Design and Test of the Off-Detector Electronics for the CMS Barrel Muon Trigger

Drift Tubes chambers are used in the CMS barrel for tagging the passage of high Pt muons generated in a LHC event and for triggering the CMS data read out. The Sector Collector (SC) system synchronizes the track segments built by trigger modules on the chambers and deliver them to reconstruction processors (Track Finder, TF) that assemble full muon tracks. Then, the Muon Sorter (MS) has to select the best four candidates in the barrel and to filter fake muons generated by the TF system redundancy. The hardware implementations of the Sector Collector and Muon Sorter systems satisfy radiation, I/O and fast timing constraints using several FPGA technologies. The hardware was tested with custom facilities, integrated with other trigger subsystems, and operated in a beam test. A test beam on a 40 MHz bunched beam validated the local trigger electronics and off-detector prototype cards and the synchronization tools. The CMS Magnet Test and Cosmic challenge in 2006 proved stable and reliable operation of the Drift Tubes trigger and its integration with other trigger systems and with the readout system. Constraints, design, test and operation of the modules are presented

The CMS Drift Tube Trigger Track Finder

Muons are among the decay products of many new particles that may be discovered at the CERN Large Hadron Collider. At the first trigger level the identification of muons and the determination of their transverse momenta and location is performed by the Drift Tube Trigger Track Finder in the central region of the Compact Muon Solenoid experiment, using track segments detected in the Drift Tube muon chambers. Track finding is performed both in pseudorapidity and azimuth. Track candidates are ranked and sorted, and the best four are delivered to the subsequent high level trigger stage. The concept, design, control and simulation software as well as the expected performance of the system are described. Prototyping, production and tests are also summarized

Longitudinal beam dynamics in the Frascati DAΦNE e^{+}e^{-} collider with a passive third harmonic cavity in the lengthening regime

A high-harmonic rf system is going to be installed in both rings of the DAΦNE Φ-Factory collider to improve the Touschek lifetime. The main goal of this paper is to study the impact of the 3rd harmonic cavity on beam dynamics making a special emphasis on the dynamics of a bunch train with a gap. The shift of the coherent synchrotron frequencies of the coupled-bunch modes has been estimated. In the following we investigated the effect of magnification of the synchrotron phase spread and beam spectrum variation due to the gap. Besides we simulated the bunch lengthening for different bunches along the unevenly filled train and evaluated the Touschek lifetime enhancement taking into account the obtained bunch distributions. Finally, the "cavity parking" option is discussed. It can be considered as a reliable backup procedure consisting of tuning the cavity away from the 3rd harmonic frequency and in between two revolution harmonics. It allows recovering, approximately, the same operating conditions as were before the harmonic cavity installation

Balloon aortic valvuloplasty as a palliative treatment in patients with severe aortic stenosis and limited life expectancy : a single center experience

Whether balloon aortic valvuloplasty (BAV) may provide an effective palliation in symptomatic high-risk patients is uncertain. Therefore, we aimed to evaluate outcomes in symptomatic high-risk patients with severe aortic stenosis (AS), who underwent BAV. All-cause mortality and length of hospitalization for heart failure (HF) up to death or to 1-year follow up were collected after BAV. One hundred thirty-two (132) patients (62% women), mean age 85±7 years, underwent BAV with a substantial reduction of the peak-to-peak aortic gradient from 53±21 to 29±15 mmHg (p<0.001). The median of days of HF hospitalization prior to BAV was 9 (0-19), and decreased after BAV to 0 (0-9), p<0.001. During 1-year follow-up patients with untreated CAD (85, 64%) had a higher mortality compared to patients with insignificant/treated CAD (47, 36%): 1-year survival: 45±7% vs. 66± 7%; p=0.02. After adjustment for STS risk score and severity of residual AS, patients with untreated CAD remained at higher risk of mortality (adjusted HR 1.74 [1.01-2.91]; p=0.04). Thus, in this series of symptomatic high-risk patients, BAV was associated with a significant reduction in aortic valve gradient and hospitalization time for HF post-BAV. In patients with significant CAD, percutaneous intervention might be considered in order to improve survival

Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome protein-mediated actin dynamics control type-I interferon production in plasmacytoid dendritic cells

Mutations in Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome (WAS) protein (WASp), a regulator of actin dynamics in hematopoietic cells, cause WAS, an X-linked primary immunodeficiency characterized by recurrent infections and a marked predisposition to develop autoimmune disorders. The mechanisms that link actin alterations to the autoimmune phenotype are still poorly understood. We show that chronic activation of plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs) and elevated type-I interferon (IFN) levels play a role in WAS autoimmunity. WAS patients display increased expression of type-I IFN genes and their inducible targets, alteration in pD

Moringa oleifera Leaf Powder as Functional Additive in Cookies to Protect SH-SY5Y Cells

The aim of this work is the evaluation of the addition of Moringa leaf powder (MLP) in cookies in terms of antioxidant properties, dough processability and sensorial properties of the cookies. The total content of biophenols and flavonoids in MLP was detected and the identification of the bioactive molecules was performed by HPLC-ESI-TOF-MS measurements, before and after oven treatment at 180 ◦C for 20 min. After a preliminary evaluation of the MLP water soluble fraction (MLPsf) cytotoxicity, its protective effect against an oxidative injury induced in the SH-SY5Y cells was assessed. Data evidence that the bioactive molecules present in MLPsf are effective in preventing ROS production and in protecting neuronal cells against oxidative stress. Prototypes of cookies containing MLP in different concentrations were then produced and evaluated by a consumer panel. Selected doughs containing MLP were analysed to determine the total content of biophenols in the cookies after baking and their enrichment in terms of valuable chemical elements. The influence of MLP on the viscoelastic behaviour and morphology of the doughs was also assessed. Finally, the potential role in counteracting the insurgence of not treatable neurodegenerative pathologies of two main MLP components, glucomoringin and kaempferol derivatives, present also after the thermal treatment, was discussed

Impacts of the Tropical Pacific/Indian Oceans on the Seasonal Cycle of the West African Monsoon

The current consensus is that drought has developed in the Sahel during the second half of the twentieth century as a result of remote effects of oceanic anomalies amplified by local land–atmosphere interactions. This paper focuses on the impacts of oceanic anomalies upon West African climate and specifically aims to identify those from SST anomalies in the Pacific/Indian Oceans during spring and summer seasons, when they were significant. Idealized sensitivity experiments are performed with four atmospheric general circulation models (AGCMs). The prescribed SST patterns used in the AGCMs are based on the leading mode of covariability between SST anomalies over the Pacific/Indian Oceans and summer rainfall over West Africa. The results show that such oceanic anomalies in the Pacific/Indian Ocean lead to a northward shift of an anomalous dry belt from the Gulf of Guinea to the Sahel as the season advances. In the Sahel, the magnitude of rainfall anomalies is comparable to that obtained by other authors using SST anomalies confined to the proximity of the Atlantic Ocean. The mechanism connecting the Pacific/Indian SST anomalies with West African rainfall has a strong seasonal cycle. In spring (May and June), anomalous subsidence develops over both the Maritime Continent and the equatorial Atlantic in response to the enhanced equatorial heating. Precipitation increases over continental West Africa in association with stronger zonal convergence of moisture. In addition, precipitation decreases over the Gulf of Guinea. During the monsoon peak (July and August), the SST anomalies move westward over the equatorial Pacific and the two regions where subsidence occurred earlier in the seasons merge over West Africa. The monsoon weakens and rainfall decreases over the Sahel, especially in August.Peer reviewe

Severe early onset preeclampsia: short and long term clinical, psychosocial and biochemical aspects

Preeclampsia is a pregnancy specific disorder commonly defined as de novo hypertension and proteinuria after 20 weeks gestational age. It occurs in approximately 3-5% of pregnancies and it is still a major cause of both foetal and maternal morbidity and mortality worldwide1. As extensive research has not yet elucidated the aetiology of preeclampsia, there are no rational preventive or therapeutic interventions available. The only rational treatment is delivery, which benefits the mother but is not in the interest of the foetus, if remote from term. Early onset preeclampsia (<32 weeks’ gestational age) occurs in less than 1% of pregnancies. It is, however often associated with maternal morbidity as the risk of progression to severe maternal disease is inversely related with gestational age at onset2. Resulting prematurity is therefore the main cause of neonatal mortality and morbidity in patients with severe preeclampsia3. Although the discussion is ongoing, perinatal survival is suggested to be increased in patients with preterm preeclampsia by expectant, non-interventional management. This temporising treatment option to lengthen pregnancy includes the use of antihypertensive medication to control hypertension, magnesium sulphate to prevent eclampsia and corticosteroids to enhance foetal lung maturity4. With optimal maternal haemodynamic status and reassuring foetal condition this results on average in an extension of 2 weeks. Prolongation of these pregnancies is a great challenge for clinicians to balance between potential maternal risks on one the eve hand and possible foetal benefits on the other. Clinical controversies regarding prolongation of preterm preeclamptic pregnancies still exist – also taking into account that preeclampsia is the leading cause of maternal mortality in the Netherlands5 - a debate which is even more pronounced in very preterm pregnancies with questionable foetal viability6-9. Do maternal risks of prolongation of these very early pregnancies outweigh the chances of neonatal survival? Counselling of women with very early onset preeclampsia not only comprises of knowledge of the outcome of those particular pregnancies, but also knowledge of outcomes of future pregnancies of these women is of major clinical importance. This thesis opens with a review of the literature on identifiable risk factors of preeclampsia