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Water resource recovery facility (WRRF) operations personnel increasingly rely on sensor networks for automated control. Bio-electrochemical sensors (BESs), which leverage electrogenic biofilms to generate an amperometric signal of carbon metabolism, are being developed to monitor changes in wastewater composition and detect toxic shock events. This study presents for the first time, a long-term evaluation of a BES installed in the primary effluent channel of a WRRF for 247 days to quantify its sensitivity to organic load variations and assess the impact of abiotic factors on the BES response signal and biofilm composition, using advanced data analysis and microbial techniques. While the BES signal showed a strong correlation to volatile fatty acid (VFA) concentration, other environmental factors impacted the signal significantly. Principal component analysis identified pH, VFA concentration, and temperature to be the main contributors to the total variance of the signal in the entire dataset. 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing of samples obtained from the anodic biofilm of the biosensor determined Trichococcusand Lactococcusto be the dominant genera in the biofilm. While the precision of in situcarbon monitoring was impacted by environmental conditions, singular spectrum analysis of the biosensor signal identified four underlying cycles in the primary effluent (287, 92, 44, and 7 days). These results aligned closely with cycles identified in dissolved oxygen readings in an aeration basin downstream of the BES.

Background: Short-term peripheral venous catheter–associated bloodstream infection rates have not been systematically studied in Asian countries, and data on peripheral venous catheter–associated bloodstream infections incidence by number of short-term peripheral venous catheter days are not available.Methods: Prospective, surveillance study on peripheral venous catheter–associated bloodstream infections conducted from 1 September 2013 to 31 May 2019 in 262 intensive care units, members of the International Nosocomial Infection Control Consortium, from 78 hospitals in 32 cities of 8 countries in the South-East Asia Region: China, India, Malaysia, Mongolia, Nepal, Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam. For this research, we applied definition and criteria of the CDC NHSN, methodology of the INICC, and software named INICC Surveillance Online System.Results: We followed 83,295 intensive care unit patients for 369,371 bed-days and 376,492 peripheral venous catheter-days. We identified 999 peripheral venous catheter–associated bloodstream infections, amounting to a rate of 2.65/1000 peripheral venous catheter-days. Mortality in patients with peripheral venous catheter but without peripheral venous catheter–associated bloodstream infections was 4.53% and 12.21% in patients with peripheral venous catheter–associated bloodstream infections. The mean length of stay in patients with peripheral venous catheter but without peripheral venous catheter–associated bloodstream infections was 4.40 days and 7.11 days in patients with peripheral venous catheter and peripheral venous catheter–associated bloodstream infections. The microorganism profile showed 67.1% were Gram-negative bacteria: Escherichia coli(22.9%), Klebsiellaspp (10.7%), Pseudomonas aeruginosa(5.3%), Enterobacterspp. (4.5%), and others (23.7%). The predominant Gram-positive bacteria were Staphylococcus aureus(11.4%).Conclusions: Infection prevention programs must be implemented to reduce the incidence of peripheral venous catheter–associated bloodstream infections.

Objective: The authors' goal was to study psychiatric morbidity after a natural disaster in rural India. Method: As members of a volunteer medical team assigned to 23 households in three villages in India affected by an earthquake, the authors examined the results of semi-structured interviews used to interview all of the adults (older than 14 years) in these households (N=56). DSM-III-R diagnoses were assigned on the basis of these interviews, and non-parametric tests were applied to comparisons of subjects who were or were not given a psychiatric diagnosis. Results: Thirty-three (59%) of the subjects received a psychiatric diagnosis; the most common diagnoses were posttraumatic stress disorder (13 subjects [23%]) and major depression (12 subjects [21%]). Psychiatric morbidity was associated with female sex, destruction of house, and destruction of possessions. Conclusions: Attention to the mental health needs of disaster survivors in third world countries is indicated.

OBJECTIVETo report the International Nosocomial Infection Control Consortium surveillance data from 40 hospitals (20 cities) in India 2004–2013.METHODSSurveillance using US National Healthcare Safety Network’s criteria and definitions, and International Nosocomial Infection Control Consortium methodology.RESULTSWe collected data from 236,700 ICU patients for 970,713 bed-daysPooled device-associated healthcare-associated infection rates for adult and pediatric ICUs were 5.1 central line–associated bloodstream infections (CLABSIs)/1,000 central line–days, 9.4 cases of ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAPs)/1,000 mechanical ventilator–days, and 2.1 catheter-associated urinary tract infections/1,000 urinary catheter–daysIn neonatal ICUs (NICUs) pooled rates were 36.2 CLABSIs/1,000 central line–days and 1.9 VAPs/1,000 mechanical ventilator–daysExtra length of stay in adult and pediatric ICUs was 9.5 for CLABSI, 9.1 for VAP, and 10.0 for catheter-associated urinary tract infections. Extra length of stay in NICUs was 14.7 for CLABSI and 38.7 for VAPCrude extra mortality was 16.3% for CLABSI, 22.7% for VAP, and 6.6% for catheter-associated urinary tract infections in adult and pediatric ICUs, and 1.2% for CLABSI and 8.3% for VAP in NICUsPooled device use ratios were 0.21 for mechanical ventilator, 0.39 for central line, and 0.53 for urinary catheter in adult and pediatric ICUs; and 0.07 for mechanical ventilator and 0.06 for central line in NICUs.CONCLUSIONSDespite a lower device use ratio in our ICUs, our device-associated healthcare-associated infection rates are higher than National Healthcare Safety Network, but lower than International Nosocomial Infection Control Consortium Report.Infect. Control Hosp. Epidemiol.2016;37(2):172–181

The article discusses key differences between hands-on and hands-off approaches to open innovation in businesses including the involvement of chief executive officers (CEOs) in critical stages, companies' focus on entrepreneurial talent, and use of the right metrics to measure success.

Abstract: The structure of theK π = 2+ gamma vibrational bands and the quasi-gamma bands of even-Z-even-N nuclei is investigated on a global scale, vis-a-vis the variation of band head, the moment of inertia of the band and the odd-even spin staggering. The variation withN andZ and with spinJ of the odd-even spin energy staggering index is studied and a unified view of the same is presented.

Shoot apical organisation in Clematis, Cocculus, Nigellaand Ranunculusis reported. Apical organisation in Clematisand Cocculusfall under one type and in Nigellaand Ranunculusunder another. In the former the apex is a broad high dome without distinct cytohistological zonation while in the latter it is a low to high dome with cytohistological zonation. The apex shows a tunicacorpus organisation with a single layered tunica in Cocculusand Nigellaand two layered in Clematisand Ranunculus. Nigellashows “axial tunica” cells at the summit of the dome. Cytohistologically, the corpus shows corpus mother cells, peripheral and pith mother cells zones. In Clematisnodal plates are noticed. The fluctuation in the number of tunica layers within species does not seem to be taxonomically significant.

Thein vitroembryoids ofEschscholzia californicado not form normal plantlets in cultures. However, 6-benzylaminopurine and gibberellic acid, when added to the medium, partially alleviate this inhibition. Experiments involving decotylization, and culture of embryoids at different stages, indicated the cardinal role of cotyledons in plumular growth.

The image of a periodic bar pattern formed by a diffraction-limited annular aperture with incoherent incident light has been investigated theoretically. Results for the irradiance distribution in the image and the rectangular-wave response have been obtained. Three typical values of the central obscuration ratio are considered and the value of bar width that gives a rectangular wave response nearly equal to that of sine wave is identified.

Image-forming capabilities have been analyzed theoretically for a fiber assembly used as a dynamic scanner. This has been done by analyzing the images of incoherent rectangular- and triangular-wave objects with periodic structure. Fibers with circular and square cross sections have been considered and a method has been suggested to measure the modulation transfer function of the fiber bundle.

Expressions for the intensity distribution in the diffraction images of a general triangular wave-object have been obtained. The diffracting aperture considered is an aberration-free annular aperture. The circular aperture system appears as a particular case when the obstruction ratio is zero. Use of incoherent light has been assumed throughout. General triangular wave response of such systems to spatial frequencies in the object has been plotted and the object function, which gives a wave response nearly similar to that of the sine wave, has been pointed out.

A theoretical study has been made of the effect of an apodizing screen in front of a circular aperture on the images of periodic objects with rectangular and triangular transmission profile. Irradiance distribution and contrast in the far field diffraction images have been calculated assuming the incident illumination to be completely incoherent. Object functions which give wave response similar to sine wave response (OTF) have been identified.