Modelling of species in hood fires by conditional moment closure

Carbon monoxide, the chief killer in fires, and other species are modelled for a series of enclosure fires. The conditions emulate building fires where CO is formed in the rich, turbulent, nonpremixed flame and is transported frozen to lean mixtures by the ceiling jet which is cooled by radiation and dilution. Conditional moment closure modelling is used and computational domain minimisation criteria are developed which reduce the computational cost of this method. The predictions give good agreement for CO and other species in the lean, quenched-gas stream, holding promise that this method may provide a practical means of modelling real, three-dimensional fire situations. (c) 2005 The Combustion Institute. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Impact of clinical varicocele and testis size on seminal reactive oxygen species levels in a fertile population: a prospective controlled study

Objective: To investigate: 1) the impact of clinical varicocele on reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels in neat and washed semen in a proven fertile population; and 2) the correlation between ROS levels, testicular volume, and varicocele grade in the same population of fertile men. Design: Prospective controlled clinical study. Setting: Andrology laboratory at tertiary-care hospital. Patient(s): One hundred fourteen healthy fertile men (81 normal fertile and 33 fertile with clinical varicocele) and 30 infertile patients (control subjects). Intervention(s): Standard semen analysis and measurement of sperm ROS production. Main Outcome Measure(s): Seminal parameters, seminal ROS levels, seminal leukocyte levels, clinical varicocele, and testis size. Result(s): Thirty-three of the 11.4 (29%) fertile men had clinical varicocele (grade 1, n = 14; grade 2, n = 11; and grade 3, n = 8), and the remaining 81 (71%) had a normal physical examination. Levels of ROS and semen quality did not differ significantly between the fertile men with or without varicocele. No significant differences in ROS levels in neat and washed semen were observed compared with fertile men with grades 2 and 3 varicocele and with fertile men with varicocele grade 1. The ROS levels in neat and washed semen were not significantly correlated with varicocele grade in fertile men. No significant correlations between ROS levels and testis volume were observed between the fertile groups. Conclusion(s): The presence of clinical varicocele in fertile men is not associated with higher seminal ROS levels or abnormal semen parameters. Levels of ROS are not correlated with varicocele grade or testis volume in the same population of fertile men.

The Australian species of Lobatocreadium Madhavi, 1972, Hypocreadium Ozaki, 1936 and Dermadena Manter, 1945 (Digenea: Lepocreadiidae), parasites of marine tetraodontiform fishes

The genera Lobatocreadium, Pseudocreadium, Hypocreadium and Dermadena are redefined and host lists given. Provisional keys to species of Lobatocreadium, Hypocreadium and Dermadena are presented. The following species are described from (1) the Great Barrier Reef: Lobatocreadium exiguum from Balistapus undulatus and Sufflamen bursa; Hypocreadium cavum n. sp. from Abalistes stellatus (type-host) and Cantheschenia grandisquamis; H. grandisquamis n. sp. from Cantheschenia grandisquamis; Dermadena spatiosa n. sp, from Cantheschenia grandisquamis; and (2) southwestern Australia: D. stirlingi n. sp. from Meeschenia hippocrepis. The following new combinations are made: Lobatocreadium vitellosum (Ozaki, 1936) n. comb. (originally Leptocreadium); Hypocrendium balistes (Nagaty, 1942) n. comb. (originally Pseudocreadium); H. biminensis (Sogandares-Bernal, 1959) n. comb. (originally Pseudocreadium); H. indicum (Madhavi, 1972) n. comb. (originally Pseudocreadium); and H. galapagoensis (Manter, 1945) n. comb. (originally Pseudocreadium). Several nominal species of Pseudocreadium and Hypocreadium are considered incertae sedis.

Transfer of Conglomeromonas largomobilis subsp largomobilis to the genus Azospirillum as Azopirillum largomobile comb nov, and elevation of Conglomeromonas largomobilis subsp parooensis to the new type species of Conglomeromonas, Conglomeromonas parooensi

Analysis of the 16S rDNA sequence of Conglomeromonas largomobilis subsp. largomobilis supports a phylogenetic relationship with the species of the genus Azospirillum. This confirms results of previous nucleic acid hybridization studies (FALK, E. C., J. L. JOHNSON, V. D. L. BALDANI, J. DOBEREINER, and N. R. KRIEG. 1986. Int. J. Syst. Bacteriol. 36: 80-85). Conglomeromonas largomobilis subsp. largomobilis was most closely related to the species Azospirillim lipoferum and Azospirillum brasilense but sufficiently distant to warrant separate species status. Conglomeromonas largomobilis subsp. parooensis was more distantly related to the existing species of Azospirillum and represents an isolated subline of descent. On the basis of the phylogenetic evidence a prosposal is made to transfer the subspecies Conglom-eromonas largomobilis subsp. largomobilis to the genus Azospirillum as Azospirillum largomobile comb. nov. and to retain the genus Conglomeromonas by elevating the subspecies C. largomobilis subsp. parooensis to the type species of Conglomeromonas as Conglomeromonas parooensis sp. nov.

A novel method for development of species and strain-specific DNA probes and PCR primers for identifying Burkholderia solanacearum (formerly Pseudomonas solanacearum)

Six Burkholderia solanacearum (formerly Pseudomonas solanacearum) genomic DNA fragments were isolated, using RAPD techniques and cloning, from the three genetically diverse strains: ACH092 (Biovar 4), ACH0158 (Biovar 2) and ACH0171 (Biovar 3) (1). One of these cloned fragments was selected because it was present constantly in all bacterial strains analysed. The remaining five clones were selected because Southern hybridisation revealed that each showed partial or complete specificity towards the strain of origin. A seventh genomic fragment showing a strain-specific distribution in Southern hybridisations was obtained by differential restriction, hybridisation and cloning of genomic DNA. Each of these clones was sequenced and primers to amplify the insert were designed. When DNA from the strain of origin was used as template, PCR amplification for each of these fragments yielded a single band on gel analysis. One pair of primers amplified the species-constant fragment of 281 bp from DNA of all B. solanacearum strains investigated, from DNA of the closely related bacterium which causes ''blood disease'' of banana (BDB) and in P. syzigii. The sensitivity of detection of B. solanacearum using these ubiquitous primers was between 1.3 and 20 bacterial cells. The feasibility and reliability of a PCR approach to detection and identification of B. solanacearum was tested in diverse strains of the bacterium in several countries and laboratories.

Lipid content and fatty acid composition of 11 species of Queensland (Australia) fish

The fatty acid composition of 11 species of fish caught off the northeast coast of Australia was determined. No fatty acid profiles have been previously published for fish from this area nor for nine of these species. Although the percentage of polyunsaturated fatty acid (PU FA) was the same as the calculated average for Australian fish (42.3%), the percentage of n-3 fatty acids was lower (24.4 +/- 5.4% vs. 30.7 +/- 10.1%) and the n-6 fatty acids higher (16.5 +/- 4.5% vs. 11.2 +/- 5.9%), P < 0.001 in each case. The major n-3 PUFA were docosahexaenoic (15.6 +/- 6.3%) and eicosapentaenoic acid (4.3 +/- 1.1%) while the major n-6 PUFA were arachidonic (8.3 +/- 3.2%) and n-6 docosatetraenoic acid (3.1 +/- 1.3%). The second-most abundant class of fatty acid was the saturates (31.6 +/- 3.5%) while the monounsaturates accounted for 17.4 +/- 4.3% of the total fatty acids. The monounsaturate with the highest concentration was octadecenoic acid (11.8 +/- 2.6%). There was a positive correlation between the total lipid content and saturated and monounsaturated fatty acids (r = 0.675 and 0.567, respectively) and a negative correlation between the total lipid content and PUFA(r = 0.774).

Lepocreadiid (Digenea) species from members of the marine teleost family Cheilodactylidae from south-western Australia, including four new genera and five new species

The following lepocreadiid species are described from Cheilodactylidae from south-western Australia. Cliveus peroni n. g., n. sp, from Nemadactylus valenciennesi is characterised by its attenuated forebody and C. acaenodera n. sp. from Dactylophora nigricans by its attenuated forebody, the pattern of forebody spination and the large cirrus-sac. Jericho chojeri n. g., n. sp. from N. valenciennesi has a large infundibuliform oral sucker and paired ani. Rugocavum n. g. is distinguished by the possession of a blind, wrinkled glandular pit on the postero-ventral surface of the forebody. R. nemadactyli n. sp. from N. valenciennesi has its vitelline field restricted to the hindbody, whereas in R. morwong n. sp, from N. valenciennesi the vitelline field reaches into the forebody. Paraneocreadium australiense Kruse, 1978 from N. valenciennesi is redescribed and its coiled internal seminal vesicle and lobed gonads are considered distinctive features. Scaphatrema nemadactyli (Kurochkin & Korotaeva, 1972) n. g., n. comb. from N. valenciennesi has a wrinkled, boat-shaped body, a 'Lepidapedon-like' cirrus-sac and multiple testes; it was originally placed in the genus Multitestis, but these characters suggest that a new genus should be erected for it within the subfamily Lepidapedinae.

The tannin-degrading species Streptococcus gallolyticus and Streptococcus caprinus are subjective synonyms

The tannin-degrading species Streptococcus gallolyticus and Streptococcus caprinus have been shown to be subjective synonyms on the basis of their levels of 16S rRNA sequence similarity (98.3%) and DNA-DNA homology (>70%) and the phenotypes of their type strains. S. gallolyticus has nomenclatural priority according to Rule 24b(2) of the International Code of Nomenclature of Bacteria.

Five-year evaluation of bloodstream yeast infections in a tertiary hospital: the predominance of non-C. albicans Candida species

This is a retrospective observational study of clinical and epidemiologic data from bloodstream yeast infections over 5 years (2004-2008) in a tertiary-care hospital. During this period, there were 52 such infections, at a rate of 2.4 per 1,000 hospital admissions. Non-C. albicans Candida species and other genera were responsible for 82% of infections, with C. tropicalis and C. parapsilosis being the most common. In 2008 no C. albicans infections occurred. Several uncommon fungal pathogens were observed, including Trichosporon asahii, Rhodotorula spp. and Candida zeylanoides. Of 16 isolates tested, 3 (19%) were resistant to fluconazole, including one C. zeylanoides (MIC 8 mu g/ml) and one C. tropicalis (MIC 16 mu g/ml) isolate, as well as intrinsically resistant C. krusei. All isolates tested were susceptible to itraconazole (n = 7) and amphotericin B (n = 8). Yeast infections were associated with severe underlying diseases, mainly hematological/solid cancers (71%), hospitalization in the ICU (41%), central venous catheters (80%), and use of antimicrobials (94%). The overall mortality rate was 50%. Our finding of a predominance of non-C. albicans Candida species infection with uncommon yeasts, and fluconazole resistance, suggests the need for continuous surveillance of fungemia and of antibiotic susceptibility trends, in order to adopt treatment strategies applicable to particular healthcare institutions.