1,238 research outputs found
Dermacoccus sp. isolated from a brain abscess in a 4-year-old child
Dermacoccus spp. have rarely been reported as human pathogens. We describe a case of a 4-year-old boywith congenital heart disease who was diagnosed with a brain abscess. The abscess was drained and thesample grew Streptococcus intermedius, Aggregatibacter aphrophilus and Dermacoccus sp..Dermacoccus grew after 5 days of incubation and the patient was treated with meropenem.</p
System for Performing Single Query Searches of Heterogeneous and Dispersed Databases
The present invention is a distributed computer system of heterogeneous databases joined in an information grid and configured with an Application Programming Interface hardware which includes a search engine component for performing user-structured queries on multiple heterogeneous databases in real time. This invention reduces overhead associated with the impedance mismatch that commonly occurs in heterogeneous database queries
Leveraging Nanocavity Harmonics for Control of Optical Processes in 2D Semiconductors
Optical cavities with multiple tunable resonances have the potential to provide unique electromagnetic environments at two or more distinct wavelengthsâcritical for control of optical processes such as nonlinear generation, entangled photon generation, or photoluminescence (PL) enhancement. Here, we show a plasmonic nanocavity based on a nanopatch antenna design that has two tunable resonant modes in the visible spectrum separated by 350 nm and with line widths of âŒ60 nm. The importance of utilizing two resonances simultaneously is demonstrated by integrating monolayer MoS[subscript 2], a two-dimensional semiconductor, into the colloidally synthesized nanocavities. We observe a 2000-fold enhancement in the PL intensity of MoS[subscript 2]âwhich has intrinsically low absorption and small quantum yieldâat room temperature, enabled by the combination of tailored absorption enhancement at the first harmonic and PL quantum-yield enhancement at the fundamental resonance.United States. Dept. of Energy. Center for Excitonics (Award DE-SC0001088)United States. Dept. of Energy. Office of Basic Energy Sciences (Grant DE-SC0001088
Laminin-6 and Laminin-5 Are Recognized by Autoantibodies in a Subset of Cicatricial Pemphigoid
We characterized basement membrane zone (BMZ) autoantigens targeted by autoantibodies (AAb) from patients with cicatricial pemphigoid. Serum from a patient with severe oral cicatricial pemphigoid contained IgG anti-BMZ AAb. The AAb labeled a lower BMZ component on salt-split skin and localized to the lower lamina lucida/lamina densa by direct and indirect immunoelectron microscopy (HEM) but did not label blood vessels. The AAb did not react with EHS laminin-1 and type IV collagen, pepsinized human type IV collagen, recombinant entactin, or NC1 domain of type VII collagen by dot blotting and western blotting. We focused our studies on the laminin family, as laminin-5 was identified as an autoantigen in cicatricial pemphigoid. Culture-conditioned media from normal keratinocytes (containing laminin-6 and laminin-5) and JEB keratinocytes (containing laminin-6 but not laminin-5) were studied by western blotting. Under nonreducing conditions, the patient's AAb recognized a 600-kDa protein (laminin-6) intensely and a 400-kDa protein (laminin-5) weakly in normal keratinocyte medium even though abundant laminin-5 was present. In JEB keratinocyte medium, however, the 600-kDa protein (laminin-6) alone was recognized by the patient's AAb. The AAb also immunolabeled BMZ of JEB skin that lacked laminin-5. The AAb from this patient and two other patients with anti-laminin-5 cicatricial pemphigoid immunoprecipitated both laminin-6 an4 laminin-5. Taken together, the results of IEM, non-reducing western blotting, immunoprecipitation, and JEB skin BMZ immunolabeling indicate that laminin-6, as well as laminin-5, is identified by the AAb from a subset of cicatricial pemphigoid patients. We propose the name âanti-laminin cicatricial pemphigoidâ for this subset
Replacement of freshwater small-size fish by formulated feed in snakehead (Channa striata) aquaculture: Experimental and commercial-scale pond trials, with economic analysis
Traditional snakehead culture in Southeast Asia relies on use of small-size (trash) fish as food, an unsustainable practice. Following development of weaning methods and testing of formulated feed (FF) in laboratory experiments, we conducted feeding trials of FF vs. trash fish (TF) in experimental ponds at Can Tho University (CTU), followed by similar trials on commercial farms in two provinces in Vietnam. CTU pond trials consisted of five treatments (in triplicate), in which TF was replaced by FF in increasing percentages: 0 (control), 25, 50, 75, and 100% replacement of TF by FF (i.e., three treatments had mixed TF/FF diets). Although survival was significantly reduced in the 100% replacement treatment, and growth was significantly reduced in the 75% and 100% replacement treatments, the cost per kg of fish produced was 28â35% less in those high-replacement treatments compared to the 0% replacement treatment. On-farm trials were then conducted at two farms in An Giang and Dong Thap provinces for 6 months with snakehead fed TF only or FF only. At both farms, survival (73â80%) was not significantly different, but growth was significantly better on FF diet at both; however, FF-fed fish at the An Giang farm showed significantly higher levels of abnormal development. Overall production was about twice as high at the An Giang farm as at Dong Thap, but significantly greater production by FF-fed fish vs. TF-fed fish was only seen at Dong Thap. Sensory evaluation by a tasting panel found no difference in product quality between FF-fed fish, TF-fed fish, and a commercial sample bought in the market. Economic analysis indicated that profits were higher for FF-fed fish from both farms, although production costs and sales varied greatly, reflecting market differences in the two provinces
The origin of dust polarization in the Orion Bar
The linear polarization of thermal dust emission provides a powerful tool to
probe interstellar and circumstellar magnetic fields, because aspherical grains
tend to align themselves with magnetic field lines. While the Radiative
Alignment Torque (RAT) mechanism provides a theoretical framework to this
phenomenon, some aspects of this alignment mechanism still need to be
quantitatively tested. One such aspect is the possibility that the reference
alignment direction changes from the magnetic field ("B-RAT") to the radiation
field k-vector ("k-RAT") in areas of strong radiation fields. We investigate
this transition toward the Orion Bar PDR, using multi-wavelength SOFIA HAWC+
dust polarization observations. The polarization angle maps show that the
radiation field direction is on average not the preferred grain alignment axis.
We constrain the grain sizes for which the transition from B-RAT to k-RAT occur
in the Orion Bar (grains > 0.1 {\mu}m toward the most irradiated locations),
and explore the radiatively driven rotational disruption that may take place in
the high-radiation environment of the Bar for large grains. While the grains
susceptible to rotational disruption should be in supra-thermal rotation and
aligned with the magnetic field, k-RAT aligned grains would rotate at thermal
velocities. We find that the grain size at which the alignment shifts from
B-RAT to k-RAT corresponds to grains too large to survive the rotational
disruption. Therefore, we expect a large fraction of grains to be aligned at
supra-thermal rotation with the magnetic field, and potentially be subject to
rotational disruption depending on their tensile strength
Redox Couples of Inducible Nitric Oxide Synthase
We report direct electrochemistry of the iNOS heme domain in a DDAB film on the surface of a basal plane graphite electrode. Cyclic voltammetry reveals Fe^(III/II) and Fe^(II/I) couples at â191 and â1049 mV (vs Ag/AgCl). Imidazole and carbon monoxide in solution shift the Fe^(III/II) potential by +20 and +62 mV, while the addition of dioxygen results in large catalytic waves at the onset of Fe^(III) reduction. Voltammetry at higher scan rates (with pH variations) reveals that the Fe^(III/II) cathodic peak can be resolved into two components, which are attributable to Fe^(III/II) couples of five- and six-coordinate hemes. Digital simulation of our experimental data implicates water dissociation from the heme as a gating mechanism for ET in iNOS
Stringent Limits on the Polarized Submillimeter Emission from Protoplanetary Disks
We present arcsecond-resolution Submillimeter Array (SMA) polarimetric
observations of the 880 um continuum emission from the protoplanetary disks
around two nearby stars, HD 163296 and TW Hydrae. Although previous
observations and theoretical work have suggested that a 2-3% polarization
fraction should be common for the millimeter continuum emission from such
disks, we detect no polarized continuum emission above a 3-sigma upper limit of
7 mJy in each arcsecond-scale beam, or <1% in integrated continuum emission. We
compare the SMA upper limits with the predictions from the exploratory Cho &
Lazarian (2007) model of polarized emission from T Tauri disks threaded by
toroidal magnetic fields, and rule out their fiducial model at the ~10-sigma
level. We explore some potential causes for this discrepancy, focusing on model
parameters that describe the shape, magnetic field alignment, and size
distribution of grains in the disk. We also investigate related effects like
the magnetic field strength and geometry, scattering off of large grains, and
the efficiency of grain alignment, including recent advances in grain alignment
theory, which are not considered in the fiducial model. We discuss the impact
each parameter would have on the data and determine that the suppression of
polarized emission plausibly arises from rounding of large grains, reduced
efficiency of grain alignment with the magnetic field, and/or some degree of
magnetic field tangling (perhaps due to turbulence). A poloidal magnetic field
geometry could also reduce the polarization signal, particularly for a face-on
viewing geometry like the TW Hya disk. The data provided here offer the most
stringent limits to date on the polarized millimeter-wavelength emission from
disks around young stars.Comment: 15 pages, 6 figures, accepted for publication in Ap
High-precision measurements from LHC to FCC-ee
This document provides a writeup of all contributions to the workshop on
"High precision measurements of : From LHC to FCC-ee" held at CERN,
Oct. 12--13, 2015. The workshop explored in depth the latest developments on
the determination of the QCD coupling from 15 methods where high
precision measurements are (or will be) available. Those include low-energy
observables: (i) lattice QCD, (ii) pion decay factor, (iii) quarkonia and (iv)
decays, (v) soft parton-to-hadron fragmentation functions, as well as
high-energy observables: (vi) global fits of parton distribution functions,
(vii) hard parton-to-hadron fragmentation functions, (viii) jets in p
DIS and -p photoproduction, (ix) photon structure function in
-, (x) event shapes and (xi) jet cross sections in
collisions, (xii) W boson and (xiii) Z boson decays, and (xiv) jets and (xv)
top-quark cross sections in proton-(anti)proton collisions. The current status
of the theoretical and experimental uncertainties associated to each extraction
method, the improvements expected from LHC data in the coming years, and future
perspectives achievable in collisions at the Future Circular Collider
(FCC-ee) with (1--100 ab) integrated luminosities yielding
10 Z bosons and jets, and 10 W bosons and leptons, are
thoroughly reviewed. The current uncertainty of the (preliminary) 2015 strong
coupling world-average value, = 0.1177 0.0013, is about
1\%. Some participants believed this may be reduced by a factor of three in the
near future by including novel high-precision observables, although this
opinion was not universally shared. At the FCC-ee facility, a factor of ten
reduction in the uncertainty should be possible, mostly thanks to
the huge Z and W data samples available.Comment: 135 pages, 56 figures. CERN-PH-TH-2015-299, CoEPP-MN-15-13. This
document is dedicated to the memory of Guido Altarell
- âŠ