Future direct searches for low-mass dark matter particles with germanium detectors, such as SuperCDMS SNOLAB, are expected to be limited by backgrounds from radioactive isotopes activated by ...cosmogenic radiation inside the germanium. There are limited experimental data available to constrain production rates and a large spread of theoretical predictions. We examine the calculation of expected production rates, and analyze data from the second run of the CDMS low ionization threshold experiment (CDMSlite) to estimate the rates for several isotopes. We model the measured CDMSlite spectrum and fit for contributions from tritium and other isotopes. Using the knowledge of the detector history, these results are converted to cosmogenic production rates at sea level. The production rates in atoms/(kg\(\cdot\)day) are 74\(\pm\)9 for \(^3\)H, 1.5\(\pm\)0.7 for \(^{55}\)Fe, 17\(\pm\)5 for \(^{65}\)Zn, and 30\(\pm\)18 for \(^{68}\)Ge.
Background:
Alemtuzumab is given as two annual courses. Patients with continued disease activity may receive as-needed additional courses.
Objective:
To evaluate efficacy and safety of additional ...alemtuzumab courses in the CARE-MS (Comparison of Alemtuzumab and Rebif® Efficacy in Multiple Sclerosis) studies and their extensions.
Methods:
Subgroups were based on the number of additional alemtuzumab courses received. Exclusion criteria: other disease-modifying therapy (DMT); <12-month follow-up after last alemtuzumab course.
Results:
In the additional-courses groups, Courses 3 and 4 reduced annualized relapse rate (12 months before: 0.73 and 0.74, respectively; 12 months after: 0.07 and 0.08). For 36 months after Courses 3 and 4, 89% and 92% of patients were free of 6-month confirmed disability worsening, respectively, with 20% and 26% achieving 6-month confirmed disability improvement. Freedom from magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) disease activity increased after Courses 3 and 4 (12 months before: 43% and 53%, respectively; 12 months after: 73% and 74%). Safety was similar across groups; serious events occurred irrespective of the number of courses.
Conclusion:
Additional alemtuzumab courses significantly improved outcomes, without increased safety risks, in CARE-MS patients with continued disease activity after Course 2. How this compares to outcomes if treatment is switched to another DMT instead remains unknown.
Ambient fine particulate matter (PM2.5) is a leading environmental risk factor for premature mortality. We use aerosol optical depth (AOD) retrieved from two satellite instruments, MISR and SeaWiFS, ...to produce a unified 15-year global time series (1998–2012) of ground-level PM2.5 concentration at a resolution of 1° x 1°. The GEOS-Chem chemical transport model (CTM) is used to relate each individual AOD retrieval to ground-level PM2.5. Four broad areas showing significant, spatially coherent, annual trends are examined in detail: the Eastern U.S. (−0.39 ± 0.10 μg m–3 yr–1), the Arabian Peninsula (0.81 ± 0.21 μg m–3 yr–1), South Asia (0.93 ± 0.22 μg m–3 yr–1) and East Asia (0.79 ± 0.27 μg m–3 yr–1). Over the period of dense in situ observation (1999–2012), the linear tendency for the Eastern U.S. (−0.37 ± 0.13 μg m–3 yr–1) agrees well with that from in situ measurements (−0.38 ± 0.06 μg m–3 yr–1). A GEOS-Chem simulation reveals that secondary inorganic aerosols largely explain the observed PM2.5 trend over the Eastern U.S., South Asia, and East Asia, while mineral dust largely explains the observed trend over the Arabian Peninsula.
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