Incompatibility Tests Research Articles

Magnitude-space representations in the n-back task: Long-term representations of magnitudes alter the working memory performance.

Prior research has predominantly examined the role of working memory (WM) in tasks involving numerical information and spatial properties, such as memorizing number sequences and performing parity judgment and magnitude comparison. In contrast to focusing solely on the effect of WM on number judgment tasks, our study investigates how magnitude-space associations affect WM task performance, emphasizing long-term representations, specifically the concept of mental number line (MNL) compatibility (small items on the left, large items on the right) in long-term memory (LTM). Moving from the idea of representations within LTM contribute to the functioning of WM during task execution, we explore the effects of congruent, incongruent, and negative congruent numerical and non-numerical magnitude-space associations on magnitude-based 1-back (low WM load) and 2-back (high WM load) tasks. MNL compatible n-back and test items are congruent, MNL compatible n-back and MNL incompatible (small on the right, large on the left) test items (or vice versa) are incongruent, and MNL incompatible n-back and test items are considered negative congruent. Because negative congruent and incongruent representations may not activate existing representations in LTM, as congruent representations, we expected worse WM performance in negative congruent and incongruent trials than in congruent trials. Results reveal that congruent and incongruent representations elicit more accurate and rapid responses than negative congruents, suggesting that congruent and incongruent representations contribute to task execution. Additionally, we observe a size effect for small numerical magnitudes and a reverse size effect for large physical magnitudes, pointing towards the coactivation of LTM and WM in magnitude-space relations.

First Report of the Armillaria Root Disease Pathogen, Armillaria solidipes, on Black Oak (Quercus velutina) in North Carolina, USA.

Armillaria root disease is among the largest causes of mortality and lost productivity of widely ranging horticultural, urban, and forest trees/shrubs in diverse boreal, temperate, and tropical regions around the world (Kim et al. 2022). Damage from Armillaria root disease will likely increase in response to changing climate and extreme weather because environmental stress can predispose host trees to Armillaria root disease (Murray and Leslie 2021; Kim et al. 2021). On August 14, 2021, a mature black oak (Quercus velutina) ca. 29 m in height and 64 cm DBH experienced a complete structural failure originating at the root plate, falling onto a major highway within the Pisgah National Forest near Brevard, North Carolina (35°16'50.876"N, 82°42'51.785"W, elevation 680 m) during sunny, calm conditions. No above-ground indications of predisposing disturbance, injury, or insect/disease activity were observed. Advanced wood decay, however, was present in many structural roots of the exposed root plate; abundant rhizomorphs attached to the surfaces of most roots were noted (Supplemental Figure 1). One large primary root (ca. 23 cm in diameter) exhibited clear signs of Armillaria root disease at the point of failure as evidenced by an extensive decay column, abundant black rhizomorphs on the root surface, and white mycelial fans (a sign of pathogenicity) within the root itself (Supplemental Figure 1). Rhizomorph samples were established in culture, two Armillaria isolates (PNF#001R-1 and PNF#001R-2) were examined, and pairing tests showed that both isolates belonged to the same genet (PNF#001R-1 = PNF#001R-2). Based on translation elongation factor 1α (tef1) sequences, both isolates (one genet) were identified as A. solidipes (GenBank accession no. OP823701), showing 98% similarity with A. solidipes tef1 sequences (e.g., MH879015) in GenBank. Also, nine replications of somatic incompatibility tests of the isolate with five North American Armillaria spp. [A. solidipes, A. mellea, A. gallica, A. mexicana, and Desarmillaria caespitosa (= North American A. tabescens)] showed 67% compatibility with A. solidipes, compared with 0-22% for A. mellea, D. caespitosa, A. gallica, and A. mexicana. All test species but A. mexicana are reported to occur in the eastern and/or southern USA, while A. mexicana occurs in a similar environment in Mexico (Elías-Román et al. 2018). To our knowledge, this is the first confirmed report of A. solidipes in North Carolina, USA, where it was causing disease on black oak, and this is the most southerly confirmed case of A. solidipes in eastern North America. Although Armillaria inoculation tests are impractical, black oak was previously reported as a host of A. solidipes in Massachusetts, USA (Brazee and Wick 2009). Armillaria solidipes is considered as the most important Armillaria root disease pathogen of conifer forests in western USA (Lockman and Kearns 2016), but it has been suggested that A. solidipes can thrive in northern hardwood forests that reside near conifer forests (Brazee and Wick 2009). Climate change is predicted to increase damage caused by A. solidipes on conifers in the western USA (Kim et al. 2021); however, it is undetermined if the occurrence of A. solidipes-caused disease in North Carolina is related to climate change or how climate change could influence this disease across the region. More surveys are needed to assess the impact of Armillaria root disease on health of mixed forests in the eastern USA.

Successful cultivation of black morel, Morchella sp. in Japan.

True morels (Morchella spp.) are economically important edible fungi cultivated mainly in China. Japan is one of the top importers of morels, but there are no reports on the distribution of major cultivated species. To investigate the possibility of black morel cultivation in Japan, phylogenetic analysis, mating type analysis, and field cultivation tests were conducted using domestically collected strains. A total of 172 strains were isolated from the spores of wild ascomata collected from 15 locations. Mating type analysis for 118 strains revealed 28 strains had only MAT1-1-1, 40 strains had only MAT1-2-1, and 48 strains had both MAT genes. Seven strains were inoculated in March 2020 at field cultivation test site. Mycelial growth and conidial layer formation were observed within a month. Ascomata were observed on April 2021 for one of the tested strains. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that both the observed ascomata and fruited strains were Morchella sp. Mel-21, which is one of the cultivated species in China. Moreover, no antagonism was observed in the somatic incompatibility test between strains isolated from observed ascomata and spawn strain. These results suggest that the ascomata originated in the inoculated spawn, a finding that will contribute to commercial morel cultivation in Japan.

Applying the Purpose Limitation Principle in Smart-City Data-Processing Practices: A European Data Protection Law Perspective

Protection of privacy rights in the context of smart cities is novel, currently underdeveloped, and a hot topic worldwide. This article examines the purpose limitation of European data protection law in the context of smart cities. The “purpose limitation” principle of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) outlines the ways and means of processing personal data to protect individuals’ fundamental right to personal data protection and related risks. The principle, which empowers controller(s) to process data in a controlled manner, requires that controller(s) process personal data only after meeting two fundamental requirements: they must act on the requirements of purpose specification, and they must perform an “incompatibility test” while processing personal data for further purposes. This article aims to outline the permissible limits of the purpose limitation principle to pursue different purposes in the context of smart cities. Indeed, the principle only applies when controllers process personal data in smart cities. With the authority provided by the principle, data controllers may process personal data for primary and secondary purposes. However, processing purposes cannot go beyond defined restrictions. The study, which is conducted within the European legal framework, deploys a multimethod approach to address different parts of the research question.

Identification of B(A) Blood Group Serology Combined with Molecular Biology and Blood Transfusion Strategy

To analyze the reasons for ABO blood group forward typing and reverse typing incompatibility of the proband by serological and molecular biological tests, so as to clarify the blood group and genetic rules and determine the reasonable transfusion strategy. On the basis of serological testing results, PCR-SSP method was utilized for the ABO exon sequencing in the peripheral blood of the proband and 5 family members, and blood group results were comprehensively analyzed. The serological results of ABO blood group of the proband were incompatibility, and the molecular biological test results showed that there was a c.700C>G mutation compared with B101, which was consistent with B(A)02 subtype, and the genotype was B(A)02/O02. The results of the elder brother was the same as the proband. The nephew of the proband also detected c.700C>G, genotype A102/B(A) 02. When the result of standard serological test for ABO blood group incompatibility occurs, using molecular biology detection technology to explore mutation is an effective method to confirm ABO subtype, and ensures the safety of clinical blood transfusion.

Incompatibility of observables, channels and instruments in information theories

Every theory of information, including classical and quantum, can be studied in the framework of operational probabilistic theories—where the notion of test generalizes that of quantum instrument, namely a collection of quantum operations summing to a channel, and simple rules are given for the composition of tests in parallel and in sequence. Here we study the notion of compatibility for tests of a causal operational probabilistic theory. Following the quantum literature, we first introduce the notion of strong compatibility, and then we illustrate its ultimate relaxation, that we deem weak compatibility. It is shown that the two notions coincide in the case of observation tests—which are the counterpart of quantum POVMs—while there exist weakly compatible channels that are not strongly compatible. We prove necessary and sufficient conditions for a theory to exhibit incompatible tests. We show that a theory admits of incompatible tests if and only if some information cannot be extracted without disturbance.

Thermal Hazard Analysis and Chemical Incompatibility Test with Novel Custom High-Pressure Crucibles Made from Commonly Used Metals and Alloys

Thermal Hazard Analysis and Chemical Incompatibility Test with Novel Custom High-Pressure Crucibles Made from Commonly Used Metals and Alloys

Sperm Physiological Response to Female Serum-Potential New Insights into the Reproductive Incompatibility Diagnostics.

Infertility is assumed to arise exclusively from male- and female-dependent pathological factors. However, recent studies have indicated that reproductive failure may also result from the reproductive incompatibility of the partners. Selection against such incompatibilities likely occurs via female-derived reproductive secretions, including follicular fluid (FF), that mediate gamete-level mate choice towards the sperm of specific males. To facilitate potential development of diagnostic tests for human reproductive incompatibility, we examined whether sperm physiological response to female serum indicate male–female compatibility in the presence of FF. We performed a full-factorial experiment, in which the sperm of 10 males were treated with the FF and serum of 6 healthy females. We found that sperm motility and viability in both biofluids were highly similar and that in 70% of the males, sperm serum treatment predicted male–female compatibility. We also identified male human leucocyte antigen (HLA) alleles and female (FF and serum) anti-HLA antibodies and tested whether the number of allele–antibody matches predict sperm physiological response to female fluids. However, no association was found between measured sperm traits and the number of allele–antibody matches. Overall, the present results may open novel possibilities for the future development of reproductive incompatibility tests and may pave the way towards more accurate infertility diagnostics and treatments.

Accuracy of a point-of-care major crossmatch test and risk factors for major crossmatch incompatibility in cats

Major crossmatch testing can help identify immunologic incompatibilities between blood donors and recipients; however, there are limited studies describing the accuracy of point-of-care crossmatch tests. The first aim of this study was to determine if a gel-based, point-of-care major crossmatch method (GEL-CM), without antiglobulin-enhancement, could accurately detect compatible and incompatible donor–recipient pairings, using an antiglobulin-enhanced laboratory-based major crossmatch method (LAB-CM) as the reference standard. The second aim was to describe the incidence of, and risk factors for, major crossmatch incompatibility in cats. Nineteen previously-transfused cats and 32 transfusion-naïve cats, representing 132 unique donor-recipient pairings, were included in this study. Both LAB-CM and GEL-CM tests were performed for most parings.There was poor agreement between the LAB-CM and GEL-CM results (kappa = 0.111; 95% confidence interval [CI], −0.093 to 0.314). Transfusion-naïve cats had incompatibility rates of 3% and 6% using LAB-CM and GEL-CM, respectively; previously-transfused cats had incompatibility rates of 32% and 26% using LAB-CM and GEL-CM, respectively. History of previous transfusion was the only identified cat risk factor for an incompatible LAB-CM (odds ratio [OR], 31.0; 95% CI, 3.77–254.98; P = 0.0019) and GEL-CM (OR, 5.7; 95% CI, 1.72–19.20; P = 0.0054). Further studies are needed to determine if GEL-CM can detect clinically-relevant immunologic incompatibilities that would result in transfusion reactions. Major crossmatch testing is of greater importance in cats that have previously received a transfusion.

First report of Armillaria cepistipes causing root disease on Populus trichocarpa (black cottonwood) in Oregon, USA.

Populus trichocarpa Torr. and Gray (black cottonwood) is an economically and ecologically important tree species native to western North America. It serves as a model tree species in biology and genetics due to its relatively small genome size, rapid growth, and early reproductive maturity (Jansson and Douglas 2007). Black cottonwood is susceptible to root rot caused by at least one species of Armillaria (Raabe 1962), a globally distributed genus that exhibits diverse ecological behaviors (Klopfenstein et al. 2017) and infects numerous woody plant species (Raabe 1962). However, several Armillaria spp. have been isolated from Populus spp. in North America (Mallet 1990), and the most recent report of Armillaria on P. trichocarpa used the now ambiguated name A. mellea (Vahl.) Quel. (see Raabe 1962). In April 2016, mycelial fans and rhizomorphs of an unknown Armillaria species (isolate WV-ARR-3) were collected from P. trichocarpa in a riparian hardwood stand ca. 5.5 km east of Springfield, Oregon, USA (44°3'21.133"N, 122°49'39.935"W). The host was dominant in the canopy, large in diameter (ca. 90-cm dbh) relative to neighboring trees, and exhibited minimal crown dieback (ca. < 5%). A mycelial fan was observed destroying living cambium beneath the inner bark, indicating pathogenicity. The isolate was cultured on malt extract medium (3% malt extract, 3% dextrose, 1% peptone, and 1.5 % agar) and identified as A.cepistipes on the basis of somatic pairing tests and translation elongation factor 1α (tef1) sequences (GenBank Accession No. MK172784). DNA extraction, PCR, and tef1 sequencing followed protocols of Elías-Román et al. (2018). From nine replications of somatic incompatibility tests (18 tester isolates representing six North American Armillaria spp.), the isolate showed high intraspecific compatibility (colorless antagonism) with three A. cepistipes tester isolates (78%), but low compatibility with the other Armillaria spp. (0 - 33%) that occur in the region. Isolate WV-ARR-3 yielded tef1 sequences with a 99% identity to A. cepistipes (GenBank Accession Nos. JF313115 and JF313121). A second isolate (WV-ARR-1; GenBank Accession No. MK172783) with a nearly identical sequence was collected from a maturing P. trichocarpa in a riparian stand ca. 8 km northeast of Monroe, Oregon (44°21'47.57"N, 123°13'14.415"W) along the Willamette River, downstream from the McKenzie river tributary where WV-ARR-3 was collected. Armillaria cepistipes has been reported on Alnus rubra (red alder) in Washington, USA (Banik et al. 1996) and on broad-leaved trees in British Columbia, Canada (Allen et al. 1996). It is generally considered to be a weak pathogen on broad-leaved trees in the Pacific Northwest, but it is also associated with pathogenicity on both coniferous and deciduous trees in Europe (e.g., Lygis et al. 2005). However, a recent phylogenetic study suggested that North American A. cepistipes is phylogenetically distinct from Eurasian A. cepistipes (Klopfenstein et al. 2017), butadditional studies are needed to determine the formal taxonomic status of North American A. cepistipes. To our knowledge, A. cepistipes has not been previously confirmed on P. trichocarpa in the U.S.A. or formally reported as a pathogen of any Populus species in North America. Continued studies are needed to determine the distribution, host range, and ecological role of A. cepistipes in riparian forests of the Pacific Northwest, while monitoring its populations under changing climates.

Accuracy of point-of-care crossmatching methods and crossmatch incompatibility in critically ill dogs.

BackgroundThe performance of commercial point‐of‐care crossmatch (CM) tests compared to laboratory tube agglutination CM is unknown. Additionally, there is limited information regarding CM incompatibility in ill dogs.ObjectivesTo determine if point‐of‐care major CM methods are accurate in detecting compatible and incompatible tests when compared to laboratory CM methods, and to identify factors associated with CM incompatibility in dogs.AnimalsPart 1 (prospective) included 63 client‐owned dogs potentially requiring blood transfusion. Part 2 (retrospective) included all dogs from part 1, plus medical records of 141 dogs with major CM results.MethodsFor part 1, major CM was performed using a tube agglutination assay (LAB‐CM), a gel‐based point‐of‐care test (GEL‐CM), and an immunochromatographic point‐of‐care test (IC‐CM). For part 2, medical record data were collected to determine rates of and risk factors for CM incompatibility.ResultsKappa agreement between the LAB‐CM and GEL‐CM methods could not be calculated due to a relative lack of incompatible results. Kappa agreement between the LAB‐CM and IC‐CM methods was 0.16 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 0‐0.31, P = .007) indicating no agreement. The LAB‐CM incompatibility in transfusion‐naïve vs dogs that had a transfusion was 25% and 35%, (P = .3).Conclusions and Clinical ImportanceCompared to laboratory methods, point‐of‐care methods evaluated in our study lacked sensitivity for detecting incompatibilities. Dogs had similar rates of major CM incompatibility regardless of transfusion history. This suggests CM testing prior to transfusion be considered in all dogs however our study did not investigate clinical relevancy of incompatible LAB‐CM.

Detection of cell-free foetal DNA fraction in female-foetus bearing pregnancies using X-chromosomal insertion/deletion polymorphisms examined by digital droplet PCR

In families with X-linked recessive diseases, foetal sex is determined prenatally by detection of Y-chromosomal sequences in cell-free foetal DNA (cffDNA) in maternal plasma. The same procedure is used to confirm the cffDNA presence during non-invasive prenatal RhD incompatibility testing but there are no generally accepted markers for the detection of cffDNA fraction in female-foetus bearing pregnancies. We present a methodology allowing the detection of paternal X-chromosomal alleles on maternal background and the confirmation of female sex of the foetus by positive amplification signals. Using digital droplet PCR (ddPCR) we examined X-chromosomal INDEL (insertion/deletion) polymorphisms: rs2307932, rs16397, rs16637, rs3048996, rs16680 in buccal swabs of 50 females to obtain the population data. For all INDELs, we determined the limits of detection for each ddPCR assay. We examined the cffDNA from 63 pregnant women bearing Y-chromosome negative foetuses. The analysis with this set of INDELs led to informative results in 66.67% of examined female-foetus bearing pregnancies. Although the population data predicted higher informativity (74%) we provided the proof of principle of this methodology. We successfully applied this methodology in prenatal diagnostics in a family with Wiscott–Aldrich syndrome and in pregnancies tested for the risk of RhD incompatibility.

An incompatible and unsymmetric four‐node quadrilateral plane element with high numerical performance

AbstractRecent studies show that the unsymmetric finite element method exhibits excellent performance when the discretized meshes are severely distorted. In this article, a new unsymmetric 4‐noded quadrilateral plane element is presented using both incompatible test functions and trial functions. Five internal nodes, one at the elemental central and four at the middle sides, are added to ensure the quadratic completeness of the elemental displacement field. Thereafter, the total nine nodes are applied to form the shape functions of trial function, and the Lagrange interpolation functions are adopted as the incompatible test shape functions of the internal nodes. The incompatible test displacements are then revised to satisfy the patch test. Numerical tests show that the present element can provide very good numerical accuracy with badly distorted meshes. Unlike the existing unsymmetric four‐node plane elements in which the analytical stress fields are employed, the present element can be extended to boundary value problems of any differential equations with no difficulties.

Analysis the effects of pollen grain sources on the fruits set and their characteristics of ‘Clementine’ mandarin using microscopic and molecular approaches

‘Clementine’ is one of the most important cultivars of mandarin that always has problems with fertilization and fruit set because of its self-incompatibility. Therefore, for the commercial fruit production, suitable and compatible pollen is required. To determine the best pollen source, ‘Clementine’ flowers were subjected to the different pollen grains including sweet lemon, Lisbon lemon, grapefruit, sour orange, as well as self-pollination and open pollination. Compatibility and incompatibility tests were carried out using controlled pollination method and microscopic study of pollen tube growth. Molecular markers were used to study the genetic relationships of the species and assess the role of genetic similarity on the fruits set and their attributes. The results of the microscopic study indicated that ‘Clementine’ mandarin is a self-incompatible cultivar but it is compatible with all the cultivars used in the experiment. Clementine fruit characteristics significantly influenced by pollen grain sources. The results of controlled pollination showed that the highest percentage of fruit set was obtained from flowers pollinated with sweet lemon pollen (73.75%) followed by Lisbon lemon pollen (69.25%) while the lowest fruit set was obtained from the self-pollinated flowers (11.75%). The highest and the lowest hale seeds were obtained from the flowers pollinated by Lisbon lemon pollen (12.22%) and self-pollinated ones (no viable seed), respectively. High correlation was observed between some of the studied characters that would be useful for selection purposes in the breeding programs. Results of microscopic evaluation of pollen grain tubes revealed that among the studied pollen grains, sour orange pollens were the most successful for penetration to the basal portion of style and into ovary of ‘Clementine’ mandarin. Assessment of genetic relationship among different Citrus species revealed that sour orange was the most similar species with ‘Clementine’ mandarin. High positive correlation was observed between genetic similarities of pollen sources at DNA level with the pollen grain sprouting and penetration to the different parts of style and ovary as well as seed formation percentages. Based on the studied fruit characteristics, grapefruit and Lisbon lemon pollens are suggested as the suitable pollinators for improving the qualitative and quantitative characteristics of ‘Clementine’ mandarin fruit.

Conditions for the compatibility of channels in general probabilistic theory and their connection to steering and Bell nonlocality

We derive general conditions for the compatibility of channels in general probabilistic theory. We introduce formalism that allows us to easily formulate steering by channels and Bell nonlocality of channels as generalizations of the well-known concepts of steering by measurements and Bell nonlocality of measurements. The generalization does not follow the standard line of thinking stemming from the Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen paradox, but introduces steering and Bell nonlocality as entanglement-assisted incompatibility tests. We show that all of the proposed definitions are, in the special case of measurements, the same as the standard definitions, but not all of the known results for measurements generalize to channels. For example, we show that for quantum channels, steering is not a necessary condition for Bell nonlocality. We further investigate the introduced conditions and concepts in the special case of quantum theory and we provide many examples to demonstrate these concepts and their implications.

STUDY OF CLINICAL AND SUBCLINICAL CHARACTERISTICS IN NEONATAL HYPERBILIRUBINEMIA

Background: Neonatal hyperbilirubinemia is a common clinical problem encountered during the neonatal period, especially in the first week of life. It is a multifactorial disorder with many symptoms. Most of these cases are benign but it is important to identify those babies at risk of acute bilirubin encephalopathy and kernicteurs or chronic encephalopathy. Jaundice may also be a sign of a serious underlying illness. Objectives: Describe and examine the relationship between clinical characteristics with laboratory tests of indirect hyperbilirubinemia in neonatal. Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive. A convenient sample includes 124 patients under 28 days old had jaundice and were treated at Neonatal room, Hospital of Hue University of Medicine and Pharmacy from 05/2015 to 06/2016. Results: The proportion of male/female is 1.3/1. 66.9% is in term infants. 73.4% onset of jaundice in 24 - 72 hours of age. 67.7% had jaundice all the body before were taken to neonatal room. 47.6% cases were caused by neonatal infection. 93.5% cases had total serum bilirubin &lt; 340 µmol/L. It has a weak positive correlation between the degree of clinical jaundice with level of total serum bilirubin. 31/124 cases suspected ABO incompatibility but Coombs test were negative, however they had high rate of anemia than the others is 13.2 times (p&lt;0.01). Conclusions: Indirect hyperbilirubinemia in neonatal is usually detected when the baby had jaundice to hands and feet. Therefore precautionary measure should be adopted by both parents and clinicians to diagnose and treat the disease properly. Key words: jaundice, hyperbilirubinemia, neonatal

ANALYSIS OF GENOTYPIC DIVERSITY PROVIDES A FIRST GLIMPSE ON THE PATTERNS OF SPREAD OF THE WOOD DECAY FUNGUS PERENNIPORIA FRAXINEA IN AN URBAN PARK IN NORTHERN ITALY

Perenniporia fraxinea is a fungal pathogen causing wood decay in roots and bole of a wide variety of broadleaf tree species. Despite its ecological importance, little is know about the infection biology of this fungus and in particular of its ability to infect trees through the mycelia growth through root contacts. To clarify its spreading mechanisms, a genetic analysis of 20 P. fraxinea isolates obtained from basidiomata collected from closely located Robinia pseudoacacia and Quercus robur trees in the Vernavola Urban Park (Pavia, Italy) and in surrounding areas was performed. Random Amplified Microsatellites (RAMs) fingerprinting was conducted allowing to distinguish 19 different haplotypes. High intrapopulation diversity was confirmed by somatic incompatibility tests (SITs), which were performed by dual- culturing isolates in vitro in all possible combinations, resulting in detection of 16 compatibility groups. These results, together with Non-metric MultiDimensional Scaling (NMDS) analysis on genetic data, suggest that spread through root contacts is unlikely for P. fraxinea. In addition, a significant negative correlation between spatial distribution and kinship coefficients was observed in isolates from the Vernavola Urban Park, suggesting a limited dispersal potential of P. fraxinea basidiospores. This report provides a first glimpse of the primary mechanisms of spread of P. fraxinea.

Long-term outbreak of Klebsiella pneumoniae& third generation cephalosporin use in a neonatal intensive care unit in north India.

Background & objectives:The indiscriminate use of third generation cephalosporin has contributed to the emergence and widespread dissemination of extended spectrum β lactamases (ESBL) genes in Klebsiella pneumoniae. This study was undertaken to elaborate the genetic behaviour of ESBL - producing K. pneumoniae isolates in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) of a tertiary care hospital in north India causing successive outbreaks in context with empirical third generation cephalosporin use.Methods:Isolates of K. pneumoniae (43 from blood, 3 from pus and endotracheal tube, 4 from environment) causing successive outbreaks in the NICU of a tertiary care university hospital were studied for two years. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was done by disc diffusion and minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) determination by agar dilution methods. ESBL production was determined by phenotypic and genotypic methods. Clonal relatedness among the isolates was studied by enterobacterial repetitive intergenic consensus polymerase chain reaction (ERIC-PCR). Genetic environment of these isolates was assessed by the presence of integrons and gene cassettes. Transformation experiments were done, and plasmids of these isolates were characterized by stability testing and incompatibility testing. Subsequently, a change in the ongoing antibiotic policy was adopted, and corresponding changes in the behaviour of these isolates studied.Results:During the period from August 2011 to January 2013, 46 isolates of monoclonal ESBL K. pneumoniae were obtained from different neonates and four similar environmental isolates were studied. Multidrug-resistant ESBL isolates harboured both blaCTXM-15 and blaSHV-5. The dfr and aac-6’ resistant genes were found in gene cassettes. A 50 kb plasmid belonging to IncFIIA group was detected in all the isolates which was transferable and stable. The emergence and regression of the outbreaks coincided with antibiotic usage in the NICU, with widespread empirical use of cefotaxime being responsible for their persistence in the environment.Interpretation & conclusions:The study indicates that empirical use of third generation cephalosporins may promote the emergence, persistence, and dissemination of resistant isolates in the hospital environment. Periodic review of antibiotic policy is necessary for rationalized use of antibiotics.

THE EFFECT OF SODIUM CHLORIDE 0.9% INFUSION SOLUTION AND RINGER’S SOLUTION ON PARTICLE SIZE OF INTRAVENOUS LIPID EMULSION (INTRALIPID 20%)

ABSTRACTObjective: To study the effect of admixing intralipid (IL) with sodium chloride (NaCl) 0.9% infusion solution or Ringer’s solution (RS) on physicalstability of IL.Methods: Incompatibility test was done in two methods of admixture, i.e. in one container (1:1) and through three-way stopcock (1:2). They wereobserved for 24 hrs on its emulsion type, pH, microscopic observation of lipid globules, and globules size.Results: The results of admixing IL and electrolyte solution (NaCl or RS) in one container and through three-way stopcock showed no changes in colorand emulsion type (O/W). Physical stability evaluation results of IL and NaCl admixture in one container and through three-way stopcock showedthat the pH value was 5.1 and 5.2, respectively, and microscopic observation of lipid globules and its size showed coalescence on 24 hrs with size625.16 nm (one container) and stable during 24 hrs (three-way stopcock). Physical stability evaluation results of IL and RS admixture in one containerand through three-way stopcock showed that the pH value was 4.9 and 5.1, respectively, and microscopic observation of lipid globules and its sizeshowed coalescence on 12 hrs with size 572.81 nm (one container) and flocculation on 24 hrs with size 558.12 nm (three-way stopcock).Conclusion: Admixing electrolyte solution (NaCl or RS) and IL in one container and through three-way stopcock causes the larger globule size of IL.Keywords: Intralipid 20%, Sodium chloride 0.9% infusion solution, Ringer’s solution, Physical stability.

First Report of the Armillaria Root Disease Pathogen, Armillaria sinapina, on Subalpine Fir (Abies lasiocarpa) and Quaking Aspen (Populus tremuloides) in Colorado

In July 2014, mycelial fans (isolates CO104F, CO106F, and CO108F) of Armillaria sp. were collected from forest trees in Colorado. These isolates were all identified as A. sinapina based on a somatic pairing test against 18 tester isolates representing six North American Armillaria spp. and nucleotide sequences of the translation elongation factor 1alpha (tef-1alpha; GenBank Accession Nos. KT327065, KT327066, and KT327067). Based on nine replications of somatic incompatibility tests, all isolates showed high intraspecific compatibility (colorless antagonism) with three A. sinapina tester isolates (average 77%), but low compatibility with closely related Armillaria spp. (average 0 to 26%).