scholarly journals Equivalence of the GeneXpert System and GeneXpert Omni System for tuberculosis and rifampicin resistance detection

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (12) ◽  
pp. e0261442
Author(s):  
Sophia B. Georghiou ◽  
Riccardo Alagna ◽  
Daniela M. Cirillo ◽  
Sergio Carmona ◽  
Morten Ruhwald ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Relative Humidity ◽  
Validation Study ◽  
Environmental Conditions ◽  
Rifampicin Resistance ◽  
Clinical Samples ◽  
Diverse Range ◽  
Clinical Specimens ◽  
High Concordance ◽  
Resistance Detection

A laboratory validation study was conducted to assess the equivalence of Xpert MTB/RIF Ultra testing on the GeneXpert System and the GeneXpert Omni System (‘Omni’) for tuberculosis and rifampicin resistance. High concordance of the two devices was demonstrated for well-characterized clinical samples as well as control materials, with controls tested on Omni at normal and challenging environmental conditions (i.e. 35°C, 90% relative humidity). Equivalence of the Cts for all probes was also shown. Equivalence was demonstrated for the Omni and GeneXpert devices for tuberculosis and rifampicin resistance detection for a diverse range of clinical specimens and environmental conditions.

An Experimental Investigation of the Effects of the Environmental Conditions and the Channel Depth for an Air-Breathing Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cell

2008 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yong Hun Park ◽  
Jerald A. Caton
Keyword(s):  
Fuel Cell ◽  
Relative Humidity ◽  
Flow Field ◽  
Current Density ◽  
Environmental Conditions ◽  
Polymer Electrolyte Membrane ◽  
Channel Depth ◽  
Air Breathing ◽  
Fuel Cell Performance ◽  
Electrolyte Membrane

The effects of the environmental conditions and the channel depth for an air-breathing polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell were investigated experimentally. The fuel cell used in this work included a membrane and electrode assembly, which possessed an active area of 25 cm2 with Nafion® 117 membrane. Triple serpentine designs for the flow fields with two different flow depths were used in this research. The experimental results indicated that the relative humidity and temperature play an important role with respect to fuel cell performance. The fuel cell needs to be operated at least 20 min to obtain stable performance. When the shallow flow field was used, the performance increased dramatically for low humidity and slightly for high humidity. The current density was obtained around only 120 mA/cm2 at 30°C with an 80% relative humidity, which was nearly double the performance for the deep flow field. The minimum operating temperature for an air-breathing fuel cell would be 20°C. When it was 10°C at 60% relative humidity, the open circuit voltage dropped to around 0.65 V. The fuel cell performance improved with increasing relative humidity from 80% to 100% at high current density.

EFFECT OF PRE-FREEZING HAMS ON QUALITY ATTRIBUTES OF DRY-CURED PRODUCT

1972 ◽  
Vol 35 (2) ◽  
pp. 98-101 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. P. Graham ◽  
T. N. Blumer
Keyword(s):  
Weight Loss ◽  
Relative Humidity ◽  
Environmental Conditions ◽  
Water Loss ◽  
Moisture Loss ◽  
Internal Tissue ◽  
Surface Ph ◽  
Aging Period ◽  
Acceptable Quality ◽  
Fresh State

Hams were frozen, stored, and thawed before dry-curing to study the profiles of quality as related to environmental conditions. Quality appraisals and sampling were done after thawing, after curing, and after 30 days aging in an atmosphere where temperature and relative humidity were controlled at about 34.5 C and 62.5%, respectively. The pH, water, NaCl, and fat contents were determined. Surface pH of hams increased from the thawed fresh state to the unstored cured state, but decreased generally after the aging period (stored cured ham). The pH was higher on the surface than that of corresponding internal areas. The pH of the internal tissue was lower for thawed product than cured or aged product. The average percent water decreased during curing and aging periods. Water loss after curing and after aging in the prefrozen hams was greater than that reported for unfrozen hams. The quantity of water, NaCl, and fat varied among the several muscle areas and reasons for variation are discussed. All hams were of acceptable quality at each appraisal period. Decreasing moisture levels of hams were reflected by decreases in conformation scores throughout the processing periods. Increased firmness was accompanied by weight loss, moisture loss, and increased NaCl percentage.

scholarly journals Isolated individuals and groups show opposite preferences toward humidity

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mariano Calvo Martín ◽  
Stamatios C. Nicolis ◽  
Isaac Planas-Sitjà ◽  
Jean-Christophe de Biseau ◽  
Jean-Louis Deneubourg
Keyword(s):  
Relative Humidity ◽  
Environmental Conditions ◽  
Group Level ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Negative Effect ◽  
Multi Level ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Shed Light ◽  
Selection Of

AbstractCockroaches, like most social arthropods, are led to choose collectively among different alternative resting places. These decisions are modulated by different factors, such as environmental conditions (temperature, relative humidity) and sociality (groups size, nature of communications). The aim of this study is to establish the interplay between environmental conditions and the modulation of the interactions between individuals within a group leading to an inversion of preferences. We show that the preferences of isolated cockroaches and groups of 16 individuals, on the selection of the relative humidity of a shelter are inversed and shed light on the mechanisms involved. We suggest that the relative humidity has a multi-level influence on cockroaches, manifested as an attractant effect at the individual level and as a negative effect at the group level, modulating the interactions.

scholarly journals Comparison of diagnostic clinical samples and environmental sampling for enterovirus and parechovirus surveillance in Scotland, 2010 to 2012

2014 ◽  
Vol 19 (15) ◽  
Author(s):  
H Harvala ◽  
J Calvert ◽  
D Van Nguyen ◽  
L Clasper ◽  
N Gadsby ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Central Nervous System ◽  
Cerebrospinal Fluid ◽  
Rapid Identification ◽  
Clinical Samples ◽  
Environmental Sampling ◽  
Clinical Specimens ◽  
Young Infants ◽  
Coxsackievirus A6 ◽  
The Family ◽  
Common Causes

Human enteroviruses (EV) and parechoviruses (HPeV) within the family Picornaviridae are the most common causes of viral central nervous system (CNS)-associated infections including meningitis and neonatal sepsis-like disease. The frequencies of EV and HPeV types identified in clinical specimens collected in Scotland over an eight-year period were compared to those identified in sewage surveillance established in Edinburgh. Of the 35 different EV types belonging to four EV species (A to D) and the four HPeV types detected in this study, HPeV3 was identified as the most prevalent picornavirus in cerebrospinal fluid samples, followed by species B EV. Interestingly, over half of EV and all HPeV CNS-associated infections were observed in young infants (younger than three months). Detection of species A EV including coxsackievirus A6 and EV71 in clinical samples and sewage indicates that these viruses are already widely circulating in Scotland. Furthermore, species C EV were frequently identified EV in sewage screening but they were not present in any of 606 EV-positive clinical samples studied, indicating their likely lower pathogenicity. Picornavirus surveillance is important not only for monitoring the changing epidemiology of these infections but also for the rapid identification of spread of emerging EV and/or HPeV types.

scholarly journals Development of gypsy moth (Lymantria dispar L) on the foliage of Quercus cerris L., Q. Petraea (matt) Liebl. and Q. Robur L. in the controlled conditions

2007 ◽  
pp. 55-67 ◽  
Author(s):  
Slobodan Milanovic
Keyword(s):  
Relative Humidity ◽  
Host Plant ◽  
Gypsy Moth ◽  
Lymantria Dispar ◽  
Environmental Conditions ◽  
Quercus Robur ◽  
Quercus Petraea ◽  
The Other ◽  
Study Results ◽  
Quercus Cerris

The development of Gypsy moth (Lymantria dispar L) was monitored in laboratory conditions, on the foliage of the species Quercus cerris L. Quercus petraea (Matt) Liebl. and Quercus robur L. The experiment was established in the controlled environmental conditions, at the temperature of 25?C, photoperiod 14:10 (day: night) and relative humidity 70%. The objective of the research was to determine the suitability of the study host plant species for gypsy moth development. The study results show that Gypsy moth caterpillars cultivated on Q. petraea foliage had a lower survival, higher number of moultings, longer preadult development and lower fecundity, which makes this species less suitable compared to the other two. Gypsy moth caterpillars cultivated on Q. cerris foliage had the highest survival degree the lowest number of moultings, the shortest preadult development and the highest fecundity, which makes this species the most favourable for gypsy moth development. Q. robur was between the former two species in this respect.

scholarly journals A comparative characterization of nasal and clinical isolates of Staphylococcus aureus from west of Iran

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gholamreza Goudarzi ◽  
Yaser Hasanvand ◽  
Faranak Rezaei ◽  
Somayeh Delfani
Keyword(s):  
Staphylococcus Aureus ◽  
Antibiotic Resistance ◽  
Healthcare Workers ◽  
Meca Gene ◽  
Staphylococcal Enterotoxin ◽  
Healthcare Personnel ◽  
Clinical Samples ◽  
Resistance Pattern ◽  
Clinical Specimens ◽  
Significant Difference

Background and Objectives: Recently, the rise of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) isolated from hos- pital healthcare workers (HCWs) and various infectious samples has become one of the main concerns in hospital settings. Therefore, epidemiological studies are necessary to monitor antibiotic resistance patterns in each region and to study the pathogenesis of this strain to control infections. Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional study, a total of 100 S. aureus isolates, including 50 isolates obtained from the anterior nares of healthcare workers, as well as 50 other isolates cultured from the various clinical specimens from the referral hospitals in Khorramabad (West of Iran) were tested. All isolates were examined to determine antibiotic resistance pattern, and the presence of staphylococcal enterotoxin A (sea), staphylococcal enterotoxin B (seb) and mecA genes. Results: The mecA gene was found among 36% (18/50) of the clinical S. aureus isolates (CSIs) and 14% (7/50) of nasal S. aureus isolates (NSIs), with statistically significant difference (X2 = 6.53; p = 0.011). The difference between the frequency rate of sea gene among MRSA strains isolated from clinical specimens (46.6%, 7/15) was significant compared to strains isolated from nostrils (14.3%, 1/7) (X2 = 3.85; p = 0.049). Conclusion: The frequency of mecA, sea, and seb genes among the clinical samples was more than strains isolated from the nostrils of healthcare personnel.

Effect of the Environmental Conditions of Tropical Climates on the Performance Parameters of a Gas Turbine Power Generation Plant

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Fajardo ◽  
D. Barreto ◽  
T. Castro ◽  
I. Baldiris
Keyword(s):  
Power Plant ◽  
Relative Humidity ◽  
Gas Turbine ◽  
Output Power ◽  
High Temperatures ◽  
Environmental Conditions ◽  
Thermal Efficiency ◽  
Specific Work ◽  
Atmospheric Conditions ◽  
Compressor Inlet

Abstract It is known that high temperatures adversely affect the performance of gas turbines, but the effect of the combination of atmospheric conditions (temperature and relative humidity -RH-) on the operation of this type of system is unknown. In this work the effects of atmospheric conditions on the energy and exergy indicators of a power plant with gas turbine were studied. The indicators studied were the mass flow, the specific work consumed by the compressor, specific work produced by the turbine, the combustion gas temperature, the NO concentration, the net output power, the thermal efficiency, the heat rate, the specific consumption of fuel, the destruction of exergy and exergy efficiency. Among the results, it is noted that for each degree celsius that reduces the temperature of the air at the compressor inlet at constant relative humidity on average, the mass flow of dry air increases by 0.27 kg/s, the specific work consumed by the compressors decreases by 0.45%, the output power increases by 1.17% and the thermal efficiency increases by 0.8%, the exergy destruction increases by 0.72% and the exergy efficiency increases by 0.81%. In addition, humidity changes relative to high temperatures are detected more significantly than at low temperatures. The power plant studied is installed in Cartagena, Colombia and since it is not operating in the design environmental conditions (15 °C and 60% relative humidity) it experiences a loss of output power of 6140 kW and a drop in thermal efficiency of 5.12 %. These results allow considering the implementation of air cooling technologies at the compressor inlet to compensate for the loss of power at atmospheric air conditions.

Diagnostic accuracy of centralised assays for TB detection and detection of resistance to rifampicin and isoniazid: a systematic review and meta-analysis

2020 ◽  
Vol 57 (2) ◽  
pp. 2000747
Author(s):  
Mikashmi Kohli ◽  
Emily MacLean ◽  
Madhukar Pai ◽  
Samuel G. Schumacher ◽  
Claudia M. Denkinger
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Diagnostic Accuracy ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Tracheal Aspirate ◽  
Rifampicin Resistance ◽  
Isoniazid Resistance ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Molecular Assays ◽  
Index Tests ◽  
Resistance Detection

Various diagnostic companies have developed high throughput molecular assays for tuberculosis (TB) and resistance detection for rifampicin and isoniazid. We performed a systematic review and meta-analyses to assess the diagnostic accuracy of five of these tests for pulmonary specimens. The tests included were Abbott RealTime MTB, Abbott RealTime RIF/INH, FluoroType MTB, FluoroType MTDBR and BD Max MDR-TB assay.A comprehensive search of six databases for relevant citations was performed. Cross-sectional, case-control, cohort studies, and randomised controlled trials of any of the index tests were included. Respiratory specimens (such as sputum, bronchoalveolar lavage, tracheal aspirate, etc.) or their culture isolates.A total of 21 included studies contributed 26 datasets. We could only meta-analyse data for three of the five assays identified, as data were limited for the remaining two. For TB detection, the included assays had a sensitivity of 91% or more and the specificity ranged from 97% to 100%. For rifampicin resistance detection, all the included assays had a sensitivity of more than 92%, with a specificity of 99–100%. Sensitivity for isoniazid resistance detection varied from 70 to 91%, with higher specificity of 99–100% across all index tests. Studies that included head-to-head comparisons of these assays with Xpert MTB/RIF for detection of TB and rifampicin resistance suggested comparable diagnostic accuracy.In people with symptoms of pulmonary TB, the centralised molecular assays demonstrate comparable diagnostic accuracy for detection of TB, rifampicin and isoniazid resistance to Xpert MTB/RIF assay, a WHO recommended molecular test.

Microsatellite instability detection using a large next-generation sequencing cancer panel across diverse tumour types

2019 ◽  
Vol 73 (2) ◽  
pp. 83-89 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jiuhong Pang ◽  
Tatyana Gindin ◽  
Mahesh Mansukhani ◽  
Helen Fernandes ◽  
Susan Hsiao
Keyword(s):  
Next Generation Sequencing ◽  
Microsatellite Instability ◽  
Microsatellite Loci ◽  
Clinical Samples ◽  
Next Generation ◽  
Diverse Range ◽  
Tree Classifier ◽  
Generation Sequencing ◽  
Cancer Panel ◽  
Clinical Cases

AimMicrosatellite instability (MSI), a hallmark of DNA mismatch repair deficiency, is a key molecular biomarker with multiple clinical implications including the selection of patients for immunotherapy, identifying patients who may have Lynch syndrome and predicting prognosis in patients with colorectal tumours. Next-generation sequencing (NGS) provides the opportunity to interrogate large numbers of microsatellite loci concurrently with genomic variants. We sought to develop a method to detect MSI that would not require paired normal tissue and would leverage the sequence data obtained from a broad range of tumours tested using our 467-gene NGS Columbia Combined Cancer Panel (CCCP).MethodsAltered mononucleotide and dinucleotide microsatellite loci across the CCCP region of interest were evaluated in clinical samples encompassing a diverse range of tumour types. The number of altered loci was used to develop a decision tree classifier model trained on the retrospectively collected cohort of 107 clinical cases sequenced by the CCCP assay.ResultsThe classifier was able to correctly classify all cases and was then used to analyse a test set of clinical cases (n=112) and was able to correctly predict their MSI status with 100% sensitivity and specificity. Analysis of recurrently altered loci identified alterations in genes involved in DNA repair, signalling and transcriptional regulation pathways, many of which have been implicated in MSI tumours.ConclusionThis study highlights the utility of this approach, which should be applicable to laboratories performing similar testing.

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