Bacterial sensors and controllers based on organic bioelectronics

Bacterial infections and contaminations are worldwide problems, leading to morbidity and mortality, food waste and economic losses in a variety of industries. The situation is aggravated by the increased occurrence of antibiotic-resistant strains, identified by the WHO as one of the biggest threats to development, food security and public health today. The solution to this problem is complex and requires efforts from several different layers of the society, and different disciplines. The knowledge about microbiology has greatly advanced in the last decades and several powerful methods were introduced. However, in most clinical microbiology laboratories, culture-based techniques are still standard practice, representing a bottleneck in the diagnostic workflow. In this thesis, we prototype novel methods to detect and identify bacteria, aiming to reduce the time and workload for future microbiology research and diagnostics. Furthermore, a new methodology is devised to evaluate antimicrobial surface properties for relevant high-touch surfaces. In Paper I, we investigated whether conducting polymers can be applied for label-free electrochemical detection of bacteria. Employing a poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene): polystyrenesulfonate (PEDOT:PSS)-based two-electrode sensor we demonstrated that potentiometric detection and quantification of Salmonella Enteritidis is possible within 15 min, without any sample pre-treatment. We show that the reduction of PEDOT:PSS electrode occurs by low molecular weight species secreted by Salmonella Enteritidis. To evaluate the genericity of the sensor, several uropathogenic strains were tested and we found that they could all be detected using the sensor. In its current form, the sensor is a prototype, and we aim to improve its sensitivity and introduce specificity. Electroactivity was shown to be a rather common characteristic of bacteria and consequentially, electrochemical methods for detection and characterization of microbes are gaining momentum. We envision that this field will provide novel diagnostic devices but also contribute to discoveries in basic science. Luminescent conjugated oligothiophenes, called optotracers, have previously been applied in microbiology to visualize extracellular matrix components in biofilms of Salmonella and Escherichia coli. In Paper II, we investigated the use of optotracers for detection and visualization of Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus). We show that the optotracer HS-167 selectively binds to Staphylococci and can be used for fluorometric detection and quantification of S. aureus, as well as for staining and visualization using confocal microscopy. HS-167 displays an on-switch of fluorescence upon binding and it does not affect bacterial growth, which enabled us to develop a high-throughput assay where the fluorescence was plotted against bacterial density, measured as an increase in turbidity. The resulting slope was a quantifiable variable that we employed to compare binding of HS-167 to different species and strains. Diverse approaches collectively pointed to the cell envelope as the target for HS-167 binding. Finally, we showed that binding is highly dependent on the environmental conditions and those can be adjusted to tune the selectivity of HS-167. To improve optotracer design for detection of S. aureus, a better insight into the structure- function relationship is needed. In Paper III, we set out to establish a structured approach to optotracer screening that would enable us to compare optotracer performance. As we compared a library of ten different optotracers, we identified the length to be positively correlated and the total negative charge to be negatively correlated with the ability to detect S. aureus. A balance between the two was necessary to achieve the highest signal while maintaining selectivity. Selected optotracers were added to S. aureus and visualized under the confocal microscope. All localized in the cell envelope of the bacterium, as was previously observed for HS-167 (Paper II). We foresee that further insight into the binding mechanism will enable targeted optotracer design, and together with optimized assay conditions, specific detection of different bacterial species. Copper is known to possess antimicrobial properties, yet studies have reported discrepant results on its efficacy, especially in the clinical settings. Disagreeing results were ascribed to the lack of a standardized approach to evaluate the antimicrobial properties of copper surfaces. In Paper IV, we establish a multifaceted approach to address the effect of human touch, which we simulate by applying artificial sweat, on surface corrosion and antimicrobial properties of copper. We found that artificial sweat accelerates corrosion, leading to changes in surface appearance and wettability. Corrosion did not negatively affect the antimicrobial properties of copper as these surfaces killed bacteria within minutes, regardless of ageing or corrosion product formation. The antimicrobial effect is ascribed in part to copper ions released from the surface and in part to direct surface contact. To further validate the results of this study, other bacterial species need to be tested. Since high touch surfaces are likely to collect a lot of microbes over time, it would be of interest to determine how the bacterial load affects the antimicrobial properties

Managing NASA's International Space Station Logistics and Maintenance Program

The International Space Station's Logistics and Maintenance program has had to develop new technologies and a management approach for both space and ground operations. The ISS will be a permanently manned orbiting vehicle that has no landing gear, no international borders, and no organizational lines - it is one Station that must be supported by one crew, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. It flies partially assembled for a number of years before it is finally completed in 2006. It has over 6,000 orbital replaceable units (ORU), and spare parts which number into the hundreds of thousands, from 127 major US vendors and 70 major international vendors. From conception to operation, the ISS requires a unique approach in all aspects of development and operations. Today the dream is coming true; hardware is flying and hardware is failing. The system has been put into place to support the Station for both space and ground operations. It started with the basic support concept developed for Department of Defense systems, and then it was tailored for the unique requirements of a manned space vehicle. Space logistics is a new concept that has wide reaching consequences for both space travel and life on Earth. This paper discusses what type of organization has been put into place to support both space and ground operations and discusses each element of that organization. In addition, some of the unique operations approaches this organization has had to develop is discussed

Humanization of historical education in the conditions of «the struggle for history»

Article "Humanization of historical education in the conditions of «the struggle for history»" by S. Butina is devoted to the problem of realization of the Historical-cultural standard, the creation of a "unified history textbook," the regionalization of history education in Russia. The author draws attention to the specificity of the cultural situation of postmodernism, in which the Historical-cultural standard of teaching history is introducting in Russia. The main problem arising - from the author's perspective - on the intersection of cultural reality and attitudes of the Cultural-historical standard, is the formation of the subjectivity of the learner.Статья Бутиной С.Л. «Гуманизация исторического образования в условиях «борьбы за историю»» посвящена проблеме реализации Историко-культурного стандарта, созданию «единого учебника истории», регионализации исторического образования в России. Автор обращает внимание на специфику культурной ситуации постмодернизма, без учета которой, с одной стороны, но в рамках которой, с другой стороны, происходит внедрение Историко-культурного стандарта преподавания истории в России. Основная проблема, возникающая с точки зрения автора на пересечении реальности культурной ситуации и установок Культурно-исторического стандарта, - это становление субъектности обучающегося

Kentucky’s Growing Need for Medical Laboratory Practitioners

Context: The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts a 15% growth in medical laboratory science (MLS, formerly clinical laboratory science and medical technology) graduates from 2010 to 2020. Kentucky is underserved and has a maldistribution of medical laboratory practitioners, composed of scientists and technicians, with rural communities more likely to be underserved by MLS graduates. 1 Implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is likely to increase demand for medical laboratory practitioners because of the ACA’s preventative health focus and the expansion of access to healthcare. An increase in the aging population will also contribute to a greater need to diagnose medical conditions such as cancer or type 2 diabetes using laboratory procedures. Objective: Estimate the need for graduates from medical laboratory science/technician programs and evaluate a potential educational model centered at the UK Center for Excellence in Rural Health that would build on in-place education and guide medical laboratory science graduates to underserved rural communities. Design: Comparative analysis of Kentucky’s population ratio of medical laboratory science/technician graduates with its seven border states. Data are from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Kentucky Labor Market Information system, Kentucky State Data Center. Participants: University of Kentucky Center of Excellence in Rural Health and University of Kentucky College of Health Sciences. Main Outcome Measure(s): Estimates of need for MLS graduates. Results: Kentucky has a current need of 461 medical laboratory scientists and 1,067 medical laboratory technicians when compared to the seven states that border Kentucky. Conclusions: The Center of Excellence in Rural Health can take the lead in the development of a cooperative model that educates and trains MLS students through an associate degree program (e.g., associate of science) and prepares them for beginning a baccalaureate program offered at the Center of Excellence in Rural Health. This program can help meet a substantial need for MLS graduates and offer opportunities for new careers for persons displaced through downturns in the coal industry and other labor dislocations in Eastern Kentucky

Brugervenlighed, interaktion og lettilgængelighed

KUBIS er i fuld gang med at skifte de trykte bøger ud med e-bøger – og lade brugerne bestemme, hvilke der skal indkøbes. Vi samler op på et projekt med betydelig strategisk rækkevidde

Analysis of Wholesale Logistic Systems

Analizom logističkog sustava veleprodajne tvrtke obraditi će se veleprodajni operativni skladišni sustav, način analize i povećanja iskorištenja skladišnog kapaciteta, pregled karakteristika skladišne suprastrukture s obzirom na robu koja se na nju pohranjuje, karakteristike robe, načini organizacije uskladištenja robe s ciljem smanjenja vremena pohrane i prikupa te povećanja iskorištenja infrastrukturnog i suprastrukturnog prostora, optimiziranje nivoa zaliha prema potražnji i na kraju kvantitativne metode prognoze potražnje. Cilj istraživanja je konsolidacija veleprodajnog sustava kao cjeline gdje se detaljno analiziraju i uspostavljaju optimalna rješenja dostupnim logističkim alatima i metodama. Materija se obrađuje na teoretskoj i praktičnoj razini radi uspoređivanja i kvantificiranja rezultata alata i metoda kojima se obavlja logističko upravljanje. Postignuti rezultati pokazuju da se skladišni sustav sastoji od raznih skladišnih operacija koje imaju svoje funkcije i pripadajuće mjesto unutar sustava. Izvođenje operacija ima svoju svrhu i preduvjete koji moraju biti zadovoljeni da bi se kvalitetno odradile. Iskorištenje skladišnog kapaciteta za pohranu robe ovisi o elementima koji su vezani za način uskladištenja robe. Analizom optimizacija zaliha za veleprodajnu tvrtku najkvalitetnijom se pokazala P metoda s manjim periodom kao najtočnija metoda optimizacije zaliha. Kvantitativna prognoza potražnje koja ima daleko najtočniju prognozu potražnje je Holt Winter multiplikativna metoda jer se najbolje prilagođava prodajnim podacima uzetim iz prakse.Analysis of wholesale logistic system will process wholesale warehouse operations, ways of analyzing and maximization usability of warehouse storage capacity, overview of warehouse supractructure characteristics with respect to the goods being stored on in, characteristic of the goods, ways of organizing the storage of goods in order to reduce storage and collection time and increase utilization of the infrastructure and suprastructure space, optimizations of inventory levels towards the demand and quantitative methods of demand forecasting. The research objective is the consolidation of the wholesale system as a whole where available logistical tools and methods are analyzed in detail with goal of establishing the optimal solutions. The topic is processed on a theoretical and practical level in order to compare and quantify the results of the tools and methods used to perform the logistic management. The results show that the storage system consists of a variety of storage operations which have their respective functions and the position within the system. Performing of tis operations has its own purpose and requirements that must be met in order to be professionally done. Utilization of storage capacity for storage of goods depends on the elements that are related to the manner of storage of goods. By analyzing the optimization of inventory for the wholesale business data has shown that the highest quality methods is P method with smaller period because it has the most accurate inventory optimization. Quantitative forecast demand, which has by far the most accurate forecast of demand is Winter Holt multiplicative method because it adapts best to the sales data

Medical Laboratory Science Workforce Shortage

Prior to 1900, laboratory tests were rudimentary, few in number, and often performed by a physician in his office or by a pathologist in hospitals. Epidemic outbreaks of diphtheria, pneumonia, typhoid, and tuberculosis created a demand for additional laboratory tests and individuals to perform them. The increase in civilian and military clinical (hospital) laboratories during World War I and the new American College of Surgeons requirement that hospitals establish a clinical laboratory contributed to a severe shortage of laboratory personnel (Kotlarz, 1998a)

Paper Session I-B - Report on the International Space Station\u27s Planning for Critical Assembly Phase Failures

During the early assembly missions the International Space Station could experience failures that will leave it single fault tolerant or could seriously reduce it’s power generating capability. These failures or reduction in power generating ability could endanger the crew, the station or completely bring ISS assembly to a halt until corrected. Recent analysis and planning have been completed that looked at critical hardware failures and recommended work around strategies, manifesting of spares or on-orbit stowage of spares. The implementation of this analysis will allow ISS assembly to continue with minimum impact. This report describes how the analysis was brought about, the analysis process and finally the implementation strategy recommended and being put into place