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The article discusses the routine testing and reporting of piperacillin/tazobactam susceptibility in Elizabethkingia species, which are increasingly prevalent pathogens in Asia. The study found that there is variability in the results of different susceptibility assays, leading to inconsistent reporting of susceptibility rates. In addition, the presence of a specific gene, blaB, in Elizabethkingia species was found to increase resistance to piperacillin/tazobactam and reduce its efficacy in vivo. The authors suggest that routine testing and reporting of piperacillin/tazobactam susceptibility in Elizabethkingia species may not be informative for treatment decisions. [Extracted from the article]

We present a novel method for estimating species abundance using presence–absence maps. Our approach takes the spatial context into consideration, distinguishing it from conventional methods. The proposed method is built upon a well-known kernel estimation for point pattern intensity, with the addition of a new parameter representing the mean abundance in each occupied cell. The parameter estimate is obtained through maximum likelihood estimation. The expected abundance corresponds to the integral of the intensity over the study area, which can be estimated by taking the Riemann sum of the intensity. The implementation of our method is straightforward, using existing packages in the R software. We compared various bandwidth selection methods within our approach and assessed the estimation performance against some approaches based on the random placement model or negative binomial model through the simulation study and an empirical forestry data in Barro Colorado Island (BCI), Panama. The results of the simulation and the application demonstrate that our method, with a carefully chosen bandwidth, outperforms the alternatives for highly aggregated data and improves the issue of underestimation. Supplementary materials accompanying this paper appear online. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Before vaccines were introduced, mobility restriction was one of the primary control measures in the early stage of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Because different age groups face disproportionate health risks, differences in their mobility changes affect the effectiveness of pandemic control measures. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between multiscale mobility patterns in different age groups and COVID-19 transmission before and after control measures implementation. Data on daily confirmed case numbers, anonymized mobile phone data, and 38 socioeconomic factors were used to construct negative binomial regression models of these relationships in the Taipei metropolitan area in May 2021. To avoid overfitting, the socioeconomic factor dimensions were reduced by principal component analysis. The results showed that inter-district mobility was a greater promoter of COVID-19 transmission than was intra-district mobility (coefficients: pre-alert, 0.52 and 0.43; post-alert, 0.41 and 0.36, respectively). Moreover, both the inter-district mobility of people aged 15–59 and ≥ 60 years were significantly related to the number of confirmed cases (coefficients: pre-alert, 0.82 and 1.05; post-alert, 0.48 and 0.66, respectively). The results can help agencies worldwide formulate public health responses to emerging infectious diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Before vaccines were introduced, mobility restriction was one of the primary control measures in the early stage of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Because different age groups face disproportionate health risks, differences in their mobility changes affect the effectiveness of pandemic control measures. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between multiscale mobility patterns in different age groups and COVID-19 transmission before and after control measures implementation. Data on daily confirmed case numbers, anonymized mobile phone data, and 38 socioeconomic factors were used to construct negative binomial regression models of these relationships in the Taipei metropolitan area in May 2021. To avoid overfitting, the socioeconomic factor dimensions were reduced by principal component analysis. The results showed that inter-district mobility was a greater promoter of COVID-19 transmission than was intra-district mobility (coefficients: pre-alert, 0.52 and 0.43; post-alert, 0.41 and 0.36, respectively). Moreover, both the inter-district mobility of people aged 15–59 and ≥ 60 years were significantly related to the number of confirmed cases (coefficients: pre-alert, 0.82 and 1.05; post-alert, 0.48 and 0.66, respectively). The results can help agencies worldwide formulate public health responses to emerging infectious diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Robust PU/SiO 2 nanohybrids with a tensile strength of 35.5 MPa and over 700 % elongation at break. • Nanohybrids prepared from polymer waste conversion process with an approximately 98% functional group selectivity. • Nanohybrids exhibiting particle sizes ranging from 100 to 500 nm. • PU/SiO 2 membrane involving CO 2 reuse with a P CO2 of 24.02 barrer, and a selectivity of 32.85 (α CO2/N2). • Gas separation membranes for CO 2 capture and storage from post-consumption materials. In this study, polymer nanocomposite membranes with recyclability were developed to achieve good mechanical properties and gas permeability in the consumption of a recycled polymeric material. The newly developed process has been realized through the conversion of waste PC to afford key intermediates containing alkoxysilane and phenolic groups. The alkoxysilanes would act as the nucleation sites for sol–gel reactions, whereas the phenolic groups further provided active hydrogens for click reactions in the production of polyurethane/silica (PU/SiO 2) nanohybrids, exhibiting microcavity to facilitate gas molecules diffusion for membrane with improved gas permeability. Moreover, the additional use of aliphatic polycarbonate polyol provided enhanced CO 2 solubility for gas separation membranes of the PU/SiO 2 nanohybrids with a P CO2 permeability of 24.02 barrer and a selectivity of 32.85 (α CO2/N2), which approached the 2008 Robeson upper bounds. Moreover, the joint presence of polycarbonate polyol and silica in the nanohybrids led to high-performance elastomeric properties, with tensile strengths of 35.5 MPa and over 700 % elongation at break, results that exceeded those of previously reported PU-based gas separation membranes. Notably, this PC recycling process featured the newly formed carbamate groups as the reaction sites, enabling the recyclability of PU/SiO 2 nanohybrids as the gas separation membranes for CO 2 capture and storage in post-consumption materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Minocycline improved the survival of Galleria mellonella and mice infected with susceptible Elizabethkingia anophelis and reduced the tissue bacterial load of mice. • Reduced minocycline susceptibility (MIC of 4 mg/L) due to spontaneous mutation was associated with poor treatment outcomes in Galleria mellonella and mice. • The addition of rifampin (1 mg/L) reduced the mutant prevention concentration of minocycline from 2–4 mg/L to < 0.5 mg/L. • Rifampin combined with minocycline was synergistic in vitro , but conferred no in vivo benefit. Elizabethkingia anophelis is inherently resistant to multiple antibiotics, except minocycline. This study aimed to determine the in vitro and in vivo efficacy of minocycline monotherapy and combination therapy against susceptible strains and the impact of reduced minocycline susceptibility. Three clinical isolates and one laboratory-induced mutant with reduced minocycline susceptibility were included. Time-kill and checkerboard assays were used to assess in vitro efficacy and synergy, respectively. Galleria mellonella infection and mouse pneumonia models were used to assess in vivo efficacy, and a mouse thigh infection model was used to determine the bacterial load. Minocycline monotherapy exerted a modest inhibitory effect on three clinical minocycline-susceptible E. anophelis isolates in vitro , but delayed G. mellonella death and improved infected mouse survival; it also significantly reduced the in vivo bacterial load. Minocycline had decreased efficacy on G. mellonella and mice infected by the mutant with reduced minocycline susceptibility. Genome comparison revealed several spontaneous mutations associated with reduced minocycline susceptibility. Among eight antibiotics tested in combination with minocycline, rifampin consistently showed in vitro synergy. The addition of rifampin (1 mg/L) reduced the mutant prevention concentration of minocycline from 2–4 mg/L to < 0.5 mg/L. However, compared with monotherapy, the combination of rifampin and minocycline did not further reduce the bacterial load or improve the survival of G. mellonella or mice. Minocycline monotherapy was in vivo effective against susceptible E. anophelis. Reduced minocycline susceptibility due to spontaneous mutation decreased its therapeutic efficacy. In combination with rifampin, it prevented the in vitro emergence of reduced susceptibility but did not provide additional in vivo survival benefit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Preparation of regular through-pore polyimide membranes on filter paper using the breath-figure technique. • Regular through-pore membranes with high water permeance and high yeast and mud rejection. • Surface cleaning or backwash easy restore the fouled membrane. Regular through-pore membranes exhibit extremely high productivity and size-selective capabilities. Previous studies have demonstrated that the use of a polymer alone on a solid substrate surface hinders the formation of regular through-pore membranes. In this study, amphiphilic dendrons were used as surfactants to concentrate the functional groups and strengthen the weak bonding forces between the molecules, which is conducive to the formation of regular through-pores in the membrane. The amphiphilic dendrons were mixed with commercial-grade polyimide (PI) using chloroform as the solvent, and the solution was evenly coated on the surface of the filter paper. Using the breath-figure method, an ultrathin regular through-pore PI layer was formed directly on the surface of the filter paper. The SEM image shows that regular through-pores were formed only on the surface of the substrate. The preparation process used in this study eliminates the need to transfer ultrathin and weak membranes to the substrate surface, which simplifies the membrane-making process. Pure water and yeast solution filtration tests were conducted on the composite membrane prepared with a 5 mg/ml dendron solution. A pure water permeance of 118,826 L m-2h−1 bar−1 (LMH/bar) was obtained, the yeast solution permeance and rejection are 17,410 LMH/bar and 92.85 %, respectively. The yellow, turbid, muddy water was successfully purified to clean water. The original performance of the fouled membrane was restored after only 30 s of water flushing. This study proposes a new approach to fabricate high-efficiency regular through-pore PI composite microfiltration membranes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, novel dendritic urethane acrylate polymers were developed for the fabrication of robust honeycomb-like surfaces after exposure to a UV-crosslinking process. Through iterative synthesis based on a highly selective intermediate of 4-isocyanate-4′-(3,3-dimethyl-2,4-dioxo-azetidine)-diphenylmethane, poly(urea/malonamide) dendrons bearing peripheral methyl methacrylate end groups with well-defined structures were realized. A coating solution was prepared by the combined use of 30–70 wt% UA dendron acting as dendritic diluents and dendritic UA copolymers acting as amphiphiles that can fabricate honeycomb-like surfaces via a breath figure self-assembly process using water droplets as templates. The resulting film can be cured under UV light to achieve a robust honeycomb-like structure with a hexagonal structure exhibiting solvent-resistant properties in ethanol. Consequently, this solvent-resistant porous array can act as a substrate for the detection of vanishingly low concentrations of analytes that are aqueous insoluble via surface-enhanced Raman scattering analysis. • Novel synthesis of dendritic urethane acrylate copolymers • Development of UV-curable polymer surface with honeycomb-like structure • Realization of robust polymer surfaces with solvent resistance properties • Detection of aqueous insoluble analytes via surface-enhanced Raman scattering analysis [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • N-methylphenothiazine derived redox ionic liquid (NMP-IL) was synthesized. • NMP-IL shows superior ionic conductivity with high thermal stability. • An extremely low-driving voltage (0.6 V) electrochromic device (ECD) was reported. • The proposed ECD gives a large transmittance change and coloration efficiency. • The ECD exhibits good long-term cycling stabilities at elevated temperatures. A novel N-methylphenothiazine based ionic liquid (NMP-IL) was designed for achieving low-driving voltage electrochromic device (ECD) with thermal durability. NMP-IL was synthesized via a five-step reaction, including thionation, methylation, substitution, ionization, and anion exchange. By chemically bonding with the ionic liquid, NMP-IL exhibited a large optical contrast and high thermal stability simply to take the advantages of both NMP and ionic liquid features. Compared to NMP, NMP-IL would provide the electrolyte with a higher ionic conductivity, thus reducing the driving voltage of the ECDs. Most importantly, an extremely low-driving voltage (0.6 V) ECD based on NMP-IL and nickel hexacyanoferrate (NiHCF) thin film, known as the ion storage layer, was further demonstrated. The proposed NMP-IL/NiHCF ECD accomplished a large transmittance change of 56.6% at 575 nm, a desirable coloration efficiency of 166 cm2/C, and attenuated 120.9 W/m2 solar irradiance between bleached state and colored state with a minimal consumed power per unit area of 1.08 W/m2. Besides, impressive long-term stabilities of the proposed ECDs, under both room temperature (92.3% retention of its original ΔT after 10,000 cycles) and high temperature (80.2% retention of its original ΔT after 3,000 cycles at 65 °C), were achieved. These merits reveal that NMP-IL has the potential to become the new anodically coloring material for application in energy-saving ECDs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]