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• Monitoring hand hygiene behavior of individual nurses is not routinely performed. • We tested whether an anonymous monitoring system could estimate individual behavior. • We found a link between a patient room's hand hygiene rate and its assigned nurse. • An anonymous monitoring system can estimate individual staff hand hygiene behavior. We investigated whether an anonymous automated electronic monitoring system (EMS) could be used to compare hand hygiene (HH) performance of individual nurses. Prospective observational cohort study. HH performance in 10 acute-care patient rooms was estimated through an EMS that anonymously measured HH events, and room entries and exits. The association between patient room's HH compliance and the nurse in charge of each room was investigated by comparing percentile rank distributions, and through a negative binomial model. Over 99 days, there were 38,596 HH events and 135,546 room entries and exits (global HH performance, 28%). For 10 of 54 (19%) nurses, the median HH percentile rank of the rooms to which they were assigned was higher than the group average (P <.001; range of percentiles, 64th to 85th). A lower median percentile was seen in 9/54 (17%) participants (P <.001; range of percentiles, 22nd to 39th). The negative binomial model confirmed this association and identified 15 of 54 high performers (range of adjusted incidence rate ratios [aIRR], 1.17-1.83) and 16 of 54 low performers (range of aIRR, 0.37-0.77). An association exists between a room's HH rate and its assigned nurse. This association could hold potential value for an individualized feedback strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To link to full-text access for this article, visit this link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jml.2006.11.005 Byline: Fanny Meunier (a), Catherine-Marie Longtin (b) Keywords: Morphology; Visual word processing; Cross-modal priming; Pseudowords Abstract: In the present study, we looked at cross-modal priming effects produced by auditory presentation of morphologically complex pseudowords in order to investigate semantic integration during the processing of French morphologically complex items. In Experiment 1, we used as primes pseudowords consisting of a non-interpretable combination of roots and suffixes, such as [degrees]sportation, formed by the noun sport 'sport' and the suffix -ation. In Experiment 2, primes were semantically interpretable pseudowords made of the combination of a root and a suffix, such as [degrees]rapidifier 'to quickify'. In Experiment 3, we used as primes semantically interpretable pseudowords that were designed to be synonymous with existing derived words, for example [degrees]cuisineur, which, if it existed, would mean the same as cuisinier 'a cook'. Finally, in Experiment 4, we used as primes non-morphological pseudowords like [degrees]rapiduit, -uit being an existing ending of French but not a suffix. The results of the four experiments show that priming only occurs with those morphologically complex pseudowords which are interpretable (including those which are synonymous with a pre-existing derived form), providing evidence that semantic factors are taken into account when the prime is overtly presented. Our results further support the view that morphological effects come into play at at least two processing stages, a morphological decomposition based on formal properties and a semantic integration based on semantic compatibility between morphemes. Author Affiliation: (a) Laboratoire Dynamique Du Langage, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Universite Louis Lumiere, France (b) School of Physical and Occupational Therapy, McGill University, Canada Article History: Received 5 April 2006; Revised 6 September 2006 Article Note: (footnote) [star] This research was supported by the French National Research Agency (ANR) and by a research grant 'Action concertee jeunes chercheurs' from the Ministere de la recherche et de l'enseignement (France) accorded to the first author. Second author was supported by a postdoctoral fellowship from the Fonds Quebecois pour la recherche sur la societe et la culture. This project also benefited support from a Major Collaborative Research Initiative Grant from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (# 412-2001-1009). The second author is now a Marie Curie postdoctoral fellow at the Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit of the Medical Research Council, Cambridge, United Kingdom. We thank D. Fabre for her help in recording the auditory primes. We are also grateful to M. Davis, K. Forster, H. Giraudo, G. Powell, K. Rastle, and J. Segui for their help and comments on an earlier version of the manuscript.

To link to full-text access for this article, visit this link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jml.2005.02.008 Byline: Catherine-Marie Longtin (a), Fanny Meunier (b) Abstract: In this study, we looked at priming effects produced by a short presentation (47ms) of morphologically complex pseudowords in French. In Experiment 1, we used as primes semantically interpretable pseudowords made of the grammatical combination of a root and a suffix, such as rapidifier 'to quickify.' In Experiment 2, we used non-morphological pseudowords such as rapiduit, where -uit is an existing ending in French, but is not a suffix. In Experiment 3, primes were pseudowords consisting of a non-interpretable combination of roots and suffixes, such as sportation, formed by the noun sport 'sport' and the suffix -ation (-ation only attaches to verbs). Results of Experiment 1 show that morphologically complex pseudowords significantly facilitated the recognition of their roots. This priming effect was equivalent to the facilitation obtained when existing derived words were used as primes. In Experiment 2, no priming effect was obtained with non-morphological pseudowords, demonstrating that the mere occurrence of the target at the beginning of the pseudoword prime is not sufficient to produce any priming and that an orthographic account of the results is not viable. Finally, Experiment 3 shows that the semantic interpretability of the morphologically complex pseudowords does not affect priming, as facilitation effect is obtained with morphologically complex non-interpretable pseudowords. The results reveal an early morphological decomposition triggered by the morphological structure of the prime, but insensitive to its lexicality or interpretability. Author Affiliation: (a) Laboratoire de Psychologie Experimentale, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Universite Rene Descartes, France (b) Laboratoire Dynamique Du Langage, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Universite Louis Lumiere, France Article Note: (footnote) [star] This research was supported by a doctoral fellowship to the first author from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada. It was also supported by a research grant 'Action concertee jeunes chercheurs' from the Ministere de la recherche et de l'enseignement (France) accorded to the second author. The first author is now a postdoctoral fellow at McGill University (Montreal, Canada). We are grateful to J. Segui and P. Halle for their comments and suggestions at various stages of this research. We thank C. Burani, M. Lange, M. Taft, A. Idrissi, and an anonymous reviewer for their helpful comments on an earlier version of this paper. N. Azevedo, M. Corley, and J. Peters were also of great help in revising the manuscript.

Activation of methane in low-temperature fuel cells has been a challenge due to its thermodynamic stability. In this study, we demonstrate the feasibility of using a pure culture of Methylococcus capsulatus microbial fuel cell in a proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell in whole-cell and crude enzymatic modes. The impact of time and mediators of the microbial fuel cells (MFCs) was studied. Additionally, a mathematical model was used to predict and explain the fuel cell's electrochemical performance and mechanic details. The fuel cell generated an open-circuit voltage of 378.91 mV and a power density of 438.57 μW/m2 in the whole-cell mode, whereas an OCV of 125.62 mV and a power density of 117.94 μW/m2 in the enzymatic mode without the use of an external mediator. Although the cell was stable throughout the test duration of ten days in the whole-cell mode, the stability declined within minutes in the enzymatic mode. This work demonstrates the feasibility of generating electricity via a proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell in microbial and enzymatic modes using methane as the only carbon source at room temperature with a pure culture of M. capsulatus as a direct electron-transporting biocatalyst. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Healthcare worker acceptance of novel COVID-19 vaccines is poorly understood. • In our study, 80% of healthcare workers accepted receiving a novel COVID-19 vaccine. • Predictors of vaccine acceptance included age > 50 and exposure to COVID-19. • Most who refused vaccination were open to receiving the vaccine within a year. Determinants of COVID-19 vaccine acceptance among healthcare workers (HCW) remains poorly understood. We assessed HCWs' willingness to be vaccinated and reasons underlying hesitancy. Cross-sectional survey across 17 healthcare institutions. HCWs eligible for vaccination (Pfizer-BioNTech mRNA) in December 2020 were invited to receive immunization. Multivariate logistic regression was performed to identify predictors of acceptance. Reasons for refusal among those who never intended to be vaccinated (ie, firm refusers) and those who preferred delaying vaccination (ie, vaccine hesitants) were assessed. Among 2,761 respondents (72% female, average age, 44), 2,233 (80.9%) accepted the vaccine. Physicians, environmental services workers and healthcare managers were more likely to accept vaccination compared to nurses. Male sex, age over 50, rehabilitation center workers, and occupational COVID-19 exposure were independently associated with vaccine acceptance by multivariate analysis. Factors for refusal included vaccine novelty, wanting others to receive it first, and insufficient time for decision-making. Among those who declined, 74% reported they may accept future vaccination. Vaccine firm refusers were more likely than vaccine hesitants to distrust pharmaceutical companies and to prefer developing a natural immunity by getting COVID-19. Vaccine hesitancy exists among HCWs. Our findings provide useful information to plan future interventions and improve acceptance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Around 32% of no-touch surfaces were positive for SARS-CoV-2 in long-term carefacilities. • Undetectable airborne SARS-CoV-2, 8-30 days after residents' symptoms onset. • Reconsideration of exposure risks in LTCFs is necessary. • Timing is crucial in air sampling campaign deployment. • Collaboration of LTCFs is key to study and have quick access to COVID-19 outbreaks. Long-term care facilities (LTCF) are environments particularly favorable to coronavirus disease (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic outbreaks, due to the at-risk population they welcome and the close proximity of residents. Yet, the transmission dynamics of the disease in these establishments remain unclear. Air and no-touch surfaces of 31 rooms from 7 LTCFs were sampled and SARS-CoV-2 was quantified by real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). Air samples were negative but viral genomes were recovered from 20 of 62 surface samples at concentrations ranging from 13 to 36,612 genomes/surface. Virus isolation (culture) from surface samples (n = 7) was negative. The presence of viral RNA on no-touch surfaces is evidence of viral dissemination through air, but the lack of airborne viral particles in air samples suggests that they were not aerosolized in a significant manner during air sampling sessions. The air samples were collected 8 to 30 days after the residents' symptom onset, which could indicate that viruses are aerosolized early in the infection process. Additional research is needed to evaluate viral viability conservation and the potential role of direct contact and aerosols in SARS-CoV-2 transmission in these institutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Patient bathing with nonantiseptic products was not found to reduce health care-associated infections. • Patient bathing with nonantiseptic products does not reduce skin colonization. • No-rinse washcloths may be preferable in bed-bound patients to decrease skin lesions. • Showers may reduce C difficile skin contamination more effectively than baths. Nonantiseptic bathing practices among inpatients and residents of nursing homes vary in terms of frequency, bathing type and product. We performed a systematic review to compare the efficacy of different bathing practices in reducing skin colonization, health care-associated infections (HAI) or their impact on skin integrity. We searched Medline and Embase up until February 2018 testing a combination of terms for 3 concepts: (1) personal hygiene, (2) inpatients, (3) skin colonization, integrity or HAIs. Studies set in ICUs or including children were excluded. This review was registered in PROSPERO: CRD42018091639. Seven studies were included. No statistically significant impact in terms of reduced skin colonization was described irrespective of bathing product, type or frequency except for a reduced burden of C difficile on the skin of infected patients after showering compared to bathing. One study addressing impact on HAI did not detect a significant difference when a waterless no-rinse product was used. Integrity of the skin was better preserved by no-rinse products. No study described a statistically significant reduction of bacterial skin colonization or incidence of HAI after bathing hospitalized patients with nonantiseptic products. However, waterless no-rinse products were associated with less skin damage in most studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• We evaluated the impact of extended use and H 2 O 2 decontamination on N95 respirators. • Extended N95 use and decontamination was associated with a rapid loss of fit test. • User seal check overestimated user fit test. • Single-use N95 respirator longevity may be shorter than previously reported. To address the shortage of N95 respirators in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, some organizations have recommended the decontamination of respirators using vaporized hydrogen peroxide (VHP) sterilizer for up to 10 times. However, these recommendations are based on studies that did not take into account the extended use of respirators, which can degrade respirator fit. We investigated the impact of extended use and decontamination with VHP on N95 Respirator Fit. We performed a prospective cohort study to determine the number of times respirators can be decontaminated before respirator fit test failure. The primary outcome was the overall number of cycles required for half of the respirators to fail (either mechanical failure or fit test failure). Thirty-six participants completed 360 hours of respirator usage across 90 cycles. The median number of cycles completed by participants before respirator failure was 2. The overall number of cycles required for half of respirators to fail was 1, 3, 5, and 4 for the 3M 1860(S), 3M 1870+, Moldex 151X and ProGear 88020 respirators, respectively. The combination of prolonged usage and VHP decontamination was associated with early failure. Decontamination and prolonged usage of respirators must be done cautiously. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Several Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) surveillance programs do not specify laboratory strategies to use. We investigated the evolution in testing strategies used across Quebec, Canada, and its association with incidence rates. Methods Cross-sectional study of 95 hospitals by surveys conducted in 2010 and in 2013-2014. The association between testing strategies and institutional CDI incidence rates was analyzed via multivariate Poisson regressions. Results The most common assays in 2014 were toxin A/B enzyme immunoassays (EIAs) (61 institutions, 64%), glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH) EIAs (51 institutions, 53.7%), and nucleic acid amplification tests (NAATs) (34 institutions, 35.8%). The most frequent algorithm was a single-step NAAT (20 institutions, 21%). Between 2010 and 2014, 35 institutions (37%) modified their algorithm. Institutions detecting toxigenic C difficile instead of C difficile toxin increased from 14 to 37 ( P  < .001). Institutions detecting toxigenic C difficile had higher CDI rates (7.9 vs 6.6 per 10,000 patient days; P  = .01). Institutions using single-step NAATs, GDH plus toxigenic cultures, and GDH plus cytotoxicity assays had higher CDI rates than those using an EIA-based algorithm ( P  < .05). Conclusions Laboratory detection of CDI has changed since 2010. There is an association between diagnostic algorithms and CDI incidence. Mitigation strategies are warranted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Infection of implanted medical devices has catastrophic consequences. For cardiac rhythm devices, pre-procedural cefazolin is standard prophylaxis but does not protect against methicillin-resistant gram-positive organisms, which are common pathogens in device infections.Objective: This study tested the clinical effectiveness of incremental perioperative antibiotics to reduce device infection.Methods: The authors performed a cluster randomized crossover trial with 4 randomly assigned 6-month periods, during which centers used either conventional or incremental periprocedural antibiotics for all cardiac implantable electronic device procedures as standard procedure. Conventional treatment was pre-procedural cefazolin infusion. Incremental treatment was pre-procedural cefazolin plus vancomycin, intraprocedural bacitracin pocket wash, and 2-day post-procedural oral cephalexin. The primary outcome was 1-year hospitalization for device infection in the high-risk group, analyzed by hierarchical logistic regression modeling, adjusting for random cluster and cluster-period effects.Results: Device procedures were performed in 28 centers in 19,603 patients, of whom 12,842 were high risk. Infection occurred in 99 patients (1.03%) receiving conventional treatment, and in 78 (0.78%) receiving incremental treatment (odds ratio: 0.77; 95% confidence interval: 0.56 to 1.05; p = 0.10). In high-risk patients, hospitalization for infection occurred in 77 patients (1.23%) receiving conventional antibiotics and in 66 (1.01%) receiving incremental antibiotics (odds ratio: 0.82; 95% confidence interval: 0.59 to 1.15; p = 0.26). Subgroup analysis did not identify relevant patient or site characteristics with significant benefit from incremental therapy.Conclusions: The cluster crossover design efficiently tested clinical effectiveness of incremental antibiotics to reduce device infection. Device infection rates were low. The observed difference in infection rates was not statistically significant. (Prevention of Arrhythmia Device Infection Trial [PADIT Pilot] [PADIT]; NCT01002911). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rectal swabs are routinely used by public health authorities to screen for multi-drug resistant enteric bacteria including vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) and carbapenem-resistant enterobacteriaceae (CRE). Screening sensitivity can be influenced by the quality of the swabbing, whether performed by the patient (self-swabbing) or a healthcare practitioner. One common exclusion criterion for rectal swabs is absence of “visible soiling” from fecal matter. In our institution, this criterion excludes almost 10% of rectal swabs received in the microbiology laboratory. Furthermore, over 30% of patients in whom rectal swabs are cancelled will not be re-screened within the next 48 h, resulting in delays in removing infection prevention measures. We describe two quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR)-based assays, human RNAse P and eubacterial 16S rDNA, which might serve as suitable controls for sampling adequacy. However, lower amounts of amplifiable human DNA make the 16s rDNA assay a better candidate for sample adequacy control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background The efficacy of the World Health Organization (WHO)–recommended handwashing technique against Clostridium difficile is uncertain, and whether it could be improved remains unknown. Also, the benefit of using a structured technique instead of an unstructured technique remains unclear. Methods This study was a prospective comparison of 3 techniques (unstructured, WHO, and a novel technique dubbed WHO shortened repeated [WHO-SR] technique) to remove C difficile . Ten participants were enrolled and performed each technique. Hands were contaminated with 3 × 10 6 colony forming units (CFU) of a nontoxigenic strain containing 90% spores. Efficacy was assessed using the whole-hand method. The relative efficacy of each technique and of a structured (either WHO or WHO-SR) vs an unstructured technique were assessed by Mann-Whitney U test and Wilcoxon signed-rank test. Results The median effectiveness of the unstructured, WHO, and WHO-SR techniques in log 10 CFU reduction was 1.30 (interquartile range [IQR], 1.27-1.43), 1.71 (IQR, 1.34-1.91), and 1.70 (IQR, 1.54-2.42), respectively. The WHO-SR technique was significantly more efficacious than the unstructured technique ( P  = .01). Washing hands with a structured technique was more effective than washing with an unstructured technique (median, 1.70 vs 1.30 log 10 CFU reduction, respectively; P  = .007). Conclusions A structured washing technique is more effective than an unstructured technique against C difficile . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Nursing Practice and Education Team identified the need to develop a perianesthesia evidence-based new graduate program across a large healthcare system. Historically, perianesthesia nursing positions required previous critical care nursing experience. Due to the ongoing nursing shortage, organizations face challenges in hiring experienced nurses. The goal was to develop and implement a structured, new graduate perianesthesia nursing orientation program, using a tiered approach to learning in a critical care environment while providing the foundations of perianesthesia nursing. The team reviewed evidence and literature of new graduate orientation programs. Seventeen nurses, who graduated within the previous 2 years were interviewed to identify the specific needs of nurses transitioning from academia to clinical practice. A 9-month program was developed that combines The American Society of PeriAnesthesia Nurses Competency-based orientation program and American Association of Critical Care Nurses Essentials to Critical Care Orientation Course, which provides the foundation of critical care knowledge. The program consists of prelearning, didactic, skills training, case studies, shadow experiences, and targeted clinical components with a preceptor. There are three stages that target specific goals and learning objectives. The program expands their hands-on clinical practice while allowing them to gain valuable experience, enhance their decision-making, and develop critical thinking skills while building a foundation of nursing excellence. The first cohort of nurses were surveyed at the beginning and end of the program. The average in confidence in nursing skills on a 1 to 10 scale improved from 3.5 to 9 and all nurses responded they were "very likely" to recommend the program. In addition, the request for a second cohort was received from the Operational Leadership Team. The program supports a large healthcare organization in creating innovative pathways and utilizing various, diverse approaches to successfully train new graduate nurses in the perianesthesia environment. This allows an organization to break down the traditional barriers, opening doors for new graduate nurses to develop into competent perianesthesia nurses, while providing them with a pipeline of support and mentorship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Extensively drug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (XDR-Ab) is an increasingly important cause of healthcare-associated infection. Uncertainties remain concerning optimal control measures for healthcare-associated outbreaks.Aim: To describe the epidemiology and control of an XDR-Ab outbreak that involved multiple units of a large hospital from March 2012 to January 2014.Methods: Case-finding included screening of rectum, groin, throat, nose, wounds, iatrogenic portals of entry, and catheterized sites. Antimicrobial susceptibility was evaluated by disc diffusion and E-test. Resistance genes were detected by polymerase chain reaction. Clonality was assessed by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis. Charts of cases were reviewed to identify risk factors for invasive infection. Control measures included isolation and cohorting of cases, hand hygiene reinforcement, environmental decontamination, and source control with daily baths using wipes pre-impregnated with chlorhexidine gluconate.Findings: A single clonal strain of XDR-Ab colonized or infected 29 patients. Five patients died of XDR-Ab bacteraemia. Transmission occurred primarily on two wards. Colonization was detected at all anatomical screening sites; only 57% (16/28) of cases were rectal carriers. Advanced malignancy was a risk factor for bacteraemia (relative risk: 5.8; 95% confidence interval: 1.2-27.0). Transmission ended following implementation of the multimodal control strategy. No additional nosocomial cases occurred during the following 20 months.Conclusion: Our study highlights the need to screen multiple anatomic sites to diagnose carriage and identifies risk factors for XDR-Ab bacteraemia. A multimodal intervention that included daily chlorhexidine baths for cases was rapidly followed by the termination of the outbreak. Hospitals should consider similar interventions when managing future XDR-Ab outbreaks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Effective public health (PH) response to emerging pathogens requires effective information systems integrating surveillance data from multiple sources. For laboratories, data entry of multiple variables both at pre-analytical steps and again in laboratory information systems (LIS) is time-consuming and difficult to implement in a resource-limited setting and negatively affects the timeliness of the surveillance system. We set up a simple harmonized laboratory query that summarized 22 public-health relevant scenarios and variables, reduced to a two-digit code. Information data specialists were mobilized to integrate data from the 108 different LIS using the harmonized query, which provided timely access to COVID-19 testing indications, volumes, and positivity rates stratified by age, health region, clinical settings, outbreak context or Health-Care worker status. The information system allowed to develop multiple indicators for a better understanding of the pandemic and the COVID-19 transmission in population subgroups. Dashboards were available for public health and infection prevention and control officers in their location. Multiple stakeholders were able to interpret real-time data for more than 40 000 different qPCR tests every day. The data allowed to adjust prescription practice and promote optimal usage and plan contingencies within Quebec's qPCR lab capacities. It also served as the basis to monitor community transmission through test positivity rate in various settings. The coding system also allowed labs to easily implement sample triage, which reduced turnaround time to less than 24h for most samples. Starting May 2021, public health authorities add monitoring of the positive predictive value of rapid antigen test used at the community level to support evidence-based public health decisions about the best possible use of those assays. This simple scenario-based coding system allowed timely PH and management of both sampling and processing priorities which proved most useful during surge periods. Quebec Public Health Authorities were better able to target preventive actions and to plan outreach screening activities in subpopulations, neighbourhoods, and communities, while modulating clinical criteria to get access to testing and allowing laboratories to better triage samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to quantify the force applied during posterior-to-anterior lumbar vertebrae mobilizations of different grades (I to IV) and compare that force between experienced physiotherapists and final year physiotherapy students. Four experienced physiotherapists and four final year physiotherapy students participated in this study along with five healthy asymptomatic individuals. A manual therapy table positioned over three force plates allowed for measurements of the force oscillation frequency and intensity applied during grade I, II, III and IV posterior-to-anterior (PA) mobilizations at two lumbar vertebral levels (L2 and L4). Mixed model ANOVAs were used to compare the force applied between the experienced physiotherapists and students, and between the various grades. The results showed that the mean oscillation frequency was similar between the groups for all grades. Grade I and grade IV PA mobilizations showed similar mean oscillation frequency as did grade II and III PA mobilizations. The minimum and maximum force applied was higher for the physiotherapists than for the students for all mobilization grades ( p values < 0.05). Similar mean maximum force values were recorded for PA mobilizations between grade I and II and between grade III and grade IV. Grade III and IV PA mobilizations yielded higher mean maximum force values than those recorded during grade I and grade II PA mobilizations. The method used in this study allowed for quantification of the force applied during lumbar PA mobilizations. Experienced physiotherapists apply greater force than physiotherapy students across all grades, despite similar oscillation frequency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Relative microorganism abundance is a parameter describing biodiversity, referring to how common a bacterial species is within the total bacterial flora. Anal, rectal, skin, mucal, and respiratory swabs are typical clinical samples where knowledge of relative bacterial abundance might make distinction between asymptomatic carriers and symptomatic cases. Assays trying to measure total bacterial load are usually based on the amplification of universal segments of 16S rRNA genes. Previous assays were not adoptable to “direct” PCR protocols, and/or they were not compatible with hydrolysis-based detection. Using the latest summary of universal 16S sequence motifs present in literature and testing our design with 500 liquid and 50 formed stool samples, we illustrate the performance characteristics of a new 16S quantitative PCR (qPCR) assay, which addresses well-known technical problems, including a) positive priming reaction in the absence of intended target due to self-priming and/or mispriming of unintended targets; b) amplification bias due to nonoptimal primer/probe coverage; and c) too large amplicons for clinical qPCR. Stool swabs ranked into bins of different bacterial loads show significant correlation with threshold cycle values of our new assay. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first description of qPCR assay measuring individual differences of total bacterial load present in human stool. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] A module has been developed to detect usage signatures of gas-consuming residential appliances. [•] The module contains a high-resolution mechanical encoder to resolve small volumes of gas. [•] A module that includes the encoder can be retrofitted to standard gas meters in the US. [•] The non-linear motion of the gas meter has been analyzed and accounted for. [•] Flow rates from 7ft3/h to 250ft3/h can be measured, with a resolution of 0.01ft3. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Neural codes often seem tailored to the type of information they must carry. Here we contrast the encoding strategies for two different communication signals in electric fish and describe the underlying cellular and network properties that implement them. We compare an aggressive signal that needs to be quickly detected, to a courtship signal whose quality needs to be evaluated. The aggressive signal is encoded by synchronized bursts and a predictive feedback input is crucial in separating background noise from the communication signal. The courtship signal is accurately encoded through a heterogenous population response allowing the discrimination of signal differences. Most importantly we show that the same strategies are used in other systems arguing that they evolved similar solutions because they faced similar tasks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The electric sense combines spatial aspects of vision and touch with temporal features of audition. Its accessible neural architecture shares similarities with mammalian sensory systems and allows for recordings from successive brain areas to test hypotheses about neural coding. Further, electrosensory stimuli encountered during prey capture, navigation, and communication, can be readily synthesized in the laboratory. These features enable analyses of the neural circuitry that reveal general principles of encoding and decoding, such as segregation of information into separate streams and neural response sparsification. A systems level understanding arises via linkage between cellular differentiation and network architecture, revealed by in vitro and in vivo analyses, while computational modeling reveals how single cell dynamics and connectivity shape the sparsification process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) affect at least 300 000 patients annually in the UK and represent a significant, yet largely preventable, burden to healthcare systems. Hand hygiene by healthcare workers (HCWs) is the leading prevention measure, but compliance with good practice is generally low. The UK National Patient Safety Agency surveyed the public, inpatients, and HCWs, particularly frontline clinical staff and infection control nurses, in five acute care hospitals to determine whether they agreed that a greater level of involvement and engagement with patients would contribute to increased compliance with hand hygiene and reduce HAIs. Fifty-seven percent (302/530) of the public were unlikely to question doctors on the cleanliness of their hands as they assumed that they had already cleaned them. Forty-three percent (90/210) of inpatients considered that HCWs should know to clean their hands and trusted them to do so, and 20% (42/210) would not want HCWs to think that they were questioning their professional ability to do their job correctly. Most HCWs surveyed (178/254, 71%) said that HAI could be reduced to a greater or lesser degree if patients asked HCWs if they had cleaned their hands before touching them. Inviting patients to remind HCWs about hand hygiene through the provision of individual alcohol-based hand-rub containers and actively supporting an ‘It’s OK to ask’ attitude were perceived as the most useful interventions by both patients and HCWs. However, further work is required to refute the myth among HCWs that patient involvement undermines the doctor– or HCW–patient relationship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The objective of this work is to investigate the coupling of fluid dynamics, heat transfer and mass transfer during the impact and evaporation of droplets on a heated solid substrate. A laser-based thermoreflectance method is used to measure the temperature at the solid–liquid interface, with a time and space resolution of 100μs and 20μm, respectively. Isopropanol droplets with micro- and nanoliter volumes are considered. A finite-element model is used to simulate the transient fluid dynamics and heat transfer during the droplet deposition process, considering the dynamics of wetting as well as Laplace and Marangoni stresses on the liquid–gas boundary. For cases involving evaporation, the diffusion of vapor in the atmosphere is solved numerically, providing an exact boundary condition for the evaporative flux at the droplet–air interface. High-speed visualizations are performed to provide matching parameters for the wetting model used in the simulations. Numerical and experimental results are compared for the transient heat transfer and the fluid dynamics involved during the droplet deposition. Our results describe and explain temperature oscillations at the drop–substrate interface during the early stages of impact. For the first time, a full simulation of the impact and subsequent evaporation of a drop on a heated surface is performed, and excellent agreement is found with the experimental results. Our results also shed light on the influence of wetting on the heat transfer during evaporation. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]