Full aperture backscatter diagnostics for characterization of laser plasma instabilities at the extreme light infrastructure (ELI) beamlines.

We report on the commissioning of a full aperture backscatter diagnostics station for the kilojoule, nanosecond high repetition rate L4n laser operating at a wavelength of 527 nm at the Extreme Light Infrastructure (ELI) - Beamlines, Dolni Brezany, Czech Republic. Light scattered back from laser-plasma interaction into the cone of the final focusing lens is captured and split into different channels to measure the signatures of laser plasma instabilities from stimulated Brillouin scattering, stimulated Raman scattering, and two plasmon decay with respect to back scattered energy, its spectrum, and its temporal profile. The performance was confirmed in a commissioning experiment with more than 800 shots at laser intensities ranging from 0.

Effect of portable HEPA filters on COVID-19 period prevalence: an observational quasi-interventional study in German kindergartens.

Objectives: The aim of the study was to evaluate the effect of high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters on COVID-19 period prevalence in kindergartens.

Design: The observational study follows an intervention design with the intervention group using HEPA filters and the control group not.

Setting: The study was conducted in 32 (10 intervention, 22 control) kindergartens (daycare centres) in Rhineland Palatinate (Germany).

Legionella in drinking water: the detection method matters.

Legionella concentrations in drinking water have been regulated for decades and are evaluated with regard to their concentrations in drinking water plumbing systems (DWPS). The respective action levels differ at the international level. In Germany, the Federal Environment Agency (UBA) specifies the application of ISO 11731 for the detection of legionella in drinking water and gives a binding recommendation for the methods to be used for culturing and evaluation.

Burden of hospital admissions and resulting patient interhospital transports during the 2020/2021 SARS-CoV-2 pandemic in Saxony, Germany.

Secondary transports of patients from one hospital to another are indicated for medical reasons or to address local constraints in capacity. In particular, interhospital transports of critically ill infectious patients present a logistical challenge and can be key in the effective management of pandemic situations. The state of Saxony in Germany has two characteristics that allow for an extensive evaluation of secondary transports in the pandemic year 2020/2021.

Clinically relevant antibiotic-resistant bacteria in aquatic environments - An optimized culture-based approach.

The emergence of antibiotic-resistant clinically relevant facultative pathogenic bacteria in the environment has become one of the most important global health challenges. Antibiotic-resistant bacteria (ARB) have been found in surface waters and wastewater treatment plants. Drinking water guidelines and the EU bathing water directive 2006/7/EC include the surveillance of defined microbiological parameters on species level, while the monitoring of ARB is missing in all existing guidelines.