METHODS FOR PREDICTING THE REMAINING LIFE OF ELECTRONIC ASSEMBLIES WITH CARBON NANOTUBES AND AN OPTICAL TRANSDUCTION TECHNIQUE

ABSTRACT Life consumption monitoring is a method of quantifying the degradation of a system by monitoring the life cycle environment. With current research demonstrating the value of nanotubes as sensors, they may prove to be an inexpensive, compact, and reliable means to monitor not only system environments, but also physical signs of degradation. Life consumption monitoring of electronic assemblies can be cost-effectively done using optical strain measurement techniques. In this study, current output from an optical sensor can be used to interpret combined temperature and vibration histories. This may be accomplished by passing monofrequency light through optical fibers in a peripheral arrangement on a dummy chip. Any deviation from the null condition results in misalignment of the fibers, and hence reduction in intensity and current output. With appropriate failure data at different stress levels, it is possible to determine damage and estimate the remaining life. The key challenges are to determine whether such an optical health monitoring scheme can be sufficiently accurate and robust, and whether the results can be applied to a variety of packages at any location on a circuit assembly

An estimation of thermophilic Campylobacter population in ready-to-eat roast beef and chicken sold and hygiene practices of sellers in beer bars in Arusha, Tanzania.

Background: In Tanzania, ‘nyama-choma’ (roast beef) and ‘kuku-choma’ (roast chicken) are popular ready-to-eat foods served in beer bars. A separate risk assessment for thermophilic Campylobacter in Arusha showed that the incidence rate was 6.4 people (90% CI: 3.4-10.4) per 1000 peopleper day but the concentration of Campylobacter in beef, which was not studied, was the factor influencing the results of the assessment the most. The present study was thus conducted to understand the concentration of thermophilic Campylobacter on roast beef and chicken surfaces as well as that on raw beef using the most probable number (MPN) approach. Methods: A survey was conducted in Arusha, Tanzania in September and October 2010 and 30 samples of beef sold at butchers and 30 samples of roast beef and 10 samples of roast chicken sold at nyama-choma beer bars were collected and these butchers and bar owners were interviewed for the sales and hygiene information. Fifty grams of samples were rinsed with 25 ml of Phosphate Buffered Saline (PBS) and one ml of each three replicates of this solution and 10 and 100 times diluted solutions were inoculated to Preston broth and incubated at 42°C for 24 hours in a CO2 jar. The solutions were then cultured on CCDA agar at 42°C for 48 hours and the isolates were sub-cultured on blood agar and the DNA was extracted. The extracted DNA was tested for thermophilic Campylobacter using PCR and positive DNA was tested for both C. jejuni and C. coli. The MPN of the isolates was obtained from the MPN table. Results: Out of 70 samples, thermophilic Campylobacter isolates were detected from one sample of roast chicken and identified as C. coli. The prevalence was therefore 0% (0/30) for beef at butchers, 0% (0/30) for roast beef and 10% (1/10) for roast chicken. The MPN of the C. coli was 0.37/g of meat (95% CI: 0.07 – 1.0). A low recovery rate and the small value of MPN might be due to dry and hot selling environment in butchers and heat of roasted meats. According to the interviews with 30 butchers, 7 respondents (23%) had a refrigerator and 16 (53%) had received hygiene training. Similarly, out of 40 nyama-choma beer bar owners where 30 roast beef and 10 roast chicken were sampled, 8 (20%) had a refrigerator and 21 (53%) had been trained. All the respondents used tap water in their operation. The fact that C. coli was recovered from roast chicken suggested possible post-roast contamination and although the owner of the bar which C. coli was detected did not use same utensils for both raw and roasted meat, 38% (15/40) of nyama-choma bar operators reported using. The proportions of pubs using the same utensils for both raw and roast meat were not significantly different between those trained for hygiene (7/21, 33%) and not trained (8/19, 42%, x2=0.06, df=1, p=0.81), suggesting ineffectiveness of hygiene training provided by the health authorities. Future research should focus on updating the risk assessment and incentives of compliance to hygiene regulation

Formulation and pharmacodynamic evaluation of meloxicam liquisolid compacts

The purpose of this study was to improve the meloxicam dissolution rate through its formulation into liquisolid compacts and then to evaluate the in vitro and in vivo performance of the prepared liquisolid compacts. Dissolution efficiency, mean dissolution time and relative dissolution rate of liquisolid compacts were calculated and compared to marketed formulation. The degree of interaction between the ME and excipients was studied by differential scanning calorimetry and X-ray diffraction were used and results revealed that, there was a loss of meloxicam crystallanity upon liquisolid formulation and almost molecularly dispersed state, which contributed to the enhanced drug dissolution properties. The optimized liquisolid compact showed higher dissolution rates and dissolution efficiency compared to commercial product. The analgesic and anti inflammatory response of optimized liquisolid compact in Swiss albino mice and Wistar rats was found to be superior compared to the marketed formulation.Colegio de Farmacéuticos de la Provincia de Buenos Aire

Effects of extraction methods on the fuel characteristics and diesel engine performances of jatropha curcas biodiesel

The development of high-quality biodiesel fuel has become more relevant due to the limited reserve and environmental effects of fossil fuel. In this study, oils derived from Jatropha curcas seeds through two extraction methods (soxhlet and cold-press) were compared. The fuel characteristics investigation suggested that methyl ester derived from oil extracted with the soxhlet method has lower viscosity, higher calculated cetane index, and slightly higher sulphur content. Comparison on the fuel characteristics with biodiesel standards showed that the methyl esters still had substantial amount of methanol and water due to low temperature during transesterification. The oils were also compared for their engine performances in a diesel engine under engine rotation of 1800 to 3000 RPM by blending derived methyl ester with pure petro-diesel to create B20 biodiesel. On average, B20 from soxhlet extraction has 3.86% higher power output, 3.55% higher torque, 3.4% higher BMEP, and 5.89% lower BSFC compared to cold-press. The extraction method affects the fuel characteristics of the methyl ester and the engine performances of the B20 biodiesel

Canine models of Duchenne muscular dystrophy and their use in therapeutic strategies

Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is an X-linked recessive disorder in which the loss of dystrophin causes progressive degeneration of skeletal and cardiac muscle. Potential therapies that carry substantial risk, such as gene and cell-based approaches, must first be tested in animal models, notably the mdx mouse and several dystrophin-deficient breeds of dogs, including golden retriever muscular dystrophy (GRMD). Affected dogs have a more severe phenotype, in keeping with that of DMD, so may better predict disease pathogenesis and treatment efficacy. We and others have developed various phenotypic tests to characterize disease progression in the GRMD model. These biomarkers range from measures of strength and joint contractures to magnetic resonance imaging. Some of these tests are routinely used in clinical veterinary practice, while others require specialized equipment and expertise. By comparing serial measurements from treated and untreated groups, one can document improvement or delayed progression of disease. Potential treatments for DMD may be broadly categorized as molecular, cellular, or pharmacologic. The GRMD model has increasingly been used to assess efficacy of a range of these therapies. While some of these studies have largely provided general proof-of-concept for the treatment under study, others have demonstrated efficacy using the biomarkers discussed. Importantly, just as symptoms in DMD vary among patients, GRMD dogs display remarkable phenotypic variation. While confounding statistical analysis in preclinical trials, this variation offers insight regarding the role that modifier genes play in disease pathogenesis. By correlating functional and mRNA profiling results, gene targets for therapy development can be identified

A framework for human microbiome research

A variety of microbial communities and their genes (the microbiome) exist throughout the human body, with fundamental roles in human health and disease. The National Institutes of Health (NIH)-funded Human Microbiome Project Consortium has established a population-scale framework to develop metagenomic protocols, resulting in a broad range of quality-controlled resources and data including standardized methods for creating, processing and interpreting distinct types of high-throughput metagenomic data available to the scientific community. Here we present resources from a population of 242 healthy adults sampled at 15 or 18 body sites up to three times, which have generated 5,177 microbial taxonomic profiles from 16S ribosomal RNA genes and over 3.5 terabases of metagenomic sequence so far. In parallel, approximately 800 reference strains isolated from the human body have been sequenced. Collectively, these data represent the largest resource describing the abundance and variety of the human microbiome, while providing a framework for current and future studies

Structure, function and diversity of the healthy human microbiome

Author Posting. © The Authors, 2012. This article is posted here by permission of Nature Publishing Group. The definitive version was published in Nature 486 (2012): 207-214, doi:10.1038/nature11234.Studies of the human microbiome have revealed that even healthy individuals differ remarkably in the microbes that occupy habitats such as the gut, skin and vagina. Much of this diversity remains unexplained, although diet, environment, host genetics and early microbial exposure have all been implicated. Accordingly, to characterize the ecology of human-associated microbial communities, the Human Microbiome Project has analysed the largest cohort and set of distinct, clinically relevant body habitats so far. We found the diversity and abundance of each habitat’s signature microbes to vary widely even among healthy subjects, with strong niche specialization both within and among individuals. The project encountered an estimated 81–99% of the genera, enzyme families and community configurations occupied by the healthy Western microbiome. Metagenomic carriage of metabolic pathways was stable among individuals despite variation in community structure, and ethnic/racial background proved to be one of the strongest associations of both pathways and microbes with clinical metadata. These results thus delineate the range of structural and functional configurations normal in the microbial communities of a healthy population, enabling future characterization of the epidemiology, ecology and translational applications of the human microbiome.This research was supported in part by National Institutes of Health grants U54HG004969 to B.W.B.; U54HG003273 to R.A.G.; U54HG004973 to R.A.G., S.K.H. and J.F.P.; U54HG003067 to E.S.Lander; U54AI084844 to K.E.N.; N01AI30071 to R.L.Strausberg; U54HG004968 to G.M.W.; U01HG004866 to O.R.W.; U54HG003079 to R.K.W.; R01HG005969 to C.H.; R01HG004872 to R.K.; R01HG004885 to M.P.; R01HG005975 to P.D.S.; R01HG004908 to Y.Y.; R01HG004900 to M.K.Cho and P. Sankar; R01HG005171 to D.E.H.; R01HG004853 to A.L.M.; R01HG004856 to R.R.; R01HG004877 to R.R.S. and R.F.; R01HG005172 to P. Spicer.; R01HG004857 to M.P.; R01HG004906 to T.M.S.; R21HG005811 to E.A.V.; M.J.B. was supported by UH2AR057506; G.A.B. was supported by UH2AI083263 and UH3AI083263 (G.A.B., C. N. Cornelissen, L. K. Eaves and J. F. Strauss); S.M.H. was supported by UH3DK083993 (V. B. Young, E. B. Chang, F. Meyer, T. M. S., M. L. Sogin, J. M. Tiedje); K.P.R. was supported by UH2DK083990 (J. V.); J.A.S. and H.H.K. were supported by UH2AR057504 and UH3AR057504 (J.A.S.); DP2OD001500 to K.M.A.; N01HG62088 to the Coriell Institute for Medical Research; U01DE016937 to F.E.D.; S.K.H. was supported by RC1DE0202098 and R01DE021574 (S.K.H. and H. Li); J.I. was supported by R21CA139193 (J.I. and D. S. Michaud); K.P.L. was supported by P30DE020751 (D. J. Smith); Army Research Office grant W911NF-11-1-0473 to C.H.; National Science Foundation grants NSF DBI-1053486 to C.H. and NSF IIS-0812111 to M.P.; The Office of Science of the US Department of Energy under Contract No. DE-AC02-05CH11231 for P.S. C.; LANL Laboratory-Directed Research and Development grant 20100034DR and the US Defense Threat Reduction Agency grants B104153I and B084531I to P.S.C.; Research Foundation - Flanders (FWO) grant to K.F. and J.Raes; R.K. is an HHMI Early Career Scientist; Gordon&BettyMoore Foundation funding and institutional funding fromthe J. David Gladstone Institutes to K.S.P.; A.M.S. was supported by fellowships provided by the Rackham Graduate School and the NIH Molecular Mechanisms in Microbial Pathogenesis Training Grant T32AI007528; a Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of Canada Grant in Aid of Research to E.A.V.; 2010 IBM Faculty Award to K.C.W.; analysis of the HMPdata was performed using National Energy Research Scientific Computing resources, the BluBioU Computational Resource at Rice University

Post-intervention Status in Patients With Refractory Myasthenia Gravis Treated With Eculizumab During REGAIN and Its Open-Label Extension

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate whether eculizumab helps patients with anti-acetylcholine receptor-positive (AChR+) refractory generalized myasthenia gravis (gMG) achieve the Myasthenia Gravis Foundation of America (MGFA) post-intervention status of minimal manifestations (MM), we assessed patients' status throughout REGAIN (Safety and Efficacy of Eculizumab in AChR+ Refractory Generalized Myasthenia Gravis) and its open-label extension. METHODS: Patients who completed the REGAIN randomized controlled trial and continued into the open-label extension were included in this tertiary endpoint analysis. Patients were assessed for the MGFA post-intervention status of improved, unchanged, worse, MM, and pharmacologic remission at defined time points during REGAIN and through week 130 of the open-label study. RESULTS: A total of 117 patients completed REGAIN and continued into the open-label study (eculizumab/eculizumab: 56; placebo/eculizumab: 61). At week 26 of REGAIN, more eculizumab-treated patients than placebo-treated patients achieved a status of improved (60.7% vs 41.7%) or MM (25.0% vs 13.3%; common OR: 2.3; 95% CI: 1.1-4.5). After 130 weeks of eculizumab treatment, 88.0% of patients achieved improved status and 57.3% of patients achieved MM status. The safety profile of eculizumab was consistent with its known profile and no new safety signals were detected. CONCLUSION: Eculizumab led to rapid and sustained achievement of MM in patients with AChR+ refractory gMG. These findings support the use of eculizumab in this previously difficult-to-treat patient population. CLINICALTRIALSGOV IDENTIFIER: REGAIN, NCT01997229; REGAIN open-label extension, NCT02301624. CLASSIFICATION OF EVIDENCE: This study provides Class II evidence that, after 26 weeks of eculizumab treatment, 25.0% of adults with AChR+ refractory gMG achieved MM, compared with 13.3% who received placebo