Underwater turbulence presents a myriad of challenges for underwater optical systems through wavefront distortion and beam deflection. In this work, an underwater turbulence emulator is developed and thoroughly characterized to experimentally test the proposed underwater turbulence mitigation technique. This technique applies a modified HOBBIT system introduced in atmospheric turbulence to the relatively unknown underwater turbulence domain.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe ongoing spread of antimicrobial resistance has made the treatment of uncomplicated urinary tract infections (UTIs) and urogenital gonorrhoea increasingly difficult. New oral treatment options are urgently needed. Gepotidacin (previously GSK2140944) is a novel, bactericidal, oral, 'first-in-class' triazaacenaphthylene antibiotic that inhibits bacterial DNA replication by blocking two essential topoisomerase enzymes.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPropagation of laser light is distorted in the presence of atmospheric turbulence. This poses an issue for sensing, free-space optical communications, and transmission of power. The presented system offers a novel solution to mitigate the effects of turbulence.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThis paper presents a novel method for optical probing by generating optical fields with characteristics of wavelets. The optical wavelets form a basis of rotated asymmetric beams with scaled orbital angular momentum (OAM) and beam sizes. The probing method was used experimentally to measure the continuous wavelet transform of a turbulent propagation path, giving insight into the angular properties about a fixed radius.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFis an emerging, multidrug resistant fungal pathogen that causes considerable morbidity and mortality. First identified in Japan in 2009, it has since been reported in more than 40 countries. can persist for long periods on different environmental surfaces as well as the skin.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAntimicrobial resistance is a global threat. As "proof-of-concept," we employed a system-based approach to identify patient, bacterial, and drug variables contributing to mortality in patients with carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae (CR) bloodstream infections exposed to colistin (COL) and ceftazidime-avibactam (CAZ/AVI) as mono- or combination therapies. Patients ( = 49) and CR isolates ( = 22) were part of the Consortium on Resistance Against Carbapenems in Klebsiella and other Enterobacteriaceae (CRACKLE-1), a multicenter, observational, prospective study of patients with carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales (CRE) conducted between 2011 and 2016.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEsophageal cancer is an aggressive, often deadly disease globally that represents a significant health problem in Tanzania. The WHO reported 604,100 new esophageal cancer cases worldwide during 2020 and 544,076 deaths (Sung, 2021; World Health Organization, 2020). In Eastern Africa, 16,137 cases and 15,188 deaths were related to this disease in 2020.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAntimicrobial resistance (AMR) continues to spread at an alarming rate worldwide. Novel approaches are needed to mitigate its deleterious impact on antibiotic efficacy. Antibiotic stewardship aims to promote the appropriate use of antibiotics through evidence-based interventions.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe COVID-19 pandemic has drawn considerable attention to viral pneumonia from clinicians, public health authorities, and the general public. With dozens of viruses able to cause pneumonia in humans, differentiating viral from bacterial pneumonia can be very challenging in clinical practice using traditional diagnostic methods. Precision medicine is a medical model in which decisions, practices, interventions, and therapies are adapted to the individual patient on the basis of their predicted response or risk of disease.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAntimicrob Agents Chemother
May 2022
Multidrug-resistant (MDR) Pseudomonas aeruginosa infections are a major clinical challenge. Many isolates are carbapenem resistant, which severely limits treatment options; thus, novel therapeutic combinations, such as imipenem-relebactam (IMI/REL), ceftazidime-avibactam (CAZ/AVI), ceftolozane-tazobactam (TOL/TAZO), and meropenem-vaborbactam (MEM/VAB) were developed. Here, we studied two extensively drug-resistant (XDR) P.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Reducing bullying is a public health priority. KiVa, a school-based anti-bullying programme, is effective in reducing bullying in Finland and requires rigorous testing in other countries, including the UK. This trial aims to test the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of KiVa in reducing child reported bullying in UK schools compared to usual practice.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFExpert Rev Anti Infect Ther
June 2022
Introduction: Precision medicine is a medical model in which decisions, practices, interventions and therapies are tailored to the individual patient based on their predicted response or risk of disease. Sepsis is a life-threatening condition characterized by immune system dysregulation whose pathophysiology remains incompletely understood. There is much hope that precision medicine can lead to better outcomes in patients with sepsis.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThis Letter demonstrates the nonlinear conversion of asymmetric perfect vortex (APV) beams with fractional orbital angular momentum (OAM). By controlling the amplitude and phase of the fundamental light field, we create APVs whose global OAM demonstrates a one-to-one correspondence of the charge numbers for fractional OAM values. The results show that the OAM of the second-harmonic generation fields follow the OAM conservation law.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe diagnosis of a skin and soft tissue infection (SSTI) requires careful attention to a patient's history, physical examination, and diagnostic test results. We review for many bacterial, viral, fungal, and parasitic pathogens that cause SSTIs the clues for reaching a diagnosis, including reported past medical history, hobbies and behaviors, travel, insect bites, exposure to other people and to animals, environmental exposures to water, soil, or sand, as well as the anatomic site of skin lesions, their morphology on examination, and their evolution over time. Laboratory and radiographic tests are discussed that may be used to confirm a specific diagnosis.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe effectiveness of antibiotics continues to erode because of the relentless spread of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Public and private foundations, professional organizations, and international health agencies recognize the threat posed by AMR and have issued calls for action. One of the main drivers of AMR is overprescription of antibiotics, both in human and in veterinary medicine.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCommunity-acquired bacterial pneumonia (CABP) remains a significant cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Antimicrobial resistance, including in pathogens that cause CABP, continues to spread at an alarming rate. Because of these factors, the development of new antibiotic classes is urgently needed.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNonlinear processes of laser beams carrying orbital angular momentum (OAM) offer a means to generate new wavelengths and to manipulate OAM charge numbers. We demonstrate the second-harmonic generation (SHG) of asymmetric Bessel-Gaussian (BG) beams carrying OAM of both integer and fractional charge numbers. Experimental results show a good one-to-one correspondence of the charge numbers and compliance with the OAM conservation law.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPropagation of a continuous spectrum of orbital angular momentum (OAM) states through a realistic and controlled 3-dimensional turbulent condition has not been studied to date to the authors' knowledge. Using the Higher Order Bessel-gauss Beams Integrated in Time (HOBBIT) system and a 60 meter optical path Variable Turbulence Generator (VTG), we demonstrate that by changing the OAM in a continuous scan, a spectrum of OAMs provide an opportunity to take advantage of additional propagation channels within the aperture of the transmitter and optical path to the receiver. Experimental results are provided illustrating the HOBBIT system's ability to position the beam in space and time to exploit eigenchannels in the turbulent medium.
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