β-Lactam and chloramphenicol-resistant enterobacteria in hospital surfaces

The following study aimed to research the Enterobacteriaceae present on the material surfaces of a hospital environment in a Community Health Unit in Ceara-Brazil. Data was collected in 10 different rooms and facilities by rubbing sterile swabs in an enclosed area of 10 cm² for a minute. Bacterial growth was observed in all surveyed areas. However, Enterobacteriaceae were only found in surfaces from the kitchen and the reception. From the isolated strains (n = 10), the vast majority were identified as Enterobacter (n = 7). Four of those Enterobacter strains were found to be resistant, with the following resistance profiles: monoresistance to ampicillin (n = 2) and chloramphenicol (n = 1) and crossresistance to beta-lactam (n = 1). The results serve as an alert to public health authorities, for enteric bacteria resistant to drugs were found in two environments in the facility.Key words: Enteric bacteria, antimicrobial resistance, hospital environment

Correlated edge overlaps in multiplex networks

This work was partially supported by the FET proactive IP project MULTIPLEX 317532. G.J.B. was supported by the FCT Grant No. SFRH/BPD/74040/2010

Complex network view of evolving manifolds

We study complex networks formed by triangulations and higher-dimensional simplicial complexes representing closed evolving manifolds. In particular, for triangulations, the set of possible transformations of these networks is restricted by the condition that at each step, all the faces must be triangles. Stochastic application of these operations leads to random networks with different architectures. We perform extensive numerical simulations and explore the geometries of growing and equilibrium complex networks generated by these transformations and their local structural properties. This characterization includes the Hausdorff and spectral dimensions of the resulting networks, their degree distributions, and various structural correlations. Our results reveal a rich zoo of architectures and geometries of these networks, some of which appear to be small worlds while others are finite-dimensional with Hausdorff dimension equal or higher than the original dimensionality of their simplices. The range of spectral dimensions of the evolving triangulations turns out to be from about 1.4 to infinity. Our models include simplicial complexes representing manifolds with evolving topologies, for example, an h-holed torus with a progressively growing number of holes. This evolving graph demonstrates features of a small-world network and has a particularly heavy-tailed degree distribution.Comment: 14 pages, 15 figure

Retinal nerve fibre layer thickness profile in normal eyes using third-generation optical coherence tomography

Aims To establish four normal retinal nerve fibre layer (RNFL) thickness radial profiles based on third-generation optical coherence tomography (OCT) and to compare them with previously reported histologic measurements.Methods A total of 20 normal eyes were studied. A circular scan was adjusted to the size of the optic disc and three scans were performed with this radius and every 200 mu m thereafter, up to a distance of 1400 mu m. Four different radial sections (superotemporal, superonasal, inferonasal, and inferotemporal) were studied to establish RNFL thickness OCT profiles. Additionally, two radial scans orientated at 45 and 1351 crossing the optic disc centre were performed in six of 20 eyes, and RNFL thickness was measured at disc margin.Results Quadrant location and distance from disc margin interaction in RNFL thickness was statistically significant (P < 0.001). the RNFL thickness decreased (P < 0.001) as the distance from the disc margin increased for all sections. the measurements automatically generated by the OCT built-in software were thinner (P < 0.001) than histologic ones close to the disc margin.Conclusions Four normal OCT RNFL profiles were established and compared with histological data obtained from the same area. RNFL measurements assessed by OCT 3 were significantly thinner close to the optic disc margin.Hosp Olhos Araraquara, Glaucoma Sect, BR-14802530 Araraquara, SP, BrazilHosp Olhos Araraquara, Retina Diagnost & Treatment Div, BR-14802530 Araraquara, SP, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, BrazilUSP, Inst Fis Sao Carlos, Sao Carlos, SP, BrazilUniv So Calif, Doheny Eye Inst, Dept Ophthalmol, Los Angeles, CA USAUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, BrazilWeb of Scienc

Non-symplectic symmetries and bi-Hamiltonian structures of the rational Harmonic Oscillator

The existence of bi-Hamiltonian structures for the rational Harmonic Oscillator (non-central harmonic oscillator with rational ratio of frequencies) is analyzed by making use of the geometric theory of symmetries. We prove that these additional structures are a consequence of the existence of dynamical symmetries of non-symplectic (non-canonical) type. The associated recursion operators are also obtained.Comment: 10 pages, submitted to J. Phys. A:Math. Ge

Potential role of age, sex, body mass index and pain to identify patients with knee osteoarthritis

Aim: To evaluate the potential role of age, sex, body mass index (BMI), radiographic features and pain in knee osteoarthritis (OA) case ascertainment. Methods: A cross‐sectional study was performed using information from the EPIPorto cohort; social, demographic, behavioral and clinical data was obtained. Pain was assessed using a pain frequency score (regarding ever having knee pain, pain in the last year, in the last 6 months and in the last month). Knee radiographs were classified using the Kellgren–Lawrence scale (0–4). Path analysis was used to assess the plausibility of the causal assumptions and a classification tree to identify characteristics that could improve the identification of patients with radiographic OA. Results: Higher age and higher BMI were associated with higher radiographic score, but sex had no statistical association. Females, higher age, higher BMI and higher radiographic score were statistically associated with higher pain scores. For both genders, the classification tree estimated age as the first variable to identify individuals with knee radiographic features. In females older than 56 years, pain frequency score is the second discriminator characteristic, followed by age (> 65 years) and (BMI > 30 kg/m2). Higher pain frequency and BMI > 29 kg/m2 were relevant for identifying OA in men with ages between 43.5 and 55.5 years. Conclusions: Age, BMI and pain frequency are independently associated with radiographic OA and the use of information on these characteristics can improve the identification of patients with knee OA. Beyond age, pain complaints are particularly relevant but the level of pain is different by sex

Impacts of climate extremes in Brazil the development of a web platform for understanding long-term sustainability of ecosystems and human health in amazonia (pulse-Brazil)

This is the final version of the article. Available from the American Meteorological Society via the DOI in this record.This work was funded by the joint FAPESP 2011/51843-2 and NERC NE/J016276/1 International Opportunities Fund. PULSE-Brazil development is also funded by the FAPESP grant (2012/51876-0) under the Belmont Forum Cooperation Agreement. Marengo and Aragão thank the Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq) for their Research Productivity Fellowship

Automatic Network Fingerprinting through Single-Node Motifs

Complex networks have been characterised by their specific connectivity patterns (network motifs), but their building blocks can also be identified and described by node-motifs---a combination of local network features. One technique to identify single node-motifs has been presented by Costa et al. (L. D. F. Costa, F. A. Rodrigues, C. C. Hilgetag, and M. Kaiser, Europhys. Lett., 87, 1, 2009). Here, we first suggest improvements to the method including how its parameters can be determined automatically. Such automatic routines make high-throughput studies of many networks feasible. Second, the new routines are validated in different network-series. Third, we provide an example of how the method can be used to analyse network time-series. In conclusion, we provide a robust method for systematically discovering and classifying characteristic nodes of a network. In contrast to classical motif analysis, our approach can identify individual components (here: nodes) that are specific to a network. Such special nodes, as hubs before, might be found to play critical roles in real-world networks.Comment: 16 pages (4 figures) plus supporting information 8 pages (5 figures