Trends in potential exposure to Australian bat lyssavirus in South East Queensland, 1996 to 2003

This study examined trends in notifications of potential exposure to Australian bat lyssavirus reported to the Brisbane Southside Public Health Unit, Australia between 1 November 1996 and 31 January 2003. Notification rates declined among all population groups and potential exposures were notified more promptly. Concern exists regarding possible under-reporting of potential exposure to Australian bat lyssavirus especially among volunteer bat carers. (author abstract

Loss of signal transducer and activator of transcription 1 is associated with prostate cancer recurrence

STAT1 loss has previously been implicated in cell line studies to modify prostate cancer cell growth and survival, however the clinical significance of this has not previously been established. This study investigated if STAT1 loss was associated with patient outcome measures and the phenotypic consequence of STAT1 silencing. STAT1 expression was assessed in two patient cohorts with localised (n = 78) and advanced prostate cancer at initial diagnosis (n = 39) by immunohistochemistry (IHC). Impact of STAT1 silencing on prostate cancer cells lines was assessed using Cell Death detection ELISA, TLDA gene signature apoptosis arrays, WST-1 assay, xCELLigence system, clonogenic assay, and wound healing assay. In the localised patient cohort, low expression of STAT1 was associated with shorter time to disease recurrence (3.8 vs 7.3 years, P = 0.02) and disease specific survival (6.6 vs 9.3 years, P = 0.05). In the advanced patient cohort, low expression was associated with shorter time to disease recurrence (2.0 vs 3.9 years, P = 0.001). When STAT1 was silenced in PC3 cells (AR negative) and LNCaP cells (AR positive) silencing did not influence levels of apoptosis in either cell line and had little effect on cell viability in the LNCaP cells. In contrast, STAT1 silencing in the PC3 cells resulted in a pronounced increase in cell viability (WST-1 assay: mock silenced vs STAT1 silenced, P < 0.001), clonagenicity (clonogenic assay: mock silenced vs STAT1 silenced, P < 0.001), and migration (wound healing: mock silenced vs STAT1 silenced, P < 0.001). In conclusion, loss of STAT1 may promote prostate cancer recurrence in AR negative patients via increasing cell viability

Massive creation of entangled exciton states in semiconductor quantum dots

An intense laser pulse propagating in a medium of inhomogeneously broadened quantum dots massively creates entangled exciton states. After passage of the pulse all single-exciton states remain unpopulated (self-induced transparency) whereas biexciton coherence (exciton entanglement) is generated through two-photon transitions. We propose several experimental techniques for the observation of such unexpected behavior

Observations of H3+ in the Diffuse Interstellar Medium

Surprisingly large column densities of H3+ have been detected using infrared absorption spectroscopy in seven diffuse cloud sightlines (Cygnus OB2 12, Cygnus OB2 5, HD 183143, HD 20041, WR 104, WR 118, and WR 121), demonstrating that H3+ is ubiquitous in the diffuse interstellar medium. Using the standard model of diffuse cloud chemistry, our H3+ column densities imply unreasonably long path lengths (~1 kpc) and low densities (~3 cm^-3). Complimentary millimeter-wave, infrared, and visible observations of related species suggest that the chemical model is incorrect and that the number density of H3+ must be increased by one to two orders of magnitude. Possible solutions include a reduced electron fraction, an enhanced rate of H2 ionization, and/or a smaller value of the H3+ dissociative recombination rate constant than implied by laboratory experiments.Comment: To be published in Astrophysical Journal, March 200

A COMMUNITY-BASED VULNERABILITY ASSESSMENT OF FLOODS IN URBAN AREAS OF KAMPUNG MELAYU, JAKARTA

Flooding has become a serious problem in Jakarta. During floods .of 2007, Kampung Melayu, East Jakarta was the worst hit.by the floods. Community have different perceptions on disaster and have different effort to overcome the hazards. Therefore, local government and relevant institution should investigate this situation and make this information a valuable input in developing and implementing response plans in flood mitigation. This research is to explore the vulnerability of floods based on local people\u27s perception. There were 83 households interviewed using questionnaire. Certain elements at risk related with physical and socio:economic aspects were identified. Physical information concerned the building structure and building contents. Several socio-economic characteristics were used as key indicators to analyze the vulnerability of people. Generally, the result of this research shows that the ability of people to cope with the flooding i$ linked with the capacity of the people itself. The capability of people to deal withflooding was influenced by several indicators.based on their socio- . economic characteristics. For example, lower income people will experience more suffering than the wealthier, because they cannot afford the\u27 costs of repair, reconstruction. Although the wealthier are likely to experience a higher degree of economic damage due to possessions of higher value. Base on the analysis, all coping strategies and flood measures are not enough to cope with flooding in the study area

Linear and nonlinear modulus surfaces in stress space, from stress-strain measurements on Berea sandstone

International audienceThe elastic response of many rocks to quasistatic stress changes is highly nonlinear and hysteretic, displaying discrete memory. Rocks also display unusual nonlinear response to dynamic stress changes. A model to describe the elastic behavior of rocks and other consolidated materials is called the Preisach-Mayergoyz (PM) space model. In contrast to the traditional analytic approach to stress-strain, the PM space picture establishes a relationship between the quasistatic data and a number density of hysteretic mesoscopic elastic elements in the rock. The number density allows us to make quantitative predictions of dynamic elastic properties. Using the PM space model, we analyze a complex suite of quasistatic stress-strain data taken on Berea sandstone. We predict a dynamic bulk modulus and a dynamic shear modulus surface as a function of mean stress and shear stress. Our predictions for the dynamic moduli compare favorably to moduli derived from time of flight measurements. We derive a set of nonlinear elastic constants and a set of constants that describe the hysteretic behavior of the sandstone

The Role of Cutaneous Receptors in the Menton Tap Silent Period

The neuromuscular mechanisms of the electromyographic silent period are poorly understood but clinically significant. Our purpose was to isolate the contribution of cutaneous afferents from the chin to the latency and the duration of the EMG silent period. Under the conditions of our experiment, the afferents of the mental nerve have no observable influence on the latency or the duration of the silent period educed by a menton tap.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/66492/2/10.1177_00220345790580011001.pd