EUREGIO MRSA-net Twente/Munsterland - a Dutch-German cross-border network for the prevention and control of infections caused by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus

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Stochastic multistep polarization switching in ferroelectrics

Consecutive stochastic 90° polarization switching events, clearly resolved in recent experiments, are described by a nucleation and growth multistep model. It extends the classical Kolmogorov-Avrami-Ishibashi approach and includes possible consecutive 90°- and parallel 180° switching events. The model predicts the results of simultaneous time-resolved macroscopic measurements of polarization and strain, performed on a tetragonal Pb(Zr,Ti)O3 ceramic in a wide range of electric fields over a time domain of seven orders of magnitude. It allows the determination of the fractions of individual switching processes, their characteristic switching times, activation fields, and respective Avrami indices

Keratinocytes drive the epithelial hyperplasia key to sea lice resistance in coho salmon

Background Salmonid species have followed markedly divergent evolutionary trajectories in their interactions with sea lice. While sea lice parasitism poses significant economic, environmental, and animal welfare challenges for Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) aquaculture, coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) exhibit near-complete resistance to sea lice, achieved through a potent epithelial hyperplasia response leading to rapid louse detachment. The molecular mechanisms underlying these divergent responses to sea lice are unknown. Results We characterized the cellular and molecular responses of Atlantic salmon and coho salmon to sea lice using single-nuclei RNA sequencing. Juvenile fish were exposed to copepodid sea lice (Lepeophtheirus salmonis), and lice attached pelvic fin and skin samples were collected 12 h, 24 h, 36 h, 48 h, and 60 h after exposure, along with control samples. Comparative analysis of control and treatment samples revealed an immune and wound-healing response that was common to both species, but attenuated in Atlantic salmon, potentially reflecting greater sea louse immunomodulation. Our results revealed unique but complementary roles of three layers of keratinocytes in the epithelial hyperplasia response leading to rapid sea lice rejection in coho salmon. Our results suggest that basal keratinocytes direct the expansion and mobility of intermediate and, especially, superficial keratinocytes, which eventually encapsulate the parasite. Conclusions Our results highlight the key role of keratinocytes in coho salmon’s sea lice resistance and the diverged biological response of the two salmonid host species when interacting with this parasite. This study has identified key pathways and candidate genes that could be manipulated using various biotechnological solutions to improve Atlantic salmon sea lice resistance.publishedVersio

Picturing the nation : The Celtic periphery as discursive other in the archaeological displays of the museum of Scotland

Using the archaeological displays at the Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh, this paper examines the exhibition as a site of identity creation through the negotiations between categories of same and Other. Through an analysis of the poetics of display, the paper argues that the exhibition constructs a particular relationship between the Celtic Fringe and Scottish National identity that draws upon the historical discourses of the Highlands and Islands of Scotland as a place and a time \u27apart\u27. This will be shown to have implications for the display of archaeological material in museums but also for contemporary understandings of Scottish National identity. <br /

Shape optimisation of the sharp-heeled Kaplan draft tube: Performance evaluation using Computational Fluid Dynamics

A methodology to assess the performance of an elbow-type draft tube is outlined. This was achieved using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) to evaluate the pressure recovery and mechanical energylosses along a draft tube design, while using open-source and commercial software to parameterise and regenerate the geometry and CFD grid. An initial validation study of the elbow-type draft tube is carriedout, focusing on the grid-regeneration methodology, steady-state assumption, and turbulence modelling approach for evaluating the design’s efficiency. The Grid Convergence Index (GCI) technique was used to assess the uncertainty of the pressure recovery to the grid resolution. It was found that estimating the pressure recovery through area-weighted averaging significantly reduced the uncertainty due to the grid. Simultaneously, it was found that this uncertainty fluctuated with the local cross-sectional area along the geometry. Subsequently, a study of the inflow cone and outer-heel designs on the flowfield and pressure recovery was carried out. Catmull-Rom splines were used to parameterise these components, so as torecreate a number of proposed designs from the literature. GCI analysis is also applied to these designs,demonstrating the robustness of the grid-regeneration methodology

Diagnosis of primary ciliary dyskinesia: An official American thoracic society clinical practice guideline

Background: This document presents the American Thoracic Society clinical practice guidelines for the diagnosis of primary ciliary dyskinesia (PCD). Target Audience: Clinicians investigating adult and pediatric patients for possible PCD. Methods: Systematic reviews and, when appropriate, meta-Analyses were conducted to summarize all available evidence pertinent to our clinical questions. Evidence was assessed using the GRADE (Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluation) approach for diagnosis and discussed by amultidisciplinary panelwith expertise in PCD. Predetermined conflict-of-interest management strategies were applied, and recommendations were formulated, written, and graded exclusively by the nonconflicted panelists. Three conflicted individuals were also prohibited from writing, editing, or providing feedback on the relevant sections of the manuscript. Results: After considering diagnostic test accuracy, confidence in the estimates for each diagnostic test, relative importance of test results studied, desirable and undesirable direct consequences of each diagnostic test, downstream consequences of each diagnostic test result, patient values and preferences, costs, feasibility, acceptability, and implications for health equity, the panel made recommendations for or against the use of specific diagnostic tests as compared with using the current reference standard (transmission electron microscopy and/or genetic testing) for the diagnosis of PCD. Conclusions: The panel formulated and provided a rationale for the direction as well as for the strength of each recommendation to establish the diagnosis of PCD