Is Race a Factor in Disparate Health Problems Associated with Violence Against Women?

Research studies examining the health correlates of violence against women have consistently demonstrated associations between violence and poor health outcomes, but have not examined a disparate impact on racial minorities. Alaska Victimization Survey data (2010) were used to examine whether a disparate relationship between victimization and health problems exists for minority women relative to White women. The Alaska Victimization Survey (AVS) is a cross-sectional survey designed to provide baseline estimates of intimate partner and sexual violence for Alaskan women. Logistic regression was used to assess the odds of experiencing various health problems given race and exposure to violence status while holding age and education constant. This study found that victimization increased the odds of health problems for all women, but significantly more so for minority women. Based on allostatic load theory, minority women who are victims of violence may be more likely to experience poor health outcomes because of the compounding effects of life stressors on neural, endocrine, and immune systems. Policy and practice implications of the study findings suggest preventing and reducing violence against all women, and for informed physicians to screen patients for abuse histories and refer to appropriate counseling and other stress reduction resources.Ye

Antibiotic uptake in Pseudomonas aeruginosa and its consequences on the metabolome

The permeability barrier of the outer membrane in Gram-negative bacteria possess an inherent defense towards antibiotics and is subject of study using multidisciplinary approaches and cutting-edge techniques. In this study, a medium-high throughput assay based on liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) was optimized and applied for comparing the degree of uptake of antibiotics with different modes of action into E. coli and P. aeruginosa. This method allowed the elucidation of time-course profiles of rapidly accumulated compounds and helped to differentiate accumulation profiles of nine antibiotics between the two Gram-negative species. The strain transferability of this assay allows the systematic assessment of the uptake of a broad range of compounds in different microorganisms. Apart from an increased impermeability, pathogenic bacteria quickly adapt metabolically to cope with a wide variety of environmental stresses, including antibiotic stress. Exposure to sub-lethal but constant concentrations of antibiotics in the environment plays an important role in enabling bacteria to make use of tolerance and resistance traits. In this study, the metabolic profile of wild type P. aeruginosa treated with different classes of antibiotics at sub-lethal concentrations showed important differences under a short exposure of two hours, and a long exposure of more than seven hours. P. aeruginosa maintained high levels of virulence-related metabolites, such as rhamnolipids, as a quick response to sudden antibiotic stress, indicating the readiness of bacteria to adapt quickly to environmental challenges. Fluoroquinolones, among the most potent antibiotics to date, are known to propitiate diverse bacterial responses, such as growth inhibition, biofilm production, and increased oxidative-stress response. However, these effects are associated to their potent activity and thought to be due to target interactions. In this study, two P. aeruginosa strains, one fluoroquinolone-susceptible with MIC of 0.15 µg/mL and one fluoroquinolone-resistant with MIC of 29.83 µg/mL, were subjected to an LC-MS/MS-based untargeted metabolomics analysis and provided with evidence of indirect responses to increasing concentrations of ciprofloxacin. In spite of the lack of an active target, the resistant mutant showed important off-target effects in response to ciprofloxacin accumulation. Those secondary-target effects were related to the virulence regulation of P. aeruginosa, such as the quorum sensing response, and to alterations in lipid metabolism and peptidoglycan assembly, and were correlated with ciprofloxacin accumulation.Die äußeren Membran von Gram-negativen Bakterien stellt eine inhärente Permeabilitätsbarriere gegen Antibiotika dar und ist daher Gegenstand von Untersuchungen mit multidisziplinären Ansätzen und modernsten Techniken. In dieser Studie wurde ein auf Flüssigkeitschromatographie-gekoppelter Tandem-Massenspektrometrie (LC MS/MS) basierender Assay mit mittlerem Durchsatz optimiert und eingesetzt, um die Aufnahme von Antibiotika mit unterschiedlichen Wirkmechanismen in E. coli und P. aeruginosa zu untersuchen. Die Methode ermöglichte, den Zeitverlauf der Aufnahme zu verfolgen und die Akkumulationsprofile von neun Antibiotika zwischen beiden Gram-negativen Spezies zu vergleichen. Der Assay erlaubt damit die systematische Bewertung der Aufnahme eines breiten Spektrums von Verbindungen in verschiedenen Mikroorganismen. Pathogene Bakterien passen ihren Metabolismus schnell an, um auf eine Vielzahl von Umweltbedingungen wie Antibiotikastress zu reagieren. Die Exposition von Bakterien mit subletalen, konstanten Konzentrationen von Antibiotika spielt eine wichtige Rolle bei der Ausbildung von Toleranz- und Resistenzeigenschaften. In dieser Studie zeigte das metabolische Profil eines Wildtypstamms von P. aeruginosa, der mit verschiedenen Klassen von Antibiotika in subletalen Konzentrationen behandelt wurde, wichtige Unterschiede zwischen einer kurzen Exposition von zwei Stunden und einer langen Exposition von mehr als sieben Stunden. Als schnelle Reaktion auf plötzlichen Antibiotika-Stress wurden hohe Konzentrationen virulenzbezogener Metabolite, wie z. B. Rhamnolipide, detektiert. Dies belegt die Fähigkeit der Bakterien, schnell auf sich verändernde äußere Umgebungen zu reagieren. Fluorchinolone, die eine hochwirksame Antibiotikaklasse darstellen, sind dafür bekannt, daß sie verschiedene bakterielle Reaktionen induzieren, wie z.B. verringertes Wachstum, Biofilmproduktion und eine erhöhte oxidative Stressreaktion. Es wird angenommen, dass diese Effekte eine Folge spezifischer Target-Interaktionen sind. In dieser Studie wurden zwei P. aeruginosa-Stämme, ein Fluorchinolon-sensitiver mit einer minimalen Hemmkonzentration (MHK) von 0,15 µg/mL und eine Fluorchinolon-resistenten Mutante mit einer MHK von 29,83 µg/mL, einer LC-MS/MS-basierten, ungerichteten Metabolomics-Analyse unterzogen. Trotz der fehlenden Target-Interaktion zeigte die resistente Mutante wichtige Off-Target-Effekte als Reaktion auf die Ciprofloxacin-Akkumulation. Diese Sekundär-Effekte standen im Zusammenhang mit der Virulenzregulation von P. aeruginosa, wie z. B. der Quorum-Sensing-Antwort. Weiterhin waren Veränderungen im Lipidstoffwechsel und der Peptidoglykan-Assemblierung mit der Ciprofloxacin-Akkumulation korreliert

Mechanical characterization of a new architectural concrete with glass-recycled aggregate

Concrete is a material which is widely used in architecture, not only for structural purposes but also for architectural elements for its versatility and excellent performance. However, the manufacturing of this material as a mixture of water, cement, and ¿ne and coarse aggregate comes with a high environmental cost, such as gas emissions, among other things. This is the reason why di¿erent alternatives are being proposed in order to replace coarse aggregates with other recycled materials, as it is one of the less sustainable components of the mixture in terms of extraction. One of these alternatives is recycled glass coming from drinking bottles, crushed into small grains and mixed in the same proportions as regular aggregates. This study proposes the mechanical characterization of a new architectural concrete mixture by using white Lafarge cement and glass-recycled aggregates. This proposed concrete is made especially for architectural elements like façade panels, rather than structural elements. The mechanical evaluation of this new material is done through a set of experimental tests under compression and also bending, comparing three di¿erent ratios of glass aggregate in the mixture.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

Improvement of sound quality in spaces and products

The perceived quality of any electrical appliance, vehicle, or either interior or exterior spaces is influenced by the quality of its sound, and this includes the reduction of noise, but also a fine tuning of its sound features. Sound quality is growing field of study that transversally influences the design of products and spaces, combining objective measures with subjective perception of people. Closed to mechanical and acoustics engineering, sound quality and soundscapes bring people views into the scene, trying to translate their subjective response into objective parameters that can be implemented in a product or a space. I2A2 has been involved in several research projects closely related to the optimization of sound emissions of products, such electrical appliances or vehicle components, and spaces, such as vehicle cabins, building components or rooms in an industr

Habitability: CAMELOT 4

During 1988 to 1989 the NASA/USRA Advanced Design Program sponsored research and design efforts aimed at developing habitability criteria and at defining a habitability concept as a useful tool in understanding and evaluating dwellings for prolonged stays in extraterrestrial space. The Circulating Auto sufficient Mars-Earth Luxurious Orbital Transport (CAMELOT) was studied as a case in which the students would try to enhance the quality of life of the inhabitants by applying architectural design methodology. The study proposed 14 habitability criteria considered necessary to fulfill the defined habitability concept, which is that state of equilibrium that results from the interaction between components of the Individual Architecture Mission Complex, which allows a person to sustain physiological homeostatis, adequate performance, and acceptable social relationships. Architecture, design development, refinements and revisions to improve the quality of life, new insights on artificial gravity, form and constitution problems, and the final design concept are covered