Effects of Preoperative Gabapentin on Clinical Outcomes After Outpatient Midurethral Sling Placement.

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to evaluate transient urinary retention in women undergoing outpatient midurethral sling placement who received preoperative gabapentin (treated) versus those who did not (untreated). Secondary outcomes included unexpected admission rates, analgesic usage, time to discharge, and pain. METHODS: This was a retrospective cohort study including women who underwent outpatient midurethral sling placement from 2015 to 2019. Exclusion criteria included suprapubic catheter placement, planned overnight admission, abnormal preoperative postvoid residual volume, and prolonged postoperative catheterization. Logistic regression was performed to evaluate gabapentin usage and urinary retention after adjusting for patient characteristics. RESULTS: Three hundred two women met the inclusion criteria, with 19.5% experiencing urinary retention after midurethral sling placement. Women older than 65 years were more likely to have urinary retention than those aged 18-65 years (29.8% vs 17.6%, P = 0.054). Of treated participants, 26% had urinary retention versus 18% of untreated participants (P = 0.162). Adjusting for age, parity, pain, operative time, blood loss, sling type, analgesic, scopolamine patch, or hemostatic agent use, treated participants had 72% higher odds of urinary retention (adjusted odds ratio, 1.72; 95% confidence interval, 0.88-3.38; P = 0.113). There was no difference in unexpected admission, analgesic usage, time to discharge, or pain between groups. CONCLUSIONS: One of 5 women had urinary retention after outpatient midurethral sling placement. Although no statistically significant difference was found in urinary retention between groups, the odds of urinary retention in the treated group were increased. Because there was no difference in pain, analgesic usage, or time to discharge between groups, investigation regarding gabapentin use for outpatient urogynecologic surgery is needed.

In vitro antimicrobial susceptibility of clinical respiratory isolates to ceftazidime-avibactam and comparators (2016-2018).

BACKGROUND: This antimicrobial surveillance study reports in vitro antimicrobial activity and susceptibility data for a panel of agents against respiratory isolates of Enterobacterales and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. METHODS: Isolates from respiratory specimens were collected in Africa/Middle East, Asia/South Pacific, Europe and Latin America between 2016 and 2018, as part of the Antimicrobial Testing Leadership and Surveillance (ATLAS) program. Broth microdilution methodology was used to quantify minimum inhibitory concentrations, from which rates of susceptibility were determined using EUCAST breakpoints (version 10). Rates of subsets with genes encoding ß-lactamases (extended-spectrum ß-lactamases [ESBLs], serine carbapenemases and metallo-ß-lactamases [MBLs]) were also determined, as well as rates of multidrug-resistant (MDR) P. aeruginosa. RESULTS: Among all respiratory Enterobacterales isolates, susceptibility to ceftazidime-avibactam, meropenem, colistin and amikacin was ≥94.4% in each region. For Enterobacterales isolates that were ESBL-positive or carbapenemase-positive/MBL-negative, ceftazidime-avibactam susceptibility was 93.6 and 98.9%, respectively. Fewer than 42.7% of MBL-positive Enterobacterales isolates were susceptible to any agents, except colistin (89.0% susceptible). Tigecycline susceptibility was ≥90.0% among Citrobacter koseri and Escherichia coli isolates, including all ß-lactamase-positive subsets. ESBL-positive Enterobacterales were more commonly identified in each region than isolates that were ESBL/carbapenemase-positive; carbapenemase-positive/MBL-negative; or MBL-positive. Among all respiratory P. aeruginosa isolates, the combined susceptibility rates (susceptible at standard dosing regimen plus susceptible at increased exposure) were highest to ceftazidime-avibactam, colistin and amikacin (≥82.4% in each region). Susceptibility to colistin was ≥98.1% for all ß-lactamase-positive subsets of P. aeruginosa. The lowest rates of antimicrobial susceptibility were observed among MBL-positive isolates of P. aeruginosa (≤56.6%), with the exception of colistin (100% susceptible). MDR P. aeruginosa were most frequently identified in each region (18.7-28.7%), compared with the subsets of ESBL-positive; carbapenemase-positive/MBL-negative; or MBL-positive isolates. CONCLUSIONS: Rates of susceptibility among the collections of respiratory Enterobacterales and P. aeruginosa isolates were highest to ceftazidime-avibactam, colistin and amikacin in each region. Tigecycline was active against all subsets of C. koseri and E. coli, and colistin was active against all subsets of P. aeruginosa. The findings of this study indicate the need for continued antimicrobial surveillance among respiratory Gram-negative pathogens, in particular those with genes encoding MBLs.

Sex-based outcomes after PCI in highbleeding risk patients: Results from the onyx one clear trial

BACKGROUND: While dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) constitutes the cornerstone of post-PCI pharmacotherapy, duration of DAPT in high bleeding risk (HBR) patients has not been fully defined especially with regard to sex. The results from the Onyx ONE Clear trial demonstrated favorable safety and efficacy after PCI with 1-month dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) in HBR patients treated with Resolute Onyx drug-eluting stents (DES). We sought to evaluate impact of sex on clinical outcomes in this trial. METHODS: In this prespecified subgroup analysis from Onyx ONE Clear, patients were divided into 2 groups according to sex. Primary endpoint was cardiac death or myocardial infarction (MI) from 1 month to 1 year. RESULTS: A total of 487 female patients (32%) and 1019 males (68%) were free from major ischemic events 1-month after PCI and were transitioned to single antiplatelet therapy.Women were older (p<0.001), had more HBR criteria (p=0.02), and higher rates of moderate/severe calcific lesions (p=0.03) compared to men. Men had higher rates of previous MI (p=0.003), atrial fibrillation (p=0.001), and multivessel coronary artery disease (p<0.001). Clinical outcomes between 1 and 12 months are shown in (Figure) and were similar for males and females except for target vessel revascularization which was greater for males (p=0.04). CONCLUSIONS: In HBR patients treated with Resolute Onyx DES and an abbreviated DAPT course of one month, rates of the primary endpoint of cardiac death or MI between 1 and 12 months were low and did not show any sex-based differences. These data support the use of an abbreviated DAPT regimen in men and women with HBR after PCI with Resolute Onyx DES.

In vitro activity of aztreonam/avibactam against a global collection of Klebsiella pneumoniae collected from defined culture sources in 2016 and 2017.

OBJECTIVES: This study reports on the activity of aztreonam/avibactam (ATM-AVI) against a collection of Klebsiella pneumoniae collected in 2016 and 2017. METHODS: Non-duplicate K. pneumoniae isolates were collected from four regions (Africa/Middle East, n = 785; Asia-Pacific, n = 1433; Europe, n = 4236; Latin America, n = 1499) and five culture sources (blood, n = 902; intra-abdominal, n = 992; urinary tract, n = 2148; skin and skin structure, n = 1409; lower respiratory tract, n = 2502). MICs were determined at a central laboratory using Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) broth microdilution methodology. Susceptibility was determined using European Committee on Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing (EUCAST) breakpoints. RESULTS: For all culture sources, against all K. pneumoniae, the highest rates of susceptibility were seen for amikacin (>84%), ceftazidime/avibactam (>94%), colistin (>92%) and meropenem (>83%), and >99.9% of isolates were inhibited at an ATM-AVI MIC of ≤4 mg/L. Among meropenem-resistant (MEM-R, n = 583) and meropenem-resistant metallo-ß-lactamase-negative (MEM-R-MBLN; n = 469) isolates, susceptibility was highest to ceftazidime/avibactam (79.9% and 99.4%, respectively) and colistin (67.2% and 62.7%, respectively). All MEM-R-MBLN isolates from blood, intra-abdominal, urinary tract and skin and skin structure sources, and all but one isolate from respiratory sources, were inhibited at an ATM-AVI MIC of ≤2 mg/L. Against the meropenem-resistant metallo-ß-lactamase positive (MEM-R-MBLP; n = 114) isolates, susceptibility to colistin was between 75.0% (urinary tract isolates) and 93.3% (lower respiratory tract isolates). All MEM-R-MBLP isolates were inhibited at an ATM-AVI MIC of ≤0.5 mg/L. CONCLUSIONS: ATM-AVI is active against K. pneumoniae isolates from a range of culture sources across Africa/Middle East, Asia-Pacific, Europe and Latin America. ATM-AVI also has activity against MEM-R-MBLN and MEM-R-MBLP isolates.

Polymer-based or polymer-free stents in patients at high bleeding risk

BACKGROUND Polymer-free drug-coated stents provide superior clinical outcomes to bare-metal stents in patients at high bleeding risk who undergo percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and are treated with 1 month of dual antiplatelet therapy. Data on the use of polymer-based drug-eluting stents, as compared with polymer-free drug-coated stents, in such patients are limited. METHODS In an international, randomized, single-blind trial, we compared polymer-based zotarolimus-eluting stents with polymer-free umirolimus­coated stents in patients at high bleeding risk. After PCI, patients were treated with 1 month of dual antiplatelet therapy, followed by single antiplatelet therapy. The primary outcome was a safety composite of death from cardiac causes, myocardial infarction, or stent thrombosis at 1 year. The principal secondary outcome was target-lesion failure, an effectiveness composite of death from cardiac causes, target-vessel myocardial infarction, or clinically indicated target-lesion revascularization. Both outcomes were powered for noninferiority. RESULTS A total of 1996 patients at high bleeding risk were randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to receive zotarolimus-eluting stents (1003 patients) or polymer-free drugcoated stents (993 patients). At 1 year, the primary outcome was observed in 169 of 988 patients (17.1%) in the zotarolimus-eluting stent group and in 164 of 969 (16.9%) in the polymer-free drug-coated stent group (risk difference, 0.2 percentage points; upper boundary of the one-sided 97.5% confidence interval [CI], 3.5; noninferiority margin, 4.1; P=0.01 for noninferiority). The principal secondary outcome was observed in 174 patients (17.6%) in the zotarolimus-eluting stent group and in 169 (17.4%) in the polymer-free drug-coated stent group (risk difference, 0.2 percentage points; upper boundary of the one-sided 97.5% CI, 3.5; noninferiority margin, 4.4; P=0.007 for noninferiority). CONCLUSIONS Among patients at high bleeding risk who received 1 month of dual antiplatelet therapy after PCI, use of polymer-based zotarolimus-eluting stents was noninferior to use of polymer-free drug-coated stents with regard to safety and effectiveness composite outcomes. (Funded by Medtronic; ONYX ONE ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT03344653.). (AU)

Impact of EUCAST ceftaroline breakpoint change on the susceptibility of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus isolates collected from patients with complicated skin and soft-tissue infections.

OBJECTIVES: In 2018, the European Committee on Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing (EUCAST) introduced an intermediate breakpoint for ceftaroline against Staphylococcus aureus. The objective of this study was to compare data on resistance to ceftaroline among methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) isolates using versions 7.1 (March 2017) and 8.0 (January 2018) of the EUCAST breakpoints. METHODS: Participating centers were located in Africa, Asia, Europe, Oceania and South America. Isolates were collected from patients with complicated skin and soft-tissue infections and were cultured from integumentary sources. Methicillin resistance among S. aureus was confirmed locally using the oxacillin method. The CLSI broth microdilution method was used to measure ceftaroline MICs at the central laboratory. Versions 7.1 and 8.0 of the EUCAST breakpoints were used to interpret MIC data. RESULTS: Between 2015 and 2016, 9559 isolates of S. aureus were collected, of which 5566 (58.2%) isolates were MRSA. Overall, the lowest rate of MRSA was in Asia (56.5%; 705/1247) and the highest rate was in Oceania (62.7%; 299/477). Using version 7.1 of the EUCAST breakpoints, 4.5% (250/5566) of all MRSA isolates were resistant to ceftaroline and when version 8.0 of the breakpoints was applied, 4.2% (235/5566) of MRSA were in the intermediate category and 0.3% (15/5566) of all isolates were considered resistant. CONCLUSIONS: By applying version 8.0 of the EUCAST breakpoints, the majority of MRSA isolates that were resistant are now in the intermediate category for ceftaroline. Ceftaroline resistance among MRSA now appears rare.

Optical creation of a supercrystal with three-dimensional nanoscale periodicity.

Stimulation with ultrafast light pulses can realize and manipulate states of matter with emergent structural, electronic and magnetic phenomena. However, these non-equilibrium phases are often transient and the challenge is to stabilize them as persistent states. Here, we show that atomic-scale PbTiO3/SrTiO3 superlattices, counterpoising strain and polarization states in alternate layers, are converted by sub-picosecond optical pulses to a supercrystal phase. This phase persists indefinitely under ambient conditions, has not been created via equilibrium routes, and can be erased by heating. X-ray scattering and microscopy show this unusual phase consists of a coherent three-dimensional structure with polar, strain and charge-ordering periodicities of up to 30 nm. By adjusting only dielectric properties, the phase-field model describes this emergent phase as a photo-induced charge-stabilized supercrystal formed from a two-phase equilibrium state. Our results demonstrate opportunities for light-activated pathways to thermally inaccessible and emergent metastable states.

Dual ß-Lactam Combinations Highly Active against Mycobacterium abscessus Complex In Vitro.

As a consequence of a growing population of immunocompromised individuals, including transplant recipients and cystic fibrosis patients, there has been a dramatic increase in chronic infections caused by Mycobacterium abscessus complex (MABC) strains that are usually recalcitrant to effective antibiotic therapy. The recent rise of macrolide resistance in MABC has further complicated this clinical dilemma, dramatizing the need for novel agents. The repurposing of current antibiotics is one rapid path from discovery to patient care. In this study, we have discovered that dual ß-lactams, and specifically the combination of ceftazidime with either ceftaroline or imipenem, are synergistic and have clinically relevant activities, with MIC50s of 0.25 (ceftaroline with 100 µg/ml ceftazidime) and 0.5 µg/ml (imipenem with 100 µg/ml ceftazidime) against clinical MABC isolates. Similar synergy was observed in time-kill studies against the M. abscessus ATCC 19977 strain using clinically achievable concentrations of either imipenem (4 µg/ml) or ceftaroline (2 µg/ml), as the addition of ceftazidime at concentrations of ≥50 µg/ml showed a persistent bactericidal effect over 5 days. Treatment of THP-1 human macrophages infected with three different M. abscessus clinical isolates supported the in vitro findings, as the combination of 100 µg/ml ceftazidime and 0.125 µg/ml ceftaroline or 100 µg/ml ceftazidime and 0.25 µg/ml imipenem dramatically reduced the CFU counts to near baseline levels of infection. This study's finding that there is synergy between certain ß-lactam combinations against M. abscessus infection provides optimism toward identifying an optimum dual ß-lactam treatment regimen.IMPORTANCE The emergence of chronic MABC infections among immunocompromised populations and their inherent and acquired resistance to effective antibiotic therapy have created clinical challenges in advancing patients for transplant surgery and treating those with disease. There is an urgent need for new treatment regimens, and the repurposing of existing antibiotics provides a rapid strategy to advance a laboratory finding to patient care. Our recent discoveries that dual ß-lactams, specifically the combination of ceftazidime with ceftaroline or ceftazidime with imipenem, have significant in vitro MIC values and kill curve activities and are effective against infected THP-1 human macrophages provide optimism for a dual ß-lactam treatment strategy against MABC infections. The unexpected synergistic activities reported in this study create a new path of discovery to repurpose the large family of ß-lactam drugs.

Coming of Age in Ireland: the Twilight Zone!

Aim To describe the healthcare needs of adolescent patients inhabiting the 'seventh age of childhood' in our region with a view towards future workforce and infrastructure planning. Methods This is a retrospective descriptive study of patients aged between 14 and 16 years presenting to each of the six hospitals in our hospital group over a 10 year period (01.07.2006-1.07.2016) using electronic databases. Results There were 10,992 hospital admissions, 41,456 outpatient appointments and an average of 1,847 attendances per year at our Emergency Department in this age group. Seventeen percent (n=1,873) of patients were admitted to age appropriate wards. Only 11.3% (n=1,242) of our cohort were admitted under the care of a Paediatrician. Conclusion The Irish healthcare agenda needs to be advanced to ensure the optimal health for this valuable, yet vulnerable generation. Further investment will help shape the fledgling discipline of 'adolescent health' in Ireland.

Development of EUCAST zone diameter breakpoints and quality control criteria for ceftazidime-avibactam 10-4 µg.

Ceftazidime-avibactam disk studies were performed for disk mass selection and for establishing EUCAST quality control ranges and zone diameter breakpoints. The disk mass study included disk diffusion testing with ceftazidime-avibactam 10-4 and 10-6 µg disks and broth microdilution MIC testing for challenge set of 94 Enterobacteriaceae and 45 Pseudomonas aeruginosa. EUCAST SOP 9.0-based QC and MIC-disk correlations studies were followed for development of ceftazidime-avibactam 10-4 µg ranges for Escherichia coli ATCC 25922, P. aeruginosa ATCC 27583, and Klebsiella pneumoniae ATCC 700603 and for zone diameter breakpoint determination. The ceftazidime-avibactam 10-4 and 10-6 µg disks performed similar in comparison to broth microdilution, with zones ≤ 14 mm for all resistant strains. The 10-4 µg disk was selected and used in QC and breakpoint studies. There was minimal variation of ceftazidime-avibactam 10-4 µg QC study results between disks, media, and sites. The QC ranges were within 7 mm for all strains. The zone diameter breakpoint study demonstrated good correlation of MIC and disk results. The established zone diameter breakpoints resulted in false susceptible rates of 1.6 and 4.0% for Enterobacteriaceae and P. aeruginosa. EUCAST selected the ceftazidime-avibactam 10-4 µg disk and established QC ranges for E. coli 25922 of 24-30 mm, P. aeruginosa ATCC 27853 of 21-27 mm, and K. pneumoniae ATCC 700603 of 18-24 mm. The zone diameter breakpoints that correlated best with the MIC breakpoints of susceptible ≤ 8 mg/L and resistant > 8 mg/L were Enterobacteriaceae (S ≥ 13, R < 13 mm) and P. aeruginosa (S ≥ 17, R < 17 mm).

MELAS (Mitochondrial Encephalomyopathy, Lactic Acidosis, Stroke) - a Diagnosis Not to be Missed.

MELAS is a rare mitochondrial disorder. We report two cases in Irish males where the characteristics were evident, but the diagnosis not made for a considerable period of time. In one of the cases the symptoms were presumed secondary to prematurity. In the other the symptoms were presumed secondary to epilepsy and he had three respiratory arrests secondary to benzodiazepine administration. This report wishes to highlight MELAS as a differential diagnosis in paediatric patients who present with stroke.

Development of a dual MCP framing camera for high energy x-rays.

Recently developed diagnostic techniques at LLNL require recording backlit images of extremely dense imploded plasmas using hard x-rays, and demand the detector to be sensitive to photons with energies higher than 50 keV [R. Tommasini et al., Phys. Phys. Plasmas 18, 056309 (2011); G. N. Hall et al., "AXIS: An instrument for imaging Compton radiographs using ARC on the NIF," Rev. Sci. Instrum. (these proceedings)]. To increase the sensitivity in the high energy region, we propose to use a combination of two MCPs. The first MCP is operated in a low gain regime and works as a thick photocathode, and the second MCP works as a high gain electron multiplier. We tested the concept of this dual MCP configuration and succeeded in obtaining a detective quantum efficiency of 4.5% for 59 keV x-rays, 3 times larger than with a single plate of the thickness typically used in NIF framing cameras.

A high-resolution imaging x-ray crystal spectrometer for high energy density plasmas.

Adapting a concept developed for magnetic confinement fusion experiments, an imaging crystal spectrometer has been designed and tested for HED plasmas. The instrument uses a spherically bent quartz [211] crystal with radius of curvature of 490.8 mm. The instrument was tested at the Titan laser at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory by irradiating titanium slabs with laser intensities of 10(19)-10(20) W/cm(2). He-like and Li-like Ti lines were recorded, from which the spectrometer performance was evaluated. This spectrometer provides very high spectral resolving power (E/dE > 7000) while acquiring a one-dimensional image of the source.

Extending glacial refugia for a European tree: genetic markers show that Iberian populations of white elm are native relicts and not introductions.

Conservation policies usually focus on in situ protection of native populations, a priority that requires accurate assessment of population status. Distinction between native and introduced status can be particularly difficult (and at the same time, is most important) for species whose natural habitat has become both rare and highly fragmented. Here, we address the status of the white elm (Ulmus laevis Pallas), a European riparian tree species whose populations have been fragmented by human activity and is protected wherever it is considered native. Small populations of this species are located in Iberia, where they are unprotected because they are considered introductions due to their rarity. However, Iberia and neighbouring regions in southwestern France have been shown to support discrete glacial refuge populations of many European trees, and the possibility remains that Iberian white elms are native relicts. We used chloroplast RFLPs and nuclear microsatellites to establish the relationship between populations in Iberia and the Central European core distribution. Bayesian approaches revealed significant spatial structure across populations. Those in Iberia and southwestern France shared alleles absent from Central Europe, and showed spatial population structure within Iberia common in recognized native taxa. Iberian populations show a demographic signature of ancient population bottlenecks, while those in Central European show a signature of recent population bottlenecks. These patterns are not consistent with historical introduction of white elm to Iberia, and instead strongly support native status, arguing for immediate implementation of conservation measures for white elm populations in Spain and contiguous areas of southern France.

1-Year clinical outcomes of diabeticpatients treated with everolimus-elutingbioresorbable vascular scaffolds: a pooled analysis of the ABSORB and the SPIRIT trials

Objectives The aim of this study was to evaluate 1-year clinical outcomes of diabetic patients treatedwith the Absorb bioresorbable vascular scaffold (BVS).Background Clinical outcomes of diabetic patients after BVS implantation have been unreported.Methods This study included 101 patients in the ABSORB Cohort B trial and the first consecutive 450patients with 1 year of follow-up in the ABSORB EXTEND trial. A total of 136 diabetic patients werecompared with 415 nondiabetic patients. In addition, 882 diabetic patients treated with everolimuselutingmetal stents (EES) in pooled data from the SPIRIT trials (SPIRIT FIRST [Clinical Trial of the AbbottVascular XIENCE V Everolimus Eluting Coronary Stent System], SPIRIT II [A Clinical Evaluation of the XIENCEV Everolimus Eluting Coronary Stent System], SPIRIT III [Clinical Trial of the XIENCE V Everolimus ElutingCoronary Stent System (EECSS)], SPIRIT IV Clinical Trial [Clinical Evaluation of the XIENCE V EverolimusEluting Coronary Stent System]) were used for the comparison by applying propensity score matching.The primary endpoint was a device-oriented composite endpoint (DoCE), including cardiac death, targetvessel myocardial infarction, and target lesion revascularization at 1-year follow-up.Results The cumulative incidence of DoCE did not differ between diabetic and nondiabetic patientstreated with the BVS (3.7% vs. 5.1%, p » 0.64). Diabetic patients treated with the BVS had a similarincidence of the DoCE compared with diabetic patients treated with EES in the matched study group(3.9% for the BVS vs. 6.4% for EES, p » 0.38). There were no differences in the incidence of definite orprobable scaffold/stent thrombosis (0.7% for both diabetic and nondiabetic patients with the BVS; 1.0%for diabetic patients with the BVS vs. 1.7% for diabetic patients with EES in the matched study group).Conclusions In the present analyses, diabetic patients treated with the BVS showed...

Strong and consistently synergistic inactivation of spores of spoilage-associated Bacillus and Geobacillus spp. by high pressure and heat compared with inactivation by heat alone.

The inactivation of spores of four low-acid food spoilage organisms by high pressure thermal (HPT) and thermal-only processing was compared on the basis of equivalent thermal lethality calculated at a reference temperature of 121.1°C (F(z)(121.1)(°)(C, 0.1 MPa or 600 MPa)) and characterized as synergistic, not different or protective. In addition, the relative resistances of spores of the different spoilage microorganisms to HPT processing were compared. Processing was performed and inactivation was compared in both laboratory and pilot scale systems and in model (diluted) and actual food products. Where statistical comparisons could be made, at least 4 times and up to around 190 times more inactivation (log(10) reduction/minute at F(T)(z)(121.1)(°)(C)) of spores of Bacillus amyloliquefaciens, Bacillus sporothermodurans, and Geobacillus stearothermophilus was achieved using HPT, indicating a strong synergistic effect of high pressure and heat. Bacillus coagulans spores were also synergistically inactivated in diluted and undiluted Bolognese sauce but were protected by pressure against thermal inactivation in undiluted cream sauce. Irrespective of the response characterization, B. coagulans and B. sporothermodurans were identified as the most HPT-resistant isolates in the pilot scale and laboratory scale studies, respectively, and G. stearothermophilus as the least in both studies and all products. This is the first study to comprehensively quantitatively characterize the responses of a range of spores of spoilage microorganisms as synergistic (or otherwise) using an integrated thermal-lethality approach (F(T)(z)). The use of the F(T)(z) approach is ultimately important for the translation of commercial minimum microbiologically safe and stable thermal processes to HPT processes.

Modeling of neutron induced backgrounds in x-ray framing cameras.

Fast neutrons from inertial confinement fusion implosions pose a severe background to conventional multichannel plate (MCP)-based x-ray framing cameras for deuterium-tritium yields >10(13). Nuclear reactions of neutrons in photosensitive elements (charge coupled device or film) cause some of the image noise. In addition, inelastic neutron collisions in the detector and nearby components create a large gamma pulse. The background from the resulting secondary charged particles is twofold: (1) production of light through the Cherenkov effect in optical components and by excitation of the MCP phosphor and (2) direct excitation of the photosensitive elements. We give theoretical estimates of the various contributions to the overall noise and present mitigation strategies for operating in high yield environments.

Experimental study of neutron induced background noise on gated x-ray framing cameras.

A temporally gated x-ray framing camera based on a proximity focus microchannel plate is one of the most important diagnostic tools of inertial confinement fusion experiments. However, fusion neutrons produced in imploded capsules interact with structures surrounding the camera and produce background to x-ray signals. To understand the mechanisms of this neutron induced background, we tested several gated x-ray cameras in the presence of 14 MeV neutrons produced at the Omega laser facility. Differences between background levels observed with photographic film readout and charge-coupled-device readout have been studied.