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This study was focused on the determination of mosquito genera at Prince Abubakar Audu University, Anyigba, Kogi State, North Central Nigeria. Mosquitoes were collected for four weeks (4) on a weekly basis indoors at dawn from the female hostel of Prince Abubakar Audu University, Anyigba, Kogi State, Nigeria. Samples were collected from three different blocks (A, B, and C) of the study area. The samples were identified clearly based on their visible morphological features up to genus levels using routine methods. The data obtained from the study was analyzed using an SPSS version 21.0 for windows. Analysis of variance was used to test for significant difference in the abundance of mosquitoes’ genera between weeks and blocks. The resulting outputs were presented in tables. The weekly mosquito genera and relative abundance in block A of the study area showed that the total mosquito genera recorded were Anopheles 72 (40%), Culex 73 (40.6%), and Aedes 35 (19.4%). Mosquitoes were most abundant in week 4 (31.1%) and least abundant in week 1 (18.9%) in block A of the study area, which were statistically significant at P < 0.05. The weekly mosquito genera and relative abundance in block B of the study area showed that the total mosquito genera recorded were Anopheles 71 (39.7%), Culex 73 (40.8%), and Aedes 35 (19.6%). Mosquitoes were most abundant in week 4 (30.2%) and least abundant in week 1 (21.2%) in block B of the study area (P < 0.05). The weekly mosquito genera and relative abundance in block C of the study area showed that the total mosquito genera recorded were Anopheles 47 (37.6%), Culex 45 (36%), and Aedes 33 (26.4%). Mosquitoes were most abundant in week 1 (25.6%) and least abundant in week 2 (21.6%) in block C of the study area (P < 0.05). The total number of Anopheles in the study area was 190 (40.9%), followed by Culex at 181 (39%) and Aedes at 93 (20%). The most abundant mosquito genera were Anopheles and the least were Aedes (P < 0.05). The number of Anopheles, Culex, and Aedes species observed in this study is of grave epidemiological apprehension for the university community. Consequently, public health education on mosquito control is urgently needed.

BackgroundSeveral studies have documented the significant impact of methodological choices in microbiome analyses. The myriad of methodological options available complicate the replication of results and generally limit the comparability of findings between independent studies that use differing techniques and measurement pipelines. Here we describe the Mosaic Standards Challenge (MSC), an international interlaboratory study designed to assess the impact of methodological variables on the results. The MSC did not prescribe methods but rather asked participating labs to analyze 7 shared reference samples (5x human stool samples and 2x mock communities) using their standard laboratory methods. To capture the array of methodological variables, each participating lab completed a metadata reporting sheet that included 100 different questions regarding the details of their protocol. The goal of this study was to survey the methodological landscape for microbiome metagenomic sequencing (MGS) analyses and the impact of methodological decisions on metagenomic sequencing results.ResultsA total of 44 labs participated in the MSC by submitting results (16S or WGS) along with accompanying metadata; thirty 16S rRNA gene amplicon datasets and 14 WGS datasets were collected. The inclusion of two types of reference materials (human stool and mock communities) enabled analysis of both MGS measurement variability between different protocols using the biologically-relevant stool samples, and MGS bias with respect to ground truth values using the DNA mixtures. Owing to the compositional nature of MGS measurements, analyses were conducted on the ratio of Firmicutes: Bacteroidetes allowing us to directly apply common statistical methods. The resulting analysis demonstrated that protocol choices have significant effects, including both bias of the MGS measurement associated with a particular methodological choices, as well as effects on measurement robustness as observed through the spread of results between labs making similar methodological choices. In the analysis of the DNA mock communities, MGS measurement bias was observed even when there was general consensus among the participating laboratories.ConclusionThis study was the result of a collaborative effort that included academic, commercial, and government labs. In addition to highlighting the impact of different methodological decisions on MGS result comparability, this work also provides insights for consideration in future microbiome measurement study design.

Objectives The aim of this AFIRE (Atrial Fibrillation and Ischemic Events With Rivaroxaban in Patients With Stable Coronary Artery Disease) trial subgroup analysis was to examine rivaroxaban monotherapy benefits and their relation to the time between stenting and enrollment among patients after coronary stenting. Background Of 2,215 patients with atrial fibrillation and stable coronary artery disease in the AFIRE trial, rivaroxaban monotherapy was noninferior to rivaroxaban plus antiplatelet therapy (combination therapy) in terms of efficacy and superior for safety endpoints. However, thrombotic risk after antiplatelet therapy cessation remained a concern among 1,444 patients who had undergone coronary stenting >1 year before enrollment. Methods The benefits of rivaroxaban monotherapy in coronary stenting subgroups were assessed for efficacy (a composite of stroke, systemic embolism, myocardial infarction, unstable angina requiring revascularization, or death of any cause), safety (major bleeding defined according to International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis criteria), ischemic endpoints, net adverse clinical event, and time between stenting and enrollment. Results Efficacy and safety endpoints for monotherapy were superior to combination therapy, with HRs of 0.70 for efficacy (95% CI: 0.50-0.98; P = 0.036) and 0.55 for safety (95% CI: 0.33-0.92; P = 0.019). For ischemic endpoints, the HR was 0.82 (95% CI: 0.58-1.15; P = 0.240). The HR became smaller with longer time between stenting and enrollment (efficacy, P for interaction = 0.158; safety, P = 0.097). Conclusions In patients with atrial fibrillation after coronary stenting, the benefits of rivaroxaban monotherapy for efficacy and safety endpoints were consistent with those in the whole AFIRE trial population. The benefits became apparent with longer time between stenting and enrollment. (Atrial Fibrillation and Ischemic Events With Rivaroxaban in Patients With Stable Coronary Artery Disease Study [AFIRE]; UMIN000016612 , NCT02642419 )

Background Blood pressure (BP) variability has reportedly been a risk factor for various clinical events. To clarify the influence of BP visit‐to‐visit variability on adverse events in patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation, a post hoc analysis of the J‐RHYTHM Registry was performed. Methods and Results Of 7406 outpatients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation from 158 institutions, 7226 (age, 69.7±9.9 years; men, 70.7%), in whom BP was measured 4 times or more (14.6±5.0 times) during the 2‐year follow‐up period or until occurrence of an event, constituted the study group. SD and coefficient of variation of BP values were calculated as BP variability. Thromboembolism, major hemorrhage, and all‐cause death occurred in 110 (1.5%), 121 (1.7%), and 168 (2.3%) patients, respectively. When patients were divided into quartiles of systolic BP‐SD (P =0.015 for thromboembolism; HR, 2.60, 95% CI, 1.36–4.97, P =0.004 for major hemorrhage; and HR, 1.85, 95% CI, 1.11–3.07, P =0.018 for all‐cause death) after adjusting for components of the CHA 2 DS 2 ‐VASc score, warfarin and antiplatelet use, atrial fibrillation type, BP measurement times, and others. These findings were consistent when BP‐coefficient of variation was used instead of BP‐SD. Conclusions Systolic BP visit‐to‐visit variability was significantly associated with all adverse events in patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation. Further studies are needed to clarify the causality between BP variability and adverse outcomes in patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation. Registration URL: https://www.umin.ac.jp/ctr/ ; Unique Identifier: UMIN000001569.

The antimicrobial activity of the leave of Acalypha wilkesiana methanolic extract and its four derivative fractions were determined on human pathogenic bacteria namely strains of Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pyogenes, Enterococcus faecalis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Proteus vulgaris and Escherichia coli and fungi; Aspergillus niger, A. flavus, A. carbonerium, Trichophyton mentagrophytes and Candida albicans. Methanolic extract (200 mg/ml) and its fractions were tested on the bacteria and fungi using the disc diffusion method. In vitro antibacterial and antifungal activity were screened by using Mueller Hinton Agar (MHA) and Potato Dextrose Agar (PDA) respectively. The minimum inhibitory concentration for the bacteria and fungi were also determined. Results showed broad spectrum antimicrobial activity against the Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria but same cannot be said about its activity against the fungi. The ethyl acetate fraction inhibited the growth of more bacteria and fungi compared to the other fractions; however, Research Article European Journal of Medicinal Plants, 3(1): 52-64, 2013 53 the aqueous extract was more effective on the bacteria isolates as it showed the lowest MIC for more bacteria compared to the other fractions. The extract and its fractions were active against bacteria which some standard antibiotics were not able to inhibit. Methanolic extract of A. wilkesiana leaves and its fractions showed a better antibacterial activity than antifungal activity. The fact that the plant was active against both clinical and laboratory isolates is an indication that it can be a source of very potent antibiotic substances that can be used against drug resistant microorganisms. The search for new drugs to counter the challenges posed by resistant strains of bacteria and some fungi might have started yielding results as the investigation of this plant has demonstrated enormous therapeutic potential.

Background To clarify the influence of hypertension and blood pressure ( BP ) control on thromboembolism and major hemorrhage in patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation, a post hoc analysis of the J‐ RHYTHM Registry was performed. Methods and Results A consecutive series of outpatients with atrial fibrillation was enrolled from 158 institutions. Of 7937 patients, 7406 with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation (70.8% men, 69.8±10.0 years) were followed for 2 years or until an event occurred. Hypertension was defined as a systolic BP ≥140 mm Hg, a diastolic BP ≥90 mm Hg, a history of hypertension, and/or antihypertensive drug use. Hypertension was an independent risk factor for major hemorrhage (hazard ratio 1.52, 95% CI 1.05–2.21, P =0.027) but not for thromboembolism (hazard ratio 1.05, 95% CI 0.73–1.52, P =0.787). When patients were divided into quartiles according to their systolic BP at the time closest to the event or at the end of follow‐up (Q1, CI 1.75–4.74, P CI 1.02–2.53, P =0.041) after adjustment for components of CHA 2 DS 2 ‐ VAS c score, warfarin use, and antiplatelet use. A systolic BP of ≥136 mm Hg was an independent risk factor for thromboembolism and major hemorrhage. Conclusions BP control appears to be more important than a history of hypertension and baseline BP values at preventing thromboembolism and major hemorrhage in patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation. Clinical Trial Registration URL : http://www.umin.ac.jp/ctr . Unique identifier: UMIN 000001569.

The photoemission spectra with the ultrahigh-energy resolution reveal the small gap formation at lower temperatures than the characteristic coherent temperature T coh . In addition, the temperature dependence of the density of states at Fermi level clearly shows a simple scaling relationship with T coh . The narrow 4f-band with a very small dispersion just below E F are observed by angle-resolved spectra at the first time.

Record-low loss of 0.149dB/km at 1550nm is realized by pure-silica-core fiber having optimally enlarged Aeff, which indicates record-high figure-of-merit for digital coherent system. Mass-productivity is verified with 7,000km long fabrication whose averaged loss of 0.154dB/km.

As plastics are being used in a variety of applications, demands on a greater level of processing stability are increasing. Phosphites are noteworthy as effective processing stabilizer and the performance of phosphite antioxidants can be correlated to the chemical structure of phosphites. Cyclic phosphite esters derived from 2, 2′ methylene bis-2, 4-di-tert-butylphenol and some commercially available phosphites were submitted to comparative studies. Decomposition of cumene hydroperoxide, melt flow of polypropylene and consumption of additives after multiple extrusions were investigated to understand the activity of phosphites as process stabilizers in polypropylene. This study suggests that phosphites play an important role in process stabilization when used in combination with sterically hindered phenols, and that the activity of phosphites may be predicted by their reactivity on hydroperoxide.

The Double Chooz experiment presents an indication of reactor electron antineutrino disappearance consistent with neutrino oscillations. An observed-to-predicted ratio of events of 0.944±0.016(stat)±0.040(syst) was obtained in 101 days of running at the Chooz nuclear power plant in France, with two 4.25GWth reactors. The results were obtained from a single 10m3 fiducial volume detector located 1050 m from the two reactor cores. The reactor antineutrino flux prediction used the Bugey4 flux measurement after correction for differences in core composition. The deficit can be interpreted as an indication of a nonzero value of the still unmeasured neutrino mixing parameter sin⁡22θ13. Analyzing both the rate of the prompt positrons and their energy spectrum, we find sin⁡22θ13=0.086±0.041(stat)±0.030(syst), or, at 90% C.L., 0.017

The Double Chooz experiment presents an indication of reactor electron antineutrino disappearance consistent with neutrino oscillations. An observed-to-predicted ratio of events of 0.944±0.016(stat)±0.040(syst) was obtained in 101 days of running at the Chooz nuclear power plant in France, with two 4.25 GW(th) reactors. The results were obtained from a single 10 m(3) fiducial volume detector located 1050 m from the two reactor cores. The reactor antineutrino flux prediction used the Bugey4 flux measurement after correction for differences in core composition. The deficit can be interpreted as an indication of a nonzero value of the still unmeasured neutrino mixing parameter sin(2)2θ(13). Analyzing both the rate of the prompt positrons and their energy spectrum, we find sin(2)2θ(13)=0.086±0.041(stat)±0.030(syst), or, at 90% C.L., 0.017sin(2)2θ(13)0.16.

We carried out a study of neutrino detection at the experimental fast reactor JOYO using a 0.76 tons gadolinium loaded liquid scintillator detector. The detector was set up on the ground level at 24.3m from the JOYO reactor core of 140MW thermal power. The measured neutrino event rate from reactor on-off comparison was 1.11\pm1.24(stat.)\pm0.46(syst.)events/day. Although the statistical significance of the measurement was not enough, the background in such a compact detector at the ground level was studied in detail and MC simulation was found to describe the data well. A study for improvement of the detector for future such experiments is also shown., Comment: Submitted to Nuclear Instruments and Methods A

Fungi and/or Staphylococcus aureus enterotoxins (SEs) may participate in the pathogenesis of eosinophilic inflammation in cases of chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNP). Objective We sought to determine the effects of fungal antigens on eosinophilia-associated cellular responses in nasal polyps.Dispersed nasal polyp cells (DNPCs) were prepared from 13 patients with CRSwNP. DNPCs were cultured with fungal extracts (Aspergillus, Alternaria and Candida) or SEB for 72 h, after which the levels of IL-5, IL-13 and RANTES were measured within the supernatant. Responses to β-d-glucan, mannan and chitin were also examined.38.5%, 69.2% and 30.8% of DNPCs produced IL-5, IL-13 and RANTES, respectively, in response to 200 μg/mL of Aspergillus. 53.8%, 53.8% and 7.7% of DNPCs produced IL-5, IL-13 and RANTES, respectively, in response to 200 μg/mL of Alternaria. 53.8%, 38.5% and 15.4% of DNPCs produced IL-5, IL-13 and RANTES, respectively, in response to 200 μg/mL of Candida. All DNPCs produced these cytokines in response to 0.1 μg/mL of SEB. SEB induced significantly greater cytokine levels than the fungal extracts. No correlation between cytokine production following exposure to each of the fungal extracts or SEB and various clinical features, including nasal polyp eosinophilia and radiological severity of sinusitis was observed. Neither sensitization to fungus nor comorbidity with bronchial asthma was correlated with the fungal extract-induced cytokine production by DNPCs. β-d-glucan, mannan and chitin did not induce significant cytokine production.These results suggest that, although DNPCs produce IL-5, IL-13 and RANTES in response to fungal extracts, fungal antigens including major carbohydrates are less capable of inducing eosinophilia-associated cellular responses in nasal polyps than SEB.

There has been a significant increase in resistance of common bacterial isolates from surgical site infections in our community resulting in prolonged hospital stay, disability and deaths of patients. In this vein, we surveyed the antibiotic susceptibility profiles of aerobic bacterial isolates from postoperative wound infections and determined whether resistance in Staphylococcus aureus was genetically mediated. A total of 161 isolates were obtained from 153 swab samples of infected wounds using cultural, morphological, and biochemical characteristics. The predominant bacterial isolates were: S. aureus (53.4%), Escherichia coli (23.0%), Staphylococcus epidermidis (11.2%), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (5.0%), and species of Klebsiella and Proteus 3.7% each. On the whole: Escherichia coli, Klebsiella and Proteus showed similar antibiotic susceptibility patterns viz: 66.7-100% for ciprofloxacin, 66.7-100% gentamicin and 50-80% augmentin; and less than 50% for amoxacillin, erythromycin, tetracycline, cotrimoxazole, cloxacillin and chloramphenicol. S. aureus showed percentage susceptibility of 50-100% and Staphylococcus epidermidis (50-100%) for cloxacillin and augmentin, and less than 60% for amoxacillin, erythromycin, tetracycline, cotrimoxazole, gentamicin and chloramphenicol. Multi drug resistance (MDR) of S. aureus strains to at least three classes of the antibiotics used was about 70.5%. Four out of the 11 MDR S. aureus strains were found to harbor plasmids with varying molecular weights that ranged from 3.114 to 6.509 kb. One of the multi-drug resistant isolates still exhibited resistance even after curing. This showed that other genetic elements may also be involved in the acquisition of these forms of resistance other than plasmid elements. Key Words: Postoperative –Wounds-Aerobic bacteria- Staphylococcus aureus.

A new tungsten single-crystal target has been successfully employed at the positron source of the KEKB injector linac. The crystal thickness was determined to be 10.5 mm based on previous systematic measurements of the positron-production efficiency. The crystal axis, $⟨111⟩$, was precisely aligned to the direction of the 4-GeV primary electron beam. The positron yield increased by $\ensuremath{\sim}25%$ compared to that for a conventional tungsten plate with a thickness of 14 mm. On the contrary, the steady-state heat load on the crystal target decreased by $\ensuremath{\sim}20%$. After a two-month operation, no degradation of the positron-production efficiency was observed, and the crystal target has been stably operating at the KEK B factory.

A new tungsten single-crystal target has been successfully employed at the positron source of the KEKB injector linac. The crystal thickness was determined to be 10.5 mm based on the previous systematic measurements of the positron-production efficiency. The crystal axis, lang111rang, was precisely aligned to the direction of the 4-GeV primary electron beam. The positron yield increased by ~25% compared to that for a conventional tungsten plate with a thickness of 14 mm. On the contrary, the heat load on the crystal target decreased by ~20%. No degradation of the positron-production efficiency was observed since the crystal target was installed in September 2006, and it has been stably operating at the KEK B-factory.

On-site underground background measurements were performed for the planned reactor-neutrino oscillation experiment KASKA at Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power station in Niigata, Japan. A small-diameter boring hole was excavated down to 70m underground level, and a detector unit for $\gamma$-ray and cosmic-muon measurements was placed at various depths to take data. The data were analyzed to obtain abundance of natural radioactive elements in the surrounding soil and rates of cosmic muons that penetrate the overburden. The results will be reflected in the design of the KASKA experiment., Comment: 9 pages, 7 figures, final version for publication. Table 1 and Fig.5 have changed

Local structure of Er/sup 3+/ in the Er-doped optical fiber (EDF) was explored by the X-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS) measurement. We have successfully observed variations of Er-O coordination number and Er-O distance by changing the Al concentration.

The Luttinger surface of an organic metal (TTF-TCNQ), possessing charge order and spin-charge separation, is investigated using temperature dependent angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy. The Luttinger surface topology, obtained from momentum distribution curves, changes from quasi-2D(dimensional) to quasi-1D with temperature. The high temperature quasi-2D surface exhibits 4$k_F$ charge-density-wave (CDW) superstructure in the TCNQ derived holon band, in the absence of 2$k_F$ order. Decreasing temperature results in quasi-1D nested 2$k_F$ CDW order in the TCNQ spinon band and in the TTF surface. The results establish the link in momentum-space between charge order and spin-charge separation in a Luttinger liquid., 4 pages, 2 figures

Employing borate/alumina-codoped EDF, the relative gain ripple over the C-band has been reduced to less than 10%, which is to our knowledge the record for the gain flatness of C-band silica-based EDFAs.

We study the electronic structure of $\mathrm{Eu}{\mathrm{Ni}}_{2}{({\mathrm{Si}}_{0.2}{\mathrm{Ge}}_{0.8})}_{2}$, which exhibits a temperature dependent mixed valence transition, using $4d\text{\ensuremath{-}}4f$ resonant photoemission spectroscopy (RESPES), x-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) and temperature-dependent ultraviolet photoemission spectroscopy (UPS). The RESPES studies identify the divalent and trivalent Eu $4f$ character density of states (DOS) which participate in the valence transition. Using the photoionization cross section variation as a function of photon energy, we discuss the Eu, Ni, and $\mathrm{Ge}\ensuremath{-}\mathrm{Si}$ partial DOS in the valence band. The bulk divalent Eu $4f$ character states are centered at a binding energy of about $0.75\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}\mathrm{eV}$, significantly away from the Fermi level. While the surface divalent feature is negligibly affected, the spectra obtained using He $II\ensuremath{\alpha}$ UPS exhibit temperature dependent bulk Eu $4f$ character states. The bulk divalent spectral weight is transferred to the high energy trivalent states, across the valence transition temperature, ${T}_{v}\ensuremath{\sim}80\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}\mathrm{K}$. The He $I\ensuremath{\alpha}$ UPS also exhibit spectral intensity changes across ${T}_{v}$. The non-$f$ character conduction band states at and near the Fermi level exhibit spectral weight changes up to $350\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}\mathrm{meV}$ with a small energy $(\ensuremath{\sim}25\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}\mathrm{meV})$ temperature dependent pseudogaplike feature. The results suggest an increase in effective hybridization strength between the conduction and $4f$ electrons in the low temperature nearly trivalent phase. While the $4f$ character changes across ${T}_{v}$ are qualitatively consistent with change in valence configurations, the temperature dependent spectral changes in the non-$f$ character DOS indicate direct participation in the valence transition in $\mathrm{Eu}{\mathrm{Ni}}_{2}{({\mathrm{Si}}_{0.2}{\mathrm{Ge}}_{0.8})}_{2}$.

We present a precise measurement of the photoexcited F K alpha satellite intensity's evolution for NaF from [1s2p] double excitation threshold to saturation. A direct comparison between the observed evolution and the x-ray absorption spectrum was successfully made, and the contribution of multielectron transitions to the absorption spectrum was clearly resolved for the first time. A resonance-like feature observed in the near-threshold evolution is attributed to the [1s2p]3p(2) resonant double excitation as confirmed by calculations.

In an insulin-secreting pancreatic beta-cell line (MIN6), insulin release was caused by disopyramide, an antiarrhythmic drug with Na-channel blocking action, and its main metabolite mono-isopropyl disopyramide (MIP). Insulin secretion, measured as immunoreactive insulin (IRI), was accelerated to 265.7% of the control by disopyramide and to 184.4% by MIP, with half-effective concentrations (EC50) of 30.9 +/- 1.5 microM and 92.4 +/- 2.2 microM. We tested the possibility that these drugs induce insulin release by inhibiting ATP-sensitive K+ (K(ATP)) channels of MIN6 cells. In the cell-attached or ATP-free inside-out mode with patch membranes on MIN6 cells, K-selective channels were recorded with unitary conductance of 70.5 +/- 3.5 pS (150 mM external K+ ions at room temperature). The channels were concluded to be MIN6-K(ATP) channels because they were closed by extracellular high glucose (11.0 mM) or glibenclamide (200 nM) and were reversibly activated by diazoxide (50 microM). In the inside-out patch mode, they were inhibited by micromolar ATP. In both cell-attached and insideout mode, disopyramide and MIP inhibited single MIN6-K(ATP) channels. In the inside-out mode, they produced a dose-dependent inhibition of channel activity: the half-blocking concentrations (IC50) were 4.8 +/- 0.2 microM for disopyramide and 40.4 +/- 3.1 microM for MIP. It was therefore concluded that both agents exert insulinotrphic effect through the inhibition of membrane K(ATP) channels in MIN6 cells.

We report a case of minocycline-induced pneumonitis. A 30-year-old woman was treated with minocycline for mycoplasma pneumonia of the right upper lobe. About 15 days after starting treatment, she developed a productive cough, stridor, and dyspnea. The chest X-ray film showed pulmonary infiltration in the left middle lung field. Based on the clinical history and the detection of eosinophilia in the bronchoalveolar fluid, drug-induced pneumonitis was suspected. Treatment with minocycline was discontinued and prednisolone (20 mg/day) was started, after which her symptoms subsided and there was marked regression of the pulmonary infiltrates on chest X-ray films. The lymphocyte stimulation test for minocycline was negative, but the diagnosis was confirmed by a positive oral provocation test.

KASKA is a reactor neutrino experiment to measure θ 13 accurately. The sensitivity reach of sin 2 2 θ 13 will be 0.015 in its first phase. Higher accuracy θ 13 measurement, precise θ 12 measurement and first Δ m 13 2 measurement are also in consideration in future extensions of the experiment. A brief description of the KASKA project and its R&D activities are presented.

In order to study interaction of various types of labeled antisense DNAs were prepared. Fluorescein and 2,2,6,6-tetramethypiperidine-N-oxyl were the label molecules, which were introduced to 5'-end of oligonucleotides and their analogs. Interactions of labeled antisense DNAs with nucleic acids or proteins such as HSA, HIG and TF, were studied by UV, fluorescence depolarization spectroscopy, and ESR spectroscopy. Hybrid formation of antisense DNAs with oligonucleotides in solution could be monitored by the increase in fluorescence anisotropy (r) and by intensity change in ESR spectra. When phosphorothioate type antisense molecules anchoring fluorescein (F-OPT) were mixed with proteins, r drastically increased, whereas ODN slightly increased. These results suggest that OPTs have much more affinity for proteins than ODNs.

It was found that the cytoplasm of light-grown cells of Rhodospirillum rubrum could catalyze the reduction of methyl viologen (MV) (Em, 7 = -0.44 V) by NADH and NADPH. In the present study, the enzyme capable of catalyzing MV reduction by NADH (NADH-MV reductase) was purified 1,500-fold from an extract of cells with a yield of 4.4%. The purification procedure comprised (NH4)2SO4 fractionation, and chromatographies on Sepharose CL-6B, DEAE-Sepharose CL-6B, phenyl-Sepharose CL-4B, Blue-Cellulofine, and TSK-Gel G3000SW. Two NADPH-MV reductases were separated during the purification. The NADH-MV reductase obtained was nearly homogeneous, as judged on polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis both in the presence and absence of sodium dodecyl sulfate. The enzyme has a molecular weight of 220,000 and an isoelectric point of 4.8; it is composed of four subunits with a molecular weight of 57,000, and is bound with about 1 mol FAD/mol subunit. The activity is optimum at pH 8. The Km values for NADH and MV are 115 microM and 1.3 mM, respectively, with a molecular activity of 13,000 min-1. The activity was stimulated 2.4-fold in the presence of 20-100 mM ammonium ions. The enzyme also catalyzed the reduction of benzyl viologen, methylene blue and 2,6-dichlorophenol-indophenol (Em, 7 = -0.36, +0.011, and +0.217 V, respectively) at comparable rates. The ratios of the activity with NADH to that with NADPH were 80, 133, 41, and 5.5 with MV, benzyl viologen, methylene blue and 2,6-dichlorophenolindophenol, respectively. The enzyme was significantly stable in the presence of both 5mM 2-mercaptoethanol and 20% (w/v) glycerol. The activity was not appreciably influenced by the presence of 2 M urea, although the reagent caused dissociation to the subunits.