We report the first detailed comparisons of the rates and spectra of neutral-current neutrino interactions at two widely separated locations. A depletion in the rate at the far site would indicate ...mixing between nu(mu) and a sterile particle. No anomalous depletion in the reconstructed energy spectrum is observed. Assuming oscillations occur at a single mass-squared splitting, a fit to the neutral- and charged-current energy spectra limits the fraction of nu(mu) oscillating to a sterile neutrino to be below 0.68 at 90% confidence level. A less stringent limit due to a possible contribution to the measured neutral-current event rate at the far site from nu(e) appearance at the current experimental limit is also presented.
Starting with the pioneering work of Bednorz and Müller1, many copper-oxide-based superconductors with high transition temperatures (7'c) have been discovered. All contain layers of copper-oxygen ...squares, pyramids or octahedra as their electronically active structural components2,3. One structure type, first reported for La2SrCu206 and La2CaCu206 (ref. 4), has stood as an enigma since the beginning of high-Tc research. This crystal structure4-7 (Fig. 1) is the least complex of all the structures with the double layers of copper oxide pyramids common to the compounds with highest Tc, yet despite considerable effort, both published8,9 and unpublished, it has not until now been made superconducting. Here we report the successful synthesis and preliminary physical characterization of superconducting (La, Sr)2CaCu206. The highest transition temperature observed is 60 К at the composition La, 6Sr04CaCu2O6. This is a uniquely simple double-layer superconductor, which, like its single-layer analogue (La, Sr)2Cu04, becomes superconducting through the introduction of carriers in an unambiguous manner-by straightforward atomic substitution without the intervention of charge reservoir layers with flexible valence states.
Objectives
The aim of the study was to examine the prevalence of HIV infection in patients presenting in primary care with glandular fever (GF)‐like illness.
Methods
Samples from primary care ...submitted for a GF screen between April 2009 and June 2010 were identified. Samples without an HIV request were anonymized and retrospectively tested using a 4th‐generation HIV antigen/antibody screening test. Reactive samples were further confirmed by an HIV antibody only test, with or without a p24 antigen assay. Antibody avidity testing based on the Recent HIV Infection Testing Algorithm (RITA) was used to identify individuals with evidence of recent acquisition (within 4–5 months).
Results
Of 1046 GF screening requests, concomitant HIV requests were made in 119 patients. Excluding one known positive patient, 2.5% (three of 118) tested HIV positive. Forty‐five (4.3%) had a subsequent HIV test through another consultation within 1 year; of these, 4.4% (two of 45) tested positive. Of the remaining 882 patients, 694 (78.7%) had samples available for unlinked anonymous HIV testing, of which six (0.9%) tested positive. The overall HIV prevalence was 1.3% (11 of 857), with 72.7% (eight of 11) of cases missed at initial primary care presentation. Four of the nine (44.4%) available positive samples had evidence of recent acquisition, with three (75.0%) missed at initial primary care presentation.
Conclusion
Low levels of HIV testing in patients presenting in primary care with GF‐like illness are resulting in a significant number of missed HIV and seroconversion diagnoses. Local policy should consider adopting an opt‐out strategy to include HIV testing routinely within the GF‐screening investigation panel.
Objectives: To characterize illness and identify the etiology for two nursing home outbreaks of respiratory illness.
Design: Multisite outbreak investigations; cohort.
Setting: Two nursing homes in ...Pennsylvania.
Participants: Facility A residents (n=170), Facility B residents (n=124), and employees (n=91).
Measurements: Medical records for Facility A and B residents were reviewed, and employees from Facility B self‐administered a questionnaire to identify risk factors for illness. Serological, oropharyngeal, and nasopharyngeal specimens were collected for both outbreaks, and testing for respiratory pathogens was performed.
Results: In Facility A, 40 (24%) of 170 residents were identified with respiratory illness; 13 (33%) case‐patients had radiographically confirmed pneumonia, 15 (38%) were taken to a hospital, and two (5%) died. Of 10 specimens collected from symptomatic Facility A case‐patients, four (40%) tested positive using reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction for rhinovirus. In Facility B, 77 (62%) of 124 residents had respiratory illness, and 40 (52%) had radiographically confirmed pneumonia; 12 (16%) case‐patients were hospitalized, and five (6%) died. Of 19 respiratory specimens collected from symptomatic Facility B case‐patients, six (32%) were positive for rhinovirus; one was from an employee. Five (50%) of 10 rhinovirus‐positive cases in both outbreaks had clinical and radiographic evidence of pneumonia.
Conclusion: These investigations suggest that rhinoviruses may be an underrecognized cause of respiratory outbreaks in nursing homes, capable of causing pneumonia and perhaps death.
A double-blind, placebo-controlled trial is reported of lamotrigine as add-on treatment in therapy-resistant epilepsy. A within-patients serial design was used, with two 3-month treatment periods and ...an intervening 6-week washout/crossover period. An unblinded investigator adjusted lamotrigine dosage to achieve a plasma concentration within a previously predicted therapeutic range. All patients had therapy-resistant partial seizures, some in combination with other seizure types and were without serious neurological or intellectual deficit. Of 34 patients recruited only one was withdrawn because of an adverse experience (maculo-papular rash) probably related to the experimental drug and 30 completed the trial. The other 3 withdrawals were due to default during baseline, dispensing error and cholecystectomy. There was a modest statistically significant reduction in total and partial seizures on lamotrigine compared to placebo treatment. There was no difference in adverse experiences or abnormal biochemical or haematological findings between the lamotrigine and placebo periods. The plasma concentrations of concomitantly administered antiepileptic drugs were not affected by lamotrigine treatment. It is concluded that lamotrigine shows promise as an antiepileptic drug with low toxicity.
In order to minimize the rapid flow loss issue from the hot weather or during lengthy periods and long-distance transport, the synthesis of the isoprenyl oxy polyethylene ether (T-PEG) was ...introduced. However, there were scarce amount of reported literature on the influence of main and side chain densities on the fresh and hardened properties of concrete containing T-PEG polymers. This study was conducted to investigate fresh and mechanical properties of cementitious composites containing T-PEG polymers with different main and side chain densities. These T-PEG polymers were comprised of the density ratio of side chain to main chain of 1:1, 1:1.5, 1:2, 1:2.5 and 1:3.5, respectively. The laboratory tests conducted were marsh cone funnel test, standard consistency, flow retention, flexural strength and compressive strength test. The results obtained showed that the increased density ratio of side chain to main chain of T-PEG improves the fluidity of the cement paste and the flow retention ability of the cement mortar. Consequently, the mortar with T2 polymer proved a better performance on mechanical strength tests. In conclusion, the increasing main to side chain densities ratio of T-PEG polymer imposes a significant influence on the fresh and hardened properties of the concrete material produced.
A 1536 channel oligonucleotide synthesizer, the MultiSyn, was developed with the capability to simultaneously synthesize 1536 oligonucleotides of 20mer length in 10 h. The instrument was designed to ...synthesize different sequences of various lengths in micro‐wells and has synthesized oligonucleotides as long as 119 nt with reasonably good yields using CPG beads of 1000 Å pore size. The instrument consists of four 384 channel synthesis modules. Phosphoramidite chemistry was employed and step yields as high as 99.3% were achieved. The enhancement of oligonucleotide synthesis throughput is accomplished by increasing the spatial density of reaction wells. We have identified several parameters that are critical in achieving a good synthesis yield and negligible failure rate in small reaction wells. The coefficient of variation (CV) of product yields in 1536 reaction wells was 20%. The quality of the product was examined by capillary electrophoresis and mass spectrometry. The instrument has robustly synthesized oligonucleotides of various lengths for use as primers and probes for PCR amplifications, oligonucleotide microarrays and genotyping applications. This high throughput oligonucleotide synthesizer is a useful instrument for genomic applications, which require tens of thousands of probes or primers in a short time.
The goal of this study was to determine whether adenoviral vector-mediated expression of human wildtype p53 can enhance the radiosensitivity of malignant glioma cells that express native wild-type ...p53. The p53 gene is thought to function abnormally in the majority of malignant gliomas, although it has been demonstrated to be mutated in only approximately 30%. This has led to studies in which adenoviral transduction with wild-type human p53 has been investigated in an attempt to slow tumor cell growth. Recent studies suggest that reconstitution of wild-type p53 can render cells more susceptible to radiation-mediated death, primarily by p53-mediated apoptosis.
Rat RT2 glioma cells were analyzed for native p53 status by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction and sequence analysis and for p53 expression by Western blot analysis. Clonogenic survival and the terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated deoxyuridine triphosphate nick-end labeling assay were used to characterize RT2 cell radiosensitivity and apoptosis, respectively, with and without prior transduction with p53-containing and control adenoviral vectors. Animal survival length was monitored after intracerebral implantation with transduced and nontransduced RT2 cells, with and without cranial radiation. The RT2 cells were demonstrated to express native rat wild-type p53 and to markedly overexpress human p53 following adenoviral p53 transduction. The combination of p53 transduction followed by radiation resulted in marked decreases in RT2 cell survival and increases in apoptosis at radiation doses from 2 to 6 Gy. Animals receiving cranial radiation after intracerebral implantation with RT2 cells previously transduced with p53 survived significantly longer than control animals (p<0.01).
The ability to enhance the radiosensitivity of malignant glioma cells that express wild-type p53 by using adenoviral transduction to induce overexpression of p53 offers hope for this approach as a therapeutic strategy, not only in human gliomas that express mutant p53, but also in those that express wild-type p53.
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