28 research outputs found
The optical module of the Baikal deep underwater neutrino telescope
A deep underwater Cherenkov telescope has been operating since 1993 in stages
of growing size at 1.1 km depth in Lake Baikal. The key component of the
telescope is the Optical Module (OM) which houses the highly sensitive
phototube QUASAR-370. We describe design and parameters of the QUASAR-370, the
layout of the optical module, the front-end electronics and the calibration
procedures, and present selected results from the five-year operation
underwater. Also, future developments with respect to a telescope consisting
from several thousand OMs are discussed.Comment: 30 pages, 24 figure
Status of the Lake Baikal Experiment
We review the present status of the Baikal Underwater Neutrino Experiment and
report on neutrino events recorded with the detector stages NT-36 and NT-96.Comment: 5 pages, 4 PostScript figures, uses here.sty and mine.sty, submitted
to the Proc. of 5th Int. Workshop on Topics in Astroparticle and Underground
Physics (LNGS INFN, Assergi, September 7-11, 1997
Registration of atmospheric neutrinos with the Baikal neutrino telescope
We present first neutrino induced events observed with a deep underwater
neutrino telescope. Data from 70 days effective life time of the BAIKAL
prototype telescope NT-96 have been analyzed with two different methods. With
the standard track reconstruction method, 9 clear upward muon candidates have
been identified, in good agreement with 8.7 events expected from Monte Carlo
calculations for atmospheric neutrinos. The second analysis is tailored to
muons coming from close to the opposite zenith. It yields 4 events, compared to
3.5 from Monte Carlo expectations. From this we derive a 90 % upper flux limit
of 1.1 * 10^-13 cm^-2 sec^-1 for muons in excess of those expected from
atmospheric neutrinos with zenith angle > 150 degrees and energy > 10GeV.Comment: 20 pages, 11 figure
The Baikal Deep Underwater Neutrino Experiment: Results, Status, Future
We review the present status of the Baikal Underwater Neutrino Experiment and
present results obtained with the various stages of the stepwise increasing
detector: NT-36 (1993-95), NT-72 (1995-96) and NT-96 (1996-97). Results cover
atmospheric muons, first clear neutrino events, search for neutrinos from WIMP
annihilation in the center of the Earth, search for magnetic monopoles, and --
far from astroparticle physics -- limnology.Comment: Talk given at the Int. School on Nuclear Physics, Erice, Sept.199
The evolving SARS-CoV-2 epidemic in Africa: Insights from rapidly expanding genomic surveillance
INTRODUCTION
Investment in Africa over the past year with regard to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) sequencing has led to a massive increase in the number of sequences, which, to date, exceeds 100,000 sequences generated to track the pandemic on the continent. These sequences have profoundly affected how public health officials in Africa have navigated the COVID-19 pandemic.
RATIONALE
We demonstrate how the first 100,000 SARS-CoV-2 sequences from Africa have helped monitor the epidemic on the continent, how genomic surveillance expanded over the course of the pandemic, and how we adapted our sequencing methods to deal with an evolving virus. Finally, we also examine how viral lineages have spread across the continent in a phylogeographic framework to gain insights into the underlying temporal and spatial transmission dynamics for several variants of concern (VOCs).
RESULTS
Our results indicate that the number of countries in Africa that can sequence the virus within their own borders is growing and that this is coupled with a shorter turnaround time from the time of sampling to sequence submission. Ongoing evolution necessitated the continual updating of primer sets, and, as a result, eight primer sets were designed in tandem with viral evolution and used to ensure effective sequencing of the virus. The pandemic unfolded through multiple waves of infection that were each driven by distinct genetic lineages, with B.1-like ancestral strains associated with the first pandemic wave of infections in 2020. Successive waves on the continent were fueled by different VOCs, with Alpha and Beta cocirculating in distinct spatial patterns during the second wave and Delta and Omicron affecting the whole continent during the third and fourth waves, respectively. Phylogeographic reconstruction points toward distinct differences in viral importation and exportation patterns associated with the Alpha, Beta, Delta, and Omicron variants and subvariants, when considering both Africa versus the rest of the world and viral dissemination within the continent. Our epidemiological and phylogenetic inferences therefore underscore the heterogeneous nature of the pandemic on the continent and highlight key insights and challenges, for instance, recognizing the limitations of low testing proportions. We also highlight the early warning capacity that genomic surveillance in Africa has had for the rest of the world with the detection of new lineages and variants, the most recent being the characterization of various Omicron subvariants.
CONCLUSION
Sustained investment for diagnostics and genomic surveillance in Africa is needed as the virus continues to evolve. This is important not only to help combat SARS-CoV-2 on the continent but also because it can be used as a platform to help address the many emerging and reemerging infectious disease threats in Africa. In particular, capacity building for local sequencing within countries or within the continent should be prioritized because this is generally associated with shorter turnaround times, providing the most benefit to local public health authorities tasked with pandemic response and mitigation and allowing for the fastest reaction to localized outbreaks. These investments are crucial for pandemic preparedness and response and will serve the health of the continent well into the 21st century