Tube method and Congo red agar versus tissue culture plate method for detection of biofilm production by uropathogens isolated from midstream urine: Which one could be better?

Background: Bacteria tend to live in assemblies called biofilms that aid bacterial virulence. Biofilms contribute to the development of antibiotic resistant urinary tract infection. Therefore, detection of biofilm production by urinary pathogens can assist the physicians to initiate the proper antimicrobial treatment.Methods: We conducted a prospective study that included patients with suspected urinary tract infection. Collected midstream urine samples were processed by standard microbiological techniques. Detection of biofilm production by the isolated uropathogens was conducted by tissue culture plate method (TCPM), tube method (TM) and Congo red agar (CRA).Results: A total of 43 (29.7%) isolated uropathogens showed positive biofilm formation by TCPM which was considered the gold standard for biofilm detection. When compared with the TCPM, TM truly identified 40 biofilm producers and 83 non-biofilm producers showing sensitivity and specificity of 93.0% and 81.4% respectively. The CRA truly identified 38 biofilm producers and 77 non-biofilm producers with sensitivity and specificity of 88.4% and 75.5% respectively.Conclusion: The TM was superior to CRA in biofilm detection and demonstrated better sensitivity and specificity results. Out of the investigated three phenotypic biofilm detection methods, the TCPM was the ideal method for detection of biofilm formation by uropathogens isolated from midstream urine samples. It can be used routinely in the microbiology laboratory with good specificity results and less subjectivity errors

Tourist Flow and Tourism Potential Regions of Gulmarg in Kashmir Himalayas

Gulmarg has a rich and diverse touristic product that holds the potential to be one of the most attractive tourist destinations for both leisure and sports tourism across the whole Kashmir Himalayan region The place owes its importance mainly to its beautiful geo-environmental setup and unique climate The destination has a history of tourism activities for more than five centuries The resort has been a great attraction for several British officials posted in India and their families made Gulmarg their home for the summer months This his to-geographical personality of the place has resulted in the development of tourist regions of interest to a range of tastes especially for holiday makers and sports and adventure tourists Therefore present study aims at identification and delineation of the different tourist potential regions of the place which would help in proper marketing of the tourist product management of tourist flow optimization of economic returns and management of the environmental health of the destination for sustainable tourism development in the regio

Disease-Modifying Drug Possibly Linked to Placental Insufficiency : Severe placental complications in a pregnant woman with multiple sclerosis

Disease-modifying drugs (DMDs) such as interferon (IFN)-β and glatiramer acetate are often prescribed to slow disability progression in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). However, adverse pregnancy outcomes have been reported with these medications. We report the rare occurrence of severe placental complications in a 30-yearold pregnant woman with MS who continued to take IFN-β during her first trimester. She presented at the Tawam Hospital, Al Ain, United Arab Emirates, in 2013 with early-onset fetal growth restriction. At 30 gestational weeks, she developed severe pre-eclampsia. The baby was delivered via emergency Caesarean section and was discharged at the age of two months. Continuation of IFN-β during pregnancy may have contributed to the development of placental insufficiency in this patient. Increased education regarding the risks of DMDs for pregnant patients with MS is very important to ensure successful pregnancy outcomes

Vacancy clustering and diffusion in silicon: Kinetic lattice Monte Carlo simulations

Diffusion and clustering of lattice vacancies in silicon as a function of temperature, concentration, and interaction range are investigated by Kinetic Lattice Monte Carlo simulations. It is found that higher temperatures lead to larger clusters with shorter lifetimes on average, which grow by attracting free vacancies, while clusters at lower temperatures grow by aggregation of smaller clusters. Long interaction ranges produce enhanced diffusivity and fewer clusters. Greater vacancy concentrations lead to more clusters, with fewer free vacancies, but the size of the clusters is largely independent of concentration. Vacancy diffusivity is shown to obey power law behavior over time, and the exponent of this law is shown to increase with concentration, at fixed temperature, and decrease with temperature, at fixed concentration.Comment: 14 pages, 12 figures. To appear in Physical Review

Remote Sensing Of Turbidity Mapping From Digital Camera Imagery.

A complete set of normal digital camera data and ground-based measurements are used to test an algorithm for retrieval of turbidity distribution in the Prai Estuary, Penang, Malaysia

SIKLUS BISNIS PEREKONOMIAN INDONESIA (STUDI EMPIRIS HARGA MINYAK DAN PERTUMBUHAN EKONOMI PERIODE 1970-2019)

This study aims to analyze the factors that influence: domestic oil prices, economic growth, and the exchange rate in Indonesia simultaneously dynamically. This research was conducted because previous studies have not linked oil pricefluctuations to the business cycle in Indonesia with dynamic simultaneous analysis. The data used are time series for the period 1970-2019 which are sourced from official publications of the Indonesian government and publications of international institutions (British Petroleum). Domestic Oil Prices and EconomicGrowth in Indonesia are able to explain the business cycle of the Indonesian economy. Domestic Oil Prices and Economic Growth, and the Exchange Rate of the Rupiah against the USD Dollar influence each other in the Indonesian business cycle. Simultaneous equations to see the relationship between variables that influence each other is not enough just with a single equation. Penelitian ini bertujuan menganalisis faktor-faktor yang mempengaruhi: harga minyak domestik, pertumbuhan ekonomi, dan nilai tukar di Indonesia secara simultan dinamis. Penelitian ini dilakukan karena penelitian terdahulu belummengkaitkan fluktuasi harga minyak terhadap siklus bisnis di Indonesia dengan analisis secara simultan dinamis. Data yang digunakan time series periode 1970-2019 yang bersumber dari publikasi resmi pemerintah Indonesia dan publikasi institusi internasional (British Petroleum). Harga Minyak Domestik dan Pertumbuhan ekonomi di Indonesia mampu menjelaskan siklus bisnis perekonomian Indonesia. Harga Minyak Domestik dan Pertumbuhan Ekonomi, dan Nilai Tukar Rupiah terhadap Dollar USD saling mempengaruhi satu yang lainnya dalam siklus bisnis Indonesia. Persamaan simultan untuk melihat keterkaitan antar variabel yang saling mempengaruhi tidak cukup hanya dengan persamaan tunggal. Estimasi parameter pada model Simultan ECM EG menggunakan Generalized Method of Moments yang dikembangkan oleh Arellano dan Bond. Hasil penelitian ini disimpulkan bahwa pertumbuhan ekonomi dan harga minyak dunia secara signifikan mempengaruhi harga minyak domestik. Harga minyak domestik dan APBN secara signifikan mempengaruhi pertumbuhan ekonomi. Selanjutnya harga minyak domestik dan suku bunga secara signifikan mempengaruhi nilai tukar rupiah terhadap Dollar USD