9 research outputs found
First Observation of Coherent Production in Neutrino Nucleus Interactions with 2 GeV
The MiniBooNE experiment at Fermilab has amassed the largest sample to date
of s produced in neutral current (NC) neutrino-nucleus interactions at
low energy. This paper reports a measurement of the momentum distribution of
s produced in mineral oil (CH) and the first observation of coherent
production below 2 GeV. In the forward direction, the yield of events
observed above the expectation for resonant production is attributed primarily
to coherent production off carbon, but may also include a small contribution
from diffractive production on hydrogen. Integrated over the MiniBooNE neutrino
flux, the sum of the NC coherent and diffractive modes is found to be (19.5
1.1 (stat) 2.5 (sys))% of all exclusive NC production at
MiniBooNE. These measurements are of immediate utility because they quantify an
important background to MiniBooNE's search for
oscillations.Comment: Submitted to Phys. Lett.
Test of Lorentz and CPT violation with Short Baseline Neutrino Oscillation Excesses
The sidereal time dependence of MiniBooNE electron neutrino and anti-electron
neutrino appearance data are analyzed to search for evidence of Lorentz and CPT
violation. An unbinned Kolmogorov-Smirnov test shows both the electron neutrino
and anti-electron neutrino appearance data are compatible with the null
sidereal variation hypothesis to more than 5%. Using an unbinned likelihood fit
with a Lorentz-violating oscillation model derived from the Standard Model
Extension (SME) to describe any excess events over background, we find that the
electron neutrino appearance data prefer a sidereal time-independent solution,
and the anti-electron neutrino appearance data slightly prefer a sidereal
time-dependent solution. Limits of order 10E-20 GeV are placed on combinations
of SME coefficients. These limits give the best limits on certain SME
coefficients for muon neutrino to electron neutrino and anti-muon neutrino to
anti-electron neutrino oscillations. The fit values and limits of combinations
of SME coefficients are provided.Comment: 14 pages, 3 figures, and 2 tables, submitted to Physics Letters
The evolving SARS-CoV-2 epidemic in Africa: Insights from rapidly expanding genomic surveillance
INTRODUCTION
Investment in Africa over the past year with regard to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) sequencing has led to a massive increase in the number of sequences, which, to date, exceeds 100,000 sequences generated to track the pandemic on the continent. These sequences have profoundly affected how public health officials in Africa have navigated the COVID-19 pandemic.
RATIONALE
We demonstrate how the first 100,000 SARS-CoV-2 sequences from Africa have helped monitor the epidemic on the continent, how genomic surveillance expanded over the course of the pandemic, and how we adapted our sequencing methods to deal with an evolving virus. Finally, we also examine how viral lineages have spread across the continent in a phylogeographic framework to gain insights into the underlying temporal and spatial transmission dynamics for several variants of concern (VOCs).
RESULTS
Our results indicate that the number of countries in Africa that can sequence the virus within their own borders is growing and that this is coupled with a shorter turnaround time from the time of sampling to sequence submission. Ongoing evolution necessitated the continual updating of primer sets, and, as a result, eight primer sets were designed in tandem with viral evolution and used to ensure effective sequencing of the virus. The pandemic unfolded through multiple waves of infection that were each driven by distinct genetic lineages, with B.1-like ancestral strains associated with the first pandemic wave of infections in 2020. Successive waves on the continent were fueled by different VOCs, with Alpha and Beta cocirculating in distinct spatial patterns during the second wave and Delta and Omicron affecting the whole continent during the third and fourth waves, respectively. Phylogeographic reconstruction points toward distinct differences in viral importation and exportation patterns associated with the Alpha, Beta, Delta, and Omicron variants and subvariants, when considering both Africa versus the rest of the world and viral dissemination within the continent. Our epidemiological and phylogenetic inferences therefore underscore the heterogeneous nature of the pandemic on the continent and highlight key insights and challenges, for instance, recognizing the limitations of low testing proportions. We also highlight the early warning capacity that genomic surveillance in Africa has had for the rest of the world with the detection of new lineages and variants, the most recent being the characterization of various Omicron subvariants.
CONCLUSION
Sustained investment for diagnostics and genomic surveillance in Africa is needed as the virus continues to evolve. This is important not only to help combat SARS-CoV-2 on the continent but also because it can be used as a platform to help address the many emerging and reemerging infectious disease threats in Africa. In particular, capacity building for local sequencing within countries or within the continent should be prioritized because this is generally associated with shorter turnaround times, providing the most benefit to local public health authorities tasked with pandemic response and mitigation and allowing for the fastest reaction to localized outbreaks. These investments are crucial for pandemic preparedness and response and will serve the health of the continent well into the 21st century
Synthesis and biological evaluation of sulfonylcyanoguanidines and sulfonamidonitroethylenes as bioisosteres of hypoglycemic sulfonylureas
Phenotypic variability and correlation estimates for traits of Burkina Faso\u2019 sweet grain sorghum genotypes
Sweet grain sorghum [ Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench] is a neglected
crop mainly grown for its sweet grains in the pasty form. Although its
taste is the main character of interest, knowledge of protein related
content of the grain, especially when linked to its value for infant
porridge appears equally important. The objective of this study was to
evaluate the status of crude protein content of pasty grains and to
determine genetic correlations between morphological and biochemical
traits among sweet grain of sorghum genotypes in Burkina Faso. Eight
sweet grain sorghum cultivars (BTO2, BZI1, KBZ4, PBO5, PGO3, SBR7,
SPI2, STO4) were evaluated through 13 morphological and two biochemical
variables. Crude protein content of these genotypes was also compared
with the composition of two controls of sweet stalk sorghum (ETS) and
ordinary grain sorghum or common sorghum (EBS). The analysis of
variance revealed variability within sweet grain sorghum accessions,
mainly on the biochemical traits (crude protein and water content) and
two morphological traits (peduncle and panicle lengths), which
discriminated significantly in the thresholds of 1 and 5%,
respectively. In addition, sweet grain sorghum had low crude protein
content compared to other types of sorghum, except, two genotypes of
sweet grain sorghum (BZI1 and STO4) which recorded higher protein
content compared to the common sorghum. An important and negative
correlation was noted between sowing-flowering cycle and protein
content.Le sorgho grains sucr\ue9s [ Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench] est une
culture n\ue9glig\ue9e produite essentiellement pour ses grains
sucr\ue9s au stade p\ue2teux. Bien que la saveur sucr\ue9e du
grain soit le principal caract\ue8re d\u2019int\ue9r\ueat, une
connaissance de la teneur en prot\ue9ines totales du grain au stade
p\ue2teux pourrait favoriser son utilisation pour impl\ue9menter
les bouillies infantiles et contribuer \ue0 sa meilleure
valorisation. La pr\ue9sente \ue9tude vise donc \ue0
d\ue9terminer la teneur en prot\ue9ines totales des grains au stade
p\ue2teux du sorgho grains sucr\ue9s et \ue9tablir les
corr\ue9lations g\ue9n\ue9tiques entre les caract\ue8res
morphologiques et biochimiques. Ainsi, huit g\ue9notypes de sorgho
grains sucr\ue9s (BTO2, BZI1, KBZ4, PBO5, PGO3, SBR7, SPI2, STO4) ont
\ue9t\ue9 \ue9valu\ue9s \ue0 l\u2019aide de 13
caract\ue8res morphologiques et deux caract\ue8res biochimiques. La
teneur en prot\ue9ines totales de ces g\ue9notypes a \ue9t\ue9
ensuite compar\ue9e \ue0 celle de deux t\ue9moins dont un sorgho
\ue0 tige sucr\ue9e (ETS) et un sorgho ordinaire (ESB).
L\u2019analyse de variance a r\ue9v\ue9l\ue9 une
variabilit\ue9 au sein des cultivars de sorgho grains sucr\ue9s
observ\ue9e surtout au niveau des traits biochimiques (teneur en
prot\ue9ines totales des graines et teneur en eau des graines) et de
deux traits morphologiques (longueur du p\ue9doncule et longueur de
la panicule) qui ont significativement discrimin\ue9 les accessions
aux seuils de 1 et 5%, respectivement. De plus, le sorgho grains
sucr\ue9s a pr\ue9sent\ue9 une faible teneur en prot\ue9ines
totales comparativement aux autres types de sorgho \ue0
l\u2019exception de deux g\ue9notypes (BZI1 et STO4) qui ont
montr\ue9 une teneur en prot\ue9ines plus \ue9lev\ue9e que le
sorgho ordinaire. Une forte corr\ue9lation significative et
n\ue9gative a \ue9t\ue9 \ue9galement not\ue9e entre le cycle
semis-floraison et la teneur en prot\ue9ines totales
Amodiaquine Metabolism is Impaired by Common Polymorphisms in CYP2C8: Implications for Malaria Treatment in Africa
Rhinitis associated with asthma is distinct from rhinitis alone : The ARIA-MeDALL hypothesis
Asthma, rhinitis, and atopic dermatitis (AD) are interrelated clinical phenotypes that partly overlap in the human interactome. The concept of "one-airway-one-disease," coined over 20 years ago, is a simplistic approach of the links between upper- and lower-airway allergic diseases. With new data, it is time to reassess the concept. This article reviews (i) the clinical observations that led to Allergic Rhinitis and its Impact on Asthma (ARIA), (ii) new insights into polysensitization and multimorbidity, (iii) advances in mHealth for novel phenotype definitions, (iv) confirmation in canonical epidemiologic studies, (v) genomic findings, (vi) treatment approaches, and (vii) novel concepts on the onset of rhinitis and multimorbidity. One recent concept, bringing together upper- and lower-airway allergic diseases with skin, gut, and neuropsychiatric multimorbidities, is the "Epithelial Barrier Hypothesis." This review determined that the "one-airway-one-disease" concept does not always hold true and that several phenotypes of disease can be defined. These phenotypes include an extreme "allergic" (asthma) phenotype combining asthma, rhinitis, and conjunctivitis. Rhinitis alone and rhinitis and asthma multimorbidity represent two distinct diseases with the following differences: (i) genomic and transcriptomic background (Toll-Like Receptors and IL-17 for rhinitis alone as a local disease; IL-33 and IL-5 for allergic and non-allergic multimorbidity as a systemic disease), (ii) allergen sensitization patterns (mono- or pauci-sensitization versus polysensitization), (iii) severity of symptoms, and (iv) treatment response. In conclusion, rhinitis alone (local disease) and rhinitis with asthma multimorbidity (systemic disease) should be considered as two distinct diseases, possibly modulated by the microbiome, and may be a model for understanding the epidemics of chronic and autoimmune diseases.Peer reviewe
Adherence to treatment in allergic rhinitis using mobile technology. The MASK Study
Background: Mobile technology may help to better understand the adherence to treatment. MASK-rhinitis (Mobile Airways Sentinel NetworK for allergic rhinitis) is a patient-centred ICT system. A mobile phone app (the Allergy Diary) central to MASK is available in 22 countries. Objectives: To assess the adherence to treatment in allergic rhinitis patients using the Allergy Diary App. Methods: An observational cross-sectional study was carried out on all users who filled in the Allergy Diary from 1 January 2016 to 1 August 2017. Secondary adherence was assessed by using the modified Medication Possession Ratio (MPR) and the Proportion of days covered (PDC) approach. Results: A total of 12 143 users were registered. A total of 6 949 users reported at least one VAS data recording. Among them, 1 887 users reported ≥7 VAS data. About 1 195 subjects were included in the analysis of adherence. One hundred and thirty-six (11.28%) users were adherent (MPR ≥70% and PDC ≤1.25), 51 (4.23%) were partly adherent (MPR ≥70% and PDC = 1.50) and 176 (14.60%) were switchers. On the other hand, 832 (69.05%) users were non-adherent to medications (MPR <70%). Of those, the largest group was non-adherent to medications and the time interval was increased in 442 (36.68%) users. Conclusion and clinical relevance: Adherence to treatment is low. The relative efficacy of continuous vs on-demand treatment for allergic rhinitis symptoms is still a matter of debate. This study shows an approach for measuring retrospective adherence based on a mobile app. This also represents a novel approach for analysing medication-taking behaviour in a real-world setting