Transformative Technology for FLASH Radiation Therapy.

The general concept of radiation therapy used in conventional cancer treatment is to increase the therapeutic index by creating a physical dose differential between tumors and normal tissues through precision dose targeting, image guidance, and radiation beams that deliver a radiation dose with high conformality, e.g., protons and ions.

Broadband spectral combining of three pulse-shaped fiber amplifiers with 42fs compressed pulse duration.

We demonstrate ultra-broadband spectral combining of ultrashort pulses from Yb-doped fiber amplifiers, with coherently spectrally synthesized pulse shaping, to achieve tens-of-fs pulses. This method can fully compensate for gain narrowing and high order dispersion over broad bandwidth. We produce 42fs pulses by spectrally synthesizing three chirped-pulse fiber amplifiers and two programmable pulse shapers across an 80nm overall bandwidth.

Online charge measurement for petawatt laser-driven ion acceleration.

Laser-driven ion beams have gained considerable attention for their potential use in multidisciplinary research and technology. Preclinical studies into their radiobiological effectiveness have established the prospect of using laser-driven ion beams for radiotherapy. In particular, research into the beneficial effects of ultrahigh instantaneous dose rates is enabled by the high ion bunch charge and uniquely short bunch lengths present for laser-driven ion beams.

A new platform for ultra-high dose rate radiobiological research using the BELLA PW laser proton beamline.

Radiotherapy is the current standard of care for more than 50% of all cancer patients. Improvements in radiotherapy (RT) technology have increased tumor targeting and normal tissue sparing. Radiations at ultra-high dose rates required for FLASH-RT effects have sparked interest in potentially providing additional differential therapeutic benefits.

Confounding Role of Salmonella Serotype Dublin Testing Results of Boneless and Ground Beef Purchased for the National School Lunch Program, October 2013 to July 2017.

Abstract: The Agricultural Marketing Service procures boneless and ground beef for federal nutrition assistance programs. It tests procured beef for concentrations of standard plate counts (SPCs), coliforms, and Escherichia coli and for the presence of Salmonella and Shiga toxin-producing E. coli.

Laser and electron deflection from transverse asymmetries in laser-plasma accelerators.

We report on the deflection of laser pulses and accelerated electrons in a laser-plasma accelerator (LPA) by the effects of laser pulse front tilt and transverse density gradients. Asymmetry in the plasma index of refraction leads to laser steering, which can be due to a density gradient or spatiotemporal coupling of the laser pulse. The transverse forces from the skewed plasma wave can also lead to electron deflection relative to the laser.

Microbiological Testing Results of Boneless and Ground Beef Purchased for the U.S. National School Lunch Program, School Years 2015 to 2018.

The Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) purchases beef for the National School Lunch Program and other federal nutrition assistance programs. For beef that will be delivered to food service facilities raw, each ca. 900-kg lot of boneless beef raw material and each ca.

Microbiological Testing Results of Cooked Diced Chicken and Pasteurized Egg Products Purchased for United States Federal Nutrition Assistance Programs, 2012-2018.

The Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) purchases cooked diced chicken, pasteurized liquid whole eggs, and pasteurized dried egg mix for federal nutrition assistance programs. Purchases are made from establishments that have met the financial and technical requirements to become AMS-approved vendors. Cooked diced chicken is tested for the presence of and , and for levels of aerobic plate count (APC) organisms, coliforms, and generic (GEC).

Microbiological Testing Results of Boneless and Ground Beef Purchased for the National School Lunch Program, 2011 to 2014.

The Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) purchases boneless and ground beef for distribution to recipients through federal nutrition assistance programs, including the National School Lunch Program, which represents 93% of the overall volume. Approximately every 2,000 lb (ca. 907 kg) of boneless beef and 10,000 lb (ca.

Detecting radiation reaction at moderate laser intensities.

We propose a new method of detecting radiation reaction effects in the motion of particles subjected to laser pulses of moderate intensity and long duration. The effect becomes sizable for particles that gain almost no energy through the interaction with the laser pulse. Hence, there are regions of parameter space in which radiation reaction is actually the dominant influence on charged particle motion.

Compact x-ray free-electron laser from a laser-plasma accelerator using a transverse-gradient undulator.

Compact laser-plasma accelerators can produce high energy electron beams with low emittance, high peak current but a rather large energy spread. The large energy spread hinders the potential applications for coherent free-electron laser (FEL) radiation generation. We discuss a method to compensate the effects of beam energy spread by introducing a transverse field variation into the FEL undulator.

Application of Bayesian techniques to model the burden of human salmonellosis attributable to U.S. food commodities at the point of processing: adaptation of a Danish model.

Mathematical models that estimate the proportion of foodborne illnesses attributable to food commodities at specific points in the food chain may be useful to risk managers and policy makers to formulate public health goals, prioritize interventions, and document the effectiveness of mitigations aimed at reducing illness. Using human surveillance data on laboratory-confirmed Salmonella infections from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Salmonella testing data from U.S.

A comparative risk assessment for Listeria monocytogenes in prepackaged versus retail-sliced deli meat.

Deli meat was ranked as the highest-risk ready-to-eat food vehicle of Listeria monocytogenes within the 2003 U.S. Food and Drug Administration and U.

Review of induced molting by feed removal and contamination of eggs with Salmonella enterica serovar Enteritidis.

As laying hens age, egg production and quality decreases. Egg producers can impose an induced molt on older hens that results in increased egg productivity and decreased hen mortality compared with non-molted hens of the same age. This review discusses the effect of induced molting by feed removal on immune parameters, Salmonella enterica serovar Enteritidis (SE) invasion and subsequent production of SE-contaminated eggs.

Evaluating the effectiveness of pasteurization for reducing human illnesses from Salmonella spp. in egg products: results of a quantitative risk assessment.

As part of the process for developing risk-based performance standards for egg product processing, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) undertook a quantitative microbial risk assessment for Salmonella spp. in pasteurized egg products. The assessment was designed to assist risk managers in evaluating egg handling and pasteurization performance standards for reducing the likelihood of Salmonella in pasteurized egg products and the subsequent risk to human health.

Salmonella Enteritidis in meat, poultry, and pasteurized egg products regulated by the U.S. Food Safety and Inspection Service, 1998 through 2003.

The U.S. Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) tests for Salmonella in meat, poultry, and egg products through three regulatory testing programs: the Pathogen Reduction-Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (PR-HACCP) program, the ready-to-eat program for meat and poultry products, and the pasteurized egg products program.

Overview and summary of the Food Safety and Inspection Service risk assessment for Salmonella enteritidis in shell eggs, October 2005.

In 1998, the United States Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) and the Food and Drug Administration completed a risk assessment that indicated multiple interventions along the farm-to-table chain were needed to reduce the risk of human illness from Salmonella Enteritidis in shell eggs. Based on newly available data and improved modeling techniques, FSIS completed an updated risk assessment to examine the effect of pasteurization and refrigeration on reducing human illnesses from S. Enteritidis in shell eggs.

Characterization of the predominant anaerobic bacterium recovered from digital dermatitis lesions in three Michigan dairy cows.

Digital dermatitis is a superficial epidermatitis of the feet of cattle. Data from previous work suggest that spirochaetes, Campylobacter spp., and Bacteroides spp.

Laser guiding for GeV laser-plasma accelerators.

Guiding of relativistically intense laser beams in preformed plasma channels is discussed for development of GeV-class laser accelerators. Experiments using a channel guided laser wakefield accelerator at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) have demonstrated that near mono-energetic 100 MeV-class electron beams can be produced with a 10 TW laser system. Analysis, aided by particle-in-cell simulations, as well as experiments with various plasma lengths and densities, indicate that tailoring the length of the accelerator, together with loading of the accelerating structure with beam, is the key to production of mono-energetic electron beams.

Identification of antimicrobial resistance and class 1 integrons in Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli recovered from humans and food animals.

Objectives: The objective of this study was to identify antimicrobial resistance and class 1 integrons among Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC).

Methods: Two-hundred and seventy-four STEC recovered from poultry, cattle, swine and humans were characterized by antimicrobial susceptibility testing, screened for the presence of class 1 integrons by PCR, and assayed for integron transfer by conjugation.

Results: Ninety-three (34%) of the isolates were resistant to streptomycin, followed by 89 (32%) to sulfamethoxazole, 83 (30%) to tetracycline, 48 (18%) to ampicillin, 29 (11%) to cefalothin, 22 (8%) to trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole, 18 (7%) to gentamicin, 13 (5%) to chloramphenicol and 10 (4%) to cefoxitin.

A DNA microarray for identification of virulence and antimicrobial resistance genes in Salmonella serovars and Escherichia coli.

Characterization of antimicrobial resistance and virulence gene profiles provides important information on the potential pathogenicity of bacteria. This information can be used to facilitate prompt and effective treatment of bacterial infections. We developed and tested a PCR-based microarray platform for detecting virulence and antimicrobial resistance genes in Salmonella serovars and Escherichia coli.

Estimate of illnesses from Salmonella enteritidis in eggs, United States, 2000.

Results from our model suggest that eating Salmonella enterica serovar Enteritidis-contaminated shell eggs caused 182,060 illnesses in the United States during 2000. Uncertainty about the estimate ranged from 81,535 (5th percentile) to 276,500 illnesses (95th percentile). Our model provides but 1 approach for estimating foodborne illness and quantifying estimate uncertainty.

Characterization of multiple-antimicrobial-resistant salmonella serovars isolated from retail meats.

A total of 133 Salmonella isolates recovered from retail meats purchased in the United States and the People's Republic of China were assayed for antimicrobial susceptibility, the presence of integrons and antimicrobial resistance genes, and horizontal transfer of characterized antimicrobial resistance determinants via conjugation. Seventy-three (82%) of these Salmonella isolates were resistant to at least one antimicrobial agent. Resistance to the following antibiotics was common among the United States isolates: tetracycline (68% of the isolates were resistant), streptomycin (61%), sulfamethoxazole (42%), and ampicillin (29%).

Isolation of antimicrobial-resistant Escherichia coli from retail meats purchased in Greater Washington, DC, USA.

Four hundred and seventy-two generic Escherichia coli isolates were recovered from ground and whole retail beef, chicken, pork, and turkey obtained from Greater Washington, DC, USA during the years 1998 to 2000. Many of the isolates displayed resistance to tetracycline (59%), sulfamethoxazole (45%), streptomycin (44%), cephalothin (38%) and ampicillin (35%). Resistance was also observed, but to a lesser extent, to gentamicin (12%), nalidixic acid (8%), chloramphenicol (6%), ceftiofur (4%) and ceftriaxone (1%).

Antimicrobial resistance of Escherichia coli O26, O103, O111, O128, and O145 from animals and humans.

Susceptibilities to fourteen antimicrobial agents important in clinical medicine and agriculture were determined for 752 Escherichia coli isolates of serotypes O26, O103, O111, O128, and O145. Strains of these serotypes may cause urinary tract and enteric infections in humans and have been implicated in infections with Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC).