A regional-scale geochemical survey of stream sediment samples in Nappe zone, northern Tunisia. Implications for mineral exploration

The Nappe Zone (NZ) is a main major metallogenic zone in Tunisia, containing lead, zinc, iron and copper deposits. Complex geological, structural conditions and wide variety of ore deposit types could result in different geochemical patterns and geochemical anomalies. In this study, a regional geochemical data set containing 8307 stream sediment samples (<177 μm) analyzed for As, Ba, Co, Cr, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, Sb, Sr, V and Zn, was used to better understanding of the geochemical patterns and genesis of Pb–Zn deposits. Due to compositional nature of geochemical data, a robust principal component analysis (RPCA) was used to identify the assemblages of elements related to mineralization. Geochemical anomalies for ore-forming elements and element assemblages were delineated based on median absolute deviation (MAD). The data were then visualized and analyzed using classical dot maps, which were gathered with geological units, tectonic, and database of the ore deposits of Tunisia using a geographic information system (GIS). RPCA, based on minimum covariance determinant (MCD) revealed that Pb–Zn deposits in the Nappe zone belong to two genetic types: a Pb–Zn–Ba–Sr Mississippi-valley-type (MVT) hosted by carbonates (limestone and dolomites) and a Pb–As–Sb SEDEX type mainly hosted by Miocene shales. The geochemical anomalies delineated by the Median ± 2MAD method revealed that Pb–Zn–Ba–Sr mineralization displays zoning along the NE–SW-trending faults, while Pb–As–Sb mineralization displays zoning along the E–W-trending lineaments. The spatial associations of numerous anomalies with some regional structures suggest that this region can have good ore-potentiality. The results would not only be valuable to identify the ore-related geochemical associations and potential exploration targets, but also enhance the classification of mineralization in Nappe zone

Prevalence and potential risk factors for Bartonella Infection in Tunisian Stray Dogs

Bartonellae are blood-borne and vector-transmitted pathogens, some are zoonotic, which have been reported in several Mediterranean countries. Transmission from dogs to humans is suspected, but has not been clearly demonstrated. Our objectives were to determine the seroprevalence of Bartonella henselae, Bartonella vinsonii subsp. berkhoffii, Bartonella clarridgeiae, and Bartonella bovis (as a proxy for Candidatus Bartonella merieuxii) in stray dogs from Tunisia, identify the Bartonella species infecting the dogs and evaluate potential risk factors for canine infection. Blood samples were collected between January and November 2013 from 149 dogs in 10 Tunisian governorates covering several climatic zones. Dog-specific and geographic variables were analyzed as potential risk factors for Bartonella spp. seropositivity and PCR-positivity. DNA was extracted from the blood of all dogs and tested by PCR for Bartonella, targeting the ftsZ and rpoB genes. Partial sequencing was performed on PCR-positive dogs. Twenty-nine dogs (19.5%, 95% confidence interval: 14-27.4) were seropositive for one or more Bartonella species, including 17 (11.4%) for B. vinsonii subsp. berkhoffii, 14 (9.4%) for B. henselae, 13 (8.4%) for B. clarridgeiae, and 7 (4.7%) for B. bovis. Statistical analysis revealed a few potential risk factors, mainly dog's age and breed, latitude and average winter temperature. Twenty-two (14.8%) dogs, including 8 of the 29 seropositive dogs, were PCR-positive for Bartonella based on the ftsZ gene, with 18 (81.8%) of these 22 dogs also positive for the rpoB gene. Partial sequencing showed that all PCR-positive dogs were infected with Candidatus B. merieuxii. Dogs from arid regions and regions with cold average winter temperatures were less likely to be PCR-positive than dogs from other climatic zones. The widespread presence of Bartonella spp. infection in Tunisian dogs suggests a role for stray dogs as potential reservoirs of Bartonella species in Tunisia

GET – A generic approach towards an acquisition system for TPCs in Nuclear Physics.

GET (Generic Electronics for TPCs) is today being deployed in a number (>20) experiments including, TPCs, trackersand solid-state devices at RIKEN, J-PARC, GANIL, IBS, NSCL, IRFU, INFN(Catania), ELI-NP, CERN, IMP, … Thesystem development covered the very front-end to data storage including basic software developments. It has beenspecifically tailored to respond to the needs in Nuclear Physics where i) a versatile multi-level numeric trigger isrequired, ii) the number of channels can are relatively small (256-32k), iii) having a wide dynamic range, iv) relativelyhigh rates(<5kHz) and in particular v) generic via slow control to cater for different instruments in the domain.Propose to present an overview of the GET system as coupled to ACTAR-TPC, AT-TPC (active targets) andSpIRIT(TPC). The performance of the recent (2015) integrated system will be given for recent experiments. Futureextensions of the system leading to a high dynamic range will be described

GET – A generic approach towards an acquisition system for TPCs in Nuclear Physics.

International audienceGET (Generic Electronics for TPCs) is today being deployed in a number (>20) experiments including, TPCs, trackersand solid-state devices at RIKEN, J-PARC, GANIL, IBS, NSCL, IRFU, INFN(Catania), ELI-NP, CERN, IMP, … Thesystem development covered the very front-end to data storage including basic software developments. It has beenspecifically tailored to respond to the needs in Nuclear Physics where i) a versatile multi-level numeric trigger isrequired, ii) the number of channels can are relatively small (256-32k), iii) having a wide dynamic range, iv) relativelyhigh rates(<5kHz) and in particular v) generic via slow control to cater for different instruments in the domain.Propose to present an overview of the GET system as coupled to ACTAR-TPC, AT-TPC (active targets) andSpIRIT(TPC). The performance of the recent (2015) integrated system will be given for recent experiments. Futureextensions of the system leading to a high dynamic range will be described

GET: A Generic Electronic System for TPCs for nuclear physics experiments

GET is an international program to develop a reconfigurable and scalable medium sized system to cover nuclear physics requirements for instruments with up to 30k electronic channels