ABSTRACT
Cosmic Dawn II (CoDa II) is a new, fully coupled radiation-hydrodynamics simulation of cosmic reionization and galaxy formation and their mutual impact, to redshift z < 6. With 40963 ...particles and cells in a 94 Mpc box, it is large enough to model global reionization and its feedback on galaxy formation while resolving all haloes above 108 M⊙. Using the same hybrid CPU–GPU code RAMSES–CUDATON as CoDa I in Ocvirk et al. (2016), CoDa II modified and re-calibrated the subgrid star formation algorithm, making reionization end earlier, at z ≳ 6, thereby better matching the observations of intergalactic Lyman α opacity from quasar spectra and electron-scattering optical depth from cosmic microwave background fluctuations. CoDa II predicts a UV continuum luminosity function in good agreement with observations of high-z galaxies, especially at z = 6. As in CoDa I, reionization feedback suppresses star formation in haloes below ∼2 × 109 M⊙, though suppression here is less severe, a possible consequence of modifying the star formation algorithm. Suppression is environment dependent, occurring earlier (later) in overdense (underdense) regions, in response to their local reionization times. Using a constrained realization of lambda cold dark matter constructed from galaxy survey data to reproduce the large-scale structure and major objects of the present-day Local Universe, CoDa II serves to model both global and local reionization. In CoDa II, the Milky Way and M31 appear as individual islands of reionization, i.e. they were not reionized by the progenitor of the Virgo cluster, or by nearby groups, or by each other.
A radiative transfer scheme is presented, based on a moment description of the equation of radiative transfer and the so-called 'M1 closure model' for the Eddington tensor. This model features a ...strictly hyperbolic transport step for radiation: it has been implemented using standard Godunov-like techniques in a new code called aton. Coupled to simple models of ionization chemistry and photoheating, aton is able to reproduce the results of other schemes on a various set of standard tests such as the expansion of a H ii region, the shielding of the radiation by dense clumps and cosmological ionization by multiple sources. Being simple yet robust, such a scheme is intended to be naturally and easily included in grid-based cosmological fluid solvers.
Full text
Available for:
BFBNIB, FZAB, GIS, IJS, IZUM, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
Cosmic reionization by starlight from early galaxies affected their evolution, thereby impacting reionization itself. Star formation suppression, for example, may explain the observed underabundance ...of Local Group dwarfs relative to N-body predictions for cold dark matter. Reionization modelling requires simulating volumes large enough ~ (100 Mpc) super( 3) to sample reionization 'patchiness', while resolving millions of galaxy sources above ~10 super( 8) M... combining gravitational and gas dynamics with radiative transfer. Modelling the Local Group requires initial cosmological density fluctuations pre-selected to form the well-known structures of the Local Universe today. Cosmic Dawn ('CoDa') is the first such fully coupled, radiation-hydrodynamics simulation of reionization of the Local Universe. Our new hybrid CPU-GPU code, ramses-cudaton, performs hundreds of radiative transfer and ionization rate-solver timesteps on the GPUs for each hydro-gravity timestep on the CPUs. CoDa simulated (91Mpc) super( 3) with 4096 super( 3) particles and cells, to redshift 4.23, on ORNL supercomputer Titan, utilizing 8192 cores and 8192 GPUs. Global reionization ended slightly later than observed. However, a simple temporal rescaling which brings the evolution of ionized fraction into agreement with observations also reconciles ionizing flux density, cosmic star formation history, CMB electron scattering optical depth and galaxy UV luminosity function with their observed values. Photoionization heating suppressed the star formation of haloes below ~2 x 10 super( 9) M..., decreasing the abundance of faint galaxies around M sub( AB1600) = -10, -12. For most of reionization, star formation was dominated by haloes between 10 super( 10)-10 super( 11) M..., so low-mass halo suppression was not reflected by a distinct feature in the global star formation history. Intergalactic filaments display sheathed structures, with hot envelopes surrounding cooler cores, but do not self-shield, unlike regions denser than 100 ... (ProQuest: ... denotes formulae/symbols omitted.)
Giardia duodenalis, Cryptosporidium spp. and Toxoplasma gondii are protozoan parasites that have been highlighted as emerging foodborne pathogens by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the ...United Nations and the World Health Organization. According to the European Food Safety Authority, 4786 foodborne and waterborne outbreaks were reported in Europe in 2016, of which 0.4% were attributed to parasites including Cryptosporidium, Giardia and Trichinella. Until 2016, no standardized methods were available to detect Giardia, Cryptosporidium and Toxoplasma (oo)cysts in food. Therefore, no regulation exists regarding these biohazards. Nevertheless, considering their low infective dose, ingestion of foodstuffs contaminated by low quantities of these three parasites can lead to human infection. To evaluate the risk of protozoan parasites in food, efforts must be made towards exposure assessment to estimate the contamination along the food chain, from raw products to consumers. This requires determining: (i) the occurrence of infective protozoan (oo)cysts in foods, and (ii) the efficacy of control measures to eliminate this contamination. In order to conduct such assessments, methods for identification of viable (i.e. live) and infective parasites are required. This review describes the methods currently available to evaluate infectivity and viability of G. duodenalis cysts, Cryptosporidium spp. and T. gondii oocysts, and their potential for application in exposure assessment to determine the presence of the infective protozoa and/or to characterize the efficacy of control measures. Advantages and limits of each method are highlighted and an analytical strategy is proposed to assess exposure to these protozoa.
is a cosmopolitan protozoan parasite which affects approximately 30% of the population worldwide. The drugs currently used against toxoplasmosis are few in number and show several limitations, such ...as drug intolerance, poor bioavailability, or drug resistance mechanism developed by the parasite. Thus, it is important to find new compounds able to inhibit parasite invasion or proliferation. In this study, the 400 compounds of the open-access Pathogen Box, provided by the Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV) foundation, were screened for their anti-
activity. A preliminary
screening performed over 72 h by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) revealed 15 interesting compounds that were effective against
at 1 μM. Their cytotoxicity was estimated on Vero cells, and their 50% inhibitory concentrations (IC
) were further calculated. As a result, eight anti-
compounds with an IC
of less than 2 μM and a selectivity index (SI) value of greater than 4 were identified. The most active was MMV675968, showing an IC
of 0.02 μM and a selectivity index value equal to 275. Two other compounds, MMV689480 and MMV687807, also showed a good activity against
, with IC
s of 0.10 μM (SI of 86.6) and 0.15 μM (SI of 11.3), respectively. Structure-activity relationships for the eight selected compounds also were discussed on the basis of fingerprinting similarity measurements using the Tanimoto method. The anti-
compounds highlighted here represent potential candidates for the development of new drugs that could be used against toxoplasmosis.
•A method based on membrane filtration and molecular detection was used to detect parasites in water.•This is the first study on the presence of protozoan parasites in drinking water in Morocco.•The ...overall parasitic contamination rate of drinking waters in the region of Marrakech was 67.3%.
The association between the parasitic illnesses and the consumption of contaminated water has been largely reported. However, there is still a lack of studies investigating the extent of parasitic contamination in water in Morocco. This is the first study in Morocco that aimed at assessing the presence of protozoan parasites, namely Cryptosporidium spp., Giardia duodenalis, and Toxoplasma gondii, in drinking water consumed in the region of Marrakech.
Samples processing was performed by membrane filtration and qPCR detection. A total of 104 drinking water samples (tap water, well, and spring waters) was collected between 2016 and 2020.
The analysis revealed an overall protozoa contamination rate of 67.3% (70/104), of which 35 samples were positive for Giardia duodenalis, 18 for Toxoplasma gondii, and 17 for both parasites, whereas no sample was positive for Cryptosporidium spp.
This first study showed that drinking water in the region of Marrakech contained parasites which could represent a risk for consumers. For a better understanding and estimation of the risk encountered by local inhabitants, further studies concerned with (oo)cyst viability, infectivity, and genotype identification need to be performed.
Full text
Available for:
GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
Contaminants found in watercourses are not only the result of anthropogenic activities but also depend on river's seasonal hydrodynamics. This is particularly true in Mediterranean climate regions ...where long dry periods are interrupted by strong rainfalls. Storm events remobilize particles from soils and sediments and, as a consequence, the load of particulate matter in rivers can be quite considerable, severely affecting water quality. Nevertheless, an absence of fieldwork studies exists concerning the simultaneous dynamics of mixtures of pollutants in river waters, particularly during strong rainfalls and floods. Our study assessed the concentrations of six families of pollutants, including pesticides, at these events, and compared them to those observed at drought sampling periods. We have used as model a typical Mediterranean coastal river from Southeast France, the Têt River, whose hydrodynamics and major elements fluxes have been fairly investigated. As expected, our results show that chemical mixtures due to human activities occur and that they are particularly relevant during storm events. But the results of our study argue that exceptional multicontamination phenomena actually happen more often than expected because they are linked to recurrent sudden intense rainfall events in the Mediterranean. In particular, combined sewer overflows are responsible for this major issue in urbanized areas, whereas runoff and leaching will be the most important sources of pollutant mixtures occurring at flood flow peak. After an overview of the sources responsible for chronic multiple stressors events in regions under a Mediterranean climate regime worldwide, we revisit best management measures to reduce risks from the presence of chemical mixtures in the environment.
Display omitted
•Pollutants cocktails dynamics was studied at river waters during storms and floods.•Exceptional multicontamination phenomena occur during CSO at heavy rainfall peaks.•Diffuse pollution sources will be most important at flood flow peaks.•We can consider these as Mediterranean chronic multiple stressors events.•Management measures include tackling CSO and monitoring during storm events.
Full text
Available for:
GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZRSKP
Toxoplasma gondii is a protozoan parasite that uses felids as definitive hosts and warm-blooded animals as intermediate hosts. While the dispersal of T. gondii infectious oocysts from land to coastal ...waters has been well documented, transmission routes to pelagic species remain puzzling. We used the modified agglutination test (MAT titre ≥ 10) to detect antibodies against T. gondii in sera collected from 1014 pelagic seabirds belonging to 10 species. Sampling was carried out on eight islands of the Western Indian Ocean: Reunion and Juan de Nova (colonized by cats), Cousin, Cousine, Aride, Bird, Europa and Tromelin islands (cat-free). Antibodies against T. gondii were found in all islands and all species but the great frigatebird. The overall seroprevalence was 16.8% 95% CI: 14.5%-19.1% but significantly varied according to species, islands and age-classes. The low antibody levels (MAT titres = 10 or 25) detected in one shearwater and three red-footed booby chicks most likely resulted from maternal antibody transfer. In adults, exposure to soils contaminated by locally deposited oocysts may explain the detection of antibodies in both wedge-tailed shearwaters on Reunion Island and sooty terns on Juan de Nova. However, 144 adults breeding on cat-free islands also tested positive. In the Seychelles, there was a significant decrease in T. gondii prevalence associated with greater distances to cat populations for species that sometimes rest on the shore, i.e. terns and noddies. This suggests that oocysts carried by marine currents could be deposited on shore tens of kilometres from their initial deposition point and that the number of deposited oocysts decreases with distance from the nearest cat population. The consumption of fishes from the families Mullidae, Carangidae, Clupeidae and Engraulidae, previously described as T. gondii oocyst-carriers (i.e. paratenic hosts), could also explain the exposure of terns, noddies, boobies and tropicbirds to T. gondii. Our detection of antibodies against T. gondii in seabirds that fish in the high sea, have no contact with locally contaminated soils but frequent the shores and/or consume paratenic hosts supports the hypothesis of an open-sea dispersal of T. gondii oocysts by oceanic currents and/or fish.
Full text
Available for:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Display omitted
•The modified agglutination test (MAT) should not be used for Toxoplasma gondii detection in wild Mus musculus domesticus.•Prevalence of T. gondii infection varies significantly ...between species.•Both transcontinental and African lineages of T. gondii are found in Senegal.•The African T. gondii lineage Africa 1 was only found in native African small mammals.
Commensal rodent species are key reservoirs for Toxoplasma gondii in the domestic environment. In rodents, different T. gondii strains show variable patterns of virulence according to host species. Toxoplasma gondii strains causing non-lethal chronic infections in local hosts will be more likely to persist in a given environment, but few studies have addressed the possible role of these interactions in shaping the T. gondii population structure. In addition, the absence of validated techniques for upstream detection of T. gondii chronic infection in wild rodents hinders exploration of this issue under natural conditions. In this study, we took advantage of an extensive survey of commensal small mammals in three coastal localities of Senegal, with a species assemblage constituted of both native African species and invasive species. We tested 828 individuals for T. gondii chronic infection using the modified agglutination test for antibody detection in serum samples and a quantitative PCR assay for detection of T. gondii DNA in brain samples. The infecting T. gondii strains were genotyped whenever possible by the analysis of 15 microsatellite markers. We found (i) a very poor concordance between molecular detection and serology in the invasive house mouse, (ii) significantly different levels of prevalence by species and (iii) the autochthonous T. gondii Africa 1 lineage strains, which are lethal for laboratory mice, only in the native African species of commensal small mammals. Overall, this study highlights the need to reconsider the use of MAT serology in natural populations of house mice and provides the first known data about T. gondii genetic diversity in invasive and native species of small mammals from Africa. In light of these results, we discuss the role of invasive and native species, with their variable adaptations to different T. gondii strains, in shaping the spatial structure of T. gondii genetic diversity in Africa.
Full text
Available for:
GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
Very few studies deal with REE (rare earth element) mobility within the system soil–soil solution–streamwater. In this article, we try to characterize the fractionation and the migration of the REE ...in a granite-derived soil system located in a small catchment of the Vosges mountains. ICP-MS and TIMS measurements were performed on both solid samples (“fresh” granite, soil, and suspended load of the stream) and waters (soil solutions, springwater, and streamwater) to determine their respective REE concentrations and Sr and Nd isotopic compositions. The PAAS-normalized REE pattern of the bedrock is characterized by a strong depletion in HREE (heavy REE) and a negative Eu anomaly (0.46). Similarly, the granite-normalized REE distribution patterns of the soil samples show HREE depletions that become more important with decreasing depth. The correlative behavior between P
2O
5, Th, and REE with depth indicates that, besides apatite, other phosphate minerals such as monazite are the most important phases controlling the Th and REE budget in the soil profile. On the other hand, at greater depth, zircon seems to be another important mineral phase controlling especially the HREE enrichment as shown by the positive relationship between Zr content and the Yb/Ho ratio. Different grain size fractions show similar REE distribution patterns and are only weakly fractionated, compared with bulk soil sample. However, the finest fraction (0–20 μm) is more enriched in Sr and REE, suggesting a stronger concentration of REE-carrying minerals in this fraction. The suspended and dissolved load of the stream show as a whole an enrichment in HREE if compared with the granite or with the different soil samples. However, compared with the uppermost soil samples, the suspended load is significantly more enriched in HREE. Its REE distribution pattern is more similar to that of the finest fraction of the deeper soil sample and to the “fresh” granite. Thus, most probably the REE of the suspended load originated from a source with REE characteristics found in the deep soil horizons. This source might have been situated in the uppermost soil profile, which is actually REE depleted. The weathering process can be compared with a leaching experiment where the waters correspond to the leachate and the soil to the residual phase of the granite. The Sr isotope data indicate that the suspended load originates from the finest soil fraction. The Sr and Nd isotopic data of the suspended load suggest that it contains up to 3% Sr and Nd from apatite and up to 97% from feldspar. Most of the Sr and Nd in the waters originate from apatite leaching or dissolution.
Full text
Available for:
GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK
PDF
