Diagnostic usefulness of a T cell-based assay for latent tuberculosis infection in kidney transplant candidates before transplantation

Kim, S.-H.,Lee, S.-O.,Park, I.-A.,Park, S.J.,Choi, S.-H.,Kim, Y.S.,Woo, J.H.,Park, S.-K.,Park, J.S.,Kim, S.C.,Han, D.J. Blackwell Publishing Inc 2010 Transplant infectious disease Vol.12 No.2

<P>S.-H. Kim, S.-O. Lee, I.-A. Park, S.J. Park, S.-H. Choi, Y.S. Kim, J.H. Woo, S.-K. Park, J.S. Park, S.C. Kim, D.J. Han. Diagnostic usefulness of a T cell-based assay for latent tuberculosis infection in kidney transplant candidates before transplantation.Transpl Infect Dis 2010: <B>12:</B> 113–119. All rights reserved</P><P>Background</P><P>The presence of latent tuberculosis (TB) infection (LTBI) should be evaluated before kidney transplantation. Although a new T cell-based assay for diagnosing LTBI gave promising results, this assay has not yet been compared with the tuberculin skin test (TST) for diagnosing LTBI in renal transplant candidates before transplantation.</P><P>Patients and methods</P><P>All adult patients admitted to a single institute for renal transplantation over a 1-year period were prospectively enrolled. A clinically predictive risk of LTBI was defined as: (i) recent close contact with a person with pulmonary TB; (ii) abnormal chest radiography; (iii) a history of untreated or inadequately treated TB; or (iv) a new infection (i.e., a recent conversion of TST).</P><P>Results</P><P>Of 209 renal recipients, 47 (22%) had a positive TST≥5 mm, 21 (10%) had a positive TST≥10 mm, 65 (30%) had a positive T-SPOT.<I>TB</I> test, and 25 (12%) had an indeterminate T-SPOT.<I>TB</I> test. The induration size of TST was significantly associated with a high positivity rate on T-SPOT.<I>TB</I> (<I>P</I><0.001). Agreement between T-SPOT.<I>TB</I> test and TST≥10 mm was fair (<I>k</I>=0.24, 95% confidence interval 0.11–0.36). However, neither univariate nor multivariate analysis showed any association between the clinical risk for LTBI and positivity on T-SPOT.<I>TB</I> or TST.</P><P>Conclusion</P><P>T-SPOT.<I>TB</I> test was more frequently positive than TST in renal transplant candidates. However, further longitudinal studies are awaited to determine whether the ability of T-SPOT.<I>TB</I> assay to detect LTBI in renal transplant recipients can better predict the development of TB than can TST after transplantation.</P>

V994 Herculis: the multiple system with a quadruple-lined spectrum and a double eclipsing feature

Lee, C.-U.,Kim, S.-L.,Lee, J. W.,Kim, C.-H.,Jeon, Y.-B.,Kim, H.-I.,Yoon, J.-N.,Humphrey, A. Blackwell Publishing Ltd 2008 MONTHLY NOTICES- ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY Vol.389 No.4

<P>ABSTRACT</P><P>We report the discovery of a multiple system with a quadruple-lined spectrum and a double eclipsing feature. Our photometric and high-resolution spectroscopic data show that V994 Herculis (V994 Her; ADS 11373 AB) is composed of two pairs of double-lined eclipsing binaries, which we designate as A and B. System A consists of a B8V+A0V binary with an orbital period of 2.083 264 d and system B of a A2V+A4V binary with 1.420 033 d. Our light curves show that both of them have a detached binary configuration. We derive masses and radii of four components (Aa, Ab, Ba and Bb) from the synthetic analyses of light curves and radial velocity curves. The masses of systems A and B are <I>M</I><SUB>Aa</SUB>= 2.83 ± 0.20 M<SUB>⊙</SUB>, <I>M</I><SUB>Ab</SUB>= 2.30 ± 0.16 M<SUB>⊙</SUB>, <I>M</I><SUB>Ba</SUB>= 1.87 ± 0.12 M<SUB>⊙</SUB> and <I>M</I><SUB>Bb</SUB>= 1.86 ± 0.12 M<SUB>⊙</SUB>, with radii <I>R</I><SUB>Aa</SUB>= 2.15 ± 0.05 R<SUB>⊙</SUB>, <I>R</I><SUB>Ab</SUB>= 1.71 ± 0.04 R<SUB>⊙</SUB>, <I>R</I><SUB>Ba</SUB>= 1.59 ± 0.08 R<SUB>⊙</SUB> and <I>R</I><SUB>Bb</SUB>= 1.50 ± 0.08 R<SUB>⊙</SUB>, respectively. These masses and radii are well consistent with the empirical relation for double-lined eclipsing binaries.</P>

A systematic investigation of the thermoelectric stability of Pt–Rh thermocouples between 1300 °C and 1500 °C

Pearce, J V,Edler, F,Elliott, C J,Greenen, A,Harris, P M,Izquierdo, C Garcia,Kim, Y-G,Martin, M J,Smith, I M,Tucker, D,Veltcheva, R I BUREAU INTERNATIONAL DES POIDS ET MESURES 2018 METROLOGIA -BERLIN- Vol.55 No.4

<P>By using a simple model to relate the electromotive force drift rate of Pt–Rh thermoelements to d<I>S</I>/d<I>c</I>, i.e. the sensitivity of the Seebeck coefficient, <I>S</I>, to rhodium mass fraction, <I>c</I>, the composition of the optimal pair of Pt–Rh wires that minimizes thermoelectric drift can be determined. The model has been applied to four multi-wire thermocouples each comprising 5 or 7 Pt–Rh wires of different composition. Two thermocouples were exposed to a temperature of around 1324 °C, one thermocouple to around 1492 °C, i.e. the melting points of the Co–C and Pd–C high temperature fixed points, respectively, and one thermocouple to a series of temperatures between 1315 °C and 1450 °C. The duration of exposure at each temperature was several thousand hours. By performing repeated calibrations <I>in situ</I> with the appropriate fixed point during the high temperature exposure, the drift performance has been quantified with high accuracy, entirely free from errors associated with thermoelectric homogeneity. By combining these results it is concluded that the Pt-40%Rh versus Pt-6%Rh is the most stable at the temperatures investigated. A preliminary reference function was determined and is presented.</P>

A REVISED FORMULA FOR A LOCALLY BOUNDED PSEUDOCHARACTER ON AN ALMOST CONNECTED LOCALLY COMPACT GROUP

A. I. Shtern 장전수학회 2022 Advanced Studies in Contemporary Mathematics Vol.32 No.4

As was proved in the paper Shtern A. I., Description of locally bounded pseudocharacters on almost connected locally compact groups, Russ. J. Math. Phys. 23 (2016), no. 4, 551–552, if G is an almost connected locally compact group and G0 is the connected component of the identity in G, then every locally bounded pseudocharacter of G is a uniquely defined extension to G of a locally bounded pseudocharacter on G0. We prove here that every locally bounded pseudocharacter on G0 admits an extension to a uniquely defined locally bounded pseudocharacter of G. Thus, all pseudocharacters on G are in a one-to-one correspondence with the pseudocharacters on G0 described in Theorem 1 of the aforementioned paper. We also correct the formula in the paper Shtern A. I., A formula for pseudocharacters on almost connected groups, Russ. J. Math. Phys. 25 (2018), no. 4, 531–533, connecting a locally bounded pseudocharacter of G and its restriction to G0.

Solar total and spectral irradiance reconstruction over the last 9000 years

Wu, C.-J.,Krivova, N. A.,Solanki, S. K.,Usoskin, I. G. Springer-Verlag 2018 Astronomy and astrophysics Vol.620 No.-

<P><I>Context.</I> Changes in solar irradiance and in its spectral distribution are among the main natural drivers of the climate on Earth. However, irradiance measurements are only available for less than four decades, while assessment of solar influence on Earth requires much longer records.</P><P><I>Aims.</I> The aim of this work is to provide the most up-to-date physics-based reconstruction of the solar total and spectral irradiance (TSI/SSI) over the last nine millennia.</P><P><I>Methods.</I> The concentrations of the cosmogenic isotopes <SUP>14</SUP>C and <SUP>10</SUP>Be in natural archives have been converted to decadally averaged sunspot numbers through a chain of physics-based models. TSI and SSI are reconstructed with an updated SATIRE model. Reconstructions are carried out for each isotope record separately, as well as for their composite.</P><P><I>Results.</I> We present the first ever SSI reconstruction over the last 9000 years from the individual <SUP>14</SUP>C and <SUP>10</SUP>Be records as well as from their newest composite. The reconstruction employs physics-based models to describe the involved processes at each step of the procedure.</P><P><I>Conclusions.</I> Irradiance reconstructions based on two different cosmogenic isotope records, those of <SUP>14</SUP>C and <SUP>10</SUP>Be, agree well with each other in their long-term trends despite their different geochemical paths in the atmosphere of Earth. Over the last 9000 years, the reconstructed secular variability in TSI is of the order of 0.11%, or 1.5 W m<SUP>−2</SUP>. After the Maunder minimum, the reconstruction from the cosmogenic isotopes is consistent with that from the direct sunspot number observation. Furthermore, over the nineteenth century, the agreement of irradiance reconstructions using isotope records with the reconstruction from the sunspot number by Chatzistergos et al. (2017, A&A, 602, A69) is better than that with the reconstruction from the WDC-SILSO series (Clette et al. 2014, Space Sci. Rev., 186, 35), with a lower <I>χ</I><SUP>2</SUP>-value.</P>

Second preduals of tridual von Neumann algebras are geometrically unique

A. I. Shtern 장전수학회 2008 Advanced Studies in Contemporary Mathematics Vol.17 No.1

The main result of the note claims that, if a von Neumann algebra Ais the third dual to some Banach space and thus, as is known, is the bidual of somevon Neumann algebra A, then the natural homomorphic projection of A onto theweakly closed two-sided ideal in A isomorphic to A (the kernel of this homomorphismcoincides with that of the canonical projection of A onto A dual to the canonicalembedding of the predual of A in the predual of A) is dened uniquely by A. Thus,the von Neumann algebra A, the image of the above projection, is not only uniquelydened (up to isomorphism) by its enveloping von Neumann algebra A but also theimage of the \canonical normal embedding" of A in A (onto the image of the aboveprojection) is uniquely dened, i.e., this weakly closed two-sided ideal in A isomorphicto A is uniquely dened geometrically. This enables us to rene some known resultson predual spaces of von Neumann algebras.

A study of nerve agent model organophosphonate binding with manganese-A₂B-corrole and -A₂B₂-porphyrin systems

Kim, K.,Kim, I.,Maiti, N.,Kwon, S.J.,Bucella, D.,Egorova, O.A.,Lee, Y.S.,Kwak, J.,Churchill, D.G. Pergamon Press 2009 Polyhedron Vol.28 No.12

Herein the synthesis and binding studies of novel trans-A<SUB>2</SUB>B-corrole and trans-A<SUB>2</SUB>B<SUB>2</SUB>-porphyrin derivatives are presented in comparing manganese(III)-organophosphonate (OP) binding (e.g., M<SUP>n+</SUP>←O?PR(OR)<SUB>2</SUB>) capabilities. H<SUB>3</SUB>(PFP-VC) [PFP-VC=5,15-di(pentafluorophenyl)-10-(3-vinylphenyl)corrolate] was synthesized by way of literature procedures and was characterized by a variety of 2-D NMR spectroscopic techniques and single-crystal X-ray diffraction. These compounds represent the first example of 3-vinyl-phenyl-containing meso-substituted corroles or porphyrins. Mn(PFP-VC) (3) was treated separately with (CH<SUB>3</SUB>CH<SUB>2</SUB>O)<SUB>2</SUB>P?O(C<SUB>3</SUB>H<SUB>6</SUB>NMe<SUB>2</SUB>), (C<SUB>4</SUB>H<SUB>9</SUB>O)<SUB>2</SUB>P?O(Me), (C<SUB>2</SUB>H<SUB>5</SUB>O)<SUB>2</SUB>P?O(CH<SUB>2</SUB>COCH<SUB>3</SUB>), (CH<SUB>3</SUB>CH<SUB>2</SUB>O)<SUB>2</SUB>P?O(Me), to give 1:1 adducts, as determined by UV-Vis spectroscopy (Job Plot), giving a red shift; Ph<SUB>3</SUB>P?O, was also found to bind, but very weakly. The trans-A<SUB>2</SUB>B<SUB>2</SUB>-porphyrin analogue Mn(PFP-VP) (4) was also prepared by way of a literature procedure; related binding studies gave 1:1 organophosphonate-Mn(PFP-VP) adducts (Job Plot). A clean blue shift occurred for the Mn-porphyrins at higher organophosphonate loadings (K<SUB>a</SUB> values: 6.7 (0.9)-11.9 (0.4)M<SUP>-1</SUP>). DFT geometry optimizations of O?P(OMe)<SUB>2</SUB>Me binding and formal Mn-O or P-O cleavage products in the unsubstituted neutral Mn-corrolato and -porphyrinato systems with a range of metal-based spin states revealed greatest stability in formal phosphoryl oxygen binding (energies: 11-13kcal/mol) for the Mn-corrole (singlet); the Mn-porphyrin (sextet) was also quite stable.

Van der Waerden's continuity theorem for the commutator subgroups of connected Lie groups and Mishchenko's conjecture

A. I. Shtern 장전수학회 2006 Advanced Studies in Contemporary Mathematics Vol.13 No.2

As was proved by van der Waerden in 1933, every finite-dimensional locally bounded representation of a semisimple compact Lie group is continuous. In this paper, with the help of an earlier result of the author claiming that the van der Waerden theorem holds for any connected semisimple Lie group, it is proved that every locally bounded finite-dimensional representation of a connected Lie group is continuous on the commutator subgroup of the group; moreover, it turns out that a connected Lie group satis¯es the assertion of the van der Waerden theorem (i.e., all locally bounded finite-dimensional representations of the group are continuous) if and only if the group is perfect (i.e., coincides with the commutator subgroup). Thus, for perfect connected linear Lie groups, the structure of (totally) bounded sets de¯nes the topology, and any boundedness-preserving group isomorphism of a perfect connected linear Lie group onto another perfect connected linear Lie group is automatically continuous. To study this phenomenon, the notion of discontinuity group of a locally bounded finite-dimensional representation of a topological group is introduced and studied. The notion of local boundedness of a representation is naturally related to the notion of point oscillation (at the identity element of the group) introduced by the author in 2002. According to a conjecture expressed by A. S. Mishchenko, the finite-dimensional representations of Lie groups can take only three possible values for the (reasonably defined) point oscillation, namely, 0, 2, and 1. We prove the validity of the conjecture. As a corollary, we prove that the class of connected Lie groups for which the point oscillation of a finite-dimensional representation can take only two values, 0 and 1, is the very class of perfect connected Lie groups. Related open problems are indicated.

Lebesgue’s criterion for the Riemann integration with respect to a state on a separable unital C*- algebra

A. I. Shtern 장전수학회 2016 Advanced Studies in Contemporary Mathematics Vol.26 No.2

In the paper “Semicontinuous envelopes, Riemann integral, and uniform distribution in C*-algebras” (Funct. Anal. Appl. 29 (4), 268– 275 (1995)(1996)), the author had constructed the Riemann integral with respect to a state on a separable unital C*-algebra A. In particular, the semicontinuous hulls of elements of the enveloping von Neumann algebra A of A were introduced and studied and, for a given state ! on A, a class of selfadjoint elements of the algebra A that are Riemann integrable with respect to the state ω were introduced. It was also proved that this class is the self-adjoint part of a C*-algebra, and relations to the uniform distribution of states of the C*-algebra A with respect to the state ω were indicated. In the present note, we supplement these results by a version of Lebesgue’s criterion for the Riemann integrability of self-adjoint elements of A.

Electrical properties and deep traps spectra of a-plane GaN films grown on r-plane sapphire

Polyakov, A.Y.,Smirnov, N.B.,Govorkov, A.V.,Markov, A.V.,Sun, Q.,Zhang, Y.,Yerino, C.D.,Ko, T.S.,Lee, I.H.,Han, J. Elsevier 2010 Materials science & engineering. B, Advanced funct Vol.166 No.3

Electrical properties, deep traps spectra and luminescence spectra were studied for two undoped a-plane GaN (a-GaN) films grown on r-plane sapphire using metalorganic chemical vapor deposition and differing by structural perfection. For sample A, the a-GaN film was directly deposited on AlN buffer. A two-step growth scheme was implemented for sample B, including an initial islanding growth stage and a subsequent enhanced lateral growth. Preliminary detailed X-ray analysis showed that the stacking faults density was 8x10<SUP>5</SUP>cm<SUP>-1</SUP> for sample A and 1.7x10<SUP>5</SUP>cm<SUP>-1</SUP> for sample B. Electrical properties of a-GaN films were largely determined by deep traps with a level near E<SUB>c</SUB> -0.6eV, with other prominent traps having the activation energy of 0.25eV. The Fermi level was pinned by the E<SUB>c</SUB> -0.6eV deep traps for sample A, but shifted to the vicinity of the shallower 0.25eV traps for sample B, most likely due to the reduced density of the 0.6eV traps. This decrease of deep traps density is accompanied by a very pronounced improvement in the overall luminescence intensity. A correlation of the observed improvement in deep traps spectra and luminescence efficiency with the improved crystalline quality of the films is discussed.