Empirical research into white racialized identities in Britain

The intellectual project of using whiteness as an explicit tool of analysis is not one that has taken root in Britain. However, there are a number of empirical studies that investigate the racialization of white identities. In this article, I look at some empirical sociological fieldwork carried out on white identities in Britain since the early 1990s and identify the key themes arising. These themes are (in)visibility, norms and values, cultural capital and integration, contingent hierarchies and Empire in the present. In Britain, a pertinent distinction is between rural and urban settings for the enactment of white identities vis-à-vis those of minorities, and there is an exploration of some of the contingency that draws the boundary between ‘white’ and ‘Other’ in different places. Areas of commonality and distinctiveness are noted in terms of the American work. In the last section, I argue that there are a number of issues to resolve around continuing such studies, including linking the micro-level to the macro-level analysis, and expanding to international comparative work

TYPLEX® Chelate, a novel feed additive, inhibits Campylobacter jejuni biofilm formation and cecal colonization in broiler chickens

Reducing Campylobacter spp. carriage in poultry is challenging, but essential to control this major cause of human bacterial gastroenteritis worldwide. Although much is known about the mechanisms and route of Campylobacter spp. colonization in poultry the literature is scarce on antibiotic-free solutions to combat Campylobacter spp. colonization in poultry. In vitro and in vivo studies were conducted to investigate the role of TYPLEX® Chelate, a novel feed additive, in inhibiting Campylobacter jejuni (C. jejuni) biofilm formation and reducing C. jejuni and Escherichia coli (E. coli) colonization in broiler chickens at market age. In an in vitro study, the inhibitory effect on C. jejuni biofilm formation using a plastic bead assay was investigated. The results demonstrated that TYPLEX® Chelate significantly reduces biofilm formation. For in vivo study, 800 broilers (one-day old) were randomly allocated to 4 dietary treatments in a randomised block design, each having 10 replicate pens with 20 birds per pen. At day 21, all birds were challenged with C. jejuni via seeded litter. At day 42, caecal samples were collected and tested for volatile fatty acid (VFA) concentrations, C. jejuni and E. coli counts. The results showed that TYPLEX® Chelate reduced the carriage of C. jejuni and E. coli in poultry by 2 and 1 log₁₀ per gram caecal sample, respectively, and increased caecal VFA concentrations. These findings support TYPLEX® Chelate as a novel non-antibiotic feed additive that may help produce poultry with a lower public health risk of Campylobacteriosis

Graphical models for inferring single molecule dynamics

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The recent explosion of experimental techniques in single molecule biophysics has generated a variety of novel time series data requiring equally novel computational tools for analysis and inference. This article describes in general terms how graphical modeling may be used to learn from biophysical time series data using the variational Bayesian expectation maximization algorithm (VBEM). The discussion is illustrated by the example of single-molecule fluorescence resonance energy transfer (smFRET)<it> versus</it> time data, where the smFRET time series is modeled as a hidden Markov model (HMM) with Gaussian observables. A detailed description of smFRET is provided as well.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The VBEM algorithm returns the model’s evidence and an approximating posterior parameter distribution given the data. The former provides a metric for model selection via maximum evidence (ME), and the latter a description of the model’s parameters learned from the data. ME/VBEM provide several advantages over the more commonly used approach of maximum likelihood (ML) optimized by the expectation maximization (EM) algorithm, the most important being a natural form of model selection and a well-posed (non-divergent) optimization problem.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The results demonstrate the utility of graphical modeling for inference of dynamic processes in single molecule biophysics.</p

Elective cancer surgery in COVID-19-free surgical pathways during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic: An international, multicenter, comparative cohort study

PURPOSE As cancer surgery restarts after the first COVID-19 wave, health care providers urgently require data to determine where elective surgery is best performed. This study aimed to determine whether COVID-19–free surgical pathways were associated with lower postoperative pulmonary complication rates compared with hospitals with no defined pathway. PATIENTS AND METHODS This international, multicenter cohort study included patients who underwent elective surgery for 10 solid cancer types without preoperative suspicion of SARS-CoV-2. Participating hospitals included patients from local emergence of SARS-CoV-2 until April 19, 2020. At the time of surgery, hospitals were defined as having a COVID-19–free surgical pathway (complete segregation of the operating theater, critical care, and inpatient ward areas) or no defined pathway (incomplete or no segregation, areas shared with patients with COVID-19). The primary outcome was 30-day postoperative pulmonary complications (pneumonia, acute respiratory distress syndrome, unexpected ventilation). RESULTS Of 9,171 patients from 447 hospitals in 55 countries, 2,481 were operated on in COVID-19–free surgical pathways. Patients who underwent surgery within COVID-19–free surgical pathways were younger with fewer comorbidities than those in hospitals with no defined pathway but with similar proportions of major surgery. After adjustment, pulmonary complication rates were lower with COVID-19–free surgical pathways (2.2% v 4.9%; adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 0.62; 95% CI, 0.44 to 0.86). This was consistent in sensitivity analyses for low-risk patients (American Society of Anesthesiologists grade 1/2), propensity score–matched models, and patients with negative SARS-CoV-2 preoperative tests. The postoperative SARS-CoV-2 infection rate was also lower in COVID-19–free surgical pathways (2.1% v 3.6%; aOR, 0.53; 95% CI, 0.36 to 0.76). CONCLUSION Within available resources, dedicated COVID-19–free surgical pathways should be established to provide safe elective cancer surgery during current and before future SARS-CoV-2 outbreaks

Elective Cancer Surgery in COVID-19-Free Surgical Pathways During the SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic: An International, Multicenter, Comparative Cohort Study.

PURPOSE: As cancer surgery restarts after the first COVID-19 wave, health care providers urgently require data to determine where elective surgery is best performed. This study aimed to determine whether COVID-19-free surgical pathways were associated with lower postoperative pulmonary complication rates compared with hospitals with no defined pathway. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This international, multicenter cohort study included patients who underwent elective surgery for 10 solid cancer types without preoperative suspicion of SARS-CoV-2. Participating hospitals included patients from local emergence of SARS-CoV-2 until April 19, 2020. At the time of surgery, hospitals were defined as having a COVID-19-free surgical pathway (complete segregation of the operating theater, critical care, and inpatient ward areas) or no defined pathway (incomplete or no segregation, areas shared with patients with COVID-19). The primary outcome was 30-day postoperative pulmonary complications (pneumonia, acute respiratory distress syndrome, unexpected ventilation). RESULTS: Of 9,171 patients from 447 hospitals in 55 countries, 2,481 were operated on in COVID-19-free surgical pathways. Patients who underwent surgery within COVID-19-free surgical pathways were younger with fewer comorbidities than those in hospitals with no defined pathway but with similar proportions of major surgery. After adjustment, pulmonary complication rates were lower with COVID-19-free surgical pathways (2.2% v 4.9%; adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 0.62; 95% CI, 0.44 to 0.86). This was consistent in sensitivity analyses for low-risk patients (American Society of Anesthesiologists grade 1/2), propensity score-matched models, and patients with negative SARS-CoV-2 preoperative tests. The postoperative SARS-CoV-2 infection rate was also lower in COVID-19-free surgical pathways (2.1% v 3.6%; aOR, 0.53; 95% CI, 0.36 to 0.76). CONCLUSION: Within available resources, dedicated COVID-19-free surgical pathways should be established to provide safe elective cancer surgery during current and before future SARS-CoV-2 outbreaks

Major ethnic group differences in breast cancer screening uptake in Scotland are not extinguished by adjustment for indices of geographical residence, area deprivation, long-term illness and education

Copyright 2012 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

ELUCIDATION OF CAMPYLOBACTER JEJUNI PATHOGENESIS IN HUMANS AND COMMENSAL COLONIZATION IN CHICKENS

Campylobacter jejuni is the most common culture-proven cause of bacterial foodborne illness in the United States and worldwide. Campylobacter-mediated gastroenteritis, campylobacteriosis, is characterized by diarrhea containing blood and leukocytes, abdominal cramps, and fever. While C. jejuni causes disease in humans, it is able to colonize the gastrointestinal tract of birds without causing illness. This dissertation is composed of two studies that examine the virulence mechanisms of C. jejuni in human disease, and two studiesthat examine the commensal colonization of C. jejuni in broiler chicks.The first study examined the secretion properties of the major (FlaA) and minor (FlaB)flagellar filament proteins, which are secreted through the flagellar type III secretion system (T3SS), and are recognized by an amino-terminal sequence in protein. We found that specific residues in the amino-termini of FlaA and FlaB dictated the efficiency of export through the flagellum, a novel mechanism by which bacteria can regulate the export efficiency of proteins. The second study demonstrated that the flagellar T3SS of C. jejuni is used to deliver the Campylobacter invasion antigens (Cia), virulence proteins, to host cells. This result is a paradigm shift in our understanding of bacterial pathogenesis, as it was previously thought that only injectisome T3SS were capable of delivering proteins to the cytosol of mammalian cells.The third study determined the distribution of putative adhesin genes in C. jejuni, and the relative contribution of each gene to the colonization of chickens. The majority of C. jejuni strains possessed all seven putative adhesins, and only the presence of jlpA and capA varied between strains. The CadF and FlpA proteins contribute most to the binding of INT 407 epithelial cells, and are required for colonization of broiler chicks. The fourth study examined the use of Lactobacillus strains as potential probiotics to reduce the colonization of C. jejuni inbroiler chicks. Each strain of Lactobacillus tested provided some protection against colonization. The predominant mechanism of inhibition of C. jejuni by Lactobacillus appears to be the production of lactic acid. Using novel vibrational spectroscopy techniques, we found that lacticacid altered the membrane properties of C. jejuni