Effective Tityus serrulatus anti-venom produced using the Ts1 component

Scorpion stings are a public health problem in Brazil, with most incidents involving the species Tityus serrulatus. Some T serrulatus toxins may act as immunogens for the production of a specific anti-venom, but many of the component toxins remain poorly characterized. Here, we describe the immunological characteristics of the toxin Ts1 (also known as TsVII and Ts-gamma) and evaluate production of neutralizing antibodies against the crude venom of T serrulatus. Recombinant Ts1 with one copy (Ts1((1))) or two copies in tandem (Ts1((2))) was expressed in BL21 (DE3) cells. Rabbits and mice were immunized with the recombinant proteins (inclusion bodies) and then tested for production of neutralizing antibodies. Neutralization assays showed that anti-Ts1((1)) and anti-Ts1((2)) protected animals challenged with T serrulatus crude venom and native Ts1 Thus, Ts1 could be used in a mixed ""cocktail"" of immunogens for T serrulatus anti-venom production. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Protective effects of Mangifera indica L extract (Vimang), and its major component mangiferin, on iron-induced oxidative damage to rat serum and liver

In vivo preventive effects of a Mangifera indica L extract (Vimang) or its major component mangiferin on iron overload injury have been studied in rats given respectively, 50, 100, 250 mg kg(-1) body weight of Vimang, or 40 mg kg(-1) body weight of mangiferin, for 7 days prior to, and for 7 days following the administration of toxic amounts of iron-dextran. Both Vimang or mangiferin treatment prevented iron overload in serum as well as liver oxidative stress, decreased serum and liver lipid peroxidation, serum GPx activity, and increased serum and liver GSH, serum SOD and the animals overall antioxidant condition. Serum iron concentration was decreased although at higher doses, Vimang tended to increase it; percent tranferrin saturation, liver weight/body mass ratios, liver iron content was decreased. Treatment increased serum iron-binding capacity and decreased serum levels of aspartate-amine transferase (ASAT) and alanine-amine transferase (ALAT), as well as the number of abnormal Kupffer cells in iron-loaded livers. It is suggested that besides acting as antioxidants, Vimang extract or its mangiferin component decrease liver iron by increasing its excretion. Complementing earlier in vitro results from our group, it appears possible to support the hypothesis that Vimang and mangiferin present therapeutically useful effects in iron overload related diseases. (C) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

New calibration technique for multiple-component stress wave force balances

Force measurement in hypervelocity expansion tubes is not possible using conventional techniques. The stress wave force balance technique can be applied in expansion tubes to measure forces despite the short test times involved. This paper presents a new calibration technique for multiple-component stress wave force balances where an impulse response created using a load distribution is required and no orthogonal surfaces on the model exist.. This new technique relies on the tensorial superposition of single-component impulse responses analogous to the vectorial superposition of the calibration loads. The example presented here is that of a scale model of the Mars Pathfinder, but the technique is applicable to any geometry and may be useful for cases where orthogonal loads cannot be applied.

Radiation use efficiency increases when the diffuse component of incident radiation is enhanced under shade

Theoretical analyses have shown the radiation use efficiency of maize, soybean, and peanut to increase with a decrease in the level of incident radiation and an increase in the proportion of diffuse radiation. This study compared the growth and radiation use efficiency of Panicum maximum cv. Petrie (green panic) and Bothriochloa insculpta cv. Bisset (creeping bluegrass) beneath shading treatments (birdguard and solarweave shadecloths) with that in full sunlight. A level of incident radiation reduced by 25% under birdguard shadecloth decreased final yield and final leaf area index, but increased canopy leaf nitrogen concentration and radiation use efficiency (19-14%) (compared with the full sun treatment). A similar level of reduced incident radiation under solarweave shadecloth (which provided an increased proportion of diffuse radiation), increased final yield and radiation use efficiency (46-50%). An understanding of the effects of composition of incident radiation on radiation use efficiency of tropical grasses enables more accurate estimation of potential pasture growth in shaded environments. It also has impact upon crop production in glasshouses and greenhouses.

Visualization of learning in multilayer perceptron networks using principal component analysis

This paper is concerned with the use of scientific visualization methods for the analysis of feedforward neural networks (NNs). Inevitably, the kinds of data associated with the design and implementation of neural networks are of very high dimensionality, presenting a major challenge for visualization. A method is described using the well-known statistical technique of principal component analysis (PCA). This is found to be an effective and useful method of visualizing the learning trajectories of many learning algorithms such as back-propagation and can also be used to provide insight into the learning process and the nature of the error surface.

Deconvolving the delta O-18 seawater component from subseasonal coral delta O-18 and Sr/Ca at Rarotonga in the southwestern subtropical Pacific for the period 1726 to 1997

To reconstruct oceanographic variations in the subtropical South Pacific, 271-year long subseasonal time series of Sr/Ca and delta(18)O were generated from a coral growing at Rarotonga (21.5degreesS, 159.5degreesW). In this case, coral Sr/Ca appears to be an excellent proxy for sea surface temperature (SST) and coral delta(18)O is a function of both SST and seawater delta(18)O composition (delta(18)O(sw)). Here, we focus on extracting the delta(18)O(sw) signal from these proxy records. A method is presented assuming that coral Sr/Ca is solely a function of SST and that coral delta(18)O is a function of both SST and delta(18)O(sw). This method separates the effects of delta(18)O(sw) from SST by breaking the instantaneous changes of coral delta(18)O into separate contributions by instantaneous SST and delta(18)O(sw) changes, respectively. The results show that on average delta(18)O(sw) at Rarotonga explains similar to39% of the variance in delta(18)O and that variations in SST explains the remaining similar to61% of delta(18)O variance. Reconstructed delta(18)O(sw) shows systematic increases in summer months (December-February) consistent with the regional pattern of variations in precipitation and evaporation. The delta(18)O(sw) also shows a positive linear correlation with satellite-derived estimated salinity for the period 1980 to 1997 (r = 0.72). This linear correlation between reconstructed delta(18)O(sw) and salinity makes it possible to use the reconstructed delta(18)O(sw) to estimate the past interannual and decadal salinity changes in this region. Comparisons of coral delta(18)O and delta(18)O(sw) at Rarotonga with the Pacific decadal oscillation index suggest that the decadal and interdecadal salinity and SST variability at Rarotonga appears to be related to basin-scale decadal variability in the Pacific. Copyright (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd.

Genetic polymorphism in an inflammasome component, cervical mycoplasma detection and female infertility in women undergoing in vitro fertilization

The inflammasome is an inducible cytoplasmic structure that is responsible for production and release of biologically active interleukin-1 (IL-1). A polymorphism in the inflammasome component NALP3 has been associated with decreased IL-1 levels and increased occurrence of vaginal Candida infection. We hypothesized that this polymorphism-induced variation would influence susceptibility to infertility. DNA was obtained from 243 women who were undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF) and tested for a length polymorphism in intron 2 of the gene coding for NALP3 (gene symbol CIAS1). At the conclusion of testing the findings were analyzed in relation to clinical parameters and IVF outcome. The frequency of the 12 unit repeat allele, associated with maximal inflammasome activity, was 62.3% in cases of female infertility vs. 75.6% in cases where only the male partner had a detectable fertility problem (p = 0.0095). Conversely, the frequency of the 7 unit repeat allele was 28.9% in those with a female fertility problem, 17.0% in women with infertile males and 18.4% in idiopathic infertility (p = 0.0124). Among the women who were cervical culture-positive for mycoplasma the frequency of the 7 unit repeat was 53.7% as opposed to 19.5% in those negative for this infection (p < 0.0001). We conclude that the CIAS1 7 unit repeat polymorphism increases the likelihood of mycoplasma infection-associated female infertility. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Three-dimensional model for multi-component reactive transport with variable density groundwater flow

PHWAT is a new model that couples a geochemical reaction model (PHREEQC-2) with a density-dependent groundwater flow and solute transport model (SEAWAT) using the split-operator approach. PHWAT was developed to simulate multi-component reactive transport in variable density groundwater flow. Fluid density in PHWAT depends not on only the concentration of a single species as in SEAWAT, but also the concentrations of other dissolved chemicals that can be subject to reactive processes. Simulation results of PHWAT and PHREEQC-2 were compared in their predictions of effluent concentration from a column experiment. Both models produced identical results, showing that PHWAT has correctly coupled the sub-packages. PHWAT was then applied to the simulation of a tank experiment in which seawater intrusion was accompanied by cation exchange. The density dependence of the intrusion and the snow-plough effect in the breakthrough curves were reflected in the model simulations, which were in good agreement with the measured breakthrough data. Comparison simulations that, in turn, excluded density effects and reactions allowed us to quantify the marked effect of ignoring these processes. Next, we explored numerical issues involved in the practical application of PHWAT using the example of a dense plume flowing into a tank containing fresh water. It was shown that PHWAT could model physically unstable flow and that numerical instabilities were suppressed. Physical instability developed in the model in accordance with the increase of the modified Rayleigh number for density-dependent flow, in agreement with previous research. (c) 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Evaluation of fly ash as a component of potting substrates

A series of laboratory and glasshouse experiments were undertaken to assess the potential for incorporation of fly ash in soilless potting substrates. The physical and chemical properties of a commercially available bark based substrate, the University of California (UC) 1:1 peat:sand mix and a range uf test substrates containing fly ash were characterised. In test mixtures, fly ash was substituted for a portion of either the peat or sand component of the UC mix, at rates of 10, 20, 30 and 50% of the mix volume, Incorporation of fly ash greatly increased the plant available water capacity (10-1500 kPa) of the substrate. However, high pH, increased substrate strength and reduced air-filled porosity were considered adverse effects, particularly at ash rates > 20%. The growth of tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum), petunia (Petunia x hybrida grandiflora) and Boston fern (Nephrolepis exaltata) in the substrates was assessed. Two watering regimes, capillary watering and irregular hosing, were used to identify effects of available water capacity on plant growth, but no effect was identified. Test mixtures containing fly ash as 20% of the substrate volume produced growth equal to that in the UC mix, with substrates containing 10% ash producing significantly greater growth of tomato and petunia. At rates of incorporation > 20% reduced plant growth was attributed to both adverse physical and chemical characteristics of the substrate. As fly ash is available at low cost and can be successfully substituted for a considerable portion of the expensive peat component, its use at low application rates in potting substrates may be desirable from an economic viewpoint.

Standard errors of fitted component means of normal mixtures

In this paper use consider the problem of providing standard errors of the component means in normal mixture models fitted to univariate or multivariate data by maximum likelihood via the EM algorithm. Two methods of estimation of the standard errors are considered: the standard information-based method and the computationally-intensive bootstrap method. They are compared empirically by their application to three real data sets and by a small-scale Monte Carlo experiment.

Acinar cell carcinoma of the pancreas: is the absence of neuroendocrine component related to a more malignant behavior?

Background/Aims: Acinar cell carcinomas are uncommon malignant tumors of the pancreas, accounting for 1-2% of all the cases of exocrine pancreatic tumor. Some authors have estimated acinar cell tumors to be as aggressive as ductal adenocarcinoma of the pancreas whereas other series showed acinar cell tumors to have a favorable clinical outcome. This discrepancy in prognosis may be related to the cellular components of the tumor. Methodology: With the aim to evaluate the possible relationship between the presence of neuroendocrine differentiation and behavior of these tumors, the authors reviewed all patients presenting acinar cell carcinoma of the pancreas in the last 5 years with emphasis in the immunohistochemical evaluation. Results: Four patients presented neuroendocrine differentiation on immunohistochemical evaluation and had a more benign outcome. Two patients without neuroendocrine component had a disseminated disease at presentation. This data suggests that this tumor is less aggressive than ductal adenocarcinoma and even with nodal involvement, long term survival after complete resection can be achieved. Conclusions: It is possible that the absence of neuroendocrine component may be related to a less favorable outcome and adjuvant therapy may be necessary. Due to the rarity of this pancreatic tumor, this relationship remains to be confirmed with a multicentric study including a larger number of patients.

Independent component analysis applied to raman spectra for classification of in vitro human coronary arteries

Optical diagnostic methods, such as near-infrared Raman spectroscopy allow quantification and evaluation of human affecting diseases, which could be useful in identifying and diagnosing atherosclerosis in coronary arteries. The goal of the present work is to apply Independent Component Analysis (ICA) for data reduction and feature extraction of Raman spectra and to perform the Mahalanobis distance for group classification according to histopathology, obtaining feasible diagnostic information to detect atheromatous plaque. An 830nm Ti:sapphire laser pumped by an argon laser provides near-infrared excitation. A spectrograph disperses light scattered from arterial tissues over a liquid-nitrogen cooled CCD to detect the Raman spectra. A total of 111 spectra from arterial fragments were utilized.

3q27 Aberrations in a Childhood Ovary Teratoma With Associated Malignant Germ Cell Component

Cytogenetic Studies of childhood ovary tumors have been poorly described. in the present article, the cytogenetic findings of an ovarian teratoma with malignant germ cell (yolk-sac) component occurring in an 8-year-old female are detailed. GTG-banding showed a karyotype of 46,XX, t(3;20)(q27;q13.3) [4]/46,XX, del3q27 [3]/46,XX [30]. Previous Studies have demonstrated common sites of loss of heterozygosity at 3q27-q28 region in different types of cancer, suggesting the presence of tumor Suppressor genes within this region. Pediatr Blood Cancer 2009;52:398-401. (C) 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc.