current density data are related to equivalent circuit element parameters. Methods for determining corrosion rate with ac impedance parameters are verified by the dc method.

11. AcsA-AcsB: The core of the cellulose synthase complex from Gluconacetobacter hansenii ATCC23769.

PubMed

McManus, John B; Deng, Ying; Nagachar, Nivedita; Kao, Teh-hui; Tien, Ming

2016-01-01

The gram-negative bacterium, Gluconacetobacter hansenii, produces cellulose of exceptionally high crystallinity in comparison to the cellulose of higher plants. This bacterial cellulose is synthesized and extruded into the extracellular medium by the cellulose synthase complex (CSC). The catalytic component of this complex is encoded by the gene AcsAB. However, several other genes are known to encode proteins critical to cellulose synthesis and are likely components of the bacterial CSC. We have purified an active heterodimer AcsA-AcsB from G. hansenii ATCC23769 to homogeneity by two different methods. With the purified protein, we have determined how it is post-translationally processed, forming the active heterodimer AcsA-AcsB. Additionally, we have performed steady-state kinetic studies on the AcsA-AcsB complex. Finally through mutagenesis studies, we have explored the roles of the postulated CSC proteins AcsC, AcsD, and CcpAx. PMID:26672449

12. A bivariate genome-wide association study identifies ADAM12 as a novel susceptibility gene for Kashin-Beck disease

PubMed Central

Hao, Jingcan; Wang, Wenyu; Wen, Yan; Xiao, Xiao; He, Awen; Guo, Xiong; Yang, Tielin; Liu, Xiaogang; Shen, Hui; Chen, Xiangding; Tian, Qing; Deng, Hong-Wen; Zhang, Feng

2016-01-01

Kashin-Beck disease (KBD) is a chronic osteoarthropathy, which manifests as joint deformities and growth retardation. Only a few genetic studies of growth retardation associated with the KBD have been carried out by now. In this study, we conducted a two-stage bivariate genome-wide association study (BGWAS) of the KBD using joint deformities and body height as study phenotypes, totally involving 2,417 study subjects. Articular cartilage specimens from 8 subjects were collected for immunohistochemistry. In the BGWAS, ADAM12 gene achieved the most significant association (rs1278300 p-value = 9.25 × 10−9) with the KBD. Replication study observed significant association signal at rs1278300 (p-value = 0.007) and rs1710287 (p-value = 0.002) of ADAM12 after Bonferroni correction. Immunohistochemistry revealed significantly decreased expression level of ADAM12 protein in the KBD articular cartilage (average positive chondrocyte rate = 47.59 ± 7.79%) compared to healthy articular cartilage (average positive chondrocyte rate = 64.73 ± 5.05%). Our results suggest that ADAM12 gene is a novel susceptibility gene underlying both joint destruction and growth retardation of the KBD. PMID:27545300

13. Anisotropy of Magnetic Susceptibility Study of Lacustrine Sediments Recovered From the Deschutes River (Pringle Falls, Oregon) Area.

Lau, J.; Herrero-Bervera, E.

2004-12-01

We have studied a total of 827 samples drilled from five widely spaced profiles sampled along the Deschutes river Oregon . The five profiles sampled recorded a high-resolution paleomagnetic record of the Pringle Falls magnetic polarity episode (ca. 218+/- 10 ka) and are characterized by diatomaceous lacustrine sediments. This lacustrine sedimentary sequence that was sampled was part of an extensive prehistoric fluvial and lacustrine complex that formed east of the Cascade Mountains during the last 1.0 Ma. The lake appears to have resulted from a late Pliocene/Pleistocene rise in the base level to the east of the of the sampling area near the western margin of the Basin and Range structural province and is related to the development of the extensive volcanism associated with the Newberry volcano. Present outcrops and subsurface distribution of these lakes are to the west and north of the volcano, and their distribution appears to have been influenced by the development of streams and rivers systems draining the Newberry volcanic center as well as the Cascades themselves. We have conducted anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility (AMS) measurements in order to investigate if the acquisition of their fabrics during their formation was primary or secondary and also the characteristics of such fabrics. We conducted low-field vs susceptibility analysis to determine the magnetic carriers of the sediments and we found that the main magnetic carrier is pure magnetite (Curie point 575 oC). The magnetic grain size indicated SD-PSD magnetite. The magnetic fabrics of the 5 different profiles indicated that the sediments were deposited with the minima axes (Kmin) perpendicular to the bedding plane of the sediments. The sediments are also characterized by a strongly oblate fabric that is confined to the bedding plane of the sediments, in addition since the fabric is entirely foliated without a superimposed lineation then the sediments were deposited almost on a horizontal surface

14. The curved Magallanes fold and thrust belt: Tectonic insights from a paleomagnetic and anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility study

Poblete, F.; Roperch, P.; Hervé, F.; Diraison, M.; Espinoza, M.; Arriagada, C.

2014-12-01

The Magallanes fold and thrust belt (FTB) presents a large-scale curvature from N-S oriented structures north of 52°S to nearly E-W in Tierra del Fuego Island. We present a paleomagnetic and anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility (AMS) study from 85 sites sampled in Cretaceous to Miocene marine sediments. Magnetic susceptibility is lower than 0.0005 SI for 76 sites and mainly controlled by paramagnetic minerals. AMS results indicate that the sedimentary fabric is preserved in the undeformed areas of Tierra del Fuego and the more external thrust sheets units, where an incipient lineation due to layer parallel shortening is recorded. Prolate AMS ellipsoids, indicating a significant tectonic imprint in the AMS fabric, are observed in the internal units of the belt. AMS results show a good correlation between the orientation of the magnetic lineation and the fold axes. However, in Península Brunswick, the AMS lineations are at ~20° counterclockwise to the strike of the fold axes. Pretectonic stable characteristic remanent magnetizations (ChRM) were determined in seven sites. A counterclockwise rotation (21.2° ± 9.2°) is documented by ChRM data from four sites near the hinge of the belt in Península Brunswick and near Canal Whiteside while there is no evidence of rotation near the nearly E-W oriented Vicuña thrust within Tierra del Fuego. The curved shape of the Cenozoic Magallanes FTB is not related to vertical axis rotation, and thus, the Magallanes FTB can be considered as a primary arc.

15. CONTINUUM SUBTRACTING LYMAN-ALPHA IMAGES: LOW-REDSHIFT STUDIES USING THE SOLAR BLIND CHANNEL OF HST/ACS

SciTech Connect

Hayes, Matthew; Oestlin, Goeran; Mas-Hesse, J. Miguel; Kunth, Daniel E-mail: ostlin@astro.su.se E-mail: kunth@iap.fr

2009-09-15

We are undertaking an imaging study of local star-forming galaxies in the Lyman-alpha (Ly{alpha}) emission line using the Solar Blind Channel (SBC) of the Advanced Camera for Surveys onboard the Hubble Space Telescope. Observations have been obtained in Ly{alpha} and H-alpha (H{alpha}) and six line-free continuum filters between {approx}1500 A and the I band. In a previous article, we demonstrated that the production of Ly{alpha} line-only images (i.e., continuum subtraction) in the SBC-only data set is nontrivial and that supporting data is a requirement. We here develop various methods of continuum subtraction and assess their relative performance using a variety of spectral energy distributions (SEDs) as input. We conclude that simple assumptions about the behavior of the ultraviolet continuum consistently lead to results that are wildly erroneous, and determine that a spectral fitting approach is essential. Moreover, fitting of a single component stellar or stellar+nebular spectrum is not always sufficient for realistic template SEDs and, in order to successfully recover the input observables, care must be taken to control the contribution of nebular gas and any underlying stellar population. Independent measurements of the metallicity must first be obtained, while details of the initial mass function play only a small role. We identify the need to bin together pixels in our data to obtain signal-to-noise ratios (S/Ns) of around 10 in each band before processing. At S/N = 10, we are able to recover Ly{alpha} fluxes accurate to within around 30% for Ly{alpha} lines with intrinsic equivalent width (W {sub Ly{alpha}}) of 10 A. This accuracy improves to {approx}<10% for W {sub Ly{alpha}} = 100 A. We describe the method of image processing applied to the observations presented in Oestlin et al. and the associated data release. We also present simulations for an observing strategy for an alternative low-redshift Ly{alpha} imaging campaign using ACS/SBC using adjacent

16. Genetic testing of newborns for type 1 diabetes susceptibility: a prospective cohort study on effects on maternal mental health

PubMed Central

2010-01-01

Background Concerns about the general psychological impact of genetic testing have been raised. In the Environmental Triggers of Type 1 Diabetes (MIDIA) study, genetic testing was performed for HLA-conferred type 1 diabetes susceptibility among Norwegian newborns. The present study assessed whether mothers of children who test positively suffer from poorer mental health and well-being after receiving genetic risk information about their children. Methods The study was based on questionnaire data from the Norwegian Mother and Child Cohort (MoBa) study conducted by the Norwegian Institute of Public Health. Many of the mothers in the MoBa study also took part in the MIDIA study, in which their newborn children were tested for HLA-conferred genetic susceptibility for type 1 diabetes. We used MoBa questionnaire data from the 30th week of pregnancy (baseline) and 6 months post-partum (3-3.5 months after disclosure of test results). We measured maternal symptoms of anxiety and depression (SCL-8), maternal self-esteem (RSES), and satisfaction with life (SWLS). The mothers also reported whether they were seriously worried about their child 6 months post-partum. We compared questionnaire data from mothers who had received information about having a newborn with high genetic risk for type 1 diabetes (N = 166) with data from mothers who were informed that their baby did not have a high-risk genotype (N = 7224). The association between genetic risk information and maternal mental health was analysed using multiple linear regression analysis, controlling for baseline mental health scores. Results Information on genetic risk in newborns was found to have no significant impact on maternal symptoms of anxiety and depression (p = 0.9), self-esteem (p = 0.2), satisfaction with life (p = 0.2), or serious worry about their child (OR = 0.98, 95% CI 0.64-1.48). Mental health before birth was strongly associated with mental health after birth. In addition, an increased risk of maternal

17. Landslide susceptibility assessment by using a neuro-fuzzy model: a case study in the Rupestrian heritage rich area of Matera

Sdao, F.; Lioi, D. S.; Pascale, S.; Caniani, D.; Mancini, I. M.

2013-02-01

The complete assessment of landslide susceptibility needs uniformly distributed detailed information on the territory. This information, which is related to the temporal occurrence of landslide phenomena and their causes, is often fragmented and heterogeneous. The present study evaluates the landslide susceptibility map of the Natural Archaeological Park of Matera (Southern Italy) (Sassi and area Rupestrian Churches sites). The assessment of the degree of "spatial hazard" or "susceptibility" was carried out by the spatial prediction regardless of the return time of the events. The evaluation model for the susceptibility presented in this paper is very focused on the use of innovative techniques of artificial intelligence such as Neural Network, Fuzzy Logic and Neuro-fuzzy Network. The method described in this paper is a novel technique based on a neuro-fuzzy system. It is able to train data like neural network and it is able to shape and control uncertain and complex systems like a fuzzy system. This methodology allows us to derive susceptibility maps of the study area. These data are obtained from thematic maps representing the parameters responsible for the instability of the slopes. The parameters used in the analysis are: plan curvature, elevation (DEM), angle and aspect of the slope, lithology, fracture density, kinematic hazard index of planar and wedge sliding and toppling. Moreover, this method is characterized by the network training which uses a training matrix, consisting of input and output training data, which determine the landslide susceptibility. The neuro-fuzzy method was integrated to a sensitivity analysis in order to overcome the uncertainty linked to the used membership functions. The method was compared to the landslide inventory map and was validated by applying three methods: a ROC (Receiver Operating Characteristic) analysis, a confusion matrix and a SCAI method. The developed neuro-fuzzy method showed a good performance in the

18. Classroom Seating and Hypnotic Susceptibility.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sackeim, Harold A.; And Others

1979-01-01

The purpose of this study was to examine whether people who differ in behavioral and self-report measures of lateralized seating preferences also differ in hypnotic susceptibility. Only right-handed subjects were used, and the associations between hypnotic susceptibility and seating preference were examined separately for males and females.…

19. Microscopic and Macroscopic Studies on the Development of Puccinia hemerocallidis in Resistance and Susceptible Daylily Cultivars

Technology Transfer Automated Retrieval System (TEKTRAN)

Infection process of Puccinia hemerocallidis, the causal agent of daylily rust, and resistance responses in eight daylily cultivars were studied macroscopically and microscopically. After germination of urediniospores, appressoria formed at the tip of germ tubes and penetrated through stomatal openi...

20. Hematite natural crystals: non-linear initial susceptibility at low temperature

Guerrero Suarez, S.; Martín-Hernández, F.

2016-04-01

Several works have reported that hematite has non-linear initial susceptibility at room temperature, like pyrrhotite or titanomagnetite, but there is no explanation for the observed behaviours yet. This study sets out to determine which physical property (grain-size, foreign cations content, domain walls displacements) controls the initial susceptibility. The performed measurements include microprobe analysis to determine magnetic phases different to hematite; initial susceptibility (300 K); hysteresis loops, SIRM and backfield curves at 77 K and 300 K to calculate magnetic parameters and minor loops at 77 K, to analyze initial susceptiblity and magnetization behaviours below Morin transition. The magnetic moment study at low temperatura is completed with measurements of Zero Field Cooled- Field Cooled (ZFC-FC) and AC-susceptibility in a range from 5-300 K. The minor loops show that the non-linearity of initial susceptibility is closely related to Barkhausen jumps. Because of initial magnetic susceptibility is controlled by domain structure it is difficult to establish a mathematical model to separate magnetic subfabrics in hematite-bearing rocks.

1. Evaluation of Genome Wide Association Study Associated Type 2 Diabetes Susceptibility Loci in Sub Saharan Africans.

PubMed

Adeyemo, Adebowale A; Tekola-Ayele, Fasil; Doumatey, Ayo P; Bentley, Amy R; Chen, Guanjie; Huang, Hanxia; Zhou, Jie; Shriner, Daniel; Fasanmade, Olufemi; Okafor, Godfrey; Eghan, Benjamin; Agyenim-Boateng, Kofi; Adeleye, Jokotade; Balogun, Williams; Elkahloun, Abdel; Chandrasekharappa, Settara; Owusu, Samuel; Amoah, Albert; Acheampong, Joseph; Johnson, Thomas; Oli, Johnnie; Adebamowo, Clement; Collins, Francis; Dunston, Georgia; Rotimi, Charles N

2015-01-01

Genome wide association studies (GWAS) for type 2 diabetes (T2D) undertaken in European and Asian ancestry populations have yielded dozens of robustly associated loci. However, the genomics of T2D remains largely understudied in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), where rates of T2D are increasing dramatically and where the environmental background is quite different than in these previous studies. Here, we evaluate 106 reported T2D GWAS loci in continental Africans. We tested each of these SNPs, and SNPs in linkage disequilibrium (LD) with these index SNPs, for an association with T2D in order to assess transferability and to fine map the loci leveraging the generally reduced LD of African genomes. The study included 1775 unrelated Africans (1035 T2D cases, 740 controls; mean age 54 years; 59% female) enrolled in Nigeria, Ghana, and Kenya as part of the Africa America Diabetes Mellitus (AADM) study. All samples were genotyped on the Affymetrix Axiom PanAFR SNP array. Forty-one of the tested loci showed transferability to this African sample (p < 0.05, same direction of effect), 11 at the exact reported SNP and 30 others at SNPs in LD with the reported SNP (after adjustment for the number of tested SNPs). TCF7L2 SNP rs7903146 was the most significant locus in this study (p = 1.61 × 10(-8)). Most of the loci that showed transferability were successfully fine-mapped, i.e., localized to smaller haplotypes than in the original reports. The findings indicate that the genetic architecture of T2D in SSA is characterized by several risk loci shared with non-African ancestral populations and that data from African populations may facilitate fine mapping of risk loci. The study provides an important resource for meta-analysis of African ancestry populations and transferability of novel loci. PMID:26635871

2. Evaluation of Genome Wide Association Study Associated Type 2 Diabetes Susceptibility Loci in Sub Saharan Africans

PubMed Central

Adeyemo, Adebowale A.; Tekola-Ayele, Fasil; Doumatey, Ayo P.; Bentley, Amy R.; Chen, Guanjie; Huang, Hanxia; Zhou, Jie; Shriner, Daniel; Fasanmade, Olufemi; Okafor, Godfrey; Eghan, Benjamin; Agyenim-Boateng, Kofi; Adeleye, Jokotade; Balogun, Williams; Elkahloun, Abdel; Chandrasekharappa, Settara; Owusu, Samuel; Amoah, Albert; Acheampong, Joseph; Johnson, Thomas; Oli, Johnnie; Adebamowo, Clement; Collins, Francis; Dunston, Georgia; Rotimi, Charles N.

2015-01-01

Genome wide association studies (GWAS) for type 2 diabetes (T2D) undertaken in European and Asian ancestry populations have yielded dozens of robustly associated loci. However, the genomics of T2D remains largely understudied in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), where rates of T2D are increasing dramatically and where the environmental background is quite different than in these previous studies. Here, we evaluate 106 reported T2D GWAS loci in continental Africans. We tested each of these SNPs, and SNPs in linkage disequilibrium (LD) with these index SNPs, for an association with T2D in order to assess transferability and to fine map the loci leveraging the generally reduced LD of African genomes. The study included 1775 unrelated Africans (1035 T2D cases, 740 controls; mean age 54 years; 59% female) enrolled in Nigeria, Ghana, and Kenya as part of the Africa America Diabetes Mellitus (AADM) study. All samples were genotyped on the Affymetrix Axiom PanAFR SNP array. Forty-one of the tested loci showed transferability to this African sample (p < 0.05, same direction of effect), 11 at the exact reported SNP and 30 others at SNPs in LD with the reported SNP (after adjustment for the number of tested SNPs). TCF7L2 SNP rs7903146 was the most significant locus in this study (p = 1.61 × 10−8). Most of the loci that showed transferability were successfully fine-mapped, i.e., localized to smaller haplotypes than in the original reports. The findings indicate that the genetic architecture of T2D in SSA is characterized by several risk loci shared with non-African ancestral populations and that data from African populations may facilitate fine mapping of risk loci. The study provides an important resource for meta-analysis of African ancestry populations and transferability of novel loci. PMID:26635871

3. Common Variants on Cytotoxic T Lymphocyte Antigen-4 Polymorphisms Contributes to Type 1 Diabetes Susceptibility: Evidence Based on 58 Studies

PubMed Central

Ma, Junhua; Sun, Fei; Zhao, Zefei; Gu, Mingjun

2014-01-01

In the past decade, a number of case–control studies have been carried out to investigate the relationship between the CTLA4 gene polymorphisms and type 1 diabetes (T1D). However, these studies have yielded contradictory results. To investigate this inconsistency, we performed a meta-analysis of all available studies dealing with the relationship between the CTLA4 polymorphism and T1D. In total, 58 association studies on two CTLA4 polymorphisms (G49A and C60T) and risk of T1D, including a total of 30,723 T1D cases and 45,254 controls were included. In a combined analysis, the summary per-allele odds ratio (OR) for T1D of the G49A and C60T polymorphism was 1.42 [95% confidence interval (CI): 1.31–1.53, P<10−5] and 1.23 (95% CI: 1.18–1.29, P<10−5), respectively. Significant results were also observed using dominant or recessive genetic model. In the subgroup analysis by ethnicity and sample size, significantly increased risks were also found for these polymorphisms. This meta-analysis demonstrated that the G49A and C60T polymorphism of CTLA4 is a risk factor associated with increased T1D susceptibility, but these associations vary in different ethnic populations. PMID:24465825

4. Salmonella prevalence and antimicrobial susceptibility from the national animal health monitoring system sheep 2011 study

Technology Transfer Automated Retrieval System (TEKTRAN)

Salmonella is a major cause of foodborne illness and can cause clinical disease in animals. Understanding the on-farm ecology of Salmonella will be helpful in decreasing the risk of foodborne transmission. An objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of Salmonella among fecal samples c...

5. THE NATIONAL CHILDREN'S STUDY: PROGRESS DEVELOPING METHODS APPROPRIATE FOR ASSESSING CHILDREN'S EXPOSURE, BIOMARKERS AND GENETIC SUSCEPTIBILITY

EPA Science Inventory

Invited presentation: no abstract submission fee required
Introduction abstract for Workshop.

CONTROL ID: 56947
CONTACT (NAME ONLY): Barbara Abbott
Abstract Details
PRESENTATION TYPE: Invited Presentation : Workshop
KEYWORDS: National Childrens Study, Ri...

6. Microscopic and Macroscopic Studies of the Development of Puccinia hemerocallidis in Resistant and Susceptible Daylily Cultivars

Technology Transfer Automated Retrieval System (TEKTRAN)

Infection and colonization of eight daylily cultivars, which varied in resistance to daylily rust, by Puccinia hemerocallidis was studied macroscopically and microscopically. After germination of urediniospores, appressoria formed at the tip of germ tubes and the fungus penetrated the host through s...

7. Are rabbits a suitable model to study sheep-associated malignant catarrhal in susceptible hosts?

Technology Transfer Automated Retrieval System (TEKTRAN)

Sheep-associated malignant catarrhal fever (SA-MCF), caused by ovine herpesvirus 2 (OvHV-2), is often a fatal syndrome affecting mainly ruminants. SA-MCF pathogenesis and vaccine studies rely solely on live animals, since OvHV-2 has not been successfully propagated in vitro. Thus, the identification...

8. Drug Susceptibility Patterns in MDR-TB Patients: Challenges for Future Regimen Design. A Cross-Sectional Study

PubMed Central

Stagg, Helen R.; Brown, James; Cīrule, Andra; Danilovitš, Manfred; Dravniece, Gunta; Jackson, Charlotte; White, Peter J.

2015-01-01

Globally, there is substantial concern regarding the challenges of treating complex drug resistance patterns in multidrug resistant tuberculosis cases. Utilising data from three different settings (Estonia, Latvia, Romania) we sought to contrast drug susceptibility profiles for multidrug resistant tuberculosis cases, highlight the difficulties in designing universal regimen, and inform future regimen selection. Demographic and microbiological surveillance data for multidrug resistant tuberculosis cases from 2004–13 were analysed. High levels of additional resistance to currently recommended second line drugs were seen in all settings, with extensive variability between countries. Accurate drug susceptibility testing and drug susceptibility testing data are vital to inform the development of comprehensive, flexible, multidrug resistant tuberculosis guidance. PMID:26558611

9. The role of method of production and resolution of the DEM on slope-units delineation for landslide susceptibility assessment - Ubaye Valley, French Alps case study

Schlögel, Romy; Marchesini, Ivan; Alvioli, Massimiliano; Reichenbach, Paola; Rossi, Mauro; Malet, Jean-Philippe

2016-04-01

Landslide susceptibility assessment forms the basis of any hazard mapping, which is one of the essential parts of quantitative risk mapping. For the same study area, different susceptibility maps can be achieved depending on the type of susceptibility mapping methods, mapping unit, and scale. In the Ubaye Valley (South French Alps), we investigate the effect of resolution and method of production of the DEM to delineate slope units for landslide susceptibility mapping method. Slope units delineation has been processed using multiple combinations of circular variance and minimum area size values, which are the input parameters for a new software for terrain partitioning. We rely on this method taking into account homogeneity of aspect direction inside each unit and inhomogeneity between different units. We computed slope units delineation for 5, 10 and 25 meters resolution DEM, and investigate statistical distributions of morphometric variables within the different polygons. Then, for each different slope units partitioning, we calibrated a landslide susceptibility model, considering landslide bodies and scarps as a dependent variable (binary response). This work aims to analyse the role of DEM resolution on slope-units delineation for landslide susceptibility assessment. Area Under the Curve of the Receiver Operating Characteristic is investigated for the susceptibility model calculations. In addition, we analysed further the performance of the Logistic Regression Model by looking at the percentage of significant variable in the statistical analyses. Results show that smaller slope units have a better chance of containing a smaller number of thematic and morphometric variables, allowing for an easier classification. Reliability of the models according to the DEM resolution considered as well as scarp area and landslides bodies presence/absence as dependent variable are discussed.

10. Study of association of PAX6 polymorphisms with susceptibility to high myopia in a Japanese population

PubMed Central

Kanemaki, Nobuyuki; Meguro, Akira; Yamane, Takahiro; Takeuchi, Masaki; Okada, Eiichi; Iijima, Yasuhito; Mizuki, Nobuhisa

2015-01-01

Purpose Many studies have investigated the relationship of paired box 6 (PAX6) gene polymorphisms with the risk of high myopia, but the results across studies remain inconsistent and ambiguous. In the present work, we investigated whether PAX6 polymorphisms are associated with high myopia in a Japanese population. Methods A total of 1,585 Japanese patients with high myopia (spherical equivalent [SE] <−9.00 diopters [D]) and 1,011 Japanese healthy controls (SE≥−1.00 D) were recruited. To compare genotype frequencies between cases and controls, we genotyped five single nucleotide polymorphisms in the PAX6 gene that are reportedly associated with high/extreme myopia: rs662702, rs3026393, rs644242, rs3026390, and rs667773. Results For rs662702, rs644242, and rs667773, odds ratios (ORs) for their risk alleles tended to increase with the progression of SE and axial length in the additive and recessive models. Of these, rs644242 had the highest OR (2.56) in patients with SE<−15 D in both eyes in the recessive model. On the other hand, for rs3026393 and rs3026390, the ORs for their risk alleles tended to increase according to the progression of SE and axial length in the dominant model. Of the two, rs3026393 had the highest OR (2.32) in patients with SE<−15 D in both eyes in the dominant model. However, no significant associations were identified in this study. Conclusion We found that these PAX6 single nucleotide polymorphisms were associated with an increased risk of extreme myopia. Although the results, which are in agreement with some previous studies, did not reach statistical significance, PAX6 single nucleotide polymorphisms may be important risk factors for the development of extreme myopia. Further genetic studies with larger sample sizes and taking into account the degree of myopia are needed to clarify the contribution of PAX6 variants in myopia development. PMID:26604670

11. Whole-genome association study identifies STK39 as a hypertension susceptibility gene

PubMed Central

Wang, Ying; O'Connell, Jeffrey R.; McArdle, Patrick F.; Wade, James B.; Dorff, Sarah E.; Shah, Sanjiv J.; Shi, Xiaolian; Pan, Lin; Rampersaud, Evadnie; Shen, Haiqing; Kim, James D.; Subramanya, Arohan R.; Steinle, Nanette I.; Parsa, Afshin; Ober, Carole C.; Welling, Paul A.; Chakravarti, Aravinda; Weder, Alan B.; Cooper, Richard S.; Mitchell, Braxton D.; Shuldiner, Alan R.; Chang, Yen-Pei C.

2009-01-01

Hypertension places a major burden on individual and public health, but the genetic basis of this complex disorder is poorly understood. We conducted a genome-wide association study of systolic and diastolic blood pressure (SBP and DBP) in Amish subjects and found strong association signals with common variants in a serine/threonine kinase gene, STK39. We confirmed this association in an independent Amish and 4 non-Amish Caucasian samples including the Diabetes Genetics Initiative, Framingham Heart Study, GenNet, and Hutterites (meta-analysis combining all studies: n = 7,125, P < 10−6). The higher BP-associated alleles have frequencies > 0.09 and were associated with increases of 3.3/1.3 mm Hg in SBP/DBP, respectively, in the Amish subjects and with smaller but consistent effects across the non-Amish studies. Cell-based functional studies showed that STK39 interacts with WNK kinases and cation-chloride cotransporters, mutations in which cause monogenic forms of BP dysregulation. We demonstrate that in vivo, STK39 is expressed in the distal nephron, where it may interact with these proteins. Although none of the associated SNPs alter protein structure, we identified and experimentally confirmed a highly conserved intronic element with allele-specific in vitro transcription activity as a functional candidate for this association. Thus, variants in STK39 may influence BP by increasing STK39 expression and consequently altering renal Na+ excretion, thus unifying rare and common BP-regulating alleles in the same physiological pathway. PMID:19114657

12. International Lung Cancer Consortium: Coordinated association study of 10 potential lung cancer susceptibility variants

PubMed Central

Truong, Therese; Sauter, Wiebke; McKay, James D.; Hosgood, H.Dean; Gallagher, Carla; Amos, Christopher I.; Spitz, Margaret; Muscat, Joshua; Lazarus, Philip; Illig, Thomas; Wichmann, H.Erich; Bickeböller, Heike; Risch, Angela; Dienemann, Hendrik; Zhang, Zuo-Feng; Naeim, Behnaz Pezeshki; Yang, Ping; Zienolddiny, Shanbeh; Haugen, Aage; Le Marchand, Loïc; Hong, Yun-Chul; Kim, Jin Hee; Duell, Eric J.; Andrew, Angeline S.; Kiyohara, Chikako; Shen, Hongbing; Matsuo, Keitaro; Suzuki, Takeshi; Seow, Adeline; Ng, Daniel P.K.; Lan, Qing; Zaridze, David; Szeszenia-Dabrowska, Neonilia; Lissowska, Jolanta; Rudnai, Peter; Fabianova, Eleonora; Constantinescu, Vali; Bencko, Vladimir; Foretova, Lenka; Janout, Vladimir; Caporaso, Neil E.; Albanes, Demetrius; Thun, Michael; Landi, Maria Teresa; Trubicka, Joanna; Lener, Marcin; Lubiński, Jan; Wang, Ying; Chabrier, Amélie; Boffetta, Paolo; Brennan, Paul; Hung, Rayjean J.

2010-01-01

Background. Analysis of candidate genes in individual studies has had only limited success in identifying particular gene variants that are conclusively associated with lung cancer risk. In the International Lung Cancer Consortium (ILCCO), we conducted a coordinated genotyping study of 10 common variants selected because of their prior evidence of an association with lung cancer. These variants belonged to candidate genes from different cancer-related pathways including inflammation (IL1B), folate metabolism (MTHFR), regulatory function (AKAP9 and CAMKK1), cell adhesion (SEZL6) and apoptosis (FAS, FASL, TP53, TP53BP1 and BAT3). Methods. Genotype data from 15 ILCCO case–control studies were available for a total of 8431 lung cancer cases and 11 072 controls of European descent and Asian ethnic groups. Unconditional logistic regression was used to model the association between each variant and lung cancer risk. Results. Only the association between a non-synonymous variant of TP53BP1 (rs560191) and lung cancer risk was significant (OR = 0.91, P = 0.002). This association was more striking for squamous cell carcinoma (OR = 0.86, P = 6 × 10−4). No heterogeneity by center, ethnicity, smoking status, age group or sex was observed. In order to confirm this association, we included results for this variant from a set of independent studies (9966 cases/11 722 controls) and we reported similar results. When combining all these studies together, we reported an overall OR = 0.93 (0.89–0.97) (P = 0.001). This association was significant only for squamous cell carcinoma [OR = 0.89 (0.85–0.95), P = 1 × 10−4]. Conclusion. This study suggests that rs560191 is associated to lung cancer risk and further highlights the value of consortia in replicating or refuting published genetic associations. PMID:20106900

13. A multi-stage genome-wide association study of bladder cancer identifies multiple susceptibility loci.

PubMed

Rothman, Nathaniel; Garcia-Closas, Montserrat; Chatterjee, Nilanjan; Malats, Nuria; Wu, Xifeng; Figueroa, Jonine D; Real, Francisco X; Van Den Berg, David; Matullo, Giuseppe; Baris, Dalsu; Thun, Michael; Kiemeney, Lambertus A; Vineis, Paolo; De Vivo, Immaculata; Albanes, Demetrius; Purdue, Mark P; Rafnar, Thorunn; Hildebrandt, Michelle A T; Kiltie, Anne E; Cussenot, Olivier; Golka, Klaus; Kumar, Rajiv; Taylor, Jack A; Mayordomo, Jose I; Jacobs, Kevin B; Kogevinas, Manolis; Hutchinson, Amy; Wang, Zhaoming; Fu, Yi-Ping; Prokunina-Olsson, Ludmila; Burdett, Laurie; Yeager, Meredith; Wheeler, William; Tardón, Adonina; Serra, Consol; Carrato, Alfredo; García-Closas, Reina; Lloreta, Josep; Johnson, Alison; Schwenn, Molly; Karagas, Margaret R; Schned, Alan; Andriole, Gerald; Grubb, Robert; Black, Amanda; Jacobs, Eric J; Diver, W Ryan; Gapstur, Susan M; Weinstein, Stephanie J; Virtamo, Jarmo; Cortessis, Victoria K; Gago-Dominguez, Manuela; Pike, Malcolm C; Stern, Mariana C; Yuan, Jian-Min; Hunter, David J; McGrath, Monica; Dinney, Colin P; Czerniak, Bogdan; Chen, Meng; Yang, Hushan; Vermeulen, Sita H; Aben, Katja K; Witjes, J Alfred; Makkinje, Remco R; Sulem, Patrick; Besenbacher, Soren; Stefansson, Kari; Riboli, Elio; Brennan, Paul; Panico, Salvatore; Navarro, Carmen; Allen, Naomi E; Bueno-de-Mesquita, H Bas; Trichopoulos, Dimitrios; Caporaso, Neil; Landi, Maria Teresa; Canzian, Federico; Ljungberg, Borje; Tjonneland, Anne; Clavel-Chapelon, Francoise; Bishop, David T; Teo, Mark T W; Knowles, Margaret A; Guarrera, Simonetta; Polidoro, Silvia; Ricceri, Fulvio; Sacerdote, Carlotta; Allione, Alessandra; Cancel-Tassin, Geraldine; Selinski, Silvia; Hengstler, Jan G; Dietrich, Holger; Fletcher, Tony; Rudnai, Peter; Gurzau, Eugen; Koppova, Kvetoslava; Bolick, Sophia C E; Godfrey, Ashley; Xu, Zongli; Sanz-Velez, José I; D García-Prats, María; Sanchez, Manuel; Valdivia, Gabriel; Porru, Stefano; Benhamou, Simone; Hoover, Robert N; Fraumeni, Joseph F; Silverman, Debra T; Chanock, Stephen J

2010-11-01

We conducted a multi-stage, genome-wide association study of bladder cancer with a primary scan of 591,637 SNPs in 3,532 affected individuals (cases) and 5,120 controls of European descent from five studies followed by a replication strategy, which included 8,382 cases and 48,275 controls from 16 studies. In a combined analysis, we identified three new regions associated with bladder cancer on chromosomes 22q13.1, 19q12 and 2q37.1: rs1014971, (P = 8 × 10⁻¹²) maps to a non-genic region of chromosome 22q13.1, rs8102137 (P = 2 × 10⁻¹¹) on 19q12 maps to CCNE1 and rs11892031 (P = 1 × 10⁻⁷) maps to the UGT1A cluster on 2q37.1. We confirmed four previously identified genome-wide associations on chromosomes 3q28, 4p16.3, 8q24.21 and 8q24.3, validated previous candidate associations for the GSTM1 deletion (P = 4 × 10⁻¹¹) and a tag SNP for NAT2 acetylation status (P = 4 × 10⁻¹¹), and found interactions with smoking in both regions. Our findings on common variants associated with bladder cancer risk should provide new insights into the mechanisms of carcinogenesis. PMID:20972438

14. Identification of new susceptibility loci for osteoarthritis (arcOGEN): a genome-wide association study

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Summary Background Osteoarthritis is the most common form of arthritis worldwide and is a major cause of pain and disability in elderly people. The health economic burden of osteoarthritis is increasing commensurate with obesity prevalence and longevity. Osteoarthritis has a strong genetic component but the success of previous genetic studies has been restricted due to insufficient sample sizes and phenotype heterogeneity. Methods We undertook a large genome-wide association study (GWAS) in 7410 unrelated and retrospectively and prospectively selected patients with severe osteoarthritis in the arcOGEN study, 80% of whom had undergone total joint replacement, and 11 009 unrelated controls from the UK. We replicated the most promising signals in an independent set of up to 7473 cases and 42 938 controls, from studies in Iceland, Estonia, the Netherlands, and the UK. All patients and controls were of European descent. Findings We identified five genome-wide significant loci (binomial test p≤5·0×10−8) for association with osteoarthritis and three loci just below this threshold. The strongest association was on chromosome 3 with rs6976 (odds ratio 1·12 [95% CI 1·08–1·16]; p=7·24×10−11), which is in perfect linkage disequilibrium with rs11177. This SNP encodes a missense polymorphism within the nucleostemin-encoding gene GNL3. Levels of nucleostemin were raised in chondrocytes from patients with osteoarthritis in functional studies. Other significant loci were on chromosome 9 close to ASTN2, chromosome 6 between FILIP1 and SENP6, chromosome 12 close to KLHDC5 and PTHLH, and in another region of chromosome 12 close to CHST11. One of the signals close to genome-wide significance was within the FTO gene, which is involved in regulation of bodyweight—a strong risk factor for osteoarthritis. All risk variants were common in frequency and exerted small effects. Interpretation Our findings provide insight into the genetics of arthritis and identify new

15. Genome-Wide Association Study for Type 2 Diabetes in Indians Identifies a New Susceptibility Locus at 2q21

PubMed Central

Tabassum, Rubina; Chauhan, Ganesh; Dwivedi, Om Prakash; Mahajan, Anubha; Jaiswal, Alok; Kaur, Ismeet; Bandesh, Khushdeep; Singh, Tejbir; Mathai, Benan John; Pandey, Yogesh; Chidambaram, Manickam; Sharma, Amitabh; Chavali, Sreenivas; Sengupta, Shantanu; Ramakrishnan, Lakshmi; Venkatesh, Pradeep; Aggarwal, Sanjay K.; Ghosh, Saurabh; Prabhakaran, Dorairaj; Srinath, Reddy K.; Saxena, Madhukar; Banerjee, Monisha; Mathur, Sandeep; Bhansali, Anil; Shah, Viral N.; Madhu, Sri Venkata; Marwaha, Raman K.; Basu, Analabha; Scaria, Vinod; McCarthy, Mark I.; Venkatesan, Radha; Mohan, Viswanathan; Tandon, Nikhil; Bharadwaj, Dwaipayan

2013-01-01

Indians undergoing socioeconomic and lifestyle transitions will be maximally affected by epidemic of type 2 diabetes (T2D). We conducted a two-stage genome-wide association study of T2D in 12,535 Indians, a less explored but high-risk group. We identified a new type 2 diabetes–associated locus at 2q21, with the lead signal being rs6723108 (odds ratio 1.31; P = 3.32 × 10−9). Imputation analysis refined the signal to rs998451 (odds ratio 1.56; P = 6.3 × 10−12) within TMEM163 that encodes a probable vesicular transporter in nerve terminals. TMEM163 variants also showed association with decreased fasting plasma insulin and homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance, indicating a plausible effect through impaired insulin secretion. The 2q21 region also harbors RAB3GAP1 and ACMSD; those are involved in neurologic disorders. Forty-nine of 56 previously reported signals showed consistency in direction with similar effect sizes in Indians and previous studies, and 25 of them were also associated (P < 0.05). Known loci and the newly identified 2q21 locus altogether explained 7.65% variance in the risk of T2D in Indians. Our study suggests that common susceptibility variants for T2D are largely the same across populations, but also reveals a population-specific locus and provides further insights into genetic architecture and etiology of T2D. PMID:23209189

16. Muscle Quality and Myosteatosis: Novel Associations With Mortality Risk: The Age, Gene/Environment Susceptibility (AGES)-Reykjavik Study.

PubMed

Reinders, Ilse; Murphy, Rachel A; Brouwer, Ingeborg A; Visser, Marjolein; Launer, Lenore; Siggeirsdottir, Kristin; Eiriksdottir, Gudny; Gudnason, Vilmundur; Jonsson, Palmi V; Lang, Thomas F; Harris, Tamara B

2016-01-01

Muscle composition may affect mortality risk, but prior studies have been limited to specific samples or less precise determination of muscle composition. We evaluated associations of thigh muscle composition, determined using computed tomography imaging, and knee extension strength with mortality risk among 4,824 participants aged 76.4 (standard deviation (SD), 5.5) years from the Age, Gene/Environment Susceptibility (AGES)-Reykjavik Study (2002-2006). Cox proportional hazards models were used to estimate hazard ratios. After 8.8 years of follow-up, there were 1,942 deaths. For men, each SD-increment increase in muscle lean area, muscle quality, and strength was associated with lower mortality risk, with decreases ranging between 11% and 22%. Each SD-increment increase in intermuscular adipose tissue and intramuscular adipose tissue was associated with higher mortality risk (hazard ratio (HR) = 1.13 (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.06, 1.22) and HR = 1.23 (95% CI: 1.15, 1.30), respectively). For women, each SD-increment increase in muscle lean area, muscle quality, and strength was associated with lower mortality risk, with decreases ranging between 12% and 19%. Greater intramuscular adipose tissue was associated with an 8% higher mortality risk (HR = 1.08, 95% CI: 1.01, 1.16). This study shows that muscle composition is associated with mortality risk. These results also show the importance of improving muscle strength and area and lowering muscle adipose tissue infiltration. PMID:26643983

17. Breast cancer susceptibility polymorphisms and endometrial cancer risk: a Collaborative Endometrial Cancer Study

PubMed Central

Ahmed, Shahana; O’Mara, Tracy A.; Ferguson, Kaltin; Lambrechts, Diether; Garcia-Dios, Diego A.; Vergote, Ignace; Amant, Frederic; Howarth, Kimberley; Gorman, Maggie; Hodgson, Shirley; Tomlinson, Ian; Yang, Hannah P.; Lissowska, Jolanta; Brinton, Louise A.; Chanock, Stephen; Garcia-Closas, Montserrat; Hall, Per; Liu, Jianjun; Shah, Mitul; Pharoah, Paul D.P.; Thompson, Deborah J.; Rebbeck, Timothy R.; Strom, Brian L.; Dunning, Alison M.; Easton, Douglas F.; Spurdle, Amanda B.

2011-01-01

Recent large--scale association studies, both of genome-wide and candidate gene design, have revealed several single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) which are significantly associated with risk of developing breast cancer. As both breast and endometrial cancers are considered to be hormonally driven and share multiple risk factors, we investigated whether breast cancer risk alleles are also associated with endometrial cancer risk. We genotyped nine breast cancer risk SNPs in up to 4188 endometrial cases and 11 928 controls, from between three and seven Caucasian populations. None of the tested SNPs showed significant evidence of association with risk of endometrial cancer. PMID:21965274

18. Breast cancer susceptibility polymorphisms and endometrial cancer risk: a Collaborative Endometrial Cancer Study.

PubMed

Healey, Catherine S; Ahmed, Shahana; O'Mara, Tracy A; Ferguson, Kaltin; Lambrechts, Diether; Garcia-Dios, Diego A; Vergote, Ignace; Amant, Frederic; Howarth, Kimberley; Gorman, Maggie; Hodgson, Shirley; Tomlinson, Ian; Yang, Hannah P; Lissowska, Jolanta; Brinton, Louise A; Chanock, Stephen; Garcia-Closas, Montserrat; Hall, Per; Liu, Jianjun; Shah, Mitul; Pharoah, Paul D P; Thompson, Deborah J; Rebbeck, Timothy R; Strom, Brian L; Dunning, Alison M; Easton, Douglas F; Spurdle, Amanda B

2011-12-01

Recent large--scale association studies, both of genome-wide and candidate gene design, have revealed several single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) which are significantly associated with risk of developing breast cancer. As both breast and endometrial cancers are considered to be hormonally driven and share multiple risk factors, we investigated whether breast cancer risk alleles are also associated with endometrial cancer risk. We genotyped nine breast cancer risk SNPs in up to 4188 endometrial cases and 11,928 controls, from between three and seven Caucasian populations. None of the tested SNPs showed significant evidence of association with risk of endometrial cancer. PMID:21965274

19. Association of PDE4B Polymorphisms with Susceptibility to Schizophrenia: A Meta-Analysis of Case-Control Studies

PubMed Central

Feng, Yanguo; Cheng, Dejun; Zhang, Chaofeng; Li, Yuchun; Zhang, Zhiying; Wang, Juan; Shi, Yuzhong

2016-01-01

Background The PDE4B single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) have been reported to be associated with schizophrenia risk. However, current findings are ambiguous or even conflicting. To better facilitate the understanding the genetic role played by PDE4B in susceptibility to schizophrenia, we collected currently available data and conducted this meta-analysis. Methods A comprehensive electronic literature searching of PubMed, Embase, Web of Science and Cochrane Library was performed. The association between PDE4B SNPs and schizophrenia was evaluated by odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) under allelic, dominant and recessive genetic models. The random effects model was utilized when high between-study heterogeneity (I2 > 50%) existed, otherwise the fixed effects model was used. Results Five studies comprising 2376 schizophrenia patients and 3093 controls were finally included for meta-analysis. The rs1040716 was statistically significantly associated with schizophrenia risk in Asian and Caucasian populations under dominant model (OR = 0.87, 95% CI: 0.76–0.99, P = 0.04). The rs2180335 was significantly related with schizophrenia risk in Asian populations under allelic (OR = 0.82, 95% CI: 0.72–0.93, P = 0.003) and dominant (OR = 0.75, 95% CI: 0.64–0.88, P < 0.001) models. A significant association was also observed between rs4320761 and schizophrenia in Asian populations under allelic model (OR = 0.87, 95% CI: 0.75–1.00, P = 0.048). In addition, a strong association tendency was found between rs6588190 and schizophrenia in Asian populations under allelic model (OR = 0.87, 95% CI: 0.76–1.00, P = 0.055). Conclusion This meta-analysis suggests that PDE4B SNPs are genetically associated with susceptibility to schizophrenia. However, due to limited sample size, more large-scale, multi-racial association studies are needed to further clarify the genetic association between various PDE4B variants and schizophrenia. PMID:26756575

20. Genome-wide association study identifies multiple susceptibility loci for multiple myeloma

PubMed Central

Mitchell, Jonathan S.; Li, Ni; Weinhold, Niels; Försti, Asta; Ali, Mina; van Duin, Mark; Thorleifsson, Gudmar; Johnson, David C.; Chen, Bowang; Halvarsson, Britt-Marie; Gudbjartsson, Daniel F.; Kuiper, Rowan; Stephens, Owen W.; Bertsch, Uta; Broderick, Peter; Campo, Chiara; Einsele, Hermann; Gregory, Walter A.; Gullberg, Urban; Henrion, Marc; Hillengass, Jens; Hoffmann, Per; Jackson, Graham H.; Johnsson, Ellinor; Jöud, Magnus; Kristinsson, Sigurður Y.; Lenhoff, Stig; Lenive, Oleg; Mellqvist, Ulf-Henrik; Migliorini, Gabriele; Nahi, Hareth; Nelander, Sven; Nickel, Jolanta; Nöthen, Markus M.; Rafnar, Thorunn; Ross, Fiona M.; da Silva Filho, Miguel Inacio; Swaminathan, Bhairavi; Thomsen, Hauke; Turesson, Ingemar; Vangsted, Annette; Vogel, Ulla; Waage, Anders; Walker, Brian A.; Wihlborg, Anna-Karin; Broyl, Annemiek; Davies, Faith E.; Thorsteinsdottir, Unnur; Langer, Christian; Hansson, Markus; Kaiser, Martin; Sonneveld, Pieter; Stefansson, Kari; Morgan, Gareth J.; Goldschmidt, Hartmut; Hemminki, Kari; Nilsson, Björn; Houlston, Richard S.

2016-01-01

Multiple myeloma (MM) is a plasma cell malignancy with a significant heritable basis. Genome-wide association studies have transformed our understanding of MM predisposition, but individual studies have had limited power to discover risk loci. Here we perform a meta-analysis of these GWAS, add a new GWAS and perform replication analyses resulting in 9,866 cases and 239,188 controls. We confirm all nine known risk loci and discover eight new loci at 6p22.3 (rs34229995, P=1.31 × 10−8), 6q21 (rs9372120, P=9.09 × 10−15), 7q36.1 (rs7781265, P=9.71 × 10−9), 8q24.21 (rs1948915, P=4.20 × 10−11), 9p21.3 (rs2811710, P=1.72 × 10−13), 10p12.1 (rs2790457, P=1.77 × 10−8), 16q23.1 (rs7193541, P=5.00 × 10−12) and 20q13.13 (rs6066835, P=1.36 × 10−13), which localize in or near to JARID2, ATG5, SMARCD3, CCAT1, CDKN2A, WAC, RFWD3 and PREX1. These findings provide additional support for a polygenic model of MM and insight into the biological basis of tumour development. PMID:27363682

1. Genome-wide association study identifies multiple susceptibility loci for multiple myeloma.

PubMed

Mitchell, Jonathan S; Li, Ni; Weinhold, Niels; Försti, Asta; Ali, Mina; van Duin, Mark; Thorleifsson, Gudmar; Johnson, David C; Chen, Bowang; Halvarsson, Britt-Marie; Gudbjartsson, Daniel F; Kuiper, Rowan; Stephens, Owen W; Bertsch, Uta; Broderick, Peter; Campo, Chiara; Einsele, Hermann; Gregory, Walter A; Gullberg, Urban; Henrion, Marc; Hillengass, Jens; Hoffmann, Per; Jackson, Graham H; Johnsson, Ellinor; Jöud, Magnus; Kristinsson, Sigurður Y; Lenhoff, Stig; Lenive, Oleg; Mellqvist, Ulf-Henrik; Migliorini, Gabriele; Nahi, Hareth; Nelander, Sven; Nickel, Jolanta; Nöthen, Markus M; Rafnar, Thorunn; Ross, Fiona M; da Silva Filho, Miguel Inacio; Swaminathan, Bhairavi; Thomsen, Hauke; Turesson, Ingemar; Vangsted, Annette; Vogel, Ulla; Waage, Anders; Walker, Brian A; Wihlborg, Anna-Karin; Broyl, Annemiek; Davies, Faith E; Thorsteinsdottir, Unnur; Langer, Christian; Hansson, Markus; Kaiser, Martin; Sonneveld, Pieter; Stefansson, Kari; Morgan, Gareth J; Goldschmidt, Hartmut; Hemminki, Kari; Nilsson, Björn; Houlston, Richard S

2016-01-01

Multiple myeloma (MM) is a plasma cell malignancy with a significant heritable basis. Genome-wide association studies have transformed our understanding of MM predisposition, but individual studies have had limited power to discover risk loci. Here we perform a meta-analysis of these GWAS, add a new GWAS and perform replication analyses resulting in 9,866 cases and 239,188 controls. We confirm all nine known risk loci and discover eight new loci at 6p22.3 (rs34229995, P=1.31 × 10(-8)), 6q21 (rs9372120, P=9.09 × 10(-15)), 7q36.1 (rs7781265, P=9.71 × 10(-9)), 8q24.21 (rs1948915, P=4.20 × 10(-11)), 9p21.3 (rs2811710, P=1.72 × 10(-13)), 10p12.1 (rs2790457, P=1.77 × 10(-8)), 16q23.1 (rs7193541, P=5.00 × 10(-12)) and 20q13.13 (rs6066835, P=1.36 × 10(-13)), which localize in or near to JARID2, ATG5, SMARCD3, CCAT1, CDKN2A, WAC, RFWD3 and PREX1. These findings provide additional support for a polygenic model of MM and insight into the biological basis of tumour development. PMID:27363682

2. Aberration corrected environmental STEM (AC ESTEM) for dynamic in-situ gas reaction studies of nanoparticle catalysts

Boyes, E. D.; Gai, P. L.

2014-06-01

Environmental scanning transmission electron microscopy (ESTEM) with aberration correction (AC) has recently been added to the capabilities of the more established ETEM for analysis of heterogeneous nanoparticle based catalysts. It has helped to reveal the importance and potentially unique properties of individual atoms as active sites in their own right as well as pathways between established nanoparticles. A new capability is introduced for dynamic in-situ experiments under controlled conditions of specimen temperature and gas environment related to real world conditions pertinent to a range of industrial and societal priorities for new and improved chemical processes, materials, fuels, pharmaceutical products and processes, and in control or remediation of environmental emissions.

3. Campylobacter MLST Subtypes and Antimicrobial Susceptibility of Broiler Cecal Isolates: A Two Year Study from 142 Commercial Flocks

Technology Transfer Automated Retrieval System (TEKTRAN)

Introduction: Campylobacter spp. are recognized as important agents of human foodborne gastroenteritis. To monitor trends in food safety and public health, antimicrobial susceptibility testing of Campylobacter derived from poultry products and infected patients has become common practice in both r...

4. Air pollution and lung function among susceptible adult subjects: a panel study

PubMed Central

Lagorio, Susanna; Forastiere, Francesco; Pistelli, Riccardo; Iavarone, Ivano; Michelozzi, Paola; Fano, Valeria; Marconi, Achille; Ziemacki, Giovanni; Ostro, Bart D

2006-01-01

Background Adverse health effects at relatively low levels of ambient air pollution have consistently been reported in the last years. We conducted a time-series panel study of subjects with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma, and ischemic heart disease (IHD) to evaluate whether daily levels of air pollutants have a measurable impact on the lung function of adult subjects with pre-existing lung or heart diseases. Methods Twenty-nine patients with COPD, asthma, or IHD underwent repeated lung function tests by supervised spirometry in two one-month surveys. Daily samples of coarse (PM10–2.5) and fine (PM2.5) particulate matter were collected by means of dichotomous samplers, and the dust was gravimetrically analyzed. The particulate content of selected metals (cadmium, chrome, iron, nickel, lead, platinum, vanadium, and zinc) was determined by atomic absorption spectrometry. Ambient concentrations of nitrogen dioxide (NO2), carbon monoxide (CO), ozone (O3), and sulphur dioxide (SO2) were obtained from the regional air-quality monitoring network. The relationships between concentrations of air pollutants and lung function parameters were analyzed by generalized estimating equations (GEE) for panel data. Results Decrements in lung function indices (FVC and/or FEV1) associated with increasing concentrations of PM2.5, NO2 and some metals (especially zinc and iron) were observed in COPD cases. Among the asthmatics, NO2 was associated with a decrease in FEV1. No association between average ambient concentrations of any air pollutant and lung function was observed among IHD cases. Conclusion This study suggests that the short-term negative impact of exposure to air pollutants on respiratory volume and flow is limited to individuals with already impaired respiratory function. The fine fraction of ambient PM seems responsible for the observed effects among COPD cases, with zinc and iron having a potential role via oxidative stress. The respiratory function

5. Studies of superspin glass state and AC-losses in La0.7Sr0.3MnO3 nanoparticles obtained by high-energy ball-milling

Phong, P. T.; Manh, D. H.; Nguyen, L. H.; Tung, D. K.; Phuc, N. X.; Lee, I.-J.

2014-11-01

Single-phase perovskite compound La0.7Sr0.3MnO3 was synthesized by a high-energy ball milling method. Nanoparticle nature of this manganite with the average particle diameter of 11 nm was revealed from structure and morphology characterizations. The results of ac magnetic susceptibility measurements show that the system can be described as an ensemble of interacting magnetic nanoparticles, which indicates that the dipole-dipole interactions are strong enough to create superspin glass state in the sample. Furthermore, the specific loss power which is exhausted on the irradiation of an ensemble of particles with a magnetic field has been calculated and measured experimentally.

6. Susceptibility to denaturation of caseins in milk samples for improving protein conformational study and their identification.

PubMed

Pepe, Giacomo; Tenore, Gian Carlo; Conte, Carmine; Russo, Mariateresa; Manfra, Michele; Campiglia, Pietro

2013-01-01

Caseins are phosphoproteins kept together by non-covalent interactions to form a highly stabilised dispersion in milk. This study intended to evaluate the different effects of denaturing solvents and solutions on caseins in order to optimise the chromatographic resolution for a better identification of individual casein fractions. The caseins were obtained from bovine skimmed milks by precipitation at pH 4.3, and the proteins were dissolved in water and three different solutions. The casein separation was performed by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography. Each casein was identified by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionisation-time-of-flight mass spectrometry. The best result was achieved by treating the caseins with solution D. PMID:22978643

7. Exploiting the Temperature Dependence of Magnetic Susceptibility to Control Convective in Fundamental Studies of Solidification Phenomena

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Seybert, C.; Evans, J. W.; Leslie, F.; Jones, W. K., Jr.

2001-01-01

It is well known that convection is a dominant mass transport mechanism when materials are solidified on Earth's surface. This convection is caused by gradients in density (and therefore gravitational force) that are brought about by gradients in temperature, composition or both. Diffusion of solute is therefore dwarfed by convection and the study of fundamental parameters, such as dendrite tip shape and growth velocity in the absence of convection is nearly impossible. Significant experimental work has therefore been carried out in orbiting laboratories with the intent of minimizing convection by minimizing gravity. One of the best known experiments of this kind is the Isothermal Dendritic Growth Experiment (IDGE), supported by NASA. Naturally such experiments are costly and one objective of the present investigation is to develop an experimental method whereby convection can be halted, in solidification and other experiments, on the Earth's surface. A second objective is to use the method to minimize convection resulting from the residual accelerations suffered by experiments in microgravity.

8. Genome Wide Association Study Identifies L3MBTL4 as a Novel Susceptibility Gene for Hypertension.

PubMed

Liu, Xin; Hu, Cheng; Bao, Minghui; Li, Jing; Liu, Xiaoyan; Tan, Xuerui; Zhou, Yong; Chen, Yequn; Wu, Shouling; Chen, Shuohua; Zhang, Rong; Jiang, Feng; Jia, Weiping; Wang, Xingyu; Yang, Xinchun; Cai, Jun

2016-01-01

Hypertension is a major global health burden and a leading risk factor for cardiovascular diseases. Although its heritability has been documented previously, contributing loci identified to date account for only a small fraction of blood pressure (BP) variation, which strongly suggests the existence of undiscovered variants. To identify novel variants, we conducted a three staged genetic study in 21,990 hypertensive cases and normotensive controls. Four single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) at three new genes (L3MBTL4 rs403814, Pmeta = 6.128 × 10(-9); LOC729251, and TCEANC) and seven SNPs at five previously reported genes were identified as being significantly associated with hypertension. Through functional analysis, we found that L3MBTL4 is predominantly expressed in vascular smooth muscle cells and up-regulated in spontaneously hypertensive rats. Rats with ubiquitous over-expression of L3MBTL4 exhibited significantly elevated BP, increased thickness of the vascular media layer and cardiac hypertrophy. Mechanistically, L3MBTL4 over-expression could lead to down-regulation of latent transforming growth factor-β binding protein 1 (LTBP1), and phosphorylation activation of the mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPK) signaling pathway, which is known to trigger the pathological progression of vascular remodeling and BP elevation. These findings pinpointed L3MBTL4 as a critical contributor to the development and progression of hypertension and uncovers a novel target for therapeutic intervention. PMID:27480026

9. Genome Wide Association Study Identifies L3MBTL4 as a Novel Susceptibility Gene for Hypertension

PubMed Central

Liu, Xin; Hu, Cheng; Bao, Minghui; Li, Jing; Liu, Xiaoyan; Tan, Xuerui; Zhou, Yong; Chen, Yequn; Wu, Shouling; Chen, Shuohua; Zhang, Rong; Jiang, Feng; Jia, Weiping; Wang, Xingyu; Yang, Xinchun; Cai, Jun

2016-01-01

Hypertension is a major global health burden and a leading risk factor for cardiovascular diseases. Although its heritability has been documented previously, contributing loci identified to date account for only a small fraction of blood pressure (BP) variation, which strongly suggests the existence of undiscovered variants. To identify novel variants, we conducted a three staged genetic study in 21,990 hypertensive cases and normotensive controls. Four single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) at three new genes (L3MBTL4 rs403814, Pmeta = 6.128 × 10−9; LOC729251, and TCEANC) and seven SNPs at five previously reported genes were identified as being significantly associated with hypertension. Through functional analysis, we found that L3MBTL4 is predominantly expressed in vascular smooth muscle cells and up-regulated in spontaneously hypertensive rats. Rats with ubiquitous over-expression of L3MBTL4 exhibited significantly elevated BP, increased thickness of the vascular media layer and cardiac hypertrophy. Mechanistically, L3MBTL4 over-expression could lead to down-regulation of latent transforming growth factor-β binding protein 1 (LTBP1), and phosphorylation activation of the mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPK) signaling pathway, which is known to trigger the pathological progression of vascular remodeling and BP elevation. These findings pinpointed L3MBTL4 as a critical contributor to the development and progression of hypertension and uncovers a novel target for therapeutic intervention. PMID:27480026

10. A Two-Stage Association Study Suggests BRAP as a Susceptibility Gene for Schizophrenia

PubMed Central

Qi, Guoyang; Yuan, Guozhen; Cheng, Zaohuo; Wang, Jidong; Wang, Guoqiang; Wang, Zhiqiang; Zhu, Wei; Zhou, Zhenhe; Zhao, Xingfu; Tian, Lin; Jin, Chunhui; Yuan, Janmin; Zhang, Guofu; Chen, Yaguang; Wang, Lifang; Lu, Tianlan; Yan, Hao; Ruan, Yanyan; Yue, Weihua; Zhang, Dai

2014-01-01

Schizophrenia (SZ) is a neurodevelopmental disorder in which altered immune function typically plays an important role in mediating the effect of environmental insults and regulation of inflammation. The breast cancer suppressor protein associated protein (BRAP) is suggested to exert vital effects in neurodevelopment by modulating the mitogen-activated protein kinase cascade and inflammation signaling. To explore the possible role of BRAP in SZ, we conducted a two-stage study to examine the association of BRAP polymorphisms with SZ in the Han Chinese population. In stage one, we screened SNPs in BRAP from our GWAS data, which detected three associated SNPs, with rs3782886 being the most significant one (P  =  2.31E-6, OR  =  0.67). In stage two, we validated these three SNPs in an independently collected population including 1957 patients and 1509 controls, supporting the association of rs3782886 with SZ (P  =  1.43E-6, OR  =  0.73). Furthermore, cis-eQTL analysis indicates that rs3782886 genotypes are associated with mRNA levels of aldehyde dehydrogenase 2 family (ALDH2) (P  =  0.0039) and myosin regulatory light chain 2 (MYL2) (P < 1.0E-4). Our data suggest that the BRAP gene may confer vulnerability for SZ in Han Chinese population, adding further evidence for the involvement of developmental and/or neuroinflammatory cascades in the illness. PMID:24454952

11. Genome-wide association study identifies five new susceptibility loci for primary angle closure glaucoma.

PubMed

Khor, Chiea Chuen; Do, Tan; Jia, Hongyan; Nakano, Masakazu; George, Ronnie; Abu-Amero, Khaled; Duvesh, Roopam; Chen, Li Jia; Li, Zheng; Nongpiur, Monisha E; Perera, Shamira A; Qiao, Chunyan; Wong, Hon-Tym; Sakai, Hiroshi; Barbosa de Melo, Mônica; Lee, Mei-Chin; Chan, Anita S; Azhany, Yaakub; Dao, Thi Lam Huong; Ikeda, Yoko; Perez-Grossmann, Rodolfo A; Zarnowski, Tomasz; Day, Alexander C; Jonas, Jost B; Tam, Pancy O S; Tran, Tuan Anh; Ayub, Humaira; Akhtar, Farah; Micheal, Shazia; Chew, Paul T K; Aljasim, Leyla A; Dada, Tanuj; Luu, Tam Thi; Awadalla, Mona S; Kitnarong, Naris; Wanichwecharungruang, Boonsong; Aung, Yee Yee; Mohamed-Noor, Jelinar; Vijayan, Saravanan; Sarangapani, Sripriya; Husain, Rahat; Jap, Aliza; Baskaran, Mani; Goh, David; Su, Daniel H; Wang, Huaizhou; Yong, Vernon K; Yip, Leonard W; Trinh, Tuyet Bach; Makornwattana, Manchima; Nguyen, Thanh Thu; Leuenberger, Edgar U; Park, Ki-Ho; Wiyogo, Widya Artini; Kumar, Rajesh S; Tello, Celso; Kurimoto, Yasuo; Thapa, Suman S; Pathanapitoon, Kessara; Salmon, John F; Sohn, Yong Ho; Fea, Antonio; Ozaki, Mineo; Lai, Jimmy S M; Tantisevi, Visanee; Khaing, Chaw Chaw; Mizoguchi, Takanori; Nakano, Satoko; Kim, Chan-Yun; Tang, Guangxian; Fan, Sujie; Wu, Renyi; Meng, Hailin; Nguyen, Thi Thuy Giang; Tran, Tien Dat; Ueno, Morio; Martinez, Jose Maria; Ramli, Norlina; Aung, Yin Mon; Reyes, Rigo Daniel; Vernon, Stephen A; Fang, Seng Kheong; Xie, Zhicheng; Chen, Xiao Yin; Foo, Jia Nee; Sim, Kar Seng; Wong, Tina T; Quek, Desmond T; Venkatesh, Rengaraj; Kavitha, Srinivasan; Krishnadas, Subbiah R; Soumittra, Nagaswamy; Shantha, Balekudaru; Lim, Boon-Ang; Ogle, Jeanne; de Vasconcellos, José P C; Costa, Vital P; Abe, Ricardo Y; de Souza, Bruno B; Sng, Chelvin C; Aquino, Maria C; Kosior-Jarecka, Ewa; Fong, Guillermo Barreto; Tamanaja, Vania Castro; Fujita, Ricardo; Jiang, Yuzhen; Waseem, Naushin; Low, Sancy; Pham, Huan Nguyen; Al-Shahwan, Sami; Craven, E Randy; Khan, Muhammad Imran; Dada, Rrima; Mohanty, Kuldeep; Faiq, Muneeb A; Hewitt, Alex W; Burdon, Kathryn P; Gan, Eng Hui; Prutthipongsit, Anuwat; Patthanathamrongkasem, Thipnapa; Catacutan, Mary Ann T; Felarca, Irene R; Liao, Chona S; Rusmayani, Emma; Istiantoro, Vira Wardhana; Consolandi, Giulia; Pignata, Giulia; Lavia, Carlo; Rojanapongpun, Prin; Mangkornkanokpong, Lerprat; Chansangpetch, Sunee; Chan, Jonathan C H; Choy, Bonnie N K; Shum, Jennifer W H; Than, Hlaing May; Oo, Khin Thida; Han, Aye Thi; Yong, Victor H; Ng, Xiao-Yu; Goh, Shuang Ru; Chong, Yaan Fun; Hibberd, Martin L; Seielstad, Mark; Png, Eileen; Dunstan, Sarah J; Chau, Nguyen Van Vinh; Bei, Jinxin; Zeng, Yi Xin; Karkey, Abhilasha; Basnyat, Buddha; Pasutto, Francesca; Paoli, Daniela; Frezzotti, Paolo; Wang, Jie Jin; Mitchell, Paul; Fingert, John H; Allingham, R Rand; Hauser, Michael A; Lim, Soon Thye; Chew, Soo Hong; Ebstein, Richard P; Sakuntabhai, Anavaj; Park, Kyu Hyung; Ahn, Jeeyun; Boland, Greet; Snippe, Harm; Stead, Richard; Quino, Raquel; Zaw, Su Nyunt; Lukasik, Urszula; Shetty, Rohit; Zahari, Mimiwati; Bae, Hyoung Won; Oo, Nay Lin; Kubota, Toshiaki; Manassakorn, Anita; Ho, Wing Lau; Dallorto, Laura; Hwang, Young Hoon; Kiire, Christine A; Kuroda, Masako; Djamal, Zeiras Eka; Peregrino, Jovell Ian M; Ghosh, Arkasubhra; Jeoung, Jin Wook; Hoan, Tung S; Srisamran, Nuttamon; Sandragasu, Thayanithi; Set, Saw Htoo; Doan, Vi Huyen; Bhattacharya, Shomi S; Ho, Ching-Lin; Tan, Donald T; Sihota, Ramanjit; Loon, Seng-Chee; Mori, Kazuhiko; Kinoshita, Shigeru; Hollander, Anneke I den; Qamar, Raheel; Wang, Ya-Xing; Teo, Yik Y; Tai, E-Shyong; Hartleben-Matkin, Curt; Lozano-Giral, David; Saw, Seang Mei; Cheng, Ching-Yu; Zenteno, Juan C; Pang, Chi Pui; Bui, Huong T T; Hee, Owen; Craig, Jamie E; Edward, Deepak P; Yonahara, Michiko; Neto, Jamil Miguel; Guevara-Fujita, Maria L; Xu, Liang; Ritch, Robert; Liza-Sharmini, Ahmad Tajudin; Wong, Tien Y; Al-Obeidan, Saleh; Do, Nhu Hon; Sundaresan, Periasamy; Tham, Clement C; Foster, Paul J; Vijaya, Lingam; Tashiro, Kei; Vithana, Eranga N; Wang, Ningli; Aung, Tin

2016-05-01

Primary angle closure glaucoma (PACG) is a major cause of blindness worldwide. We conducted a genome-wide association study (GWAS) followed by replication in a combined total of 10,503 PACG cases and 29,567 controls drawn from 24 countries across Asia, Australia, Europe, North America, and South America. We observed significant evidence of disease association at five new genetic loci upon meta-analysis of all patient collections. These loci are at EPDR1 rs3816415 (odds ratio (OR) = 1.24, P = 5.94 × 10(-15)), CHAT rs1258267 (OR = 1.22, P = 2.85 × 10(-16)), GLIS3 rs736893 (OR = 1.18, P = 1.43 × 10(-14)), FERMT2 rs7494379 (OR = 1.14, P = 3.43 × 10(-11)), and DPM2-FAM102A rs3739821 (OR = 1.15, P = 8.32 × 10(-12)). We also confirmed significant association at three previously described loci (P < 5 × 10(-8) for each sentinel SNP at PLEKHA7, COL11A1, and PCMTD1-ST18), providing new insights into the biology of PACG. PMID:27064256

12. Association of Polymorphisms in Intercellular Adhesion Molecule 1 (ICAM-1) Gene with Cancer Susceptibility: A Meta-Analysis of 14 Case-Control Studies

PubMed Central

Zhang, Xiaolong; Huang, Junjie; Bai, Jian; Lu, Wei; Zhang, Meng; Mei, Hongbing

2016-01-01

Background Many epidemiology studies have indicated that polymorphisms in ICAM-1 are associated with a variety of cancers, but published data are contradictory and inconclusive. Therefore, we conducted the current meta-analysis to elaborate the effects of ICAM-1 polymorphisms (rs5491, rs3093030, rs281432, and rs1799969) on cancer susceptibility. Material/Methods We conducted a comprehensive literature search in PubMed, Web of Science, and Google Scholar. Odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated to assess the association between ICAM-1 polymorphisms and cancer susceptibility. Results We enrolled 14 published case-control studies including 4608 cancer cases and 4913 controls. We found an increased susceptibility of cancer in polymorphism rs1799969 (C vs. T: OR=1.662, 95%CI=1.288–2.143, p=0141; CT vs. TT: OR=1.860, 95%CI=1.398–2.474, p=0.507; CC+CT vs. TT: OR=1.812, 95%CI=1.373–2.391, p=0.284) of ICAM-1 among the overall population. However, no association between polymorphisms rs5491, rs3093030, or rs281432 of ICAM-1 and cancer susceptibility was identified. In the stratification analysis by ethnicity, we identified an increased susceptibility for Asians in rs3093030 polymorphism (CC vs. TC+TT: OR=1.728, 95% CI=1.234–2.421, p=0.787). Conclusions Our results suggest that the ICAM-1 polymorphism rs1799969 is significantly associated with increased susceptibility to overall cancer. Further studies (preferably prospective) are warranted to validate these relationships. PMID:26897511

13. Exploiting the Temperature/Concentration Dependence of Magnetic Susceptibility to Control Convection in Fundamental Studies of Solidification Phenomena

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Evans, J. W.; Xu, Dong; Jones, W. Kinzy, Jr.; Szofran, Frank R.

1999-01-01

The objective of this new research project is to demonstrate by experiment, supplemented by mathematical modeling and physical property measurement, that the effects of buoyancy driven convection can be largely eliminated in ground-based experiments, and further reduced in flight, by applying a new technique. That technique exploits the dependence of magnetic susceptibility on composition or temperature. It is emphasized at the outset that the phenomenon to be exploited is fundamentally and practically different from the magnetic damping of convection in conducting liquids that has been the subject of much prior research. The concept suggesting this research is that all materials, even non-conductors, when placed in a magnetic field gradient, experience a force. Of particular interest here are paramagnetic and diamagnetic materials, classes which embrace the "model alloys", such as succinonitrile-acetone, that have been used by others investigating the fundamentals of solidification. Such alloys will exhibit a dependence of susceptibility on composition. The consequence is that, with a properly oriented field (gradient) a force will arise that can be made to be equal to, but opposite, the buoyancy force arising from concentration (or temperature) gradients. In this way convection can be stilled. The role of convection in determining the microstructure, and thereby properties, of materials is well known. Elimination of that convection has both scientific and technological consequences. Our knowledge of diffusive phenomena in solidification, phenomena normally hidden by the dominance of convection, is enhanced if we can study solidification of quiescent liquids. Furthermore, the microstructure, microchemistry and properties of materials (thereby practical value) are affected by the convection occurring during their solidification. Hitherto the method of choice for elimination of convection has been experimentation in microgravity. However, even in low Earth orbit

14. A Preliminary Study of Genetic Factors That Influence Susceptibility to Bovine Tuberculosis in the British Cattle Herd

PubMed Central

Driscoll, Erin E.; Hoffman, Joseph I.; Green, Laura E.; Medley, Graham F.; Amos, William

2011-01-01

Associations between specific host genes and susceptibility to Mycobacterial infections such as tuberculosis have been reported in several species. Bovine tuberculosis (bTB) impacts greatly the UK cattle industry, yet genetic predispositions have yet to be identified. We therefore used a candidate gene approach to study 384 cattle of which 160 had reacted positively to an antigenic skin test (‘reactors’). Our approach was unusual in that it used microsatellite markers, embraced high breed diversity and focused particularly on detecting genes showing heterozygote advantage, a mode of action often overlooked in SNP-based studies. A panel of neutral markers was used to control for population substructure and using a general linear model-based approach we were also able to control for age. We found that substructure was surprisingly weak and identified two genomic regions that were strongly associated with reactor status, identified by markers INRA111 and BMS2753. In general the strength of association detected tended to vary depending on whether age was included in the model. At INRA111 a single genotype appears strongly protective with an overall odds ratio of 2.2, the effect being consistent across nine diverse breeds. Our results suggest that breeding strategies could be devised that would appreciably increase genetic resistance of cattle to bTB (strictly, reduce the frequency of incidence of reactors) with implications for the current debate concerning badger-culling. PMID:21533277

15. Genome-wide association study in people of South Asian ancestry identifies six novel susceptibility loci for type 2 diabetes

PubMed Central

Kooner, Jaspal S; Saleheen, Danish; Sim, Xueling; Sehmi, Joban; Zhang, Weihua; Frossard, Philippe; Been, Latonya F; Chia, Kee-Seng; Dimas, Antigone S; Hassanali, Neelam; Jafar, Tazeen; Jowett, Jeremy BM; Li, Xinzhing; Radha, Venkatesan; Rees, Simon D; Takeuchi, Fumihiko; Young, Robin; Aung, Tin; Basit, Abdul; Chidambaram, Manickam; Das, Debashish; Grunberg, Elin; Hedman, Åsa K; Hydrie, Zafar I; Islam, Muhammed; Khor, Chiea-Chuen; Kowlessur, Sudhir; Kristensen, Malene M; Liju, Samuel; Lim, Wei-Yen; Matthews, David R; Liu, Jianjun; Morris, Andrew P; Nica, Alexandra C; Pinidiyapathirage, Janani M; Prokopenko, Inga; Rasheed, Asif; Samuel, Maria; Shah, Nabi; Shera, A Samad; Small, Kerrin S; Suo, Chen; Wickremasinghe, Ananda R; Wong, Tien Yin; Yang, Mingyu; Zhang, Fan; Abecasis, Goncalo R; Barnett, Anthony H; Caulfield, Mark; Deloukas, Panos; Frayling, Tim; Froguel, Philippe; Kato, Norihiro; Katulanda, Prasad; Kelly, M Ann; Liang, Junbin; Mohan, Viswanathan; Sanghera, Dharambir K; Scott, James; Seielstad, Mark; Zimmet, Paul Z; Elliott, Paul; Teo, Yik Ying; McCarthy, Mark I; Danesh, John; Tai, E Shyong; Chambers, John C

2013-01-01

We carried out a genome wide association study of type-2 diabetes (T2D) amongst 20,119 people of South Asian ancestry (5,561 with T2D); we identified 20 independent SNPs associated with T2D at P<10−4 for testing amongst a further 38,568 South Asians (13,170 with T2D). In combined analysis, common genetic variants at six novel loci (GRB14, ST6GAL1, VPS26A, HMG20A, AP3S2 and HNF4A) were associated with T2D (P=4.1×10−8 to P=1.9×10−11); SNPs at GRB14 were also associated with insulin sensitivity, and at ST6GAL1 and HNF4A with pancreatic beta-cell function respectively. Our findings provide additional insight into mechanisms underlying T2D, and demonstrate the potential for new discovery from genetic association studies in South Asians who have increased susceptibility to T2D. PMID:21874001

16. Susceptibility of Ureaplasma urealyticum to Methylene Blue-Mediated Photodynamic Antimicrobial Chemotherapy: An in vitro Study.

PubMed

Ye, Tinglu; Chen, Bancheng; Yu, Bo; Zhong, Qili; Huang, Guoxin; Hu, Xiaoping; Zhang, Wei

2015-01-01

The aim of this study was to detect the susceptibility of Ureaplasma urealyticum to methylene blue-mediated photodynamic antimicrobial chemotherapy (PACT). Three U. urealyticum strains including the standard serotype 1 and 5, and a clinically collected strain were used in this study. Strains were first incubated in 96-well culture plates in the presence of methylene blue with decreasing concentrations (from 1 to 0.015625 mg mL(-1)) for 20 or 60 min, and then submitted to irradiation with a light-emitting diode laser with a power density of 100 mW cm(-2) for 8, 17, 34 or 68 min. Regrowth of the strains was performed soon after irradiation. A significant inactivation effect was observed after PACT. Longer incubation time induced more extensive inactivation of U. urealyticum. No difference in response to PACT was observed between the two biovars of U. urealyticum. It was concluded that PACT had a significant inactivation effect on U. urealyticum, and it might be a promising alternative treatment for resistant U. urealyticum infections. PMID:25688579

17. Identification of penicillinase producing Neisseria gonorrhoeae in Chile during clinical and microbiological study of gonococcal susceptibility to antimicrobial agents.

PubMed Central

Garcia Moreno, J; Dillon, J R; Arroyave, R; Maldonado, A; Fich, F; Salvo, A; Villalobos, D; Vincent, P; Pauze, M

1987-01-01

The first penicillinase producing isolates of Neisseria gonorrhoeae (PPNG) identified in Chile were discovered during a clinical and microbiological study to compare the efficacy of penicillin (4.8 MIU aqueous procaine penicillin G plus 1 g oral probenecid) and tetracycline (1.5 g followed by 500 mg four times daily for four days) treatment regimens for acute uncomplicated gonorrhoea. Penicillin treatment was effective in 93.1% (282) of 303 patients, whereas tetracycline was effective in 98.3% (233) of 237 patients. Six of the penicillin treatment failures were attributable to PPNG strains. In all, 21 PPNG strains were identified during the study. They were genetically identical, having a wild type auxotype, a WII/III serotype (serovar Bajk), and carrying cryptic and transfer plasmids and an Asian type penicillinase producing plasmid. In addition, 674 non-PPNG isolates were tested for their susceptibility to eight antimicrobials. Over 95% were sensitivie to 1 mg/l of penicillin, ampicillin, cefotaxime, cefuroxime, and erythromycin, over 90% were sensitive to 1 mg/l of tetracycline and 2 mg/l of thiamphenicol, and all were sensitive to spectinomycin. Of 226 non-PPNG isolates characterised for plasmid content and auxotype, 90% (205) were either wild type or proline requiring, 67% (153) carried only the cryptic plasmid, and a further 31% (71) carried both cryptic and transfer plasmids. Unusually, three of four isolates lacking the cryptic plasmid carried only the transfer plasmid. Images PMID:3102348

18. Genetic Susceptibility to Type 2 Diabetes and Obesity: Follow-Up of Findings from Genome-Wide Association Studies

PubMed Central

Basile, Kevin J.; Johnson, Matthew E.; Xia, Qianghua; Grant, Struan F. A.

2014-01-01

Elucidating the underlying genetic variations influencing various complex diseases is one of the major challenges currently facing clinical genetic research. Although these variations are often difficult to uncover, approaches such as genome-wide association studies (GWASs) have been successful at finding statistically significant associations between specific genomic loci and disease susceptibility. GWAS has been especially successful in elucidating genetic variants that influence type 2 diabetes (T2D) and obesity/body mass index (BMI). Specifically, several GWASs have confirmed that a variant in transcription factor 7-like 2 (TCF7L2) confers risk for T2D, while a variant in fat mass and obesity-associated protein (FTO) confers risk for obesity/BMI; indeed both of these signals are considered the most statistically associated loci discovered for these respective traits to date. The discovery of these two key loci in this context has been invaluable for providing novel insight into mechanisms of heritability and disease pathogenesis. As follow-up studies of TCF7L2 and FTO have typically lead the way in how to follow up a GWAS discovery, we outline what has been learned from such investigations and how they have implications for the myriad of other loci that have been subsequently reported in this disease context. PMID:24719615

19. The health and economic burden of bloodstream infections caused by antimicrobial-susceptible and non-susceptible Enterobacteriaceae and Staphylococcus aureus in European hospitals, 2010 and 2011: a multicentre retrospective cohort study.

PubMed

Stewardson, Andrew J; Allignol, Arthur; Beyersmann, Jan; Graves, Nicholas; Schumacher, Martin; Meyer, Rodolphe; Tacconelli, Evelina; De Angelis, Giulia; Farina, Claudio; Pezzoli, Fabio; Bertrand, Xavier; Gbaguidi-Haore, Houssein; Edgeworth, Jonathan; Tosas, Olga; Martinez, Jose A; Ayala-Blanco, M Pilar; Pan, Angelo; Zoncada, Alessia; Marwick, Charis A; Nathwani, Dilip; Seifert, Harald; Hos, Nina; Hagel, Stefan; Pletz, Mathias; Harbarth, Stephan

2016-08-18

We performed a multicentre retrospective cohort study including 606,649 acute inpatient episodes at 10 European hospitals in 2010 and 2011 to estimate the impact of antimicrobial resistance on hospital mortality, excess length of stay (LOS) and cost. Bloodstream infections (BSI) caused by third-generation cephalosporin-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (3GCRE), meticillin-susceptible (MSSA) and -resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) increased the daily risk of hospital death (adjusted hazard ratio (HR) = 1.80; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.34-2.42, HR = 1.81; 95% CI: 1.49-2.20 and HR = 2.42; 95% CI: 1.66-3.51, respectively) and prolonged LOS (9.3 days; 95% CI: 9.2-9.4, 11.5 days; 95% CI: 11.5-11.6 and 13.3 days; 95% CI: 13.2-13.4, respectively). BSI with third-generation cephalosporin-susceptible Enterobacteriaceae (3GCSE) significantly increased LOS (5.9 days; 95% CI: 5.8-5.9) but not hazard of death (1.16; 95% CI: 0.98-1.36). 3GCRE significantly increased the hazard of death (1.63; 95% CI: 1.13-2.35), excess LOS (4.9 days; 95% CI: 1.1-8.7) and cost compared with susceptible strains, whereas meticillin resistance did not. The annual cost of 3GCRE BSI was higher than of MRSA BSI. While BSI with S. aureus had greater impact on mortality, excess LOS and cost than Enterobacteriaceae per infection, the impact of antimicrobial resistance was greater for Enterobacteriaceae. PMID:27562950

20. Study on AC-DC Electrical Conductivities in Warm Dense Matter Generated by Pulsed-power Discharge with Isochoric Vessel

Sasaki, Toru; Ohuchi, Takumi; Takahashi, Takuya; Kawaguchi, Yoshinari; Saito, Hirotaka; Miki, Yasutoshi; Takahashi, Kazumasa; Kikuchi, Takashi; Aso, Tsukasa; Harada, Nob.

2016-03-01

To observe AC and DC electrical conductivity in warm dense matter (WDM), we have demonstrated to apply the spectroscopic ellipsometry for a pulsed-power discharge with isochoric vessel. At 10 μs from the beginning of discharge, the generated parameters by using pulsed-power discharge with isochoric vessel are 0.1 ρ s (ρ s: solid density) of density and 4000 K of temperature, respectively. The DC electrical conductivity for above parameters is estimated to be 104 S/m. In order to measure the AC electrical conductivity, we have developed a four-detector spectroscopic ellipsometer with a multichannel spectrometer. The multichannel spectrometer, in which consists of a 16-channel photodiode array, a two-stages voltage adder, and a flat diffraction grating, has 10 MHz of the frequency response with covered visible spectrum. For applying the four-detector spectroscopic ellipsometer, we observe the each observation signal evolves the polarized behavior compared to the ratio as I 1/I 2.

1. Real-World Experience with Echinocandin MICs against Candida Species in a Multicenter Study of Hospitals That Routinely Perform Susceptibility Testing of Bloodstream Isolates

PubMed Central

Nguyen, M. Hong; Shoham, Shmuel; Vazquez, Jose A.; Morris, Arthur J.; Pasculle, William A.; Kubin, Christine J.; Klinker, Kenneth P.; Carver, Peggy L.; Hanson, Kimberly E.; Chen, Sharon; Lam, Simon W.; Potoski, Brian A.; Clarke, Lloyd G.; Shields, Ryan K.; Clancy, Cornelius J.

2014-01-01

Reference broth microdilution methods of Candida echinocandin susceptibility testing are limited by interlaboratory variability in caspofungin MICs. Recently revised Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) breakpoint MICs for echinocandin nonsusceptibility may not be valid for commercial tests employed in hospital laboratories. Indeed, there are limited echinocandin susceptibility testing data from hospital laboratories. We conducted a multicenter retrospective study of 9 U.S., Australian, and New Zealand hospitals that routinely tested Candida bloodstream isolates for echinocandin susceptibility from 2005 to 2013. Eight hospitals used Sensititre YeastOne assays. The Candida spp. were C. albicans (n = 1,067), C. glabrata (n = 911), C. parapsilosis (n = 476), C. tropicalis (n = 185), C. krusei (n = 104), and others (n = 154). Resistance and intermediate rates were ≤1.4% and ≤3%, respectively, for each echinocandin against C. albicans, C. parapsilosis, and C. tropicalis. Resistance rates among C. glabrata and C. krusei isolates were ≤7.5% and ≤5.6%, respectively. Caspofungin intermediate rates among C. glabrata and C. krusei isolates were 17.8% and 46.5%, respectively, compared to ≤4.3% and ≤4.4% for other echinocandins. Using CLSI breakpoints, 18% and 19% of C. glabrata isolates were anidulafungin susceptible/caspofungin nonsusceptible and micafungin susceptible/caspofungin nonsusceptible, respectively; similar discrepancies were observed for 38% and 39% of C. krusei isolates. If only YeastOne data were considered, interhospital modal MIC variability was low (within 2 doubling dilutions for each agent). In conclusion, YeastOne assays employed in hospitals may reduce the interlaboratory variability in caspofungin MICs against Candida species that are observed between reference laboratories using CLSI broth microdilution methods. The significance of classifying isolates as caspofungin intermediate and anidulafungin/micafungin susceptible will

2. Combined analysis of genome-wide association studies for Crohn disease and psoriasis identifies seven shared susceptibility loci.

PubMed

Ellinghaus, David; Ellinghaus, Eva; Nair, Rajan P; Stuart, Philip E; Esko, Tõnu; Metspalu, Andres; Debrus, Sophie; Raelson, John V; Tejasvi, Trilokraj; Belouchi, Majid; West, Sarah L; Barker, Jonathan N; Kõks, Sulev; Kingo, Külli; Balschun, Tobias; Palmieri, Orazio; Annese, Vito; Gieger, Christian; Wichmann, H Erich; Kabesch, Michael; Trembath, Richard C; Mathew, Christopher G; Abecasis, Gonçalo R; Weidinger, Stephan; Nikolaus, Susanna; Schreiber, Stefan; Elder, James T; Weichenthal, Michael; Nothnagel, Michael; Franke, Andre

2012-04-01

Psoriasis (PS) and Crohn disease (CD) have been shown to be epidemiologically, pathologically, and therapeutically connected, but little is known about their shared genetic causes. We performed meta-analyses of five published genome-wide association studies on PS (2,529 cases and 4,955 controls) and CD (2,142 cases and 5,505 controls), followed up 20 loci that showed strongest evidence for shared disease association and, furthermore, tested cross-disease associations for previously reported PS and CD risk alleles in additional 6,115 PS cases, 4,073 CD cases, and 10,100 controls. We identified seven susceptibility loci outside the human leukocyte antigen region (9p24 near JAK2, 10q22 at ZMIZ1, 11q13 near PRDX5, 16p13 near SOCS1, 17q21 at STAT3, 19p13 near FUT2, and 22q11 at YDJC) shared between PS and CD with genome-wide significance (p < 5 × 10(-8)) and confirmed four already established PS and CD risk loci (IL23R, IL12B, REL, and TYK2). Three of the shared loci are also genome-wide significantly associated with PS alone (10q22 at ZMIZ1, p(rs1250544) = 3.53 × 10(-8), 11q13 near PRDX5, p(rs694739) = 3.71 × 10(-09), 22q11 at YDJC, p(rs181359) = 8.02 × 10(-10)). In addition, we identified one susceptibility locus for CD (16p13 near SOCS1, p(rs4780355) = 4.99 × 10(-8)). Refinement of association signals identified shared genome-wide significant associations for exonic SNPs at 10q22 (ZMIZ1) and in silico expression quantitative trait locus analyses revealed that the associations at ZMIZ1 and near SOCS1 have a potential functional effect on gene expression. Our results show the usefulness of joint analyses of clinically distinct immune-mediated diseases and enlarge the map of shared genetic risk loci. PMID:22482804

3. Association between invasive ovarian cancer susceptibility and 11 best candidate SNPs from breast cancer genome-wide association study

PubMed Central

Song, Honglin; Ramus, Susan J.; Kjaer, Susanne Krüger; DiCioccio, Richard A.; Chenevix-Trench, Georgia; Pearce, Celeste Leigh; Hogdall, Estrid; Whittemore, Alice S.; McGuire, Valerie; Hogdall, Claus; Blaakaer, Jan; Wu, Anna H.; Van Den Berg, David J.; Stram, Daniel O.; Menon, Usha; Gentry-Maharaj, Aleksandra; Jacobs, Ian J.; Webb, Penny M.; Beesley, Jonathan; Chen, Xiaoqing; Rossing, Mary Anne; Doherty, Jennifer A.; Chang-Claude, Jenny; Wang-Gohrke, Shan; Goodman, Marc T.; Lurie, Galina; Thompson, Pamela J.; Carney, Michael E.; Ness, Roberta B.; Moysich, Kirsten; Goode, Ellen L.; Vierkant, Robert A.; Cunningham, Julie M.; Anderson, Stephanie; Schildkraut, Joellen M.; Berchuck, Andrew; Iversen, Edwin S.; Moorman, Patricia G.; Garcia-Closas, Montserrat; Chanock, Stephen; Lissowska, Jolanta; Brinton, Louise; Anton-Culver, Hoda; Ziogas, Argyrios; Brewster, Wendy R.; Ponder, Bruce A.J.; Easton, Douglas F.; Gayther, Simon A.; Pharoah, Paul D.P.

2009-01-01

Because both ovarian and breast cancer are hormone-related and are known to have some predisposition genes in common, we evaluated 11 of the most significant hits (six with confirmed associations with breast cancer) from the breast cancer genome-wide association study for association with invasive ovarian cancer. Eleven SNPs were initially genotyped in 2927 invasive ovarian cancer cases and 4143 controls from six ovarian cancer case–control studies. Genotype frequencies in cases and controls were compared using a likelihood ratio test in a logistic regression model stratified by study. Initially, three SNPs (rs2107425 in MRPL23, rs7313833 in PTHLH, rs3803662 in TNRC9) were weakly associated with ovarian cancer risk and one SNP (rs4954956 in NXPH2) was associated with serous ovarian cancer in non-Hispanic white subjects (P-trend < 0.1). These four SNPs were then genotyped in an additional 4060 cases and 6308 controls from eight independent studies. Only rs4954956 was significantly associated with ovarian cancer risk both in the replication study and in combined analyses. This association was stronger for the serous histological subtype [per minor allele odds ratio (OR) 1.07 95% CI 1.01–1.13, P-trend = 0.02 for all types of ovarian cancer and OR 1.14 95% CI 1.07–1.22, P-trend = 0.00017 for serous ovarian cancer]. In conclusion, we found that rs4954956 was associated with increased ovarian cancer risk, particularly for serous ovarian cancer. However, none of the six confirmed breast cancer susceptibility variants we tested was associated with ovarian cancer risk. Further work will be needed to identify the causal variant associated with rs4954956 or elucidate its function. PMID:19304784

4. Susceptibility of bollworm and tobacco budworm (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) to Cry2Ab2 insecticidal protein.

PubMed

Ali, M I; Luttrell, R G

2007-06-01

Susceptibilities of 82 bollworm, Helicoverpa zea (Boddie), and 44 tobacco budworm, Heliothis virescens (F.) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), populations to Cry2Ab2 protein were measured in diet incorporated assays at the University of Arkansas from 2002 to 2005. Resulting data were used to calculate overall (pooled data) estimates of species susceptibility for future benchmarks of resistance. Variabilities among populations also were studied by comparing regressions for individual populations and calculating mean susceptibilities for different subgroups of the colonies studied. Individual lethal concentration (LC50) estimates for nine laboratory, seven laboratory-cross, and 28 field populations of H. virescens varied up to 48-fold when adjusted for the response of the most susceptible laboratory colony studied. Mean susceptibilities of all laboratory, laboratory-cross, or field colonies varied only two-fold. When grouped by host plants, populations collected on tobacco, Nicotiana tabacum (L.), seemed to be less susceptible than those collected on other host plants. Individual LC50 values for 82 laboratory, laboratory-cross and field populations of H. zea varied up to 37-fold. Mean LC50 values of all laboratory, laboratory-cross, or field populations varied only three-fold. Susceptibilities of populations from Bollgard cotton were up to four-fold less than those from Bacillus thuringiensis corn, Zea mays L. Field populations collected during late season were generally less susceptible than those collected early in the season. Across the two species, H. zea was less sensitive to Cry2Ab2 than H. virescens. Both species seem to be less sensitive to Cry2Ab2 than to CrylAc. PMID:17598557

5. European genome-wide association study identifies SLC14A1 as a new urinary bladder cancer susceptibility gene

PubMed Central

Rafnar, Thorunn; Vermeulen, Sita H.; Sulem, Patrick; Thorleifsson, Gudmar; Aben, Katja K.; Witjes, J. Alfred; Grotenhuis, Anne J.; Verhaegh, Gerald W.; Hulsbergen-van de Kaa, Christina A.; Besenbacher, Soren; Gudbjartsson, Daniel; Stacey, Simon N.; Gudmundsson, Julius; Johannsdottir, Hrefna; Bjarnason, Hjordis; Zanon, Carlo; Helgadottir, Hafdis; Jonasson, Jon Gunnlaugur; Tryggvadottir, Laufey; Jonsson, Eirikur; Geirsson, Gudmundur; Nikulasson, Sigfus; Petursdottir, Vigdis; Bishop, D. Timothy; Chung-Sak, Sei; Choudhury, Ananya; Elliott, Faye; Barrett, Jennifer H.; Knowles, Margaret A.; de Verdier, Petra J.; Ryk, Charlotta; Lindblom, Annika; Rudnai, Peter; Gurzau, Eugene; Koppova, Kvetoslava; Vineis, Paolo; Polidoro, Silvia; Guarrera, Simonetta; Sacerdote, Carlotta; Panadero, Angeles; Sanz-Velez, José I.; Sanchez, Manuel; Valdivia, Gabriel; Garcia-Prats, Maria D.; Hengstler, Jan G.; Selinski, Silvia; Gerullis, Holger; Ovsiannikov, Daniel; Khezri, Abdolaziz; Aminsharifi, Alireza; Malekzadeh, Mahyar; van den Berg, Leonard H.; Ophoff, Roel A.; Veldink, Jan H.; Zeegers, Maurice P.; Kellen, Eliane; Fostinelli, Jacopo; Andreoli, Daniele; Arici, Cecilia; Porru, Stefano; Buntinx, Frank; Ghaderi, Abbas; Golka, Klaus; Mayordomo, José I.; Matullo, Giuseppe; Kumar, Rajiv; Steineck, Gunnar; Kiltie, Anne E.; Kong, Augustine; Thorsteinsdottir, Unnur; Stefansson, Kari; Kiemeney, Lambertus A.

2011-01-01

Three genome-wide association studies in Europe and the USA have reported eight urinary bladder cancer (UBC) susceptibility loci. Using extended case and control series and 1000 Genomes imputations of 5 340 737 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), we searched for additional loci in the European GWAS. The discovery sample set consisted of 1631 cases and 3822 controls from the Netherlands and 603 cases and 37 781 controls from Iceland. For follow-up, we used 3790 cases and 7507 controls from 13 sample sets of European and Iranian ancestry. Based on the discovery analysis, we followed up signals in the urea transporter (UT) gene SLC14A. The strongest signal at this locus was represented by a SNP in intron 3, rs17674580, that reached genome-wide significance in the overall analysis of the discovery and follow-up groups: odds ratio = 1.17, P = 7.6 × 10−11. SLC14A1 codes for UTs that define the Kidd blood group and are crucial for the maintenance of a constant urea concentration gradient in the renal medulla and, through this, the kidney's ability to concentrate urine. It is speculated that rs17674580, or other sequence variants in LD with it, indirectly modifies UBC risk by affecting urine production. If confirmed, this would support the ‘urogenous contact hypothesis’ that urine production and voiding frequency modify the risk of UBC. PMID:21750109

6. Genome-Wide Association Study Implicates Testis-Sperm Specific FKBP6 as a Susceptibility Locus for Impaired Acrosome Reaction in Stallions

PubMed Central

Raudsepp, Terje; Dobson, Lauren; Vishnoi, Monika; Fritz, Krista L.; Schaefer, Robert; Rendahl, Aaron K.; Derr, James N.; Love, Charles C.; Varner, Dickson D.; Chowdhary, Bhanu P.

2012-01-01

Impaired acrosomal reaction (IAR) of sperm causes male subfertility in humans and animals. Despite compelling evidence about the genetic control over acrosome biogenesis and function, the genomics of IAR is as yet poorly understood, providing no molecular tools for diagnostics. Here we conducted Equine SNP50 Beadchip genotyping and GWAS using 7 IAR–affected and 37 control Thoroughbred stallions. A significant (P<6.75E-08) genotype–phenotype association was found in horse chromosome 13 in FK506 binding protein 6 (FKBP6). The gene belongs to the immunophilins FKBP family known to be involved in meiosis, calcium homeostasis, clathrin-coated vesicles, and membrane fusions. Direct sequencing of FKBP6 exons in cases and controls identified SNPs g.11040315G>A and g.11040379C>A (p.166H>N) in exon 4 that were significantly associated with the IAR phenotype both in the GWAS cohort (n = 44) and in a large multi-breed cohort of 265 horses. All IAR stallions were homozygous for the A-alleles, while this genotype was found only in 2% of controls. The equine FKBP6 was exclusively expressed in testis and sperm and had 5 different transcripts, of which 4 were novel. The expression of this gene in AC/AG heterozygous controls was monoallelic, and we observed a tendency for FKBP6 up-regulation in IAR stallions compared to controls. Because exon 4 SNPs had no effect on the protein structure, it is likely that FKBP6 relates to the IAR phenotype via regulatory or modifying functions. In conclusion, FKBP6 was considered a susceptibility gene of incomplete penetrance for IAR in stallions and a candidate gene for male subfertility in mammals. FKBP6 genotyping is recommended for the detection of IAR–susceptible individuals among potential breeding stallions. Successful use of sperm as a source of DNA and RNA propagates non-invasive sample procurement for fertility genomics in animals and humans. PMID:23284302

7. Sinkhole susceptibility mapping using the analytical hierarchy process (AHP) and magnitude-frequency relationships: A case study in Hamadan province, Iran

Taheri, Kamal; Gutiérrez, Francisco; Mohseni, Hassan; Raeisi, Ezzat; Taheri, Milad

2015-04-01

Since 1989, an increasing number of sinkhole occurrences have been reported in the Kabudar Ahang and Razan-Qahavand subcatchments (KRQ) of Hamadan province, western Iran. The sinkhole-related subsidence phenomenon poses a significant threat for people and human structures, including sensitive facilities like the Hamadan Power Plant. Groundwater over-exploitation from the thick alluvial cover and the underlying cavernous limestone has been identified as the main factor involved in sinkhole development. A sinkhole susceptibility model was produced in a GIS environment applying the analytical hierarchy process (AHP) approach and considering a selection of eight factors, each categorized into five classes: distance to faults (DF), water level decline (WLD), groundwater exploitation (GE), penetration of deep wells into karst bedrock (PKA), distance to deep wells (DDW), groundwater alkalinity (GA), bedrock lithology (BL), and alluvium thickness (AT). Relative weights were preliminarily assigned to each factor and to their different classes through systematic pairwise comparisons based on expert judgment. The resulting sinkhole susceptibility index (SSI) values were then classified into four susceptibility classes: low, moderate, high and very high susceptibility. Subsequently, the model was refined through a trial and error process involving changes in the relative weights and iterative evaluation of the prediction capability. Independent evaluation of the final model indicates that 55% and 45% of the subsidence events fall within the very high and high, susceptibility zones, respectively. The results of this study show that AHP can be a useful approach for susceptibility assessment if data on the main controlling factors have sufficient accuracy and spatial coverage. The limitations of the model are partly related to the difficulty of gathering data on some important geological factors, due to their hidden nature. The magnitude and frequency relationship constructed

8. 7 CFR 1737.31 - Area Coverage Survey (ACS).

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 11 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Area Coverage Survey (ACS). 1737.31 Section 1737.31... Studies-Area Coverage Survey and Loan Design § 1737.31 Area Coverage Survey (ACS). (a) The Area Coverage Survey (ACS) is a market forecast of service requirements of subscribers in a proposed service area....

9. 7 CFR 1737.31 - Area Coverage Survey (ACS).

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 11 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Area Coverage Survey (ACS). 1737.31 Section 1737.31... Studies-Area Coverage Survey and Loan Design § 1737.31 Area Coverage Survey (ACS). (a) The Area Coverage Survey (ACS) is a market forecast of service requirements of subscribers in a proposed service area....

10. 7 CFR 1737.31 - Area Coverage Survey (ACS).

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 11 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Area Coverage Survey (ACS). 1737.31 Section 1737.31... Studies-Area Coverage Survey and Loan Design § 1737.31 Area Coverage Survey (ACS). (a) The Area Coverage Survey (ACS) is a market forecast of service requirements of subscribers in a proposed service area....

11. 7 CFR 1737.31 - Area Coverage Survey (ACS).

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 11 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Area Coverage Survey (ACS). 1737.31 Section 1737.31... Studies-Area Coverage Survey and Loan Design § 1737.31 Area Coverage Survey (ACS). (a) The Area Coverage Survey (ACS) is a market forecast of service requirements of subscribers in a proposed service area....

12. 7 CFR 1737.31 - Area Coverage Survey (ACS).

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... Studies-Area Coverage Survey and Loan Design § 1737.31 Area Coverage Survey (ACS). (a) The Area Coverage Survey (ACS) is a market forecast of service requirements of subscribers in a proposed service area. (b... 7 Agriculture 11 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Area Coverage Survey (ACS). 1737.31 Section...

13. Temporal percolation of a susceptible adaptive network

Valdez, L. D.; Macri, P. A.; Braunstein, L. A.

2013-09-01

In the past decades, many authors have used the susceptible-infected-recovered model to study the impact of the disease spreading on the evolution of the infected individuals. However, few authors focused on the temporal unfolding of the susceptible individuals. In this paper, we study the dynamic of the susceptible-infected-recovered model in an adaptive network that mimics the transitory deactivation of permanent social contacts, such as friendship and work-ship ties. Using an edge-based compartmental model and percolation theory, we obtain the evolution equations for the fraction susceptible individuals in the susceptible biggest component. In particular, we focus on how the individual’s behavior impacts on the dilution of the susceptible network. We show that, as a consequence, the spreading of the disease slows down, protecting the biggest susceptible cluster by increasing the critical time at which the giant susceptible component is destroyed. Our theoretical results are fully supported by extensive simulations.

14. Shallow landslide susceptibility model for the Oria river basin, Gipuzkoa province (North of Spain). Application of the logistic regression and comparison with previous studies.

Bornaetxea, Txomin; Antigüedad, Iñaki; Ormaetxea, Orbange

2016-04-01

In the Oria river basin (885 km2) shallow landslides are very frequent and they produce several roadblocks and damage in the infrastructure and properties, causing big economic loss every year. Considering that the zonification of the territory in different landslide susceptibility levels provides a useful tool for the territorial planning and natural risk management, this study has the objective of identifying the most prone landslide places applying an objective and reproducible methodology. To do so, a quantitative multivariate methodology, the logistic regression, has been used. Fieldwork landslide points and randomly selected stable points have been used along with Lithology, Land Use, Distance to the transport infrastructure, Altitude, Senoidal Slope and Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) independent variables to carry out a landslide susceptibility map. The model has been validated by the prediction and success rate curves and their corresponding area under the curve (AUC). In addition, the result has been compared to those from two landslide susceptibility models, covering the study area previously applied in different scales, such as ELSUS1000 version 1 (2013) and Landslide Susceptibility Map of Gipuzkoa (2007). Validation results show an excellent prediction capacity of the proposed model (AUC 0,962), and comparisons highlight big differences with previous studies.

15. The ac53, ac78, ac101, and ac103 Genes Are Newly Discovered Core Genes in the Family Baculoviridae

PubMed Central

Garavaglia, Matías Javier; Miele, Solange Ana Belén; Iserte, Javier Alonso; Belaich, Mariano Nicolás

2012-01-01

The family Baculoviridae is a large group of insect viruses containing circular double-stranded DNA genomes of 80 to 180 kbp, which have broad biotechnological applications. A key feature to understand and manipulate them is the recognition of orthology. However, the differences in gene contents and evolutionary distances among the known members of this family make it difficult to assign sequence orthology. In this study, the genome sequences of 58 baculoviruses were analyzed, with the aim to detect previously undescribed core genes because of their remote homology. A routine based on Multi PSI-Blast/tBlastN and Multi HaMStR allowed us to detect 31 of 33 accepted core genes and 4 orthologous sequences in the Baculoviridae which were not described previously. Our results show that the ac53, ac78, ac101 (p40), and ac103 (p48) genes have orthologs in all genomes and should be considered core genes. Accordingly, there are 37 orthologous genes in the family Baculoviridae. PMID:22933288

16. Birth Order and Narcolepsy Risk Among Genetically Susceptible Individuals: a Population-based Case-control Study

PubMed Central

Watson, Nathaniel F.; Ton, Thanh G.N.; Koepsell, Thomas D.; Longstreth, W.T.

2011-01-01

Background Birth order may play a role in autoimmune diseases and early childhood infections, both factors implicated in the etiology of narcolepsy. We investigated the association between birth order and narcolepsy risk in a population-based case-control study in which all study subjects were HLA-DQB1*0602 positive. Methods Subjects were 18-50 years old, residents of King County, Washington, and positive for HLA-DQB1*0602. Birth order was obtained from administered interviews. We used logistic regression to generate odds ratios adjusted for income and African American race. Results Analyses included 67 cases (mean age 34.3 [SD=9.1], 70.2% female) and 95 controls (mean age 35.1 [SD=8.8], 58.1% female). Associations for birth order were as follows: First born (cases 38.8% vs. controls 50.2%, OR=1.0; Reference), second born (cases 29.9% vs. controls 32.9%, OR=1.6; 95% CI 0.7, 3.7), third born or higher (cases 31.3% vs. controls 16.8%, OR=2.5; 95% CI 1.0, 6.0). A linear trend was significant (p<0.05). Sibling number, sibling gender, having children, and number of children did not differ significantly between narcolepsy cases and controls. Conclusions Narcolepsy risk was significantly associated with higher birth order in this population-based study of genetically susceptible individuals. This finding supports an environmental influence on narcolepsy risk through an autoimmune mechanism, early childhood infections, or both. PMID:22281000

17. Biomarkers of exposure, effects and susceptibility in humans and their application in studies of interactions among metals in China.

PubMed

Nordberg, Gunnar F

2010-01-15

Biomonitoring employs three categories of biomarkers: Biomarkers of exposure, i.e. measurements of metal concentrations in a compartment in the body reflecting external or internal exposure; Biomarkers of effects include early as well as clinical effects. Biomarkers of susceptibility indicate individuals with increased sensitivity of target molecules or metabolism causing increased target dose. The three categories of biomarkers were used in studies of health effects of metal exposures in China. Adverse effects on the kidney tubules with increased levels of the effect biomarkers beta-2-microglobulin in urine (UB2M) and urinary N-acetyl-beta-d-glucosaminidase (UNAG) were found among Cd exposed population groups in China. Among persons exposed to Cd, occupationally or in the general environment, the level of Cd-induced metallothionein mRNA (MTmRNA) in peripheral lymphocytes appeared as a useful indicator of the ability of individuals to synthesize MT. Persons with low MTmRNA levels displayed higher biomarker values of renal tubular damage than persons with high levels of MTmRNA, at comparable levels of urinary Cd. Other studies demonstrated the importance of auto-antibodies against metallothionein in plasma (MTab) in modifying the response to Cd. Persons with high levels of MTab displayed tubular proteinuria at lower levels of urinary Cd than persons with low levels of MTab. Studies in two metal contaminated areas in China demonstrated clear interactions between Cd and inorganic arsenic. Combined exposure, with increased levels of As and Cd in urine, caused considerably higher biomarker values of renal tubular damage, measured as increased urinary levels of B2M or NAG, than each of the exposures alone. PMID:19540908

18. Genome-wide association study for type 2 diabetes in Indians identifies a new susceptibility locus at 2q21.

PubMed

Tabassum, Rubina; Chauhan, Ganesh; Dwivedi, Om Prakash; Mahajan, Anubha; Jaiswal, Alok; Kaur, Ismeet; Bandesh, Khushdeep; Singh, Tejbir; Mathai, Benan John; Pandey, Yogesh; Chidambaram, Manickam; Sharma, Amitabh; Chavali, Sreenivas; Sengupta, Shantanu; Ramakrishnan, Lakshmi; Venkatesh, Pradeep; Aggarwal, Sanjay K; Ghosh, Saurabh; Prabhakaran, Dorairaj; Srinath, Reddy K; Saxena, Madhukar; Banerjee, Monisha; Mathur, Sandeep; Bhansali, Anil; Shah, Viral N; Madhu, Sri Venkata; Marwaha, Raman K; Basu, Analabha; Scaria, Vinod; McCarthy, Mark I; Venkatesan, Radha; Mohan, Viswanathan; Tandon, Nikhil; Bharadwaj, Dwaipayan

2013-03-01

Indians undergoing socioeconomic and lifestyle transitions will be maximally affected by epidemic of type 2 diabetes (T2D). We conducted a two-stage genome-wide association study of T2D in 12,535 Indians, a less explored but high-risk group. We identified a new type 2 diabetes-associated locus at 2q21, with the lead signal being rs6723108 (odds ratio 1.31; P = 3.32 × 10⁻⁹). Imputation analysis refined the signal to rs998451 (odds ratio 1.56; P = 6.3 × 10⁻¹²) within TMEM163 that encodes a probable vesicular transporter in nerve terminals. TMEM163 variants also showed association with decreased fasting plasma insulin and homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance, indicating a plausible effect through impaired insulin secretion. The 2q21 region also harbors RAB3GAP1 and ACMSD; those are involved in neurologic disorders. Forty-nine of 56 previously reported signals showed consistency in direction with similar effect sizes in Indians and previous studies, and 25 of them were also associated (P < 0.05). Known loci and the newly identified 2q21 locus altogether explained 7.65% variance in the risk of T2D in Indians. Our study suggests that common susceptibility variants for T2D are largely the same across populations, but also reveals a population-specific locus and provides further insights into genetic architecture and etiology of T2D. PMID:23209189

19. Susceptibility of Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus to ivermectin (200, 500 and 630 μg/kg) in field studies in Brazil.

PubMed

Cruz, Breno Cayeiro; Lopes, Welber Daniel Zanetti; Maciel, Willian Giquelin; Felippelli, Gustavo; Fávero, Flávia Carolina; Teixeira, Weslen Fabrício Pires; Carvalho, Rafael Silveira; Ruivo, Maycon Araújo; Colli, Marcos Henrique Alcantara; Sakamoto, Cláudio Alessandro Massamitsu; da Costa, Alvimar José; De Oliveira, Gilson Pereira

2015-01-30

The present study aimed to determine the susceptibility of 17 Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus populations, originating in the Southeast and Southern regions of Brazil, to different ivermectin concentrations (200, 500 and 630 μg/kg), administered through subcutaneous or topical (pour-on) routes. R. (B.) microplus populations from the states of Minas Gerais (seven populations), São Paulo (seven populations) and Paraná (three populations) were chosen for the tests. The selected cattle were allocated to treatment groups on day 0, and block formation was based on the arithmetic mean of female ticks (4.5-8.0 mm long) counted on three consecutive days (-3, -2 and -1). To evaluate the therapeutic and residual efficacies of these formulations, tick counts (females ranging from 4.5 to 8.0 mm long) were performed on days 3, 7 and 14 post-treatment, and continued on a weekly basis thereafter until the end of each experiment. The results obtained throughout this study, utilizing field efficacy studies, allowed us to conclude that the resistance of R. (B.) microplus against 200 and 500 μg/kg ivermectin is widely disseminated because all tick populations that had contact with these specific concentrations were diagnosed as resistant. However, it is possible to infer that R. (B.) microplus resistance against 630 μg/kg ivermectin was also widespread, diagnosed at six of ten analyzed properties. Resistance of these ectoparasites to 630 μg/kg ivermectin is most likely emerging in three other populations of R. (B.) microplus. Strategies of resistance management need to be quickly determined to keep the selection pressure at a minimum level in Brazil. PMID:25576441

20. Dielectric properties and study of AC electrical conduction mechanisms by non-overlapping small polaron tunneling model in Bis(4-acetylanilinium) tetrachlorocuprate(II) compound

Abkari, A.; Chaabane, I.; Guidara, K.

2016-09-01

In the present work, the synthesis and characterization of the Bis(4-acetylanilinium) tetrachlorocuprate(II) compound are presented. The structure of this compound is analyzed by X-ray diffraction which confirms the formation of single phase and is in good agreement the literature. Indeed, the Thermo gravimetric Analysis (TGA) shows that the decomposition of the compound is observed in the range of 420-520 K. However, the differential thermal analysis (DTA) indicates the presence of a phase transition at T=363 k. Furthermore, the dielectric properties and AC conductivity were studied over a temperature range (338-413 K) and frequency range (200 Hz-5 MHz) using complex impedance spectroscopy. Dielectric measurements confirmed such thermal analyses by exhibiting the presence of an anomaly in the temperature range of 358-373 K. The complex impedance plots are analyzed by an electrical equivalent circuit consisting of resistance, constant phase element (CPE) and capacitance. The activation energy values of two distinct regions are obtained from log σT vs 1000/T plot and are found to be E=1.27 eV (T<363 K) and E=1.09 eV (363 Kac conductivity, σac, has been analyzed by Jonscher's universal power law σ(ω)=σdc+Aωs. The value of s is to be temperature-dependent, which has a tendency to increase with temperature and the non-overlapping small polaron tunneling (NSPT) model is the most applicable conduction mechanism in the title compound. Complex impedance spectra of [C8H10NO]2CuCl4 at different temperatures.

1. Eri silkworm (Samia ricini), a non-mulberry host system for AcMNPV mediated expression of recombinant proteins.

PubMed

Hosamani, Madhusudan; Basagoudanavar, Suresh H; Sreenivasa, B P; Inumaru, Shigeki; Ballal, Chandish R; Venkataramanan, Ramamurthy

2015-12-20

The baculovirus expression system (BVES) based on Autographa californica nucleopolyhedrovirus (AcMNPV) is widely used for the expression of eukaryotic proteins. Several insect cells/larvae that are permissive to AcMNPV have been routinely used as hosts to express heterologous proteins. Domesticated Eri silkworm (Samia ricini), reared in many parts of India, Japan and China, is a non-mulberry silkworm. The present study shows that the Eri silkworm larvae are susceptible to intra-haemocoelical inoculation of AcMNPV. The virus replicates in the larva, as indicated by an increased viral loads in the haemolymph upon injection of a recombinant AcMNPV carrying green fluorescent protein gene. The virus showed localized replication in different tissues including the fat body, haemocytes, tracheal matrix and in the Malphigian tubules. The larval system was successfully used to express heterologous protein, by infecting with a recombinant AcMNPV carrying the 3ABC coding sequence of foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV). The study shows that the Eri silkworm larva can be a potential alternative bioreactor, for scaling up of the recombinant proteins employing the baculovirus system. PMID:26467714

2. Cognitive Factors in Hypnotic Susceptibility

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Palmer, Robert D.; Field, Peter B.

1971-01-01

This research explored the influence of cognitive variables on susceptibility to hypnosis. The three variables of concern in the present study are automatization, attention, and body experience. The results are summarized. (Author)

3. [Comparative studies on activities of antimicrobial agents against causative organisms isolated from patients with urinary tract infections (1998). III. Secular changes in susceptibility].

PubMed

Kumamoto, Y; Tsukamoto, T; Hirose, T; Matsukawa, M; Kunishima, Y; Matsuda, S; Sato, S; Ogiwara, M; Ishibashi, K; Fujime, M; Fujita, K; Shigeta, S; Watanabe, J; Igari, J; Yoshida, H; Imafuku, Y; Oguri, T; Murai, M; Yamaguchi, K; Matsumoto, T; Kashitani, F; Watanabe, K; Kobayashi, Y; Uchida, H; Ooe, H; Nishikawa, M; Kohno, S; Oka, T; Takano, Y; Miyagawa, Y; Miyazaki, Y; Izumikawa, K; Yamaguchi, T; Mochida, C; Furuhama, T

2000-05-01

Susceptibilities to various antimicrobial agents were examined for Enterococcus faecalis, Staphylococcus aureus, Echerichia coli, Klebsiella spp. and Pseudomonas aeruginosa that were isolated from patients with urinary tract infections (UTIs) in 9 hospitals during June 1998 to May 1999, and the results were compared with those obtained during the same period from 1990 to 1997 in uncomplicated UTIs and complicated UTIs. Among E. faecalis strains, those with low susceptibilities to almost drugs have increased in the latest period. All 5 S. aureus strains isolated from uncomplicated UTIs were the most susceptible to gentamicin (GM). Over 50% of S. aureus strains isolated from complicated UTIs were susceptible to GM, and on the contrary the resistant strains have increased with the MIC90 of 256 micrograms/ml or above. Among S. aureus strains isolated from complicated UTIs, those with low susceptibilities to arbekacin (ABK) have increased in the latest period compared to those during period of 1996-1997, and the MIC90s of them have changed into the lower state from 1 microgram/ml in 1996-1997 to 4 micrograms/ml in 1998. S. aureus strains have continued high susceptibilities to vancomycin (VCM). The susceptibilities to minocycline (MINO) of E. coli showed MIC90: 4 micrograms/ml in 1997, but those have returned in the latest period in uncomplicated UTIs. The MIC90s of ofloxacin (OFLX) to E. coli isolated from uncomplicated and complicated UTIs have been lower 2-3 classes in the latest period than those in 1997. Among Klebsiella spp. strains isolated from uncomplicated UTIs, those with low susceptibilities to almost cephems had increased in 1997, but few of them were detected in the latest study. The sensitive strains of P. aeruginosa to almost drugs have increased during the latest period. The MIC50s of cefozopran (CZOP) and OFLX against P. aeruginosa were the best in our history. The sensitive strains of P. aeruginosa to ceftazidime (CAZ) have increased and its

4. Theory of Orbital Susceptibility on Excitonic Insulator

Matsuura, Hiroyasu; Ogata, Masao

2016-09-01

We study the temperature dependence of the orbital susceptibility of an excitonic insulator on the basis of a two-band model. It is shown that a drastic change (an anomalous enhancement) in susceptibility as a function of temperature occurs owing to the occurrence of additional orbital susceptibility due to the excitonic gap. We calculate explicitly the temperature dependence of orbital susceptibility for a model of Ta2NiSe5, and show that the result is consistent with experimental results.

5. Measurement of the Effective Susceptibility at the Surface of YBa2Cu3O7-δ Superconductor

Darabont, Al.; Giurgiu, L. V.; Pop, A. V.

The intra- and intergranular superconducting correlations in YBa2Cu3O7-δ are characterized by the ac susceptibility measurements. The effective susceptibility is measured as a function of temperature by the Electron-Spin-Resonance (ESR) method, using two DPPH paramagnetic markers placed on the surface of a cylindrical superconducting sample. The appearance of two separate ESR lines at Tc confirms the values of critical transition temperatures determined by the ac susceptibility.

6. A new strategy for studying in vitro the drug susceptibility of clinical isolates of human hepatitis B virus.

PubMed

Durantel, David; Carrouée-Durantel, Sandra; Werle-Lapostolle, Bettina; Brunelle, Marie-Noëlle; Pichoud, Christian; Trépo, Christian; Zoulim, Fabien

2004-10-01

Resistance of hepatitis B virus (HBV) to antivirals has become a major clinical problem. Our objective was to develop a new method for the cloning of naturally occurring HBV genomes and a phenotypic assay capable of assessing HBV drug susceptibility and DNA synthesis capacity in vitro. Viral DNA was extracted from sera and was amplified by polymerase chain reaction, and amplicons were cloned into vectors that enable, after cell transfection, the initiation of the intracellular HBV replication cycle. Single or multiple clones were used to transfect Huh7 cells. The viral DNA synthesis capacity and drug susceptibility were determined by measuring the level of intracellular DNA intermediate, synthesized in absence or presence of antiviral, using Southern blot analysis. We have developed, calibrated, then used this phenotypic assay to determine the drug susceptibility of HBV quasispecies isolated throughout the course of therapy from patients selected according to their mutation profile. A multiclonal and longitudinal analysis enabled us to measure the variation of drug susceptibility of different viral quasispecies by comparison of IC(50)/IC(90)s with standards. The presence of famciclovir- or lamivudine-induced mutations in the viral population caused a change in viral DNA synthesis capacity and drug susceptibility in vitro, demonstrating the clinical relevance of the assay. In conclusion, our phenotypic assay enables the in vitro characterization of DNA synthesis capacity and drug susceptibility of HBV quasispecies isolated from patients. This assay should allow a better monitoring of patients undergoing antiviral therapy, as well as the screening of novel drugs on emerging resistant strains. PMID:15382118

7. Associations between Nine Polymorphisms in EXO1 and Cancer Susceptibility: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of 39 Case-control Studies

PubMed Central

Zhang, Meng; Zhao, Duran; Yan, Cunye; Zhang, Li; Liang, Chaozhao

2016-01-01

An increasing number of studies have highlighted the potential link between EXO1 polymorphisms and cancer risk, although no consensus has yet been obtained. Thus, we aimed to obtain a thorough and current assessment of EXO1 polymorphisms and cancer susceptibility by performing a meta-analysis. A comprehensive literature retrieval was performed on PubMed, EMbase, Web of Science and Wanfang databases. The odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) were applied to assess the results. Finally, 39 case-control studies of the nine EXO1 polymorphisms that involved 21,651 cases and 21,348 controls met our inclusion criteria. The pooled analysis indicated that the rs1047840 polymorphism conferred a significantly increased susceptibility to cancer in an allelic model. Similarly, the rs3754093, rs1776177, rs9350, rs10802996, rs1635498, rs1776148 and rs851797 polymorphisms were also associated with an increased susceptibility to cancer in an allelic model, respectively, while no significant association was identified for rs1635517 polymorphism. For the rs1047840 polymorphism, in an ethnicity subgroup analysis, a significantly increased susceptibility to cancer for Asians was identified in all the genetic models, and for Caucasians in an allelic model. Our findings provide the evidence that the rs1047840, rs9350, rs10802996, rs1635498, rs1776148, rs1776177, rs3754093 and rs851797 polymorphisms may act as risk factors for cancer. PMID:27387683

8. Strategic assessment of near coastal waters: Northeast case study. Chapter 3. Susceptibility and concentration status of northeast estuaries to nutrient discharges

SciTech Connect

Warsh, C.; Tolson, J.P.; Klein, C.J.; Orlando, S.P.; Alexander, C.

1988-07-01

The study is an assessment of the susceptibility and status of 17 Northeast estuaries to nutrient-related pollution problems. It is the final version of one of seven chapters in the Case Study and one of two chapters that will be completed. It first presents background information on the problems of nutrient overenrichment in estuaries followed by a screening analysis of the susceptibility and status of estuaries to nutrient discharges and sections on nutrient sources and discharge estimation methods. The final section is an overview of the region based on simple comparisons of discharge estimates across estuaries in the region. Appendix A contains one-page summaries for each estuary that include information on significant physical and hydrologic features, susceptibility and pollutant status, nutrient discharge estimates, and a narrative to assist the reader interpret the data. Summary estimates of particular interest are the changes in nitrogen and phosphorus inputs that would significantly alter the pollutant status of each estuary. Four additional appendices contain more detailed breakdowns of nutrient discharges by season and by source, an evaluation of the quality of the discharge estimates, and the method for determining an estuary's nutrient concentration status and susceptibility to nutrient-related pollution problems.

9. Genome-wide association study of susceptibility to infection by Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis in Holstein cattle.

PubMed

Alpay, Fazli; Zare, Yalda; Kamalludin, Mamat H; Huang, Xixia; Shi, Xianwei; Shook, George E; Collins, Michael T; Kirkpatrick, Brian W

2014-01-01

Paratuberculosis, or Johne's disease, is a chronic, granulomatous, gastrointestinal tract disease of cattle and other ruminants caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium avium, subspecies paratuberculosis (MAP). Control of Johne's disease is based on programs of testing and culling animals positive for infection with MAP while concurrently modifying management to reduce the likelihood of infection. The current study is motivated by the hypothesis that genetic variation in host susceptibility to MAP infection can be dissected and quantifiable associations with genetic markers identified. For this purpose, a case-control, genome-wide association study was conducted using US Holstein cattle phenotyped for MAP infection using a serum ELISA and/or fecal culture test. Cases included cows positive for either serum ELISA, fecal culture or both. Controls consisted of animals negative for the serum ELISA test or both serum ELISA and fecal culture when both were available. Controls were matched by herd and proximal birth date with cases. A total of 856 cows (451 cases and 405 controls) were used in initial discovery analyses, and an additional 263 cows (159 cases and 104 controls) from the same herds were used as a validation data set. Data were analyzed in a single marker analysis controlling for relatedness of individuals (GRAMMAR-GC) and also in a Bayesian analysis in which multiple marker effects were estimated simultaneously (GenSel). For the latter, effects of non-overlapping 1 Mb marker windows across the genome were estimated. Results from the two discovery analyses were generally concordant; however, discovery results were generally not well supported in analysis of the validation data set. A combined analysis of discovery and validation data sets provided strongest support for SNPs and 1 Mb windows on chromosomes 1, 2, 6, 7, 17 and 29. PMID:25473852

10. Cyclical mastalgia as a marker of breast cancer susceptibility: results of a case-control study among French women.

PubMed Central

Plu-Bureau, G.; Thalabard, J. C.; Sitruk-Ware, R.; Asselain, B.; Mauvais-Jarvis, P.

1992-01-01

A matched case-control study in a population of urban, non-menopaused women living in Paris was performed between 1983 and 1985 to investigate the risk of breast cancer (BC) in relation to various factors with a particular interest in the effect of the use of oral contraceptive (OC) and the existence of cyclical mastalgia (CM). Two hundred and ten non-menopaused women, less than 45 years old, with newly diagnosed BC were compared to 210 controls from the same geographic area matched on year of birth, age, education level and age at first full term pregnancy (FFTP), when justified. The adjusted Relative Risk of BC (RRa) was significantly increased for a total duration of OC use longer than 72 months (RRa 2.80; 95% CI 1.56-5.01), as well as the RRa for OC use above 48 months before FFTP (3.26 95% CI 1.37-7.76) and, to a lesser extent, the RRa for OC use above 48 months after FFTP (2.02 95% CI 1.07-3.84) respectively. Adjustment was performed on familial history of BC, personal history of Benign Breast Disease (BBD), age at menarche. A previous history of cyclical mastalgia was found to be associated with an increased risk of BC. The significant increase remained after adjustment on the previously mentioned confounding factors and OC use: RRa 2.12; 95% CI (1.31-3.43). Under a precise definition related to the hormonal environment, mastalgia appear to be an interesting marker of breast cell susceptibility, the importance of which can only be validated by prospective studies. PMID:1616869

11. A multidisciplinary study on the Xiangshan uranium-bearing caldera structure: evidences from anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility and gravity modeling

Li, Guangrong; Guo, Fusheng; Wu, Changzhi

2016-04-01

As the world's third largest volcanic type uranium ore field, Xiangshan volcanic basin attracted scientific research as well as large amount of industry investment. Gradually, it came to reach a consensus that a "three-storeyed type" model: under the uranium mineralized volcanic rocks, there were still Pb-Zn and Ag. However, these research results and drill cores also brought hot debates which focus on the locations of volcanic calderas because researchers believed it related to the pathways of U-Pb-Zn-Ag-bearing fluid. Here we report the first systematic study of paleoflow of the two main uranium-bearing wall rocks, aiming to find the volcanic vents. This study integrates results of anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility (AMS) and magnetotelluric sounding (MT) in addition field geological observation. It shows that (1) rhyodacite and porphyritic lava are the main wall rock of uranium ore, which outcrop about 350km2 covering 80% of the Xiangshan basin; (2) magnetite and hematite are the main magnetic minerals; (3) the rhyodacite developed in the North-West-most of Xiangshan basin illustrated North-East magnetic lineation with low-angle-foliation, and those rhyodacite located a few kilometers to the East of the previews one displayed progressively North-West magnetic foliation with barely horizontal foliation. It indicated probably all these rhyodacite flowed from the South; (4) whereas to the porphyritic lava, it shows variable magnetic lineation around the basin, which may suggest five volcanic calderas. It is noteworthy that the AMS results are consistent with fielded lineation observation and MT; (4) finally, a gravity modeling has been conducted and the result shows that the bodies of rhyodacite and porphyritic lava are laccolithic with relative thick center that may interpret as feeder of magma.

12. Genome-Wide Association Study of Susceptibility to Infection by Mycobacterium avium Subspecies paratuberculosis in Holstein Cattle

PubMed Central

Alpay, Fazli; Zare, Yalda; Kamalludin, Mamat H.; Huang, Xixia; Shi, Xianwei; Shook, George E.; Collins, Michael T.; Kirkpatrick, Brian W.

2014-01-01

Paratuberculosis, or Johne's disease, is a chronic, granulomatous, gastrointestinal tract disease of cattle and other ruminants caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium avium, subspecies paratuberculosis (MAP). Control of Johne's disease is based on programs of testing and culling animals positive for infection with MAP while concurrently modifying management to reduce the likelihood of infection. The current study is motivated by the hypothesis that genetic variation in host susceptibility to MAP infection can be dissected and quantifiable associations with genetic markers identified. For this purpose, a case-control, genome-wide association study was conducted using US Holstein cattle phenotyped for MAP infection using a serum ELISA and/or fecal culture test. Cases included cows positive for either serum ELISA, fecal culture or both. Controls consisted of animals negative for the serum ELISA test or both serum ELISA and fecal culture when both were available. Controls were matched by herd and proximal birth date with cases. A total of 856 cows (451 cases and 405 controls) were used in initial discovery analyses, and an additional 263 cows (159 cases and 104 controls) from the same herds were used as a validation data set. Data were analyzed in a single marker analysis controlling for relatedness of individuals (GRAMMAR-GC) and also in a Bayesian analysis in which multiple marker effects were estimated simultaneously (GenSel). For the latter, effects of non-overlapping 1 Mb marker windows across the genome were estimated. Results from the two discovery analyses were generally concordant; however, discovery results were generally not well supported in analysis of the validation data set. A combined analysis of discovery and validation data sets provided strongest support for SNPs and 1 Mb windows on chromosomes 1, 2, 6, 7, 17 and 29. PMID:25473852

13. Microfabricated AC impedance sensor

DOEpatents

Krulevitch, Peter; Ackler, Harold D.; Becker, Frederick; Boser, Bernhard E.; Eldredge, Adam B.; Fuller, Christopher K.; Gascoyne, Peter R. C.; Hamilton, Julie K.; Swierkowski, Stefan P.; Wang, Xiao-Bo

2002-01-01

A microfabricated instrument for detecting and identifying cells and other particles based on alternating current (AC) impedance measurements. The microfabricated AC impedance sensor includes two critical elements: 1) a microfluidic chip, preferably of glass substrates, having at least one microchannel therein and with electrodes patterned on both substrates, and 2) electrical circuits that connect to the electrodes on the microfluidic chip and detect signals associated with particles traveling down the microchannels. These circuits enable multiple AC impedance measurements of individual particles at high throughput rates with sufficient resolution to identify different particle and cell types as appropriate for environmental detection and clinical diagnostic applications.

14. Fiber - Optic Devices as Temperature Sensors for Temperature Measurements in AC Magnetic Fields

Rablau, Corneliu; Lafrance, Joseph; Sala, Anca

2007-10-01

We report on the investigation of several fiber-optic devices as potential sensors for temperature measurements in AC magnetic fields. Common temperature sensors, such as thermocouples, thermistors or diodes, will create random and/or systematic errors when placed in a magnetic field. A DC magnetic field is susceptible to create a systematic offset to the measurement, while in an AC magnetic field of variable frequency random errors which cannot be corrected for can also be introduced. Fiber-Bragg-gratings and thin film filters have an inherent temperature dependence. Detrimental for their primary applications, the same dependence allows one to use such devices as temperature sensors. In an AC magnetic field, they present the advantage of being immune to electromagnetic interference. Moreover, for fiber-Bragg-gratings, the shape factor and small mass of the bare-fiber device make it convenient for temperature measurements on small samples. We studied several thin-film filters and fiber-Bragg-gratings and compared their temperature measurement capabilities in AC magnetic fields of 0 to 150 Gauss, 0 to 20 KHz to the results provided by off-the-shelf thermocouples and thermistor-based temperature measurement systems.

15. Dynamic susceptibility study on the skyrmion phase stability of Fe{sub 0.7}Co{sub 0.3}Si

SciTech Connect

Ou-Yang, T. Y.; Shu, G. J.; Hu, C. D. E-mail: fcchou@ntu.edu.tw; Chou, F. C. E-mail: fcchou@ntu.edu.tw

2015-03-28

The AC susceptibilities of Fe{sub 1−x}Co{sub x}Si (0.1 ≤ x ≤ 0.7) alloys were measured and compared with that of MnSi. The range of skyrmion phase in the H-T phase space was enlarged and moved to higher temperatures when approximately 1/3 of the Fe was substituted with Co. Comparing with MnSi, the skyrmion phase of Fe{sub 0.7}Co{sub 0.3}Si was found thermodynamically more stable under a much lower and narrower critical field near 280 ± 50 Oe. The stability range in the H-T phase space and the free energy reduction ΔE (as a function of the applied magnetic field) for both the Fe{sub 0.7}Co{sub 0.3}Si and MnSi were compared.

16. A randomised pilot Phase II study of doxorubicin and cyclophosphamide (AC) or epirubicin and cyclophosphamide (EC) given 2 weekly with pegfilgrastim (accelerated) vs 3 weekly (standard) for women with early breast cancer

PubMed Central

Jones, R L; Walsh, G; Ashley, S; Chua, S; Agarwal, R; O'Brien, M; Johnston, S; Smith, I E

2009-01-01

Accelerated (dose-dense) chemotherapy, in which the frequency of administration is increased without changing total dose or duration, may increase the efficacy of cancer chemotherapy. We performed a randomised Phase II study to assess the safety and relative toxicity of AC (doxorubicin; cyclophosphamide) vs E(epirubicin)C given by conventional or accelerated schedules as neoadjuvant or adjuvant chemotherapy for early breast cancer. Furthermore, the relative toxicity of doxorubicin and epirubicin remains uncertain. Patients were randomised to one of four arms; four courses of standard 3 weekly cyclophosphamide 600 mg m−2 in combination with doxorubicin 60 mg m−2 (AC) vs epirubicin 90 mg m−2 (EC) 3 weekly vs the same regimens administered every 2 weeks with pegfilgrastim (G-CSF). A total of 126 patients were treated, 42 with standard AC, 42 with accelerated AC, 19 with standard EC and 23 with accelerated EC. Significantly more grade 3/4 day one neutropenia was seen with standard (6/61, 10%) compared to accelerated (0/65,) regimens (P=0.01). A trend towards more neutropenic sepsis was seen in the combined standard and accelerated AC arms (12/84, 14%) compared to the combined EC arms (1/42, 2%), P=0.06. Falls in left ventricular ejection fraction were not increased with accelerated treatment. Accelerated AC and EC with pegfilgrastim are safe and feasible regimens in the treatment of early breast cancer with less neutropenia than conventional 3 weekly schedules. PMID:19165198

17. Dynamic magnetic hysteresis and nonlinear susceptibility of antiferromagnetic nanoparticles

Kalmykov, Yuri P.; Ouari, Bachir; Titov, Serguey V.

2016-08-01

The nonlinear ac stationary response of antiferromagnetic nanoparticles subjected to both external ac and dc fields of arbitrary strength and orientation is investigated using Brown's continuous diffusion model. The nonlinear complex susceptibility and dynamic magnetic hysteresis (DMH) loops of an individual antiferromagnetic nanoparticle are evaluated and compared with the linear regime for extensive ranges of the anisotropy, the ac and dc magnetic fields, damping, and the specific antiferromagnetic parameter. It is shown that the shape and area of the DMH loops of antiferromagnetic particles are substantially altered by applying a dc field that permits tuning of the specific magnetic power loss in the nanoparticles.

18. Resistance of Trichoplusia ni to Bacillus thuringiensis toxin Cry1Ac is independent of alteration of the cadherin-like receptor for Cry toxins.

PubMed

Zhang, Xin; Tiewsiri, Kasorn; Kain, Wendy; Huang, Lihua; Wang, Ping

2012-01-01

19. Resistance of Trichoplusia ni to Bacillus thuringiensis Toxin Cry1Ac Is Independent of Alteration of the Cadherin-Like Receptor for Cry Toxins

PubMed Central

Zhang, Xin; Tiewsiri, Kasorn; Kain, Wendy; Huang, Lihua; Wang, Ping

2012-01-01

20. A study on the magnetic susceptibilities and optical absorption spectra on single crystals of Gd(III) pyrogermanate

Kundu, T.; Ghosh, D.; Wanklyn, B. M.

1990-04-01

The paper reports for the first time the experimental results of the measurements of magnetic susceptibilities ( K⊥ and K|) and their anisotropy (Δ K) between 300 and 21.8 K and the optical absorption spectra (UV region) at 12.5 K on single crystals of gadolinium pyrogermanate (GdPG). The anisotropy, which is only 211×10 -6 emu/mol at room temperature and increases by two orders of magnitude at 21 K, is predominantly a crystal field (CF) effect on the 8S {7}/{2} ground term, through higher order perturbations. Interpretation of the observed magnetic data was carried out by considering a conventional spin Hamiltonian ( Hs) to derive expressions for K⊥ and K| in terms of four effective crystal field parameters (ECFP). The value s of ECFP were varied to obtain a very close fitting between the theoretical and experimental values of K⊥, K|, δ K and K¯ The splitting of the 8S {7}/{2} term corresponding to these values of ECFP was found to be large, which suggests a strong CF effect in GdPG, as also observed in other RPG crystal studied earlier. The thermal characteristics of the magnetic anisotropy below 30 K deviate by about 5% which could not be explained by CF effects alone. A series expansion method was adopted to analyse the results of K⊥ and K| below 30 K, however the corresponding coefficient B2α and B3α were observed t o be unusually high indicating the presence of CF effect even in this temperature region. The Schottky specific heat, Csch, between 300 and 21 K for GdPG has been calculated and this shows a maximum at Tmax=17 K.

1. A comparative study on the effects of electron beam irradiation on imidacloprid-resistant and -susceptible Aphis gossypii (Hemiptera: Aphididae)

Yun, Seung-Hwan; Koo, Hyun-Na; Lee, Seon-Woo; Kim, Hyun Kyung; Kim, Yuri; Han, Bumsoo; Kim, Gil-Hah

2015-07-01

2. The application of magnetic susceptibility and grain-size in a lithostratigraphic study of Middle to Late Pleistocene lacustrine sediments near Summer Lake Oregon

SciTech Connect

Erbes, D.B.; Negrini, R.M. . Dept. of Physics and Geology)

1993-04-01

Positive results have been attained using volume magnetic susceptibility and sedimentological data for intrabasinal correlation of outcrop and core from a Great Basin style lacustrine sequence. The known sedimentary record from Pluvial Lke Chewaucan in south-central Oregon contains more than 70 laterally continuous and distinct tephra layers which enable high resolution intrabasinal correlation of outcrop and core. This phenomenon has allowed us to test the effectiveness of magnetic volume susceptibility data and sedimentological records as correlation tools. Preliminary results from this study indicate that magnetic susceptibility records can be correlated throughout the entire sampled interval to within a few cm of stratigraphic depth between exposures separated by one kilometer. Similar results have been obtained correlating laterally distinct sands, pebble lags, and carbonate layers. Grain-size data is currently being collected via standard pipette and Sedigraph methods to investigate its relationship to these correlations. The authors will also compare the magnetic susceptibility and sedimentological data with high resolution paleoenvironmental and paleosalinity records now available for the Lake Chewaucan sequence.

3. Distribution and antimicrobial susceptibility of bacteria from adults with community-acquired pneumonia or complicated skin and soft tissue infections in France: the nationwide French PREMIUM study.

PubMed

Leprince, C; Desroches, M; Emirian, A; Coutureau, C; Anais, L; Fihman, V; Soussy, C J; Decousser, J W

2015-10-01

The empirical therapy of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) and complicated skin and soft tissue infections (cSSTIs) must be based on updated bacterial distribution and susceptibility data. A nationwide study consecutively collected 1288 isolates from CAP (n=467) and cSSTIs (n=821) from 18 French hospitals between 2012 and 2013. The MIC values of commonly used antimicrobial agents, including ceftaroline, were determined. Bacterial distribution featured Pneumococcus, Haemophilus influenzae, and Staphylococcus aureus for CAPs and S. aureus, β-hemolytic streptococci and Enterobacteriaceae for cSSTIs. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing indicated i) the sustained third-generation cephalosporins and levofloxacin activity against pneumococci and H. influenzae, ii) no methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus emergence among respiratory pathogens, iii) the high in vitro activity of ceftaroline against staphylococci from cSSTIs (98.7% susceptibility), and iv) the worrisome decreasing fluoroquinolone and third-generation cephalosporin susceptibilities among Enterobacteriaceae. This laboratory-based survey depicts a contrasting situation and supports the scoring of patients for the resistant pathogen risk before empirical therapy. PMID:26166208

4. Multicentric study in five African countries of antibiotic susceptibility for three main pathogens: Streptococcus pneumoniae, Staphylococcus aureus, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

PubMed

2016-08-01

Antibiotic resistance is a growing clinical and epidemiological problem. We report on the antibiotic susceptibility of three pathogens isolated from patients in Algeria, Egypt, Morocco, Senegal, and Tunisia during 2010-2011. In total, 218 Streptococcus pneumoniae, 428 Staphylococcus aureus, and 414 Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains were collected. S. pneumoniae resistance was noted against penicillin (30.2%), erythromycin (27.4%), cefpodoxime (19.1%), amoxicillin (12.0%), cefotaxime (7.4%), and levofloxacin (3.2%). All the strains were teicoplanin susceptible. Staphylococcus aureus methicillin resistance differed between countries, from 5.0% in Senegal to 62.7% in Egypt. Levofloxacin resistance was low in all countries, and the highest rate (in Egypt) was still only 13.6% for intermediate and resistant strains combined. Most strains were susceptible to fosfomycin (99.3%) and pristinamycin (94.2%). P. aeruginosa resistance was found against levofloxacin (30.4%), ciprofloxacin (29.9%), tobramycin (19.7%), ceftazidime (19.2%), and imipenem (17.9%), but not colistin. Antibiotic susceptibility varied widely between countries, with resistance typically most prevalent in Egypt. PMID:25363146

5. Density functional theory studies of actinide(III) motexafins (An-Motex2+, An = Ac, Cm, Lr). Structure, stability, and comparison with lanthanide(III) motexafins.

PubMed

Cao, Xiaoyan; Li, Quansong; Moritz, Anna; Xie, Zhizhong; Dolg, Michael; Chen, Xuebo; Fang, Weihai

2006-04-17

Newly developed relativistic energy-consistent 5f-in-core actinide pseudopotentials and corresponding (7s6p5d1f)/[5s4p3d1f] basis sets in the segmented contraction scheme, combined with density functional theory methods, have been used to study the molecular structure and chemical properties of selected actinide(III) motexafins (An-Motex2+, An = Ac, Cm, Lr). Structure and stability are discussed, and a comparison to the lanthanide(III) motexafins (Ln-Motex2+, Ln = La, Gd, Lu) is made. The actinide element is found to reside above the mean N5 motexafin plane, and the larger the cation, the greater the observed out-of-plane displacement. It is concluded that the actinium(III), curium(III), and lawrencium(III) cations are tightly bound to the macrocyclic skeleton, yielding stable structures. However, the calculated metal-ligand gas-phase binding energy for An-Motex2+ is about 1-2 eV lower than that of Ln-Motex2+, implying a lower stability of An-Motex2+ compared to Ln-Motex2+. Results including solvent effects imply that Ac-Motex2+ is the most stable complex in aqueous solution and should be the best candidate for experimentalists to get stable actinide(III) motexafin complexes. PMID:16602805

6. U.S.-Based National Sentinel Surveillance Study for the Epidemiology of Clostridium difficile-Associated Diarrheal Isolates and Their Susceptibility to Fidaxomicin

PubMed Central

McDermott, L. A.; Jacobus, N. V.; Thorpe, C.; Stone, S.; Jenkins, S. G.; Goldstein, E. J. C.; Patel, R.; Forbes, B. A.; Mirrett, S.; Johnson, S.; Gerding, D. N.

2015-01-01

In 2011 a surveillance study for the susceptibility to fidaxomicin and epidemiology of Clostridium difficile isolates in the United States was undertaken in seven geographically dispersed medical centers. This report encompasses baseline surveillance in 2011 and 2012 on 925 isolates. A convenience sample of C. difficile isolates or toxin positive stools from patients were referred to a central laboratory. Antimicrobial susceptibility was determined by agar dilution (CLSI M11-A8). Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI), Food and Drug Administration, or European Union of Clinical Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing (EUCAST) breakpoints were applied where applicable. Toxin gene profiles were characterized by multiplex PCR on each isolate. A random sample of 322 strains, stratified by institution, underwent restriction endonuclease analysis (REA). The fidaxomicin MIC90 was 0.5 μg/ml for all isolates regardless of REA type or toxin gene profile, and all isolates were inhibited at ≤1.0 μg/ml. By REA typing, BI strains represented 25.5% of the isolates. The toxin gene profile of tcdA, tcdB, and cdtA/B positive with a tcdC 18-bp deletion correlated with BI REA group. Moxifloxacin and clindamycin resistance was increased among either BI or binary toxin-positive isolates. Metronidazole and vancomycin showed reduced susceptibility (EUCAST criteria) in these isolates. Geographic variations in susceptibility, REA group and binary toxin gene presence were observed. Fidaxomicin activity against C. difficile isolated in a national surveillance study did not change more than 1 year after licensure. This analysis provides baseline results for future comparisons. PMID:26239985

7. U.S.-Based National Sentinel Surveillance Study for the Epidemiology of Clostridium difficile-Associated Diarrheal Isolates and Their Susceptibility to Fidaxomicin.

PubMed

Snydman, D R; McDermott, L A; Jacobus, N V; Thorpe, C; Stone, S; Jenkins, S G; Goldstein, E J C; Patel, R; Forbes, B A; Mirrett, S; Johnson, S; Gerding, D N

2015-10-01

In 2011 a surveillance study for the susceptibility to fidaxomicin and epidemiology of Clostridium difficile isolates in the United States was undertaken in seven geographically dispersed medical centers. This report encompasses baseline surveillance in 2011 and 2012 on 925 isolates. A convenience sample of C. difficile isolates or toxin positive stools from patients were referred to a central laboratory. Antimicrobial susceptibility was determined by agar dilution (CLSI M11-A8). Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI), Food and Drug Administration, or European Union of Clinical Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing (EUCAST) breakpoints were applied where applicable. Toxin gene profiles were characterized by multiplex PCR on each isolate. A random sample of 322 strains, stratified by institution, underwent restriction endonuclease analysis (REA). The fidaxomicin MIC90 was 0.5 μg/ml for all isolates regardless of REA type or toxin gene profile, and all isolates were inhibited at ≤1.0 μg/ml. By REA typing, BI strains represented 25.5% of the isolates. The toxin gene profile of tcdA, tcdB, and cdtA/B positive with a tcdC 18-bp deletion correlated with BI REA group. Moxifloxacin and clindamycin resistance was increased among either BI or binary toxin-positive isolates. Metronidazole and vancomycin showed reduced susceptibility (EUCAST criteria) in these isolates. Geographic variations in susceptibility, REA group and binary toxin gene presence were observed. Fidaxomicin activity against C. difficile isolated in a national surveillance study did not change more than 1 year after licensure. This analysis provides baseline results for future comparisons. PMID:26239985

8. Comparative assessment of CDS, CLSI disc diffusion and Etest techniques for antimicrobial susceptibility testing of Neisseria gonorrhoeae: a 6-year study

PubMed Central

Singh, Vikram; Kakran, Monika; Ramesh, V

2012-01-01

Background A variety of techniques are available for antimicrobial susceptibility testing of Neisseria gonorrhoeae. Objective The aim of this study was to find a cost-effective, reliable and easily applicable microbiological method to detect antimicrobial susceptibilities of N. gonorrhoeae in resource-poor countries. Design Prospective study. Setting Male and female STD clinic of Regional STD Teaching, Training and Research Centre, New Delhi, India. Participants N. gonorrhoeae isolates from all male and female patients presenting with acute gonococcal urethritis and cervical discharge. Material and methods A total of 295 consecutive N. gonorrhoeae isolates during 2005–2010 was used to compare the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) and CDS disc diffusion technique with Etest by performing antimicrobial susceptibility testing in parallel for penicillin, tetracycline, ceftriaxone, ciprofloxacin and spectinomycin. WHO reference strains were used as controls. Results CDS disc diffusion zones of inhibition showed that complete percentage agreement for penicillin, ciprofloxacin and tetracycline was high with their analogous Etest minimal inhibitory concentrations in comparison to CLSI disc diffusion technique, that is, 91.5%, 92.9% and 99.3% versus 87.5%, 88.5% and 74.9%, respectively. CDS results had less number of major and minor category discrepancies in comparison to CLSI and CDS method showed excellent correlation coefficient (r=1) with Etest for all five antimicrobial agents tested in comparison to CLSI (r=0.92). It was very poor (r=0.61) by CLSI method for tetracycline. The correlation coefficients between the two methods and the Etest were identical if tetracycline was removed from the CLSI analysis. Conclusions The CDS technique is an attractive alternative for N. gonorrhoeae susceptibility testing and is recommended for monitoring the antimicrobial susceptibility in less developed and resource-poor settings to facilitate enhanced antimicrobial

9. Orbital diamagnetic susceptibility in excitonic condensation phase

Sugimoto, Koudai; Ohta, Yukinori

2016-08-01

We study the orbital diamagnetic susceptibility in excitonic condensation phase using the mean-field approximation for a two-band model defined on a square lattice. We find that, in semiconductors, the excitonic condensation acquires a finite diamagnetic susceptibility due to spontaneous hybridization between the valence and the conduction bands, whereas in semimetals, the diamagnetic susceptibility in the normal phase is suppressed by the excitonic condensation. We also study the orbital diamagnetic and Pauli paramagnetic susceptibilities of Ta2NiSe5 using a two-dimensional three-band model and find that the calculated temperature dependence of the magnetic susceptibility is in qualitative agreement with experiment.

10. AC magnetohydrodynamic microfluidic switch

SciTech Connect

Lemoff, A V; Lee, A P

2000-03-02

A microfluidic switch has been demonstrated using an AC Magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) pumping mechanism in which the Lorentz force is used to pump an electrolytic solution. By integrating two AC MHD pumps into different arms of a Y-shaped fluidic circuit, flow can be switched between the two arms. This type of switch can be used to produce complex fluidic routing, which may have multiple applications in {micro}TAS.

11. ACS Symposium Support

SciTech Connect

Kenneth D. Jordan

2010-02-20

The funds from this DOE grant were used to help cover the travel costs of five students and postdoctoral fellows who attended a symposium on 'Hydration: From Clusters to Aqueous Solutions' held at the Fall 2007 American Chemical Society Meeting in Boston, MA, August 19-23. The Symposium was sponsored by the Physical Chemistry Division, ACS. The technical program for the meeting is available at http://phys-acs.org/fall2007.html.

12. Cry toxin mode of action in susceptible and resistant Heliothis virescens larvae.

PubMed

Jurat-Fuentes, Juan Luis; Adang, Michael J

2006-07-01

Many pest insect species are effectively controlled by Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) Cry toxins delivered in plants and biopesticides. Since the insect midgut epithelium contains receptors and other molecules that determine Bt toxicity, characterization of these molecules is necessary for sustained usage of Bt toxins. Studies of Bt susceptible and resistant strains of Heliothis virescens have provided insights into resistance mechanisms and toxin receptors. For example, the first gene identified as involved in high levels of Cry1Ac resistance in H. virescens encodes a cadherin-like protein, a functional Cry1A receptor in Lepidoptera. This manuscript discusses the most updated information on the mode of action of Cry1A toxins obtained from the characterization of resistant mechanisms in H. virescens strains. Our studies are focused on biochemical and molecular comparison of a susceptible and three resistant H. virescens strains to identify alterations that correlate with toxin resistance. Following this approach we have been able to identify an alkaline phosphatase (HvALP) as a potential receptor and tested the utility of this protein as a marker for resistance to Cry1Ac. Comparison of brush border proteomes from susceptible and resistant larvae has allowed us to identify additional molecules directly involved in the toxicity process. PMID:16797583

13. Mapping Forest Fire Susceptibility in Temperate Mountain Areas with Expert Knowledge. A Case Study from Iezer Mountains, Romanian Carpathians

Mihai, Bogdan; Savulescu, Ionut

2014-05-01

Forest fires in Romanian Carpathians became a frequent phenomenon during the last decade, although local climate and other environmental features did not create typical conditions. From 2004, forest fires affect in Romania more than 100 hectares/year of different forest types (deciduous and coniferous). Their magnitude and frequency are not known, since a historical forest fire inventory does not exist (only press papers and local witness for some selected events). Forest fires features the summer dry periods but there are dry autumns and early winter periods with events of different magnitudes. The application we propose is based on an empirical modeling of forest fire susceptibility in a typical mountain area from the Southern Carpathians, the Iezer Mountains (2462 m). The study area features almost all the altitudinal vegetation zones of the European temperate mountains, from the beech zone, to the coniferous zone, the subalpine and the alpine zones (Mihai et al., 2007). The analysis combines GIS and remote sensing models (Chuvieco et al., 2012), starting from the ideas that forest fires are featured by the ignition zones and then by the fire propagation zones. The first data layer (ignition zones) is the result of the crossing between the ignition factors: lightning - points of multitemporal occurence and anthropogenic activities (grazing, tourism and traffic) and the ignition zones (forest fuel zonation - forest stands, soil cover and topoclimatic factor zonation). This data is modelled from different sources: the MODIS imagery fire product (Hantson et al., 2012), detailed topographic maps, multitemporal orthophotos at 0.5 m resolution, Landsat multispectral imagery, forestry cadastre maps, detailed soil maps, meteorological data (the WorldClim digital database) as well as the field survey (mapping using GPS and local observation). The second data layer (fire propagation zones) is the result of the crossing between the forest fuel zonation, obtained with the

14. Simwe model application on susceptibility analysis to linear erosion: a case study in Alto Douro wine region.

Fernandes, Joana; Bateira, Carlos; Soares, Laura; Faria, Ana; Moura, Rui; Gonçalves, José

2016-04-01

The wine production in Alto Douro Wine Region - one of the world's oldest regulated and demarcated wine region - is based on a slope system organized in agricultural terraces once supported exclusively by dry stone walls. It has been undergoing the necessary changes for the introduction of technological innovations partially associated to the mechanization of vineyards work. In this sense, different forms of terrain framing have been implemented, namely the substitution of stone walls by earth embankments. This evolution raises a group of problems related to the hydric soil erosion and landscape preservation, since Alto Douro Wine Region is classified as UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2001. The study area is mostly occupied by vineyards planted in the agriculture terraces without continuous vegetation, the flow proceeds superficially influenced by the weak infiltration capacity and hydraulic conductivity. So, because of this conditioning factor the erosive features present non-significant depth, and the length thereof is limited essentially by the slope of the land, where was registered 64 gullies and 78 rills This paper focuses on the evaluation of susceptibility to linear erosion, through the application of SIMWE (SIMulated Water Erosion), (Mitas and Mitasova, 1998), using a digital elevation model, with pixel of one square meter of spatial resolution, created through detail aerial photographs, (side pixel of 50 cm), submitted to automatic stereo-correlation procedures in Agisoft PhotoScan software. The results provided by the model are compared with hydrological characteristics of the soil, (infiltration capacity, and hydraulic conductivity), soil texture, and soil structure parameters (identified by electrical resistivity measurement) where obtained from field monitoring. This approach demonstrates an association between the spatial distribution of erosive features with high values of soil saturation, and reduced water discharge (10-110 cm3/s), that are

15. The genetic susceptibility to type 2 diabetes may be modulated by obesity status: implications for association studies

PubMed Central

Cauchi, Stéphane; Nead, Kevin T; Choquet, Hélène; Horber, Fritz; Potoczna, Natascha; Balkau, Beverley; Marre, Michel; Charpentier, Guillaume; Froguel, Philippe; Meyre, David

2008-01-01

Background Considering that a portion of the heterogeneity amongst previous replication studies may be due to a variable proportion of obese subjects in case-control designs, we assessed the association of genetic variants with type 2 diabetes (T2D) in large groups of obese and non-obese subjects. Methods We genotyped RETN, KCNJ11, HNF4A, HNF1A, GCK, SLC30A8, ENPP1, ADIPOQ, PPARG, and TCF7L2 polymorphisms in 1,283 normoglycemic (NG) and 1,581 T2D obese individuals as well as in 3,189 NG and 1,244 T2D non-obese subjects of European descent, allowing us to examine T2D risk over a wide range of BMI. Results Amongst non-obese individuals, we observed significant T2D associations with HNF1A I27L [odds ratio (OR) = 1.14, P = 0.04], GCK -30G>A (OR = 1.23, P = 0.01), SLC30A8 R325W (OR = 0.87, P = 0.04), and TCF7L2 rs7903146 (OR = 1.89, P = 4.5 × 10-23), and non-significant associations with PPARG Pro12Ala (OR = 0.85, P = 0.14), ADIPOQ -11,377C>G (OR = 1.00, P = 0.97) and ENPP1 K121Q (OR = 0.99, P = 0.94). In obese subjects, associations with T2D were detected with PPARG Pro12Ala (OR = 0.73, P = 0.004), ADIPOQ -11,377C>G (OR = 1.26, P = 0.02), ENPP1 K121Q (OR = 1.30, P = 0.003) and TCF7L2 rs7903146 (OR = 1.30, P = 1.1 × 10-4), and non-significant associations with HNF1A I27L (OR = 0.96, P = 0.53), GCK -30G>A (OR = 1.15, P = 0.12) and SLC30A8 R325W (OR = 0.95, P = 0.44). However, a genotypic heterogeneity was only found for TCF7L2 rs7903146 (P = 3.2 × 10-5) and ENPP1 K121Q (P = 0.02). No association with T2D was found for KCNJ11, RETN, and HNF4A polymorphisms in non-obese or in obese individuals. Conclusion Genetic variants modulating insulin action may have an increased effect on T2D susceptibility in the presence of obesity, whereas genetic variants acting on insulin secretion may have a greater impact on T2D susceptibility in non-obese individuals. PMID:18498634

16. Impact of the Method of G6PD Deficiency Assessment on Genetic Association Studies of Malaria Susceptibility

PubMed Central

Johnson, Marla K.; Clark, Tamara D.; Njama-Meya, Denise; Rosenthal, Philip J.; Parikh, Sunil

2009-01-01

Background Clinical association studies have yielded varied results regarding the impact of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency upon susceptibility to malaria. Analyses have been complicated by varied methods used to diagnose G6PD deficiency. Methodology/Prinicipal Findings We compared the association between uncomplicated malaria incidence and G6PD deficiency in a cohort of 601 Ugandan children using two different diagnostic methods, enzyme activity and G6PD genotype (G202A, the predominant East African allele). Although roughly the same percentage of males were identified as deficient using enzyme activity (12%) and genotype (14%), nearly 30% of males who were enzymatically deficient were wild-type at G202A. The number of deficient females was three-fold higher with assessment by genotype (21%) compared to enzyme activity (7%). Heterozygous females accounted for the majority (46/54) of children with a mutant genotype but normal enzyme activity. G6PD deficiency, as determined by G6PD enzyme activity, conferred a 52% (relative risk [RR] 0.48, 95% CI 0.31–0.75) reduced risk of uncomplicated malaria in females. In contrast, when G6PD deficiency was defined based on genotype, the protective association for females was no longer seen (RR = 0.99, 95% CI 0.70–1.39). Notably, restricting the analysis to those females who were both genotypically and enzymatically deficient, the association of deficiency and protection from uncomplicated malaria was again demonstrated in females, but not in males (RR = 0.57, 95% CI 0.37–0.88 for females). Conclusions/Significance This study underscores the impact that the method of identifying G6PD deficient individuals has upon association studies of G6PD deficiency and uncomplicated malaria. We found that G6PD-deficient females were significantly protected against uncomplicated malaria, but this protection was only seen when G6PD deficiency is described using enzyme activity. These observations may help to

17. A genome-wide association study follow-up suggests a possible role for PPARG in systemic sclerosis susceptibility

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Introduction A recent genome-wide association study (GWAS) comprising a French cohort of systemic sclerosis (SSc) reported several non-HLA single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) showing a nominal association in the discovery phase. We aimed to identify previously overlooked susceptibility variants by using a follow-up strategy. Methods Sixty-six non-HLA SNPs showing a P value <10-4 in the discovery phase of the French SSc GWAS were analyzed in the first step of this study, performing a meta-analysis that combined data from the two published SSc GWASs. A total of 2,921 SSc patients and 6,963 healthy controls were included in this first phase. Two SNPs, PPARG rs310746 and CHRNA9 rs6832151, were selected for genotyping in the replication cohort (1,068 SSc patients and 6,762 healthy controls) based on the results of the first step. Genotyping was performed by using TaqMan SNP genotyping assays. Results We observed nominal associations for both PPARG rs310746 (PMH = 1.90 × 10-6, OR, 1.28) and CHRNA9 rs6832151 (PMH = 4.30 × 10-6, OR, 1.17) genetic variants with SSc in the first step of our study. In the replication phase, we observed a trend of association for PPARG rs310746 (P value = 0.066; OR, 1.17). The combined overall Mantel-Haenszel meta-analysis of all the cohorts included in the present study revealed that PPARG rs310746 remained associated with SSc with a nominal non-genome-wide significant P value (PMH = 5.00 × 10-7; OR, 1.25). No evidence of association was observed for CHRNA9 rs6832151 either in the replication phase or in the overall pooled analysis. Conclusion Our results suggest a role of PPARG gene in the development of SSc. PMID:24401602

18. Interleukin-18 genetic polymorphisms contribute differentially to the susceptibility to Crohn’s disease

PubMed Central

Gao, Su-Jun; Zhang, Li; Lu, Wei; Wang, Lu; Chen, Lei; Zhu, Zhen; Zhu, Hai-Hang

2015-01-01

AIM: To investigate the correlation between interleukin-18 (IL-18) gene polymorphisms and the risk of developing Crohn’s disease (CD). METHODS: The PubMed, CISCOM, CINAHL, Web of Science, EBSCO, Cochrane Library, MEDLINE, EMBASE and CBM databases were searched without any language restrictions using combinations of keywords relating to CD and IL-18 for relevant articles published before November 1st, 2013. Screening of the published studies retrieved from searches was based on our stringent inclusion and exclusion criteria and resulted in seven eligible studies for meta-analysis. A meta-analysis was conducted using a random-effects model with STATA 12.0 software. Crude odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (95%CI) were calculated. RESULTS: Seven case-control studies, with a total of 1930 CD cases and 1930 healthy subjects, met our inclusion criteria. The results of our meta-analysis indicated that the IL-18 rs1946518 A>C and rs187238 G>C polymorphisms may correlate with an increased risk of CD under five genetic models (all P < 0.05). Furthermore, we observed positive associations between the IL-18 rs360718 A>C polymorphism and CD risk under three genetic models (C allele vs A allele: OR = 2.03, 95%CI: 1.20-3.43, P = 0.008; CC vs AA+AC: OR = 2.39, 95%CI: 1.2-4.43, P = 0.006; CC vs AC: OR = 2.31, 95%CI: 1.22-4.38, P = 0.010). However, such associations were not found for the IL-18 rs917997 C>T, codon 35 A>C and rs1946519 G>T polymorphisms (all P > 0.05). A subgroup analysis was conducted to investigate the effect of ethnicity on an individual’s susceptibility to CD. Our results revealed positive correlations between IL-18 genetic polymorphisms and an increased risk of CD among Asians and Africans (all P < 0.05), but not among Caucasians (all P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: This meta-analysis indicated that the IL-18 rs1946518 A>C, rs187238 G>C and rs360718 A>C polymorphisms may contribute to susceptibility to CD, especially among Asians and Africans. These

19. Replication Study in a Japanese Population of Six Susceptibility Loci for Type 2 Diabetes Originally Identified by a Transethnic Meta-Analysis of Genome-Wide Association Studies

PubMed Central

Matsuba, Ren; Imamura, Minako; Tanaka, Yasushi; Iwata, Minoru; Hirose, Hiroshi; Kaku, Kohei; Maegawa, Hiroshi; Watada, Hirotaka; Tobe, Kazuyuki; Kashiwagi, Atsunori; Kawamori, Ryuzo; Maeda, Shiro

2016-01-01

Aim We performed a replication study in a Japanese population to evaluate the association between type 2 diabetes and six susceptibility loci (TMEM154, SSR1, FAF1, POU5F1, ARL15, and MPHOSPH9) originally identified by a transethnic meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies (GWAS) in 2014. Methods We genotyped 7,620 Japanese participants (5,817 type 2 diabetes patients and 1,803 controls) for each of the single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) using a multiplex polymerase chain reaction invader assay. The association of each SNP locus with the disease was evaluated using logistic regression analysis. Results Of the six SNPs examined in this study, four (rs6813195 near TMEM154, rs17106184 in FAF1, rs3130501 in POU5F1 and rs4275659 near MPHOSPH9) had the same direction of effect as in the original reports, but two (rs9505118 in SSR1 and rs702634 in ARL15) had the opposite direction of effect. Among these loci, rs3130501 and rs4275659 were nominally associated with type 2 diabetes (rs3130501; p = 0.017, odds ratio [OR] = 1.113, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.019–1.215, rs4275659; p = 0.012, OR = 1.127, 95% CI 1.026–1.238, adjusted for sex, age and body mass index), but we did not observe a significant association with type 2 diabetes for any of the six evaluated SNP loci in our Japanese population. Conclusions Our results indicate that effects of the six SNP loci identified in the transethnic GWAS meta-analysis are not major among the Japanese, although SNPs in POU5F1 and MPHOSPH9 loci may have some effect on susceptibility to type 2 diabetes in this population. PMID:27115357

20. Electrical properties of Cu/a-BaTiO3/Cu capacitors studied in dc and ac regimes

El Kamel, F.; Gonon, P.; Radnóczi, G.

2009-04-01

Electrical properties of Cu/a-BaTiO3/Cu capacitors have been investigated in both dc and ac regimes as a function of temperature. A clear correlation is found between the temperature dependence of dc leakage currents and the temperature variation of the dielectric relaxation, showing that these measurement techniques are probing the same defects. Using either of these two techniques, we were able to detect at least three types of electrical active defects. Oxygen vacancy diffusion takes place at high temperature with an activation energy of around 1 eV. The diffusion of copper creates ionic defects in the a-BaTiO3 layer, which introduces two other contributions to the conduction process. The first is related to the motion of ionic species (ionic conduction, thermally activated with an activation energy of 0.3 eV). In addition, it has been argued that the presence of copper ions introduces a discrete set of shallow traps within the bandgap, resulting in a n-type conductivity (electronic conduction). The traps depth and their effective density are 0.45 eV and 4×1016 cm-3, respectively.

1. A Laboratory Study to Determine the Effect of Field Strength and Magnetic Susceptibility on the NMR Estimated Water Content in Unconsolidated Sediments

Keating, K.; Grunewald, E. D.; Walsh, D. O.

2015-12-01

Geophysical nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) well logging data can provide direct information about subsurface water content. While NMR water content estimates are known to be accurate in low magnetic susceptibility materials, it has often been assumed that NMR measurements cannot be used in high magnetic susceptibility materials due to internal magnetic field inhomogeneities that arise due to magnetic susceptibility contrasts in the material. In this study we compare the NMR estimated water content using laboratory measurements made at two low magnetic field strengths (with Larmor frequencies of 275 kHz and 2 MHz) on both synthetic and natural unconsolidated sediments with a range of magnetic susceptibility values. NMR measurements were collected on seven water-saturated materials with magnetic susceptibility values spanning three orders of magnitude (3.6x10-6 SI to 7.0 x10-3 SI). T2 relaxation time data was collected with echo times, tE, ranging from 200 to 3000 μs. The results show that for the materials with low magnetic susceptibilities (< 5x10-4 SI), the total water content was accurately estimated at both field strengths. For the materials with high magnetic susceptibilities (> 5x10-4 SI) the water content was more accurately estimated using the data collected at 275 kHz (> 80% detected at tE = 400 μs) than the data collected at 2 MHz (< 40% detected at tE = 400 μs). Furthermore, the 275 kHz data showed water content underestimation errors increased only slightly with increased tE, compared to substantial increases in errors for the 2 MHz data as tE was increased. This finding suggests that there is an advantage for collecting measurements at lower field strengths even for long tE. We explain the differences in the water content estimates at the two field strengths by considering the shape of the echoes and the coil and pulse bandwidths, and find excellent agreement with the range of collected NMR data.

2. A comparative study of frequency ratio, weights of evidence and logistic regression methods for landslide susceptibility mapping: Sultan Mountains, SW Turkey

2013-03-01

This study evaluated and compared landslide susceptibility maps produced with three different methods, frequency ratio, weights of evidence, and logistic regression, by using validation datasets. The field surveys performed as part of this investigation mapped the locations of 90 landslides that had been identified in the Sultan Mountains of south-western Turkey. The landslide influence parameters used for this study are geology, relative permeability, land use/land cover, precipitation, elevation, slope, aspect, total curvature, plan curvature, profile curvature, wetness index, stream power index, sediment transportation capacity index, distance to drainage, distance to fault, drainage density, fault density, and spring density maps. The relationships between landslide distributions and these parameters were analysed using the three methods, and the results of these methods were then used to calculate the landslide susceptibility of the entire study area. The accuracy of the final landslide susceptibility maps was evaluated based on the landslides observed during the fieldwork, and the accuracy of the models was evaluated by calculating each model's relative operating characteristic curve. The predictive capability of each model was determined from the area under the relative operating characteristic curve and the areas under the curves obtained using the frequency ratio, logistic regression, and weights of evidence methods are 0.976, 0.952, and 0.937, respectively. These results indicate that the frequency ratio and weights of evidence models are relatively good estimators of landslide susceptibility in the study area. Specifically, the results of the correlation analysis show a high correlation between the frequency ratio and weights of evidence results, and the frequency ratio and logistic regression methods exhibit correlation coefficients of 0.771 and 0.727, respectively. The frequency ratio model is simple, and its input, calculation and output processes are

3. Level structure and reflection asymmetric shape in sup 223 Ac

SciTech Connect

Sheline, R.K.; Liang, C.F.; Paris, P. )

1990-07-20

Mass separated sources of {sup 227}Pa (separated as PaF{sub 4}{sup +} ions) were used to study the level structure of {sup 223}Ac following alpha decay. The levels in {sup 223}Ac are interpreted as K = 5/2{sup {plus minus}} parity doublet bands which occur naturally in reflection asymmetric models and the multiphonon octupole model. The anomalous structure of the K = 3/2{sup {minus}} band is explained in terms of Coriolis coupling. The low lying parity doublet bands in {sup 223}Ac, {sup 225}Ac, and {sup 227}Ac are compared and contrasted.

4. Tuberculosis in Sudan: a study of Mycobacterium tuberculosis strain genotype and susceptibility to anti-tuberculosis drugs

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background Sudan is a large country with a diverse population and history of civil conflict. Poverty levels are high with a gross national income per capita of less than two thousand dollars. The country has a high burden of tuberculosis (TB) with an estimated 50,000 incident cases during 2009, when the estimated prevalence was 209 cases per 100,000 of the population. Few studies have been undertaken on TB in Sudan and the prevalence of drug resistant disease is not known. Methods In this study Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolates from 235 patients attending three treatment centers in Sudan were screened for susceptibility to isoniazid, rifampicin, ethambutol and streptomycin by the proportion method on Lowenstein Jensen media. 232 isolates were also genotyped by spoligotyping. Demographic details of patients were recorded using a structured questionnaire. Statistical analyses were conducted to examine the associations between drug resistance with risk ratios computed for a set of risk factors (gender, age, case status - new or relapse, geographic origin of the patient, spoligotype, number of people per room, marital status and type of housing). Results Multi drug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB), being resistance to at least rifampicin and isoniazid, was found in 5% (95% CI: 2,8) of new cases and 24% (95% CI: 14,34) of previously treated patients. Drug resistance was associated with previous treatment with risk ratios of 3.51 (95% CI: 2.69-4.60; p < 0.001) for resistance to any drug and 5.23 (95% CI: 2.30-11.90; p < 0.001) for MDR-TB. Resistance was also associated with the geographic region of origin of the patient, being most frequently observed in patients from the Northern region and least in the Eastern region with risk ratios of 7.43 (95%CI:3.42,16.18; p: < 0.001) and 14.09 (95%CI:1.80,110.53; p:0.026) for resistance to any drug and MDR-TB. The major genotype observed was of the Central Asia spoligotype family (CAS1_Delhi), representing 49% of the 232 isolates

5. Determinants of Default from Tuberculosis Treatment among Patients with Drug-Susceptible Tuberculosis in Karachi, Pakistan: A Mixed Methods Study

PubMed Central

Chida, Natasha; Ansari, Zara; Hussain, Hamidah; Jaswal, Maria; Symes, Stephen; Khan, Aamir J.; Mohammed, Shama

2015-01-01

Purpose Non-adherence to tuberculosis therapy can lead to drug resistance, prolonged infectiousness, and death; therefore, understanding what causes treatment default is important. Pakistan has one of the highest burdens of tuberculosis in the world, yet there have been no qualitative studies in Pakistan that have specifically examined why default occurs. We conducted a mixed methods study at a tuberculosis clinic in Karachi to understand why patients with drug-susceptible tuberculosis default from treatment, and to identify factors associated with default. Patients attending this clinic pick up medications weekly and undergo family-supported directly observed therapy. Methods In-depth interviews were administered to 21 patients who had defaulted. We also compared patients who defaulted with those who were cured, had completed, or had failed treatment in 2013. Results Qualitative analyses showed the most common reasons for default were the financial burden of treatment, and medication side effects and beliefs. The influence of finances on other causes of default was also prominent, as was concern about the effect of treatment on family members. In quantitative analysis, of 2120 patients, 301 (14.2%) defaulted. Univariate analysis found that male gender (OR: 1.34, 95% CI: 1.04–1.71), being 35–59 years of age (OR: 1.54, 95% CI: 1.14–2.08), or being 60 years of age or older (OR: 1.84, 95% CI: 1.17–2.88) were associated with default. After adjusting for gender, disease site, and patient category, being 35–59 years of age (aOR: 1.49, 95% CI: 1.10–2.03) or 60 years of age or older (aOR: 1.76, 95% CI: 1.12–2.77) were associated with default. Conclusions In multivariate analysis age was the only variable associated with default. This lack of identifiable risk factors and our qualitative findings imply that default is complex and often due to extrinsic and medication-related factors. More tolerable medications, improved side effect management, and innovative

6. [Comparative studies on activities of antimicrobial agents against causative organisms isolated from patients with urinary tract infections (1995). III. Differences in susceptibilities from previous years].

PubMed

Kumamoto, Y; Tsukamoto, T; Hirose, T; Yokoo, A; Hikichi, Y; Shigeta, S; Takahashi, T; Shiraiwa, Y; Ogiwara, M; Yoshida, H; Imafuku, Y; Murai, M; Watanabe, K; Uchida, H; Kobayashi, Y; Matsuda, S; Fujime, M; Fujita, K; Igari, J; Oguri, T; Kosakai, N; Yamaguchi, K; Matsumoto, T; Kashitani, F; Mochida, C

1997-04-01

Susceptibilities to various antimicrobial agents were examined for Enterococcus faecalis, Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella spp. and Pseudomonas aeruginosa that were isolated from patients with urinary tract infections (UTIs) in 11 hospitals during June, 1995 through May, 1996, and the results were compared with those obtained during the same period in earlier years. 1. Macrolide resistant E. faecalis isolated from uncomplicated UTIs during the latest study period appeared to have increased compared to those in previous study periods. More than 50% of the isolated E. faecalis during the latest study period were resistant to macrolide antibiotics, for the first time in our history. 2. No obvious changes were observed through the years for susceptibilities of S. aureus to various antimicrobial agents. Vancomycin (VCM) showed the highest activity against S. aureus, with MICs below 2 micrograms/ml or below. 3. Among E. coli strains, those with low susceptibilities to quinolones appeared to have increased over the years with MIC90 changed from between 0.125 microgram/ml or below and 0.5 microgram/ml in the 1989-1990 period to between 8 micrograms/ml and 128 micrograms/ml in the latest study period. 4. Klebsiella spp. showed higher resistance to most antimicrobial agents during periods of 1993-1994 and 1994-1995, but somewhat lower resistance during period of 1995-1996. No resistant Klebsiella spp. were detected from uncomplicated UTIs during the latest study period. 5. Among P. aeruginosa isolates from complicated UTIs, resistance isolates to gentamicin appeared to be increasing over the years. Resistant strains to quinolones were isolated at lower frequencies during periods of 1991-1994, but higher frequency was observed in the latest period, and MIC50s were between 0.5 and 4 micrograms/ml during 1991-1994, but were 16-32 micrograms/ml during 1995-1996. These susceptibility changes should be utilized in determining clinical treatments. PMID:9192248

7. Collapse susceptibility map in abandoned mining areas by microgravity survey: A case study in Candado hill (Málaga, southern Spain)

Martínez-Moreno, F. J.; Galindo-Zaldívar, J.; González-Castillo, L.; Azañón, J. M.

2016-07-01

The presence of disused gypsum mine galleries in Candado hill (Málaga, southern Spain) has caused constructions at the western end of the hill to collapse. The mine, which closed in the 1960s, is disconnected from the surface. Therefore, the precise dimensions and position of the galleries are unknown, making it essential to undertake a thorough microgravity study to assess the collapse susceptibility of the area. On the one hand, we analyze the accuracy of the terrain correction and Bouguer anomaly calculation, varying density values. This study shows that higher density values produce more pronounced residual minima corresponding to the mine galleries. On the other hand, the approximate mine gallery positions and dimensions were derived through forward modelling, then correlated with the gravity residual anomalies produced in the hill. Altogether, these results can be presented as a collapse susceptibility map relating the areas containing mine galleries with shallow voids on the hill.

8. A comparative study on the predictive ability of the decision tree, support vector machine and neuro-fuzzy models in landslide susceptibility mapping using GIS

2013-02-01

The purpose of the present study is to compare the prediction performances of three different approaches such as decision tree (DT), support vector machine (SVM) and adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) for landslide susceptibility mapping at Penang Hill area, Malaysia. The necessary input parameters for the landslide susceptibility assessments were obtained from various sources. At first, landslide locations were identified by aerial photographs and field surveys and a total of 113 landslide locations were constructed. The study area contains 340,608 pixels while total 8403 pixels include landslides. The landslide inventory was randomly partitioned into two subsets: (1) part 1 that contains 50% (4000 landslide grid cells) was used in the training phase of the models; (2) part 2 is a validation dataset 50% (4000 landslide grid cells) for validation of three models and to confirm its accuracy. The digitally processed images of input parameters were combined in GIS. Finally, landslide susceptibility maps were produced, and the performances were assessed and discussed. Total fifteen landslide susceptibility maps were produced using DT, SVM and ANFIS based models, and the resultant maps were validated using the landslide locations. Prediction performances of these maps were checked by receiver operating characteristics (ROC) by using both success rate curve and prediction rate curve. The validation results showed that, area under the ROC curve for the fifteen models produced using DT, SVM and ANFIS varied from 0.8204 to 0.9421 for success rate curve and 0.7580 to 0.8307 for prediction rate curves, respectively. Moreover, the prediction curves revealed that model 5 of DT has slightly higher prediction performance (83.07), whereas the success rate showed that model 5 of ANFIS has better prediction (94.21) capability among all models. The results of this study showed that landslide susceptibility mapping in the Penang Hill area using the three approaches (e

9. Early Medication Nonadherence After Acute Myocardial Infarction: Insights into Actionable Opportunities from the TRANSLATE-ACS Study

PubMed Central

Mathews, Robin; Peterson, Eric D.; Honeycutt, Emily; Chin, Chee Tang; Effron, Mark B.; Zettler, Marjorie; Fonarow, Gregg C.; Henry, Timothy D.; Wang, Tracy Y.

2015-01-01

10. Actinide sulfides in the gas phase: experimental and theoretical studies of the thermochemistry of AnS (An = Ac, Th, Pa, U, Np, Pu, Am and Cm).

PubMed

Pereira, Cláudia C L; Marsden, Colin J; Marçalo, Joaquim; Gibson, John K

2011-07-28

The gas-phase thermochemistry of actinide monosulfides, AnS, was investigated experimentally and theoretically. Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry was employed to study the reactivity of An(+) and AnO(+) (An = Th, Pa, U, Np, Pu, Am and Cm) with CS(2) and COS, as well as the reactivity of the produced AnS(+) with oxidants (COS, CO(2), CH(2)O and NO). From these experiments, An(+)-S bond dissociation energies could be bracketed. Density functional theory studies of the energetics of neutral and monocationic AnS (An = Ac, Th, Pa, U, Np, Pu, Am and Cm) provided values for bond dissociation energies and ionization energies; the computed energetics of neutral and monocationic AnO were also obtained for comparison. The theoretical data, together with comparisons with known An(+)-O bond dissociation energies and M(+)-S and M(+)-O dissociation energies for the early transition metals, allowed for the refining of the An(+)-S bond dissociation energy ranges obtained from experiment. Examination of the reactivity of AnS(+) with dienes, coupled to comparisons with reactivities of the AnO(+) analogues, systematic considerations and the theoretical results, allowed for the estimation of the ionization energies of the AnS; the bond dissociation energies of neutral AnS were consequently derived. Estimates for the case of AcS were also made, based on correlations of the data for the other An and the electronic energetics of neutral and ionic An. The nature of the bonding in the elementary molecular actinide chalcogenides (oxides and sulfides) is discussed, based on both the experimental data and the computed electronic structures. DFT calculations of ionization energies for the actinide atoms and the diatomic sulfides and oxides are relatively reliable, but the calculation of bond dissociation energies is not uniformly satisfactory, either with DFT or CCSD(T). A key conclusion from both the experimental and theoretical results is that the 5f electrons do not

11. Use of embryonated chicken egg as a model to study the susceptibility of avian influenza H9N2 viruses to oseltamivir carboxylate.

PubMed

Tare, Deeksha S; Pawar, Shailesh D

2015-11-01

Avian influenza (AI) H9N2 viruses are endemic in many bird species, and human infections of H9N2 viruses have been reported. Oseltamivir phosphate (Tamiflu(®)) is the available antiviral drug for the treatment and prophylaxis of influenza. There are no reports of use of embryonated chicken egg as a model to study susceptibility of AI viruses to oseltamivir carboxylate (OC), the active metabolite. The present study was undertaken to explore the use of embryonated chicken eggs as a model for testing OC against the AI H9N2 viruses. A total of three AI H9N2 viruses, isolated in poultry in India, were used. Various virus dilutions were tested against 14μg/ml of OC. Three methods, namely (1) the in vitro virus-drug treatment, (2) drug delivery and virus challenge by allantoic route, and (3) drug delivery by albumen route and virus challenge by allantoic route were explored. The viruses were also tested using the fluorescence-based neuraminidase inhibitor (NAI) assay. There was significant inhibition (p<0.05) of the H9N2 viruses in presence of OC. The infectious virus titers as well as hemagglutination titers were significantly lower in presence of OC as compared to controls. The in vitro treatment of virus and drug; and drug and virus delivery at the same time by allantoic route showed significantly higher inhibition (p<0.05) of virus growth than that by the albumen route. In the NAI assay, the half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) values of the H9N2 viruses were within the standard range for known susceptible reference virus. In conclusion, the H9N2 viruses used in the study were susceptible to OC. Embryonated chicken egg could be used as a model to study susceptibility of AI viruses to antiviral drugs. PMID:26297959

12. Molecular Identification and Antifungal Susceptibility of Yeast Isolates Causing Fungemia Collected in a Population-Based Study in Spain in 2010 and 2011

PubMed Central

Guinea, Jesús; Zaragoza, Óscar; Escribano, Pilar; Martín-Mazuelos, Estrella; Pemán, Javier; Sánchez-Reus, Ferrán

2014-01-01

We report the molecular identifications and antifungal susceptibilities of the isolates causing fungemia collected in the CANDIPOP population-based study conducted in 29 Spanish hospitals. A total of 781 isolates (from 767 patients, 14 of them having mixed fungemia) were collected. The species found most frequently were Candida albicans (44.6%), Candida parapsilosis (24.5%), Candida glabrata (13.2%), Candida tropicalis (7.6%), Candida krusei (1.9%), Candida guilliermondii (1.7%), and Candida lusitaniae (1.3%). Other Candida and non-Candida species accounted for approximately 5% of the isolates. The presence of cryptic species was low. Compared to findings of previous studies conducted in Spain, the frequency of C. glabrata has increased. Antifungal susceptibility testing was performed by using EUCAST and CLSI M27-A3 reference procedures; the two methods were comparable. The rate of fluconazole-susceptible isolates was 80%, which appears to be a decrease compared to findings of previous studies, explained mainly by the higher frequency of C. glabrata. Using the species-specific breakpoints and epidemiological cutoff values, the rate of voriconazole and posaconazole in vitro resistance was low (<2%). In the case of C. tropicalis, using the EUCAST procedure, the rate of azole resistance was around 20%. There was a correlation between the previous use of azoles and the presence of fluconazole-resistant isolates. Resistance to echinocandins was very rare (2%), and resistance to amphotericin B also was very uncommon. The sequencing of the hot spot (HS) regions from FKS1 or FKS2 genes in echinocandin-resistant isolates revealed previously described point mutations. The decrease in the susceptibility to fluconazole in Spanish isolates should be closely monitored in future studies. PMID:24366741

13. Meat industry wastewater: microbiological quality and antimicrobial susceptibility of E. coli and Salmonella sp. isolates, case study in Vojvodina, Serbia.

PubMed

Stošić, Milena; Čučak, Dragana; Kovačević, Srđan; Perović, Marija; Radonić, Jelena; Turk Sekulić, Maja; Vojinović Miloradov, Mirjana; Radnović, Dragan

2016-01-01

Wastewater from meat processing industries is a fusion of compounds with a high load of organic matter, and pathogen microorganisms like Escherichia coli, and Salmonella sp. The aim of this research was to determine microbiological characteristics of the wastewater discharged from the meat processing industry in order to get a more detailed insight into meat industry wastewater pollution, and to evaluate the resistance of bacterial strains E. coli and Salmonella sp. to antibiotics. The evaluation of the antimicrobial susceptibility was performed on 37 strains of E. coli and eight strains of Salmonella sp. to nine different antibiotics. The number of faecal pollution indicators was very high in all samples. From a total of 37 strains of E. coli, a moderate degree of resistance was shown to tetracycline (37.83%); a low degree of resistance to ampicillin (21.62%), streptomycin (24.32%), trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazol (18.92%) and nalidixic acid (16.22%); and very low to: chloramphenicol (13.51%), ciprofloxacin (2.7%), gentamicin and cefotaxime (0.0%). The results for eight strains of Salmonella sp. show that all eight isolates had some degree of susceptibility to nine tested antimicrobial agents and six strains were fully susceptible to all tested antibiotics. PMID:27191574

14. Prospective study of catalase-positive coryneform organisms in clinical specimens: identification, clinical relevance, and antibiotic susceptibility.

PubMed

Lagrou, K; Verhaegen, J; Janssens, M; Wauters, G; Verbist, L

1998-01-01

During a 6-month period, all clinical isolates of catalase-positive coryneform organisms, which were isolated during the routine processing of clinical specimens, were characterized in the laboratory of the 1800-bed University Hospital of Leuven. The distribution of the species in the corynebacteria was: Corynebacterium amycolatum 70 (53%), Corynebacterium jeikeium 16 (12%), Corynebacterium striatum 11 (8%), Corynebacterium afermentans 10 (7%), Corynebacterium minutissimum 9 (6%), CDC coryneform group G 4 (3%), Corynebacterium urealyticum 4 (3%), Corynebacterium glucuronolyticum 1 (0.7%), and Corynebacterium xerosis 1 (0.7%). Of the 150 isolates, 37 (25%) were considered to be infection related and the remaining 113 (75%) were of questionable clinical significance. Susceptibility of the corynebacteria to 12 antibiotics active against Gram-positive organisms was evaluated. C. amycolatum, C. jeikeium, and C. urealyticum were multiresistant, but all isolates were susceptible to teicoplanin and vancomycin. Most of the C. amycolatum strains, and all strains of C. jeikeium and C. striatum, were susceptible to the vibrocidal compound O/129. PMID:9488824

15. Antimicrobial susceptibility and beta-lactamase production of selected gram-negative bacilli from two Croatian hospitals: MYSTIC study results.

PubMed

Bedenic, B; Goic-Barisic, I; Budimir, A; Tonkic, M; Mihajkevic, L J; Novak, A; Sviben, M; Plecko, V; Punda-Polic, V; Kalenic, S

2010-06-01

The meropenem yearly Susceptibility Test Information Collection (MYSTIC) programme is a global, longitudinal resistance surveillance network that monitors the activity of meropenem and compares its activity with other broadspectrum antimicrobial agents. We now report the antimicrobial efficacy of meropenem compared to other broad-spectrum agents within the selective Gram-negative pathogen groups from two Croatian Hospitals investigated between 2002-2007. A total of 1510 Gram-negative pathogens were tested and the minimum-inhibitory concentrations (MICs) were determined by broth microdilution method according to CLSI.There was no resistance to either imipenem or meropenem observed for Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Proteus mirabilis in both medical centers. High resistance rates of K. pneumoniae to ceftazidime (18%), cefepime (17%) and gentamicin (39%) are raising concern. Acinetobacter baumannii turned out to be the most resistant Gram-negative bacteria with 81% resistant to ceftazidime, 73% to cefepime, 69% to gentamicin and 71% to ciprofloxacin. Almost 20% of Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains were resistant to imipenem, 13% to meropenem, 69% to gentamicin and 38% to ciprofloxacin.The prevalence of extended-spectrum beta-lactamases (ESBLs) in E. coli was 10% and in K. pneumoniae 49%. PCR and sequencing of the amplicons revealed the presence of SHV-5 in nine E. coli strains and additional tem-1 beta-lactamase five strains. Five K. pneumoniae strains were positive for bla(SHV-5 )gene. Eight ESBL positive Enterobacter spp. strains were found to produce tem and CtX-m beta-lactamases. Plasmid-mediated AmpC beta-lactamases were not found among K. pneumoniae, E. coli and Enterobacter spp. Three A. baumannii strains from Zagreb University Center were identified by multiplex PCR as OXA-58 like producers. Six A. baumannii strains from Split University Center were found to possess an ISAba1 insertion sequence upstream of bla(OXA-51 )gene. According to our results

16. Anisotropy of Magnetic Susceptibility (AMS) and Sedimentary Fabric Studies of Phreatomagmatic Surge Deposits, Hopi Buttes, Navajo Nation, NE Arizona

Newkirk, T. T.

2005-12-01

The Hopi Buttes volcanic field is a group of late Mio-Pliocene volcanic vents characterized by hydrovolcanic features. The volcanism at the Hopi Buttes produced ~300 maar and diatreme volcanic landforms scattered within an area of 50km in diameter. The maars in the area formed from phreatomagmatic explosions involving the interaction of the rapidly ascending monchiquitic/nephelinitic magmas and liquefied lower Bidahochi sediments, and groundwater. Phreatomagmatic eruptions produce a spectrum of pyroclastic density currents (i.e. "pyroclastic flows" or "pyroclastic surges/hydrovolcanic surges"). The direct products of these violent eruptive events are dilute gravity driven gas charged pyroclastic density currents. Which, over distances gain and/or lose competency due to a decreasing energy budget and/or paleotopographic control. Paleotopographic reconstructions of the Hopi Buttes volcanic field reveal a sub-horizontal playa type environment. This affords the opportunity to study individual surge deposits on the micro- to macroscopic scales to determine the emplacement dynamics of individual eruptive events without the complications of paleotopographic interference. Anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility and sedimentary fabric analysis has been used to examine the micro- to macroscopic fabrics of individual surge deposits at proximal, medial, and distal locations from the eruptive vent. These techniques give insight on the flow and depositional processes of the transient hydrovolcanic surges. Data shows a distinct correlation of microscopic AMS fabric changes to macroscopic sedimentary facies changes. At the proximal-medial interface ~150-200m AMS fabrics turn from chaotic/lack of orientation to a lineated fabric long axis perpendicular to flow direction. This fabric is interpreted to be transitional debulking interface from a highly concentrated rapid depositional flow to a more dilute transient flow, thus allowing the internal sorting and individual particles to

17. Discerning Subvolcanic Deformation and Magma Emplacement Geometries: The utility of Combined Paleomagnetic and Anisotropy of Magnetic Susceptibility Studies

Petronis, M. S.; Van Wyk de Vries, B.; Lindline, J.; Rapprich, V.

2012-12-01

Here we report paleomagnetic and anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility (AMS) data from three monogenic volcanic centers. Our data reveal that monogenic magma feeder systems are far more complex in terms of the evolution of the magma plumbing system, subvolcanic deformation, and the intrinsic and extrinsic controls on the final magma source geometry, outer cinder cone morphology, and eruptive dynamics. We hypothesize that these various factors collectively orchestrate the development of monogenic volcanic constructs and their associated subvolcanic magma feeder systems. Paleomagnetic and AMS data from the 1) Lemptégy Volcano, France, 2) Trosky Volcano, Czech Republic, and 3) Cienega Volcano, USA indicate that monogenic volcanoes, although commonly perceived as simple evolve in a complex manner. The question we pose here is what governs the evolution of the volcanic construct and the magma feeder system? As we show, the regional tectonics, and hence the regional stress/strain field, do not have a strong control on the upper emplacement geometries and magma flow path even if feeder dykes do follow the trend. We argue that the dynamics of the magma flow once it nears the eruptive edifice remains poorly understood, thus producing a large gap in our current knowledge on active volcanic evolution. Combining detailed paleomagnetic, AMS, and structural studies as well as basic field mapping provide the needed data to constrain the evolution of these systems. We suggest that shallow magmatic systems beneath monogenetic volcanoes, and likely other shallow magma systems (e.g., laccoliths), and even large edifices, are not strongly controlled by the local and regional stress fields and bear little on the growth of the shallow magma feeder systems (<1km). The simple external structure of monogenetic volcanoes hides a rather complex magmatic plumbing system that dynamically evolves during the life of the volcano. As we show, the well-exposed roots of these volcanoes reveal that

18. A Posteriorly Displaced Distal Metaphyseal Clavicular Fracture (Type IV AC Joint Dislocation-Like) in Children: A Case Report and Literature Review Study.

PubMed

Kotb, Ahmed; Yong, Taylor; Abdelgawad, Amr

2016-01-01

Fractures of the lateral end of the clavicle are common in pediatric patients; most of these fractures occur at the physeal level representing Salter Harris injuries. The vast majority of fractures of the lateral end of the clavicle are managed nonoperatively. In this report, we describe a unique type of fracture of the distal end of the clavicle in the pediatric patients in which the fracture occurs in the metaphyseal lateral clavicle with the proximal edge of the fracture displaced posteriorly through the trapezius muscle causing obvious deformity. It is similar in pathology to type IV AC joint dislocation. In this study we report this injury in eleven-year-old boy. Literature review showed that similar injuries were described before three times (two of them in pediatric patients). Due to the significant clinical deformity of this category with entrapment of the bone through the trapezius muscle, reduction (open or closed) of the fracture is the recommended treatment. PMID:26904336

19. A Posteriorly Displaced Distal Metaphyseal Clavicular Fracture (Type IV AC Joint Dislocation-Like) in Children: A Case Report and Literature Review Study

PubMed Central

Kotb, Ahmed; Yong, Taylor; Abdelgawad, Amr

2016-01-01

Fractures of the lateral end of the clavicle are common in pediatric patients; most of these fractures occur at the physeal level representing Salter Harris injuries. The vast majority of fractures of the lateral end of the clavicle are managed nonoperatively. In this report, we describe a unique type of fracture of the distal end of the clavicle in the pediatric patients in which the fracture occurs in the metaphyseal lateral clavicle with the proximal edge of the fracture displaced posteriorly through the trapezius muscle causing obvious deformity. It is similar in pathology to type IV AC joint dislocation. In this study we report this injury in eleven-year-old boy. Literature review showed that similar injuries were described before three times (two of them in pediatric patients). Due to the significant clinical deformity of this category with entrapment of the bone through the trapezius muscle, reduction (open or closed) of the fracture is the recommended treatment. PMID:26904336

20. Whole-genome sequencing for prediction of Mycobacterium tuberculosis drug susceptibility and resistance: a retrospective cohort study

PubMed Central

Walker, Timothy M; Kohl, Thomas A; Omar, Shaheed V; Hedge, Jessica; Del Ojo Elias, Carlos; Bradley, Phelim; Iqbal, Zamin; Feuerriegel, Silke; Niehaus, Katherine E; Wilson, Daniel J; Clifton, David A; Kapatai, Georgia; Ip, Camilla L C; Bowden, Rory; Drobniewski, Francis A; Allix-Béguec, Caroline; Gaudin, Cyril; Parkhill, Julian; Diel, Roland; Supply, Philip; Crook, Derrick W; Smith, E Grace; Walker, A Sarah; Ismail, Nazir; Niemann, Stefan; Peto, Tim E A

2015-01-01

Summary Background Diagnosing drug-resistance remains an obstacle to the elimination of tuberculosis. Phenotypic drug-susceptibility testing is slow and expensive, and commercial genotypic assays screen only common resistance-determining mutations. We used whole-genome sequencing to characterise common and rare mutations predicting drug resistance, or consistency with susceptibility, for all first-line and second-line drugs for tuberculosis. Methods Between Sept 1, 2010, and Dec 1, 2013, we sequenced a training set of 2099 Mycobacterium tuberculosis genomes. For 23 candidate genes identified from the drug-resistance scientific literature, we algorithmically characterised genetic mutations as not conferring resistance (benign), resistance determinants, or uncharacterised. We then assessed the ability of these characterisations to predict phenotypic drug-susceptibility testing for an independent validation set of 1552 genomes. We sought mutations under similar selection pressure to those characterised as resistance determinants outside candidate genes to account for residual phenotypic resistance. Findings We characterised 120 training-set mutations as resistance determining, and 772 as benign. With these mutations, we could predict 89·2% of the validation-set phenotypes with a mean 92·3% sensitivity (95% CI 90·7–93·7) and 98·4% specificity (98·1–98·7). 10·8% of validation-set phenotypes could not be predicted because uncharacterised mutations were present. With an in-silico comparison, characterised resistance determinants had higher sensitivity than the mutations from three line-probe assays (85·1% vs 81·6%). No additional resistance determinants were identified among mutations under selection pressure in non-candidate genes. Interpretation A broad catalogue of genetic mutations enable data from whole-genome sequencing to be used clinically to predict drug resistance, drug susceptibility, or to identify drug phenotypes that cannot yet be genetically

1. A multicentre study of meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in acute bacterial skin and skin-structure infections in China: susceptibility to ceftaroline and molecular epidemiology.

PubMed

Zhang, Hui; Xiao, Meng; Kong, Fanrong; O'Sullivan, Matthew V N; Mao, Lei-Li; Zhao, Hao-Ran; Zhao, Ying; Wang, He; Xu, Ying-Chun

2015-04-01

Ceftaroline is a novel cephalosporin with activity against Gram-positive organisms, including meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). The objective of this study was to investigate the susceptibility to ceftaroline of hospital-associated MRSA (HA-MRSA) isolates causing acute bacterial skin and skin-structure infections (ABSSSIs) in China and to examine their relationship by genotyping. A total of 251 HA-MRSA isolates causing ABSSSIs were collected from a multicentre study involving 56 hospitals in 38 large cities across 26 provinces in mainland China. All isolates were characterised by multilocus sequence typing (MLST), staphylococcal cassette chromosome mec (SCCmec) typing, spa typing and detection of the Panton-Valentine leukocidin locus (lukS-PV and lukF-PV). Minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of 14 antimicrobial agents, including ceftaroline, were determined by broth microdilution and were interpreted using Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute breakpoints. The ceftaroline MIC50 and MIC90 values (MICs that inhibit 50% and 90% of the isolates, respectively) were 1 μg/mL and 2 μg/mL, respectively; 33.5% (n=84) of the isolates studied were ceftaroline-non-susceptible, with MICs of 2 μg/mL, but no isolate exhibited ceftaroline resistance (MIC>2 μg/mL). All of the ceftaroline-non-susceptible isolates belonged to the predominant HA-MRSA clones: 95.2% (n=80) from MLST clonal complex 8 (CC8), with the remaining 4.8% (n=4) from CC5. The high rate of non-susceptibility to ceftaroline amongst HA-MRSA causing ABSSSIs in China is concerning. PMID:25649348

2. Crystallographic Studies of Prion Protein (PrP) Segments Suggest How Structural Changes Encoded by Polymorphism at Residue 129 Modulate Susceptibility to Human Prion Disease

SciTech Connect

Apostol, Marcin I.; Sawaya, Michael R.; Cascio, Duilio; Eisenberg, David

2010-09-23

A single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in codon 129 of the human prion gene, leading to a change from methionine to valine at residue 129 of prion protein (PrP), has been shown to be a determinant in the susceptibility to prion disease. However, the molecular basis of this effect remains unexplained. In the current study, we determined crystal structures of prion segments having either Met or Val at residue 129. These 6-residue segments of PrP centered on residue 129 are 'steric zippers,' pairs of interacting {beta}-sheets. Both structures of these 'homozygous steric zippers' reveal direct intermolecular interactions between Met or Val in one sheet and the identical residue in the mating sheet. These two structures, plus a structure-based model of the heterozygous Met-Val steric zipper, suggest an explanation for the previously observed effects of this locus on prion disease susceptibility and progression.

3. Which data for quantitative landslide susceptibility mapping at operational scale? Case study of the Pays d'Auge plateau hillslopes (Normandy, France)

Fressard, M.; Thiery, Y.; Maquaire, O.

2014-03-01

This paper aims at assessing the impact of the data set quality for landslide susceptibility mapping using multivariate statistical modelling methods at detailed scale. This research is conducted on the Pays d'Auge plateau (Normandy, France) with a scale objective of 1 / 10 000, in order to fit the French guidelines on risk assessment. Five sets of data of increasing quality (considering accuracy, scale fitting, and geomorphological significance) and cost of acquisition are used to map the landslide susceptibility using logistic regression. The best maps obtained with each set of data are compared on the basis of different statistical accuracy indicators (ROC curves and relative error calculation), linear cross correlation and expert opinion. The results highlight that only high-quality sets of data supplied with detailed geomorphological variables (i.e. field inventory and surficial formation maps) can predict a satisfying proportion of landslides in the study area.

4. Which data for quantitative landslide susceptibility mapping at operational scale? Case study of the Pays d'Auge plateau hillslopes (Normandy, France)

Fressard, M.; Thiery, Y.; Maquaire, O.

2013-04-01

The objective of this paper is to assess the impact of the datasets quality for the landslide susceptibility mapping using multivariate statistical modelling methods at detailed scale. This research is conducted in the Pays d'Auge plateau (Normandy, France) with a scale objective of 1/10000, in order to fit the French guidelines on risk assessment. Five sets of data of increasing quality (considering accuracy, scale fitting, geomophological significance) and cost of acquisition are used to map the landslide susceptibility using logistic regression. The best maps obtained with each set of data are compared on the basis of different statistical accuracy indicators (ROC curves and relative error calculation), linear cross correlation and expert opinion. The results highlights that only high quality sets of data supplied with detailed geomorphological variables (i.e. field inventory and surficial formations maps) can predict a satisfying proportion of landslides on the study area.

5. Tevatron AC dipole system

SciTech Connect

Miyamoto, R.; Kopp, S.E.; Jansson, A.; Syphers, M.J.; /Fermilab

2007-06-01

The AC dipole is an oscillating dipole magnet which can induce large amplitude oscillations without the emittance growth and decoherence. These properties make it a good tool to measure optics of a hadron synchrotron. The vertical AC dipole for the Tevatron is powered by an inexpensive high power audio amplifier since its operating frequency is approximately 20 kHz. The magnet is incorporated into a parallel resonant system to maximize the current. The use of a vertical pinger magnet which has been installed in the Tevatron made the cost relatively inexpensive. Recently, the initial system was upgraded with a more powerful amplifier and oscillation amplitudes up to 2-3{sigma} were achieved with the 980 GeV proton beam. This paper discusses details of the Tevatron AC dipole system and also shows its test results.

6. Tevatron optics measurements using an AC dipole

SciTech Connect

Miyamoto, R.; Kopp, S.E.; Jansson, A.; Syphers, M.J.; /Fermilab

2007-06-01

The AC dipole is a device to study beam optics of hadron synchrotrons. It can produce sustained large amplitude oscillations with virtually no emittance growth. A vertical AC dipole for the Tevatron is recently implemented and a maximum oscillation amplitude of 2{sigma} (4{sigma}) at 980 GeV (150 GeV) is achieved [1]. When such large oscillations are measured with the BPM system of the Tevatron (20 {micro}m resolution), not only linear but even nonlinear optics can be directly measured. This paper shows how to measure {beta} function using an AC dipole and the result is compared to the other measurement. The paper also shows a test to detect optics changes when small changes are made in the Tevatron. Since an AC dipole is nondestructive, it allows frequent measurements of the optics which is necessary for such an test.

7. The AC-120: The advanced commercial transport

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Duran, David; Griffin, Ernest; Mendoza, Saul; Nguyen, Son; Pickett, Tim; Noernberg, Clemm

1993-01-01

The main objective of this design was to fulfill a need for a new airplane to replace the aging 100 to 150 passenger, 1500 nautical mile range aircraft such as the Douglas DC9 and Boeing 737-100 airplanes. After researching the future aircraft market, conducting extensive trade studies, and analysis on different configurations, the AC-120 Advanced Commercial Transport final design was achieved. The AC-120's main design features include the incorporation of a three lifting surface configuration which is powered by two turboprop engines. The AC-120 is an economically sensitive aircraft which meets the new FM Stage Three noise requirements, and has lower NO(x) emissions than current turbofan powered airplanes. The AC-120 also improves on its contemporaries in passenger comfort, manufacturing, and operating cost.

8. A study on the susceptibility of rice cultivars to Striga hermonthica and mapping of Striga tolerance quantitative trait loci in rice.

PubMed

2008-01-01

Striga is a parasitic weed attacking mainly maize, sorghum, millet and cowpea. Studying the interaction between rice and Striga is valuable since rice is a model monocot. In this paper, the susceptibility of different rice cultivars to S. hermonthica was tested and quantitative trait loci (QTL) for Striga tolerance mapped on the Bala x Azucena F(6) population. Seven rice cultivars were grown with and without S. hermonthica for 14 wk. For the mapping experiment, 115 recombinant inbred lines (RILs), along with Azucena and Bala, were grown with and without Striga for 11 wk. Rice cultivars tested had different susceptibilities to Striga, ranging from highly susceptible to completely resistant. Azucena and Bala differed in the speed of Striga emergence and the impact on host growth. A genomic region between positions 139 and 166 cM on chromosome 1 was identified containing strong QTL (LOD = 4.9-15.7) for all traits measured. This indicates that genes for Striga tolerance exist in rice germplasm and the mapped QTL can be further studied to promote understanding of the nature of resistance/tolerance and breeding for Striga-resistant crop plants. PMID:18657212

9. Expression of SCGB1C1 gene as a potential marker of susceptibility to upper respiratory tract infections in elite athletes - a pilot study.

PubMed

Orysiak, J; Malczewska-Lenczowska, J; Bik-Multanowski, M

2016-06-01

High levels of exercise in athletes result in temporary immunosuppression, which could increase the susceptibility to upper respiratory tract infections. Understanding of immunological mechanisms responsible for this phenomenon could enable optimization of training schemes for elite athletes and avoidance of infection-related episodes of absence during sports championships. The aim of this study was to detect genes that may be responsible for modulation of individual susceptibility to infections. The blood and saliva samples were collected from 10 healthy, medically examined kayakers (4 females and 6 males) aged 24.7 ± 2.3 years. All samples were taken in the morning, after overnight fasting, in a seated position. The ELISA method was used to determine the levels of secretory immunoglobulin A (sIgA) and interleukin 5 (IL-5). Whole genome expression in blood was assessed using microarrays. The study did not reveal any significant correlation between genome expression and sIgA concentration. However, low expression of a gene involved in protection against the common cold - secretoglobin 1C1 (SCGB1C1) - was detected in athletes with high IL-5 concentrations (corrected p = 0.00065; fold change = 3.17). Our results suggest that blood expression of the SCGB1C1 gene might be a marker of susceptibility to upper respiratory tract infections in athletes. PMID:27274102

10. Expression of SCGB1C1 gene as a potential marker of susceptibility to upper respiratory tract infections in elite athletes – a pilot study

PubMed Central

Malczewska-Lenczowska, J; Bik-Multanowski, M

2016-01-01

High levels of exercise in athletes result in temporary immunosuppression, which could increase the susceptibility to upper respiratory tract infections. Understanding of immunological mechanisms responsible for this phenomenon could enable optimization of training schemes for elite athletes and avoidance of infection-related episodes of absence during sports championships. The aim of this study was to detect genes that may be responsible for modulation of individual susceptibility to infections. The blood and saliva samples were collected from 10 healthy, medically examined kayakers (4 females and 6 males) aged 24.7 ± 2.3 years. All samples were taken in the morning, after overnight fasting, in a seated position. The ELISA method was used to determine the levels of secretory immunoglobulin A (sIgA) and interleukin 5 (IL-5). Whole genome expression in blood was assessed using microarrays. The study did not reveal any significant correlation between genome expression and sIgA concentration. However, low expression of a gene involved in protection against the common cold – secretoglobin 1C1 (SCGB1C1) – was detected in athletes with high IL-5 concentrations (corrected p = 0.00065; fold change = 3.17). Our results suggest that blood expression of the SCGB1C1 gene might be a marker of susceptibility to upper respiratory tract infections in athletes. PMID:27274102

11. High dose methotrexate treatment in childhood ALL: pilot study on the impact of the MTHFR 677C>T and 1298A>C polymorphisms on MTX-related toxicity.

PubMed

Haase, R; Elsner, K; Merkel, N; Stiefel, M; Mauz-Körholz, C; Kramm, C M; Körholz, D

2012-04-01

Methotrexate (MTX) is commonly administered in high doses for treatment of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). The aim of this analysis was to study the influence of 2 common MTHFR polymorphisms (MTHFR 677C>T and 1298 A>C) on MTX toxicity in children with ALL.Retrospective analysis of 129 MTX courses in 34 pediatric patients with ALL.677C>T variants (CT or TT) were found in 19 (14 heterozygous, 5 homozygous) and 1298A>C variants (AC or CC) in 20 (16 heterozygous, 4 homozygous) patients. The MTHFR 677C>T wild type was associated with an increased frequency of grade III and IV leukopenia (60% vs. 31%, p<0.05) compared to the variants. The rate of severe infections (21% vs. 0%, p<0.05) and grade III-IV anemia (26% vs. 5%, p<0.05) was increased in carriers of the MTHFR 677C>T wild type compared to patients with the TT variant. Grade III-IV anemia was more frequent in patients with the MTHFR 1298A>C CC variant compared to the wild type (56% vs. 21%, p<0.05). The differences were not significant in a patient-based analysis.MTX related toxicity might be influenced by the MTHFR 677C>T or the MTHFR 1298A>C polymorphisms. Differences in MTX toxicity are only partially explainable by these 2 polymorphisms. PMID:22513795

12. ac bidirectional motor controller

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schreiner, K.

1988-01-01

Test data are presented and the design of a high-efficiency motor/generator controller at NASA-Lewis for use with the Space Station power system testbed is described. The bidirectional motor driver is a 20 kHz to variable frequency three-phase ac converter that operates from the high-frequency ac bus being designed for the Space Station. A zero-voltage-switching pulse-density-modulation technique is used in the converter to shape the low-frequency output waveform.

13. Polymorphisms of IFN-γ (+874A/T) and IL-12 (+1188A/C) in tuberculosis patients and their household contacts in Hyderabad, India.

PubMed

2016-07-01

Several cytokine gene variants have shown to be associated with host susceptibility to infectious diseases including tuberculosis (TB). High rates of transmission were identified within household members of TB patients. In this study, we examined whether single nucleotide polymorphisms of IFN-γ +874A/T and IL-12 +1188A/C affect susceptibility to TB. Genomic DNA from patients with active disease, their household contacts HHC and healthy controls HC was genotyped for IFN-γ +874A/T and IL-12 +1188A/C SNPs by amplification refractory mutation system-polymerase chain reaction (ARMS-PCR). IFN-γ +874 AA and AT genotypes were significantly with different frequencies in patients and total HHC as compared to HC (p<0.0001). In patients IL-12 +1188 AC and CC genotypes were associated with TB (p<0.003, p<0.008). In total HHC AC, CC genotypes and both alleles (A&C) were significantly different as compared to HC (p<0.004, p<0.001, p<0.034) and the same result was obtained when HHC were stratified into related (p<0.02, p<0.001) and unrelated (p<0.009, p<0.017) individuals. Allelic frequencies, however, were significant only in related contacts (p<0.021). Generalized multifactor dimensionality reduction method (GMDR) testing revealed high risk combinations of several genotypes in IFN-γ & IL-12 genes. Our findings suggest an important role of genetic variations of IFN-γ and IL-12 for susceptibility to TB. PMID:27108964

14. Crystal structure, NMR study, dielectric relaxation and AC conductivity of a new compound [Cd3(SCN)2Br6(C2H9N2)2]n

Saidi, K.; Kamoun, S.; Ayedi, H. Ferid; Arous, M.

2013-11-01

The crystal structure, the 13C NMR spectroscopy and the complex impedance have been carried out on [Cd3(SCN)2Br6(C2H9N2)2]n. Crystal structure shows a 2D polymeric network built up of two crystallographically independent cadmium atoms with two different octahedral coordinations. This compound exhibits a phase transition at (T=355±2 K) which has been characterized by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), X-rays powder diffraction, AC conductivity and dielectric measurements. Examination of 13C CP/MAS line shapes shows indirect spin-spin coupling (14N and 13C) with a dipolar coupling constant of 1339 Hz. The AC conductivity of this compound has been carried out in the temperature range 325-376 K and the frequency range from 10-2 Hz to 10 MHz. The impedance data were well fitted to two equivalent electrical circuits. The results of the modulus study reveal the presence of two distinct relaxation processes. One, at low frequency side, is thermally activated due to the ionic conduction of the crystal and the other, at higher frequency side, gradually disappears when temperature reaches 355 K which is attributed to the localized dipoles in the crystal. Moreover, the temperature dependence of DC-conductivity in both phases follows the Arrhenius law and the frequency dependence of σ(ω,T) follows Jonscher's universal law. The near values of activation energies obtained from the conductivity data and impedance confirm that the transport is through the ion hopping mechanism.

15. Comparative Study of Seven Cephalosporins: Susceptibility to Beta-Lactamases and Ability to Penetrate the Surface Layers of Escherichia coli

PubMed Central

Richmond, M. H.; Wotton, Sandra

1976-01-01

The properties of cefazolin, cefoxitin, cefamandole, and cefuroxime have been compared with those of cephaloridine, cephalothin, and cephalexin. The properties included for examination are the susceptibility to a range of β-lactamases commonly encountered in gram-negative species and the ability of a β-lactam antibiotic to penetrate the outer layers of Escherichia coli. Of the antibiotics tested, cefamandole was the most active in its antibiotic activity but had the disadvantage that it was sensitive to hydrolysis by type IVc β-lactamase. Cefoxitin and cefuroxime were slightly less active than cefamandole but were effectively resistant to all the β-lactamases used in the test. PMID:791093

16. Application of orthorhombic standardization in magnetic susceptibility studies of localized spin models with S=1, 3/2, 2, 5/2

Pełka, Robert; Rudowicz, Czesław

2016-09-01

The standardization idea is nowadays tacitly accepted in EMR area, however, its usefulness in magnetism studies has not been fully recognized as yet. This idea arises due to intrinsic features of orthorhombic Hamiltonians of any physical nature, including the crystal (ligand) field (CF/LF) Hamiltonians or the zero-field splitting (ZFS) ones. Standardization limits the ratio of the orthorhombic parameter to the axial one to a fixed range between 0 and a specific value that depends on the notation used. For the ZFS parameters expressed in the conventional spin Hamiltonian (SH) notation the ratio λ=E/D can always be limited to the range (0, ±1/3) by appropriate choice of coordinate system. Implications of standardization of orthorhombic spin Hamiltonians for interpretation of experimental magnetic susceptibility data are considered. Using a numerical example, we show the existence of alternative solutions for ZFS parameters potentially obtainable from fitting experimental magnetic data and discuss their importance. For the first time algebraic applications of the standardization to the expressions for magnetic susceptibility tensor derived earlier for localized spin models with S=1, 3/2, 2, 5/2 and with rhombic anisotropy are explored. The numerical and algebraic results allow us to formulate an 'invariance principle'. These considerations facilitate interpretation of experimental magnetic data and provide an additional check of correctness of analytical magnetic susceptibility expressions.

17. Genome-Wide Association Study of Bladder Cancer in a Chinese Cohort Reveals a New Susceptibility Locus at 5q12.3.

PubMed

Wang, Meilin; Li, Zhiqiang; Chu, Haiyan; Lv, Qiang; Ye, Dingwei; Ding, Qiang; Xu, Chuanliang; Guo, Jianming; Du, Mulong; Chen, Jianhua; Song, Zhijian; Yin, Changjun; Qin, Chao; Gu, Chengyuan; Zhu, Yao; Xia, Guowei; Liu, Fang; Zhang, Zhengsheng; Yuan, Lin; Fu, Guangbo; Hu, Zhibin; Tong, Na; Shen, Jiawei; Liu, Ke; Sun, Jielin; Sun, Yinghao; Li, Jue; Li, Xingwang; Shen, Hongbing; Xu, Jianfeng; Shi, Yongyong; Zhang, Zhengdong

2016-06-01

Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) of bladder cancer have identified a number of susceptibility loci in European populations but have yet to uncover the genetic determinants underlying bladder cancer incidence among other ethnicities. Therefore, we performed the first GWAS in a Chinese cohort comprising 3,406 cases of bladder cancer and 4,645 controls. We identified a new susceptibility locus for bladder cancer at 5q12.3, located in the intron of CWC27 (rs2042329), that was significantly associated with disease risk (OR = 1.40; P = 4.61 × 10(-11)). However, rs2042329 was not associated with bladder cancer risk in patients of European descent. The rs2042329 risk allele was also related to significantly increased expression levels of CWC27 mRNA and protein in bladder cancer tissues from Chinese patients. Additional functional analyses suggested that CWC27 played an oncogenic role in bladder cancer by inducing cell proliferation and suppressing apoptosis. In conclusion, the identification of a risk-associated locus at 5q12.3 provides new insights into the inherited susceptibility to bladder cancer in Chinese populations and may help to identify high-risk individuals. Cancer Res; 76(11); 3277-84. ©2016 AACR. PMID:27206850

18. Two-stage genome-wide association study identifies variants in CAMSAP1L1 as susceptibility loci for epilepsy in Chinese.

PubMed

Guo, Youling; Baum, Larry W; Sham, Pak Chung; Wong, Virginia; Ng, Ping Wing; Lui, Colin Hiu Tung; Sin, Ngai Chuen; Tsoi, Tak Hong; Tang, Clara S M; Kwan, Johnny S H; Yip, Benjamin H K; Xiao, Su-Mei; Thomas, G Neil; Lau, Yu Lung; Yang, Wanling; Cherny, Stacey S; Kwan, Patrick

2012-03-01

In the majority of patients, epilepsy is a complex disorder with multiple susceptibility genes interacting with environmental factors. However, we understand little about its genetic risks. Here, we report the first genome-wide association study (GWAS) to identify common susceptibility variants of epilepsy in Chinese. This two-stage GWAS included a total of 1087 patients and 3444 matched controls. In the combined analysis of the two stages, the strongest signals were observed with two highly correlated variants, rs2292096 [G] [P= 1.0 × 10(-8), odds ratio (OR) = 0.63] and rs6660197 [T] (P= 9.9 × 10(-7), OR = 0.69), with the former reaching genome-wide significance, on 1q32.1 in the CAMSAP1L1 gene, which encodes a cytoskeletal protein. We also refined a previously reported association with rs9390754 (P= 1.7 × 10(-5)) on 6q21 in the GRIK2 gene, which encodes a glutamate receptor, and identified several other loci in genes involved in neurotransmission or neuronal networking that warrant further investigation. Our results suggest that common genetic variants may increase the susceptibility to epilepsy in Chinese. PMID:22116939

19. Meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies identifies multiple lung cancer susceptibility loci in never-smoking Asian women.

PubMed

Wang, Zhaoming; Seow, Wei Jie; Shiraishi, Kouya; Hsiung, Chao A; Matsuo, Keitaro; Liu, Jie; Chen, Kexin; Yamji, Taiki; Yang, Yang; Chang, I-Shou; Wu, Chen; Hong, Yun-Chul; Burdett, Laurie; Wyatt, Kathleen; Chung, Charles C; Li, Shengchao A; Yeager, Meredith; Hutchinson, Amy; Hu, Wei; Caporaso, Neil; Landi, Maria T; Chatterjee, Nilanjan; Song, Minsun; Fraumeni, Joseph F; Kohno, Takashi; Yokota, Jun; Kunitoh, Hideo; Ashikawa, Kyota; Momozawa, Yukihide; Daigo, Yataro; Mitsudomi, Tetsuya; Yatabe, Yasushi; Hida, Toyoaki; Hu, Zhibin; Dai, Juncheng; Ma, Hongxia; Jin, Guangfu; Song, Bao; Wang, Zhehai; Cheng, Sensen; Yin, Zhihua; Li, Xuelian; Ren, Yangwu; Guan, Peng; Chang, Jiang; Tan, Wen; Chen, Chien-Jen; Chang, Gee-Chen; Tsai, Ying-Huang; Su, Wu-Chou; Chen, Kuan-Yu; Huang, Ming-Shyan; Chen, Yuh-Min; Zheng, Hong; Li, Haixin; Cui, Ping; Guo, Huan; Xu, Ping; Liu, Li; Iwasaki, Motoki; Shimazu, Taichi; Tsugane, Shoichiro; Zhu, Junjie; Jiang, Gening; Fei, Ke; Park, Jae Yong; Kim, Yeul Hong; Sung, Jae Sook; Park, Kyong Hwa; Kim, Young Tae; Jung, Yoo Jin; Kang, Chang Hyun; Park, In Kyu; Kim, Hee Nam; Jeon, Hyo-Sung; Choi, Jin Eun; Choi, Yi Young; Kim, Jin Hee; Oh, In-Jae; Kim, Young-Chul; Sung, Sook Whan; Kim, Jun Suk; Yoon, Ho-Il; Kweon, Sun-Seog; Shin, Min-Ho; Seow, Adeline; Chen, Ying; Lim, Wei-Yen; Liu, Jianjun; Wong, Maria Pik; Lee, Victor Ho Fun; Bassig, Bryan A; Tucker, Margaret; Berndt, Sonja I; Chow, Wong-Ho; Ji, Bu-Tian; Wang, Junwen; Xu, Jun; Sihoe, Alan Dart Loon; Ho, James C M; Chan, John K C; Wang, Jiu-Cun; Lu, Daru; Zhao, Xueying; Zhao, Zhenhong; Wu, Junjie; Chen, Hongyan; Jin, Li; Wei, Fusheng; Wu, Guoping; An, She-Juan; Zhang, Xu-Chao; Su, Jian; Wu, Yi-Long; Gao, Yu-Tang; Xiang, Yong-Bing; He, Xingzhou; Li, Jihua; Zheng, Wei; Shu, Xiao-Ou; Cai, Qiuyin; Klein, Robert; Pao, William; Lawrence, Charles; Hosgood, H Dean; Hsiao, Chin-Fu; Chien, Li-Hsin; Chen, Ying-Hsiang; Chen, Chung-Hsing; Wang, Wen-Chang; Chen, Chih-Yi; Wang, Chih-Liang; Yu, Chong-Jen; Chen, Hui-Ling; Su, Yu-Chun; Tsai, Fang-Yu; Chen, Yi-Song; Li, Yao-Jen; Yang, Tsung-Ying; Lin, Chien-Chung; Yang, Pan-Chyr; Wu, Tangchun; Lin, Dongxin; Zhou, Baosen; Yu, Jinming; Shen, Hongbing; Kubo, Michiaki; Chanock, Stephen J; Rothman, Nathaniel; Lan, Qing

2016-02-01

Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) of lung cancer in Asian never-smoking women have previously identified six susceptibility loci associated with lung cancer risk. To further discover new susceptibility loci, we imputed data from four GWAS of Asian non-smoking female lung cancer (6877 cases and 6277 controls) using the 1000 Genomes Project (Phase 1 Release 3) data as the reference and genotyped additional samples (5878 cases and 7046 controls) for possible replication. In our meta-analysis, three new loci achieved genome-wide significance, marked by single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) rs7741164 at 6p21.1 (per-allele odds ratio (OR) = 1.17; P = 5.8 × 10(-13)), rs72658409 at 9p21.3 (per-allele OR = 0.77; P = 1.41 × 10(-10)) and rs11610143 at 12q13.13 (per-allele OR = 0.89; P = 4.96 × 10(-9)). These findings identified new genetic susceptibility alleles for lung cancer in never-smoking women in Asia and merit follow-up to understand their biological underpinnings. PMID:26732429

20. A Pharmacogenetics Study in Mozambican Patients Treated with Nevirapine: Full Resequencing of TRAF3IP2 Gene Shows a Novel Association with SJS/TEN Susceptibility

PubMed Central

Ciccacci, Cinzia; Rufini, Sara; Mancinelli, Sandro; Buonomo, Ersilia; Giardina, Emiliano; Scarcella, Paola; Marazzi, Maria C.; Novelli, Giuseppe; Palombi, Leonardo; Borgiani, Paola

2015-01-01

Steven–Johnson Syndrome (SJS) and Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis (TEN) are severe adverse drug reactions, characterized by extensive epidermal detachment and erosions of mucous membrane. SJS/TEN is one of the most serious adverse reactions to Nevirapine (NVP) treatment, commonly used in developing countries as first-line treatment of human immunodeficiency virus infection. In the last years TRAF3IP2 gene variants had been described as associated with susceptibility to several diseases such as psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis. We hypothesized that this gene, involved in immune response and in NF-κB activation, could also be implicated in the SJS/TEN susceptibility. We performed a full resequencing of TRAF3IP2 gene in a population of patients treated with NVP. Twenty-seven patients with NVP-induced SJS/TEN and 78 controls, all from Mozambique, were enrolled. We identified eight exonic and three intronic already described variants. The case/control association analysis highlighted an association between the rs76228616 SNP in exon 2 and the SJS/TEN susceptibility. In particular, the variant allele (C) resulted significantly associated with a higher risk to develop SJS/TEN (p = 0.012 and OR = 3.65 (95% CI 1.33–10.01)). A multivariate analysis by logistic regression confirmed its significant contribution (p = 0.027, OR = 4.39 (95% CI 1.19–16.23)). In conclusion, our study suggests that a variant in TRAF3IP2 gene could be involved in susceptibility to SJS/TEN. PMID:25775161

1. Functional validation of cadherin as a receptor of Bt toxin Cry1Ac in Helicoverpa armigera utilizing the CRISPR/Cas9 system.

PubMed

Wang, Jing; Zhang, Haonan; Wang, Huidong; Zhao, Shan; Zuo, Yayun; Yang, Yihua; Wu, Yidong

2016-09-01

2. Protein-truncating variants in moderate-risk breast cancer susceptibility genes: a meta-analysis of high-risk case-control screening studies.

PubMed

Aloraifi, Fatima; McCartan, Damian; McDevitt, Trudi; Green, Andrew J; Bracken, Adrian; Geraghty, James

2015-09-01

Several "moderate-risk breast cancer susceptibility genes" have been conclusively identified. Pathogenic mutations in these genes are thought to cause a two to fivefold increased risk of breast cancer. In light of the current development and use of multigene panel testing, the authors wanted to systematically obtain robust estimates of the cancer risk associated with loss-of-function mutations within these genes. An electronic search was conducted to identify studies that sequenced the full coding regions of ATM, CHEK2, BRIP1, PALB2, NBS1, and RAD50 in a general and gene-targeted approach. Inclusion was restricted to studies that sequenced the germline DNA in both high-risk cases and geographically matched controls. A meta-analysis was then performed on protein-truncating variants (PTVs) identified in the studies for an association with breast cancer risk. A total of 10,209 publications were identified, of which 64 studies comprising a total of 25,418 cases and 52,322 controls in the 6 interrogated genes were eligible under our selection criteria. The pooled odds ratios for PTVs in the susceptibility genes were at least >2.6. Additionally, mutations in these genes have shown geographic and ethnic variation. This comprehensive study emphasizes the fact that caution should be taken when identifying certain genes as moderate susceptibility with the lack of sufficient data, especially with regard to the NBS1, RAD50, and BRIP1 genes. Further data from case-control sequencing studies, and especially family studies, are warranted. PMID:26250988

3. Preliminary study of relationships between hypnotic susceptibility and personality disorder functioning styles in healthy volunteers and personality disorder patients

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background Hypnotic susceptibility is one of the stable characteristics of individuals, but not closely related to the personality traits such as those measured by the five-factor model in the general population. Whether it is related to the personality disorder functioning styles remains unanswered. Methods In 77 patients with personality disorders and 154 healthy volunteers, we administered the Stanford Hypnotic Susceptibility Scale: Form C (SHSSC) and the Parker Personality Measure (PERM) tests. Results Patients with personality disorders showed higher passing rates on SHSSC
{"extraction_info": {"found_math": true, "script_math_tex": 0, "script_math_asciimath": 0, "math_annotations": 0, "math_alttext": 0, "mathml": 0, "mathjax_tag": 0, "mathjax_inline_tex": 0, "mathjax_display_tex": 0, "mathjax_asciimath": 1, "img_math": 0, "codecogs_latex": 0, "wp_latex": 0, "mimetex.cgi": 0, "/images/math/codecogs": 0, "mathtex.cgi": 0, "katex": 0, "math-container": 0, "wp-katex-eq": 0, "align": 0, "equation": 0, "x-ck12": 0, "texerror": 0, "math_score": 0.6812384128570557, "perplexity": 14275.391935685017}, "config": {"markdown_headings": true, "markdown_code": true, "boilerplate_config": {"ratio_threshold": 0.18, "absolute_threshold": 10, "end_threshold": 15, "enable": true}, "remove_buttons": true, "remove_image_figures": true, "remove_link_clusters": true, "table_config": {"min_rows": 2, "min_cols": 3, "format": "plain"}, "remove_chinese": true, "remove_edit_buttons": true, "extract_latex": true}, "warc_path": "s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-04/segments/1484560280801.0/warc/CC-MAIN-20170116095120-00091-ip-10-171-10-70.ec2.internal.warc.gz"}