UC-317 Do you know KSU? -A Quiz App

Do you know KSU is a mobile quiz app developed in Android Studio by Christian Meliezer, Erick Kamau, and Joshua Meder. The app tests your knowledge on all things KSU related, including notable places, people, and courses associated with the university. Do you know KSU is a full stack application that uses AWS Amplify for API and Database services. Users will answer 10 random questions regarding the university, and be given a score at the end that represents how well they did

Lentivirus Display: Stable Expression of Human Antibodies on the Surface of Human Cells and Virus Particles

Background: Isolation of human antibodies using current display technologies can be limited by constraints on protein expression, folding and post-translational modifications. Here we describe a discovery platform that utilizes self-inactivating (SIN) lentiviral vectors for the surface display of high-affinity single-chain variable region (scFv) antibody fragments on human cells and lentivirus particles. Methodology/Principal Findings: Bivalent scFvFc human antibodies were fused in frame with different transmembrane (TM) anchoring moieties to allow efficient high-level expression on human cells and the optimal TM was identified. The addition of an eight amino acid HIV-1 gp41 envelope incorporation motif further increased scFvFc expression on human cells and incorporation into lentiviral particles. Both antibody-displaying human cells and virus particles bound antigen specifically. Sulfation of CDR tyrosine residues, a property recently shown to broaden antibody binding affinity and antigen recognition was also demonstrated. High level scFvFc expression and stable integration was achieved in human cells following transduction with IRES containing bicistronic SIN lentivectors encoding ZsGreen when scFvFc fusion proteins were expressed from the first cassette. Up to 10[super]6-fold enrichment of antibody expressing cells was achieved with one round of antigen coupled magnetic bead pre-selection followed by FACS sorting. Finally, the scFvFc displaying human cells could be used directly in functional biological screens with remarkable sensitivity. Conclusions/Significance: This antibody display platform will complement existing technologies by virtue of providing properties unique to lentiviruses and antibody expression in human cells, which, in turn, may aid the discovery of novel therapeutic human mAbs

Antimicrobial resistance among migrants in Europe: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND: Rates of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) are rising globally and there is concern that increased migration is contributing to the burden of antibiotic resistance in Europe. However, the effect of migration on the burden of AMR in Europe has not yet been comprehensively examined. Therefore, we did a systematic review and meta-analysis to identify and synthesise data for AMR carriage or infection in migrants to Europe to examine differences in patterns of AMR across migrant groups and in different settings. METHODS: For this systematic review and meta-analysis, we searched MEDLINE, Embase, PubMed, and Scopus with no language restrictions from Jan 1, 2000, to Jan 18, 2017, for primary data from observational studies reporting antibacterial resistance in common bacterial pathogens among migrants to 21 European Union-15 and European Economic Area countries. To be eligible for inclusion, studies had to report data on carriage or infection with laboratory-confirmed antibiotic-resistant organisms in migrant populations. We extracted data from eligible studies and assessed quality using piloted, standardised forms. We did not examine drug resistance in tuberculosis and excluded articles solely reporting on this parameter. We also excluded articles in which migrant status was determined by ethnicity, country of birth of participants' parents, or was not defined, and articles in which data were not disaggregated by migrant status. Outcomes were carriage of or infection with antibiotic-resistant organisms. We used random-effects models to calculate the pooled prevalence of each outcome. The study protocol is registered with PROSPERO, number CRD42016043681. FINDINGS: We identified 2274 articles, of which 23 observational studies reporting on antibiotic resistance in 2319 migrants were included. The pooled prevalence of any AMR carriage or AMR infection in migrants was 25·4% (95% CI 19·1-31·8; I2 =98%), including meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (7·8%, 4·8-10·7; I2 =92%) and antibiotic-resistant Gram-negative bacteria (27·2%, 17·6-36·8; I2 =94%). The pooled prevalence of any AMR carriage or infection was higher in refugees and asylum seekers (33·0%, 18·3-47·6; I2 =98%) than in other migrant groups (6·6%, 1·8-11·3; I2 =92%). The pooled prevalence of antibiotic-resistant organisms was slightly higher in high-migrant community settings (33·1%, 11·1-55·1; I2 =96%) than in migrants in hospitals (24·3%, 16·1-32·6; I2 =98%). We did not find evidence of high rates of transmission of AMR from migrant to host populations. INTERPRETATION: Migrants are exposed to conditions favouring the emergence of drug resistance during transit and in host countries in Europe. Increased antibiotic resistance among refugees and asylum seekers and in high-migrant community settings (such as refugee camps and detention facilities) highlights the need for improved living conditions, access to health care, and initiatives to facilitate detection of and appropriate high-quality treatment for antibiotic-resistant infections during transit and in host countries. Protocols for the prevention and control of infection and for antibiotic surveillance need to be integrated in all aspects of health care, which should be accessible for all migrant groups, and should target determinants of AMR before, during, and after migration. FUNDING: UK National Institute for Health Research Imperial Biomedical Research Centre, Imperial College Healthcare Charity, the Wellcome Trust, and UK National Institute for Health Research Health Protection Research Unit in Healthcare-associated Infections and Antimictobial Resistance at Imperial College London

Surgical site infection after gastrointestinal surgery in high-income, middle-income, and low-income countries: a prospective, international, multicentre cohort study

Background: Surgical site infection (SSI) is one of the most common infections associated with health care, but its importance as a global health priority is not fully understood. We quantified the burden of SSI after gastrointestinal surgery in countries in all parts of the world. Methods: This international, prospective, multicentre cohort study included consecutive patients undergoing elective or emergency gastrointestinal resection within 2-week time periods at any health-care facility in any country. Countries with participating centres were stratified into high-income, middle-income, and low-income groups according to the UN's Human Development Index (HDI). Data variables from the GlobalSurg 1 study and other studies that have been found to affect the likelihood of SSI were entered into risk adjustment models. The primary outcome measure was the 30-day SSI incidence (defined by US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention criteria for superficial and deep incisional SSI). Relationships with explanatory variables were examined using Bayesian multilevel logistic regression models. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT02662231. Findings: Between Jan 4, 2016, and July 31, 2016, 13 265 records were submitted for analysis. 12 539 patients from 343 hospitals in 66 countries were included. 7339 (58·5%) patient were from high-HDI countries (193 hospitals in 30 countries), 3918 (31·2%) patients were from middle-HDI countries (82 hospitals in 18 countries), and 1282 (10·2%) patients were from low-HDI countries (68 hospitals in 18 countries). In total, 1538 (12·3%) patients had SSI within 30 days of surgery. The incidence of SSI varied between countries with high (691 [9·4%] of 7339 patients), middle (549 [14·0%] of 3918 patients), and low (298 [23·2%] of 1282) HDI (p < 0·001). The highest SSI incidence in each HDI group was after dirty surgery (102 [17·8%] of 574 patients in high-HDI countries; 74 [31·4%] of 236 patients in middle-HDI countries; 72 [39·8%] of 181 patients in low-HDI countries). Following risk factor adjustment, patients in low-HDI countries were at greatest risk of SSI (adjusted odds ratio 1·60, 95% credible interval 1·05–2·37; p=0·030). 132 (21·6%) of 610 patients with an SSI and a microbiology culture result had an infection that was resistant to the prophylactic antibiotic used. Resistant infections were detected in 49 (16·6%) of 295 patients in high-HDI countries, in 37 (19·8%) of 187 patients in middle-HDI countries, and in 46 (35·9%) of 128 patients in low-HDI countries (p < 0·001). Interpretation: Countries with a low HDI carry a disproportionately greater burden of SSI than countries with a middle or high HDI and might have higher rates of antibiotic resistance. In view of WHO recommendations on SSI prevention that highlight the absence of high-quality interventional research, urgent, pragmatic, randomised trials based in LMICs are needed to assess measures aiming to reduce this preventable complication

Socioeconomic factors influencing the uptake of tissue culture banana technology in Kisii County, Kenya

Many nations have worked hard over the years to provide food security for there entire country, albeit with various degrees of success. The intensification of agriculture has been significant in order to feed the growing population. The banana tissue culture technology is one of the technologies used to aid the process of agricultural intensification. Due to its long history of food production, including the cultivation of bananas, the Kisii region is a significant contributor to Kenya's food security. However, because of issues brought on by social and economic considerations, the region's food output has been declining. Despite efforts to distribute this technology to small-scale farmers, majority of research studies in Kisii County show poor rates of technology adoption. The objective of this study was to examine the socioeconomic factors affecting implementing tissue culture bananas in Kisii County. The research used a descriptive study design. Two hundred respondents were chosen at random from the sample to participate in the study. Survey forms, interview schedules, and observation checklists were used for data collection. The means between adoption categories were declared at p < 0.05 in t-tests between tissue culture banana adoption and numerical factors. Chi-square tests were performed between adoption and categorical factors, and p < 0.05 was used to determine whether there were significant connections between the variables. The study adopted a logistic regression model with maximum likelihood estimation to calculate the likelihood that farmers will adopt tissue culture bananas as impacted by various socioeconomic factors. Results showed that the availability of extension services (p = 0.000), cost of seedlings (p = 0.000, x2=79.1), ability to purchase land (p = 0.006, x2=16.3), access to financing (p = 0.007, x2=7.468), education level (p = 0.015), ability to afford seedlings (p = 0.000, x2=17.6), labour availability (p = 0.005, x2=10.735), availability of farm inputs (p = 0.000, x2=35.9) and the size of household (p = 0.05, Std=1.8) were significant to tissue culture banana adoption. Socio-economic factors ought to be taken into account in order to assist a number of stakeholders in boosting banana output and enhancing food security

Assessing the Advantages of Tissue Culture Bananas Technology Production of Banana Farmers in Kisii County, Kenya

Over the years, governments from all over the world have attempted to attain food security, albeit with varying degrees of success. To feed the expanding population, agriculture has significantly increased in intensity. One of the technologies employed is banana tissue culture. Most research studies indicate that small-scale farmers in Kisii County have not adopted this technology at high rates, despite efforts to spread its use among them. The objective of the study was to examine the how advantages of tissue culture banana adoption influence the use of tissue culture banana technology in Kisii County. The study adopted a descriptive study approach. A simple random sampling procedure was used to choose the respondents. Survey forms, interview schedules, and observation checklists were used in the data collection process. A five-Likert scale study was employed to gather farmers' advantages of Tissue Culture bananas. The associations between tissue culture banana adoption and advantages were displayed using mean comparison procedures. Non-adopters’ inadequacy of awareness of advantages about adopting bananas from tissue culture was proven to have a major impact on the practice. Compared to adopters, whose average mean was determined to be 1.28, non-adopters' average mean was 2.494. Comparing adopters of tissue culture banana technology to non-adopters in Kisii County, this suggests that the former had a better grasp of the advantages in tissue culture banana production. Consequently, there is a need to raise farmers' understanding of the general challenges surrounding technology in the area in order to improve on the technology adoption

Mineral-nutrient relationships in African soils assessed using cluster analysis of X-ray powder diffraction patterns and compositional methods

Soil mineral compositions are often complex and spatially diverse, with each mineral exhibiting characteristic chemical properties that determine the intrinsic total concentration of soil nutrients and their phyto-availability. Defining soil mineral-nutrient relationships is therefore important for understanding the inherent fertility of soils for sustainable nutrient management, and data-driven approaches such as cluster analysis allow for these relations to be assessed in new detail.Here the fuzzy-c-means clustering algorithm was applied to an X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD) dataset of 935 soils from sub-Saharan Africa, with each diffractogram representing a digital signature of a soil's mineralogy. Nine mineralogically distinct clusters were objectively selected from the soil mineralogy continuum by retaining samples exceeding the 75% quantile of the membership coefficients in each cluster, yielding a dataset of 239 soils. As such, samples within each cluster represented mineralogically similar soils from different agro-ecological environments of sub-Saharan Africa. Mineral quantification based on the mean diffractogram of each cluster illustrated substantial mineralogical diversity between the nine groups with respect to quartz, K-feldspar, plagioclase, Fe/Al/Ti-(hydr)oxides, phyllosilicates (1:1 and 2:1), ferromagnesians, and calcite.Mineral-nutrient relationships were defined using the clustered XRPD patterns and corresponding measurements of total and/or extractable (Mehlich-3) nutrient concentrations (B, Mg, K, Ca, Mn, Fe, Ni, Cu and Zn) in combination with log-ratio compositional data analysis. Fe/Al/Ti/Mn-(hydr)oxides and feldspars were found to be the primary control of total nutrient concentrations, whereas 2:1 phyllosilicates were the main source of all extractable nutrients except for Fe and Zn. Kaolin minerals were the most abundant phyllosilicate group within the dataset but did not represent a nutrient source, which reflects the lack of nutrients within their chemical composition and their low cation exchange capacity. Results highlight how the mineral composition controls the total nutrient reserves and their phyto-availability in soils of sub-Saharan Africa. The typical characterisation of soils and their parent material based on the clay particle size fraction (i.e. texture) and/or the overall silica component (i.e. acid and basic rock types) alone may therefore mask the intricacies of mineral contributions to soil nutrient concentrations

Optimization of scFvFc cell-surface expression using different transmembrane domains.

<p>293T cells were transfected with the pcDNA 3.1 based constructs encoding PS11-scFvFc antibodies of different configurations as described in <a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0003181#pone-0003181-g001" target="_blank">Figure 1</a> and labeled under each lane in Panels a and b. pcDNA3.1-CMV-GFP was co-transfected as an internal control for transfection efficiency. At 48 hours post transfection, cells were harvested and analyzed for GFP and scFv-Fc expression by FACS analysis. <i>Panels a</i> and <i>b</i>, represent results from FACS analysis of the percentage of cells that are positive for APC-anti-human Fc staining (<i>a</i>) and their respective MFI values (<i>b</i>). Error bars represent the standard deviation of the average of three experiments. <i>Panel c</i>. Cellular localization of the PS11-scFvFc-TM analyzed by confocal immunomicroscopy. 293T cells were transfected with either ZsGreen expression vector alone, or with a bicistronic vector expressing both the PS11 scFvFc-TM fusion proteins and ZsGreen. At 48 hours post transfection, cells were stained with a rhodamine-conjugated anti-human Fc for the detection of scFvFc expression as visualized by a confocal microscope. <i>Image a</i>, cells transfected with ZsGreen only vector; <i>Images b</i><i> and </i><i>c</i>, cells transfected with vectors expressing either PS11-scFvFc-gp41 (665–856)-IRES ZsGreen or PS11-scFvFc-CD28-gp41 (706–713)-IRES-ZsGreen, respectively. Absence of the ZsGreen fluorescence in some of the APC+ cells is likely the result of low level expression of ZsGreen from the second cassette of the bi-cistronic message. <i>Panel d</i>. PS11-scFv-CD28-gp41 is present as a dimer in transfected cells. 293T cells expressing pCDNA3.1-PS11-scFvFc-CD28-gp41 fusion protein were metabolically labeled with [³⁵S]-cysteine and [³⁵S]-methionine mixture. Cell lysates were immunoprecipitated with protein A sepharose beads, resuspended with 2× SDS non-reducing (lane 1) or reducing buffer (lane 2), and subjected to SDS-PAGE and autoradiogram.</p

Cell surface expressed scFvFc proteins bind their cognate antigens.

<p>293T cells were transfected with the same constructs as described in <a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0003181#pone-0003181-g002" target="_blank">Figure 2</a> and labeled under each lane in Panels a & b. Two additional constructs encoding antibodies against CXCR4, X20- and X48-scFvFc-CD28-gp41, were also transfected. pcDNA3.1-CMV-GFP was again co-transfected as an internal control for transfection efficiency. At 48 hours post transfection, cells were harvested and stained for biotinylated-TRM and streptavidin-APC, followed by FACS analysis. GFP expression was also analyzed to ensure equal transfection efficiencies. <i>Panel a</i> and <i>b</i>, depict the percentage of positive cells that express a functional PS11 scFvFc as determined by staining with streptavidin-APC (Panel a) and their respective MFI values (Panel b). Error bars represent the standard deviation of the average of three experiments. P values<0.05 above the designated bars, represent statistically significant difference in MFI values. <i>Panel c.</i> Post-translational sulfation occurs in selected surface displayed scFvFc antibodies. 293T cells expressing cell surface X48 or X20-scFcFc-CD28-gp41 fusion proteins (lanes 2 and 3, respectively) were labeled with [³⁵S]-cysteine and [³⁵S]-methionine mixture (upper panel; Cys/Met) or with [³⁵S]-sulfate (lower panel; SO₄) with or without 100 mM sodium chlorate treatment. Cell lysates were immunoprecipitated with protein A sepharose beads, washed and analyzed by SDS-PAGE and autoradiography. pcDNA3.1 backbone empty vector was also used as negative control (lane 1).</p