Buruli ulcer in Australia: Evidence for a new endemic focus at Batemans Bay, New South Wales.

We describe two locally acquired cases of Mycobacterium ulcerans infection (Buruli ulcer) in the town of Batemans Bay on the east coast of New South Wales (NSW), Australia, 150 km north of Eden, the only other place in NSW where Buruli ulcer has likely been locally acquired. Genomic analysis showed that the bacterial isolates from the cases were identical but belonged to a phylogenetically distinct M. ulcerans clade that was most closely related to the isolate from the earlier case in Eden to the south.

Optimization of Reverse Transcription Loop-Mediated Isothermal Amplification for In Situ Detection of SARS-CoV-2 in a Micro-Air-Filtration Device Format.

The Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has supercharged innovation in the field of molecular diagnostics and led to the exploration of systems that permit the autonomous identification of airborne infectious agents. Airborne virus detection is an emerging approach for determining exposure risk, although current methods limit intervention timeliness. Here, we explore reverse transcription loop-mediated isothermal amplification (RT-LAMP) assays for one-pot detection of Severe acute respiratory syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) (SCV2) run on membrane filters suitable for micro-air-filtration of airborne viruses.

Marine sponge microbe provides insights into evolution and virulence of the tubercle bacillus.

Reconstructing the evolutionary origins of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the causative agent of human tuberculosis, has helped identify bacterial factors that have led to the tubercle bacillus becoming such a formidable human pathogen. Here we report the discovery and detailed characterization of an exceedingly slow growing mycobacterium that is closely related to M. tuberculosis for which we have proposed the species name Mycobacterium spongiae sp.

Mycobacterium ulcerans challenge strain selection for a Buruli ulcer controlled human infection model.

Critical scientific questions remain regarding infection with Mycobacterium ulcerans, the organism responsible for the neglected tropical disease, Buruli ulcer (BU). A controlled human infection model has the potential to accelerate our knowledge of the immunological correlates of disease, to test prophylactic interventions and novel therapeutics. Here we present microbiological evidence supporting M.

Mosquitoes provide a transmission route between possums and humans for Buruli ulcer in southeastern Australia.

Buruli ulcer, a chronic subcutaneous infection caused by Mycobacterium ulcerans, is increasing in prevalence in southeastern Australia. Possums are a local wildlife reservoir for M. ulcerans and, although mosquitoes have been implicated in transmission, it remains unclear how humans acquire infection.

Optical and x-ray characterization of the Daedalus ultrafast x-ray imager.

The Daedalus ultrafast x-ray imager is the latest generation in Sandia's hybrid CMOS detector family. With three frames along an identical line of sight, 1 ns minimum integration time, a higher full well than Icarus, and added features, Daedalus brings exciting new capabilities to diagnostic applications in inertial confinement fusion and high energy density science. In this work, we present measurements of time response, dynamic range, spatial uniformity, pixel cross-talk, and absolute x-ray sensitivity using pulsed optical and x-ray sources.

Hybrid CMOS detectors for high-speed X-ray imaging.

Hybrid CMOS (hCMOS) x-ray framing cameras are a new and powerful detector option for experiments in the fields of Inertial Confinement Fusion (ICF) and High Energy Density Physics (HEDP). These digital cameras capture multiple images along a single line-of-sight with a time resolution as short as 1.5 ns and with high quantum efficiency.

Mycobacterium ulcerans not detected by PCR on human skin in Buruli ulcer endemic areas of south eastern Australia.

Introduction: Mycobacterium ulcerans (MU) causes Buruli ulcer (Buruli), a geographically restricted infection that can result in skin loss, contracture and permanent scarring. Lesion-location maps compiled from more than 640 cases in south eastern Australia suggest biting insects are likely involved in transmission, but it is unclear whether MU is brought by insects to humans or if MU is already on the skin and inoculation is an opportunistic event that need not be insect dependent.

Methods: We validated a PCR swab detection assay and defined its dynamic range using laboratory cultured M.

Demonstration of improved laser preheat with a cryogenically cooled magnetized liner inertial fusion platform.

We report on progress implementing and testing cryogenically cooled platforms for Magnetized Liner Inertial Fusion (MagLIF) experiments. Two cryogenically cooled experimental platforms were developed: an integrated platform fielded on the Z pulsed power generator that combines magnetization, laser preheat, and pulsed-power-driven fuel compression and a laser-only platform in a separate chamber that enables measurements of the laser preheat energy using shadowgraphy measurements. The laser-only experiments suggest that ∼89% ± 10% of the incident energy is coupled to the fuel in cooled targets across the energy range tested, significantly higher than previous warm experiments that achieved at most 67% coupling and in line with simulation predictions.

Statistical modeling based on structured surveys of Australian native possum excreta harboring predicts Buruli ulcer occurrence in humans.

Background: Buruli ulcer (BU) is a neglected tropical disease caused by infection of subcutaneous tissue with . BU is commonly reported across rural regions of Central and West Africa but has been increasing dramatically in temperate southeast Australia around the major metropolitan city of Melbourne, with most disease transmission occurring in the summer months. Previous research has shown that Australian native possums are reservoirs of and that they shed the bacteria in their fecal material (excreta).

The ultrafast pixel array camera system and its applications in high energy density physics.

Diagnostics in high energy density physics, shock physics, and related fields are primarily driven by a need to record rapidly time-evolving signals in single-shot events. These measurements are often limited by channel count and signal degradation issues on cable links between the detector and digitizer. We present the Ultrafast Pixel Array Camera (UPAC), a compact and flexible detector readout system with 32 waveform-recording channels at up to 10 Gsample/s and 1.

Evaluating Self-Control Theory Among the Deaf Community.

This study evaluates the generality of self-control theory with a previously untested cultural group rarely studied by criminologists, the Deaf community. Survey data ( = 428) from participants attending a university that houses a college for the Deaf and hard-of-hearing were compared with a sample of "hearing" students. The findings support Gottfredson and Hirschi's cultural invariance thesis as self-control was consistently able to predict a wide range of rule-breaking behaviors among the culturally distinct groups examined.

In vitro activity of SPR719 against Mycobacterium ulcerans, Mycobacterium marinum and Mycobacterium chimaera.

Nontuberculosis mycobacterial (NTM) infections are increasing in prevalence across the world. In many cases, treatment options for these infections are limited. However, there has been progress in recent years in the development of new antimycobacterial drugs.

An Ultrasound Screening Exam During Medicare Wellness Visits May Be Beneficial.

Objectives: The physical exam component of a periodic health visit in the elderly has not been considered useful. Standard Medicare Wellness visits require no physical exam beyond blood pressure and most physicians perform limited exams during these visits. The objective of this study was to test the feasibility, potential benefit, and costs of performing a screening ultrasound (US) exam during Medicare Wellness visits.