The rigidity of periodic body-bar frameworks on the three-dimensional fixed torus

We present necessary and sufficient conditions for the generic rigidity of body-bar frameworks on the three-dimensional fixed torus. These frameworks correspond to infinite periodic body-bar frameworks in $\mathbb{R}^3$ with a fixed periodic lattice.Comment: 31 pages, 12 figure

CD28/B7-Mediated Co-stimulation Is Critical for Early Control of Murine Cytomegalovirus Infection

Abstract Control of acute murine cytomegalovirus (MCMV) infection is dependent upon both innate and adaptive immune responses, relying primarily upon natural killer (NK) and T-cell responses for control. Although CD28/B7 plays a clear role in T-cell responses in many antigen systems including some viral infections, the importance of co-stimulation during MCMV infection is unconfirmed. In addition, recent data suggest that CD28/B7 co-stimulation might also be important to Ly49H+ NK-cell expansion. We therefore hypothesized that CD28/B7 co-stimulation is critical to viral control after MCMV infection, and further that CD28/B7 co-stimulation plays a role in MCMV-specific T- and NK-cell responses. To test these hypotheses, we utilized C57BL/6 mice lacking the co-stimulatory molecules B7-1 and B7-2 or CD28. After primary infection with MCMV, viral titers are significantly elevated in mice lacking CD28 or B7 compared with wild-type mice. Impaired viral control is associated with significant defects in peripheral T-cell responses to MCMV, which appear to be dependent upon CD28/B7 co-stimulation. Abnormal hepatic T-cell responses in CD28/ mice are preceded by impaired MCMV-specific Ly49H+ NK-cell responses. Cytokine evaluations confirm that CD28/B7 co-stimulation is not required for non-specific antiviral responses. We conclude that CD28-mediated co-stimulation is critical for early viral control during acute MCMV infection.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/78134/1/vim.2008.0080.pd

Machine-Part cell formation through visual decipherable clustering of Self Organizing Map

Machine-part cell formation is used in cellular manufacturing in order to process a large variety, quality, lower work in process levels, reducing manufacturing lead-time and customer response time while retaining flexibility for new products. This paper presents a new and novel approach for obtaining machine cells and part families. In the cellular manufacturing the fundamental problem is the formation of part families and machine cells. The present paper deals with the Self Organising Map (SOM) method an unsupervised learning algorithm in Artificial Intelligence, and has been used as a visually decipherable clustering tool of machine-part cell formation. The objective of the paper is to cluster the binary machine-part matrix through visually decipherable cluster of SOM color-coding and labelling via the SOM map nodes in such a way that the part families are processed in that machine cells. The Umatrix, component plane, principal component projection, scatter plot and histogram of SOM have been reported in the present work for the successful visualization of the machine-part cell formation. Computational result with the proposed algorithm on a set of group technology problems available in the literature is also presented. The proposed SOM approach produced solutions with a grouping efficacy that is at least as good as any results earlier reported in the literature and improved the grouping efficacy for 70% of the problems and found immensely useful to both industry practitioners and researchers.Comment: 18 pages,3 table, 4 figure

Head Position in Stroke Trial (HeadPoST)- sitting-up vs lying-flat positioning of patients with acute stroke: study protocol for a cluster randomised controlled trial

Background Positioning a patient lying-flat in the acute phase of ischaemic stroke may improve recovery and reduce disability, but such a possibility has not been formally tested in a randomised trial. We therefore initiated the Head Position in Stroke Trial (HeadPoST) to determine the effects of lying-flat (0°) compared with sitting-up (≥30°) head positioning in the first 24 hours of hospital admission for patients with acute stroke. Methods/Design We plan to conduct an international, cluster randomised, crossover, open, blinded outcome-assessed clinical trial involving 140 study hospitals (clusters) with established acute stroke care programs. Each hospital will be randomly assigned to sequential policies of lying-flat (0°) or sitting-up (≥30°) head position as a ‘business as usual’ stroke care policy during the first 24 hours of admittance. Each hospital is required to recruit 60 consecutive patients with acute ischaemic stroke (AIS), and all patients with acute intracerebral haemorrhage (ICH) (an estimated average of 10), in the first randomised head position policy before crossing over to the second head position policy with a similar recruitment target. After collection of in-hospital clinical and management data and 7-day outcomes, central trained blinded assessors will conduct a telephone disability assessment with the modified Rankin Scale at 90 days. The primary outcome for analysis is a shift (defined as improvement) in death or disability on this scale. For a cluster size of 60 patients with AIS per intervention and with various assumptions including an intracluster correlation coefficient of 0.03, a sample size of 16,800 patients at 140 centres will provide 90 % power (α 0.05) to detect at least a 16 % relative improvement (shift) in an ordinal logistic regression analysis of the primary outcome. The treatment effect will also be assessed in all patients with ICH who are recruited during each treatment study period. Discussion HeadPoST is a large international clinical trial in which we will rigorously evaluate the effects of different head positioning in patients with acute stroke. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT02162017 (date of registration: 27 April 2014); ANZCTR identifier: ACTRN12614000483651 (date of registration: 9 May 2014). Protocol version and date: version 2.2, 19 June 2014

Mitochondrial DNA and trade data support multiple origins of Helicoverpa armigera (Lepidoptera, Noctuidae) in Brazil

The Old World bollworm Helicoverpa armigera is now established in Brazil but efforts to identify incursion origin(s) and pathway(s) have met with limited success due to the patchiness of available data. Using international agricultural/horticultural commodity trade data and mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) cytochrome oxidase I (COI) and cytochrome b (Cyt b) gene markers, we inferred the origins and incursion pathways into Brazil. We detected 20 mtDNA haplotypes from six Brazilian states, eight of which were new to our 97 global COI-Cyt b haplotype database. Direct sequence matches indicated five Brazilian haplotypes had Asian, African, and European origins. We identified 45 parsimoniously informative sites and multiple substitutions per site within the concatenated (945 bp) nucleotide dataset, implying that probabilistic phylogenetic analysis methods are needed. High diversity and signatures of uniquely shared haplotypes with diverse localities combined with the trade data suggested multiple incursions and introduction origins in Brazil. Increasing agricultural/horticultural trade activities between the Old and New Worlds represents a significant biosecurity risk factor. Identifying pest origins will enable resistance profiling that reflects countries of origin to be included when developing a resistance management strategy, while identifying incursion pathways will improve biosecurity protocols and risk analysis at biosecurity hotspots including national ports

Mild cognitive impairment is associated with poor physical function but not bone structure or density in late adulthood:Findings from the Hertfordshire Cohort Study

Mini Abstract This study investigated the association between mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and physical function and bone health in older adults. MCI was associated with poor physical performance but not bone mineral density or bone microarchitecture. Abstract Purpose: Cross-sectional study to investigate the association between mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and physical performance, and bone health, in a community-dwelling cohort of older adults. Methods: Cognitive function of 222 men and 221 women (mean age 75.5 and 75.8 years in men and women, respectively) was assessed by the Strawbridge questionnaire and Mini Mental State Exam (MMSE). Participants underwent dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA), peripheral-quantitative computed tomography (pQCT) and high-resolution peripheral-quantitative computed tomography (HR-pQCT) scans to assess their bone density, strength and microarchitecture. Their physical function was assessed and a physical performance (PP) score was recorded. Results: 11.8% of women and 8.1% of men in the study were cognitive impaired on the MMSE (score<24). 24% of women were deemed cognitively impaired on the Strawbridge questionnaire, compared to 22.3% of men. Cognitive impairment on the Strawbridge questionnaire was associated with poorer physical performance score in men but not women in the unadjusted analysis. MMSE <24 was strongly associated with the risk of low physical performance in men (OR 12.9, 95% CI 1.67, 99.8, p=0.01) Higher MMSE score was associated with better physical performance in both sexes. Poorer cognitive function, whether assessed by the Strawbridge questionnaire, or by MMSE score, was not associated with bone density, shape or microarchitecture, in either sex. Conclusion: MCI in older adults was associated with poor physical performance, but not bone density, shape or microarchitecture

Could giardiasis be a risk factor for low zinc status in schoolchildren from northwestern Mexico? A cross-sectional study with longitudinal follow-up

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Both giardiasis and zinc deficiency are serious health problems worldwide. In Mexico, the prevalence of <it>G. intestinalis </it>was estimated at 32% in 1994. It remains a health problem in northwestern Mexico. Recent surveys (1987, 1995, and 1999) reported zinc deficiency in the Mexican population. The association of giardiasis and malabsorption of micronutrients has been well documented, although the association with zinc remains controversial. This study investigated the association between giardiasis and zinc deficiency in schoolchildren from northwestern Mexico.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We combined a cross-sectional design with a longitudinal follow-up six months after parasite treatment. The baseline sample consisted of 114 schoolchildren (mean age 8.8 yr) from seven suburban public schools, grouped as <it>Giardia</it>-free (<it>n </it>= 65, 57%) and <it>Giardia</it>-infected (<it>n </it>= 49, 43%). Three stool analyses per child were done using Faust's method. Children with giardiasis received secnidazole. Serum zinc was determined by atomic absorption spectrophotometry. Height and weight were measured. Socioeconomic information was obtained in an oral questionnaire, and daily zinc intake was assessed using 24 hour-recalls. Pearson's correlation and ANCOVA and paired t-test analyses were used to determine the association between giardiasis and zinc status.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Longitudinal analysis demonstrated a significant increase of the mean serum zinc levels in the <it>Giardia</it>-infected group six months after treatment (13.78 vs. 19.24 μmol/L μmol/L; p = 0.001), although no difference was found between the <it>Giardia</it>-free and the <it>Giardia</it>-infected groups (p = 0.86) in the baseline analysis. Z scores for W/A and H/A were lower in the <it>Giardia</it>-infected than in the <it>Giardia</it>-free group (p < 0.05). No difference was observed in the socioeconomic characteristics and mean daily intakes of zinc between the groups (p > 0.05).</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Giardiasis may be a risk factor for zinc deficiency in schoolchildren from northwestern Mexico.</p

Comparison of sapwood invasion by three Phytophthora spp.in different hosts

Many Phytophthora spp. have recently been isolated from native vegetation in Western Australia. As their pathogenicity is often unknown, it is not possible to provide advice to land managers on the impact of site infestation on native plants and how these infestations should be managed. We describe a rapid screening method based on sapwood invasion that has been used to compare the pathogenicity of Phytophthora arenaria, P. cinnamomi and P. multivora. Radial invasion into the xylem of six banksias and three eucalypts was assessed in an excised branch assay in summer and winter. Branches were wound inoculated and invasion was assessed by plating from a strip of tissue cut across the stem at the inoculation point and at 40 mm above and below. A symptomless infection had established in both the bark and sapwood within 6 days. P. arenaria was only isolated from the strip of tissue at the inoculation point. P. cinnamomi was isolated from the sapwood of Banksia attenuata, B. burdettii, B. menziesii and B. speciosa 40 mm above or below the inoculation point in some experiments. P. multivora was isolated from B. speciosa 40 mm below the inoculation point in one experiment. Hyphae of both species were seen in both ray parenchyma cells and xylem vessels. The invasiveness of the Phytophthora spp. was compared on the two groups of hosts using scores for sapwood invasion at the inoculation point. For banksias, P. cinnamomi and P. multivora had significantly higher invasion scores on banksias than P. arenaria but were not significantly different to one another. There was no significant difference between the three Phytophthora spp. on the eucalypt hosts. Assessing sapwood invasion provides a rapid, inexpensive and biologically meaningful way of screening the many Phytophthora spp. that have been isolated from native vegetation

A New bis(rhodamine)-Based Fluorescent Chemosensor for Fe3+

A new bis(rhodamine)-based fluorescent probe 4 was synthesized, and it exhibited high selectivity for Fe3+ over other commonly coexistent metal ions in both 50% ethanol and Tris–HCl buffer. Upon the addition of Fe3+, the spirocyclic ring of 4 was opened and a significant enhancement of visible color and fluorescence in the range of 500–600 nm was observed

NK Cell–Like Behavior of Vα14i NK T Cells during MCMV Infection

Immunity to the murine cytomegalovirus (MCMV) is critically dependent on the innate response for initial containment of viral replication, resolution of active infection, and proper induction of the adaptive phase of the anti-viral response. In contrast to NK cells, the Vα14 invariant natural killer T cell response to MCMV has not been examined. We found that Vα14i NK T cells become activated and produce significant levels of IFN-γ, but do not proliferate or produce IL-4 following MCMV infection. In vivo treatment with an anti-CD1d mAb and adoptive transfer of Vα14i NK T cells into MCMV-infected CD1d−/− mice demonstrate that CD1d is dispensable for Vα14i NK T cell activation. In contrast, both IFN-α/β and IL-12 are required for optimal activation. Vα14i NK T cell–derived IFN-γ is partially dependent on IFN-α/β but highly dependent on IL-12. Vα14i NK T cells contribute to the immune response to MCMV and amplify NK cell–derived IFN-γ. Importantly, mortality is increased in CD1d−/− mice in response to high dose MCMV infection when compared to heterozygote littermate controls. Collectively, these findings illustrate the plasticity of Vα14i NK T cells that act as effector T cells during bacterial infection, but have NK cell–like behavior during the innate immune response to MCMV infection