CONSTRUCTION OF A DNA-MICROARRAY FOR DIFFERENTIATION BETWEEN THE MAIN AND NON-MAIN SUBSPECIES AND BIOVARS OF THE MAIN SUBSPECIES OF YERSINIA PESTIS

Objective of the study is to design the DNA-microarray for differentiation of Y. pestis strains of the main and non-main subspecies and biovars of the main subspecies. Materials and methods. Efficiency analysis for the devised means was conducted using 62 Y. pestis strains of various subspecies and biovars, isolated in the natural foci of Russia and neighboring countries. Results and conclusions. Selected have been the DNA-targets, probes and primers – calculated. Enhanced is the method of sub-specific and biovar differentiation of Y. pestis strains by means of DNA-microarray. DNA-chip with “Med24”, “glpD(-93)”, and “45” targets allows for prompt differentiation of the strains of the main and non-main subspecies and biovars of the main subspecies based on the presence and absence of fluorescent signal by the specific for the main subspecies and its biovars DNA-targets

Development of an Integrated System for Molecular-Genetic Identification of <i>Yersinia pestis</i> Strains

The paper describes a developed comprehensive system for molecular-genetic identification of Yersinia pestis strains according to their appurtenance to certain subspecies, biovars, phylo-geographic populations, using realtime PCR (RT-PCR), allele-specific RT-PCR, and multiplex PCR with hybridization fluorescent registration of results on a solid substrate. Application of this system makes it possible to establish the appurtenance of Y. pestis strains to the following phylogenetic branches: 0.ANT1, 0.ANT2, 0.ANT3, 0.ANT5, 3.ANT, 4.ANT of antique biovar of the main subspecies; 2.MED0, 2.MED1, 2.MED2, 2.MED3, 2.MED4 of medieval biovar of the main subspecies; 1.IN1, 1.IN2, 1.IN3 of intermedium biovar of the main subspecies; 1.ORI1, 1.ORI2, 1.ORI3 of oriental biovar of the main subspecies; 0.PE3 (angolica subspecies), 0.PE7 (tibetica subspecies) and 0.PE10 (qinghaica subspecies). The first stage of the studies within the frames of the developed system is indication of plague agent using registered diagnostic drugs. The second stage is the determination of belonging to individual subspecies through RT-PCR or by the method of multiplex PCR system with hybridization-fluorescent registration of results on a solid substrate, which also allows for establishing to which biovars of the main subspecies and the main phylogenetic lines of the ancient biovar the strains belong. The third stage is the identification of strain appurtenance to phylogenetic branches by the AS-RT-PCR method. The designed complex system for molecular-genetic identification of Y. pestis strains can be applied at the regional and federal levels of the laboratory network of the Russian Federation for diagnostics of infectious diseases. Its use will considerably facilitate and increase the efficiency of intraspecific differentiation of Y. pestis strains within the framework of the epidemiological investigation of outbreaks or importation of strains of plague pathogen into the territory of the Russian Federation or during the certification of strains in collection activities

Search for Doubly-Charged Higgs Boson Production at HERA

A search for the single production of doubly-charged Higgs bosons H^{\pm \pm} in ep collisions is presented. The signal is searched for via the Higgs decays into a high mass pair of same charge leptons, one of them being an electron. The analysis uses up to 118 pb^{-1} of ep data collected by the H1 experiment at HERA. No evidence for doubly-charged Higgs production is observed and mass dependent upper limits are derived on the Yukawa couplings h_{el} of the Higgs boson to an electron-lepton pair. Assuming that the doubly-charged Higgs only decays into an electron and a muon via a coupling of electromagnetic strength h_{e \mu} = \sqrt{4 \pi \alpha_{em}} = 0.3, a lower limit of 141 GeV on the H^{\pm\pm} mass is obtained at the 95% confidence level. For a doubly-charged Higgs decaying only into an electron and a tau and a coupling h_{e\tau} = 0.3, masses below 112 GeV are ruled out.Comment: 15 pages, 3 figures, 1 tabl

Determination of ππ\pi\pi scattering lengths from measurement of π+π−\pi^+\pi^- atom lifetime

The DIRAC experiment at CERN has achieved a sizeable production of $\pi^+\pi^-$ atoms and has significantly improved the precision on its lifetime determination. From a sample of 21227 atomic pairs, a 4% measurement of the S-wave $\pi\pi$ scattering length difference $|a_0-a_2| = (.0.2533^{+0.0080}_{-0.0078}|_\mathrm{stat}.{}^{+0.0078}_{-0.0073}|_\mathrm{syst})M_{\pi^+}^{-1}$ has been attained, providing an important test of Chiral Perturbation Theory.Comment: 6 pages, 6 figure

On the Experimental Analysis of Integral Sliding Modes for Yaw Rate and Sideslip Control of an Electric Vehicle with Multiple Motors

With the advent of electric vehicles with multiple motors, the steady-state and transient cornering responses can be designed and implemented through the continuous torque control of the individual wheels, i.e., torque-vectoring or direct yaw moment control. The literature includes several papers on sliding mode control theory for torque-vectoring, but the experimental investigation is so far limited. More importantly, to the knowledge of the authors, the experimental comparison of direct yaw moment control based on sliding modes and typical controllers used for stability control in production vehicles is missing. This paper aims to reduce this gap by presenting and analyzing an integral sliding mode controller for concurrent yaw rate and sideslip control. A new driving mode, the Enhanced Sport mode, is proposed, inducing sustained high values of sideslip angle, which can be limited to a specified threshold. The system is experimentally assessed on a four-wheel-drive electric vehicle. The performance of the integral sliding mode controller is compared with that of a linear quadratic regulator during step steer tests. The results show that the integral sliding mode controller significantly enhances the tracking performance and yaw damping compared to the more conventional linear quadratic regulator based on an augmented singletrack vehicle model formulation. © 2018, The Korean Society of Automotive Engineers and Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Natur

Дефекты интенсивной терапии пациентов с COVID-19. Мнение экспертов и врачей

Background. A significant proportion of patients infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus had a severe course of the disease required hospitalization and intensive care The objective was to analyze the defects allowed during intensive care of patients with SARS-CoV-2, and to assess the causes of their occurrence.Materials and methods. An analytical study was made on the basis of expert opinions on 60 case histories of deceased patients in the intensive care unit with the main diagnosis: “COVID-19. Community-acquired bilateral polysegmental viral pneumonia ARDS”. To identify the reasons that led to defects in the diagnosis and treatment of patients with NCI COVID-19 in intensive care units, an anonymous survey of 92 anesthesiologists-resuscitators who worked in the “red zone” during the COVID-19 pandemic was conducted.Results. The defects identified by experts can be divided into two main groups: diagnostic defects and treatment defects. ARDS in 25%, PE in 8% of cases were not diagnosed. There was no ECG control and cardiac monitoring in 22%, lung CT in 6.7%, echocardiography in 10% of cases. Consultations of specialized specialists were not held in 11.7% of patients. There were defects in the correction of EBV and ABS in 30%, unreasonable prescribing of drugs in 58%, defects in vasopressor support in 10%, defects associated with mechanical ventilation in 40% of cases. The survey of physicians showed that the defects were based on insufficient knowledge of the governing documents and the limited capabilities of medical organizations to implement the necessary research.Conclusion. The obtained results made it possible to demonstrate the limitations and subjectivity of the existing assessment of the quality of medical care, which sometimes does not take into account the existing conditions for treating patients and the material and technical capabilities of a medical organization.Актуальность. У существенной части пациентов, инфицированных вирусом SARS-CoV-2, регистрировалось тяжелое течение заболевания, требовавшее госпитализации и проведения интенсивной терапии.Цель – анализ дефектов, допускаемых при интенсивной терапии пациентов с SARS-CoV-2, и оценка причин их появления.Материалы и методы. Аналитическое исследование выполнено на основе заключений экспертов по 60 историям болезней умерших пациентов в отделении реанимации и интенсивной терапии с основным диагнозом «COVID-19. Внебольничная двухсторонняя полисегментарная вирусная пневмония. ОРДС». Для выявления причин, приведших к дефектам диагностики и лечения пациентов с COVID-19, проведен обезличенный опрос 92 врачей анестезиологов-реаниматологов, работавших в «красной зоне» в период пандемии COVID-19.Результаты. Выявленные экспертами дефекты можно разделить на 2 основные группы: дефекты диагностики и дефекты лечения. Не диагностированы ОРДС в 25%, ТЭЛА в 8% случаев. Отсутствовали контроль ЭКГ и кардиомониторинг в 22%, КТ легких в 6,7%, эхокардиография в 10% случаев. Не проведены консультации профильных специалистов у 11,7% пациентов. Отмечались дефекты коррекции ВЭБ и КОС в 30%, необоснованное назначение препаратов в 58%, дефекты вазопрессорной поддержки в 10%, дефекты, связанные с проведением ИВЛ, – в 40% случаев. Опрос врачей показал, что в основе дефектов лежали как недостаточные знания руководящих документов, так и ограниченные возможности медицинских организаций по реализации необходимых исследований.Заключение. Полученные результаты позволили продемонстрировать ограниченность и субъективность существующей оценки качества оказания медицинской помощи, которая порой не учитывает условия лечения пациентов и материально-технические возможности медицинской организации

Microbial sulfate reduction and metal attenuation in pH 4 acid mine water

Sediments recovered from the flooded mine workings of the Penn Mine, a Cu-Zn mine abandoned since the early 1960s, were cultured for anaerobic bacteria over a range of pH (4.0 to 7.5). The molecular biology of sediments and cultures was studied to determine whether sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) were active in moderately acidic conditions present in the underground mine workings. Here we document multiple, independent analyses and show evidence that sulfate reduction and associated metal attenuation are occurring in the pH-4 mine environment. Water-chemistry analyses of the mine water reveal: (1) preferential complexation and precipitation by H2S of Cu and Cd, relative to Zn; (2) stable isotope ratios of 34S/32S and 18O/16O in dissolved SO4 that are 2–3 ‰ heavier in the mine water, relative to those in surface waters; (3) reduction/oxidation conditions and dissolved gas concentrations consistent with conditions to support anaerobic processes such as sulfate reduction. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) analyses of sediment show 1.5-micrometer, spherical ZnS precipitates. Phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) and denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) analyses of Penn Mine sediment show a high biomass level with a moderately diverse community structure composed primarily of iron- and sulfate-reducing bacteria. Cultures of sediment from the mine produced dissolved sulfide at pH values near 7 and near 4, forming precipitates of either iron sulfide or elemental sulfur. DGGE coupled with sequence and phylogenetic analysis of 16S rDNA gene segments showed populations of Desulfosporosinus and Desulfitobacterium in Penn Mine sediment and laboratory cultures

Management and Performance of Diagnostic Investigations on the Platform of the Specialized Anti-Epidemic Team Mobile Complex During EVD Epidemics in 2014 in the Republic of Guinea

Given is an account of the EVD epidemics that started in the Republic of Guinea in December, 2013 and spread over West African countries within 2014. Established have been the grounds for the Rospotrebnadzor SAET deployment in the Republic of Guinea, objectives, goals and stuffing of the mission, and mobile complex technical performance. Described are the key stages of the work, including the process of integration into the UNMEER. Outlined are priority areas of collaboration with the National Public Health Ministry and international partner organizations. Represented are the results of work on the Ebola fever and other dangerous infectious diseases diagnostics, carried out at the mobile facility. Provided is molecular-genetic characteristics of the Ebola virus

Detection of π+π−\pi^+\pi^-atoms with the DIRAC spectrometer at CERN

The goal of the DIRAC experiment at CERN is to measure with high precision the lifetime of the $\pi^+\pi^-$ atom ($A_{2\pi}$), which is of order $3\times10^{-15}$ s, and thus to determine the s-wave $\pi\pi$-scattering lengths difference $|a_{0}-a_{2}|$. $A_{2\pi}$ atoms are detected through the characteristic features of $\pi^+\pi^-$ pairs from the atom break-up (ionization) in the target. We report on a first high statistics atomic data sample obtained from p Ni interactions at 24 GeV/$c$ proton momentum and present the methods to separate the signal from the background.Comment: 19 pages, 12 figures, 1 tabl

Global patient outcomes after elective surgery: prospective cohort study in 27 low-, middle- and high-income countries.

BACKGROUND: As global initiatives increase patient access to surgical treatments, there remains a need to understand the adverse effects of surgery and define appropriate levels of perioperative care. METHODS: We designed a prospective international 7-day cohort study of outcomes following elective adult inpatient surgery in 27 countries. The primary outcome was in-hospital complications. Secondary outcomes were death following a complication (failure to rescue) and death in hospital. Process measures were admission to critical care immediately after surgery or to treat a complication and duration of hospital stay. A single definition of critical care was used for all countries. RESULTS: A total of 474 hospitals in 19 high-, 7 middle- and 1 low-income country were included in the primary analysis. Data included 44 814 patients with a median hospital stay of 4 (range 2-7) days. A total of 7508 patients (16.8%) developed one or more postoperative complication and 207 died (0.5%). The overall mortality among patients who developed complications was 2.8%. Mortality following complications ranged from 2.4% for pulmonary embolism to 43.9% for cardiac arrest. A total of 4360 (9.7%) patients were admitted to a critical care unit as routine immediately after surgery, of whom 2198 (50.4%) developed a complication, with 105 (2.4%) deaths. A total of 1233 patients (16.4%) were admitted to a critical care unit to treat complications, with 119 (9.7%) deaths. Despite lower baseline risk, outcomes were similar in low- and middle-income compared with high-income countries. CONCLUSIONS: Poor patient outcomes are common after inpatient surgery. Global initiatives to increase access to surgical treatments should also address the need for safe perioperative care. STUDY REGISTRATION: ISRCTN5181700