A pulsed nanosecond IR laser diode system to automatically test the Single Event Effects in the laboratory

Abstract A pulsed nanosecond IR laser diode system to automatically test the Single Event Effects in laboratory is described. The results of Single Event Latchup (SEL) test on two VLSI chips (VA_HDR64, 0.8 and 1.2 μm technology) are discussed and compared to those obtained with high-energy heavy ions at GSI (Darmstadt)

A Framework for Estimating the United States Depression Burden Attributable to Indoor Fine Particulate Matter Exposure

Recently published exploratory studies based on exposure to outdoor fine particulates, defined as particles with a nominal mean diameter less than or equal to 2.5 μm (PM2.5) indicate that the pollutant may play a role in mental health conditions, such as major depressive disorder. This paper details a model that can estimate the United States (US) major depressive disorder burden attributable to indoor PM2.5 exposure, locally modifiable through input parameter calibrations. By utilizing concentration values in an exposure-response function, along with relative risk values derived from epidemiological studies, the model estimated the prevalence of expected cases of major depressive disorder in multiple scenarios. Model results show that exposure to indoor PM2.5 might contribute to 476,000 cases of major depressive disorder in the US (95% confidence interval 11,000–1,100,000), approximately 2.7% of the total number of cases reported annually. Increasing heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) filter efficiency in a residential dwelling results in minor reductions in depressive disorders in rural or urban locations in the US. Nevertheless, a minimum efficiency reporting value (MERV) 13 filter does have a benefit/cost ratio at or near one when smoking occurs indoors; during wildfires; or in locations with elevated outdoor PM2.5 concentrations. The approach undertaken herein could provide a transparent strategy for investment into the built environment to improve the mental health of the occupants

Toxoplasma gondii IgG Associations with Sleepwake Problems, Sleep Duration and Timing

Background: Evidence links Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii), a neurotropic parasite, with schizophrenia, mood disorders and suicidal behavior, all of which are associated and exacerbated by disrupted sleep. Moreover, low-grade immune activation and dopaminergic overstimulation, which are consequences of T. gondii infection, could alter sleep patterns and duration. Methods: Sleep data on 833 Amish participants [mean age (SD) = 44.28 (16.99) years; 59.06% women] were obtained via self-reported questionnaires that assessed sleep problems, duration and timing. T. gondii IgG was measured with ELISA. Data were analyzed using multivariable logistic regressions and linear mixed models, with adjustment for age, sex and family structure. Results: T. gondii seropositives reported less sleep problems (p \u3c 0.005) and less daytime problems due to poor sleep (p \u3c 0.005). Higher T. gondii titers were associated with longer sleep duration (p \u3c 0.05), earlier bedtime (p \u3c 0.005) and earlier mid-sleep time (p \u3c 0.05). Conclusions: It seems unlikely that sleep mediates the previously reported associations between T. gondii and mental illness. Future longitudinal studies with objective measures are necessary to replicate our findings

Toxoplasma gondii IgG Serointensity Is Positively Associated With Frailty

Background: Persistent inflammation related to aging (inflammaging) is exacerbated by chronic infections and contributes to frailty in older adults. We hypothesized associations between Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii), a common parasite causing an oligosymptomatic unremitting infection, and frailty, and secondarily between T. gondii and previously reported markers of immune activation in frailty.Methods: We analyzed available demographic, social, and clinical data in Spanish and Portuguese older adults [N = 601; age: mean (SD) 77.3 (8.0); 61% women]. Plasma T. gondii immunoglobulin G (IgG) serointensity was measured with an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The Fried criteria were used to define frailty status. Validated translations of Mini-Mental State Examination, Geriatric Depression Scale, and the Charlson Comorbidity Index were used to evaluate confounders. Previously analyzed biomarkers that were significantly associated with frailty in both prior reports and the current study, and also related to T. gondii serointensity, were further accounted for in multivariable logistic models with frailty as outcome.Results: In T. gondii-seropositives, there was a significant positive association between T. gondii IgG serointensity and frailty, accounting for age (p = .0002), and resisting adjustment for multiple successive confounders. Among biomarkers linked with frailty, kynurenine/tryptophan and soluble tumor necrosis factor receptor II were positively associated with T. gondii serointensity in seropositives (p < .05). Associations with other biomarkers were not significant.Conclusions: This first reported association between T. gondii and frailty is limited by a cross-sectional design and warrants replication. While certain biomarkers of inflammaging were associated with both T. gondii IgG serointensity and frailty, they did not fully mediate the T. gondii-frailty association.This work was supported in part by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation: MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033(grant PID2020-113788RB-I00); Xunta de Galicia (grant ED431B 2022/16); Ministry of Education, Culture and Sport (grant BEAGAL18/00142 to V.V.); and Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness, cofinanced by the European Social Fund (grant RYC-2015-18394 to L.L.-L.). Additionally supported, in part, by the University of Maryland School of Medicine Center for Research on Aging in Baltimore, Maryland; a Clinical Science Research & Development Service Merit Award, Office of Research and Development, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Washington, District of Columbia (grant 1 I01 CX001310-01 to T.T.P.); a R01 grant from the National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland (grant NIA R01 AG018859 to E.J.K.); and by the Military and Veteran Microbiome: Consortium for Research and Education in Aurora, Colorado (L.A.B., A.J.H., C.A.L., T.T.P.). The opinions expressed in the article belong to the authors and cannot be construed as official positions or opinions of the funders, including the U.S. Veterans Affairs Administration and the National Institutes of Health. Data collected and used for the analyses reported in this article are not available because the initial consent did not include this sharing and because other primary analyses have not been completed. Funding for open access charge: Universidade da Coruna/CISUG

Protons in near earth orbit

The proton spectrum in the kinetic energy range 0.1 to 200 GeV was measured by the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS) during space shuttle flight STS-91 at an altitude of 380 km. Above the geomagnetic cutoff the observed spectrum is parameterized by a power law. Below the geomagnetic cutoff a substantial second spectrum was observed concentrated at equatorial latitudes with a flux ~ 70 m^-2 sec^-1 sr^-1. Most of these second spectrum protons follow a complicated trajectory and originate from a restricted geographic region.Comment: 19 pages, Latex, 7 .eps figure

A Study of Cosmic Ray Secondaries Induced by the Mir Space Station Using AMS-01

The Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS-02) is a high energy particle physics experiment that will study cosmic rays in the $\sim 100 \mathrm{MeV}$ to $1 \mathrm{TeV}$ range and will be installed on the International Space Station (ISS) for at least 3 years. A first version of AMS-02, AMS-01, flew aboard the space shuttle \emph{Discovery} from June 2 to June 12, 1998, and collected $10^8$ cosmic ray triggers. Part of the \emph{Mir} space station was within the AMS-01 field of view during the four day \emph{Mir} docking phase of this flight. We have reconstructed an image of this part of the \emph{Mir} space station using secondary $\pi^-$ and $\mu^-$ emissions from primary cosmic rays interacting with \emph{Mir}. This is the first time this reconstruction was performed in AMS-01, and it is important for understanding potential backgrounds during the 3 year AMS-02 mission.Comment: To be submitted to NIM B Added material requested by referee. Minor stylistic and grammer change

Performance of the CMS Cathode Strip Chambers with Cosmic Rays

The Cathode Strip Chambers (CSCs) constitute the primary muon tracking device in the CMS endcaps. Their performance has been evaluated using data taken during a cosmic ray run in fall 2008. Measured noise levels are low, with the number of noisy channels well below 1%. Coordinate resolution was measured for all types of chambers, and fall in the range 47 microns to 243 microns. The efficiencies for local charged track triggers, for hit and for segments reconstruction were measured, and are above 99%. The timing resolution per layer is approximately 5 ns

Performance and Operation of the CMS Electromagnetic Calorimeter

The operation and general performance of the CMS electromagnetic calorimeter using cosmic-ray muons are described. These muons were recorded after the closure of the CMS detector in late 2008. The calorimeter is made of lead tungstate crystals and the overall status of the 75848 channels corresponding to the barrel and endcap detectors is reported. The stability of crucial operational parameters, such as high voltage, temperature and electronic noise, is summarised and the performance of the light monitoring system is presented

Tracker Operation and Performance at the Magnet Test and Cosmic Challenge

During summer 2006 a fraction of the CMS silicon strip tracker was operated in a comprehensive slice test called the Magnet Test and Cosmic Challenge (MTCC). At the MTCC, cosmic rays detected in the muon chambers were used to trigger the readout of all CMS sub-detectors in the general data acquisition system and in the presence of the 4 T magnetic field produced by the CMS superconducting solenoid. This document describes the operation of the Tracker hardware and software prior, during and after data taking. The performance of the detector as resulting from the MTCC data analysis is also presented

Ponte et stratégie de la reproduction chez les femelles du tacaud Trisopterus luscus (Gadidés) du plateau continental de la Galice, nord-ouest de l'Espagne

[EN] Pouting, Trisopterus luscus is harvested commercially on the Galician shelf by the Spanish inshore artisanal fleet. In spite of a substantial decrease in pouting catches, fishery regulations are limited to size length restrictions. This study provides biological data including length-at-maturity based on histological methods, seasonal maturation, spawning and fecundity. A collection 443 females, from 17 to 42 cm in total length, were sampled from landings (December 2003 to December 2004). Pouting length-at-maturity was estimated as 19.2 cm on average. Pouting females in spawning condition were observed throughout the year and the number of developing oocytes ranged from 20 000 to 1 327 000. Peak spawning was observed between February and April, which correlated well with trends in gonadosomatic index, and inverse to condition factor and hepatosomatic index. Histological examination of the gonads revealed that pouting ovarian development organization is asynchronous, and fecundity is probably determinate.[FR] Le tacaud, Trisopterus luscus est pêché par la flotte artisanale espagnole. En dépit d'une diminution substantielle des captures de tacaud, la pêche est réglementée uniquement à partir d'une taille minimum commerciale. Cette étude fournit des données biologiques comprenant la taille à maturité sexuelle basée sur l'histologie, la maturation saisonnière, la ponte et la fécondité. Un échantillon de 443 femelles, de 17 à 42 cm longueur totale, est examiné à partir des débarquements durant une année (de décembre 2003 à décembre 2004). La taille moyenne à maturité sexuelle est estimée à 19,2 cm. Les femelles de tacaud en condition de ponte sont observée tout au long de l'année et le nombre d'ovocytes s'étend de 20 000 to 1 327 000 par individu. Les pics de ponte sont observés entre février et avril, ce qui est bien corrélé avec l'évolution du rapport gonado-somatique et inverse de celle du facteur de condition et du rapport hépato-somatique. L'étude histologique révèle que le développement ovarien chez le tacaud est asynchrone, et que la fécondité est probablement déterminée.Peer reviewe