Large angle Beamstrahlung as a beam-beam monitoring tool

A novel method to measure the beam-beam interaction in e+e- colliders is presented.Comment: 17 pages, four figures, to be published in Nuclear Instruments and Method

Dating of the oldest continental sediments from the Himalayan foreland basin

A detailed knowledge of Himalayan development is important for our wider understanding of several global processes, ranging from models of plateau uplift to changes in oceanic chemistry and climate(1-4). Continental sediments 55 Myr old found in a foreland basin in Pakistan(5) are, by more than 20 Myr, the oldest deposits thought to have been eroded from the Himalayan metamorphic mountain belt. This constraint on when erosion began has influenced models of the timing and diachrony of the India-Eurasia collision(6-8), timing and mechanisms of exhumation(9,10) and uplift(11), as well as our general understanding of foreland basin dynamics(12). But the depositional age of these basin sediments was based on biostratigraphy from four intercalated marl units(5). Here we present dates of 257 detrital grains of white mica from this succession, using the Ar-40-(39) Ar method, and find that the largest concentration of ages are at 36-40 Myr. These dates are incompatible with the biostratigraphy unless the mineral ages have been reset, a possibility that we reject on the basis of a number of lines of evidence. A more detailed mapping of this formation suggests that the marl units are structurally intercalated with the continental sediments and accordingly that biostratigraphy cannot be used to date the clastic succession. The oldest continental foreland basin sediments containing metamorphic detritus eroded from the Himalaya orogeny therefore seem to be at least 15-20 Myr younger than previously believed, and models based on the older age must be re-evaluated

Hemophagocytic syndrome caused by primary herpes simplex virus 1 infection: report of a first case

Introduction: Hemophagocytic syndrome represents a severe hyperinflammatory condition by activated macrophages. Leading viral triggering agents are Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), cytomegalovirus (CMV), and adenovirus. Materials and methods: We present a patient with Wegener's granulomatosis on azathioprine and prednisone medication, who developed a life-threatening hemophagocytic syndrome. Positive plasma polymerase chain reaction (PCR) with negative serology revealed a primary, disseminated infection with herpes simplex virus-1 as the triggering pathogen. After treatment with acyclovir, high-dose steroids, immunoglobulins, and etoposide, the patient recovered. Conclusion: Early diagnosis of potentially underlying infections of hemophagocytic syndrome influences the therapeutic approach. It is important to consider a variety of infectious agents, particularly in immunosuppressed individuals. The reported case emphasizes the importance of screening for herpes simplex virus

Persistent Transport Barrier on the West Florida Shelf

Analysis of drifter trajectories in the Gulf of Mexico has revealed the existence of a region on the southern portion of the West Florida Shelf (WFS) that is not visited by drifters that are released outside of the region. This so-called ``forbidden zone'' (FZ) suggests the existence of a persistent cross-shelf transport barrier on the southern portion of the WFS. In this letter a year-long record of surface currents produced by a Hybrid-Coordinate Ocean Model simulation of the WFS is used to identify Lagrangian coherent structures (LCSs), which reveal the presence of a robust and persistent cross-shelf transport barrier in approximately the same location as the boundary of the FZ. The location of the cross-shelf transport barrier undergoes a seasonal oscillation, being closer to the coast in the summer than in the winter. A month-long record of surface currents inferred from high-frequency (HF) radar measurements in a roughly 60 km $\times$ 80 km region on the WFS off Tampa Bay is also used to identify LCSs, which reveal the presence of robust transient transport barriers. While the HF-radar-derived transport barriers cannot be unambiguously linked to the boundary of the FZ, this analysis does demonstrate the feasibility of monitoring transport barriers on the WFS using a HF-radar-based measurement system. The implications of a persistent cross-shelf transport barrier on the WFS for the development of harmful algal blooms on the shoreward side of the barrier are considered.Comment: Submitted to Geophysical Research Letter

Demonstration of two-beam acceleration in CTF II

The second phase of the Compact LInear Collider (CLIC) Test Facility (CTF II) at CERN has demon-strated the feasibility of two-beam acceleration at 30 GHz using a high-charge drive beam, running paral lel to the main beam, as the RF power source. To date accelerating gradients of 59 MV/m at 30 GHz have been achieved. In CTF II, the two beams are generated by 3 GHz RF photo-injectors and are acceler ated in 3 GHz linacs, before injection into the 30 GHz modules. The drive beam linac has to accelerate a 16 ns long train of 48 bunches, each with a nominal charge of 13.4 nC. To cope with the very su bstantial beam-loading special accelerating structures are used (running slightly off the bunch repetition frequency). A magnetic chicane compresses the bunches to less than 5 ps fwhm, this is needed for efficient 30 GHz power generation. The 30 GHz modules are fully-engineered representative sections of CLIC, they include a 30 GHz decelerator for the drive beam, a 30 GHz accelerator for the main beam, high resolution BPM's and a wire-based active align-ment system. The performance achieved so far, as well as the operational experience with the first accelerator of this type, are reported

Inhalation Toxicity of Brevetoxin 3 in Rats Exposed for Twenty-Two Days

Brevetoxins are potent neurotoxins produced by the marine dinoflagellate Karenia brevis. Exposure to brevetoxins may occur during a K. brevis red tide when the compounds become aerosolized by wind and surf. This study assessed possible adverse health effects associated with inhalation exposure to brevetoxin 3, one of the major brevetoxins produced by K. brevis and present in aerosols collected along beaches affected by red tide. Male F344 rats were exposed to brevetoxin 3 at 0, 37, and 237 μg/m(3) by nose-only inhalation 2 hr/day, 5 days/week for up to 22 exposure days. Estimated deposited brevetoxin 3 doses were 0.9 and 5.8 μg/kg/day for the low-and high-dose groups, respectively. Body weights of the high-dose group were significantly below control values. There were no clinical signs of toxicity. Terminal body weights of both low- and high-dose-group rats were significantly below control values. Minimal alveolar macrophage hyperplasia was observed in three of six and six of six of the low- and high-dose groups, respectively. No histopathologic lesions were observed in the nose, brain, liver, or bone marrow of any group. Reticulocyte numbers in whole blood were significantly increased in the high-dose group, and mean corpuscular volume showed a significant decreasing trend with increasing exposure concentration. Humoral-mediated immunity was suppressed in brevetoxin-exposed rats as indicated by significant reduction in splenic plaque-forming cells in both low- and high-dose-group rats compared with controls. Results indicate that the immune system is the primary target for toxicity in rats after repeated inhalation exposure to relatively high concentrations of brevetoxins

Results from the CLIC Test Facility

In order to study the principle of the Compact Linear Collider (CLIC) based on the Two Beam Acceleration (TBA) scheme at high frequency, a CLIC Test Facility (CTF) has been set-up at CERN. After four years of successful running, the experimental programme is now fully completed and all its objectives reached, particularly the generation of a high intensity drive beam with short bunches by a photo-injector, the production of 30 GHz RF power and the acceleration of a probe beam by 30 GHz structures. A summary of the CTF results and their impact on linear collider design is given. This covers 30 GHz high power testing, study of intense, short single bunches; as well as RF-Gun, photocathode and beam diagnostic developments. A second phase of the test facility (CTF2) is presently being installed to demonstrate the feasibility of the TBA scheme by constructing a fully engineered, 10 m long, test section very similar to the CLIC drive and main linacs, producing up to 480 MW of peak RF power at 30 GHz and accelerating the beam up to 320 MeV. The present status of CTF2 is reported

Lobomycosis in Offshore Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops truncatus), North Carolina

Lacazia loboi, a cutaneous fungus, is found in humans and dolphins from transitional tropical (Florida) and tropical (South America) regions. We report 2 cases of lobomycosis in stranded bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) and 1 case of lobomycosis-like disease in 1 free-swimming, pelagic, offshore bottlenose dolphin from North Carolina, where no cases have previously been observed

Human Hendra Virus Encephalitis Associated with Equine Outbreak, Australia, 2008

Emergence of this virus is a serious medical, veterinary, and public health challenge