535 research outputs found
Plasmafysica - een nieuwe positiebepaling
Reviews recent developments in plasma physics, with special reference to the prospect of fusion of light atomic nuclei. A table summarises properties of low-temperature plasmas. The Joint European Torus, MHD generators, INTOR and special applications in atomic physics and astrophysics are discusse
Spectral balance as an acoustic correlate of linguistic stress
Fonetische correlaten en communicatieve functies van linguïstische structuu
Multidrug-resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae in Poland: identification of emerging clones
Penicillin resistance among Streptococcus pneumoniae isolates has rapidly
emerged in Poland during the last decade and has reached prevalence levels
of up to 14.4% in 1997. In order to investigate the nature of this
increase, a molecular epidemiological analysis of
non-penicillin-susceptible multidrug-resistant pneumococci isolated in
1995 and 1996 was conducted. Thirty-seven patients who suffered mainly
from upper respiratory tract infections and pneumococcal pneumonia were
enrolled in this study. The medical centers to which the patients were
admitted were located in 16 Polish towns across the country. Eight
distinct BOX PCR types were observed, representing 14 subtypes.
Restriction fragment end labeling (RFEL) analysis divided the pneumococcal
strains into 16 distinct types. By combining the BOX PCR and RFEL data,
four genetically distinct clusters of strains were identified. Two
clusters represented the genetic clones 23F and 9V, which have recently
emerged all over the world. The two other genetic clusters, which
represented serotypes 23F and 6B, clearly predominated in the analyzed
collection of Polish non-penicillin-susceptible pneumococcal strains.
Since the latter clusters did not match any of the 133 RFEL types of
non-penicillin-susceptible pneumococci collected in 15 other countries,
their Polish clonal origin is most likely
Liquefaction Characteristics of Sand as Studied by Cyclic Torsional Testing Using Hollow Cylinder Apparatus
The DNA recombination and repair machineries of Mycoplasma genitalium and Mycoplasma pneumoniae differ considerably from those of gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria. Most notably, M. pneumoniae is unable to express a functional RecU Holliday junction (HJ) resolvase. In addition, the RuvB homologues from both M. pneumoniae and M. genitalium only exhibit DNA helicase activity but not HJ branch migration activity in vitro. To identify a putative role of the RuvA homologues of these mycoplasmas in DNA recombination, both proteins (RuvA(Mpn) and RuvA(Mge), respectively) were studied for their ability to bind DNA and to interact with RuvB and RecU. In spite of a high level of sequence conservation between RuvA(Mpn) and RuvA(Mge) (68.8% identity), substantial differences were found between these proteins in their activities. First, RuvA(Mge) was found to preferentially bind to HJs, whereas RuvA(Mpn) displayed similar affinities for both HJs and single-stranded DNA. Second, while RuvA(Mpn) is able to form two distinct complexes with HJs, RuvA(Mge) only produced a single HJ complex. Third, RuvA(Mge) stimulated the DNA helicase and ATPase activities of RuvB(Mge), whereas RuvA(Mpn) did not augment RuvB activity. Finally, while both RuvA(Mge) and RecU(Mge) efficiently bind to HJs, they did not compete with each other for HJ binding, but formed stable complexes with HJs over a wide protein concentration range. This interaction, however, resulted in inhibition of the HJ resolution activity of RecU(Mge)
Urban Renewal and Industry Analysis
22 pagesThe overall goal of this course was to enhance the attractiveness of La Pine for its citizens, visitors, and businesses. This goal was broken into three primary projects focusing on Urban Renewal, industry viability, and workforce evaluation.
The overall objective for the first project was to provide best practices for Urban Renewal processes in the short and long term. Short term recommendations include implementing a twelve-step Storefront Loan Program process and a two-phase minor enhancement project. Long term recommendations focus on implementing four best practices for large scale property transformation as well as creating a public art fund. Applying these recommendations to La Pine’s Urban Renewal plans can provide guidance and sustainability for future downtown development.
The overall objective of the second project was to provide detailed industry benchmarking and rank the attractiveness of each industrial sector within La Pine. The teams recommend pursuing moderate- to high-potential industries including Wood Products Manufacturing, Food Processing, and Outdoor Gear and Apparel Manufacturing.
The objective of the third project was to conduct a workforce asset analysis and recommend a ranking of industries where La Pine should focus its workforce development efforts. Based on their industry workforce assessment, the team recommends pursuing Specialty Foods Processing, Cross-Laminated Timber, and Cabinet Manufacturing. Both the second and third projects propose that La Pine pursue viable industries in alignment with the city’s workforce goals to ensure sustainable economic development
The putative proteinase maturation protein A of Streptococcus pneumoniae is a conserved surface protein with potential to elicit protective immune responses
Surface-exposed proteins often play an important role in the interaction
between pathogenic bacteria and their host. We isolated a pool of
hydrophobic, surface-associated proteins of Streptococcus pneumoniae. The
opsonophagocytic activity of hyperimmune serum raised against this protein
fraction was high and species specific. Moreover, the opsonophagocytic
activity was independent of the capsular type and chromosomal genotype of
the pneumococcus. Since the opsonophagocytic activity is presumed to
correlate with in vivo protection, these data indicate that the protein
fraction has the potential to elicit species-specific immune protection
with cross-protection against various pneumococcal strains. Individual
proteins in the extract were purified by two-dimensional gel
electrophoresis. Antibodies raised against three distinct proteins
contributed to the opsonophagocytic activity of the serum. The proteins
were identified by mass spectrometry and N-terminal amino acid sequencing.
Two proteins were the previously characterized pneumococcal surface
protein A and oligopeptide-binding lipoprotein AmiA. The third protein was
the recently identified putative proteinase maturation protein A (PpmA),
which showed homology to members of the family of peptidyl-prolyl
cis/trans isomerases. Immunoelectron microscopy demonstrated that PpmA was
associated with the pneumococcal surface. In addition, PpmA was shown to
elicit species-specific opsonophagocytic antibodies that were
cross-reactive with various pneumococcal strains. This antibody
cross-reactivity was in line with the limited sequence variation of ppmA.
The importance of PpmA in pneumococcal pathogenesis was demonstrated in a
mouse pneumonia model. Pneumococcal ppmA-deficient mutants showed reduced
virulence. The properties of PpmA reported here indicate its potential for
inclusion in multicomponent protein vaccines
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