Publications by authors named "L Rushton"

Measurements monitoring the inductive coupling between oscillating radio-frequency magnetic fields and objects of interest create versatile platforms for non-destructive testing. The benefits of ultra-low-frequency measurements, i.e.

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Article Synopsis
  • - Wastewater contains significant information about antimicrobial resistance (AMR), and studying it can help inform public health policies, as seen in a comparative study of two screening methods for tracking AMR in Wales.
  • - The study compared high-throughput quantitative PCR (HT qPCR), which focused on 73 specific resistance genes, with metagenomic sequencing, which identified a broader range of 545 resistance genes and provided important context about potential bacterial hosts.
  • - While metagenomics offered a detailed overview of the resistome, HT qPCR was better at detecting and quantifying low-abundance genes relevant to clinical resistance; both methods showed similar trends related to environmental factors influencing AMR.
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Background: Few methods are available for transparently combining different evidence streams for chemical risk assessment to reach an integrated conclusion on the probability of causation. Hence, the UK Committees on Toxicity (COT) and on Carcinogenicity (COC) have reviewed current practice and developed guidance on how to achieve this in a transparent manner, using graphical visualisation.

Methods/approach: All lines of evidence, including toxicological, epidemiological, new approach methodologies, and mode of action should be considered, taking account of their strengths/weaknesses in their relative weighting towards a conclusion on the probability of causation.

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Objectives: This study aims to present an overview of the formal recognition of COVID-19 as occupational disease (OD) or injury (OI) across Europe.

Methods: A COVID-19 questionnaire was designed by a task group within COST-funded OMEGA-NET and sent to occupational health experts of 37 countries in WHO European region, with a last update in April 2022.

Results: The questionnaire was filled out by experts from 35 countries.

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Electrically conductive objects can be detected using the principle of electromagnetic induction, where a primary oscillating magnetic field induces eddy currents in the object, which in turn produce a secondary magnetic field that can be measured with a magnetometer. We have developed a portable radio-frequency optically pumped magnetometer (RF OPM) working in unshielded conditions with sub-pT/Hz magnetic field sensitivity when used for the detection of small oscillating magnetic fields, setting a new benchmark for the sensitivity of a portable RF OPM in unshielded conditions. Using this OPM, we have detected the induced magnetic field from aluminum disks with diameters as small as 1.

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