The AMANDA Neutrino Telescope: Principle of Operation and First Results

AMANDA is a high-energy neutrino telescope presently under construction at the geographical South Pole. In the Antarctic summer 1995/96, an array of 80 optical modules (OMs) arranged on 4 strings (AMANDA-B4) was deployed at depths between 1.5 and 2 km. In this paper we describe the design and performance of the AMANDA-B4 prototype, based on data collected between February and November 1996. Monte Carlo simulations of the detector response to down-going atmospheric muon tracks show that the global behavior of the detector is understood. We describe the data analysis method and present first results on atmospheric muon reconstruction and separation of neutrino candidates. The AMANDA array was upgraded with 216 OMs on 6 new strings in 1996/97 (AMANDA-B10), and 122 additional OMs on 3 strings in 1997/98.Comment: 36 pages, 23 figures, submitted to Astroparticle Physic

Antipsychotics and Torsadogenic Risk: Signals Emerging from the US FDA Adverse Event Reporting System Database

Background: Drug-induced torsades de pointes (TdP) and related clinical entities represent a current regulatory and clinical burden. Objective: As part of the FP7 ARITMO (Arrhythmogenic Potential of Drugs) project, we explored the publicly available US FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) database to detect signals of torsadogenicity for antipsychotics (APs). Methods: Four groups of events in decreasing order of drug-attributable risk were identified: (1) TdP, (2) QT-interval abnormalities, (3) ventricular fibrillation/tachycardia, and (4) sudden cardiac death. The reporting odds ratio (ROR) with 95 % confidence interval (CI) was calculated through a cumulative analysis from group 1 to 4. For groups 1+2, ROR was adjusted for age, gender, and concomitant drugs (e.g., antiarrhythmics) and stratified for AZCERT drugs, lists I and II (http://www.azcert.org, as of June 2011). A potential signal of torsadogenicity was defined if a drug met all the following criteria: (a) four or more cases in group 1+2; (b) significant ROR in group 1+2 that persists through the cumulative approach; (c) significant adjusted ROR for group 1+2 in the stratum without AZCERT drugs; (d) not included in AZCERT lists (as of June 2011). Results: Over the 7-year period, 37 APs were reported in 4,794 cases of arrhythmia: 140 (group 1), 883 (group 2), 1,651 (group 3), and 2,120 (group 4). Based on our criteria, the following potential signals of torsadogenicity were found: amisulpride (25 cases; adjusted ROR in the stratum without AZCERT drugs = 43.94, 95 % CI 22.82-84.60), cyamemazine (11; 15.48, 6.87-34.91), and olanzapine (189; 7.74, 6.45-9.30). Conclusions: This pharmacovigilance analysis on the FAERS found 3 potential signals of torsadogenicity for drugs previously unknown for this risk

Limits to the muon flux from WIMP annihilation in the center of the Earth with the AMANDA detector

A search for nearly vertical up-going muon-neutrinos from neutralino annihilations in the center of the Earth has been performed with the AMANDA-B10 neutrino detector. The data sample collected in 130.1 days of live-time in 1997, ~10^9 events, has been analyzed for this search. No excess over the expected atmospheric neutrino background is oberved. An upper limit at 90% confidence level on the annihilation rate of neutralinos in the center of the Earth is obtained as a function of the neutralino mass in the range 100 GeV-5000 GeV, as well as the corresponding muon flux limit.Comment: 14 pages, 11 figures. Version accepted for publication in Physical Review

Results from the Antarctic Muon and Neutrino Detector Array (AMANDA)

We show new results from both the older and newer incarnations of AMANDA (AMANDA-B10 and AMANDA-II, respectively). These results demonstrate that AMANDA is a functioning, multipurpose detector with significant physics and astrophysics reach. They include a new higher-statistics measurement of the atmospheric muon neutrino flux and preliminary results from searches for a variety of sources of ultrahigh energy neutrinos: generic point sources, gamma-ray bursters and diffuse sources producing muons in the detector, and diffuse sources producing electromagnetic or hadronic showers in or near the detector.Comment: Invited talk at the XXth International Conference on Neutrino Physics and Astrophysics (Neutrino 2002), Munich, Germany, May 25-30, 200

High variety of known and new RNA and DNA viruses of diverse origins in untreated sewage

Deep sequencing of untreated sewage provides an opportunity to monitor enteric infections in large populations and for high-throughput viral discovery. A metagenomics analysis of purified viral particles in untreated sewage from the United States (San Francisco, CA), Nigeria (Maiduguri), Thailand (Bangkok), and Nepal (Kathmandu) revealed sequences related to 29 eukaryotic viral families infecting vertebrates, invertebrates, and plants (BLASTx E score, <10(−4)), including known pathogens (>90% protein identities) in numerous viral families infecting humans (Adenoviridae, Astroviridae, Caliciviridae, Hepeviridae, Parvoviridae, Picornaviridae, Picobirnaviridae, and Reoviridae), plants (Alphaflexiviridae, Betaflexiviridae, Partitiviridae, Sobemovirus, Secoviridae, Tombusviridae, Tymoviridae, Virgaviridae), and insects (Dicistroviridae, Nodaviridae, and Parvoviridae). The full and partial genomes of a novel kobuvirus, salivirus, and sapovirus are described. A novel astrovirus (casa astrovirus) basal to those infecting mammals and birds, potentially representing a third astrovirus genus, was partially characterized. Potential new genera and families of viruses distantly related to members of the single-stranded RNA picorna-like virus superfamily were genetically characterized and named Picalivirus, Secalivirus, Hepelivirus, Nedicistrovirus, Cadicistrovirus, and Niflavirus. Phylogenetic analysis placed these highly divergent genomes near the root of the picorna-like virus superfamily, with possible vertebrate, plant, or arthropod hosts inferred from nucleotide composition analysis. Circular DNA genomes distantly related to the plant-infecting Geminiviridae family were named Baminivirus, Nimivirus, and Niminivirus. These results highlight the utility of analyzing sewage to monitor shedding of viral pathogens and the high viral diversity found in this common pollutant and provide genetic information to facilitate future studies of these newly characterized viruses

Both Stereoselective (R)- and (S)-1-Methyl-1,2,3,4-tetrahydroisoquinoline Enantiomers Protect Striatal Terminals Against Rotenone-Induced Suppression of Dopamine Release

1-Methyl-1,2,3,4-tetrahydroisoquinoline (1MeTIQ) is present in the human and rodent brain as a mixture of stereospecific (R)- and (S)-1MeTIQ enantiomers. The racemate, (R,S)-1MeTIQ, exhibits neuroprotective activity as shown in the earlier study by the authors, and In addition, it was suggested to play a crucial physiological role in the mammalian brain as an endogenous regulator of dopaminergic activity. In this article, we investigated the influence of stereospecific enantiomers of 1MeTIQ, (R)- and (S)-1MeTIQ (50 mg/kg i.p.) on rotenone-induced (3 mg/kg s.c.) behavioral and neurochemical changes in the rat. In behavioral study, in order to record dynamic motor function of rats, we measured locomotor activity using automated locomotor activity boxes. In biochemical studies, we analyzed in rat striatum the concentration of dopamine (DA) and its metabolites: intraneuronal DOPAC, extraneuronal 3-MT, and final HVA using HPLC with electrochemical detection. Otherwise, DA release was estimated by in vivo microdialysis study. The behavioral study has demonstrated that both acute and repeated (3 times) rotenone administration unimportantly depressed a basic locomotor activity in rat. (R)- and (S)-1MeTIQ stereoisomers (50 mg/kg i.p.) produced a modest behavioral activation both in naïve and rotenone-treated rats. The data from ex vivo neurochemical experiments have shown stereospecificity of 1MeTIQ enantiomers in respect of their effects on DA catabolism. (R)-1MeTIQ significantly increased both the level of the final DA metabolite, HVA (by about 70%), and the rate of DA metabolism (by 50%). In contrast to that, (S)-1MeTIQ significantly depressed DOPAC, HVA levels (by 60 and 40%, respectively), and attenuated the rate of DA metabolism (by about 60%). On the other hand, both the enantiomers increased the concentrations of DA and its extraneuronal metabolite, 3-MT in rat striatum. In vivo microdialysis study has shown that repeated but not acute administration of rotenone produced a deep and significant functional impairment of striatal DA release. Both (R)- and (S)- stereospecific enantiomers of 1MeTIQ antagonized rotenone-induced suppression of DA release; however, the effect of (R)-1MeTIQ was more strongly expressed in microdialysis study. In conclusion, we suggest that both chiral isomers of 1MeTIQ offer neuroprotection against rotenone-induced disturbances in the function of dopaminergic neurons and (R,S)-1MeTIQ will be useful as a drug with marked neuroprotective activity in the brain

Molecular characterization of partial-open reading frames 1a and 2 of the human astroviruses in South Korea

Human astroviruses (HAstVs) are among the major causes of gastroenteritis in South Korea. In this study, the partial regions of the open reading frame (ORF) 1a and ORF2 genes of HAstVs from gastroenteritis patients in nine hospitals were sequenced, and the molecular characterization of the viruses was revealed. 89 partial nucleotide sequences of ORF1a and 88 partial nucleotide sequences of ORF2 were amplified from 120 stool specimens. Phylogenetic analysis showed that most of the nucleotide sequences of ORF1a and ORF2 were grouped with HAstV type 1 but had evolutionary genetic distance compared with the reference sequences, such as the HAstV-1 prototype, Dresden strain, and Oxford strain. According to the phylogenetic analysis, some nucleotide sequences including SE0506041, SE0506043, and SE0506058, showed the discrepancy of the genotypes, but there was no proof of recombination among the HAstV types. In conclusion, this study showed that the dominant HAstV isolated from the Seoul metropolitan area in 2004-2005 was HAstV type 1, and that Korean HAstV-1 had the genetic distance in evolution compared with the reference sequences of HAstVs. Lots of nucleotide sequences of the ORF1a and ORF2 genes of HAstV will be useful for studying for the control and prevention of HAstV gastroenteritis in South Korea

Physics Results from the AMANDA Neutrino Detector

In the winter season of 2000, the AMANDA (Antarctic Muon And Neutrino Detector Array) detector was completed to its final state. We report on major physics results obtained from the AMANDA-B10 detector, as well as initial results of the full AMANDA-II detector

Genomic Insights Into The Ixodes scapularis Tick Vector Of Lyme Disease

Ticks transmit more pathogens to humans and animals than any other arthropod. We describe the 2.1 Gbp nuclear genome of the tick, Ixodes scapularis (Say), which vectors pathogens that cause Lyme disease, human granulocytic anaplasmosis, babesiosis and other diseases. The large genome reflects accumulation of repetitive DNA, new lineages of retrotransposons, and gene architecture patterns resembling ancient metazoans rather than pancrustaceans. Annotation of scaffolds representing B57% of the genome, reveals 20,486 protein-coding genes and expansions of gene families associated with tick–host interactions. We report insights from genome analyses into parasitic processes unique to ticks, including host ‘questing’, prolonged feeding, cuticle synthesis, blood meal concentration, novel methods of haemoglobin digestion, haem detoxification, vitellogenesis and prolonged off-host survival. We identify proteins associated with the agent of human granulocytic anaplasmosis, an emerging disease, and the encephalitis-causing Langat virus, and a population structure correlated to life-history traits and transmission of the Lyme disease agent

Genomic Insights Into The Ixodes scapularis Tick Vector Of Lyme Disease

Ticks transmit more pathogens to humans and animals than any other arthropod. We describe the 2.1 Gbp nuclear genome of the tick, Ixodes scapularis (Say), which vectors pathogens that cause Lyme disease, human granulocytic anaplasmosis, babesiosis and other diseases. The large genome reflects accumulation of repetitive DNA, new lineages of retrotransposons, and gene architecture patterns resembling ancient metazoans rather than pancrustaceans. Annotation of scaffolds representing B57% of the genome, reveals 20,486 protein-coding genes and expansions of gene families associated with tick–host interactions. We report insights from genome analyses into parasitic processes unique to ticks, including host ‘questing’, prolonged feeding, cuticle synthesis, blood meal concentration, novel methods of haemoglobin digestion, haem detoxification, vitellogenesis and prolonged off-host survival. We identify proteins associated with the agent of human granulocytic anaplasmosis, an emerging disease, and the encephalitis-causing Langat virus, and a population structure correlated to life-history traits and transmission of the Lyme disease agent