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Further characterization of the capsule-like complex (CLC) produced by Francisella tularensis Subspecies tularensis: protective efficacy and similarity to outer membrane vesicles
No full textFrancisella tularensis is the etiologic agent of tularemia, and subspecies tularensis (type A) is the most virulent subspecies. The live vaccine strain (LVS) of subspecies holarctica produces a capsule-like complex (CLC) that consists of a large variety of glycoproteins. Expression of the CLC is greatly enhanced when the bacteria are subcultured in and grown on chemically defined medium. Deletion of two genes responsible for CLC glycosylation in LVS results in an attenuated mutant that is protective against respiratory tularemia in a mouse model. We sought to further characterize the CLC composition and to determine if a type A CLC glycosylation mutant would be attenuated in mice. The CLCs isolated from LVS extracted with 0.5% phenol or 1 M urea were similar, as determined by gel electrophoresis and Western blotting, but the CLC extracted with urea was more water-soluble. The CLC extracted with either 0.5% phenol or 1 M urea from type A strains was also similar to the CLC of LVS in antigenic properties, electrophoretic profile, and by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The solubility of the CLC could be further enhanced by fractionation with Triton X-114 followed by N-Lauroylsarcosine detergents; the largest (>250 kDa) molecular size component appeared to be an aggregate of smaller components. Outer membrane vesicles/tubules (OMV/T) isolated by differential centrifugation and micro-filtration appeared similar to the CLC by TEM, and many of the proteins present in the OMV/T were also identified in soluble and insoluble fractions of the CLC. Further investigation is warranted to assess the relationship between OMV/T and the CLC. The CLC conjugated to keyhole limpet hemocyanin or flagellin was highly protective against high-dose LVS intradermal challenge and partially protective against intranasal challenge. A protective response was associated with a significant rise in cytokines IL-12, IL-10, and IFN-\u3b3. However, a type A CLC glycosylation mutant remained virulent in BALB/c mice, and immunization with the CLC did not protect mice against high dose respiratory challenge with type A strain SCHU S4.Peer reviewed: YesNRC publication: Ye
Genome re-sequencing and simple sequence repeat markers reveal the existence of divergent lineages in the Canadian Puccinia striiformis f. sp. tritici population with extensive DNA methylation
No full textWheat stripe rust, caused by Puccinia striiformis f. sp. tritici (Pst), is an important disease in Canada. The worldwide genetic structure of Pst populations have been characterized, excluding Canada. Here, we elucidated the genetic structure of the western Canadian Pst population using molecular markers, revealing the presence of four divergent lineages with predominantly clonal structure. In the worldwide context, two previously reported lineages were identified: PstS0 (22%), representing an old Northwestern\u2010European and PstS1 (35%), an invasive warm\u2010temperature adapted. Additionally, two new, unreported lineages, PstPr (9%) and PstS1\u2010related (35%), were detected, which produced more telia than other lineages and had double the number of unique recombination events. The PstPr was a recent invasion, and likely evolved in a diverse, recombinant population as it was closely related to the PstS5, PstS7/Warrior, PstS8/Kranich, and PstS9 lineages originating from sexually recombining populations in the centre of diversity. The DNA methylation analysis revealed DNA\u2010methyltransferase1\u2010homologs, providing compelling evidence for epigenetic regulation and as a first report, an average of 3c5%, 5hmC in the Puccinia epigenome merits further investigation. The divergent lineages in the Canadian Pst population with the potential for genetic recombination, as well as epigenetic regulation needs consideration in the context of pathogen adaptation and management.Peer reviewed: YesNRC publication: Ye
In situ pilot test for bioremediation of energetic compound-contaminated soil at a former military demolition range site
No full textBioremediation was performed in situ at a former military range site to assess the performance of native bacteria in degrading hexahydro-1,3,5-trinitro-1,3,5-triazine (RDX) and 2,4-dinitrotoluene (2,4-DNT). The fate of these pollutants in soil and soil pore water was investigated as influenced by waste glycerol amendment to the soil. Following waste glycerol application, there was an accumulation of organic carbon that promoted microbial activity, converting organic carbon into acetate and propionate, which are intermediate compounds in anaerobic processes. This augmentation of anaerobic activity strongly correlated to a noticeable reduction in RDX concentrations in the amended soil. Changes in concentrations of RDX in pore water were similar to those observed in the soil suggesting that RDX leaching from the soil matrix, and treatment with waste glycerol, contributed to the enhanced removal of RDX from the water and soil. This was not the case with 2,4-DNT, which was neither found in pore water nor affected by the waste glycerol treatment. Results from saturated conditions and Synthetic Precipitation Leaching Procedure testing, to investigate the environmental fate of 2,4-DNT, indicated that 2,4-DNT found on site was relatively inert and was likely to remain in its current state on the site.Peer reviewed: YesNRC publication: Ye
Investigation of converging and collimated beam instrument geometry on specular gloss measurements
No full textSpecular gloss is an important appearance property of a wide variety of manufactured goods. Depending upon the application, e.g. paints, paper, ceramics, etc. different instrument designs and measurement geometries are specified in standard test methods. For a given specular angle, these instrument designs can be broadly classified as converging beam (TAPPI method) and collimated beam (DIN method). In recent comparisons of specular gloss measurements using different glossmeters, very large standard deviations have been reported, well exceeding the manufacturers claims. In this paper, we investigate the effect of instrument beam geometry on gloss measurements. These results indicate that this difference in beam geometry can give the magnitude of gloss differences reported in these comparisons and highlights the importance of educating the user community of best measurement practices and obtaining appropriate traceability for their glossmeters.Peer reviewed: YesNRC publication: Ye
Light amplification by seeded Kerr instability
No full textAmplification of femtosecond laser pulses typically requires a lasing medium or a nonlinear crystal. In either case, the chemical properties of the lasing medium or the momentum conservation in the nonlinear crystal constrain the frequency and the bandwidth of the amplified pulses. We demonstrate high gain amplification (greater than 1000) of widely tunable (0.5 to 2.2 micrometers) and short (less than 60 femtosecond) laser pulses, up to intensities of 1 terawatt per square centimeter, by seeding the modulation instability in an Y3Al5O12 crystal pumped by femtosecond near-infrared pulses. Our method avoids constraints related to doping and phase matching and therefore can occur in a wider pool of glasses and crystals even at far-infrared frequencies and for single-cycle pulses. Such amplified pulses are ideal to study strong-field processes in solids and highly excited states in gases.Peer reviewed: YesNRC publication: Ye
Near-field imaging for single-shot waveform measurements
No full textThe accurate measurement of ultrashort pulses is necessary to optimize pulse compression for nonlinear optics and strong-field physics. Additionally, field-sensitive time-domain techniques enable measuring femtosecond and sub-femtosecond dynamics. In this paper, we introduce a single-shot measurement to characterize few-cycle fields. This polarization-sensitive time-domain measurement can retrieve the waveform of pulses shorter than two-cycles in duration with a temporal window of hundreds of femtoseconds. We measure how the field changes after propagation through dispersive optics, and we measure the sub-femtosecond phase shift imposed by the nonlinear intensity dependent response of a dielectric. Real-time field measurements will benefit low repetition rate systems used in strong-field physics and attosecond science, while the large temporal window compliments Fourier transform spectroscopy.Peer reviewed: YesNRC publication: Ye
New insights about ice friction obtained from crushing-friction tests on smooth and high-roughness surfaces
No full textIce crushing occurs in many situations that involve a sliding frictional component such as sports involving ice-contact, ice interaction with ship hulls, and ice-on-ice sliding/crushing within glaciers and between interacting sea ice floes. Ice crushing-friction tests were conducted in the lab at 1210\u202f\ub0C using a set of acrylic ice-crushing platens that included a flat smooth surface and a variety of high-roughness surfaces with regular arrays of small prominences. The experiments were part of Phase II tests of the Blade Runners technology for reducing ice-induced vibration. Ice was crushed against the platens where the ice movement had both a vertical and a horizontal component. High-speed imaging through the platens was used to observe the ice contact zone as it evolved during the tests. Vertical crushing rates were in the range 10\u201330\u202fmm/s and the horizontal sliding rates were in the range 4.14\u201330\u202fmm/s. Three types of freshwater ice were used. Friction coefficients were extraordinarily low and were proportional to the ratio of the tangential sliding rate and the normal crushing rate. For the rough surfaces all of the friction coefficient variation was determined by the fluid dynamics of a slurry that flowed through channels that developed between leeward-facing facets of the prominences and the moving ice. The slurry originated from a highly-lubricating self-generating squeeze film of ice particles and melt located between the encroaching intact ice and the surfaces.Peer reviewed: YesNRC publication: Ye
Multifunctional skin materials based on tailorable, carbon-nanotube-polyurethane composite sheets
No full textPeer reviewed: YesNRC publication: Ye
