Immunogenicity and protective efficacy of the recombinant Pasteurella lipoprotein E and outer membrane protein H from Pasteurella multocida A:3 in mice

Cataloged from PDF version of article.Pasteurella multocida serotype A:3 is a Gram-negative bacterial pathogen, one of the causative agents of shipping fever of cattle. In this study, outer membrane protein H (ompH) and Pasteurella lipoprotein E (plpE) genes were cloned and plpEC-ompH fusion was constructed and expressed in Escherichia coli. Recombinant PlpE, OmpH and PlpEC-OmpH fusion proteins were purified and formulated with oil-based and oil-based CpG ODN adjuvants. Antibody responses in mice vaccinated with recombinant PlpE and PlpEC-OmpH proteins formulated with both adjuvants were significantly (p<0.05) increased. However, a significant (p<0.05) increment in serum IFN-γ level was only observed upon immunization with oil-based CpG formulations. Protectivity of the vaccines were evaluated via intraperitoneal challenge of mice with 10 LD50 of P. multocida A:3. The recombinant proteins PlpE and PlpEC-OmpH fusion conferred 100% protection when formulated with oil-based CpG ODN while the protectivity was found to be 80% and 60%, respectively when only oil-based adjuvant was used in respective formulations. These findings indicated that the recombinant PlpE or PlpEC-OmpH fusion proteins formulated with oil-based CpG ODN adjuvant are possible acellular vaccine candidates against shipping fever. © 2012 Elsevier Ltd

Camera, handlens, and microscope optical system for imaging and coupled optical spectroscopy

An optical system comprising two lens cells, each lens cell comprising multiple lens elements, to provide imaging over a very wide image distance and within a wide range of magnification by changing the distance between the two lens cells. An embodiment also provides scannable laser spectroscopic measurements within the field-of-view of the instrument

The Effect of Sources on the Inner Horizon of Black Holes

Single pulse of null dust and colliding null dusts both transform a regular horizon into a space-like singularity in the space of colliding waves. The local isometry between such space-times and black holes extrapolates these results to the realm of black holes. However, inclusion of particular scalar fields instead of null dusts creates null singularities rather than space-like ones on the inner horizons of black holes.Comment: Final version to appear in PR

Fuel-cell performance of multiply-crosslinked polymer electrolyte membranes prepared by two-step radiation technique

A multiply-crosslinked polymer electrolyte membrane was prepared by the radiation-induced co-grafting of styrene and a bis(vinyl phenyl)ethane (BVPE) crosslinker into a radiation-crosslinked polytetrafluoroethylene (cPTFE) film. We then investigated its H2/O2 fuel-cell performance at 60 and 80ºC in terms of the effect of radiation and chemical crosslinking. At 60ºC, all the membranes initially exhibited similar performance, but only the cPTFE-based membranes were durable at 80ºC, indicating the necessity of radiation crosslinking in the PTFE main chains. Importantly, cell performance of the multiply-crosslinked membrane was found high enough to reach that of a Nafion112 membrane. This is probably because the BVPE crosslinks in the graft component improved the membrane-electrode interface in addition to membrane durability. After severe OCV hold tests at 80 and 95ºC, the performance deteriorated, while no significant change was observed in ohmic resistivity. Accordingly, our membranes seemed so chemically stable that an influence on overall performance loss could be negligible

Immunostimulatory activity of polysaccharide-poly(I:C) nanoparticles

Cataloged from PDF version of article.Immunostimulatory properties of mushroom derived polysaccharides (PS) as stand-alone agents were tested. Next. PS were nanocomplexed with polyI:C (pIC) to yield stable nanoparticles around 200 nm in size evidenced by atomic force microscopy and dynamic light scattering analyses. PSs were selectively engaged by cells expressing TLR2 and initiated NF kappa B dependent signaling cascade leading to a Th1-biased cytokine/chemokine secretion in addition to bactericidal nitric oxide (NO) production from macrophages. Moreover, cells treated with nanoparticles led to synergistic IL6, production and upregulation of TNF alpha, MIP3 alpha, IFN gamma and IP10 transcript expression. In mice, PS-Ovalbumin-pIC formulation surpassed anti-OVA IgG responses when compared to either PS-OVA or pIC-OVA mediated immunity. Our results revealed that signal transduction initiated both by TLR2 and TLR3 via co-delivery of pIC by PS in nanoparticle depot delivery system is an effective immunization strategy. The present work implicate that the PS and nucleic acid based nanoparticle approach along with protein antigens can be harnessed to prevent infectious diseases. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserve

Renormalization of the charged scalar field in curved space

The DeWitt-Schwinger proper time point-splitting procedure is applied to a massive complex scalar field with arbitrary curvature coupling interacting with a classical electromagnetic field in a general curved spacetime. The scalar field current is found to have a linear divergence. The presence of the external background gauge field is found to modify the stress-energy tensor results of Christensen for the neutral scalar field by adding terms of the form $(eF)^2$ to the logarithmic counterterms. These results are shown to be expected from an analysis of the degree of divergence of scalar quantum electrodynamics.Comment: 24 pages REVTe

Camera, handlens, and microscope optical system for imaging and coupled optical spectroscopy

An optical system comprising two lens cells, each lens cell comprising multiple lens elements, to provide imaging over a very wide image distance and within a wide range of magnification by changing the distance between the two lens cells. An embodiment also provides scannable laser spectroscopic measurements within the field-of-view of the instrument

Predictors of Successful Decannulation Using a Tracheostomy Retainer in Patients with Prolonged Weaning and Persisting Respiratory Failure

Background: For percutaneously tracheostomized patients with prolonged weaning and persisting respiratory failure, the adequate time point for safe decannulation and switch to noninvasive ventilation is an important clinical issue. Objectives: We aimed to evaluate the usefulness of a tracheostomy retainer (TR) and the predictors of successful decannulation. Methods: We studied 166 of 384 patients with prolonged weaning in whom a TR was inserted into a tracheostoma. Patients were analyzed with regard to successful decannulation and characterized by blood gas values, the duration of previous spontaneous breathing, Simplified Acute Physiology Score (SAPS) and laboratory parameters. Results: In 47 patients (28.3%) recannulation was necessary, mostly due to respiratory decompensation and aspiration. Overall, 80.6% of the patients could be liberated from a tracheostomy with the help of a TR. The need for recannulation was associated with a shorter duration of spontaneous breathing within the last 24/48 h (p < 0.01 each), lower arterial oxygen tension (p = 0.025), greater age (p = 0.025), and a higher creatinine level (p = 0.003) and SAPS (p < 0.001). The risk for recannulation was 9.5% when patients breathed spontaneously for 19-24 h within the 24 h prior to decannulation, but 75.0% when patients breathed for only 0-6 h without ventilatory support (p < 0.001). According to ROC analysis, the SAPS best predicted successful decannulation {[}AUC 0.725 (95% CI: 0.634-0.815), p < 0.001]. Recannulated patients had longer durations of intubation (p = 0.046), tracheostomy (p = 0.003) and hospital stay (p < 0.001). Conclusion: In percutaneously tracheostomized patients with prolonged weaning, the use of a TR seems to facilitate and improve the weaning process considerably. The duration of spontaneous breathing prior to decannulation, age and oxygenation describe the risk for recannulation in these patients. Copyright (c) 2012 S. Karger AG, Base

Fundamental Physics with the Laser Astrometric Test Of Relativity

The Laser Astrometric Test Of Relativity (LATOR) is a joint European-U.S. Michelson-Morley-type experiment designed to test the pure tensor metric nature of gravitation - a fundamental postulate of Einstein's theory of general relativity. By using a combination of independent time-series of highly accurate gravitational deflection of light in the immediate proximity to the Sun, along with measurements of the Shapiro time delay on interplanetary scales (to a precision respectively better than 0.1 picoradians and 1 cm), LATOR will significantly improve our knowledge of relativistic gravity. The primary mission objective is to i) measure the key post-Newtonian Eddington parameter \gamma with accuracy of a part in 10^9. (1-\gamma) is a direct measure for presence of a new interaction in gravitational theory, and, in its search, LATOR goes a factor 30,000 beyond the present best result, Cassini's 2003 test. The mission will also provide: ii) first measurement of gravity's non-linear effects on light to ~0.01% accuracy; including both the Eddington \beta parameter and also the spatial metric's 2nd order potential contribution (never measured before); iii) direct measurement of the solar quadrupole moment J2 (currently unavailable) to accuracy of a part in 200 of its expected size; iv) direct measurement of the "frame-dragging" effect on light by the Sun's gravitomagnetic field, to 1% accuracy. LATOR's primary measurement pushes to unprecedented accuracy the search for cosmologically relevant scalar-tensor theories of gravity by looking for a remnant scalar field in today's solar system. We discuss the mission design of this proposed experiment.Comment: 8 pages, 9 figures; invited talk given at the 2005 ESLAB Symposium "Trends in Space Science and Cosmic Vision 2020," 19-21 April 2005, ESTEC, Noodrwijk, The Netherland

Internal Structure of Einstein-Yang-Mills Black Holes

It is shown that a generic black hole solution of the SU(2) Einstein-Yang-Mills equations develops a new type of an infinitely oscillating behavior near the singularity. Only for certain discrete values of the event horizon radius exceptional solutions exist, possessing an inner structure of the Schwarzschild or Reissner-Nordstrom type.Comment: 4.5 LaTeX pages, 8 eps figures, uses RevTeX, boxedeps.tex. 4 more typos fixed, a footnote adde