Effects of Different Preservation Methods on Activity of Recombinant E. coli

[ Objective] To explore different preservation methods of recombinant E. coli and find out the optimal conditions for preservation. [ Method] The recombinant E. coli DH5cx transformed pcDNA.3 were respectively preserved at 4℃ and -70 ℃, and the activity was determined after dif- ferent time. [ Result] The number of living E. coll with high dilutions preserved at 4 ℃ was gradually increased within the first 7 d, peaked on Day 7, and then gradually decreased. The number of living E. coli, which were preserved in 8% glycerol at -70℃ when OD800 at 0.8, were significantly higher than that of other groups after different preservation time. [ Conclusion] The optimal storage time was 7 d for recombinant E. coli at 4 ℃. For preservation at -70 ℃, the bacteria should be in logarithmic growth phase and preserved in 8% glycerol.

Herbicidal Activities of Eupatorium adenophorum Extracts by 3 Extraction Methods

[ Objective ] The paper was to screen the better extraction method for herbicidal active substances of Eupatorium adenophorum. [ Method ] Three com- mon extraction methods, Soxhlet extraction, ultrasonic extraction and conventional extraction method, were used to prepare E. adenophorum extracts, and the herblcidal activity of E. adenophorum extracts extracted by 3 methods was studied by seed germination method. [ Result] The extraction rate of Soxhlet extraction was the highest of （22.54 ± 0.48 ）%, and the herbicidal activities of E. adenophorum extracted by Soxhlet extraction was relatively stronger. [ Conclusion] Soxhlet extraction was the better extraction method for herbicidal active substances of E. adenophorum.

Determination of Level of Knowledge on Modern Methods of Family Planning among Women of Reproductive Age (18 - 49 Years) at Mathare North Health Center in Nairobi County, Kenya

Introduction: Modern family planning methods (MFPM) prevent unwanted pregnancies, reduce fertility rate, and increase the interval between pregnancies. They prevent pregnancy by preventing fertilization or implantation of the fertilized ovum. MFPM include tubal ligation (TL), vasectomy, oral contraceptive pills, the intrauterine contraceptive device (IUCD), depot injections, sub-dermal implants, and male and female condoms. Objective: To determine the level of knowledge of modern family planning methods (MFPM) among women of reproductive age (18 - 49 years) at the Mathari North Health Center in Nairobi County, Kenya. Methods: The study conducted among women of reproductive age at Mathare North Health Center in Nairobi was a cross-sectional descriptive survey between March 2016 and November 2018. It provided both qualitative and quantitative data. The sample size comprised of 274 women of reproductive age, i.e. (18 - 49 years) attending antenatal and postnatal clinics at the facility. Those excluded were women below 18 years of age, as they could not give consent according to Kenyan Laws. The data were collected using an interviewer-administered structured questionnaire, which consisted of socio-demographic and characteristics, knowledge of modern family planning methods and distance from the facility. Likert scale was used to ensure that data was tabulated on daily basis and subjected to statistical manipulation using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). Results: The four leading MFPM in use in order of acceptability were injectables, implants, intrauterine contraceptive device and pills in that order. 91% of respondents were aware or had heard about modern family planning methods. Level of education of mother and father were the two variables that influenced the uptake of MFPM with p-values of 0.0260 and 0.025, respectively. The study further found that knowledge of MFPM had a significant influence on their assimilation and utilization. All secondary variables considered in the research exhibit a substantial relationship concerning the use of MFPM. Conclusion: Communities around Mathari North Health Center need to be given information;education and counselling on MFPM to enable them make an informed decision and choice on their preferred method of family planning.

5种国产与进口E-test药敏条的一致性比较

目的比较5种药物国产E-test药敏条(简称国产条)(青霉素、万古霉素、氯霉素、两性霉素B和氟康唑)与进口E-test药敏条(简称进口条)的一致性。方法收集2014至2015年北京协和医院临床分离菌共294株,用E-test法测定其最低抑菌浓度(MIC)值,国产条与法国生物梅里埃公司进口条平行检测的MIC值超过|±1|个倍比稀释倍数(细菌)/|±2|个倍比稀释倍数(真菌)或体外敏感性判定结果不一致时,采用微量肉汤稀释法进行验证。结果 56株菌进行青霉素E-test药敏条检测,其中52株MIC值在|±1|个倍比稀释倍数范围内,4株菌MIC值超出此范围,经微量肉汤稀释法验证,有2株菌MIC值与进口条更接近;其中3株菌体外敏感性判读存在差异,且均为国产条较进口条敏感,经微量肉汤稀释法验证,有2株菌药敏结果与国产条一致。62株菌进行万古霉素E-test药敏条试验,其中完全一致16株(16/62,25.8%),|±0.5|个倍比稀释倍数43株(43/62,69.4%),|±1|个倍比稀释倍数2株(2/62,3.2%),仅1株菌MIC值超出|±1|个倍比稀释倍数(14W00916,粪肠球菌),经微量肉汤稀释法验证后,该菌MIC值介于进口条和国产条之间;62株菌体外敏感性判读与进口条100%一致。其余3种抗菌药物(氯霉素、两性霉素B、氟康唑)的基本一致(essential agreement,EA)率和分类一致(categorical agreement,CA)率均为100%。结论 5种国产条(青霉素、氯霉素、万古霉素、两性霉素B、氟康唑)所测定MIC值和体外敏感性判定结果准确可靠,与进口条一致性较好,可满足临床和实验室需求。

E-test法和Rosco纸片法检测申克孢子丝菌对伊曲康唑和氟康唑的敏感性试验

目的探讨申克孢子丝菌的体外抗真菌药敏试验E-test法和Rosco纸片法的可比性,观察申克孢子丝菌对伊曲康唑和氟康唑的敏感性。方法采用临床实验室标准化协会(CLSI)颁布的M27-P方案中的E-test法检测和Rosco纸片法检测申克孢子丝菌在菌丝相时对伊曲康唑、氟康唑的MIC值。结果采用E-test法和Rosco纸片法检测20株临床分离株25℃菌丝相时,伊曲康唑的MIC值范围分别为:0.012～2.0μg/mL,14～29mm,氟康唑的MIC值范围分别为:>256μg/mL,0mm。结论体外抗真菌药敏试验E-test法和Rosco纸片法有较好的一致性和重复性。申克孢子丝菌25℃菌丝相时对伊曲康唑、氟康唑的敏感性存在差异,对伊曲康唑的敏感性高于氟康唑。

Variational iteration solving method for El Nio phenomenon atmospheric physics of nonlinear model

A class of E1 Niйo atmospheric physics oscillation model is considered. The E1 Niйo atmospheric physics oscillation is an abnormal phenomenon involved in the tropical Pacific ocean-atmosphere interactions. The conceptual oscillator model should consider the variations of both the eastern and western Pacific anomaly patterns. An E1 Niйo atmospheric physics model is proposed using a method for the variational iteration theory. Using the variational iteration method, the approximate expansions of the solution of corresponding problem are constructed. That is, firstly, introducing a set of functional and accounting their variationals, the Lagrange multiplicators are counted, and then the variational iteration is defined, finally, the approximate solution is obtained. From approximate expansions of the solution, the zonal sea surface temperature anomaly in the equatorial eastern Pacific and the thermocline depth anomaly of the sea-air oscillation for E1 Niйo atmospheric physics model can be analyzed. E1 Niйo is a very complicated natural phenomenon. Hence basic models need to be reduced for the sea-air oscillator and are solved. The variational iteration is a simple and valid approximate method.

Perturbation method of studying the EI Nifio oscillation with two parameters by using the delay sea-air oscillator model

The EI Nino-southern oscillation （ENSO） is an interannual phenomenon involved in tropical Pacific ocean- atmosphere interactions. In this paper, we develop an asymptotic method of solving the nonlinear equation using the ENSO model. Based on a class of the oscillator of the ENSO model, a approximate solution of the corresponding problem is studied employing the perturbation method.

Effects of nitrogen specification and culture method on growth of Enteromorpha prolifera

Eutrophication, which is the enrichment of a water mass with inorganic and organic nutrients that support plant growth, is a key factor in stimulating phytoplankton growth. In this study, we determined the effects of various nitrogen sources, different nitrogen concentrations in the culture medium, and two culture methods on the growth of the green alga, Enteromorpha prolifera. The relationship between the specific growth rate of E. prolifera and NO3-N concentration was consistent with that estimated using the Monod equation （R2=0.9713, P〈0.01）. In the N O3-N medium, the maximum specific growth rate was calculated to be 0.1634/d and the semi-saturation constant was calculated to be 16.86 μmol/L. Our results show that E. prolijkra can effectively utilize NH4^＋-N, NO3^-N, and NO^2-N and urea-N in the range of 5 to 50 μmol/L. NH4^＋-N was preferentially assimilated by E. prolifera, and urea-N was favorable for long-term growth.

A new enzymatic method for determination of E. coli

beta-Galactosidase, a kind of endoenzyme in E. coli cells. can be released by the pore-forming action of colicin El. and E. coli can be detected rapidly by enzymatic method.

A connection between the(G'/G)-expansion method and the truncated Painlevé expansion method and its application to the mKdV equation

Recently the （G′/G）-expansion method was proposed to find the traveling wave solutions of nonlinear evolution equations. This paper shows that the （G′/G）-expansion method is a special form of the truncated Painlev＇e expansion method by introducing an intermediate expansion method. Then the generalized （G′/G）-（G/G′） expansion method is naturally derived from the standpoint of the nonstandard truncated Painlev＇e expansion. The application of the generalized method to the mKdV equation shows that it extends the range of exact solutions obtained by using the （ G′/ G）-expansion method.

A generalized Padé approximation method of solving homoclinic and heteroclinic orbits of strongly nonlinear autonomous oscillators

An intrinsic extension of Pad′e approximation method, called the generalized Pad′e approximation method, is proposed based on the classic Pad′e approximation theorem. According to the proposed method, the numerator and denominator of Pad′e approximant are extended from polynomial functions to a series composed of any kind of function, which means that the generalized Pad′e approximant is not limited to some forms, but can be constructed in different forms in solving different problems. Thus, many existing modifications of Pad′e approximation method can be considered to be the special cases of the proposed method. For solving homoclinic and heteroclinic orbits of strongly nonlinear autonomous oscillators, two novel kinds of generalized Pad′e approximants are constructed. Then, some examples are given to show the validity of the present method. To show the accuracy of the method, all solutions obtained in this paper are compared with those of the Runge–Kutta method.

Improvements of marine clay slurries using chemicale-physical combined method(CPCM)

In this paper, the effectiveness, applicability and validity of chemicalephysical combined methods（CPCMs） for treatment of marine clay （MC） slurries were evaluated. The method CPCM1 combineschemical stabilization and vacuum preloading （VP）, while CPCM2 is similar to CPCM1 but includes boththe application of surcharge and use of geo-bags to provide confinement during surcharge preloading.The key advantage of CPCM2 using geo-bags is that the surcharge can be immediately applied on thechemically stabilized slurries. Two types of geo-bags were investigated under simulated land filling anddyke conditions, respectively. The test results show that the shear strength （cu） of treated slurry byCPCM2 is generally much higher than that by CPCM1. Besides, the use of CPCM2 can significantly reducethe treatment time due to the short drainage paths created by geo-bags. Overall, CPCM2 allows fasterconsolidation and higher preloading that help to achieve higher mechanical properties of the stabilizedslurry. There are consistent relationships between cU and water content of slurries treated by CPCM2.Several important observations were also made based on comparisons of experimental data. 2015 Institute of Rock and Soil Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Production and hosting byElsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A Direct Droplet Digital PCR Method for <i>E. coli</i>Host Residual DNA Quantification

Injectable drugs manufactured in E. coli must be tested for host residual DNA (hr DNA) impurity in ensuring drug purity and safety. Because of low allowable hr DNA as impurity, highly sensitive methods are needed. Droplet digital PCR (ddPCR) is a new method where the reaction is partitioned into about 20,000 nanoliter-sized droplets and each droplet acts as individual PCR reaction. After completion of end-point PCR, droplets are analyzed for fluorescence and categorized as positive or negative and DNA quantified using Poisson statistics. Here we describe development of a direct E. coli hr DNA dd PCR method where the drug is directly added to the ddPCR reaction. We show that the ddPCR method has acceptable precision and high accuracy, works with different biologic drugs, and compared to qPCR shows higher tolerance of drug matrices. The method does not require DNA extraction or standard curves for quantification of hr DNA in unknown samples.

Synthesis of Niobium Doped ZnO Nanoparticles by Electrochemical Method: Characterization, Photodegradation of Indigo Carmine Dye and Antibacterial Study

Niobium doped Zincoxide nanoparticles has been synthesized through electrochemical method and characterized by UV-Visible spectroscopy, IR Spectroscopy, SEM, XRD, ICPMS and EDAX data. The UV-Visible spectroscopy result reveals that the band gap energy of ZnO/Nb2O5 nanoparticles to be 3.8 eV. The XRD results show that the crystallite size is to be 31.9 nm. The ICPMS data indicate the presence of 3,3461,328 counts of 93 Nb and 577,906,390 counts of 66 Zn. An improvement in the photocatalytic degradation of Indigocarmine dye (IC) in comparison to commercially available pure ZnO was observed. The photodegradation efficiency for ZnO/Nb2O5 and ZnO were found to be 97.4% and 52.1% respectively. The enhancement in photocatalytic activity of ZnO/ Nb2O5 was ascribed to the extended light absorption range and suppression of electron hole pair recombination upon Nb loading. The antibacterial activity of ZnO/Nb2O5 nanoparticles was investigated. These particles were shown to have an effective bactericide.

Effect of Ciprofloxacin on S.aureus and E.coli Growth in Presence of Vitamin C Using Cup Cut Diffusion Method

Ciprofloxacin is a second-generation of fluoroquinolone,broad-spectrum antibiotic with bactericidal activity against Gram-positive and Gram-negative organisms.It is one of the most widely used antibiotics,because of its efficacy,safety,and relatively low cost.Ascorbic acid(vitamin C)is water-soluble monosaccharide antioxidant;it is essentially required by the body for its various biochemical and physiological processes.S.aureus is Gram-positive cocci;widely distributed in the environment,it is a member of the normal flora of the body.S.aureus is not always pathogenic;it is a common cause of skin infections including abscesses,respiratory infections such as sinusitis,and food poisoning.E.coli is Gram-negative bacteria,found in the environment,foods,and intestines.Most E.coli strains are harmless;it is part of the normal microbiota of the gut.However,some serotypes of E.coli cause serious food poisoning in their hosts;it can cause diarrhea,while others cause urinary tract infections,respiratory illness and pneumonia,and other illnesses.Method:Cup cut diffusion method was applied.Experiment I:is carried out to choose the concentration of vitamin C to be used in experiment II.The negative control is normal saline,added in cup in each plate,vitamin C(100 mg/mL,200 mg/mL,400 mg/mL)was added,the volume in each cup was 100μL.Experiment II:Eight groups of treatments were applied.The first is the negative control(1%normal saline),the second group is the positive control of vitamin C(200 mg/mL).The third,fourth and fifth groups are ciprofloxacin with different concentrations(10 mg/mL,20 mg/mL,40 mg/mL);the sixth,seventh and eighth are the combination of vitamin C with each concentration of ciprofloxacin(10 mg/mL,20 mg/mL,40 mg/mL).Each group includes six petri dishes.Bacterial plates were incubated at 37 oC for 24 h and 48 h.Zone of inhibition is measured in mm.Results and conclusion:Ciprofloxacin produces dose dependent increase in zone of inhibition of S.aureus and E.coli growth,after 24 and 48 hours incubation.While vitamin C in the concentration used produced inhibitory effect on the growth of S.aureus and E.coli,after 24 hours incubation,vitamin C effect was not changed after 48 hours incubation.After 24 hours incubation,vitamin C potentiated the effect of ciprofloxacin at low concentration(10 mg/mL);while vitamin C antagonized the effect of ciprofloxacin at higher concentrations(20 and 40 mg/mL)on S.aureus growth.In the same time,ciprofloxacin antagonized the inhibitory effect of vitamin C on S.aureus growth.After 48 hours incubation,S.aureus produced resistance against ciprofloxacin alone,and that combined with vitamin C compared to zone of inhibition after 24 hours.Ciprofloxacin produced dose dependent inhibition of E.coli growth after incubation for 24 and 48 hours.Vitamin C potentiated the inhibitory effect induced by ciprofloxacin(additive effect).The inhibitory effect of ciprofloxacin,vitamin C and the combination was not changed after 48 hours compared to 24 hours.

Validation for Microbial Limit Test Method of Compound Yu E Nose Drops

[Objectives] This study was conducted to establish a method for microbial limit test of Compound Yu E Nose Drops.[Methods] According to the Chinese Pharmacopoei (General Rules in the fourth part of the 2015 edition),the microbial limit test method for Compound Yu E Nose Drops was verified.[Results] Compound Yu E Nose Drops has a strong inhibitory effect on Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus subtilis,and the inhibitory activity was significantly eliminated after increasing the diluent (1∶ 20).The recoveries were all in the range of 0.5-2.0 when the total quantities of aerobic microbes were determined by the dilution method (1∶ 20).When the total quantities of mould and yeast were determined by the conventional method,the recoveries were both in the range of 0.5-2.0.When examining control bacteria,Escherichia coli,S.aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa can all be detected in the test groups by the test liquid dilution method.[Conclusions] For Compound Yu E Nose Drops,the total quantities of aerobic microbe can be counted by the dilution method;the quantities of mould and yeast can be examined by the conventional plate method;and the conventional method can be used for control microbe examination.

Theoretical study of(e,2e) triple differential cross section of 1b3g orbital of ethylene by vibrational multi-center distorted-wave method

The vibrational motions are usually neglected when calculating(e,2e) triple differential cross sections(TDCSs) of molecules. Here, multi-center distorted-wave method(MCDW) has been modified by including molecular vibrations. This vibrational MCDW method is employed to calculate the TDCSs of 1b3gorbital of ethylene at low(100 eV) and medium(250 eV) incident electron energies in coplanar asymmetric kinematic condition. The results show that molecular vibrations significantly influence the angular distributions of the TDCSs, especially in the binary region along momentum transfer near the Bethe ridge.

Theoretical study of (e,2e) triple differential cross sections of pyrimidine and tetrahydrofurfuryl alcohol molecules using multi-center distorted-wave method

We report theoretical studies of electron impact triple differential cross sections of two bio-molecules,pyrimidine and tetrahydrofurfuryl alcohol,in the coplanar asymmetric kinematic conditions with the impact energy of 250 eV and ejected electron energy of 20 eV at three scattering angles of-5°,-10°,and-15°.Present multi-center distorted-wave method well describes the experimental data,which was obtained by performing(e,2e)experiment.The calculations show that the secondary electron produced by the primary impact electron is strongly influenced by the molecular ionic multi-center potential,which must be considered when the low energy electron interacts with DNA analogues.

Xingnao Kaiqiao needling method for acute ischemic stroke： a meta-analysis of safety and efficacy

OBJECTIVE： To evaluate the effectiveness and safety of the Xingnao Kaiqiao needling method for treating acute ischemic stroke.DATA SOURCES： We retrieved relevant randomized controlled trials involving Xingnao Kaiqiao acupuncture for treatment of acute ischemic stroke. The China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Weipu Information Resources System, Wanfang Medical Data System, Chinese Biomedical Literature Database, Cochrane Library, and Pub Med were searched from June 2006 to March 2016.DATA SELECTION： We analyzed randomized and semi-randomized clinical controlled trials that compared Xingnao Kaiqiao acupuncture with various control treatments, such as conventional drugs or other acupuncture therapies, for treatment of acute ischemic stroke. The quality of articles was evaluated according to the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions（Version 5.1）, and the study was carried out using Cochrane system assessment methods. Rev Man 5.2 was used for the meta-analysis of the included studies.OUTCOME MEASURES： The mortality rate, disability rate, activities of daily living（Barthel Index）, and clinical efficacy were observed.RESULTS： Twelve studies met the inclusion criteria for this review. The meta-analysis showed that between Xingnao Kaiqiao acupuncture and the control treatment, Xingnao Kaiqiao acupuncture reduced the disability rate [risk ratio（RR） = 0.51, 95% confidence interval（CI） = 0.27-0.98, z = 2.03, P 〈 0.05], elevated the activities of daily living（weighted mean difference = 12.23, 95% CI： 3.66-20.08, z = 2.80, P 〈 0.005）, and had greater clinical efficacy（RR = 1.61, 95% CI： 1.23-2.09, z = 3.53, P 〈 0.0004）. However, there was no significant difference in mortality rate（RR = 0.61, 95% CI： 0.15-2.45, z = 0.70, P 〉 0.05）. CONCLUSION： The Xingnao Kaiqiao needling method is effective and safe for acute ischemic stroke. However, there was selective bias in this study, and the likelihood of measurement bias is high. Thus, more high-quality randomized controlled trials are needed to provide reliable evidence of the efficacy and safety of Xingnao Kaiqiao acupuncture in the treatment of acute ischemic stroke.

A new measuring method for maximal length, width and thickness dimensions of coarse aggregates

In order to establish a new method for measuring the dimensions of coarse aggregates, five different-size flat and elongated (F&E) coarse aggregates were glued into two specimens by epoxy resin, respectively, and slice images were obtained by X-ray CT, then the aggregates were extracted by the fuzzy c-means clustering algorithm. Attributions of the particle on different cross-sections were determined by the ‘overlap area method’. And unified three-dimensional Cartesian coordinate system was established based on continuous slice images. The coefficient values of spherical harmonics descriptor representing particles surface profile were gained, then each scanned particle was represented by 60×120 discrete points conformably with spherical harmonics descriptor. The chord length and direction angles were determined by the calculation. With the major axis (L) and orthogonal axis (W and T), the calculated results were compared with those measured by caliper. It is concluded that the new L, W, and T dimension measuring method is able to take the place of the present manual measurement.