“Virtual Design Studio”—Part 1: Interdisciplinary design processes

The “Virtual Design Studio (VDS)” is a software platform currently under development in support of an integrated, coordinated and optimized design of buildings and their energy and environmental systems. It is intended to assist collaborating architects, engineers and project management team members throughout from the early phases to the detailed building design development. The platform helps to facilitate the workflow and the processing of information in combination with appropriate, task-based performance simulation tools as further analyzed in Part 2 of this study (DOI: 10.1007/s12273-013-0111-1). The present paper summarizes how VDS relates to the building design process and its typical project stages, performance-based design considerations and respective performance optimization strategies. It outlines the methodology and scope for the organization, implementation and respective requirements for the VDS platform development based on the interdisciplinary design needs. Part 2 will present the methodology for the systems integration and software implementation of VDS.     

Prevalence, distribution, and diversity of Listeria monocytogenes in retail environments, focusing on small establishments and establishments with a history of failed inspections

Despite growing concerns about cross-contamination of ready-to-eat foods with Listeria monocytogenes, our knowledge about the ecology and transmission of L. monocytogenes in retail establishments has remained limited. We conducted a cross-sectional study to characterize the prevalence, distribution, and subtype diversity of L. monocytogenes in 120 New York State retail deli establishments that were hypothesized to present an increased risk for environmental L. monocytogenes contamination (i.e., small establishments and establishments with a history of failed New York State Agriculture and Markets inspections). Analysis of these data along with previously reported data for 121 predominantly larger retail establishments in New York State identified establishment size, geographic location, and inspection history as significant predictors of L. monocytogenes presence and prevalence. The odds of an establishment being L. monocytogenes positive were approximately twice as high for large establishments, establishments located in New York City, or establishments with poor inspection history (as compared with establishments without these attributes), even though correlation between location and inspection history complicated interpretation of results. Within an establishment, L. monocytogenes was significantly more prevalent on nonfood contact surfaces than on food contact surfaces; prevalence was particularly high for floors and in floor drains, sinks, the dairy case, and milk crates. L. monocytogenes subtype diversity differed between sites, with lineage I isolates significantly associated with nonfood contact surfaces and lineage II isolates significantly associated with food contact surfaces. Isolates belonging to the same ribotype were often found dispersed across multiple sites within an operation.     

Expanding the Spectrum of Antibiotics Capable of Killing Multidrug-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Infections from antibiotic-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa are a serious threat because reduced antibiotic efficacy complicates treatment decisions and prolongs the disease state in many patients. To expand the arsenal of treatments against antimicrobial-resistant (AMR) pathogens, 600-Da branched polyethylenimine (BPEI) can overcome antibiotic resistance mechanisms and potentiate β-lactam antibiotics against Gram-positive bacteria. BPEI binds cell-wall teichoic acids and disables resistance factors from penicillin binding proteins PBP2a and PBP4. This study describes a new mechanism of action for BPEI potentiation of antibiotics generally regarded as agents effective against Gram-positive pathogens but not Gram-negative bacteria. 600-Da BPEI is able to reduce the barriers to drug influx and facilitate the uptake of a non-β-lactam co-drug, erythromycin, which targets the intracellular machinery. Also, BPEI can suppress production of the cytokine interleukin IL-8 by human epithelial keratinocytes. This enables BPEI to function as a broad-spectrum antibiotic potentiator, and expands the opportunities to improve drug design, antibiotic development, and therapeutic approaches against pathogenic bacteria, especially for wound care.     

Sex ratio and reproduction of invasive red devil, (Amphilophus labiatus: Cichlidae) in Lake Sentani,Indonesia

The Red Devil Cichlid Amphilophus labiatus (Günther 1864), native to Lake Nicaragua and Lake Managua in Central America, is widely cultivated as an attractive, yet aggressive, aquarium fish that has been introduced to several freshwater locations around the world. It was recently introduced into Lake Sentani in Indonesian New Guinea, a naturally rich aquatic habitat home exhibiting a diverse fauna with high endemism. To better understand the invasive potential and impacts of A. labiatus, the present study was undertaken to describe the sex ratio and reproductive potential of A. labiatus in Lake Sentani through determination of its gonad maturation stages, gonado‐somatic index and fecundity. The fish were collected using floating gill nets at six locations around the lake between June and August 2019. Sex identification, gonads type, gonad stage and weight, fecundity were observed in the laboratory. Of the total 542 of A. labiatus collected during the survey, 345 individuals were sampled for sex ratio and reproduction. The overall male:female ratio was skewed towards males in a ratio of 3.28:1. The males were generally found to be in the gonad maturation stage I, while the females were commonly found in gonad maturation stages III and IV for all sampling locations during the study period. The highest male mean GSI value was found for the Yakonde site (0.24 ± 0.21) and at the Ayapo site (1.11 ± 1.01) for the females, with a fecundity of 191–2,720 eggs. The fish have spread to most parts of the lake, being conditioned to potentially spawn at any location, thereby providing an explanation for the observed rapid increase of the A. labiatus population over the last ten years. The results of the present study suggest a high invasive potential for this species in this and other similar lake habitats, warning that their careful management should be undertaken to restrict their further spread in Indonesia and elsewhere.     

Health economics and cost implications of anxiety and other mental disorders in the United States

BACKGROUND: Mental disorders impose a multi-billion dollar burden on the economy each year; translating the burden into economic terms is important to facilitate formulating policies about the use of resources. METHODS: For direct costs, data were obtained from national household interview and provider surveys; for morbidity costs, a timing model was used that measures the lifetime effect on current income of individuals with mental disorders, taking into account the timing of onset and the duration of these disorders, based on regression analysis of Epidemiologic Catchment Area study data. RESULTS: The total economic costs of mental disorders amounted to US$147.8 billion in 1990. Anxiety disorders are the most costly, amounting to $46.6 billion, or 31.5% of the total; schizophrenic disorders accounted for $32.5 billion, affective disorders for $30.4 billion, and other mental disorders for $38.4 billion. CONCLUSIONS: Mental illnesses, especially anxiety disorders, are costly to society. Although anxiety disorders have a higher prevalence than affective disorders and schizophrenia, use of medical care services is lowest for anxiety disorders. Anxiety disorders appear to be under-recognised and untreated even though treatment interventions have been shown to be effective and can be delivered in a cost-efficient manner.     

Novel NMDA antagonists: replacement of the pyridinium ring of 6,11-ethanobenzo[b]quinolizinium cations with heteroisoquinolinium cations

Replacement of the pyridinium ring of 6,11-ethanobenzo[b]quinolizinium cations with thiazolium (4a and 4b) and N-methylimidazolium (4c and 4d) resulted in equipotent compounds in the [3H]TCP binding assay. The corresponding N-methyl-1,2,4-triazolium analogs were less potent in this assay. The thiazolium derivative 4b, with a Ki = 2.9 nM, is being evaluated as a possible neuroprotective N-methyl-D-aspartic acid (NMDA) antagonist.     

Significance of serum beta-hCG as a tumor marker for stomach carcinoma

We performed BAEP study to evaluate acoustic nerve involvement in 102 patients affected by peripheral neuropathies of different etiology, predominantly hereditary and inflammatory acquired neuropathies. Prolonged latency of early waves, indicative of slowing in VIII nerve conduction, was found in a high percentage of cases. Abnormalities were far more frequent (44% vs 14%) and severe in patients with demyelinating rather than axonal neuropathy. Among demyelinating neuropathy, the most severe latency delay was found in Hereditary Motor and Sensory Neuropathy type III. The pattern of acoustic nerve involvement differed slightly between Hereditary Motor and Sensory Neuropathy type I and acquired inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy, perhaps reflecting different pathogenetic mechanisms and different sites of VIII nerve demyelination.     

Astrocytes are the major source of nerve growth factor upregulation following traumatic brain injury in the rat

A between-side comparison of GABAA receptor subunit expression levels in the globus pallidus and anterior-pole motor thalamic nuclei of rats with an ibotenate lesion of the striatum, and rats receiving a fetal striatal graft in the lesioned area was made by using immunocytochemistry with subunit-specific antibodies, at different times post-lesion or different times post-grafting. At 10 days post-lesion, there was already an increase in the labeling of the alpha 1- and beta 2/3-subunits in the globus pallidus, entopeduncular nucleus and ventrolateral nucleus ipsilateral to the lesion when compared with the contralateral side, while there were no significant changes at the level of the ventromedial nucleus. Labeling of the alpha 2-subunit showed a clear increase in the entopeduncular nucleus compared with the contralateral side at 10 days post-lesion. Similar changes were also observed for the different subunits studied at 30 and 120 days after lesioning. Rats with 20-day old transplants of fetal striatal neurons that were implanted in the ibotenate lesioned striatum at 10 days post-lesioning, continued to show changes in the expression of GABAA receptor subunits, albeit at a lower level than those of ibotenate lesioned rats at similar age post-lesion. However, when examining rats with 70-day old transplants, the ibotenate-lesion induced between-side changes were almost completely compensated. These findings suggest a correlation between the maturation of the grafts and their capability to function in reestablishing neuronal circuits as shown by the reduction of changes in GABAergic transmission induced by ibotenate lesions, as indicated by the reversal of changes in GABAA receptor subunit in several areas of the basal ganglia circuit.