Energy-Resolving Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry for Bulk Plasma Analysis.

This work presents a newly designed energy-resolving time-of-flight mass spectrometer (E-TOFMS) for analysing the energy and mass of ions in bulk plasma. The system comprises an electrostatic sector analyser (ESA) for energy-to-charge (E/Q) ratio resolution and an orthogonal reflectron TOFMS for mass-to-charge (m/Q) ratio analysis. The design choices are explained, providing insight into electron and ion path simulations.

Ampicillin susceptibility testing of Haemophilus influenzae in the routine clinical laboratory by the EUCAST methodology compared to broth microdilution and the presence of ftsI gene mutations.

Objectives: To investigate the prevalence of ampicillin resistance in Haemophilus influenzae and the diagnostic accuracy of the EUCAST recommended disc diffusion method to detect the increasingly prevalent ampicillin resistance due to the presence of PBP3 alterations based on mutations in the ftsI gene.

Methods: During a 6-month period all consecutive non-duplicate H. influenzae isolates were prospectively collected and stored.

Nanostructure and Optical Property Tailoring of Zinc Tin Nitride Thin Films through Phenomenological Decoupling: A Pathway to Enhanced Control.

This work addresses the need for precise control of thin film sputtering processes to enable thin film material tailoring on the example of zinc tin nitride (ZTN) thin films deposited microwave plasma-assisted high power reactive magnetron sputtering (MAR-HiPIMS). The applied diagnostic techniques (Langmuir probe and energy-resolved time-of-flight mass spectrometry) supported monitoring changes in the deposition environment with respect to microwave (MW) power. During MAR-HiPIMS, the presence of nitride ions in the gas phase (ZnN, ZnN, SnN, SnN) was detected.

Interpretable conservation laws as sparse invariants.

Discovering conservation laws for a given dynamical system is important but challenging. In a theorist setup (differential equations and basis functions are both known), we propose the sparse invariant detector (SID), an algorithm that autodiscovers conservation laws from differential equations. Its algorithmic simplicity allows robustness and interpretability of the discovered conserved quantities.

Correction: Si{Al}, Al{Si} and Al{H} double-resonance NMR spectroscopy study of cementitious sodium aluminosilicate gels (geopolymers) and gel-zeolite composites.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1039/C8RA09246J.].

Overview of ICARUS-A Curated, Open Access, Online Repository for Atmospheric Simulation Chamber Data.

Atmospheric simulation chambers continue to be indispensable tools for research in the atmospheric sciences. Insights from chamber studies are integrated into atmospheric chemical transport models, which are used for science-informed policy decisions. However, a centralized data management and access infrastructure for their scientific products had not been available in the United States and many parts of the world.

Development of a sample preparation procedure for Sr isotope analysis of Portland cements.

The Sr/Sr isotope ratio can, in principle, be used for provenancing of cement. However, while commercial cements consist of multiple components, no detailed investigation into their individual Sr/Sr isotope ratios or their influence on the integral Sr/Sr isotope ratio of the resulting cement was conducted previously. Therefore, the present study aimed at determining and comparing the conventional Sr/Sr isotope ratios of a diverse set of Portland cements and their corresponding Portland clinkers, the major component of these cements.

Si{Al}, Al{Si} and Al{H} double-resonance NMR spectroscopy study of cementitious sodium aluminosilicate gels (geopolymers) and gel-zeolite composites.

The influence of starting materials and synthesis route on the properties and the structure of cementitious sodium aluminosilicate gels is not fully understood, partly due their amorphous nature and the fact that they often contain residual reactants, which can make the results of single-pulse NMR spectroscopy applied to these materials difficult to interpret or ambiguous. To overcome some of these limitations, Si{Al} TRAPDOR NMR as well as Al{Si} and Al{H} REDOR NMR spectroscopy were applied to materials synthesized by the one-part alkali-activation route from three different amorphous silica starting materials, including rice husk ash. The latter led to formation of a fully amorphous sodium aluminosilicate gel (geopolymer), while the materials produced from the other silicas contained amorphous phase and crystalline zeolites.

Reduced rate of intensive care unit acquired gram-negative bacilli after removal of sinks and introduction of 'water-free' patient care.

Background: Sinks in patient rooms are associated with hospital-acquired infections. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of removal of sinks from the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) patient rooms and the introduction of 'water-free' patient care on gram-negative bacilli colonization rates.

Methods: We conducted a 2-year pre/post quasi-experimental study that compared monthly gram-negative bacilli colonization rates pre- and post-intervention using segmented regression analysis of interrupted time series data.

Clindamycin-rifampin combination therapy for staphylococcal periprosthetic joint infections: a retrospective observational study.

Background: Staphylococcal species account for more than 50% of periprosthetic joint infections (PJI) and antimicrobial therapy with rifampin-based combination regimens has been shown effective. The present study evaluates the safety and efficacy of clindamycin in combination with rifampin for the management of staphylococcal PJI.

Methods: In this retrospective cohort study, patients were included who received clindamycin-rifampin combination therapy to treat a periprosthetic hip or knee infection by Staphylococcus aureus or coagulase-negative staphylococci.

The Effect of Door Openings on Numbers of Colony Forming Units in the Operating Room during Hip Revision Surgery.

Background: The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of door opening rates on air quality in the operation room during hip revision surgery by measuring the number of colony forming units per cubic meter (CFU/m(3)).

Methods: During 70 hip revision operations the number of CFU/m(3) was measured at four time points. Factors that may influence air quality were recorded, including the number of persons present, duration of surgery, and door opening rates.

Impaired Porphyromonas gingivalis-Induced Tumor Necrosis Factor Production by Dendritic Cells Typifies Patients With Rheumatoid Arthritis.

Objective: The prevalence of periodontitis is increased in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and the severity of periodontitis can affect the level of arthritis. Porphyromonas gingivalis is one of the main bacteria involved in periodontitis. Our aim was to determine if there are differences in the innate immune response against P gingivalis between healthy controls and RA patients.

Human TLR10 is an anti-inflammatory pattern-recognition receptor.

Toll-like receptor (TLR)10 is the only pattern-recognition receptor without known ligand specificity and biological function. We demonstrate that TLR10 is a modulatory receptor with mainly inhibitory effects. Blocking TLR10 by antagonistic antibodies enhanced proinflammatory cytokine production, including IL-1β, specifically after exposure to TLR2 ligands.

The occurrence of Enterobacteriaceae producing KPC carbapenemases in a general hospital in Curacao.

Background: Although the presence of Carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae (CPE) are extensively documented in North and South America. CPE have not been reported from Curacao. However, recently intercontinental spread was suggested of a KPC carbapenemase producing Klebsiella pneumoniae in a patient in the United Kingdom with previous admission to a hospital in Curacao in 2009.

Soil H₂¹⁸O labelling reveals the effect of drought on C¹⁸OO fluxes to the atmosphere.

Above- and belowground processes in plants are tightly coupled via carbon and water fluxes through the soil-plant-atmosphere system. The oxygen isotopic composition of atmospheric CO₂ and water vapour (H₂Ov) provides a valuable tool for investigating the transport and cycling of carbon and water within this system. However, detailed studies on the coupling between ecosystem components and environmental drivers are sparse.

Antibiotic mixing through impacted bone grafts does not seem indicated in two-stage cemented hip revisions for septic loosening.

Impaction bone grafts (IBG) in two-stage revision for prosthetic hip infection (PHI) might be more susceptible for infection, therefore antibiotic mixing through these grafts has been suggested. However, outcomes have not been compared with IBG without antibiotics and no long-term results are available. Therefore, we evaluated long-term infection-free outcome after the use of IBG without antibiotic supplement in two-stage revision for PHI.

Carbon isotope discrimination during branch photosynthesis of Fagus sylvatica: field measurements using laser spectrometry.

On-line measurements of photosynthetic carbon isotope discrimination ((13)Δ) under field conditions are sparse. Hence, experimental verification of the natural variability of instantaneous (13)Δ is scarce, although (13)Δ is, explicitly and implicitly, used from leaf to global scales for inferring photosynthetic characteristics. This work presents the first on-line field measurements of (13)Δ of Fagus sylvatica branches, at hourly resolution, using three open branch bags and a laser spectrometer for CO₂ isotopologue measurements (QCLAS-ISO).

The effect of physical back-diffusion of 13CO2 tracer on the coupling between photosynthesis and soil CO2 efflux in grassland.

Pulse labelling experiments provide a common tool to study short-term processes in the plant-soil system and investigate below-ground carbon allocation as well as the coupling of soil CO(2) efflux to photosynthesis. During the first hours after pulse labelling, the measured isotopic signal of soil CO(2) efflux is a combination of both physical tracer diffusion into and out of the soil as well as biological tracer release via root and microbial respiration. Neglecting physical back-diffusion can lead to misinterpretation regarding time lags between photosynthesis and soil CO(2) efflux in grassland or any ecosystem type where the above-ground plant parts cannot be labelled in gas-tight chambers separated from the soil.

Carbon isotope discrimination during branch photosynthesis of Fagus sylvatica: a Bayesian modelling approach.

Field measurements of photosynthetic carbon isotope discrimination ((13)Δ) of Fagus sylvatica, conducted with branch bags and laser spectrometry, revealed a high variability of (13)Δ, both on diurnal and day-to-day timescales. We tested the prediction capability of three versions of a commonly used model for (13)Δ [called here comprehensive ((13)(Δcomp)), simplified ((13) Δsimple) and revised ((13)(Δrevised)) versions]. A Bayesian approach was used to calibrate major model parameters.

Autophagy modulates Borrelia burgdorferi-induced production of interleukin-1β (IL-1β).

Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato is the causative agent of Lyme disease. Recent studies have shown that recognition of the spirochete is mediated by TLR2 and NOD2. The latter receptor has been associated with the induction of the intracellular degradation process called autophagy.

Microbial profiling does not differentiate between childhood recurrent acute otitis media and chronic otitis media with effusion.

Objectives: Otitis media (OM) is one of the most frequent diseases of childhood, with a minority of children suffering from recurrent acute otitis media (rAOM) or chronic otitis media with effusion (COME), both of which are associated with significant morbidity. We investigated whether the microbiological profiling could be used to differentiate between these two conditions.

Methods: Children up to five years of age, with rAOM (n = 45) or COME (n = 129) and scheduled for tympanostomy tube insertion were enrolled in a prospective study between 2008 and 2009.

Cerebral toxoplasmosis mimicking subacute meningitis in HIV-infected patients; a cohort study from Indonesia.

Background: HIV-associated subacute meningitis is mostly caused by tuberculosis or cryptococcosis, but often no etiology can be established. In the absence of CT or MRI of the brain, toxoplasmosis is generally not considered as part of the differential diagnosis.

Methodology/principal Findings: We performed cerebrospinal fluid real time PCR and serological testing for Toxoplasma gondii in archived samples from a well-characterized cohort of 64 HIV-infected patients presenting with subacute meningitis in a referral hospital in Indonesia.