79 research outputs found
Effect of Leucovorin (Folinic Acid) on the Developmental Quotient of Children with Down's Syndrome (Trisomy 21) and Influence of Thyroid Status
International audienceBACKGROUND: Seven genes involved in folate metabolism are located on chromosome 21. Previous studies have shown that folate deficiency may contribute to mental retardation in Down's syndrome (DS). METHODOLOGY: We investigated the effect of oral folate supplementation (daily dose of 1.0+/-0.3 mg/kg) on cognitive functions in DS children, aged from 3 to 30 months. They received 1 mg/kg leucovorin or placebo daily, for 12 months, in a single-centre, randomised, double-blind study. Folinic acid (leucovorin, LV) was preferred to folic acid as its bioavailability is higher. The developmental age (DA) of the patients was assessed on the Brunet-Lezine scale, from baseline to the end of treatment. RESULTS: The intent-to-treat analysis (113 patients) did not show a positive effect of leucovorin treatment. However, it identified important factors influencing treatment effect, such as age, sex, and concomitant treatments, including thyroid treatment in particular. A per protocol analysis was carried out on patients evaluated by the same examiner at the beginning and end of the treatment period. This analysis of 87 patients (43 LV-treated vs. 44 patients on placebo) revealed a positive effect of leucovorin on developmental age (DA). DA was 53.1% the normal value with leucovorin and only 44.1% with placebo (p<0.05). This positive effect of leucovorin was particularly strong in patients receiving concomitant thyroxin treatment (59.5% vs. 41.8%, p<0.05). No adverse event related to leucovorin was observed. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that leucovorin improves the psychomotor development of children with Down's syndrome, at least in some subgroups of the DS population, particularly those on thyroxin treatment. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT00294593
Contribution française à l'upgrade de LHCb
La contribution française à l'upgrade de LHCb est d etaillée dans ce document et s'inscrit dans le prolongement du Framework TDR soumis au LHCC le 25 mai 2012. La France a contribué à la conception et à la réalisation de la mécanique et de l'électronique de lecture des calorimÚtres. Elle est l'acteur principal du systÚme de déclenchement de premier niveau et l'initiatrice du projet DIRAC, progiciel de traitement et d'analyse de données dans un environnement distribué. Les physiciens et ingénieurs français ont de nombreuses responsabilités de premier plan et sont trÚs fortement impliqués dans l'analyse des données. Les groupes français souhaitent poursuivre leur forte participation a l'expérience en contribuant a son upgrade, notamment l'électronique de lecture des calorimÚtres et du trajectographe en fibres scintillantes ainsi qu'au data processing
Ăvolution de la contribution française Ă l'upgrade de LHCb
Ce document décrit l'évolution de la contribution française à l'upgrade de LHCb. Il s'inscrit dans le prolongement de la Lettre d'Intention [1], du Framework TDR [2], du document soumis au Conseil scientifique de l'IN2P3 le 21 juin 2012 [3], et des Technical Design Reports soumis au LHCC en novembre 2013 [4, 5]. Ces derniers concernent le détecteur de vertex et les détecteurs utilisés dans l'identification des particules. La contribution française s'est cristallisée autour de quatre grands projets : l'électronique front-end des calorimÚtres et du trajectographe à fibres scintillantes, le systÚme de déclenchement de premier niveau et la carte de lecture à 40MHz commune à l'ensemble des sous-systÚmes. Dans ce document nous décrivons les contributions envisagées et les ressources nécessaires pour mener à bien ces projets
Performance of the front-end electronics of the ANTARES neutrino telescope
ANTARES is a high-energy neutrino telescope installed in the Mediterranean
Sea at a depth of 2475 m. It consists of a three-dimensional array of optical
modules, each containing a large photomultiplier tube. A total of 2700
front-end ASICs named Analogue Ring Samplers (ARS) process the phototube
signals, measure their arrival time, amplitude and shape as well as perform
monitoring and calibration tasks. The ARS chip processes the analogue signals
from the optical modules and converts information into digital data. All the
information is transmitted to shore through further multiplexing electronics
and an optical link. This paper describes the performance of the ARS chip;
results from the functionality and characterization tests in the laboratory are
summarized and the long-term performance in the apparatus is illustrated.Comment: 20 pages, 22 figures, published in Nuclear Instruments and Methods
Contribution française à l'upgrade de LHCb
La contribution française à l'upgrade de LHCb est d etaillée dans ce document et s'inscrit dans le prolongement du Framework TDR soumis au LHCC le 25 mai 2012. La France a contribué à la conception et à la réalisation de la mécanique et de l'électronique de lecture des calorimÚtres. Elle est l'acteur principal du systÚme de déclenchement de premier niveau et l'initiatrice du projet DIRAC, progiciel de traitement et d'analyse de données dans un environnement distribué. Les physiciens et ingénieurs français ont de nombreuses responsabilités de premier plan et sont trÚs fortement impliqués dans l'analyse des données. Les groupes français souhaitent poursuivre leur forte participation a l'expérience en contribuant a son upgrade, notamment l'électronique de lecture des calorimÚtres et du trajectographe en fibres scintillantes ainsi qu'au data processing
Dark Matter Searches with the ANTARES Neutrino Telescope
[EN] The MOSCAB experiment (Materia OSCura A Bolle) uses the Geyser technique for dark matter search. The results of the first 0.5 kg mass prototype detector using superheated C3F8 liquid were very encouraging, achieving a 5 keV nuclear recoil threshold with high insensitivity to gamma radiation. Additionally, the technique seems to be easily scalable to higher masses for both in terms of complexity and costs, resulting in a very competitive technique for direct dark matter search, especially for the spin dependent case. Here, we report as well in the construction and commissioning of the big detector of 40 kg at the Milano-Bicocca University. The detector, the calibration tests and the evaluation of the background will be presented. Once demonstrated the functionality of the detector, it will be operated at the Gran Sasso National Laboratory in 2015.We acknowledge the financial support of the Spanish Ministerio de Ciencia e InnovaciĂłn (MICINN) and Ministerio de EconomĂa y Competitividad (MINECO), Grants FPA2012-37528-C02-02, and Consolider MultiDark CSD2009-00064, and of the Generalitat Valenciana, Grants ACOMP/2014/153 and PrometeoII/2014/079.Ardid RamĂrez, M. (2016). Dark Matter Searches with the ANTARES Neutrino Telescope. Nuclear and Particle Physics Proceedings. 273:378-382. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nuclphysbps.2015.09.054S37838227
A Fast Panel Code for Complex Actuator Disk Flows
A fast, linear scaling vortex method is presented to study inviscid incompressible flow problems involving one or more actuator disks. Building upon previous efforts that were limited to axi-symmetric flow cases, the proposed methodology is able to handle arbitrary configurations with no symmetry constraints. Applications include the conceptual study of wake interaction mechanisms in wind farms, and the correction of wind tunnel blockage effects in test sections of arbitrary shape. Actuator disks represent wind turbines through the shedding of a deformable vortex wake, discretized with a plaid of triangular distributed dipole singularities. An iterative method is adopted to align the wake with the local flow field, which is reconstructed from the vorticity field with a Green function approach. Interactions are computed with a Fast Multipole Method (FMM), effectively overcoming the quadratic scaling of computational time associated with traditional panel methods. When compared to direct computation, the use of an FMM algorithm reduced solution time by a factor 30 when studying the wake of a single actuator disk with 60000 panels. In the same case, the mass flux of the actuator streamtube was conserved to 0:002%. Finally, the presence of round and square impermeable walls around the actuator is considered to demonstrate the code applicability to wind tunnel wall interference correction problems
Sedimentation and Fouling of Optical Surfaces at the ANTARES Site
ANTARES is a project leading towards the construction and deployment of a
neutrino telescope in the deep Mediterranean Sea. The telescope will use an
array of photomultiplier tubes to detect the Cherenkov light emitted by muons
resulting from the interaction with matter of high energy neutrinos. In the
vicinity of the deployment site the ANTARES collaboration has performed a
series of in-situ measurements to study the change in light transmission
through glass surfaces during immersions of several months. The average loss of
light transmission is estimated to be only ~2% at the equator of a glass sphere
one year after deployment. It decreases with increasing zenith angle, and tends
to saturate with time. The transmission loss, therefore, is expected to remain
small for the several year lifetime of the ANTARES detector whose optical
modules are oriented downwards. The measurements were complemented by the
analysis of the ^{210}Pb activity profile in sediment cores and the study of
biofouling on glass plates. Despite a significant sedimentation rate at the
site, in the 0.02 - 0.05 cm.yr^{-1} range, the sediments adhere loosely to the
glass surfaces and can be washed off by water currents. Further, fouling by
deposits of light-absorbing particulates is only significant for surfaces
facing upwards.Comment: 18 pages, 14 figures (pdf), submitted to Astroparticle Physic
The ANTARES Optical Module
The ANTARES collaboration is building a deep sea neutrino telescope in the
Mediterranean Sea. This detector will cover a sensitive area of typically 0.1
km-squared and will be equipped with about 1000 optical modules. Each of these
optical modules consists of a large area photomultiplier and its associated
electronics housed in a pressure resistant glass sphere. The design of the
ANTARES optical module, which is a key element of the detector, has been
finalized following extensive R & D studies and is reviewed here in detail.Comment: 26 pages, 15 figures, to be published in NI
Demographic, clinical, and service-use characteristics related to the clinicianâs recommendation to transition from child to adult mental health services
Purpose:
The service configuration with distinct child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) and adult mental health services (AMHS) may be a barrier to continuity of care. Because of a lack of transition policy, CAMHS clinicians have to decide whether and when a young person should transition to AMHS. This study describes which characteristics are associated with the cliniciansâ advice to continue treatment at AMHS.
Methods:
Demographic, family, clinical, treatment, and service-use characteristics of the MILESTONE cohort of 763 young people from 39 CAMHS in Europe were assessed using multi-informant and standardized assessment tools. Logistic mixed models were fitted to assess the relationship between these characteristics and cliniciansâ transition recommendations.
Results:
Young people with higher clinician-rated severity of psychopathology scores, with self- and parent-reported need for ongoing treatment, with lower everyday functional skills and without self-reported psychotic experiences were more likely to be recommended to continue treatment. Among those who had been recommended to continue treatment, young people who used psychotropic medication, who had been in CAMHS for more than a year, and for whom appropriate AMHS were available were more likely to be recommended to continue treatment at AMHS. Young people whose parents indicated a need for ongoing treatment were more likely to be recommended to stay in CAMHS.
Conclusion:
Although the decision regarding continuity of treatment was mostly determined by a small set of clinical characteristics, the recommendation to continue treatment at AMHS was mostly affected by service-use related characteristics, such as the availability of appropriate services
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