Ablative Z-Pinch Pulsed Plasma Thruster

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/77148/1/AIAA-4362-652.pd

Prevalence of contagious and environmental mastitis-causing bacteria in bulk tank milk and its relationships with milking practices of dairy cattle herds in São Miguel Island (Azores)

This study aimed to assess the degree of contamination of bulk tank milk (BTM) by Staphylococcus spp. and coliform bacteria and to identify major milking practices that help perpetuate them in dairy cattle herds in São Miguel Island. In July 2014, BTM was sampled and a survey concerning local milking practices was conducted on 100 herds. Semi quantitative multiplex polymerase chain reaction detected coagulase-negative staphylococci, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and other coliform bacteria (Klebsiella oxytoca, Klebsiella pneumoniae, andSerratia marcescens) in 100, 75, 59, and 35 % of BTM, respectively. According to multivariable univariate models, on herds not using hot water for cleaning the milking machine and teat liners, there was at least 3.4 more odds (P<0.01) to have S. aureus or coliform bacteria contamination in BTM. The likelihoodoffinding S.aureus inBTMwas higher(P<0.001)on herds without high hygiene during milking, when milking mastitic cows at the end, on abrupt cessation of milking at dry-off, and official milk control implementation. The glove use also favored (odds ratio (OR) 5.8; P<0.01)thedetection ofcoliformbacteriainBTM.Poormilkingpracticesidentified in this study should be avoided in order to decrease S. aureus and coliform bacteria contamination of BTM. Other factors associated with milk quality in São Miguel Island also should be further investigated

Les cellulites orbitaires

International audienc

Molecular evidence for the polyphyletic origin of low pH adaptation in the genus Klebsormidium (Klebsormidiophyceae, Streptophyta)

Background and aims – Algae living in low pH environments have been the subject of numerous studies, but their phylogenetic relationships with relatives found in non-acidic habitats are poorly known. In the present study we analyzed the morphology and phylogeny of acid-adapted strains of Klebsormidium, a genus of filamentous green algae frequently present in low pH environments. Methods – Eighteen strains of Klebsormidium were collected from from low pH habitats in Europe and U.S.A., mainly from terrestrial sites affected directly or indirectly by carbon mining activities. These algae were isolated in culture and their phylogenetic relationships were studied using rbcL and ITS rDNA sequence data in a concatenated dataset. Key results – In the molecular phylogeny the strains of Klebsormidium living in low pH habitats formed a polyphyletic assemblage. They were representative of sixteen lineages and corresponded morphologically to six species (K. crenulatum, K. elegans, K. flaccidum, K. fluitans, K. nitens, K. scopulinum), with the exception of four strains for which an unambiguous identification was not possible. Conclusions – The genus Klebsormidium is a group of morphologically and physiologically dynamic algae in which the capacity of adaptation to low pH conditions has been developed multiple times independently. Extreme acidophilic populations probably originate from populations of various species growing locally when strongly acidic habitats become available. For the acid-adapted lineages of Klebsormidium examined here the current known distribution is geographically restricted, with the exception of a lineage containing strains from Czech Republic, New Zealand and Ohio

Campylobacter coli cultured from the stools of a patient with immunoproliferative small intestinal disease

International audienceCampylobacter has been associated with immunoproliferative small intestinal disease (IPSID), on the basis of 16S rDNA sequencing, in situ hybridization, and immunohistochemistry. Here, for the first time, we have cultured Campylobacter from the stools of a patient with IPSID. Phenotypic analysis and whole genome sequencing identified Campylobacter coli. PCR on a IPSID tissue biopsy sample was positive for Campylobacter coli and negative for Campylobacter jejuni. These findings further support a causative role for Campylobacter in the development of IPSID

Quantification of overload injuries to thoracolumbar vertebrae and discs in persons exposed to heavy physical exertions or vibration at the workplace Part II: Occurrence and magnitude of overload injury in exposed cohorts

Objective: Quantitative documentation of primary mechanical overload injury to lumbar vertebrae and discs caused by long-term exposure to heavy physical exertions or whole-body vibration at the workplace. Study design: A cross sectional study measuring vertebral height, sagittal plane displacement and disc height from lateral radiographic views of exposed cohorts and comparing the results with a normative database complied from radiographs of unexposed, healthy subjects. Background: Current guidelines on health and safety during manual handling and lifting as well as under conditions of whole-body vibration are aimed at minimising potential risks specifically to the lumbar spine. Such regulations affect a large percentage of the labour force, and their enforcement constitutes a major economic factor. Up to now, however, the prevalence of work-related primary mechanical overload damage to lumbar vertebrae and discs has not been quantified and the effectiveness of the guidelines in preventing overload damage has not been proven. Methods: Overload damage to the lumbar spine is expected to result potentially in (i) fractures effecting a decrease in vertebral height or a wedge shape of vertebral bodies, (ii) a derangement of the sagittal plane alignment of lumbar vertebrae, resulting in dorso-ventral displacement, or (iii) primary injury to intervertebral discs or fracture of vertebral endplates, resulting in a decrease in disc height. To assess the occurrence and magnitude of such damage, archive lateral radiographic views and work histories of 355 subjects with long-term exposure to heavy physical exertions or whole-body vibration at the workplace were collected from 8 cohorts in the steel, mining and oil industries as well as from public services. Vertebral height, sagittal plane displacement and disc height were measured, employing advanced methods of image analysis compensating for distortion in central projection as well as for variation in radiographic technique, patient posture and stature. The measured data were compared with age-appropriate data of normative databases, previously compiled from radiographs of healthy, male, unexposed subjects (n=737) in the age range between 17 and 57 years. Results: Comparison with normative databases demonstrates that in the cohorts under study (save for a cohort performing a specialised task in a forward bent posture and a cohort of miners with mean age close to 60 y) neither exposure to very heavy physical exertions in manual labour nor exposure to whole-body vibration or shock loading resulted in a height decrease or wedge-shape deformation of lumbar vertebrae. Heavy spinal loading or whole-body vibration did not lead to increased sagittal plane (dorso-ventral) displacement of lumbar vertebrae. Lifting and handling very heavy objects, specifically when working in confined spaces or on uneven ground, lead to a noticeable and significant decrease in the height of lumbar discs. While exposure to vibration on damped machine operators' seats did not lead to a reduction in disc height, vibration and shock loading transmitted from unsprung seats on (in some cases) unsprung machines resulted in a noticeable and significant decrease in lumbar disc height. Conclusions: This study demonstrates, for the first time, objectively and quantitatively that spinal loading in certain industrial workplaces can result in damage to lumbar discs. Heights of vertebral bodies and sagittal plane displacement were generally unaffected. Any workplaces with characteristics similar to those identified here as detrimental are in urgent need of ergonomic redesign. That ergonomic redesign can be effective in reducing spinal overload damage is starkly demonstrated by comparing the results from vibration-exposed cohorts of machine operators using damped as opposed to unsprung seats. The question of whether heavy work is related to the prevalence of symptoms and/or resultant disability remains to be determined, but the results here suggest that existing ergonomic guidelines are justified to reduce the risk of irreversible spinal damage