166 research outputs found
Draft Genome Sequence of the Principal Etiological Agent of Farmer?s Lung Disease, Saccharopolyspora rectivirgula
Saccharopolyspora rectivirgula is the main cause of farmer's lung disease. The development of recombinant antigens to standardize the serodiagnosis of the disease requires knowledge of the S.ย rectivirgula genome. We sequenced the genome of an environmental strain, S.ย rectivirgula DSM 43113. A total of 3,221 proteins were found to be encoded in a short 3.9-Mb genome
Total Synthesis of Amphidinolideโ F
Orchestrated yet nonconsonant: The challenge posed by the โumpoledโ 1,4-dioxygenation pattern characteristic for the polyketide frame of amphidinolideโ
F was mastered by a late-stage ring-closing alkyne metathesis followed by a directed transannular hydration under the aegis of a carbophilic ฯ-acid catalyst. This concordant strategy enabled a concise total synthesis of this enticing marine natural product
Accuracy of distributed timestamps
Projet ARCHIVarious timestamping mechanisms has been provided in order to characterize the partial order between events occuring in a distributed computation. Using the order induced by such timestamping mechanisms, one can reasonn about causal or concurrent relation-ships between events. However comparisons between timestamps can induce false assumptions on these relationships. The order induced by the timestamps is not always the existing partial one in a distributed execution. It is in these terms that we study the accuracy of three timestamping mechanisms, showing the type of compromise (space-accuracy tradeoffs) one has to make when using them
Characterization of ply mixing rules for non-symmetric forms of fully orthotropic laminates
Stacking sequence listings are presented for fully orthotropic angle-ply
laminates, with up to 21 plies, together with rules for mixing these
sequences to form laminates containing any number of plies. The mixing
rules are demonstrated through an abridged set of sequences, which are
characterized in terms of angle- and cross-ply sub-sequence symmetries. The
abridged set of sequences is derived from a new definitive list that
supersedes previously published listings. Stacking sequences are presented
together with dimensionless parameters from which the bending stiffness
terms are readily calculated and an assessment of the bending stiffness
efficiency made for angle- and cross-ply sub-sequences. Expressions
relating the dimensionless parameters to the well-known lamination
parameters are also given, together with graphical representations of
feasible domains for all sub-sequence symmetries contained in the definitive
list. Feasible domains for extensionally isotropic and fully isotropic
laminates are also presented as important sub-sets of fully orthotropic
laminates. Finally, examples are given for tapered laminates with fully
orthotropic properties, derived from compatible sequences in the definite
list
(HT)-Raman microscopy to study (U,Pu)O2 fuel microstructure illustration on (U,La)O2 and CeO2; first results on (U,Pu)O2
International audienc
Combined Bacteriophage and Antibiotic Treatment Prevents Pseudomonas aeruginosa Infection of Wild Type and cftr- Epithelial Cells.
With the increase of infections due to multidrug resistant bacterial pathogens and the shortage of antimicrobial molecules with novel targets, interest in bacteriophages as a therapeutic option has regained much attraction. Before the launch of future clinical trials, in vitro studies are required to better evaluate the efficacies and potential pitfalls of such therapies. Here we studied in an ex vivo human airway epithelial cell line model the efficacy of phage and ciprofloxacin alone and in combination to treat infection by Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The Calu-3 cell line and the isogenic CFTR knock down cell line (cftr-) infected apically with P. aeruginosa strain PAO1 showed a progressive reduction in transepithelial resistance during 24 h. Administration at 6 h p.i. of single phage, phage cocktails or ciprofloxacin alone prevented epithelial layer destruction at 24 h p.i. Bacterial regrowth, due to phage resistant mutants harboring mutations in LPS synthesis genes, occurred thereafter both in vitro and ex vivo. However, co-administration of two phages combined with ciprofloxacin efficiently prevented PAO1 regrowth and maintained epithelial cell integrity at 72 p.i. The phage/ciprofloxacin treatment did not induce an inflammatory response in the tested cell lines as determined by nanoString <sup>ยฎ</sup> gene expression analysis. We conclude that combination of phage and ciprofloxacin efficiently protects wild type and cftr- epithelial cells from infection by P. aeruginosa and emergence of phage resistant mutants without inducing an inflammatory response. Hence, phage-antibiotic combination should be a safe and promising anti-Pseudomonas therapy for future clinical trials potentially including cystic fibrosis patients
Identification of Antigenic Proteins from Lichtheimia corymbifera for Farmer's Lung Disease Diagnosis.
The use of recombinant antigens has been shown to improve both the sensitivity and the standardization of the serological diagnosis of Farmer's lung disease (FLD). The aim of this study was to complete the panel of recombinant antigens available for FLD serodiagnosis with antigens of Lichtheimia corymbifera, known to be involved in FLD. L. corymbifera proteins were thus separated by 2D electrophoresis and subjected to western blotting with sera from 7 patients with FLD and 9 healthy exposed controls (HEC). FLD-associated immunoreactive proteins were identified by mass spectrometry based on a protein database specifically created for this study and subsequently produced as recombinant antigens. The ability of recombinant antigens to discriminate patients with FLD from controls was assessed by ELISA performed with sera from FLD patients (n = 41) and controls (n = 43) recruited from five university hospital pneumology departments of France and Switzerland. Forty-one FLD-associated immunoreactive proteins from L. corymbifera were identified. Six of them were produced as recombinant antigens. With a sensitivity and specificity of 81.4 and 77.3% respectively, dihydrolipoyl dehydrogenase was the most effective antigen for discriminating FLD patients from HEC. ELISA performed with the putative proteasome subunit alpha type as an antigen was especially specific (88.6%) and could thus be used for FLD confirmation. The production of recombinant antigens from L. corymbifera represents an additional step towards the development of a standardized ELISA kit for FLD diagnosis
Stacking sequences for extensionally isotropic, fully isotropic and quasi-homogeneous orthotropic laminates
Stacking sequence listings are presented for fully uncoupled Extensionally
Isotropic (EILs), Fully Isotropic (FILs) and Quasi-Homogeneous Orthotropic
(QHOLs) angle-ply Laminates, with up to 21 plies. All are sub-sets of a
definitive list of Fully Orthotropic Laminates (FOLs), containing generally
non-symmetric stacking sequences that are characterized in terms of angle-
and cross-ply sub-sequence symmetries. Dimensionless parameters are given
for each stacking sequence, from which the ABD matrix is readily derived.
Expressions relating these dimensionless parameters to the well-known
lamination parameters are also given, together with graphical
representations of the feasible domains for Pi/3 and Pi/4 EILs and angle-ply
QHOLs containing two and three ply orientations. The feasible domain for
Pi/3 FILs is represented graphically by a single point, whereas the domain
for angle-ply QHOLs containing four ply orientations is represented by a
single stacking sequence
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