Development of a Real-Time PCR Assay for the Detection and Diagnosis of Streptococcus suis in Clinical Samples

Streptococcus suis is an important pathogenic bacteria known to cause meningitis and fibrinous polyserositis in swine. Several bacterial real-time polymerase chain reaction assays (qPCRs) have been developed for use at the Iowa State University Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory (ISU VDL); however, qPCR protocols for the detection of S. suis were lacking. qPCR is often considered an appealing alternative to culture-based or immunoassay-based diagnostic methods because of its ability to rapidly test a large volume of samples with a high degree of target specificity. One hundred seventy-four clinical samples were obtained from the ISU VDL and were tested by qPCR targeting the recombination/repair protein (recN) gene. Samples were collected both prospectively and retrospectively. Ninety-three BacT positive samples were analyzed across sample type (brain, lung, heart, joint fluid). A Pearson χ2 value of 4.024 and a P-value of 0.1337 suggests anatomical location does not affect testing outcome when α=0.05. The data were then aggregated based on case level and compared to the case diagnosis. Using this method, a qPCR positive result agreed with a diagnosis of S. suis 59.7±10.3% of the time, while the isolation of S. suis agreed with a diagnosis of infection in 75±8.2% of diagnostic cases

The Bastille Effect

The “Bastille Effect” refers to the unique ways that former sites of political imprisonment are transformed, physically and culturally. In their afterlives, these sites represent sustained efforts to hold perpetrators accountable for state violence. For that narrative to surface, the sites must be cleansed of their profane past. In some cases, clergy are even enlisted to perform purifying rituals that grant the sites a new identity as memorials. Around the globe, carceral sites have been dramatically repurposed into places of enlightenment that offer inspiring allegories of human rights. Interpreting the complexities of those common threads, this book weaves together a broad range of cultural, interdisciplinary, and critical thought to offer new insights into the study of political imprisonment, collective memory, and post-conflict societies. “The scholarly work of Michael Welch is recognized for its blend of critical theory and human rights. The Bastille Effect is no exception. This book reveals the terrible depths— and pains—of political imprisonment.” KIERAN MCEVOY, Queen’s University, Belfast “With compelling case studies, this wide-ranging book expands the significance of human rights to political imprisonment, technologies of power, and the meaning of memory.” DIEGO ZYSMAN QUIRÓS, University of Buenos Aires “Welch’s highly original project on the afterlife of sites of political imprisonment throws new critical light onto the politics of punishment and represents an important contribution to the burgeoning study of comparative penality.” TIM NEWBURN, London School of Economic

Nanomorphology of the blue iridescent wings of a giant tropical wasp, "Megascolia procer javanensis" (Hymenoptera)

The wings of the giant wasp "Megascolia Procer Javanensis" are opaque and iridescent. The origin of the blue-green iridescence is studied in detail, using reflection spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy and physical modelling. It is shown that the structure responsible for the iridescence is a single homogeneous transparent chitin layer covering the whole surface of each wing. The opacity is essentially due to the presence of melanin in the stratified medium which forms the mechanical core of the wing.Comment: 8 pages, 7 figures. Improved version. Accepted for publication in Phys. Rev.

Non-thermal X-ray Emission: An Alternative to Cluster Cooling Flows?

We report the results of experiments aimed at reducing the major problem with cooling flow models of rich cluster X-ray sources: the fact that most of the cooled gas or its products have not been found. Here we show that much of the X-ray emission usually attributed to cooling flows can, in fact, be modeled by a power-law component which is indicative of a source(s) other than thermal bremsstrahlung from the intracluster medium. We find that adequate simultaneous fits to ROSAT PSPCB and ASCA GIS/SIS spectra of the central regions of ten clusters are obtained for two-component models that include a thermal plasma component that is attributable to hot intracluster gas and a power-law component that is likely generated by compact sources and/or extended non-thermal emission. For five of the clusters that purportedly have massive cooling flows, the best-fit models have power-law components that contribute $\sim$ 30 % of the total flux (0.14 - 10.0 keV) within the central 3 arcminutes. Because cooling flow mass deposition rates are inferred from X-ray fluxes, our finding opens the possibility of significantly reducing cooling rates.Comment: 11 pages, 3 figures, emulateapj style. Accepted for publication in Ap

Alien Registration- Welch, Michael M. (Portland, Cumberland County)

https://digitalmaine.com/alien_docs/24692/thumbnail.jp