Global Genomic Variations of Pathogenic Bacteria <i>Salmonella</i>Reading

US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates food-borne pathogenic Salmonella bacteria cause about 1.35 million infections, 26,500 hospitalizations, and 420 deaths in the U.S. every year. Outbreaks of multidrug-resistant Salmonella Reading linked mainly to raw turkey products and alfalfa sprouts have accounted for human illness including mortality. Therefore, we downloaded and compared genome sequences of 897 Salmonella Reading isolated from 27 resources in 11 countries at 21 year-points from the National Center for Biotechnology Information database. Isolates were clustered into 10 clades which consisted of 3 major and 7 minor or single node clades. Although 3 major clades included both Europe and American isolates, one clade consisted of 605 North American isolates out of 614 isolates. Evolutionary distance is more related to the continent than the source of isolation. The host source, continent (North America and Europe) and phylogenetic clade were related to the prevalence of isolates encoding Antimicrobial Resistance Genes (ARGs). Prevalence of prophages was greater in bovine and swine isolates than poultry and human isolates and the least prevalence was found in human isolates. Between continents, the prevalence of phage was greater in North Ame- rican isolates than European. The diversity of virulence factors in swine isolates differed from poultry isolate while no difference was found among continents. In conclusion, evolutionary distance is related to isolation host source rather than the continent, and genome features were distinguished by host and cluster. Our genomic analysis implies that Salmonella Reading evolved independently to environments within its lineages.

The Use of PBL （Problem-Based Learning） in Improving the Student Performance in Navigation 3 （Terrestrial and Coastal Navigation）

This quasi-experimental study aimed at looking into the effectiveness of PBL （problem-based learning） in improving the performance in Navigation 3 （terrestrial and coastal navigation） of BSMT （Bachelor of Science in Marine Transportation） second year students at JBLFMU-Arevalo during the first semester of school year 2016-2017. The respondents of this research were the two sections comparable with each other who was enrolled in the subject Navigation 3. There were 60 student respondents composed of 30 in the experimental group and 30 in the control group. A validated three item teacher-made problem solving test with 10 points for each correct answer was used as an instrument. The dependent variable was the scores in Navigation 3 and independent variable was the PBL approach. The statistical tools used were mean, standard deviation, Mann-Whitney test, and Wilcoxon-Signed ranks test set at 0.05 level of significance. The effect size was computed to determine the effectiveness of the PBL approach in terms of students＇ performance in Navigation 3. Results showed that in the pretest, though the experimental group had a higher mean than the control group, the Mann-Whitney test showed that the mean scores of the two groups were comparable because the significant value was greater than 0.05. When the treatment was introduced, findings showed that there were significant differences in the Navigation 3 performance in the pretest and posttest of experimental and control groups as well as in the posttests of both groups. It could be inferred that the better performance of the experimental group could be attributed to the intervention where the students were actively involved in the learning process.

Comparison of Child Lunch Meals in Brazil

Background: Recently, revised Dietary Guidelines in Brazil [1] included a recommendation to “avoid fast food”. This project compared meals from home and away from home. Objective: To evaluate advertised fast food children’s lunch meals and a typical Brazilian homemade meal in relation to recommended intakes for: energy, macronutrients, fiber, sodium, iron and calcium. Methods: Nutritional needs and typical meal intake were estimated, considering 35% of total daily requirements for a lunch meal. Ranges for energy and macronutrients were calculated, based on varying energy needs by age and activity level. These parameters were compared with nutritional information from company websites and product information collected in S&#227o Paulo, Brazil in August, 2014. Results: The majority of children’s meals evaluated did not exceed the lunch range for dietary energy and macronutrients. However, 60% and 50% of these meals exceeded recommended saturated fat for 4 - 6 and 7 - 10-year-old children, respectively. Most meals fell short for fiber and all meals exceeded sodium recommendations. Micronutrient values were not available for most meals compared. Conclusion: The nutrition quality of lunch in fast food restaurants is similar to a typical Brazilian meal. The restaurant meals could fit into a balanced diet from time to time. Every meal observed here could be improved with regard to sodium and fiber to promote children’s health in adulthood.

Improvement of Renewable Bioenergy Production in Microbial Fuel Cells with Saponin Supplementation

Microbial fuel cell (MFC) is one of renewable biofuel production technology that directly converts biomass to electricity. Cellulosic biomass is particularly attractive renewable resources for its low cost and abundance and neutral carbon balance. However, methanogenesis remains as a major factor limiting MFC performance. The current study reports that saponin addition at 0.05% w/v dose to anolyte in MFCs inhibited methanogenesis and improves power generation and cellulose fermentation. Mediator-less two chamber H-type MFCs were prepared using rumen fluid as anode inocula at 20% v/v of anolyte to convert finely ground pine tree (Avicel) at 2%, w/v to electricity. Saponin was added to the anode of MFC at 0.005% or 0.05% v/v dosage for treatment. MFC power and current across an external resistor were measured daily for 10d. On d10, collected gases from anode compartment were measured for total gas volume and analyzed for gas composition on gas chromatography. Supplementation of saponin to MFC at 0.005% did not have any effects on electricity generation or biogas production and composition. Saponin at 0.05% dose reduced 10% of methane production and increased 40% of CO2 production and 6.4% of total gas production for 10d MFC operation. Voltage across resistor prior to treatment addition (d0) was 164.75 ± 9.07 mV. In control group, voltage across resistor did not change (P = 0.9153) with time course and mean was 167.8 ± 8.20 mV ranged from 157 to 174.5 mV during 10d operation. In 0.05% Saponin group, voltage across resistor increased (P < 0.0001) after d2 and mean was 187.3 ± 4.30 mV ranged between 161.5 and 204.0 mV and the 10d mean of voltage across resistor in 0.05% Saponin was greater (P < 0.0001) than in control group. 0.05% Saponin also had greater voltage across resistor at d5 (P = 0.0030) and d6 (P = 0.0246) than control. End point potential increased (P < 0.0001) in 0.05% Saponin after d2. 0.05% Saponin had greater (P < 0.05) end point potentials than control at d1, d4, d7, d10, and also 10d mean was greater (731.9 vs 606.5 mV;P < 0.0001) in 0.05% Saponin. Power density increased (P < 0.0001) after d2 in 0.05% Saponin. 0.05% Saponin MFCs had greater (P < 0.05) power density than control at d5 and d6, and also a greater (P < 0.0001) overall mean of 10d operation. The current study provides strong background for potential use of saponin and saponin containing natural resources for methanogenesis inhibitor and cellulolysis enhancer in MFC and also cellulolysis reactors.

Level of Acceptability of the Instructional Guide in Physical Education 2(Advanced Swimming Skills and Life-Saving Techniques)

This descriptive study aimed to determine the level of acceptability of the Instructional Guide in Physical Education 2(Advanced Swimming Skills and Life-Saving Techniques).The respondents of the study were the content experts currently teaching PE(Physical Education)in other universities in Iloilo and Bacolod City,Philippines together with the BSMT(Bachelor of Science Marine Transportation)students who used the instructional guide throughout the duration of the study.The instrument used to evaluate the materials was adopted from Terunez(2008)and included seven evaluation criteria to include physical aspect,language,content,objectives,instructions,learning activities,and evaluation measures.The statistical tools employed were mean,standard deviation,and rank.The results of the study revealed that the level of acceptability of the instructional guide in physical aspect was“High”which means that the material was suited to the level of the intended users.No significant difference was noted in the evaluation result of the content experts and student users.It can be concluded that the development of Instructional Guide in Physical Education 2 is deemed to be highly beneficial in enhancing learning.It is recommended that this instructional material will be utilized by other maritime institutions offering courses in Advanced Swimming and Life-Saving Techniques.

The COVID-19 Outbreak in South Korea: Lessons to Be Learned

The Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) is a novel type of coronavirus-related disease that has over 4 million confirmed cases worldwide as of May 13th, 2020. With over 200 countries impacted by the pandemic, many countries have taken drastic measures such as temporary closure of international borders. The purpose of this thesis is to examine the South Korean response to COVID-19 and the keys to successful containment of the disease. Real time analysis was performed on data provided by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Comparisons of disease containment among countries with the highest confirmed cases were normalized for population size differences by taking the proportion of confirmed cases to population size. We further compared the disease outbreak in Seoul, a very urban environment, to the whole country of South Korea, to compare public health in urban and rural environments. We found that the efficient partnership between the private sector and the state led to rapid development in testing kits, which was integral to the South Korean response to COVID-19. In addition, the South Koreans’ community spirit, approval of government-led interventions, and societal norm of wearing masks were also efficient social responses to the spreading disease. In this paper, we navigate the impacts of a universal healthcare system and its ability to battle infectious diseases and the efficacy of various governmental actions in response to a public health crisis.

Knowledge and Skills in Advanced Swimming and Life-Saving Techniques: A Correlational Study

This descriptive-correlational study was conducted to determine the relationship between the knowledge and skills of the BSMT (Bachelor of Science in Maritime Transportation) students in PE (Physical Education) 2 (Advanced Swimming and Life-saving Techniques). The respondents of the study were the 40 second year BSMT students that were taken through purposive sampling. The study utilized a researcher-made questionnaire for both knowledge and skills that had undergone validity and reliability-testing. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze the data such as mean, standard deviation, and Spearman’s rho. Results revealed that their knowledge on Advanced Swimming and Life-saving Techniques was “Fair” while the skills of the second year BSMT students were “Very good”. Furthermore, the knowledge of the BSMT students had a positive correlation (substantial) with their skills on Advanced Swimming and Life-saving Techniques. The second year BSMT students are encouraged to undergo trainings and upgrading to enhance their knowledge and skills in Advanced Swimming and Life-saving Techniques in order for them to become life-long learners.

Artificial intelligence for cancer detection in upper gastrointestinal endoscopy, current status, and future aspirations

This minireview discusses the benefits and pitfalls of machine learning,and artificial intelligence in upper gastrointestinal endoscopy for the detection and characterization of neoplasms.We have reviewed the literature for relevant publications on the topic using PubMed,IEEE,Science Direct,and Google Scholar databases.We discussed the phases of machine learning and the importance of advanced imaging techniques in upper gastrointestinal endoscopy and its association with artificial intelligence.