Molecular Characterization of a 21.4 Kilobase Antibiotic Resistance Plasmid from an α-Hemolytic Escherichia coli O108:H- Human Clinical Isolate

This study characterizes the 21.4 kilobase plasmid pECTm80 isolated from Escherichia coli strain 80, an α hemolytic human clinical diarrhoeal isolate (serotype O108:H-). DNA sequence analysis of pECTm80 revealed it belonged to incompatibility group X1, and contained plasmid partition and toxin-antitoxin systems, an R6K-like triple origin (ori) replication system, genes required for replication regulation, insertion sequences IS1R, ISEc37 and a truncated transposase gene (Tn3-like ΔtnpA) of the Tn3 family, and carried a class 2 integron. The class 2 integron of pECTm80 contains an intact cassette array dfrA1-sat2, encoding resistance to trimethoprim and streptothricin, and an aadA1 gene cassette truncated by the insertion of IS1R. The complex plasmid replication system includes α, β and γ origins of replication. Pairwise BLASTn comparison of pECTm80 with plasmid pE001 reveals a conserved plasmid backbone suggestive of a common ancestral lineage. Plasmid pECTm80 is of potential clinical importance, as it carries multiple genes to ensure its stable maintenance through successive bacterial cell divisions and multiple antibiotic resistance genes

Impact of Environmental Parameters on Marathon Running Performance

PURPOSE: The objectives of this study were to describe the distribution of all runners' performances in the largest marathons worldwide and to determine which environmental parameters have the maximal impact. METHODS: We analysed the results of six European (Paris, London, Berlin) and American (Boston, Chicago, New York) marathon races from 2001 to 2010 through 1,791,972 participants' performances (all finishers per year and race). Four environmental factors were gathered for each of the 60 races: temperature (°C), humidity (%), dew point (°C), and the atmospheric pressure at sea level (hPA); as well as the concentrations of four atmospheric pollutants: NO(2)-SO(2)-O(3) and PM(10) (μg x m(-3)). RESULTS: All performances per year and race are normally distributed with distribution parameters (mean and standard deviation) that differ according to environmental factors. Air temperature and performance are significantly correlated through a quadratic model. The optimal temperatures for maximal mean speed of all runners vary depending on the performance level. When temperature increases above these optima, running speed decreases and withdrawal rates increase. Ozone also impacts performance but its effect might be linked to temperature. The other environmental parameters do not have any significant impact. CONCLUSIONS: The large amount of data analyzed and the model developed in this study highlight the major influence of air temperature above all other climatic parameter on human running capacity and adaptation to race conditions

Fatores intrínsecos do custo energético da locomoção durante a natação Factores intrínsecos del desgaste energético de locomoción durante la natación Intrinsic factors of the locomotion energy cost during swimming

A quantidade de energia metabólica gasta em transportar a massa corporal de um sujeito por unidade de distância tem sido definida como custo energético da locomoção, ou especificamente para natação, o custo de nado. As diferenças no custo de nado entre os indivíduos parecem ser influenciadas por dois principais fatores, a resistência hidrodinâmica e habilidade técnica do nadador. O menor custo de nado apresentado pelas mulheres tem sido atribuído a menor resistência hidrodinâmica decorrente de menor tamanho corporal, maior percentagem de gordura e melhor posicionamento horizontal. Porém, essas diferenças no custo de nado entre homens e mulheres desaparecem quando corrigidos para o tamanho corporal. Em relação às crianças, o maior custo de nado comparado com o dos adultos quando corrigidos para o tamanho corporal pode ser explicado principalmente por menor habilidade técnica apresentada por elas. Para indivíduos com as mesmas características antropométricas, melhor habilidade técnica e maior tamanho da superfície de propulsão, associados a aumento na eficiência propulsiva, podem reduzir o custo de nado. Quando se comparam os diferentes estilos, o mais econômico é o crawl seguido pelo de costas em qualquer velocidade de nado. O borboleta é o estilo menos econômico a baixas velocidades (< 0,8m·s¹). Entretanto, acima dessa velocidade o peito passa a ser o estilo menos econômico.<br>La cantidad de energía metabólica gastada en transportar la masa corporal de un individuo por unidad de distancia ha sido definida como el desgaste energético de locomoción, o específicamente para la natación, el desgaste de nado. Las diferencias en el desgaste de nado entre los individuos parecen ser influenciadas por dos principales factores, la resistencia hidrodinámica y la habilidad técnica del nadador. El menor desgaste de nado presentado por las mujeres ha sido atribuido a una menor resistencia hidrodinámica proveniente de un menor tamaño corporal, mayor porcentaje de grasa, y mejor posicionamiento horizontal. Sin embargo, estas diferencias en el desgaste de nado entre hombres y mujeres desaparece cuando se corrige el tamaño corporal. En relación a los niños, el mayor desgaste de nado comparado a los adultos cuando se corrige el tamaño corporal puede ser explicado principalmente por una menor habilidad técnica presentada por los mismos. Para individuos con las mismas características antropométricas, una mejor habilidad técnica y mayor tamaño de superficie de propulsión, asociados a un aumento en la eficacia de propulsión, pueden reducir el desgaste de nado. Cuando se comparan los diferentes estilos, el más económico es el de pecho seguido por el de espalda a cualquier velocidad de nado. El estilo mariposa es el estilo menos económico a bajas velocidades (< 0,8 m·s-1). A pesar de esto, por encima de esta velocidad el estilo pecho pasa a ser el estilo menos económico.<br>The amount of metabolic energy spent in transporting the body mass of the subject over a unit of distance has been defined as the energy cost of locomotion, or regarding to swimming, cost of swimming. The differences in the cost of swimming between the individuals seem to be influenced by two main factors, the hydrodynamic resistance and technical skill of the swimmer. The lower cost of swimming showed by females has been attributed to a smaller hydrodynamic resistance due to their smaller size, larger percentage fat and more streamlined position. However, the difference in cost of swimming between males and females disappears when correcting for body size. With regard to children, the higher energy cost of swimming when correcting for body size may be caused by the lower swimming technique showed by them. For individuals with the same anthropometric characteristics, the better swimming technique and larger size of propelling surface, associated with higher propelling efficiency, may decrease the energy cost of swimming. When comparing different types of strokes, the most economical stroke is crawl, followed by backstroke, irrespective the swimming velocity. Butterfly is the less economical at low velocities (< 0.8 m·s¹). However, above that velocity the breaststroke become the less economical stroke

Combining Knowledge and Metrics to Control Software Quality Factors

The LESD project (Linguistic Engineering for Software Development) aimed to develop computing tools for analysis and reasoning on functional or preliminary specifications of aerospace software written in English

Process Mining for Healthcare: Characteristics and Challenges

Process mining techniques can be used to analyse business processes using the data logged during their execution. These techniques are leveraged in a wide range of domains, including healthcare, where it focuses mainly on the analysis of diagnostic, treatment, and organisational processes. Despite the huge amount of data generated in hospitals by staff and machinery involved in healthcare processes, there is no evidence of a systematic uptake of process mining beyond targeted case studies in a research context. When developing and using process mining in healthcare, distinguishing characteristics of healthcare processes such as their variability and patient-centred focus require targeted attention. Against this background, the Process-Oriented Data Science in Healthcare Alliance has been established to propagate the research and application of techniques targeting the data-driven improvement of healthcare processes. This paper, an initiative of the alliance, presents the distinguishing characteristics of the healthcare domain that need to be considered to successfully use process mining, as well as open challenges that need to be addressed by the community in the future