69 research outputs found

    Running Alone

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    The Effect of Virtual Learning as a Result of COVID-19

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    In the early spring of 2020, the United States began to experience the effects of the question-inspiring, novel COVID-19 viral illness, with the onset of massive business, school, and entertainment closures, initiating a shift towards virtual learning, communication, and professional interactions. This paper is intended to identify the common experiences of two nursing students throughout the COVID-19 pandemic by utilizing a personal narrative, or autoethnographic approach, coupled with reviews of previously published literature relating to shared themes of the authors, including the rapid changes to an online environment from traditional classroom settings, the stressors that were experienced as a result of that alteration, and the personal development and growth which accompanied the transitions of this time period. Noting an increased resilience to rapid, unexpected changes affecting daily life, as well as enhanced knowledge of self-motivation and organization, the authors have experienced a number of constructive takeaways that will likely be implemented in the many years ahead. While the COVID-19 pandemic led to a variety of uncomfortable and detrimental outcomes and an array of losses which will not be forgotten, positive consequences can still be observed, leading to an improved future

    When good bugs go bad: Epidemiology and antimicrobial resistance profiles of Corynebacterium striatum, an emerging multidrug-resistant, opportunistic pathogen

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    ABSTRACT Infections with Corynebacterium striatum have been described in the literature over the last 2 decades, with the majority being bacteremia, central line infections, and occasionally, endocarditis. In recent years, the frequency of C. striatum infections appears to be increasing; a factor likely contributing to this is the increased ease and accuracy of the identification of Corynebacterium spp., including C. striatum , from clinical cultures. The objective of this study was to retrospectively characterize C. striatum isolates recovered from specimens submitted as part of routine patient care at a 1,250-bed, tertiary-care academic medical center. Multiple strain types were recovered, as demonstrated by repetitive-sequence-based PCR. Most of the strains of C. striatum characterized were resistant to antimicrobials commonly used to treat Gram-positive organisms, such as penicillin, ceftriaxone, meropenem, clindamycin, and tetracycline. The MIC 50 for ceftaroline was &gt;32 ÎĽg/ml. Although there are no interpretive criteria for susceptibility with telavancin, it appeared to have potent in vitro efficacy against this species, with MIC 50 and MIC 90 values of 0.064 and 0.125 ÎĽg/ml, respectively. Finally, as previously reported in case studies, we demonstrated rapid in vitro development of daptomycin resistance in 100% of the isolates tested ( n = 50), indicating that caution should be exhibited when using daptomycin for the treatment of C. striatum infections. C. striatum is an emerging, multidrug-resistant pathogen that can be associated with a variety of infection types. </jats:p

    Comparison of sample preparation methods, instrumentation platforms, and contemporary commercial databases for identification of clinically relevant mycobacteria by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization - Time of flight mass spectrometry

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    When mycobacteria are recovered in clinical specimens, timely species-level identification is required to establish the clinical significance of the isolate and facilitate optimization of antimicrobial therapy. Matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization–time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) has recently been reported to be a reliable and expedited method for identification of mycobacteria, although various specimen preparation techniques and databases for analysis are reported across studies. Here we compared two MALDI-TOF MS instrumentation platforms and three databases: Bruker Biotyper Real Time Classification 3.1 (Biotyper), Vitek MS Plus Saramis Premium (Saramis), and Vitek MS v3.0. We evaluated two sample preparation techniques and demonstrate that extraction methods are not interchangeable across different platforms or databases. Once testing parameters were established, a panel of 157 mycobacterial isolates (including 16 Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolates) was evaluated, demonstrating that with the appropriate specimen preparation, all three methods provide reliable identification for most species. Using a score cutoff value of ≥1.8, the Biotyper correctly identified 133 (84.7%) isolates with no misidentifications. Using a confidence value of ≥90%, Saramis correctly identified 134 (85.4%) isolates with one misidentification and Vitek MS v3.0 correctly identified 140 (89.2%) isolates with one misidentification. The levels of accuracy were not significantly different across the three platforms (P = 0.14). In addition, we show that Vitek MS v3.0 requires modestly fewer repeat analyses than the Biotyper and Saramis methods (P = 0.04), which may have implications for laboratory workflow

    Brown-pigmented Mycobacterium mageritense as a cause of prosthetic valve endocarditis and bloodstream infection

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    Mycobacterium spp. are a rare cause of endocarditis. Herein, we describe a case of Mycobacterium mageritense prosthetic valve endocarditis. This organism produced an unusual brown pigment on solid media. Cultures of valve tissue for acid-fast bacilli might be considered in some cases of apparently culture-negative prosthetic valve endocarditis

    The Iowa Homemaker vol.6, no.3

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    Table of Contents American Home Economics Association Convention by Katherine L. Goeppinger, page 1 “It Will Be Pleasant to Remember – “ by Marcia E. Turner, page 3 Ellen H. Richards, Pioneer in Home Economics by Cora Rye, page 4 Girls 4-H Club Page, page 5 Home Projects in Food Preparation by Josephine McMullen, page 6 Editorial, page 7 Who’s There and Where, page 8 Where Are You Spending Your Vacation? by Ann Slefke, page 9 Eternal Question, page 1

    Evaluation of the Vitek MS matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization–time of flight mass spectrometry system for identification of clinically relevant filamentous fungi

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    Invasive fungal infections have a high rate of morbidity and mortality, and accurate identification is necessary to guide appropriate antifungal therapy. With the increasing incidence of invasive disease attributed to filamentous fungi, rapid and accurate species-level identification of these pathogens is necessary. Traditional methods for identification of filamentous fungi can be slow and may lack resolution. Matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization–time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) has emerged as a rapid and accurate method for identification of bacteria and yeasts, but a paucity of data exists on the performance characteristics of this method for identification of filamentous fungi. The objective of our study was to evaluate the accuracy of the Vitek MS for mold identification. A total of 319 mold isolates representing 43 genera recovered from clinical specimens were evaluated. Of these isolates, 213 (66.8%) were correctly identified using the Vitek MS Knowledge Base, version 3.0 database. When a modified SARAMIS (Spectral Archive and Microbial Identification System) database was used to augment the version 3.0 Knowledge Base, 245 (76.8%) isolates were correctly identified. Unidentified isolates were subcultured for repeat testing; 71/319 (22.3%) remained unidentified. Of the unidentified isolates, 69 were not in the database. Only 3 (0.9%) isolates were misidentified by MALDI-TOF MS (including Aspergillus amoenus [n = 2] and Aspergillus calidoustus [n = 1]) although 10 (3.1%) of the original phenotypic identifications were not correct. In addition, this methodology was able to accurately identify 133/144 (93.6%) Aspergillus sp. isolates to the species level. MALDI-TOF MS has the potential to expedite mold identification, and misidentifications are rare

    Documenting Local History: Using the Library of Congress Site, Primary Sources, and Community Resources for Teaching Social Studies

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    In the 2011 academic school year, a central Illinois jr. high school and a private university initiated a partnership to create a local history research project. Through a grant from the Library of Congress Teaching with Primary Sources Project at the Federation of Independent Illinois Colleges and Universities, teachers and professors collaborated to identify information for research and design the inquiry’s final product for the project. Through the guidance of their teachers, seventh and eighth grade students accessed the Library of Congress resources and town primary sources for research. Historical inquiry included the identification of the town’s origination and important events that occurred through the years of 1830 to 2012. They gathered data, developed interview questions and interviewed local residents. The students analyzed auditory and visual primary sources to identify the growth of the town through the years and created a video documentary. The documentary continues to be used each year for the teaching and learning of Social Studies

    Planning for the Lifecycle Management and Long-Term Preservation of Research Data: A Federated Approach

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    Outcomes of the grant are archived here.The “data deluge” is a recent but increasingly well-understood phenomenon of scientific and social inquiry. Large-scale research instruments extend our observational power by many orders of magnitude but at the same time generate massive amounts of data. Researchers work feverishly to document and preserve changing or disappearing habitats, cultures, languages, and artifacts resulting in volumes of media in various formats. New software tools mine a growing universe of historical and modern texts and connect the dots in our semantic environment. Libraries, archives, and museums undertake digitization programs creating broad access to unique cultural heritage resources for research. Global-scale research collaborations with hundreds or thousands of participants, drive the creation of massive amounts of data, most of which cannot be recreated if lost. The University of Kansas (KU) Libraries in collaboration with two partners, the Greater Western Library Alliance (GWLA) and the Great Plains Network (GPN), received an IMLS National Leadership Grant designed to leverage collective strengths and create a proposal for a scalable and federated approach to the lifecycle management of research data based on the needs of GPN and GWLA member institutions.Institute for Museum and Library Services LG-51-12-0695-1
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