Electromagnetic power of lightning superbolts from Earth to space.

Lightning superbolts are the most powerful and rare lightning events with intense optical emission, first identified from space. Superbolt events occurred in 2010-2018 could be localized by extracting the high energy tail of the lightning stroke signals measured by the very low frequency ground stations of the World-Wide Lightning Location Network. Here, we report electromagnetic observations of superbolts from space using Van Allen Probes satellite measurements, and ground measurements, and with two events measured both from ground and space. From burst-triggered measurements, we compute electric and magnetic power spectral density for very low frequency waves driven by superbolts, both on Earth and transmitted into space, demonstrating that superbolts transmit 10-1000 times more powerful very low frequency waves into space than typical strokes and revealing that their extreme nature is observed in space. We find several properties of superbolts that notably differ from most lightning flashes; a more symmetric first ground-wave peak due to a longer rise time, larger peak current, weaker decay of electromagnetic power density in space with distance, and a power mostly confined in the very low frequency range. Their signal is absent in space during day times and is received with a long-time delay on the Van Allen Probes. These results have implications for our understanding of lightning and superbolts, for ionosphere-magnetosphere wave transmission, wave propagation in space, and remote sensing of extreme events.

Further studies of the down-regulation by Factor I of the C3b feedback cycle using endotoxin as a soluble activator and red cells as a source of CR1 on sera of different complotype.

In this paper we have extended our earlier studies of the action of increasing Factor I concentration on complement activation by using a soluble activator, lipopolysaccharide (LPS) endotoxin, and using human erythrocytes as a source of CR1 - the co-factor needed for the final clip of iC3b to C3dg by Factor I. Using this more physiological system, the results show that we can predict that a quite modest increase in Factor I concentration - 22 µg/ml of extra Factor I - will convert the activity of the highest risk sera to those of the lowest risk. Preliminary experiments have been performed with erythrocytes allotyped for CR1 number. While we have not been able to perform an adequate study of their co-factor activities in our assays, preliminary experiments suggest that when Factor I levels are increased the difference produced by different allotypes of red cells is largely overcome. This suggests that in patients with paroxysmal nocturnal haemoglobinuria (PNH) treated with eculizumab, additional treatment with Factor I may be very useful in reducing the need for blood transfusion. We have also explored the age-related allele frequency for the two polymorphisms of Factor H and the polymorphism of C3. In our population, unlike the 1975 study, we found no age variation in the allele frequency in these polymorphisms. This may, however, reflect that the Cambridge BioResource volunteers do not include many very young or very elderly patients, and in general comprise a population not greatly at risk of death from infectious disease.

Sclerostin-antibody treatment of glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis maintained bone mass and strength.

UNLABELLED: This study was to determine if antibody against sclerostin (Scl-Ab) could prevent glucocorticoid (GC)-induced osteoporosis in mice. We found that Scl-Ab prevented GC-induced reduction in bone mass and bone strength and that the anabolic effects of Scl-Ab might be partially achieved through the preservation of osteoblast activity through autophagy. INTRODUCTION: Glucocorticoids (GCs) inhibit bone formation by altering osteoblast and osteocyte cell activity and lifespan. A monoclonal antibody against sclerostin, Scl-Ab, increased bone mass in both preclinical animal and clinical studies in subjects with low bone mass. The objectives of this study were to determine if treatment with the Scl-Ab could prevent loss of bone mass and strength in a mouse model of GC excess and to elucidate if Scl-Ab modulated bone cell activity through autophagy. METHODS: We generated reporter mice that globally expressed dsRed fused to LC3, a protein marker for autophagosomes, and evaluated the dose-dependent effects of GCs (0, 0.8, 2.8, and 4 mg/kg/day) and Scl-Ab on autophagic osteoblasts, bone mass, and bone strength. RESULTS: GC treatment at 2.8 and 4 mg/kg/day of methylprednisolone significantly lowered trabecular bone volume (Tb-BV/TV) at the lumbar vertebrae and distal femurs, cortical bone mass at the mid-shaft femur (FS), and cortical bone strength compared to placebo (PL). In mice treated with GC and Scl-Ab, Tb-BV/TV increased by 60-125 %, apparent bone strength of the lumbar vertebrae by 30-70 %, FS-BV by 10-18 %, and FS-apparent strength by 13-15 %, as compared to GC vehicle-treated mice. GC treatment at 4 mg/kg/day reduced the number of autophagic osteoblasts by 70 % on the vertebral trabecular bone surface compared to the placebo group (PL, GC 0 mg), and GC + Scl-Ab treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Treatment with Scl-Ab prevented GC-induced reduction in both trabecular and cortical bone mass and strength and appeared to maintain osteoblast activity through autophagy.

Detection of livestock-associated meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus CC398 in retail pork, United Kingdom, February 2015.

Livestock-associated meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus belonging to clonal complex 398 (LA-MRSA CC398) is an important cause of zoonotic infections in many countries. Here, we describe the isolation of LA-MRSA CC398 from retail meat samples of United Kingdom (UK) farm origin. Our findings indicate that this lineage is probably established in UK pig farms and demonstrate a potential pathway for the transmission of LA-MRSA CC398 from livestock to humans in the UK.

Complotype affects the extent of down-regulation by Factor I of the C3b feedback cycle in vitro.

Sera from a large panel of normal subjects were typed for three common polymorphisms, one in C3 (R102G) and two in Factor H (V62I and Y402H), that influence predisposition to age-related macular degeneration and to some forms of kidney disease. Three groups of sera were tested; those that were homozygous for the three risk alleles; those that were heterozygous for all three; and those homozygous for the low-risk alleles. These groups vary in their response to the addition of exogenous Factor I when the alternative complement pathway is activated by zymosan. Both the reduction in the maximum amount of iC3b formed and the rate at which the iC3b is converted to C3dg are affected. For both reactions the at-risk complotype requires higher doses of Factor I to produce similar down-regulation. Because iC3b reacting with the complement receptor CR3 is a major mechanism by which complement activation gives rise to inflammation, the breakdown of iC3b to C3dg can be seen to have major significance for reducing complement-induced inflammation. These findings demonstrate for the first time that sera from subjects with different complement alleles behave as predicted in an in-vitro assay of the down-regulation of the alternative complement pathway by increasing the concentration of Factor I. These results support the hypothesis that exogenous Factor I may be a valuable therapeutic aid for down-regulating hyperactivity of the C3b feedback cycle, thereby providing a treatment for age-related macular degeneration and other inflammatory diseases of later life.

Specifications for hard condensed matter specimens for three-dimensional high-resolution tomographies.

Tomography is a standard and invaluable technique that covers a large range of length scales. It gives access to the inner morphology of specimens and to the three-dimensional (3D) distribution of physical quantities such as elemental composition, crystalline phases, oxidation state, or strain. These data are necessary to determine the effective properties of investigated heterogeneous media. However, each tomographic technique relies on severe sampling conditions and physical principles that require the sample to be adequately shaped. For that purpose, a wide range of sample preparation techniques is used, including mechanical machining, polishing, sawing, ion milling, or chemical techniques. Here, we focus on the basics of tomography that justify such advanced sample preparation, before reviewing and illustrating the main techniques. Performances and limits are highlighted, and we identify the best preparation technique for a particular tomographic scale and application. The targeted tomography techniques include hard X-ray micro- and nanotomography, electron nanotomography, and atom probe tomography. The article mainly focuses on hard condensed matter, including porous materials, alloys, and microelectronics applications, but also includes, to a lesser extent, biological considerations.

Efficacy of topical aciclovir for the treatment of feline herpetic keratitis: results of a prospective clinical trial and data from in vitro investigations.

This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of topical ophthalmic aciclovir applied five times daily as a treatment for feline herpesvirus type 1 (FHV-1) keratitis in a group of cats in a first-opinion practice setting. Cats with ocular signs indicative of FHV-1 or Chlamydophila species infection, predominantly conjunctivitis and keratitis, were tested for FHV-1 antigen using an immunofluorescent technique on air-dried conjunctival swabs. They were first treated with topical chlortetracycline with efficacy against Chlamydophila species and then, in cases positive for FHV-1, with topical aciclovir. The time to recovery was determined and illustrated using a Kaplan-Meier plot. Three cats were infected with Chlamydophila species and showed a median time to recovery of 14 days (95 per cent confidence interval [CI] 10 to 18 days), while 30 cats infected with FHV-1 showed a median time to recovery of 12 days (95 per cent CI 10 to 14 days). The drug dose at which 50 per cent plaque reduction (ED50) occurred in a standard plaque reduction assay was determined in an in vitro study. This showed a mean (SD) ED50 of aciclovir of 25 (3.5) mg/ml compared with 0.4 (0.05) mg/ml for trifluorothymidine, a drug known to be efficacious against FHV-1. The study shows that even though aciclovir is generally considered to lack efficacy against ocular FHV-1 infection, when used frequently it can have a beneficial effect in FHV-1 conjunctivitis and keratitis.

Damage Functions for Meloidogyne arenaria on Peanut.

Microplot experiments were conducted in 1989 and 1990 to determine the relationship between yield of peanut (Arachis hypogaea) and inoculum density ofMeloidogyne arenaria race 1. Nine inoculum densities were used, ranging from 0-200 eggs/100 cm(3) soil (1989) or from 0-100 eggs/100 cm(3) (1990), and each density was replicated 10 times. In 1989, higher final densities (mean of 1,171 juveniles [J2]/100 cm(3) soil) were obtained in plots inoculated with 0.5 to 50 eggs/100 cm(3) soil than in plots inoculated with 100 to 200 eggs/100 cm(3) (313 J2/100 cm(3) soil). In 1990, final densities of M. arenaria reached high levels (>/= 1,111 J2/100 cm(3) soil) in all inoculated plots. Pod yield and dry weight of foliage at harvest were negatively correlated (P

Homogeneity of meats prepared for analysis with a commercial food processor: collaborative study.

The food processor was evaluated as an alternative to the food chopper and bowl cutter for preparing meat samples for analysis in AOAC procedure 24.001. Samples of 6 meat types--cooked sausage, pork sausage, canned ham, hamburger, water-added ham, and smoked ham--were distributed to 9 laboratories for preparation using a food processor. The resulting 54 samples were sent to a USDA-accredited laboratory for analysis in triplicate for moisture, protein, and fat. Standard deviations and their 95% confidence intervals calculated for the analytical results were compared with USDA Performance Standards. With few exceptions, the upper limits were lower than the Performance Standards and for the exceptions, the intervals included the Performance Standards. By these criteria, the food processor is as effective in preparing homogeneous samples as the preparation procedures used to set the Performance Standards. Collaborators found the processor faster to use and easier to clean than the food chopper. Use of the food processor has received interim approval as an alternative to the food chopper or bowl cutter in AOAC procedure 24.001 for preparing meat samples for analysis.

Characterization of latent infections in mice inoculated with herpes simplex virus which is clinically resistant to acyclovir.

Mice were inoculated into the ear pinna with herpes simplex virus (HSV) using a strain which is resistant to acyclovir (ACV) chemotherapy. The original inoculum was resistant to ACV because it contained a proportion of thymidine kinase-defective (TK-) virions. This had been obtained previously by passage of an HSV type 1 strain in mice undergoing suboptimal therapy. The cervical dorsal root ganglia were subsequently explanted from the infected mice and the presence of latent virus therein revealed by reactivation in vitro. These explant cultures yielded both TK+ and TK- viruses on reactivation. The establishment of latent infections was not affected by chemotherapy during the acute infection. One TK- ganglion isolate when studied in detail was found to be attenuated and thus resembled previously examined TK- strains which had been selected in vitro for ACV-resistance.