About the connection between the CℓC_{\ell} power spectrum of the Cosmic Microwave Background and the Γm\Gamma_{m} Fourier spectrum of rings on the sky

In this article we present and study a scaling law of the $m\Gamma_m$ CMB Fourier spectrum on rings which allows us (i) to combine spectra corresponding to different colatitude angles (e.g. several detectors at the focal plane of a telescope), and (ii) to recover the $C_l$ power spectrum once the $\Gamma_m$ coefficients have been measured. This recovery is performed numerically below the 1% level for colatitudes $\Theta> 80^\circ$ degrees. In addition, taking advantage of the smoothness of the $C_l$ and of the $\Gamma_m$, we provide analytical expressions which allow to recover one of the spectrum at the 1% level, the other one being known.Comment: 8 pages, 8 figure

Modeling of the shared magnets of the ATF Extraction Line

After extraction from the ATF Damping Ring, the linear beam optics is matched before injection into a section dedicated to beam diagnostics. Experimentally, vertical emittances in this section have since several years been observed to be larger than expected, byfactors of two to three, with a seemingly strong dependence on intensity. This has motivated studies of the possible sources of emittance growth. One of these is thought to be the non-linearity experienced by the beam during the extraction, as it is transported off-axis through several magnets which are shared with the Damping Ring. Such non-linearity can generate a sensitivity of the emittance to the orbit parameters in the extraction, which would be very undesirable in the newly built ATF2 final focus system, where the same extraction line is used. In this report, a detailed calculation of the modeling of these shared magnets is presented, in order to quantify the magnitudes of both the linear and non-linear fields to be used in the evaluation of the optics and in tracking simulations of the performance of the extraction line

Stroke care during the COVID-19 pandemic : experience from three large European countries

In order to cope with the exponentially increasing number of patients infected with SARS-CoV-2, European countries made enormous efforts to reorganize medical assistance and several diseases, including stroke, were particularly impacted. We report the experience of stroke neurologists from three European countries (Italy, France and Germany) that faced the pandemic at diverse time points and with different approaches, depending on their resources and healthcare system organization. Pre-hospital and in-hospital acute stroke pathways were reorganized to prioritize COVID-19 management and, in severely affected regions of Italy and France, stroke care was centralized to a limited number of centers, whereas the remaining stroke units were dedicated to patients with COVID-19. Access to acute stroke diagnostics and time-dependent therapies was limited or delayed because of reduced capacities of emergency services due to the burden of patients with COVID-19. A marked reduction in the number of patients presenting with transient ischaemic attack and stroke was noted in the emergency departments of all three countries. Although we only have preliminary data, these conditions may have affected stroke outcome. These indirect effects of the COVID-19 pandemic could negate the efforts of stroke neurologists over the last few years to improve outcome and reduce mortality of stroke patients. Although the SARS-CoV-2 infection rate is slowing down in Europe, the effects of ending lockdown in the next months are unpredictable. It is important for the European and world stroke community to share what has been learned so far to be plan strategies to ensure stroke care in the future and upcoming challenging times

Effect of the non-linear magnetic fields on the emittance growth in the ATF extraction line

WE6PFP075International audienceSince several years, the vertical beam emittance measured in the Extraction Line (EXT) of the Accelerator Test Facility (ATF) at KEK, has been significantly larger than that measured in the damping ring (DR) itself. The EXT line that transports the beam to the ATF2 Final Focus beam line has been rebuilt, but the extraction itself remains in most part unchanged, with the extracted beam transported off- axis horizontally in two of the quadrupoles, beyond the linear region for one of them. A few other nearby magnets have also modelled or measured non-linearity. In case of a residual vertical beam displacement, this can result in increased vertical emittance through coupling between the two transverse planes. Tracking studies as well as measurements have been carried out to study this effect and the induced sensitivity of beam optical parameters to the trajectory at injection, in view of deriving tolerances for reproducible and stable operation

Comparison of reduction methods for finite element geometrically nonlinear beam structures

The aim of this contribution is to present numerical comparisons of model-order reduction methods for geometrically nonlinear structures in the general framework of finite element (FE) procedures. Three different methods are compared: the implicit condensation and expansion (ICE), the quadratic manifold computed from modal derivatives (MD), and the direct normal form (DNF) procedure, the latter expressing the reduced dynamics in an invariant-based span of the phase space. The methods are first presented in order to underline their common points and differences, highlighting in particular that ICE and MD use reduction subspaces that are not invariant. A simple analytical example is then used in order to analyze how the different treatments of quadratic nonlinearities by the three methods can affect the predictions. Finally, three beam examples are used to emphasize the ability of the methods to handle curvature (on a curved beam), 1:1 internal resonance (on a clamped-clamped beam with two polarizations), and inertia nonlinearity (on a cantilever beam)

The epidemiology of conjunctival squamous cell carcinoma in Uganda

As part of a larger investigation of cancer in Uganda, we conducted a case–control study of conjunctival squamous cell carcinoma in adults presenting at hospitals in Kampala. Participants were interviewed about social and lifestyle factors and had blood tested for antibodies to HIV, KSHV and HPV-16, -18 and -45. The odds of each factor among 60 people with conjunctival cancer was compared to that among 1214 controls with other cancer sites or types, using odds ratios, estimated with unconditional logistic regression. Conjunctival cancer was associated with HIV infection (OR 10.1, 95% confidence intervals [CI] 5.2–19.4; P<0.001), and was less common in those with a higher personal income (OR 0.4, 95% CI 0.3–1.2; P<0.001). The risk of conjunctival cancer increased with increasing time spent in cultivation and therefore in direct sunlight (χ2 trend=3.9, P=0.05), but decreased with decreasing age at leaving home (χ2 trend=3.9, P=0.05), perhaps reflecting less exposure to sunlight consequent to working in towns, although both results were of borderline statistical significance. To reduce confounding, sexual and reproductive variables were examined among HIV seropositive individuals only. Cases were more likely than controls to report that they had given or received gifts for sex (OR 3.5, 95% CI 1.2–10.4; P=0.03), but this may have been a chance finding as no other sexual or reproductive variable was associated with conjunctival cancer, including the number of self-reported lifetime sexual partners (P=0.4). The seroprevalence of antibodies against HPV-18 and -45 was too low to make reliable conclusions. The presence of anti-HPV-16 antibodies was not significantly associated with squamous cell carcinoma of the conjunctiva (OR 1.5, 95% CI 0.5–4.3; P=0.5) and nor were anti-KSHV antibodies (OR 0.9, 95% CI 0.4–2.1; P=0.8). The 10-fold increased risk of conjunctival cancer in HIV infected individuals is similar to results from other studies. The role of other oncogenic viral infections is unclear

The BDSLD task: Summary and deliverables (Overview of EuroTeV results on the optical design of the Linear Collider Beam Delivery System)

This report is the deliverable of the EUROTeV Beam Delivery System Lattice Design (BDSLD) and gives an overview of the published results

Distinct Merkel Cell Polyomavirus Molecular Features in Tumour and Non Tumour Specimens from Patients with Merkel Cell Carcinoma

Merkel Cell Polyomavirus (MCPyV) is associated with Merkel Cell carcinoma (MCC), a rare, aggressive skin cancer with neuroendocrine features. The causal role of MCPyV is highly suggested by monoclonal integration of its genome and expression of the viral large T (LT) antigen in MCC cells. We investigated and characterized MCPyV molecular features in MCC, respiratory, urine and blood samples from 33 patients by quantitative PCR, sequencing and detection of integrated viral DNA. We examined associations between either MCPyV viral load in primary MCC or MCPyV DNAemia and survival. Results were interpreted with respect to the viral molecular signature in each compartment. Patients with MCC containing more than 1 viral genome copy per cell had a longer period in complete remission than patients with less than 1 copy per cell (34 vs 10 months, P = 0.037). Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) contained MCPyV more frequently in patients sampled with disease than in patients in complete remission (60% vs 11%, P = 0.00083). Moreover, the detection of MCPyV in at least one PBMC sample during follow-up was associated with a shorter overall survival (P = 0.003). Sequencing of viral DNA from MCC and non MCC samples characterized common single nucleotide polymorphisms defining 8 patient specific strains. However, specific molecular signatures truncating MCPyV LT were observed in 8/12 MCC cases but not in respiratory and urinary samples from 15 patients. New integration sites were identified in 4 MCC cases. Finally, mutated-integrated forms of MCPyV were detected in PBMC of two patients with disseminated MCC disease, indicating circulation of metastatic cells. We conclude that MCPyV molecular features in primary MCC tumour and PBMC may help to predict the course of the disease