Electromagnetic Simulation and Design of a Novel Waveguide RF Wien Filter for Electric Dipole Moment Measurements of Protons and Deuterons

The conventional Wien filter is a device with orthogonal static magnetic and electric fields, often used for velocity separation of charged particles. Here we describe the electromagnetic design calculations for a novel waveguide RF Wien filter that will be employed to solely manipulate the spins of protons or deuterons at frequencies of about 0.1 to 2 MHz at the COoler SYnchrotron COSY at J\"ulich. The device will be used in a future experiment that aims at measuring the proton and deuteron electric dipole moments, which are expected to be very small. Their determination, however, would have a huge impact on our understanding of the universe.Comment: 10 pages, 10 figures, 4 table

Diversité des méthodes utilisées par les laboratoires français pour la surveillance des infections à cytomégalovirus humain

Monitoring cytomegalovirus circulating viral load is an important parameter of the follow-up in immunocompromised patients. It can be measured either by DNAemia or by pp65 antigenemia. The French national reference center for cytomegaloviruses organized an investigation of practice in 37 teacher hospital virology laboratories to assess the situation in France in 2010. Methods A questionnaire was sent to collect following information: method used in routine for monitoring of circulating viral load of CMV, assay used, sample matrix and extraction method. Results Thirty-six over thirty-seven laboratories filled the questionnaire. Among these, 67% used the quantitative PCR in routine, 11% antigenemia and 22% antigenemia or quantitative PCR; 87% of the laboratories use whole blood for quantitative PCR, whereas 10% and 3% use plasma and leukocytes respectively. Among the laboratories using DNAemia, 100% used real-time PCR assays, 91% use an automated extraction and 9% a manual extraction. Conclusion Thus in France, measurement of DNAemia by real-time PCR is a tool, which gradually replaces the antigenemia for the monitoring of cytomegalovirus infection among immunocompromised patients. The very great diversity of the methods used justifies the installation of a national quality control on total blood, matrix used by 87% of the laboratories

A clinical effect of disease-modifying treatment on alloimmunisation in transfused patients with myelodysplastic syndromes:Data from a population-based study

BACKGROUND: Alloimmunisation against blood products is an adverse event, causing time-consuming compatibility testing. Current literature has not yet identified the influence of treatment on the risk of alloimmunisation in patients with myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS). MATERIALS AND METHODS: An observational, population-based study, using the HemoBase registry, was performed including all transfused patients who were diagnosed with MDS between 2005 and 2017 in Friesland, a province in the Netherlands. Information about transfusion dates, types, and treatment regimens was collected from the health records. Blood products were matched for ABO and Rhesus D. The effect of disease-modifying treatment was estimated with incidence rates and a Cox time-dependent analysis. RESULTS: 233 patients were included in this study, with a median follow-up of 13.0 months. Alloimmunisation occurred in 21 patients (9.0%) and predominantly occurred early in follow-up. Three (5%) and 18 (11%) alloimmunisation events occurred in patients with and without disease-modifying treatment, respectively. The hazard ratio for alloimmunisation without treatment compared to during treatment was 2.7 (95% CI: 0.35–20.0), with incidence rates of 7.18 and 2.41 per 100 patient-years, respectively. DISCUSSION: In a non-selected real-world population of MDS patients receiving blood transfusions, the percentage of patients with alloimmunisation was below 10%. The results of this study support the hypothesis that disease-modifying treatment affects the ability of the immune system to mount an antibody response to non-self blood group antigens

Par1b induces asymmetric inheritance of plasma membrane domains via LGN-dependent mitotic spindle orientation in proliferating hepatocytes

The development and maintenance of polarized epithelial tissue requires a tightly controlled orientation of mitotic cell division relative to the apical polarity axis. Hepatocytes display a unique polarized architecture. We demonstrate that mitotic hepatocytes asymmetrically segregate their apical plasma membrane domain to the nascent daughter cells. The non-polarized nascent daughter cell can form a de novo apical domain with its new neighbor. This asymmetric segregation of apical domains is facilitated by a geometrically distinct “apicolateral” subdomain of the lateral surface present in hepatocytes. The polarity protein partitioning-defective 1/microtubule-affinity regulating kinase 2 (Par1b/MARK2) translates this positional landmark to cortical polarity by promoting the apicolateral accumulation of Leu-Gly-Asn repeat-enriched protein (LGN) and the capture of nuclear mitotic apparatus protein (NuMA)–positive astral microtubules to orientate the mitotic spindle. Proliferating hepatocytes thus display an asymmetric inheritance of their apical domains via a mechanism that involves Par1b and LGN, which we postulate serves the unique tissue architecture of the developing liver parenchyma

Impacts of bracteole removal and seeding rate on seedling emergence of halophyte shrubs: implications for rangeland rehabilitation in arid environments

Direct seeding techniques often result in unsatisfactory outcomes in rangeland rehabilitation, primarily because of low seedling emergence and poor establishment. Seed processing techniques aimed at improving seedling emergence have gained interest by pasture managers. The purpose of this study was to investigate the combined effects of bracteole removal and seeding rate on seedling emergence in seven halophytic species: Atriplex halimus, A. canescens, A. leucoclada, A. nummularia, A. lentiformis, Salsola vermiculata and Haloxylon aphyllum under semi-arid conditions in Tel Hadya (Syria). Each of these species was evaluated for seedling emergence under two seed treatments (bracteoles removed and non-removed bracteoles) with three seeding rates (10, 30 and 60 seeds per pot), in a completely randomised block design. The results showed a positive effect of seed treatment on seedling emergence for all studied species. The native A. halimus had the highest emergence percentages whereas the introduced A. mummularia, had the lowest. However, there were no significant effects of seeding rates on seedling emergence. These results showed that bracteole removal could improve germination and seedling emergence, and potentially increase the rate of establishment of the species studied. Therefore, when implementing rangeland rehabilitation projects, bracteole removal needs to be considered. The native S. vermiculata should be recommended for direct seeding in the West Asia and North Africa region given its high seedling emergence, known high palatability, nutritive value, and high auto-regeneration performance

Inhibition of Fungi and Gram-Negative Bacteria by Bacteriocin BacTN635 Produced by Lactobacillus plantarum sp. TN635

The aim of this study was to evaluate 54 lactic acid bacteria (LAB) strains isolated from meat, fermented vegetables and dairy products for their capacity to produce antimicrobial activities against several bacteria and fungi. The strain designed TN635 has been selected for advanced studies. The supernatant culture of this strain inhibits the growth of all tested pathogenic including the four Gram-negative bacteria (Salmonella enterica ATCC43972, Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 49189, Hafnia sp. and Serratia sp.) and the pathogenic fungus Candida tropicalis R2 CIP203. Based on the nucleotide sequence of the 16S rRNA gene of the strain TN635 (1,540 pb accession no FN252881) and the phylogenetic analysis, we propose the assignment of our new isolate bacterium as Lactobacillus plantarum sp. TN635 strain. Its antimicrobial compound was determined as a proteinaceous substance, stable to heat and to treatment with surfactants and organic solvents. Highest antimicrobial activity was found between pH 3 and 11 with an optimum at pH = 7. The BacTN635 was purified to homogeneity by a four-step protocol involving ammonium sulfate precipitation, centrifugal microconcentrators with a 10-kDa membrane cutoff, gel filtration Sephadex G-25, and C18 reverse-phase HPLC. SDS-PAGE analysis of the purified BacTN635, revealed a single band with an estimated molecular mass of approximately 4 kDa. The maximum bacteriocin production (5,000 AU/ml) was recorded after a 16-h incubation in Man, Rogosa, and Sharpe (MRS) medium at 30 °C. The mode of action of the partial purified BacTN635 was identified as bactericidal against Listeria ivanovii BUG 496 and as fungistatic against C. tropicalis R2 CIP203