Droplet monitoring probe

A droplet monitoring system is disclosed for analysis of mixed-phase fluid flow in development of gas turbines. The system uses a probe comprising two electrical wires spaced a known distance apart and connected at one end to means for establishing a dc potential between the wires. A drop in the fluid stream momentarily contacting both wires simultaneously causes and electrical signal which is amplified, detected and counted

A Population-Based Surveillance Study of Shared Genotypes of Escherichia coli Isolates from Retail Meat and Suspected Cases of Urinary Tract Infections.

There is increasing evidence that retail food may serve as a source of Escherichia coli that causes community-acquired urinary tract infections, but the impact of this source in a community is not known. We conducted a prospective, population-based study in one community to examine the frequency of recovery of uropathogenic E. coli genotypes from retail meat samples. We analyzed E. coli isolates from consecutively collected urine samples of patients suspected to have urinary tract infections (UTIs) at a university-affiliated health service and retail meat samples from the same geographic region. We genotyped all E. coli isolates by multilocus sequence typing (MLST) and tested them for antimicrobial susceptibility. From 2016 to 2017, we cultured 233 E. coli isolates from 230 (21%) of 1,087 urine samples and 177 E. coli isolates from 120 (28%) of 427 retail meat samples. Urine samples contained 61 sequence types (STs), and meat samples had 95 STs; 12 STs (ST10, ST38, ST69, ST80, ST88, ST101, ST117, ST131, ST569, ST906, ST1844, and ST2562) were common to both. Thirty-five (81%) of 43 meat isolates among the 12 STs were from poultry. Among 94 isolates in the 12 STs, 26 (60%) of 43 retail meat isolates and 15 (29%) of 51 human isolates were pan-susceptible (P < 0.005). We found that 21% of E. coli isolates from suspected cases of UTIs belonged to STs found in poultry. Poultry may serve as a possible reservoir of uropathogenic E. coli (UPEC). Additional studies are needed to demonstrate transmission pathways of these UPEC genotypes and their food sources.IMPORTANCE Community-acquired urinary tract infection caused by Escherichia coli is one of the most common infectious diseases in the United States, affecting approximately seven million women and costing approximately 11.6 billion dollars annually. In addition, antibiotic resistance among E. coli bacteria causing urinary tract infection continues to increase, which greatly complicates treatment. Identifying sources of uropathogenic E. coli and implementing prevention measures are essential. However, the reservoirs of uropathogenic E. coli have not been well defined. This study demonstrated that poultry sold in retail stores may serve as one possible source of uropathogenic E. coli This finding adds to a growing body of evidence that suggests that urinary tract infection may be a food-borne disease. More research in this area can lead to the development of preventive strategies to control this common and costly infectious disease

Isochronous Optics and Related Measurements in EPA

The time structure of the CLIC (Compact Linear Collider) drive beam is obtained by the combination of electron bunch trains in rings using RF deflectors [1]. The rings must be isochronous, in order to preserve the bunch length and separation during the combination process (4-5 turns). A first isochronicity test has been performed in the CERN EPA (Electron Positron Accumulator) ring. The calculated isochronous lattice can be obtained by changing the strength of existing quadrupole families without hardware modifications. Measurements of the synchrotron frequency and of the beam's time structure have been made for both the normal and the isochronous lattices. Streak camera measurements of the bunch length have been used to tune the lattice around the isochronous point. The bunch length increases rapidly over a few turns in the normal case, while no appreciable bunch lengthening is observed over 50 turns in the isochronous case. A quantitative evaluation of the momentum compaction is obtained by measuring the bunch separation in a train when close to, and far from, the isochronous condition. Plans for future tests in the EPA ring are also outline

Treatment of streptococcal endocarditis with a single daily dose of ceftriaxone sodium for 4 weeks. Efficacy and outpatient treatment feasibility

OBJECTIVE--To evaluate the efficacy and safety of ceftriaxone sodium in the treatment of streptococcal endocarditis. DESIGN--An open, multicenter, noncomparative study with a follow-up of patients for 4 months to 5 years. SETTING--Internal medicine wards and outpatient clinics of hospitals of various sizes in three European countries. PATIENTS--Fifty-nine patients with defined criteria for streptococcal endocarditis. INTERVENTION--Ceftriaxone sodium administered at a once-daily dose of 2 g for 4 weeks. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES--Clinical outcome and microbiological cure rate. RESULTS--Among the 59 patients, 55 completed the treatment and were followed up for 4 months to 5 years. No patients showed evidence of relapse. Treatment was completely uneventful in 42 patients (71%). A cardiac valve was replaced in four patients (7%) receiving antimicrobial therapy and in six patients (10%) who had completed antimicrobial therapy. One of the 10 valves taken for culture at surgery was positive, but only for microorganisms that were different from the microorganism isolated before the treatment. The treatment had to be interrupted in four patients because of drug allergy. Other side effects were mild except for two cases of reversible neutropenia. The treatment was easy to administer: 27 patients (46%) had no permanent intravenous catheter at any time, seven patients (12%) had such a catheter for less than 4 days. Twenty-three patients (39%) were discharged from the hospital less than 2 weeks after admission. CONCLUSIONS.--Ceftriaxone sodium administered at a once-daily dose of 2 g appears to be an effective and safe treatment of streptococcal endocarditis. In hospitals, this agent may be more convenient to administer than penicillin G with or without aminoglycosides. Some patients may even be treated as outpatients

Momentum Cleaning in the CERN LHC

This paper describes the optimization of the optics and the collimator geometry for the momentum cleaning insertion of the LHC. To collimate the off-momentum secondary halo without disturbing the circ ulating beam, the normalized dispersion in IR3 is made as large as in the arcs. The jaw locations and orientations are numerically optimized to reduce the momentum-dependent halo amplitude. The second ary halo is kept within the available aperture for momentum deviations up to 0.44%, where the horizontal aperture is 4$\sigma\, compared to 12$\sigma\ on-momentum

Beam Dynamics for the CTF3 Preliminary Phase

In the framework of the CLIC RF power source studies, the new scheme of electron pulse compression and bunch frequency multiplication, using injection by RF deflectors into an isochronous ring, will be tested at CERN during the CTF3 preliminary phase. The present LPI complex will be modified in order to allow a test of this scheme at low charge. The design of the new front-end, of the modified linac, of the matched transfer line, and of the isochronous ring lattice is presented here.The results of the related beam dynamics studies are also discussed

Beam Dynamics for the Preliminary Phase of the New CLIC Test Facility (CTF3)

In the framework of the CLIC (Compact Linear Collider) RF power source studies, the scheme of electron pulse compression and bunch frequency mulitiplication, using injection by RF deflectors into an isochronous ring, will be tested, at low charge, during the preliminary phase of the new CLIC Test Facility (CTF3) at CERN. In this paper, we describe the beam dynamics studies made in order to assess the feasibility of the bunch combination experiment, as well as the related beam measurements performed on the LEP Pre-Injector complex (LPI) before its transformation into CTF

Attitudes and actions of asthma patients on regular maintenance therapy: the INSPIRE study

BACKGROUND: This study examined the attitudes and actions of 3415 physician-recruited adults aged ≥ 16 years with asthma in eleven countries who were prescribed regular maintenance therapy with inhaled corticosteroids or inhaled corticosteroids plus long-acting β(2)-agonists. METHODS: Structured interviews were conducted to assess medication use, asthma control, and patients' ability to recognise and self-manage worsening asthma. RESULTS: Despite being prescribed regular maintenance therapy, 74% of patients used short-acting β(2)-agonists daily and 51% were classified by the Asthma Control Questionnaire as having uncontrolled asthma. Even patients with well-controlled asthma reported an average of 6 worsenings/year. The mean period from the onset to the peak symptoms of a worsening was 5.1 days. Although most patients recognised the early signs of worsenings, the most common response was to increase short-acting β(2)-agonist use; inhaled corticosteroids were increased to a lesser extent at the peak of a worsening. CONCLUSION: Previous studies of this nature have also reported considerable patient morbidity, but in those studies approximately three-quarters of patients were not receiving regular maintenance therapy and not all had a physician-confirmed diagnosis of asthma. This study shows that patients with asthma receiving regular maintenance therapy still have high levels of inadequately controlled asthma. The study also shows that patients recognise deteriorating asthma control and adjust their medication during episodes of worsening. However, they often adjust treatment in an inappropriate manner, which represents a window of missed opportunity

Development and application of a SYBR Green RT-PCR for first line screening and quantification of porcine sapovirus infection

BACKGROUND: Sapoviruses are single stranded positive sense RNA viruses belonging to the family Caliciviridae. The virus is detected in different species including the human and the porcine species as an enteric pathogen causing asymptomatic to symptomatic enteritis. In this study, we report the development of a rapid real time qRT-PCR based on SYBR Green chemistry for the diagnosis of porcine sapovirus infection in swine. RESULTS: The method allows the detection of porcine sapoviruses and the quantification of the genomic copies present in stool samples. During its development, the diagnostic tool showed good correlation compared with the gold standard conventional RT-PCR and was ten-fold more sensitive. When the method was applied to field samples, porcine noroviruses from genogroup 2 genotype 11b were also detected. The method was also applied to swine samples from the Netherlands that were positive for PoSaV infection. Phylogenetic results obtained from the samples showed that PoSaV sequences were genetically related to the currently described genogroup III, to the proposed genogroup VII and also to the MI-QW19 sequence (close to the human SaV sequences). CONCLUSIONS: A rapid, sensitive, and reliable diagnosis method was developed for porcine sapovirus diagnosis. It correlated with the gold standard conventional RT-PCR. Specificity was good apart for genogroup 2 genotype 11b porcine noroviruses. As a first line screening diagnosis method, it allows a quicker and easier decision on doubtful samples

Satellite Tracking and Site Fidelity of Short Ocean Sunfish, Mola ramsayi, in the Galapagos Islands

Ocean sunfishes, with their peculiar morphology, large size, and surface habits, are valuable assets in ecotourism destinations worldwide. This study investigates site fidelity and long-range movements of short ocean sunfish, Mola ramsayi (Giglioli 1883), at Punta Vicente Roca (PVR) off Isabela Island in the Galapagos Islands. Five individuals were tracked between 32 and 733 days using ultrasonic receivers and transmitters. Two of the 5 were also tracked with towed pop-off satellite tags. One travelled to the equatorial front covering 2700 km in 53 days, with dive depths in the upper 360 m at temperatures between 9.2°C and 22°C. During its westward travel, dives extended to 1112 m (the deepest depth yet recorded for Molidae) into temperatures ranging between 4.5°C and 23.2°C. The remaining four individuals demonstrated site fidelity to PVR and were detected at the site between 128–1361 times for a total of 3557 reports. Forty-eight percent of the reports occurred during daytime hours and 52% after dark. Presumed cleaning session durations had a median of 15 minutes and a maximum of nearly 100 minutes. No other ultrasonic arrays around Galapagos or in the Eastern Pacific regional network recorded the presence of tagged individuals. These data are combined with tourist vessel sightings and submersible observations to confirm Punta Vicente Roca as an important sunfish hotspot