2,285 research outputs found
H5N1 Clade 2.2 Polymorphism Tracing Identifies Influenza Recombination and Potential Vaccine Targets
Highly pathogenic Influenza A H5N1 was first identified in Guangdong Province in 1996, followed by human cases in Hong Kong in 1997 1. The number of confirmed human cases now exceeds 300 and the associated Case Fatality Rate exceeds 60% 2. The genetic diversity of the serotype continues to increase. Four distinct clades or sub-clades have been linked to human cases 3.4. The gradual genetic changes identified in the sub-clades have been attributed to copy errors by viral encoded polymerases that lack an editing function, thereby resulting in antigenic drift 5. We traced polymorphism acquisition in Clade 2.2 sequences. We report here the concurrent acquisition of the same polymorphism by multiple, genetically distinct, Clade 2.2 sub-clades in Egypt, Russia and Ghana. These changes are not easily explained by the current theory of “random mutation” through copy error, and are more easily explained by recombination with a common source. This conclusion is supported by additional polymorphisms shared by Clade 2.2 isolates in Egypt, Nigeria and Germany including aggregation of regional polymorphisms from each of these areas into a single Nigerian human hemagglutinin gene
The Effect of Arsenic Mitigation Interventions on Disease Burden in Bangladesh
Many interventions have been advocated to mitigate the impact of arsenic contamination of drinking water in Bangladesh. However, there are few data on the true magnitude of arsenic-related disease in Bangladesh nationally. There has also been little consideration given to possible adverse effects of such interventions, in particular, diarrheal disease. The purpose of this study was to estimate and compare the likely impacts of arsenic mitigation interventions on both arsenic-related disease and water-borne infectious disease. We found that arsenic-related disease currently results in 9,136 deaths per year and 174,174 disability-adjusted life years (DALYs; undiscounted) lost per year in those exposed to arsenic concentrations > 50 μg/L. This constitutes 0.3% of the total disease burden in Bangladesh in terms of undiscounted DALYs. We found intervention to be of overall benefit in reducing disease burden in most scenarios examined, but the concomitant increase in water-related infectious disease significantly reduced the potential benefits gained from intervention. A minimum reduction in arsenic-related DALYs of 77% was necessary before intervention achieved any reduction in net disease burden. This is assuming that interventions were provided to those exposed to > 50 μg/L and would concomitantly result in a 20% increase in water-related infectious disease in those without access to adequate sanitation. Intervention appears to be justified for those populations exposed to high levels of arsenic, but it must be based on exposure levels and on the effectiveness of interventions not only in reducing arsenic but in minimizing risk of water-related infections
Magnetic Resonance Imaging of Ventilation and Perfusion in the Lung
Methods, devices, and systems are disclosed for implementing a fully quantitative non-injectable contrast proton MRI technique to measure spatial ventilation-perfusion (VA/Q) matching and spatial distribution of ventilation and perfusion. In one aspect, a method using MRI to characterize ventilation and perfusion in a lung includes acquiring an MR image of the lung having MR data in a voxel and obtaining a breathing frequency parameter, determining a water density value, a specific ventilation value, and a perfusion value in at least one voxel of the MR image based on the MR data and using the water density value to determine an air content value, and determining a ventilation-perfusion ratio value that is the product of the specific ventilation value, the air content value, the inverse of the perfusion value, and the breathing frequency
Visual based Tomato Size Measurement System for an Indoor Farming Environment
As technology progresses, smart automated systems will serve an increasingly
important role in the agricultural industry. Current existing vision systems
for yield estimation face difficulties in occlusion and scalability as they
utilize a camera system that is large and expensive, which are unsuitable for
orchard environments. To overcome these problems, this paper presents a size
measurement method combining a machine learning model and depth images captured
from three low cost RGBD cameras to detect and measure the height and width of
tomatoes. The performance of the presented system is evaluated on a lab
environment with real tomato fruits and fake leaves to simulate occlusion in
the real farm environment. To improve accuracy by addressing fruit occlusion,
our three-camera system was able to achieve a height measurement accuracy of
0.9114 and a width accuracy of 0.9443.Comment: 10 Pages, 12 Figure
BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations in a population-based study of male breast cancer
Background: The contribution of BRCA1 and BRCA2 to the incidence of male breast cancer (MBC)
in the United Kingdom is not known, and the importance of these genes in the increased risk of female
breast cancer associated with a family history of breast cancer in a male first-degree relative is unclear.
Methods: We have carried out a population-based study of 94 MBC cases collected in the UK. We
screened genomic DNA for mutations in BRCA1 and BRCA2 and used family history data from these
cases to calculate the risk of breast cancer to female relatives of MBC cases. We also estimated the
contribution of BRCA1 and BRCA2 to this risk.
Results: Nineteen cases (20%) reported a first-degree relative with breast cancer, of whom seven also
had an affected second-degree relative. The breast cancer risk in female first-degree relatives was 2.4
times (95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.4–4.0) the risk in the general population. No BRCA1 mutation
carriers were identified and five cases were found to carry a mutation in BRCA2. Allowing for a
mutation detection sensitivity frequency of 70%, the carrier frequency for BRCA2 mutations was 8%
(95% CI = 3–19). All the mutation carriers had a family history of breast, ovarian, prostate or
pancreatic cancer. However, BRCA2 accounted for only 15% of the excess familial risk of breast
cancer in female first-degree relatives.
Conclusion: These data suggest that other genes that confer an increased risk for both female and
male breast cancer have yet to be found
Dynamics of localization in a waveguide
This is a review of the dynamics of wave propagation through a disordered
N-mode waveguide in the localized regime. The basic quantities considered are
the Wigner-Smith and single-mode delay times, plus the time-dependent power
spectrum of a reflected pulse. The long-time dynamics is dominated by resonant
transmission over length scales much larger than the localization length. The
corresponding distribution of the Wigner-Smith delay times is the Laguerre
ensemble of random-matrix theory. In the power spectrum the resonances show up
as a 1/t^2 tail after N^2 scattering times. In the distribution of single-mode
delay times the resonances introduce a dynamic coherent backscattering effect,
that provides a way to distinguish localization from absorption.Comment: 18 pages including 8 figures; minor correction
Can Energetic Terahertz Pulses Initiate Surface Catalytic Reactions on the Picosecond Time Scale?
In preparation for picosecond pump-probe experiments at the SwissFELX-ray laser facility, the feasibility of collectively initiating surface chemical reactions using energetic pulses of terahertz radiation is being tested
SWAMI: A SWARM-INTELLIGENT OPTIMIZATION TECHNIQUE FOR VOLTAGE COLLAPSE MITIGATION
In this paper, a voltage collapse optimization system based on comparative studies of swarm-intelligent techniques is proposed for voltage collapse mitigation in power system network. The approach draws inspiration from the idea of utilizing the intelligent behavior of swarm-based artificial machine intelligence technique coined SWAMI for voltage collapse minimization or prevention through dynamic shunt compensation of overloaded power network buses. Several simulation studies have been conducted considering three very popular and successful SWAMI agents – the PSOM, BCOM and ACOM on an IEEE benchmark power network with promising results. Simulation studies showed that the PSOM SWAMI exhibited the most stable response in terms of voltage profile collapse and recovery from voltage collapse state after voltage sensitivity studies. Safe margins of loading and optimal shunt compensations are determined based on the SWAMI techniques
Alcohol-induced retrograde facilitation renders witnesses of crime less suggestible to misinformation
RATIONALE: Research has shown that alcohol can have both detrimental and facilitating effects on memory: intoxication can lead to poor memory for information encoded after alcohol consumption (anterograde amnesia) and may improve memory for information encoded before consumption (retrograde facilitation). This study examined whether alcohol consumed after witnessing a crime can render individuals less vulnerable to misleading post-event information (misinformation). METHOD: Participants watched a simulated crime video. Thereafter, one third of participants expected and received alcohol (alcohol group), one third did not expect but received alcohol (reverse placebo), and one third did not expect nor receive alcohol (control). After alcohol consumption, participants were exposed to misinformation embedded in a written narrative about the crime. The following day, participants completed a cued-recall questionnaire about the event. RESULTS: Control participants were more likely to report misinformation compared to the alcohol and reverse placebo group. CONCLUSION: The findings suggest that we may oversimplify the effect alcohol has on suggestibility and that sometimes alcohol can have beneficial effects on eyewitness memory by protecting against misleading post-event information
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