The Grid Observatory

International audienceThe goal of the Grid Observatory project (GO) is to contribute to an experimental theory of large grid systems by integrating the collection of data on the behaviour of the flagship European Grid Infrastructure (EGI) and its users, the development of models, and an ontology for the domain knowledge. The GO gives access to a database of grid usage traces available to the wider computer science community without the need of grid credentials. The paper presents the architecture of the digital curation process enacted by the GO and examples of their exploitation.L'objectif du projet Grid Observatoiry (GO) est de contribuer à une théorie expérimentale de systèmes globalisés à grande échelle en intégrant l'acquisition de données sur le comportement de l'infrastructure de la grille européenne phare (EGI) et de ses utilisateurs, avec le développement de modèles, et d'une ontologie du domaine. Le GO donne accès à une base de données des traces d'utilisation de la grille, mise à la disposition de la communauté scientifique. L'article présente l'architecture du processus de conservation numérique adoptée par le GO et des exemples de l'exploitation des traces collectées

Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope Coronagraph Instrument Observation Calibration Plan

NASA's next flagship mission, the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, is a 2.4-meter observatory set to launch no later than May 2027. Roman features two instruments: the Wide Field Imager and the Coronagraph Instrument. Roman's Coronagraph is a Technology Demonstration that will push the current capabilities of direct imaging to smaller contrast ratios ($\sim$10$^{-9}$) and inner-working angles (3~$\lambda$/D). In order to achieve this high precision, Roman Coronagraph data must be calibrated to remove as many potential sources of error as possible. Here we present a detailed overview of the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope Coronagraph Instrument Observation Calibration Plan including identifying potential sources of error and how they will be mitigated via on-sky calibrations.Comment: Posting for public information on the current status of the Roman Coronagraph Observation Calibration Plan; latest updates as of July 29, 202

Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation for Severe Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome associated with COVID-19: An Emulated Target Trial Analysis.

RATIONALE: Whether COVID patients may benefit from extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) compared with conventional invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV) remains unknown. OBJECTIVES: To estimate the effect of ECMO on 90-Day mortality vs IMV only Methods: Among 4,244 critically ill adult patients with COVID-19 included in a multicenter cohort study, we emulated a target trial comparing the treatment strategies of initiating ECMO vs. no ECMO within 7 days of IMV in patients with severe acute respiratory distress syndrome (PaO2/FiO2 <80 or PaCO2 ≥60 mmHg). We controlled for confounding using a multivariable Cox model based on predefined variables. MAIN RESULTS: 1,235 patients met the full eligibility criteria for the emulated trial, among whom 164 patients initiated ECMO. The ECMO strategy had a higher survival probability at Day-7 from the onset of eligibility criteria (87% vs 83%, risk difference: 4%, 95% CI 0;9%) which decreased during follow-up (survival at Day-90: 63% vs 65%, risk difference: -2%, 95% CI -10;5%). However, ECMO was associated with higher survival when performed in high-volume ECMO centers or in regions where a specific ECMO network organization was set up to handle high demand, and when initiated within the first 4 days of MV and in profoundly hypoxemic patients. CONCLUSIONS: In an emulated trial based on a nationwide COVID-19 cohort, we found differential survival over time of an ECMO compared with a no-ECMO strategy. However, ECMO was consistently associated with better outcomes when performed in high-volume centers and in regions with ECMO capacities specifically organized to handle high demand. This article is open access and distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial No Derivatives License 4.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)

Cyclomodulins in Urosepsis Strains of Escherichia coli▿

Determinants of urosepsis in Escherichia coli remain incompletely defined. Cyclomodulins (CMs) are a growing functional family of toxins that hijack the eukaryotic cell cycle. Four cyclomodulin types are actually known in E. coli: cytotoxic necrotizing factors (CNFs), cycle-inhibiting factor (Cif), cytolethal distending toxins (CDTs), and the pks-encoded toxin. In the present study, the distribution of CM-encoding genes and the functionality of these toxins were investigated in 197 E. coli strains isolated from patients with community-acquired urosepsis (n = 146) and from uninfected subjects (n = 51). This distribution was analyzed in relation to the phylogenetic background, clinical origin, and antibiotic resistance of the strains. It emerged from this study that strains harboring the pks island and the cnf1 gene (i) were strongly associated with the B2 phylogroup (P, <0.001), (ii) frequently harbored both toxin-encoded genes in phylogroup B2 (33%), and (iii) were predictive of a urosepsis origin (P, <0.001 to 0.005). However, the prevalences of the pks island among phylogroup B2 strains, in contrast to those of the cnf1 gene, were not significantly different between fecal and urosepsis groups, suggesting that the pks island is more important for the colonization process and the cnf1 gene for virulence. pks- or cnf1-harboring strains were significantly associated with susceptibility to antibiotics (amoxicillin, cotrimoxazole, and quinolones [P, <0.001 to 0.043]). Otherwise, only 6% and 1% of all strains harbored the cdtB and cif genes, respectively, with no particular distribution by phylogenetic background, antimicrobial susceptibility, or clinical origin