Post-tsunami primary Scedosporium apiospermum osteomyelitis of the knee in an immunocompetent patient

SummaryScedosporium apiospermum is a filamentous fungus present in soil and polluted waters that may cause infection by direct inoculation. Osteomyelitis represents a challenge both for diagnosis and treatment. We report a case of post-tsunami primary S. apiospermum osteomyelitis of the knee in an immunocompetent patient

Regression of Environmental Noise in LIGO Data

We address the problem of noise regression in the output of gravitational-wave (GW) interferometers, using data from the physical environmental monitors (PEM). The objective of the regression analysis is to predict environmental noise in the gravitational-wave channel from the PEM measurements. One of the most promising regression method is based on the construction of Wiener-Kolmogorov filters. Using this method, the seismic noise cancellation from the LIGO GW channel has already been performed. In the presented approach the Wiener-Kolmogorov method has been extended, incorporating banks of Wiener filters in the time-frequency domain, multi-channel analysis and regulation schemes, which greatly enhance the versatility of the regression analysis. Also we presents the first results on regression of the bi-coherent noise in the LIGO data

In vitro Inhibition of Biofilm Formation on Silicon Rubber Voice Prosthesis: Α Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Introduction: Biofilm formation on voice prostheses is the primary reason for their premature implant dysfunction. Multiple strategies have been proposed over the last decades to achieve inhibition of biofilm formation on these devices. The purpose of this study was to assess the results of the available in vitro biofilm inhibition modalities on silicone rubber voice prostheses. Methods: We conducted a systematic search in PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials databases up to February 29, 2020. A total of 33 in vitro laboratory studies investigating the efficacy of different coating methods against Candida, Staphylococcus, Streptococcus, Lactobacilli, and Rothia biofilm growth on silicone rubber medical devices were included. Subgroup analysis linked to the type of prevention modality was carried out, and quality assessment was performed with the use of the modified CONSORT tool. Results: Data from 33 studies were included in qualitative analysis, of which 12 qualified for quantitative analysis. For yeast biofilm formation assessment, there was a statistically significant difference in favor of the intervention group (standardized mean difference [SMD] = −1.20; 95% confidence interval [CI] [−1.73, −0.66]; p < 0.0001). Subgroup analysis showed that combined methods (active and passive surface modification) are the most effective for biofilm inhibition in yeast (SMD = −2.53; 95% CI [−4.02, −1.03]; p = 0.00001). No statistically significant differences between intervention and control groups were shown for bacterial biofilm inhibition (SMD = −0.09; 95% CI [−0.68, 0.46]; p = 0.65), and the results from the subgroup analysis found no notable differences between the surface modification methods. After analyzing data on polymicrobial biofilms, a statistically significant difference in favor of prevention methods in comparison with the control group was detected (SMD = −2.59; 95% CI [−7.48, 2.31]; p = 0.30). Conclusions: The meta-analysis on biofilm inhibition demonstrated significant differences in favor of yeast biofilm inhibition compared to bacteria. A stronger inhibition with the application of passive or combined active and passive surface modification techniques was reported

A Proposed Search for the Detection of Gravitational Waves from Eccentric Binary Black Holes

Most of compact binary systems are expected to circularize before the frequency of emitted gravitational waves (GWs) enters the sensitivity band of the ground based interferometric detectors. However, several mechanisms have been proposed for the formation of binary systems, which retain eccentricity throughout their lifetimes. Since no matched-filtering algorithm has been developed to extract continuous GW signals from compact binaries on orbits with low to moderate values of eccentricity, and available algorithms to detect binaries on quasi-circular orbits are sub-optimal to recover these events, in this paper we propose a search method for detection of gravitational waves produced from the coalescences of eccentric binary black holes (eBBH). We study the search sensitivity and the false alarm rates on a segment of data from the second joint science run of LIGO and Virgo detectors, and discuss the implications of the eccentric binary search for the advanced GW detectors

Leveraging waveform complexity for confident detection of gravitational waves

The recent completion of Advanced LIGO suggests that gravitational waves may soon be directly observed. Past searches for gravitational-wave transients have been impacted by transient noise artifacts, known as glitches, introduced into LIGO data due to instrumental and environmental effects. In this work, we explore how waveform complexity, instead of signal-to-noise ratio, can be used to rank event candidates and distinguish short duration astrophysical signals from glitches. We test this framework using a new hierarchical pipeline that directly compares the Bayesian evidence of explicit signal and glitch models. The hierarchical pipeline is shown to perform well and, in particular, to allow high-confidence detections of a range of waveforms at a realistic signal-to-noise ratio with a two-detector network

Relativistic viscous hydrodynamics for heavy-ion collisions with ECHO-QGP

We present ECHO-QGP, a numerical code for $(3+1)$-dimensional relativistic viscous hydrodynamics designed for the modeling of the space-time evolution of the matter created in high energy nuclear collisions. The code has been built on top of the \emph{Eulerian Conservative High-Order} astrophysical code for general relativistic magneto-hydrodynamics [\emph{Del Zanna et al., Astron. Astrophys. 473, 11, 2007}] and here it has been upgraded to handle the physics of the Quark-Gluon Plasma. ECHO-QGP features second-order treatment of causal relativistic viscosity effects in both Minkowskian or Bjorken coordinates; partial or complete chemical equilibrium of hadronic species before kinetic freeze-out; initial conditions based on the optical Glauber model, including a Monte-Carlo routine for event-by-event fluctuating initial conditions; a freeze-out procedure based on the Cooper-Frye prescription. The code is extensively validated against several test problems and results always appear accurate, as guaranteed by the combination of the conservative (shock-capturing) approach and the high-order methods employed. ECHO-QGP can be extended to include evolution of the electromagnetic fields coupled to the plasma.Comment: 25 pages, two column, Final version: accepted for publication in European Physical Journal

Effect of Limosilactobacillus reuteri LRE02-Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus LR04 Combination on Antibiotic-Associated Diarrhea in a Pediatric Population: A National Survey

Probiotics are living microorganisms, which, upon oral ingestion, may prevent antibiotic-associated diarrhea (AAD) through the normalization of an unbalanced gastrointestinal flora. The objective of this study was to evaluate the benefits of a probiotic combination (Limosilactibacillus reuteri LRE02-DSM 23878 and Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus LR04-DSM 16605) on the prevention of AAD in an outpatient pediatric setting. Questionnaires were delivered to pediatricians by each patient/parent during the visits after antibiotics and probiotics treatment to monitor physiological parameters. The primary outcome of both groups (probiotics and no probiotics treated) was the evaluation of the prevalence of AAD between the two groups. Evaluation of stool consistency using the Bristol Stool Scale (BSS) score was performed, as well as the evaluation of AAD duration, frequencies of daily evacuation, and the beginning of diarrhea and weight loss during AAD in both groups and related to antibiotic categories. Results indicated that probiotics, at the recommended dosage of 1.2 × 109 CFU (Colony Forming Unit) per day for 30 days, are associated with lower rates of AAD and a decreased number of days with diarrhea, independent of the type of antibiotic used. Moreover, the use of probiotics resulted in a normal stool consistency in a shorter time period, as evaluated by the BSS

Observing an intermediate-mass black hole GW190521 with minimal assumptions

On May 21, 2019 the Advanced LIGO and Advanced Virgo detectors observed a gravitationalwave transient GW190521, the heaviest binary black-hole merger detected to date with remnant mass of 142 M⊙ that was published recently. This observation is the first strong evidence for the existence of intermediate-mass black holes. The significance of this observation was determined by the coherent WAVEBURST (cWB) search algorithm, which identified GW190521 with minimal assumptions of its source model. In this paper, we show the performance of cWB for the detection of the binary black-hole mergers without use of the signal templates, describe the details of the GW190521 detection, and establish the consistency of the model-agnostic reconstruction of GW190521 by cWB with the theoretical waveform model of a binary black hole

Observing an intermediate-mass black hole GW190521 with minimal assumptions

On May 21, 2019 the Advanced LIGO and Advanced Virgo detectors observed a gravitational-wave transient GW190521, the heaviest binary black-hole merger detected to date with remnant mass of 142 solar masses that was published recently. This observation is the first strong evidence for the existence of intermediate-mass black holes. The significance of this observation was determined by the coherent waveburst (cWB) search algorithm, which identified GW190521 with minimal assumptions of its source model. In this paper, we show the performance of cWB for the detection of the binary black-hole mergers without use of the signal templates, describe the details of the GW190521 detection, and establish the consistency of the model-agnostic reconstruction of GW190521 by cWB with the theoretical waveform model of a binary black hole