Latest developments on multicharged E.C.R. ion sources at GANIL

International audienc

First results of the 14.5 GHz GANIL ECR source with the C.W. and the pulsed operation mode

International audienceA 14.5 GHz ECR source has been designed and built at GANIL in order to improve the currents, mainly the heaviest ion beam intensities (Pb, U). We give the first results obtained with the C.W operation used on the cyclotron machines, and those we can get with the pulsed operalion mode which concerns Linacs and other machines

Progress report and first operation of the GANIL injector

http://accelconf.web.cern.ch/AccelConf/c81/papers/abp-07.pdfInternational audienc

Emerging viral threats in Gabon: health capacities and response to the risk of emerging zoonotic diseases in Central Africa

Emerging infectious diseases (EID) are currently the major threat to public health worldwide and most EID events have involved zoonotic infectious agents. Central Africa in general and Gabon in particular are privileged areas for the emergence of zoonotic EIDs. Indeed, human incursions in Gabonese forests for exploitation purposes lead to intensified contacts between humans and wildlife thus generating an increased risk of emergence of zoonotic diseases. In Gabon, 51 endemic or potential endemic viral infectious diseases have been reported. Among them, 22 are of zoonotic origin and involve 12 families of viruses. The most notorious are dengue, yellow fever, ebola, marburg, Rift Valley fever and chikungunya viruses. Potential EID due to wildlife in Gabon are thereby plentiful and need to be inventoried. The Gabonese Public Health system covers geographically most of the country allowing a good access to sanitary information and efficient monitoring of emerging diseases. However, access to treatment and prevention is better in urban areas where medical structures are more developed and financial means are concentrated even though the population is equally distributed between urban and rural areas. In spite of this, Gabon could be a good field for investigating the emergence or re-emergence of zoonotic EID. Indeed Gabonese health research structures such as CIRMF, advantageously located, offer high quality researchers and facilities that study pathogens and wildlife ecology, aiming toward a better understanding of the contact and transmission mechanisms of new pathogens from wildlife to human, the emergence of zoonotic EID and the breaking of species barriers by pathogens

Upregulation of Cellular Bcl-2 by the KSHV Encoded RTA Promotes Virion Production

Apoptosis of virus infected cells can restrict or dampen full blown virus propagation and this can serve as a protective mechanism against virus infection. Consequently, viruses can also delay programmed cell death by enhancing the expression of anti-apoptotic proteins. Human Bcl-2 is expressed on the surface of the mitochondrial membrane and functions as the regulator of the delicate balance between cell survival and apoptosis. In this report, we showed that the replication and transcription activator (RTA) encoded by KSHV ORF 50, a key regulator for KSHV reactivation from latent to lytic infection, upregulates the mRNA and protein levels of Bcl-2 in 293 cells, and TPA-induced KSHV-infected cells. Further analysis revealed that upregulation of the cellular Bcl-2 promoter by RTA is dose-dependent and acts through targeting of the CCN9GG motifs within the Bcl-2 promoter. The Bcl-2 P2 but not the P1 promoter is primarily responsive to RTA. The results of ChIP confirmed the direct interaction of RTA protein with the CCN9GG motifs. Knockdown of cellular Bcl-2 by lentivirus-delivered small hairpin RNA (shRNA) resulted in increased cell apoptosis and decreased virion production in KSHV-infected cells. These findings provide an insight into another mechanism by which KSHV utilizes the intrinsic apoptosis signaling pathways for prolonging the survival of lytically infected host cells to allow for maximum production of virus progeny

The SPIRAL radioactive ion beam facility

This document describes the scientific goals as well as the technical choices of the SPIRAL project (Système de Production d'Ions Radioactifs et d'Accélération en Ligne)

New compact cyclotron design for SPIRAL

International audienceThe SPIRAL project whose purpose is the production and the acceleration of radioactive nuclei is under realization at GANIL. The new facility uses a cyclotron as a post accelerator taking place behind the present machine. The energy range is 2 to 25 MeV/u according to the Q/A factor of the ions. The magnet structure (550 t) is made of 4 independent return yokes and a common circular pole piece (3.5 m in diameter) with 4 sectors. The average induction needed is 1.56 Tesla with hill and valley gaps of respectively 0.12 and 0.3 m. The required field patterns are adjusted by means of circular trim coils located between the sectors and the pole piec