When a thin periodic layer meets corners: asymptotic analysis of a singular Poisson problem

The present work deals with the resolution of the Poisson equation in a bounded domain made of a thin and periodic layer of finite length placed into a homogeneous medium. We provide and justify a high order asymptotic expansion which takes into account the boundary layer effect occurring in the vicinity of the periodic layer as well as the corner singularities appearing in the neighborhood of the extremities of the layer. Our approach combines the method of matched asymptotic expansions and the method of periodic surface homogenization, and a complete justification is included in the paper or its appendix.Comment: 58 page

DMTs and Covid-19 severity in MS: a pooled analysis from Italy and France

We evaluated the effect of DMTs on Covid-19 severity in patients with MS, with a pooled-analysis of two large cohorts from Italy and France. The association of baseline characteristics and DMTs with Covid-19 severity was assessed by multivariate ordinal-logistic models and pooled by a fixed-effect meta-analysis. 1066 patients with MS from Italy and 721 from France were included. In the multivariate model, anti-CD20 therapies were significantly associated (OR = 2.05, 95%CI = 1.39–3.02, p < 0.001) with Covid-19 severity, whereas interferon indicated a decreased risk (OR = 0.42, 95%CI = 0.18–0.99, p = 0.047). This pooled-analysis confirms an increased risk of severe Covid-19 in patients on anti-CD20 therapies and supports the protective role of interferon

On the homogenization of the Helmholtz problem with thin perforated walls of finite length

In this work, we present a new solution representation for the Helmholtz transmission problem in a bounded domain in ℝ2 with a thin and periodic layer of finite length. The layer may consists of a periodic pertubation of the material coefficients or it is a wall modelled by boundary conditions with an periodic array of small perforations. We consider the periodicity in the layer as the small variable δ and the thickness of the layer to be at the same order. Moreover we assume the thin layer to terminate at re-entrant corners leading to a singular behaviour in the asymptotic expansion of the solution representation. This singular behaviour becomes visible in the asymptotic expansion in powers of δ where the powers depend on the opening angle. We construct the asymptotic expansion order by order. It consists of a macroscopic representation away from the layer, a boundary layer corrector in the vicinity of the layer, and a near field corrector in the vicinity of the end-points. The boundary layer correctors and the near field correctors are obtained by the solution of canonical problems based, respectively, on the method of periodic surface homogenization and on the method of matched asymptotic expansions. This will lead to transmission conditions for the macroscopic part of the solution on an infinitely thin interface and corner conditions to fix the unbounded singular behaviour at its end-points. Finally, theoretical justifications of the second order expansion are given and illustrated by numerical experiments. The solution representation introduced in this article can be used to compute a highly accurate approximation of the solution with a computational effort independent of the small periodicity δ

On the homogenization of the Helmholtz problem with thin perforated walls of finite length

In this work, we present a new solution representation for the Helmholtz transmission problem in a bounded domain in \mathbbR² with a thin and periodic layer of finite length. The layer may consists of a periodic pertubation of the material coefficients or it is a wall modelled by boundary conditions with an periodic array of small perforations. We consider the periodicity in the layer as the small variable δ and the thickness of the layer to be at the same order. Moreover we assume the thin layer to terminate at re-entrant corners leading to a singular behaviour in the asymptotic expansion of the solution representation. This singular behaviour becomes visible in the asymptotic expansion in powers of δ where the powers depend on the opening angle. We construct the asymptotic expansion order by order. It consists of a macroscopic representation away from the layer, a boundary layer corrector in the vicinity of the layer, and a near field corrector in the vicinity of the end-points. The boundary layer correctors and the near field correctors are obtained by the solution of canonical problems based, respectively, on the method of periodic surface homogenization and on the method of matched asymptotic expansions. This will lead to transmission conditions for the macroscopic part of the solution on an infinitely thin interface and corner conditions to fix the unbounded singular behaviour at its end-points. Finally, theoretical justifications of the second order expansion are given and illustrated by numerical experiments. The solution representation introduced in this article can be used to compute a highly accurate approximation of the solution with a computational effort independent of the small periodicity δ

On the homogenization of thin perforated walls of finite length

The present work deals with the resolution of the Poisson equation in a bounded domain made of a thin and periodic layer of finite length placed into a homogeneous medium. We provide and justify a high order asymptotic expansion which takes into account the boundary layer effect occurring in the vicinity of the periodic layer as well as the corner singularities appearing in the neighborhood of the extremities of the layer. Our approach combines the method of matched asymptotic expansions and the method of periodic surface homogenization

Rotavirus meningitis in an adult with transient aphasia

International audienceWe identified an additional case of documented Rotavirus meningitis in an adult with full medical history. A previously healthy 37-year-old patient presented herself for transient aphasia associated with fever and headaches at the end of a one-week history of gastroenteritis. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) analysis revealed lymphocytic meningitis, and treatment with aciclovir was initiated. Rotavirus A reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was positive in CSF and the patient's stools in favor of Rotavirus meningitis. Testing for other viruses was negative. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed no signs of encephalitis. Aphasia was resolutive in less than 12 hours, and no neurological symptoms relapsed. All symptoms evolved favorably despite aciclovir discontinuation.Viral sequencing methods have recently identified unexpected viruses as potential causative agents in meningitis, including Rotavirus. We confirm the detectability of Rotavirus in the analysis of CSF in the context of Rotavirus gastroenteritis in an adult. This case suggests postviral headache and neurological deficits with cerebrospinal fluid lymphocytosis (HaNDL) syndrome may be linked to previously undetected direct viral infection of the central nervous system.Therefore, clinicians should consider Rotavirus meningitis in diagnosing meningitis associated with gastroenteritis in adults

Glucocorticoid use as a cause of non-cellular immune response to SARS-Cov2 Spike in patients with immune system diseases

International audienceDisease modifying therapies compromise immune response to SARS-Cov2 or its vaccine in patients with immune system diseases (ISD). Therefore, analysis of the humoral and cellular responses against Spike is of utmost importance to manage ISD patients. A single-center retrospective study was conducted to evaluate the impact of COVID-19 immunization in 87 ISD patients and 81 healthy controls. We performed a whole blood interferon gamma release assay using SARS-Cov2 Spike and Nucleocapsid recombinant proteins in order to evaluate T-cell memory response, and an IgG anti-Spike ELISA to evaluate humoral response. Cellular (26.4%) and humoral (44.8%) responses were negative against Spike in ISD patients following COVID-19 immunization. In univariate analysis, an anti-Spike T cell defective response was associated with the use of glucocorticoids (Odds ratio [OR] = 10.0; p < 10-4), serum albumin level ≤40 g/L (OR = 18.9; p < 10-4), age over 55 years old (OR = 3.9, p = 0.009) and ≤2 vaccine injections (OR = 4.9; p = 0.001). The impact of glucocorticoids persisted after adjustment for age and number of vaccine injections (OR = 8.38, p < 0.001). In contrast, the humoral response was impacted by the use of anti-CD20 mAb (OR = 24.8, p < 10-4), and an extended time since immunization (≥75 days; OR = 4.3, p = 0.002). Double defective cellular/humoral responses (6.9%) were typically encountered in glucocorticoids and/or anti-CD20 mAb treated ISD with a serum albumin level ≤40 g/L (OR = 17.5; p = 0.002). Glucocorticoid usage, B cell depleting therapies, and a low serum albumin level were the main factors associated with a non-response to COVID-19 immunization in ISD patients. These results need further confirmation in larger studies

Exploitation of the Leptosphaeria maculans late effector repertoire for diversification of resistances to blackleg in Brassica napus

International audienceLeptosphaeria maculans is a phytopathogenic fungus being responsible for a damaging disease of oilseed rape (Brassica napus): stem canker. The disease is mainly controlled by plant genetic resistance: single-gene specific resistance or quantitative, adult-stage resistance. During its particularly complex and long infectious cycle, L. maculans colonizes asymptomatically the stems of oilseed rape, producing late effectors specific to this colonization stage. In the context of a strong need to identify new sources of disease resistance, we exploited the repertoire of ‘late’ effectors to identify genes in the plant that could contribute to quantitative disease resistance. Our hypothesis was that quantitative resistance partly rely on gene-for-gene interactions, with fungal effectors produced during stem infection being recognized by resistance proteins. Using an innovative strategy of early expression of late effector genes, we validated that the interaction between the late effector LmSTEE98 and the resistance RlmSTEE98 obeys a typical gene-for-gene interaction, occurring during the colonization of oilseed rape stems by L. maculans, that contributes partly to quantitative resistance, in controlled conditions. We then used the same strategy to search for new sources of resistance after having established criteria to select the most relevant late effectors, and chosen ten of these for screening. Our screening approach of 130 diversified genotypes representative of the available diversity of B. napus, allowed us to identify new sources of resistance, displaying diversified interaction phenotypes. The next steps of this project now are further validation of the efficacy of the new sources of resistance in the field and of the validity of the quantitative resistance markers. However, as it stands, our results demonstrate the existence of unsuspected sources of resistance that are potentially more durable than the classic major genes expressed early after penetration in plant tissues