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Enteric fever caused by Salmonella entericaTyphi and SalmonellaParatyphi A is an important public health problem, especially in low-income and middle-income countries with limited access to safe water and sanitation. We present results from, to our knowledge, the first ever human study of a bivalent paratyphoid A-typhoid conjugate vaccine (Sii-PTCV).

Quantitative phase imaging, integrated with artificial intelligence, allows for the rapid and label-free investigation of the physiology and pathology of biological systems. This review presents the principles of various two-dimensional and three-dimensional label-free phase imaging techniques that exploit refractive index as an intrinsic optical imaging contrast. In particular, we discuss artificial intelligence-based analysis methodologies for biomedical studies including image enhancement, segmentation of cellular or subcellular structures, classification of types of biological samples and image translation to furnish subcellular and histochemical information from label-free phase images. We also discuss the advantages and challenges of artificial intelligence-enabled quantitative phase imaging analyses, summarize recent notable applications in the life sciences, and cover the potential of this field for basic and industrial research in the life sciences.

Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1)-neutralizing antibodies (nAbs) that prevent infection are the main goal of HIV vaccine discovery. But as no nAb-eliciting vaccines are yet available, only data from HIV-1 neutralizers—persons with HIV-1 who naturally develop broad and potent nAbs—can inform about the dynamics and durability of nAb responses in humans, knowledge which is crucial for the design of future HIV-1 vaccine regimens. To address this, we assessed HIV-1-neutralizing immunoglobulin G (IgG) from 2,354 persons with HIV-1 on or off antiretroviral therapy (ART). Infection with non-clade B viruses, CD4+T cell counts <200 µl−1, being off ART and a longer time off ART were independent predictors of a more potent and broad neutralization. In longitudinal analyses, we found nAb half-lives of 9.3 and 16.9 years in individuals with no- or low-level viremia, respectively, and 4.0 years in persons who newly initiated ART. Finally, in a potent HIV-1 neutralizer, we identified lower fractions of serum nAbs and of nAb-encoding memory B cells after ART initiation, suggesting that a decreasing neutralizing serum activity after antigen withdrawal is due to lower levels of nAbs. These results collectively show that HIV-1-neutralizing responses can persist for several years, even at low antigen levels, suggesting that an HIV-1 vaccine may elicit a durable nAb response.

This study aimed to monitor microbial contamination levels in a variety of health functional foods and to establish new microbial criteria. Indicator organisms (i.e., aerobic bacteria, coliform bacteria, and Escherichia coli) were monitored in 10 health functional food categories (743 items, 3,715 samples). The mean total aerobic counts of ginseng and Korean red ginseng were −0.35 and −0.74 log CFU/g; and the mean total coliform counts were −1.4 and −1.39 log CFU/g, respectively. In addition, the mean total coliform counts of fiber and protein products were −1.34 and −1.22 log CFU/g, respectively. However, no aerobic or coliform cells were detected in any other health functional food products (vitamins, minerals, probiotics, milk thistle extract, propolis, eicosapentaenoic acid, docosahexaenoic acid, or lutein products), and no E. coliwas detected in any of the categories. These results can potentially be used to update the microbial criteria of the Health Functional Food Code.

This study compared error rates during the personal protective equipment (PPE) removal process under different base-layer cooling conditions while performing the doffing procedures. Ten participants were recruited and received training on the standard doffing procedures before participating in the experiments. The participants were randomly assigned to one of the three base-layer conditions and ran on a treadmill for 30 min. Their physiological biometrics were monitored during exercise trials, and error rates were calculated. The results revealed a significant difference in error rates when PPE was worn over base-layer scrubs made of a cooling fabric versus when it was worn over the conventional medical scrubs. Further, there was a strong negative relationship between the body coverage amount with the cooling fabric and error rates occurring during the doffing procedures. Findings suggested practical considerations for the operational monitoring system and improved PPE design to avoid unintentional errors during the doffing procedures.

The inactivated whole-virion SARS-CoV-2 vaccine (CoronaVac, Sinovac) has been widely used in a two-dose schedule. We assessed whether a third dose of the homologous or a different vaccine could boost immune responses.

Purpose. The objective of this study was to compare the effects of personal protective equipment (PPE) on firefighters’ perceptions of mobility and their experienced occupational injury risks between China and the USA. Materials and methods.An online survey was conducted and a total of 328 firefighters, including 203 Chinese firefighters and 125 US firefighters, participated in the survey. Results.Both Chinese and US firefighters ranked mobility restriction as the most dissatisfactory characteristic of the current PPE. US firefighters reported the upper body as the most restricted region and self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) as the most dissatisfactory item. Chinese firefighters ranked boots as the leading cause of dissatisfaction, but they did not indicate any particular discomfort region. Moreover, musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) were the most prevalent occupational injury reported by both Chinese and US firefighters. Restricted mobility while wearing PPE was closely related to the risk of MSDs. Conclusions.The findings suggested that PPE design for US firefighters should consider a balance in the weight distribution of SCBA and the overall interface of turnout gear and equipment. For Chinese firefighters’ PPE, flexibility of materials for boots should be emphasized to increase mobility and reduce the risks of MSDs.

Background: Surgeons are trained as “internists that also operate,” bringing an important skillset to patient management during the current COVID-19 pandemic. A review was performed to illustrate the response of surgical staff during the pandemic with regard to patient care and residency training. Methods: The evaluation and assessment of the changes enacted at Stony Brook Medicine’s Department of Surgery is illustrated through the unique perspective of surgical residents. No IRB approval or written consent was obtained nor it was necessary for the purposes of this paper. Results: Hospital policy was enacted to hinder transmission of COVID-19 and included limited gatherings of people, restricted travel, quarantined symptomatic staff, and careful surveillance for disease incidence. Surgical residency transformed as residents were diverted from traditional surgical services to staff new COVID-19 ICUs. Education transitioned to an online-based platform for lectures and reviews. New skills sets were acquired such as PICC line placement and complex ventilator management. Conclusions: The viral surge impacted surgical training while also providing unique lessons regarding preparedness and strategic planning for future pandemic and disaster management.

Calendering is a crucial manufacturing process in the optimization of battery performance and lifetime due to its significant effect on the 3D electrode microstructure. By conducting an in situcalendering experiment on lithium-ion battery cathodes using X-ray nano-computed tomography, here we show that the electrodes composed of large particles with a broad size distribution experience heterogeneous microstructural self-arrangement. At high C-rates, the performance is predominantly restricted by sluggish solid-state diffusion, which is exacerbated by calendering due to the increased microstructural and lithiation heterogeneity, leading to active material underutilization. In contrast, electrodes consisting of small particles are structurally stable with more homogeneous deformation and a lower tortuosity, showing a much higher rated capacity that is less sensitive to calendering densification. Finally, the dependence of performance on the dual variation of both porosity and electrode thickness is investigated to provide new insights into the microstructural optimization for different applications in electrode manufacturing.

Background Several studies have reported beneficial effects of olfactory training (OT) on the olfactory nervous system. However, the mechanisms underlying the regeneration of the olfactory system induced by OT are still under investigation.Objectives To determine the key mechanisms involved in the olfactory system recovery and to assess the neuroplastic effects of OT.Methods Thirty healthy female C57BL/6 mice were randomly allocated to 4 groups: control, n = 6; anosmia (no treatment), n = 8; OT, n = 8; and steroid treatment; n = 8. Except for the control group, mice were administered 3-methylindole. Anosmia was assessed using a food-finding test (FFT). The olfactory neuroepithelium was for histological examinations, gene ontology with pathway analyses, RNA, and protein studies.Results FFT was significantly reduced at 3 weeks in the OT mice versus steroids (78.27 s vs 156.83 s, P< .008) and controls (78.27 s vs 13.14 s, P< .003), although final outcome in the FFT was similar in these groups. Expression of olfactory and neurogenesis marker was higher in the olfactory neuroepithelium of the OT group than in the anosmia group without treatment. The mechanisms underlying olfactory regeneration might be related to early olfactory receptor stimulation, followed by neurotrophic factor stimulation of neuronal plasticity.Conclusion OT can improve olfactory function and accelerate olfactory recovery. The mechanisms underlying olfactory regeneration might be related to an initial stimulation of olfactory receptors followed by neurogenesis. Olfactory ensheathing cells might play an important role in olfactory regeneration following OT, based on the observed changes in messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) and protein expression, as well as the findings of the gene analysis.

ABSTRACTDrawing on ethnographic data from the anti-deportation protest of the Seoul Korean-Chinese Church (SKCC) in 2013, I examine the impact of gender on the mobilization of Korean-Chinese immigrant women in South Korea. Despite legal, economic, and religious differences, these protesters have bonded greatly among themselves, largely because of their immigrant mother identity. As the leaders of their family migration projects, both Christians and non-believers have grown to feel a strong sense of kinship and acknowledge the efficacy of collective action. Emotional protest rituals and the political impact of the activist-clergy have prompted the mobilization and consequent politicization of these largely women demonstrators. Early social movement literature has overlooked the impact of gender identity on women’s collective action, while my study shows how gender intersects with diasporic identities, to enable the mobilization of immigrant women for the collective goal of justice.

With recent changes to graduate medical education, the balance between resident autonomy and need for supervision impacts the educational and training experience of residents. The objective of this study was to understand the relationship between the confidence of attendings and residents and their different perspectives of perceived educational experience and autonomy in the operating room (OR). We hypothesized that the attending's confidence in the resident would be an important factor in improving the educational experience and resident's autonomy in the OR.

Eye-gaze metrics derived from areas of interest (AOIs) have been suggested to be effective for surgical skill assessment. However, prior research is mostly based on static images and simulated tasks that may not translate to complex and dynamic surgical scenes. Therefore, eye-gaze metrics must advance to account for changes in the location of important information during a surgical procedure. We developed a dynamic AOI generation technique based on eye gaze collected from an expert viewing surgery videos. This AOI updated as the gaze of the expert moved with changes in the surgical scene. This technique was evaluated through an experiment recruiting a total of 20 attendings and residents to view 10 videos associated with and another 10 without adverse events. Dwell time percentage (i.e., gaze duration) inside the AOI differentiated video type (U= 13508.5, p< 0.001) between videos with the presence (Mdn = 16.75) versus absence (Mdn = 19.95) of adverse events. This metric also differentiated participant group (U= 14029.5, p < 0.001) between attendings (Mdn = 15.45) and residents (Mdn = 19.80). This indicates that our dynamic AOIs reflecting the expert eye gaze was able to differentiate expertise, and the presence of unexpected adverse events. This dynamic AOI generation technique produced dynamic AOIs for deriving eye-gaze metrics that were sensitive to expertise level and event characteristics.

Flow-electrode capacitive deionization (FCDI) offers infinite ion adsorption for continuous desalination of high-concentration saline water by supplying a flow-electrode to the cell. Although extensive efforts have been made to maximize the desalination rate and efficiency of FCDI cells, the electrochemical properties of these cells are not fully understood. This study investigated the factors affecting the electrochemical properties of FCDI cells containing activated carbon (AC; 1–20 wt %) and various flow rates (6–24 mL/min) for the flow-electrode using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy before and after desalination. Examination of the impedance spectra using the distribution of relaxation time and equivalent circuit fitting analysis revealed three distinctive resistances such as internal, charge transfer, and ion adsorption resistances. The overall impedance decreased significantly after the desalination experiment due to increased ion concentrations in the flow-electrode. The three resistances decreased with increasing concentrations of AC in the flow-electrode due to the extension of electrically connected AC particles that participated in the electrochemical desalination reaction. The ion adsorption resistance decreased significantly due to the flow rate dependence of the impedance spectra. In contrast, the internal and charge transfer resistances were invariant.

ABSTRACTThis study examined the potential of universal design in the field of apparel. The particular purpose of the study was to explore the use of the concept and principles of universal design as guidance for developing innovative design solutions that accommodate ‘inclusivity’ while maintaining ‘individuality’ regarding the wearer's aesthetic tastes and functional needs. To verify the applicability of universal design in apparel products, two case studies of design practice were conducted, and the principles of universal design were evaluated through practical applications. This study suggests that universal design provides an effective framework for the apparel design process to achieve flexible and versatile outcomes. However, due to product proximity to the wearer, modification of the original definition and principles of universal design must be considered in applications for apparel design.

Lithium-ion batteries are the most ubiquitous energy storage devices in our everyday lives. However, their energy storage capacity fades over time due to chemical and structural changes in their components, via different degradation mechanisms. Understanding and mitigating these degradation mechanisms is key to reducing capacity fade, thereby enabling improvement in the performance and lifetime of Li-ion batteries, supporting the energy transition to renewables and electrification. In this endeavor, surface analysis techniques are commonly employed to characterize the chemistry and structure at reactive interfaces, where most changes are observed as batteries age. However, battery electrodes are complex systems containing unstable compounds, with large heterogeneities in material properties. Moreover, different degradation mechanisms can affect multiple material properties and occur simultaneously, meaning that a range of complementary techniques must be utilized to obtain a complete picture of electrode degradation. The combination of these issues and the lack of standard measurement protocols and guidelines for data interpretation can lead to a lack of trust in data. Herein, we discuss measurement challenges that affect several key surface analysis techniques being used for Li-ion battery degradation studies: focused ion beam scanning electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry. We provide recommendations for each technique to improve reproducibility and reduce uncertainty in the analysis of NMC/graphite Li-ion battery electrodes. We also highlight some key measurement issues that should be addressed in future investigations.

Traumatic and ischemic brain injury induce plasmalemma permeability and necrosis; however, no studies have examined these aspects of cellular injury in intracerebral hemorrhage models.

AbstractFor any technological innovation to be adopted within a corporation, the role of the user must be considered in the acceptance process. As an effective strategy to gain empirical data, a case study method was employed to examine user perceptions in a world leading US footwear company. The company's own patented prototyping technology, called the Virtual Sampling (VS) system, was selected for study in 2007. Employees who were using the VS system were invited to respond to a Web questionnaire that included both qualitative and quantitative questions about the technology. Three main findings emerge from the study: 1) in the process of implementing a technology in an organization, there are external variable(s) that identify relative user groups within the organization; 2) different user groups tend to have different levels of perception of the technology and evaluate adoption and implementation from that perspective; 3) however, no matter which groups they belong to, technology users in the organization are likely to follow a similar evaluation path, from technology adoption to full implementation. With a higher initial expectation, the perceived usefulness of the new technology improves and consequently, its implementation appears more robust. The ultimate goal of the research is to theorize user acceptance behavior of technology adoption and implementation in organizations, with the expectation of providing better organizational strategies for new technology adoption and use.

OperandoRaman spectroscopy is a well-established technique for monitoring chemical changes in active materials during electrochemical cycling of alkali-ion cells. To date, however, its application to the study of commercial electrodes under realistic operating conditions has been severely limited by cell design constraints. We present here an improved configuration for performing operandoRaman spectroscopy on coated metal foil electrodes used in standard laboratory cell testing. Electrochemical modeling predicts much improved lithiation homogeneity compared to a previously used configuration; this observation is validated experimentally for a commercially-sourced graphite electrode. The new configuration delivers improved electrochemical performance at higher specific currents than was previously possible, ensuring that Raman measurements at a single location are representative of the entire electrode. Finally, the broad applicability of the configuration is demonstrated through a study of hard carbon sodium-ion negative electrodes over 50 cycles. These results provide a new configuration for performing reliable, validated operandoRaman spectroscopy on commercial battery electrodes, as well as establishing a general methodological framework for the validation of operandospectroscopic techniques to ensure that their performance is relevant to the practical systems to which they are applied.

Identification of the state-of-health (SoH) of Li-ion cells is a vital tool to protect operating battery packs against accelerated degradation and failure. This is becoming increasingly important as the energy and power densities demanded by batteries and the economic costs of packs increase. Here, ultrasonic time-of-flight analysis is performed to demonstrate the technique as a tool for the identification of a range of defects and SoH in Li-ion cells. Analysis of large, purpose-built defects across multiple length scales is performed in pouch cells. The technique is then demonstrated to detect a microscale defect in a commercial cell, which is validated by examining the acoustic transmission signal through the cell. The location and scale of the defects are confirmed using X-ray computed tomography, which also provides information pertaining to the layered structure of the cells. The demonstration of this technique as a methodology for obtaining direct, non-destructive, depth-resolved measurements of the condition of electrode layers highlights the potential application of acoustic methods in real-time diagnostics for SoH monitoring and manufacturing processes.