The EDELWEISS experiment and Dark Matter Direct Detection

This mini-review first introduces the motivations for Dark Matter Searches. The experimental aspect of the direct detection of Weakly Interactive Massive Particles (WIMPs) is described, detailing its principle and presenting some experiments with their recent results. The EDELWEISS experiment and its results are discussed in more details before concluding with the future direct detection experiments.Comment: 9 pages, 6 figures, 2 tables, to appear in Proceedings of the Moriond Electroweak 2003 conferenc

EDELWEISS-II Dark Matter Search : status and first results

The EDELWEISS II experiment is devoted to the search for Weakly Interacting Massive Particles (WIMP) that would constitute the Dark Matter halo of our Galaxy. For this purpose, the experiment uses cryogenic germanium detectors, cooled down at 20 mK, in which the collision of a WIMP with an atomic nucleus produces characteristic signals in terms of ionization and elevation of temperature. We will present the preliminary results of the first operation of the detectors installed in the underground laboratory of the Frejus Tunnel (LSM), attesting to the very low radioactive background conditions achieved so far. New detectors, with a special electrode design for active rejection of surface events, have been shown to be suited for searches of WIMPs with scattering cross-sections on nucleon well below 10-8 pb. Preliminary results of WIMP search performed with a first set of these detectors are presented.Comment: 4 pages, to appear in the proceedings of the TAUP09 conference (Rome, July 1st-5th 2009

Status of the EDELWEISS-II experiment

EDELWEISS is a direct dark matter search experiment situated in the low radioactivity environment of the Modane Underground Laboratory. The experiment uses Ge detectors at very low temperature in order to identify eventual rare nuclear recoils induced by elastic scattering of WIMPs from our Galactic halo. We present results of the commissioning of the second phase of the experiment, involving more than 7 kg of Ge, that has been completed in 2007. We describe two new types of detectors with active rejection of events due to surface contamination. This active rejection is required in order to achieve the physics goals of 10-8 pb cross-section measurement for the current phase

Emerging Threats in Antifungal-Resistant Fungal Pathogens.

The use of antifungal drugs in the therapy of fungal diseases can lead to the development of antifungal resistance. Resistance has been described for virtually all antifungal agents in diverse pathogens, including Candida and Aspergillus species. The majority of resistance mechanisms have also been elucidated at the molecular level in these pathogens. Drug resistance genes and genome mutations have been identified. Therapeutic choices are limited for the control of fungal diseases, and it is tempting to combine several drugs to achieve better therapeutic efficacy. In the recent years, several novel resistance patterns have been observed, including antifungal resistance originating from environmental sources in Aspergillus fumigatus and the emergence of simultaneous resistance to different antifungal classes (multidrug resistance) in different Candida species. This review will summarize these current trends

Latest results of the EDELWEISS experiment

The EDELWEISS experiment is a direct detection Dark Matter Search, under the form of WIMPs. It uses heat and ionization Ge cryogenic detectors. We present the latest results obtained by the experiment with three new 320g bolometers. At present, EDELWEISS I is the most sensitive experiment for all WIMP masses compatible with accelerator constraints (Mwimp>30 GeV/c^2). We also briefly describe the status of the second stage EDELWEISS II involving initially 10 kg of detectors aiming a gain of two orders of magnitude in sensitivity.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures, to appear in the proceedings of the Rencontres de Moriond - Cosmology : Exploring the Universe 200

DAMA detection claim is still compatible with all other DM searches

We show that the annual modulation signal observed by DAMA can be reconciled with all other negative results from dark matter searches with a conventional halo model for particle masses around 5 to 9 GeV. We also show which particular dark matter stream could produce the DAMA signal.Comment: Talk given at TAUP2005, Sept. 10-14 2005, Zaragoza (Spain). 3 pages, 4 figure

Azole and fungicide resistance in clinical and environmental Aspergillus fumigatus isolates

Aspergillus fumigatus is a human pathogen but it is also a widespread filamentous fungus in the environment. A. fumigatus can therefore be exposed to antifungals used in medical and agricultural environments. Only the class of azoles is used in both of these environments (i.e., voriconazole and itraconazole in medicine; prochloraz, propiconazole or imazalil in agriculture). Exposure to azoles provides the potential for the development of resistance. Several clinical itraconazole-resistant isolates have been reported in A. fumigatus and their resistance mechanisms have been partially resolved. Since limited data exist on the susceptibility of A. fumigatus to both medical and agricultural antifungals, we undertook a drug susceptibility study including clinical (400) and agricultural (150) A. fumigatus isolates (Swiss origin). We tested azoles and also compounds of major antifungal classes used in agriculture (i.e., azoxystrobin, iprodione, benalaxyl or cyprodinil). The results showed that all A. fumigatus isolates were intrinsically resistant to iprodione, benalaxyl or cyprodinil (MIC90>32 µg.ml−1) and that azoxystrobin minimal inhibitory concentrations (MICs) showed a wide range (0.06 to 32 µg.ml−1). MIC ranges of azoles were compound-dependent. MIC90 for voriconazole, itraconazole, imazalil and prochloraz were within a range of 0.125 to 1 µg.ml−1 and similar between clinical and environmental isolates, whereas propiconazole was the least active compound (MIC90: 4-8 µg.ml−1). Ten clinical and 36 environmental isolates with high itraconazole MIC (≥2 µg.ml−1) were detected. In clinical isolates, no cross-resistance was observed between itraconazole and all others azoles tested. Several patterns of azole MICs for were, however, observed in the environmental isolates. Unexpectedly, a single environmental isolate was voriconazole-resistant (MIC of 16 µg.ml−1) but still susceptible to itraconazole (MIC of 2 µg.ml−1). Taken together, our results demonstrate the absence of susceptibility of A. fumigatus isolates to non-azole agricultural agents and that there is little impact of azole resistance in both clinical and environmental isolates. When detected, azole resistance was compound-specifi

Enseigner la musique dans le deuxième cycle en tant que généralistes: Quels sont les facteurs qui influencent les enseignants généralistes du cycle 2 à s'investir ou non dans l'enseignement de la musique ?

Ce mémoire traitera de l’enseignement de la musique dispensé par des enseignants généralistes au deuxième cycle de l’école primaire. Il évoquera les différents facteurs qui les encouragent ou les découragent à s’investir dans cette tâche. Nous en apprendrons davantage sur la formation musicale de la HEP-BEJUNE de Porrentruy en nous concentrant notamment sur les contenus des cours, mais aussi sur les différentes méthodes existantes en lien avec les attentes fondamentales du PER pour l’enseignement de la discipline Musique. En d’autres termes, ce travail portera sur ce que la musique génère en nous (émotions, sensations, etc.) et sur son enseignement ne laissant ni les élèves ni les enseignants indifférents. La place de la musique à l’école peut paraître peu attrayante pour certains. Ce mémoire tentera donc de donner des pistes pour revaloriser l’enseignement de la musique auprès des généralistes, en leur montrant que la discipline n’est pas sans intérêt et difficile à assumer

Defining the frontiers between antifungal resistance, tolerance and the concept of persistence.

A restricted number of antifungal agents are available for the therapy of fungal diseases. With the introduction of epidemiological cut-off values for each agent in important fungal pathogens based on the distribution of minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC), the distinction between wild type and drug-resistant populations has been facilitated. Antifungal resistance has been described for all currently available antifungal agents in several pathogens and most of the associated resistance mechanisms have been deciphered at the molecular level. Clinical breakpoints for some agents have been proposed and can have predictive value for the success or failure of therapy. Tolerance to antifungals has been a much more ignored area. By definition, tolerance operates at antifungal concentrations above individual intrinsic inhibitory values. Important is that tolerance to antifungal agents favours the emergence of persister cells, which are able to survive antifungal therapy and can cause relapses. Here we will review the current knowledge on antifungal tolerance, its potential mechanisms and also evaluate the role of antifungal tolerance in the efficacy of drug treatments

Impact of energy restriction during late gestation on muscle and blood transcriptome of beef calves

Maternal nutrition during gestation has long-term effects on skeletal muscle development of the offspring. In this thesis, we studied the effect of energy restriction during late gestation on gene expression in the blood and muscle tissues of preconditioned beef calves. The first chapter corresponds to a literature review in which we describe aspects related to this research, such as muscle and immune system development, gene expression, and the use of RNA-seq data to answer complex biological questions. The second chapter describes a research project in which, multiparous cows were divided into two groups: cows fed 70% and 100% of their energy requirements during the last third of gestation. Blood and muscle samples were collected from the offspring, and total RNA was extracted and sequenced (RNA-seq). Finally, statistical analyses were performed to identify differentially expressed genes as an effect of maternal energy restriction, overrepresentation of related biological functions, and to construct gene-gene networks. A total of 160, 164, and 346 DEG (q-value \u3c 0.05) were identified in the skeletal muscle for the effects of diet, sex, and diet-by-sex interaction, respectively. For blood, 452, 1392, and 155 DEG were identified for the effects of diet, time, and diet-by-time interaction, respectively. For skeletal muscle, results based on diet identified genes involved in the muscle metabolism. On muscle, from the 10 most DEG down-regulated in the energy-restricted group (REST), we identified 6 genes associated with muscle metabolism and development, SLCO3A1, ATP6V0D1, SLC2A1, GPC4, RASD2, and SLC2A1. On blood, among the top 10 DEG, we found genes related to response to stress overexpressed in the REST after weaning, such as SOD3 and INO80D, and to immune response down-regulated in the REST after vaccination, such as OASL, KLRF1, and LOC104968634. Among the DEG identified in both blood and muscle, including VAT1, CABLES1, SLC20A2, ILF3, and QDPR were down-regulated in the muscle and up-regulated in blood, and SPAG17 and LOC107131247 were down-regulated in both. Therefore, the findings support the hypothesis that alterations in the intra-uterine environment can alter the gene expression of muscle and blood on the offspring which and, consequently, modify postnatal development