Tensile Properties of Irradiated Ti-5 Per Cent Al-2.5 Per Cent Sn ELI at Cryogenic Temperatures

Tensile properties of irradiated titanium, aluminum, and tin alloy at cryogenic temperatur

Polystyrene cryostat facilitates testing tensile specimens under liquid nitrogen

Lightweight cryostat made of expanded polystyrene reduces eccentricity in a tensile system being tested under liquid nitrogen. The cryostat is attached directly to the tensile system by a special seal, reducing misalignment effects due to cryostat weight, and facilitates viewing and loading of the specimens

Women in the United States Congress: Historical Overview, Tables, and Discussion

A record 102 women currently serve in the 113th Congress: 82 in the House (63 Democrats and 19 Republicans) and 20 in the Senate (16 Democrats and 4 Republicans). One hundred one women were initially sworn in to the 113th Congress—1 female Republican House Member has since resigned, and 2 Democratic House Members have been elected. This is higher than the previous record number of 95 women who were initially elected to the 111th Congress. The first woman elected to Congress was Representative Jeannette Rankin (R- MT, 1917-1919, 1941-1943). The first woman to serve in the Senate was Rebecca Latimer Felton (D-GA). She was appointed in 1922 and served for only one day. Hattie Caraway (D-AR, 1931-1945) was the first Senator to succeed her husband and the first woman elected to a six-year Senate term. A total of 298 women have served in Congress, 194 Democrats and 104 Republicans. Of these women, 254 (165 Democrats, 89 Republicans) have served only in the House of Representatives; 34 (21 Democrats, 13 Republicans) have served only in the Senate; and 10 (8 Democrats, 2 Republicans) have served in both houses. These figures include 4 non-voting Delegates, 1 each from Guam, Hawaii, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. A total of 33 African American women have served in Congress (1 in the Senate, 32 in the House), including 17 serving in the 113th Congress. Ten Hispanic women have been elected to the House; nine serve in the 113th Congress. Nine Asian Pacific American women have served in Congress (8 in the House, 1 in both the House and Senate), including seven in the 113th Congress. Nineteen women in the House, and 10 women in the Senate, have chaired committees. In the 113th Congress, 1 woman chairs a House committee, and 5 women chair Senate committees, with 1 female Senator chairing two committees. This report includes a discussion of the impact of women in Congress as well as historical information, including the number and percentage of women in Congress over time, means of entry to Congress, comparisons to international and state legislatures, records for tenure, firsts for women in Congress, women in leadership, and African American and Asian Pacific American women in Congress. The report may reflect data at the beginning or end of each Congress, or changes during a Congress. See the notes throughout the report for information on the currency of the data

Comparative genetics of Enterococcus faecalis intestinal tissue isolates before and after surgery in a rat model of colon anastomosis.

We have recently demonstrated that collagenolytic Enterococcus faecalis plays a key and causative role in the pathogenesis of anastomotic leak, an uncommon but potentially lethal complication characterized by disruption of the intestinal wound following segmental removal of the colon (resection) and its reconnection (anastomosis). Here we hypothesized that comparative genetic analysis of E. faecalis isolates present at the anastomotic wound site before and after surgery would shed insight into the mechanisms by which collagenolytic strains are selected for and predominate at sites of anastomotic disruption. Whole genome optical mapping of four pairs of isolates from rat colonic tissue obtained following surgical resection (herein named "pre-op" isolates) and then 6 days later from the anastomotic site (herein named "post-op" isolates) demonstrated that the isolates with higher collagenolytic activity formed a distinct cluster. In order to perform analysis at a deeper level, a single pair of E. faecalis isolates (16A pre-op and 16A post-op) was selected for whole genome sequencing and assembled using a hybrid assembly algorithm. Comparative genomics demonstrated absence of multiple gene clusters, notably a pathogenicity island in the post-op isolate. No differences were found in the fsr-gelE-sprE genes (EF1817-1822) responsible for regulation and production of collagenolytic activity. Analysis of unique genes among the 16A pre-op and post-op isolates revealed the predominance of transporter systems-related genes in the pre-op isolate and phage-related and hydrolytic enzyme-encoding genes in the post-op isolate. Despite genetic differences observed between pre-op and post-op isolates, the precise genetic determinants responsible for their differential expression of collagenolytic activity remains unknown

Seroprevalence of Human Parvovirus B19 among Voluntary Blood Donors in Chennai: A Cross Sectional study

BACKGROUND : The transfusion transmitted emerging infectious agents has become a real threat to the transfusion safety. Human parvovirus B19 is one of the common viral infection worldwide with a potential threat of transfusion transmission through blood and its products particularly affecting the high risk groups. Introduction of screening test for detecting Human parvovirus B19 antibodies for blood donors needs further evaluation for its potential risk and cost effectiveness. AIM : To find out the seroprevalence of Human parvovirus B19 among voluntary blood donors in Chennai. MATERIALS AND METHODS : 106 blood samples from voluntary blood donors were collected in one year period from July 2015 to June 2016 and were subjected to IgM and IgG serological tests using NovaLisa Human parvovirus B19 ELISA kits. Data analysis was done using SPSS software and Chi-square test was used to find statistical significance. RESULTS : Among 106 voluntary blood donors, 44.3% of the donors were positive for anti-B19V IgG and none were positive for anti-B19V IgM. There was a statistically significant difference (p=0.018) in IgG positivity among different age group. Percentage of IgG B19V seropositivity gradually increases along with increase in age of the donors. Statistically significant difference (p=0.001) in IgG positivity in different socioeconomic groups affecting lower socioeconomic group more than the middle and higher groups. There was a statistically significant difference (p=0.019) in IgG positivity during different months in a year. Among 47 donors positive for IgG B19V, one was positive for HBsAg and two were positive for anti-HCV. CONCLUSION : The seroprevalence of anti-B19V IgG in blood donors is 44.3%. All donor samples in this study were seronegative for IgM. Further larger studies are needed to confirm the possibility of transfusion transmission of Human parvovirus B19, to estimate clinical impacts on recipients and to justify the introduction of donor screening for Human parvovirus B19. Till then it is imperative to screen blood components at least for high risk recipients