We present a lattice QCD calculation of the up, down, strange and charm quark masses performed using the gauge configurations produced by the European Twisted Mass Collaboration with Nf=2+1+1 ...dynamical quarks, which include in the sea, besides two light mass degenerate quarks, also the strange and charm quarks with masses close to their physical values. The simulations are based on a unitary setup for the two light quarks and on a mixed action approach for the strange and charm quarks. The analysis uses data at three values of the lattice spacing and pion masses in the range 210–450 MeV, allowing for accurate continuum limit and controlled chiral extrapolation. The quark mass renormalization is carried out non-perturbatively using the RI′-MOM method. The results for the quark masses converted to the MS¯ scheme are: mud(2 GeV)=3.70(17) MeV, ms(2 GeV)=99.6(4.3) MeV and mc(mc)=1.348(46) GeV. We obtain also the quark mass ratios ms/mud=26.66(32) and mc/ms=11.62(16). By studying the mass splitting between the neutral and charged kaons and using available lattice results for the electromagnetic contributions, we evaluate mu/md=0.470(56), leading to mu=2.36(24) MeV and md=5.03(26) MeV.
BepiColombo, an European Space Agency (ESA) mission being conducted in cooperation with the Japan space agency, will explore Mercury with a set of eleven instruments onboard the spacecraft Mercury ...Planetary Orbiter (MPO). Among them, SIMBIO-SYS (Spectrometers and Imagers for MPO BepiColombo Integrated Observatory SYStem) is a complex instrument that will provide images and spectra in the 400–2000nm wavelength range of the entire surface of Mercury. Pre-flight calibration of the SYMBIO-SYS instrument is mandatory for reliable scientific interpretation of images and spectra returned from the planet Mercury. This paper presents the calibration device designed and implemented for the specific requirements of this instrument. It mainly consists of a thermal vacuum chamber simulating the space environment, an optical bench collecting calibration sources and optical elements that simulate the conditions of Mercury observations, mechanical interfaces used for positioning the three channels inside the vacuum chamber, thermal interfaces to explore the operating temperatures, computer interfaces that allow to communicate with both the instrument and the calibration elements and synchronize the calibrations sequences with the status of the calibration device. As the major goal is the characterization of the radiometric performances of the three channels of SIMBIO-SYS, radiometric performances of the test setup evaluated by simulations and measurements are emphasized.
●The on-ground device dedicated to the calibration of SIMBIO-SYS is described.●Radiometric performances of the setup is evaluated by simulations and measurements.●Their compliance with the objectives of the calibration are modeled and validated.
•We used ITS2 sequencing to distinguish two sibling species of mosquitoes.•We designed primers to amplify a species-specific fragment.•A new multiplex PCR now permit an easy distinction of European ...species.•This new tool prompts for further bio-ecological studies.•The taxonomic status of North-African population of the Detritus complex is raised.
Internal transcribed spacer regions of ribosomal DNA were sequenced, and species-specific primers were designed to simplify the identification of two morphologically similar species of the Detritus complex, Ochlerotatus detritus and Ochlerotatuscoluzzii. Each newly designed primer was able to amplify a species-specific fragment with a different size. Samples from France and Germany were successfully tested. This new tool prompts for bio-ecological studies to refine basic knowledge on the bionomics of this species complex, towards a better control and prevention of ensuing nuisances. Moreover, ITS2 sequencing revealed the existence of (1) two distinct haplotypes of Oc. detritus that are sympatric and widely distributed along the French Atlantic and Mediterranean littorals and (2) a specific haplotype in mosquitoes sampled from Tunisia, raising the question of the taxonomic status of this North-African population.
A series of 694 Leishmania strain from Tunisian leishmaniasis foci were isolated and identified by isoenzymatic analysis. Geographical extensions were observed for L. infantum, L. major and L. ...killicki. Display omitted
► Isoenzymatic identification of 694 Leishmania strain isolated between 1998 and 2007 from Tunisian foci. ► L. infantum is the single species responsible for VL and MON-1 has a wide distribution. ► L. infantum, L. major and L. killicki are responsible for cutaneous leishmaniasis. ► Dermotropic L. infantum species has spread to the Centre and South part of the country. ► Leishmania killicki distribution is no longer restricted to the Southeast Tunisia.
Over a period of ten years, a series of 694 Leishmania strains from Tunisian leishmaniasis foci were isolated and identified by isoenzymatic analysis. Strains were obtained from human cutaneous and visceral leishmaniasis in immunocompetent subjects, visceral leishmaniasis in imunocompromised individuals and from dogs with visceral leishmaniasis. Two classically dermotropic species, Leishmania (L.) major and Leishmania killicki were found. L. major with the single zymodeme MON-25 was the most isolated in cutaneous leishmaniasis foci of the Centre and South of Tunisia with a recent northern extension. L. killicki zymodeme MON-8 was sporadically found both in its classical microfocus of Tataouine in southeastern Tunisia as well as in some new foci in Southwestern, Central and Northern Tunisia. Leishmania infantum with its three zymodemes MON-1, MON-24 and MON-80 was isolated from both visceral and cutaneous human cases. The majority of L. infantum strains were found in the Northern part of the country; however, some strains were reported for the first time in the Southern part. L. infantum MON-1 was the only zymodeme isolated from canine leishmaniasis.
Between 2005 and 2008, a serological survey for leishmanial infection was conducted among dogs from urban and peri-urban Algiers, with the focus on the new, densely populated areas that were built ...after the 2003 earthquake. Serum samples were collected from 1810 animals and tested for the presence of leishmanial antibodies by IFAT, ELISA and western blotting. The overall seroprevalence recorded was 25.1%. Of the seropositive dogs, 58.8% showed no clinical signs of the disease, 25.8% had a few, minor signs and the remaining 15.4% showed more severe illness. The major clinical signs of infection were weight loss, skin lesions and lymphadenopathy. Although seropositive dogs were found in all of the boroughs (daïras) of Algiers, seroprevalences were highest in the western part of the city (i.e. in the boroughs of Bouzaréah, Chéraga and Zéralda), ranging from 23.0% to 44.5%. Statistical analysis showed a relationship between seropositivity for leishmanial infection and the dog's age and lifestyle (i.e. whether the dog lived outside and/or in areas with dense vegetation). Only two zymodemes were identified amongst the 50 isolates investigated: MON-1 (88%) and MON-281 (12%). The latter zymodeme has not been previously found in Algeria, sandflies or dogs.
Context. The High Frequency Instrument (HFI) is one of the two focal instruments of the Planck mission. It will observe the whole sky in six bands in the 100 GHz–1 THz range. Aims. The HFI instrument ...is designed to measure the cosmic microwave background (CMB) with a sensitivity limited only by fundamental sources: the photon noise of the CMB itself and the residuals left after the removal of foregrounds. The two high frequency bands will provide full maps of the submillimetre sky, featuring mainly extended and point source foregrounds. Systematic effects must be kept at negligible levels or accurately monitored so that the signal can be corrected. This paper describes the HFI design and its characteristics deduced from ground tests and calibration. Methods. The HFI instrumental concept and architecture are feasible only by pushing new techniques to their extreme capabilities, mainly: (i) bolometers working at 100 mK and absorbing the radiation in grids; (ii) a dilution cooler providing 100 mK in microgravity conditions; (iii) a new type of AC biased readout electronics and (iv) optical channels using devices inspired from radio and infrared techniques. Results. The Planck-HFI instrument performance exceeds requirements for sensitivity and control of systematic effects. During ground-based calibration and tests, it was measured at instrument and system levels to be close to or better than the goal specification.
The Planck High Frequency Instrument (HFI) is designed to measure the temperature and polarization anisotropies of the cosmic microwave background and Galactic foregrounds in six ~30% bands centered ...at 100, 143, 217, 353, 545, and 857 GHz at an angular resolution of 10′ (100 GHz), 7′ (143 GHz), and 5′ (217 GHz and higher). HFI has been operating flawlessly since launch on 14 May 2009, with the bolometers reaching 100 mK the first week of July. The settings of the readout electronics, including bolometer bias currents, that optimize HFI’s noise performance on orbit are nearly the same as the ones chosen during ground testing. Observations of Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn have confirmed that the optical beams and the time responses of the detection chains are in good agreement with the predictions of physical optics modeling and pre-launch measurements. The Detectors suffer from a high flux of cosmic rays due to historically low levels of solar activity. As a result of the redundancy of Planck’s observation strategy, theremoval of a few percent of data contaminated by glitches does not significantly affect the instrumental sensitivity. The cosmic ray flux represents a significant and variable heat load on the sub-Kelvin stage. Temporal variation and the inhomogeneous distribution of the flux results in thermal fluctuations that are a probable source of low frequency noise. The removal of systematic effects in the time ordered data provides a signal with an average noise equivalent power that is 70% of the goal in the 0.6−2.5 Hz range. This is slightly higher than was achieved during the pre-launch characterization but better than predicted in the early phases of the project. The improvement over the goal is a result of the low level of instrumental background loading achieved by the optical and thermal design of the HFI.
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