Subtyping Options for Microsporum canis Using Microsatellites and MLST: A Case Study from Southern Italy

Microsporum canis is considered one of the most common zoophilic dermatophyte species causing infections in animals and humans worldwide. However, molecular epidemiological studies on this dermatophyte are still rare. In this study, we aimed to analyse the population structure and relationships between M. canis strains (n = 66) collected in southern Italy and those isolated from symptomatic and asymptomatic animals (cats, dogs and rabbits) and humans. For subtyping purposes, using multilocus sequence typing (MLST) and multilocus microsatellite typing (MLMT), we first used a limited set of strains to screen for variability. No intraspecies variability was detected in six out of the eight reference genes tested and only the ITS and IGS regions showed two and three sequence genotypes, respectively, resulting in five MLST genotypes. All of eight genes were, however, useful for discrimination among M. canis, M. audouinii and M. ferrugineum. In total, eighteen microsatellite genotypes (A–R) were recognized using MLMT based on six loci, allowing a subdivision of strains into two clusters based on the Bayesian iterative algorithm. Six MLMT genotypes were from multiple host species, while 12 genotypes were found only in one host. There were no statistically significant differences between clusters in terms of host spectrum and the presence or absence of lesions. Our results confirmed that the MLST approach is not useful for detailed subtyping and examining the population structure of M. canis, while microsatellite analysis is a powerful tool for conducting surveillance studies and gaining insight into the epidemiology of infections due to this pathogen.

Absorption and Mindfulness Reflect Distinct Patterns of Attentional Control and Self-Related Processing

Absorption and mindfulness are personality traits associated with experiencing states of highly-focused attention. Despite this apparent commonality, these two traits have rarely been directly compared, and little is known about what differentiates absorbed from mindful states. The present study explored how individual differences in the cognitive processes of attentional control and self-related processing relate to absorption and mindfulness. Participants completed four self-report measures assessing absorption, mindfulness, style of attentional control over internal/external stimuli, and self-related processing. Absorption and mindfulness were negatively correlated in our sample. Absorption was predicted by a propensity for stimulus-driven attention to external stimuli and frequent engagement in self-reflection without gaining insight into those reflections. Mindfulness was predicted by a propensity for goal-driven attentional control over external stimuli and a tendency to engage in insightful self-reflective processing. Our findings can inform research efforts to further elucidate cognitive mechanisms underlying the relationships of absorption and mindfulness with mental health.

Mapping Memory: Myth, History, and Liminality in Harlem and the Bronx

<p>The relationship between notions of ‘history’ and ‘myth’ is a familiar dilemma within the field of historiography. As this thesis will seek to demonstrate, myth – defined here as evaluative representations of the past to suit demands of the present – is virtually indistinguishable from history, insofar as both are constructed from the same raw materials: subjective remembrances. Through an examination of mythical representations of physical places, this thesis will present a model to explain how myth is constructed, thereby emphasising the intimate and problematic relationship between the aforementioned categories. In short, myth making occurs when memories travel through liminal space from one individual to the next, with said liminal points allowing for degradation and transmutation. The further along one is in the chain, the more one is dependent on myth. Through electing to focus on two such locales that have been of particular interest to me – Harlem during the jazz age and The Bronx during the origins of hip hop – I was able to adopt an auto-ethnographic perspective, gaining insight into the extent to which my understanding was dependent on a series of compounding representations. Further, these areas also draw attention to how such representation can broaden or localise, depending on the myth and the purpose of its invocation. In different contexts and different historical narratives, different areas within New York City have been subjected to the same process, which can account for the pervasive idea of ‘New York’ that continues to circulate.</p>

Mapping Memory: Myth, History, and Liminality in Harlem and the Bronx

<p>The relationship between notions of ‘history’ and ‘myth’ is a familiar dilemma within the field of historiography. As this thesis will seek to demonstrate, myth – defined here as evaluative representations of the past to suit demands of the present – is virtually indistinguishable from history, insofar as both are constructed from the same raw materials: subjective remembrances. Through an examination of mythical representations of physical places, this thesis will present a model to explain how myth is constructed, thereby emphasising the intimate and problematic relationship between the aforementioned categories. In short, myth making occurs when memories travel through liminal space from one individual to the next, with said liminal points allowing for degradation and transmutation. The further along one is in the chain, the more one is dependent on myth. Through electing to focus on two such locales that have been of particular interest to me – Harlem during the jazz age and The Bronx during the origins of hip hop – I was able to adopt an auto-ethnographic perspective, gaining insight into the extent to which my understanding was dependent on a series of compounding representations. Further, these areas also draw attention to how such representation can broaden or localise, depending on the myth and the purpose of its invocation. In different contexts and different historical narratives, different areas within New York City have been subjected to the same process, which can account for the pervasive idea of ‘New York’ that continues to circulate.</p>

Microfluidics as a Novel Technique for Tuberculosis: From Diagnostics to Drug Discovery

Tuberculosis (TB) remains a global healthcare crisis, with an estimated 5.8 million new cases and 1.5 million deaths in 2020. TB is caused by infection with the major human pathogen Mycobacterium tuberculosis, which is difficult to rapidly diagnose and treat. There is an urgent need for new methods of diagnosis, sufficient in vitro models that capably mimic all physiological conditions of the infection, and high-throughput drug screening platforms. Microfluidic-based techniques provide single-cell analysis which reduces experimental time and the cost of reagents, and have been extremely useful for gaining insight into monitoring microorganisms. This review outlines the field of microfluidics and discusses the use of this novel technique so far in M. tuberculosis diagnostics, research methods, and drug discovery platforms. The practices of microfluidics have promising future applications for diagnosing and treating TB.

The Spatial Pattern of Fraudulence Risk in Legal Metrology and Its Socio-Economic Drivers

This study develops a fraudulence risk in the legal metrology model, gaining insight into urban spatial characteristics as contextual variables that may cause a risk of fraud. The model uses Geographically Weighted Regression on the Metrological Consumer Index data of Bandung, West Java, Indonesia. The findings indicate a wide distribution of recorded fraudulence risk in legal metrology across Bandung, with a spatially clustered pattern based on spatial and context of varying neighbourhood attributes. The results also show an increase in the fraudulence risk in legal metrology in the central business district of Bandung. Such phenomena could be attributed to the residents who trade and are involved in the measurement practice. The findings also suggested that the areas with more senior residents were more likely to have a high fraudulence risk in legal metrology. On the other hand, areas with a high proportion of poor and lesser-educated people exhibit low risk.These findings are helpful for legal metrology authorities seeking to establish appropriate strategies to mitigate adverse impacts of fraudulence risk in legal metrology practice on communities. It can also help identify high fraudulence risk in legal metrology areas to geo-target when and where to disseminate information to increase awareness of the dangers.

Classification and Analysis of Go-Arounds in Commercial Aviation Using ADS-B Data

Go-arounds are a necessary aspect of commercial aviation and are conducted after a landing attempt has been aborted. It is necessary to conduct go-arounds in the safest possible manner, as go-arounds are the most safety-critical of operations. Recently, the increased availability of data, such as ADS-B, has provided the opportunity to leverage machine learning and data analytics techniques to assess aviation safety events. This paper presents a framework to detect go-around flights, identify relevant features, and utilize unsupervised clustering algorithms to categorize go-around flights, with the objective of gaining insight into aspects of typical, nominal go-arounds and factors that contribute to potentially abnormal or anomalous go-arounds. Approaches into San Francisco International Airport in 2019 were examined. A total of 890 flights that conducted a single go-around were identified by assessing an aircraft’s vertical rate, altitude, and cumulative ground track distance states during approach. For each flight, 61 features relevant to go-around incidents were identified. The HDBSCAN clustering algorithm was leveraged to identify nominal go-arounds, anomalous go-arounds, and a third cluster of flights that conducted a go-around significantly later than other go-around trajectories. Results indicate that the go-arounds detected as being anomalous tended to have higher energy states and deviations from standard procedures when compared to the nominal go-arounds during the first approach, prior to the go-around. Further, an extensive comparison of energy states between nominal flights, anomalous flights, the first approach prior to the go-around, and the second approach following the go-around is presented.

Ethnic minority language culture, places with original tay language elements and names inconsistence in Tuyen Quang provinces

The article is composed statistically using maps of all types, documents on marital status, family records, and administrative documents (collectively referred to as Vietnamese documents). Place names with elements of Tay origin in Tuyen Quang province based on 4 districts (Chiem Hoa, Lam Binh, Na Hang, and Son Duong) were researched, with the intention of gaining insight into place names with original elements that come from ethnic minority languages in Vietnam, being read and written in different ways. The difference in the phonetics and writing of Tay language compared to Vietnamese, is one of the reasons that place names with elements of Tay origin in Tuyen Quang province, are used inconsistently, resulting in different ways of reading, and writing a place name. Therefore, there is a need to standardize all place names located in the province.