Nuclear Fission: : A Review of Experimental Advances and Phenomenology

In the last two decades, through technological, experimental and theoretical advances, the situation in experimental fission studies has changed dramatically. With the use of advanced production and detection techniques both much more detailed and precise information can now be obtained for the traditional regions of fission research and, crucially, new regions of nuclei have become routinely accessible for fission studies.
 This work first of all reviews the recent developments in experimental fission techniques, in particular the resurgence of transfer-induced fission reactions with light and heavy ions, the emerging use of inverse-kinematic approaches, both at Coulomb and relativistic energies, and of fission studies with radioactive beams.
 The emphasis on the fission-fragment mass and charge distributions will be made in this work, though some of the other fission observables, such as prompt neutron and γ-ray emission will also be reviewed.
 A particular attention will be given to the low-energy fission in the so far scarcely explored nuclei in the very neutron-deficient lead region. They recently became the focus for several complementary experimental studies, such as β-delayed fission with radioactive beams at ISOLDE(CERN), Coulex-induced fission of relativistic secondary beams at FRS(GSI), and several prompt fusion-fission studies. The synergy of these approaches allows a unique insight in the new region of asymmetric fission around <sup>180</sup>Hg, recently discovered at ISOLDE. Recent extensive theoretical efforts in this region will also be outlined.
 The unprecedented high-quality data for fission fragments, completely identified in <i>Z</i> and <i>A</i>, by means of reactions in inverse kinematics at FRS(GSI) and VAMOS(GANIL) will be also reviewed. These experiments explored an extended range of mercury-to-californium elements, spanning from the neutron-deficient to neutron-rich nuclides, and covering both asymmetric, symmetric and transitional fission regions.
 Some aspects of heavy-ion induced fusion-fission and quasifission reactions will be also discussed, which reveal their dynamical features, such as the fission time scale. The crucial role of the multi-chance fission, probed by means of multinucleon-transfer induced fission reactions, will be highlighted.
 The review will conclude with the discussion of the new experimental fission facilities which are presently being brought into operation, along with promising 'next-generation' fission approaches, which might become available within the next decade

Structural, elastic, thermodynamic, electronic, and optical properties of

The present paper aims to investigate the structural, elastic, thermodynamic, electronic, and optical properties of $$\hbox {CaMg}_{2}\hbox {AN}_{3}$$($$\hbox {A}= \hbox {Al}$$ and Ga) using first-principle calculations and quasi-harmonic Debye model. The obtained ground-state lattice parameters were in good agreement with the experimental values. Pressure effect on the structural parameters was tested up to 20 GPa, the results reveal that the contractions are higher along the c-axis than along the a-axis. The computed single-crystal elastic moduli show that the unidirectional constant $$\hbox {C}_{11}$$ is about 60% greater than $$\hbox {C}_{33}$$. Cauchy pressure and Poisson ratio suggest that the chemical bonding in $$\hbox {CaMg}_{2}\hbox {AN}_{3}$$ is a mixture of covalent and ionic characters. Elastic anisotropy was discussed using different approaches, and the results show a weak elastic anisotropy. By means of Gibbs program, we have evaluated the thermodynamic properties such as Debye temperature \uptheta _{{D}}, heat capacities $${C}_{{v}}$$ and $${C}_{{p}}$$, and expansion thermal coefficient under pressure ranging from 0 to 20 GPa and at temperature ranging from 0 to 1500 K for both compounds. The evaluated value of Dulong–Petit limit of both the semiconductors is $$360.5\ \hbox {Jmol}^{-1}\hbox {K}^{-1}$$. Band structure curves show a direct band gap of about 1.88 and 0.78 eV for $$\hbox {CaMg}_{2}\hbox {AlN}_{3}$$ and $$\hbox {CaMg}_{2} \hbox {GaN}_{3}$$, respectively. Density of states and charge densities analysis confirm the predicted ionic-covalent bonding in both nitrides. Additionally, optical functions such as the refractive index, the reflectivity, and the absorption coefficient were calculated and discussed for two polarized radiations

Caratterizzazione di tappi in sughero e tappi sintetici utilizzati per l’imbottigliamento del vino

International audienc

Bartonella massiliensis sp. nov., a new bacterial species isolated from an Ornithodoros sonrai tick from Senegal

Bartonella massiliensis sp. nov., strain OSO9(T) (= CSURB624(T) = DSM 23169), is the type strain of Bartonella massiliensis sp. nov., a new species within the genus Bartonella. It was isolated from a soft tick, Ornithodoros sonrai, vector of recurrent fever collected from Senegalese domestic rodent burrows. This strain is an aerobic, rod-shaped and Gram-negative bacterium. On the basis of taxonogenomic approach, we propose the creation of Bartonella massiliensis sp. nov

Molecular investigation of vector-borne pathogens in red foxes (vulpes vulpes) from southern France

Because of their free-ranging nature, the probability of wild animals being exposed to vector-borne pathogens is likely higher than that of humans and pets. Recently, the red fox (Vulpes vulpes) has been suspected as being a reservoir or host of several pathogens of veterinary and public health importance. We conducted a molecular survey on 93 red foxes hunted in 2008-18, in the departments of Bouches-du-Rhone and Var, in southeastern France, for pathogens including Leishmania infantum, Piroplasmida, Hepatozoon spp., nematodes, Coxiella burnetii, Borrelia spp., Rickettsia spp., and Anaplasmataceae. Spleen samples were screened for the presence of vector-borne pathogens by PCR followed by sequencing. Pathogens were detected in 94% (87/93) of red foxes, and coinfections were identified in 24% (22/93) of foxes. We identified DNA from Hepatozoon canis, L. infantum, and Babesia vogeli in 92% (86/93), 15% (14/93), and 3% (3/93) of red foxes, respectively. We also found DNA of nematodes in 3% (3/93) of foxes; Spirocerca vulpis was identified in one fox and Dirofilaria immitis in the two others. Interestingly, C. burnetii genotype 3, previously described in humans from the same region, was identified in 3% (3/93) of foxes and Anaplasma platys in 2% (2/93) of foxes. We did not detect DNA of Borrelia spp., Bartonella spp., or Rickettsia spp. In our study, the prevalence of pathogens did not vary by fox origin, sex, or tick carriage. Molecular evidence of B. vogeli, H. canis, S. vulpis, D. immitis, C. burnetii, and A. platys in red foxes has not previously, to our knowledge, been reported from southern France. We propose that red foxes are potential reservoirs for several pathogens, including major zoonotic agents such as L. infantum. They could be incidental hosts for pathogens, such C. burnetii. The high prevalence for H. canis suggests an important role of foxes in domestic dog (Canis lupus familiaris) infection. These animals may pose a threat to human and animal health

An African canine Trypanosomosis case import : is there a possibility of creating a secondary focus of Trypanosoma congolense infection in France ?

African animal trypanosomosis are parasitic diseases caused by several protozoa of the genus Trypanosoma, transmitted by hematophagous insects, essentially tsetse flies, but also, less frequently by Tabanidae and Stomoxidae. They are geolocated in a part of the continent and affect livestock animals and carnivores; dogs are especially sensitive to them. They do not seem to present a zoonotic risk. Despite the chemical prevention with trypanocides for French military working dogs on mission in Cote d'Ivoire, a fatal case induced by Trypanosoma congolense in France after returning from Abidjan raises the question of an imported secondary focus. The clinical case was developed and the causative agent was confirmed by microscopy and PCR methods. The three necessary pillars to create a secondary potential focus are present: the parasite introduction in a new territory, the presence and the propagation vectors, and their proximity with sensitive species

Non-contiguous finished genome sequence and description of Bartonella saheliensis sp. nov. from the blood of Gerbilliscus gambianus from Senegal

International audienceBartonella saheliensis strain 077 (= CSUR B644T; = DSM 28003T) is a new bacterial species isolated from blood of the rodent Gerbilliscus gambianus captured in the Sine-Saloum region of Senegal. In this work we describe the characteristics of this microorganism, as well as the complete sequence of the genome and its annotation. Its genome has 2 327 299 bp (G+C content 38.4%) and codes for 2015 proteins and 53 RNA genes

An earliest endosymbiont, Wolbachia massiliensis sp. nov., strain PL13 from the bed bug (Cimex hemipterus), type strain of a new supergroup T

The symbiotic Wolbachia are the most sophisticated mutualistic bacterium among all insect-associated microbiota. Wolbachia-insect relationship fluctuates from the simple facultative/parasitic to an obligate nutritional-mutualistic association as it was the case of the bedbug-Wolbachia from Cimex lectularius. Understanding this association may help in the control of associated arthropods. Genomic data have proven to be reliable tools in resolving some aspects of these symbiotic associations. Although, Wolbachia appear to be fastidious or uncultivated bacteria which strongly limited their study. Here we proposed Drosophila S2 cell line for the isolation and culture model to study Wolbachia strains. We therefore isolated and characterized a novel Wolbachia strain associated with the bedbug Cimex hemipterus, designated as wChem strain PL13, and proposed Wolbachia massiliensis sp. nov. strain wChem-PL13 a type strain of this new species from new supergroup T. Phylogenetically, T-supergroup was close to F and S-supergroups from insects and D-supergroup from filarial nematodes. We determined the 1,291,339-bp genome of wChem-PL13, which was the smallest insect-associated Wolbachia genomes. Overall, the wChem genome shared 50% of protein coding genes with the other insect-associated facultative Wolbachia strains. These findings highlight the diversity of Wolbachia genotypes as well as the Wolbachia-host relationship among Cimicinae subfamily. The wChem provides folate and riboflavin vitamins on which the host depends, while the bacteria had a limited translation mechanism suggesting its strong dependence to its hosts. However, the clear-cut distinction between mutualism and parasitism of the wChem in C. hemipterus cannot be yet ruled out