Monitoring Of Sensitivity Research Articles

Sensitivity of the Mosquito Culex pipiens Diptera: Culicidae towards Temephos in Southern Central Morocco

Mosquito species are responsible for the transmission of many parasitic diseases and their control leads to the phenomenon of resistance to insecticides including temephos, mostly used by hygienic services. This article reports the results of studies conducted using WHO sensitivity tests on larvae local populations of Culex pipiens collected in three lodging in the city of Marrakesh (Southern-Central, Morocco), towards temephos. Five concentrations of insecticide in addition to a control, were used to determine the DC50 and DC 90 of Culex pipiens species towards temephos. Sensitivity tests were carried out at the entomology unit and monitoring of insect sensitivity towards insecticides installed at the Regional Diagnostic Laboratory Epidemiological and Environmental Hygiene (LRDEHM), Marrakesh, under the Regional Directorate of Health of Marrakesh-Safi. The bioassay results affirmed the presence of resistance in Culex pipiens larvae towards temephos. This species has also developed similar and comparable resistance levels in the three lodgings studied, with resistance rates recorded varying between 15.2 and 128.5. This study results can be used as database for the control of mosquito resistance to insecticides at local and national level.

Age related changes in skin sensitivity assessed with smartphone vibration testing

The capacity to perceive tactile input at the fingertips, referred to as tactile sensitivity, is known to diminish with age due to regressive changes to mechanoreceptor density and morphology. Sensitivity is measured as perceptual responses to stimuli of varying intensity. Contrary to traditional sensitivity monitoring instruments, smartphones are uniquely suited for remote assessment and have shown to deliver highly calibrated stimuli along a broad spectrum of intensity, which may improve test reliability. The aim of this study was to evaluate a vibration-emitting smartphone application, the Vibratus App, as a mode of estimating tactile sensory thresholds in the aging adult. The peripheral nerve function of 40 neurologically healthy volunteers (ages 18–71) was measured using monofilaments, a 128-Hz tuning fork, the Vibratus App, and nerve conduction studies (NCS). Between group differences were analyzed to determine each measurement’s sensitivity to age. Spearman correlation coefficients depicted the associative strength between hand-held measurements and sensory nerve action potential (SNAP) amplitude. Inter-rater reliability of traditional instruments and the software-operated smartphone were assessed by intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC2,k). Measurements taken with Vibratus App were significantly different between age groups (p < 0.001). The inter-rater reliability of monofilament, smartphone vibration, and tuning fork testing was moderate to good (ICC2,k = 0.65, 0.69, and 0.79, respectively). The findings of this study support further investigation of smartphones as sensitivity monitoring devices for at home monitoring of skin sensitivity.

Sensitivity of &lt;i&gt;Venturia inaequalis&lt;/i&gt; to fl uxapyroxad (Serkadis) in industrial plantations in the South of Russia

Th e apple scab pathogen &lt;i&gt;Venturia inaequalis&lt;/i&gt; is claimed to be the most commonly encountered pathogen of apple orchards in temperate climates. Traditional orchard protection based on repeated application of fungicides remains relevant. Widespread use of fungicides with narrowly focused action leads to a gradual selection of resistant pathogen biotypes, an increase in their share in the population and, subsequently, to a loss of eff ectiveness of chemicals. Monitoring the pathogen sensitivity to fungicides, including new ones that have appeared on the pesticide market relatively recently, such as succinate dehydrogenase inhibitors (SDHI), constitutes an important aspect in the development of an anti-resistance orchard protection program. Th e present paper evaluates the sensitivity of the fungus to fl uxapyroxad using in vitro discriminatory concentration based on relative growth (RG) of mycelium on solid medium. Monospore isolates of the pathogen were grown on potato glucose agar with and without 0.25 μg/mL of fl uxapyroxad. Th e study involved a total of 106 isolates of the pathogen collected from two industrial appl e orchards. Th e mean RG values of these populations differed signifi cantly. Th e orchards with a history of active ingredient application demonstrated the presence of isolates with RG of mycelium above 70 and 80%, thereby indicating the development of resistance in them. In one of the orchards, the proportion of isolates at a discriminatory threshold of RG &gt; 80 % was twice as high as in the other one. SDHI fungicides and in particular fl uxapyroxad refer to narrowly acting fungicides, which makes &lt;i&gt;Venturia inaequalis&lt;/i&gt; highly probable to develop resistance to them. Th e present study is apparently the fi rst in Russia to demonstrate the presence of pathogen forms wit h reduced sensitivity to this active ingredient. Compliance with anti-resistant FRAC recommendations when using single-site fungicides and constant monitoring of the pathogen sensitivity to them form an important condition for their long-term use.

Способы контроля выполнения шунтового эффекта рельсовых цепей

The value of the transient resistance "wheel — rail" is the determining factor for ensuring the shunt ef-fect of track circuits. Taking into account the severity of consequences of failure to ensure the shunt ef-fect — accidents or train derailments due to a switch being thrown under a train or opening of a traffic light fencing an occupied track section, continuous monitoring of the condition of track circuits (shunt sen-sitivity) is necessary for timely detection of critical values of destabilising factors or operating conditions. The article discusses ways to automate measurements of train shunt resistance and ways to prevent shunt loss (non-fulfillment of the shunt effect) by an occupied track circuit. The work also examines the possibility of implementing continuous monitoring of the shunt effect (monitoring of shunt sensitivity) based on a model of changing the values of their parameters during the movement of rolling units along a rail line. The obtained results can be used to solve such analytical and practical problems as: calculation and investigation of the dynamics of change in the sensitivity coefficient of the track circuit to the actual train shunt; construction of a classifier of the track circuit states invariant to external perturbations during the train movement from the moment of entry to the moment of release of the rail line; organisation of continuous monitoring of the shunt sensitivity of the track circuit.

Numeric Prediction of the Detail Visibility in Industrial X-Ray Computed Tomography by Human Observers

Industrial Computed Tomography (iCT) is applied in industry for flaw detection, flaw evaluation and dimensional measurement. This requires the correct experimental system settings for sufficient visibility and detectability of details and structure elements. This is an essential tool for long term monitoring of the detail sensitivity of CT scanners. The visibility of indications by human observers on a monitor in cross sectional 2D CT-images can be estimated from the square root of the visible flaw area, the Contrast to Noise Ratio (CNR) and the Modulation Transfer Function (MTF). The ASTM guide E 1441 describes a more detailed procedure for the determination of the minimum contrast for the visibility of flaws based on three essential functions for the prediction of the visibility of small circular indications in iCT slice images. This is the Contrast Discrimination Function (CDF), the Modulation Transfer Function (MTF) as described in the latest revision of ASTM E 1695, and the Contrast Detail Diagram (CDD). All these functions analyse the contrast as function of the spatial frequency in digital 2D slice images. The functions do not describe, how to calculate the visibility limit for human observers. The concept for the automated calculation of the visibility limit of circular indications in reconstructed slice images is discussed in this paper. It is finally determined from the intersection point of the MTF with the Contrast Detail Diagram, which is the combination of CDF and MTF, and a physiological factor c. The new measurement procedures for the prediction of the detail visibility by MTF and CDD was tested with test phantoms and be verified by modelling and measurements. A Round Robin test was conducted with more than 10 parties to verify the visibility formula and the procedure for determination of the visibility limit from the combination of these functions. A form factor is considered to compare cylinder holes with pore indications. Conclusions will be reported and recommendations will be given for the determination of the correct physiological factor c.

Interlaboratory development and proposition for a new quality control sample for chemical forensics analysis of chemical warfare agents

A new quality control (QC) test sample for gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) was created and analysed to test the comparability and repeatability of chemical forensics results within the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW)–designated laboratories. The QC test sample was designed in collaboration between four laboratories and consists of 27 compounds which evaluate the performance of GC–MS instruments. This solution was analysed with GC–MS(EI) in 11 laboratories, seven of which were OPCW designated. The participating laboratories analysed the sample multiple times on consecutive days, as well as after the analysis of a set of complex matrix samples. Retention times, retention indices, peak areas, peak tailing values, signal-to-noise ratios, and isotope ratios were extracted from the GC–MS data, and statistical multivariate analyses with principal component analysis and Hotelling's T2-tests were conducted. The results from these analyses indicate that differences between GC–MS analyses by multiple laboratories were not statistically significant at the 5% level, as the approximate p-value for the null hypothesis of “no differences between the runs” was 0.69. However, similar data processing methods and data normalisation are essential for enabling the reliable comparison of chemical fingerprints between laboratories. A composition for the QC sample and criteria for acceptable GC–MS performance for chemical forensics are proposed. The composition and criteria differ from the currently used chemical weapons verification analysis QC sample by e.g. broadening the range for retention index calculations by addition of new alkane compounds, including new chemicals with concentrations close to the limit of detection (10–100 ng/ml), and including compounds with higher polarity to emulate real-life forensic samples. The proposed criteria include monitoring of retention indices, isotope ratios, peak tailing, signal-to-noise ratios, peak height, mass spectra, and sensitivity of the instrument. The new compounds and criteria will be the subject of future confidence building exercises to validate their relevancy on a large scale.

Real-Time Monitoring of Weather Radar Network Calibration and Antenna Pointing

Abstract We present an integrated framework that leverages multiple weather radar calibration and monitoring techniques to provide real-time diagnostics on reflectivity calibration, antenna pointing, and dual-polarization moments. This framework uses a volume-matching technique to track the absolute calibration of radar reflectivity with respect to the Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) spaceborne radar, the relative calibration adjustment (RCA) technique to track relative changes in the radar calibration constant, the solar calibration technique to track daily change in solar power and antenna pointing error, and techniques that track properties of light-rain medium to monitor the differential reflectivity and dual-polarization moments. This framework allows for an evaluation of various calibration and monitoring techniques. For example, we found that a change in the RCA is highly correlated to a change in absolute calibration, with respect to GPM, if a change in antenna pointing can first be ruled out. It is currently monitoring 67+ radars from the Australian radar network. Because of the diverse and evolving nature of the Australian radar network, flexibility and modularity are at the core of the calibration framework. The framework can tailor its diagnostics to the specific characteristics of a radar (band, beamwidth, etc.). Because of its modularity, it can be expanded with new techniques to provide additional diagnostics (e.g., monitoring of radar sensitivity). The results are presented in an interactive dashboard at different level of details for a wide and diverse audience (radar engineers, researchers, forecasters, and management), and it is operational at the Australian Bureau of Meteorology. Significance Statement Weather radars, like all instruments, require maintenance and upgrades. Rainfall measurements are highly variable and sensitive to change, and this can lead to inconsistencies within a radar network. Calibration is the process to counteract those inconsistencies. Any calibration requires a fixed standard to which the changed/upgraded radar can be compared. The SCAR calibration framework presented herein makes use of several standards to retrieve a full set of diagnostics about the radar data. We apply these techniques over the entire Australian weather radar network and demonstrate that, by using this integrated approach, absolute calibration can be achieved to within 1 dBZ of reflectivity, antenna pointing can be monitored within 0.1°, and the various measurements of the radars can be quality controlled.

Susceptibility of grape berry moth, Paralobesia viteana (Clemens) (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) to insecticides in Michigan vineyards

AbstractGrape berry moth is a major pest of vineyards across eastern North America. Increasing infestations in Michigan commercial vineyards under active pest management have raised concerns about insecticide resistance in this species. We tested the susceptibility of male moths of this pest from 5 vineyards in southwestern Michigan over 2 years using a range of concentrations, followed by probit analysis of the resulting mortality data. In 2021 and 2022, topical applications of phosmet and zeta‐cypermethrin were applied to moths collected from each vineyard, and the LC50, LC90 and LC99 values were calculated for each population. The LC50 values were similar among sites, whereas the LC99 values for phosmet were highly variable across years, with sensitivity 2.78 times higher in 2022 than 2021 at Farm 2 and 61.66‐fold higher in 2021 at Farm 3. Sensitivity to zeta‐cypermethrin was generally similar between years at the LC50 level, but it was variable at the LC99, with two sites showing lower sensitivity in 2022 compared to 2021 and three farms with an increased sensitivity in 2022. The response to carbaryl was similar for Farm 3 across both years. However, in 2022 the LC50, LC90 and LC99 values in Farm 3 were 2.34, 6.33 and 14.29‐fold, respectively, higher compared to those in Farm 5. In conclusion, our results show that sensitivity to insecticides in grape berry moth populations in southwest Michigan vineyards is highly variable between different farms and across years. These results highlight the need for continued monitoring of sensitivity to insecticides in this species, and development and implementation of alternative control strategies in vineyards to maintain pest susceptibility to insecticides.

SDHI resistance in Pyrenophora teres f teres and molecular detection of novel double mutations in sdh genes conferring high resistance.

Net blotch (NB), caused by Pyrenophora teres f. teres (Ptt), is an important disease of barley worldwide. NB control is commonly achieved through the use of fungicide mixtures including strobilurins, triazoles and carboxamides. Succinate dehydrogenase inhibitors (SDHI) are important components of fungicide management programs of barley diseases. However, during the last growing seasons in Argentina, barley fields sprayed with mixtures containing SDHI fungicides have shown failures in NB control. Here, we report the isolation and characterization of Argentine Ptt strains resistant to SDHI fungicides. Compared against a sensitive (wild-type) reference strain collected in 2008, all 21 Ptt isolates collected in 2021 exhibited resistance to pydiflumetofen and fluxapyroxad both in vitro and in vivo. Concordantly, all of them presented target-site mutations in any of the sdhB, sdhC and sdhD genes. Although the mutations detected have been previously reported in other parts of the world, this study documents for the first time the occurrence of double mutations in the same Ptt isolate. Specifically, the double mutation sdhC-N75S + sdhD-D145G confers high resistance to SDHI fungicides, while the double mutations sdhB-H277Y + sdhC-N75S and sdhB-H277Y + sdhC-H134R confer moderate levels of resistance in Ptt. SDHI-resistance in Argentine Ptt populations is expected to increase. These findings emphasize the urgent need to perform a wider survey and a more frequent monitoring of SDHI sensitivity of Ptt populations and to develop and implement effective antiresistance tactics. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry.

Bacteriological Profile of Neonatal Septicaemia and Antibiotic Susceptibility Pattern of the Isolates Admitted in SCANU of a Tertiary Levels Hospital of North Bengal, Bangladesh

Introduction: Neonatal septicemia is one of the most common causes of infection and mortality in neonates, due to which 30–50% of neonates die each year in developing nations. Various studies have suggested that bacteremia occurs in 20% of neonates, and approximately 1% die due to neonatal sepsis. It affects newborns below 1 month of age and encompasses systemic infections including meningitis, pneumonia, arthritis, osteomyelitis and urinary tract infections. Objective: To assess the Bacteriological profile of neonatal septicaemia and antibiotic susceptibility pattern of the isolates admitted in SCANU of a tertiary levels hospital of North Bengal, Bangladesh. Methods: A prospective study was conducted including 50 suspected cases of septicemia admitted to the Special Care Neonatal Unit (SCANU) of the selected Department of Paediatrics, TMSS Medical College, Bogura Bangladesh July to December 2022. Demographic data included birth weight, gestational age, postnatal age, and treatment as well as survival outcome. Clinical and laboratory data included the number of days between birth and admission to the SCANU, admitting and discharge diagnoses, and pharmacological treatment. Data was analysed by percentages of each antibiotic used. And which organism was responsible for neonatal sepsis. Results: Total 50 cases clinically suspected neonatal sepsis were included in the study. The mean age was 8.33±7.36 days, mean birth weight was 2816.25±288.6gm, male were predominant which was 70%. Among gestational age of the Neonates having septicemia Preterm (&lt;37) 66% and Term (37 up to 42) 36%. Out of the 50 proven sepsis cases, 36 cases (72%) were early onset and 14 cases (28%) were late onset. In this study out of 50 cases 16 cases were culture positive septicemia which was 32%. Gram negative organism were predominant with 10 isolates (62.5%) in comparison to gram-positive 6 (37.5%) isolates was the most common S. aureus (25.0%) and E. coli (12.5%) among the organism isolated. Other organisms isolated were Staphylococcus Pneumoniae (6.3%), Staphylococcus epidermidis (18.7%), Proteus (18.7%), Listeria species (6.3%), Pseudomonas (6.3%), and Enterococci (6.3%). In this study, Staphylococcus aureus was the commonest organism isolated from both EOS (20%) and LOS (33.3%) followed by Staphylococcus epidermidis (10% &amp; 33.3%). Amoxiclave is highly sensitive to S. aureus &amp; E. coli. In this study, vancomycin showed 25.0% sensitivity to S. aureus but for Nitrofurantoin it was only 33.3%. The Listeria species isolates here were 100% sensitive to meropenum. In our study, ciprofloxacin showed 33.3% to 100% sensitivity to different isolates. Conclusion: In the present study, high bacterial resistance among the pathogens suspected to cause neonatal septicemia is demonstrated which can be controlled by prudent use of available antibiotics. This study suggests regular monitoring of the antimicrobial sensitivity of the causative organisms in a particular setting is very important.

Spatiotemporal Changes and Driving Force Analysis of Land Sensitivity to Desertification in Xinjiang Based on GEE

Land desertification profoundly affects economic and social development, thus necessitating a collective response. Regional land control planning needs to assess the land sensitivity to desertification across different regions. In this study, we selected 12 factors from soil, vegetation, climate, and terrain aspects to calculate and evaluate Xinjiang’s land sensitivity to desertification, from 2001 to 2020, and analyzed its trends and drivers. The results indicated that the region is highly (22.93%) to extremely sensitive (34.63%) to desertification. Of these, deserts, Gobi lands, oasis–desert transitional zones, and the downstream of rivers are highly and extremely sensitive areas. Mountainous areas, oases, and along rivers are non- and mildly sensitive areas. Over the past two decades, most areas have experienced stability (45.07%) and a slight improvement of desertification (26.18%), while the Junggar Basin and Central Taklamakan Desert have seen slight and severe intensification trends, respectively. Climate-related indicators, such as surface temperature and potential evapotranspiration (PET), were identified as the most important drivers of changes in land sensitivity to desertification. Having an integrated water resource allocation and establishing the long-term monitoring of land sensitivity to desertification would have positive implications for desertification control.

Prevalence of MRSA, ESBL, and AMPC-beta-lactamase-producing bacterial profile in pus sample

Rapid distribution of bacteria in wound infection and their appropriate treatment with antibiotics are crucial for health care providers. Bangladesh is vulnerable to multi-drug-registrant antibiotics due to extensive antibiotic misuse and other factors. The purpose of the present study was to see the frequency and distribution of bacteria isolated from pus and sensitivity patterns among hospitalized patients. A cross-sectional study was carried out from June 2020 to July 2021. The pus samples were collected from the patients who visited BIHS General Hospital, Dhaka. Isolation and Identification of bacteria were made by culture and biochemical test and antibiotic susceptibility test was done by disc diffusion method. The most common isolates were . Gram-positive bacteria were mostly resistant to Penicillin, Cefoxitin, Ampicillin, Azithromycin, Cotrimoxazole, Cefuroxime, and Cepradine antibiotics. 57.1% of and (100%) of was Methicillin-resistant, AMPC β-Lactamase producing bacteria (52.2%), and ESBL are (13.0%).Due to the abuse of antibiotics, Methicillin-resistant AMPC β-Lactamase, ESBL are increasing day by day. Our study found that MDR bacteria is increasing rapidly and which is a major problem. Therefore, Antibiotic susceptibility pattern testing is required before the use of antibiotics, and continuous monitoring of antibiotic sensitivity is needed to minimize resistance.

An evaluation of year-to-year fungicide efficacy and cultivar resistance combined with fungicide programs to manage cucumber downy mildew

Michigan growers have had to annually manage cucurbit downy mildew (CDM) using fungicides since host resistance was overcome in 2005. Fungicide efficacy can vary year-to-year and combining intermediate resistance (IR) pickling cucumber cultivars with fungicides may help improve CDM management. The study objectives were to compare Citadel and Peacemaker (IR) with susceptible cultivars Expedition and Vlaspik for their response to CDM when treated with three fungicide programs or not treated. Also, determining the efficacy of single product fungicides across three field seasons was of interest. Fungicides were applied weekly in 2016 and 2017 to IR and susceptible cultivars and included: (i) chlorothalonil, (ii) cyazofamid + chlorothalonil alternated with propamocarb + chlorothalonil alternated with amectoctradin/dimethomorph + chlorothalonil; and (iii) oxathiapiprolin/chlorothalonil alternated with propamocarb + chlorothalonil, alternated with cyazofamid + chlorothalonil. Protecting IR cultivars with fungicides increased their total marketable yield compared to the untreated. In Peacemaker, chlorothalonil alone was equally effective as the other fungicide treatments at improving yield. Single-product fungicides were applied on a 7-day schedule to field plots from 2018 to 2020. The efficacy of some of the most effective fungicides was influenced by year. Oxathiapiprolin + chlorothalonil had reduced efficacy during the year with the highest disease pressure. There were significant interactions between year and fungicide; propamocarb and ethaboxam did not always correlate with higher disease pressure. IR cultivars should be protected with fungicides. A better understanding of the relationship between yield response and disease severity in IR cultivars and continued monitoring of fungicide sensitivity will help optimize fungicide use.

Sensitivity of Krasnodar Venturia inaequalis Populations to the Sterol Demethylation Inhibitor Difenoconazole.

Difenoconazole sensitivity was assessed in three populations of the apple scab agent Venturia inaequalis of the Krasnodar region. One of the populations was fungicide naïve population; its sample was collected in natural habitats of the eastern crabapple Malus orientalis in foothills of the Severskii raion. The two other populations were from commercial orchards of the apple variety Reinette Simirenko (the Krasnoarmeiskii and Dinskoi raions), where fungicide treatments with various agents, including those with difenoconazole as an active ingredient, were performed on a regular basis. Single-spore V. inaequalis isolates were isolated from fresh leaves with signs of the disease or fallen leaves with fungal fruiting bodies. The median effective concentration (EC50) was defined as the concentration that halves the colony growth and was estimated in a series of in vitro experiments with 120 isolates. Difenoconazole (Score EC, 250 mg/L, Syngenta) was used at six concentrations: 0.005, 0.01, 0.025, 0.05, 0.5, and 1 mg a.i./L. Mean EC50 values were 0.0078mg a.i./L in the natural population and 0.12 and 0.25 mg a.i./L in the orchard populations. Fungicide sensitivity was lower in both of the orchard populations; their resistance factors were estimated at 16 and 32. The proportion of sensitive and low-sensitive isolates differed between the two orchard populations. A discriminatory dose, or single-assessment concentration (SAC), of 0.01 mg a.i./L was proposed to simplify the laboratory monitoring of the difenoconazole sensitivity in V. inaequalis by using a test for relative growth (RG) of the mycelium. Comparable results were obtained with EC50 and RG at the discriminatory dose. The portion of isolates with RGs exceeding the threshold (RG > 70%) was 97% in one of the orchard populations. The results indicate that difenoconazole resistance develops in V. inaequalis populations from commercial orchards of the Krasnodar region.

Особенности организации микробиологического мониторинга чувствительности возбудителей ИСМП к дезинфицирующим средствам

The widespread uncontrolled use of antibiotics, disinfectants and skin antiseptics by the population in everyday life, in the current epidemiological situation, is a decisive factor for the emergence of strains of microorganisms that are resistant to these antimicrobial agents. The appearance of such microorganisms increases the risk of infections associated with the provision of medical care in medical organizations. At the same time, microbiological monitoring of the sensitivity of hospital microflora to disinfectants, prescribed by the requirements of the Sanitary Rules SanPiN 3.3686–21 "Sanitary and epidemiological requirements for the prevention of infectious diseases", is either not carried out in medical organizations at all, or is carried out formally. At the same time, one of the key issues of microbiological monitoring remains unresolved, namely, organizational decisions based on its results, such as the rotation of disinfectants that have shown a lack of effectiveness when used in a medical organization, training personnel in the correct preparation of working solutions and their use. Keywords: healthcare-associated infections; disinfection measures; disinfectants; resistance of microorganisms; microbiological monitoring of sensitivity to disinfectants.

Study of antibiotic resistance pattern in Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus: A six year analysis

Methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus is the common pathogen worldwide. It requires prolonged therapy to eradicate MRSA from a patient. This study was undertaken to determine the changing trend of antimicrobial resistance in MRSA over six years in a tertiary care center. : This was a retrospective observational study done at the tertiary care teaching hospital. The antibiotic sensitivity pattern of the MRSA isolated from various clinical samples from January 2013–December 2018 was studied. The data collected was entered in the Microsoft excel 2007, coded and were analyzed by frequency and percentage. During the study period from January 2013 to December 2018, 1006 (27.42%) patients had MRSA out of 3668 patients diagnosed with Staphylococcus aureus infection. Almost equal gender distribution was observed with males (52.78%), geriatric patients, i.e., ≥61 years constituted for around 32% infected patients. The samples that were received during this period included pus (64.59%), blood (26.23%), urine (5.53%) and sputum (3.65%). Other anti-MRSA drugs had changing resistance rate on year to year basis. Continuous monitoring of antibiotic sensitivity and rationalizing the use of antibiotics remain an important and effective strategy to minimize the emergence of multi-drug resistant MRSA strains.

Concentrated solar-thermal methane pyrolysis in a porous substrate: Yield analysis via infrared laser absorption

In situ compositional analysis via laser absorption spectroscopy is used to characterize the output of a concentrated solar-thermal methane pyrolysis process over a range of test conditions. The novel thermo-chemical process involves directed radiation of a simulated solar source, focused onto a porous carbon felt substrate through which methane flows and decomposes to produce primarily hydrogen gas and graphitic carbon, along with residual hydrocarbons. A mid-infrared laser diagnostic setup has been developed to measure the residual concentrations of light hydrocarbons in the pyrolysis product gas downstream of the reaction zone, with real-time on-line monitoring capability. The infrared absorption sensor utilizes two interband cascade lasers (ICLs) to probe the fundamental C-H stretch vibrational bands, targeting (1) the R(15) manifold of the ν3 band of CH4 as well as one R(14) transition of the ν9 band of C2H4 near 3.16 μm and (2) the RQ3 line cluster of C2H6 near 3.34 μm, respectively. A compositional analysis based on carbon and hydrogen balances is developed to characterize the hydrogen and carbon yields of the pyrolysis process using laser absorption measurements and deposited carbon weight. A range of test conditions are examined with variations of flow rate and solar flux, demonstrating real-time monitoring of product gas composition and sensitivity to operating conditions in variable and transient conditions.

Design and Implementation of Evaluation Process for Educational Leadership Based on Multilevel Model: Experience of Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd

Education managers can facilitate the improvement of university management by involving faculty members. They have an important role to play in directing the process of change in educational systems. Managers can drive educational innovation and improvement of developmental programs of universities by creating a motivational atmosphere. Education managers are the most important driving factor in managing the mainstream of education and are effective in motivating faculty members to improve their performance and the educational system. This includes the monitoring of sensitivity of educational activities and the complex protocols of universities, made necessary to meet the expectations, monitor the managers in managerial systems, and evaluate the performance of managers and provide feedback to them. Therefore, it can be said that evaluation in universities is a strategic action and managers of the educational system in the educational leadership process need to recognize their strengths and weaknesses and plan based on the results of evaluation. It is necessary to consider development of management skills, Planning to monitor, provide feedback to improve their performance in educational systems. In Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, the evaluation of educational managers was designed and implemented based on a multi-source feedback approach. At Shahid Sadoughi University Evaluation of managers is designed from the view of different stakeholders, including senior managers at the faculty level, as well as the educational teachers and leaders, including faculty members. Evaluation was done in two areas of professional behavior and managerial behavior. Feedback on the results will be sent to the educational managers as performance evaluation report.

Pulse arrival time

Pulse arrival time is the time elapsed between the R-wave of electrocardiogram and systolic peak in peripheral pulse obtained by any of the plethysmographic methods. Similarly, differential pulse arrival time, also known as pulse transit time, is the time elapsed between systolic peaks of proximal and distal peripheral pulse recordings in an extremity. Distance between the proximal and distal site in the extremity (in meters) divided by differential pulse arrival time (in seconds) gives arterial pulse wave velocity in the limb segment. Differential pulse arrival time has been used to discriminate between an aortic or arterial block from generalized atherosclerosis in aortic and arterial occlusive diseases for nearly four decades. All along there have been efforts to monitor beat-to-beat blood pressure with the help of these time intervals and other pulse parameters. Encouraging correlation has been observed with that obtained by Finapres. Recently pulse arrival time has been explored for the prompt detection of sudden hypertensive episodes during laryngeal microsurgery, for detection of mental stress, monitoring of baroreflex sensitivity, and real-time monitoring of blood pressure. This paper briefly describes the measurement technique of pulse arrival time and an overview of its clinical applications.

Detection of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in Upper Respiratory Swap Samples by Pooling Method

Background:Widespread and effective use of molecular diagnostic tests is indispensable for protecting public health and containing the severe respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic. More than 1 year into the pandemic, as resources have reached a point of depletion, grouping samples in pools of certain sizes appears to be a reasonable method to reduce both the costs and the processing time without necessitating additional training, equipment, or materials.Aims:To assess whether the pooling strategy that was used in past outbreaks and is used in blood tests prior to transfusion for screening large populations can also be used in SARS CoV-2 tests.Study Design:Diagnostic accuracy study.Methods:This prospective study was conducted with 2815 samples, sent to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) Laboratory of our hospital between February 12 and 21, 2021, to be tested for the presence of SARS-CoV-2. The samples were examined individually and in pools of five 100 μl taken from each sequential sample, using 3 different SARS-CoV-2 reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) kits, the Allplex™ 2019-nCoV Assay kit (Seegene, Republic of Korea), the GeneMAP™ 2019-nCoV detection V.3 kit (GenMark, Türkiye), and the Bio-Speedy™ SARS-CoV-2 Double Gene™ RT-qPCR kit (Bioeksen, Türkiye) on the BioRAD CFX96™ Touch (Bio-Rad Laboratories Inc., Hercules, CA, USA) platform available in our laboratory.Results:Following the extraction of serial dilutions prepared from the SARS-CoV-2 RNA positive (cycle of threshold: 20) sample, the standard curves of RT-PCR were analyzed. By evaluating the efficiency (E) values, all 3 kits showed high sensitivity and similar results; while the highest level was detected with the Allplex™ 2019-nCoV Assay kit in the nucleocapsid (N) gene (E: 124%), the lowest was detected with the Double Gene™ RT-qPCR kit in the N and ORF 1ab genes (E: 90%). Of the samples included in the study, only 1 positive sample with low viral load was found to be negative when studied by pooling. The total number of kits to be used in pooled tests and then to individually retest the 5 samples in positive pools was calculated as 827 and the savings rate as 69.91% (1968/2815).Conclusion:The pooling strategy is an effective approach to extend the impact of limited testing resources and reagents available in certain periods of the COVID-19 pandemic. Testing by pooling samples requires improvement of RNA extraction methods and careful monitoring of RT-PCR test sensitivity to avoid missing low-positive entities. Therefore, based on the prevalence of COVID-19 in their regions, laboratories should conduct their own validation of pooling studies for RNA extraction and amplification methods they use.