SUSCEPTIBILITY OF WINTER TICK LARVAE AND EGGS TO ENTOMOPATHOGENIC FUNGI - BEAUVERIA BASSIANA, BEAUVERIA CALEDONICA, METARHIZIUM ANISOPLIAE, AND SCOPULARIOPSIS BREVICAULIS

An isolate of the soil fungus Scopulariopsis brevicaulis was identified from the surface of female winter ticks (Dermacentor albipictus) collected from recently dead moose (Alces alces) calves in New Hampshire in the northeastern United States. It was the sole isolate, and it matched with 98% nucITS similarity (molecular systematics Blast match) to S. brevicaulis species from soil and other tick species. Inoculation of tick larvae and eggs with 108 spores/mL + 0.05% Tween (aqueous inoculum) resulted in mortality, reduced survival time, and recovery of S. brevicaulis from within tick tissues. Rapid water loss and death from dehydration were the pathogenic consequences of the fungal infection. Three entomopathogenic fungal isolates from laboratory culture (Beauveria bassiana, B. caledonica,and Metarhizium anisopliae) inoculated concurrently at the same dose, were slightly less pathogenic to eggs than larvae of winter ticks. We conclude that S. brevicaulis imposes a limitation on the free-living stages of the winter tick population in specific environmental conditions, but commercial fungal treatments as used in local situations to control ticks, are impractical as a means of controlling winter tick density across moose habitats

US Cosmic Visions: New Ideas in Dark Matter 2017: Community Report

This white paper summarizes the workshop "U.S. Cosmic Visions: New Ideas in Dark Matter" held at University of Maryland on March 23-25, 2017.Comment: 102 pages + reference

Joint Constraints on Galactic Diffuse Neutrino Emission from the ANTARES and IceCube Neutrino Telescopes

[EN] The existence of diffuse Galactic neutrino production is expected from cosmic-ray interactions with Galactic gas and radiation ¿elds. Thus, neutrinos are a unique messenger offering the opportunity to test the products of Galactic cosmic-ray interactions up to energies of hundreds of TeV. Here we present a search for this production using ten years of Astronomy with a Neutrino Telescope and Abyss environmental RESearch (ANTARES) track and shower data, as well as seven years of IceCube track data. The data are combined into a joint likelihood test for neutrino emission according to the KRAg model assuming a 5 PeV per nucleon Galactic cosmic-ray cutoff. No signi¿cant excess is found. As a consequence, the limits presented in this Letter start constraining the model parameter space for Galactic cosmic-ray production and transport.Albert, A.; Andre, M.; Anghinolfi, M.; Ardid Ramírez, M.; Aubert, J-.; Aublin, J.; Avgitas, T.... (2018). Joint Constraints on Galactic Diffuse Neutrino Emission from the ANTARES and IceCube Neutrino Telescopes. The Astrophysical Journal. 868(2):1-7. https://doi.org/10.3847/2041-8213/aaeecfS178682Aartsen, M. G., Ackermann, M., Adams, J., Aguilar, J. A., Ahlers, M., Ahrens, M., … Anderson, T. (2017). Search for Astrophysical Sources of Neutrinos Using Cascade Events in IceCube. The Astrophysical Journal, 846(2), 136. doi:10.3847/1538-4357/aa8508Aartsen, M. G., Abraham, K., Ackermann, M., Adams, J., Aguilar, J. A., Ahlers, M., … Archinger, M. (2015). A COMBINED MAXIMUM-LIKELIHOOD ANALYSIS OF THE HIGH-ENERGY ASTROPHYSICAL NEUTRINO FLUX MEASURED WITH ICECUBE. The Astrophysical Journal, 809(1), 98. doi:10.1088/0004-637x/809/1/98Aartsen, M. G., Abraham, K., Ackermann, M., Adams, J., Aguilar, J. A., Ahlers, M., … Anderson, T. (2017). All-sky Search for Time-integrated Neutrino Emission from Astrophysical Sources with 7 yr of IceCube Data. The Astrophysical Journal, 835(2), 151. doi:10.3847/1538-4357/835/2/151Aartsen, M. G., Ackermann, M., Adams, J., Aguilar, J. A., Ahlers, M., Ahrens, M., … Anderson, T. (2017). Constraints on Galactic Neutrino Emission with Seven Years of IceCube Data. The Astrophysical Journal, 849(1), 67. doi:10.3847/1538-4357/aa8dfbAartsen, M. G., Ackermann, M., Adams, J., Aguilar, J. A., Ahlers, M., Ahrens, M., … Ansseau, I. (2017). The IceCube Neutrino Observatory: instrumentation and online systems. Journal of Instrumentation, 12(03), P03012-P03012. doi:10.1088/1748-0221/12/03/p03012Ackermann, M., Ajello, M., Atwood, W. B., Baldini, L., Ballet, J., Barbiellini, G., … Berenji, B. (2012). FERMI-LAT OBSERVATIONS OF THE DIFFUSE γ-RAY EMISSION: IMPLICATIONS FOR COSMIC RAYS AND THE INTERSTELLAR MEDIUM. The Astrophysical Journal, 750(1), 3. doi:10.1088/0004-637x/750/1/3Adrián-Martínez, S., Ageron, M., Aguilar, J. A., Samarai, I. A., Albert, A., André, M., … Ardid, M. (2012). The positioning system of the ANTARES Neutrino Telescope. Journal of Instrumentation, 7(08), T08002-T08002. doi:10.1088/1748-0221/7/08/t08002Ageron, M., Aguilar, J. A., Al Samarai, I., Albert, A., Ameli, F., André, M., … Ardid, M. (2011). ANTARES: The first undersea neutrino telescope. Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A: Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment, 656(1), 11-38. doi:10.1016/j.nima.2011.06.103Ahn, H. S., Allison, P., Bagliesi, M. G., Beatty, J. J., Bigongiari, G., Childers, J. T., … Zinn, S. Y. (2010). DISCREPANT HARDENING OBSERVED IN COSMIC-RAY ELEMENTAL SPECTRA. The Astrophysical Journal, 714(1), L89-L93. doi:10.1088/2041-8205/714/1/l89Albert, A., André, M., Anghinolfi, M., Anton, G., Ardid, M., Aubert, J.-J., … Basa, S. (2017). New constraints on all flavor Galactic diffuse neutrino emission with the ANTARES telescope. Physical Review D, 96(6). doi:10.1103/physrevd.96.062001Antoni, T., Apel, W. D., Badea, A. F., Bekk, K., Bercuci, A., Blümer, J., … Zabierowski, J. (2005). KASCADE measurements of energy spectra for elemental groups of cosmic rays: Results and open problems. Astroparticle Physics, 24(1-2), 1-25. doi:10.1016/j.astropartphys.2005.04.001Apel, W. D., Arteaga-Velázquez, J. C., Bekk, K., Bertaina, M., Blümer, J., Bozdog, H., … Cossavella, F. (2013). KASCADE-Grande measurements of energy spectra for elemental groups of cosmic rays. Astroparticle Physics, 47, 54-66. doi:10.1016/j.astropartphys.2013.06.004Gaggero, D., Grasso, D., Marinelli, A., Taoso, M., & Urbano, A. (2017). Diffuse Cosmic Rays Shining in the Galactic Center: A Novel Interpretation of H.E.S.S. and Fermi-LAT γ -Ray Data. Physical Review Letters, 119(3). doi:10.1103/physrevlett.119.031101Gaggero, D., Grasso, D., Marinelli, A., Urbano, A., & Valli, M. (2015). THE GAMMA-RAY AND NEUTRINO SKY: A CONSISTENT PICTURE OF FERMI -LAT, MILAGRO, AND ICECUBE RESULTS. The Astrophysical Journal, 815(2), L25. doi:10.1088/2041-8205/815/2/l25Gaggero, D., Urbano, A., Valli, M., & Ullio, P. (2015). Gamma-ray sky points to radial gradients in cosmic-ray transport. Physical Review D, 91(8). doi:10.1103/physrevd.91.083012Vladimirov, A. E., Digel, S. W., Jóhannesson, G., Michelson, P. F., Moskalenko, I. V., Nolan, P. L., … Strong, A. W. (2011). GALPROP WebRun: An internet-based service for calculating galactic cosmic ray propagation and associated photon emissions. Computer Physics Communications, 182(5), 1156-1161. doi:10.1016/j.cpc.2011.01.01

Impact of COVID-19 on cardiovascular testing in the United States versus the rest of the world

Objectives: This study sought to quantify and compare the decline in volumes of cardiovascular procedures between the United States and non-US institutions during the early phase of the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the care of many non-COVID-19 illnesses. Reductions in diagnostic cardiovascular testing around the world have led to concerns over the implications of reduced testing for cardiovascular disease (CVD) morbidity and mortality. Methods: Data were submitted to the INCAPS-COVID (International Atomic Energy Agency Non-Invasive Cardiology Protocols Study of COVID-19), a multinational registry comprising 909 institutions in 108 countries (including 155 facilities in 40 U.S. states), assessing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on volumes of diagnostic cardiovascular procedures. Data were obtained for April 2020 and compared with volumes of baseline procedures from March 2019. We compared laboratory characteristics, practices, and procedure volumes between U.S. and non-U.S. facilities and between U.S. geographic regions and identified factors associated with volume reduction in the United States. Results: Reductions in the volumes of procedures in the United States were similar to those in non-U.S. facilities (68% vs. 63%, respectively; p = 0.237), although U.S. facilities reported greater reductions in invasive coronary angiography (69% vs. 53%, respectively; p < 0.001). Significantly more U.S. facilities reported increased use of telehealth and patient screening measures than non-U.S. facilities, such as temperature checks, symptom screenings, and COVID-19 testing. Reductions in volumes of procedures differed between U.S. regions, with larger declines observed in the Northeast (76%) and Midwest (74%) than in the South (62%) and West (44%). Prevalence of COVID-19, staff redeployments, outpatient centers, and urban centers were associated with greater reductions in volume in U.S. facilities in a multivariable analysis. Conclusions: We observed marked reductions in U.S. cardiovascular testing in the early phase of the pandemic and significant variability between U.S. regions. The association between reductions of volumes and COVID-19 prevalence in the United States highlighted the need for proactive efforts to maintain access to cardiovascular testing in areas most affected by outbreaks of COVID-19 infection

Susceptibility of winter tick larvae and eggs to entomopathogenic fungi - Beauveria bassiana, Beauveria caledonica, Metarhizium anisopliae, and Scopulariopsis brevicaulis

An isolate of the soil fungus Scopulariopsis brevicaulis was identified from the surface of female winter ticks (Dermacentor albipictus) collected from recently dead moose (Alces alces) calves in New Hampshire in the northeastern United States. It was the sole isolate, and it matched with 98% nucITS similarity (molecular systematics Blast match) to S. brevicaulis species from soil and other tick species. Inoculation of tick larvae and eggs with 108 spores/mL + 0.05% Tween (aqueous inoculum) resulted in mortality, reduced survival time, and recovery of S. brevicaulis from within tick tissues. Rapid water loss and death from dehydration were the pathogenic consequences of the fungal infection. Three entomopathogenic fungal isolates from laboratory culture (Beauveria bassiana, B. caledonica, and Metarhizium anisopliae) inoculated concurrently at the same dose, were slightly less pathogenic to eggs than larvae of winter ticks. We conclude that S. brevicaulis imposes a limitation on the freeliving stages of the winter tick population in specific environmental conditions, but commercial fungal treatments as used in local situations to control ticks, are impractical as a means of controlling winter tick density across moose habitats

Identifying classes of the pain, fatigue, and depression symptom cluster in long-term prostate cancer survivors—results from the multi-regional Prostate Cancer Survivorship Study in Switzerland (PROCAS)

Purpose: Aside from urological and sexual problems, long-term (≥5 years after initial diagnosis) prostate cancer (PC) survivors might suffer from pain, fatigue, and depression. These concurrent symptoms can form a cluster. In this study, we aimed to investigate classes of this symptom cluster in long-term PC survivors, to classify PC survivors accordingly, and to explore associations between classes of this cluster and health-related quality of life (HRQoL). Methods: Six hundred fifty-three stage T1-T3N0M0 survivors were identified from the Prostate Cancer Survivorship in Switzerland (PROCAS) study. Fatigue was assessed with the EORTC QLQ-FA12, depressive symptoms with the MHI-5, and pain with the EORTC QLQ-C30 questionnaire. Latent class analysis was used to derive cluster classes. Factors associated with the derived classes were determined using multinomial logistic regression analysis. Results: Three classes were identified: class 1 (61.4%) – “low pain, low physical and emotional fatigue, moderate depressive symptoms”; class 2 (15.1%) – “low physical fatigue and pain, moderate emotional fatigue, high depressive symptoms”; class 3 (23.5%) – high scores for all symptoms. Survivors in classes 2 and 3 were more likely to be physically inactive, report a history of depression or some other specific comorbidity, be treated with radiation therapy, and have worse HRQoL outcomes compared to class 1. Conclusion: Three distinct classes of the pain, fatigue, and depression cluster were identified, which are associated with treatment, comorbidities, lifestyle factors, and HRQoL outcomes. Improving classification of PC survivors according to severity of multiple symptoms could assist in developing interventions tailored to survivors’ needs

Reconstructing the Sedimentology and Depositional Setting of the Margin Unit, Jezero Crater

International audienceThe Margin Unit of Jezero crater is an olivine- and carbonate-rich geologic unit stratigraphically underlying the Jezero Western fan, tracing the inner margin of the western crater rim, and is of significant astrobiological interest [1]. However, the origin of the Margin Unit is uncertain. The distribution of the unit around the inner margin of the crater rim and its strong orbital carbonate signature led to one interpretation of the Margin Unit as a lake shore precipitate [1] either coeval with, or predating, the Western fan [2]. Alternate hypotheses include fluviolacustrine or aeolian [3], or part of a regional carbonatized lava flow or pyroclastic deposit [4-6]. Here, we report on Perseverance rover observations of the sedimentology and 3D architecture of the Margin Unit explored between sols 910 – 1028, with the objective of characterizing the unit and understanding its emplacement/depositional processes

Reconstructing the Sedimentology and Depositional Setting of the Margin Unit, Jezero Crater

International audienceThe Margin Unit of Jezero crater is an olivine- and carbonate-rich geologic unit stratigraphically underlying the Jezero Western fan, tracing the inner margin of the western crater rim, and is of significant astrobiological interest [1]. However, the origin of the Margin Unit is uncertain. The distribution of the unit around the inner margin of the crater rim and its strong orbital carbonate signature led to one interpretation of the Margin Unit as a lake shore precipitate [1] either coeval with, or predating, the Western fan [2]. Alternate hypotheses include fluviolacustrine or aeolian [3], or part of a regional carbonatized lava flow or pyroclastic deposit [4-6]. Here, we report on Perseverance rover observations of the sedimentology and 3D architecture of the Margin Unit explored between sols 910 – 1028, with the objective of characterizing the unit and understanding its emplacement/depositional processes