Development of on-line FTIR spectroscopy for siloxane detection in biogas to enhance carbon contactor management

Activated carbon filters are used to limit engine damage by siloxanes when biogas is utilised to provide electricity. However, carbon filter siloxane removal performance is poorly understood as until recently, it had not been possible to measure siloxanes on-line. In this study, on-line Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy was developed to measure siloxane concentration in real biogas both upstream (86.1–157.5 mg m−3) and downstream (2.2–4.3 mg m−3) of activated carbon filters. The FTIR provided reasonable precision upstream of the carbon vessel with a root mean square error of 10% using partial least squares analysis. However, positive interference from volatile organic carbons was observed in downstream gas measurements limiting precision at the outlet to an RMSE of 1.5 mg m−3 (47.8%). Importantly, a limit of detection of 3.2 mg m−3 was identified which is below the recommended siloxane limit and evidences the applicability of on-line FTIR for this application

Expression of KOC, S100P, mesothelin and MUC1 in pancreatico-biliary adenocarcinomas: development and utility of a potential diagnostic immunohistochemistry panel

<b>Background</b> Pancreatico-biliary adenocarcinomas (PBA) have a poor prognosis. Diagnosis is usually achieved by imaging and/or endoscopy with confirmatory cytology. Cytological interpretation can be difficult especially in the setting of chronic pancreatitis/cholangitis. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) biomarkers could act as an adjunct to cytology to improve the diagnosis. Thus, we performed a meta-analysis and selected KOC, S100P, mesothelin and MUC1 for further validation in PBA resection specimens.<p></p> <b>Methods</b> Tissue microarrays containing tumour and normal cores in a ratio of 3:2, from 99 surgically resected PBA patients, were used for IHC. IHC was performed on an automated platform using antibodies against KOC, S100P, mesothelin and MUC1. Tissue cores were scored for staining intensity and proportion of tissue stained using a Histoscore method (range, 0–300). Sensitivity and specificity for individual biomarkers, as well as biomarker panels, were determined with different cut-offs for positivity and compared by summary receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve.<p></p> <b>Results</b> The expression of all four biomarkers was high in PBA versus normal ducts, with a mean Histoscore of 150 vs. 0.4 for KOC, 165 vs. 0.3 for S100P, 115 vs. 0.5 for mesothelin and 200 vs. 14 for MUC1 (p < .0001 for all comparisons). Five cut-offs were carefully chosen for sensitivity/specificity analysis. Four of these cut-offs, namely 5%, 10% or 20% positive cells and Histoscore 20 were identified using ROC curve analysis and the fifth cut-off was moderate-strong staining intensity. Using 20% positive cells as a cut-off achieved higher sensitivity/specificity values: KOC 84%/100%; S100P 83%/100%; mesothelin 88%/92%; and MUC1 89%/63%. Analysis of a panel of KOC, S100P and mesothelin achieved 100% sensitivity and 99% specificity if at least 2 biomarkers were positive for 10% cut-off; and 100% sensitivity and specificity for 20% cut-off.<p></p> <b>Conclusion</b> A biomarker panel of KOC, S100P and mesothelin with at least 2 biomarkers positive was found to be an optimum panel with both 10% and 20% cut-offs in resection specimens from patients with PBA.<p></p&gt

Martini: using literature keywords to compare gene sets

Life scientists are often interested to compare two gene sets to gain insight into differences between two distinct, but related, phenotypes or conditions. Several tools have been developed for comparing gene sets, most of which find Gene Ontology (GO) terms that are significantly over-represented in one gene set. However, such tools often return GO terms that are too generic or too few to be informative. Here, we present Martini, an easy-to-use tool for comparing gene sets. Martini is based, not on GO, but on keywords extracted from Medline abstracts; Martini also supports a much wider range of species than comparable tools. To evaluate Martini we created a benchmark based on the human cell cycle, and we tested several comparable tools (CoPub, FatiGO, Marmite and ProfCom). Martini had the best benchmark performance, delivering a more detailed and accurate description of function. Martini also gave best or equal performance with three other datasets (related to Arabidopsis, melanoma and ovarian cancer), suggesting that Martini represents an advance in the automated comparison of gene sets. In agreement with previous studies, our results further suggest that literature-derived keywords are a richer source of gene-function information than GO annotations. Martini is freely available at http://martini.embl.de

Thermal and cardiovascular strain imposed by motorcycle protective clothing under Australian summer conditions

Motorcycle protective clothing can be uncomfortably hot during summer, and this experiment was designed to evaluate the physiological significance of that burden. Twelve males participated in four, 90-min trials (cycling 30 W) across three environments (25, 30, 35 °C [all 40% relative humidity]). Clothing was modified between full and minimal injury protection. Both ensembles were tested at 25 °C, with only the more protective ensemble investigated at 30 and 35 °C. At 35 °C, auditory canal temperature rose at 0.02 °C min(-1) (SD 0.005), deviating from all other trials (p \u3c 0.05). The thresholds for moderate (\u3e38.5 °C) and profound hyperthermia (\u3e40.0 °C) were predicted to occur within 105 min (SD 20.6) and 180 min (SD 33.0), respectively. Profound hyperthermia might eventuate in ~10 h at 30 °C, but should not occur at 25 °C. These outcomes demonstrate a need to enhance the heat dissipation capabilities of motorcycle clothing designed for summer use in hot climates, but without compromising impact protection. Practitioner\u27s Summary: Motorcycle protective clothing can be uncomfortably hot during summer. This experiment was designed to evaluate the physiological significance of this burden across climatic states. In the heat, moderate (\u3e38.5 °C) and profound hyperthermia (\u3e40.0 °C) were predicted to occur within 105 and 180 min, respectively

Thermal and cardiovascular strain imposed by motorcycle protective clothing under Australian summer conditions

Motorcycle protective clothing can be uncomfortably hot during summer, and this experiment was designed to evaluate the physiological significance of that burden. Twelve males participated in four, 90-min trials (cycling 30 W) across three environments (25, 30, 35 °C [all 40% relative humidity]). Clothing was modified between full and minimal injury protection. Both ensembles were tested at 25 °C, with only the more protective ensemble investigated at 30 and 35 °C. At 35 °C, auditory canal temperature rose at 0.02 °C min(-1) (SD 0.005), deviating from all other trials (p \u3c 0.05). The thresholds for moderate (\u3e38.5 °C) and profound hyperthermia (\u3e40.0 °C) were predicted to occur within 105 min (SD 20.6) and 180 min (SD 33.0), respectively. Profound hyperthermia might eventuate in ~10 h at 30 °C, but should not occur at 25 °C. These outcomes demonstrate a need to enhance the heat dissipation capabilities of motorcycle clothing designed for summer use in hot climates, but without compromising impact protection. Practitioner\u27s Summary: Motorcycle protective clothing can be uncomfortably hot during summer. This experiment was designed to evaluate the physiological significance of this burden across climatic states. In the heat, moderate (\u3e38.5 °C) and profound hyperthermia (\u3e40.0 °C) were predicted to occur within 105 and 180 min, respectively

The Solar Neighborhood XV: Discovery of New High Proper Motion Stars with mu >= 0.4"/yr between Declinations -47 degrees and 00 degrees

We report the discovery of 152 new high proper motion systems (mu >= 0.4"/yr) in the southern sky (Declination = -47 degrees to 00 degrees) brighter than UKST plate R_{59F} =16.5 via our SuperCOSMOS-RECONS (SCR) search. This paper complements Paper XII in The Solar Neighborhood series, which covered the region from Declination = -90 degrees to -47 degrees and discussed all 147 new systems from the southernmost phase of the search. Among the total of 299 systems from both papers, there are 148 (71 in Paper XII, 77 in this paper) new systems moving faster than 0.5"/yr that are additions to the classic ``LHS'' (Luyten Half Second) sample. These constitute an 8% increase in the sample of all stellar systems with mu >= 0.5"/yr in the southern sky. As in Paper XII, distance estimates are provided for the systems reported here based upon a combination of photographic plate magnitudes and 2MASS photometry, assuming all stars are on the main sequence. Two SCR systems from the portion of the sky included in this paper are anticipated to be within 10 pc, and an additional 23 are within 25 pc. In total, the results presented in Paper XII and here for this SCR sweep of the entire southern sky include five new systems within 10 pc and 38 more between 10 and 25 pc. The largest number of nearby systems have been found in the slowest proper motion bin, 0.6"/yr > mu >= 0.4"/yr, indicating that there may be a large population of low proper motion systems very near the Sun.Comment: 36 pages, 5 figures, accepted for publication in Astronomical Journa

Motorcycle protective clothing: physiological and perceptual barriers to its summer use

Despite strong evidence of protective benefits, thermal discomfort is a key disincentive to motorcyclists wearing protective clothing in hot conditions. This paper presents some findings from our studies concerning the thermal management properties of motorcycle protective clothing and their physiological impact in hot conditions. The thermal and vapour permeability and abrasion resistance properties of motorcycle protective clothing were investigated in laboratory tests. The physiological and cognitive impact on humans was investigated using objective and subjective measures under controlled climate conditions and in a real-world riding trial. The aims were to determine: (i) if associations existed between thermal management and the abrasion-resistance properties of a range of commonly available, all-season motorcycle protective suits, (ii) the extent of the thermal load imposed by motorcycle clothing worn in average Australian summer conditions, and (iii) the impact of that thermal burden on psychophysical function. The results demonstrated significant physiological strain for motorcyclists wearing protective clothing in hot conditions. Wide variations in the thermal characteristics and abrasion resistance properties of the suits tested were identified. Ongoing work is investigating the impact that elevated thermal discomfort and physiological thermal strain can have on riding performance and the potential for clothing features, such as ventilation ports to reduce thermal discomfort. These results will determine thresholds for the thermal qualities of motorcycle clothing required for an acceptable compromise between user comfort and injury protection. The outcome will inform industry and consumer information programs about the performance required of motorcycle protective clothing suitable for use in hot conditions

Analysis of the asymmetrically expressed Ablim1 locus reveals existence of a lateral plate Nodal-independent left sided signal and an early, left-right independent role for nodal flow

BACKGROUND: Vertebrates show clear asymmetry in left-right (L-R) patterning of their organs and associated vasculature. During mammalian development a cilia driven leftwards flow of liquid leads to the left-sided expression of Nodal, which in turn activates asymmetric expression of the transcription factor Pitx2. While Pitx2 asymmetry drives many aspects of asymmetric morphogenesis, it is clear from published data that additional asymmetrically expressed loci must exist. RESULTS: A L-R expression screen identified the cytoskeletally-associated gene, actin binding lim protein 1 (Ablim1), as asymmetrically expressed in both the node and left lateral plate mesoderm (LPM). LPM expression closely mirrors that of Nodal. Significantly, Ablim1 LPM asymmetry was detected in the absence of detectable Nodal. In the node, Ablim1 was initially expressed symmetrically across the entire structure, resolving to give a peri-nodal ring at the headfold stage in a flow and Pkd2-dependent manner. The peri-nodal ring of Ablim1 expression became asymmetric by the mid-headfold stage, showing stronger right than left-sided expression. Node asymmetry became more apparent as development proceeded; expression retreated in an anticlockwise direction, disappearing first from the left anterior node. Indeed, at early somite stages Ablim1 shows a unique asymmetric expression pattern, in the left lateral plate and to the right side of the node. CONCLUSION: Left LPM Ablim1 is expressed in the absence of detectable LPM Nodal, clearly revealing existence of a Pitx2 and Nodal-independent left-sided signal in mammals. At the node, a previously unrecognised action of early nodal flow and Pkd2 activity, within the pit of the node, influences gene expression in a symmetric manner. Subsequent Ablim1 expression in the peri-nodal ring reveals a very early indication of L-R asymmetry. Ablim1 expression analysis at the node acts as an indicator of nodal flow. Together these results make Ablim1 a candidate for controlling aspects of L-R identity and patterning

Proteome analysis of the HIV-1 Gag interactome

AbstractHuman immunodeficiency virus Gag drives assembly of virions in infected cells and interacts with host factors which facilitate or restrict viral replication. Although several Gag-binding proteins have been characterized, understanding of virus–host interactions remains incomplete. In a series of six affinity purification screens, we have identified protein candidates for interaction with HIV-1 Gag. Proteins previously found in virions or identified in siRNA screens for host factors influencing HIV-1 replication were recovered. Helicases, translation factors, cytoskeletal and motor proteins, factors involved in RNA degradation and RNA interference were enriched in the interaction data. Cellular networks of cytoskeleton, SR proteins and tRNA synthetases were identified. Most prominently, components of cytoplasmic RNA transport granules were co-purified with Gag. This study provides a survey of known Gag–host interactions and identifies novel Gag binding candidates. These factors are associated with distinct molecular functions and cellular pathways relevant in host–pathogen interactions