Gradual loss of IgG antibodies against GB virus C/hepatitis G virus in a patient with AIDS

GB virus C/hepatitis G virus (GBV-C/HGV) is a positive-sense, single-stranded RNA virus belonging to the family Flaviviridae and is distantly related to hepatitis C virus (HCV). GBV-C/HGV can be transmitted by the parenteral and the sexual route. Among individuals infected with human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) by the sexual route, we and others have demonstrated a high prevalence of GBV-C/HGV infection. Recently, Woolley and colleagues reported that AIDS patients co-infected with GBV-C/HGV had a significantly lower mean CD4 cell count than AIDS patients without GBV-C/HGV infection, suggesting that GBV-C/HGV antibody may be lost with progression to AIDS. To our knowledge no data are available on the loss of antibody against GBV-C/HGV in AIDS patients. We now report on an HIV-infected patient who exhibited gradual loss of IgG antibodies against GBV-C/HGV, as well as HCV, with progression of HIV disease.     

Application of Lipase from Marine Bacteria Bacillus sonorensis as an Additive in Detergent Formulation

The efficacy of lipase (triacylglycerol acylhydrolases EC 3.1.1.3) as a detergent additive from a newly isolated marine halophilic bacteria Bacillus sonorensis from marine clams Paphia malabarica collected in the Kalbadevi Estuary, Mumbai, has been assessed and reported. In terms of activity and stability, the lipase exhibited maximum activity in alkaline conditions and was observed to be stable over a temperature range from room temperature to 60 °C. The activity of the lipase increased in the presence of surfactants and detergents. Due to these properties of the lipase from marine bacteria, it was used as an additive in detergents to study its efficiency at corn oil removal from fabrics. The washing studies indicated that the efficiency of corn oil removal from the cotton fabrics increased by 20 % when lipase was incorporated in the detergent as compared to the treatment with detergent alone. The lipase was also capable of removing corn oil from natural as well as synthetic fabrics dyed with a respective, preferred class of dyes.     

Design of an i.v. formulation of an unstable prodrug candidate for prostate cancer treatment: solution chemistry of N-(glutaryl-hyp-ala-ser-cyclohexylglycyl-gln-ser-leu)-doxorubicin

The chemical degradation of N-(glutaryl-hyp-ala-ser-cyclohexylglycyl-gln-ser-leu)-doxorubicin (henceforth referred to as doxorubicin peptide conjugate 1) was studied in buffered aqueous solution. The pH-rate profile of degradation shows that the doxorubicin conjugate is most stable between pH 5 and 6. The dependence of log k_obsd on pH in acidic medium is characteristic of specific acid-catalysis of the sugar hemiaminal of 1 (as in the case of doxorubicin). Isolation of degradates and structural determination shows that the degradation at lower pH values yields the water-insoluble aglycone doxorubicinone, supporting the mechanism of acid-catalyzed loss of the amino sugar. At pH higher than 5, a more complicated degradation pattern is observed, including the loss of the amino sugar and the aromatization of the saturated ring to give 7,8-dehydro-9,10-desacetyldoxorubicinone as one of the major products. Around the pH of maximum stability in solution, the rate of degradation of 1 is significantly greater than that for doxorubicin, which rules out the formulation of a room temperature solution product with a sufficiently long shelflife for market use. Design of a stable lyophilized formulation for sterile reconstitution based on the physicochemical properties of 1 is described.     

Estimation of ipratropium bromide from aerosols by reversed-phase liquid chromatography

Ipratropium bromide, a derivative of N-isopropyl noratropine, was estimated from the samples of aerosols. An isocratic, reversed-phase liquid chromatographic separation method was developed by using an ODS, 5 μm column with the mobile phase acetonitrile-sodium dihydrogen orthophosphate (0.05M)-diethylamine (50 : 50 : 0.1, v/v) pH adjusted to 4.5 with phosphoric acid. Recoveries obtained were in the range 98% to 102% of ipratropium bromide from aerosol. Fluoxetine hydrochloride was used as an internal standard for quantitation.     

Analytical and finite element simulation studies on earing profile of Ti-6Al-4V deep drawn cups at elevated temperatures

Rolled sheet metal alloys exhibit plastic anisotropy, which leads to the formation of ears during the deep drawing process. An analytical function proposed by Yoon et al. (Int J Plast 27(8):1165–1184, 2011) predicts earing profile based on yield stress and r value directionalities for circular cup drawing. In this study, this analytical approach is applied for a deep drawing of Ti-6Al-4V at elevated temperatures up to 400 °C. Three yield criteria namely, Hill 1948, Barlat 1989 and Barlat Yld2000-2d are used to obtain the directionality inputs for the analytical formula. The analytical model is validated using experimental results and FE simulations and is found to be closely matched while requiring very less CPU time. FE simulation has been also conducted with various yield functions. Barlat Yld2000-2d is considered to be the most suitable yield criterion for very accurate earing prediction in deep drawing of Ti-6Al-4V as the inputs for both the analytical and FEM models.     

Remote sensing of invasive plants: incorporating functional traits into the picture

Invasive plant species spread presents a challenge, requiring better mapping and monitoring for control. Remote sensing (RS) provides an efficient tool to map invasive plants in diverse ecosystems. Yet applications of RS for invasive plant mapping largely rely on spatial and spectral patterns. The use of invasive plant functional traits can improve RS mapping, using ecological insights on processes and functions associated with invasion. We summarize research utilizing plant functional traits in RS mapping of invasive species from the years 2000 to 2014. Based on this review, we summarize plant traits that can be related to spatial and spectral properties, and used to discriminate invasive alien plants from native vegetation. Phenological and structural plant traits have been relatively well exploited via RS for invasion studies. In comparison, there has been limited utilization of physiological traits (with the exception of properties such as nitrogen content). This is an area that merits further research attention, via the linkage of ecophysiological field research with RS.     

Corrosion resistance of pyrolytic graphite in LiCl-KCl-UCl3 molten salt for pyrochemical reprocessing application

Pyrolytic graphite (PyG) is a highly oriented, dense and crystalline form of graphite, which exhibits superior air oxidation resistance, corrosion resistance, and favourable mechanical, thermal, and electrical properties compared to conventional graphite materials. It is proposed as the material of construction for high-temperature molten LiCl-KCl for pyrochemical reprocessing of metallic fuel. In the present study, long-term corrosion behaviour of PyG in LiCl-KCl molten salt with 5?wt-% UCl₃ was evaluated by immersion studies at 873?K for 2000?h, under inert argon atmosphere. Characterisation of PyG before and after molten salt exposure was carried out using X-ray diffraction technique, scanning electron microscope with energy dispersive spectroscopy, laser Raman spectroscopy and X-ray photo-electron spectroscopy. The results revealed the superior corrosion resistance and excellent phase stability of PyG with negligible weight change and no appreciable change in the surface chemistry and morphology up to the exposure time of 2000 h.     

Feature extraction and damage-precursors for prognostication of lead-free electronics

Damage pre-cursors based health management and prognostication methodology has been presented for electronic systems in harsh environments. The framework has been developed based on a development of correlation between damage pre-cursors and underlying degradation mechanisms in lead-free packaging architectures. The proposed methodology eliminates the need for knowledge of prior stress histories and enables interrogation of system state using the identified damage pre-cursors.Test vehicle includes various area-array packaging architectures subjected to single thermo-mechanical stresses including thermal cycling in the range of −40 °C to 125 °C and isothermal aging at 125 °C. Experimental data on damage pre-cursors has been presented for packaging architectures encompassing flex-substrate ball grid arrays, chip-array ball grid arrays, and plastic ball grid arrays. Examples of damage proxies include phase-growth parameter, intermetallic thickness and interfacial stress variations. Damage proxies have been correlated with residual life. The damage proxies have also been correlated with computational finite-element model predictions. Plastic and creep strain energy densities have been correlated to the identified damage proxies.     

Prognostication of system-state in lead-free electronics equipment under cyclic and steady-state thermo-mechanical loads

In this paper, a mathematical approach for interrogation of system-state under cyclic thermo-mechanical stresses has been developed for three-different lead-free solder alloy systems. Data have been collected for leading indicators-of-failure for alloy systems including, Sn1Ag0.5Cu, Sn3Ag0.5Cu, Sn4Ag0.5Cu second-level interconnects under the application of cyclic thermo-mechanical loads. Methodology presented resides in the pre-failure space of the system in which no macro-indicators such as cracks or delamination exist. Systems subjected to thermo-mechanical damage have been interrogated for system state and the computed damage state correlated with known imposed damage. The approach involves the use of condition monitoring devices which can be interrogated for damage proxies at finite time-intervals. Interrogation techniques are based on non-linear least-squares methods. Various techniques including the Levenberg–Marquardt Algorithm have been investigated. The system’s residual life is computed based on residual-life computation algorithms. Detection of system-state significantly prior to catastrophic failure can significantly impact the reliability and availability of electronic systems. Requirements for system availability for ultra-high reliability electronic systems are driving the need for advanced heath monitoring techniques for early detection of onset of damage. Traditional health monitoring methodologies have relied on reactive methods of failure detection often providing little on no insight into the remaining useful life of the system.