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Nature Communications May 2022Dual-comb spectroscopy (DCS) normally operates with two independent, relatively low power and actively synchronized laser sources. This hinders the wide adoption for...
Dual-comb spectroscopy (DCS) normally operates with two independent, relatively low power and actively synchronized laser sources. This hinders the wide adoption for practical implementations and frequency conversion into deep UV and VUV spectral ranges. Here, we report a fully passive, high power dual-comb laser based on thin-disk technology and its application to direct frequency comb spectroscopy. The peak power (1.2 MW) and the average power (15 W) of our Yb:YAG thin-disk dual-comb system are more than one-order-of-magnitude higher than in any previous systems. The scheme allows easy adjustment of the repetition frequency difference during operation. Both combs share all cavity components which leads to an excellent mutual stability. A time-domain signal recorded over 10 ms without any active stabilization was sufficient to resolve individual comb lines after Fourier transformation.
PubMed: 35545615
DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-30078-0 -
Journal of Clinical Microbiology May 2023Due to limited therapeutic options, there is a clinical need to assess the activity of the combination of aztreonam (ATM) and ceftazidime-avibactam (CZA) to guide the...
Due to limited therapeutic options, there is a clinical need to assess the activity of the combination of aztreonam (ATM) and ceftazidime-avibactam (CZA) to guide the therapeutic management of multidrug-resistant (MDR) Gram-negative organism infections. We set out to develop a practical MIC-based broth disk elution (BDE) method to determine the activity of the combination ATM-CZA using readily available supplies and compare it to reference broth microdilution (BMD). For the BDE method, a 30-μg ATM disk, a 30/20-μg CZA disk, both disks in combination, and no disks were added to 4 separate 5-mL cation-adjusted Mueller-Hinton broth (CA-MHB) tubes, using various manufacturers. Three testing sites performed both BDE and reference BMD testing of bacterial isolates in parallel from a single 0.5 McFarland standard inoculum and after overnight incubation, assessed them for growth (not susceptible) or no growth (susceptible) at a final concentration of 6/6/4 μg/mL ATM-CZA. During the first phase, the precision and accuracy of the BDE were analyzed by testing 61 isolates at all sites. This testing yielded 98.3% precision between sites, with 98.3% categorical agreement and 1.8% major errors (ME). During the second phase, at each site, we evaluated unique, clinical isolates of metallo-β-lactamase (MBL)-producing ( = 75), carbapenem-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa ( = 25), Stenotrophomonas maltophilia ( = 46), and sp. ( = 1). This testing resulted in 97.9% categorical agreement, with 2.4% ME. Different results were observed for different disk and CA-MHB manufacturers, requiring a supplemental ATM-CZA-not-susceptible quality control organism to ensure the accuracy of results. The BDE is a precise and effective methodology for determining susceptibility to the combination ATM-CZA.
Topics: Humans; Aztreonam; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Microbial Sensitivity Tests; Ceftazidime; Drug Combinations; Gram-Negative Bacteria; Pseudomonas aeruginosa; beta-Lactamases
PubMed: 37070979
DOI: 10.1128/jcm.01647-22 -
Frontiers in Physiology 2023The sarcomere is the smallest functional unit of muscle contraction. It is delineated by a protein-rich structure known as the Z-disk, alternating with M-bands. The... (Review)
Review
The sarcomere is the smallest functional unit of muscle contraction. It is delineated by a protein-rich structure known as the Z-disk, alternating with M-bands. The Z-disk anchors the actin-rich thin filaments and plays a crucial role in maintaining the mechanical stability of the cardiac muscle. A multitude of proteins interact with each other at the Z-disk and they regulate the mechanical properties of the thin filaments. Over the past 2 decades, the role of the Z-disk in cardiac muscle contraction has been assessed widely, however, the impact of genetic variants in Z-disk proteins has still not been fully elucidated. This review discusses the various Z-disk proteins (alpha-actinin, filamin C, titin, muscle LIM protein, telethonin, myopalladin, nebulette, and nexilin) and Z-disk-associated proteins (desmin, and obscurin) and their role in cardiac structural stability and intracellular signaling. This review further explores how genetic variants of Z-disk proteins are linked to inherited cardiac conditions termed cardiomyopathies.
PubMed: 36935760
DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2023.1143858 -
Indian Journal of Ophthalmology Aug 2023
Topics: Humans; Retina; Optic Disk Drusen
PubMed: 37530259
DOI: 10.4103/IJO.IJO_3019_22 -
Biomicrofluidics Sep 2021In this study, a viscometer, which can measure the viscosity of low-volume liquids (25 l) within 30 s, was developed on a centrifugal platform. The centrifugal...
In this study, a viscometer, which can measure the viscosity of low-volume liquids (25 l) within 30 s, was developed on a centrifugal platform. The centrifugal viscometer consists of a disk platform and a motor. Under disk rotation, centrifugal, Coriolis, and viscosity-induced drag forces result in deflection of liquid flow. The viscosity of the liquid sample is determined by the deflection angle of the liquid, which can be examined through image analysis or visual inspection. The viscosities of a series of Newtonian model fluids were tested by the centrifugal viscometer and the results showed good agreement with the ones tested by a conventional rotational viscometer. Since the centrifugal viscometer only requires a motor to function, the microfluidic disk can be produced in large quantities at a low cost through injection molding, and the deflection angle can be detected through visual inspection, it provides an inexpensive, easy to operate, and portable approach to measure low-volume liquid viscosity.
PubMed: 34504638
DOI: 10.1063/5.0060908 -
Annals of the Academy of Medicine,... Feb 2020
Topics: Glaucoma; Humans; Optic Disk
PubMed: 32246705
DOI: No ID Found