Does Antibiotic Use Contribute to Biofilm Resistance in Sink Drains? A Case Study from Four German Hospital Wards.

. As biofilms are known to harbour (multi-)resistant species, their presence in health settings must be considered critical. Although there is evidence that bacteria spread from drains to the outside, there is still a lack of research data focusing on drain biofilms from hospitals.

Differential impact of impaired steryl ester biosynthesis on the metabolome of tomato fruits and seeds.

Steryl esters (SE) are a storage pool of sterols that accumulates in cytoplasmic lipid droplets and helps to maintain plasma membrane sterol homeostasis throughout plant growth and development. Ester formation in plant SE is catalyzed by phospholipid:sterol acyltransferase (PSAT) and acyl-CoA:sterol acyltransferase (ASAT), which transfer long-chain fatty acid groups to free sterols from phospholipids and acyl-CoA, respectively. Comparative mass spectrometry-based metabolomic analysis between ripe fruits and seeds of a tomato (Solanum lycopersicum cv Micro-Tom) mutant lacking functional PSAT and ASAT enzymes (slasat1xslpsat1) shows that disruption of SE biosynthesis has a differential impact on the metabolome of these organs, including changes in the composition of free and glycosylated sterols.

Subtype-Specific Detection in Stage Ia Breast Cancer: Integrating Raman Spectroscopy, Machine Learning, and Liquid Biopsy for Personalised Diagnostics.

This study explores the integration of Raman spectroscopy (RS) with machine learning for the early detection and subtyping of breast cancer using blood plasma samples. We performed detailed spectral analyses, identifying significant spectral patterns associated with cancer biomarkers. Our findings demonstrate the potential for classifying the four major subtypes of breast cancer at stage Ia with an average sensitivity and specificity of 90% and 95%, respectively, and a cross-validated macro-averaged area under the curve (AUC) of 0.

Heterogeneous virus classification using a functional deep learning model based on transmission electron microscopy images.

Viruses are submicroscopic agents that can infect other lifeforms and use their hosts' cells to replicate themselves. Despite having simplistic genetic structures among all living beings, viruses are highly adaptable, resilient, and capable of causing severe complications in their hosts' bodies. Due to their multiple transmission pathways, high contagion rate, and lethality, viruses pose the biggest biological threat both animal and plant species face.

With a Little Help from My Friends: The Role of Detergents for Energy, Efficiency, and Hygiene in Domestic Dishwashing.

Domestic dishwashers have become an integral part of modern households, offering convenience and effective cleaning. However, efforts to reduce energy and water consumption have resulted in longer wash programmes, which, despite their high cleaning performance, are not well accepted by consumers due to their long durations. While these eco-programmes are presumed to be well-optimized in terms of their structural components, the role of detergents has been somewhat overlooked, despite their significant contribution to both the cleaning and hygiene performance of domestic dishwashers.

Expertise-dependent visuocognitive performance of chess players in mating tasks: evidence from eye movements during task processing.

Introduction: Visuocognitive performance is closely related to expertise in chess and has been scrutinized by several investigations in the last decades. The results indicate that experts' decision-making benefits from the chunking process, perception and visual strategies. Despite numerous studies which link these concepts, most of these investigations have employed common research designs that do not use real chess play, but create artificial laboratory conditions via screen-based chess stimuli and obtrusive stationary eye tracking with or without capturing of decision-making or virtual reality settings.

Evaluation of Different Visual Feedback Methods for Brain-Computer Interfaces (BCI) Based on Code-Modulated Visual Evoked Potentials (cVEP).

Brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) enable direct communication between the brain and external devices using electroencephalography (EEG) signals. BCIs based on code-modulated visual evoked potentials (cVEPs) are based on visual stimuli, thus appropriate visual feedback on the interface is crucial for an effective BCI system. Many previous studies have demonstrated that implementing visual feedback can improve information transfer rate (ITR) and reduce fatigue.

Nanostructured Mn@NiO composite for addressing multi-pollutant challenges in petroleum-contaminated water.

Efficient catalysts play a pivotal role in advancing eco-friendly water treatment strategies, particularly in the removal of diverse organic contaminants found in water-petroleum sources. This study addresses the multifaceted challenges posed by contaminants, encompassing a spectrum of heavy metals such as As, Cd, Cr, Mn, Mo, Ni, Pb, Sb, Se, and Zn alongside pollutants like oily water (OIW), total suspended solids (TSS), chemical oxygen demand (COD), dyes, and pharmaceuticals, posing threats to both aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. Herein, we present the synthesis of biogenically derived Mn@NiO nanocomposite (NC) photocatalysts, a sustainable methodology employing an aqueous Rosmarinus officinalis L.

Integrating the 2D/2D heterostructure of the MXene monolayer and BiOBr nano-sheets for superior photo-catalysis.

The highly efficient photo-oxidation of alcohols has sparked significant potential to cope with environmental pollution and the ever-increasing energy crisis. This study reports a unique TiC/BiOBr (TB) heterojunction with a rich inter-face based on in situ exfoliation of MXene and subsequently anchored onto BiOBr sheets. The TB nano-composites exhibited substantially improved photo-catalytic activity towards the photo-oxidation of benzyl alcohol (BA) to benzaldehyde and achieved a formation rate of 1.

Biological and Synthetic Surfactants Increase Class I Integron Prevalence in Ex Situ Biofilms.

The role of biocides in the spread of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) has been addressed but only a few studies focus on the impact of surfactants on microbial diversity and AMR, although they are common constituents of cleaners, disinfectants, and personal care products and are thus released into the environment in large quantities. In this study, we used a static ex situ biofilm model to examine the development of four biofilms exposed to surfactants and analyzed the biofilms for their prevalence of class I integrons as a proxy for the overall abundance of AMR in a sample. We furthermore determined the shift in bacterial community composition by high-resolution melt analysis and 16S ribosomal RNA () gene sequencing.

Synthesis, characterization, and antibacterial activity studies of two Co(II) complexes with 2-[(E)-(3-acetyl-4-hydroxyphenyl)diazenyl]-4-(2-hydroxyphenyl)thiophene-3-carboxylic acid as a ligand.

Two new Cobalt(II) complexes 12 and 13 have been synthesized from 2-[(E)-(3-acetyl-4-hydroxyphenyl)diazenyl]-4-(2-hydroxyphenyl)thiophene-3-carboxylic acid (11) as a novel ligand. These three new compounds were characterized on the basis of their powder X-Ray Diffraction, UV-Vis, IR, NMR, elemental analysis and MS spectral data. DFT/B3LYP mode of calculations were carried out to determine some theorical parameters of the molecular structure of the ligand.

Unveiling the efficacy of a bulk Raman spectra-based model in predicting single cell Raman spectra of microorganisms.

In a previous publication, we trained predictive models based on Raman bulk spectra of microorganisms placed on a silicon dioxide protected silver mirror slide to make predictions for new Raman spectra, unknown to the models, of microorganisms placed on a different substrate, namely stainless steel. Now we have combined large sections of this data and trained a convolutional neural network (CNN) to make predictions for single cell Raman spectra. We show that a database based on microbial bulk material is conditionally suited to make predictions for the same species in terms of single cells.

The Spemann-Mangold organizer discovery and society.

This paper analyzes the influence of Hans Spemann and Hilde Mangold's discovery of the embryonic organizer on society outside the narrower confines of embryology. It begins by overviewing how in the 1920s-1930s, the organizer discovery fit well into the agenda of both right-wing and left-wing political camps, as it supported holistic theories of biological development that aligned with their ideological views. The paper then explores the organizer's influence on the formation and interdisciplinary discussions of the 1930s Cambridge Theoretical Biology Club.

Exquisitely designed TiO quantum dot/BiOCO nano-sheet S-scheme heterojunction towards boosted photo-catalytic removal.

The development of novel semiconductor photo-catalysts for the efficient degradation of antibiotics poses a considerable challenge in the context of ever-increasing environmental pollution. Herein, an S-scheme photo-catalyst consisting of TiO quantum dots (QDs, size ∼4-6 nm) anchored on BiOCO nano-sheets was synthesised via a facile hydrothermal protocol. TiO/BiOCO (TB) nano-composite exhibits enhanced photo-catalytic removal of tetracycline, achieving ∼0.

Citizen neuroscience: Wearable technology and open software to study the human brain in its natural habitat.

Citizen science allows the public to participate in various stages of scientific research, including study design, data acquisition, and data analysis. Citizen science has a long history in several fields of the natural sciences, and with recent developments in wearable technology, neuroscience has also become more accessible to citizen scientists. This development was largely driven by the influx of minimal sensing systems in the consumer market, allowing more do-it-yourself (DIY) and quantified-self (QS) investigations of the human brain.

The fight for power: historical women's movements of Russia and Great Britain in comparison.

In the second half of the 19th century, women began to organize worldwide to achieve the goal of gender equality. National women's movements emerged and were followed somewhat later by the first transnational political mobilization of women on a larger scale. The range of topics that were on the national and international agenda included, alongside the access to education and the enforcement of equal civil rights, as well as the fight for political participation, with the women's right to vote taking center stage.

A loophole in soap dispensers mediates contamination with Gram-negative bacteria.

Liquid soap dispensers are widely used in domestic and clinical settings. In previous studies, the risk of bacterial contamination of refillable systems was pointed out and a bacterial contamination rate of 25%, with values of up to 10  colony-forming units/mL (CFU/mL), was reported. However, the route of contamination remains elusive.

Trace identification of cysteine enantiomers based on an electrochemical sensor assembled from CuS@SOD zeolite.

The nonchiral sensor concept based on a sodalite (SOD) zeolite loaded CuS (CuS@SOD) catalyst is proposed as a sensing platform for chiral cysteine (Cys) determination. Chiral Cys is analyzed by the difference of binding capacity between CuS catalysts. The observed current in amperometric i-t curve (A i-t C) is always positive for the L-cysteine (L-Cys), while it is negative for the D-cysteine (D-Cys).

High resolution ITS amplicon melting analysis as a tool to analyse microbial communities of household biofilms in ex-situ models.

Biofilms are the most common growth types of microorganisms. These complex communities usually consist of different species and are embedded in an extracellular matrix containing polymers, proteins and DNA. This matrix offers protection against different (a)biotic environmental factors and generally increases resistances.

Artisanal and small-scale mining in Tanzania and health implications: A policy perspective.

The mineral sector, especially its small-scale subsector, has become significant in the emerging economies of the Global South. Tanzania is the focus of this policy exposition paper because, aside from Ghana and South Africa, Tanzania is ranked 4th in Africa in terms of its mineral deposits and small-scale mining activities. The focus is also on artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) because ASM operations have significantly increased in recent times across this mineral-rich country of East Africa.

Poverty dynamics and the determining factors among East African smallholder farmers.

Context: Rapid economic development in East Africa is matched by extremely dynamic smallholder livelihoods.

Objective: To quantify the changes in poverty of smallholder farmers, to evaluate the potential of farm and off-farm activities to alleviate poverty, and to evaluate the potential barriers to poverty alleviation.

Methods: The analyses were based on a panel survey of 600 households undertaken in 2012 and re-visited approximately four years later in four sites in East Africa.

Growth-uncoupled propanediol production in a Thermoanaerobacterium thermosaccharolyticum strain engineered for high ethanol yield.

Cocultures of engineered thermophilic bacteria can ferment lignocellulose without costly pretreatment or added enzymes, an ability that can be exploited for low cost biofuel production from renewable feedstocks. The hemicellulose-fermenting species Thermoanaerobacterium thermosaccharolyticum was engineered for high ethanol yield, but we found that the strains switched from growth-coupled production of ethanol to growth uncoupled production of acetate and 1,2-propanediol upon growth cessation, producing up to 6.7 g/L 1,2-propanediol from 60 g/L cellobiose.