1,210 research outputs found
The generalization of netback value calculations for the determination of industrial demand for natural gas
An investigation of the consulting styles of training planning specialists in a government sponsored training consulting service
Differential cross section for neutron-proton bremsstrahlung
The neutron-proton bremsstrahlung process is known to be
sensitive to meson exchange currents in the nucleon-nucleon interaction. The
triply differential cross section for this reaction has been measured for the
first time at the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center, using an intense, pulsed
beam of up to 700 MeV neutrons to bombard a liquid hydrogen target. Scattered
neutrons were observed at six angles between 12 and 32, and the
recoil protons were observed in coincidence at 12, 20, and
28 on the opposite side of the beam. Measurement of the neutron and
proton energies at known angles allows full kinematic reconstruction of each
event. The data are compared with predictions of two theoretical calculations,
based on relativistic soft-photon and non-relativistic potential models.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figure
Characterisation, including VP1 and full-length sequencing of type A and O strains collected from foot-and-mouth disease outbreaks since 1996 in Turkey
Generalizing netback value calculations for determination of industrial demand for natural gas
Phaeobacter gallaeciensis Reduces Vibrio anguillarum in Cultures of Microalgae and Rotifers, and Prevents Vibriosis in Cod Larvae
Phaeobacter gallaeciensis can antagonize fish-pathogenic bacteria in vitro, and the purpose of this study was to evaluate the organism as a probiont for marine fish larvae and their feed cultures. An in vivo mechanism of action of the antagonistic
probiotic bacterium is suggested using a non-antagonistic mutant. P. gallaeciensis was readily established in axenic cultures of the two microalgae Tetraselmis suecica and Nannochloropsis oculata, and of the rotifer Brachionus plicatilis. P. gallaeciensis reached densities of 107 cfu/ml and did not adversely affect growth of algae or rotifers. Vibrio anguillarum was significantly reduced by wild-type P. gallaeciensis, when introduced into these cultures. A P. gallaeciensis mutant that did not produce the antibacterial compound tropodithietic acid (TDA) did not reduce V. anguillarum numbers, suggesting that production of
the antibacterial compound is important for the antagonistic properties of P. gallaeciensis. The ability of P. gallaeciensis to protect fish larvae from vibriosis was determined in a bath challenge experiment using a multidish system with 1 larva per well. Unchallenged larvae reached 40% accumulated mortality which increased to 100% when infected with V. anguillarum. P. gallaeciensis reduced the mortality of challenged cod larvae (Gadus morhua) to 10%, significantly below the levels of both the challenged and the unchallenged larvae. The TDA mutant reduced mortality of the cod larvae in some of the replicates, although to a much lesser extent than the wild type. It is concluded that P. gallaeciensis is a promising probiont in marine larviculture and that TDA production likely contributes to its probiotic effect
Different measures of smoking exposure and mammographic density in postmenopausal Norwegian women: a cross-sectional study
Background: Recent cohort studies have suggested an
increased risk of breast cancer with long duration of smoking,
and with smoking initiation before first birth. Cigarette smoking
may have both carcinogenic effects and antiestrogenic effects
on the breast tissue. We decided to examine the relationship
between different measures of smoking exposure and
mammographic density.
Methods: Lifetime smoking history was collected through
interview and questionnaires among 907 postmenopausal
participants in the Tromsø Mammography and Breast Cancer
study. The mammograms were obtained from the governmental
Norwegian Breast Cancer Screening Program. Mammograms
were classified according to the percentage and absolute
mammographic densities using a previously validated computerassisted
method.
Results:Sixty-five percent of the women reported having ever
smoked cigarettes, while 34% were current smokers. After
adjustment for age, age at first birth, parity, age at menopause,
postmenopausal hormone therapy use, and body mass index,
smoking was inversely associated with both measures of
mammographic density (both trends P < 0.01). Both current
smokers and former smokers had significantly lower adjusted
mean percentage mammographic density compared with never
smokers (P = 0.003 and P = 0.006, respectively). An inverse
dose–response relationship with mammographic density was
found between both the number of cigarettes and the number of
pack-years smoked among current smokers. Current smokers
who smoked 11 cigarettes or more daily had a 3.7% absolute
(36% relative difference) lower percentage mammographic
density compared with current smokers who smoked seven
cigarettes or less daily (P = 0.008). When former smokers were
stratified according to time since smoking cessation, we found
that women who had stopped smoking less than 24 years ago
had a significantly lower mean percentage mammographic
density compared with never smokers (P < 0.001).
Conclusion: We found modest inverse dose–response
associations between numbers of cigarettes and of pack-years
smoked and both measures of mammographic density among
current smokers. Former smokers who had stopped smoking
less than 24 years ago also had a statistically significantly lower
mean percentage mammographic density when compared with
never smokers. These findings are consistent with an
antiestrogenic effect of cigarette smoking on the breast tissue
Characterisation of Non-Autoinducing Tropodithietic Acid (TDA) Production from Marine Sponge Pseudovibrio Species.
The search for new antimicrobial compounds has gained added momentum in recent years, paralleled by the exponential rise in resistance to most known classes of current antibiotics. While modifications of existing drugs have brought some limited clinical success, there remains a critical need for new classes of antimicrobial compound to which key clinical pathogens will be naive. This has provided the context and impetus to marine biodiscovery programmes that seek to isolate and characterize new activities from the aquatic ecosystem. One new antibiotic to emerge from these initiatives is the antibacterial compound tropodithietic acid (TDA). The aim of this study was to provide insight into the bioactivity of and the factors governing the production of TDA in marine Pseudovibrio isolates from a collection of marine sponges. The TDA produced by these Pseudovibrio isolates exhibited potent antimicrobial activity against a broad spectrum of clinical pathogens, while TDA tolerance was frequent in non-TDA producing marine isolates. Comparative genomics analysis suggested a high degree of conservation among the tda biosynthetic clusters while expression studies revealed coordinated regulation of TDA synthesis upon transition from log to stationary phase growth, which was not induced by TDA itself or by the presence of the C10-acyl homoserine lactone quorum sensing signal molecule
Managing professional jurisdiction and domestic energy use
Professionals involved in organizing and undertaking domestic works, such as extensions, maintenance and refurbishment, have an important role in influencing how homes are configured and how occupants live within them. Despite this, the professional identities of these actors, and their impact on domestic energy use, is often overlooked. In response, this paper argues that one useful way of examining their influence is to consider how professional identities shape everyday working practices in relation to clients. Data from two UK interview and observation studies are combined: one with heating installers and the other with architects. The data are analysed using concepts from Abbott’s ‘system of professions’ framework that focuses on how the routine working practices of professional groups are born of how they see themselves and the tasks for which they are responsible. This comparison provides insights into how these two groups manage their professional ‘jurisdictions’ during their client interactions and what this means for policy-makers and industry representatives hoping to influence their work in pursuit of less carbon-intensive living. It also points to the value of further in-depth studies that explore how the routine management of professional jurisdiction impacts upon domestic energy use in a range of contexts
Staphylococcus aureus in Some Brazilian Dairy Industries: Changes of Contamination and Diversity
Staphylococcus aureus, a major food-poisoning pathogen, is a common contaminant in dairy industries worldwide, including in Brazil. We determined the occurrence of S. aureus in five dairies in Brazil over 8 months. Of 421 samples, 31 (7.4%) were positive for S. aureus and prevalence varied from 0 to 63.3% between dairies. Sixty-six isolates from the 31 samples were typed by Multi-Locus Sequence Typing to determine if these isolates were persistent or continuously reintroduced. Seven known sequence types (STs), ST1, ST5, ST30, ST97, ST126, ST188 and ST398, and four new ST were identified, ST3531, ST3540, ST3562 and ST3534. Clonal complex (CC) 1 (including the four new ST), known as an epidemic clone, was the dominant CC. However, there were no indications of persistence of particular ST. The resistance toward 11 antibiotic compounds was assessed. Twelve profiles were generated with 75.8% of strains being sensitive to all antibiotic classes and no Methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) strains were found. The enterotoxin-encoding genes involved in food-poisoning, e.g., sea, sed, see, and seg were targeted by PCR. The two toxin-encoding genes, sed and see, were not detected. Only three strains (4.5%) harbored seg and two of these also harbored sea. Despite the isolates being Methicillin-sensitive S. aureus (MSSA), the presence of CC1 clones in the processing environment, including some harboring enterotoxin encoding genes, is of concern and hygiene must have high priority to reduce contamination
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