Evaluation of different polymerase chain reaction methods for the identification of Vibrio parahaemolyticus strains isolated by cultural methods

Control of contamination by Vibrio parahaemolyticus in fishery products is often hampered by the lack of standardized methods and by the uncertainty associated with biochemical identification of the isolates. In this study, 5 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) methods for the identification of V. parahaemolyticus to the species level were evaluated by using 25 Vibrio reference strains and 163 isolates from fishery products, environmental sources, and clinical samples. Sequence targets of the methods were toxR, gyrB, and tlh genes (tested with 2 protocols), and the fragment pR72H. Isolate identification was confirmed by sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene and by PCR protocols for the identification of other Vibrio species. The PCR assay targeting the toxR gene achieved the highest performance (100% inclusivity and exclusivity). The 2 PCR protocols based on tlh gene detection, although showing the same inclusivity (100%), differed in the exclusivity (50 and 91%, respectively). Finally, the results provided by the PCR assays targeting the gyrB gene and pR72H fragment were less reliable and, in some cases, difficult to assess. According to the results of this study, the characteristics of accuracy expressed by the toxR identification method make it a suitable candidate as a reference method for the molecular identification of V. parahaemolyticus strains.     

2-substituted benzofuran fragment ion formation in the electron ionization mass spectra of 6-alkyl- and 6-aryldibenzo(d,f)(1,3)dioxepine derivatives. 1. Spirocyclization of the molecular ions in the gas phase

The formation of 2-substituted benzo[b]furan ions in the electron ionization (EI) mass spectra of a series of 6-alkyl- and 6-aryldibenzo(d,f)(1,3)dioxepines has been studied by means of exact mass measurements and multiple-stage mass spectrometry conditions using an ion trap mass spectrometer. The proposed mechanism of formation of benzo[b]furan ions requires the formation of a spirocyclic cyclohexadienone system, which undergoes elimination of a cyclopentadienone molecule. A parallel with the chemical conversion of arylmethyl-substituted dibenzo(d,f)(1,3)dioxepines into an analogous spirocyclic system was also underlined.     

Hysteresis in phase‐field models with thermal memory

Phase‐field systems as mathematical models for phase transitions have drawn increasing attention in recent years. However, while capable of capturing many of the experimentally observed phenomena, they are only of restricted value in modelling hysteresis effects occurring during phase transition processes. To overcome this shortcoming, a new approach has recently been proposed by the last two authors which is based on the mathematical theory of hysteresis operators developed in the past fifteen years. In this paper this approach is extended to cases where the material exhibits an additional thermal memory, i.e. where the heat flux contains a time convolution of the spatial gradient of temperature. It is shown that the corresponding system of field equations admits a unique strong solution that depends continuously on the data of the system. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Self‐assembly of mono‐ and multilayers of polyconjugated conducting polymers

To obtain organised mono‐ and multilayers of policonjugated polymers or oligomers by self assembly techniques has recently attracted much attention. This is due to the simplicity of the method and to the fact that no sophisticated apparatus is required. In the present feature the state of the art in this field is discussed including our own research results. A survey on self assembly of thiols, disulfides, and alkylsilanes on gold or glass surfaces is presented as well as self assembly of ferrocenylalkyl‐substituted heterocycle adsorbates on ITO surfaces. Carboxyalkyl bithiophenes and terthiophenes, in which the oligothiophene tail is either perpendicularly or linearly linked to the tethering carboxyalkyl chain form stable monolayers on ITO electrodes and are anodically oxidised to produce polymer layers or to couple with oligothiophenes in solution, depending on the structure. As for multilayers, an introductory survey on the self assembly technique usually employed is given. Several examples of multilayers constituted of electroconductive polymers are discussed. Finally our recent results concerning different multilayers from polythiophenes bearing anionic and cationic moieties are discussed.     

Difficulties in fumonisin determination: the issue of hidden fumonisins

In this paper, the results obtained by five independent methods for the quantification of fumonisins B₁, B₂, and B₃ in raw maize are reported. Five naturally contaminated maize samples and a reference material were analyzed in three different laboratories. Although each method was validated and common calibrants were used, a poor agreement about fumonisin contamination levels was obtained. In order to investigate the interactions among analyte and matrix leading to this lack of consistency, the occurrence of fumonisin derivatives was checked. Significant amounts of hidden fumonisins were detected for all the considered samples. Furthermore, the application of an in vitro digestion protocol to raw maize allowed for a higher recovery of native fumonisins, suggesting that the interaction occurring among analytes and matrix macromolecules is associative rather than covalent. Depending on the analytical method as well as the maize sample, only 37–68% of the total fumonisin concentrations were found to be extractable from the samples. These results are particularly impressive and significant in the case of the certified reference material, underlying the actual difficulties in ascertaining the trueness of a method for fumonisin determination, opening thus an important issue for risk assessment.     

Ab initio study of the (2 × 2) phase of barium on graphene

We present a first-principles density functional theory study on the structural, electronic and dynamical properties of a novel barium doped graphene phase. Low energy electron diffraction of barium doped graphene presents clear evidence of (2 × 2) spots induced by barium adatoms with BaC₈ stoichiometry. First principles calculations reveals that the phase is thermodynamically stable but unstable to segregation towards the competitive BaC₆ monolayer phase. The calculation of phonon spectrum confirms the dynamical stability of the BaC₈ phase indicating its metastability, probably stabilized by doping and strain conditions due to the substrate. Barium induces a relevant doping of the graphene π states and new barium-derived hole Fermi surface at the M-point of the (2 × 2) Brillouin zone. In view of possible superconducting phase induced by foreign dopants in graphene, we studied the electron–phonon coupling of this novel (2 × 2) obtaining λ = 0.26, which excludes the stabilization of a superconducting phase.     

Effects of Combination Treatments with Astaxanthin-Loaded Microparticles and Pentoxifylline on Intracellular ROS and Radiosensitivity of J774A.1 Macrophages

Radiation-induced fibrosis (RIF) is a serious, yet incurable, complication of external beam radiation therapy for the treatment of cancer. Macrophages are key cellular actors in RIF because of their ability to produce reactive oxidants, such as reactive oxygen species (ROS) and inflammatory cytokines that, in turn, are the drivers of pro-fibrotic pathways. In a previous work, we showed that phagocytosis could be exploited to deliver the potent natural antioxidant astaxanthin specifically to macrophages. For this purpose, astaxanthin encapsulated into µm-sized protein particles could specifically target macrophages that can uptake the particles by phagocytosis. In these cells, astaxanthin microparticles significantly reduced intracellular ROS levels and the secretion of bioactive TGFβ and increased cell survival after radiation treatments. Here we show that pentoxifylline, a drug currently used for the treatment of muscle pain resulting from peripheral artery disease, amplifies the effects of astaxanthin microparticles on J774A.1 macrophages. Combination treatments with pentoxifylline and encapsulated astaxanthin might reduce the risk of RIF in cancer patients.     

Magnetless Optical Circulator Based on an Iron Garnet with Reduced Magnetization Saturation

A three-port circulator for optical communication systems comprising a photonic crystal slab made of a magneto-optical material in which an magnetizing element is not required to keep its magnetic domains aligned is suggested for the first time. By maximizing the incorporation of europium to its molecular formula, the magneto-optical material can remain in the saturated magnetic state even in the absence of an external DC magnetic field. Two- and three-dimensional simulations of the device performed with full-wave electromagnetic solvers based on the finite element method demonstrate that, at the 1550 nm wavelength, the insertion loss, isolation, and reflection levels are equal to or better than −1 dB, −14 dB, and −20 dB, respectively. Since its operation does not require an electromagnet or a permanent magnet, the suggested circulator is much more compact, being able to reach footprints in the range of three orders of magnitude smaller, when compared to other circulator designs referred to in the literature and the presented results can be useful for the design of other nonreciprocal devices with reduced dimensions for optical communication systems.     

Monge-Ampère Equations on (Para-)K?hler Manifolds: from Characteristic Subspaces to Special Lagrangian Submanifolds

We present the basic notions and results of the geometric theory of second order PDEs in the framework of contact and symplectic manifolds including characteristics, formal integrability, existence and uniqueness of formal solutions of non-characteristic Cauchy problems. Then, we focus our attention to Monge-Ampère equations (MAEs) and discuss a natural class of MAEs arising in K?hler and para-K?hler geometry whose solutions are special Lagrangian submanifolds.