1,124 research outputs found
Treatment of haemophilia A with purified factor VIII obtained from human plasma by cryoprecipitation
Characterizing Scales of Genetic Recombination and Antibiotic Resistance in Pathogenic Bacteria Using Topological Data Analysis
Pathogenic bacteria present a large disease burden on human health. Control
of these pathogens is hampered by rampant lateral gene transfer, whereby
pathogenic strains may acquire genes conferring resistance to common
antibiotics. Here we introduce tools from topological data analysis to
characterize the frequency and scale of lateral gene transfer in bacteria,
focusing on a set of pathogens of significant public health relevance. As a
case study, we examine the spread of antibiotic resistance in Staphylococcus
aureus. Finally, we consider the possible role of the human microbiome as a
reservoir for antibiotic resistance genes.Comment: 12 pages, 6 figures. To appear in AMT 2014 Special Session on
Advanced Methods of Interactive Data Mining for Personalized Medicin
Neurocognitive Development of Motivated Behavior: Dynamic Changes across Childhood and Adolescence
Magnetic resonance imaging findings and the clinical characteristics of children with cerebral palsy at a public sector hospital in Gauteng Province, South Africa
The research for this study was done in partial fulfilment
of the requirements for CN’s master’s degree from the University of the
Witwatersrand.BACKGROUND. Cerebral palsy (CP) is a common cause of physical impairment in children. Brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can define
different neuropathological patterns of brain injury in CP. There are limited data available on MRI findings of children with CP in Africa.
Objective. To describe the clinical characteristics, risk factors and MRI findings of children with CP attending a developmental clinic at
a tertiary hospital in South Africa; and to assess possible associations between the clinical characteristics and pathogenic neuro-imaging
patterns.
METHODS. This was a retrospective cross-sectional study. The cohort of 112 children was identified from the clinic’s REDcap database. Clinical
information was obtained from existing medical records of the patients. Findings from brain MRI reports were classified according to the
MRI classification system (MRICS) for CP. The MRI reports were rated independently by two study investigators. A descriptive analysis was
conducted.
RESULTS. A total of 112 patient files and MRI brain reports were reviewed. Spastic CP was the most common type of CP (n=75%). The most
common perinatal risk factors included prematurity (31%) and low birthweight (28%). Nineteen (17%) children acquired CP after the
neonatal period. CP sub-type showed a significant association with functional motor impairment classified as per the gross motor function
classification system (GMFCS), p<0.001. Predominant grey matter injury (PGMI) was the most common pathogenic MRI pattern identified
(30%). The radiological findings (per MRICS) had a significant association with both the CP sub-type (p<0.005) and functional impairment
according to the GMFCS (p<0.001).
CONCLUSION. Standardised classification of neuro-imaging findings can assist in defining the pathogenesis and clinical manifestations of CP.http://www.sajch.org.za/index.php/SAJCHam2023Immunolog
Superconductivity and single crystal growth of Ni0:05TaS2
Superconductivity was discovered in a Ni0:05TaS2 single crystal. A Ni0:05TaS2
single crystal was successfully grown via the NaCl/KCl flux method. The
obtained lattice constant c of Ni0:05TaS2 is 1.1999 nm, which is significantly
smaller than that of 2H-TaS2 (1.208 nm). Electrical resistivity and
magnetization measurements reveal that the superconductivity transition
temperature of Ni0:05TaS2 is enhanced from 0.8 K (2H-TaS2) to 3.9 K. The
charge-density-wave transition of the matrix compound 2H-TaS2 is suppressed in
Ni0:05TaS2. The success of Ni0:05TaS2 single crystal growth via a NaCl/KCl flux
demonstrates that NaCl/KCl flux method will be a feasible method for single
crystal growth of the layered transition metal dichalcogenides.Comment: 13pages, 6 figures, Published in SS
Mitochondrial DNA diversity and population structure of humpback whales from their wintering areas in the Indian and South Atlantic Oceans (Wintering Regions A,B, C and X). Scientific Committee document SC/56/SH3, International Whaling Commission, July 2004, Sorrento, Italy
Humpback whales in the Southern Hemisphere are separated by the International Whaling Commission (IWC) into seven wintering Regions (A-G) based on tropical distribution. To better evaluate the significance of these stock subdivisions, an analysis of mtDNA was conducted for the eastern and western South Atlantic (Regions A and B), the southwestern Indian Ocean (Region C) and the northern Indian Ocean (Region X). A total of 1,416 individual whales representing eleven sampling sites within the four wintering Regions were sequenced for a portion of the mtDNA control region. A hierarchical analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) using FST and FST supported the division of wintering Regions based on IWC designated boundaries of A, B, C, and X. Pairwise comparisons further confirmed the A, B and C divisions, although varying degrees of heterogeneity (particularly molecular distances) were detected for proposed sub-divisions within Regions B and C. Overall, this large-scale mtDNA analysis for humpback whales in the Indian and South Atlantic Oceans supports wintering Region designations by the IWC. However, additional analyses and consideration of biological parameters such as gene flow are needed so that ‘within-region’ genetic analyses can help evaluate population structure and recovery in a management context
Model Kebijakan Penanggulangan Korupsi di Universitas Negeri YOGYAKARTA
Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui kebijakan Universitas Negeri Yogyakarta dalam menanggulangi korupsi dan menemukan model kebijakan yang diinginkan Universitas Negeri Yogyakarta dalam menanggulangi korupsi. Penelitian ini adalah penelitian survei dengan pendekatan kuantitatif dan kualitatif. Sampel penelitian ditentukan secara multy stage sampling dengan teknik pengumpulan data dengan angket, dokumen dan diperkuat dengan pengumpulan data melalui Focus Group Discussion (FGD), dan validasi instrumen melalui validitas isi (content validity). Data dianalisis secara deskriptif. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa kebijakan penanggulangan korupsi di UNY tidak ada secara khusus dikeluarkan. Kebijakan yang ada mengikuti dan mempertahankan kebijakan yang lebih tinggi, yaitu dari Pemerintah. Model kebijakan penangggulangan korupsi di UNY yang digunakan adalah Model Rasional, yaitu kebijakan penanggulangan korupsi yang dikeluarkan merupakan aspirasi semua staf yang ada di unit kerja dan harus menekankan pada aspek efisiensi atas beban kerja pada unit kerja yang bersangkutan. Adapun kebijakan yang sudah ada yang berasal dari Pemerintah pusat dijadikan pedoman
Superdeformed rotational bands in the Mercury region; A Cranked Skyrme-Hartree-Fock-Bogoliubov study
A study of rotational properties of the ground superdeformed bands in \Hg{0},
\Hg{2}, \Hg{4}, and \Pb{4} is presented. We use the cranked
Hartree-Fock-Bogoliubov method with the {\skm} parametrization of the Skyrme
force in the particle-hole channel and a seniority interaction in the pairing
channel. An approximate particle number projection is performed by means of the
Lipkin-Nogami prescription. We analyze the proton and neutron quasiparticle
routhians in connection with the present information on about thirty presently
observed superdeformed bands in nuclei close neighbours of \Hg{2}.Comment: 26 LaTeX pages, 14 uuencoded postscript figures included, Preprint
IPN-TH 93-6
Low-Luminosity Accretion in Black Hole X-ray Binaries and Active Galactic Nuclei
At luminosities below a few percent of Eddington, accreting black holes
switch to a hard spectral state which is very different from the soft
blackbody-like spectral state that is found at higher luminosities. The hard
state is well-described by a two-temperature, optically thin, geometrically
thick, advection-dominated accretion flow (ADAF) in which the ions are
extremely hot (up to K near the black hole), the electrons are also
hot ( K), and thermal Comptonization dominates the X-ray
emission. The radiative efficiency of an ADAF decreases rapidly with decreasing
mass accretion rate, becoming extremely low when a source reaches quiescence.
ADAFs are expected to have strong outflows, which may explain why relativistic
jets are often inferred from the radio emission of these sources. It has been
suggested that most of the X-ray emission also comes from a jet, but this is
less well established.Comment: To appear in "From X-ray Binaries to Quasars: Black Hole Accretion on
All Mass Scales" edited by T. Maccarone, R. Fender, L. Ho, to be published as
a special edition of "Astrophysics and Space Science" by Kluwe
Designing spin-spin interactions with one and two dimensional ion crystals in planar micro traps
We discuss the experimental feasibility of quantum simulation with trapped
ion crystals, using magnetic field gradients. We describe a micro structured
planar ion trap, which contains a central wire loop generating a strong
magnetic gradient of about 20 T/m in an ion crystal held about 160 \mu m above
the surface. On the theoretical side, we extend a proposal about spin-spin
interactions via magnetic gradient induced coupling (MAGIC) [Johanning, et al,
J. Phys. B: At. Mol. Opt. Phys. 42 (2009) 154009]. We describe aspects where
planar ion traps promise novel physics: Spin-spin coupling strengths of
transversal eigenmodes exhibit significant advantages over the coupling schemes
in longitudinal direction that have been previously investigated. With a chip
device and a magnetic field coil with small inductance, a resonant enhancement
of magnetic spin forces through the application of alternating magnetic field
gradients is proposed. Such resonantly enhanced spin-spin coupling may be used,
for instance, to create Schr\"odinger cat states. Finally we investigate
magnetic gradient interactions in two-dimensional ion crystals, and discuss
frustration effects in such two-dimensional arrangements.Comment: 20 pages, 13 figure
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