Background Linezolid is a critically important antibiotic used to treat human infections caused by MRSA and VRE. While linezolid is not licensed for food-producing animals, linezolid-resistant (LR) isolates have been reported in European countries, including Belgium. Objectives To: (i) assess LR occurrence in staphylococci and enterococci isolated from different Belgian food-producing animals in 2019 through selective monitoring; and (ii) investigate the genomes and relatedness of these isolates. Methods Faecal samples (n = 1325) and nasal swab samples (n = 148) were analysed with a protocol designed to select LR bacteria, including a 44–48 h incubation period. The presence of LR chromosomal mutations, transferable LR genes and their genetic organizations and other resistance genes, as well as LR isolate relatedness (from this study and the NCBI database) were assessed through WGS. Results The LR rate differed widely between animal host species, with the highest rates occurring in nasal samples from pigs and sows (25.7% and 20.5%, respectively) and faecal samples from veal calves (16.4%). WGS results showed that LR determinants are present in a large diversity of isolates circulating in the agricultural sector, with some isolates closely related to human isolates, posing a human health risk. Conclusions LR dedicated monitoring with WGS analysis could help to better understand the spread of LR. Cross-selection of LR transferable genes through other antibiotic use should be considered in future action plans aimed at combatting antimicrobial resistance and in future objectives for the rational use of antibiotics in a One Health perspective.

Illustration of adipose-derived stem cells with tri-modal imaging capabilities for evaluating the efficiency of cell delivery to tumours.

microRNAs are important post-transcriptional regulators of gene expression involved in countless biological processes and are widely studied across metazoans. While miRNA research continues to grow, the large community of fish miRNA researchers lacks exhaustive resources consistent among species. To fill this gap, we developed FishmiRNA, an evolutionarily supported microRNA annotation and expression database for ray-finned fishes: www.fishmirna.org. The self-explanatory database contains detailed, manually-curated miRNA annotations with orthology relationships rigorously established by sequence similarity and conserved syntenies, and expression data provided for each detected mature miRNA. In just few clicks, users can download the annotation and expression database in several convenient formats either in its entirety or a subset. Simple filters and BLAST search options also permit the simultaneous exploration and visual comparison of expression data for up to any ten mature miRNAs across species and organs. FishmiRNA was specifically designed for ease of use to reach a wide audience.

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A B S T R A C TTwo-phase monolith-type reactors allow intensified heat and mass transfer rates, but often suffer from fluid maldistribution and undesired flow regimes in channels. A cold-flow monolith reactor (0.1 m diameter, 84 channels) is used here to assess liquid distribution and flow regimes at various air and water velocities: resistive probes give an insight of the flow patterns within 5 representative channels located at different radial positions, showing that regime transition to Taylor flow occurs in these channels simultaneously at lower gas and liquid superficial velocities than predicted by single capillary studies (namely u L and u G < 0.1 m s −1 ).A full mapping of the partial liquid flow rates in the monolith channels is derived by a gravimetric method via specifically designed collectors. In the identified Taylor flow domain, liquid distribution exhibits a W-shaped profile with marked peaks at low liquid velocity (u L = 0.04 m s −1 ). Increasing the liquid flow rate significantly (u L = 0.1 m s −1 ) smooths liquid distribution, reducing the maldistribution factor by half. Gas velocity also helps phase uniformity but to a smaller extent. It is estimated that even higher fluid velocities (at least tripled) would be required to feed all channels equally. Adding stack of distribution plates of variable cell density at the top of the monolith does not enhance the quality of the liquid distribution, except at low liquid velocity.

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We study several aspects of the so-called low-vol and low-β anomalies, some already documented (such as the universality of the effect over different geographical zones), others hitherto not clearly discussed in the literature. Our most significant message is that the low-vol anomaly is the result of two independent effects. One is the striking negative correlation between past realized volatility and dividend yield. Second is the fact that ex-dividend returns themselves are weakly dependent on the volatility level, leading to better risk-adjusted returns for low-vol stocks. This effect is further amplified by compounding. We find that the low-vol strategy is not associated to short term reversals, nor does it qualify as a Risk-Premium strategy, since its overall skewness is slightly positive. For practical purposes, the strong dividend bias and the resulting correlation with other valuation metrics (such as Earnings to Price or Book to Price) does make the low-vol strategies to some extent redundant, at least for equities.

The article looks at the revolutionary shift of visual interpretation as it occurred in the works of one of the most prominent Arab scientists, Ibn al-Haytham. In his critique of the visual theories of Euclide and Ptolemy, Ibn al-Haytham developed a new conception of estimating distance. Distance is no longer calculated geometrically by the visual faculty, but by the interpretation of signs which are implicit in the visual field and of which an image is formed. This necessity to interpret signs gave Ibn al-Haytham's theory an intellectualist and distinct style and methodology.