Enhancing SKIN health and safety in aged CARE (SKINCARE Trial): a study protocol for an exploratory cluster-randomized pragmatic trial

Background: Aged long-term care receivers are affected by various adverse skin conditions like pressure ulcers, incontinence-associated dermatitis, dryness, intertrigo, and many more. Prevention of these skin problems and the provision of general hygiene and skin care activities are key areas of nursing practice. Numerous condition-specific guidelines are available and are implemented separately. On the other hand, there is huge overlap in terms of etiology, pathogenesis, and prevention of the skin conditions mentioned above. This leads to fragmented practice neglecting shared etiologies and prevention and treatment principles. Methods: The overall aims of this trial are to test the feasibility and to estimate possible effects of the implementation of a comprehensive skin care and prevention strategy targeting main nursing-relevant skin problems at the same time. A two-arm cluster-randomized controlled trial will be performed in 20 nursing homes randomly selected from the population of nursing homes of the state of Berlin, comparing skin care according to the skin care and prevention strategy with standard skin care. Discussion: It is expected that the implementation of this evidence-based skin care and prevention strategy will reduce the incidence of pressure ulcers, incontinence dermatitis, and other skin problems frequently related to care dependency. This trial will benefit individual patients and aged nursing home residents in general given the high prevalence and incidence of the addressed skin conditions. Findings of this exploratory trial may lay the foundation for a change in the development and evaluation of clinical standards and practices in general as it moves the perspective from individual conditions to a more comprehensive view on overlapping or coexisting health problems, in this case common skin conditions, in old-age long-term care receivers

Estimating Effectiveness of Identifying Human Trafficking via Data Envelopment Analysis

Transit monitoring is a preventative approach used to identify possible cases of human trafficking while an individual is in transit or before one crosses a border. Transit monitoring is often conducted by non-governmental organizations (NGOs) who train staff to identify and intercept suspicious activity. Love Justice International (LJI) is one such NGO that has been conducting transit monitoring for 14 years along the Nepal-India border at approximately 25-30 monitoring stations. In partnership with LJI, we developed a system that uses data envelopment analysis (DEA) to help LJI decision-makers evaluate the performance of these stations and make specific operational improvement recommendations. We identified efficient stations, compared rankings of station performance, and recommended strategies to improve efficiency. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first application of DEA in the anti-human trafficking domain

Rapid method for Mycobacterium tuberculosis identification using electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry analysis of mycolic acids

Mycolic acids (MAs), which play a crucial role in the architecture of mycobacterial cell walls, were analyzed using electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry. A targeted analysis based on the 10 most abundant and characteristic multiple reaction monitoring pairs was used to profile the crude fatty acid mixtures from Mtb and several nontuberculous mycobacterial strains. Comparative analysis yielded unique profiles for MAs, enabling the reliable identification of mycobacterial species. In a case-control study of tuberculosis (TB) and non-TB Polish patients, we demonstrated the potential diagnostic utility of our approach for the rapid diagnosis of active TB with sensitivity and specificity surpassing those of existing methods. This robust method allows the identification of TB-positive patients after 2 h of sample preparation in the case of direct sputum analysis or 10 days of culturing, both of which are followed by 1 min of liquid chromatography– tandem mass spectrometry analysis

Machine detector interface for the e+e−e^+e^- future circular collider

The international Future Circular Collider (FCC) study aims at a design of $pp$, $e^+e^-$, $ep$ colliders to be built in a new 100 km tunnel in the Geneva region. The $e^+e^-$ collider (FCC-ee) has a centre of mass energy range between 90 (Z-pole) and 375 GeV (tt_bar). To reach such unprecedented energies and luminosities, the design of the interaction region is crucial. The crab-waist collision scheme has been chosen for the design and it will be compatible with all beam energies. In this paper we will describe the machine detector interface layout including the solenoid compensation scheme. We will describe how this layout fulfills all the requirements set by the parameters table and by the physical constraints. We will summarize the studies of the impact of the synchrotron radiation, the analysis of trapped modes and of the backgrounds induced by single beam and luminosity effects giving an estimate of the losses in the interaction region and in the detector.Comment: 6 pages, 7 figures, 62th ICFA ABDW on High Luminosity Circular $e^+e^-$ Colliders, eeFACT2018, Hong Kong, Chin

Linear relationships between shoot magnesium and calcium concentrations among angiosperm species are associated with cell wall chemistry

Background Linear relationships are commonly observed between shoot magnesium ([Mg]shoot) and shoot calcium ([Ca]shoot) concentrations among angiosperm species growing in the same environment. Scope and Conclusions This article argues that, in plants that do not exhibit ‘luxury’ accumulation of Mg or Ca, (1) distinct stoichiometric relationships between [Mg]shoot and [Ca]shoot are exhibited by at least three groups of angiosperm species, namely commelinid monocots, eudicots excluding Caryophyllales, and Caryophyllales species; (2) these relationships are determined by cell wall chemistry and the Mg/Ca mass quotients in their cell walls; (3) differences between species in [Mg]shoot and [Ca]shoot within each group are associated with differences in the cation exchange capacity (CEC) of the cell walls of different species; and (4) Caryophyllales constitutively accumulate more Mg in their vacuoles than other angiosperm species when grown without a supra-sufficient Mg supply

Bullets over ballots: Islamist groups, the state and electoral violence in Egypt and Morocco

This article is concerned with state-sponsored electoral violence in liberalized autocracies. The first section of the paper identifies a number of variables that can help explain the decision calculus of authoritarian incumbents to deploy force against strong electoral challengers. The second section then examines these propositions with reference to Egypt and Morocco. Drawing on recent parliamentary elections in both countries the article questions why, despite facing the challenge of political Islam, the two regimes differed so markedly in their willingness to manipulate the polls by recourse to violence. Whilst the Egyptian authorities decided to abrogate all pretence of peaceful elections in favour of violent repression against the Muslim Brotherhood candidates and sympathizers, no such tactics were deployed by the ruling elite in Morocco. We suggest that three principal factors influenced the regimes' response to this electoral challenge: (1) the centrality of the elected institution to authoritarian survival; (2) the availability of alternative electioneering tools; and (3) the anticipated response of the international community. The article concludes by suggesting that in order to understand better when and how states deploy violence in elections, we need to focus on a more complex set of factors rather than simply on the electoral potency of key opposition challengers or the authoritarian nature of the state

Forward Thinking and Adaptability to Sustain and Advance IPECP in Healthcare Transformation Following the COVID-19 Pandemic

The proliferation of the novel SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) virus across the globe in 2020 produced a shared trauma internationally of unprecedented devastation, disruption, and death. At the same time, the pandemic has been a transformation catalyst accelerating the implementation and adoption of long overdue changes in healthcare education and practice, including telehealth and virtual learning. The COVID-19 pandemic has placed healthcare at a crossroads, either viewing it as a temporary situation that requires short-term solutions, or as a major disruption that presents opportunities for innovation for sustainable development and transformation. As COVID-19 transitions from pandemic to endemic, we have a unique opportunity to leverage lessons learned that can foster healthcare transformation through innovation, forward thinking, and interprofessional education and collaborative practice (IPECP). With the changing landscape of higher education and healthcare, IPECP leaders need to reflect on and implement ‘Forward Thinking and Adaptability’ and ‘Sustainability and Growth’ in their IPECP approaches and strategies to achieve the Quintuple Aim. To capitalize on this opportunity and based on a recent publication by InterprofessionalResearch Global, this paper explores and debates (from a global perspective) the impact and application of healthcare education and practice transformation on IPECP with the goal to identify best practices in integrating and sustaining IPECP and building a resilient workforce

Sodium hyperaccumulators in the Caryophyllales are characterized by both abnormally large shoot sodium concentrations and [Na]shoot/[Na]root quotients greater than unity

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Some Caryophyllales species accumulate abnormally large shoot sodium (Na) concentrations in non-saline environments. It is not known whether this is a consequence of altered Na partitioning between roots and shoots. This paper tests the hypotheses (1) that Na concentrations in shoots ([Na]shoot) and in roots ([Na]root) are positively correlated among Caryophyllales, and (2) that shoot Na hyperaccumulation is correlated with [Na]shoot/[Na]root quotients. METHODS: Fifty two genotypes, representing 45 Caryophyllales species and 4 species from other angiosperm orders, were grown hydroponically in a non-saline, complete nutrient solution. Concentrations of Na in shoots and in roots were determined using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). KEY RESULTS: Sodium concentrations in shoots and roots were not correlated among Caryophyllales species with normal [Na]shoot, but were positively correlated among Caryophyllales species with abnormally large [Na]shoot. In addition, Caryophyllales species with abnormally large [Na]shoot had greater [Na]shoot/[Na]root than Caryophyllales species with normal [Na]shoot. CONCLUSIONS: Sodium hyperaccumulators in the Caryophyllales are characterized by abnormally large [Na]shoot, a positive correlation between [Na]shoot and [Na]root, and [Na]shoot/[Na]root quotients greater than unity