Thermophilic and non-thermophilic Campylobacter species Emits Distinct Volatile Organic Compounds in Different Culture Media and Growth Phases

Bacteria emits a multitude of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) into the headspace as a mean of interactions with the environments, as well as intra- and interkingdom communication for survival and persistence in the nature and within their hosts. Campylobacter, which is often found in poultry and ruminants, has shown great persistence in aquatic environments, making it one of the world's most dangerous foodborne pathogens, killing thousands of people annually. In this study, the VOCs emitted by both thermophilic (C. jejuni, C. coli and C. lari) and non-thermophilic Campylobacter (C. fetus) of clinical concerns, impacted by nutrients composition (media) and growth phase were identified. Most thermophilic Campylobacter were shown to release volatile alcohols and ketones (1s,4R,7R,11R-1,3,4,7-Tetramethyltricyclo [5.3.1.0(4,11)] undec-2-en-8-one and Isophorone) during early stationary and stationary phases using active sampling with active charcoal adsorbent and GC-MS analysis. C. jejuni cultured in the Brain Heart Infusion had 1-Heptadecanol in its headspace gas, but not in Bolton Broth. The non-thermophilic C. fetus did not produce alcohols or ketones, but rather a variety of unidentified chemicals that will require further investigation in the future. Overall, PCA analysis revealed that the five Campylobacter strains studied created distinct volatilomes, allowing for future Campylobacter identification based on VOCs.

Persistence of sleep difficulties for over 16 years amongst 66,948 working-aged adults

The objective was to investigate the persistence of sleep difficulties for over 16 years amongst a population of working age. In this prospective cohort study, a group-based trajectory analysis of repeated surveys amongst 66,948 employees in public sector (mean age 44.7 [SD 9.4] years, 80% women) was employed. The main outcome measure was sleep difficulties based on Jenkins Sleep Scale (JSS). Up to 70% of the respondents did not experience sleep difficulties whereas up to 4% reported high frequency of notable sleep difficulties through the entire 16-year follow-up. Heavy drinking predicted sleep difficulties (OR 2.3 95% CI 1.6 to 3.3) except for the respondents younger than 40 years. Smoking was associated with sleep difficulties amongst women younger than 40 years (OR 1.2, 95% CI 1.0 to 1.5). Obesity was associated with sleep difficulties amongst men (OR 1.9, 95% CI 1.4 to 2.7) and women (OR 1.2, 95% CI 1.1 to 1.3) of middle age and amongst women older than 50 (OR 1.5, 95% CI 1.2 to 1.8) years. Physical inactivity predicted sleep difficulties amongst older men (OR 1.3, 95% CI 1.1 to 1.6). In this working-age population, sleep difficulties showed a great persistence over time. In most of the groups, the level of sleep difficulties during the follow-up was almost solely dependent on the level of initial severity. Depending on sex and age, increasing sleep problems were sometimes associated with high alcohol consumption, smoking, obesity and physical inactivity, but the strength of these associations varied.

Creative principles of Mykola Manoilo’s vocal pedagogy

Statement of the problem. The article is devoted to the outstanding figure of vocal art of Slobozhanshchyna Mykola Fedorovych Manoilo (1927–1998), the opera singer, who was awarded the title of “People’s Artist of the USSR” (1976) for impeccable performance of baritone parts of the classical repertoire on the stage of Kharkiv Theatre of Opera and Ballet, as well as of the chamber repertoire compiled of Ukrainian folk songs and works by Ukrainian composers. Based on his own experience of studying in the class of solo singing of M. Manoilo (1988), the author of the article offers the experience of scientific and methodological generalization of creative principles of vocal pedagogy of the teacher, while emphasizing the role of Manoilo as a unique singer. The relevance of the topic and its practical significance are stipulated by the urgent need of vocal pedagogy to form a tradition of scientific reflection on the specialization of the vocalist, the representation of classical guidelines and methods in the modern dimension, establishing creative contacts of different generations. The purpose of the article is to reveal the pedagogical principles by M. Manoilo as an outstanding representative of the Kharkiv vocal school, genealogy and dominant features of his performing creative work. Analysis of recent research and publications. The creative figure of M. Manoilo has not yet received serious coverage in the domestic musicology yet. Existing sources are brief biographic descriptions in reference books and encyclopaedias, the anthology “Ukrainian singers in the memoirs of contemporaries, compiler I. Lysenko (2003), or mentions of his name in books on the artistic life of Kharkiv (O. Chepalov, 2012; Tsurkan, 2013). The methodology contains a number of interrelated approaches to the study of the phenomenon of the singer’s artistic personality: historiographical, biographical, performing, and phenomenological. Presentation of basic research material. M. Manoilo inherited the principles of vocal pedagogy from P. Golubev, who taught at the Kharkiv Conservatory (1930–1953) and was the successor of the classical school of Italian bel canto singing, as a student of F. Bugamelli, which was involved by I. Slatin in teaching vocals at the Kharkiv Music College (1901–1918). The creative principles of the artist-interpreter M. Manoilo are a compendium of his mastery: ● orientation on the generally accepted standard of sounding of a voice (bel canto); ● persistent search for individual reading of the role on the path of constant musical and intellectual self-growth; ● word culture; ● unity of sound-forming technology and artistic and aesthetic principles of a musical work, due to its genre and stylistic nature; ● psychological authenticity (own experience of “entering” the image and its “living-through”) and the singer’s ability for self-analysis; ● mental and psychological signs of artistic personality – great persistence and strength of character, the desire to reach the highest point (acme) of creative self-representation. The “denominator” of M. Manoilo’s performing skills is the style – the performer’s orientation for the accuracy of the composer’s text. The results obtained. The principles of M. Manoilo’s vocal pedagogy were based on the basis of generalization of own scenic experience as a system of generally acquired and personality-oriented principles: – sound culture (uniformity of construction of the singing range; flexibility, strength, flight of voice, use of mixed register, rounding, covering); sound word culture; attention to diction; – author-centrism of the singer’s interpretation of the vocal-stage image; – high artistic taste, which is formed through the education of musicality, diverse repertoire, and a sense of performance drama; – high artistic taste, which is formed through the education of musicality, diverse repertoire, and a sense of performance drama; – trust in intuition, which the singer should constantly “check” with his/her own intellect according to the composer’s text. Conclusions. As the heir of the Italian tradition of singing, in all genres of performance M. Manoilo represented such qualities as: proper breathing (free passage of all resonator zones), beautifully designed, high-quality singing tone, theatrical voice, which was overlapping the sound of the orchestra, sonority, flight, equality of the whole range. From the domestic singing paradigm one should add to Manoilo’s artistic portfolio the following: ● recitative-speech cut of vocal intonation (melodic nature of singing is enriched by the relief of declamatory vocalization); ● clear diction of the word being sung to reach the minds and hearts of listeners and establish a dialogue with the author; ● cordocentrism – a particularly intense intra-emotional tone of performance as a personification of the Ukrainian “philosophy of the heart” (Н. Skovoroda); ● integrative type of performing thinking – the unity of poetic-intonation and stage-artistic image of the singer. If a super-goal of music is, according to Aristotle, the entelechy, then singing technique is a way to achieve it. Such was the universal basis of M. Manoilo’s requirements of to himself, as well as to the students of his solo singing class

Chronic ∆-9-tetrahydrocannabinol administration delays acquisition of schedule-induced drinking in rats and retains long-lasting effects

Rationale Schedule-induced drinking (SID) is a behavioural phenomenon characterized by an excessive and repetitive drinking pattern with a distinctive temporal distribution that has been proposed as a robust and replicable animal model of compulsivity. Despite cannabis currently being the most widely consumed illicit drug, with growing interest in its clinical applications, little is known about the effects of ∆-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) on SID. Objectives The effects of chronic and acute THC administration on SID acquisition, maintenance and extinction were studied, as were the effects of such administrations on the distinctive temporal distribution pattern of SID. Methods THC (5 mg/kg i.p.), or the corresponding vehicle, was administered to adult Wistar rats for 14 days in a row. Subsequently, THC effects on SID acquisition were tested during 21 sessions using a 1-h fixed-time 60-s food delivery schedule. Acute effects of THC were also evaluated after SID development. Finally, two extinction sessions were conducted to assess behavioural persistence. Results The results showed that previous chronic THC treatment delayed SID acquisition and altered the distinctive behavioural temporal distribution pattern during sessions. Moreover, acute THC administration after SID development decreased SID performance in animals chronically pre-treated with the drug. No great persistence effects were observed during extinction in animals pre-treated with THC. Conclusions These results suggest that chronic THC affects SID development, confirming that it can disrupt learning, possibly causing alterations in time estimation, and also leads to animals being sensitized when they are re-exposed to the drug after long periods without drug exposure.

Transmission of Acinetobacter baumannii by Surgical Masks During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Background:Acinetobacter baumannii, one of the major causes of nosocomial infections in modern healthcare systems, is characterized by its great persistence in the environment and by its ability to rapidly develop resistance to many antimicrobials. Most A. baumannii infections occur in intubated critically ill patients, causing ventilator-associated pneumonia which is a leading cause of mortality. During the coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) pandemic an increase in hospital-acquired carbapenem-resistant A. baumannii (CRAB) infection and colonization in acute-care hospitals has been described. CRAB healthcare-associated infections are often linked to breaches of infection prevention and control (IPC). Beginning in April 2020, our hospital’s IPC unit ordered mandatory universal masking for all healthcare workers (HCWs). Shortages of personal protective equipment during the COVID-19 pandemic led to extended use of surgical face masks by HCWs in our hospital. We investigated whether the extended use of surgical face masks was linked to an increase of CRAB colonization in our intubated critically ill patients. Methods: Surgical masks were collected from doctors, nurses, and housekeeping staff working in 2 internal medicine departments, each including a 4-bed unit for intubated critically ill patients. All surgical masks were worn continuously for 4–5 hours before removal. “Cases“ were defined as HCWs who treated CRAB colonized critically ill patients. “Controls“ were defined as HCWs who did not enter the critically ill patient unit. Surgical masks were incubated with BHI enrichment broth (HyLabs Rehovot, Israel) for 48 hours at 35°C. BHI was seeded on multidrug-resistant (MDR)–selective CHROMagar plates (HyLabs) and incubated overnight at 35°C. Identification was performed using MALDI-ToF mass spectrophotometry (bioMérieux, France). Susceptibility was tested using Vitek 2 (bioMérieux). Results: In total, 55 HCWs participated in the study: 25 cases and 30 controls. Masks from 10 cases (40%) were colonized with Acinetobacter spp versus only 3 masks (10%) from controls (OR, 5.98; 95% CI, 1.42–25; P = .012). Of 13 masks contaminated with Acinetobacter spp, 8 of 10 contaminated masks among cases were colonized with CRAB, whereas only 1 of 3 masks of controls was colonized with CRAB. Conclusions: During the COVID-19 pandemic, extended surgical mask use while treating patients colonized with CRAB increased mask contamination with this bacterium. Surgical masks should be changed after treating a patient colonized with CRAB the same way gown and glove removal and hand hygiene are performed.Funding: NoDisclosures: None

Antifungal Polyvinyl Alcohol Coatings Incorporating Carvacrol for the Postharvest Preservation of Golden Delicious Apple

Different polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) coating formulations incorporating starch (S) and carvacrol (C) as the active agent were applied to Golden Delicious apples to evaluate their effectiveness at controlling weight loss, respiration rate, fruit firmness, and fungal decay against B. cinerea and P. expansum throughout storage time. Moreover, the impact of these coatings on the sensory attributes of the fruit was also analyzed. The application of the coatings did not notably affect the weight loss, firmness changes, or respiration pathway of apples, probably due to the low solid surface density of the coatings. Nevertheless, they exhibited a highly efficient disease control against both black and green mold growths, as a function of the carvacrol content and distribution in the films. The sensory analysis revealed the great persistence of the carvacrol aroma and flavor in the coated samples, which negatively impact the acceptability of the coated products.

PIRATÝPE: UMA LINGUAGEM DA PESCA E DO CONSUMO DE PEIXES ENTRE OS GUARANÍ

Este artigo apresenta a linguagem da pesca, de acordo com os dicionários Tesoro e Vocabulario de la lengua Guaraní, publicados entre 1639 e 1640, pelo missionário jesuíta Antonio Ruiz de Montoya. Destaca-se também um caso de armadilhas de pesca arqueológicas no rio Ivaí, Estado do Paraná, Brasil. Foram selecionadas 335 palavras e frases para algumas descrições e para compor cenários etnográficos. O objetivo é mostrar que a pesca era estruturada por um sistema de conhecimentos ecológicos tradicionais dos Guaraní, com grande persistência de práticas e adaptabilidades em uma vasta região. O léxico apresenta grande potencial para orientar a compreensão das práticas pesqueiras no entorno dos sítios etnográficos e arqueológicos, assim como para contribuir com estudos histórico-comparativos de línguas do tronco Tupí. Abstract: This article presents the language of fishing according to the Tesoro and Vocabulario de la lengua Guaraní, published between 1639 and 1640, by the Jesuit missionary Antonio Ruiz de Montoya. The article also highlights archaeological fishing traps in the Ivaí River, Paraná State, Brazil. 335 words and phrases were selected for some descriptions and to compose ethnographic scenarios. The objective is to show that fishing was structured by a system of Guaraní traditional ecological knowledge, with great persistence of practices and adaptability in a vast region. The lexicon has great potential to guide the understanding of fishing practices around ethnographic and archaeological sites, as well as to contribute to historical-comparative studies on languages of the Tupí stock.

Concentrations of PCDD/Fs in Human Blood: A Review of Data from the Current Decade

Polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and polychlorinated dibenzo-p-furans (PCDD/Fs) are environmental pollutants with great persistence, the capacity of bioaccumulation, and well known important toxic effects in humans and animals. Incinerators of hazardous, municipal and medical waste, chlorine bleaching of paper pulp, cement plants, and the traffic of motor vehicles are the most frequent emission sources of these compounds. The diet, followed at a great distance by inhalation, is generally the main way of human exposure to PCDD/Fs. Human biomonitoring is of great importance to prevent potential adverse effects derived from exposure to chemicals such as PCDD/Fs. In relation to this, blood is among the most used biological monitors. In the current review, we have summarized the recent information (2000–2009) published in the scientific literature (databases: Scopus and PubMed) on the concentrations of PCDD/Fs in blood samples of non-occupationally exposed populations, as well as in some groups of occupationally exposed individuals. We have revised a number of studies conducted in various African, American, Asian and European countries, and Australia. Unfortunately, the information is quite limited. No data are available for most countries over the world. Based on the results here reviewed, where available, the current health risks for the general populations do not seem to be of concern. Moreover, taking into account the important reductions observed in the levels of PCDD/Fs in foodstuffs, new decreases in the concentrations of PCDD/Fs in blood—and other biological tissues—are very probable in the immediate years.

Unreliable Allies

Chapter 11 turns to a crucial challenge faced by the CIA-backed Russian exiles: the shifting political situation in West Germany, the crucial place d’armes for Cold War political operations against the Soviet bloc. The two main Russian organizations funded by the agency, the NTS and TsOPE, attempted with great persistence to gain the sympathy of West German political and academic elites in the 1950s. German anti-Russian sentiment limited the success of the émigré charm offensive, however, while the shifting form of the Cold War in Europe weakened their position in the country. In the second half of the 1950s, CIA operations utilizing exiles came under scrutiny and pressure from the now sovereign West German state, which sought to safeguard its new diplomatic relationship with the USSR.

Concentrations of PCDD/Fs in Human Blood: A Review of Data from the Current Decade

Polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and polychlorinated dibenzo-p-furans (PCDD/Fs) are environmental pollutants with a great persistence, capacity of bioaccumulation, and well known important toxic effects in humans and animals. Incinerators of hazardous, municipal and medical waste, chlorine bleaching of paper pulp, cement plants, and the traffic of motor vehicles are the most frequent emission sources of these compounds. The diet, followed at a great distance by inhalation, is generally the main way of human exposure to PCDD/Fs. Human biomonitoring is of a great importance to prevent potential adverse effects derived from exposure to chemicals such as PCDD/Fs. In relation to this, blood is among the most used biological monitors. In the current review, we have summarized the recent information (2000-2009) published in the scientific literature (databases: Scopus and PubMed) on the concentrations of PCDD/Fs in blood samples of non-occupationally exposed populations, as well as in some groups of occupationally exposed individuals. We have revised a number of studies conducted in various African American, Asian and European countries, and Australia. Unfortunately, the information is quite limited. No data are available for most countries over the world. Based on the results here reviewed –where available- the current health risks for the general populations do not seem to be of concern. Moreover, taking into account the important reductions observed in the levels of PCDD/Fs in foodstuffs, new decreases in the concentrations of PCDD/Fs in blood -and other biological tissues- are very probable in the immediate years.