8,218 research outputs found
Optimization and evaluation of an influenza A (H5) pseudotyped lentiviral particle-based serological assay
Background: Novel serological methods provide alternative options for sero-diagnosis, sero-epidemiology and for determining evidence of naturally acquired or vaccine induced immunity. Micro-neutralization tests are currently the gold standard for serological studies of highly pathogenic avian influenza in mammalian species but require handling live virus in a biosafety level (BSL) 3 environment. We previously reported the use of H5 pseudotyped lentiviral particles (H5pp) as an alternative to micro-neutralization tests in a BSL-2 setting (Nefkens et al., 2007). Objective: To optimize and evaluate this newly developed H5pp assay on relevant clinical specimens. Study design: We optimise and evaluate the performance of the H5pp assay using well-characterized sera from humans with confirmed H5N1 disease or controls. Results: The H5pp assay is a reliable serological method for the detection and quantification of neutralizing antibody to H5-viruses. Conclusion: H5pp provide a reliable and safe alternative for sero-diagnosis and sero-epidemiology of H5N1 infections in a BSL-2 setting. © 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.postprin
Age and mass studies for young star clusters in M31 from SEDs-fit
In this paper, we present photometry for young star clusters in M31, which
are selected from Caldwell et al. These star clusters have been observed as
part of the Beijing--Arizona--Taiwan--Connecticut (BATC) Multicolor Sky Survey
from 1995 February to 2008 March. The BATC images including these star clusters
are taken with 15 intermediate-band filters covering 3000--10000 \AA. Combined
with photometry in the {\sl GALEX} far- and near-ultraviolet, broad-band
, SDSS , and infrared of Two Micron All Sky Survey,
we obtain their accurate spectral energy distributions (SEDs) from 1538-20000
\AA. We derive these star clusters' ages and masses by comparing their SEDs
with stellar population synthesis models. Our results are in good agreement
with previous determinations. The mean value of age and mass of young clusters
( Gyr) is about 385 Myr and , respectively. There
are two distinct peaks in the age distribution, a highest peak at age 60
Myr and a secondary peak around 250 Myr, while the mass distribution shows a
single peak around . A few young star clusters have two-body
relaxation times greater than their ages, indicating that those clusters have
not been well dynamically relaxed and therefore have not established the
thermal equilibrium. There are several regions showing aggregations of young
star clusters around the 10 kpc ring and the outer ring, indicating that the
distribution of the young star clusters is well correlated with M31's
star-forming regions. The young massive star clusters (age Myr and
mass ) show apparent concentration around the ring
splitting region, suggesting a recent passage of a satellite galaxy (M32)
through M31 disk.Comment: Accepted for Publication in AJ, 15 pages, 14 figures and 4 table
Perverse incentives and invisible tradeoffs in subway construction in China: a case study of Hangzhou subway collapse
Abstract—Hangzhou subway collapse is the most serious
subway construction disaster to date in China. In this article, the
management and regulatory questions the collapse raised are
focused and a case study of Hangzhou subway collapse is given.
By regarding the contractual arrangement as an outcome of a
power game of principal-agent, the social causes and the
perverse incentives to strategic behaviors of the key players are
investigated to explain the particular project outcomes. In the
end, some policy suggestions are given for improving the safety
performance of subway construction
Nouveauté or Cliché? Assessment on island ecological vulnerability to Tourism: Application to Zhoushan, China
In comparison with coastal zones, islands are even more vulnerable to anthropogenic disturbance, especially to tourism and tourism-induced activities. Despite a great number of studies on either island tourism or island vulnerability reviewed in this paper, knowledge and practice of the impact from tourism upon island ecological vulnerability (IEV) still needs to be expanded. In this contribution, the IEV of four administrative regions in Zhoushan, China is assessed between 2012 and 2017 based on an “exposure (E)-sensitivity (S)-adaptive capacity (A)” framework and by means of coupling coordination degree modeling (CCDM) for determination of the overall development level of E-S-A subsystems in each region. The assessment results show that: (1) An index system consisting of 1 objective, 3 sub-objectives, 7 elements, and 20 indicators can be established and tested to reflect the IEV to tourism; (2) As the most attractive tourist destinations, Shengsi and Putuo inevitably have the highest IEV values; (3) Dinghai's moderate low level of IEV comes as a surprise, due to its direct connectivity to its neighboring coastal city of Ningbo; (4) The more balanced the coupling coordination degree (CCD) values among E-S-A subsystems are, the higher the IEV values in the four tourist destinations of Zhoushan. In conclusion, tourism can be a double-edged sword for islands, the overall benefits of which outweigh the negative impacts upon island ecological conditions
Effective DBHF Method for Asymmetric Nuclear Matter and Finite Nuclei
A new decomposition of the Dirac structure of nucleon self-energies in the
Dirac Brueckner-Hartree-Fock (DBHF) approach is adopted to investigate the
equation of state for asymmetric nuclear matter. The effective coupling
constants of , , and mesons with a density
dependence in the relativistic mean field approach are deduced by reproducing
the nucleon self-energy resulting from the DBHF at each density for symmetric
and asymmetric nuclear matter. With these couplings the properties of finite
nuclei are investigated. The agreement of charge radii and binding energies of
finite nuclei with the experimental data are improved simultaneously in
comparison with the projection method. It seems that the properties of finite
nuclei are sensitive to the scheme used for the DBHF self-energy extraction. We
may conclude that the properties of the asymmetric nuclear matter and finite
nuclei could be well described by the new decomposition approach of the G
matrix.Comment: 16 pages, 5 figure
BioDiVinE: A Framework for Parallel Analysis of Biological Models
In this paper a novel tool BioDiVinEfor parallel analysis of biological
models is presented. The tool allows analysis of biological models specified in
terms of a set of chemical reactions. Chemical reactions are transformed into a
system of multi-affine differential equations. BioDiVinE employs techniques for
finite discrete abstraction of the continuous state space. At that level,
parallel analysis algorithms based on model checking are provided. In the
paper, the key tool features are described and their application is
demonstrated by means of a case study
Toxic intracellular anabolite levels of tenofovir and didanosine causing a steep CD4-cell decline
DIACHRONOUS EVOLUTION OF BACK-ARC BASINS IN THE SOUTH TIANSHAN: INSIGHTS FROM STRUCTURAL, GEOCHRONOLOGICAL AND GEOCHEMICAL STUDIES OF THE WUWAMEN OPHIOLITE MÉLANGE
The South Tianshan is located to the north of the Tarim block and defines the southern margin of the Paleozoic Central Asian Orogenic Belt (CAOB). This study presents new structural data, geochronological and geochemical results for the Wuwamen ophiolite mélange in the Chinese segment of the South Tianshan. In the south, the Wuwamen ophiolite mélange shows typical block-in-matrix fabrics and occurs in the footwall of a south-dipping thrust fault, hanging wall of which is composed of weakly metamorphosed and deformed Lower Paleozoic marine to deep marine sequences from the South Tianshan. In the north, a southdipping thrust fault juxtaposes the Wuwamen ophiolite mélange in its hanging wall against the high-grade and strongly deformed metasedimentary rocks from the Central Tianshan in its footwall.The South Tianshan is located to the north of the Tarim block and defines the southern margin of the Paleozoic Central Asian Orogenic Belt (CAOB). This study presents new structural data, geochronological and geochemical results for the Wuwamen ophiolite mélange in the Chinese segment of the South Tianshan. In the south, the Wuwamen ophiolite mélange shows typical block-in-matrix fabrics and occurs in the footwall of a south-dipping thrust fault, hanging wall of which is composed of weakly metamorphosed and deformed Lower Paleozoic marine to deep marine sequences from the South Tianshan. In the north, a southdipping thrust fault juxtaposes the Wuwamen ophiolite mélange in its hanging wall against the high-grade and strongly deformed metasedimentary rocks from the Central Tianshan in its footwall
Intracranial arteriosclerosis and the risk of dementia:A population-based cohort study
BACKGROUNDThe impact of intracranial arteriosclerosis on dementia remains largely unclear.METHODSIn 2339 stroke-free and dementia-free participants (52.2% women, mean age 69.5 years) from the general population, we assessed intracranial carotid artery calcification (ICAC) and vertebrobasilar artery calcification (VBAC) as proxy for arteriosclerosis. Associations with dementia were assessed using Cox models. In addition, indirect effects through cerebral small vessel disease (cSVD) and subcortical brain structure volumes were assessed using causal mediation analyses.RESULTSDuring a median of 13.4 years (25th–75th percentiles 9.9–14.5) of follow-up, 282 participants developed dementia. Both ICAC presence (hazard ratio [HR]: 1.53, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.00–2.32]) and volume (HR per standard deviation: 1.19, 95% CI: 1.01–1.40) increased dementia risk. For VBAC, severe calcifications increased dementia risk (HR for third vs first volume tertile: 1.89, 95% CI: 1.00–3.59). These effects were mediated partly through increased cSVD (percentage mediated for ICAC: 13% and VBAC: 24%).DISCUSSIONIntracranial arteriosclerosis increases the risk of dementia
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