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PubMed1976

Designing a mental health center to replace a county hospital.

An architectural team worked closely with a county building committee and the administrative staff of a Wisconsin county hospital to design a new active-treatment facility. The goals included changing the hospital's negative image in the community, fostering a close relationship between all programs and all groups of users, and encouraging inpatients to make the best possible use of various treatment areas. Planning was interrupted by a community-wide controversy over the location, and the facility was eventually built on a compromise site. The new facility, a community mental health center serving two counties, has an open, split-level design accommodating six inpatient programs and a day hospital. An informal evaluation of the environment was made a year after the center was occupied.

Community Mental Health Services↗
PubMed2026

BRIDGE: an interactive application for multi-omics data analysis, visualization and integration.

SUMMARY: BRIDGE is a Shiny-based application that provides an accessible, modular platform for individual and integrative multi-omics analysis. Using an independent SQLite database backend, it offers a local, private, and user-friendly environment that requires no prior computational expertise. The application supports proteomics, phospho-proteomics, and RNA-seq analyses through a comprehensive suite of visualization and analytical modules, together with an integrated multi-omics analysis pipeline. Built-in caching and asynchronous processing improve responsiveness, enabling efficient exploration, analysis, and visualization of multi-omics datasets on moderate hardware. AVAILABILITY AND IMPLEMENTATION: BRIDGE is implemented in R using Shiny and is freely available as a Docker container at https://ghcr.io/paulilab/bridge. A public demonstration server with example datasets is available at https://bridge.imp.ac.at. Code and datasets are also available at https://github.com/paulilab/BRIDGE and under DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.20215824.

Multiomics↗
PubMed2025

Microbiology Galaxy Lab: The first community-driven gateway for reproducible and FAIR analysis of microbial data.

The explosion of microbial omics data has outpaced the ability of many researchers to analyze it, with complex tools and limited computational resources creating barriers to discovery. To address this gap, we present the Microbiology Galaxy Lab: a free, globally accessible, community-supported platform that combines state-of-the-art analytical power with user-friendly accessibility. Supported by the Galaxy and global microbiology communities, this platform integrates over 315 tool suites and 115 curated workflows, enabling comprehensive metabarcoding, (meta)genomic, (meta)transcriptomic, and (meta)proteomic data analysis within a FAIR-aligned environment. It also supports research in the health and infectious disease sectors, as well as in environmental microbiology. The platform's utility is exemplified through various use cases, including antimicrobial resistance tracking, biomarker prediction, microbiome classification, and functional annotation of key microbes. Built on reproducibility and community engagement, it supports creation, sharing, and updating of best-practice workflows. Over 35 tutorials and learning paths empower scientists, fostering an ecosystem that keeps resources at the forefront of microbial science. The Microbiology Galaxy Lab enables collective analysis, democratising research, thereby accelerating discovery across the global microbiology community (microbiology.usegalaxy.org, .eu, .org.au, .fr).

Journal Article↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Future trends in neurosurgical instrumentation--a speculative approach.

The neurosurgeon is confronted with a cumbersome array of sophisticated instrumentation with which he must cope. A multitude of tubes, wires, and cables spill about his feet and operative field, cluttering his work area and limiting his mobility. In this communication, the consolidation of power sources, improvement in the power delivery systems to the operative site, and the creation of an equipment console incorporating built-in lights, microscope, power sources, vital-sign monitors, and instrumentation are considered. The physiological condition and milieu of the surgeon are also examined. An attempt is made to outline some of the complex and provocative problems involved in improving the surgeon's physical work environment and in improving his instrumentation.

Environment↗
PubMed1975

The utilization of dental skills in non-dental situations.

The development of electronic control systems has enabled severely physically handicapped people to revolutionize their lives by using any minimal residual movements they may have to operate micro-switches linking them with typewriters and other environmetal controls. Technical skills of a high order are required in making the unique splint or interface which links the switches with these residual movements whether of the tongue, lips, chin, eyebrow, finger or toe. Through the initiative of the Cordent Trust and generous financial support from the Leverhulme Trust a mobile laboratory was designed and built and a dental technician appointed for a three-year development project in the use of these switches as it was felt that his experience was particularly appropriate to the work and would also demonstrate how dental skills can be used to bring about a degree of rehabilitation far beyond the oral environment.

Electronics, Medical↗
PubMed2026

The Spatial and Temporal Repeatability of Genomic Responses to Natural Selection as Demonstrated in Stickleback Populations Experiencing Highly Dynamic Environments.

The evolution of genotypic parallelism under shared environmental conditions provides strong evidence for the role of natural selection. However, analyses typically examine genomic signatures of selection long after the putative selection event and only assess the repeatability of responses across spatial population replicates. This impedes our ability to attribute a particular response to a given selection pressure and to distinguish non-parallel responses caused by stochastic processes from those caused by local selection. As such, the consistency of natural selection over space and time is unknown, and the role of persistent local selection pressures is unclear. Here, we leveraged the natural bar-built estuary system of Santa Cruz, California, to examine the repeatability of seasonal genomic change in threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) over space and time. By comparing allele-frequency shifts that are shared across locations (spatial repeatability) with those that are shared across years within locations (temporal repeatability), we identified both spatially shared and local components of putative selection. We found that repeated seasonal outlier responses occurred more often than expected under a neutral null model. Although repeatability declined as the number of estuaries sharing an outlier increased, enrichment above neutral expectations increased with broader spatial sharing, particularly for outliers repeated across both years. While the precise outlier SNPs varied across years, estuary-specific patterns of responses were broadly consistent, suggesting an important role for local conditions. Together, our findings show that temporal sampling can reveal components of putative selection that would be missed from spatial comparisons alone. More broadly, they highlight the importance of examining repeatability over both space and time to understand the parallel and non-parallel components of adaptive genomic change.

Animals↗
PubMed2026

Genome-wide CRISPR screen reveals PEX11B as a host restriction factor against ORFV through membrane fluidity regulation.

Host-pathogen interactions are shaped by cellular restriction factors that direct antiviral defenses. We built the first ovine genome-wide CRISPR knockout library in sheep testis (OA3.Ts) cells, targeting all protein-coding genes. Using this platform, we identified PEX11B, a peroxisomal membrane regulatory protein, as a strong restriction factor against orf virus (ORFV) infection. Removing PEX11B increased viral susceptibility and triggered severe cytopathic effects with membrane fusion and syncytia formation. Mechanistic studies showed that PEX11B knockout harmed peroxisomal integrity and disrupted lipid metabolism. This led to greater plasma membrane fluidity, creating a proviral environment that allowed more viral entry and replication. These results reveal a new antiviral function for PEX11B in blocking viral infection and underscore the importance of peroxisomal regulation in host-virus interactions.

Animals↗
PubMed1978

A field portable mass spectrometer for monitoring organic vapors.

A portable mass spectrometer has been designed and built under the sponsorship of the US Army for the purpose of monitoring low concentrations of specified organics in the ambient atmosphere. The goals of the development were discrimination, sensitivity, portability, simplicity of operation, economy and convenience. These objectives were met in a system consisting of a computer operated mass spectrometer with a Llewellyn membrane separator inlet system housed in two 26 x 18 x 9 inch aluminum cases with a total weight less than 150 pounds. This system has shown the capability for field detection of hundreds of specific organic vapors at the parts per billion level in the ambient and workplace environments.

Air Pollutants↗
PubMed2024

Geospatial Analysis of Multilevel Socioenvironmental Factors Impacting the Campylobacter Burden among Infants in Rural Eastern Ethiopia: A One Health Perspective.

Increasing attention has focused on health outcomes of Campylobacter infections among children younger than 5 years in low-resource settings. Recent evidence suggests that colonization by Campylobacter species contributes to environmental enteric dysfunction, malnutrition, and growth faltering in young children. Campylobacter species are zoonotic, and factors from humans, animals, and the environment are involved in transmission. Few studies have assessed geospatial effects of environmental factors along with human and animal factors on Campylobacter infections. Here, we leveraged Campylobacter Genomics and Environmental Enteric Dysfunction project data to model multiple socioenvironmental factors on Campylobacter burden among infants in eastern Ethiopia. Stool samples from 106 infants were collected monthly from birth through the first year of life (December 2020-June 2022). Genus-specific TaqMan real-time polymerase chain reaction was performed to detect and quantify Campylobacter spp. and calculate cumulative Campylobacter burden for each child as the outcome variable. Thirteen regional environmental covariates describing topography, climate, vegetation, soil, and human population density were combined with household demographics, livelihoods/wealth, livestock ownership, and child-animal interactions as explanatory variables. We dichotomized continuous outcome and explanatory variables and built logistic regression models for the first and second halves of the infant's first year of life. Infants being female, living in households with cattle, reported to have physical contact with animals, or reported to have mouthed soil or animal feces had increased odds of higher cumulative Campylobacter burden. Future interventions should focus on infant-specific transmission pathways and create adequate separation of domestic animals from humans to prevent potential fecal exposures.

Humans↗
PubMed2026

Integrating structure and experimental data annotations with computational modeling framework for predicting micro-nanoplastics toxicities.

The wide use of plastic materials leads to increased emissions of micro-nanoplastics (MNPs) into the environment, raising significant concerns about their impact on human health. Traditional experimental approaches for assessing MNPs toxicity are costly, time-consuming, and there are no experimental protocols that are universally acceptable. Computational modeling using machine learning (ML) approaches provides an efficient alternative to MNP toxicity assessment. However, most modeling studies of MNPs are limited due to the lack of high-quality data and there are few previous modeling studies considering complex structures of MNPs for model training. To address this challenge, we constructed three MNP datasets with popular toxicity endpoints from various resources and used nanostructure annotation techniques to create virtual MNPs (vMNPs) for all MNP structures. The MNP structures were digitalized from annotated vMNPs, and geometrical descriptors were calculated using the Delaunay Tessellation approach. Moreover, important experimental information, such as concentrations and cell lines, were transformed into extra training variables. Partial least squares regression (PLSR) models were built using both experimental and geometrical descriptors and validated through a leave-one-out cross validation procedure. The resulting models showed reasonable performance in predicting toxicity potentials of MNPs for the three endpoints in the present datasets. Moreover, an additional library of vMNPs with their predicted properties and bioactivities was constructed, directing further research of new MNPs. This study provides three novel ML models for MNPs by integrating geometrical and experimental descriptors, which have the potential to assess new MNPs for their toxicity. The modeling strategy developed in this study can be easily expanded to model other MNP toxicity endpoints and create promising new models for MNP toxicity assessments.

Data annotation↗
PubMed1976

A shower spray facility for accurate control and rapid changes of skin temperature.

A shower spray facility (SSF) was built to closely clamp the skin temperature of human subjects, while retaining capability for controlled rapid changes. The subject is enclosed from the neck down in a small chamber containing three water spray manifolds which terminate in 64 small shower heads; the manifolds provide independent temperature control of left leg, right leg, and arm/torso. A dual, solenoid-switched plumbing system for each manifold allows rapid, preset temperature changes. Preliminary tests showed that single thermocouples can accurately indicate average skin temperature for each of the three controlled body areas. Initial experiments with spikes, step functions, and periodic wave forms have proven the SSF as a potentially powerful tool for studying mechanisms of human thermoregulation.

Environment, Controlled↗
PubMed1976

Model consideration for the origin of life. Environmental structure as stimulus for the evolution of chemical systems.

In an attempt to understand the origin of living systems we encounter the following problems: How can we conceive the origin of the first self-reproducing forms, and by means of what stimuli could a constant increase in the complexity of such forms commence? How can a translation apparatus for genetic information develop? One cannot imagine that such an apparatus for the synthesis of enzymes can function alone without the interference of enzymes themselves, which, however, could only become available after the construction of the apparatus itself. What stimulus mechanism is conceivable that leads to the division of the genetic apparatus into a replication system, and an enzyme-synthesis system? The main problem therefore, is not the search for basic theoretical concepts. It is not a question which can be answered by means of specific experiments. One should rather explore the principal possibilities of how molecules combine to produce more and more complicated functional units. We look for the fundamental structural changes in the organizational systems and the driving forces initiating these developments. Questions concerning the detailed chemical realization are of secondary importance. In trying to solve the puzzle of how the genetic apparatus is gradually built up as complex aggregates of molecules, we consider a consistent causal chain of simple and transparent physiochemical model steps. The driving force for the self-organization of matter is seen in a specific environmental structure to be found on the surface of the earth. By this structure, which is periodic in time and heterogeneous in space, evolution is initiated and driven towards a continuously increasing degree of complexity correlated with a continuous expansion of the accessible living space. This process is a necessity under proper environmental conditions. Accidental events initiate each step but do not determine the general course of evolution which is determined by the selection mechanism.

Adenosine Monophosphate↗
PubMed1977

Architectural design: the spatial location and interactions of old people.

Residents' interactions in the sitting spaces of purpose-built Homes for old people were studied by participant and structural observation. Eight Homes were sampled from a larger number to represent factors of size (large and small), design (institutional and family) and mental designation of residents (confused or rational). Verbal exchanges between residents were analysed in terms of initiators' and respondents' mental designations. The residents' locations within the sitting spaces and in the sleeping and dining areas of the Homes were recorded. Examination of these data suggests that residents of different mental designations are segregated from each other. Some architectural design elements of physical settings that might foster integration are outlined.

Aged↗
PubMed1977

Further evidence on the relative performance of proprietary and nonprofit hospitals.

Proposed implementation of health systems agencies (HSA) gives potentially large roles to consurers and local government officials. The paper argues that there will be a tendency for HSAs to discriminate against proprietary hospitals. It is important, therefore, to have information on whether proprietaries belong in an efficient hospital system. The paper discusses and extends the empirical evidence on the relative dynamic efficiency of proprietary and nonprofit hospitals in responding to changes in the economic environment. It is shown that the models used by Lave and Lave and by Steinwald and Neuhauser to generate empirical evidence can give different policy recommendations depending on the relative size of the proprietary and nonprofit bed stocks. An alternative model is devised which produces unambiguous policy recommendations. The empirical model is applied to four six-year cross sections for the years 1954-1971. Some of the conclusions reached are 1) that proprietary bed stocks are proportionally more responsive than nonprofit stocks to population changes, 2) that the nonprofit stocks show a larger absolute response, and 3) that income growth is not strongly associated with conversion to nonprofit status. A more complex model is estimated including some variables to capture the effect of the Hill-Burton program. The 1964 program shift away from a rural emphasis is expected to show in the growth pattern of hospital stocks. Analysis of the data, however, fails to show significantly different behavior before and after the shift. Based on the similarity of the regression equations, new equations are run on pooled data. The pooled regressions explain 90 per cent of the variation in nonprofit bed stock growth, but the explanation of proprietary behavior remains meager. Based on analysis of the pooled data, proprietaries responded positively to population growth while the nonprofit bed stock showed a negative association. An explanation is that the Hill-Burton program caused beds to be built where population was declining. Proprietary and nonprofit stocks grew with ability to pay and the proprietary stocks were proportionately more responsive. Both types of bed stocks showed an adjustment to bed shortages with the proportional responses being insignificantly different. Overall, it is concluded that proprietary bed stocks are more responsive to population changes and changes in ability to pay than nonprofit stocks. No numbers when the ability to pay increases. The lack of significantly different patterns before and after 1964 suggests that the shift in Hill-Burton emphasis made little or no difference in proportional bed stock changes. Short-run expansion of nonprofits in bed shortage areas was proportionally no greater than the expansion of the unsubsidized proprietaries. The central conclusion is that proprietary hospitals have a significant role in an efficient hospital system. Planning and regulating agencies must take care to guard the proprietary role against pressures inherent in their own structures...

Efficiency↗