Characterization, cloning and immunogenicity of antigens released by lung-stage larvae of Schistosoma mansoni

Lung-stage schistosomula are the target of protective immunity in mice vaccinated with attenuated cercariae of Schistosoma mansoni. Therefore, proteins present at this developmental stage, and in particular those which are secreted, are a potential source of novel vaccine candidates. However, little information is available about such molecules. Here we describe the cDNA clones identified by screening expression libraries with serum raised against proteins released by lung-stage schistosomula. In total, 11 different cDNA species were identified, 6 of which have been described previously in S. mansoni; these included fructose 1,6-bisphosphate aldolase and Sm21.7 which together accounted for two-thirds of all positive clones. Of the 5 newly described schistosome genes, 1 cDNA had a high degree of homology to the s5a subunit of 26S proteasomes, most significant being with the human protein. The remaining 4 clones showed no significant homologies to any genes sequenced previously. Fructose 1,6-bisphosphate aldolase, Sm21.7, the proteasome homologue and 1 unknown clone (A26) have been expressed in a bacterial expression system and serum produced against each recombinant protein. Immunolocalization showed fructose 1,6-bisphosphate aldolase, Sm21.7 and the proteasome homologue to be most abundant in muscle cells whilst clone A26 was distributed throughout many tissues, but was most abundant in the tegument. Analysis of the cellular immune responses of vaccinated mice showed 3 of the 4 expressed clones to be highly immunogenic, inducing the secretion of large quantities of the Th1-type cytokine interferon gamma

Compressed gas handbook

Handbook includes thermodynamic and related fluid flow data required to analyze high pressure compressible and incompressible fluid systems. Some theory and applications include thermodynamic fundamentals, gas behavior, adiabatic and isentropic flow, shock waves, flow measurement, and adiabatic and isothermal friction flow in pipes

Three-dimensional coating and rimming flow: a ring of fluid on a rotating horizontal cylinder

The steady three-dimensional flow of a thin, slowly varying ring of Newtonian fluid on either the outside or the inside of a uniformly rotating large horizontal cylinder is investigated. Specifically, we study “full-ring” solutions, corresponding to a ring of continuous, finite and non-zero thickness that extends all the way around the cylinder. In particular, it is found that there is a critical solution corresponding to either a critical load above which no full-ring solution exists (if the rotation speed is prescribed) or a critical rotation speed below which no full-ring solution exists (if the load is prescribed). We describe the behaviour of the critical solution and, in particular, show that the critical flux, the critical load, the critical semi-width and the critical ring profile are all increasing functions of the rotation speed. In the limit of small rotation speed, the critical flux is small and the critical ring is narrow and thin, leading to a small critical load. In the limit of large rotation speed, the critical flux is large and the critical ring is wide on the upper half of the cylinder and thick on the lower half of the cylinder, leading to a large critical load.\ud \ud We also describe the behaviour of the non-critical full-ring solution, and, in particular, show that the semi-width and the ring profile are increasing functions of the load but, in general, non-monotonic functions of the rotation speed. In the limit of large rotation speed, the ring approaches a limiting non-uniform shape, whereas in the limit of small load, the ring is narrow and thin with a uniform parabolic profile. Finally, we show that, while for most values of the rotation speed and the load the azimuthal velocity is in the same direction as the rotation of the cylinder, there is a region of parameter space close to the critical solution for sufficiently small rotation speed in which backflow occurs in a small region on the right-hand side of the cylinder

Thermoviscous Coating and Rimming Flow

A comprehensive description is obtained of steady thermoviscous (i.e. with temperature-dependent viscosity) coating and rimming flow on a uniformly rotating horizontal cylinder that is uniformly hotter or colder than the surrounding atmosphere. It is found that, as in the corresponding isothermal problem, there is a critical solution with a corresponding critical load (which depends, in general, on both the Biot number and the thermoviscosity number) above which no ``full-film'' solutions corresponding to a continuous film of fluid covering the entire outside or inside of the cylinder exist. The effect of thermoviscosity on both the critical solution and the full-film solution with a prescribed load is described. In particular, there are no full-film solutions with a prescribed load M for any value of the Biot number when M is greater than or equal to M_{c0} divided by the square root of f for positive thermoviscosity number and when M is greater than M_{c0} for negative thermoviscosity number, where f is a monotonically decreasing function of the thermoviscosity number and M_{c0} = 4.44272 is the critical load in the constant-viscosity case. It is also found that when the prescribed load M is less than 1.50315 there is a narrow region of the Biot number - thermoviscosity number parameter plane in which backflow occurs

Diagnostic analysis of RO desalting treated waste water

Diagnostic analysis of reverse osmosis membranes that were fed with Western treatment plant (WTP) recycled water was investigated by both thermodynamic calculations and laboratory experiments in order to predict the feasibility of RO desalting for WTP. The thermodynamic calculations suggested that RO recoveries of 80–85% were feasible with careful control of feed water pH and the use of chemical additives such as antiscalants and chelating agents, it also predicted the major minerals of concern to be silica, calcium fluoride, calcium carbonate, and calcium phosphate. Following the thermodynamic simulations, diagnostic laboratory experiments were undertaken. The experiments showed that the major contributor to scale formation was indeed calcium phosphate and possibly another calcium based compound, which was strongly suspected to be calcium carbonate. Based on previously published literature that indicated anti-scalants did not substantially decrease the scaling effect of calcium phosphate and laboratory tests that indicated controlling the pH to 6.4 in the feed water dramatically reduced scaling formation, it was suggested that the feed water could be controlled by pH adjustments only. Inter-stage pH correction was suggested as an optional technique to enhance the overall water recovery to above 95%

Hubble Space Telescope NICMOS Imaging of W3 IRS 5: A Trapezium in the Making?

We present Hubble Space Telescope NICMOS imaging of W3 IRS 5, a binary high-mass protostar. In addition to the two protostars, NICMOS images taken in the F222M and F160W filters show three new 2.22 micron sources with very red colors; these sources fall within a region 5600 AU in diameter, and are coincident with a 100 solar mass dense molecular clump. Two additional point sources are found within 0.4'' (800 AU) of one of the high-mass protostars; these may be stellar companions or unresolved emission knots from an outflow. We propose that these sources constitute a nascent Trapezium system in the center of the W3 IRS 5 cluster containing as many as five proto OB stars. This would be the first identification of a Trapezium still deeply embedded in its natal gas.Comment: accepted to ApJ letter

Design considerations for a monolithic, GaAs, dual-mode, QPSK/QASK, high-throughput rate transceiver

A monolithic, GaAs, dual mode, quadrature amplitude shift keying and quadrature phase shift keying transceiver with one and two billion bits per second data rate is being considered to achieve a low power, small and ultra high speed communication system for satellite as well as terrestrial purposes. Recent GaAs integrated circuit achievements are surveyed and their constituent device types are evaluated. Design considerations, on an elemental level, of the entire modem are further included for monolithic realization with practical fabrication techniques. Numerous device types, with practical monolithic compatability, are used in the design of functional blocks with sufficient performances for realization of the transceiver

Kinetic instabilities that limit {\beta} in the edge of a tokamak plasma: a picture of an H-mode pedestal

Plasma equilibria reconstructed from the Mega-Amp Spherical Tokamak (MAST) have sufficient resolution to capture plasma evolution during the short period between edge-localized modes (ELMs). Immediately after the ELM steep gradients in pressure, P, and density, ne, form pedestals close to the separatrix, and they then expand into the core. Local gyrokinetic analysis over the ELM cycle reveals the dominant microinstabilities at perpendicular wavelengths of the order of the ion Larmor radius. These are kinetic ballooning modes (KBMs) in the pedestal and microtearing modes (MTMs) in the core close to the pedestal top. The evolving growth rate spectra, supported by gyrokinetic analysis using artificial local equilibrium scans, suggest a new physical picture for the formation and arrest of this pedestal.Comment: Final version as it appeared in PRL (March 2012). Minor improvements include: shortened abstract, and better colour table for figures. 4 pages, 6 figure