Research Paper Polyclonal antibodies production against Staphylococcus aureus protein A: ELISA technique optimization for milk quality control

The main aim of this project is to produce polyclonal antibodies directed against the Staphylococcus aureus protein A and their use to appreciate bacteriological analysis of milk quality. In this context, an immunization produce was set up to test and detect in a batch of animals the convenient responder to the injected antigen. Furthermore, to optimize all parameters of retained ELISA test, a cross-table was conceived by using various concentrations of different reagents and has allowed selecting the optimaldilutions as follows: 1) 1/1000 for anti-Staphylococcus aureus protein A mouse antibodies and 1/2000 for anti-Staphylococcus aureus protein A rabbit antibodies. 2) 1/4000 for anti-Staphylococcus aureus treated by heat mouse antibodies and 1/500 for anti-Staphylococcus aureus protein A rabbit antibodies. 3) 1/2000 for anti-Staphylococcus aureus treated by NaClO mouse antibodies and 1/500 for anti-Staphylococcus aureus protein A rabbit antibodies. The application of optimized ELISA test to searchand detect Staphylococcus aureus germs in different samples of milk has shown very satisfying results when compared to those obtained by bacteriological method. Indeed, the sensitiveness and the reproducibility, as well as the possibility to analyze a great number of samples in the same time at a reduced manner make the immunochemical method a best choice of test able to replace recent bacteriological methods

Noise and conversion properties of Y-Ba-Cu-O Josephson mixers at operating temperatures above 20 K

We have measured the noise performance and conversion efficiency of Y-Ba-Cu-O bicrystal Josephson mixers at operating temperatures between 20 and 60 K and at operating frequencies around 90 GHz. A double-sideband mixer noise temperature of about 1600 K and a conversion efficiency of -10 dB at 20 K operating temperature has been measured using the Y-factor method. The absorbed local oscillator power was in the range of 10 nW. The dependence of the mixer performance on the normalized frequency Omega and the fluctuation parameter Gamma has been studied. In accordance with the resistively shunted junction model, the experimental data show the presence of excess noise. The temperature dependence of the mixer noise temperature can be explained by the variation of the linewidth of the Josephson oscillations with the operating temperature. (C) 2000 American Institute of Physics. [S0003-6951(00)00113-3]

Rapid single nucleotide polymorphism mapping in C. elegans

BACKGROUND: In C. elegans, single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) can function as silent genetic markers, with applications ranging from classical two- and three-factor mapping to measuring recombination across whole chromosomes. RESULTS: Here, we describe a set of 48 primer pairs that flank SNPs evenly spaced across the C. elegans genome and that work under identical PCR conditions. Each SNP in this set alters a DraI site, enabling rapid and parallel scoring. We describe a procedure using these reagents to quickly and reliably map mutations. We show that these techniques correctly map a known gene, dpy-5. We then use these techniques to map mutations in an uncharacterized strain, and show that its behavioral phenotype can be simultaneously mapped to three loci. CONCLUSION: Together, the reagents and methods described represent a significant advance in the accurate, rapid and inexpensive mapping of genes in C. elegans

INTERACTIVE IMAGE GEOLOCALIZATION IN AN IMMERSIVE WEB APPLICATION

For a long time people have been interested in the past and history and how we can go back in time using a time machine. And while we cannot invent a time machine, at least not yet, we can create a virtual one. Our “virtual” time machine is an interactive web application that allows users to browse through and navigate within historical images (aerial/terrestrial photographs or postcards) that are projected on a 3D photogrammetric model (point cloud or 3D mesh), thus going back in time and interacting with historical 3D models and images. This was achieved by adopting a semiautomatic approach where the user identifies first 6 to 8 hints on the historical image and the photogrammetric model, then this information is used as an entry data to a photogrammetric software that computes the pose and orientation of the image. The purpose of this work, which is part of the ALEGORIA project, is to preserve cultural heritage, to give the users the opportunity to go back in time and study history of a place or simply discover how their hometown looked some years ago

Realtime calibration of the A4 electromagnetic lead fluoride calorimeter

Sufficient energy resolution is the key issue for the calorimetry in particle and nuclear physics. The calorimeter of the A4 parity violation experiment at MAMI is a segmented calorimeter where the energy of an event is determined by summing the signals of neighbouring channels. In this case the precise matching of the individual modules is crucial to obtain a good energy resolution. We have developped a calibration procedure for our total absorbing electromagnetic calorimeter which consists of 1022 lead fluoride (PbF_2) crystals. This procedure reconstructs the the single-module contributions to the events by solving a linear system of equations, involving the inversion of a 1022 x 1022-matrix. The system has shown its functionality at beam energies between 300 and 1500 MeV and represents a new and fast method to keep the calorimeter permanently in a well-calibrated state

Evidence for Strange Quark Contributions to the Nucleon's Form Factors at Q2Q^2 = 0.108 (GeV/c)2^2

We report on a measurement of the parity violating asymmetry in the elastic scattering of polarized electrons off unpolarized protons with the A4 apparatus at MAMI in Mainz at a four momentum transfer value of $Q^2$ = \Qsquare (GeV/c)$^2$ and at a forward electron scattering angle of 30$^\circ < \theta_e < 40^\circ$. The measured asymmetry is $A_{LR}(\vec{e}p)$ = (\Aphys $\pm$ \Deltastat$_{stat}$ $\pm$ \Deltasyst$_{syst}$) $\times$ 10$^{-6}$. The expectation from the Standard Model assuming no strangeness contribution to the vector current is A$_0$ = (\Azero $\pm$ \DeltaAzero) $\times$ 10$^{-6}$. We have improved the statistical accuracy by a factor of 3 as compared to our previous measurements at a higher $Q^2$. We have extracted the strangeness contribution to the electromagnetic form factors from our data to be $G_E^s$ + \FakGMs $G_M^s$ = \GEsGMs $\pm$ \DeltaGEsGMs at $Q^2$ = \Qsquare (GeV/c)$^2$. As in our previous measurement at higher momentum transfer for $G_E^s$ + 0.230 $G_M^s$, we again find the value for $G_E^s$ + \FakGMs $G_M^s$ to be positive, this time at an improved significance level of 2 $\sigma$.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure

Measurement of the Transverse Beam Spin Asymmetry in Elastic Electron Proton Scattering and the Inelastic Contribution to the Imaginary Part of the Two-Photon Exchange Amplitude

We report on a measurement of the asymmetry in the scattering of transversely polarized electrons off unpolarized protons, A$_\perp$, at two Q$^2$ values of \qsquaredaveragedlow (GeV/c)$^2$ and \qsquaredaveragedhighII (GeV/c)$^2$ and a scattering angle of $30^\circ < \theta_e < 40^\circ$. The measured transverse asymmetries are A$_{\perp}$(Q$^2$ = \qsquaredaveragedlow (GeV/c)$^2$) = (\experimentalasymmetry alulowcorr $\pm$ \statisticalerrorlow$_{\rm stat}$ $\pm$ \combinedsyspolerrorlowalucor$_{\rm sys}$) $\times$ 10$^{-6}$ and A$_{\perp}$(Q$^2$ = \qsquaredaveragedhighII (GeV/c)$^2$) = (\experimentalasymme tryaluhighcorr $\pm$ \statisticalerrorhigh$_{\rm stat}$ $\pm$ \combinedsyspolerrorhighalucor$_{\rm sys}$) $\times$ 10$^{-6}$. The first errors denotes the statistical error and the second the systematic uncertainties. A$_\perp$ arises from the imaginary part of the two-photon exchange amplitude and is zero in the one-photon exchange approximation. From comparison with theoretical estimates of A$_\perp$ we conclude that $\pi$N-intermediate states give a substantial contribution to the imaginary part of the two-photon amplitude. The contribution from the ground state proton to the imaginary part of the two-photon exchange can be neglected. There is no obvious reason why this should be different for the real part of the two-photon amplitude, which enters into the radiative corrections for the Rosenbluth separation measurements of the electric form factor of the proton.Comment: 4 figures, submitted to PRL on Oct.

Ratification vote on taxonomic proposals to the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses (2016)

This article lists the changes to virus taxonomy approved and ratified by the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV) in April 2016. Changes to virus taxonomy (the Universal Scheme of Virus Classification of the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses [ICTV]) now take place annually and are the result of a multi-stage process. In accordance with the ICTV Statutes (http://​www.​ictvonline.​org/​statutes.​asp), proposals submitted to the ICTV Executive Committee (EC) undergo a review process that involves input from the ICTV Study Groups (SGs) and Subcommittees (SCs), other interested virologists, and the EC. After final approval by the EC, proposals are then presented for ratification to the full ICTV membership by publication on an ICTV web site (http://​www.​ictvonline.​org/​) followed by an electronic vote. The latest set of proposals approved by the EC was made available on the ICTV website by January 2016 (https://​talk.​ictvonline.​org/​files/​proposals/​). A list of these proposals was then emailed on 28 March 2016 to the 148 members of ICTV, namely the EC Members, Life Members, ICTV Subcommittee Members (including the SG chairs) and ICTV National Representatives. Members were then requested to vote on whether to ratify the taxonomic proposals (voting closed on 29 April 2016)

DNA sequence of a small, unidentified plasmid isolated from a Haemophilus somnus strain: Short communication

One of the plasmids present in a Haemophilus somnus strain isolated from nasal discharge of a cattle with respiratory disease was purified and cloned for DNA sequencing. The plasmid was found to be 1065 base pairs long with 39.2% G+C content, and showed no homology to any DNA sequenced so far. It has no capacity to code any protein longer than 43 residues. It is not clear yet if this plasmid codes Haemophilus somnus specific factors