A magnetic bead protocol and a standard centrifugation protocol yielded Mycobacterium tuberculosis in 40/50 sputum specimens in 12 ± 1 days and 11 ± 2 days, respectively (P > 0.05 by Student's t test). Manipulation took 35 ± 5 min and 45 ± 10 min, respectively (P < 0.05). The magnetic bead protocol could advantageously replace centrifugation for culturing M. tuberculosis from sputum.

We explored the cytotoxic effects of nanobacteria (NB) and nanohydroxyapatites (nHAPs) against human choriocarcinoma cells (JAR) and the mechanisms of action underlying their cytotoxicity. JAR cells were co-cultured with NB and nHAPs for 48 h, and ultrastructural changes were more readily induced by NB than nHAPs. Autophagy in the plasma of JAR cells were observed in the NB group. The rate of a...

PURPOSE To develop a computerized method of visual acuity testing for clinical research as an alternative to the standard Early Treatment for Diabetic Retinopathy Study (ETDRS) testing protocol, and to evaluate its test-retest reliability and concordance with standard ETDRS testing. DESIGN Test-retest reliability study. METHODS Multicenter setting of a study population of 265 patients at th...

In Thailand, ceramic jars (135-200 liters) covered by aluminum lids commonly are used to store water for household use. In laboratory cages, gravid female Aedes aegypti (L.) were able to enter and oviposit in a covered water jar. Although the aluminum lid was not a complete barrier to gravid females, it reduced the number of eggs oviposited by 77%. A vertically oriented foam rubber ring which w...

Biomass harvesting is a bottleneck in microalgae culture and microalgae-based wastewater treatment systems. Sedimentation coupled to coagulation flocculation has been experimentally studied for long time, however, full scale sedimentation experiences have not addressed so far literature, scaling up from experimental results may be straightforward. The aim of this study was evaluate the performa...

Abstract This article is a tribute to the scientific legacy of automated reasoning pioneer and JAR founder Lawrence T. (Larry) Wos. Larry’s main technical contributions were set-of-support strategy for resolution theorem proving, demodulation paramodulation inference rules building equality into resolution. Starting from original definitions these concepts in papers, this survey traces their ev...

Co-precipitation and absorption methods were investigated for removal of boron from produced water, which is groundwater brought to the surface during oil and natural gas extraction. Boron can be toxic to many crops and often needs to be controlled to low levels in irrigation water. The present research focused on synthetic reverse osmosis (RO) concentrate modeled on concentrate expected from a...