The opposite of Dante's hell? The transfer of ideas for social housing at international congresses in the 1850s–1860s

With the advent of industrialization, the question of developing adequate housing for the emergent working classes became more pressing than before. Moreover, the problem of unhygienic houses in industrial cities did not stop at the borders of a particular nation-state; sometimes literally as pandemic diseases spread out 'transnationally'. It is not a coincidence that in the nineteenth century the number of international congresses on hygiene and social topics expanded substantially. However, the historiography about social policy in general and social housing in particular, has often focused on individual cases because of the different pace of industrial and urban development and is thus dominated by national perspectives. In this paper, I elaborate on transnational exchange processes and local adaptations and transformations. I focus on the transfer of the housing model of SOMCO in Mulhouse, (a French house building association) during social international congresses. I examine whether cross-national networking enabled and facilitated the implementation of ideas on the local scale. I will elaborate on the transmission and the local adaptation of the Mulhouse-model in Belgium. Convergences, divergences, and different factors that influenced the local transformations (personal choice, political situation, socioeconomic circumstances) will be taken into accoun

Simultaneous saccharification and fermentation of hydrothermal pretreated lignocellulosic biomass: evaluation of process performance under multiple stress conditions

Industrial lignocellulosic bioethanol processes are exposed to different environmental stresses (such as inhibitor compounds, high temperature, and high solid loadings). In this study, a systematic approach was followed where the liquid and solid fractions were mixed to evaluate the influence of varied solid loadings, and different percentages of liquor were used as liquid fraction to determine inhibitor effect. Ethanol production by simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF) of hydrothermally pretreated Eucalyptus globulus wood (EGW) was studied under combined diverse stress operating conditions (3038 °C, 6080 g of liquor from hydrothermal treatment or autohydrolysis (containing inhibitor compounds)/100 g of liquid and liquid to solid ratio between 4 and 6.4 g liquid in SSF/g unwashed pretreated EGW) using an industrial Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain supplemented with low-cost byproducts derived from agro-food industry. Evaluation of these variables revealed that the combination of temperature and higher solid loadings was the most significant variable affecting final ethanol concentration and cellulose to ethanol conversion, whereas solid and autohydrolysis liquor loadings had the most significant impact on ethanol productivity. After optimization, an ethanol concentration of 54 g/L (corresponding to 85 % of conversion and 0.51 g/Lh of productivity at 96 h) was obtained at 37 °C using 60 % of autohydrolysis liquor and 16 % solid loading (liquid to solid ratio of 6.4 g/g). The selection of a suitable strain along with nutritional supplementation enabled to produce noticeable ethanol titers in quite restrictive SSF operating conditions, which can reduce operating cost and boost the economic feasibility of lignocellulose-to-ethanol processes.The authors thank the financial support from the Strategic Project of UID/BIO/04469/2013 CEB Unit and A Romaní postdoctoral grant funded by Xunta of Galicia (Plan I2C, 2014)

Failure of PCR-Based IS6110 analysis to detect vertebral spondylodiscitis caused by Mycobacterium bovis34026

Mycobacterium bovis is responsible for a zoonosis originating in cattle. We report a case of a man with vertebral spondylodiscitis caused by Mycobacterium bovis. Diagnosis was complicated because of the lack of IS6110. These strains are rare, but microbiologists should be aware of their existence</p

Genetic characterization of low pathogenic H5N1 and co-circulating avian influenza viruses in wild mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) in Belgium, 2008.

&lt;p&gt;As part of a long-term wild bird monitoring programme, five different low pathogenic (LP) avian influenza viruses (AIVs) were isolated from wild mallards (subtypes H1N1, H4N6, H5N1, H5N3, and H10N7). A LP H5N1 and two co-circulating (same location, same time period) viruses were selected for full genome sequencing. An H1N1 (A/Anas platyrhynchos/Belgium/09-762/2008) and an H5N1 virus (A/Anas platyrhynchos/Belgium/09-762-P1/2008) were isolated on the same day in November 2008, then an H5N3 virus (A/Anas platyrhynchos/09-884/2008) 5 days later in December 2008. All genes of these co-circulating viruses shared common ancestors with recent (2001 to 2007) European wild waterfowl influenza viruses. The H5N1 virus shares genome segments with both the H1N1 (PB1, NA, M) and the H5N3 (PB2, HA) viruses, and all three viruses share the same NS sequence. A double infection with two different PA segments from H5N1 and from H5N3 could be observed for the H1N1 sample. The observed gene constellations resulted from multiple reassortment events between viruses circulating in wild birds in Eurasia. Several internal gene segments from these 2008 viruses and the N3 sequence from the H5N3 show homology with sequences from 2003 H7 outbreaks in Italy (LP) and the Netherlands (highly pathogenic). These data contribute to the growing sequence evidence of the dynamic nature of the avian influenza natural reservoir in Eurasia, and underline the importance of monitoring AIV in wild birds. Genetic information of potential hazard to commercial poultry continues to circulate in this reservoir, including H5 and H7 subtype viruses and genes related to previous AIV outbreaks.&lt;/p&gt;</p

Fluoroquinolone-resistant E. coli in intestinal flora of patients undergoing transrectal ultrasound-guided prostate biopsy-should we reassess our practices for antibiotic prophylaxis?

AbstractAlthough the estimate of the incidence of sepsis following transrectal ultrasound-guided prostate biopsy (TRUSPB) is low, fluoroquinolone-resistant infections after prostate biopsy are being increasingly noted. This study was aimed at determining the prevalence of faecal carriage of fluoroquinolone-resistant Escherichia coli strains before TRUSPB and at evaluating potential predisposing risk factors. The incidence of sepsis after prostate biopsy was determined, and our routine practice for antibiotic prophylaxis for TRUSPB was evaluated. A prospective study was conducted in 342 consecutive patients undergoing prostate biopsy between December 2009 and July 2010. Before TRUSPB, a rectal swab was cultured. The correlation between the presence of fluoroquinolone-resistant strains and plausible risk factors was investigated by the use of a questionnaire. Of the 236 patients included, 22.0% (52/236) harboured ciprofloxacin-resistant E. coli strains. The use of fluoroquinolones in the 6 months before biopsy was associated with an increased risk of faecal carriage of fluoroquinolone-resistant E. coli strains (p <0.01). Faecal carriage of fluoroquinolone-resistant E. coli strains was an important risk factor for infectious complications after TRUSPB (p <0.01). In conclusion, a significant number of patients have faecal carriage of fluoroquinolone-resistant E. coli strains (22.0%) before TRUSPB. The use of fluoroquinolones in the previous 6 months before biopsy is a risk factor for faecal carriage of fluoroquinolone-resistant E. coli strains and for infectious complications after TRUSPB. Hence, the universal administration of fluoroquinolones should be reconsidered

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