A simple touch-down polymerase chain reaction for the detection of canine parvovirus and feline panleukopenia virus in feces

A polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay is described for the detection of parvovirus in feces of dogs and cats. A touch-down protocol was used which enabled the specific amplification of virion DNA from feces after a fast and simple boiling pretreatment. The sensitivity of PCR was as high as ten infectious particles per reaction which corresponds to a titer of about 10(3) infectious particles per gram of unprocessed feces. This renders the PCR about 10- to 100-fold more sensitive than electron microscopy, the standard method for parvovirus diagnosis. The very rapid and simple sample preparation recommends this PCR assay as an alternative technique for routine parvovirus diagnosis.     

A control structure using an adaptive observer

The state and parameter estimates produced by a recently reported adaptive observer [3] are used to form an adaptive control scheme. For a large class of inputs, the adaptive process will converge in the sense that asymptotically the system transfer function will exhibit a set of desired poles. The rate of parameter convergence can be made arbitrarily fast by appropriate choice of the constant gain parameters in the adaptive laws. However, a limitation of the apparent closed-loop control structure is exposed.     

Human factors research in the aircraft industry.

In order to determine the extent of human factors research activity in the airframe and supporting industries and to determine the functional location and professional make-up of groups engaged in such activity, a survey questionnaire was mailed to 40 representative companies. 80% responded: 24 of the respondent companies have organized a human factors research program, 6 are in the process of doing so, one utilizes consultants for this service, and one indicated no plans along this line. 17 of the 24 companies with programs report using the words human engineering or human factors in the organizational title. Few companies established programs before 1950; the greatest rate of growth has been in the last 3 years. Most groups have small staffs of highly trained professional and technical personnel at present; they employ primarily psychologists and engineers. Principal activities are consulting, equipment and system design, and applied experimentation. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The effects of MO and W on solidification of high speed steels

The effects of systematic variations in Mo content, W content, and the Mo:W ratio upon the freezing process and as-cast carbide morphology of high speed steels were studied for four series of alloys encompassing the nominal composition ranges of AISI type M2 (6 W-5 Mo-4Cr-2V-0.85C) and MIO (0W-8Mo-4Cr-2 V-0.85C) high speed steels. Thermal analysis, metallographic examination, and quantitative metallography were used to characterize these effects. The Hquidus, peritectic, and eutectic reactions were similarly influenced by molybdenum and tungsten, the peritectic temperature being strongly depressed by additions of either element. The types of carbides found in the as-cast structures did not vary, but the amount of feathery eutectic carbide (a layered structure of MC and M₆C) was directly relatedto the total Mo plus W content. The amount of isolated vanadium-rich MC type carbide was seen to increase as the amount of feathery eutectic decreased, and also varied with the Mo:W ratio.     

Diffusion of zinc in the lamellar eutectic,Al-CuAl2

Diffusion of Zn in the aligned lamellar Al-CuAl₂ eutectic has been studied. Couples were prepared to observe diffusion either parallel or perpendicular to eutectic interfaces at temperatures of 193, 240, and 287° and times to 1.66 × 10⁸ sec. Both optical and electron microprobe techniques were used to study the resultant microstructures. Zn is present in the α Al platelets at distances far greater than predicted by lattice diffusion. The diffusion of Zn into 0-CuAl₂ causes a rapid transformation of θ to a two phase mixture of α particles in a matrix of T-Al₃ZnCu₃. Advance of the growth front (θ → Τ + α) is parabolic with time, and the growth rate increases with increasing temperature. The transformation to Τ + α is observed to be slower in the 0 platelets of the eutectic than in bulk 0. In the eutectic, less Zn reaches the advancing transformation front because of lateral diffusion of Zn into adjacent a platelets. An experimentally determined activation energy for the combined transformation and diffusion processes suggests that the α -Τ boundaries act as high-diffusivity paths for Zn diffusion. This paper is based upon a thesis submitted by M. R. Jackson in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at Lehigh University.     

Docosahexaenoic acid supplementation in vegetarians effectively increases omega-3 index: A randomized trial

Low red blood cell (RBC) membrane content of FPA+DHA (hereafter called omega-3 index) has recently been described as an indicator for increased risk of death from coronary heart disease. The relationship between plasma and RBC FA, focusing on omega-3 index, and the response to DHA supplementation were investigated in a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, intervention study. Healthy vegetarians (87 f, 17 m) consumed daily a microalgae oil from Ulkenia sp. (0.94 g DHA/d) or olive oil (placebo) for 8 wk. DHA supplementation significantly increased DHA in RBC total lipids (7.9 vs. 4.4 wt%), in RBC PE (12.1 vs. 6.5 wt%), in RBC PC (3.8 vs. 1.4 wt%), and in plasma phospholipids (PL) (7.4 vs. 2.8 wt%), whereas EPA levels rose to a much lesser extent. Microalgae oil supplementation increased the omega-3 index from 4.8 to 8.4 wt%. After intervention, 69% of DHA-supplemented subjects (but no subject of the placebo group) reached an omega-3 index above the desirable value of 8 wt%. Omega-3 index and EPA+DHA levels in RBC PE, RBC PC, and plasma PL were closely correlated (r always >0.9). We conclude that an 8-wk supplementation with 0.94 g DHA/d from microalgae oil achieves a beneficial omega-3 index of ≥8% in most subjects with low basal EPA+DHA status. RBC total FA analyses can be used instead of RBC lipid fraction analyses for assessing essential FA status, e.g., in clinical studies.