A competitive enzyme immunoassay for the quantitative detection of cocaine from banknotes and latent fingermarks.

A sensitive and versatile competitive enzyme immunoassay (cEIA) has been developed for the quantitative detection of cocaine in complex forensic samples. Polyclonal anti-cocaine antibody was purified from serum and deposited onto microtiter plates. The concentration of the cocaine antibody adsorbed onto the plates, and the dilution of the cocaine-HRP hapten were both studied to achieve an optimised immunoassay.

Forecasting ESKAPE infections through a time-varying auto-adaptive algorithm using laboratory-based surveillance data.

Background: Mathematical or statistical tools are capable to provide a valid help to improve surveillance systems for healthcare and non-healthcare-associated bacterial infections. The aim of this work is to evaluate the time-varying auto-adaptive (TVA) algorithm-based use of clinical microbiology laboratory database to forecast medically important drug-resistant bacterial infections.

Methods: Using TVA algorithm, six distinct time series were modelled, each one representing the number of episodes per single 'ESKAPE' (E nterococcus faecium, S taphylococcus aureus, K lebsiella pneumoniae, A cinetobacter baumannii, P seudomonas aeruginosa and E nterobacter species) infecting pathogen, that had occurred monthly between 2002 and 2011 calendar years at the Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore general hospital.

Dynamic study on the transformation process of gold nanoclusters.

In this paper, the transformation process from Au8 to Au25 nanoclusters (NCs) is investigated with steady state fluorescence spectroscopy and time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy at various reaction temperatures and solvent diffusivities. Results demonstrate that Au8 NCs, protected by bovine serum albumin, transform into Au25 NCs under controlled pH values through an endothermic reaction with the activation energy of 74 kJ mol(-1). Meanwhile, the characteristic s-shaped curves describing the formation of Au25 NCs suggest this process involves a diffusion controlled growth mechanism.

Characterization of microsatellite loci in the Himalayan lichen fungus Lobaria pindarensis (Lobariaceae).

Premise Of The Study: Microsatellite loci were developed for the rare, Himalayan, endemic haploid lichen fungus, Lobaria pindarensis, to study its population subdivision and the species' response to forest disturbance and fragmentation. •

Methods And Results: We developed 18 polymorphic microsatellite markers using 454 pyrosequencing data and assessed them in 109 individuals. The number of alleles per locus ranged from three to 11 with an average of 6.

Focussing on the future: survey results on the image capture of patterned cutaneous injuries.

An investigator who is involved in assessing the likelihood of physical abuse must make a decision as to whether the injury seen matches the explanation given. In some instances the pattern of these injuries can give the investigator a possible link to the cause of the injury. Photographic imaging is used to record the patterned cutaneous injuries (PCI) and to facilitate forensic interpretation.

Wasteful disposition: analysis of municipal household waste using geodemographic classification.

The continuous flow of resources through the economy is the origin of most of the environmental problems evident today. These problems are directly related to production and introduction of wastes and pollutants into the natural environment. The study investigated the relationship between household waste and geodemographic grouping (GDG) at the municipal level across England.

Plant proteomics in India and Nepal: current status and challenges ahead.

Plant proteomics has made tremendous contributions in understanding the complex processes of plant biology. Here, its current status in India and Nepal is discussed. Gel-based proteomics is predominantly utilized on crops and non-crops to analyze majorly abiotic (49 %) and biotic (18 %) stress, development (11 %) and post-translational modifications (7 %).

Is behind armour blunt trauma a real threat to users of body armour? A systematic review.

Introduction: Behind armour blunt trauma (BABT) has been defined as a non-penetrating injury caused by the rapid deformation of body armour. There has been an increasing awareness of BABT as an injury mechanism in both the military and civilian worlds; whether BABT results in serious injuries is debatable.

Method: A systematic review of the openly accessible literature was conducted using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses method to investigate those injuries classified as BABT and their severity.

Determining optimum flash patterns for emergency service vehicles: an experimental investigation using high definition film.

An investigation of how emergency vehicle lighting (EVL) can be improved is reported with reference to an analysis of police vehicle road traffic accidents (Study 1). In Study 2, 37 regular drivers were shown film clips of a marked police vehicle, in which flash rate (1 Hz, 4 Hz) and pattern (single, triple pulse) were varied on the blue Light Emitting Diode (LED) roofbar. Results indicate a 4 Hz flash rate conveys greater urgency than a 1 Hz rate, while a 1 Hz, single flash combination was ranked the least urgent of all combinations.

Changing climate, challenging choices: identifying and evaluating climate change adaptation options for protected areas management in Ontario, Canada.

Climate change will pose increasingly significant challenges to managers of parks and other forms of protected areas around the world. Over the past two decades, numerous scientific publications have identified potential adaptations, but their suitability from legal, policy, financial, internal capacity, and other management perspectives has not been evaluated for any protected area agency or organization. In this study, a panel of protected area experts applied a Policy Delphi methodology to identify and evaluate climate change adaptation options across the primary management areas of a protected area agency in Canada.

Antimicrobial efficacy of silver ions in combination with tea tree oil against Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus and Candida albicans.

Tea tree oil (TTO) and silver ions (Ag(+)), either alone or in combination with other antimicrobial compounds, have been used in the treatment of topical infections. However, there appears to be little data on the efficacy of TTO combined with silver in the absence of any other agents. TTO and Ag(+) were added, alone and in combination, to suspension cultures of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus and Candida albicans.