5,281 research outputs found
Molecular Characterization of Multidrug Resistant Salmonella Isolates From a Single Finisher Building for Determination of Horizontal Transmission of Resistance Genes
Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serovar Typhimurium Phage Type DT104 contains a region where five major antibiotic genes are located, which has been named Salmonella Genomic Island 1 (SGI1) (Boyd, et al, 2002) and bound by Class I integrons which have been shown to aid in transferring genes horizontally. Antibiotic resistance profiles, Pulsed Field Gel Electrophoresis (PFGE) and Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) were used to determine if these genes are present in the serovars
Diluted Networks of Nonlinear Resistors and Fractal Dimensions of Percolation Clusters
We study random networks of nonlinear resistors, which obey a generalized
Ohm's law, . Our renormalized field theory, which thrives on an
interpretation of the involved Feynman Diagrams as being resistor networks
themselves, is presented in detail. By considering distinct values of the
nonlinearity r, we calculate several fractal dimensions characterizing
percolation clusters. For the dimension associated with the red bonds we show
that at least to order {\sl O} (\epsilon^4),
with being the correlation length exponent, and , where d
denotes the spatial dimension. This result agrees with a rigorous one by
Coniglio. Our result for the chemical distance, d_{\scriptsize min} = 2 -
\epsilon /6 - [ 937/588 + 45/49 (\ln 2 -9/10 \ln 3)] (\epsilon /6)^2 + {\sl O}
(\epsilon^3) verifies a previous calculation by one of us. For the backbone
dimension we find D_B = 2 + \epsilon /21 - 172 \epsilon^2 /9261 + 2 (- 74639 +
22680 \zeta (3))\epsilon^3 /4084101 + {\sl O} (\epsilon^4), where , in agreement to second order in with a two-loop
calculation by Harris and Lubensky.Comment: 29 pages, 7 figure
Accompanying technology development in the Human Brain Project:From foresight to ethics management
This paper addresses the question of managing the existential risk potential of general Artificial Intelligence (AI), as
well as the more near-term yet hazardous and disruptive implications of specialised AI, from the perspective of a
particular research project that could make a significant contribution to the development of Artificial Intelligence (AI):
the Human Brain Project (HBP), a ten-year Future and Emerging Technologies Flagship of the European Commission.
The HBP aims to create an ICT-based scientific research infrastructure for brain research, cognitive neuroscience, and
brain-inspired computing. This paper builds on work undertaken in the HBP’s Ethics and Society subproject (SP12).
Collaborators from two activities in SP12, Foresight and Researcher Awareness on the one hand, and Ethics
Management on the other, use the case of machine intelligence to illustrate key aspects of the dynamic processes
through which questions of ethics and society, including existential risks, are approached in the organisational context
of the HBP. The overall aim of the paper is to provide practice-based evidence, enriched by self-reflexive assessment
of the approach used and its limitations, for guiding policy makers and communities who are, and will be, engaging
with such questions
Critical Exponents for Diluted Resistor Networks
An approach by Stephen is used to investigate the critical properties of
randomly diluted resistor networks near the percolation threshold by means of
renormalized field theory. We reformulate an existing field theory by Harris
and Lubensky. By a decomposition of the principal Feynman diagrams we obtain a
type of diagrams which again can be interpreted as resistor networks. This new
interpretation provides for an alternative way of evaluating the Feynman
diagrams for random resistor networks. We calculate the resistance crossover
exponent up to second order in , where is the spatial
dimension. Our result verifies a
previous calculation by Lubensky and Wang, which itself was based on the
Potts--model formulation of the random resistor network.Comment: 27 pages, 14 figure
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Association of urinary uromodulin with kidney function decline and mortality: the health ABC study
.
BackgroundUrine uromodulin (uUMOD) is a protein secreted by the kidney tubule. Recent studies have suggested that higher uUMOD may be associated with improved kidney and mortality outcomes.MethodsUsing a case-cohort design, we evaluated the association between baseline uUMOD levels and ≥ 30% estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) decline, incident chronic kidney disease (CKD), rapid kidney function decline, and mortality using standard and modified Cox proportional hazards regression.ResultsThe median value of uUMOD was 25.8 µg/mL, mean age of participants was 74 years, 48% were women, and 39% were black. Persons with higher uUMOD had lower prevalence of diabetes and coronary artery disease (CAD), and had lower systolic blood pressure. Persons with higher uUMOD also had higher eGFR, lower urinary albumin to creatinine ratio (ACR), and lower C-reactive protein (CRP). There was no association of uUMOD with > 30% eGFR decline. In comparison to those in the lowest quartile of uUMOD, those in the highest quartile had a significantly (53%) lower risk of incident CKD (CI 73%, 18%) and a 51% lower risk of rapid kidney function decline (CI 76%, 1%) after multivariable adjustment. Higher uUMOD was associated with lower risk of mortality in demographic adjusted models, but not after multivariable adjustment.ConclusionHigher levels of uUMOD are associated with lower risk of incident CKD and rapid kidney function decline. Additional studies are needed in the general population and in persons with advanced CKD to confirm these findings.

Identification of Swine Salmonella serotypes Using Pulsed-field Gel Electrophoresis of Conserved Xba1 Fragments
Swine Salmonella isolates (n=674) from various locations throughout the United States and Canada were analyzed via pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) with Xba1. PFGE subtypes were analyzed by cluster analysis and compared to conventional serotyping results. The analysis showed a correlation of serotype to PFGE subtype. In addition, conserved fragments were identified within the restriction patterns that were unique to each serotype. PFGE using Xba1 restriction provides a screening method for identifying swine Salmonella serotypes
Application of precise 142Nd/144Nd analysis of small samples to inclusions in diamonds (Finsch, South Africa) and Hadean Zircons (Jack Hills, Western Australia)
146Sm-142Nd and 147Sm-143Nd systematics were investigated in garnet inclusions in diamonds from Finsch (S. Africa) and Hadean zircons from Jack Hills (W. Australia) to assess the potential of these systems as recorders of early Earth evolution. The stud
Impact of a carbohydrate mouth rinse on corticomotor excitability after mental fatigue in healthy college-aged subjects
Mental Fatigue (MF) has been associated with reduced physical performance but the mechanisms underlying this result are unclear. A reduction in excitability of the corticomotor system is a way mental fatigue could negatively impact physical performance. Carbohydrate (CHO) mouth rinse (MR) has been shown to increase corticomotor excitability. The purpose of this study was to determine if CHO MR impacts corticomotor excitability after MF. Fifteen subjects (nine females, six males; age = 23 ± 1 years; height = 171 ± 2 cm; body mass = 69 ± 3 kg; BMI = 23.8 ± 0.7) completed two sessions under different MR conditions (Placebo (PLAC), 6.4% glucose (CHO)) separated by at least 48 h and applied in a double-blinded randomized fashion. Motor-evoked potential (MEP) of the left first dorsal interosseous (FDI) was determined by transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) before and after MF. Perceived MF was recorded before and after the MF task using a 100 mm visual analog scale (VAS). MF was greater following PLAC (+30.4 ± 4.0 mm) than CHO (+19.4 ± 3.9 mm) ( = 0.005). MEP was reduced more following PLAC (-16.6 ± 4.4%) than CHO (-3.7 ± 4.7%) ( < 0.001). CHO MR was successful at attenuating the reduction in corticomotor excitability after MF. Carbohydrate mouth rinse may be a valuable tool at combating the negative consequences of mental fatigue
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