Design of light concentrators for Cherenkov telescope observatories

The Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA) will be the largest cosmic gamma ray detector ever built in the world. It will be installed at two different sites in the North and South hemispheres and should be operational for about 30 years. In order to cover the desired energy range, the CTA is composed of typically 50-100 collecting telescopes of various sizes (from 6 to 24-m diameters). Most of them are equipped with a focal plane camera consisting of 1500 to 2000 Photomultipliers (PM) equipped with light concentrating optics, whose double function is to maximize the amount of Cherenkov light detected by the photo-sensors, and to block any stray light originating from the terrestrial environment. Two different optical solutions have been designed, respectively based on a Compound Parabolic Concentrator (CPC), and on a purely dioptric concentrating lens. In this communication are described the technical specifications, optical designs and performance of the different solutions envisioned for all these light concentrators. The current status of their prototyping activities is also given

The camera of the fifth H.E.S.S. telescope. Part I: System description

In July 2012, as the four ground-based gamma-ray telescopes of the H.E.S.S. (High Energy Stereoscopic System) array reached their tenth year of operation in Khomas Highlands, Namibia, a fifth telescope took its first data as part of the system. This new Cherenkov detector, comprising a 614.5 m^2 reflector with a highly pixelized camera in its focal plane, improves the sensitivity of the current array by a factor two and extends its energy domain down to a few tens of GeV. The present part I of the paper gives a detailed description of the fifth H.E.S.S. telescope's camera, presenting the details of both the hardware and the software, emphasizing the main improvements as compared to previous H.E.S.S. camera technology.Comment: 16 pages, 13 figures, accepted for publication in NIM

Association of a single nucleotide polymorphism combination pattern of the Klotho gene with non-cardiovascular death in patients with chronic kidney disease

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is associated with an elevated risk of all-cause mortality, with cardiovascular death being extensively investigated. However, non-cardiovascular mortality represents the biggest percentage, showing an evident increase in recent years. Klotho is a gene highly expressed in the kidney, with a clear influence on lifespan. Low levels of Klotho have been linked to CKD progression and adverse outcomes. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of the Klotho gene have been associated with several diseases, but studies investigating the association of Klotho SNPs with noncardiovascular death in CKD populations are lacking. The main aim of this study was to assess whether 11 Klotho SNPs were associated with non-cardiovascular death in a subpopulation of the National Observatory of Atherosclerosis in Nephrology (NEFRONA) study (n ¼ 2185 CKD patients). After 48 months of follow-up, 62 cardiovascular deaths and 108 non-cardiovascular deaths were recorded. We identified a high non-cardiovascular death risk combination of SNPs corresponding to individuals carrying the most frequent allele (G) at rs562020, the rare allele (C) at rs2283368 and homozygotes for the rare allele (G) at rs2320762 (rs562020 GG/AG þ rs2283368 CC/CT þ rs2320762 GG). Among the patients with the three SNPs genotyped (n ¼ 1016), 75 (7.4%) showed this combination. Furthermore, 95 (9.3%) patients showed a low-risk combination carrying all the opposite genotypes (rs562020 AA þ rs2283368 TT þ rs2320762 GT/TT). All the other combinations [n ¼ 846 (83.3%)] were considered as normal risk. Using competing risk regression analysis, we confirmed that the proposed combinations are independently associated with a higher fhazard ratio [HR] 3.28 [confidence interval (CI) 1.51-7.12]g and lower [HR 6 × 10- (95% CI 3.3 × 10--1.1 × 10-)] risk of suffering a non-cardiovascular death in the CKD population of the NEFRONA cohort compared with patients with the normal-risk combination. Determination of three SNPs of the Klotho gene could help in the prediction of non-cardiovascular death in CKD

Association of candidate gene polymorphisms with chronic kidney disease : Results of a case-control analysis in the NEFRONA cohort

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a major risk factor for end-stage renal disease, cardiovascular disease and premature death. Despite classical clinical risk factors for CKD and some genetic risk factors have been identified, the residual risk observed in prediction models is still high. Therefore, new risk factors need to be identified in order to better predict the risk of CKD in the population. Here, we analyzed the genetic association of 79 SNPs of proteins associated with mineral metabolism disturbances with CKD in a cohort that includes 2,445 CKD cases and 559 controls. Genotyping was performed with matrix assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry. We used logistic regression models considering different genetic inheritance models to assess the association of the SNPs with the prevalence of CKD, adjusting for known risk factors. Eight SNPs (rs1126616, rs35068180, rs2238135, rs1800247, rs385564, rs4236, rs2248359, and rs1564858) were associated with CKD even after adjusting by sex, age and race. A model containing five of these SNPs (rs1126616, rs35068180, rs1800247, rs4236, and rs2248359), diabetes and hypertension showed better performance than models considering only clinical risk factors, significantly increasing the area under the curve of the model without polymorphisms. Furthermore, one of the SNPs (the rs2248359) showed an interaction with hypertension, being the risk genotype affecting only hypertensive patients. We conclude that 5 SNPs related to proteins implicated in mineral metabolism disturbances (Osteopontin, osteocalcin, matrix gla protein, matrix metalloprotease 3 and 24 hydroxylase) are associated to an increased risk of suffering CKD

Famílies botàniques de plantes medicinals

Facultat de Farmàcia, Universitat de Barcelona. Ensenyament: Grau de Farmàcia, Assignatura: Botànica Farmacèutica, Curs: 2013-2014, Coordinadors: Joan Simon, Cèsar Blanché i Maria Bosch.Els materials que aquí es presenten són els recull de 175 treballs d’una família botànica d’interès medicinal realitzats de manera individual. Els treballs han estat realitzat per la totalitat dels estudiants dels grups M-2 i M-3 de l’assignatura Botànica Farmacèutica durant els mesos d’abril i maig del curs 2013-14. Tots els treballs s’han dut a terme a través de la plataforma de GoogleDocs i han estat tutoritzats pel professor de l’assignatura i revisats i finalment co-avaluats entre els propis estudiants. L’objectiu principal de l’activitat ha estat fomentar l’aprenentatge autònom i col·laboratiu en Botànica farmacèutica

Assessment of rising damp and indoor environmental quality in buildings after torrential rains in Mallorca, Spain

As a result of climate change, water-related disasters have increased in the last decade. In the month of October 2018, in the town of Sant Llorenç (Mallorca, Illes Balears, Spain), torrential rains occurred that caused the overflow of the stream that passes through the municipality, causing personal and material damages (including death). In this research, it is intended to develop a characterization of the damage produced in the middle term (seven months after the natural hazard), through the analysis of hygrothermal conditions, humidity in walls, and indoor air quality in seven houses and in one corner shop. The most used or habitable rooms are selected, analyzing a total of twenty-one rooms. The UNE 171330-2-2014 standard is considered for the determination of environmental risks for the occupants' health. The results obtained show that the users are aware of the need of ventilating the spaces, but, although hygrothermal comfort conditions and indoor air quality are within acceptable ranges, the rising damp highest level is high, since it even exceeds 2 m high in three of the twenty-one rooms assessed. The importance of diagnosing the effects of damage and the vulnerability of buildings in the event of a natural disaster is shown. © Common Ground Research Networks, Joan Munoz, Cristian Carmona, Susana Hormigos-Jimenez, Francesc Masdeu, Gabriel Horrach, All Rights Reserved

The spiral1 charge breeder: key points for a performant 1+ beam injection

The SPIRAL1 charge breeder is now under operation. Radioactive beam has already been delivered [1] to Physicist for performing experiment. Although charge breeding efficiencies demonstrated high performances for stable ion beams, those efficiencies regarding radioactive ion beams were found, in the first experiments, lower than expected. The beam optics, prior to the injection of the 1+ ions into the SPIRAL1 charge breeder, is of prime importance [2] for getting such high efficiencies. Moreover, the intensities of the radioactive ion beams are so low, that it is really difficult to tune the charge breeder. The tuning of the charge breeder for radioactive ion beams requires a particular procedure often referred as blind tuning. A stable beam hav-ing a close Brho (few percent) is required to find out the set of optic parameters preceding the tuning of the radioactive beam. Hence, it has been decided to focus our effort on that procedure as to get control of the 1+ beam optics leading to high charge breeding efficiencies whatever the 1+ mass, energy and Target Ion Source System (TISS) used. Being aware that each TISS provide ion beams with a specific energy spread DeltaE, and given that the acceptance energy win-dow of the charge breeder is rather narrow; that parameter must play also an important role in the whole charge breed-ing efficiency

The spiral1 charge breeder: key points for a performant 1+ beam injection

The SPIRAL1 charge breeder is now under operation. Radioactive beam has already been delivered [1] to Physicist for performing experiment. Although charge breeding efficiencies demonstrated high performances for stable ion beams, those efficiencies regarding radioactive ion beams were found, in the first experiments, lower than expected. The beam optics, prior to the injection of the 1+ ions into the SPIRAL1 charge breeder, is of prime importance [2] for getting such high efficiencies. Moreover, the intensities of the radioactive ion beams are so low, that it is really difficult to tune the charge breeder. The tuning of the charge breeder for radioactive ion beams requires a particular procedure often referred as blind tuning. A stable beam hav-ing a close Brho (few percent) is required to find out the set of optic parameters preceding the tuning of the radioactive beam. Hence, it has been decided to focus our effort on that procedure as to get control of the 1+ beam optics leading to high charge breeding efficiencies whatever the 1+ mass, energy and Target Ion Source System (TISS) used. Being aware that each TISS provide ion beams with a specific energy spread DeltaE, and given that the acceptance energy win-dow of the charge breeder is rather narrow; that parameter must play also an important role in the whole charge breed-ing efficiency

Improvement of the FEBIAD ion source at SPIRAL1

International audienceThe behaviour of the Forced Electron Beam Induced Arc Discharge (FEBIAD) ion source used at GANIL within the Target Ion Source System (TISS) of the “Système de Production d’Ions Radioactifs Accélérés en Ligne” (SPIRAL1) has been recently investigated to improve its performances and render them reproducible. Off line systematic studies of the evolution of working parameters (cathode shape, cathode heating, anode current) with time and temperature configuration have clearly shown the origin of issues was mainly related to an excessive temperature of the anode insulators. Modifications of the TISS have allowed the reduction of the anode current drift and an ionisation efficiency of $^{40}$Ar of 15%, stable over more than eight days. The system is still under improvement to stabilize its Ar ionization efficiency to 25%, which is the maximum observed during testing

Improvement of the FEBIAD ion source at SPIRAL1

International audienceThe behaviour of the Forced Electron Beam Induced Arc Discharge (FEBIAD) ion source used at GANIL within the Target Ion Source System (TISS) of the “Système de Production d’Ions Radioactifs Accélérés en Ligne” (SPIRAL1) has been recently investigated to improve its performances and render them reproducible. Off line systematic studies of the evolution of working parameters (cathode shape, cathode heating, anode current) with time and temperature configuration have clearly shown the origin of issues was mainly related to an excessive temperature of the anode insulators. Modifications of the TISS have allowed the reduction of the anode current drift and an ionisation efficiency of $^{40}$Ar of 15%, stable over more than eight days. The system is still under improvement to stabilize its Ar ionization efficiency to 25%, which is the maximum observed during testing