The effects of high-intensity exercise on neural responses to images of food.

PubMed

Crabtree, Daniel R; Chambers, Edward S; Hardwick, Robert M; Blannin, Andrew K

2014-02-01

Acute bouts of high-intensity exercise modulate peripheral appetite regulating hormones to transiently suppress hunger. However, the effects of physical activity on central appetite regulation have yet to be fully investigated. We used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to compare neural responses to visual food stimuli after intense exercise and rest. Fifteen lean healthy men [mean ± SD age: 22.5 ± 3.1 y; mean ± SD body mass index (in kg/m(2)): 24.2 ± 2.4] completed two 60-min trials-exercise (EX; running at ∼70% maximum aerobic capacity) and a resting control trial (REST)-in a counterbalanced order. After each trial, an fMRI assessment was completed in which images of high- and low-calorie foods were viewed. EX significantly suppressed subjective appetite responses while increasing thirst and core-body temperature. Furthermore, EX significantly suppressed ghrelin concentrations and significantly enhanced peptide YY release. Neural responses to images of high-calorie foods significantly increased dorsolateral prefrontal cortex activation and suppressed orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) and hippocampus activation after EX compared with REST. After EX, low-calorie food images increased insula and putamen activation and reduced OFC activation compared with REST. Furthermore, left pallidum activity was significantly elevated after EX when low-calorie images were viewed and was suppressed when high-calorie images were viewed, and these responses correlated significantly with thirst. Exercise increases neural responses in reward-related regions of the brain in response to images of low-calorie foods and suppresses activation during the viewing of high-calorie foods. These central responses are associated with exercise-induced changes in peripheral signals related to appetite-regulation and hydration status. This trial was registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov as NCT01926431.

Counting Dependence Predictors

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-05-02

sophisticated dependence predictors, such as Store Sets, have been tightly coupled to the fetch and ex- ecution streams, requiring global knowledge of...applicable to any architecture with distributed fetch and distributed memory banks, in which the comprehensive event completion knowledge needed by previous...adapted for Core Fusion [5] by giv- ing its steering management unit (SMU) the responsibilities of the controller core. While Ipek et al. describe how a

On Use of Multi-Chambered Fission Detectors for In-Core, Neutron Spectroscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roberts, Jeremy A.

2018-01-01

Presented is a short, computational study on the potential use of multichambered fission detectors for in-core, neutron spectroscopy. Motivated by the development of very small fission chambers at CEA in France and at Kansas State University in the U.S., it was assumed in this preliminary analysis that devices can be made small enough to avoid flux perturbations and that uncertainties related to measurements can be ignored. It was hypothesized that a sufficient number of chambers with unique reactants can act as a real-time, foilactivation experiment. An unfolding scheme based on maximizing (Shannon) entropy was used to produce a flux spectrum from detector signals that requires no prior information. To test the method, integral, detector responses were generated for singleisotope detectors of various Th, U, Np, Pu, Am, and Cs isotopes using a simplified, pressurized-water reactor spectrum and fluxweighted, microscopic, fission cross sections, in the WIMS-69 multigroup format. An unfolded spectrum was found from subsets of these responses that had a maximum entropy while reproducing the responses considered and summing to one (that is, they were normalized). Several nuclide subsets were studied, and, as expected, the results indicate inclusion of more nuclides leads to better spectra but with diminishing improvements, with the best-case spectrum having an average, relative, group-wise error of approximately 51%. Furthermore, spectra found from minimum-norm and Tihkonov-regularization inversion were of lower quality than the maximum entropy solutions. Finally, the addition of thermal-neutron filters (here, Cd and Gd) provided substantial improvement over unshielded responses alone. The results, as a whole, suggest that in-core, neutron spectroscopy is at least marginally feasible.

Common Pitfalls in Exposure and Response Prevention (EX/RP) for OCD

PubMed Central

Gillihan, Seth J.; Williams, Monnica T.; Malcoun, Emily; Yadin, Elna; Foa, Edna B.

2012-01-01

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a highly debilitating disorder. Fortunately there are treatments that help the majority of OCD sufferers. The behavioral treatment with the most empirical support for its efficacy is exposure and response prevention (EX/RP). Over the years in our supervision meetings and in our clinical practice we have noted a number of relatively common therapist pitfalls that decrease the effectiveness of EX/RP. These pitfalls include not encouraging patients to approach the most distressing situations, doing imaginal exposure when in vivo is called for (and vice versa), encouraging distraction during exposure, providing reassurance, failing to address the core fear, ineffective handling of mental compulsions, and difficulty working with close others in the patient’s life. In the current article we describe these common pitfalls and how to avoid them. PMID:22924159

In-core flux sensor evaluations at the ATR critical facility

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Troy Unruh; Benjamin Chase; Joy Rempe

2014-09-01

Flux detector evaluations were completed as part of a joint Idaho State University (ISU) / Idaho National Laboratory (INL) / French Atomic Energy commission (CEA) ATR National Scientific User Facility (ATR NSUF) project to compare the accuracy, response time, and long duration performance of several flux detectors. Special fixturing developed by INL allows real-time flux detectors to be inserted into various ATRC core positions and perform lobe power measurements, axial flux profile measurements, and detector cross-calibrations. Detectors initially evaluated in this program include the French Atomic Energy Commission (CEA)-developed miniature fission chambers; specialized self-powered neutron detectors (SPNDs) developed by themore » Argentinean National Energy Commission (CNEA); specially developed commercial SPNDs from Argonne National Laboratory. As shown in this article, data obtained from this program provides important insights related to flux detector accuracy and resolution for subsequent ATR and CEA experiments and flux data required for bench-marking models in the ATR V&V Upgrade Initiative.« less

Ex-Vessel Core Melt Modeling Comparison between MELTSPREAD-CORQUENCH and MELCOR 2.1

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Robb, Kevin R.; Farmer, Mitchell; Francis, Matthew W.

System-level code analyses by both United States and international researchers predict major core melting, bottom head failure, and corium-concrete interaction for Fukushima Daiichi Unit 1 (1F1). Although system codes such as MELCOR and MAAP are capable of capturing a wide range of accident phenomena, they currently do not contain detailed models for evaluating some ex-vessel core melt behavior. However, specialized codes containing more detailed modeling are available for melt spreading such as MELTSPREAD as well as long-term molten corium-concrete interaction (MCCI) and debris coolability such as CORQUENCH. In a preceding study, Enhanced Ex-Vessel Analysis for Fukushima Daiichi Unit 1: Meltmore » Spreading and Core-Concrete Interaction Analyses with MELTSPREAD and CORQUENCH, the MELTSPREAD-CORQUENCH codes predicted the 1F1 core melt readily cooled in contrast to predictions by MELCOR. The user community has taken notice and is in the process of updating their systems codes; specifically MAAP and MELCOR, to improve and reduce conservatism in their ex-vessel core melt models. This report investigates why the MELCOR v2.1 code, compared to the MELTSPREAD and CORQUENCH 3.03 codes, yield differing predictions of ex-vessel melt progression. To accomplish this, the differences in the treatment of the ex-vessel melt with respect to melt spreading and long-term coolability are examined. The differences in modeling approaches are summarized, and a comparison of example code predictions is provided.« less

Phosphorus speciation and its bioavailability in sediments of the Jiaozhou Bay

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kang, Xuming; Song, Jinming; Yuan, Huamao; Shi, Xin; Yang, Weifeng; Li, Xuegang; Li, Ning; Duan, Liqin

2017-03-01

Phosphorus (P) is an important macronutrient that can limit primary productivity in coastal marine ecosystems. In this study, four sediment cores were collected in the Jiaozhou Bay to study the phosphorus forms and their bioavailability, including exchangeable or loosely sorbed P (Ex-P), iron-bound P (Fe-P), authigenic P (Ca-P), detrital P (De-P) and organic P (OP), which were separated and quantified using a sequential extraction method (SEDEX). The results showed that the concentration of total P (TP) in core sediments ranged from 6.23 to 10.46 μmol/g, and inorganic P (IP) was the dominated P form. Fe-P and De-P were the main chemical forms of IP in core sediments. The profile variation of OP presented the most significant among the phosphorus forms. Whereas the concentrations of Ex-P, Fe-P, and Ca-P varied slightly with depth, indicating that the transformation of Ex-P, Fe-P, Ca-P, and OP could occur during sedimentary P burial. Moreover, the distribution of P species was influenced by many factors, including terrigenous input, biological processes, organic matter degradation and increasing human activities. High total organic carbon (TOC)/OP ratio occurred in the Jiaozhou Bay, ranging from 73 to 472 (average, 180 ± 81) in core sediments, which was caused by the increasing terrestrial organic matter. The ratio of TOC/Preactive ranged from 24 to 101 (average 46 ± 15) in core sediments (lower than the Redfield ratio), implying a surplus of sedimentary reactive P compared with TOC. Potential bioavailable P (BAP) accounted for about 28.2-60.8% (average, 47.1 ± 7.4%) of TP in core sediments, and presented an increasing trend since 1980s, which might be responsible for the shift of phytoplankton community composition during these decades.

Prompt photon measurements with the PHENIX MPC-EX detector

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Campbell, Sarah

2013-04-01

The MPC-EX detector is a preshower extension to PHENIX's Muon Piston Calorimeter (MPC). It consists of eight layers of alternating W absorber and Si mini-pad sensors. Located at forward rapidity, 3.1<|η|<3.8, the MPC and MPC-EX access low-x partons in the Au nucleus in p+Au collisions and high-x partons in the projectile in polarized p+p collisions. With the MPC-EX, photon and ^0 separation extends to E>80 GeV, allowing the measurement of prompt photons using the double ratio method. At forward rapidities, prompt photons are dominated by direct photons produced by quark-gluon Compton scattering. In transversely polarized p+p collisions, the prompt photon single spin asymmetry measurement, AN, will resolve the sign discrepancy between the Sivers and twist-3 extractions of AN. In p+Au collisions, the prompt photon RpAu will quantify the level of gluon saturation in the Au nucleus at low-x, 10-3, with a projected systematic error band a factor of four smaller than EPS09's current allowable range. The MPC-EX detector will expand our understanding of gluon nuclear parton distribution functions, providing information about the initial state of heavy ion collisions, and clarify how valence parton's pT and spin correlate to the proton spin.

Prompt photon measurements with PHENIX's MPC-EX detector

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Campbell, Sarah; PHENIX Collaboration

2013-08-01

The MPC-EX detector is a Si-W preshower extension to the existing Muon Piston Calorimeter (MPC). The MPC-EX consists of eight layers of alternating W absorber and Si mini-pad sensors. Located at forward rapidity, 3.1 < |η| < 3.8, the MPC and MPC-EX will access low-x partons in the Au nucleus in p+Au collisions and high-x partons in the projectile in polarized p+p collisions. With the addition of the MPC-EX, the neutral pion reconstruction energy range extends to the luminosity limit, energies > 80 GeV, a factor of four improvement over current capabilities. Not only will the MPC-EX strengthen PHENIX's existing forward π0 and jet measurements, it will provide sufficient prompt photon and π0 separation to make a prompt photon measurement possible. Prompt photon yields at high pT, pT > 3 GeV/c, can be statistically extracted using the double ratio method. In transversely polarized p+p collisions, the measurement of the prompt photon single spin asymmetry, AN, will resolve the sign discrepancy between the Sivers and twist-3 extractions of AN. In p+Au collisions, the prompt photon RpAu will quantify the level of gluon saturation in the Au nucleus at low-x, x ~ 10-3, with a projected systematic error band a factor of four smaller than EPS09's current allowable range. The MPC-EX detector will expand our understanding of the gluon nuclear parton distribution functions, providing important information about the initial state of heavy ion collisions, and clarify how the valence parton's transverse momentum and spin correlates to the proton spin.

DANSS Neutrino Spectrometer: Detector Calibration, Response Stability, and Light Yield

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alekseev, I. G.; Belov, V. V.; Danilov, M. V.; Zhitnikov, I. V.; Kobyakin, A. S.; Kuznetsov, A. S.; Machikhiliyan, I. V.; Medvedev, D. V.; Rusinov, V. Yu.; Svirida, D. N.; Skrobova, N. A.; Starostin, A. S.; Tarkovsky, E. I.; Fomina, M. V.; Shevchik, E. A.; Shirchenko, M. V.

2018-05-01

Apart from monitoring nuclear reactor parameters, the DANSS neutrino experiment is aimed at searching for sterile neutrinos through a detailed analysis of the ratio of reactor antineutrino spectra measured at different distances from the reactor core. The light collection system of the detector is dual, comprising both the vacuum photomultiplier tubes (PMTs) and silicon photomultipliers (SiPMs). In this paper, the techniques developed to calibrate the responses of these photodetectors are discussed in detail. The long-term stability of the key parameters of the detector and their dependences on the ambient temperature are investigated. The results of detector light yield measurements, performed independently with PMTs and SiPMs are reported.

HBV-Derived Synthetic Long Peptide Can Boost CD4+ and CD8+ T-Cell Responses in Chronic HBV Patients Ex Vivo

PubMed Central

Dou, Yingying; van Montfoort, Nadine; van den Bosch, Aniek; de Man, Robert A; Zom, Gijs G; Krebber, Willem-Jan; Melief, Cornelis J M; Buschow, Sonja I; Woltman, Andrea M

2018-01-01

Abstract Background Vaccination with synthetic long peptides (SLP) is a promising new treatment strategy for chronic hepatitis B virus (CHB). SLP can induce broad T-cell responses for all HLA types. Here we investigated the ability of a prototype HBV-core (HBc)-sequence-derived SLP to boost HBV-specific T cells in CHB patients ex vivo. Methods HBc-SLP was used to assess cross-presentation by monocyte-derived dendritic cells (moDC) and BDCA1+ blood myeloid DC (mDC) to engineered HBV-specific CD8+ T cells. Autologous SLP-loaded and toll-like receptor (TLR)-stimulated DC were used to activate patient HBc-specific CD8+ and CD4+ T cells. Results HBV-SLP was cross-presented by moDC, which was further enhanced by adjuvants. Patient-derived SLP-loaded moDC significantly increased autologous HBcAg18-27-specific CD8+ T cells and CD4+ T cells ex vivo. HBV-specific T cells were functional as they synthesized tumor necrosis factor-alpha and interferon-gamma. In 6/7 of patients blockade of PD-L1 further increased SLP effects. Also, importantly, patient-derived BDCA1+ mDC cross-presented and activated autologous T-cell responses ex vivo. Conclusions As a proof of concept, we showed a prototype HBc-SLP can boost T-cell responses in patients ex vivo. These results pave the way for the development of a therapeutic SLP-based vaccine to induce effective HBV-specific adaptive immune responses in CHB patients. PMID:29220492

Prompt Photon Measurements with the PHENIX MPC-EX Detector

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lajoie, John

2012-10-01

The MPC-EX detector is a Si-W preshower extension to the existing PHENIX Muon Piston Calorimeter (MPC). The MPC-EX consists of eight layers of alternating W absorber and Si mini-pad sensors. Covering a large pseudorapidity range, 3.1 < |η| < 3.8, the MPC-EX and MPC access low-x partons in the Au nucleus in d+Au collisions through prompt photon measurements. With the addition of the MPC-EX, the neutral pion reconstruction range extends to energies > 80 GeV, a factor of four improvement over current capabilities. Not only will the MPC-EX strengthen PHENIX's existing forward 0̂ and jet measurements, it also provides the necessary 0̂ rejection to make a prompt photon measurement feasible. With this 0̂ rejection, prompt photon yields at high pT, pT> 3 GeV, can be statistically extracted using a double ratio method. The prompt photon RdAu measured with the MPC-EX will quantify the level of gluon shadowing or saturation in the Au nucleus at low-x, x˜ 10-3, with a projected systematic error band a factor of four smaller than current global fits to current measurements.

Ergogenic effects of precooling with cold water immersion and ice ingestion: A meta-analysis.

PubMed

Choo, Hui C; Nosaka, Kazunori; Peiffer, Jeremiah J; Ihsan, Mohammed; Abbiss, Chris R

2018-03-01

This review evaluated the effects of precooling via cold water immersion (CWI) and ingestion of ice slurry/slushy or crushed ice (ICE) on endurance performance measures (e.g. time-to-exhaustion and time trials) and psychophysiological parameters (core [T core ] and skin [T skin ] temperatures, whole body sweat [WBS] response, heart rate [HR], thermal sensation [TS], and perceived exertion [RPE]). Twenty-two studies were included in the meta-analysis based on the following criteria: (i) cooling was performed before exercise with ICE or CWI; (ii) exercise longer than 6 min was performed in ambient temperature ≥26°C; and (iii) crossover study design with a non-cooling passive control condition. CWI improved performance measures (weighted average effect size in Hedges' g [95% confidence interval] + 0.53 [0.28; 0.77]) and resulted in greater increase (ΔEX) in T skin (+4.15 [3.1; 5.21]) during exercise, while lower peak T core (-0.93 [-1.18; -0.67]), WBS (-0.74 [-1.18; -0.3]), and TS (-0.5 [-0.8; -0.19]) were observed without concomitant changes in ΔEX-T core (+0.19 [-0.22; 0.6]), peak T skin (-0.67 [-1.52; 0.18]), peak HR (-0.14 [-0.38; 0.11]), and RPE (-0.14 [-0.39; 0.12]). ICE had no clear effect on performance measures (+0.2 [-0.07; 0.46]) but resulted in greater ΔEX-T core (+1.02 [0.59; 1.45]) and ΔEX-T skin (+0.34 [0.02; 0.67]) without concomitant changes in peak T core (-0.1 [-0.48; 0.28]), peak T skin (+0.1 [-0.22; 0.41]), peak HR (+0.08 [-0.19; 0.35]), WBS (-0.12 [-0.42; 0.18]), TS (-0.2 [-0.49; 0.1]), and RPE (-0.01 [-0.33; 0.31]). From both ergogenic and thermoregulatory perspectives, CWI may be more effective than ICE as a precooling treatment prior to exercise in the heat.

Flexible Photodiodes Based on Nitride Core/Shell p–n Junction Nanowires

PubMed Central

2016-01-01

A flexible nitride p-n photodiode is demonstrated. The device consists of a composite nanowire/polymer membrane transferred onto a flexible substrate. The active element for light sensing is a vertical array of core/shell p–n junction nanowires containing InGaN/GaN quantum wells grown by MOVPE. Electron/hole generation and transport in core/shell nanowires are modeled within nonequilibrium Green function formalism showing a good agreement with experimental results. Fully flexible transparent contacts based on a silver nanowire network are used for device fabrication, which allows bending the detector to a few millimeter curvature radius without damage. The detector shows a photoresponse at wavelengths shorter than 430 nm with a peak responsivity of 0.096 A/W at 370 nm under zero bias. The operation speed for a 0.3 × 0.3 cm2 detector patch was tested between 4 Hz and 2 kHz. The −3 dB cutoff was found to be ∼35 Hz, which is faster than the operation speed for typical photoconductive detectors and which is compatible with UV monitoring applications. PMID:27615556

Needle trap extraction for GC analysis of formic and acetic acids in aqueous solution.

PubMed

Lee, Xinqing; Huang, Daikuan; Lou, Dawei; Pawliszyn, Janusz

2012-07-01

Formic and acetic acids are ubiquitous in the environment, food, and most of the natural products. Extraction of the acids from aqueous solution is required for their isotope analysis by the gas chromatography-isotope ratio mass spectrometry. To this objective, we have previously developed a purge-and-trap technique using the dynamic solid-phase microextraction technology, the NeedlEX. The extraction efficiency, however, remains unexamined. Here, we address this question using the flame ionization detector and isotope ratio mass spectrometer while comparing it with that of the CAR/PDMS fiber. The results show that the NeedlEX is applicable at a wide range of concentration through coordination of purge volume given the minimum amount 3.7 ng and 1.8 ng of formic and acetic, respectively, is extracted. The efficiency of NeedlEX was 6-7 times lower than the fiber at 1000 μg/mL depending on the analyte. It is, however, superior to the latter at 10 μg/mL or less owing to its lower detection limit. The extraction efficiency of both acids is equivalent in molar amount. This is, however, disguised by the different response of the flame ionization detector. The isotope ratio mass spectrometor overcomes this problem but is compromised by relatively large errors. These results are particularly useful for isotopic analysis of carboxylic acids. © 2012 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Energy calibration of the fly's eye detector

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Baltrusaitis, R. M.; Cassiday, G. L.; Cooper, R.; Elbert, J. W.; Gerhardy, P. R.; Ko, S.; Loh, E. C.; Mizumoto, Y.; Sokolsky, P.; Steck, D.

1985-01-01

The methods used to calibrate the Fly's eye detector to evaluate the energy of EAS are discussed. The energy of extensive air showers (EAS) as seen by the Fly's Eye detector are obtained from track length integrals of observed shower development curves. The energy of the parent cosmic ray primary is estimated by applying corrections to account for undetected energy in the muon, neutrino and hadronic channels. Absolute values for E depend upon the measurement of shower sizes N sub e(x). The following items are necessary to convert apparent optical brightness into intrinsical optical brightness: (1) an assessment of those factors responsible for light production by the relativistic electrons in an EAS and the transmission of light thru the atmosphere, (2) calibration of the optical detection system, and (3) a knowledge of the trajectory of the shower.

Capturing haplotypes in germplasm core collections

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Genomewide data sets of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) offer great potential to improve ex situ conservation. Two factors impede their use for producing core collections. First, due to the large number of SNPs, the assembly of collections that maximize diversity may be intractable using ex...

Remnant field detector

DOEpatents

Visser, Age T.

1988-05-03

A method apparatus for qualitatively detecting remnant magnetic fields in matched pairs of magnet cores. Equal magnitude and oppositely oriented magnetic flux is induced in the magnet cores by oppositely wound primary windings and current source. Identically wound secondary windings generate output voltages in response to the induced flux. The output voltages generated should be of equal magnitude and opposite polarity if there is no remnant field in the cores. The output voltages will be unequal which is detected if either core has a remnant field.

Remnant field detector

DOEpatents

Visser, Age T.

1988-01-01

A method apparatus for qualitatively detecting remnant magnetic fields in matched pairs of magnet cores. Equal magnitude and oppositely oriented magnetic flux is induced in the magnet cores by oppositely wound primary windings and current source. Identically wound secondary windings generate output voltages in response to the induced flux. The output voltages generated should be of equal magnitude and opposite polarity if there is no remnant field in the cores. The output voltages will be unequal which is detected if either core has a remnant field.

Thermionic switched self-actuating reactor shutdown system

DOEpatents

Barrus, Donald M.; Shires, Charles D.; Brummond, William A.

1989-01-01

A self-actuating reactor shutdown system incorporating a thermionic switched electromagnetic latch arrangement which is responsive to reactor neutron flux changes and to reactor coolant temperature changes. The system is self-actuating in that the sensing thermionic device acts directly to release (scram) the control rod (absorber) without reference or signal from the main reactor plant protective and control systems. To be responsive to both temperature and neutron flux effects, two detectors are used, one responsive to reactor coolant temperatures, and the other responsive to reactor neutron flux increase. The detectors are incorporated into a thermionic diode connected electrically with an electromagnetic mechanism which under normal reactor operating conditions holds the the control rod in its ready position (exterior of the reactor core). Upon reaching either a specified temperature or neutron flux, the thermionic diode functions to short-circuit the electromagnetic mechanism causing same to lose its holding power and release the control rod, which drops into the reactor core region under gravitational force.

Fluorophore-labeling of core-crosslinked polymeric micelles for multimodal in vivo and ex vivo optical imaging

PubMed Central

Shi, Yang; Kunjachan, Sijumon; Wu, Zhuojun; Gremse, Felix; Moeckel, Diana; van Zandvoort, Marc; Kiessling, Fabian; Storm, Gert; van Nostrum, Cornelus F.; Hennink, Wim E.; Lammers, Twan

2015-01-01

Aim To enable multimodal in vivo and ex vivo optical imaging of the biodistribution and tumor accumulation of core-crosslinked polymeric micelles (CCPM). Materials & Methods mPEG-b-p(HPMAm-Lac)-based polymeric micelles, core-crosslinked via cystamine and covalently labeled with two fluorophores (Dy-676/488) were synthesized. The CCPM were intravenously injected in CT26 tumor-bearing mice. Results Upon intravenous injection, the CCPM accumulated in CT26 tumors reasonably efficiently, with values reaching ~4 %ID at 24 hours. Ex vivo TPLSM confirmed efficient extravasation of the iCCPM out of tumor blood vessels and deep penetration into the tumor interstitium. Conclusions CCPM were labeled with multiple fluorophores, and they exemplify that combining different in vivo and ex vivo optical imaging techniques is highly useful for analyzing the biodistribution and tumor accumulation of nanomedicines. PMID:25929568

Effect of evening postexercise cold water immersion on subsequent sleep.

PubMed

Robey, Elisa; Dawson, Brian; Halson, Shona; Gregson, Warren; King, Stuart; Goodman, Carmel; Eastwood, Peter

2013-07-01

This study investigated the effect of cold water immersion after evening exercise on subsequent sleep quality and quantity in trained cyclists. In the evenings (~1900 h) on three separate occasions, male cyclists (n = 11) underwent either no exercise (control, CON), exercise only (EX), or exercise followed by cold water immersion (CWI). EX comprised cycling for 15 min at 75% peak power, then a 15-min maximal time trial. After each condition, a full laboratory-based sleep study (polysomnography) was performed. Core and skin temperature, heart rate, salivary melatonin, ratings of perceived fatigue, and recovery were measured in each trial. No differences were observed between conditions for any whole night sleep measures, including total sleep time, sleep efficiency, sleep onset latency, rapid eye movement onset latency, wake after sleep onset, or proportion of the night spent in different sleep stages. Core temperature in EX and CWI trials was higher than CON, until it decreased below that of EX and CON until bedtime in CWI. After bedtime, core temperature was similar for all conditions throughout the night, except for a 90-min period where it was lower for CWI than EX and CON (3.5-4.5 h postexercise). Heart rates for EX and CWI were both significantly higher than CON postexercise until bedtime, whereas skin temperature after CWI was significantly lower than EX and CON, remaining lower than EX until 3 h postexercise. Melatonin levels and recovery ratings were similar between conditions. Fatigue ratings were significantly elevated after exercise in both CWI and EX conditions, with EX still being elevated compared with CON at bedtime. Whole night sleep architecture is not affected by evening exercise alone or when followed by CWI.

Supernova neutrino detection in LZ

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Khaitan, D.

2018-02-01

In the first 10 seconds of a core-collapse supernova, almost all of its progenitor's gravitational potential, O(1053 ergs), is carried away in the form of neutrinos. These neutrinos, with O(10 MeV) kinetic energy, can interact via coherent elastic neutrino-nucleus scattering (CEνNS) depositing O(1 keV) in detectors. In this work we describe the performances of low-background dark matter detectors, such as LUX-ZEPLIN (LZ), optimized for detecting low-energy depositions, in detecting these neutrino interactions. For instance, a 27 Msolar supernova at 10 kpc is expected to produce ~350 neutrino interactions in the 7-tonne liquid xenon active volume of LZ. Based on the LS220 EoS neutrino flux model for a SN, the Noble Element Simulation Technique (NEST), and predicted CEνNS cross-sections for xenon, to study energy deposition and detection of SN neutrinos in LZ. We simulate the response of the LZ data acquisition system (DAQ) and demonstrate its capability and limitations in handling this interaction rate. We present an overview of the LZ detector, focusing on the benefits of liquid xenon for supernova neutrino detection. We discuss energy deposition and detector response simulations and their results. We present an analysis technique to reconstruct the total number of neutrinos and the time of the supernova core bounce.

The enhanced susceptibility of ADAM-17 hypomorphic mice to DSS-induced colitis is not ameliorated by loss of RIPK3, revealing an unexpected function of ADAM-17 in necroptosis

PubMed Central

Luzius, Anne; Saggau, Carina; Ruder, Barbara; Bolik, Julia; Schmidt-Arras, Dirk; Linkermann, Andreas; Becker, Christoph; Rosenstiel, Philip; Rose-John, Stefan; Adam, Dieter

2018-01-01

The disintegrin metalloprotease ADAM17 has a critical role in intestinal inflammation and regeneration in mice, as illustrated by the dramatically increased susceptibility of ADAM17 hypomorphic (ADAM17ex/ex) mice to dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced colitis. Similarly, necroptosis has been implicated in inflammatory responses in the intestine. In this study, we have investigated the contribution of necroptosis to ADAM17-regulated intestinal inflammation in vivo by crossing ADAM17ex/ex mice with mice that lack the necroptotic core protein RIPK3. Despite the loss of RIPK3, ADAM17ex/ex/RIPK3−/− mice showed the same increased susceptibility as ADAM17ex/ex mice in both acute and chronic models of DSS-induced colitis. Mice of both genotypes revealed comparable results with regard to weight loss, disease activity index and colitis-associated changes of inner organs. Histopathological analyses confirmed similar tissue destruction, loss of barrier integrity, immune cell infiltration, and cell death; serum analyses revealed similar levels of the pro-inflammatory cytokine KC. Resolving these unexpected findings, ADAM17ex/ex mice did not show phosphorylation of RIPK3 and its necroptotic interaction partner MLKL during DSS-induced colitis, although both proteins were clearly expressed. Consistent with these findings, murine embryonic fibroblasts derived from ADAM17ex/ex mice were protected from tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-induced necroptosis and failed to show phosphorylation of MLKL and RIPK3 after induction of necroptosis by TNF, revealing a novel, undescribed role of the protease ADAM17 in necroptosis. PMID:29560122

The enhanced susceptibility of ADAM-17 hypomorphic mice to DSS-induced colitis is not ameliorated by loss of RIPK3, revealing an unexpected function of ADAM-17 in necroptosis.

PubMed

Fuchslocher Chico, Johaiber; Falk-Paulsen, Maren; Luzius, Anne; Saggau, Carina; Ruder, Barbara; Bolik, Julia; Schmidt-Arras, Dirk; Linkermann, Andreas; Becker, Christoph; Rosenstiel, Philip; Rose-John, Stefan; Adam, Dieter

2018-02-27

The disintegrin metalloprotease ADAM17 has a critical role in intestinal inflammation and regeneration in mice, as illustrated by the dramatically increased susceptibility of ADAM17 hypomorphic (ADAM17 ex/ex ) mice to dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced colitis. Similarly, necroptosis has been implicated in inflammatory responses in the intestine. In this study, we have investigated the contribution of necroptosis to ADAM17-regulated intestinal inflammation in vivo by crossing ADAM17 ex/ex mice with mice that lack the necroptotic core protein RIPK3. Despite the loss of RIPK3, ADAM17 ex/ex /RIPK3 -/- mice showed the same increased susceptibility as ADAM17 ex/ex mice in both acute and chronic models of DSS-induced colitis. Mice of both genotypes revealed comparable results with regard to weight loss, disease activity index and colitis-associated changes of inner organs. Histopathological analyses confirmed similar tissue destruction, loss of barrier integrity, immune cell infiltration, and cell death; serum analyses revealed similar levels of the pro-inflammatory cytokine KC. Resolving these unexpected findings, ADAM17 ex/ex mice did not show phosphorylation of RIPK3 and its necroptotic interaction partner MLKL during DSS-induced colitis, although both proteins were clearly expressed. Consistent with these findings, murine embryonic fibroblasts derived from ADAM17 ex/ex mice were protected from tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-induced necroptosis and failed to show phosphorylation of MLKL and RIPK3 after induction of necroptosis by TNF, revealing a novel, undescribed role of the protease ADAM17 in necroptosis.

Investigation of dosimetric characteristics of a core-shell quantum dots nano composite (CdTe/CdS/PMMA): fabrication of a new gamma sensor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Feizi, Shahzad; Zare, Hakimeh; Hoseinpour, Masoumeh

2018-06-01

CdTe/CdS-PMMA nanocomposite was prepared using dispersion of CdTe/CdS core-shell quantum dots (QDs) in poly methyl methacrylate (PMMA) polymer matrix. High-quality CdTe/CdS core/shell quantum dots were synthesized in aqueous solution and were transferred from water to chloroform using ligand-exchange process in the presence of 1-dodecanethiol (1-DDT). Transmission electron microscopy analysis reveals that the obtained nano-particles are highly crystalline nature with mean diameter of 3.6 nm. To prepare an ohmic contact detector, a conductive cell with two silver coated walls was designed and fabricated for exploring gamma detecting properties of the nano composite. New detector was assessed for the linearity of doserate response, angular dependence, sensitivity and repeatability. The results show that the dose rate response of the prepared sensor is linear in the dose rate range of 50-145 mGy/min. So this nanocomposite can be utilized as a potential gamma sensor in the medical radiation device design.

Alpha-ray spectrometry at high temperature by using a compound semiconductor detector.

PubMed

Ha, Jang Ho; Kim, Han Soo

2013-11-01

The use of conventional radiation detectors in harsh environments is limited by radiation damage to detector materials and by temperature constraints. We fabricated a wide-band gap semiconductor radiation detector based on silicon carbide. All the detector components were considered for an application in a high temperature environment like a nuclear reactor core. The radiation response, especially to alpha particles, was measured using an (241)Am source at variable operating voltages at room temperature in the air. The temperature on detector was controlled from 30°C to 250°C. The alpha-particle spectra were measured at zero bias operation. Even though the detector is operated at high temperature, the energy resolution as a function of temperature is almost constant within 3.5% deviation. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Exploring forward physics with the PHENIX MPC-EX upgrade

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Novitzky, Norbert; Phenix Collaboration

2014-09-01

The MPC-EX detector is a Si-W preshower extension to the existing Muon Piston Calorimeter (MPC) at PHENIX. Located at forward rapidity, 3 . 1 < | η | < 3 . 8 , the MPC-EX consists of eight layers of alternating W absorber and Si minipad sensors. Covering a large range at forward rapidity makes the MPC-EX and MPC ideal to access low-x partons in the A nucleus of p + A collisions. The neutral pion and direct photon are excellent probes to separate between the initial and final state effects of the pA collisions. Isolating the direct photon signal requires the MPC-EX to be able to distinguish single showers from double showers. The single versus double shower separation was tested with an electron beam at the SLAC test beam facility. Results from the test beam data will be presented in this talk. The MPC-EX detector is a Si-W preshower extension to the existing Muon Piston Calorimeter (MPC) at PHENIX. Located at forward rapidity, 3 . 1 < | η | < 3 . 8 , the MPC-EX consists of eight layers of alternating W absorber and Si minipad sensors. Covering a large range at forward rapidity makes the MPC-EX and MPC ideal to access low-x partons in the A nucleus of p + A collisions. The neutral pion and direct photon are excellent probes to separate between the initial and final state effects of the pA collisions. Isolating the direct photon signal requires the MPC-EX to be able to distinguish single showers from double showers. The single versus double shower separation was tested with an electron beam at the SLAC test beam facility. Results from the test beam data will be presented in this talk. Norbert Novitzky for PHENIX collaboration.

Method and apparatus utilizing ionizing and microwave radiation for saturation determination of water, oil and a gas in a core sample

DOEpatents

Maerefat, Nicida L.; Parmeswar, Ravi; Brinkmeyer, Alan D.; Honarpour, Mehdi

1994-01-01

A system for determining the relative permeabilities of gas, water and oil in a core sample has a microwave emitter/detector subsystem and an X-ray emitter/detector subsystem. A core holder positions the core sample between microwave absorbers which prevent diffracted microwaves from reaching a microwave detector where they would reduce the signal-to-noise ratio of the microwave measurements. The microwave emitter/detector subsystem and the X-ray emitter/detector subsystem each have linear calibration characteristics, allowing one subsystem to be calibrated with respect to the other subsystem. The dynamic range of microwave measurements is extended through the use of adjustable attenuators. This also facilitates the use of core samples with wide diameters. The stratification characteristics of the fluids may be observed with a windowed cell separator at the outlet of the core sample. The condensation of heavy hydrocarbon gas and the dynamic characteristics of the fluids are observed with a sight glass at the outlet of the core sample.

Differential CMOS Sub-Terahertz Detector with Subthreshold Amplifier.

PubMed

Yang, Jong-Ryul; Han, Seong-Tae; Baek, Donghyun

2017-09-09

We propose a differential-type complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) sub-terahertz (THz) detector with a subthreshold preamplifier. The proposed detector improves the voltage responsivity and effective signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) using the subthreshold preamplifier, which is located between the differential detector device and main amplifier. The overall noise of the detector for the THz imaging system is reduced by the preamplifier because it diminishes the noise contribution of the main amplifier. The subthreshold preamplifier is self-biased by the output DC voltage of the detector core and has a dummy structure that cancels the DC offsets generated by the preamplifier itself. The 200 GHz detector fabricated using 0.25 μm CMOS technology includes a low drop-out regulator, current reference blocks, and an integrated antenna. A voltage responsivity of 2020 kV/W and noise equivalent power of 76 pW/√Hz are achieved using the detector at a gate bias of 0.5 V, respectively. The effective SNR at a 103 Hz chopping frequency is 70.9 dB with a 0.7 W/m² input signal power density. The dynamic range of the raster-scanned THz image is 44.59 dB.

Differential CMOS Sub-Terahertz Detector with Subthreshold Amplifier

PubMed Central

Han, Seong-Tae; Baek, Donghyun

2017-01-01

We propose a differential-type complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) sub-terahertz (THz) detector with a subthreshold preamplifier. The proposed detector improves the voltage responsivity and effective signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) using the subthreshold preamplifier, which is located between the differential detector device and main amplifier. The overall noise of the detector for the THz imaging system is reduced by the preamplifier because it diminishes the noise contribution of the main amplifier. The subthreshold preamplifier is self-biased by the output DC voltage of the detector core and has a dummy structure that cancels the DC offsets generated by the preamplifier itself. The 200 GHz detector fabricated using 0.25 μm CMOS technology includes a low drop-out regulator, current reference blocks, and an integrated antenna. A voltage responsivity of 2020 kV/W and noise equivalent power of 76 pW/√Hz are achieved using the detector at a gate bias of 0.5 V, respectively. The effective SNR at a 103 Hz chopping frequency is 70.9 dB with a 0.7 W/m2 input signal power density. The dynamic range of the raster-scanned THz image is 44.59 dB. PMID:28891927

Energy expenditure and affect responses to different types of active video game and exercise.

PubMed

Monedero, Javier; Murphy, Enda E; O'Gorman, Donal J

2017-01-01

The purpose of this study was to compare entertainment-themed active video game (AVG) and fitness-themed AVG play with traditional exercise to examine the interaction between physiological and psychological responses. Participants (N = 23) were randomly assigned to 30-min of (i) self-selected intensity exercise (SS-EX), (ii) moderate intensity exercise (MOD-EX), (iii) entertainment-themed video game (ET-VG) and (iv) fitness-themed video game (FT-VG). Physiological and psychological outcomes were recorded before, during and after each trial. All trials met the ACSM criteria for moderate or vigorous physical activity. The [Formula: see text] (68.3±13.9%) and rate of energy expenditure (10.3±3.1kcal/min) was significantly higher in the SS-EX trial with lowest values reported for ET-VG (p<0.05). No differences were found in % heart rate reserve between SS-EX and FT-VG (66.9±12.5% and 67.1±6% respectively). The AVG's were significantly more enjoyable than the exercise trials (p<0.05) and the ET-VG resulted in the highest core flow and psychological well-being (p<0.05). AVG's can elicit physiological responses that meet recommended exercise intensities but are more enjoyable than conventional exercise in young inactive adults. While further work is required, this study highlights the importance of examining the interaction between physiological outcomes and psychological states to increase physical activity and reduce sedentary time.

Biocompatible magnetic core-shell nanocomposites for engineered magnetic tissues

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rodriguez-Arco, Laura; Rodriguez, Ismael A.; Carriel, Victor; Bonhome-Espinosa, Ana B.; Campos, Fernando; Kuzhir, Pavel; Duran, Juan D. G.; Lopez-Lopez, Modesto T.

2016-04-01

The inclusion of magnetic nanoparticles into biopolymer matrixes enables the preparation of magnetic field-responsive engineered tissues. Here we describe a synthetic route to prepare biocompatible core-shell nanostructures consisting of a polymeric core and a magnetic shell, which are used for this purpose. We show that using a core-shell architecture is doubly advantageous. First, gravitational settling for core-shell nanocomposites is slower because of the reduction of the composite average density connected to the light polymer core. Second, the magnetic response of core-shell nanocomposites can be tuned by changing the thickness of the magnetic layer. The incorporation of the composites into biopolymer hydrogels containing cells results in magnetic field-responsive engineered tissues whose mechanical properties can be controlled by external magnetic forces. Indeed, we obtain a significant increase of the viscoelastic moduli of the engineered tissues when exposed to an external magnetic field. Because the composites are functionalized with polyethylene glycol, the prepared bio-artificial tissue-like constructs also display excellent ex vivo cell viability and proliferation. When implanted in vivo, the engineered tissues show good biocompatibility and outstanding interaction with the host tissue. Actually, they only cause a localized transitory inflammatory reaction at the implantation site, without any effect on other organs. Altogether, our results suggest that the inclusion of magnetic core-shell nanocomposites into biomaterials would enable tissue engineering of artificial substitutes whose mechanical properties could be tuned to match those of the potential target tissue. In a wider perspective, the good biocompatibility and magnetic behavior of the composites could be beneficial for many other applications.The inclusion of magnetic nanoparticles into biopolymer matrixes enables the preparation of magnetic field-responsive engineered tissues. Here we describe a synthetic route to prepare biocompatible core-shell nanostructures consisting of a polymeric core and a magnetic shell, which are used for this purpose. We show that using a core-shell architecture is doubly advantageous. First, gravitational settling for core-shell nanocomposites is slower because of the reduction of the composite average density connected to the light polymer core. Second, the magnetic response of core-shell nanocomposites can be tuned by changing the thickness of the magnetic layer. The incorporation of the composites into biopolymer hydrogels containing cells results in magnetic field-responsive engineered tissues whose mechanical properties can be controlled by external magnetic forces. Indeed, we obtain a significant increase of the viscoelastic moduli of the engineered tissues when exposed to an external magnetic field. Because the composites are functionalized with polyethylene glycol, the prepared bio-artificial tissue-like constructs also display excellent ex vivo cell viability and proliferation. When implanted in vivo, the engineered tissues show good biocompatibility and outstanding interaction with the host tissue. Actually, they only cause a localized transitory inflammatory reaction at the implantation site, without any effect on other organs. Altogether, our results suggest that the inclusion of magnetic core-shell nanocomposites into biomaterials would enable tissue engineering of artificial substitutes whose mechanical properties could be tuned to match those of the potential target tissue. In a wider perspective, the good biocompatibility and magnetic behavior of the composites could be beneficial for many other applications. Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available. See DOI: 10.1039/c6nr00224b

Evaluation of sample holders designed for long-lasting X-ray micro-tomographic scans of ex-vivo soft tissue samples

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dudak, J.; Zemlicka, J.; Krejci, F.; Karch, J.; Patzelt, M.; Zach, P.; Sykora, V.; Mrzilkova, J.

2016-03-01

X-ray microradiography and microtomography are imaging techniques with increasing applicability in the field of biomedical and preclinical research. Application of hybrid pixel detector Timepix enables to obtain very high contrast of low attenuating materials such as soft biological tissue. However X-ray imaging of ex-vivo soft tissue samples is a difficult task due to its structural instability. Ex-vivo biological tissue is prone to fast drying-out which is connected with undesired changes of sample size and shape producing later on artefacts within the tomographic reconstruction. In this work we present the optimization of our Timepix equipped micro-CT system aiming to maintain soft tissue sample in stable condition. Thanks to the suggested approach higher contrast of tomographic reconstructions can be achieved while also large samples that require detector scanning can be easily measured.

Laser-induced fluorescence microscopic system using an optical parametric oscillator for tunable detection in microchip analysis.

PubMed

Kumemura, Momoko; Odake, Tamao; Korenaga, Takashi

2005-06-01

A laser-induced fluorescence microscopic system based on optical parametric oscillation has been constructed as a tunable detector for microchip analysis. The detection limit of sulforhodamine B (Ex. 520 nm, Em. 570 nm) was 0.2 mumol, which was approximately eight orders of magnitude better than with a conventional fluorophotometer. The system was applied to the determination of fluorescence-labeled DNA (Ex. 494 nm, Em. 519 nm) in a microchannel and the detection limit reached a single molecule. These results showed the feasibility of this system as a highly sensitive and tunable fluorescence detector for microchip analysis.

Detection of In Vivo Foot and Ankle Implants by Walkthrough Metal Detectors.

PubMed

Chan, Jeremy Y; Mani, Sriniwasan B; Williams, Phillip N; O'Malley, Martin J; Levine, David S; Roberts, Matthew M; Ellis, Scott J

2014-08-01

Heightened security concerns have made metal detectors a standard security measure in many locations. While prior studies have investigated the detection rates of various hip and knee implants, none have looked specifically at the detection of foot and ankle implants in an in vivo model. Our goals were to identify which commonly used foot and ankle implants would be detected by walkthrough metal detectors both in vivo and ex vivo. Over a 7-month period, 153 weightbearing patients with foot and ankle hardware were recruited to walk through a standard airport metal detector at 3 different program settings (buildings, airports, and airports enhanced) with a base sensitivity of 165 (arbitrary units), as currently used by the Transportation Security Administration. The number of implants, location and type, as well as the presence of concomitant hardware outside of the foot and ankle were recorded. To determine the detection rate of common foot and ankle implants ex vivo, different hardware sets were walked through the detector at all 3 program settings. Seventeen patients were found to have detectable hardware at the buildings, airports, and airports enhanced settings. An additional 3 patients had hardware only detected at the airports enhanced setting. All 20 of these patients had concomitant metal implants outside of the foot and ankle from other orthopaedic procedures. All patients with foot and ankle implants alone passed through undetected. Seven hardware sets were detected ex vivo at the airports enhanced setting. Our results indicate that patients with foot and ankle implants alone are unlikely to be detected by walkthrough metal detectors at standard airport settings. When additional hardware is present from orthopaedic procedures outside of the foot and ankle, metal detection rates were higher. We believe that these results are important for surgeons in order to educate patients on how they might be affected when walking through a metal detector such as while traveling. Level II, prospective comparative study. © The Author(s) 2014.

Soil Segregation Methods for Reducing Transportation and Disposal Costs - 13544

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Frothingham, David; Andrews, Shawn; Barker, Michelle

2013-07-01

At Formerly Utilized Sites Remedial Action Program (FUSRAP) sites where the selected alternative for contaminated soil is excavation and off-site disposal, the most significant budget items of the remedial action are the costs for transportation and disposal of soil at an off-site facility. At these sites, the objective is to excavate and dispose of only those soils that exceed derived concentration guideline levels. In situ soil segregation using gross gamma detectors to guide the excavation is often challenging at sites where the soil contamination is overlain by clean soil or where the contaminated soil is located in isolated, subsurface pockets.more » In addition, data gaps are often identified during the alternative evaluation and selection process, resulting in increased uncertainty in the extent of subsurface contamination. In response, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Buffalo District is implementing ex situ soil segregation methods. At the remediated Painesville Site, soils were excavated and fed through a conveyor-belt system, which automatically segregated them into above- and below-cleanup criteria discharge piles utilizing gamma spectroscopy. At the Linde Site and the Shallow Land Disposal Area (SLDA) Site, which are both in the remediation phase, soils are initially segregated during the excavation process using gross gamma detectors and then transported to a pad for confirmatory manual surveying and sampling. At the Linde Site, the ex situ soils are analyzed on the basis of a site-specific method, to establish compliance with beneficial reuse criteria that were developed for the Linde remediation. At the SLDA Site, the ex situ soils are surveyed and sampled based on Multi-Agency Radiation Survey and Site Investigation Manual (MARSSIM) final status survey guidance to demonstrate compliance with the derived concentration guideline levels. At all three sites, the ex situ soils that meet the site- specific DCGLs are retained on-site and used as backfill material. This paper describes the ex situ soil segregation methods, the considerations of each method, and the estimated cost savings from minimizing the volume of soil requiring transportation and off-site disposal. (authors)« less

DESIGN CHARACTERISTICS OF THE IDAHO NATIONAL LABORATORY HIGH-TEMPERATURE GAS-COOLED TEST REACTOR

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sterbentz, James; Bayless, Paul; Strydom, Gerhard

2016-11-01

Uncertainty and sensitivity analysis is an indispensable element of any substantial attempt in reactor simulation validation. The quantification of uncertainties in nuclear engineering has grown more important and the IAEA Coordinated Research Program (CRP) on High-Temperature Gas Cooled Reactor (HTGR) initiated in 2012 aims to investigate the various uncertainty quantification methodologies for this type of reactors. The first phase of the CRP is dedicated to the estimation of cell and lattice model uncertainties due to the neutron cross sections co-variances. Phase II is oriented towards the investigation of propagated uncertainties from the lattice to the coupled neutronics/thermal hydraulics core calculations.more » Nominal results for the prismatic single block (Ex.I-2a) and super cell models (Ex.I-2c) have been obtained using the SCALE 6.1.3 two-dimensional lattice code NEWT coupled to the TRITON sequence for cross section generation. In this work, the TRITON/NEWT-flux-weighted cross sections obtained for Ex.I-2a and various models of Ex.I-2c is utilized to perform a sensitivity analysis of the MHTGR-350 core power densities and eigenvalues. The core solutions are obtained with the INL coupled code PHISICS/RELAP5-3D, utilizing a fixed-temperature feedback for Ex. II-1a.. It is observed that the core power density does not vary significantly in shape, but the magnitude of these variations increases as the moderator-to-fuel ratio increases in the super cell lattice models.« less

Method and apparatus utilizing ionizing and microwave radiation for saturation determination of water, oil and a gas in a core sample

DOEpatents

Maerefat, N.L.; Parmeswar, R.; Brinkmeyer, A.D.; Honarpour, M.

1994-08-23

A system is described for determining the relative permeabilities of gas, water and oil in a core sample has a microwave emitter/detector subsystem and an X-ray emitter/detector subsystem. A core holder positions the core sample between microwave absorbers which prevent diffracted microwaves from reaching a microwave detector where they would reduce the signal-to-noise ratio of the microwave measurements. The microwave emitter/detector subsystem and the X-ray emitter/detector subsystem each have linear calibration characteristics, allowing one subsystem to be calibrated with respect to the other subsystem. The dynamic range of microwave measurements is extended through the use of adjustable attenuators. This also facilitates the use of core samples with wide diameters. The stratification characteristics of the fluids may be observed with a windowed cell separator at the outlet of the core sample. The condensation of heavy hydrocarbon gas and the dynamic characteristics of the fluids are observed with a sight glass at the outlet of the core sample. 11 figs.

Methodology of the Westinghouse dynamic rod worth measurement technique

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Chao, Y.A.; Chapman, D.M.; Easter, M.E.

1992-01-01

During zero-power physics testing, plant operations personnel use one of various techniques to measure the reactivity worth of the control rods to confirm shutdown margin. A simple and fast procedure for measuring rod worths called dynamic rod worth measurement (DRWM) has been developed at Westinghouse. This procedure was tested at the recent startups of Point Beach Nuclear Power Plant Unit 1 cycle 20 and Unit 2 cycle 18. The results of these tests show that DRWM measures rod worths with accuracy comparable to that of both boron dilution and rod bank exchange measurements. The DRWM procedure is a fast processmore » of measuring the reactivity worth of individual banks by inserting and withdrawing the bank continuously at the maximum stepping speed without changing the boron concentration and recording the signals of the ex-core detectors.« less

Highly selective and sensitive methanol gas sensor based on molecular imprinted silver-doped LaFeO3 core-shell and cage structures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rong, Qian; Zhang, Yumin; Lv, Tianping; Shen, Kaiyuan; Zi, Baoye; Zhu, Zhongqi; Zhang, Jin; Liu, Qingju

2018-04-01

Silver-doped LaFeO3 molecularly imprinted polymers (SLMIPs) were synthesized by a sol-gel method combined with molecularly imprinted technology as precursors. The precursors were then used to prepare SLMIPs cage (SLM-cage) and SLMIPs core-shell (SLM-core-shell) structures by using a carbon sphere as the template and hydrothermal synthesis, respectively. The structures, morphologies, and surface areas of these materials were determined, as well as their gas-sensing properties and related mechanisms. The SLM-cage and SLM-core-shell samples exhibited good responses to methanol gas, with excellent selectivity. The response and optimum working temperature were 16.98 °C and 215 °C, 33.7 °C and 195 °C, respectively, with corresponding response and recovery times of 45 and 50 s (SLM-cage) and 42 and 57 s (SLM-core-shell) for 5 ppm methanol gas. Notably, the SLM-cage and SLM-core-shell samples exhibited lower responses (≤5 and ≤7, respectively) to other gases, including ethanol, ammonia, benzene, acetone, and toluene. Thus, these materials show potential as practical methanol detectors.

Highly selective and sensitive methanol gas sensor based on molecular imprinted silver-doped LaFeO3 core-shell and cage structures.

PubMed

Rong, Qian; Zhang, Yumin; Lv, Tianping; Shen, Kaiyuan; Zi, Baoye; Zhu, Zhongqi; Zhang, Jin; Liu, Qingju

2018-04-06

Silver-doped LaFeO 3 molecularly imprinted polymers (SLMIPs) were synthesized by a sol-gel method combined with molecularly imprinted technology as precursors. The precursors were then used to prepare SLMIPs cage (SLM-cage) and SLMIPs core-shell (SLM-core-shell) structures by using a carbon sphere as the template and hydrothermal synthesis, respectively. The structures, morphologies, and surface areas of these materials were determined, as well as their gas-sensing properties and related mechanisms. The SLM-cage and SLM-core-shell samples exhibited good responses to methanol gas, with excellent selectivity. The response and optimum working temperature were 16.98 °C and 215 °C, 33.7 °C and 195 °C, respectively, with corresponding response and recovery times of 45 and 50 s (SLM-cage) and 42 and 57 s (SLM-core-shell) for 5 ppm methanol gas. Notably, the SLM-cage and SLM-core-shell samples exhibited lower responses (≤5 and ≤7, respectively) to other gases, including ethanol, ammonia, benzene, acetone, and toluene. Thus, these materials show potential as practical methanol detectors.

Reactors as a Source of Antineutrinos: Effects of Fuel Loading and Burnup for Mixed-Oxide Fuels

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bernstein, Adam; Bowden, Nathaniel S.; Erickson, Anna S.

2018-01-01

In a conventional light-water reactor loaded with a range of uranium and plutonium-based fuel mixtures, the variation in antineutrino production over the cycle reflects both the initial core fissile inventory and its evolution. Under an assumption of constant thermal power, we calculate the rate at which antineutrinos are emitted from variously fueled cores, and the evolution of that rate as measured by a representative ton-scale antineutrino detector. We find that antineutrino flux decreases with burnup for low-enriched uranium cores, increases for full mixed-oxide (MOX) cores, and does not appreciably change for cores with a MOX fraction of approximately 75%. Accounting for uncertainties in the fission yields in the emitted antineutrino spectra and the detector response function, we show that the difference in corewide MOX fractions at least as small as 8% can be distinguished using a hypothesis test. The test compares the evolution of the antineutrino rate relative to an initial value over part or all of the cycle. The use of relative rates reduces the sensitivity of the test to an independent thermal power measurement, making the result more robust against possible countermeasures. This rate-only approach also offers the potential advantage of reducing the cost and complexity of the antineutrino detectors used to verify the diversion, compared to methods that depend on the use of the antineutrino spectrum. A possible application is the verification of the disposition of surplus plutonium in nuclear reactors.

Self powered neutron detectors as in-core detectors for Sodium-cooled Fast Reactors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Verma, V.; Barbot, L.; Filliatre, P.; Hellesen, C.; Jammes, C.; Svärd, S. Jacobsson

2017-07-01

Neutron flux monitoring system forms an integral part of the design of a Generation IV sodium cooled fast reactor. Diverse possibilities of detector system installation must be studied for various locations in the reactor vessel in order to detect any perturbations in the core. Results from a previous paper indicated that it is possible to detect changes in neutron source distribution initiated by an inadvertent withdrawal of outer control rod with in-vessel fission chambers located azimuthally around the core. It is, however, not possible to follow inner control rod withdrawal and precisely know the location of the perturbation in the core. Hence the use of complimentary in-core detectors coupled with the peripheral fission chambers is proposed to enable robust core monitoring across the radial direction. In this paper, we assess the feasibility of using self-powered neutron detectors (SPNDs) as in-core detectors in fast reactors for detecting local changes in the power distribution when the reactor is operated at nominal power. We study the neutron and gamma contributions to the total output current of the detector modelled with Platinum as the emitter material. It is shown that this SPND placed in an SFR-like environment would give a sufficiently measurable prompt neutron induced current of the order of 600 nA/m. The corresponding induced current in the connecting cable is two orders of magnitude lower and can be neglected. This means that the SPND can follow in-core power fluctuations. This validates the operability of an SPND in an SFR-like environment.

Small field detector correction factors: effects of the flattening filter for Elekta and Varian linear accelerators

PubMed Central

Liu, Paul Z.Y.; Lee, Christopher; McKenzie, David R.; Suchowerska, Natalka

2016-01-01

Flattening filter‐free (FFF) beams are becoming the preferred beam type for stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) and stereotactic ablative radiation therapy (SABR), as they enable an increase in dose rate and a decrease in treatment time. This work assesses the effects of the flattening filter on small field output factors for 6 MV beams generated by both Elekta and Varian linear accelerators, and determines differences between detector response in flattened (FF) and FFF beams. Relative output factors were measured with a range of detectors (diodes, ionization chambers, radiochromic film, and microDiamond) and referenced to the relative output factors measured with an air core fiber optic dosimeter (FOD), a scintillation dosimeter developed at Chris O'Brien Lifehouse, Sydney. Small field correction factors were generated for both FF and FFF beams. Diode measured detector response was compared with a recently published mathematical relation to predict diode response corrections in small fields. The effect of flattening filter removal on detector response was quantified using a ratio of relative detector responses in FFF and FF fields for the same field size. The removal of the flattening filter was found to have a small but measurable effect on ionization chamber response with maximum deviations of less than ±0.9% across all field sizes measured. Solid‐state detectors showed an increased dependence on the flattening filter of up to ±1.6%. Measured diode response was within ±1.1% of the published mathematical relation for all fields up to 30 mm, independent of linac type and presence or absence of a flattening filter. For 6 MV beams, detector correction factors between FFF and FF beams are interchangeable for a linac between FF and FFF modes, providing that an additional uncertainty of up to ±1.6% is accepted. PACS number(s): 87.55.km, 87.56.bd, 87.56.Da PMID:27167280

Development of an advanced antineutrino detector for reactor monitoring

DOE PAGES

Classen, T.; Bernstein, A.; Bowden, N. S.; ...

2014-11-05

We present the development of a compact antineutrino detector for the purpose of nuclear reactor monitoring, improving upon a previously successful design. Our paper will describe the design improvements of the detector which increases the antineutrino detection efficiency threefold over the previous effort. There are two main design improvements over previous generations of detectors for nuclear reactor monitoring: dual-ended optical readout and single volume detection mass. The dual-ended optical readout eliminates the need for fiducialization and increases the uniformity of the detector's optical response. The containment of the detection mass in a single active volume provides more target mass permore » detector footprint, a key design criteria for operating within a nuclear power plant. This technology could allow for real-time monitoring of the evolution of a nuclear reactor core, independent of reactor operator declarations of fuel inventories, and may be of interest to the safeguards community.« less

Poster - 24: Characterization of the energy dependence of high-sensitivity MCP-N TLD and Al2O3:C OSLD in-vivo dosimetry systems for 40–100 kVp energies

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Poirier, Yannick; Kuznetsova, Svetlana; Barajas, E

Purpose: To characterize the energy dependence of high-sensitivity MCP-N TLD and Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}:C OSLD dosimetry systems at low (40–100 kVp) energies for in-vivo dosimetry. Methods: We assessed the variation of response with energy of two detectors in the 40–100 kVp energy range: high-sensitivity MCP-N TLDs (LiF:Mg,Cu,P) and OSLDs (Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}:C). The detectors were irradiated with an XRad 320ix biological irradiator under reference conditions. The delivered dose was 10 cGy for 7 beam qualities ranging from 40–100 kVp, 1.7–4.0 mm Al, and effective energies 26.9–37.9 keV. Both sets of detectors were also irradiated under reference conditions at 6 MVmore » using a Varian Clinac 21Ex to assess the change in response from high-energy beams. Results: The MCP-N high-sensitivity TLDs were relatively insensitive to energies in the kV range, as their response varied by ±5%, i.e. well within the reproducibility limits of these detectors. However, the OSLDs exhibited a linearly-decreasing response with energy with a response 18.7% higher at 40 kVp than at 100 kVp for the same nominal dose. Compared to the 6 MV beams used in conventional radiotherapy, OSLDs responded 3.3–3.9 times higher depending on beam quality while the MCP-N TLD response was unchanged within experimental uncertainty. Conclusions: Unlike the more commonly used TLD-100, the high-sensitivity MCP-N TLDs exhibit little to no energy response. OSLDs are shown to be highly energy-dependent, both from MV to kV and within the kV range.« less

Studying Cold Nuclear Matter with the MPC-EX of PHENIX

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grau, Nathan; Phenix Collaboration

2017-09-01

Highly asymmetric collision systems, such as d+Au, provide a unique environment to study cold nuclear matter. Potential measurements range from pinning down the modification of the nuclear wave function, i.e. saturation, to studying final state interactions, i.e. energy loss. The PHENIX experiment has enhanced the muon piston calorimeter (MPC) with a silicon-tungsten preshower, the MPC-EX. With its fine segmentation the MPC-EX extends the photon detection capability at 3 < | η | < 3.8. In this talk we review the current status of the detector, its calibration, and its identification capabilities using the 2016 d+Au dataset. We also discuss the specific physics observables the MPC-EX can measure.

A measurement routine to determine 137Cs activities at steep mountain slopes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schaub, Monika; Konz, Nadine; Meusburger, Katrin; Alewell, Chrstine

2010-05-01

Caesium-137 (137Cs) is a common tracer for soil erosion. So far, in-situ measurements in steep alpine environments have not often been done. Most studies have been carried out in arable lands and with Ge detectors. However, the NaI detector system is a good priced, easy to handle field instrument. A comparison of laboratory measurements with GeLi detector and in-situ measurements with NaI detector of 137Cs gamma soil radiation has been done in an alpine catchment (Urseren Valley, Swizerland). The aim of this study was to calibrate the in-situ NaI detector system for application at steep alpine slopes. Replicate samples from an altitudinal transect through the Urseren Valley were measured ex situ in the laboratory with a GeLi detector, and compared to in situ NaI detector measurements. Ex situ soil samples showed a big variability in 137Cs activities at a meter-scale. This large, small scale heterogeneity determined with the GeLi detector is smoothed out by uncollimated in-situ measurements with the NaI detector, which provide integrated estimates of 137Cs within the field of view of each measurement (3.1 m2). There was no dependency of 137Cs on pH, clay content and carbon content. However, a close relationship was determined between 137Cs and soil moisture. Thus, in-situ data must be corrected for soil moisture. Close correlation (R2 = 0.86) was found for 137Cs activities (in Bq kg-1) estimated with both, in-situ (NaI detector) and laboratory (GeLi detector) methods which proves the validity of the in-situ measurements with the NaI detector system. This paper describes the calibration of the NaI detector system for field application under elevated 137Cs activities originating from Chernobyl fallout.

Air core detectors for Cerenkov-free scintillation dosimetry of brachytherapy β-sources.

PubMed

Eichmann, Marion; Thomann, Benedikt

2017-09-01

Plastic scintillation detectors are used for dosimetry in small radiation fields with high dose gradients, e.g., provided by β-emitting sources like 106 Ru/ 106 Rh eye plaques. A drawback is a background signal caused by Cerenkov radiation generated by electrons passing the optical fibers (light guides) of this dosimetry system. Common approaches to correct for the Cerenkov signal are influenced by uncertainties resulting from detector positioning and calibration procedures. A different approach to avoid any correction procedure is to suppress the Cerenkov signal by replacing the solid core optical fiber with an air core light guide, previously shown for external beam therapy. In this study, the air core concept is modified and applied to the requirements of dosimetry in brachytherapy, proving its usability for measuring water energy doses in small radiation fields. Three air core detectors with different air core lengths are constructed and their performance in dosimetry for brachytherapy β-sources is compared with a standard two-fiber system, which uses a second fiber for Cerenkov correction. The detector systems are calibrated with a 90 Sr/ 90 Y secondary standard and tested for their angular dependence as well as their performance in depth dose measurements of 106 Ru/ 106 Rh sources. The signal loss relative to the standard detector increases with increasing air core length to a maximum value of 58.3%. At the same time, however, the percentage amount of Cerenkov light in the total signal is reduced from at least 12.1% to a value below 1.1%. There is a linear correlation between induced dose and measured signal current. The air core detectors determine the dose rates for 106 Ru/ 106 Rh sources without any form of correction for the Cerenkov signal. The air core detectors show advantages over the standard two-fiber system especially when measuring in radiation fields with high dose gradients. They can be used as simple one-fiber systems and allow for an almost Cerenkov-free scintillation dosimetry of brachytherapy β-sources. © 2017 American Association of Physicists in Medicine.

What Would It Take for an Atmospheric Neutrino Detector to Constrain the Hydrogen Content of the Earth's Core ?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bourret, S.; Coelho, J. A. B.; Kaminski, E. C.; Van Elewyck, V.

2017-12-01

The difference between PREM density and seismic profiles in the Earth's core and the values for pure iron and iron-nickel alloys inferred from high pressure/high temperature experiments and ab initio calculations requires the presence of a few wt% of light elements. The nature and amount of these light elements (O, Si, S, H, C...) remains controversial. Recent studies have renewed the interest in H. It is the most abundant element in the nebula and can be easily dissolved in iron in the early stages of Earth's evolution. 1 to 2 wt% of H could explain the difference between PREM and pure iron. However, current geophysical methods alone cannot settle the debate between H and the other candidate elements. Neutrino oscillation tomography using atmospheric neutrinos opens an avenue to collect independent data on Earth's core composition. This method exploits the quantum phenomenon of neutrino flavour oscillations, which depends on the electron density along the path of the neutrino through the Earth. The combination of a neutrino-based measurement of the electron density with the PREM mass density profile constrains the average proton-to-nucleon ratio of the medium (Z/A). Since this parameter varies among chemical elements, e.g. 0.466 for Fe and 1 for H, this technique has the potential to provide unprecedented insights into the chemical composition of the core, and in particular its hydrogen content. Performing such a measurement requires large-size detectors with good efficiency in the relevant energy range and precise determination of the neutrino energy, arrival direction, and flavour. Considering a generic but realistic model of detector response, we quantify the influence of various detector performance indicators on the sensitivity to the average Z/A in the core. We further evaluate the impact of systematic uncertainties, such as those related to the physical model for neutrino oscillations and the incoming flux of atmospheric neutrinos. We consider specific examples of the next-generation detectors planned to start operating within the decade: ORCA, PINGU, Hyper-Kamiokande, and DUNE. We also identify the most crucial improvements required to reach a measurement of the H content of the core with a precision better than 1 wt%.

Thermal neutron flux measurement using self-powered neutron detector (SPND) at out-core locations of TRIGA PUSPATI Reactor (RTP)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ali, Nur Syazwani Mohd; Hamzah, Khaidzir; Mohamad Idris, Faridah; Hairie Rabir, Mohamad

2018-01-01

The thermal neutron flux measurement has been conducted at the out-core location using self-powered neutron detectors (SPNDs). This work represents the first attempt to study SPNDs as neutron flux sensor for developing the fault detection system (FDS) focusing on neutron flux parameters. The study was conducted to test the reliability of the SPND’s signal by measuring the neutron flux through the interaction between neutrons and emitter materials of the SPNDs. Three SPNDs were used to measure the flux at four different radial locations which located at the fission chamber cylinder, 10cm above graphite reflector, between graphite reflector and tank liner and fuel rack. The measurements were conducted at 750 kW reactor power. The outputs from SPNDs were collected through data acquisition system and were corrected to obtain the actual neutron flux due to delayed responses from SPNDs. The measurements showed that thermal neutron flux between fission chamber location near to the tank liner and fuel rack were between 5.18 × 1011 nv to 8.45 × 109 nv. The average thermal neutron flux showed a good agreement with those from previous studies that has been made using simulation at the same core configuration at the nearest irradiation facilities with detector locations.

Visual detection of gas shows from coal core and cuttings using liquid leak detector

USGS Publications Warehouse

Barker, C.E.

2006-01-01

Portions of core or cutting samples that have active gas shows can be identified by applying a liquid leak detector to the core surface. Although these gas shows can be caused by manmade changes to the coals' internal structure and surface of the core during the coring process, in many cases, the marked gas shows overlie changes in maceral composition, subtle fractures or coal, coal structure and so forth that seemingly are places where natural primary permeability is higher and gas shows would be favored. Given the limited time available for core description before a core is closed in a canister, using the liquid leak detector method to mark gas shows enhances core description by providing a photographic record of places of apparently increased gas flow likely related to enhanced coal permeability that cannot be easily detected otherwise.

General Astrophysics with the HabEx Workhorse Camera

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stern, Daniel; Clarke, John; Gaudi, B. Scott; Kiessling, Alina; Krause, Oliver; Martin, Stefan; Scowen, Paul; Somerville, Rachel; HabEx STDT

2018-01-01

The Habitable Exoplanet Imaging Mission (HabEx) concept has been designed to enable an extensive suite of science, broadly put under the rubric of General Astrophysics, in addition to its exoplanet direct imaging science. General astrophysics directly addresses multiple NASA programmatic branches, and HabEx will enable investigations ranging from cosmology, to galaxy evolution, to stellar population studies, to exoplanet transit spectroscopy, to Solar System studies. This poster briefly describes one of the two primary HabEx General Astrophysics instruments, the HabEx Workhorse Camera (HWC). HWC will be a dual-detector UV-to-near-IR imager and multi-object grism spectrometer with a microshutter array and a moderate (3' x 3') field-of-view. We detail some of the key science we expect HWC to undertake, emphasizing unique capabilities enabled by a large-aperture, highly stable space-borne platform at these wavelengths.

Character of energy flow in air shower core

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mizushima, K.; Asakimori, K.; Maeda, T.; Kameda, T.; Misaki, Y.

1985-01-01

Energy per charged particle near the core of air showers was measured by 9 energy flow detectors, which were the combination of Cerenkov counters and scintillators. Energy per particle of each detector was normalized to energy at 2m from the core. The following results were obtained as to the energy flow: (1) integral frequency distribution of mean energy per particle (averaged over 9 detectors) is composed of two groups separated distinctly; and (2) showers contained in one group show an anisotropy of arrival direction.

Long-term calorie restriction, but not endurance exercise, lowers core body temperature in humans

PubMed Central

Soare, Andreea; Cangemi, Roberto; Omodei, Daniela; Holloszy, John O.; Fontana, Luigi

2011-01-01

Reduction of body temperature has been proposed to contribute to the increased lifespan in calorie restricted animals and mice overexpressing the uncoupling protein-2 in hypocretin neurons. However, nothing is known regarding the long-term effects of calorie restriction (CR) with adequate nutrition on body temperature in humans. In this study, 24-hour core body temperature was measured every minute by using ingested telemetric capsules in 24 men and women (mean age 53.7±9.4 yrs) consuming a CR diet for an average of 6 years, 24 age- and sex-matched sedentary (WD) and 24 body fat-matched exercise-trained (EX) volunteers, who were eating Western diets. The CR and EX groups were significantly leaner than the WD group. Energy intake was lower in the CR group (1769±348 kcal/d) than in the WD (2302±668 kcal/d) and EX (2798±760 kcal/d) groups (P<0.0001). Mean 24-hour, day-time and night-time core body temperatures were all significantly lower in the CR group than in the WD and EX groups (P≤0.01). Long-term CR with adequate nutrition in lean and weight-stable healthy humans is associated with a sustained reduction in core body temperature, similar to that found in CR rodents and monkeys. This adaptation is likely due to CR itself, rather than to leanness, and may be involved in slowing the rate of aging. PMID:21483032

Theoretical investigation of silicide Schottky barrier detector integrated in horizontal metal-insulator-silicon-insulator-metal nanoplasmonic slot waveguide.

PubMed

Zhu, Shiyang; Lo, G Q; Kwong, D L

2011-08-15

An ultracompact integrated silicide Schottky barrier detector (SBD) is designed and theoretically investigated to electrically detect the surface plasmon polariton (SPP) propagating along horizontal metal-insulator-silicon-insulator-metal nanoplasmonic slot waveguides at the telecommunication wavelength of 1550 nm. An ultrathin silicide layer inserted between the silicon core and the insulator, which can be fabricated precisely using the well-developed self-aligned silicide process, absorbs the SPP power effectively if a suitable silicide is chosen. Moreover, the Schottky barrier height in the silicide-silicon-silicide configuration can be tuned substantially by the external voltage through the Schottky effect owing to the very narrow silicon core. For a TaSi(2) detector with optimized dimensions, numerical simulation predicts responsivity of ~0.07 A/W, speed of ~60 GHz, dark current of ~66 nA at room temperature, and minimum detectable power of ~-29 dBm. The design also suggests that the device's size can be reduced and the overall performances will be further improved if a silicide with smaller permittivity is used. © 2011 Optical Society of America

LIDAR TS for ITER core plasma. Part II: simultaneous two wavelength LIDAR TS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gowers, C.; Nielsen, P.; Salzmann, H.

2017-12-01

We have shown recently, and in more detail at this conference (Salzmann et al) that the LIDAR approach to ITER core TS measurements requires only two mirrors in the inaccessible port plug area of the machine. This leads to simplified and robust alignment, lower risk of mirror damage by plasma contamination and much simpler calibration, compared with the awkward and vulnerable optical geometry of the conventional imaging TS approach, currently under development by ITER. In the present work we have extended the simulation code used previously to include the case of launching two laser pulses, of different wavelengths, simultaneously in LIDAR geometry. The aim of this approach is to broaden the choice of lasers available for the diagnostic. In the simulation code it is assumed that two short duration (300 ps) laser pulses of different wavelengths, from an Nd:YAG laser are launched through the plasma simultaneously. The temperature and density profiles are deduced in the usual way but from the resulting combined scattered signals in the different spectral channels of the single spectrometer. The spectral response and quantum efficiencies of the detectors used in the simulation are taken from catalogue data for commercially available Hamamatsu MCP-PMTs. The response times, gateability and tolerance to stray light levels of this type of photomultiplier have already been demonstrated in the JET LIDAR system and give sufficient spatial resolution to meet the ITER specification. Here we present the new simulation results from the code. They demonstrate that when the detectors are combined with this two laser, LIDAR approach, the full range of the specified ITER core plasma Te and ne can be measured with sufficient accuracy. So, with commercially available detectors and a simple modification of a Nd:YAG laser similar to that currently being used in the design of the conventional ITER core TS design mentioned above, the ITER requirements can be met.

Fukushima Daiichi Unit 1 Ex-Vessel Prediction: Core Concrete Interaction

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Robb, Kevin R; Farmer, Mitchell; Francis, Matthew W

Lower head failure and corium concrete interaction were predicted to occur at Fukushima Daiichi Unit 1 (1F1) by several different system-level code analyses, including MELCOR v2.1 and MAAP5. Although these codes capture a wide range of accident phenomena, they do not contain detailed models for ex-vessel core melt behavior. However, specialized codes exist for analysis of ex-vessel melt spreading (e.g., MELTSPREAD) and long-term debris coolability (e.g., CORQUENCH). On this basis, an analysis was carried out to further evaluate ex-vessel behavior for 1F1 using MELTSPREAD and CORQUENCH. Best-estimate melt pour conditions predicted by MELCOR v2.1 and MAAP5 were used as input.more » MELTSPREAD was then used to predict the spatially dependent melt conditions and extent of spreading during relocation from the vessel. The results of the MELTSPREAD analysis are reported in a companion paper. This information was used as input for the long-term debris coolability analysis with CORQUENCH.« less

Fukushima Daiichi Unit 1 ex-vessel prediction: Core melt spreading

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Farmer, M. T.; Robb, K. R.; Francis, M. W.

Lower head failure and corium-concrete interaction were predicted to occur at Fukushima Daiichi Unit 1 (1F1) by several different system-level code analyses, including MELCOR v2.1 and MAAP5. Although these codes capture a wide range of accident phenomena, they do not contain detailed models for ex-vessel core melt behavior. However, specialized codes exist for analysis of ex-vessel melt spreading (e.g., MELTSPREAD) and long-term debris coolability (e.g., CORQUENCH). On this basis, an analysis has been carried out to further evaluate ex-vessel behavior for 1F1 using MELTSPREAD and CORQUENCH. Best-estimate melt pour conditions predicted by MELCOR v2.1 and MAAP5 were used as input.more » MELTSPREAD was then used to predict the spatially-dependent melt conditions and extent of spreading during relocation from the vessel. Lastly, this information was then used as input for the long-term debris coolability analysis with CORQUENCH that is reported in a companion paper.« less

Fukushima Daiichi Unit 1 ex-vessel prediction: Core melt spreading

DOE PAGES

Farmer, M. T.; Robb, K. R.; Francis, M. W.

2016-10-31

Lower head failure and corium-concrete interaction were predicted to occur at Fukushima Daiichi Unit 1 (1F1) by several different system-level code analyses, including MELCOR v2.1 and MAAP5. Although these codes capture a wide range of accident phenomena, they do not contain detailed models for ex-vessel core melt behavior. However, specialized codes exist for analysis of ex-vessel melt spreading (e.g., MELTSPREAD) and long-term debris coolability (e.g., CORQUENCH). On this basis, an analysis has been carried out to further evaluate ex-vessel behavior for 1F1 using MELTSPREAD and CORQUENCH. Best-estimate melt pour conditions predicted by MELCOR v2.1 and MAAP5 were used as input.more » MELTSPREAD was then used to predict the spatially-dependent melt conditions and extent of spreading during relocation from the vessel. Lastly, this information was then used as input for the long-term debris coolability analysis with CORQUENCH that is reported in a companion paper.« less

Neutronic safety parameters and transient analyses for Poland's MARIA research reactor.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bretscher, M. M.; Hanan, N. A.; Matos, J. E.

1999-09-27

Reactor kinetic parameters, reactivity feedback coefficients, and control rod reactivity worths have been calculated for the MARIA Research Reactor (Swierk, Poland) for M6-type fuel assemblies with {sup 235}U enrichments of 80% and 19.7%. Kinetic parameters were evaluated for family-dependent effective delayed neutron fractions, decay constants, and prompt neutron lifetimes and neutron generation times. Reactivity feedback coefficients were determined for fuel Doppler coefficients, coolant (H{sub 2}O) void and temperature coefficients, and for in-core and ex-core beryllium temperature coefficients. Total and differential control rod worths and safety rod worths were calculated for each fuel type. These parameters were used to calculate genericmore » transients for fast and slow reactivity insertions with both HEU and LEU fuels. The analyses show that the HEU and LEU cores have very similar responses to these transients.« less

3D-Printed Detector Band for Magnetic Off-Plane Flux Measurements in Laminated Machine Cores

PubMed Central

Pfützner, Helmut; Palkovits, Martin; Windischhofer, Andreas; Giefing, Markus

2017-01-01

Laminated soft magnetic cores of transformers, rotating machines etc. may exhibit complex 3D flux distributions with pronounced normal fluxes (off-plane fluxes), perpendicular to the plane of magnetization. As recent research activities have shown, detections of off-plane fluxes tend to be essential for the optimization of core performances aiming at a reduction of core losses and of audible noise. Conventional sensors for off-plane flux measurements tend to be either of high thickness, influencing the measured fluxes significantly, or require laborious preparations. In the current work, thin novel detector bands for effective and simple off-plane flux detections in laminated machine cores were manufactured. They are printed in an automatic way by an in-house developed 3D/2D assembler. The latter enables a unique combination of conductive and non-conductive materials. The detector bands were effectively tested in the interior of a two-package, three-phase model transformer core. They proved to be mechanically resilient, even for strong clamping of the core. PMID:29257063

3D-Printed Detector Band for Magnetic Off-Plane Flux Measurements in Laminated Machine Cores.

PubMed

Shilyashki, Georgi; Pfützner, Helmut; Palkovits, Martin; Windischhofer, Andreas; Giefing, Markus

2017-12-19

Laminated soft magnetic cores of transformers, rotating machines etc. may exhibit complex 3D flux distributions with pronounced normal fluxes (off-plane fluxes), perpendicular to the plane of magnetization. As recent research activities have shown, detections of off-plane fluxes tend to be essential for the optimization of core performances aiming at a reduction of core losses and of audible noise. Conventional sensors for off-plane flux measurements tend to be either of high thickness, influencing the measured fluxes significantly, or require laborious preparations. In the current work, thin novel detector bands for effective and simple off-plane flux detections in laminated machine cores were manufactured. They are printed in an automatic way by an in-house developed 3D/2D assembler. The latter enables a unique combination of conductive and non-conductive materials. The detector bands were effectively tested in the interior of a two-package, three-phase model transformer core. They proved to be mechanically resilient, even for strong clamping of the core.

Core Flood study for enhanced oil recovery through ex-situ bioaugmentation with thermo- and halo-tolerant rhamnolipid produced by Pseudomonas aeruginosa NCIM 5514.

PubMed

Varjani, Sunita J; Upasani, Vivek N

2016-11-01

The aim of this work was to study the Microbial Enhanced Oil Recovery (MEOR) employing core field model ex-situ bioaugmenting a thermo- and halo-tolerant rhamnolipid produced by Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Thin Layer Chromatography (TLC) revealed that the biosurfactant produced was rhamnolipid type. Nuclear Magnetic Resonance analysis showed that the purified rhamnolipids comprised two principal rhamnolipid homologues, i.e., Rha-Rha-C10-C14:1 and Rha-C8-C10. The rhamnolipid was stable under wide range of temperature (4°C, 30-100°C), pH (2.0-10.0) and NaCl concentration (0-18%, w/v). Core Flood model was designed for oil recovery operations using rhamnolipid. The oil recovery enhancement over Residual Oil Saturation was 8.82% through ex-situ bioaugmentation with rhamnolipid. The thermal stability of rhamnolipid shows promising scope for its application at conditions where high temperatures prevail in oil recovery processes, whereas its halo-tolerant nature increases its application in marine environment. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

ExCEL in Social Work: Excellence in Cancer Education & Leadership: An Oncology Social Work Response to the 2008 Institute of Medicine Report.

PubMed

Otis-Green, Shirley; Jones, Barbara; Zebrack, Brad; Kilburn, Lisa; Altilio, Terry A; Ferrell, Betty

2015-09-01

ExCEL in Social Work: Excellence in Cancer Education & Leadership was a multi-year National Cancer Institute (NCI)-funded grant for the development and implementation of an innovative educational program for oncology social workers. The program's curriculum focused upon six core competencies of psychosocial-spiritual support necessary to meet the standard of care recommended by the 2008 Institute of Medicine (IOM) Report: Cancer Care for the Whole Patient: Meeting Psychosocial Health Needs. The curriculum was delivered through a collaborative partnership between the City of Hope National Medical Center and the two leading professional organizations devoted exclusively to representing oncology social workers--the Association of Oncology Social Work and the Association of Pediatric Oncology Social Workers. Initial findings support the feasibility and acceptability of this tailored leadership skills-building program for participating oncology social workers.

ExCEL in Social Work: Excellence in Cancer Education & Leadership An Oncology Social Work Response to the 2008 Institute of Medicine Report

PubMed Central

Otis-Green, Shirley; Jones, Barbara; Zebrack, Brad; Kilburn, Lisa; Altilio, Terry A.; Ferrell, Betty

2014-01-01

ExCEL in Social Work : Excellence in Cancer Education & Leadership was a multi-year National Cancer Institute (NCI)-funded grant for the development and implementation of an innovative educational program for oncology social workers. The program’s curriculum focused upon six core competencies of psychosocial-spiritual support necessary to meet the standard of care recommended by the 2008 Institute of Medicine (IOM) Report: Cancer Care for the Whole Patient: Meeting Psychosocial Health Needs. The curriculum was delivered through a collaborative partnership between the City of Hope National Medical Center and the two leading professional organizations devoted exclusively to representing oncology social workers - the Association of Oncology Social Work and the Association of Pediatric Oncology Social Workers. Initial findings support the feasibility and acceptability of this tailored leadership skills-building program for participating oncology social workers. PMID:25146345

Search for core-collapse supernovae using the MiniBooNE neutrino detector

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aguilar-Arevalo, A. A.; Anderson, C. E.; Bazarko, A. O.; Brice, S. J.; Brown, B. C.; Bugel, L.; Cao, J.; Coney, L.; Conrad, J. M.; Cox, D. C.; Curioni, A.; Djurcic, Z.; Finley, D. A.; Fisher, M.; Fleming, B. T.; Ford, R.; Garcia, F. G.; Garvey, G. T.; Grange, J.; Green, C.; Green, J. A.; Hart, T. L.; Hawker, E.; Imlay, R.; Johnson, R. A.; Karagiorgi, G.; Kasper, P.; Katori, T.; Kobilarcik, T.; Kourbanis, I.; Koutsoliotas, S.; Laird, E. M.; Linden, S. K.; Link, J. M.; Liu, Y.; Liu, Y.; Louis, W. C.; Mahn, K. B. M.; Marsh, W.; Mauger, C.; McGary, V. T.; McGregor, G.; Metcalf, W.; Meyers, P. D.; Mills, F.; Mills, G. B.; Monroe, J.; Moore, C. D.; Mousseau, J.; Nelson, R. H.; Nienaber, P.; Nowak, J. A.; Osmanov, B.; Ouedraogo, S.; Patterson, R. B.; Pavlovic, Z.; Perevalov, D.; Polly, C. C.; Prebys, E.; Raaf, J. L.; Ray, H.; Roe, B. P.; Russell, A. D.; Sandberg, V.; Schirato, R.; Schmitz, D.; Shaevitz, M. H.; Shoemaker, F. C.; Smith, D.; Soderberg, M.; Sorel, M.; Spentzouris, P.; Spitz, J.; Stancu, I.; Stefanski, R. J.; Sung, M.; Tanaka, H. A.; Tayloe, R.; Tzanov, M.; van de Water, R. G.; Wascko, M. O.; White, D. H.; Wilking, M. J.; Yang, H. J.; Zeller, G. P.; Zimmerman, E. D.; MiniBooNE Collaboration

2010-02-01

We present a search for core-collapse supernovae in the Milky Way galaxy, using the MiniBooNE neutrino detector. No evidence is found for core-collapse supernovae occurring in our Galaxy in the period from December 14, 2004 to July 31, 2008, corresponding to 98% live time for collection. We set a limit on the core-collapse supernova rate out to a distance of 13.4 kpc to be less than 0.69 supernovae per year at 90% C.L.

Determinants of Employment Success Among Ex-Offenders

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Knox, George W.; Stacey, William A.

1978-01-01

Use of cost-benefit analysis in evaluation of seven manpower service programs for ex-offenders in Illinois shows these programs have benefit-cost ratios ranging from 4.24 to 16.88. Demographic profiles for the client flows differ somewhat, with Operation DARE's population being somewhat of a more "hard-core" group based on previous law…

Tendon vibration attenuates superficial venous vessel response of the resting limb during static arm exercise.

PubMed

Ooue, Anna; Sato, Kohei; Hirasawa, Ai; Sadamoto, Tomoko

2012-11-07

The superficial vein of the resting limb constricts sympathetically during exercise. Central command is the one of the neural mechanisms that controls the cardiovascular response to exercise. However, it is not clear whether central command contributes to venous vessel response during exercise. Tendon vibration during static elbow flexion causes primary muscle spindle afferents, such that a lower central command is required to achieve a given force without altering muscle force. The purpose of this study was therefore to investigate whether a reduction in central command during static exercise with tendon vibration influences the superficial venous vessel response in the resting limb. Eleven subjects performed static elbow flexion at 35% of maximal voluntary contraction with (EX + VIB) and without (EX) vibration of the biceps brachii tendon. The heart rate, mean arterial pressure, and rating of perceived exertion (RPE) in overall and exercising muscle were measured. The cross-sectional area (CSAvein) and blood velocity of the basilic vein in the resting upper arm were assessed by ultrasound, and blood flow (BFvein) was calculated using both variables. Muscle tension during exercise was similar between EX and EX + VIB. However, RPEs at EX + VIB were lower than those at EX (P <0.05). Increases in heart rate and mean arterial pressure during exercise at EX + VIB were also lower than those at EX (P <0.05). CSAvein in the resting limb at EX decreased during exercise from baseline (P <0.05), but CSAvein at EX + VIB did not change during exercise. CSAvein during exercise at EX was smaller than that at EX + VIB (P <0.05). However, BFvein did not change during the protocol under either condition. The decreases in circulatory response and RPEs during EX + VIB, despite identical muscle tension, showed that activation of central command was less during EX + VIB than during EX. Abolishment of the decrease in CSAvein during exercise at EX + VIB may thus have been caused by a lower level of central command at EX + VIB rather than EX. Diminished central command induced by tendon vibration may attenuate the superficial venous vessel response of the resting limb during sustained static arm exercise.

A DSP equipped digitizer for online analysis of nuclear detector signals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pasquali, G.; Ciaranfi, R.; Bardelli, L.; Bini, M.; Boiano, A.; Giannelli, F.; Ordine, A.; Poggi, G.

2007-01-01

In the framework of the NUCL-EX collaboration, a DSP equipped fast digitizer has been implemented and it has now reached the production stage. Each sampling channel is implemented on a separate daughter-board to be plugged on a VME mother-board. Each channel features a 12-bit, 125 MSamples/s ADC and a Digital Signal Processor (DSP) for online analysis of detector signals. A few algorithms have been written and successfully tested on detectors of different types (scintillators, solid-state, gas-filled), implementing pulse shape discrimination, constant fraction timing, semi-Gaussian shaping, gated integration.

X-ray photoemission analysis of chemically modified TlBr surfaces for improved radiation detectors

DOE PAGES

Nelson, A. J.; Voss, L. F.; Beck, P. R.; ...

2013-01-12

We subjected device-grade TlBr to various chemical treatments used in room temperature radiation detector fabrication to determine the resulting surface composition and electronic structure. As-polished TlBr was treated separately with HCl, SOCl 2, Br:MeOH and HF solutions. High-resolution photoemission measurements on the valence band electronic structure and Tl 4f, Br 3d, Cl 2p and S 2p core lines were used to evaluate surface chemistry and shallow heterojunction formation. Surface chemistry and valence band electronic structure were correlated with the goal of optimizing the long-term stability and radiation response.

X-ray photoemission analysis of chemically modified TlBr surfaces for improved radiation detectors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nelson, A. J.; Voss, L. F.; Beck, P. R.; Graff, R. T.; Conway, A. M.; Nikolic, R. J.; Payne, S. A.; Lee, J.-S.; Kim, H.; Cirignano, L.; Shah, K.

2013-04-01

Device-grade TlBr was subjected to various chemical treatments used in room temperature radiation detector fabrication to determine the resulting surface composition and electronic structure. As-polished TlBr was treated separately with HCl, SOCl2, Br:MeOH, and HF solutions. High-resolution photoemission measurements on the valence band electronic structure and Tl 4f, Br 3d, Cl 2p, and S 2p core lines were used to evaluate surface chemistry and shallow heterojunction formation. Surface chemistry and valence band electronic structure were correlated with the goal of optimizing the long-term stability and radiation response.

Apparatus for and method of monitoring for breached fuel elements

DOEpatents

Gross, K.C.; Strain, R.V.

1981-04-28

This invention teaches improved apparatus for the method of detecting a breach in cladded fuel used in a nuclear reactor. The detector apparatus uses a separate bypass loop for conveying part of the reactor coolant away from the core, and at least three separate delayed-neutron detectors mounted proximate this detector loop. The detectors are spaced apart so that the coolant flow time from the core to each detector is different, and these differences are known. The delayed-neutron activity at the detectors is a function of the delay time after the reaction in the fuel until the coolant carrying the delayed-neutron emitter passes the respective detector. This time delay is broken down into separate components including an isotopic holdup time required for the emitter to move through the fuel from the reaction to the coolant at the breach, and two transit times required for the emitter now in the coolant to flow from the breach to the detector loop and then via the loop to the detector.

High vacuum tip-enhanced Raman spectroscope based on a scanning tunneling microscope.

PubMed

Fang, Yurui; Zhang, Zhenglong; Sun, Mengtao

2016-03-01

In this paper, we present the construction of a high-vacuum tip-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (HV-TERS) system that allows in situ sample preparation and measurement. A detailed description of the prototype instrument is presented with experimental validation of its use and novel ex situ experimental results using the HV-TERS system. The HV-TERS system includes three chambers held under a 10(-7) Pa vacuum. The three chambers are an analysis chamber, a sample preparation chamber, and a fast loading chamber. The analysis chamber is the core chamber and contains a scanning tunneling microscope (STM) and a Raman detector coupled with a 50 × 0.5 numerical aperture objective. The sample preparation chamber is used to produce single-crystalline metal and sub-monolayer molecular films by molecular beam epitaxy. The fast loading chamber allows ex situ preparation of samples for HV-TERS analysis. Atomic resolution can be achieved by the STM on highly ordered pyrolytic graphite. We demonstrate the measurement of localized temperature using the Stokes and anti-Stokes TERS signals from a monolayer of 1,2-benzenedithiol on a gold film using a gold tip. Additionally, plasmonic catalysis can be monitored label-free at the nanoscale using our device. Moreover, the HV-TERS experiments show simultaneously activated infrared and Raman vibrational modes, Fermi resonance, and some other non-linear effects that are not observed in atmospheric TERS experiments. The high spatial and spectral resolution and pure environment of high vacuum are beneficial for basic surface studies.

Neutrino oscillation studies with IceCube-DeepCore

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Aartsen, M. G.; Abraham, K.; Ackermann, M.

IceCube, a gigaton-scale neutrino detector located at the South Pole, was primarily designed to search for astrophysical neutrinos with energies of PeV and higher. This goal has been achieved with the detection of the highest energy neutrinos to date. At the other end of the energy spectrum, the DeepCore extension lowers the energy threshold of the detector to approximately 10 GeV and opens the door for oscillation studies using atmospheric neutrinos. An analysis of the disappearance of these neutrinos has been completed, with the results produced being complementary with dedicated oscillation experiments. Following a review of the detector principle andmore » performance, the method used to make these calculations, as well as the results, is detailed. Finally, the future prospects of IceCube-DeepCore and the next generation of neutrino experiments at the South Pole (IceCube-Gen2, specifically the PINGU sub-detector) are briefly discussed.« less

Neutrino oscillation studies with IceCube-DeepCore

DOE PAGES

Aartsen, M. G.; Abraham, K.; Ackermann, M.; ...

2016-03-30

IceCube, a gigaton-scale neutrino detector located at the South Pole, was primarily designed to search for astrophysical neutrinos with energies of PeV and higher. This goal has been achieved with the detection of the highest energy neutrinos to date. At the other end of the energy spectrum, the DeepCore extension lowers the energy threshold of the detector to approximately 10 GeV and opens the door for oscillation studies using atmospheric neutrinos. An analysis of the disappearance of these neutrinos has been completed, with the results produced being complementary with dedicated oscillation experiments. Following a review of the detector principle andmore » performance, the method used to make these calculations, as well as the results, is detailed. Finally, the future prospects of IceCube-DeepCore and the next generation of neutrino experiments at the South Pole (IceCube-Gen2, specifically the PINGU sub-detector) are briefly discussed.« less

Vietnamese Students Employability Skills

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tuan, Nguyen Minh

2011-01-01

This paper attempts to investigate if the International University (IU) students' core competencies can meet the requirements set by employers, what are the differences in core competencies in final year students (or undergraduates), and how they view themselves compared with ex-students after one or two years in working environment, how…

Hybrid method to resolve the neutrino mass hierarchy by supernova (anti)neutrino induced reactions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vale, D.; Rauscher, T.; Paar, N.

2016-02-01

We introduce a hybrid method to determine the neutrino mass hierarchy by simultaneous measurements of responses of at least two detectors to antineutrino and neutrino fluxes from accretion and cooling phases of core-collapse supernovae. The (anti)neutrino-nucleus cross sections for 56Fe and 208Pb are calculated in the framework of the relativistic nuclear energy density functional and weak interaction Hamiltonian, while the cross sections for inelastic scattering on free protons p(bar nue,e+)n are obtained using heavy-baryon chiral perturbation theory. The modelling of (anti)neutrino fluxes emitted from a protoneutron star in a core-collapse supernova include collective and Mikheyev-Smirnov-Wolfenstein effects inside the exploding star. The particle emission rates from the elementary decay modes of the daughter nuclei are calculated for normal and inverted neutrino mass hierarchy. It is shown that simultaneous use of (anti)neutrino detectors with different target material allows to determine the neutrino mass hierarchy from the ratios of νe- and bar nue-induced particle emissions. This hybrid method favors neutrinos from the supernova cooling phase and the implementation of detectors with heavier target nuclei (208Pb) for the neutrino sector, while for antineutrinos the use of free protons in mineral oil or water is the appropriate choice.

Increasing blood flow to exercising muscle attenuates systemic cardiovascular responses during dynamic exercise in humans

PubMed Central

Ichinose-Kuwahara, Tomoko; Kondo, Narihiko; Nishiyasu, Takeshi

2015-01-01

Reducing blood flow to working muscles during dynamic exercise causes metabolites to accumulate within the active muscles and evokes systemic pressor responses. Whether a similar cardiovascular response is elicited with normal blood flow to exercising muscles during dynamic exercise remains unknown, however. To address that issue, we tested whether cardiovascular responses are affected by increases in blood flow to active muscles. Thirteen healthy subjects performed dynamic plantarflexion exercise for 12 min at 20%, 40%, and 60% of peak workload (EX20, EX40, and EX60) with their lower thigh enclosed in a negative pressure box. Under control conditions, the box pressure was the same as the ambient air pressure. Under negative pressure conditions, beginning 3 min after the start of the exercise, the box pressure was decreased by 20, 45, and then 70 mmHg in stepwise fashion with 3-min step durations. During EX20, the negative pressure had no effect on blood flow or the cardiovascular responses measured. However, application of negative pressure increased blood flow to the exercising leg during EX40 and EX60. This increase in blood flow had no significant effect on systemic cardiovascular responses during EX40, but it markedly attenuated the pressor responses otherwise seen during EX60. These results demonstrate that during mild exercise, normal blood flow to exercising muscle is not a factor eliciting cardiovascular responses, whereas it elicits an important pressor effect during moderate exercise. This suggests blood flow to exercising muscle is a major determinant of cardiovascular responses during dynamic exercise at higher than moderate intensity. PMID:26377556

Photoemission analysis of chemically modified TlBr surfaces for improved radiation detectors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nelson, A. J.; Lee, J.-S.; Stanford, J. A.; Grant, W. K.; Voss, L. F.; Beck, P. R.; Graff, R. T.; Swanberg, E. L.; Conway, A. M.; Nikolic, R. J.; Payne, S. A.; Kim, H.; Cirignano, L. J.; Shah, K.

2013-09-01

Device-grade TlBr was subjected to various chemical treatments used in room temperature radiation detector fabrication to determine the resulting surface composition and electronic structure. Samples of as polished TlBr were treated separately with 2%Br:MeOH, 10%HF, 10%HCl and 96%SOCl2 solutions. High-resolution photoemission measurements on the valence band electronic structure and Tl 4f, Br 3d, Cl 2p and S 2p core lines were used to evaluate surface chemistry. Results suggest anion substitution at the surface with subsequent shallow heterojunction formation. Surface chemistry and valence band electronic structure were further correlated with the goal of optimizing the long-term stability and radiation response.

Experimental pathways to understand and avoid high-Z impurity contamination from ICRF heating in tokamaks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Reinke, Matthew

2016-10-01

Recent results from Alcator C-Mod and JET demonstrate progress in understanding and mitigating core high-Z impurity contamination linked to ICRF heating in tokamaks with high-Z PFCs. Theory has identified two likely mechanisms: impurity sources due to sputtering enhanced by RF-rectified sheaths and greater cross-field SOL transport due to ExB convective cells. New experiments on Alcator C-Mod and JET demonstrate convective cell transport is likely a sub-dominant effect, despite directly observing ExB flows from rectified RF fields on C-Mod. Trace N2 introduced in the far SOL on field lines connected to and well away from an active ICRF antenna result in similar levels of core nitrogen, indicating local RF-driven transport is weak. This suggests the core high-Z density, nZ,core, is determined by sheath-induced sputtering and RF-independent SOL transport, allowing further reductions through antenna design. ICRF heating on C-Mod uses a unique, field aligned (FAA) and a pair of conventional, toroidally aligned (TAA) antennas. The FAA is designed to reduce rectified voltages relative to the TAA, and the impact of sheath-induced sputtering is explored by observing nZ,core while varying the TAA/FAA heating mix. A reduction of approximately 50% in core high-Z content is seen in L-modes when using the FAA and high-Z sources at the antenna limiter are effectively eliminated, indicating the remaining RF-driven source is away from the limiter. A drop in nZ,core may also be realized by locating the RF antenna on the inboard side where SOL transport aids impurity screening. New C-Mod experiments demonstrate up to a factor of 5 reduction in core nitrogen when N2 is injected on the high-field side as compared to low-field side impurity fueling. Varying the magnetic topology helps to elucidate the SOL transport physics responsible, laying a physics basis for inboard RF antenna placement. This work is supported by U.S. DOE Award DE-FC02-99ER54512, using Alcator C-Mod and carried out within the framework of the EUROfusion Consortium and has received funding from Euratom under Grant Agreement No 633053.

Experiment neutrino-4 on searching for a sterile neutrino with multisection detector model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Serebrov, A. P.; Ivochkin, V. G.; Samoilov, R. M.; Fomin, A. K.; Zinov'ev, V. G.; Neustroev, P. V.; Golovtsov, V. L.; Chernyi, A. V.; Zherebtsov, O. M.; Polyushkin, A. O.; Martem'yanov, V. P.; Tarasenkov, V. G.; Aleshin, V. I.; Petelin, A. L.; Izhutov, A. L.; Tuzov, A. A.; Sazontov, S. A.; Ryazanov, D. K.; Gromov, M. O.; Afanas'ev, V. V.; Zaitsev, M. E.; Chaikovskii, M. E.

2017-02-01

A laboratory for searching for oscillations of reactor antineutrinos has been created based on the SM-3 reactor in order to approach the problem of the possible existence of a sterile neutrino. The multisection detector prototype with a liquid scintillator volume of 350 L was installed in mid-2015. This detector can move inside the passive shield in a range of 6-11 m from the active core of the reactor. The antineutrino flux was measured for the first time at these short distances from the active core of the reactor by the movable detector. The measurements with the multisection detector prototype demonstrated that it is possible to measure the antineutrino flux from the reactor in the complicated conditions of cosmic background on the Earth's surface.

Neutrino-4 experiment on search for sterile neutrino with multi-section model of detector

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Serebrov, A.; Ivochkin, V.; Samoilov, R.; Fomin, A.; Polyushkin, A.; Zinoviev, V.; Neustroev, P.; Golovtsov, V.; Chernyj, A.; Zherebtsov, O.; Martemyanov, V.; Tarasenkov, V.; Aleshin, V.; Petelin, A.; Izhutov, A.; Tuzov, A.; Sazontov, S.; Ryazanov, D.; Gromov, M.; Afanasiev, V.; Zaytsev, M.; Chaikovskii, M.

2017-09-01

In order to carry out research in the field of possible existence of a sterile neutrino the laboratory based on SM-3 reactor (Dimitrovgrad, Russia) was created to search for oscillations of reactor antineutrino. The prototype of a multi-section neutrino detector with liquid scintillator volume of 350 l was installed in the middle of 2015. It is a moveable inside the passive shielding detector, which can be set at distance range from 6 to 11 meters from the reactor core. Measurements of antineutrino flux at such small distances from the reactor core are carried out with moveable detector for the first time. The measurements carried out with detector prototype demonstrated a possibility of measuring a reactor antineutrino flux in difficult conditions of cosmic background at Earth surface.

Ex Post Facto Monte Carlo Variance Reduction

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Booth, Thomas E.

The variance in Monte Carlo particle transport calculations is often dominated by a few particles whose importance increases manyfold on a single transport step. This paper describes a novel variance reduction method that uses a large importance change as a trigger to resample the offending transport step. That is, the method is employed only after (ex post facto) a random walk attempts a transport step that would otherwise introduce a large variance in the calculation.Improvements in two Monte Carlo transport calculations are demonstrated empirically using an ex post facto method. First, the method is shown to reduce the variance inmore » a penetration problem with a cross-section window. Second, the method empirically appears to modify a point detector estimator from an infinite variance estimator to a finite variance estimator.« less

Waves in a Cloudy Vortex

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-02-01

Waves in a Cloudy Vortex DAVID A. SCHECTER Department of Atmospheric Science, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado MICHAEL T. MONTGOMERY...waves account for precessing tilts and elliptical (triangular, square, etc.) deformations of the vortex core. If the Rossby number of the cyclone ex...ceeds unity, its baroclinic VR waves can efficiently ex- Corresponding author address: Dr. David Schecter, NorthWest Research Associates, 14508 NE 20th

Calculating the Responses of Self-Powered Radiation Detectors.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thornton, D. A.

Available from UMI in association with The British Library. The aim of this research is to review and develop the theoretical understanding of the responses of Self -Powered Radiation Detectors (SPDs) in Pressurized Water Reactors (PWRs). Two very different models are considered. A simple analytic model of the responses of SPDs to neutrons and gamma radiation is presented. It is a development of the work of several previous authors and has been incorporated into a computer program (called GENSPD), the predictions of which have been compared with experimental and theoretical results reported in the literature. Generally, the comparisons show reasonable consistency; where there is poor agreement explanations have been sought and presented. Two major limitations of analytic models have been identified; neglect of current generation in insulators and over-simplified electron transport treatments. Both of these are developed in the current work. A second model based on the Explicit Representation of Radiation Sources and Transport (ERRST) is presented and evaluated for several SPDs in a PWR at beginning of life. The model incorporates simulation of the production and subsequent transport of neutrons, gamma rays and electrons, both internal and external to the detector. Neutron fluxes and fuel power ratings have been evaluated with core physics calculations. Neutron interaction rates in assembly and detector materials have been evaluated in lattice calculations employing deterministic transport and diffusion methods. The transport of the reactor gamma radiation has been calculated with Monte Carlo, adjusted diffusion and point-kernel methods. The electron flux associated with the reactor gamma field as well as the internal charge deposition effects of the transport of photons and electrons have been calculated with coupled Monte Carlo calculations of photon and electron transport. The predicted response of a SPD is evaluated as the sum of contributions from individual response mechanisms.

Increasing blood flow to exercising muscle attenuates systemic cardiovascular responses during dynamic exercise in humans.

PubMed

Ichinose, Masashi; Ichinose-Kuwahara, Tomoko; Kondo, Narihiko; Nishiyasu, Takeshi

2015-11-15

Reducing blood flow to working muscles during dynamic exercise causes metabolites to accumulate within the active muscles and evokes systemic pressor responses. Whether a similar cardiovascular response is elicited with normal blood flow to exercising muscles during dynamic exercise remains unknown, however. To address that issue, we tested whether cardiovascular responses are affected by increases in blood flow to active muscles. Thirteen healthy subjects performed dynamic plantarflexion exercise for 12 min at 20%, 40%, and 60% of peak workload (EX20, EX40, and EX60) with their lower thigh enclosed in a negative pressure box. Under control conditions, the box pressure was the same as the ambient air pressure. Under negative pressure conditions, beginning 3 min after the start of the exercise, the box pressure was decreased by 20, 45, and then 70 mmHg in stepwise fashion with 3-min step durations. During EX20, the negative pressure had no effect on blood flow or the cardiovascular responses measured. However, application of negative pressure increased blood flow to the exercising leg during EX40 and EX60. This increase in blood flow had no significant effect on systemic cardiovascular responses during EX40, but it markedly attenuated the pressor responses otherwise seen during EX60. These results demonstrate that during mild exercise, normal blood flow to exercising muscle is not a factor eliciting cardiovascular responses, whereas it elicits an important pressor effect during moderate exercise. This suggests blood flow to exercising muscle is a major determinant of cardiovascular responses during dynamic exercise at higher than moderate intensity. Copyright © 2015 the American Physiological Society.

Excore Modeling with VERAShift

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Pandya, Tara M.; Evans, Thomas M.

It is important to be able to accurately predict the neutron flux outside the immediate reactor core for a variety of safety and material analyses. Monte Carlo radiation transport calculations are required to produce the high fidelity excore responses. Under this milestone VERA (specifically the VERAShift package) has been extended to perform excore calculations by running radiation transport calculations with Shift. This package couples VERA-CS with Shift to perform excore tallies for multiple state points concurrently, with each component capable of parallel execution on independent domains. Specifically, this package performs fluence calculations in the core barrel and vessel, or, performsmore » the requested tallies in any user-defined excore regions. VERAShift takes advantage of the general geometry package in Shift. This gives VERAShift the flexibility to explicitly model features outside the core barrel, including detailed vessel models, detectors, and power plant details. A very limited set of experimental and numerical benchmarks is available for excore simulation comparison. The Consortium for the Advanced Simulation of Light Water Reactors (CASL) has developed a set of excore benchmark problems to include as part of the VERA-CS verification and validation (V&V) problems. The excore capability in VERAShift has been tested on small representative assembly problems, multiassembly problems, and quarter-core problems. VERAView has also been extended to visualize these vessel fluence results from VERAShift. Preliminary vessel fluence results for quarter-core multistate calculations look very promising. Further development is needed to determine the details relevant to excore simulations. Validation of VERA for fluence and excore detectors still needs to be performed against experimental and numerical results.« less

Application of a liquid chromatography detector to time-resolved RYDMR spectroscopy: a comparison of in situ and ex post facto measurements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sakaguchi, Yoshio

2001-09-01

A photodiode-array (PDA) UV-VIS detector for liquid chromatography is applied to time-resolved reaction yield detected magnetic resonance (RYDMR) measurements. The results derived from the yields of cage and escape products in the photoreaction of 2-methyl-1, 4-naphtnoquinone in a sodium dodecylsulfate micelle are found to be identical with those derived from the yield of escaping semiquinone radical detected by transient optical absorption. This implies practical linearity between the yields of escaping radicals and escape products. High sensitivity of the PDA detector enables application of escape product yields for kinetic analysis by reducing microwave-induced perturbation.

Primary Energy Reconstruction from the Charged Particle Densities Recorded with the KASCADE-Grande Detector at 500 m Distance from Shower Core

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Toma, G.; Apel, W. D.; Arteaga, J. C.; Bekk, K.; Bertaina, M.; Blümer, J.; Bozdog, H.; Brancus, I. M.; Buchholz, P.; Cantoni, E.; Chiavassa, A.; Cossavella, F.; Daumiller, K.; de Souza, V.; di Pierro, F.; Doll, P.; Engel, R.; Engler, J.; Finger, M.; Fuhrmann, D.; Ghia, P. L.; Gils, H. J.; Glasstetter, R.; Grupen, C.; Haungs, A.; Heck, D.; Hörandel, J. R.; Huege, T.; Isar, P. G.; Kampert, K.-H.; Kang, D.; Kickelbick, D.; Klages, H. O.; Link, K.; Łuczak, P.; Ludwig, M.; Mathes, H. J.; Mayer, H. J.; Melissas, M.; Milke, J.; Mitrica, B.; Morello, C.; Navarra, G.; Nehls, S.; Oehlschläger, J.; Ostapchenko, S.; Over, S.; Palmieri, N.; Petcu, M.; Pierog, T.; Rebel, H.; Roth, M.; Schieler, H.; Schröder, F.; Sima, O.; Trinchero, G. C.; Ulrich, H.; Weindl, A.; Wochele, J.; Wommer, M.; Zabierowski, J.

2010-11-01

Previous EAS investigations have shown that for a fixed primary energy the charged particle density becomes independent of the primary mass at certain (fixed) distances from the shower core. This feature can be used as an estimator for the primary energy. We present results on the reconstruction of the primary energy spectrum of cosmic rays from the experimentally recorded S(500) observable (the density of charged particles at 500 m distance to the shower core) using the KASCADE-Grande detector array. The KASCADE-Grande experiment is hosted by the Karlsruhe Institute for Technology-Campus North, Karlsruhe, Germany, and operated by an international collaboration. The constant intensity cut (CIC) method is applied to evaluate the attenuation of the S(500) observable with the zenith angle and is corrected for. A calibration of S(500) values with the primary energy has been worked out by simulations and was applied to the data to obtain the primary energy spectrum (in the energy range log10[E0/GeV]∈[7.5,9]). The systematic uncertainties induced by different sources are considered. In addition, a correction based on a response matrix is applied to account for the effects of shower-to-shower fluctuations on the spectral index of the reconstructed energy spectrum.

Coronary CT angiography using 64 detector rows: methods and design of the multi-centre trial CORE-64.

PubMed

Miller, Julie M; Dewey, Marc; Vavere, Andrea L; Rochitte, Carlos E; Niinuma, Hiroyuki; Arbab-Zadeh, Armin; Paul, Narinder; Hoe, John; de Roos, Albert; Yoshioka, Kunihiro; Lemos, Pedro A; Bush, David E; Lardo, Albert C; Texter, John; Brinker, Jeffery; Cox, Christopher; Clouse, Melvin E; Lima, João A C

2009-04-01

Multislice computed tomography (MSCT) for the noninvasive detection of coronary artery stenoses is a promising candidate for widespread clinical application because of its non-invasive nature and high sensitivity and negative predictive value as found in several previous studies using 16 to 64 simultaneous detector rows. A multi-centre study of CT coronary angiography using 16 simultaneous detector rows has shown that 16-slice CT is limited by a high number of nondiagnostic cases and a high false-positive rate. A recent meta-analysis indicated a significant interaction between the size of the study sample and the diagnostic odds ratios suggestive of small study bias, highlighting the importance of evaluating MSCT using 64 simultaneous detector rows in a multi-centre approach with a larger sample size. In this manuscript we detail the objectives and methods of the prospective "CORE-64" trial ("Coronary Evaluation Using Multidetector Spiral Computed Tomography Angiography using 64 Detectors"). This multi-centre trial was unique in that it assessed the diagnostic performance of 64-slice CT coronary angiography in nine centres worldwide in comparison to conventional coronary angiography. In conclusion, the multi-centre, multi-institutional and multi-continental trial CORE-64 has great potential to ultimately assess the per-patient diagnostic performance of coronary CT angiography using 64 simultaneous detector rows.

High-contrast X-ray micro-radiography and micro-CT of ex-vivo soft tissue murine organs utilizing ethanol fixation and large area photon-counting detector

PubMed Central

Dudak, Jan; Zemlicka, Jan; Karch, Jakub; Patzelt, Matej; Mrzilkova, Jana; Zach, Petr; Hermanova, Zuzana; Kvacek, Jiri; Krejci, Frantisek

2016-01-01

Using dedicated contrast agents high-quality X-ray imaging of soft tissue structures with isotropic micrometre resolution has become feasible. This technique is frequently titled as virtual histology as it allows production of slices of tissue without destroying the sample. The use of contrast agents is, however, often an irreversible time-consuming procedure and despite the non-destructive principle of X-ray imaging, the sample is usually no longer usable for other research methods. In this work we present the application of recently developed large-area photon counting detector for high resolution X-ray micro-radiography and micro-tomography of whole ex-vivo ethanol-preserved mouse organs. The photon counting detectors provide dark-current-free quantum-counting operation enabling acquisition of data with virtually unlimited contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR). Thanks to the very high CNR even ethanol-only preserved soft-tissue samples without addition of any contrast agent can be visualized in great detail. As ethanol preservation is one of the standard steps of tissue fixation for histology, the presented method can open a way for widespread use of micro-CT with all its advantages for routine 3D non-destructive soft-tissue visualisation. PMID:27461900

A prototype experiment for cooperative monitoring of nuclear reactors with cubic meter scale antineutrino detectors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bernstein, A.; Allen, M.; Bowden, N.; Brennan, J.; Carr, D. J.; Estrada, J.; Hagmann, C.; Lund, J. C.; Madden, N. W.; Winant, C. D.

2005-09-01

Our Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory/Sandia National Laboratories collaboration has deployed a cubic-meter-scale antineutrino detector to demonstrate non-intrusive and automatic monitoring of the power levels and plutonium content of a nuclear reactor. Reactor monitoring of this kind is required for all non-nuclear weapons states under the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT), and is implemented by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Since the antineutrino count rate and energy spectrum depend on the relative yields of fissioning isotopes in the reactor core, changes in isotopic composition can be observed without ever directly accessing the core. Data from a cubic meter scale antineutrino detector, coupled with the well-understood principles that govern the core's evolution in time, can be used to determine whether the reactor is being operated in an illegitimate way. Our group has deployed a detector at the San Onofre reactor site in California to demonstrate this concept. This paper describes the concept and shows preliminary results from 8 months of operation.

Use of higher order signal moments and high speed digital sampling technique for neutron flux measurement

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Baers, L.B.; Gutierrez, T.R.; Mendoza, R.A.

1993-08-01

The second (conventional variance or Campbell signal) , , , the third , and the modified fourth order [minus] 3*[sup 2] etc. central signal moments associated with the amplified (K) and filtered currents [i[sub 1], i[sub 2], x = K * (i[sub 2]-),] from two electrodes of an ex-core neutron sensitive fission detector have been measured versus the reactor power of the 1 MW TRIGA reactor in Mexico City. Two channels of a high speed (400 kHz) multiplexing data sampler and A/D converter with 12 bit resolution and one megawords buffer memory were used. The data were further retrieved intomore » a PC and estimates for auto- and cross-correlation moments up to the fifth order, coherence (/[radical]), skewness (/([radical]/)[sup 3]), excess (/[sup 2] - 3) etc. quantities were calculated off-line. A five mode operation of the detector was achieved including the conventional counting rates and currents in agreement with the theory and the authors previous results with analogue techniques. The signals were proportional to the neutron flux and reactor power in some flux ranges. The suppression of background noise is improved and the lower limit of the measurement range is extended as the order of moment is increased, in agreement with the theory. On the other hand the statistical uncertainty is increased. At increasing flux levels it was statistically more difficult to obtain flux estimates based on the higher order ([>=]3) moments.« less

Sex differences in the pro-inflammatory cytokine response to endotoxin unfold in vivo but not ex vivo in healthy humans.

PubMed

Wegner, Alexander; Benson, Sven; Rebernik, Laura; Spreitzer, Ingo; Jäger, Marcus; Schedlowski, Manfred; Elsenbruch, Sigrid; Engler, Harald

2017-07-01

Clinical data indicate that inflammatory responses differ across sexes, but the mechanisms remain elusive. Herein, we assessed in vivo and ex vivo cytokine responses to bacterial endotoxin in healthy men and women to elucidate the role of systemic and cellular factors underlying sex differences in inflammatory responses. Participants received an i.v. injection of low-dose endotoxin (0.4 ng/kg body mass), and plasma TNF-α and IL-6 responses were analyzed over a period of 6 h. In parallel, ex vivo cytokine production was measured in endotoxin-stimulated blood samples obtained immediately before in vivo endotoxin administration. As glucocorticoids (GCs) play an important role in the negative feedback regulation of the inflammatory response, we additionally analyzed plasma cortisol concentrations and ex vivo GC sensitivity of cytokine production. Results revealed greater in vivo pro-inflammatory responses in women compared with men, with significantly higher increases in plasma TNF-α and IL-6 concentrations. In addition, the endotoxin-induced rise in plasma cortisol was more pronounced in women. In contrast, no sex differences in ex vivo cytokine production and GC sensitivity were observed. Together, these findings demonstrate major differences in in vivo and ex vivo responses to endotoxin and underscore the importance of systemic factors underlying sex differences in the inflammatory response.

A micro GC detector array based on chemiresistors employing various surface functionalized monolayer-protected gold nanoparticles.

PubMed

Jian, Rih-Sheng; Huang, Rui-Xuan; Lu, Chia-Jung

2012-01-15

Aspects of the design, fabrication, and characterization of a chemiresistor type of microdetector for use in conjunction with gas chromatograph are described. The detector was manufactured on silicon chips using microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) technology. Detection was based on measuring changes in resistance across a film comprised of monolayer-protected gold nanoclusters (MPCs). When chromatographic separated molecules entered the detector cell, the MPC film absorbed vapor and undergoes swelling, then the resistance changes accordingly. Thiolates were used as ligand shells to encapsulate the nano-gold core and to manipulate the selectivity of the detector array. The dimensions of the μ-detector array were 14(L)×3.9(W)×1.2(H)mm. Mixtures of eight volatile organic compounds with different functional groups and volatility were tested to characterize the selectivity of the μ-detector array. The detector responses were rapid, reversible, and linear for all of the tested compounds. The detection limits ranged from 2 to 111ng, and were related to both the compound volatility and the selectivity of the surface ligands on the gold nanoparticles. Design and operation parameters such as flow rate, detector temperature, and width of the micro-fluidic channel were investigated. Reduction of the detector temperature resulted in improved sensitivity due to increased absorption. When a wider flow channel was used, the signal-to-noise ratio was improved due to the larger sensing area. The extremely low power consumption and small size makes this μ-detector array potentially useful for the development of integrated μ-GC. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Fiber Optic Sensor for Real-Time Sensing of Silica Scale Formation in Geothermal Water.

PubMed

Okazaki, Takuya; Orii, Tatsuya; Ueda, Akira; Ozawa, Akiko; Kuramitz, Hideki

2017-06-13

We present a novel fiber optic sensor for real-time sensing of silica scale formation in geothermal water. The sensor is fabricated by removing the cladding of a multimode fiber to expose the core to detect the scale-formation-induced refractive index change. A simple experimental setup was constructed to measure the transmittance response using white light as a source and a spectroscopy detector. A field test was performed on geothermal water containing 980 mg/L dissolved silica at 93 °C in Sumikawa Geothermal Power Plant, Japan. The transmittance response of the fiber sensor decreased due to the formation of silica scale on the fiber core from geothermal water. An application of this sensor in the evaluation of scale inhibitors was demonstrated. In geothermal water containing a pH modifier, the change of transmittance response decreased with pH decrease. The effectiveness of a polyelectrolyte inhibitor in prevention of silica scale formation was easily detectable using the fiber sensor in geothermal water.

High vacuum tip-enhanced Raman spectroscope based on a scanning tunneling microscope

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Fang, Yurui; Bionanophotonics, Department of Applied Physics, Chalmers University of Technology, Göteborg, SE 41296; Zhang, Zhenglong

2016-03-15

In this paper, we present the construction of a high-vacuum tip-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (HV-TERS) system that allows in situ sample preparation and measurement. A detailed description of the prototype instrument is presented with experimental validation of its use and novel ex situ experimental results using the HV-TERS system. The HV-TERS system includes three chambers held under a 10{sup −7} Pa vacuum. The three chambers are an analysis chamber, a sample preparation chamber, and a fast loading chamber. The analysis chamber is the core chamber and contains a scanning tunneling microscope (STM) and a Raman detector coupled with a 50 ×more » 0.5 numerical aperture objective. The sample preparation chamber is used to produce single-crystalline metal and sub-monolayer molecular films by molecular beam epitaxy. The fast loading chamber allows ex situ preparation of samples for HV-TERS analysis. Atomic resolution can be achieved by the STM on highly ordered pyrolytic graphite. We demonstrate the measurement of localized temperature using the Stokes and anti-Stokes TERS signals from a monolayer of 1,2-benzenedithiol on a gold film using a gold tip. Additionally, plasmonic catalysis can be monitored label-free at the nanoscale using our device. Moreover, the HV-TERS experiments show simultaneously activated infrared and Raman vibrational modes, Fermi resonance, and some other non-linear effects that are not observed in atmospheric TERS experiments. The high spatial and spectral resolution and pure environment of high vacuum are beneficial for basic surface studies.« less

Qualification and characterization of electronics of the fast neutron Hodoscope detectors using neutrons from CABRI core

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mirotta, S.; Guillot, J.; Chevalier, V.; Biard, B.

2018-01-01

The study of Reactivity Initiated Accidents (RIA) is important to determine up to which limits nuclear fuels can withstand such accidents without clad failure. The CABRI International Program (CIP), conducted by IRSN under an OECD/NEA agreement, has been launched to perform representative RIA Integral Effect Tests (IET) on real irradiated fuel rods in prototypical Pressurized Water Reactors (PWR) conditions. For this purpose, the CABRI experimental pulse reactor, operated by CEA in Cadarache, France, has been strongly renovated, and equipped with a pressurized water loop. The behavior of the test rod, located in that loop in the center of the driver core, is followed in real time during the power transients thanks to the hodoscope, a unique online fuel motion monitoring system, and one of the major distinctive features of CABRI. The hodoscope measures the fast neutrons emitted by the tested rod during the power pulse with a complete set of 153 Fission Chambers and 153 Proton Recoil Counters. During the CABRI facility renovation, the electronic chain of these detectors has been upgraded. In this paper, the performance of the new system is presented describing gain calibration methodology in order to get maximal Signal/Noise ratio for amplification modules, threshold tuning methodology for the discrimination modules (old and new ones), and linear detectors response limit versus different reactor powers for the whole electronic chain.

Advances in Breast Cancer Therapy

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-09-01

cancer diagnosed by core needle biopsy will be eligible for this study. Additional tumor specimens will be obtained prior to the start of...chemotherapy via core needle biopsies to be used for the ex vivo chemoresponse assay and tumor genomic analysis (gene expression), respectively. All...AD_________________ Award Number: W81XWH-06-2-0021 TITLE: Advances in Breast Cancer Therapy

Distinguishing features of Excited Delirium Syndrome in non-fatal use of force encounters.

PubMed

Baldwin, Simon; Hall, Christine; Bennell, Craig; Blaskovits, Brittany; Lawrence, Chris

2016-07-01

The frequency with which the police encounter non-fatal cases of Excited Delirium Syndrome (ExDS) has not been well studied. To date only a single prospective, epidemiologic study has been completed to determine the prevalence of the features of ExDS in police use of force (UoF) encounters. We examined a cluster of previously published features associated with ExDS to establish if these features were consistently recognizable across policing populations, thus demonstrating reproducibility. We further sought to determine whether any feature or number of concomitant features were likely to have physiologic significance. These are important first steps in determining a case definition of ExDS in a law enforcement and medical setting. A prospective evaluation of a consecutive cohort of subjects involved in UoF encounters with police was conducted. Data were collected through the UoF reporting database of a large Canadian law enforcement agency from January, 2012 to December, 2013. The ten core characteristics of ExDS that have been observed in past research were documented by officers and, consistent with previous research, the presence of six or more features was used to identify probable cases of ExDS and a state of medical emergency. UoF occurred in 4799 of 5.4 million police-public interactions (0.09%). Of the UoF encounters, 73 (1.5%) subjects displayed six or more features of ExDS. Upwards of 9.2% of these subjects could be expected to be at risk of sudden and unexpected arrest-related death (ARD). Features with the highest odds of being presented with a large number of concomitant features included "Does not Fatigue", "Superhuman Strength" and "Tactile Hyperthermia" (287, 137 and 93 times higher, respectively). Moreover, "Tactile Hyperthermia" demonstrated the highest odds of being presented in individuals with a large number of features as opposed to those with fewer (33 times higher). We demonstrate that there is the ability for law enforcement officers to consistently recognize and report features of ExDS that have been associated with ARD. The varying presence of features across the examined categories indicates that some features are more distinguishing than others, which may enable narrowing the scope of features that represent ExDS and understanding its pathophysiology. The current debate surrounding whether or not ExDS exists limits first responders and emergency physicians in their ability to increase awareness, improve training and interventions, and design appropriate policy and response protocols to reduce ARDs. Crown Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Status Report on Ex-Vessel Coolability and Water Management

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Farmer, M. T.; Robb, K. R.

Specific to BWR plants, current accident management guidance calls for flooding the drywell to a level of approximately 1.2 m (4 feet) above the drywell floor once vessel breach has been determined. While this action can help to submerge ex-vessel core debris, it can also result in flooding the wetwell and thereby rendering the wetwell vent path unavailable. An alternate strategy is being developed in the industry guidance for responding to the severe accident capable vent Order, EA-13-109. The alternate strategy being proposed would throttle the flooding rate to achieve a stable wetwell water level while preserving the wetwell ventmore » path. The overall objective of this work is to upgrade existing analytical tools (i.e. MELTSPREAD and CORQUENCH - which have been used as part of the DOE-sponsored Fukushima accident analyses) in order to provide flexible, analytically capable, and validated models to support the development of water throttling strategies for BWRs that are aimed at keeping ex-vessel core debris covered with water while preserving the wetwell vent path.« less

Fabrication of (Ba,K)Fe2As2 tapes by ex situ PIT process using Ag-Sn alloy single sheath

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Togano, K.; Gao, Z.; Matsumoto, A.; Kikuchi, A.; Kumakura, H.

2017-01-01

Instead of ordinal pure Ag, Ag-based Sn binary alloys (up to 7.5 at%Sn) with higher mechanical strength are used for the sheath material of ex situ powder-in-tube (PIT)-processed (Ba,K)Fe2As2(Ba-122) tapes. We found that the use of the Ag-Sn alloy enhances the densification and texturing of the Ba-122 core, resulting in higher transport, J c. Moreover, the optimum heat treatment temperature for a high J c can be lowered by around 100 °C due to the higher packing density of the Ba-122 core prior to the final heat treatment. We also found that the smoothness of the interface between the sheath and Ba-122 core is significantly improved by using the Ag-Sn binary alloy sheaths. These results show that the Ag-Sn alloy is promising as a sheath material in PIT-processed Ba-122 superconducting wires.

Exercise training improves the defective centrally mediated erectile responses in rats with type I diabetes.

PubMed

Zheng, Hong; Mayhan, William G; Patel, Kaushik P

2011-11-01

Erectile dysfunction is a serious and common complication of diabetes mellitus. Apart from the peripheral actions, central mechanisms are also responsible for the penile erection. The goal of the present study was to determine the impact of exercise training (ExT) on the centrally mediated erectile dysfunction in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced type I diabetic (T1D) rats. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were injected with STZ to induce diabetes mellitus. Three weeks after STZ or vehicle injections, rats were assigned to either ExT (treadmill running for 3-4 weeks) or sedentary groups to produce four experimental groups: control + sedentary, T1D + sedentary, control + ExT, and T1D + ExT. After 3-4 weeks ExT, central N-methyl-D-aspartic acid (NMDA) or sodium nitroprusside (SNP)-induced penile erectile responses were measured. Neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS) expression in the paraventricular nucleus (PVN) of the hypothalamus was measured by using histochemistry, real time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and Western blot approaches. In rats with T1D, ExT significantly improved the blunted erectile response, and the intracavernous pressure changes to NMDA (50 ng) microinjection within the PVN (T1D + ExT: 3.0 ± 0.6 penile erection/rat; T1D + sedentary: 0.5 ± 0.3 penile erection/rat within 20 minutes, P < 0.05). ExT improved erectile dysfunction induced by central administration of exogenous nitric oxide (NO) donor, SNP in T1D rats. Other behavior responses including yawning and stretching, induced by central NMDA and SNP microinjection were also significantly increased in T1D rats after ExT. Furthermore, we found that ExT restored the nNOS mRNA and protein expression in the PVN in T1D rats. These results suggest that ExT may have beneficial effects on the erectile dysfunction in diabetes through improvement of NO bioavailability within the PVN. Thus, ExT may be used as therapeutic modality to up-regulate nNOS within the PVN and improve the central component of the erectile dysfunction in diabetes mellitus. © 2011 International Society for Sexual Medicine.

Microchannel plate detector technology potential for LUVOIR and HabEx

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Siegmund, O. H. W.; Ertley, C.; Vallerga, J. V.; Schindhelm, E. R.; Harwit, A.; Fleming, B. T.; France, K. C.; Green, J. C.; McCandliss, S. R.; Harris, W. M.

2017-08-01

Microchannel plate (MCP) detectors have been the detector of choice for ultraviolet (UV) instruments onboard many NASA missions. These detectors have many advantages, including high spatial resolution (<20 μm), photon counting, radiation hardness, large formats (up to 20 cm), and ability for curved focal plane matching. Novel borosilicate glass MCPs with atomic layer deposition combine extremely low backgrounds, high strength, and tunable secondary electron yield. GaN and combinations of bialkali/alkali halide photocathodes show promise for broadband, higher quantum efficiency. Cross-strip anodes combined with compact ASIC readout electronics enable high spatial resolution over large formats with high dynamic range. The technology readiness levels of these technologies are each being advanced through research grants for laboratory testing and rocket flights. Combining these capabilities would be ideal for UV instruments onboard the Large UV/Optical/IR Surveyor (LUVOIR) and the Habitable Exoplanet Imaging Mission (HABEX) concepts currently under study for NASA's Astrophysics Decadal Survey.

77 FR 33468 - Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-06-06

... Healthy Marriage, Pathways to Responsible Fatherhood and Community-Centered Responsible Fatherhood Ex... collection of performance measures from grantees for the Community- Centered Healthy Marriage, Pathways to... Marriage, 53 Pathways to Responsible Fatherhood and 4 Community-Centered Responsible Fatherhood Ex-Prisoner...

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Pomorski, Michal; Mer-Calfati, Christine; Foulon, Francois

Diamond exhibits a combination of properties which makes it attractive for neutron detection in hostile conditions. In the particular case of detection in a nuclear reactor, it is resilient to radiation, exhibits a natural low sensitivity to gamma rays, and its small size (as compared with that of gas ionisation chambers) enables fluency monitoring with a high position resolution. We report here on the use of synthetic CVD diamond as a solid state micro-fission chamber with U-235 converting material for in-core thermal neutron monitoring. Two types of thin diamond detectors were developed for this application. The first type of detectormore » is fabricated using thin diamond membrane obtained by etching low-cost commercially available single crystal CVD intrinsic diamond, so called 'optical grade' material. Starting from a few hundred of micrometre thick samples, the sample is sliced with a laser and then plasma etched down to a few tenths of micrometre. Here we report the result obtained with a 17 μm thick device. The detection surface of this detector is equal to 1 mm{sup 2}. Detectors with surfaces up to 1 cm{sup 2} can be fabricated with this technique. The second type of detector is fabricated by growing successively two thin films of diamond, by the microwave enhanced chemical vapour deposition technique, on HPHT single crystal diamond. A first, a film of boron doped (p+) single crystal diamond, a few microns thick, is deposited. Then a second film of intrinsic diamond with a thickness of a few tens of microns is deposited. This results in a P doped, Intrinsic, Metal structure (PIM) structure in which the intrinsic volume id the active part of the detector. Here we report the results obtained with a 20 μm thick intrinsic whose detection surface is equal to 0.5 mm{sup 2}, with the possibility to enlarge the surface of the detector up to 1 cm{sup 2}. These two types of detector were tested at the VR-1 research reactor at the Czech Technical University in Prague. The Training Reactor VR-1 is a pool type (light water) reactor based on UO{sub 2} low enriched uranium. It has a nominal power of 1 kW, and can be operated for a short period up to 5 kW. The arrangement of the reactor pool reactor facilitates access to the core, setting and removal of various experimental samples and detectors, and safe and easy handling of fuel assemblies. The reactor is equipped with two horizontal channels (radial and tangential) and 10 vertical channels, of varying diameters, which can be loaded into various core positions, and one pneumatic transfer system. It is also equipped with several specifically designed educational instrumentation systems that can be used to supply complementary measurements and characterization around the reactor. The reactor is operated by the Department of Nuclear Reactors of the Faculty of Nuclear Sciences and Physical Engineering of the Czech Technical University in Prague. The two detectors were placed in-core through one of the vertical insertion channel. They were coupled to remote placed (5 m BNC cable) classical nuclear charge sensitive electronics. Detection properties of both sensors, including: pulse height spectra of U-235 fission fragments (response linearity with neutron flux, count rate, gamma background, were evaluated varying the power of the reactor from 0.005 W to 500 W. The evolution of the counting rate of the thinned optical grade detector as a function of counting rate of a gas ionization chamber used currently for reactor monitoring shows the very good linearity of the detector over the 5 decades. Similar results were obtained with the PIM detector. Additionally fast transient current signals of the detectors were recorded on a digital storage oscilloscope (DSO) using broad-band amplifier and with a simple bias-T, showing potential use of such sensors for neutron counting with no need of an amplification stage, since non-amplified signals from fission fragments exceeded 4 mV in amplitude. Therefore, one can think of simple neutron counting system by feeding diamond detectors signals directly to the low threshold discriminators. The results obtained on the VR1 will be described and discussed in detail in the paper and associated presentation. The results demonstrate that diamond micro-fission chambers can be used for in-core neutron monitoring, where robust, simple and compact devices are required.« less

In vivo and ex vivo imaging with ultrahigh resolution full-field OCT

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grieve, Kate; Moneron, Gael; Schwartz, Wilfrid; Boccara, Albert C.; Dubois, Arnaud

2005-08-01

Imaging of in vivo and ex vivo biological samples using full-field optical coherence tomography is demonstrated. Three variations on the original full-field optical coherence tomography instrument are presented, and evaluated in terms of performance. The instruments are based on the Linnik interferometer illuminated by a white light source. Images in the en face orientation are obtained in real-time without scanning by using a two-dimensional parallel detector array. An isotropic resolution capability better than 1 μm is achieved thanks to the use of a broad spectrum source and high numerical aperture microscope objectives. Detection sensitivity up to 90 dB is demonstrated. Image acquisition times as short as 10 μs per en face image are possible. A variety of in vivo and ex vivo imaging applications is explored, particularly in the fields of embryology, ophthalmology and botany.

Spin-torque resonant expulsion of the vortex core for an efficient radiofrequency detection scheme.

PubMed

Jenkins, A S; Lebrun, R; Grimaldi, E; Tsunegi, S; Bortolotti, P; Kubota, H; Yakushiji, K; Fukushima, A; de Loubens, G; Klein, O; Yuasa, S; Cros, V

2016-04-01

It has been proposed that high-frequency detectors based on the so-called spin-torque diode effect in spin transfer oscillators could eventually replace conventional Schottky diodes due to their nanoscale size, frequency tunability and large output sensitivity. Although a promising candidate for information and communications technology applications, the output voltage generated from this effect has still to be improved and, more pertinently, reduces drastically with decreasing radiofrequency (RF) current. Here we present a scheme for a new type of spintronics-based high-frequency detector based on the expulsion of the vortex core in a magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ). The resonant expulsion of the core leads to a large and sharp change in resistance associated with the difference in magnetoresistance between the vortex ground state and the final C-state configuration. Interestingly, this reversible effect is independent of the incoming RF current amplitude, offering a fast real-time RF threshold detector.

Comprehensive analyses of core-shell InGaN/GaN single nanowire photodiodes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, H.; Guan, N.; Piazza, V.; Kapoor, A.; Bougerol, C.; Julien, F. H.; Babichev, A. V.; Cavassilas, N.; Bescond, M.; Michelini, F.; Foldyna, M.; Gautier, E.; Durand, C.; Eymery, J.; Tchernycheva, M.

2017-12-01

Single nitride nanowire core/shell n-p photodetectors are fabricated and analyzed. Nanowires consisting of an n-doped GaN stem, a radial InGaN/GaN multiple quantum well system and a p-doped GaN external shell were grown by catalyst-free metal-organic vapour phase epitaxy on sapphire substrates. Single nanowires were dispersed and the core and the shell regions were contacted with a metal and an ITO deposition, respectively, defined using electron beam lithography. The single wire photodiodes present a response in the visible to UV spectral range under zero external bias. The detector operation speed has been analyzed under different bias conditions. Under zero bias, the  -3 dB cut-off frequency is ~200 Hz for small light modulations. The current generation was modeled using non-equilibrium Green function formalism, which evidenced the importance of phonon scattering for carrier extraction from the quantum wells.

PRIZMA predictions of in-core detection indications in the VVER-1000 reactor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kandiev, Yadgar Z.; Kashayeva, Elena A.; Malyshin, Gennady N.; Modestov, Dmitry G.; Khatuntsev, Kirill E.

2014-06-01

The paper describes calculations which were done by the PRIZMA code(1) to predict indications of in-core rhodium detectors in the VVER-1000 reactor for some core fragments with allowance for fuel and rhodium burnout.

Neutrino oscillation tomography of the Earth with KM3NeT-ORCA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bourret, Simon; Coelho, João A. B.; Van Elewyck, Véronique; KM3NeT Collaboration

2017-09-01

KM3NeT-ORCA is a water-Cherenkov neutrino detector designed for studying the oscillations of atmospheric neutrinos, with the primary objective of measuring the neutrino mass ordering. Atmospheric neutrinos crossing the Earth undergo matter effects, modifying the pattern of their flavour oscillations. The study of the angular and energy distribution of neutrino events in ORCA can therefore provide tomographic information on the Earth’s interior with an independent technique, complementary to the standard geophysics methods. Preliminary estimations based on a full Monte Carlo simulation of the detector response show that after ten years of operation the electron density can be measured with a precision of 3-5% in the mantle and 7-10% in the outer core - depending on the mass ordering.

Supporting Snow Research: SnowEx Data and Services at the NASA National Snow and Ice Data Center DAAC

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Leon, A.; Tanner, S.; Deems, J. S.

2017-12-01

The National Snow and Ice Data Center Distributed Active Archive Center (NSIDC DAAC), part of the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES) at the University of Colorado Boulder, will archive and distribute all primary data sets collected during the NASA SnowEx campaigns. NSIDC DAAC's overarching goal for SnowEx data management is to steward the diverse SnowEx data sets to provide a reliable long-term archive, to enable effective data discovery, retrieval, and usage, and to support end user engagement. This goal will be achieved though coordination and collaboration with SnowEx project management and investigators. NSIDC DAAC's core functions for SnowEx data management include: Data Creation: Advise investigators on data formats and structure as well as metadata creation and content to enable preservation, usability, and discoverability. Data Documentation: Develop comprehensive data set documentation describing the instruments, data collection and derivation methods, and data file contents. Data Distribution: Provide discovery and access through NSIDC and NASA data portals to make SnowEx data available to a broad user community Data & User Support: Assist user communities with the selection and usage of SnowEx data products. In an effort to educate and broaden the SnowEx user community, we will present an overview of the SnowEx data products, tools, and services which will be available at the NSIDC DAAC. We hope to gain further insight into how the DAAC can enable the user community to seamlessly and effectively utilize SnowEx data in their research and applications.

Status of Experiment NEUTRINO-4 Search for Sterile Neutrino

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Serebrov, A.; Ivochkin, V.; Samoilov, R.; Fomin, A.; Polyushkin, A.; Zinoviev, V.; Neustroev, P.; Golovtsov, V.; Chernyj, A.; Zherebtsov, O.; Martemyanov, V.; Tarasenkov, V.; Aleshin, V.; Petelin, A.; Izhutov, A.; Tuzov, A.; Sazontov, S.; Ryazanov, D.; Gromov, M.; Afanasiev, V.; Zaytsev, M.; Chaikovskii, M.

2017-01-01

In order to carry out research in the field of possible existence of a sterile neutrino the laboratory based on SM-3 reactor (Dimitrovgrad, Russia) was created to search for oscillations of reactor antineutrino. The prototype of a multi-section neutrino detector with liquid scintillator volume of 350 l was installed in the middle of 2015. It is a moveable inside the passive shielding detector, which can be set at distance range from 6 to 11 meters from the reactor core. Measurements of antineutrino flux at such short distances from the reactor core are carried out with moveable detector for the first time. The measurements with full-scale detector with liquid scintillator volume of 3m3 (5x10 sections) was started only in June, 2016. The today available data is presented in the article.

π0 Reconstruction using the Muon Piston Calorimeter Extension

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dixit, Dhruv; Phenix Collaboration

2015-10-01

The Muon-Piston Calorimeter Extension (MPC-EX) is a new detector in the PHENIX experiment at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider that was installed for the recent Run 15 of the experiment. In polarized p+p and polarized p+A collisions, an important measurement is the yield and momentum distribution of direct photons. Unaffected by the strong force, direct photons traverse the dense medium in the collision zone mostly unchanged, thereby providing information about the initial stages of the collision. However, there is a huge background of photons from other sources, primarily π0 which decay into two photons. The opening angle between the decay photons becomes smaller with higher energies of the original π0. For energies greater than ~20 GeV, the Muon Piston Calorimeter (MPC) cannot distinguish the two decay photons from a single photon, as their showers merge. The MPC-EX, an 8-layer tungsten and silicon sensor sandwich in front of the MPC, can measure and image the shower development, and help distinguish between direct photons and π0 decay photons up to higher energies than the MPC alone. We will describe the MPC-EX detector and its readout, and present the calibration procedures applied to the data in order to obtain the π0 spectrum. This project was supported in part by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science, Office of Workforce Development for Teachers and Scientists (WDTS) under the Science Undergraduate Laboratory Internships Program (SULI).

Noninfectious X4 but not R5 human immunodeficiency virus type 1 virions inhibit humoral immune responses in human lymphoid tissue ex vivo

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fitzgerald, Wendy; Sylwester, Andrew W.; Grivel, Jean-Charles; Lifson, Jeffrey D.; Margolis, Leonid B.

2004-01-01

Ex vivo human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) infection of human lymphoid tissue recapitulates some aspects of in vivo HIV-1 infection, including a severe depletion of CD4(+) T cells and suppression of humoral immune responses to recall antigens or to polyclonal stimuli. These effects are induced by infection with X4 HIV-1 variants, whereas infection with R5 variants results in only mild depletion of CD4(+) T cells and no suppression of immune responses. To study the mechanisms of suppression of immune responses in this ex vivo system, we used aldrithiol-2 (AT-2)-inactivated virions that have functional envelope glycoproteins but are not infectious and do not deplete CD4(+) T cells in human lymphoid tissues ex vivo. Nevertheless, AT-2-inactivated X4 (but not R5) HIV-1 virions, even with only a brief exposure, inhibit antibody responses in human lymphoid tissue ex vivo, similarly to infectious virus. This phenomenon is mediated by soluble immunosuppressive factor(s) secreted by tissue exposed to virus.

[Strategics of medical centers and regional hospitals in response to new labour insurance fee schedule].

PubMed

Wang, S C; Sheen, P C; Ko, Y C

1993-02-01

The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the medical centers and regional hospitals, strategic response to the implementation of new labour insurance fee schedule. This survey selects fifty-one medical centers and regional hospitals, with the response rate of 92.73%. This questionnaire was developed and evaluated by the authors and mailed to the questionnaire response by hospital's director or relative department director. We have selected Shortell et al. (1985) theory as the framework for evaluating and explaining hospital response to regulation environment (ex: change in the reimbursement system) at institutional-level response (ex: hospital association activity aimed at influencing regulation), managerial-level response (ex: increased physician participation in hospital-wide decision making; starting or expanding a planning department) and technical-level response (ex: shared clinical services such as lab., X-ray, pharmacy). The result found that hospitals with the characteristics as non-public ownership, medical centers, bigger size, and more administrative staff are more inclined to adopt institutional-level response. And a technical-level response occurs to hospital when market competibility becomes more intense which leads to higher reimbursement resource dependency.

Muon trackers for imaging a nuclear reactor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kume, N.; Miyadera, H.; Morris, C. L.; Bacon, J.; Borozdin, K. N.; Durham, J. M.; Fuzita, K.; Guardincerri, E.; Izumi, M.; Nakayama, K.; Saltus, M.; Sugita, T.; Takakura, K.; Yoshioka, K.

2016-09-01

A detector system for assessing damage to the cores of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear reactors by using cosmic-ray muon tomography was developed. The system consists of a pair of drift-tube tracking detectors of 7.2× 7.2-m2 area. Each muon tracker consists of 6 x-layer and 6 y-layer drift-tube detectors. Each tracker is capable of measuring muon tracks with 12 mrad angular resolutions, and is capable of operating under 50-μ Sv/h radiation environment by removing gamma induced background with a novel time-coincidence logic. An estimated resolution to observe nuclear fuel debris at Fukushima Daiichi is 0.3 m when the core is imaged from outside the reactor building.

Magnetic Roots and the Driving of Extended Coronal Heating

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Porter, Jason G.; Falconer, D. A.; Moore, Ronald L.; Harvey, Karen L.; Rabin, Douglas M.; Shimizu, T.

1998-01-01

We report results from a continuation of a previous study, in which we found large bright coronal loops within active regions and extending from active regions that have one end rooted near an island of included magnetic polarity that is a site of enhanced coronal heating and microflares. This suggested that magnetic activity such as microflaring results in enhanced heating in both the compact core field around the island and in the large loops extending from it. We might expect that the intensity variations due to enhanced heating in the compact and extended structures would be correlated. However, although some ex- tended loops do respond to the largest events taking place in the core fields near their feet, they do not show a clear response to most smaller individual events nor to the overall envelope of coronal heating activity in the core fields at their feet as determined from longer-term observations. Thus, while it is clear that the extended loops' heating is being driven from their ends at the magnetic islands, much of this heating is apparently by some form of footpoint activity that is not strongly coupled to the heating in the footpoint core fields. One possibility is that the remote heating in the extended loops is driven by reconnection at the magnetic null over the island, and that this reconnection is driven mainly by core-field activity that produces little coronal heating within the core field itself, perhaps in the manner of the numerical simulations by Karpen, Antiochos, and DeVore.

Heat Loss is Impaired in Older Men on the Day following Prolonged Work in the Heat.

PubMed

Notley, Sean R; Meade, Robert D; DʼSouza, Andrew W; Friesen, Brian J; Kenny, Glen P

2018-04-21

Prolonged work in the heat may exacerbate the rise in core temperature on the next work day, especially in older workers who display impairments in whole-body heat loss that increase body heat storage and core temperature relative to young adults during heat stress. We therefore evaluated whether whole-body heat loss in older adults was impaired on the day following prolonged work in the heat. Whole-body heat exchange and heat storage were assessed in nine older (53-64 years) males during three, 30-min bouts of semi-recumbent cycling at fixed rates of metabolic heat production (150 (Ex1), 200 (Ex2), 250 Wm (Ex3)), each separated by 15-min recovery, in hot-dry conditions (40°C, 20% relative humidity), immediately prior to (Day 1), and on the day following (Day 2), a prolonged, work simulation (~7.5 h) involving moderate-intensity intermittent exercise in hot-dry conditions (38°C, 34% relative humidity). Total heat loss (evaporative ± dry heat exchange) and metabolic heat production were measured using direct and indirect calorimetry, respectively. Body heat storage was quantified as the temporal summation of heat production and loss. Total heat loss (mean±SD) during Ex1 did not differ between Day 1 and 2 (151±15 and 147±14 Wm, respectively; P=0.27), but was attenuated on Day 2 during Ex2 (181±15 Wm) and Ex3 (218±16 Wm) relative to Day 1 (192±14 and 230±19 Wm, respectively; both P<0.01). Consequently, body heat storage throughout the protocol on Day 2 (276±114 kJ) was 31% greater than on Day 1 (191±87 kJ; P<0.01). Prolonged work in the heat causes next-day impairments in whole-body heat loss, which exacerbate heat storage and may elevate the risk of heat-injury on the following day in older workers.

First targeted search for gravitational-wave bursts from core-collapse supernovae in data of first-generation laser interferometer detectors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abbott, B. P.; Abbott, R.; Abbott, T. D.; Abernathy, M. R.; Acernese, F.; Ackley, K.; Adams, C.; Adams, T.; Addesso, P.; Adhikari, R. X.; Adya, V. B.; Affeldt, C.; Agathos, M.; Agatsuma, K.; Aggarwal, N.; Aguiar, O. D.; Aiello, L.; Ain, A.; Ajith, P.; Allen, B.; Allocca, A.; Altin, P. A.; Anderson, S. B.; Anderson, W. G.; Arai, K.; Araya, M. C.; Arceneaux, C. C.; Areeda, J. S.; Arnaud, N.; Arun, K. G.; Ascenzi, S.; Ashton, G.; Ast, M.; Aston, S. M.; Astone, P.; Aufmuth, P.; Aulbert, C.; Babak, S.; Bacon, P.; Bader, M. K. M.; Baker, P. T.; Baldaccini, F.; Ballardin, G.; Ballmer, S. W.; Barayoga, J. C.; Barclay, S. E.; Barish, B. C.; Barker, D.; Barone, F.; Barr, B.; Barsotti, L.; Barsuglia, M.; Barta, D.; Bartlett, J.; Bartos, I.; Bassiri, R.; Basti, A.; Batch, J. C.; Baune, C.; Bavigadda, V.; Bazzan, M.; Behnke, B.; Bejger, M.; Bell, A. S.; Bell, C. J.; Berger, B. K.; Bergman, J.; Bergmann, G.; Berry, C. P. L.; Bersanetti, D.; Bertolini, A.; Betzwieser, J.; Bhagwat, S.; Bhandare, R.; Bilenko, I. A.; Billingsley, G.; Birch, J.; Birney, R.; Biscans, S.; Bisht, A.; Bitossi, M.; Biwer, C.; Bizouard, M. A.; Blackburn, J. K.; Blair, C. D.; Blair, D. G.; Blair, R. M.; Bloemen, S.; Bock, O.; Bodiya, T. P.; Boer, M.; Bogaert, G.; Bogan, C.; Bohe, A.; Bojtos, P.; Bond, C.; Bondu, F.; Bonnand, R.; Boom, B. A.; Bork, R.; Boschi, V.; Bose, S.; Bouffanais, Y.; Bozzi, A.; Bradaschia, C.; Brady, P. R.; Braginsky, V. B.; Branchesi, M.; Brau, J. E.; Briant, T.; Brillet, A.; Brinkmann, M.; Brisson, V.; Brockill, P.; Brooks, A. F.; Brown, D. A.; Brown, D. D.; Brown, N. M.; Buchanan, C. C.; Buikema, A.; Bulik, T.; Bulten, H. J.; Buonanno, A.; Buskulic, D.; Buy, C.; Byer, R. L.; Cadonati, L.; Cagnoli, G.; Cahillane, C.; Calderón Bustillo, J.; Callister, T.; Calloni, E.; Camp, J. B.; Cannon, K. C.; Cao, J.; Capano, C. D.; Capocasa, E.; Carbognani, F.; Caride, S.; Casanueva Diaz, J.; Casentini, C.; Caudill, S.; Cavaglià, M.; Cavalier, F.; Cavalieri, R.; Cella, G.; Cepeda, C. B.; Cerboni Baiardi, L.; Cerretani, G.; Cesarini, E.; Chakraborty, R.; Chalermsongsak, T.; Chamberlin, S. J.; Chan, M.; Chao, S.; Charlton, P.; Chassande-Mottin, E.; Chen, H. Y.; Chen, Y.; Cheng, C.; Chincarini, A.; Chiummo, A.; Cho, H. S.; Cho, M.; Chow, J. H.; Christensen, N.; Chu, Q.; Chua, S.; Chung, S.; Ciani, G.; Clara, F.; Clark, J. A.; Cleva, F.; Coccia, E.; Cohadon, P.-F.; Colla, A.; Collette, C. G.; Cominsky, L.; Constancio, M.; Conte, A.; Conti, L.; Cook, D.; Corbitt, T. R.; Cornish, N.; Corpuz, A.; Corsi, A.; Cortese, S.; Costa, C. A.; Coughlin, M. W.; Coughlin, S. B.; Coulon, J.-P.; Countryman, S. T.; Couvares, P.; Coward, D. M.; Cowart, M. J.; Coyne, D. C.; Coyne, R.; Craig, K.; Creighton, J. D. E.; Cripe, J.; Crowder, S. G.; Cumming, A.; Cunningham, L.; Cuoco, E.; Dal Canton, T.; Danilishin, S. L.; D'Antonio, S.; Danzmann, K.; Darman, N. S.; Dattilo, V.; Dave, I.; Daveloza, H. P.; Davier, M.; Davies, G. S.; Daw, E. J.; Day, R.; DeBra, D.; Debreczeni, G.; Degallaix, J.; De Laurentis, M.; Deléglise, S.; Del Pozzo, W.; Denker, T.; Dent, T.; Dergachev, V.; De Rosa, R.; DeRosa, R. T.; DeSalvo, R.; Dhurandhar, S.; Díaz, M. C.; Di Fiore, L.; Di Giovanni, M.; Di Girolamo, T.; Di Lieto, A.; Di Pace, S.; Di Palma, I.; Di Virgilio, A.; Dojcinoski, G.; Dolique, V.; Donovan, F.; Dooley, K. L.; Doravari, S.; Douglas, R.; Downes, T. P.; Drago, M.; Drever, R. W. P.; Driggers, J. C.; Du, Z.; Ducrot, M.; Dwyer, S. E.; Edo, T. B.; Edwards, M. C.; Effler, A.; Eggenstein, H.-B.; Ehrens, P.; Eichholz, J.; Eikenberry, S. S.; Engels, W.; Essick, R. C.; Etzel, T.; Evans, M.; Evans, T. M.; Everett, R.; Factourovich, M.; Fafone, V.; Fair, H.; Fairhurst, S.; Fan, X.; Fang, Q.; Farinon, S.; Farr, B.; Farr, W. M.; Favata, M.; Fays, M.; Fehrmann, H.; Fejer, M. M.; Ferrante, I.; Ferreira, E. C.; Ferrini, F.; Fidecaro, F.; Fiori, I.; Fiorucci, D.; Fisher, R. P.; Flaminio, R.; Fletcher, M.; Fournier, J.-D.; Frasca, S.; Frasconi, F.; Frei, Z.; Freise, A.; Frey, R.; Frey, V.; Fricke, T. T.; Fritschel, P.; Frolov, V. V.; Fulda, P.; Fyffe, M.; Gabbard, H. A. G.; Gair, J. R.; Gammaitoni, L.; Gaonkar, S. G.; Garufi, F.; Gaur, G.; Gehrels, N.; Gemme, G.; Genin, E.; Gennai, A.; George, J.; Gergely, L.; Germain, V.; Ghosh, Archisman; Ghosh, S.; Giaime, J. A.; Giardina, K. D.; Giazotto, A.; Gill, K.; Glaefke, A.; Goetz, E.; Goetz, R.; Gondan, L.; González, G.; Gonzalez Castro, J. M.; Gopakumar, A.; Gordon, N. A.; Gorodetsky, M. L.; Gossan, S. E.; Gosselin, M.; Gouaty, R.; Grado, A.; Graef, C.; Graff, P. B.; Granata, M.; Grant, A.; Gras, S.; Gray, C.; Greco, G.; Green, A. C.; Groot, P.; Grote, H.; Grunewald, S.; Guidi, G. M.; Guo, X.; Gupta, A.; Gupta, M. K.; Gushwa, K. E.; Gustafson, E. K.; Gustafson, R.; Hacker, J. J.; Hall, B. R.; Hall, E. D.; Hammond, G.; Haney, M.; Hanke, M. M.; Hanks, J.; Hanna, C.; Hannam, M. D.; Hanson, J.; Hardwick, T.; Harms, J.; Harry, G. M.; Harry, I. W.; Hart, M. J.; Hartman, M. T.; Haster, C.-J.; Haughian, K.; Heidmann, A.; Heintze, M. C.; Heitmann, H.; Hello, P.; Hemming, G.; Hendry, M.; Heng, I. S.; Hennig, J.; Heptonstall, A. W.; Heurs, M.; Hild, S.; Hoak, D.; Hodge, K. A.; Hofman, D.; Hollitt, S. E.; Holt, K.; Holz, D. E.; Hopkins, P.; Hosken, D. J.; Hough, J.; Houston, E. A.; Howell, E. J.; Hu, Y. M.; Huang, S.; Huerta, E. A.; Huet, D.; Hughey, B.; Husa, S.; Huttner, S. H.; Huynh-Dinh, T.; Idrisy, A.; Indik, N.; Ingram, D. R.; Inta, R.; Isa, H. N.; Isac, J.-M.; Isi, M.; Islas, G.; Isogai, T.; Iyer, B. R.; Izumi, K.; Jacqmin, T.; Jang, H.; Jani, K.; Jaranowski, P.; Jawahar, S.; Jiménez-Forteza, F.; Johnson, W. W.; Jones, D. I.; Jones, R.; Jonker, R. J. G.; Ju, L.; Haris, K.; Kalaghatgi, C. V.; Kalmus, P.; Kalogera, V.; Kamaretsos, I.; Kandhasamy, S.; Kang, G.; Kanner, J. B.; Karki, S.; Kasprzack, M.; Katsavounidis, E.; Katzman, W.; Kaufer, S.; Kaur, T.; Kawabe, K.; Kawazoe, F.; Kéfélian, F.; Kehl, M. S.; Keitel, D.; Kelley, D. B.; Kells, W.; Kennedy, R.; Key, J. S.; Khalaidovski, A.; Khalili, F. Y.; Khan, I.; Khan, S.; Khan, Z.; Khazanov, E. A.; Kijbunchoo, N.; Kim, Chunglee; Kim, J.; Kim, K.; Kim, Nam-Gyu; Kim, Namjun; Kim, Y.-M.; King, E. J.; King, P. J.; Kinzel, D. L.; Kissel, J. S.; Kleybolte, L.; Klimenko, S.; Koehlenbeck, S. M.; Kokeyama, K.; Koley, S.; Kondrashov, V.; Kontos, A.; Korobko, M.; Korth, W. Z.; Kowalska, I.; Kozak, D. B.; Kringel, V.; Krishnan, B.; Królak, A.; Krueger, C.; Kuehn, G.; Kumar, P.; Kuo, L.; Kutynia, A.; Lackey, B. D.; Landry, M.; Lange, J.; Lantz, B.; Lasky, P. D.; Lazzarini, A.; Lazzaro, C.; Leaci, P.; Leavey, S.; Lebigot, E. O.; Lee, C. H.; Lee, H. K.; Lee, H. M.; Lee, K.; Lenon, A.; Leonardi, M.; Leong, J. R.; Leroy, N.; Letendre, N.; Levin, Y.; Levine, B. M.; Li, T. G. F.; Libson, A.; Littenberg, T. B.; Lockerbie, N. A.; Loew, K.; Logue, J.; Lombardi, A. L.; Lord, J. E.; Lorenzini, M.; Loriette, V.; Lormand, M.; Losurdo, G.; Lough, J. D.; Lück, H.; Lundgren, A. P.; Luo, J.; Lynch, R.; Ma, Y.; MacDonald, T.; Machenschalk, B.; MacInnis, M.; Macleod, D. M.; Magaña-Sandoval, F.; Magee, R. M.; Mageswaran, M.; Majorana, E.; Maksimovic, I.; Malvezzi, V.; Man, N.; Mandel, I.; Mandic, V.; Mangano, V.; Mansell, G. L.; Manske, M.; Mantovani, M.; Marchesoni, F.; Marion, F.; Márka, S.; Márka, Z.; Markosyan, A. S.; Maros, E.; Martelli, F.; Martellini, L.; Martin, I. W.; Martin, R. M.; Martynov, D. V.; Marx, J. N.; Mason, K.; Masserot, A.; Massinger, T. J.; Masso-Reid, M.; Mastrogiovanni, S.; Matichard, F.; Matone, L.; Mavalvala, N.; Mazumder, N.; Mazzolo, G.; McCarthy, R.; McClelland, D. E.; McCormick, S.; McGuire, S. C.; McIntyre, G.; McIver, J.; McManus, D. J.; McWilliams, S. T.; Meacher, D.; Meadors, G. D.; Meidam, J.; Melatos, A.; Mendell, G.; Mendoza-Gandara, D.; Mercer, R. A.; Merilh, E. L.; Merzougui, M.; Meshkov, S.; Messenger, C.; Messick, C.; Metzdorff, R.; Meyers, P. M.; Mezzani, F.; Miao, H.; Michel, C.; Middleton, H.; Mikhailov, E. E.; Milano, L.; Miller, A. L.; Miller, J.; Millhouse, M.; Minenkov, Y.; Ming, J.; Mirshekari, S.; Mishra, C.; Mitra, S.; Mitrofanov, V. P.; Mitselmakher, G.; Mittleman, R.; Moggi, A.; Mohan, M.; Mohapatra, S. R. P.; Montani, M.; Moore, B. C.; Moore, C. J.; Moraru, D.; Moreno, G.; Morriss, S. R.; Mossavi, K.; Mours, B.; Mow-Lowry, C. M.; Mueller, C. L.; Mueller, G.; Muir, A. W.; Mukherjee, Arunava; Mukherjee, D.; Mukherjee, S.; Mukund, K. N.; Mullavey, A.; Munch, J.; Murphy, D. J.; Murray, P. G.; Mytidis, A.; Nardecchia, I.; Naticchioni, L.; Nayak, R. K.; Necula, V.; Nedkova, K.; Nelemans, G.; Neri, M.; Neunzert, A.; Newton, G.; Nguyen, T. T.; Nielsen, A. B.; Nissanke, S.; Nitz, A.; Nocera, F.; Nolting, D.; Normandin, M. E. N.; Nuttall, L. K.; Oberling, J.; Ochsner, E.; O'Dell, J.; Oelker, E.; Ogin, G. H.; Oh, J. J.; Oh, S. H.; Ohme, F.; Oliver, M.; Oppermann, P.; Oram, Richard J.; O'Reilly, B.; O'Shaughnessy, R.; Ott, C. D.; Ottaway, D. J.; Ottens, R. S.; Overmier, H.; Owen, B. J.; Pai, A.; Pai, S. A.; Palamos, J. R.; Palashov, O.; Palomba, C.; Pal-Singh, A.; Pan, H.; Pankow, C.; Pannarale, F.; Pant, B. C.; Paoletti, F.; Paoli, A.; Papa, M. A.; Paris, H. R.; Parker, W.; Pascucci, D.; Pasqualetti, A.; Passaquieti, R.; Passuello, D.; Patricelli, B.; Patrick, Z.; Pearlstone, B. L.; Pedraza, M.; Pedurand, R.; Pekowsky, L.; Pele, A.; Penn, S.; Pereira, R.; Perreca, A.; Phelps, M.; Piccinni, O. J.; Pichot, M.; Piergiovanni, F.; Pierro, V.; Pillant, G.; Pinard, L.; Pinto, I. M.; Pitkin, M.; Poggiani, R.; Popolizio, P.; Post, A.; Powell, J.; Prasad, J.; Predoi, V.; Premachandra, S. S.; Prestegard, T.; Price, L. R.; Prijatelj, M.; Principe, M.; Privitera, S.; Prix, R.; Prodi, G. A.; Prokhorov, L.; Puncken, O.; Punturo, M.; Puppo, P.; Pürrer, M.; Qi, H.; Qin, J.; Quetschke, V.; Quintero, E. A.; Quitzow-James, R.; Raab, F. J.; Rabeling, D. S.; Radkins, H.; Raffai, P.; Raja, S.; Rakhmanov, M.; Rapagnani, P.; Raymond, V.; Razzano, M.; Re, V.; Read, J.; Reed, C. M.; Regimbau, T.; Rei, L.; Reid, S.; Reitze, D. H.; Rew, H.; Ricci, F.; Riles, K.; Robertson, N. A.; Robie, R.; Robinet, F.; Rocchi, A.; Rolland, L.; Rollins, J. G.; Roma, V. J.; Romano, J. D.; Romano, R.; Romanov, G.; Romie, J. H.; Rosińska, D.; Rowan, S.; Rüdiger, A.; Ruggi, P.; Ryan, K.; Sachdev, S.; Sadecki, T.; Sadeghian, L.; Salconi, L.; Saleem, M.; Salemi, F.; Samajdar, A.; Sammut, L.; Sanchez, E. J.; Sandberg, V.; Sandeen, B.; Sanders, J. R.; Santamaria, L.; Sassolas, B.; Sathyaprakash, B. S.; Saulson, P. R.; Sauter, O. E. S.; Savage, R. L.; Sawadsky, A.; Schale, P.; Schilling, R.; Schmidt, J.; Schmidt, P.; Schnabel, R.; Schofield, R. M. S.; Schönbeck, A.; Schreiber, E.; Schuette, D.; Schutz, B. F.; Scott, J.; Scott, S. M.; Sellers, D.; Sentenac, D.; Sequino, V.; Sergeev, A.; Serna, G.; Setyawati, Y.; Sevigny, A.; Shaddock, D. A.; Shahriar, M. S.; Shaltev, M.; Shao, Z.; Shapiro, B.; Shawhan, P.; Sheperd, A.; Shoemaker, D. H.; Shoemaker, D. M.; Siellez, K.; Siemens, X.; Sieniawska, M.; Sigg, D.; Silva, A. D.; Simakov, D.; Singer, A.; Singer, L. P.; Singh, A.; Singh, R.; Singhal, A.; Sintes, A. M.; Slagmolen, B. J. J.; Smith, J. R.; Smith, N. D.; Smith, R. J. E.; Son, E. J.; Sorazu, B.; Sorrentino, F.; Souradeep, T.; Srivastava, A. K.; Staley, A.; Steinke, M.; Steinlechner, J.; Steinlechner, S.; Steinmeyer, D.; Stephens, B. C.; Stone, R.; Strain, K. A.; Straniero, N.; Stratta, G.; Strauss, N. A.; Strigin, S.; Sturani, R.; Stuver, A. L.; Summerscales, T. Z.; Sun, L.; Sutton, P. J.; Swinkels, B. L.; Szczepańczyk, M. J.; Tacca, M.; Talukder, D.; Tanner, D. B.; Tápai, M.; Tarabrin, S. P.; Taracchini, A.; Taylor, R.; Theeg, T.; Thirugnanasambandam, M. P.; Thomas, E. G.; Thomas, M.; Thomas, P.; Thorne, K. A.; Thorne, K. S.; Thrane, E.; Tiwari, S.; Tiwari, V.; Tokmakov, K. V.; Tomlinson, C.; Tonelli, M.; Torres, C. V.; Torrie, C. I.; Töyrä, D.; Travasso, F.; Traylor, G.; Trifirò, D.; Tringali, M. C.; Trozzo, L.; Tse, M.; Turconi, M.; Tuyenbayev, D.; Ugolini, D.; Unnikrishnan, C. S.; Urban, A. L.; Usman, S. A.; Vahlbruch, H.; Vajente, G.; Valdes, G.; van Bakel, N.; van Beuzekom, M.; van den Brand, J. F. J.; Van Den Broeck, C.; Vander-Hyde, D. C.; van der Schaaf, L.; van Heijningen, J. V.; van Veggel, A. A.; Vardaro, M.; Vass, S.; Vasúth, M.; Vaulin, R.; Vecchio, A.; Vedovato, G.; Veitch, J.; Veitch, P. J.; Venkateswara, K.; Verkindt, D.; Vetrano, F.; Viceré, A.; Vinciguerra, S.; Vine, D. J.; Vinet, J.-Y.; Vitale, S.; Vo, T.; Vocca, H.; Vorvick, C.; Voss, D. V.; Vousden, W. D.; Vyatchanin, S. P.; Wade, A. R.; Wade, L. E.; Wade, M.; Walker, M.; Wallace, L.; Walsh, S.; Wang, G.; Wang, H.; Wang, M.; Wang, X.; Wang, Y.; Ward, R. L.; Warner, J.; Was, M.; Weaver, B.; Wei, L.-W.; Weinert, M.; Weinstein, A. J.; Weiss, R.; Welborn, T.; Wen, L.; Weßels, P.; Westphal, T.; Wette, K.; Whelan, J. T.; Whitcomb, S. E.; White, D. J.; Whiting, B. F.; Williams, R. D.; Williamson, A. R.; Willis, J. L.; Willke, B.; Wimmer, M. H.; Winkler, W.; Wipf, C. C.; Wittel, H.; Woan, G.; Worden, J.; Wright, J. L.; Wu, G.; Yablon, J.; Yam, W.; Yamamoto, H.; Yancey, C. C.; Yap, M. J.; Yu, H.; Yvert, M.; ZadroŻny, A.; Zangrando, L.; Zanolin, M.; Zendri, J.-P.; Zevin, M.; Zhang, F.; Zhang, L.; Zhang, M.; Zhang, Y.; Zhao, C.; Zhou, M.; Zhou, Z.; Zhu, X. J.; Zucker, M. E.; Zuraw, S. E.; Zweizig, J.; LIGO Scientific Collaboration; Virgo Collaboration

2016-11-01

We present results from a search for gravitational-wave bursts coincident with two core-collapse supernovae observed optically in 2007 and 2011. We employ data from the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO), the Virgo gravitational-wave observatory, and the GEO 600 gravitational-wave observatory. The targeted core-collapse supernovae were selected on the basis of (1) proximity (within approximately 15 Mpc), (2) tightness of observational constraints on the time of core collapse that defines the gravitational-wave search window, and (3) coincident operation of at least two interferometers at the time of core collapse. We find no plausible gravitational-wave candidates. We present the probability of detecting signals from both astrophysically well-motivated and more speculative gravitational-wave emission mechanisms as a function of distance from Earth, and discuss the implications for the detection of gravitational waves from core-collapse supernovae by the upgraded Advanced LIGO and Virgo detectors.

17 CFR 12.7 - Ex parte communications in reparation proceedings.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

...) Memoranda stating the substance of all such oral communications; and (iii) All written responses, and... 17 Commodity and Securities Exchanges 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Ex parte communications in....7 Ex parte communications in reparation proceedings. (a) Prohibitions against ex parte...

A four parameter optimization and troubleshooting of a RPLC - charged aerosol detection stability indicating method for determination of S-lysophosphatidylcholines in a phospholipid formulation.

PubMed

Tam, James; Ahmad, Imad A Haidar; Blasko, Andrei

2018-06-05

A four parameter optimization of a stability indicating method for non-chromophoric degradation products of 1,2-distearoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DSPC), 1-stearoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine and 2-stearoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine was achieved using a reverse phase liquid chromatography-charged aerosol detection (RPLC-CAD) technique. Using the hydrophobic subtraction model of selectivity, a core-shell, polar embedded RPLC column was selected followed by gradient-temperature optimization, resulting in ideal relative peak placements for a robust, stability indicating separation. The CAD instrument parameters, power function value (PFV) and evaporator temperature were optimized for lysophosphatidylcholines to give UV absorbance detector-like linearity performance within a defined concentration range. The two lysophosphatidylcholines gave the same response factor in the selected conditions. System specific power function values needed to be set for the two RPLC-CAD instruments used. A custom flow-divert profile, sending only a portion of the column effluent to the detector, was necessary to mitigate detector response drifting effects. The importance of the PFV optimization for each instrument of identical build and how to overcome recovery issues brought on by the matrix effects from the lipid-RP stationary phase interaction is reported. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Optimization on fixed low latency implementation of the GBT core in FPGA

DOE PAGES

Chen, K.; Chen, H.; Wu, W.; ...

2017-07-11

We present that in the upgrade of ATLAS experiment, the front-end electronics components are subjected to a large radiation background. Meanwhile high speed optical links are required for the data transmission between the on-detector and off-detector electronics. The GBT architecture and the Versatile Link (VL) project are designed by CERN to support the 4.8 Gbps line rate bidirectional high-speed data transmission which is called GBT link. In the ATLAS upgrade, besides the link with on-detector, the GBT link is also used between different off-detector systems. The GBTX ASIC is designed for the on-detector front-end, correspondingly for the off-detector electronics, themore » GBT architecture is implemented in Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGA). CERN launches the GBT-FPGA project to provide examples in different types of FPGA. In the ATLAS upgrade framework, the Front-End LInk eXchange (FELIX) system is used to interface the front end electronics of several ATLAS subsystems. The GBT link is used between them, to transfer the detector data and the timing, trigger, control and monitoring information. The trigger signal distributed in the down-link from FELIX to the front-end requires a fixed and low latency. In this paper, several optimizations on the GBT-FPGA IP core are introduced, to achieve a lower fixed latency. For FELIX, a common firmware will be used to interface different front-ends with support of both GBT modes: the forward error correction mode and the wide mode. The modified GBT-FPGA core has the ability to switch between the GBT modes without FPGA reprogramming. Finally, the system clock distribution of the multi-channel FELIX firmware is also discussed in this paper.« less

Optimization on fixed low latency implementation of the GBT core in FPGA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, K.; Chen, H.; Wu, W.; Xu, H.; Yao, L.

2017-07-01

In the upgrade of ATLAS experiment [1], the front-end electronics components are subjected to a large radiation background. Meanwhile high speed optical links are required for the data transmission between the on-detector and off-detector electronics. The GBT architecture and the Versatile Link (VL) project are designed by CERN to support the 4.8 Gbps line rate bidirectional high-speed data transmission which is called GBT link [2]. In the ATLAS upgrade, besides the link with on-detector, the GBT link is also used between different off-detector systems. The GBTX ASIC is designed for the on-detector front-end, correspondingly for the off-detector electronics, the GBT architecture is implemented in Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGA). CERN launches the GBT-FPGA project to provide examples in different types of FPGA [3]. In the ATLAS upgrade framework, the Front-End LInk eXchange (FELIX) system [4, 5] is used to interface the front-end electronics of several ATLAS subsystems. The GBT link is used between them, to transfer the detector data and the timing, trigger, control and monitoring information. The trigger signal distributed in the down-link from FELIX to the front-end requires a fixed and low latency. In this paper, several optimizations on the GBT-FPGA IP core are introduced, to achieve a lower fixed latency. For FELIX, a common firmware will be used to interface different front-ends with support of both GBT modes: the forward error correction mode and the wide mode. The modified GBT-FPGA core has the ability to switch between the GBT modes without FPGA reprogramming. The system clock distribution of the multi-channel FELIX firmware is also discussed in this paper.

Discordant orthostatic reflex renin-angiotensin and sympathoneural responses in premenopausal exercising-hypoestrogenic women.

PubMed

O'Donnell, Emma; Goodman, Jack M; Mak, Susanna; Murai, Hisayoshi; Morris, Beverley L; Floras, John S; Harvey, Paula J

2015-05-01

Our prior observations in normotensive postmenopausal women stimulated the hypotheses that compared with eumenorrheic women, active hypoestrogenic premenopausal women with functional hypothalamic amenorrhea would demonstrate attenuated reflex renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system responses to an orthostatic challenge, whereas to defend blood pressure reflex increases in muscle, sympathetic nerve activity would be augmented. To test these hypotheses, we assessed, in recreationally active women, 12 with amenorrhea (ExFHA; aged 25 ± 1 years; body mass index 20.7 ± 0.7 kg/m(2); mean ± SEM) and 17 with eumenorrhea (ExOv; 24 ± 1 years; 20.9 ± 0.5 kg/m(2)), blood pressure, heart rate, plasma renin, angiotensin II, aldosterone, and muscle sympathetic nerve activity at supine rest and during graded lower body negative pressure (-10, -20, and -40 mm Hg). At baseline, heart rate and systolic blood pressure were lower (P<0.05) in ExFHA (47 ± 2 beats/min and 94 ± 2 mm Hg) compared with ExOv (56 ± 2 beats/min and 105 ± 2 mm Hg), but muscle sympathetic nerve activity and renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system constituents were similar (P>0.05). In response to graded lower body negative pressure, heart rate increased (P<0.05) and systolic blood pressure decreased (P<0.05) in both groups, but these remained consistently lower in ExFHA (P<0.05). Lower body negative pressure elicited increases (P<0.05) in renin, angiotensin II, and aldosterone in ExOv, but not in ExFHA (P>0.05). Muscle sympathetic nerve activity burst incidence increased reflexively in both groups, but more so in ExFHA (P<0.05). Otherwise, healthy hypoestrogenic ExFHA women demonstrate low blood pressure and disruption of the normal circulatory response to an orthostatic challenge: plasma renin, angiotensin II, and aldosterone fail to increase and blood pressure is defended by an augmented sympathetic vasoconstrictor response. © 2015 American Heart Association, Inc.

75 FR 47646 - Idaho State University; Notice of Issuance of Director's Decision

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-08-06

... detector from the reactor core. In the petition Dr. Crawford states that this was cited as an Apparent... detector. The personnel roof access hatch was also addressed in Rev. 3 and Rev. 4 of the Physical Security... procedures to wear protective clothing to routinely remove the activated startup channel detector from the...

Endoscopic sensing of alveolar pH.

PubMed

Choudhury, D; Tanner, M G; McAughtrie, S; Yu, F; Mills, B; Choudhary, T R; Seth, S; Craven, T H; Stone, J M; Mati, I K; Campbell, C J; Bradley, M; Williams, C K I; Dhaliwal, K; Birks, T A; Thomson, R R

2017-01-01

Previously unobtainable measurements of alveolar pH were obtained using an endoscope-deployable optrode. The pH sensing was achieved using functionalized gold nanoshell sensors and surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS). The optrode consisted of an asymmetric dual-core optical fiber designed for spatially separating the optical pump delivery and signal collection, in order to circumvent the unwanted Raman signal generated within the fiber. Using this approach, we demonstrate a ~100-fold increase in SERS signal-to-fiber background ratio, and demonstrate multiple site pH sensing with a measurement accuracy of ± 0.07 pH units in the respiratory acini of an ex vivo ovine lung model. We also demonstrate that alveolar pH changes in response to ventilation.

NR2A- and NR2B-NMDA receptors and drebrin within postsynaptic spines of the hippocampus correlate with hunger-evoked exercise.

PubMed

Chen, Yi-Wen; Actor-Engel, Hannah; Sherpa, Ang Doma; Klingensmith, Lauren; Chowdhury, Tara G; Aoki, Chiye

2017-07-01

Hunger evokes foraging. This innate response can be quantified as voluntary wheel running following food restriction (FR). Paradoxically, imposing severe FR evokes voluntary FR, as some animals choose to run rather than eat, even during limited periods of food availability. This phenomenon, called activity-based anorexia (ABA), has been used to identify brain changes associated with FR and excessive exercise (EX), two core symptoms of anorexia nervosa (AN), and to explore neurobiological bases of AN vulnerability. Previously, we showed a strong positive correlation between suppression of FR-evoked hyperactivity, i.e., ABA resilience, and levels of extra-synaptic GABA receptors in stratum radiatum (SR) of hippocampal CA1. Here, we tested for the converse: whether animals with enhanced expression of NMDA receptors (NMDARs) exhibit greater levels of FR-evoked hyperactivity, i.e., ABA vulnerability. Four groups of animals were assessed for NMDAR levels at CA1 spines: (1) ABA, in which 4 days of FR was combined with wheel access to allow voluntary EX; (2) FR only; (3) EX only; and (4) control (CON) that experienced neither EX nor FR. Electron microscopy revealed that synaptic NR2A-NMDARs and NR2B-NMDARs levels are significantly elevated, relative to CONs'. Individuals' ABA severity, based on weight loss, correlated with synaptic NR2B-NMDAR levels. ABA resilience, quantified as suppression of hyperactivity, correlated strongly with reserve pools of NR2A-NMDARs in spine cytoplasm. NR2A- and NR2B-NMDAR measurements correlated with spinous prevalence of an F-actin binding protein, drebrin, suggesting that drebrin enables insertion of NR2B-NMDAR to and retention of NR2A-NMDARs away from synaptic membranes, together influencing ABA vulnerability.

Comparative Genomic Analysis of Globally Dominant ST131 Clone with Other Epidemiologically Successful Extraintestinal Pathogenic Escherichia coli (ExPEC) Lineages.

PubMed

Shaik, Sabiha; Ranjan, Amit; Tiwari, Sumeet K; Hussain, Arif; Nandanwar, Nishant; Kumar, Narender; Jadhav, Savita; Semmler, Torsten; Baddam, Ramani; Islam, Mohammed Aminul; Alam, Munirul; Wieler, Lothar H; Watanabe, Haruo; Ahmed, Niyaz

2017-10-24

Escherichia coli sequence type 131 (ST131), a pandemic clone responsible for the high incidence of extraintestinal pathogenic E. coli (ExPEC) infections, has been known widely for its contribution to the worldwide dissemination of multidrug resistance. Although other ExPEC-associated and extended-spectrum-β-lactamase (ESBL)-producing E. coli clones, such as ST38, ST405, and ST648 have been studied widely, no comparative genomic data with respect to other genotypes exist for ST131. In this study, comparative genomic analysis was performed for 99 ST131 E. coli strains with 40 genomes from three other STs, including ST38 ( n = 12), ST405 ( n = 10), and ST648 ( n = 18), and functional studies were performed on five in-house strains corresponding to the four STs. Phylogenomic analysis results from this study corroborated with the sequence type-specific clonality. Results from the genome-wide resistance profiling confirmed that all strains were inherently multidrug resistant. ST131 genomes showed unique virulence profiles, and analysis of mobile genetic elements and their associated methyltransferases (MTases) has revealed that several of them were missing from the majority of the non-ST131 strains. Despite the fact that non-ST131 strains lacked few essential genes belonging to the serum resistome, the in-house strains representing all four STs demonstrated similar resistance levels to serum antibactericidal activity. Core genome analysis data revealed that non-ST131 strains usually lacked several ST131-defined genomic coordinates, and a significant number of genes were missing from the core of the ST131 genomes. Data from this study reinforce adaptive diversification of E. coli strains belonging to the ST131 lineage and provide new insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying clonal diversification of the ST131 lineage. IMPORTANCE E. coli , particularly the ST131 extraintestinal pathogenic E. coli (ExPEC) lineage, is an important cause of community- and hospital-acquired infections, such as urinary tract infections, surgical site infections, bloodstream infections, and sepsis. The treatment of infections caused by ExPEC has become very challenging due to the emergence of resistance to the first-line as well as the last-resort antibiotics. This study analyzes E. coli ST131 against three other important and globally distributed ExPEC lineages (ST38, ST405, and ST648) that also produced extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL). This is perhaps the first study that employs the high-throughput whole-genome sequence-based approach to compare and study the genomic features of these four ExPEC lineages in relation to their functional properties. Findings from this study highlight the differences in the genomic coordinates of ST131 with respect to the other STs considered here. Results from this comparative genomics study can help in advancing the understanding of ST131 evolution and also offer a framework towards future developments in pathogen identification and targeted therapeutics to prevent diseases caused by this pandemic E. coli ST131 clone. Copyright © 2017 Shaik et al.

Fluorescent high-performance liquid chromatographic analysis of vigabatrin enantiomers after derivatizing with naproxen acyl chloride.

PubMed

Hsieh, Chun-Yu; Wang, Shing-Yaw; Kwan, Aij-Lie; Wu, Hsin-Lung

2008-01-18

Vigabatrin is widely used as an anticonvulsant in the treatment of seizures. Vigabatrin is usually supplied as racemate in formulation, but only the (S)-(+)-enantiomer of vigabatrin is pharmacologically active. A simple and sensitive liquid chromatographic method is described for the separation and quantification of vigabatrin enantiomers. The method is based on derivatizing racemic vigabatrin with a fluorescent chiral reagent (naproxen acyl chloride). The resulting diastereomeric derivatives are highly responsive to a fluorimetric detector (lambda(ex)=230 nm, lambda(em)=350 nm). The lower quantitation limit of the method is attainable at 25 nM for (S)-(+)-vigabatrin or (R)-(-)-vigabatrin with a detection limit of about 2.5 nM (S/N=3 with 10 microl injected). Application of the method to the analysis of vigabatrin in serum of dosed patients proved feasible.

Fukushima Daiichi Unit 1 Ex-Vessel Prediction: Core-Concrete Interaction

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Robb, Kevin R.; Farmer, Mitchell T.; Francis, Matthew W.

Lower head failure and corium-concrete interaction were predicted to occur at Fukushima Daiichi Unit 1 (1F1) by several different system-level code analyses, including MELCOR v2.1 and MAAP5. Although these codes capture a wide range of accident phenomena, they do not contain detailed models for ex-vessel core melt behavior. However, specialized codes exist for the analysis of ex-vessel melt spreading (e.g., MELTSPREAD) and long-term debris coolability (e.g., CORQUENCH). On this basis, in this paper an analysis was carried out to further evaluate ex-vessel behavior for 1F1 using MELTSPREAD and CORQUENCH. Best-estimate melt pour conditions predicted by MELCOR v2.1 and MAAP5 weremore » used as input. MELTSPREAD was then used to predict the spatially dependent melt conditions and extent of spreading during relocation from the vessel. The results of the MELTSPREAD analysis are reported in a companion paper. This information was used as input for the long-term debris coolability analysis with CORQUENCH. For the MELCOR-based melt pour scenario, CORQUENCH predicted the melt would readily cool within 2.5 h after the pour, and the sumps would experience limited ablation (approximately 18 cm) under water-flooded conditions. Finally, for the MAAP-based melt pour scenarios, CORQUENCH predicted that the melt would cool in approximately 22.5 h, and the sumps would experience approximately 65 cm of concrete ablation under water-flooded conditions.« less

Fukushima Daiichi Unit 1 Ex-Vessel Prediction: Core-Concrete Interaction

DOE PAGES

Robb, Kevin R.; Farmer, Mitchell T.; Francis, Matthew W.

2016-10-31

Lower head failure and corium-concrete interaction were predicted to occur at Fukushima Daiichi Unit 1 (1F1) by several different system-level code analyses, including MELCOR v2.1 and MAAP5. Although these codes capture a wide range of accident phenomena, they do not contain detailed models for ex-vessel core melt behavior. However, specialized codes exist for the analysis of ex-vessel melt spreading (e.g., MELTSPREAD) and long-term debris coolability (e.g., CORQUENCH). On this basis, in this paper an analysis was carried out to further evaluate ex-vessel behavior for 1F1 using MELTSPREAD and CORQUENCH. Best-estimate melt pour conditions predicted by MELCOR v2.1 and MAAP5 weremore » used as input. MELTSPREAD was then used to predict the spatially dependent melt conditions and extent of spreading during relocation from the vessel. The results of the MELTSPREAD analysis are reported in a companion paper. This information was used as input for the long-term debris coolability analysis with CORQUENCH. For the MELCOR-based melt pour scenario, CORQUENCH predicted the melt would readily cool within 2.5 h after the pour, and the sumps would experience limited ablation (approximately 18 cm) under water-flooded conditions. Finally, for the MAAP-based melt pour scenarios, CORQUENCH predicted that the melt would cool in approximately 22.5 h, and the sumps would experience approximately 65 cm of concrete ablation under water-flooded conditions.« less

Distinguishing response conflict and task conflict in the Stroop task: evidence from ex-Gaussian distribution analysis.

PubMed

Steinhauser, Marco; Hübner, Ronald

2009-10-01

It has been suggested that performance in the Stroop task is influenced by response conflict as well as task conflict. The present study investigated the idea that both conflict types can be isolated by applying ex-Gaussian distribution analysis which decomposes response time into a Gaussian and an exponential component. Two experiments were conducted in which manual versions of a standard Stroop task (Experiment 1) and a separated Stroop task (Experiment 2) were performed under task-switching conditions. Effects of response congruency and stimulus bivalency were used to measure response conflict and task conflict, respectively. Ex-Gaussian analysis revealed that response conflict was mainly observed in the Gaussian component, whereas task conflict was stronger in the exponential component. Moreover, task conflict in the exponential component was selectively enhanced under task-switching conditions. The results suggest that ex-Gaussian analysis can be used as a tool to isolate different conflict types in the Stroop task. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2009 APA, all rights reserved.

Acute aerobic exercise differentially alters acylated ghrelin and perceived fullness in normal-weight and obese individuals.

PubMed

Heden, Timothy D; Liu, Ying; Park, Youngmin; Dellsperger, Kevin C; Kanaley, Jill A

2013-09-01

Adiposity alters acylated ghrelin concentrations, but it is unknown whether adiposity alters the effect of exercise and feeding on acylated ghrelin responses. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine whether adiposity [normal-weight (NW) vs. obese (Ob)] influences the effect of exercise and feeding on acylated ghrelin, hunger, and fullness. Fourteen NW and 14 Ob individuals completed two trials in a randomized counterbalanced fashion, including a prior exercise trial (EX) and a no exercise trial (NoEX). During the EX trial, the participants performed 1 h of treadmill walking (55-60% peak O2 uptake) during the evening, 12 h before a 4-h standardized mixed meal test. Frequent blood samples were taken and analyzed for acylated ghrelin, and a visual analog scale was used to assess perceived hunger and fullness. In NW individuals, EX, compared with NoEX, reduced fasting acylated ghrelin concentrations by 18% (P = 0.03), and, in response to feeding, the change in acylated ghrelin (P = 0.02) was attenuated by 39%, but perceived hunger and fullness were unaltered. In Ob individuals, despite no changes in fasting or postprandial acylated ghrelin concentrations with EX, postprandial fullness was attenuated by 46% compared with NoEX (P = 0.05). In summary, exercise performed the night before a meal suppresses acylated ghrelin concentrations in NW individuals without altering perceived hunger or fullness. In Ob individuals, despite no changes in acylated ghrelin concentrations, EX reduced the fullness response to the test meal. Acylated ghrelin and perceived fullness responses are differently altered by acute aerobic exercise in NW and Ob individuals.

Effects of resistance exercise on the HPA axis response to psychological stress during short-term smoking abstinence in men.

PubMed

Ho, Jen-Yu; Kraemer, William J; Volek, Jeff S; Vingren, Jakob L; Fragala, Maren S; Flanagan, Shawn D; Maladouangdock, Jesse; Szivak, Tunde K; Hatfield, Disa L; Comstock, Brett A; Dunn-Lewis, Courtenay; Ciccolo, Joseph T; Maresh, Carl M

2014-03-01

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of resistance exercise on the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPA) response to mental challenge, withdrawal symptoms, urge to smoke, and cognitive stress during 24-hour smoking abstinence. 8 sedentary smokers (mean±SD age: 20.1±1.7y; height: 171.6±10.8cm; body mass: 70.4±12.0kg; smoking history: 2.9±0.8y) completed a 24-hour ad libitum smoking trial (SMO) followed by two 24-hour smoking abstinence trials. During abstinence trials, participants performed six whole body resistance exercises (EX) or a control condition (CON) in the morning, followed by mental challenge tasks in the afternoon. Plasma adrenocorticotropin hormone (ACTH), and salivary and serum cortisol were measured during each visit at rest (REST), and then before (PRE-EX), immediately after (IP-EX), and 30min after exercise (30-EX); and before (PRE-MC), immediately after (IP-MC), and 30min after mental challenge (30-MC). Resistance exercise significantly (p≤0.05) elevated plasma ACTH and serum cortisol at IP-EX during EX compared with SMO and CON trials. Resting ACTH, salivary and serum cortisol concentrations at Pre-MC did not differ between EX and CON trials. The HPA axis response to mental challenge was similar after EX and CON trials. Finally, resistance exercise did not reduce withdrawal symptoms, urge to smoke, or stress. Resistance exercise did not substantially alter resting HPA hormones or the HPA response to mental challenge tasks during 24h of smoking abstinence. © 2013.

Development and investigation of a magnetic resonance imaging-compatible microlens-based optical detector

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Paar, Steffen; Umathum, Reiner; Jiang, Xiaoming; Majer, Charles L.; Peter, Jörg

2015-09-01

A noncontact optical detector for in vivo imaging has been developed that is compatible with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The optical detector employs microlens arrays and might be classified as a plenoptic camera. As a resulting of its design, the detector possesses a slim thickness and is self-shielding against radio frequency (RF) pulses. For experimental investigation, a total of six optical detectors were arranged in a cylindrical fashion, with the imaged object positioned in the center of this assembly. A purposely designed RF volume resonator coil has been developed and is incorporated within the optical imaging system. The whole assembly was placed into the bore of a 1.5 T patient-sized MRI scanner. Simple-geometry phantom studies were performed to assess compatibility and performance characteristics regarding both optical and MR imaging systems. A bimodal ex vivo nude mouse measurement was conducted. From the MRI data, the subject surface was extracted. Optical images were projected on this surface by means of an inverse mapping algorithm. Simultaneous measurements did not reveal influences from the magnetic field and RF pulses onto optical detector performance (spatial resolution, sensitivity). No significant influence of the optical imaging system onto MRI performance was detectable.

Development and investigation of a magnetic resonance imaging-compatible microlens-based optical detector.

PubMed

Paar, Steffen; Umathum, Reiner; Jiang, Xiaoming; Majer, Charles L; Peter, Jörg

2015-09-01

A noncontact optical detector for in vivo imaging has been developed that is compatible with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The optical detector employs microlens arrays and might be classified as a plenoptic camera. As a resulting of its design, the detector possesses a slim thickness and is self-shielding against radio frequency (RF) pulses. For experimental investigation, a total of six optical detectors were arranged in a cylindrical fashion, with the imaged object positioned in the center of this assembly. A purposely designed RF volume resonator coil has been developed and is incorporated within the optical imaging system. The whole assembly was placed into the bore of a 1.5 T patient-sized MRI scanner. Simple-geometry phantom studies were performed to assess compatibility and performance characteristics regarding both optical and MR imaging systems. A bimodal ex vivo nude mouse measurement was conducted. From the MRI data, the subject surface was extracted. Optical images were projected on this surface by means of an inverse mapping algorithm. Simultaneous measurements did not reveal influences from the magnetic field and RF pulses onto optical detector performance (spatial resolution, sensitivity). No significant influence of the optical imaging system onto MRI performance was detectable.

Development of a rapid and sensitive method for the determination of aluminum by reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography using a fluorescence detector.

PubMed

Heena; Kumar, Rajesh; Rani, Susheela; Malik, Ashok Kumar

2015-01-01

This study represents a new analytical high-performance liquid chromatography-fluorescence detector method for the determination of Al(III) as Al(III) complex with 8-hydroxyquinoline-5-sulfonic acid in a tap water sample and a coke sample. A micellar liquid chromatographic method is proposed for the determination of aluminum metal in the presence of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide, a cationic surfactant (0.05 M) used for the solubilization of the aluminum complex. The influence of pH and ligand concentration on the formation of the complex was studied by adding a small amount of 0.1 M sodium hydroxide. The metal chelate was detected at λEx 410 nm and λEm 510 nm. This method eliminates the need for addition of reagent or organic modifier to the mobile phase. The complex was analyzed using an Ascentis Express C18 column and a mobile phase consisting of acetonitrile, methanol and water (55 : 30 : 15). Under the optimized conditions, the linear range was 1-200 µg L(-1) and the limit of detection was 0.05 µg L(-1). The method showed a good detector response over the range of interest and was successfully applied for the determination of trace Al(III) in canned coke and water samples containing excess of Mg(II), Ca(II) and other matrices. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Muon trackers for imaging a nuclear reactor

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kume, N.; Miyadera, H.; Morris, C. L.

A detector system for assessing damage to the cores of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear reactors by using cosmic-ray muon tomography was developed. Furthermore, the system consists of a pair of drift-tube tracking detectors of 7.2× 7.2-m 2 area. In each muon tracker there consists 6 x-layer and 6 y-layer drift-tube detectors. Each tracker is capable of measuring muon tracks with 12 mrad angular resolutions, and is capable of operating under 50-μ Sv/h radiation environment by removing gamma induced background with a novel time-coincidence logic. An estimated resolution to observe nuclear fuel debris at Fukushima Daiichi is 0.3 m when themore » core is imaged from outside the reactor building.« less

Muon trackers for imaging a nuclear reactor

DOE PAGES

Kume, N.; Miyadera, H.; Morris, C. L.; ...

2016-09-21

A detector system for assessing damage to the cores of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear reactors by using cosmic-ray muon tomography was developed. Furthermore, the system consists of a pair of drift-tube tracking detectors of 7.2× 7.2-m 2 area. In each muon tracker there consists 6 x-layer and 6 y-layer drift-tube detectors. Each tracker is capable of measuring muon tracks with 12 mrad angular resolutions, and is capable of operating under 50-μ Sv/h radiation environment by removing gamma induced background with a novel time-coincidence logic. An estimated resolution to observe nuclear fuel debris at Fukushima Daiichi is 0.3 m when themore » core is imaged from outside the reactor building.« less

Toroidal magnetic detector for high resolution measurement of muon momenta

DOEpatents

Bonanos, P.

1992-01-07

A muon detector system including central and end air-core superconducting toroids and muon detectors enclosing a central calorimeter/detector. Muon detectors are positioned outside of toroids and all muon trajectory measurements are made in a nonmagnetic environment. Internal support for each magnet structure is provided by sheets, located at frequent and regularly spaced azimuthal planes, which interconnect the structural walls of the toroidal magnets. In a preferred embodiment, the shape of the toroidal magnet volume is adjusted to provide constant resolution over a wide range of rapidity. 4 figs.

Toroidal magnetic detector for high resolution measurement of muon momenta

DOEpatents

Bonanos, Peter

1992-01-01

A muon detector system including central and end air-core superconducting toroids and muon detectors enclosing a central calorimeter/detector. Muon detectors are positioned outside of toroids and all muon trajectory measurements are made in a nonmagnetic environment. Internal support for each magnet structure is provided by sheets, located at frequent and regularly spaced azimuthal planes, which interconnect the structural walls of the toroidal magnets. In a preferred embodiment, the shape of the toroidal magnet volume is adjusted to provide constant resolution over a wide range of rapidity.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Burgett, Eric; Al-Sheikhly, Mohamad; Summers, Christopher

An advanced in-pile multi-parameter reactor monitoring system is being proposed in this funding opportunity. The proposed effort brings cutting edge, high-fidelity optical measurement systems into the reactor environment in an unprecedented fashion, including in-core, in-cladding and in-fuel pellet itself. Unlike instrumented leads, the proposed system provides a unique solution to a multi-parameter monitoring need in core while being minimally intrusive in the reactor core. Detector designs proposed herein can monitor fuel compression and expansion in both the radial and axial dimensions as well as monitor linear power profiles and fission rates during the operation of the reactor. In addition tomore » pressure, stress, strain, compression, neutron flux, neutron spectra, and temperature can be observed inside the fuel bundle and fuel rod using the proposed system. The proposed research aims at developing radiation-hard, harsh-environment multi-parameter systems for insertion into the reactor environment. The proposed research holds the potential to drastically increase the fidelity and precision of in-core instrumentation with little or no impact in the neutron economy in the reactor environment while providing a measurement system capable of operation for entire operating cycles. Significant work has been done over the last few years on the use of nanoparticle-based scintillators. Through the use of metamaterials, the PIs aim to develop planar neutron detectors and large-volume neutron detectors. These detectors will have high efficiencies for neutron detection and will have a high gamma discrimination capability.« less

Geo-PET: A novel generic organ-pet for small animal organs and tissues

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sensoy, Levent

Reconstructed tomographic image resolution of small animal PET imaging systems is improving with advances in radiation detector development. However the trend towards higher resolution systems has come with an increase in price and system complexity. Recent developments in the area of solid-state photomultiplication devices like silicon photomultiplier arrays (SPMA) are creating opportunities for new high performance tools for PET scanner design. Imaging of excised small animal organs and tissues has been used as part of post-mortem studies in order to gain detailed, high-resolution anatomical information on sacrificed animals. However, this kind of ex-vivo specimen imaging has largely been limited to ultra-high resolution muCT. The inherent limitations to PET resolution have, to date, excluded PET imaging from these ex-vivo imaging studies. In this work, we leverage the diminishing physical size of current generation SPMA designs to create a very small, simple, and high-resolution prototype detector system targeting ex-vivo tomographic imaging of small animal organs and tissues. We investigate sensitivity, spatial resolution, and the reconstructed image quality of a prototype small animal PET scanner designed specifically for imaging of excised murine tissue and organs. We aim to demonstrate that a cost-effective silicon photomultiplier (SiPM) array based design with thin crystals (2 mm) to minimize depth of interaction errors might be able to achieve sub-millimeter resolution. We hypothesize that the substantial decrease in sensitivity associated with the thin crystals can be compensated for with increased solid angle detection, longer acquisitions, higher activity and wider acceptance energy windows (due to minimal scatter from excised organs). The constructed system has a functional field of view (FoV) of 40 mm diameter, which is adequate for most small animal specimen studies. We perform both analytical (3D-FBP) and iterative (ML-EM) methods in order to reconstruct tomographic images. Results demonstrate good agreement between the simulation and the prototype. Our detector system with pixelated crystals is able to separate small objects as close as 1.25 mm apart, whereas spatial resolution converges to the theoretical limit of 1.6 mm (half the size of the smallest detecting element), which is to comparable to the spatial resolution of the existing commercial small animal PET systems. Better system spatial resolution is achievable with new generation SiPM detector boards with 1 mm x 1 mm cell dimensions. We demonstrate through Monte Carlo simulations that it is possible to achieve sub-millimeter spatial image resolution (0.7 mm for our scanner) in complex objects using monolithic crystals and exploiting the light-sharing mechanism among the neighboring detector cells. Results also suggest that scanner (or object) rotation minimizes artifacts arising from poor angular sampling, which is even more significant in smaller PET designs as the gaps between the sensitive regions of the detector have a more exaggerated effect on the overall reconstructed image quality when the design is more compact. Sensitivity of the system, on the other hand, can be doubled by adding two additional detector heads resulting in a, fully closed, 4? geometry.

Acute phase lipocalin Ex-FABP is involved in heart development and cell survival.

PubMed

Gentili, C; Tutolo, G; Zerega, B; Di Marco, E; Cancedda, R; Cancedda, F Descalzi

2005-03-01

Ex-FABP is an extracellular fatty acid binding protein, expressed during chicken embryo development in cartilage, muscle fibers, and blood granulocytes. Transfection of chondrocytes and myoblasts with anti-sense Ex-FABP cDNA results in inhibition of cell proliferation and apoptosis induction. Ex-FABP expression is dramatically enhanced by inflammatory stimuli and in pathological conditions. In this paper, by in situ whole mount and immunohistochemistry analysis we show that, at early developmental stage, Ex-FABP is diffuse in all tissues of chick embryos. Particularly high level of transcript and protein are expressed in the heart. During acute phase response (APR) induced by endotoxin LPS injection, a marked increase of Ex-FABP mRNA was observed in embryos, highest Ex-FABP expression being in heart and liver. To investigate in vivo the biological role of Ex-FABP, we have directly microinjected chicken embryos with antibody against Ex-FABP. Almost 70% of chicken embryos died and the target tissue was the heart. We detected in heart of the treated embryos a significant increase of apoptotic cells and high level of fatty acids. We propose that the accumulation of fatty acid, specific ligand of Ex-FABP, in the cell microenvironment is responsible of heart cell death, and we suggest that Ex-FABP may act as a survival protein by playing a role as scavenger for fatty acids. 2004 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Apparatus for and method of monitoring for breached fuel elements

DOEpatents

Gross, Kenny C.; Strain, Robert V.

1983-01-01

This invention teaches improved apparatus for the method of detecting a breach in cladded fuel used in a nuclear reactor. The detector apparatus uses a separate bypass loop for conveying part of the reactor coolant away from the core, and at least three separate delayed-neutron detectors mounted proximate this detector loop. The detectors are spaced apart so that the coolant flow time from the core to each detector is different, and these differences are known. The delayed-neutron activity at the detectors is a function of the dealy time after the reaction in the fuel until the coolant carrying the delayed-neutron emitter passes the respective detector. This time delay is broken down into separate components including an isotopic holdup time required for the emitter to move through the fuel from the reaction to the coolant at the breach, and two transit times required for the emitter now in the coolant to flow from the breach to the detector loop and then via the loop to the detector. At least two of these time components are determined during calibrated operation of the reactor. Thereafter during normal reactor operation, repeated comparisons are made by the method of regression approximation of the third time component for the best-fit line correlating measured delayed-neutron activity against activity that is approximated according to specific equations. The equations use these time-delay components and known parameter values of the fuel and of the part and emitting daughter isotopes.

Circulatory Responses to Asphyxia Differ if the Asphyxia Occurs In Utero or Ex Utero in Near-Term Lambs

PubMed Central

Sobotka, Kristina S.; Morley, Colin; Ong, Tracey; Polglase, Graeme R.; Aridas, James D. S.; Miller, Suzanne L.; Schmölzer, Georg M.; Klingenberg, Claus; Moss, Timothy J. M.; Jenkin, Graham; Hooper, Stuart B.

2014-01-01

Background A cornerstone of neonatal resuscitation teaching suggests that a rapid vagal-mediated bradycardia is one of the first signs of perinatal compromise. As this understanding is based primarily on fetal studies, we investigated whether the heart rate and blood pressure response to total asphyxia is influenced by whether the animal is in utero or ex utero. Methods Fetal sheep were instrumented at ∼139 days of gestation and then asphyxiated by umbilical cord occlusion until mean arterial blood pressure decreased to ∼20 mmHg. Lambs were either completely submerged in amniotic fluid (in utero; n = 8) throughout the asphyxia or were delivered and then remained ex utero (ex utero; n = 8) throughout the asphyxia. Heart rate and arterial blood pressure were continuously recorded. Results Heart rate was higher in ex utero lambs than in utero lambs. Heart rates in in utero lambs rapidly decreased, while heart rates in ex utero lambs initially increased following cord occlusion (for ∼1.5 min) before they started to decrease. Mean arterial pressure initially increased then decreased in both groups. Conclusions Heart rate response to asphyxia was markedly different depending upon whether the lamb was in utero or ex utero. This indicates that the cardiovascular responses to perinatal asphyxia are significantly influenced by the newborn's local environment. As such, based solely on heart rate, the stage and severity of a perinatal asphyxic event may not be as accurate as previously assumed. PMID:25393411

Circulatory responses to asphyxia differ if the asphyxia occurs in utero or ex utero in near-term lambs.

PubMed

Sobotka, Kristina S; Morley, Colin; Ong, Tracey; Polglase, Graeme R; Aridas, James D S; Miller, Suzanne L; Schmölzer, Georg M; Klingenberg, Claus; Moss, Timothy J M; Jenkin, Graham; Hooper, Stuart B

2014-01-01

A cornerstone of neonatal resuscitation teaching suggests that a rapid vagal-mediated bradycardia is one of the first signs of perinatal compromise. As this understanding is based primarily on fetal studies, we investigated whether the heart rate and blood pressure response to total asphyxia is influenced by whether the animal is in utero or ex utero. Fetal sheep were instrumented at ∼ 139 days of gestation and then asphyxiated by umbilical cord occlusion until mean arterial blood pressure decreased to ∼ 20 mmHg. Lambs were either completely submerged in amniotic fluid (in utero; n = 8) throughout the asphyxia or were delivered and then remained ex utero (ex utero; n = 8) throughout the asphyxia. Heart rate and arterial blood pressure were continuously recorded. Heart rate was higher in ex utero lambs than in utero lambs. Heart rates in in utero lambs rapidly decreased, while heart rates in ex utero lambs initially increased following cord occlusion (for ∼ 1.5 min) before they started to decrease. Mean arterial pressure initially increased then decreased in both groups. Heart rate response to asphyxia was markedly different depending upon whether the lamb was in utero or ex utero. This indicates that the cardiovascular responses to perinatal asphyxia are significantly influenced by the newborn's local environment. As such, based solely on heart rate, the stage and severity of a perinatal asphyxic event may not be as accurate as previously assumed.

Silicon drift detectors as a tool for time-resolved fluorescence XAFS on low-concentrated samples in catalysis.

PubMed

Kappen, Peter; Tröger, Larc; Materlik, Gerhard; Reckleben, Christian; Hansen, Karsten; Grunwaldt, Jan-Dierk; Clausen, Bjerne S

2002-07-01

A silicon drift detector (SDD) was used for ex situ and time-resolved in situ fluorescence X-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS) on low-concentrated catalyst samples. For a single-element and a seven-element SDD the energy resolution and the peak-to-background ratio were verified at high count rates, sufficient for fluorescence XAFS. An experimental set-up including the seven-element SDD without any cooling and an in situ cell with gas supply and on-line gas analysis was developed. With this set-up the reduction and oxidation of a zeolite supported catalyst containing 0.3 wt% platinum was followed by fluorescence near-edge scans with a time resolution of 10 min each. From ex situ experiments on low-concentrated platinum- and gold-based catalysts fluorescence XAFS scans could be obtained with sufficient statistical quality for a quantitative analysis. Structural information on the gold and platinum particles could be extracted by both the Fourier transforms and the near-edge region of the XAFS spectra. Moreover, it was found that with the seven-element SDD concentrations of the element of interest as low as 100 ppm can be examined by fluorescence XAFS.

Study of muons near shower cores at sea level using the E594 neutrino detector

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Goodman, J. A.; Gupta, S. C.; Freudenreich, H.; Sivaprasad, K.; Tonwar, S. C.; Yodh, G. B.; Ellsworth, R. W.; Goodman, M. C.; Bogert, D.; Burnstein, R.

1985-01-01

The E594 neutrino detector has been used to study the lateral distribution of muons of energy 3 GeV near shower cores. The detector consists of a 340 ton fine grain calorimeter with 400,000 cells of flash chamber and dimensions of 3.7 m x 20 m x 3.7 m (height). The average density in the calorimeter is 1.4 gm/sq cm, and the average Z is 21. The detector was triggered by four 0.6 sq m scintillators placed immediately on the top of the calorimeter. The trigger required at least two of these four counters. The accompanying extensive air showers (EAS) was sampled by 14 scintillation counters located up to 15 m from the calorimeter. Several off line cuts have been applied to the data. Demanding five particles in at least two of the trigger detectors, a total of 20 particles in all of them together, and an arrival angle for the shower 450 deg reduced the data sample to 11053 events. Of these in 4869 cases, a computer algorithm found at least three muons in the calorimeter.

Observing the Next Galactic Supernova with the NOvA Detectors

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Vasel, Justin A.; Sheshukov, Andrey; Habig, Alec

The next galactic core-collapse supernova will deliver a wealth of neutrinos which for the first time we are well-situated to measure. These explosions produce neutrinos with energies between 10 and 100 MeV over a period of tens of seconds. Galactic supernovae are relatively rare events, occurring with a frequency of just a few per century. It is therefore essential that all neutrino detectors capable of detecting these neutrinos are ready to trigger on this signal when it occurs. This poster describes a data-driven trigger which is designed to detect the neutrino signal from a galactic core-collapse supernova with the NOvAmore » detectors. The trigger analyzes 5ms blocks of detector activity and applies background rejection algorithms to detect the signal time structure over the background. This background reduction is an essential part of the process, as the NOvA detectors are designed to detect neutrinos from Fermilab's NuMI beam which have an average energy of 2GeV--well above the average energy of supernova neutrinos.« less

Resolving neutrino mass hierarchy from supernova (anti)neutrino-nucleus reactions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vale, Deni; Paar, Nils

2015-10-01

Recently a hybrid method has been introduced to determine neutrino mass hierarchy by simultaneous measurements of detector responses induced by antineutrino and neutrino fluxes from accretion and cooling phase of type II supernova. The (anti)neutrino-nucleus cross sections for 12C, 16O, 56Fe and 208Pb are calculated in the framework of relativistic nuclear energy density functional and weak interaction Hamiltonian, while the cross sections for inelastic scattering on free protons in mineral oil and water, p (v¯e,e+)n are obtained using heavy-baryon chiral perturbation theory. The simulations of (anti)neutrino fluxes emitted from a proto-neutron star in a core-collapse supernova include collective and Mikheyev-Smirnov-Wolfenstein effects inside star. It is shown that simultaneous use of ve/v¯e detectors with different target material allow to determine the neutrino mass hierarchy from the ratios of ve/v¯e induced particle emissions. The hybrid method favors detectors with heavier target nuclei (208Pb) for the neutrino sector, while for antineutrinos the use of free protons in mineral oil and water is more appropriate.

Wire inhomogeneity detector having a core with opposing pole pieces and guide pieces adjacent the opposing pole pieces

DOEpatents

Gibson, George H.; Smits, Robert G.; Eberhard, Philippe H.

1989-01-01

A device for uncovering imperfections in electrical conducting wire, particularly superconducting wire, by detecting variations in eddy currents. Eddy currents effect the magnetic field in a gap of an inductor, contained in a modified commercial ferrite core, through which the wire being tested is passed. A small increase or decrease in the amount of conductive material, such as copper, in a fixed cross section of wire will unbalance a bridge used to measure the impedance of the inductor, tripping a detector and sounding an alarm.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Nelson, A. J.; Voss, L. F.; Beck, P. R.

We subjected device-grade TlBr to various chemical treatments used in room temperature radiation detector fabrication to determine the resulting surface composition and electronic structure. As-polished TlBr was treated separately with HCl, SOCl 2, Br:MeOH and HF solutions. High-resolution photoemission measurements on the valence band electronic structure and Tl 4f, Br 3d, Cl 2p and S 2p core lines were used to evaluate surface chemistry and shallow heterojunction formation. Surface chemistry and valence band electronic structure were correlated with the goal of optimizing the long-term stability and radiation response.

Prototypes of Self-Powered Radiation Detectors Employing Intrinsic High-Energy Current (HEC) (POSTPRINT)

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-01-01

neutron sensi- tivities of a Pt self - powered detector ,” IEEE Trans. Nucl. Sci. 25, 292–295 (1978). 6T. A. Dellin, R. E. Huddleston, and C. J...Gamma-sensitive self - powered detectors and their use for in-core flux -mapping,” IEEE Trans. Nucl. Sci. 28, 752–757 (1981). 9E. A. Burke and J. Wall...AFCEC-CX-TY-TP-2016-0006 PROTOTYPES OF SELF - POWERED RADIATION DETECTORS EMPLOYING INTRINSIC HIGH-ENERGY CURRENT (HEC) (POSTPRINT) Piotr

Design and Technical Study of Neutrino Detector Spacecraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Solomey, Niclolas

2017-01-01

A neutrino detector is proposed to be developed for use on a space probe in close orbit of the Sun. The detector will also be protected from radiation by a tungsten shield Sun shade, active veto array and passive cosmic shielding. With the intensity of solar neutrinos substantially greater in a close solar orbit than on the Earth only a small 250 kg detector is needed. It is expected that this detector and space probe studying the core of the Sun, its nuclear furnace and particle physics basic properties will bring new knowledge beyond what is currently possible for Earth bound solar neutrino detectors.

Monte Carlo simulation of a novel water-equivalent electronic portal imaging device using plastic scintillating fibers.

PubMed

Teymurazyan, A; Pang, G

2012-03-01

Most electronic portal imaging devices (EPIDs) developed so far use a thin Cu plate/phosphor screen to convert x-ray energies into light photons, while maintaining a high spatial resolution. This results in a low x-ray absorption and thus a low quantum efficiency (QE) of approximately 2-4% for megavoltage (MV) x-rays. A significant increase of QE is desirable for applications such as MV cone-beam computed tomography (MV-CBCT). Furthermore, the Cu plate/phosphor screen contains high atomic number (high-Z) materials, resulting in an undesirable over-response to low energy x-rays (due to photoelectric effect) as well as high energy x-rays (due to pair production) when used for dosimetric verification. Our goal is to develop a new MV x-ray detector that has a high QE and uses low-Z materials to overcome the obstacles faced by current MV x-ray imaging technologies. A new high QE and low-Z EPID is proposed. It consists of a matrix of plastic scintillating fibers embedded in a water-equivalent medium and coupled to an optically sensitive 2D active matrix flat panel imager (AMFPI) for image readout. It differs from the previous approach that uses segmented crystalline scintillators made of higher density and higher atomic number materials to detect MV x-rays. The plastic scintillating fibers are focused toward the x-ray source to avoid image blurring due to oblique incidence of off-axis x-rays. When MV x-rays interact with the scintillating fibers in the detector, scintillation light will be produced. The light photons produced in a fiber core and emitted within the acceptance angle of the fiber will be guided toward the AMFPI by total internal reflection. A Monte Carlo simulation has been used to investigate imaging and dosimetric characteristics of the proposed detector under irradiation of MV x-rays. Properties, such as detection efficiency, modulation transfer function, detective quantum efficiency (DQE), energy dependence of detector response, and water-equivalence of dose response have been investigated. It has been found that the zero frequency DQE of the proposed detector can be up to 37% at 6 MV. The detector, also, is water-equivalent with a relatively uniform response to different energy x-rays as compared to current EPIDs. The results of our simulations show that, using plastic scintillating fibers, it is possible to construct a water-equivalent EPID that has a better energy response and a higher detection efficiency than current flat panel based EPIDs.

ΔN-TRPV1: A Molecular Co-detector of Body Temperature and Osmotic Stress.

PubMed

Zaelzer, Cristian; Hua, Pierce; Prager-Khoutorsky, Masha; Ciura, Sorana; Voisin, Daniel L; Liedtke, Wolfgang; Bourque, Charles W

2015-10-06

Thirst and antidiuretic hormone secretion occur during hyperthermia or hypertonicity to preserve body hydration. These vital responses are triggered when hypothalamic osmoregulatory neurons become depolarized by ion channels encoded by an unknown product of the transient receptor potential vanilloid-1 gene (Trpv1). Here, we show that rodent osmoregulatory neurons express a transcript of Trpv1 that mediates the selective translation of a TRPV1 variant that lacks a significant portion of the channel's amino terminus (ΔN-TRPV1). The mRNA transcript encoding this variant (Trpv1dn) is widely expressed in the brains of osmoregulating vertebrates, including the human hypothalamus. Transfection of Trpv1dn into heterologous cells induced the expression of ion channels that could be activated by either hypertonicity or by heating in the physiological range. Moreover, expression of Trpv1dn rescued the osmosensory and thermosensory responses of single hypothalamic neurons obtained from Trpv1 knockout mice. ΔN-TRPV1 is therefore a co-detector of core body temperature and fluid tonicity. Copyright © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Steady motion of skyrmions and domains walls under diffusive spin torques

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Elías, Ricardo Gabriel; Vidal-Silva, Nicolas; Manchon, Aurélien

2017-03-01

We explore the role of the spin diffusion of conducting electrons in two-dimensional magnetic textures (domain walls and skyrmions) with spatial variation of the order of the spin precession length λex. The effect of diffusion reflects in four additional torques that are third order in spatial derivatives of magnetization and bilinear in λex and in the nonadiabatic parameter β'. In order to study the dynamics of the solitons when these diffusive torques are present, we derive the Thiele equation in the limit of steady motion and we compare the results with the nondiffusive limit. When considering a homogenous current these torques increase the longitudinal velocity of transverse domain walls of width Δ by a factor (λex/Δ)2(α/3), α being the magnetic damping constant. In the case of single skyrmions with core radius r0these new contributions tend to increase the Magnus effect in an amount proportional to (λex/r0) 2(1 +2 α β') .

Endoscopic sensing of alveolar pH

PubMed Central

Choudhury, D.; Tanner, M. G.; McAughtrie, S.; Yu, F.; Mills, B.; Choudhary, T. R.; Seth, S.; Craven, T. H.; Stone, J. M.; Mati, I. K.; Campbell, C. J.; Bradley, M.; Williams, C. K. I.; Dhaliwal, K.; Birks, T. A.; Thomson, R. R.

2016-01-01

Previously unobtainable measurements of alveolar pH were obtained using an endoscope-deployable optrode. The pH sensing was achieved using functionalized gold nanoshell sensors and surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS). The optrode consisted of an asymmetric dual-core optical fiber designed for spatially separating the optical pump delivery and signal collection, in order to circumvent the unwanted Raman signal generated within the fiber. Using this approach, we demonstrate a ~100-fold increase in SERS signal-to-fiber background ratio, and demonstrate multiple site pH sensing with a measurement accuracy of ± 0.07 pH units in the respiratory acini of an ex vivo ovine lung model. We also demonstrate that alveolar pH changes in response to ventilation. PMID:28101415

Unfolding Neutron Spectrum with Markov Chain Monte Carlo at MIT Research Reactor with He-3 Neutral Current Detectors

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Leder, A.; Anderson, A. J.; Billard, J.

2018-02-02

The Ricochet experiment seeks to measure Coherent (neutral-current) Elastic Neutrino-Nucleus Scattering (CEνNS) using dark-matter-style detectors with sub-keV thresholds placed near a neutrino source, such as the MIT (research) Reactor (MITR), which operates at 5.5 MW generating approximately 2.2 × 1018 ν/second in its core. Currently, Ricochet is characterizing the backgrounds at MITR, the main component of which comes in the form of neutrons emitted from the core simultaneous with the neutrino signal. To characterize this background, we wrapped Bonner cylinders around a 32He thermal neutron detector, whose data was then unfolded via a Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) to produce a neutron energymore » spectrum across several orders of magnitude. We discuss the resulting spectrum and its implications for deploying Ricochet at the MITR site as well as the feasibility of reducing this background level via the addition of polyethylene shielding around the detector setup.« less

Unfolding neutron spectrum with Markov Chain Monte Carlo at MIT research Reactor with He-3 Neutral Current Detectors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Leder, A.; Anderson, A. J.; Billard, J.; Figueroa-Feliciano, E.; Formaggio, J. A.; Hasselkus, C.; Newman, E.; Palladino, K.; Phuthi, M.; Winslow, L.; Zhang, L.

2018-02-01

The Ricochet experiment seeks to measure Coherent (neutral-current) Elastic Neutrino-Nucleus Scattering (CEνNS) using dark-matter-style detectors with sub-keV thresholds placed near a neutrino source, such as the MIT (research) Reactor (MITR), which operates at 5.5 MW generating approximately 2.2 × 1018 ν/second in its core. Currently, Ricochet is characterizing the backgrounds at MITR, the main component of which comes in the form of neutrons emitted from the core simultaneous with the neutrino signal. To characterize this background, we wrapped Bonner cylinders around a 32He thermal neutron detector, whose data was then unfolded via a Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) to produce a neutron energy spectrum across several orders of magnitude. We discuss the resulting spectrum and its implications for deploying Ricochet at the MITR site as well as the feasibility of reducing this background level via the addition of polyethylene shielding around the detector setup.

Resonance light scattering determination of 6-mercaptopurine coupled with HPLC technique

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Ai Ping; Peng, Jing Dong; Zhou, MingQiong; Zhang, Jin

2016-02-01

A simple, fast, costless, sensitive and selective method of resonance light scattering coupled with HPLC was established for the determination of 6-mercaptopurine in human urine sample. In a Britton-Robinson buffer solution of pH 5.5, the formation of coordination complex between 6-mercaptopurine and metal palladium (II) led to enhance the RLS intensity of the system. The RLS signal was detected by fluorescence detector at λex = λem = 315 nm. The analytical parameters were provided by the coupled system, the linear of 6-mercaptopurine response from 0.0615 to 2.40 μg L- 1 and the limit of detection (S/N = 3) was 0.05 μg L- 1. The presented method has been applied to determine 6-mercaptopurine in human urine samples which obtained satisfactory results. Moreover, the reaction mechanism and possible reasons for enhancement of RLS were fully discussed.

Resonance light scattering determination of 6-mercaptopurine coupled with HPLC technique.

PubMed

Li, Ai Ping; Peng, Jing Dong; Zhou, MingQiong; Zhang, Jin

2016-02-05

A simple, fast, costless, sensitive and selective method of resonance light scattering coupled with HPLC was established for the determination of 6-mercaptopurine in human urine sample. In a Britton-Robinson buffer solution of pH5.5, the formation of coordination complex between 6-mercaptopurine and metal palladium (II) led to enhance the RLS intensity of the system. The RLS signal was detected by fluorescence detector at λ(ex)=λ(em)=315 nm. The analytical parameters were provided by the coupled system, the linear of 6-mercaptopurine response from 0.0615 to 2.40 μg L(-1) and the limit of detection (S/N=3) was 0.05 μg L(-1). The presented method has been applied to determine 6-mercaptopurine in human urine samples which obtained satisfactory results. Moreover, the reaction mechanism and possible reasons for enhancement of RLS were fully discussed. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Enhancement and wavelength-shifted emission of Cerenkov luminescence using multifunctional microspheres

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Joanne; Dobrucki, Lawrence W.; Marjanovic, Marina; Chaney, Eric J.; Suslick, Kenneth S.; Boppart, Stephen A.

2015-01-01

Cerenkov luminescence (CL) imaging is a new molecular imaging modality that utilizes the photons emitted during radioactive decay when charged particles travel faster than the phase velocity of light in a dielectric medium. Here we present a novel agent to convert and increase CL emission at longer wavelengths using multimodal protein microspheres (MSs). The 64Cu-labeled protein microspheres contain quantum dots (QDs) encapsulated within a high-refractive-index-oil core. Dark box imaging of the MSs was conducted to demonstrate the improvement in CL emission at longer wavelengths. To illustrate the versatile design of these MSs and the potential of CL in disease diagnosis, these MSs were utilized for in vitro cell targeting and ex vivo CL-excited QD fluorescence (CL-FL) imaging of atherosclerotic plaques in rats. It was shown that by utilizing both QDs and MSs with a high-refractive-index-oil core, the CL emission increases by four-fold at longer wavelengths. Furthermore, we demonstrate that these MSs generate both an in vivo and ex vivo contrast signal. The design concept of utilizing QDs and high-index core MSs may contribute to future developments of in vivo CL imaging.

GADRAS Detector Response Function.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Mitchell, Dean J.; Harding, Lee; Thoreson, Gregory G

2014-11-01

The Gamma Detector Response and Analysis Software (GADRAS) applies a Detector Response Function (DRF) to compute the output of gamma-ray and neutron detectors when they are exposed to radiation sources. The DRF is fundamental to the ability to perform forward calculations (i.e., computation of the response of a detector to a known source), as well as the ability to analyze spectra to deduce the types and quantities of radioactive material to which the detectors are exposed. This document describes how gamma-ray spectra are computed and the significance of response function parameters that define characteristics of particular detectors.

Reactor Dosimetry State of the Art 2008

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Voorbraak, Wim; Debarberis, Luigi; D'Hondt, Pierre; Wagemans, Jan

2009-08-01

Oral session 1: Retrospective dosimetry. Retrospective dosimetry of VVER 440 reactor pressure vessel at the 3rd unit of Dukovany NPP / M. Marek ... [et al.]. Retrospective dosimetry study at the RPV of NPP Greifswald unit 1 / J. Konheiser ... [et al.]. Test of prototype detector for retrospective neutron dosimetry of reactor internals and vessel / K. Hayashi ... [et al.]. Neutron doses to the concrete vessel and tendons of a magnox reactor using retrospective dosimetry / D. A. Allen ... [et al.]. A retrospective dosimetry feasibility study for Atucha I / J. Wagemans ... [et al.]. Retrospective reactor dosimetry with zirconium alloy samples in a PWR / L. R. Greenwood and J. P. Foster -- Oral session 2: Experimental techniques. Characterizing the Time-dependent components of reactor n/y environments / P. J. Griffin, S. M. Luker and A. J. Suo-Anttila. Measurements of the recoil-ion response of silicon carbide detectors to fast neutrons / F. H. Ruddy, J. G. Seidel and F. Franceschini. Measurement of the neutron spectrum of the HB-4 cold source at the high flux isotope reactor at Oak Ridge National Laboratory / J. L. Robertson and E. B. Iverson. Feasibility of cavity ring-down laser spectroscopy for dose rate monitoring on nuclear reactor / H. Tomita ... [et al.]. Measuring transistor damage factors in a non-stable defect environment / D. B. King ... [et al.]. Neutron-detection based monitoring of void effects in boiling water reactors / J. Loberg ... [et al.] -- Poster session 1: Power reactor surveillance, retrospective dosimetry, benchmarks and inter-comparisons, adjustment methods, experimental techniques, transport calculations. Improved diagnostics for analysis of a reactor pulse radiation environment / S. M. Luker ... [et al.]. Simulation of the response of silicon carbide fast neutron detectors / F. Franceschini, F. H. Ruddy and B. Petrović. NSV A-3: a computer code for least-squares adjustment of neutron spectra and measured dosimeter responses / J. G. Williams, A. P. Ribaric and T. Schnauber. Agile high-fidelity MCNP model development techniques for rapid mechanical design iteration / J. A. Kulesza.Extension of Raptor-M3G to r-8-z geometry for use in reactor dosimetry applications / M. A. Hunter, G. Longoni and S. L. Anderson. In vessel exposure distributions evaluated with MCNP5 for Atucha II / J. M. Longhino, H. Blaumann and G. Zamonsky. Atucha I nuclear power plant azimutal ex-vessel flux profile evaluation / J. M. Longhino ... [et al.]. UFTR thermal column characterization and redesign for maximized thermal flux / C. Polit and A. Haghighat. Activation counter using liquid light-guide for dosimetry of neutron burst / M. Hayashi ... [et al.]. Control rod reactivity curves for the annular core research reactor / K. R. DePriest ... [et al.]. Specification of irradiation conditions in VVER-440 surveillance positions / V. Kochkin ... [et al.]. Simulations of Mg-Ar ionisation and TE-TE ionisation chambers with MCNPX in a straightforward gamma and beta irradiation field / S. Nievaart ... [et al.]. The change of austenitic stainless steel elements content in the inner parts of VVER-440 reactor during operation / V. Smutný, J. Hep and P. Novosad. Fast neutron environmental spectrometry using disk activation / G. Lövestam ... [et al.]. Optimization of the neutron activation detector location scheme for VVER-lOOO ex-vessel dosimetry / V. N. Bukanov ... [et al.]. Irradiation conditions for surveillance specimens located into plane containers installed in the WWER-lOOO reactor of unit 2 of the South-Ukrainian NPP / O. V. Grytsenko. V. N. Bukanov and S. M. Pugach. Conformity between LRO mock-ups and VVERS NPP RPV neutron flux attenuation / S. Belousov. Kr. Ilieva and D. Kirilova. FLUOLE: a new relevant experiment for PWR pressure vessel surveillance / D. Beretz ... [et al.]. Transport of neutrons and photons through the iron and water layers / M. J. Kost'ál ... [et al.]. Condition evaluation of spent nuclear fuel assemblies from the first-generation nuclear-powered submarines by gamma scanning / A. F. Usatyi. L. A. Serdyukova and B. S. Stepennov -- Oral session 3: Power plant surveillance. Upgraded neutron dosimetry procedure for VVER-440 surveillance specimens / V. Kochkin ... [et al.]. Neutron dosimetry on the full-core first generation VVER-440 aimed to reactor support structure load evaluation / P. Borodkin ... [et al.]. Ex-vessel neutron dosimetry programs for PWRs in Korea / C. S. Yoo. B. C. Kim and C. C. Kim. Comparison of irradiation conditions of VVER-1000 reactor pressure vessel and surveillance specimens for various core loadings / V. N. Bukanov ... [et al.]. Re-evaluation of dosimetry in the new surveillance program for the Loviisa 1 VVER-440 reactor / T. Serén -- Oral session 4: Benchmarks, intercomparisons and adjustment methods. Determination of the neutron parameter's uncertainties using the stochastic methods of uncertainty propagation and analysis / G. Grégoire ... [et al.].Covariance matrices for calculated neutron spectra and measured dosimeter responses / J. G. Williams ... [et al.]. The role of dosimetry at the high flux reactor / S. C. van der Marek ... [et al.]. Calibration of a manganese bath relative to Cf-252 nu-bar / D. M. Gilliam, A. T. Yue and M. Scott Dewey. Major upgrade of the reactor dosimetry interpretation methodology used at the CEA: general principle / C. Destouches ... [et al.] -- Oral session 5: power plant surveillance. The role of ex-vessel neutron dosimetry in reactor vessel surveillance in South Korea / B.-C. Kim ... [et al.]. Spanish RPV surveillance programmes: lessons learned and current activities / A. Ballesteros and X. Jardí. Atucha I nuclear power plant extended dosimetry and assessment / H. Blaumann ... [et al.]. Monitoring of radiation load of pressure vessels of Russian VVER in compliance with license amendments / G. Borodkin ... [et al.] -- Poster session 2: Test reactors, accelerators and advanced systems; cross sections, nuclear data, damage correlations. Two-dimensional mapping of the calculated fission power for the full-size fuel plate experiment irradiated in the advanced test reactor / G. S. Chang and M. A. Lillo. The radiation safety information computational center: a resource for reactor dosimetry software and nuclear data / B. L. Kirk. Irradiated xenon isotopic ratio measurement for failed fuel detection and location in fast reactor / C. Ito, T. Iguchi and H. Harano. Characterization of dosimetry of the BMRR horizontal thimble tubes and broad beam facility / J.-P. Hu, R. N. Reciniello and N. E. Holden. 2007 nuclear data review / N. E. Holden. Further dosimetry studies at the Rhode Island nuclear science / R. N. Reciniello ... [et al.]. Characterization of neutron fields in the experimental fast reactor Joyo MK-III core / S. Maeda ... [et al.]. Measuring [symbol]Li(n, t) and [symbol]B(n, [symbol]) cross sections using the NIST alpha-gamma apparatus / M. S. Dewey ... [et al.]. Improvement of neutron/gamma field evaluation for restart of JMTR / Y. Nagao ... [et al.]. Monitoring of the irradiated neutron fluence in the neutron transmutation doping process of HANARO / M.-S. Kim and S.-J. Park.Training reactor VR-l neutron spectrum determination / M. Vins, A. Kolros and K. Katovsky. Differential cross sections for gamma-ray production by 14 MeV neutrons on iron and bismuth / V. M. Bondar ... [et al.]. The measurements of the differential elastic neutron cross-sections of carbon for energies from 2 to 133 ke V / O. Gritzay ... [et al.]. Determination of neutron spectrum by the dosimetry foil method up to 35 Me V / S. P. Simakov ... [et al.]. Extension of the BGL broad group cross section library / D. Kirilova, S. Belousov and Kr. Ilieva. Measurements of neutron capture cross-section for tantalum at the neutron filtered beams / O. Gritzayand V. Libman. Measurements of microscopic data at GELINA in support of dosimetry / S. Kopecky ... [et al.]. Nuclide guide and international chart of nuclides - 2008 / T. Golashvili -- Oral session 6: Test reactors, accelerators and advanced systems. Neutronic analyses in support of the HFIR beamline modifications and lifetime extension / I. Remec and E. D. Blakeman. Characterization of neutron test facilities at Sandia National Laboratories / D. W. Vehar ... [et al.]. LYRA irradiation experiments: neutron metrology and dosimetry / B. Acosta and L. Debarberis. Calculated neutron and gamma-ray spectra across the prismatic very high temperature reactor core / J. W. Sterbentz. Enhancement of irradiation capability of the experimental fast reactor joyo / S. Maeda ... [et al.]. Neutron spectrum analyses by foil activation method for high-energy proton beams / C. H. Pyeon ... [et al.] -- Oral session 7: Cross sections, nuclear data, damage correlations. Investigation of new reaction cross-section evaluations in order to update and extend the IRDF-2002 reactor dosimetry library / É. M. Zsolnay, H. J. Nolthenius and A. L. Nichols. A novel approach towards DPA calculations / A. Hogenbirk and D. F. Da Cruz. A new ENDFIB-VII.O based multigroup cross-section library for reactor dosimetry / F. A. Alpan and S. L. Anderson. Activities at the NEA for dosimetry applications / H. Henriksson and I. Kodeli. Validation and verification of covariance data from dosimetry reaction cross-section evaluations / S. Badikov. Status of the neutron cross section standards / A. D. Carlson -- Oral session 8: transport calculations. A dosimetry assessment for the core restraint of an advanced gas cooled reactor / D. A. Thornton ... [et al.]. Neutron dosimetry study in the region of the support structure of a VVER-1000 type reactor / G. Borodkin ... [et al.]. SNS moderator poison design and experiment validation of the moderator performance / W. Lu ... [et al.]. Analysis of OSIRIS in-core surveillance dosimetry for GONDOLE steel irradiation program by using TRIPOLI-4 Monte Carlo code / Y. K. Lee and F. Malouch.Reactor dosimetry applications using RAPTOR-M3G: a new parallel 3-D radiation transport code / G. Longoni and S. L. Anderson.

Detector response function of an energy-resolved CdTe single photon counting detector.

PubMed

Liu, Xin; Lee, Hyoung Koo

2014-01-01

While spectral CT using single photon counting detector has shown a number of advantages in diagnostic imaging, knowledge of the detector response function of an energy-resolved detector is needed to correct the signal bias and reconstruct the image more accurately. The objective of this paper is to study the photo counting detector response function using laboratory sources, and investigate the signal bias correction method. Our approach is to model the detector response function over the entire diagnostic energy range (20 keV

49 CFR 825.40 - Ex parte communications.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... the proceeding; Ex parte communication means an oral or written communication not on the public record...: (1) All such written communications; (2) Memoranda stating the substance of all such oral communication; and (3) All written responses, and memoranda stating the substance of all oral responses, to...

SU-F-E-06: Dosimetric Characterization of Small Photons Beams of a Novel Linear Accelerator

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Almonte, A; Polanco, G; Sanchez, E

2016-06-15

Purpose: The aim of the present contribution was to measure the main dosimetric quantities of small fields produced by UNIQUE and evaluate its matching with the corresponding dosimetric data of one 21EX conventional linear accelerator (Varian) in operation at the same center. The second step was to evaluate comparative performance of the EDGE diode detector and the PinPoint micro-ionization chamber for dosimetry of small fields. Methods: UNIQUE is configured with MLC (120 leaves with 0.5 cm leaf width) and a single low photon energy of 6 MV. Beam data were measured with scanning EDGE diode detector (volume of 0.019 mm{supmore » 3}), a PinPoint micro-ionization chamber (PTW) and for larger fields (≥ 4×4cm{sup 2}) a PTW Semi flex chamber (0.125 cm{sup 3}) was used. The scanning system used was the 3D cylindrical tank manufactured by Sun Nuclear, Inc. The measurement of PDD and profiles were done at 100 cm SSD and 1.5 depth; the relative output factors were measured at 10 cm depth. Results: PDD and the profile data showed less than 1% variation between the two linear accelerators for fields size between 2×2 cm{sup 2} and 5×5cm{sup 2}. Output factor differences was less than 1% for field sizes between 3×3 cm{sup 2} and 10×10 cm{sup 2} and less of 1.5 % for fields of 1.5×1.5 cm{sup 2} and 2×2 cm{sup 2} respectively. The dmax value of the EDGE diode detector, measured from the PDD, was 8.347 mm for 0.5×0,5cm{sup 2} for UNIQUE. The performance of EDGE diode detector was comparable for all measurements in small fields. Conclusion: UNIQUE linear accelerator show similar dosimetrics characteristics as conventional 21EX Varian linear accelerator for small, medium and large field sizes.EDGE detector show good performance by measuring dosimetrics quantities in small fields typically used in IMRT and radiosurgery treatments.« less

A 2D silicon detector array for quality assurance in small field dosimetry: DUO.

PubMed

Shukaili, Khalsa Al; Petasecca, Marco; Newall, Matthew; Espinoza, Anthony; Perevertaylo, Vladimir L; Corde, Stéphanie; Lerch, Michael; Rosenfeld, Anatoly B

2017-02-01

Nowadays, there are many different applications that use small fields in radiotherapy treatments. The dosimetry of small radiation fields is not trivial due to the problems associated with lateral disequilibrium and source occlusion and requires reliable quality assurance (QA). Ideally such a QA tool should provide high spatial resolution, minimal beam perturbation and real time fast measurements. Many different types of silicon diode arrays are used for QA in radiotherapy; however, their application in small filed dosimetry is limited, in part, due to a lack of spatial resolution. The Center of Medical Radiation Physics (CMRP) has developed a new generation of a monolithic silicon diode array detector that will be useful for small field dosimetry in SRS/SRT. The objective of this study is to characterize a monolithic silicon diode array designed for dosimetry QA in SRS/SRT named DUO that is arranged as two orthogonal 1D arrays with 0.2 mm pitch. DUO is two orthogonal 1D silicon detector arrays in a monolithic crystal. Each orthogonal array contains 253 small pixels with size 0.04 × 0.8 mm 2 and three central pixels are with a size of 0.18 × 0.18 mm 2 each. The detector pitch is 0.2 mm and total active area is 52 × 52 mm 2 . The response of the DUO silicon detector was characterized in terms of dose per pulse, percentage depth dose, and spatial resolution in a radiation field incorporating high gradients. Beam profile of small fields and output factors measured on a Varian 2100EX LINAC in a 6 MV radiation fields of square dimensions and sized from 0.5 × 0.5 cm 2 to 5 × 5 cm 2 . The DUO response was compared under the same conditions with EBT3 films and an ionization chamber. The DUO detector shows a dose per pulse dependence of 5% for a range of dose rates from 2.7 × 10 -4 to 1.2 × 10 -4 Gy/pulse and 23% when the rate is further reduced to 2.8 × 10 -5 Gy/pulse. The percentage depth dose measured to 25 cm depth in solid water phantom beyond the surface and for a field size of 10 × 10 cm 2 agrees with that measured using a Markus IC within 1.5%. The beam profiles in both X and Y orthogonal directions showed a good match with EBT3 film, where the FWHM agreed within 1% and penumbra widths within 0.5 mm. The effect of an air gap above the DUO detector has also been studied. The output factor for field sizes ranging from 0.5 × 0.5 cm 2 to 5 × 5 cm 2 measured by the DUO detector with a 0.5 mm air gap above silicon surface agrees with EBT3 film and MOSkin detectors within 1.8%. The CMRP's monolithic silicon detector array, DUO, is suitable for SRS/SRT dosimetry and QA because of its very high spatial resolution (0.2 mm) and real time operation. © 2016 American Association of Physicists in Medicine.

Effects influencing the grain connectivity in ex-situ MgB 2 wires

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kováč, P.; Hušek, I.; Kulich, M.; Melišek, T.; Hušeková, K.; Dobročka, E.

2010-03-01

Single-core MgB 2/Fe ex-situ wires have been made by powder-in-tube (PIT) using: (i) commercial Alfa Aesar (AA) powder deformed by variable modes, (ii) AA powder oxidized by air milling and heat treatment and (iii) AA powder chemically treated by acetic and benzoic acid. All samples were finally annealed at 950 °C/0.5 h in Argon. The effect of deformation, oxidation and chemical treatment on the transport properties of MgB 2 wires was tested. Differences in critical currents, transition temperatures and normal state resistivity are shown and discussed.

Suppression of Virus Specific Immune Responses by IL-10 in Acute Dengue Infection

PubMed Central

Malavige, Gathsaurie Neelika; Jeewandara, Chandima; Alles, K. M. Luckmaal; Salimi, Maryam; Gomes, Laksiri; Kamaladasa, Achala; Jayaratne, S. D.; Ogg, Graham Stuart

2013-01-01

Background Elevated IL-10 has been shown to be associated with severe dengue infection (DI). We proceeded to investigate the role of IL-10 in the pathogenesis of acute DI. Materials and methods Ex vivo and cultured IFNγ ELISpot assays for dengue virus (DENV) NS3 protein and non dengue viral proteins were carried out in 26 patients with acute DI (16 with dengue haemorrhagic fever) and 12 healthy dengue seropositive individuals from Sri Lanka. DENV serotype specific (SS) responses were determined by using a panel of SS peptides. Results Serum IL-10 level were significantly higher (p = 0.02) in those who did not have in vitro responses to DENV-SS peptides (mean 144.2 pg/ml) when compared to those who responded (mean 75.7 pg/ml). DENV-NS3 specific ex vivo IFNγ ELISpot responses were also significantly lower (p = 0.0001) in those who did not respond to DENV-SS peptides (mean 42 SFU/million PBMCs) when compared to those who responded to DENV-SS peptides (mean 1024 SFU/million PBMCs). Serum IL-10 levels correlated significantly (p = 0.03) and inversely (Spearmans R = −0.45) with ex vivo DENV-NS3 specific responses but not with ex vivo non DENV specific responses (Spearmans R = −014, p = 0.52). Blockage of IL-10 in vitro significantly increased (p = 0.04) the ex vivo IFNγ ELISpot DENV-NS3 specific responses but had no effect on responses to non DENV proteins. Conclusion IL-10 appears to contribute to the pathogenesis of acute dengue infections by inhibiting DENV-specific T cell responses, which can be restored by blocking IL-10. PMID:24040431

Distinguishing Response Conflict and Task Conflict in the Stroop Task: Evidence from Ex-Gaussian Distribution Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Steinhauser, Marco; Hubner, Ronald

2009-01-01

It has been suggested that performance in the Stroop task is influenced by response conflict as well as task conflict. The present study investigated the idea that both conflict types can be isolated by applying ex-Gaussian distribution analysis which decomposes response time into a Gaussian and an exponential component. Two experiments were…

Exercise training normalizes renal blood flow responses to acute hypoxia in experimental heart failure: role of the α1-adrenergic receptor.

PubMed

Pügge, Carolin; Mediratta, Jai; Marcus, Noah J; Schultz, Harold D; Schiller, Alicia M; Zucker, Irving H

2016-02-01

Recent data suggest that exercise training (ExT) is beneficial in chronic heart failure (CHF) because it improves autonomic and peripheral vascular function. In this study, we hypothesized that ExT in the CHF state ameliorates the renal vasoconstrictor responses to hypoxia and that this beneficial effect is mediated by changes in α1-adrenergic receptor activation. CHF was induced in rabbits. Renal blood flow (RBF) and renal vascular conductance (RVC) responses to 6 min of 5% isocapnic hypoxia were assessed in the conscious state in sedentary (SED) and ExT rabbits with CHF with and without α1-adrenergic blockade. α1-adrenergic receptor expression in the kidney cortex was also evaluated. A significant decline in baseline RBF and RVC and an exaggerated renal vasoconstriction during acute hypoxia occurred in CHF-SED rabbits compared with the prepaced state (P < 0.05). ExT diminished the decline in baseline RBF and RVC and restored changes during hypoxia to those of the prepaced state. α1-adrenergic blockade partially prevented the decline in RBF and RVC in CHF-SED rabbits and eliminated the differences in hypoxia responses between SED and ExT animals. Unilateral renal denervation (DnX) blocked the hypoxia-induced renal vasoconstriction in CHF-SED rabbits. α1-adrenergic protein in the renal cortex of animals with CHF was increased in SED animals and normalized after ExT. These data provide evidence that the acute decline in RBF during hypoxia is caused entirely by the renal nerves but is only partially mediated by α1-adrenergic receptors. Nonetheless, α1-adrenergic receptors play an important role in the beneficial effects of ExT in the kidney. Copyright © 2016 the American Physiological Society.

Development of Tiled Imaging CZT Detectors for Sensitive Wide-Field Hard X-Ray Surveys to EXIST

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Grindlay, J.; Hong, J.; Allen, B.; Barthelmy, S.; Baker, R.

2011-01-01

Motivated by the proposed EXIST mission, a "medium-class" space observatory to survey black holes and the Early Universe proposed to the 2010 NAS/NRC Astronomy and Astrophysics Decadal Survey, we have developed the first "large" area 256 sq cm close-tiled (0.6 mm gaps) hard X-ray (20-600 keV) imaging detector employing pixelated (2.5 mm) CdZnTe (CZT) detectors, each 2 x 2 x 0.5 cubic cm. We summarize the design, development and operation of this detector array (8 x 8 CZTs) and its performance as the imager for a coded aperture telescope on a high altitude (40 km) balloon flight in October. 2009, as the ProtoEX1STl payload. We then outline our current development of a second-generation imager, ProtcEXIST2. with 0.6 mm pixels on a 32 x 32 array on each CZT, and how it will lead to the ultimate imaging system needed for EXIST. Other applications of this technology will also be mentioned.

Comparison of in vivo and ex vivo viscoelastic behavior of the spinal cord.

PubMed

Ramo, Nicole L; Shetye, Snehal S; Streijger, Femke; Lee, Jae H T; Troyer, Kevin L; Kwon, Brian K; Cripton, Peter; Puttlitz, Christian M

2018-03-01

Despite efforts to simulate the in vivo environment, post-mortem degradation and lack of blood perfusion complicate the use of ex vivo derived material models in computational studies of spinal cord injury. In order to quantify the mechanical changes that manifest ex vivo, the viscoelastic behavior of in vivo and ex vivo porcine spinal cord samples were compared. Stress-relaxation data from each condition were fit to a non-linear viscoelastic model using a novel characterization technique called the direct fit method. To validate the presented material models, the parameters obtained for each condition were used to predict the respective dynamic cyclic response. Both ex vivo and in vivo samples displayed non-linear viscoelastic behavior with a significant increase in relaxation with applied strain. However, at all three strain magnitudes compared, ex vivo samples experienced a higher stress and greater relaxation than in vivo samples. Significant differences between model parameters also showed distinct relaxation behaviors, especially in non-linear relaxation modulus components associated with the short-term response (0.1-1 s). The results of this study underscore the necessity of utilizing material models developed from in vivo experimental data for studies of spinal cord injury, where the time-dependent properties are critical. The ability of each material model to accurately predict the dynamic cyclic response validates the presented methodology and supports the use of the in vivo model in future high-resolution finite element modeling efforts. Neural tissues (such as the brain and spinal cord) display time-dependent, or viscoelastic, mechanical behavior making it difficult to model how they respond to various loading conditions, including injury. Methods that aim to characterize the behavior of the spinal cord almost exclusively use ex vivo cadaveric or animal samples, despite evidence that time after death affects the behavior compared to that in a living animal (in vivo response). Therefore, this study directly compared the mechanical response of ex vivo and in vivo samples to quantify these differences for the first time. This will allow researchers to draw more accurate conclusions about spinal cord injuries based on ex vivo data (which are easier to obtain) and emphasizes the importance of future in vivo experimental animal work. Copyright © 2017 Acta Materialia Inc. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Chronic aerobic swimming exercise promotes functional and morphological changes in rat ileum

PubMed Central

da Cunha Araujo, Layanne Cabral; de Souza, Iara Leão Luna; Vasconcelos, Luiz Henrique César; de Freitas Brito, Aline; Queiroga, Fernando Ramos; Silva, Alexandre Sérgio; da Silva, Patrícia Mirella; de Andrade Cavalcante, Fabiana; da Silva, Bagnólia Araújo

2015-01-01

Several studies have reported the gastrointestinal (GI) effects promoted by the physical exercise. Thus, we aimed to evaluate the influence of swimming exercise on the contractile reactivity, lipid peroxidation and morphology of rat ileum. Wistar rats were divided into sedentary (SED) and groups exercised for two (EX2), four (EX4), six (EX6) or eight (EX8) weeks, 5 days/week. Animals were killed; the ileum was removed and suspended in organ baths where the isotonic contractions were recorded. Lipid peroxidation was evaluated by MDA (malondialdehyde) measurement with TBARS (thiobarbituric acid reactive substances) assay and morphology by histological staining. Cumulative concentration-response curves to KCl were attenuated, as the Emax values were changed from 100% (SED) to 63.1±3.9 (EX2), 48.8±3.8 (EX4), 19.4±1.8 (EX6) and 59.4±2.8% (EX8). Similarly, cumulative concentration-response curves to carbamylcholine hydrochloride (CCh) were attenuated, as the Emax values were changed from 100% (SED) to 74.1±5.4 (EX2), 75.9±5.2 (EX4) and 62.9±4.6 (EX6), but not in the EX8 (89.7±3.4%). However, CCh potency was increased in this latter, as the EC50 was altered from 1.0±0.1×10−6 (SED) to 2.1±0.4×10−7 (EX8). MDA concentration was altered only in EX4 (44.3±4.4) compared with SED (20.6±3.6 μmol/l). Circular layer was reduced in SED when compared with the exercised groups. Conversely, longitudinal layer was increased. In conclusion, chronic swimming exercise reduces the ileum contraction, equilibrates the oxidative damage and promotes changes in tissue size to establish an adaptation to the exercise. PMID:26424698

Clinical importance of detecting exaggerated blood pressure response to exercise on antihypertensive therapy.

PubMed

Mizuno, Reiko; Fujimoto, Shinichi; Saito, Yoshihiko; Yamazaki, Masaharu

2016-06-01

In patients with hypertension, regression of left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) is associated with improved prognosis. Impact of exaggerated blood pressure response to exercise (Ex-BP) seen in patients with hypertension undergoing antihypertensive therapy on the regression of LVH has not been evaluated. This prospective study investigated the relationship between Ex-BP on antihypertensive therapy and the regression of LVH. We prospectively studied 124 never-treated patients with hypertension with LVH. After a pretreatment evaluation, antihypertensive treatment was started and exercise test was performed in all patients. Patients with Ex-BP were divided into the Ex-BP (+) group and those without were divided into the Ex-BP (-) group. Regression of LVH over the follow-up period was compared between the groups. The follow-up duration was approximately 12 months in both the groups. Mean values of blood pressure at rest during the follow-up period were similar between the groups. Reduction of LVH was seen in both the groups. The magnitude of reduction of LVH was significantly smaller in the Ex-BP (+) group compared with the Ex-BP (-) group. Regression of LVH was much frequently seen in the Ex-BP (+) group compared with the Ex-BP (-) group. Multiple regression analysis determined that on-treatment Ex-BP was an independent negative determinant of antihypertensive treatment-induced reduction of LVH. This study suggests that on-treatment Ex-BP is associated with depressed regression of LVH in patients with hypertension with antihypertensive treatment. If Ex-BP is detected despite receiving antihypertensive agents, improvement of Ex-BP may be necessary to achieve an effective reduction of LVH. Active search of Ex-BP is recommended in patients with hypertension with antihypertensive treatment. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/

SL12-GADRAS-PD2Ka Annual Report

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Mitchell, Dean J.

2014-09-09

The GADRAS Development project comprises several elements that are all related to the Detector Response Function (DRF), which is the core of GADRAS. An ongoing activity is implementing continuous improvements in the accuracy and versatility of the DRF. The ability to perform rapid computation of the response of gammaray detectors for 3-D descriptions of source objects and their environments is a good example of a recent utilization of this versatility. The 3-D calculations, which execute several orders of magnitude faster than competing techniques, compute the response as an extension of the DRF so the radiation transport problem is never solvedmore » explicitly, thus saving considerable computational time. Maintenance of the Graphic User Interface (GUI) and extension of the GUI to enable construction of the 3-D source models is included in tasking for the GADRAS Development project. Another aspect of this project is application of the isotope identification algorithms for search applications. Specifically, SNL is tasked with development of an isotope-identification based search capability for use with the RSL-developed AVID system, which supports simultaneous operation of numerous radiation search assets. A Publically Available (PA) GADRAS-DRF application, which eliminates sensitive analysis components, will soon be available so that the DRF can be used by researchers at universities and corporations.« less

Determining the Optimal Number of Core Needle Biopsy Passes for Molecular Diagnostics.

PubMed

Hoang, Nam S; Ge, Benjamin H; Pan, Lorraine Y; Ozawa, Michael G; Kong, Christina S; Louie, John D; Shah, Rajesh P

2018-03-01

The number of core biopsy passes required for adequate next-generation sequencing is impacted by needle cut, needle gauge, and the type of tissue involved. This study evaluates diagnostic adequacy of core needle lung biopsies based on number of passes and provides guidelines for other tissues based on simulated biopsies in ex vivo porcine organ tissues. The rate of diagnostic adequacy for pathology and molecular testing from lung biopsy procedures was measured for eight operators pre-implementation (September 2012-October 2013) and post-implementation (December 2013-April 2014) of a standard protocol using 20-gauge side-cut needles for ten core biopsy passes at a single academic hospital. Biopsy pass volume was then estimated in ex vivo porcine muscle, liver, and kidney using side-cut devices at 16, 18, and 20 gauge and end-cut devices at 16 and 18 gauge to estimate minimum number of passes required for adequate molecular testing. Molecular diagnostic adequacy increased from 69% (pre-implementation period) to 92% (post-implementation period) (p < 0.001) for lung biopsies. In porcine models, both 16-gauge end-cut and side-cut devices require one pass to reach the validated volume threshold to ensure 99% adequacy for molecular characterization, while 18- and 20-gauge devices require 2-5 passes depending on needle cut and tissue type. Use of 20-gauge side-cut core biopsy needles requires a significant number of passes to ensure diagnostic adequacy for molecular testing across all tissue types. To ensure diagnostic adequacy for molecular testing, 16- and 18-gauge needles require markedly fewer passes.

WISE-2005: Adrenergic Responses Before and After 60 Days of 6 Degree Head-Down Bed-Rest in Women

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Edgell, H.; Dyson, K.; Shoemaker, J. K.; Custaud, M. A.; Arbeille, Ph.; Greaves, D.; Hughson, R. L.; Hughson, R. L.

2006-01-01

Sixteen women who participated in the WISE-2005 headdown bed rest (HDBR) were studied before and on day 56 of bed rest to test the hypothesis that chronic changes in circulating norepinephrine (NOR) would change the response to adrenergic receptor agonists. Five minute infusions of 2 doses of isoproterenol (ISO), and 2 doses of NOR were administered while heart rate (HR), mean arterial pressure (MAP) and total peripheral resistance (TPR) were measured. Before HDBR, the higher dose of ISO increased HR by 13 beats/min (P

The HALO / HALO-2 Supernova Neutrino Detectors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yen, Stanley; HALO Collaboration; HALO-2 Collaboration

2016-09-01

The Helium and Lead Observatory (HALO) is a dedicated supernova neutrino detector in SNOLAB, which is built from 79 tons of surplus lead and the helium-3 neutron detectors from the SNO experiment. It is sensitive primarily to electron neutrinos, and is thus complementary to water Cerenkov and organic scintillation detectors which are primarily sensitive to electron anti-neutrinos. A comparison of the rates in these complementary detectors will enable a flavor decomposition of the neutrino flux from the next galactic core-collapse supernova. We have tentative ideas to build a 1000-ton HALO-2 detector in the Gran Sasso laboratory by using the lead from the decommissioned OPERA detector. We are exploring several neutron detector technologies to supplement the existing helium-3 detectors. We welcome new collaborators to join us. This research is supported by the NRC and NSERC (Canada), the US DOE and NSF, and the German RISE program.

Ex Vivo ERG analysis of photoreceptors using an In Vivo ERG system

PubMed Central

Vinberg, Frans; Kolesnikov, Alexander V.; Kefalov, Vladimir J.

2014-01-01

The Function of the retina and effects of drugs on it can be assessed by recording transretinal voltage across isolated retina that is perfused with physiological medium. However, building ex vivo ERG apparatus requires substantial amount of time, resources and expertise. Here we adapted a commercial in vivo ERG system for transretinal ERG recordings from rod and cone photoreceptors and compared rod and cone signalling between ex vivo and in vivo environments. We found that the rod and cone a- and b-waves recorded with the transretinal ERG adapter and a standard in vivo ERG system are comparable to those obtained from live anesthetized animals. However, ex vivo responses are somewhat slower and their oscillatory potentials are suppressed as compared to those recorded in vivo. We found that rod amplification constant (A) was comparable between ex vivo and in vivo conditions, ∼10 - 30 s-2 depending on the choice of response normalization. We estimate that the A in cones is between 3 and 6 s-2 in ex vivo conditions and by assuming equal A in vivo we arrive to light funnelling factor of 3 for cones in the mouse retina. The ex vivo ERG adapter provides a simple and affordable alternative to designing a custom-built transretinal recordings setup for the study of photoreceptors. Our results provide a roadmap to the rigorous quantitative analysis of rod and cone responses made possible with such a system. PMID:24959652

Superficial cooling does not decrease core body temperature before, during, or after exercise in an American football uniform.

PubMed

Lopez, Rebecca M; Eberman, Lindsey E; Cleary, Michelle A

2012-12-01

The purpose of this study was to identify the effects of superficial cooling on thermoregulatory responses while exercising in a hot humid environment while wearing an American football uniform. Nine male and female subjects wore a superficial cooling garment while in a cooling (CS) experimental condition or a no cooling (NCS) control condition during an exercise task consisting of warm-up (WU), exercise (EX), and recovery (R). The exercise task simulated an American football conditioning session with subjects wearing a full American football uniform and performing anaerobic and aerobic exercises in a hot humid environment. Subjects were allowed to drink water ad libitum during rest breaks. During the WU, EX, and R periods, core body temperature (T(c)) was measured to assess the effect of the cooling garment. Neither baseline resting before warm-up T(c) nor after warm-up T(c) was significantly different between trials. No significant differences in exercise T(c) between conditions were found. Time to return to baseline T(c) revealed no significant differences between the experimental and control conditions. The authors found that the volume of fluid consumed was 34% less in the experimental condition (711.1 ± 188.0 ml) compared with the control condition (1,077.8 ± 204.8 ml). The findings indicate that the cooling garment was not effective in blunting the rise in T(c) during warm-up, attenuating a rise in T(c) during intermittent exercise, or in increasing a return to baseline T(c) during a resting recovery period in a hot humid environment while wearing an American football uniform.

7 CFR 11.7 - Ex parte communications.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... all such oral communications; and (3) All written responses to such communications, and memoranda stating the substance of any oral responses thereto. (d) Upon receipt of a communication knowingly made or... 7 Agriculture 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Ex parte communications. 11.7 Section 11.7 Agriculture...

49 CFR 821.62 - Procedures for handling ex parte communications.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... proceeding: (a) All such written communications; (b) Memoranda stating the substance of all such oral communications; and (c) All written responses, and memoranda stating the substance of all oral responses, to the... 49 Transportation 7 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Procedures for handling ex parte communications...

7 CFR 283.21 - Ex parte communications.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... of all such oral communications; and (3) Copies of all written responses, and memoranda stating the substance of all oral responses thereto. (4) Upon receipt of a communication knowingly made or knowingly... 7 Agriculture 4 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Ex parte communications. 283.21 Section 283.21...

Thermal annealing dynamics of carbon-coated LiFePO4 nanoparticles studied by in-situ analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Krumeich, Frank; Waser, Oliver; Pratsinis, Sotiris E.

2016-10-01

The thermal behavior of core-shell carbon-coated lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4-C) nanoparticles made by flame spray pyrolysis (FSP) during annealing was investigated by in-situ transmission electron microscopy (TEM), in-situ X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) as well as ex-situ diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy (DRIFTS). Crystallization of the initially glassy LiFePO4-C nanoparticles starts at quite low temperatures (T=400 °C), forming single crystals inside the confinement of the carbon shell. Upon increasing the temperature to T≥700 °C, LiFePO4 starts to diffuse through the carbon shell resulting in cavities inside the mostly intact carbon shell. By increasing the temperature further to T≥800 °C, the initial core-shell morphology converts into open carbon shells (flakes and cenospheres) and bulky LiFePO4 particles (diameter in the range 300-400 nm), in agreement with ex-situ experiments.

Ex-vivo evaluation of an early caries detector based on integrated OCT and polarized Raman spectroscopy (Conference Presentation)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lamouche, Guy; Padioleau, Christian; Hewko, Mark; Smith, Michael S. D.; Schattka, Bernie J.; Fulton, Crystal; Gauthier, Bruno; Beauchesne, André; Ko, Alex C.; Choo-Smith, Lin-P'ing; Sowa, Michael G.

2017-02-01

Early detection of incipient caries would allow dentists to provide more effective measures to delay or to reverse caries' progression at earlier stage. Such earlier intervention could lead to improved oral health for the patients and reduced burden to the health system. Previously, we have demonstrated that the combination of morphological and biochemical information furnished by optical coherence tomography (OCT) and polarized Raman spectroscopy (PRS), respectively, provided a unique tool for dental caries management. In this study we will report the first pre-clinical caries detection system that includes a hand-held probe with a size slightly larger than a tooth brush. This probe presents a novel platform combining both OCT and PRS optics in a very tight space ideal for clinical practice. OCT cross-sectional images of near-surface enamel morphology are obtained with miniaturized MEMS scanning device and are processed in real-time to identify culprit regions. These regions are sequentially analyzed with polarized Raman spectroscopy for further confirmation. PRS is performed using 830nm laser line and four detection channels in order to obtain polarized Raman spectroscopic data, i.e. depolarization ratio of the hydroxyapatite Raman band at 960 cm-1. A detailed description of this hand-held caries detector and ex-vivo/in-vivo test results will be presented.

Astaxanthin, a Carotenoid, Stimulates Immune Responses by Enhancing IFN-γ and IL-2 Secretion in Primary Cultured Lymphocytes in Vitro and ex Vivo.

PubMed

Lin, Kuan-Hung; Lin, Kao-Chang; Lu, Wan-Jung; Thomas, Philip-Aloysius; Jayakumar, Thanasekaran; Sheu, Joen-Rong

2015-12-29

Astaxanthin, a potent antioxidant carotenoid, plays a major role in modulating the immune response. In this study, we examined the immunomodulatory effects of astaxanthin on cytokine production in primary cultured lymphocytes both in vitro and ex vivo. Direct administration of astaxanthin (70-300 nM) did not produce cytotoxicity in lipopolysaccharide (LPS, 100 µg/ mL)- or concanavalin A (Con A, 10 µg/ mL)-activated lymphocytes, whereas astaxanthin alone at 300 nM induced proliferation of splenic lymphocytes (p < 0.05) in vitro. Although astaxanthin, alone or with Con A, had no apparent effect on interferon (INF-γ) and interleukin (IL-2) production in primary cultured lymphocytes, it enhanced LPS-induced INF-γ production. In an ex vivo experiment, oral administration of astaxanthin (0.28, 1.4 and 7 mg/kg/day) for 14 days did not cause alterations in the body or spleen weights of mice and also was not toxic to lymphocyte cells derived from the mice. Moreover, treatment with astaxanthin significantly increased LPS-induced lymphocyte proliferation ex vivo but not Con A-stimulated lymphocyte proliferation ex vivo. Enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) analysis revealed that administration of astaxanthin significantly enhanced INF-γ production in response to both LPS and Con A stimulation, whereas IL-2 production increased only in response to Con A stimulation. Also, astaxanthin treatment alone significantly increased IL-2 production in lymphocytes derived from mice, but did not significantly change production of INF-γ. These findings suggest that astaxanthin modulates lymphocytic immune responses in vitro, and that it partly exerts its ex vivo immunomodulatory effects by increasing INF-γ and IL-2 production without inducing cytotoxicity.

Astaxanthin, a Carotenoid, Stimulates Immune Responses by Enhancing IFN-γ and IL-2 Secretion in Primary Cultured Lymphocytes in Vitro and ex Vivo

PubMed Central

Lin, Kuan-Hung; Lin, Kao-Chang; Lu, Wan-Jung; Thomas, Philip-Aloysius; Jayakumar, Thanasekaran; Sheu, Joen-Rong

2015-01-01

Astaxanthin, a potent antioxidant carotenoid, plays a major role in modulating the immune response. In this study, we examined the immunomodulatory effects of astaxanthin on cytokine production in primary cultured lymphocytes both in vitro and ex vivo. Direct administration of astaxanthin (70–300 nM) did not produce cytotoxicity in lipopolysaccharide (LPS, 100 µg/ mL)- or concanavalin A (Con A, 10 µg/ mL)-activated lymphocytes, whereas astaxanthin alone at 300 nM induced proliferation of splenic lymphocytes (p < 0.05) in vitro. Although astaxanthin, alone or with Con A, had no apparent effect on interferon (INF-γ) and interleukin (IL-2) production in primary cultured lymphocytes, it enhanced LPS-induced INF-γ production. In an ex vivo experiment, oral administration of astaxanthin (0.28, 1.4 and 7 mg/kg/day) for 14 days did not cause alterations in the body or spleen weights of mice and also was not toxic to lymphocyte cells derived from the mice. Moreover, treatment with astaxanthin significantly increased LPS-induced lymphocyte proliferation ex vivo but not Con A-stimulated lymphocyte proliferation ex vivo. Enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) analysis revealed that administration of astaxanthin significantly enhanced INF-γ production in response to both LPS and Con A stimulation, whereas IL-2 production increased only in response to Con A stimulation. Also, astaxanthin treatment alone significantly increased IL-2 production in lymphocytes derived from mice, but did not significantly change production of INF-γ. These findings suggest that astaxanthin modulates lymphocytic immune responses in vitro, and that it partly exerts its ex vivo immunomodulatory effects by increasing INF-γ and IL-2 production without inducing cytotoxicity. PMID:26729100

Plasma-panel based detectors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Friedman, Peter

2017-09-01

The plasma panel sensor (PPS) is a novel micropattern gas detector inspired by plasma display panels (PDPs), the core component of plasma-TVs. A PDP comprises millions of discrete cells per square meter, each of which, when provided with a signal pulse, can initiate and sustain a plasma discharge. Configured as a detector, a pixel or cell is biased to discharge when a free-electron is generated in the gas. The PPS consists of an array of small plasma discharge pixels, and can be configured to have either an ``open-cell'' or ``closed-cell'' structure, operating with high gain in the Geiger region. We describe both configurations and their application to particle physics. The open-cell PPS lends itself to ultra-low-mass, ultrathin structures, whereas the closed-cell microhexcavity PPS is capable of higher performance. For the ultrathin-PPS, we are fabricating 3-inch devices based on two types of extremely thin, inorganic, transparent, substrate materials: one being 8-10 µm thick, and the other 25-27 µm thick. These gas-filled ultrathin devices are designed to operate in a beam-line vacuum environment, yet must be hermetically-sealed and gas-filled in an ambient environment at atmospheric pressure. We have successfully fabricated high resolution, submillimeter pixel electrodes on both types of ultrathin substrates. We will also report on the fabrication, staging and operation of the first microhexcavity detectors (µH-PPS). The first µH-PPS prototype devices have a 16 by 16 matrix of closed packed hexagon pixels, each having a 2 mm width. Initial tests of these detectors, conducted with Ne based gases at atmospheric pressure, indicate that each pixel responds independent of its neighboring cells, producing volt level pulse amplitudes in response to ionizing radiation. Results will include the hit rate response to a radioactive beta source, cosmic ray muons, the background from spontaneous discharge, pixel isolation and uniformity, and efficiency measurements. This work was funded in part by a DOE Office of Nuclear Physics SBIR Phase-II Grant.

Nucifer: A small electron-antineutrino detector for fundamental and safeguard studies

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Letourneau, A.; Bui, V. M.; Cribier, M.

The Nucifer detector will be deployed in the next few months at the Osiris research reactor in France. Nucifer is a 1-ton Gd-doped liquid scintillator detector devoted to reactor antineutrino studies. It will be installed 7 m away from the compact core of the Osiris reactor. The design of such small volume detector has been focused on high detection efficiency and good background rejection. Over the last decades, our understanding of the neutrino properties has been improved and allows today the possibility to apply the detection of antineutrinos to automatic and to non intrusively survey nuclear power plant. This hasmore » triggered the interest of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which is interested by developing new safeguard techniques for next generation reactors. The sensitivity of such technique has to be proved and demonstrated. On the other hand there is still some issues in our understanding of the neutrino properties as the observed deficit in the antineutrino rate at short distances (< 100 m) that can not be explained by oscillations in the 3-flavors neutrino model. If a global systematic error is rejected, such anomaly opens the door to new physic that can be assessed with small detectors placed close to the core. Here we review the Nucifer detector in this context and the tests we are performing. (authors)« less

Physiological responses and performance in a simulated trampoline gymnastics competition in elite male gymnasts.

PubMed

Jensen, Peter; Scott, Suzanne; Krustrup, Peter; Mohr, Magni

2013-01-01

Physiological responses and performance were examined during and after a simulated trampoline competition (STC). Fifteen elite trampoline gymnasts participated, of which eight completed two routines (EX1 and EX2) and a competition final (EX3). Trampoline-specific activities were quantified by video-analysis. Countermovement jump (CMJ) and 20 maximal trampoline jump (20-MTJ) performances were assessed. Heart rate (HR) and quadriceps muscle temperature (Tm) were recorded and venous blood was drawn. A total of 252 ± 16 jumps were performed during the STC. CMJ performance declined (P < 0.05) by 3.8, 5.2 and 4.2% after EX1, EX2 and EX3, respectively, and was 4.8% lower (P < 0.05) than baseline 24 h post-competition. 20-MTJ flight time was ~1% shorter (P < 0.05) for jump 1-10 after EX2 and 24 h post STC. Tm increased (P < 0.05) to ~39°C after the warm-up, but declined (P < 0.05) 1.0 and 0.6ºC before EX2 and EX3, respectively. Peak HR was 95-97% HRmax during EX1-3. Peak blood lactate, plasma K(+) and NH3 were 6.5 ± 0.5, 6.0 ± 0.2 mmol · l(-1) and 92 ± 10 µmol · l(-1), respectively. Plasma CK increased (P < 0.05) by ~50 and 65% 0 and 24 h after STC. In conclusion, a trampoline gymnastic competition includes a high number of repeated explosive and energy demanding jumps, which impairs jump performance during and 24 h post-competition.

[Study on changes of contents of 1-deoxynojirimycin in Bombyx mori and their byproducts].

PubMed

Ouyang, Zhen; Meng, Xia; Chang, Yu; Yang, Yu

2009-02-01

To Study the changing regularity of the contents of 1-deoxynojirimycin in Bombyx mori and their byproducts in different growth periods. The samples were analyzed by high performance liquid chromatography equipped with fluorescence detector and separated on a HiQSiL C18 column at 25 degrees C. Mobile phase consisted of anetonitrile-0.1% aqueous acetic acid (55:45) with a flow rate of 1.0 mL/min. The fluorescence detector was operated at lambdaEX = 254 nm and lambdaEM = 322 nm. The contents of 1-deoxynojirimycin in Bombyx mori and their byproducts in different growth periods were remarkably different, and changed regularly. This study reveals the metabolic regularity of 1-deoxynojirimycin in Bombyx mori preliminarily.

Hydro-ball in-core instrumentation system and method of operation

DOEpatents

Tower, Stephen N.; Veronesi, Luciano; Braun, Howard E.

1990-01-01

A hydro-ball in-core instrumentation system employs detector strings each comprising a wire having radiation sensitive balls affixed diametrically at spaced positions therealong and opposite tip ends of which are transportable by fluid drag through interior passageways. In the passageways primary coolant is caused to flow selectively in first and second opposite directions for transporting the detector strings from stored positions in an exterior chamber to inserted positions within the instrumentation thimbles of the fuel rod assemblies of a pressure vessel, and for return. The coolant pressure within the detector passageways is the same as that within the vessel; face contact, disconnectable joints between sections of the interior passageways within the vessel facilitate assembly and disassembly of the vessel for refueling and routine maintenance operations. The detector strings may pass through a very short bend radius thereby minimizing space requirements for the connections of the instrumentation system to the vessel and concomitantly the vessel containment structure. Improved radiation mapping and a significant reduction in potential exposure of personnel to radiation are provided. Both top head and bottom head penetration embodiments are disclosed.

An anti-neutrino detector to monitor nuclear reactor's power and fuel composition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Battaglieri, M.; DeVita, R.; Firpo, G.; Neuhold, P.; Osipenko, M.; Piombo, D.; Ricco, G.; Ripani, M.; Taiuti, M.

2010-05-01

In this contribution, we present the expected performance of a new detector to measure the absolute energy-integrated flux and the energy spectrum of anti-neutrinos emitted by a nuclear power plant. The number of detected anti-neutrino is a direct measure of the power while from the energy spectrum is possible to infer the evolution in time of the core isotopic composition. The proposed method should be sensitive to a sudden change in the core burn-up as caused, for instance, by a fraudulent subtraction of plutonium. The detector, a 130×100×100 cm3 cube with 1 m3 active volume, made by plastic scintillator wrapped in thin Gd foils, is segmented in 50 independent optical channels read, side by side, by a pair of 3 in. photomultipliers. Anti-neutrino interacts with hydrogen contained in the plastic scintillator via the neutron inverse β- decay ( ν¯p→e+n). The high segmentation of the detector allows to reduce the background from other reactions by detecting independent hits for the positron, the two photons emitted in the e+e- annihilation and the neutron.

Elemental analysis using natural gamma-ray spectroscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aksoy, A.; Naqvi, A. A.; Khiari, F. Z.; Abujarad, F.; Al-Ohali, M.; Sumani, M.

1994-12-01

A gamma-ray spectroscopy setup has been recently established to measure the natural gamma-ray activity from potassium ( 40K), uranium ( 238U), and thorium ( 232Th) isotopes in rock samples of oil well-logs. The setup mainly consists of a shielded 135 cm 3 Hyper Pure Germanium (HPGe) detector, a 5 in. × 5 in. NaT(Tl) detector and a PC based data acquisition system. The core samples, with 70-100 g weight, have cylindrical geometry and are sealed such that radon gas from 238U decay would not escape from the sample. For room background subtraction, pure quartz samples identical to core samples were used. The sample is first counted with the HPGe detector to identify the elements through its characteristics gamma rays. Then the elemental concentration is determined by counting the sample with a NaI detector. In order to determine the absolute concentrations, the sample activity is compared with the activities of standards supplied by NIST and IAEA. The concentration of 238U and 232Th has been determined in ppm range with that of 40K in wt.%.

IXO/XMS Detector Trade-Off Study

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kilbourne, Caroline Anne; deKorte, P.; Smith, S.; Hoevers, H.; vdKuur, J.; Ezoe, Y.; Ullom, J.

2010-01-01

This document presents the outcome of the detector trade-off for the XMS instrument on IXO. This trade-off is part of the Cryogenic instrument Phase-A study as proposed to ESA in the Declaration of Interest SRONXMS-PL-2009-003 dated June 6, 2009. The detector consists of two components: a core array for the highest spectral resolution and an outer array to increase the field of view substantially with modest increase in the number of read-out channels. Degraded resolution of the outer array in comparison with the core array is accepted in order to make this scheme possible. The two detector components may be a single unit or separate units. These arrays comprise pixels and the components that allow them to be arrayed. Each pixel comprises a thermometer, an absorber, and the thermal links between them and to the rest of the array. These links may be interfaces or distinct components. The array infrastructure comprises the mechanical structure of the array, the arrangement of the leads, and features added to improve the integrated thermal properties of the array in the focal-plane assembly.

Performance of a scintillation detector array operated with LHAASO-KM2A electronics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Zhen; Guo, Yiqing; Cai, Hui; Chang, Jinfan; Chen, Tianlu; Danzengluobu; Feng, Youliang; Gao, Qi; Gou, Quanbu; Guo, Yingying; Hou, Chao; Hu, Hongbo; Labaciren; Liu, Cheng; Li, Haijin; Liu, Jia; Liu, Maoyuan; Qiao, Bingqiang; Qian, Xiangli; Sheng, Xiangdong; Tian, Zhen; Wang, Qun; Xue, Liang; Yao, Yuhua; Zhang, Shaoru; Zhang, Xueyao; Zhang, Yi

2018-04-01

A scintillation detector array composed of 115 detectors and covering an area of about 20000 m2 was installed at the end of 2016 at the Yangbajing international cosmic ray observatory and has been taking data since then. The array is equipped with electronics from Large High Altitude Air Shower Observatory Square Kilometer Complex Array (LHAASO-KM2A) and, in turn, currently serves as the largest debugging and testing platform for the LHAASO-KM2A. Furthermore, the array was used to study the performance of a wide field-of-view air Cherenkov telescope by providing accurate information on the shower core, direction and energy, etc. This work is mainly dealing with the scintillation detector array. The experimental setup and the offline calibration are described in detail. Then, a thorough comparison between the data and Monte Carlo (MC) simulations is presented and a good agreement is obtained. With the even-odd method, the resolutions of the shower direction and core are measured. Finally, successful observations of the expected Moon's and Sun's shadows of cosmic rays (CRs) verify the measured angular resolution.

Robust measurement of supernova ν e spectra with future neutrino detectors

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Nikrant, Alex; Laha, Ranjan; Horiuchi, Shunsaku

Measuring precise all-flavor neutrino information from a supernova is crucial for understanding the core-collapse process as well as neutrino properties. We apply a chi-squared analysis for different detector setups to explore determination of ν e spectral parameters. Using a long-term two-dimensional core-collapse simulation with three time-varying spectral parameters, we generate mock data to examine the capabilities of the current Super-Kamiokande detector and compare the relative improvements that gadolinium, Hyper-Kamiokande, and DUNE would have. We show that in a realistic three spectral parameter framework, the addition of gadolinium to Super-Kamiokande allows for a qualitative improvement in νe determination. Efficient neutron taggingmore » will allow Hyper-Kamiokande to constrain spectral information more strongly in both the accretion and cooling phases. Overall, significant improvements will be made by Hyper-Kamiokande and DUNE, allowing for much more precise determination of ν e spectral parameters.« less

Robust measurement of supernova ν e spectra with future neutrino detectors

DOE PAGES

Nikrant, Alex; Laha, Ranjan; Horiuchi, Shunsaku

2018-01-25

Measuring precise all-flavor neutrino information from a supernova is crucial for understanding the core-collapse process as well as neutrino properties. We apply a chi-squared analysis for different detector setups to explore determination of ν e spectral parameters. Using a long-term two-dimensional core-collapse simulation with three time-varying spectral parameters, we generate mock data to examine the capabilities of the current Super-Kamiokande detector and compare the relative improvements that gadolinium, Hyper-Kamiokande, and DUNE would have. We show that in a realistic three spectral parameter framework, the addition of gadolinium to Super-Kamiokande allows for a qualitative improvement in νe determination. Efficient neutron taggingmore » will allow Hyper-Kamiokande to constrain spectral information more strongly in both the accretion and cooling phases. Overall, significant improvements will be made by Hyper-Kamiokande and DUNE, allowing for much more precise determination of ν e spectral parameters.« less

LANDSAT-4 band 6 data evaluation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1983-01-01

The radiometric integrity of the LANDSAT-D thematic mapper (TM) thermal infrared channel (band 6) data was evaluated to develop improved radiometric preprocessing calibration techniques for removal of atmospheric effects. Primary data analysis was spent in evaluating the line to line and detector to detector variation in the thermal infrared data. The data studied was in the core area of Lake Ontario where very stable temperatures were expected. The detectors and the scan direction were taken as separate parameters and an analysis of variance was conducted. The data indicate that significant variability exists both between detectors and between scan directions.

Gel in core carbosomes as novel ophthalmic vehicles with enhanced corneal permeation and residence.

PubMed

Moustafa, Mona A; El-Refaie, Wessam M; Elnaggar, Yosra S R; Abdallah, Ossama Y

2018-05-17

Carbopol is a good bio-adhesive polymer that increases the residence time in the eye. However, the effect of blinking and lacrimation still reduce the amount of polymer and the incorporated drug available for bioadhesion. Gel-core liposomes are advanced systems offering benefits making it a good tool for improved ocular drug delivery and residence time. Incorporation of carbopol in gel-core liposomes and their potential in ocular delivery have not so far been investigated. Fluconazole (FLZ) was selected as a challenging important ocular antifungal suffering from poor corneal permeation and short residence time. In this study, gel-core carbosomes have been elaborated as novel carbopol-based ophthalmic vehicles to solve ocular delivery obstacles of FLZ and to sustain its effect. Full in vitro appraisal was performed considering gel-core structure, entrapment efficiency, particle size and stability of the vesicles as quality attributes. Structure elucidation of the nanocarrier was performed using optical, polarizing and transmission electron microscopy before and after Triton-X100 addition. Ex-vivo ocular permeation and in vivo performance were investigated on male albino rabbits. Optimized formulation (CBS5) showed gel-core structure, nanosize (339.00 ± 5.50 nm) and not defined before (62.00% ± 1.73) entrapment efficiency. Cumulative amount of CBS5 permeated ex-vivo after 6 h, was 2.43 and 3.43 folds higher than that of conventional liposomes and FLZ suspension, respectively. In-vivo corneal permeation of CBS5 showed significantly higher AUC0-24 h (487.12 ± 74.80) compared to that of FLZ suspension (204.34 ± 7.46) with longer residence time in the eye lasts for more than 18 h. In conclusion, novel gel-core carbosomes could successfully be used as a promising delivery system for chronic ocular diseases. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Effect of voluntary hypocapnic hyperventilation or moderate hypoxia on metabolic and heart rate responses during high-intensity intermittent exercise.

PubMed

Dobashi, Kohei; Fujii, Naoto; Watanabe, Kazuhito; Tsuji, Bun; Sasaki, Yosuke; Fujimoto, Tomomi; Tanigawa, Satoru; Nishiyasu, Takeshi

2017-08-01

To investigate the effect of voluntary hypocapnic hyperventilation or moderate hypoxia on metabolic and heart rate responses during high-intensity intermittent exercise. Ten males performed three 30-s bouts of high-intensity cycling [Ex1 and Ex2: constant-workload at 80% of the power output in the Wingate anaerobic test (WAnT), Ex3: WAnT] interspaced with 4-min recovery periods under normoxic (Control), hypocapnic or hypoxic (2500 m) conditions. Hypocapnia was developed through voluntary hyperventilation for 20 min prior to Ex1 and during each recovery period. End-tidal CO 2 pressure was lower before each exercise in the hypocapnia than control trials. Oxygen uptake ([Formula: see text]) was lower in the hypocapnia than control trials (822 ± 235 vs. 1645 ± 245 mL min -1 ; mean ± SD) during Ex1, but not Ex2 or Ex3, without a between-trial difference in the power output during the exercises. Heart rates (HRs) during Ex1 (127 ± 8 vs. 142 ± 10 beats min -1 ) and subsequent post-exercise recovery periods were lower in the hypocapnia than control trials, without differences during or after Ex2, except at 4 min into the second recovery period. [Formula: see text] did not differ between the control and hypoxia trials throughout. These results suggest that during three 30-s bouts of high-intensity intermittent cycling, (1) hypocapnia reduces the aerobic metabolic rate with a compensatory increase in the anaerobic metabolic rate during the first but not subsequent exercises; (2) HRs during the exercise and post-exercise recovery periods are lowered by hypocapnia, but this effect is diminished with repeated exercise bouts, and (3) moderate hypoxia (2500 m) does not affect the metabolic response during exercise.

Method and system for improved resolution of a compensated calorimeter detector

DOEpatents

Dawson, John W.

1991-01-01

An improved method and system for a depleted uranium calorimeter detector used in high energy physics experiments. In a depleted uranium calorimeter detector, the energy of a particle entering the calorimeter detector is determined and the output response of the calorimeter detector is compensated so that the ratio of the integrated response of the calorimeter detector from a lepton to the integrated response of the calorimeter detector from a hadron of the same energy as the lepton is approximately equal to 1. In the present invention, the energy of a particle entering the calorimeter detector is determined as a function of time and the hadron content of the response of the calorimeter detector is inferred based upon the time structure of the energy pulse measured by the calorimeter detector. The energy measurement can be corrected based on the inference of the hadron content whereby the resolution of the calorimeter can be improved.

Modular reconfigurable matched spectral filter spectrometer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schundler, Elizabeth; Engel, James R.; Gruber, Thomas; Vaillancourt, Robert; Benedict-Gill, Ryan; Mansur, David J.; Dixon, John; Potter, Kevin; Newbry, Scott

2015-06-01

OPTRA is currently developing a modular, reconfigurable matched spectral filter (RMSF) spectrometer for the monitoring of greenhouse gases. The heart of this spectrometer will be the RMSF core, which is a dispersive spectrometer that images the sample spectrum from 2000 - 3333 cm-1 onto a digital micro-mirror device (DMD) such that different columns correspond to different wavebands. By applying masks to this DMD, a matched spectral filter can be applied in hardware. The core can then be paired with different fore-optics or detector modules to achieve active in situ or passive remote detection of the chemicals of interest. This results in a highly flexible system that can address a wide variety of chemicals by updating the DMD masks and a wide variety of applications by swapping out fore-optic and detector modules. In either configuration, the signal on the detector is effectively a dot-product between the applied mask and the sample spectrum that can be used to make detection and quantification determinations. Using this approach significantly reduces the required data bandwidth of the sensor without reducing the information content, therefore making it ideal for remote, unattended systems. This paper will focus on the design of the RMSF core.

Gate Tuning of Förster Resonance Energy Transfer in a Graphene - Quantum Dot FET Photo-Detector.

PubMed

Li, Ruifeng; Schneider, Lorenz Maximilian; Heimbrodt, Wolfram; Wu, Huizhen; Koch, Martin; Rahimi-Iman, Arash

2016-06-20

Graphene photo-detectors functionalized by colloidal quantum dots (cQDs) have been demonstrated to show effective photo-detection. Although the transfer of charge carriers or energy from the cQDs to graphene is not sufficiently understood, it is clear that the mechanism and efficiency of the transfer depends on the morphology of the interface between cQDs and graphene, which is determined by the shell of the cQDs in combination with its ligands. Here, we present a study of a graphene field-effect transistor (FET), which is functionalized by long-ligand CdSe/ZnS core/shell cQDs. Time-resolved photo-luminescence from the cQDs as a function of the applied gate voltage has been investigated in order to probe transfer dynamics in this system. Thereby, a clear modification of the photo-luminescence lifetime has been observed, indicating a change of the decay channels. Furthermore, we provide responsivities under a Förster-like energy transfer model as a function of the gate voltage in support of our findings. The model shows that by applying a back-gate voltage to the photo-detector, the absorption can be tuned with respect to the photo-luminescence of the cQDs. This leads to a tunable energy transfer rate across the interface of the photo-detector, which offers an opportunity to optimize the photo-detection.

Patient adherence and treatment outcome with exposure and response prevention for OCD: Which components of adherence matter and who becomes well?

PubMed

Wheaton, Michael G; Galfalvy, Hanga; Steinman, Shari A; Wall, Melanie M; Foa, Edna B; Simpson, H Blair

2016-10-01

Exposure and response prevention (EX/RP) is an evidence-based treatment for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), yet not all patients achieve wellness with EX/RP. The degree to which patients adhere to EX/RP procedures outside of sessions has been found to predict therapy outcomes, including who achieves post-treatment wellness. We sought to investigate which components of treatment adherence most relate to outcome and to develop adherence benchmarks to identify who does and does not become well to provide clinicians with prognostic tools. Adherence data came from 37 adult patients with DSM-IV OCD who received 17 sessions of EX/RP as part of a randomized controlled trial of augmentation strategies for incomplete response to serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SRIs). Therapists rated between-session patient adherence at each exposure session by quantifying: 1) the quantity of homework exposures attempted; 2) the quality of attempted exposures; and 3) the degree of success with response prevention. Each adherence item significantly correlated with post-treatment OCD severity. Success with response prevention proved particularly strongly linked to therapy outcome. Time course analysis of this item accurately identified, relatively early in treatment, who would achieve post-treatment wellness. These data provide an efficient method for differentiating between those patients who will and will not achieve wellness after EX/RP augmentation of SRIs. Limitations and clinical implications of the current findings are discussed. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Influence of work clothing on physiological responses and performance during treadmill exercise and the Wildland Firefighter Pack Test.

PubMed

Phillips, Devin B; Ehnes, Cameron M; Welch, Bradley G; Lee, Lauren N; Simin, Irina; Petersen, Stewart R

2018-04-01

This study investigated physiological responses and performance during three separate exercise challenges (Parts I, II, and III) with wildland firefighting work clothing ensemble (boots and coveralls) and a 20.4 kg backpack in four conditions: U-EX (no pack, exercise clothing); L-EX (pack, exercise clothing); U-W (no pack, work clothing); and, L-W (pack and work clothing). Part I consisted of randomly-ordered graded exercise tests, on separate days, in U-EX, L-EX and L-W conditions. Part II consisted of randomly-ordered bouts of sub-maximal treadmill exercise in the four conditions. In Part III, subjects completed, in random-order on separate days, 4.83 km Pack Tests in L-EX or L-W conditions. In Part I, peak oxygen uptake was reduced (p < .05) in L-W. In Part II, mass-specific oxygen uptake was significantly higher in both work clothing conditions. In Part III, Pack Test time was slower (p < .05) in L-W. These results demonstrate the negative impact of work clothing and load carriage on physiological responses to exercise and performance. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Neutron-gamma flux and dose calculations in a Pressurized Water Reactor (PWR)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brovchenko, Mariya; Dechenaux, Benjamin; Burn, Kenneth W.; Console Camprini, Patrizio; Duhamel, Isabelle; Peron, Arthur

2017-09-01

The present work deals with Monte Carlo simulations, aiming to determine the neutron and gamma responses outside the vessel and in the basemat of a Pressurized Water Reactor (PWR). The model is based on the Tihange-I Belgian nuclear reactor. With a large set of information and measurements available, this reactor has the advantage to be easily modelled and allows validation based on the experimental measurements. Power distribution calculations were therefore performed with the MCNP code at IRSN and compared to the available in-core measurements. Results showed a good agreement between calculated and measured values over the whole core. In this paper, the methods and hypotheses used for the particle transport simulation from the fission distribution in the core to the detectors outside the vessel of the reactor are also summarized. The results of the simulations are presented including the neutron and gamma doses and flux energy spectra. MCNP6 computational results comparing JEFF3.1 and ENDF-B/VII.1 nuclear data evaluations and sensitivity of the results to some model parameters are presented.

Across-task priming revisited: response and task conflicts disentangled using ex-Gaussian distribution analysis.

PubMed

Moutsopoulou, Karolina; Waszak, Florian

2012-04-01

The differential effects of task and response conflict in priming paradigms where associations are strengthened between a stimulus, a task, and a response have been demonstrated in recent years with neuroimaging methods. However, such effects are not easily disentangled with only measurements of behavior, such as reaction times (RTs). Here, we report the application of ex-Gaussian distribution analysis on task-switching RT data and show that conflict related to stimulus-response associations retrieved after a switch of tasks is reflected in the Gaussian component. By contrast, conflict related to the retrieval of stimulus-task associations is reflected in the exponential component. Our data confirm that the retrieval of stimulus-task and -response associations affects behavior differently. Ex-Gaussian distribution analysis is a useful tool for pulling apart these different levels of associative priming that are not distinguishable in analyses of RT means.

Patient Adherence Predicts Outcome from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy in Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Simpson, Helen Blair; Maher, Michael J.; Wang, Yuanjia; Bao, Yuanyuan; Foa, Edna B.; Franklin, Martin

2011-01-01

Objective: To examine the effects of patient adherence on outcome from exposure and response prevention (EX/RP) therapy in adults with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Method: Thirty adults with OCD were randomized to EX/RP (n = 15) or EX/RP augmented by motivational interviewing strategies (n = 15). Both treatments included 3 introductory…

Rapid biodiagnostic ex vivo imaging at 1 μm pixel resolution with thermal source FTIR FPA.

PubMed

Findlay, C R; Wiens, R; Rak, M; Sedlmair, J; Hirschmugl, C J; Morrison, Jason; Mundy, C J; Kansiz, M; Gough, K M

2015-04-07

A recent upgrade to the optics configuration of a thermal source FTIR microscope equipped with a focal plane array detector has enabled rapid acquisition of high magnification spectrochemical images, in transmission, with an effective geometric pixel size of ∼1 × 1 μm(2) at the sample plane. Examples, including standard imaging targets for scale and accuracy, as well as biomedical tissues and microorganisms, have been imaged with the new system and contrasted with data acquired at normal magnification and with a high magnification multi-beam synchrotron instrument. With this optics upgrade, one can now conduct rapid biodiagnostic ex vivo tissue imaging in-house, with images collected over larger areas, in less time (minutes) and with comparable quality and resolution to the best synchrotron source FTIR imaging capabilities.

Gold-Based Nanostructures for Ultrafast Dynamic Nanothermometer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sun, Hongtao

Nano-scale temperature measurements are of significance for fundamental understanding of functional applications and nanosystems, requiring ultimate miniaturization of thermometers with reduced size, maintained sensitivity, simplicity and accuracy of temperature reading. Particularly, grand challenges exist for scenarios of combustion or thermal shock where materials may be subjected to drastic temperature variations and extreme thermal flux, and dynamic thermal sensors with an ultrafast response (seconds to milliseconds) are yet to be developed. Targeting the developments of advanced nano-scale thermal sensors with a fast time response and rapid readout, this thesis reports innovative designs of high surface-to-volume ratio gold nanostructures including ultrathin gold island films on transparent quartz substrates and silica-gold core-shell (SiO2 Au) nanospheres as potential dynamic thermal sensors for accurate temperature determination. The sensing mechanism is based on strong temperature dependences of the thermally-dewetting-induced morphological self-reorganization and characteristic surface plasmon (SP) absorption of the gold nanostructures. The irreversible thermally-induced morphological and optical signatures behave as characteristic "fingerprints" for temperature recording, allowing the retrieval of thermal history ex-situ. The fundamental studies of thermal-induced dewetting process and its corresponding unique optical properties were extensively investigated by high resolution scanning electron microscopy (HR-SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and UV-vis-NIR spectroscopy, which illustrate temperature and time dependent variations. As compared with current nanothermometer technologies such as metal-filled nanotubes, our thermo-sensor offers positively synergistic advantages of ultrafast time response, permanent recording and fast readout of thermal history, and ex-situ capability for effective temperature measurements. In addition, SiO2 Au nanospheres display simultaneously enhanced near bandgap edge (NBE) emissions and suppress defect level emission (DLE) of poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs), significantly improving the UV emission of the ZnO. Maximum emission enhancement by nearly 4 times was observed using SiO2 Au nanospheres with SP band at 554 nm. The enhanced UV emission is ascribed to the transfer of the energetic electrons excited by SP from gold nanoshells to the conduction band of ZnO. As a result of their superior tunability of surface plasmon resonance (SPR), the SiO2 Au core/shell nanospheres may be very useful in tuning the photoluminescence for a wide range of optoelectronic applications.

Exendin-4 increases blood glucose levels acutely in rats by activation of the sympathetic nervous system.

PubMed

Pérez-Tilve, Diego; González-Matías, Lucas; Aulinger, Benedikt A; Alvarez-Crespo, Mayte; Gil-Lozano, Manuel; Alvarez, Elias; Andrade-Olivie, Amalia M; Tschöp, Matthias H; D'Alessio, David A; Mallo, Federico

2010-05-01

Exendin-4 (Ex-4), an agonist of the glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor (GLP-1R), shares many of the actions of GLP-1 on pancreatic islets, the central nervous system (CNS), and the gastrointestinal tract that mediates glucose homeostasis and food intake. Because Ex-4 has a much longer plasma half-life than GLP-1, it is an effective drug for reducing blood glucose levels in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Here, we report that acute administration of Ex-4, in relatively high doses, into either the peripheral circulation or the CNS, paradoxically increased blood glucose levels in rats. This effect was independent of the insulinotropic and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal activating actions of Ex-4 and could be blocked by a GLP-1R antagonist. Comparable doses of GLP-1 did not induce hyperglycemia, even when protected from rapid metabolism by a dipeptidyl peptidase IV inhibitor. Acute hyperglycemia induced by Ex-4 was blocked by hexamethonium, guanethidine, and adrenal medullectomy, indicating that this effect was mediated by sympathetic nervous system (SNS) activation. The potency of Ex-4 to elevate blood glucose waned with chronic administration such that after 6 days the familiar actions of Ex-4 to improve glucose tolerance were evident. These findings indicate that, in rats, high doses of Ex-4 activate a SNS response that can overcome the expected benefits of this peptide on glucose metabolism and actually raise blood glucose. These results have important implications for the design and interpretation of studies using Ex-4 in rats. Moreover, since there are many similarities in the response of the GLP-1R system across mammalian species, it is important to consider whether there is acute activation of the SNS by Ex-4 in humans.

Fabrication of core-shell nanostructures via silicon on insulator dewetting and germanium condensation: towards a strain tuning method for SiGe-based heterostructures in a three-dimensional geometry.

PubMed

Naffouti, Meher; David, Thomas; Benkouider, Abdelmalek; Favre, Luc; Cabie, Martiane; Ronda, Antoine; Berbezier, Isabelle; Abbarchi, Marco

2016-07-29

We report on a novel method for the implementation of core-shell SiGe-based nanocrystals combining silicon on insulator dewetting in a molecular beam epitaxy reactor with an ex situ Ge condensation process. With an in situ two-step process (annealing and Ge deposition) we produce two families of islands on the same sample: Si-rich, formed during the first step and, all around them, Ge-rich formed after Ge deposition. By increasing the amount of Ge deposited on the annealed samples from 0 to 18 monolayers, the islands' shape in the Si-rich zones can be tuned from elongated and flat to more symmetric and with a larger vertical aspect ratio. At the same time, the spatial extension of the Ge-rich zones is progressively increased as well as the Ge content in the islands. Further processing by ex situ rapid thermal oxidation results in the formation of a core-shell composition profile in both Si and Ge-rich zones with atomically sharp heterointerfaces. The Ge condensation induces a Ge enrichment of the islands' shell of up to 50% while keeping a pure Si core in the Si-rich zones and a ∼25% SiGe alloy in the Ge-rich ones. The large lattice mismatch between core and shell, the absence of dislocations and the islands' monocrystalline nature render this novel class of nanostructures a promising device platform for strain-based band-gap engineering. Finally, this method can be used for the implementation of ultralarge scale meta-surfaces with dielectric Mie resonators for light manipulation at the nanoscale.

Thermoluminescence characteristics of Ge-doped optical fibers with different dimensions for radiation dosimetry.

PubMed

Begum, Mahfuza; Rahman, A K M Mizanur; Abdul-Rashid, H A; Yusoff, Z; Begum, Mahbuba; Mat-Sharif, K A; Amin, Y M; Bradley, D A

2015-06-01

Important thermoluminescence (TL) properties of five (5) different core sizes Ge-doped optical fibers have been studied to develop new TL material with better response. These are drawn from same preform applying different speed and tension during drawing phase to produce Ge-doped optical fibers with five (5) different core sizes. The results of the investigations are also compared with most commonly used standard TLD-100 chips (LiF:Mg,Ti) and commercial multimode Ge-doped optical fiber (Yangtze Optical Fiber, China). Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) and EDX analysis of the fibers are also performed to map Ge distribution across the deposited region. Standard Gamma radiation source in Secondary Standard Dosimetry Lab (SSDL) was used for irradiation covering dose range from 1Gy to 10Gy. The essential dosimetric parameters that have been studied are TL linearity, reproducibility and fading. Prior to irradiation all samples ∼0.5cm length are annealed at temperature of 400°C for 1h period to standardize their sensitivities and background. Standard TLD-100 chips are also annealed for 1h at 400°C and subsequently 2h at 100°C to yield the highest sensitivity. TL responses of these fibers show linearity over a wide gamma radiation dose that is an important property for radiation dosimetry. Among all fibers used in this study, 100μm core diameter fiber provides highest response that is 2.6 times than that of smallest core (20μm core) optical fiber. These fiber-samples demonstrate better response than commercial multi-mode optical fiber and also provide low degree of fading about 20% over a period of fifteen days for gamma radiation. Effective atomic number (Zeff) is found in the range (13.25-13.69) which is higher than soft tissue (7.5) however within the range of human-bone (11.6-13.8). All the fibers can also be re-used several times as a detector after annealing. TL properties of the Ge-doped optical fibers indicate promising applications in ionizing radiation dosimetry. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

GADRAS-DRF 18.6 User's Manual

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Horne, Steve M.; Thoreson, Greg G.; Theisen, Lisa A.

2016-05-01

The Gamma Detector Response and Analysis Software–Detector Response Function (GADRAS-DRF) application computes the response of gamma-ray and neutron detectors to incoming radiation. This manual provides step-by-step procedures to acquaint new users with the use of the application. The capabilities include characterization of detector response parameters, plotting and viewing measured and computed spectra, analyzing spectra to identify isotopes, and estimating source energy distributions from measured spectra. GADRAS-DRF can compute and provide detector responses quickly and accurately, giving users the ability to obtain usable results in a timely manner (a matter of seconds or minutes).

Infrared responsivity of a pyroelectric detector with a single-wall carbon nanotube coating.

PubMed

Theocharous, E; Engtrakul, C; Dillon, A C; Lehman, J

2008-08-01

The performance of a 10 mm diameter pyroelectric detector coated with a single-wall carbon nanotube (SWCNT) was evaluated in the 0.8 to 20 microm wavelength range. The relative spectral responsivity of this detector exhibits significant fluctuations over the wavelength range examined. This is consistent with independent absorbance measurements, which show that SWCNTs exhibit selective absorption bands in the visible and near-infrared. The performance of the detector in terms of noise equivalent power and detectivity in wavelength regions of high coating absorptivity was comparable with gold-black-coated pyroelectric detectors based on 50 microm thick LiTaO(3) crystals. The response of this detector was shown to be nonlinear for DC equivalent photocurrents >10(-9) A, and its spatial uniformity of response was comparable with other pyroelectric detectors utilizing gold-black coatings. The nonuniform spectral responsivity exhibited by the SWCNT-coated detector is expected to severely restrict the use of SWCNTs as black coatings for thermal detectors. However, the deposition of SWCNT coatings on a pyroelectric crystal followed by the study of the prominence of the spectral features in the relative spectral responsivity of the resultant pyroelectric detectors is shown to provide an effective method for quantifying the impurity content in SWCNT samples.

The circuit of polychromator for Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak edge Thomson scattering diagnostic.

PubMed

Zang, Qing; Hsieh, C L; Zhao, Junyu; Chen, Hui; Li, Fengjuan

2013-09-01

The detector circuit is the core component of filter polychromator which is used for scattering light analysis in Thomson scattering diagnostic, and is responsible for the precision and stability of a system. High signal-to-noise and stability are primary requirements for the diagnostic. Recently, an upgraded detector circuit for weak light detecting in Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST) edge Thomson scattering system has been designed, which can be used for the measurement of large electron temperature (T(e)) gradient and low electron density (n(e)). In this new circuit, a thermoelectric-cooled avalanche photodiode with the aid circuit is involved for increasing stability and enhancing signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), especially the circuit will never be influenced by ambient temperature. These features are expected to improve the accuracy of EAST Thomson diagnostic dramatically. Related mechanical construction of the circuit is redesigned as well for heat-sinking and installation. All parameters are optimized, and SNR is dramatically improved. The number of minimum detectable photons is only 10.

Fabrication of a transparent ultraviolet detector by using n-type Ga2O3 and p-type Ga-doped SnO2 core-shell nanowires.

PubMed

Hsu, Cheng-Liang; Lu, Ying-Ching

2012-09-21

This study investigates the feasibility of synthesizing high-density transparent Ga(2)O(3)/SnO(2):Ga core-shell nanowires on a sapphire substrate at 1000 °C by VLS. The doping Ga concentrations are 0.46, 1.07, 2.30 and 17.53 atomic%. The XRD spectrum and HR-TEM reveal Ga(2)O(3) and SnO(2) as having monoclinic and tetragonal rutile structures, respectively. Experimental results indicate that the XRD peak shift of SnO(2) to a larger angle increases with the increasing amount of Ga doping. According to the CL spectrum, SnO(2) and Ga(2)O(3) peak at approximately 528-568 nm and 422-424 nm, respectively. The maximum quantum efficiency of Ga(2)O(3)/SnO(2):Ga core-shell nanowires is around 0.362%. The UV light on-off current contrast ratio of Ga(2)O(3)/SnO(2):Ga core-shell nanowires is around 1066.7 at a bias of 5 V. Moreover, the dynamic response of Ga(2)O(3)/SnO(2):Ga core-shell nanowires has an on-off current contrast ratio of around 16. Furthermore, the Ga(2)O(3) region functions similar to a capacitor and continues to accumulate SnO(2):Ga excited electrons under UV light exposure.

Exercise training-induced bradycardia: evidence for enhanced parasympathetic regulation without changes in intrinsic sinoatrial node function.

PubMed

Billman, George E; Cagnoli, Kristen L; Csepe, Thomas; Li, Ning; Wright, Patrick; Mohler, Peter J; Fedorov, Vadim V

2015-06-01

The mechanisms responsible for exercise-induced reductions in baseline heart rate (HR), known as training bradycardia, remain controversial. Therefore, changes in cardiac autonomic regulation and intrinsic sinoatrial nodal (SAN) rate were evaluated using dogs randomly assigned to either a 10- to 12-wk exercise training (Ex, n = 15) or an equivalent sedentary period (Sed, n = 10). Intrinsic HR was revealed by combined autonomic nervous system (ANS) blockade (propranolol + atropine, iv) before and after completion of the study. At the end of the study, SAN function was further evaluated by examining the SAN recovery time (SNRT) following rapid atrial pacing and the response to adenosine in anesthetized animals. As expected, both the response to submaximal exercise and baseline HR significantly (P < 0.01) decreased, and heart rate variability (HRV; e.g., high-frequency R-R interval variability) significantly (P < 0.01) increased in the Ex group but did not change in the Sed group. Atropine also induced significantly (P < 0.01) greater reductions in HRV in the Ex group compared with the Sed group; propranolol elicited similar HR and HRV changes in both groups. In contrast, neither intrinsic HR (Ex before, 141.2 ± 6.7; Ex after, 146.0 ± 8.0 vs. Sed before, 143.3 ± 11.1; Sed after, 141.0 ± 11.3 beats per minute), the response to adenosine, corrected SNRT, nor atrial fibrosis and atrial fibrillation inducibility differed in the Ex group vs. the Sed group. These data suggest that in a large-animal model, training bradycardia results from an enhanced cardiac parasympathetic regulation and not from changes in intrinsic properties of the SAN. Copyright © 2015 the American Physiological Society.

Influence of repeated daily menthol exposure on human temperature regulation and perception.

PubMed

Gillis, D Jason; Weston, Neil; House, James R; Tipton, Michael J

2015-02-01

A single exposure to menthol can, depending on concentration, enhance both cool sensations and encourage body heat storage. This study tested whether there is an habituation in either response after repeated-daily exposures. Twenty-two participants were assigned to one of three spray groups: Control (CON; n=6), 0.05% L-menthol (M(0.05%); n=8), and 0.2% L-menthol (M(0.2%); n=8). On Monday (20°C, 50% rh) participants were sprayed with 100 mL of solution and undertook 40 min of cycling at 45% of their peak power (Ex1), from Tuesday to Thursday (30°C, 50% rh) they were sprayed twice daily whilst resting (R1 to R6), Friday was a repeat of Monday (Ex2). Thermal sensation (TS), thermal comfort, perceived exertion, irritation, rectal and skin temperature (Tsk), skin blood flow (SkBF) and sweat rate were monitored. A two-way ANOVA (alpha=0.05) compared responses from the beginning (Ex1, R1) and end (Ex2, R5) of the testing week. M(0.2%) induced significantly (P<0.05) cooler TS at the beginning of the week (Ex1, R1) compared to the end (Ex2, R5), indicating habituation of TS; this was not observed in M(0.05%). No other perceptual or physiological responses habituated. 0.2% Menthol caused a heat storage response, mediated by vasoconstriction, at the beginning and end of the week, suggesting the habituation of TS occurred in a pathway specific to sensation. In summary, the cooling influence of 0.2% menthol habituates after repeated-daily exposures, but with no habituation in heat storage. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Lateral Diffusion Length Changes in HgCdTe Detectors in a Proton Environment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hubbs, John E.; Marshall, Paul W.; Marshall, Cheryl J.; Gramer, Mark E.; Maestas, Diana; Garcia, John P.; Dole, Gary A.; Anderson, Amber A.

2007-01-01

This paper presents a study of the performance degradation in a proton environment of very long wavelength infrared (VLWIR) HgCdTe detectors. The energy dependence of the Non-Ionizing Energy Loss (NIEL) in HgCdTe provides a framework for estimating the responsivity degradation in VLWIR HgCdTe due to on orbit exposure from protons. Banded detector arrays that have different detector designs were irradiated at proton energies of 7, 12, and 63 MeV. These banded detector arrays allovedin sight into how the fundamental detector parameters degraded in a proton environment at the three different proton energies. Measured data demonstrated that the detector responsivity degradation at 7 MeV is 5 times larger than the degradation at 63 MeV. The comparison of the responsivity degradation at the different proton energies suggests that the atomic Columbic interaction of the protons with the HgCdTe detector is likely the primary mechanism responsible for the degradation in responsivity at proton energies below 30 MeV.

Simulation of radiation environment for the LHeC detector

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nayaz, Abdullah; Piliçer, Ercan; Joya, Musa

2017-02-01

The detector response and simulation of radiation environment for the Large Hadron electron Collider (LHeC) baseline detector is estimated to predict its performance over the lifetime of the project. In this work, the geometry of the LHeC detector, as reported in LHeC Conceptual Design Report (CDR), built in FLUKA Monte Carlo tool in order to simulate the detector response and radiation environment. For this purpose, events of electrons and protons with high enough energy were sent isotropically from interaction point of the detector. As a result, the detector response and radiation background for the LHeC detector, with different USRBIN code (ENERGY, HADGT20M, ALL-CHAR, ALL-PAR) in FLUKA, are presented.

Matching Condition of Direct THz-Signal Detection from On-Chip Resonating Antennas with CMOS Transistors in Non-resonant Plasma Wave Mode

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chai, S.; Lim, S.; Kim, C.-Y.; Hong, S.

2018-06-01

This paper presents matching condition for detector at THz frequencies, which directly read signals from an integrated antenna. We use direct THz-signal detections with CMOS transistors in non-resonant plasma wave mode, which are embedded in on-chip resonating antennas. The detector detects THz envelope signals directly from the side edges of the on-chip patch antennas. The signal detection mechanism is studied in the view of the impedance conditions of the antenna and the detector. The detectors are implemented with stacked transistors structures to achieve high responsivity. The measured responsivities of the detectors with antenna impedances that were simulated to be 599.7, 912.3, 1565, and 3190.6 Ω agree well with the calculated values. Moreover, the responsivity dependence on the detector impedance is shown with two different input impedances of the detectors. Since CMOS circuit models from foundry are not accurate at frequencies higher than f t , the matching guideline between the antenna and the detector is very useful in designing high responsivity detectors. This study found that a detector has to have a large input impedance conjugately matched to the antenna's impedance to have high responsivity.

Matching Condition of Direct THz-Signal Detection from On-Chip Resonating Antennas with CMOS Transistors in Non-resonant Plasma Wave Mode

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chai, S.; Lim, S.; Kim, C.-Y.; Hong, S.

2018-04-01

This paper presents matching condition for detector at THz frequencies, which directly read signals from an integrated antenna. We use direct THz-signal detections with CMOS transistors in non-resonant plasma wave mode, which are embedded in on-chip resonating antennas. The detector detects THz envelope signals directly from the side edges of the on-chip patch antennas. The signal detection mechanism is studied in the view of the impedance conditions of the antenna and the detector. The detectors are implemented with stacked transistors structures to achieve high responsivity. The measured responsivities of the detectors with antenna impedances that were simulated to be 599.7, 912.3, 1565, and 3190.6 Ω agree well with the calculated values. Moreover, the responsivity dependence on the detector impedance is shown with two different input impedances of the detectors. Since CMOS circuit models from foundry are not accurate at frequencies higher than f t , the matching guideline between the antenna and the detector is very useful in designing high responsivity detectors. This study found that a detector has to have a large input impedance conjugately matched to the antenna's impedance to have high responsivity.

Constraints on high-energy neutrino emission from SN 2008D

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

IceCube Collaboration; Abbasi, R.; Abdou, Y.; Abu-Zayyad, T.; Adams, J.; Aguilar, J. A.; Ahlers, M.; Andeen, K.; Auffenberg, J.; Bai, X.; Baker, M.; Barwick, S. W.; Bay, R.; Bazo Alba, J. L.; Beattie, K.; Beatty, J. J.; Bechet, S.; Becker, J. K.; Becker, K.-H.; Benabderrahmane, M. L.; Ben Zvi, S.; Berdermann, J.; Berghaus, P.; Berley, D.; Bernardini, E.; Bertrand, D.; Besson, D. Z.; Bissok, M.; Blaufuss, E.; Blumenthal, J.; Boersma, D. J.; Bohm, C.; Bose, D.; Böser, S.; Botner, O.; Braun, J.; Buitink, S.; Carson, M.; Chirkin, D.; Christy, B.; Clem, J.; Clevermann, F.; Cohen, S.; Colnard, C.; Cowen, D. F.; D'Agostino, M. V.; Danninger, M.; Davis, J. C.; De Clercq, C.; Demirörs, L.; Depaepe, O.; Descamps, F.; Desiati, P.; de Vries-Uiterweerd, G.; DeYoung, T.; Díaz-Vélez, J. C.; Dierckxsens, M.; Dreyer, J.; Dumm, J. P.; Duvoort, M. R.; Ehrlich, R.; Eisch, J.; Ellsworth, R. W.; Engdegård, O.; Euler, S.; Evenson, P. A.; Fadiran, O.; Fazely, A. R.; Fedynitch, A.; Feusels, T.; Filimonov, K.; Finley, C.; Foerster, M. M.; Fox, B. D.; Franckowiak, A.; Franke, R.; Gaisser, T. K.; Gallagher, J.; Geisler, M.; Gerhardt, L.; Gladstone, L.; Glüsenkamp, T.; Goldschmidt, A.; Goodman, J. A.; Grant, D.; Griesel, T.; Gro, A.; Grullon, S.; Gurtner, M.; Ha, C.; Hallgren, A.; Halzen, F.; Han, K.; Hanson, K.; Helbing, K.; Herquet, P.; Hickford, S.; Hill, G. C.; Hoffman, K. D.; Homeier, A.; Hoshina, K.; Hubert, D.; Huelsnitz, W.; Hül, J. P.; Hulth, P. O.; Hultqvist, K.; Hussain, S.; Ishihara, A.; Jacobsen, J.; Japaridze, G. S.; Johansson, H.; Joseph, J. M.; Kampert, K. H.; Kappes A.; Karg, T.; Karle, A.; Kelley, J. L.; Kemming, N.; Kenny, P.; Kiryluk, J.; Kislat, F.; Klein, S. R.; Köhne, J. H.; Kohnen, G.; Kolanoski, H.; Köpke, L.; Koskinen, D. J.; Kowalski, M.; Kowarik, T.; Krasberg, M.; Krings, T.; Kroll, G.; Kuehn, K.; Kuwabara, T.; Labare, M.; Lafebre, S.; Laihem, K.; Landsman, H.; Larson, M. J.; Lauer, R.; Lehmann, R.; Lünemann, J.; Madsen, J.; Majumdar, P.; Marotta, A.; Maruyama, R.; Mase, K.; Matis, H. S.; Matusik, M.; Meagher, K.; Merck, M.; Mészáros, P.; Meures, T.; Middell, E.; Milke, N.; Miller, J.; Montaruli, T.; Morse, R.; Movit, S. M.; Nahnhauer, R.; Nam, J. W.; Naumann, U.; Nießen, P.; Nygren, D. R.; Odrowski, S.; Olivas, A.; Olivo, M.; O'Murchadha, A.; Ono, M.; Panknin, S.; Paul, L.; Pérez de los Heros, C.; Petrovic, J.; Piegsa, A.; Pieloth, D.; Porrata, R.; Posselt, J.; Price, P. B.; Prikockis, M.; Przybylski, G. T.; Rawlins, K.; Redl, P.; Resconi, E.; Rhode, W.; Ribordy, M.; Rizzo, A.; Rodrigues, J. P.; Roth, P.; Rothmaier, F.; Rott, C.; Ruhe, T.; Rutledge, D.; Ruzybayev, B.; Ryckbosch, D.; Sander, H.-G.; Santander, M.; Sarkar, S.; Schatto, K.; Schlenstedt, S.; Schmidt, T.; Schukraft, A.; Schultes, A.; Schulz, O.; Schunck, M.; Seckel, D.; Semburg, B.; Seo, S. H.; Sestayo, Y.; Seunarine, S.; Silvestri, A.; Singh, K.; Slipak, A.; Spiczak, G. M.; Spiering, C.; Stamatikos, M.; Stanev, T.; Stephens, G.; Stezelberger, T.; Stokstad, R. G.; Stoyanov, S.; Strahler, E. A.; Straszheim, T.; Sullivan, G. W.; Swillens, Q.; Taavola, H.; Taboada, I.; Tamburro, A.; Tarasova, O.; Tepe, A.; Ter-Antonyan, S.; Tilav, S.; Toale, P. A.; Toscano, S.; Tosi, D.; Turčan, D.; van Eijndhoven, N.; Vandenbroucke, J.; Van Overloop, A.; van Santen, J.; Voge, M.; Voigt, B.; Walck, C.; Waldenmaier, T.; Wallraff, M.; Walter, M.; Weaver, Ch.; Wendt, C.; Westerhoff, S.; Whitehorn, N.; Wiebe, K.; Wiebusch, C. H.; Wikström, G.; Williams, D. R.; Wischnewski, R.; Wissing, H.; Wolf, M.; Woschnagg, K.; Xu, C.; Xu, X. W.; Yodh, G.; Yoshida, S.; Zarzhitsky, P.

2011-03-01

SN 2008D, a core collapse supernova at a distance of 27 Mpc, was serendipitously discovered by the Swift satellite through an associated X-ray flash. Core collapse supernovae have been observed in association with long gamma-ray bursts and X-ray flashes and a physical connection is widely assumed. This connection could imply that some core collapse supernovae possess mildly relativistic jets in which high-energy neutrinos are produced through proton-proton collisions. The predicted neutrino spectra would be detectable by Cherenkov neutrino detectors like IceCube. A search for a neutrino signal in temporal and spatial correlation with the observed X-ray flash of SN 2008D was conducted using data taken in 2007-2008 with 22 strings of the IceCube detector. Events were selected based on a boosted decision tree classifier trained with simulated signal and experimental background data. The classifier was optimized to the position and a "soft jet" neutrino spectrum assumed for SN 2008D. Using three search windows placed around the X-ray peak, emission time scales from 100-10 000 s were probed. No events passing the cuts were observed in agreement with the signal expectation of 0.13 events. Upper limits on the muon neutrino flux from core collapse supernovae were derived for different emission time scales and the principal model parameters were constrained. While no meaningful limits can be given in the case of an isotropic neutrino emission, the parameter space for a jetted emission can be constrained. Future analyses with the full 86 string IceCube detector could detect up to ~100 events for a core-collapse supernova at 10 Mpc according to the soft jet model.

Stellar neutron sources and s-process in massive stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Talwar, Rashi

The s-process or the slow neutron capture process is a nucleosynthesis process taking place at relatively low neutron densities in stars. It runs along the valley of beta stability since the neutron capture rate is much slower compared to the beta decay rate. The s-process occurs mainly during core helium burning and shell carbon burning phase in massive stars and during thermally pulsing helium burning phase in asymptotic giant-branch stars. The potential stellar neutron source for the s-process is associated with alpha-capture reactions on light nuclei. The capture-reaction rates provide the reaction flow for the build-up of22Ne neutron source during the heliumburning phase in these stars. The low energy 26Mg resonances at stellar energies below 800 keV are predicted to have a critical influence on the alpha-capture rates on 22Ne. Some of these resonances may also correspond to pronounced alpha cluster structure near the alpha-threshold. However, these resonances have remained elusive during direct alpha capture measurements owing to the high Coulomb barrier and background from cosmic rays and beam induced reactions. Hence, in the present work, alpha-inelastic scattering and alpha- transfer measurements have been performed to probe the level structure of 26Mg nucleus in order to determine the 22Ne+alpha-capture rates. Both experiments have been performed using the high-resolution Grand Raiden Spectrometer at the Research Center for Nuclear Physics (RCNP), Osaka, Japan. For the alpha-inelastic scattering measurement, a self-supporting solid 26Mg target was used and for the alpha-transfer study via the (6Li,d) reaction, 22Ne gas enclosed in a gas cell with Aramid windows was used. The reaction products were momentum analysed by the spectrometer and detected at the focal plane equipped with two multi-wire drift chambers and two plastic-scintillation detectors. The focal plane detection system provided information on the position, the angle, the time of flight and the energy of the particles enabling the reconstruction of the kinematics at the target. The focal plane energy calibration allowed for the study of 26 Mg levels from Ex = 7.69 - 12.06 MeV in the (alpha; alpha0) measurement and Ex = 7.36 - 11.32 MeV in the (6Li,d) measurement. Six levels (Ex = 10717 (9) keV , 10822 (10) keV, 10951 (21) keV, 11085 (8) keV, 11167 (8) keV and 11317 (18) keV) were observed above the alpha-threshold in the region of interest (10.61 - 11.32 MeV). The Ex = 10717 keV had a negligible contribution to the alpha-capture rates. The Ex = 10951, 11167 and 11317 keV exhibited pronounced alpha-cluster structure and hence, dominated the alpha-capture rates. The Ex = 11167 keV had the most appreciable impact on the (alpha; gamma ) rate increasing it by 2 orders of magnitude above Longland et al. [58] and Bisterzo et al. [8] rates and by a factor of 3 above NACRE [2] rate. Hence, the recommended 22Ne(alpha,n) + 22Ne(alpha; ) rates, from the present work, strongly favour the reduction of s-process over-abundances associated with massive stars as well as AGB stars of intermediate initial mass. Also, the uncertainty range corresponding to the present rates suggest the need for a more refined measurement of the associated resonance parameters.

Determination of vitamin E and carotenoid pigments by high performance liquid chromatography in shell of Chionoecetes opilio.

PubMed

Vilasoa-Martínez, María; Calaza-Ramos, Carina; López-Hernández, Julia; Lage-Yusty, María Asunción; Losada, Perfecto Paseiro; Rodríguez-Bernaldo de Quirós, Ana

2008-06-09

This study reports the optimization of a method for the determination of vitamin E and carotenoids in shells of Chionoecetes opilio samples by online HPLC coupled with UV-vis and fluorescence detectors. The carotenoids were determined with diode-array detector (lambda 450 nm) and vitamin E with fluorescence detection (lambda(ex) 288, lambda(em) 331 nm). Two extractions methods were compared, saponification followed by an extraction step and a simple extraction with acetone. The last one was selected because allows to determine all compounds. Linearity, precisions and recoveries achieved for all compounds were satisfactory. Mean concentrations (mg per 100 g dry weight) were; 23.3 for vitamin E, 9.49 for astaxanthin and 0.2 mg for beta-carotene.

In vivo and ex vivo cetuximab sensitivity assay using three-dimensional primary culture system to stratify KRAS mutant colorectal cancer

PubMed Central

Tashiro, Takahiro; Okuyama, Hiroaki; Endo, Hiroko; Kawada, Kenji; Ashida, Yasuko; Ohue, Masayuki; Sakai, Yoshiharu; Inoue, Masahiro

2017-01-01

In clinic, cetuximab, an anti-EGFR antibody, improves treatment outcomes in colorectal cancer (CRC). KRAS-mutant CRC is generally resistant to cetuximab, although difference of the sensitivity among KRAS-mutants has not been studied in detail. We previously developed the cancer tissue-originated spheroid (CTOS) method, a primary culture method for cancer cells. We applied CTOS method to investigate whether ex vivo cetuximab sensitivity assays reflect the difference in sensitivity in the xenografts. Firstly, in vivo cetuximab treatment was performed with xenografts derived from 10 CTOS lines (3 KRAS-wildtype and 7 KRAS mutants). All two CTOS lines which exhibited tumor regression were KRAS-wildtype, meanwhile all KRAS-mutant CTOS lines grew more than the initial size: were resistant to cetuximab according to the clinical evaluation criteria, although the sensitivity was quite diverse. We divided KRAS-mutants into two groups; partially responsive group in which cetuximab had a substantial growth inhibitory effect, and resistant group which exhibited no effect. The ex vivo signaling assay with EGF stimulation revealed that the partially responsive group, but not the resistant group, exhibited suppressed ERK phosphorylation ex vivo. Furthermore, two lines from the partially responsive group, but none of the lines in the resistant group, exhibited a combinatory effect of cetuximab and trametinib, a MEK inhibitor, ex vivo and in vivo. Taken together, the results indicate that ex vivo signaling assay reflects the difference in sensitivity in vivo and stratifies KRAS mutant CTOS lines by sensitivity. Therefore, coupling the in vivo and ex vivo assays with CTOS can be a useful platform for understanding the mechanism of diversity in drug sensitivity. PMID:28301591

Microwave characteristics of GaAs MMIC integratable optical detectors

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Claspy, Paul C.; Hill, Scott M.; Bhasin, Kul B.

1989-01-01

Interdigitated photoconductive detectors were fabricated on microwave device structures, making them easily integratable with Monolithic Microwave Integrated Circuits (MMIC). Detector responsivity as high as 2.5 A/W and an external quantum efficiency of 3.81 were measured. Response speed was nearly independent of electrode geometry, and all detectors had usable response at frequencies to 6 GHz. A small signal model of the detectors based on microwave measurements was also developed.

Tests on a 30 kVA class superconducting transformer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yoneda, E. S.; Tashiro, I.; Morohoshi, M.; Ito, D.

To demonstrate the applicability of superconductors to electric power machines, the present authors made and tested a 30 kVA class single-phase superconducting transformer. The aim of the study was to determine the superconducting transformer properties. Therefore the superconducting transformer has a simple structure, i.e. the primary to secondary voltage ratio is 1:1 and the iron core is immersed in liquid helium. The core loss, evaluated from no-load tests, was 13 W and leakage impedance, obtained by short circuit tests, was 0.02 Ω in accordance with a calculated value. The superconducting transformer showed the limitation effect of fault currents. The authors succeeded in continuous operation with a 0.5 Ω load resistance. These results suggest that efficiency can be 98.5%, if the iron core is located outside the cryostat and if high Tc superconductors are used as current leads. Superconducting windings exhibit training quenches in general. The authors also developed a superconducting transformer quench detector with a third winding around the iron core. The quench detector revealed that the secondary winding quenches before the primary winding.

Identification of precision treatment strategies for relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma by functional drug sensitivity testing.

PubMed

Majumder, Muntasir Mamun; Silvennoinen, Raija; Anttila, Pekka; Tamborero, David; Eldfors, Samuli; Yadav, Bhagwan; Karjalainen, Riikka; Kuusanmäki, Heikki; Lievonen, Juha; Parsons, Alun; Suvela, Minna; Jantunen, Esa; Porkka, Kimmo; Heckman, Caroline A

2017-08-22

Novel agents have increased survival of multiple myeloma (MM) patients, however high-risk and relapsed/refractory patients remain challenging to treat and their outcome is poor. To identify novel therapies and aid treatment selection for MM, we assessed the ex vivo sensitivity of 50 MM patient samples to 308 approved and investigational drugs. With the results we i) classified patients based on their ex vivo drug response profile; ii) identified and matched potential drug candidates to recurrent cytogenetic alterations; and iii) correlated ex vivo drug sensitivity to patient outcome. Based on their drug sensitivity profiles, MM patients were stratified into four distinct subgroups with varied survival outcomes. Patients with progressive disease and poor survival clustered in a drug response group exhibiting high sensitivity to signal transduction inhibitors. Del(17p) positive samples were resistant to most drugs tested with the exception of histone deacetylase and BCL2 inhibitors. Samples positive for t(4;14) were highly sensitive to immunomodulatory drugs, proteasome inhibitors and several targeted drugs. Three patients treated based on the ex vivo results showed good response to the selected treatments. Our results demonstrate that ex vivo drug testing may potentially be applied to optimize treatment selection and achieve therapeutic benefit for relapsed/refractory MM.

Measurements of speed of response of high-speed visible and IR optical detectors

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rowe, H. E.; Osmundson, J. S.

1972-01-01

A technique for measuring speed of response of high speed visible and IR optical detectors to mode-locked Nd:YAG laser pulses is described. Results of measurements of response times of four detectors are presented. Three detectors that can be used as receivers in a 500-MHz optical communication system are tested.

An algorithm for automatic crystal identification in pixelated scintillation detectors using thin plate splines and Gaussian mixture models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schellenberg, Graham; Stortz, Greg; Goertzen, Andrew L.

2016-02-01

A typical positron emission tomography detector is comprised of a scintillator crystal array coupled to a photodetector array or other position sensitive detector. Such detectors using light sharing to read out crystal elements require the creation of a crystal lookup table (CLUT) that maps the detector response to the crystal of interaction based on the x-y position of the event calculated through Anger-type logic. It is vital for system performance that these CLUTs be accurate so that the location of events can be accurately identified and so that crystal-specific corrections, such as energy windowing or time alignment, can be applied. While using manual segmentation of the flood image to create the CLUT is a simple and reliable approach, it is both tedious and time consuming for systems with large numbers of crystal elements. In this work we describe the development of an automated algorithm for CLUT generation that uses a Gaussian mixture model paired with thin plate splines (TPS) to iteratively fit a crystal layout template that includes the crystal numbering pattern. Starting from a region of stability, Gaussians are individually fit to data corresponding to crystal locations while simultaneously updating a TPS for predicting future Gaussian locations at the edge of a region of interest that grows as individual Gaussians converge to crystal locations. The algorithm was tested with flood image data collected from 16 detector modules, each consisting of a 409 crystal dual-layer offset LYSO crystal array readout by a 32 pixel SiPM array. For these detector flood images, depending on user defined input parameters, the algorithm runtime ranged between 17.5-82.5 s per detector on a single core of an Intel i7 processor. The method maintained an accuracy above 99.8% across all tests, with the majority of errors being localized to error prone corner regions. This method can be easily extended for use with other detector types through adjustment of the initial template model used.

Unfolding neutron spectrum with Markov Chain Monte Carlo at MIT research Reactor with He-3 Neutral Current Detectors [Measuring neutron spectrum at MIT research reactor utilizing He-3 Bonner Cylinder Approach with an unfolding analysis

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Leder, A.; Anderson, A. J.; Billard, J.

Here, the Ricochet experiment seeks to measure Coherent (neutral-current) Elastic Neutrino-Nucleus Scattering (CEνNS) using dark-matter-style detectors with sub-keV thresholds placed near a neutrino source, such as the MIT (research) Reactor (MITR), which operates at 5.5 MW generating approximately 2.2 × 10 18 ν/second in its core. Currently, Ricochet is characterizing the backgrounds at MITR, the main component of which comes in the form of neutrons emitted from the core simultaneous with the neutrino signal. To characterize this background, we wrapped Bonner cylinders around a 3 2He thermal neutron detector, whose data was then unfolded via a Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) to producemore » a neutron energy spectrum across several orders of magnitude. We discuss the resulting spectrum and its implications for deploying Ricochet at the MITR site as well as the feasibility of reducing this background level via the addition of polyethylene shielding around the detector setup.« less

SOLID2: An Antibody Array-Based Life-Detector Instrument in a Mars Drilling Simulation Experiment (MARTE)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Parro, Víctor; Fernández-Calvo, Patricia; Rodríguez Manfredi, José A.; Moreno-Paz, Mercedes; Rivas, Luis A.; García-Villadangos, Miriam; Bonaccorsi, Rosalba; González-Pastor, José Eduardo; Prieto-Ballesteros, Olga; Schuerger, Andrew C.; Davidson, Mark; Gómez-Elvira, Javier; Stoker, Carol R.

2008-10-01

A field prototype of an antibody array-based life-detector instrument, Signs Of LIfe Detector (SOLID2), has been tested in a Mars drilling mission simulation called MARTE (Mars Astrobiology Research and Technology Experiment). As one of the analytical instruments on the MARTE robotic drilling rig, SOLID2 performed automatic sample processing and analysis of ground core samples (0.5 g) with protein microarrays that contained 157 different antibodies. Core samples from different depths (down to 5.5 m) were analyzed, and positive reactions were obtained in antibodies raised against the Gram-negative bacterium Leptospirillum ferrooxidans, a species of the genus Acidithiobacillus (both common microorganisms in the Río Tinto area), and extracts from biofilms and other natural samples from the Río Tinto area. These positive reactions were absent when the samples were previously subjected to a high-temperature treatment, which indicates the biological origin and structural dependency of the antibody-antigen reactions. We conclude that an antibody array-based life-detector instrument like SOLID2 can detect complex biological material, and it should be considered as a potential analytical instrument for future planetary missions that search for life.

New measurement system for on line in core high-energy neutron flux monitoring in materials testing reactor conditions.

PubMed

Geslot, B; Vermeeren, L; Filliatre, P; Lopez, A Legrand; Barbot, L; Jammes, C; Bréaud, S; Oriol, L; Villard, J-F

2011-03-01

Flux monitoring is of great interest for experimental studies in material testing reactors. Nowadays, only the thermal neutron flux can be monitored on line, e.g., using fission chambers or self-powered neutron detectors. In the framework of the Joint Instrumentation Laboratory between SCK-CEN and CEA, we have developed a fast neutron detector system (FNDS) capable of measuring on line the local high-energy neutron flux in fission reactor core and reflector locations. FNDS is based on fission chambers measurements in Campbelling mode. The system consists of two detectors, one detector being mainly sensitive to fast neutrons and the other one to thermal neutrons. On line data processing uses the CEA depletion code DARWIN in order to disentangle fast and thermal neutrons components, taking into account the isotopic evolution of the fissile deposit. The first results of FNDS experimental test in the BR2 reactor are presented in this paper. Several fission chambers have been irradiated up to a fluence of about 7 × 10(20) n∕cm(2). A good agreement (less than 10% discrepancy) was observed between FNDS fast flux estimation and reference flux measurement.

New measurement system for on line in core high-energy neutron flux monitoring in materials testing reactor conditions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Geslot, B.; Vermeeren, L.; Filliatre, P.; Lopez, A. Legrand; Barbot, L.; Jammes, C.; Bréaud, S.; Oriol, L.; Villard, J.-F.

2011-03-01

Flux monitoring is of great interest for experimental studies in material testing reactors. Nowadays, only the thermal neutron flux can be monitored on line, e.g., using fission chambers or self-powered neutron detectors. In the framework of the Joint Instrumentation Laboratory between SCK-CEN and CEA, we have developed a fast neutron detector system (FNDS) capable of measuring on line the local high-energy neutron flux in fission reactor core and reflector locations. FNDS is based on fission chambers measurements in Campbelling mode. The system consists of two detectors, one detector being mainly sensitive to fast neutrons and the other one to thermal neutrons. On line data processing uses the CEA depletion code DARWIN in order to disentangle fast and thermal neutrons components, taking into account the isotopic evolution of the fissile deposit. The first results of FNDS experimental test in the BR2 reactor are presented in this paper. Several fission chambers have been irradiated up to a fluence of about 7 × 1020 n/cm2. A good agreement (less than 10% discrepancy) was observed between FNDS fast flux estimation and reference flux measurement.

Unfolding neutron spectrum with Markov Chain Monte Carlo at MIT research Reactor with He-3 Neutral Current Detectors [Measuring neutron spectrum at MIT research reactor utilizing He-3 Bonner Cylinder Approach with an unfolding analysis

DOE PAGES

Leder, A.; Anderson, A. J.; Billard, J.; ...

2018-02-02

Here, the Ricochet experiment seeks to measure Coherent (neutral-current) Elastic Neutrino-Nucleus Scattering (CEνNS) using dark-matter-style detectors with sub-keV thresholds placed near a neutrino source, such as the MIT (research) Reactor (MITR), which operates at 5.5 MW generating approximately 2.2 × 10 18 ν/second in its core. Currently, Ricochet is characterizing the backgrounds at MITR, the main component of which comes in the form of neutrons emitted from the core simultaneous with the neutrino signal. To characterize this background, we wrapped Bonner cylinders around a 3 2He thermal neutron detector, whose data was then unfolded via a Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) to producemore » a neutron energy spectrum across several orders of magnitude. We discuss the resulting spectrum and its implications for deploying Ricochet at the MITR site as well as the feasibility of reducing this background level via the addition of polyethylene shielding around the detector setup.« less

SOLID2: an antibody array-based life-detector instrument in a Mars Drilling Simulation Experiment (MARTE).

PubMed

Parro, Víctor; Fernández-Calvo, Patricia; Rodríguez Manfredi, José A; Moreno-Paz, Mercedes; Rivas, Luis A; García-Villadangos, Miriam; Bonaccorsi, Rosalba; González-Pastor, José Eduardo; Prieto-Ballesteros, Olga; Schuerger, Andrew C; Davidson, Mark; Gómez-Elvira, Javier; Stoker, Carol R

2008-10-01

A field prototype of an antibody array-based life-detector instrument, Signs Of LIfe Detector (SOLID2), has been tested in a Mars drilling mission simulation called MARTE (Mars Astrobiology Research and Technology Experiment). As one of the analytical instruments on the MARTE robotic drilling rig, SOLID2 performed automatic sample processing and analysis of ground core samples (0.5 g) with protein microarrays that contained 157 different antibodies. Core samples from different depths (down to 5.5 m) were analyzed, and positive reactions were obtained in antibodies raised against the Gram-negative bacterium Leptospirillum ferrooxidans, a species of the genus Acidithiobacillus (both common microorganisms in the Río Tinto area), and extracts from biofilms and other natural samples from the Río Tinto area. These positive reactions were absent when the samples were previously subjected to a high-temperature treatment, which indicates the biological origin and structural dependency of the antibody-antigen reactions. We conclude that an antibody array-based life-detector instrument like SOLID2 can detect complex biological material, and it should be considered as a potential analytical instrument for future planetary missions that search for life.

Populus deltoides Bartr ex Marsh.

Treesearch

D. T. Cooper

1980-01-01

Eastern cottonwood (Populus deltoides), one of the largest eastern hardwoods, is short-lived but the fastest-growing commercial forest species in North America. It grows best on moist well-drained sands or silts near streams, often in pure stands. The lightweight, rather soft wood is used primarily for core stock in manufacturing fumiture and for pulpwood. Eastern...

Lyophilized sustained release mucoadhesive chitosan sponges for buccal buspirone hydrochloride delivery: formulation and in vitro evaluation.

PubMed

Kassem, Mohamed A A; ElMeshad, Aliaa N; Fares, Ahmed R

2015-06-01

This work aims to prepare sustained release buccal mucoadhesive lyophilized chitosan sponges of buspirone hydrochloride (BH) to improve its systemic bioavailability. Chitosan sponges were prepared using simple casting/freeze-drying technique according to 3(2) factorial design where chitosan grade was set at three levels (low, medium, and high molecular weight), and concentration of chitosan solution at three levels (0.5, 1, and 2%). Mucoadhesion force, ex vivo mucoadhesion time, percent BH released after 8 h (Q8h), and time for release of 50% BH (T50%) were chosen as dependent variables. Additional BH cup and core buccal chitosan sponge were prepared to achieve uni-directional BH release toward the buccal mucosa. Sponges were evaluated in terms of drug content, surface pH, scanning electron microscopy, swelling index, mucoadhesion strength, ex vivo mucoadhesion time, and in vitro drug release. Cup and core sponge (HCH 0.5E) were able to adhere to the buccal mucosa for 8 h. It showed Q8h of 68.89% and exhibited a uni-directional drug release profile following Higuchi diffusion model.

Folic acid-targeted disulfide-based cross-linking micelle for enhanced drug encapsulation stability and site-specific drug delivery against tumors

PubMed Central

Zhang, Yumin; Zhou, Junhui; Yang, Cuihong; Wang, Weiwei; Chu, Liping; Huang, Fan; Liu, Qiang; Deng, Liandong; Kong, Deling; Liu, Jianfeng; Liu, Jinjian

2016-01-01

Although the shortcomings of small molecular antitumor drugs were efficiently improved by being entrapped into nanosized vehicles, premature drug release and insufficient tumor targeting demand innovative approaches that boost the stability and tumor responsiveness of drug-loaded nanocarriers. Here, we show the use of the core cross-linking method to generate a micelle with enhanced drug encapsulation ability and sensitivity of drug release in tumor. This kind of micelle could increase curcumin (Cur) delivery to HeLa cells in vitro and improve tumor accumulation in vivo. We designed and synthesized the core cross-linked micelle (CCM) with polyethylene glycol and folic acid-polyethylene glycol as the hydrophilic units, pyridyldisulfide as the cross-linkable and hydrophobic unit, and disulfide bond as the cross-linker. CCM showed spherical shape with a diameter of 91.2 nm by the characterization of dynamic light scattering and transmission electron microscope. Attributed to the core cross-linking, drug-loaded CCM displayed higher Nile Red or Cur-encapsulated stability and better sensitivity to glutathione than noncross-linked micelle (NCM). Cellular uptake and in vitro antitumor studies proved the enhanced endocytosis and better cytotoxicity of CCM-Cur against HeLa cells, which had a high level of glutathione. Meanwhile, the folate receptor-mediated drug delivery (FA-CCM-Cur) further enhanced the endocytosis and cytotoxicity. Ex vivo imaging studies showed that CCM-Cur and FA-CCM-Cur possessed higher tumor accumulation until 24 hours after injection. Concretely, FA-CCM-Cur exhibited the highest tumor accumulation with 1.7-fold of noncross-linked micelle Cur and 2.8-fold of free Cur. By combining cross-linking of the core with active tumor targeting of FA, we demonstrated a new and effective way to design nanocarriers for enhanced drug encapsulation, smart tumor responsiveness, and elevated tumor accumulation. PMID:27051287

Development of novel formulations to enhance in vivo transdermal permeation of tocopherol.

PubMed

Nada, Aly H; Zaghloul, Abdelazim A; Hedaya, Mohsen M; Khattab, Ibrahim S

2014-09-01

Tocopherol represents a big challenge for transdermal permeation owing to its extreme hydrophobicity and large molecular mass. The aim of the present study was to develop alpha-tocopherol (T) topical formulations and evaluate their ex vivo and in vivo permeation. Franz diffusion cells were used for ex vivo permeation, and neonatal rats were used for in vivo permeation. Seven gel formulations and 21 liquid formulations were investigated for physical stability, viscosity and permeation of T. Analysis of T was performed by a validated HPLC method using a UV detector. The ex vivo permeation from gel and emulsion formulations was very poor (0.001-0.015%). Highest permeation was observed from monophasic liquid formulations containing dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), tocopheryl polyethylene glycols (TPGs), propylene glycol, ethanol and 9.5% T. The in vivo results demonstrated higher retention in the epidermis compared to subcutaneous tissues, 1377 and 1.13 μg g⁻¹, respectively. Increasing T concentration from 4.8 to 9.5% did not increase the amount permeated or % of T retained. It was concluded that simple solutions of T in the presence of DMSO and TPGs were more promising systems for effective transdermal permeation compared to gel, emulsion or oleaginous systems.

Comparison of the response of four aerosol detectors used with ultra high pressure liquid chromatography.

PubMed

Hutchinson, Joseph P; Li, Jianfeng; Farrell, William; Groeber, Elizabeth; Szucs, Roman; Dicinoski, Greg; Haddad, Paul R

2011-03-25

The responses of four different types of aerosol detectors have been evaluated and compared to establish their potential use as a universal detector in conjunction with ultra high pressure liquid chromatography (UHPLC). Two charged-aerosol detectors, namely Corona CAD and Corona Ultra, and also two different types of light-scattering detectors (an evaporative light scattering detector, and a nano-quantity analyte detector [NQAD]) were evaluated. The responses of these detectors were systematically investigated under changing experimental and instrumental parameters, such as the mobile phase flow-rate, analyte concentration, mobile phase composition, nebulizer temperature, evaporator temperature, evaporator gas flow-rate and instrumental signal filtering after detection. It was found that these parameters exerted non-linear effects on the responses of the aerosol detectors and must therefore be considered when designing analytical separation conditions, particularly when gradient elution is performed. Identical reversed-phase gradient separations were compared on all four aerosol detectors and further compared with UV detection at 200 nm. The aerosol detectors were able to detect all 11 analytes in a test set comprising species having a variety of physicochemical properties, whilst UV detection was applicable only to those analytes containing chromophores. The reproducibility of the detector response for 11 analytes over 10 consecutive separations was found to be approximately 5% for the charged-aerosol detectors and approximately 11% for the light-scattering detectors. The tested analytes included semi-volatile species which exhibited a more variable response on the aerosol detectors. Peak efficiencies were generally better on the aerosol detectors in comparison to UV detection and particularly so for the light-scattering detectors which exhibited efficiencies of around 110,000 plates per metre. Limits of detection were calculated using different mobile phase compositions and the NQAD detector was found to be the most sensitive (LOD of 10 ng/mL), followed by the Corona CAD (76 ng/mL), then UV detection at 200 nm (178 ng/mL) using an injection volume of 25 μL. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Spectrometry of the Earth using Neutrino Oscillations

PubMed Central

Rott, C.; Taketa, A.; Bose, D.

2015-01-01

The unknown constituents of the interior of our home planet have provoked the human imagination and driven scientific exploration. We herein demonstrate that large neutrino detectors could be used in the near future to significantly improve our understanding of the Earth’s inner chemical composition. Neutrinos, which are naturally produced in the atmosphere, traverse the Earth and undergo oscillations that depend on the Earth’s electron density. The Earth’s chemical composition can be determined by combining observations from large neutrino detectors with seismic measurements of the Earth’s matter density. We present a method that will allow us to perform a measurement that can distinguish between composition models of the outer core. We show that the next-generation large-volume neutrino detectors can provide sufficient sensitivity to reject extreme cases of outer core composition. In the future, dedicated instruments could be capable of distinguishing between specific Earth composition models and thereby reshape our understanding of the inner Earth in previously unimagined ways. PMID:26489447

Measuring Neutron Spectrum at MIT Research Reactor Utilizing He-3 Bonner Cylinder Approach with an Unfolding Analysis

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Leder, A.; Anderson, A. J.; Billard, J.

2017-10-02

The Ricochet experiment seeks to measure Coherent (neutral-current) Elastic Neutrino-Nucleus Scattering using dark-matter-style detectors with sub-keV thresholds placed near a neutrino source, such as the MIT (research) Reactor (MITR), which operates at 5.5 MW generating approximately 2.2e18 neutrinos/second at the core. Currently, Ricochet is characterizing the backgrounds at MITR, the main component of which comes in the form of neutrons emitted from the core simultaneous with the neutrino signal. To characterize this background, we wrapped a Bonner cylinder around a He-3 thermal neutron detector, whose data was then unfolded to produce a neutron energy spectrum across several orders of magnitude.more » We discuss the resulting spectrum and its implications for deploying Ricochet in the future at the MITR site as well as the feasibility of reducing this background level via the addition of polyethylene shielding around the detector setup.« less

Sources and functions of extracellular small RNAs in human circulation

PubMed Central

Fritz, Joëlle V.; Heintz-Buschart, Anna; Ghosal, Anubrata; Wampach, Linda; Etheridge, Alton; Galas, David; Wilmes, Paul

2017-01-01

Various biotypes of endogenous small RNAs (sRNAs) have been detected in human circulation including microRNAs, tRNA, rRNA and yRNA fragments. These extracellular sRNAs (ex-sRNAs) are packaged and secreted by many different cell types. Ex-sRNAs exhibit differences in abundance in several disease contexts and have therefore been proposed as well-suited biomarkers. Furthermore, exosome-borne ex-sRNAs have been reported to elicit physiological responses in receiving cells. Albeit controversial, exogenous ex-sRNAs derived from plants and microorganisms have also been described in human blood. Essential questions which remain to be conclusively addressed in the field concern the (i) presence and mechanistic sources of exogenous ex-sRNA in human bodily fluids, (ii) detection and measurement of ex-sRNA in human circulation, (iii) selectivity of ex-sRNA export and import, (iv) sensitivity and specificity of ex-sRNA delivery to cellular targets, and (v) cell-, tissue-, organ- and organism-wide impacts of ex-sRNAs. We will survey the present state of knowledge of most of these questions in this review. PMID:27215587

Calibration of Thomson scattering system on VEST

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Y.-G.; Lee, J.-H.; Kim, D.; Yoo, M.-G.; Lee, H.; Hwang, Y. S.; Na, Y.-S.

2017-12-01

The Thomson scattering system has been recently installed on Versatile Experiment Spherical Torus (VEST) to measure the electron temperature and the density of the core plasmas. Since the calibration of the system is required for the accurate measurement of these parameters, a polychromator and the system efficiency are calibrated. The bias voltage of the detector is optimized and the relative responsivity of the polychromator is measured to analyse the spectral broadening. The tendency of decreasing responsivity because of the ambient temperature change is addressed together. The efficiencies of the alignments using HeNe laser and Nd:YAG laser are compared. After the alignment using Rayleigh scattering, it is improved ~ 7 times while the peak signal of the stray light is decreased. To evaluate the efficiencies of the alignment using HeNe laser, it is compared with the efficiency of the fine alignment by Rayleigh scattering. After absolute calibration is done, the Thomson scattering signal is estimated theoretically. The Bayesian analysis is tried using the synthetic data, and the results show that the input temperature and the density are inside the contour of the 90% confident level. The calibrated Thomson scattering system will provide the meaningful information of the core plasma of the VEST.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Chen, K.; Chen, H.; Wu, W.

We present that in the upgrade of ATLAS experiment, the front-end electronics components are subjected to a large radiation background. Meanwhile high speed optical links are required for the data transmission between the on-detector and off-detector electronics. The GBT architecture and the Versatile Link (VL) project are designed by CERN to support the 4.8 Gbps line rate bidirectional high-speed data transmission which is called GBT link. In the ATLAS upgrade, besides the link with on-detector, the GBT link is also used between different off-detector systems. The GBTX ASIC is designed for the on-detector front-end, correspondingly for the off-detector electronics, themore » GBT architecture is implemented in Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGA). CERN launches the GBT-FPGA project to provide examples in different types of FPGA. In the ATLAS upgrade framework, the Front-End LInk eXchange (FELIX) system is used to interface the front end electronics of several ATLAS subsystems. The GBT link is used between them, to transfer the detector data and the timing, trigger, control and monitoring information. The trigger signal distributed in the down-link from FELIX to the front-end requires a fixed and low latency. In this paper, several optimizations on the GBT-FPGA IP core are introduced, to achieve a lower fixed latency. For FELIX, a common firmware will be used to interface different front-ends with support of both GBT modes: the forward error correction mode and the wide mode. The modified GBT-FPGA core has the ability to switch between the GBT modes without FPGA reprogramming. Finally, the system clock distribution of the multi-channel FELIX firmware is also discussed in this paper.« less

Dose response effect of NutriTek on leukocyte functionality and ex vivo cytokine production during a dexamethasone challenge in Holstein steer calves

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The objective of this study was to determine the dose response effects of supplementing NutriTek on leukocyte functionality and ex vivo cytokine production during a dexamethasone (DEX) challenge. Holstein steers (125.1 ± 8.16 kg; N = 32) were assigned to treatments including 0, 20, 40, or 60 g/head/...

Assessment of penetration potential of pH responsive double walled biodegradable nanogels coated with eucalyptus oil for the controlled delivery of 5-fluorouracil: In vitro and ex vivo studies.

PubMed

Sahu, Prashant; Kashaw, Sushil K; Jain, Sanyog; Sau, Samaresh; Iyer, Arun K

2017-05-10

Penetration enhancers coated biodegradable polymeric nanogels loaded with cytotoxic drugs applied via the topical route, can be a promising strategy for improving the chemotherapeutic efficiency of skin cancers. The major objective of proposed research was to investigate the in vitro and ex vivo chemotherapeutic potential of double walled PLGA-chitosan biodegradable nanogel entrapped with 5-fluororuacil (5-FU) coated with eucalyptus oil, topically applied onto the skin. 5-FU was first entrapped in PLGA core by solvent evaporation technique followed by coating with cationic chitosan for ionic interaction with anionic skin cancer cell membrane. A surface coating of eucalyptus oil (1%) was employed to improve the penetration efficacy of the nanogel into stratum corneum. The surface modified biodegradable double walled nanogel was characterized for particle size, charge and thermal properties followed by pH dependent in vitro analysis. Human keratinocyte (HaCaT) cell line was employed for the bio- and cyto-compatibility testing prior to the hemolysis assay and coagulation assessment. A porcine skin ex vivo screening was performed for assessing the penetration potential of the nanogels. DLS and TEM revealed a particle size about 170nm for the double walled nanogels. The nanogels also exhibited high thermal stability as analyzed by thermogravimetry (TG) and differential thermal analysis (DTA). The drug entrapment efficacy was about ~40%. The drug release showed sustained release pattern noted up to 24h. The low hemolysis of 2.39% with short prothrombin time (PT) and activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT) of 14.2 and 35.5s respectively, revealed high biocompatibility of the nanogels. The cellular uptake and localization was assessed by confocal microscopy. The cytotoxicity (MTT assay) on HaCaT cell line demonstrated high cytocompatibilty of the nanogels. An ex vivo evaluation using porcine skin displayed efficient and steady state flux of 5-FU from the biodegradable nanogles into the skin, while the histology of the porcine skin revealed enhanced penetration potential of eucalyptus oil coated PLGA-chitosan double walled nanogels. Taken together the in vivo and ex vivo results portend promising potential for the utility of the biodegradable nanogels for treating skin cancers. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: When Unwanted Thoughts or Irresistable Actions Take Over

MedlinePlus

... the obsessions and compulsions. Exposure and Response Prevention (EX/RP) is a specific form of CBT which ... shown to help many patients recover from OCD. EX/RP involves gradually exposing you to your fears ...

A novel flat-response x-ray detector in the photon energy range of 0.1-4 keV

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Li Zhichao; Guo Liang; Research Center of Laser Fusion, China Academy of Engineering Physics, Mianyang, Sichuan 621900

2010-07-15

A novel flat-response x-ray detector has been developed for the measurement of radiation flux from a hohlraum. In order to obtain a flat response in the photon energy range of 0.1-4 keV, it is found that both the cathode and the filter of the detector can be made of gold. A further improvement on the compound filter can then largely relax the requirement of the calibration x-ray beam. The calibration of the detector, which is carried out on Beijing Synchrotron Radiation Facility at Institute of High Energy Physics, shows that the detector has a desired flat response in the photonmore » energy range of 0.1-4 keV, with a response flatness smaller than 13%. The detector has been successfully applied in the hohlraum experiment on Shenguang-III prototype laser facility. The radiation temperatures inferred from the detector agree well with those from the diagnostic instrument Dante installed at the same azimuth angle from the hohlraum axis, demonstrating the feasibility of the detector.« less

A novel flat-response x-ray detector in the photon energy range of 0.1-4 keV.

PubMed

Li, Zhichao; Jiang, Xiaohua; Liu, Shenye; Huang, Tianxuan; Zheng, Jian; Yang, Jiamin; Li, Sanwei; Guo, Liang; Zhao, Xuefeng; Du, Huabin; Song, Tianming; Yi, Rongqing; Liu, Yonggang; Jiang, Shaoen; Ding, Yongkun

2010-07-01

A novel flat-response x-ray detector has been developed for the measurement of radiation flux from a hohlraum. In order to obtain a flat response in the photon energy range of 0.1-4 keV, it is found that both the cathode and the filter of the detector can be made of gold. A further improvement on the compound filter can then largely relax the requirement of the calibration x-ray beam. The calibration of the detector, which is carried out on Beijing Synchrotron Radiation Facility at Institute of High Energy Physics, shows that the detector has a desired flat response in the photon energy range of 0.1-4 keV, with a response flatness smaller than 13%. The detector has been successfully applied in the hohlraum experiment on Shenguang-III prototype laser facility. The radiation temperatures inferred from the detector agree well with those from the diagnostic instrument Dante installed at the same azimuth angle from the hohlraum axis, demonstrating the feasibility of the detector.

Whole body counter calibration using Monte Carlo modeling with an array of phantom sizes based on national anthropometric reference data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shypailo, R. J.; Ellis, K. J.

2011-05-01

During construction of the whole body counter (WBC) at the Children's Nutrition Research Center (CNRC), efficiency calibration was needed to translate acquired counts of 40K to actual grams of potassium for measurement of total body potassium (TBK) in a diverse subject population. The MCNP Monte Carlo n-particle simulation program was used to describe the WBC (54 detectors plus shielding), test individual detector counting response, and create a series of virtual anthropomorphic phantoms based on national reference anthropometric data. Each phantom included an outer layer of adipose tissue and an inner core of lean tissue. Phantoms were designed for both genders representing ages 3.5 to 18.5 years with body sizes from the 5th to the 95th percentile based on body weight. In addition, a spherical surface source surrounding the WBC was modeled in order to measure the effects of subject mass on room background interference. Individual detector measurements showed good agreement with the MCNP model. The background source model came close to agreement with empirical measurements, but showed a trend deviating from unity with increasing subject size. Results from the MCNP simulation of the CNRC WBC agreed well with empirical measurements using BOMAB phantoms. Individual detector efficiency corrections were used to improve the accuracy of the model. Nonlinear multiple regression efficiency calibration equations were derived for each gender. Room background correction is critical in improving the accuracy of the WBC calibration.

Acute effect of exercise intensity and duration on acylated ghrelin and hunger in men.

PubMed

Broom, David R; Miyashita, Masashi; Wasse, Lucy K; Pulsford, Richard; King, James A; Thackray, Alice E; Stensel, David J

2017-03-01

Acute exercise transiently suppresses the orexigenic gut hormone acylated ghrelin, but the extent to which exercise intensity and duration determine this response is not fully understood. The effects of manipulating exercise intensity and duration on acylated ghrelin concentrations and hunger were examined in two experiments. In experiment one, nine healthy males completed three, 4-h conditions (control, moderate-intensity running (MOD) and vigorous-intensity running (VIG)), with an energy expenditure of ~2.5 MJ induced in both MOD (55-min running at 52% peak oxygen uptake (V.O 2peak )) and VIG (36-min running at 75% V.O 2peak ). In experiment two, nine healthy males completed three, 9-h conditions (control, 45-min running (EX45) and 90-min running (EX90)). Exercise was performed at 70% V.O 2peak In both experiments, participants consumed standardised meals, and acylated ghrelin concentrations and hunger were quantified at predetermined intervals. In experiment one, delta acylated ghrelin concentrations were lower than control in MOD (ES = 0.44, P = 0.01) and VIG (ES = 0.98, P < 0.001); VIG was lower than MOD (ES = 0.54, P = 0.003). Hunger ratings were similar across the conditions (P = 0.35). In experiment two, delta acylated ghrelin concentrations were lower than control in EX45 (ES = 0.77, P < 0.001) and EX90 (ES = 0.68, P < 0.001); EX45 and EX90 were similar (ES = 0.09, P = 0.55). Hunger ratings were lower than control in EX45 (ES = 0.20, P = 0.01) and EX90 (ES = 0.27, P = 0.001); EX45 and EX90 were similar (ES = 0.07, P = 0.34). Hunger and delta acylated ghrelin concentrations remained suppressed at 1.5 h in EX90 but not EX45. In conclusion, exercise intensity, and to a lesser extent duration, are determinants of the acylated ghrelin response to acute exercise. © 2017 Society for Endocrinology.

Gas Sensors Based on Tin Oxide Nanoparticles Synthesized from a Mini-Arc Plasma Source

DOE PAGES

Lu, Ganhua; Huebner, Kyle L.; Ocola, Leonidas E.; ...

2006-01-01

Minimore » aturized gas sensors or electronic noses to rapidly detect and differentiate trace amount of chemical agents are extremely attractive. In this paper, we report on the fabrication and characterization of a functional tin oxide nanoparticle gas sensor. Tin oxide nanoparticles are first synthesized using a convenient and low-cost mini-arc plasma source. The nanoparticle size distribution is measured online using a scanning electrical mobility spectrometer (SEMS). The product nanoparticles are analyzed ex-situ by high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) for morphology and defects, energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectroscopy for elemental composition, electron diffraction for crystal structure, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) for surface composition. Nonagglomerated rutile tin oxide ( SnO 2 ) nanoparticles as small as a few nm have been produced. Larger particles bear a core-shell structure with a metallic core and an oxide shell. The nanoparticles are then assembled onto an e-beam lithographically patterned interdigitated electrode using electrostatic force to fabricate the gas sensor. The nanoparticle sensor exhibits a fast response and a good sensitivity when exposed to 100 ppm ethanol vapor in air.« less

The LHCb software and computing upgrade for Run 3: opportunities and challenges

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bozzi, C.; Roiser, S.; LHCb Collaboration

2017-10-01

The LHCb detector will be upgraded for the LHC Run 3 and will be readout at 30 MHz, corresponding to the full inelastic collision rate, with major implications on the full software trigger and offline computing. If the current computing model and software framework are kept, the data storage capacity and computing power required to process data at this rate, and to generate and reconstruct equivalent samples of simulated events, will exceed the current capacity by at least one order of magnitude. A redesign of the software framework, including scheduling, the event model, the detector description and the conditions database, is needed to fully exploit the computing power of multi-, many-core architectures, and coprocessors. Data processing and the analysis model will also change towards an early streaming of different data types, in order to limit storage resources, with further implications for the data analysis workflows. Fast simulation options will allow to obtain a reasonable parameterization of the detector response in considerably less computing time. Finally, the upgrade of LHCb will be a good opportunity to review and implement changes in the domains of software design, test and review, and analysis workflow and preservation. In this contribution, activities and recent results in all the above areas are presented.

Real-time dynamic range and signal to noise enhancement in beam-scanning microscopy by integration of sensor characteristics, data acquisition hardware, and statistical methods

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kissick, David J.; Muir, Ryan D.; Sullivan, Shane Z.; Oglesbee, Robert A.; Simpson, Garth J.

2013-02-01

Despite the ubiquitous use of multi-photon and confocal microscopy measurements in biology, the core techniques typically suffer from fundamental compromises between signal to noise (S/N) and linear dynamic range (LDR). In this study, direct synchronous digitization of voltage transients coupled with statistical analysis is shown to allow S/N approaching the theoretical maximum throughout an LDR spanning more than 8 decades, limited only by the dark counts of the detector on the low end and by the intrinsic nonlinearities of the photomultiplier tube (PMT) detector on the high end. Synchronous digitization of each voltage transient represents a fundamental departure from established methods in confocal/multi-photon imaging, which are currently based on either photon counting or signal averaging. High information-density data acquisition (up to 3.2 GB/s of raw data) enables the smooth transition between the two modalities on a pixel-by-pixel basis and the ultimate writing of much smaller files (few kB/s). Modeling of the PMT response allows extraction of key sensor parameters from the histogram of voltage peak-heights. Applications in second harmonic generation (SHG) microscopy are described demonstrating S/N approaching the shot-noise limit of the detector over large dynamic ranges.

Data acquisition system for segmented reactor antineutrino detector

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hons, Z.; Vlášek, J.

2017-01-01

This paper describes the data acquisition system used for data readout from the PMT channels of a segmented detector of reactor antineutrinos with active shielding. Theoretical approach to the data acquisition is described and two possible solutions using QDCs and digitizers are discussed. Also described are the results of the DAQ performance during routine data taking operation of DANSS. DANSS (Detector of the reactor AntiNeutrino based on Solid Scintillator) is a project aiming to measure a spectrum of reactor antineutrinos using inverse beta decay (IBD) in a plastic scintillator. The detector is located close to an industrial nuclear reactor core and is covered by passive and active shielding. It is expected to have about 15000 IBD interactions per day. Light from the detector is sensed by PMT and SiPM.

Evaluation of a novel delayed-type hypersensitivity assay to Candida albicans in adult and neonatal rats.

PubMed

Thorn, Mitchell; Hudson, Adam W; Kreeger, John; Kawabe, Thomas T; Bowman, Christopher J; Collinge, Mark

2015-01-01

Delayed-type hypersensitivity (DTH) is a T-cell-mediated immune response that may be used for immunotoxicity testing in non-clinical species. However, in some cases DTH assays using T-dependent antigens may be confounded by the production of antibodies to the antigen. The authors have previously modified a DTH assay, initially validated in the mouse, for use in juvenile rats to assess the effect of immunosuppressive drugs on the developing rat immune system. The assay measures footpad swelling induced by subcutaneous footpad injection of Candida albicans (C. albicans) derived-chitosan in rats previously sensitized with C. albicans. Antibodies to chitosan are not produced in this model. However, considerable inter-animal variability inherent in the footpad swelling assay can make it difficult to precisely quantify the magnitude of the immune response and inhibition by immunosuppressants, particularly if complete suppression is not observed. This report describes the development of an ex vivo assay to assess DTH in rats using interferon (IFN)-γ production by splenocytes, obtained from rats sensitized with C. albicans, as the quantifiable measure of the DTH response. Adult and neonatal rats administered dexamethasone (DEX), a known immunosuppressant, exhibited immunosuppression as evidenced by a reduction in ex vivo IFNγ production from splenocytes challenged with C. albicans-derived chitosan. Current data indicate that the ex vivo based DTH assay is more sensitive than the conventional footpad swelling assay due to a lower background response and the ability to detect a response as early as post-natal day (PND) 12. The ex vivo based rat DTH assay offers a highly sensitive and quantitative alternative to the footpad swelling assay for the assessment of the immunotoxic potential of drugs. The increased sensitivity of the ex vivo DTH assay may be useful for identifying smaller changes in response to immunotoxic drugs, as well as detecting responses earlier in animal development.

Definition of a pool of epitopes that recapitulates the T cell reactivity against major house dust mite allergens.

PubMed

Hinz, D; Oseroff, C; Pham, J; Sidney, J; Peters, B; Sette, A

2015-10-01

Allergens from house dust mites (HDM) are a common cause of asthma. Der p and Der f from Dermatophagoides sp. are strong immunogens in humans. Allergen extracts are used to study T helper (Th2) cell responses to HDM, which are implicated in the development and regulation of allergic disease. To define an epitope mixture that recapitulates, and might substitute for, HDM extract in terms of detecting and characterizing Th2 cell responses. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from 52 HDM allergic and 10 non-allergic individuals were stimulated with HDM extracts and assayed with a set of 178 peptides spanning mite allergens group Der p 1, 2, 23 and Der f group 1 and 2 allergens. A pool of the most dominant T cell epitopes identified in the present study and from published literature was assembled and tested for ex vivo T cell responses. Correlation with HDM-specific IgE titres was examined. Patterns of T cell reactivity to Der p and Der f - derived peptides revealed a large number of epitopes. Clear patterns of immunodominance were apparent, with HDM allergen group 1 and 2 dominant over group 23. Furthermore, within a given antigen, 6-11 epitopes accounted for the vast majority of responses. Based on these results and published data, a comprehensive dust mite pool (DMP) of epitopes was designed and found to allow detection of ex vivo T cell responses. DMP ex vivo reactivity correlated with HDM-specific IgE titres and was similar to that detected with commonly used HDM extracts. Ex vivo DMP stimulation was associated with a predominant Th2 response in allergic donors, and minor reactivity of T cells producing IFNγ, IL17 and IL10. A detailed map of Der p and Der f antigens defined a pool of epitopes that can be used to detect ex vivo HDM responses. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

High energy hadrons in air shower cores at mountain altitude

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

van Staa, R.; Aschenbach, B.; Boehm, E.

1974-01-01

At the Pic du Midi (730 g cm/sup -2/) in France an air shower array has been operated to study high-energy hadrons in air shower cores. The array consists of 13 scintillation counters of 0.25 mi each and a 14 mi high energy hadron detector. 2050 showers please delete the above abstract no 21733====

The Goals and Status of SoLid Experiment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Park, Jaewon

2016-09-01

SoLid is a short baseline sterile neutrino oscillation search experiment using the BR2 compact core reactor in Belgium. Ruling out or confirming sterile neutrino is one of main interests in the neutrino physics field. Highly segmented scintillator cube detector with 6LiF:ZnS(Ag) neutron screen provides high purity neutron tagging by pulse shape discrimination (PSD), and capture position identification. These capabilities from this novel detector are critical to isolate neutrino interactions in a high background environment. The prototype detector (SM1) provides important feedback for validating the performance of the detector design. Recent results from SM1 will be presented. Construction of the SoLid Phase-1 detector is underway. The three-ton detector with three years running will allow us to reach the sterile neutrino exclusion limit of sin2 2 θ < 0 . 03 at Δm2 2eV2 at the 99% confidence level.

Effects of different strength training frequencies on maximum strength, body composition and functional capacity in healthy older individuals.

PubMed

Turpela, Mari; Häkkinen, Keijo; Haff, Guy Gregory; Walker, Simon

2017-11-01

There is controversy in the literature regarding the dose-response relationship of strength training in healthy older participants. The present study determined training frequency effects on maximum strength, muscle mass and functional capacity over 6months following an initial 3-month preparatory strength training period. One-hundred and six 64-75year old volunteers were randomly assigned to one of four groups; performing strength training one (EX1), two (EX2), or three (EX3) times per week and a non-training control (CON) group. Whole-body strength training was performed using 2-5 sets and 4-12 repetitions per exercise and 7-9 exercises per session. Before and after the intervention, maximum dynamic leg press (1-RM) and isometric knee extensor and plantarflexor strength, body composition and quadriceps cross-sectional area, as well as functional capacity (maximum 7.5m forward and backward walking speed, timed-up-and-go test, loaded 10-stair climb test) were measured. All experimental groups increased leg press 1-RM more than CON (EX1: 3±8%, EX2: 6±6%, EX3: 10±8%, CON: -3±6%, P<0.05) and EX3 improved more than EX1 (P=0.007) at month 9. Compared to CON, EX3 improved in backward walk (P=0.047) and EX1 in timed-up-and-go (P=0.029) tests. No significant changes occurred in body composition. The present study found no evidence that higher training frequency would induce greater benefit to maximum walking speed (i.e. functional capacity) despite a clear dose-response in dynamic 1-RM strength, at least when predominantly using machine weight-training. It appears that beneficial functional capacity improvements can be achieved through low frequency training (i.e. 1-2 times per week) in previously untrained healthy older participants. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Plasma Irisin Modestly Increases during Moderate and High-Intensity Afternoon Exercise in Obese Females

PubMed Central

Winn, Nathan C.; Grunewald, Zachary I.; Liu, Ying; Heden, Timothy D.; Nyhoff, Lauren M.; Kanaley, Jill A.

2017-01-01

Background and Purpose Irisin is an exercise-responsive myokine that has been proposed to exert anti-obesity benefits; yet its response during exercise in obese women is not described. This study characterized plasma irisin levels during a single bout of afternoon isocaloric-exercise of different intensities (moderate- vs high-intensity) in obese females. Methods Eleven obese females participated in 3 randomized study days beginning at 1600h: 1) no exercise (NoEx), 2) moderate exercise (ModEx; 55%VO2max) and 3) high intensity interval exercise (IntEx; 4 min (80%VO2max)/3 min (50% VO2max). Frequent blood samples were analyzed for glucose and lactate (whole-blood), and insulin, c-peptide, glucagon, and irisin (plasma) throughout 190 min of testing. Results Plasma irisin increased above baseline during ModEx and IntEx (P<0.05), but not NoEx (P>0.05). Peak irisin levels during ModEx and IntEx exercise were 11.9± 3.4% and 12.3 ± 4.1% relative to baseline (P<0.05), respectively, with no differences between exercise intensities (P>0.05). Irisin levels remained elevated above resting for 125 minutes post-exercise during ModEx, whereas levels returned to baseline within 15 minutes post-exercise during IntEx. Similarly, no associations were found between plasma irisin levels and circulating lactate, glucose, insulin, c-peptide, or glucagon among study days (P>0.05). However, there was an inverse association between basal irisin and lean mass (r = -0.70, P = 0.01). Conclusion A single bout of moderate and high intensity afternoon exercise induces modest increases in circulating irisin concentrations during exercise; however the regulation post-exercise appears to be dimorphic between exercise intensity in obese females. Future studies are needed to compare morning and afternoon exercise on irisin secretion. PMID:28125733

Neutrino astronomy with supernova neutrinos

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brdar, Vedran; Lindner, Manfred; Xu, Xun-Jie

2018-04-01

Modern neutrino facilities will be able to detect a large number of neutrinos from the next Galactic supernova. We investigate the viability of the triangulation method to locate a core-collapse supernova by employing the neutrino arrival time differences at various detectors. We perform detailed numerical fits in order to determine the uncertainties of these time differences for the cases when the core collapses into a neutron star or a black hole. We provide a global picture by combining all the relevant current and future neutrino detectors. Our findings indicate that in the scenario of a neutron star formation, supernova can be located with precision of 1.5 and 3.5 degrees in declination and right ascension, respectively. For the black hole scenario, sub-degree precision can be reached.

MC21 analysis of the MIT PWR benchmark: Hot zero power results

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kelly Iii, D. J.; Aviles, B. N.; Herman, B. R.

2013-07-01

MC21 Monte Carlo results have been compared with hot zero power measurements from an operating pressurized water reactor (PWR), as specified in a new full core PWR performance benchmark from the MIT Computational Reactor Physics Group. Included in the comparisons are axially integrated full core detector measurements, axial detector profiles, control rod bank worths, and temperature coefficients. Power depressions from grid spacers are seen clearly in the MC21 results. Application of Coarse Mesh Finite Difference (CMFD) acceleration within MC21 has been accomplished, resulting in a significant reduction of inactive batches necessary to converge the fission source. CMFD acceleration has alsomore » been shown to work seamlessly with the Uniform Fission Site (UFS) variance reduction method. (authors)« less

Faraday-effect polarimeter diagnostic for internal magnetic field fluctuation measurements in DIII-D.

PubMed

Chen, J; Ding, W X; Brower, D L; Finkenthal, D; Muscatello, C; Taussig, D; Boivin, R

2016-11-01

Motivated by the need to measure fast equilibrium temporal dynamics, non-axisymmetric structures, and core magnetic fluctuations (coherent and broadband), a three-chord Faraday-effect polarimeter-interferometer system with fast time response and high phase resolution has recently been installed on the DIII-D tokamak. A novel detection scheme utilizing two probe beams and two detectors for each chord results in reduced phase noise and increased time response [δb ∼ 1G with up to 3 MHz bandwidth]. First measurement results were obtained during the recent DIII-D experimental campaign. Simultaneous Faraday and density measurements have been successfully demonstrated and high-frequency, up to 100 kHz, Faraday-effect perturbations have been observed. Preliminary comparisons with EFIT are used to validate diagnostic performance. Principle of the diagnostic and first experimental results is presented.

Fabrication and testing of a 4-node micro-pocket fission detector array for the Kansas State University TRIGA Mk. II research nuclear reactor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Reichenberger, Michael A.; Nichols, Daniel M.; Stevenson, Sarah R.; Swope, Tanner M.; Hilger, Caden W.; Unruh, Troy C.; McGregor, Douglas S.; Roberts, Jeremy A.

2017-08-01

Advancements in nuclear reactor core modeling and computational capability have encouraged further development of in-core neutron sensors. Micro-Pocket Fission Detectors (MPFDs) have been fabricated and tested previously, but successful testing of these prior detectors was limited to single-node operation with specialized designs. Described in this work is a modular, four-node MPFD array fabricated and tested at Kansas State University (KSU). The four sensor nodes were equally spaced to span the length of the fuel-region of the KSU TRIGA Mk. II research nuclear reactor core. The encapsulated array was filled with argon gas, serving as an ionization medium in the small cavities of the MPFDs. The unified design improved device ruggedness and simplified construction over previous designs. A 0.315-in. (8-mm) penetration in the upper grid plate of the KSU TRIGA Mk. II research nuclear reactor was used to deploy the array between fuel elements in the core. The MPFD array was coupled to an electronic support system which has been developed to support pulse-mode operation. Neutron-induced pulses were observed on all four sensor channels. Stable device operation was confirmed by testing under steady-state reactor conditions. Each of the four sensors in the array responded to changes in reactor power between 10 kWth and full power (750 kWth). Reactor power transients were observed in real-time including positive transients with periods of 5, 15, and 30 s. Finally, manual reactor power oscillations were observed in real-time.

SU-F-T-490: Separating Effects Influencing Detector Response in Small MV Photon Fields

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wegener, S; Sauer, O

2016-06-15

Purpose: Different detector properties influence their responses especially in field sizes below the lateral electron range. Due to the finite active volume, the detector density and electron perturbation at other structural parts, the response factor is in general field size dependent. We aimed to visualize and separate the main effects contributing to detector behavior for a variety of detector types. This was achieved in an experimental setup, shielding the field center. Thus, effects caused by scattered radiation could be examined separately. Methods: Signal ratios for field sizes down to 8 mm (SSD 90 cm, water depth 10 cm) of amore » 6MV beam from a Siemens Primus LINAC were recorded with several detectors: PTW microDiamond and PinPoint ionization chamber, shielded diodes (PTW P-60008, IBA PFD and SNC Edge) and unshielded diodes (PTW E-60012 and IBA SFD). Measurements were carried out in open fields and with an aluminum pole of 4 mm diameter as a central block. The geometric volume effect was calculated from profiles obtained with Gafchromic EBT3 film, evaluated using FilmQA Pro software (Ashland, USA). Results: Volume corrections were 1.7% at maximum. After correction, in small open fields, unshielded diodes showed a lower response than the diamond, i.e. diamond detector over-response seems to be higher than that for unshielded diodes. Beneath the block, this behavior was amplified by a factor of 2. For the shielded diodes, the overresponse for small open fields could be confirmed. However their lateral response behavior was strongly type dependent, e.g. the signal ratio dropped from 1.02 to 0.98 for the P-60008 diode. Conclusion: The lateral detector response was experimentally examined. Detector volume and density alone do not fully account for the field size dependence of detector response. Detector construction details play a major role, especially for shielded diodes.« less

Ex Vivo Profiling of PD-1 Blockade Using Organotypic Tumor Spheroids.

PubMed

Jenkins, Russell W; Aref, Amir R; Lizotte, Patrick H; Ivanova, Elena; Stinson, Susanna; Zhou, Chensheng W; Bowden, Michaela; Deng, Jiehui; Liu, Hongye; Miao, Diana; He, Meng Xiao; Walker, William; Zhang, Gao; Tian, Tian; Cheng, Chaoran; Wei, Zhi; Palakurthi, Sangeetha; Bittinger, Mark; Vitzthum, Hans; Kim, Jong Wook; Merlino, Ashley; Quinn, Max; Venkataramani, Chandrasekar; Kaplan, Joshua A; Portell, Andrew; Gokhale, Prafulla C; Phillips, Bart; Smart, Alicia; Rotem, Asaf; Jones, Robert E; Keogh, Lauren; Anguiano, Maria; Stapleton, Lance; Jia, Zhiheng; Barzily-Rokni, Michal; Cañadas, Israel; Thai, Tran C; Hammond, Marc R; Vlahos, Raven; Wang, Eric S; Zhang, Hua; Li, Shuai; Hanna, Glenn J; Huang, Wei; Hoang, Mai P; Piris, Adriano; Eliane, Jean-Pierre; Stemmer-Rachamimov, Anat O; Cameron, Lisa; Su, Mei-Ju; Shah, Parin; Izar, Benjamin; Thakuria, Manisha; LeBoeuf, Nicole R; Rabinowits, Guilherme; Gunda, Viswanath; Parangi, Sareh; Cleary, James M; Miller, Brian C; Kitajima, Shunsuke; Thummalapalli, Rohit; Miao, Benchun; Barbie, Thanh U; Sivathanu, Vivek; Wong, Joshua; Richards, William G; Bueno, Raphael; Yoon, Charles H; Miret, Juan; Herlyn, Meenhard; Garraway, Levi A; Van Allen, Eliezer M; Freeman, Gordon J; Kirschmeier, Paul T; Lorch, Jochen H; Ott, Patrick A; Hodi, F Stephen; Flaherty, Keith T; Kamm, Roger D; Boland, Genevieve M; Wong, Kwok-Kin; Dornan, David; Paweletz, Cloud Peter; Barbie, David A

2018-02-01

Ex vivo systems that incorporate features of the tumor microenvironment and model the dynamic response to immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) may facilitate efforts in precision immuno-oncology and the development of effective combination therapies. Here, we demonstrate the ability to interrogate ex vivo response to ICB using murine- and patient-derived organotypic tumor spheroids (MDOTS/PDOTS). MDOTS/PDOTS isolated from mouse and human tumors retain autologous lymphoid and myeloid cell populations and respond to ICB in short-term three-dimensional microfluidic culture. Response and resistance to ICB was recapitulated using MDOTS derived from established immunocompetent mouse tumor models. MDOTS profiling demonstrated that TBK1/IKKε inhibition enhanced response to PD-1 blockade, which effectively predicted tumor response in vivo Systematic profiling of secreted cytokines in PDOTS captured key features associated with response and resistance to PD-1 blockade. Thus, MDOTS/PDOTS profiling represents a novel platform to evaluate ICB using established murine models as well as clinically relevant patient specimens. Significance: Resistance to PD-1 blockade remains a challenge for many patients, and biomarkers to guide treatment are lacking. Here, we demonstrate feasibility of ex vivo profiling of PD-1 blockade to interrogate the tumor immune microenvironment, develop therapeutic combinations, and facilitate precision immuno-oncology efforts. Cancer Discov; 8(2); 196-215. ©2017 AACR. See related commentary by Balko and Sosman, p. 143 See related article by Deng et al., p. 216 This article is highlighted in the In This Issue feature, p. 127 . ©2017 American Association for Cancer Research.

Loss of the ex vivo but not the reinducible CD8+ T-cell response to Tax in human T-cell leukemia virus type 1-infected patients with adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma.

PubMed

Arnulf, B; Thorel, M; Poirot, Y; Tamouza, R; Boulanger, E; Jaccard, A; Oksenhendler, E; Hermine, O; Pique, C

2004-01-01

Human T-cell leukemia virus type 1 (HTLV-1) causes adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma (ATLL) and HTLV-1-associated myelopathy (HAM). In asymptomatic carriers and HAM patients, HTLV-1 infection leads to a vigorous cytotoxic T-cell (CTL) response mainly directed to the regulatory Tax protein. In contrast, initial studies showed that anti-HTLV-1 CTL activities were not reproductively detected in ATLL patients, neither ex vivo, nor after in vitro restimulation. To better understand this discrepancy, we explored the anti-HTLV-1 CD8+ T-cell response of eight ATLL patients by using in vitro restimulated or freshly isolated CD8+ T cells. In all the ATLL patients, we found that mitogenic activation allowed the induction of CD8+ T cells able to lyse autologous HTLV-1-infected cells and/or to produce IFNgamma in response to Tax peptides. In contrast, only a minority of the patients possessed CD8+ cells able to respond ex vivo to the same epitopes. These findings indicate that although a restimulatable anti-HTLV-1 CTL activity persists during ATLL, the specific ex vivo response is not constantly maintained. This provides definitive evidence that the CD8+ T-cell response to HTLV-1 is affected by ATLL development and reveals that a major defect concerns the generation and/or the functionality of CD8+ effectors.

Novel multi-layered 1-D nanostructure exhibiting the theoretical capacity of silicon for a super-enhanced lithium-ion battery

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Byoung-Sun; Yang, Ho-Sung; Jung, Heechul; Jeon, Seung-Yeol; Jung, Changhoon; Kim, Sang-Won; Bae, Jihyun; Choong, Chwee-Lin; Im, Jungkyun; Chung, U.-In; Park, Jong-Jin; Yu, Woong-Ryeol

2014-05-01

Silicon/carbon (Si/C) nanocomposites have recently received much attention as Li-ion battery negative electrodes due to their mutual synergetic effects in capacity and mechanical integrity. The contribution of Si to the total capacity of the Si/C nanocomposites determines their structural efficiency. Herein, we report on a multi-layered, one-dimensional nanostructure that exhibits the theoretical specific capacity of Si in the nanocomposite. Concentrically tri-layered, compartmentalized, C-core/Si-medium/C-shell nanofibers were fabricated by triple coaxial electrospinning. The pulverization of Si was accommodated inside the C-shell, whereas the conductive pathway of the Li-ions and electrons was provided by the C-core, which was proven by ex situ Raman spectroscopy. The compartmentalized Si in between the C-core and C-shell led to excellent specific capacity at a high current rate (>820 mA h g-1 at 12000 mA g-1) and the realization of the theoretical specific capacity of the Li15Si4 phase of Si nanoparticles (3627 mA h g-1). The electrochemical characterization and inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrometry provided direct evidence of full participation of Si in the electrochemical reactions.Silicon/carbon (Si/C) nanocomposites have recently received much attention as Li-ion battery negative electrodes due to their mutual synergetic effects in capacity and mechanical integrity. The contribution of Si to the total capacity of the Si/C nanocomposites determines their structural efficiency. Herein, we report on a multi-layered, one-dimensional nanostructure that exhibits the theoretical specific capacity of Si in the nanocomposite. Concentrically tri-layered, compartmentalized, C-core/Si-medium/C-shell nanofibers were fabricated by triple coaxial electrospinning. The pulverization of Si was accommodated inside the C-shell, whereas the conductive pathway of the Li-ions and electrons was provided by the C-core, which was proven by ex situ Raman spectroscopy. The compartmentalized Si in between the C-core and C-shell led to excellent specific capacity at a high current rate (>820 mA h g-1 at 12000 mA g-1) and the realization of the theoretical specific capacity of the Li15Si4 phase of Si nanoparticles (3627 mA h g-1). The electrochemical characterization and inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrometry provided direct evidence of full participation of Si in the electrochemical reactions. Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available: Simulation details, quantitative measurement of Si content in the nanofibers and ex situ Raman characterization sample preparation procedures are demonstrated. See DOI: 10.1039/c4nr00318g

Radionuclide activities and metal concentrations in sediments of the Sebou Estuary, NW Morocco, following a flooding event.

PubMed

Laissaoui, A; Mas, J L; Hurtado, S; Ziad, N; Villa, M; Benmansour, M

2013-06-01

This study presents metal concentrations (Fe, Mg, Mn, Co, Cu, Zn, Pb, As, Sr and V) and radionuclide activities ((40)K, (137)Cs, (210)Pb, (226)Ra, (228)Ac, (234)Th and (212)Pb) in surface deposits and a sediment core from the Sebou Estuary, Northwest Morocco. Samples were collected in April 2009, about 2 months after a flooding event, and analysed using a well-type coaxial gamma-ray detector and inductively coupled plasma-quadrupole mass spectrometry. Activities of radionuclides and concentrations of almost all elements in surface samples displayed only moderate spatial variation, suggesting homogenous deposition of eroded local soil in response to intense precipitation. Excess (210)Pb displayed relatively constant activity throughout the sediment core, preventing dating and precluding determination of the historical accumulation rates of pollutants at the core site. Some elements showed non-systematic trends with depth and displayed local maxima and minima. Other elements presented relatively systematic concentration trends or relatively constant levels with discrete maxima and/or minima. Except for Mn, Sr and Cr, all metal concentrations in sediment were below levels typical of polluted systems, suggesting little human impact or losses of metals from sediment particles.

Race and IQ: Molecular Genetics as Deus ex Machina

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cooper, Richard S.

2005-01-01

During the last hundred years, the debate over the meaning of race has retained a highly consistent core, despite evolution of the technical details. Non-Europeans, and in particular, Africans, are assigned the role of deviants and outcasts, whose claim on our common humanity remains in doubt. Each time the technical facade of these racialist…

Effects of Exendin-4 on bone marrow mesenchymal stem cell proliferation, migration and apoptosis in vitro

PubMed Central

Zhou, Hao; Li, Dandan; Shi, Chen; Xin, Ting; Yang, Junjie; Zhou, Ying; Hu, Shunyin; Tian, Feng; Wang, Jing; Chen, Yundai

2015-01-01

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) are regarded as an attractive source of therapeutic stem cells for myocardial infarction. However, their limited self-renewal capacity, low migration capacity and poor viability after transplantation hamper the clinical use of MSC; thus, a strategy to enhance the biological functions of MSC is required. Exendin-4 (Ex-4), a glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist, exerts cell-protective effects on many types of cells. However, little information is available regarding the influence of Ex-4 on MSC. In our study, MSC were isolated from bone marrow and cultured in vitro. After treatment with Ex-4, MSC displayed a higher proliferative capacity, increased C-X-C motif receptor 4 (CXCR4) expression and an enhanced migration response. Moreover, in H2O2-induced apoptosis, Ex-4 preserved mitochondrial function through scavenging ROS and balancing the expression of anti- and pro-apoptotic proteins, leading to the inhibition of the mitochondria-dependent cell death pathways and increased cell survival. Moreover, higher phospho-Akt (p-Akt) expression was observed after Ex-4 intervention. However, blockade of the PI3K/Akt pathway with inhibitors suppressed the above cytoprotective effects of Ex-4, suggesting that the PI3K/Akt pathway is partly responsible for Ex-4-mediated MSC growth, mobilization and survival. These findings provide an attractive method of maximizing the effectiveness of MSC-based therapies in clinical applications. PMID:26250571

Charge distribution and response time for a modulation-doped extrinsic infrared detector

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hadek, Victor

1987-01-01

The electric charge distribution and response time of a modulation-doped extrinsic infrared detector are determined. First, it is demonstrated theoretically that the photoconductive layer is effectively depleted of ionized majority-impurity charges so that scattering is small and mobility is high for photogenerated carriers. Then, using parameters appropriate to an actual detector, the predicted response time is 10 to the -8th to about 10 to the -9th s, which is much faster than comparable conventional detectors. Thus, the modulation-doped detector design would be valuable for heterodyne applications.

The Mile Deep Muon Detector at Sanford Underground Laboratory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McMahan, Margaret; Gabriel, Steve

2012-03-01

For educating students and teachers about basic nuclear and particle physics, you can't go wrong with cosmic rays muons as a cheap and reliable source of data. A simple and relatively inexpensive detector gives a myriad of possibilities to cover core material in physical science, chemistry, physics, and statistics and gives students opportunities to design their own investigations. At Sanford Underground Laboratory at Homestake, in Lead, SD, cosmic ray muon detectors are being used to answer the first question always asked by any visitor to the facility, ``Why are you building the lab a mile underground'' A conventional Quarknet-style detector is available in the education facility on the surface, with a much larger companion detector, the Mile Deep Muon Detector, set up 4850 feet below the surface. Using the Quarknet data acquisition board, the data will be made available to students and teachers through the Cosmic Ray E-lab website. The detector was tested and installed as part of a summer program for students beginning their first or second year of college.

Perturbed angular distributions with LaBr3 detectors: The g factor of the first 10+ state in 110Cd reexamined

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gray, T. J.; Stuchbery, A. E.; Reed, M. W.; Akber, A.; Coombes, B. J.; Dowie, J. T. H.; Eriksen, T. K.; Gerathy, M. S. M.; Kibédi, T.; Lane, G. J.; Mitchell, A. J.; Palazzo, T.; Tornyi, T.

2017-11-01

The time differential perturbed angular distribution technique with LaBr3 detectors has been applied to the Iπ=11/2- isomeric state (Ex=846 keV, τ =107 ns) in 107Cd, which was populated and recoil-implanted into a gadolinium host following the 98Mo(12C, 3 n )107Cd reaction. The static hyperfine field strength of Cd recoil implanted into gadolinium was thus measured, together with the fraction of nuclei implanted into field-free sites, under similar conditions as pertained for a previous implantation perturbed angular distribution g -factor measurement on the Iπ=10+ state in 110Cd. The 110Cdg (10+) value was thereby reevaluated, bringing it into agreement with the value expected for a seniority-two ν h11/2 configuration.

High resolution, multiple-energy linear sweep detector for x-ray imaging

DOEpatents

Perez-Mendez, Victor; Goodman, Claude A.

1996-01-01

Apparatus for generating plural electrical signals in a single scan in response to incident X-rays received from an object. Each electrical signal represents an image of the object at a different range of energies of the incident X-rays. The apparatus comprises a first X-ray detector, a second X-ray detector stacked upstream of the first X-ray detector, and an X-ray absorber stacked upstream of the first X-ray detector. The X-ray absorber provides an energy-dependent absorption of the incident X-rays before they are incident at the first X-ray detector, but provides no absorption of the incident X-rays before they are incident at the second X-ray detector. The first X-ray detector includes a linear array of first pixels, each of which produces an electrical output in response to the incident X-rays in a first range of energies. The first X-ray detector also includes a circuit that generates a first electrical signal in response to the electrical output of each of the first pixels. The second X-ray detector includes a linear array of second pixels, each of which produces an electrical output in response to the incident X-rays in a second range of energies, broader than the first range of energies. The second X-ray detector also includes a circuit that generates a second electrical signal in response to the electrical output of each of the second pixels.

High resolution, multiple-energy linear sweep detector for x-ray imaging

DOEpatents

Perez-Mendez, V.; Goodman, C.A.

1996-08-20

Apparatus is disclosed for generating plural electrical signals in a single scan in response to incident X-rays received from an object. Each electrical signal represents an image of the object at a different range of energies of the incident X-rays. The apparatus comprises a first X-ray detector, a second X-ray detector stacked upstream of the first X-ray detector, and an X-ray absorber stacked upstream of the first X-ray detector. The X-ray absorber provides an energy-dependent absorption of the incident X-rays before they are incident at the first X-ray detector, but provides no absorption of the incident X-rays before they are incident at the second X-ray detector. The first X-ray detector includes a linear array of first pixels, each of which produces an electrical output in response to the incident X-rays in a first range of energies. The first X-ray detector also includes a circuit that generates a first electrical signal in response to the electrical output of each of the first pixels. The second X-ray detector includes a linear array of second pixels, each of which produces an electrical output in response to the incident X-rays in a second range of energies, broader than the first range of energies. The second X-ray detector also includes a circuit that generates a second electrical signal in response to the electrical output of each of the second pixels. 12 figs.

Immunogenicity and safety of a tetravalent E. coli O-antigen bioconjugate vaccine in animal models.

PubMed

van den Dobbelsteen, Germie P J M; Faé, Kellen C; Serroyen, Jan; van den Nieuwenhof, Ingrid M; Braun, Martin; Haeuptle, Micha A; Sirena, Dominique; Schneider, Joerg; Alaimo, Cristina; Lipowsky, Gerd; Gambillara-Fonck, Veronica; Wacker, Michael; Poolman, Jan T

2016-07-29

Extra-intestinal pathogenic Escherichia coli (ExPEC) are major human pathogens; however, no protective vaccine is currently available. We assessed in animal models the immunogenicity and safety of a 4-valent E. coli conjugate vaccine (ExPEC-4V, serotypes O1, O2, O6 and O25 conjugated to Exotoxin A from Pseudomonas aeruginosa (EPA)) produced using a novel in vivo bioconjugation method. Three doses of ExPEC-4V (with or without aluminum hydroxide) were administered to rabbits (2μg or 20μg per O-antigen, subcutaneously), mice (0.2μg or 2μg per O-antigen, subcutaneously) and rats (0.4μg or 4μg per O-antigen, intramuscularly). Antibody persistence and boostability were evaluated in rats using O6-EPA monovalent conjugate (0.4μg O-antigen/dose, intramuscularly). Toxicity was assessed in rats (16μg total polysaccharide, intramuscularly). Serum IgG and IgM antibodies were measured by ELISA. Robust antigen-specific IgG responses were observed in all animal models, with increased responses in rabbits when administered with adjuvant. O antigen-specific antibody responses persisted up to 168days post-priming. Booster immunization induced a rapid recall response. Toxicity of ExPEC-4V when administered to rats was considered to be at the no observed adverse effect level. ExPEC-4V conjugate vaccine showed good immunogenicity and tolerability in animal models supporting progression to clinical evaluation. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A biomarker-responsive T2ex MRI contrast agent.

PubMed

Daryaei, Iman; Randtke, Edward A; Pagel, Mark D

2017-04-01

This study investigated a fundamentally new type of responsive MRI contrast agent for molecular imaging that alters T 2 exchange (T 2ex ) properties after interacting with a molecular biomarker. The contrast agent Tm-DO3A-oAA was treated with nitric oxide (NO) and O 2 . The R 1 and R 2 relaxation rates of the reactant and product were measured with respect to concentration, temperature, and pH. Chemical exchange saturation transfer (CEST) spectra of the reactant and product were acquired using a 7 Tesla (T) MRI scanner and analyzed to estimate the chemical exchange rates and r 2ex relaxivities. The reaction of Tm-DO3A-oAA with NO and O 2 caused a 6.4-fold increase in the r 2 relaxivity of the agent, whereas r 1 relaxivity remained unchanged, which demonstrated that Tm-DO3A-oAA is a responsive T 2ex agent. The effects of pH and temperature on the r 2 relaxivities of the reactant and product supported the conclusion that the product's benzimidazole ligand caused the agent to have a fast chemical exchange rate relative to the slow exchange rate of the reactant's ortho-aminoanilide ligand. T 2ex MRI contrast agents are a new type of responsive agent that have good detection sensitivity and specificity for detecting a biomarker, which can serve as a new tool for molecular imaging. Magn Reson Med 77:1665-1670, 2017. © 2016 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine. © 2016 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine.

Improved Optical Fiber Chemical Sensors

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Egalon, Claudio O.; Rogowski, Robert S.

1994-01-01

Calculations, based on exact theory of optical fiber, have shown how to increase optical efficiency sensitivity of active-core, step-index-profile optical-fiber fluorosensor. Calculations result of efforts to improve efficiency of optical-fiber chemical sensor of previous concept described in "Making Optical-Fiber Chemical Sensors More Sensitive" (LAR-14525). Optical fiber chemical detector of enhanced sensitivity made in several configurations. Portion of fluorescence or chemiluminescence generated in core, and launched directly into bound electromagnetic modes that propagate along core to photodetector.

Financing long-term care: ex ante, ex post or both?

PubMed

Costa-Font, Joan; Courbage, Christophe; Swartz, Katherine

2015-03-01

This paper attempts to examine the heterogeneity in the public financing of long-term care (LTC) and the wide-ranging instruments in place to finance LTC services. We distinguish and classify the institutional responses to the need for LTC financing as ex ante (occurring prior to when the need arises, such as insurance) and ex post (occurring after the need arises, such as public sector and family financing). Then, we examine country-specific data to ascertain whether the two types of financing are complements or substitutes. Finally, we examine exploratory cross-national data on public expenditure determinants, specifically economic, demographic and social determinants. We show that although both ex ante and ex post mechanisms exist in all countries with advanced industrial economies and despite the fact that instruments are different across countries, ex ante and ex post instruments are largely substitutes for each other. Expenditure estimates to date indicate that the public financing of LTC is highly sensitive to a country's income, ageing of the population and the availability of informal caregiving. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Accuracy of Monte Carlo photon transport simulation in characterizing brachytherapy dosimeter energy-response artefacts.

PubMed

Das, R K; Li, Z; Perera, H; Williamson, J F

1996-06-01

Practical dosimeters in brachytherapy, such as thermoluminescent dosimeters (TLD) and diodes, are usually calibrated against low-energy megavoltage beams. To measure absolute dose rate near a brachytherapy source, it is necessary to establish the energy response of the detector relative to that of the calibration energy. The purpose of this paper is to assess the accuracy of Monte Carlo photon transport (MCPT) simulation in modelling the absolute detector response as a function of detector geometry and photon energy. We have exposed two different sizes of TLD-100 (LiF chips) and p-type silicon diode detectors to calibrated 60Co, HDR source (192Ir) and superficial x-ray beams. For the Scanditronix electron-field diode, the relative detector response, defined as the measured detector readings per measured unit of air kerma, varied from 38.46 V cGy-1 (40 kVp beam) to 6.22 V cGy-1 (60Co beam). Similarly for the large and small chips the same quantity varied from 2.08-3.02 nC cGy-1 and 0.171-0.244 nC cGy-1, respectively. Monte Carlo simulation was used to calculate the absorbed dose to the active volume of the detector per unit air kerma. If the Monte Carlo simulation is accurate, then the absolute detector response, which is defined as the measured detector reading per unit dose absorbed by the active detector volume, and is calculated by Monte Carlo simulation, should be a constant. For the diode, the absolute response is 5.86 +/- 0.15 (V cGy-1). For TLDs of size 3 x 3 x 1 mm3 the absolute response is 2.47 +/- 0.07 (nC cGy-1) and for TLDs of 1 x 1 x 1 mm3 it is 0.201 +/- 0.008 (nC cGy-1). From the above results we can conclude that the absolute response function of detectors (TLDs and diodes) is directly proportional to absorbed dose by the active volume of the detector and is independent of beam quality.

Real-time temperature monitoring with fiber Bragg grating sensor during diffuser-assisted laser-induced interstitial thermotherapy.

PubMed

Pham, Ngot Thi; Lee, Seul Lee; Park, Suhyun; Lee, Yong Wook; Kang, Hyun Wook

2017-04-01

High-sensitivity temperature sensors have been used to validate real-time thermal responses in tissue during photothermal treatment. The objective of the current study was to evaluate the feasible application of a fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensor for diffuser-assisted laser-induced interstitial thermotherapy (LITT) particularly to treat tubular tissue disease. A 600 - ? m core-diameter diffuser was employed to deliver 980-nm laser light for coagulation treatment. Both a thermocouple and a FBG were comparatively tested to evaluate temperature measurements in ex vivo liver tissue. The degree of tissue denaturation was estimated as a function of irradiation times and quantitatively compared with light distribution as well as temperature development. At the closer distance to a heat source, the thermocouple measured up to 41% higher maximum temperature than the FBG sensor did after 120-s irradiation (i.e., 98.7 ° C ± 6.1 ° C for FBG versus 131.0 ° C ± 5.1 ° C for thermocouple; p < 0.001 ). Ex vivo porcine urethra tests confirmed the real-time temperature measurements of the FBG sensor as well as consistently circumferential tissue denaturation after 72-s irradiation ( coagulation thickness = 2.2 ± 0.3 ?? mm ). The implementation of FBG can be a feasible sensing technique to instantaneously monitor the temperature developments during diffuser-assisted LITT for treatment of tubular tissue structure.

Resistance Exercise Attenuates High-Fructose, High-Fat-Induced Postprandial Lipemia

PubMed Central

Wilburn, Jessie R; Bourquin, Jeffrey; Wysong, Andrea; Melby, Christopher L

2015-01-01

INTRODUCTION Meals rich in both fructose and fat are commonly consumed by many Americans, especially young men, which can produce a significant postprandial lipemic response. Increasing evidence suggests that aerobic exercise can attenuate the postprandial increase in plasma triacylglycerols (TAGs) in response to a high-fat or a high-fructose meal. However, it is unknown if resistance exercise can dampen the postprandial lipemic response to a meal rich in both fructose and fat. METHODS Eight apparently healthy men (Mean ± SEM; age = 27 ± 2 years) participated in a crossover study to examine the effects of acute resistance exercise on next-day postprandial lipemia resulting from a high-fructose, high-fat meal. Participants completed three separate two-day conditions in a random order: (1) EX-COMP: a full-body weightlifting workout with the provision of additional kilocalories to compensate for the estimated net energy cost of exercise on day 1, followed by the consumption of a high-fructose, high-fat liquid test meal the next morning (day 2) (~600 kcal) and the determination of the plasma glucose, lactate, insulin, and TAG responses during a six-hour postprandial period; (2) EX-DEF: same condition as EX-COMP but without exercise energy compensation on day 1; and (3) CON: no exercise control. RESULTS The six-hour postprandial plasma insulin and lactate responses did not differ between conditions. However, the postprandial plasma TAG concentrations were 16.5% and 24.4% lower for EX-COMP (551.0 ± 80.5 mg/dL × 360 minutes) and EX-DEF (499.4 ± 73.5 mg/dL × 360 minutes), respectively, compared to CON (660.2 ± 95.0 mg/dL × 360 minutes) (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS A single resistance exercise bout, performed ~15 hours prior to a high-fructose, high-fat meal, attenuated the postprandial TAG response, as compared to a no-exercise control condition, in healthy, resistance-trained men. PMID:26508874

Resistance Exercise Attenuates High-Fructose, High-Fat-Induced Postprandial Lipemia.

PubMed

Wilburn, Jessie R; Bourquin, Jeffrey; Wysong, Andrea; Melby, Christopher L

2015-01-01

Meals rich in both fructose and fat are commonly consumed by many Americans, especially young men, which can produce a significant postprandial lipemic response. Increasing evidence suggests that aerobic exercise can attenuate the postprandial increase in plasma triacylglycerols (TAGs) in response to a high-fat or a high-fructose meal. However, it is unknown if resistance exercise can dampen the postprandial lipemic response to a meal rich in both fructose and fat. Eight apparently healthy men (Mean ± SEM; age = 27 ± 2 years) participated in a crossover study to examine the effects of acute resistance exercise on next-day postprandial lipemia resulting from a high-fructose, high-fat meal. Participants completed three separate two-day conditions in a random order: (1) EX-COMP: a full-body weightlifting workout with the provision of additional kilocalories to compensate for the estimated net energy cost of exercise on day 1, followed by the consumption of a high-fructose, high-fat liquid test meal the next morning (day 2) (~600 kcal) and the determination of the plasma glucose, lactate, insulin, and TAG responses during a six-hour postprandial period; (2) EX-DEF: same condition as EX-COMP but without exercise energy compensation on day 1; and (3) CON: no exercise control. The six-hour postprandial plasma insulin and lactate responses did not differ between conditions. However, the postprandial plasma TAG concentrations were 16.5% and 24.4% lower for EX-COMP (551.0 ± 80.5 mg/dL × 360 minutes) and EX-DEF (499.4 ± 73.5 mg/dL × 360 minutes), respectively, compared to CON (660.2 ± 95.0 mg/dL × 360 minutes) (P < 0.05). A single resistance exercise bout, performed ~15 hours prior to a high-fructose, high-fat meal, attenuated the postprandial TAG response, as compared to a no-exercise control condition, in healthy, resistance-trained men.

Low-calorie energy drink improves physiological response to exercise in previously sedentary men: a placebo-controlled efficacy and safety study.

PubMed

Lockwood, Christopher M; Moon, Jordan R; Smith, Abbie E; Tobkin, Sarah E; Kendall, Kristina L; Graef, Jennifer L; Cramer, Joel T; Stout, Jeffrey R

2010-08-01

Energy drink use has grown despite limited research to support efficacy or safety and amid concerns when combined with exercise. The purpose of this study was to assess the effects of 10 weeks of once-daily energy drink consumption or energy drink consumption with exercise on measures of body composition, cardiorespiratory fitness, strength, mood, and safety in previously sedentary males. Thirty-eight males were randomly assigned to energy drink + exercise (EX-A), energy drink (NEX-A), placebo + exercise (EX-B), or placebo (NEX-B). All participants consumed 1 drink per day for 10 weeks; EX-A and EX-B participated in 10 weeks of resistance and endurance exercise. Testing was performed before (PRE) and after (POST) the 10-week intervention. No significant (p > 0.05) changes were observed for body composition, fitness, or strength in NEX-A; however, significantly greater decreases in fat mass and percentage body fat and increases in VO2peak were observed in EX-A versus EX-B. Ventilatory threshold (VT), minute ventilation, VO2 at VT, and power output at VT improved significantly PRE to POST in EX-A but not in EX-B or nonexercising groups. Clinical markers for hepatic, renal, cardiovascular, and immune function, as determined by PRE and POST blood work revealed no adverse effects in response to the energy drink. Mood was not affected by energy drink use. Absent energy restriction or other dietary controls, chronic ingestion of a once-daily low-calorie energy drink appears ineffective at improving body composition, cardiorespiratory fitness, or strength in sedentary males. However, when combined with exercise, preworkout energy drink consumption may significantly improve some physiological adaptations to combined aerobic and resistance training.

SoLid Detector Technology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Labare, Mathieu

2017-09-01

SoLid is a reactor anti-neutrino experiment where a novel detector is deployed at a minimum distance of 5.5 m from a nuclear reactor core. The purpose of the experiment is three-fold: to search for neutrino oscillations at a very short baseline; to measure the pure 235U neutrino energy spectrum; and to demonstrate the feasibility of neutrino detectors for reactor monitoring. This report presents the unique features of the SoLid detector technology. The technology has been optimised for a high background environment resulting from low overburden and the vicinity of a nuclear reactor. The versatility of the detector technology is demonstrated with a 288 kg detector prototype which was deployed at the BR2 nuclear reactor in 2015. The data presented includes both reactor on, reactor off and calibration measurements. The measurement results are compared with Monte Carlo simulations. The 1.6t SoLid detector is currently under construction, with an optimised design and upgraded material technology to enhance the detector capabilities. Its deployement on site is planned for the begin of 2017 and offers the prospect to resolve the reactor anomaly within about two years.

Detecting the supernova breakout burst in terrestrial neutrino detectors

DOE PAGES

Wallace, Joshua; Burrows, Adam; Dolence, Joshua C.

2016-02-01

Here, we calculate the distance-dependent performance of a few representative terrestrial neutrino detectors in detecting and measuring the properties of the ν e breakout burst light curve in a Galactic core-collapse supernova. The breakout burst is a signature phenomenon of core collapse and offers a probe into the stellar core through collapse and bounce. We also examine cases of no neutrino oscillations and oscillations due to normal and inverted neutrino-mass hierarchies. For the normal hierarchy, other neutrino flavors emitted by the supernova overwhelm the νe signal, making a detection of the breakout burst difficult. Furthermore, for the inverted hierarchy (IH),more » some detectors at some distances should be able to see the ν e breakout burst peak and measure its properties. For the IH, the maximum luminosity of the breakout burst can be measured at 10 kpc to accuracies of ~30% for Hyper-Kamiokande (Hyper-K) and ~60% for the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE). Super-Kamiokande (Super-K) and Jiangmen Underground Neutrino Observatory (JUNO) lack the mass needed to make an accurate measurement. For the IH, the time of the maximum luminosity of the breakout burst can be measured in Hyper-K to an accuracy of ~3 ms at 7 kpc, in DUNE to ~2 ms at 4 kpc, and JUNO and Super-K can measure the time of maximum luminosity to an accuracy of ~2 ms at 1 kpc. Detector backgrounds in IceCube render a measurement of the νe breakout burst unlikely. For the IH, a measurement of the maximum luminosity of the breakout burst could be used to differentiate between nuclear equations of state.« less

Genetic Biodiversity of Italian Olives (Olea europaea) Germplasm Analyzed by SSR Markers

PubMed Central

Vendramin, Giuseppe Giovanni; Chiappetta, Adriana

2014-01-01

The olive is an important fruit species cultivated for oil and table olives in Italy and the Mediterranean basin. The conservation of cultivated plants in ex situ collections is essential for the optimal management and use of their genetic resources. The largest ex situ olive germplasm collection consists of approximately 500 Italian olive varieties and corresponding to 85% of the total Italian olive germplasm is maintained at the Consiglio per la Ricerca e sperimentazione per l'Agricoltura, Centro di Ricerca per l'Olivicoltura e l'Industria Olearia (CRA-OLI), in Italy. In this work, eleven preselected nuclear microsatellite markers were used to assess genetic diversity, population structure, and gene flows with the aim of assembling a core collection. The dendrogram obtained utilizing the unweighted pair group method highlights the presence of homonymy and synonymy in olive tree datasets analyzed in this study. 439 different unique genotype profiles were obtained with this combination of 11 loci nSSR, representing 89.8% of the varieties analyzed. The remaining 10.2% comprises different variety pairs in which both accessions are genetically indistinguishable. Clustering analysis performed using BAPS software detected seven groups in Italian olive germplasm and gene flows were determined among identified clusters. We proposed an Italian core collection of 23 olive varieties capturing all detected alleles at microsatellites. The information collected in this study regarding the CRA-OLI ex situ collection can be used for breeding programs, for germplasm conservation, and for optimizing a strategy for the management of olive gene pools. PMID:24723801

Effect of antecedent moderate-intensity exercise on the glycemia-increasing effect of a 30-sec maximal sprint: a sex comparison.

PubMed

Justice, Tara D; Hammer, Greta L; Davey, Raymond J; Paramalingam, Nirubasini; Guelfi, Kym J; Lewis, Lynley; Davis, Elizabeth A; Jones, Timothy W; Fournier, Paul A

2015-05-01

This study investigated whether a prior bout of moderate-intensity exercise attenuates the glycemia-increasing effect of a maximal 30-sec sprint. A secondary aim was to determine whether the effect of antecedent exercise on the glucoregulatory response to sprinting is affected by sex. Participants (men n = 8; women n = 7) were tested on two occasions during which they either rested (CON) or cycled for 60-min at a moderate intensity of ~65% V ˙ O 2 peak (EX) before performing a 30-sec maximal cycling effort 195 min later. In response to the sprint, blood glucose increased to a similar extent between EX and CON trials, peaking at 10 min of recovery, with no difference between sexes (P > 0.05). Blood glucose then declined at a faster rate in EX, and this was associated with a glucose rate of disappearance (R d) that exceeded the glucose rate of appearance (R a) earlier in EX compared with CON, although the overall glucose R a and R d profile was higher in men compared with women (P < 0.05). The response of growth hormone was attenuated during recovery from EX compared with CON (P < 0.05), with a lower absolute response in women compared with men (P < 0.05). The response of epinephrine and norepinephrine was also lower in women compared with men (P < 0.05) but similar between trials. In summary, a prior bout of moderate-intensity exercise does not affect the magnitude of the glycemia-increasing response to a 30-sec sprint; however, the subsequent decline in blood glucose is more rapid. This blood glucose response is similar between men and women, despite less pronounced changes in glucose R a and R d, and a lower response of plasma catecholamines and growth hormone to sprinting in women. © 2015 The Authors. Physiological Reports published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of the American Physiological Society and The Physiological Society.

New Detector Developments for Future UV Space Missions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Werner, Klaus; Kappelmann, Norbert

Ultraviolet (UV) astronomy is facing “dark ages”: After the shutdown of the Hubble Space Tele-scope only the WSO/UV mission will be operable in the UV wavelength region with efficient instruments. Improved optics and detectors are necessary for future successor missions to tackle new scientific goals. This drives our development of microchannel plate (MCP) UV-detectors with high quantum efficiency, high spatial resolution and low-power readout electronics. To enhance the quantum efficiency and the lifetime of the MCP detectors we are developing new cathodes and new anodes for these detectors. To achieve high quantum efficiency, we will use caesium-activated gallium nitride as semitransparent photocathodes with a much higher efficiency than default CsI/CsTe cathodes in this wavelength range. The new anodes will be cross-strip anodes with 64 horizontal and 64 vertical electrodes. This type of anode requires a lower gain and leads to an increased lifetime of the detector, compared to MCP detectors with other anode types. The heart of the new developed front-end-electronic for such type of anode is the so called “BEETLE chip”, which was designed by the MPI für Kernphysik Heidelberg for the LHCb ex-periment at CERN. This chip provides 128 input channels with charge-sensitive preamplifiers and shapers. Our design of the complete front-end readout electronics enables a total power con-sumption of less than 10 W. The MCP detector is intrinsically solar blind, single photon counting and has a very low read-out noise. To qualify this new type of detectors we are presently planning to build a small UV telescope for the usage on the German Technology Experimental Carrier (TET). Furthermore we are involved in the new German initiative for a Public Telescope, a space telescope equipped with an 80 cm mirror. One of the main instruments will be a high-resolution UV-Echelle Spectrograph that will be built by the University of Tübingen. The launch of this mission is scheduled for 2017.

Role of insulin on exercise-induced GLUT-4 protein expression and glycogen supercompensation in rat skeletal muscle.

PubMed

Kuo, Chia-Hua; Hwang, Hyonson; Lee, Man-Cheong; Castle, Arthur L; Ivy, John L

2004-02-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of insulin on skeletal muscle GLUT-4 protein expression and glycogen storage after postexercise carbohydrate supplementation. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly assigned to one of six treatment groups: sedentary control (Con), Con with streptozocin (Stz/C), immediately postexercise (Ex0), Ex0 with Stz (Stz/Ex0), 5-h postexercise (Ex5), and Ex5 with Stz (Stz/Ex5). Rats were exercised by swimming (2 bouts of 3 h) and carbohydrate supplemented immediately after each exercise session by glucose intubation (1 ml of a 50% wt/vol). Stz was administered 72-h before exercise, which resulted in hyperglycemia and elimination of the insulin response to the carbohydrate supplement. GLUT-4 protein of Ex0 rats was 30% above Con in fast-twitch (FT) red and 21% above Con in FT white muscle. In Ex5, GLUT-4 protein was 52% above Con in FT red and 47% above Con in FT white muscle. Muscle glycogen in FT red and white muscle was also increased above Con in Ex5 rats. Neither GLUT-4 protein nor muscle glycogen was increased above Con in Stz/Ex0 or Stz/Ex5 rats. GLUT-4 mRNA in FT red muscle of Ex0 rats was 61% above Con but only 33% above Con in Ex5 rats. GLUT-4 mRNA in FT red muscle of Stz/C and Stz/Ex0 rats was similar but significantly elevated in Ex5/Stz rats. These results suggest that insulin is essential for the increase in GLUT-4 protein expression following postexercise carbohydrate supplementation.

A Multicenter Pilot Study Examining the Role of Circulating Tumor Cells as a Blood-Based Tumor Marker in Patients with Extensive Small-Cell Lung Cancer

PubMed Central

Huang, Chao H.; Wick, Jo A.; Sittampalam, Gurusingham Sitta; Nirmalanandhan, Victor Sanjit; Ganti, Apar Kishor; Neupane, Prakash C.; Williamson, Stephen K.; Godwin, Andrew K.; Schmitt, Sarah; Smart, Nora J.; Spencer, Sarah; Van Veldhuizen, Peter J.

2014-01-01

Background: Small-cell lung cancer (SCLC), a variant of lung cancer marked by early metastases, accounts for 13% of all lung cancers diagnosed in US. Despite high response rates to treatment, it is an aggressive disease with a median survival of 9–11 months for patients with extensive stage (EX-SCLC). Detection of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) is a novel laboratory technique currently in use to determine response to therapy and to predict prognosis in breast, colorectal, and prostate cancer. We initiated a pilot study to analyze the role of CTCs as a biomarker of response and relapse in patients with EX-SCLC. Methods: We collected blood samples from chemotherapy naïve patients with EX-SCLC prior to initiation of therapy, after completion of systemic therapy, and follow-up every 6–8 weeks and at relapse. The number of CTCs was determined using the cell search system in a central laboratory. The study was conducted in four different sites, and it was reviewed and approved by respective research review committees and IRBs. Results: We enrolled 26 patients with EX-SCLC, 1 was excluded due to ineligibility, all were treated with platinum and etoposide. We observed partial response in 16 patients, stable disease in 3 patients, 1 patient with disease progression, and 6 patients were not assessed (5 deceased, 1 not available). The overall median number of CTCs in 24 patients measured at baseline and post-tx was 75 (range 0–3430) and 2 (range 0–526), respectively. A significant reduction in CTCs from baseline to post-treatment was identified for 15 subjects; the median reduction was 97.4% (range −100 to +100%, p < 0.001). Higher baseline CTCs and percentage change in post-treatment CTCs were associated with decreased survival. Conclusion: We demonstrated that it is feasible to detect CTCs in EX-SCLC. If validated in other prospective studies, CTCs could be a useful biomarker in the management of EX-SCLC by predicting patients’ clinical responses to therapy. PMID:25353007

Stair ascending–descending exercise accelerates the decrease in postprandial hyperglycemia more efficiently than bicycle exercise

PubMed Central

Takaishi, Tetsuo

2017-01-01

Objective Stair climbing–descending exercise (ST-EX) is a convenient method to increase exercise intensity. We compared the acute effect of ST-EX on lowering postprandial hyperglycemia with that of constant bicycle exercise (BI-EX) performed at the same heart rate (HR). Research design and methods Seven people with type 2 diabetes and seven with impaired glucose tolerance volunteered for this study. The step rate for ST-EX and work rate for BI-EX were individually determined to correspond to high-moderate to low-vigorous intensity (HR ~130 beats per minute). For the ST-EX trial, the subjects performed 16 repetitions of walking down one flight of stairs followed by climbing up to the starting point (~8 min in duration) 90 min after consuming a test meal. For the BI-EX trial, the subjects performed a constant pedaling exercise for the same duration at the same time after the meal. Results The reduction in blood glucose (BG) level between 90 and 105 min after a meal was significantly greater for ST-EX (–4.0±0.7mmol/L) than for BI-EX (–2.7±0.9mmol/L). The net reduction in BG between 90 and 105 min was also significantly greater for ST-EX (–3.2±0.7mmol/L) than for BI-EX (–2.0±0.6mmol/L). Serum insulin levels did not differ between the groups. Oxygen consumption for ST-EX was higher than that for BI-EX, but the blood lactate level and respiratory exchange ratio (RER) for ST-EX were lower than those for BI-EX. Conclusions Compared with BI-EX performed at the same HR, ST-EX more rapidly decreased postprandial BG level with lower blood lactate and RER responses. A short bout of ST-EX may be clinically useful to acutely ameliorate BG levels after meals. PMID:29071088

Electrical property sensing biopsy needle for prostate cancer detection.

PubMed

Mishra, V; Schned, A R; Hartov, A; Heaney, J A; Seigne, J; Halter, R J

2013-11-01

Significant electrical property differences have been demonstrated to exist between malignant and benign prostate tissues. We evaluated how well a custom designed clinically deployable electrical property sensing biopsy needle is able to discriminate between these tissue types in an ex vivo prostate model. An electrical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) sensing biopsy (Bx) needle was developed to record resistive (ρR) and reactive (ρX) components of electrical impedance from 100 Hz to 1 MHz. Standard twelve-core biopsy protocols were followed, in which the EIS-Bx device was used to gauge electrical properties prior to extracting tissue cores through biopsy needle firing from 36 ex vivo human prostates. Histopathological assessment of the cores was statistically compared to the impedance spectrum gauged from each core. The magnitudes of the mean resistive and reactive components were significantly higher in cancer tissues (P < 0.05). ROC curves showed that ρR at 63.09 kHz was optimal for discriminating cancer from benign tissues; this parameter had 75.4% specificity, 76.1% sensitivity, and ROC AUC of 0.779. Similarly, 251.1 kHz was optimal when using ρX to discriminate cancer from benign tissues; this parameter had a 77.9% specificity, 71.4% sensitivity, and ROC AUC of 0.79. Significant electrical property differences noted between benign and malignant prostate tissues suggest the potential efficacy an EIS-Bx device would provide for cancer detection in a clinical setting. By sensing a greater fraction of the prostate's volume in real-time, the EIS-Bx device has the potential to improve the accuracy of cancer grading and volume estimation made with current biopsy procedures. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Simultaneous acquisition of multislice PET and MR images: initial results with a MR-compatible PET scanner.

PubMed

Catana, Ciprian; Wu, Yibao; Judenhofer, Martin S; Qi, Jinyi; Pichler, Bernd J; Cherry, Simon R

2006-12-01

PET and MRI are powerful imaging techniques that are largely complementary in the information they provide. We have designed and built a MR-compatible PET scanner based on avalanche photodiode technology that allows simultaneous acquisition of PET and MR images in small animals. The PET scanner insert uses magnetic field-insensitive, position-sensitive avalanche photodiode (PSAPD) detectors coupled, via short lengths of optical fibers, to arrays of lutetium oxyorthosilicate (LSO) scintillator crystals. The optical fibers are used to minimize electromagnetic interference between the radiofrequency and gradient coils and the PET detector system. The PET detector module components and the complete PET insert assembly are described. PET data were acquired with and without MR sequences running, and detector flood histograms were compared with the ones generated from the data acquired outside the magnet. A uniform MR phantom was also imaged to assess the effect of the PET detector on the MR data acquisition. Simultaneous PET and MRI studies of a mouse were performed ex vivo. PSAPDs can be successfully used to read out large numbers of scintillator crystals coupled through optical fibers with acceptable performance in terms of energy and timing resolution and crystal identification. The PSAPD-LSO detector performs well in the 7-T magnet, and no visible artifacts are detected in the MR images using standard pulse sequences. The first images from the complete system have been successfully acquired and reconstructed, demonstrating that simultaneous PET and MRI studies are feasible and opening up interesting possibilities for dual-modality molecular imaging studies.

Development of a low-energy charged particle detector with on-anode ASIC for in-situ plasma measurement in the Earth's magnetosphere

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Saito, M.; Saito, Y.; Mukai, T.; Asamura, K.

2009-06-01

The future magnetospheric exploration missions (ex. SCOPE: cross Scale COupling in the Plasma universE) aim to obtain electron 3D distribution function with very fast time resolution below 10 ms to investigate the electron dynamics that is regarded as pivotal in understanding the space plasma phenomena such as magnetic reconnection. This can be achieved by developing a new plasma detector system which is fast in signal processing with small size, light weight and low power consumption. The new detector system consists of stacked micro channel plates and a position sensitive multi-anode detector with on-anode analogue ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuits). Multi-anode system usually suffers from false signals caused by mainly two effects. One is the effect of the electrostatic crosstalk between the discrete anodes since our new detector consists of many adjacent anodes with small gaps to increase the detection areas. Our experimental results show that there exists electrostatic crosstalk effect of approximately 10% from the adjacent anodes. The effect of 10% electrostatic crosstalk can be effectively avoided by a suitable discrimination level of the signal processing circuit. Non negligible charge cloud size on the anode also causes false counts. Optimized ASIC for in-situ plasma measurement in the Earth's magnetosphere is under development. The initial electron cloud at the MCP output has angular divergence. Furthermore, space charge effects may broaden the size of the charge cloud. We have obtained the charge cloud size both experimentally and theoretically. Our test model detector shows expected performance that is explained by our studies above.

Ki-67 staining for determination of rhesus macaque T cell proliferative responses ex vivo1

PubMed Central

Shedlock, Devon J.; Talbott, Kendra T.; Morrow, Matthew P.; Ferraro, Bernadette; Hokey, David A.; Muthumani, Karuppiah; Weiner, David B.

2010-01-01

The capacity for robust proliferation upon re-infection is a hallmark of adaptive immunity and the basis of vaccination. A widely used animal model for the study of human disease is the rhesus macaque (RM), where capacity for proliferation can be assessed ex vivo using carboxyfluorescein succinimidyl ester (CFSE)-based dilution assays. However, we show over the course of the standard ex vivo proliferation assay that CFSE-labeling at commonly-used dye concentrations induces significant cell death, but that this phenomenon is dose-dependent. Here we describe an alternative, semi-quantitative method for estimating T cell proliferative responses that avoids the putative biases associated with chemical modification. RM peripheral blood mononuclear cells were stimulated ex vivo with cognate peptides for five days, immunostained for intracellular Ki-67, and then analyzed by flow cytometry. We describe a gating strategy using Ki-67 and side light scatter, also a marker of blastogenesis, which correlates strongly with data from CFSE dilution. We show that this method is a valid tool for measuring RM antigen-specific cellular proliferation ex vivo and can be used as an alternative to CFSE dilution assays. PMID:20104580

``High energy Electron exPeriment (HEP)'' onboard the ERG satellite

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mitani, T.; Takashima, T.; Kasahara, S.; Miyake, W.; Hirahara, M.

2017-12-01

The Exploration of energization and Radiation in Geospace (ERG) satellite was successfully launched on December 20, 2016, and now explores how relativistic electrons in the radiation belts are generated during space storms. "High energy Electron exPeriment (HEP)" onboard the ERG satellite observes 70 keV - 2 MeV electrons and provides three-dimensional velocity distribution of electrons every spacecraft spin period. Electrons are observed by two types of camera designs, HEP-L and HEP-H, with regard to geometrical factor and energy range. HEP-L observes 0.1 - 1 MeV electrons and its geometrical factor (G-factor) is 10-3 cm2 str, and HEP-H observes 0.7 - 2 MeV and G-factor is 10-2 cm2 str. HEP-L and HEP-H each consist of three pin-hole type cameras, and each camera consist of mechanical collimator, stacked silicon semiconductor detectors and readout ASICs. HEP-H has larger opening angle of the collimator and more silicon detectors to observe higher energy electrons than HEP-L. The initial checkout in orbit was carried out in February 2017 and it was confirmed that there was no performance degradation by comparing the results of the initial checkout in orbit and the prelaunch function tests. Since late March, HEP has carried out normal observation. HEP observed losses and recovery of the outer radiation belt electrons several times up to now. In this presentation we introduce the HEP instrument design, prelaunch tests results and report the initial results in orbit.

Neutron light output response and resolution functions in EJ-309 liquid scintillation detectors

DOE PAGES

Enqvist, Andreas; Lawrence, Christopher C.; Wieger, Brian M.; ...

2013-03-26

Here, the neutron light output response functions and detector resolution functions were measured at Ohio University's tandem Van de Graaff generator for three cylindrical EJ-309 liquid scintillator cells, having dimensions 12.7(circle divide)-by-12.7, 7.6-by-7.6, and 7.6-by-5.1 cm. A 7.44 MeV deuteron beam was used on an Al-27 target generating a continuous spectrum over the energy range from a few hundred keV to over 10 MeV. The light output response functions are determined using an exponential fit. Detector resolution functions are obtained for the 12.7-by-12.7 and 7.6-by-7.6 cm detectors. It is demonstrated that the dependence on detector size is important for themore » light output response functions, but not to the same extent for the resolution function, even when photomultiplier tubes, detector material, and other detector characteristics are carefully matched.« less

Characterizing the response of a scintillator-based detector to single electrons.

PubMed

Sang, Xiahan; LeBeau, James M

2016-02-01

Here we report the response of a high angle annular dark field scintillator-based detector to single electrons. We demonstrate that care must be taken when determining the single electron intensity as significant discrepancies can occur when quantifying STEM images with different methods. To account for the detector response, we first image the detector using very low beam currents (∼8fA), and subsequently model the interval between consecutive single electrons events. We find that single electrons striking the detector present a wide distribution of intensities, which we show is not described by a simple function. Further, we present a method to accurately account for the electrons within the incident probe when conducting quantitative imaging. The role detector settings play on determining the single electron intensity is also explored. Finally, we extend our analysis to describe the response of the detector to multiple electron events within the dwell interval of each pixel. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Neutron - Alpha irradiation response of superheated emulsion detectors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Felizardo, M.; Morlat, T.; Girard, T. A.; Kling, A.; Fernandes, A. C.; Marques, J. G.; Carvalho, F.; Ramos, A. R.

2017-08-01

We report new experimental investigations of the response of single superheated emulsion detectors with small droplet (<30 μm radii) size distributions to both α- and neutron irradiations. Analysis of the results in terms of the underlying detector physics yields a toy model which reasonably reproduces the observations, and identifies the initial energy of the α in the liquid and distribution of droplet sizes as primarily responsible for the detector capacity to distinguish between nuclear recoil and α events.

Ex vivo assessment and validation of water exchange performance of 23 heat and moisture exchangers for laryngectomized patients.

PubMed

van den Boer, Cindy; Muller, Sara H; Vincent, Andrew D; van den Brekel, Michiel W M; Hilgers, Frans J M

2014-08-01

Breathing through a tracheostoma results in insufficient warming and humidification of the inspired air. This loss of air conditioning, especially humidification, can be partially restored with the application of a heat and moisture exchanger (HME) over the tracheostoma. For medical professionals, it is not easy to judge differences in water exchange performance of various HMEs owing to the lack of universal outcome measures. This study has three aims: assessment of the water exchange performance of commercially available HMEs for laryngectomized patients, validation of these results with absolute humidity outcomes, and assessment of the role of hygroscopic salt present in some of the tested HMEs. Measurements of weight and absolute humidity at end inspiration and end expiration at different breathing volumes of a healthy volunteer were performed using a microbalance and humidity sensor. Twenty-three HMEs from 6 different manufacturers were tested. Associations were determined between core weight, weight change, breathing volume, and absolute humidity, using both linear and nonlinear mixed effects models. Water exchange of the 23 HMEs at a breathing volume of 0.5 L varies between 0.5 and 3.6 mg. Both water exchange and wet core weight correlate strongly with the end-inspiratory absolute humidity values (r2 =0.89/0.87). Hygroscopic salt increases core weight. The 23 tested HMEs for laryngectomized patients show wide variation in water exchange performance. Water exchange correlates well with the end-inspiratory absolute humidity outcome, which validates the ex vivo weight change method. Wet core weight is a predictor of HME performance. Hygroscopic salt increases the weight of the core material. The results of this study can help medical professionals to obtain a more founded opinion about the performance of available HMEs for pulmonary rehabilitation in laryngectomized patients, and allow them to make an informed decision about which HME type to use.

Genetic Diversity Strategy for the Management and Use of Rubber Genetic Resources: More than 1,000 Wild and Cultivated Accessions in a 100-Genotype Core Collection

PubMed Central

Cerqueira-Silva, Carlos Bernardo Moreno; Silva, Carla Cristina; Mantello, Camila Campos; Conson, Andre Ricardo Oliveira; Vianna, João Paulo Gomes; Zucchi, Maria Imaculada; Scaloppi Junior, Erivaldo José; Fialho, Josefino de Freitas; de Moraes, Mario Luis Teixeira; Gonçalves, Paulo de Souza; de Souza, Anete Pereira

2015-01-01

The rubber tree [Hevea brasiliensis (Willd. ex Adr. de Juss.) Muell. Arg.] is the only plant species worldwide that is cultivated for the commercial production of natural rubber. This study describes the genetic diversity of the Hevea spp. complex that is available in the main ex situ collections of South America, including Amazonian populations that have never been previously described. Genetic data were analyzed to determine the genetic structure of the wild populations, quantify the allelic diversity and suggest the composition of a core collection to capture the maximum genetic diversity within a minimal sample size. A total of 1,117 accessions were genotyped with 13 microsatellite markers. We identified a total of 408 alleles, 319 of which were shared between groups and 89 that were private in different groups of accessions. In a population structure and principal component analysis, the level of clustering reflected a primary division into the following two subgroups: cluster 1, which consisted of varieties from the advanced breeding germplasm that originated from the Wickham and Mato Grosso accessions; and cluster 2, which consisted of the wild germplasm from the Acre, Amazonas, Pará and Rondônia populations and Hevea spp. The analyses revealed a high frequency of gene flow between the groups, with the genetic differentiation coefficient (GST) estimated to be 0.018. Additionally, no distinct separation among the H. brasiliensis accessions and the other species from Amazonas was observed. A core collection of 99 accessions was identified that captured the maximum genetic diversity. Rubber tree breeders can effectively utilize this core collection for cultivar improvement. Furthermore, such a core collection could provide resources for forming an association panel to evaluate traits with agronomic and commercial importance. Our study generated a molecular database that should facilitate the management of the Hevea germplasm and its use for subsequent genetic and genomic breeding. PMID:26225861

The AVRDC - The World Vegetable Center mungbean (Vigna radiata) core and mini core collections.

PubMed

Schafleitner, Roland; Nair, Ramakrishnan Madhavan; Rathore, Abhishek; Wang, Yen-wei; Lin, Chen-yu; Chu, Shu-hui; Lin, Pin-yun; Chang, Jian-Cheng; Ebert, Andreas W

2015-04-29

Large ex situ germplasm collections generally harbor a wide range of crop diversity. AVRDC--The World Vegetable Center is holding in trust the world's second largest mungbean (Vigna radiata) germplasm collection with more than 6,700 accessions. Screening large collections for traits of interest is laborious and expensive. To enhance the access of breeders to the diversity of the crop, mungbean core and mini core collections have been established. The core collection of 1,481 entries has been built by random selection of 20% of the accessions after geographical stratification and subsequent cluster analysis of eight phenotypic descriptors in the whole collection. Summary statistics, especially the low differences of means, equal variance of the traits in both the whole and core collection and the visual inspection of quantile-quantile plots comparing the variation of phenotypic traits present in both collections indicated that the core collection well represented the pattern of diversity of the whole collection. The core collection was genotyped with 20 simple sequence repeat markers and a mini core set of 289 accessions was selected, which depicted the allele and genotype diversity of the core collection. The mungbean core and mini core collections plus their phenotypic and genotypic data are available for distribution to breeders. It is expected that these collections will enhance the access to biodiverse mungbean germplasm for breeding.

Per tree estimates with n-tree distance sampling: an application to increment core data

Treesearch

Thomas B. Lynch; Robert F. Wittwer

2002-01-01

Per tree estimates using the n trees nearest a point can be obtained by using a ratio of per unit area estimates from n-tree distance sampling. This ratio was used to estimate average age by d.b.h. classes for cottonwood trees (Populus deltoides Bartr. ex Marsh.) on the Cimarron National Grassland. Increment...

Reproductive biology of Larrea tridentata: A comparison between core shrubland and isolated grassland plants at the Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge, New Mexico

Treesearch

Rosemary L. Pendleton; Burton K. Pendleton; Karen R. Wetherill; Terry Griswold

2008-01-01

Expansion of diploid creosote shrubs (Larrea tridentata (Sessé & Moc. ex DC.) Coville)) into grassland sites occurs exclusively through seed production. We compared the reproductive biology of Larrea shrubs located in a Chihuahuan desert shrubland with isolated shrubs well-dispersed into the semiarid grasslands at the Sevilleta...

Heading toward the Finish Line: Effects of PLATO[R] Online Courses on Credit Recovery

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Luopa, Patricia E.

2010-01-01

Students who have failed a core course that is required for graduation often re-take the course they failed. In recent years, school districts have been using on-line courses for the purpose of allowing their students to recover the credits they need. This study was an ex post facto exploratory examination of descriptive and inferential statistics…

Ex-vessel neutron dosimetry analysis for westinghouse 4-loop XL pressurized water reactor plant using the RadTrack{sup TM} Code System with the 3D parallel discrete ordinates code RAPTOR-M3G

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Chen, J.; Alpan, F. A.; Fischer, G.A.

2011-07-01

Traditional two-dimensional (2D)/one-dimensional (1D) SYNTHESIS methodology has been widely used to calculate fast neutron (>1.0 MeV) fluence exposure to reactor pressure vessel in the belt-line region. However, it is expected that this methodology cannot provide accurate fast neutron fluence calculation at elevations far above or below the active core region. A three-dimensional (3D) parallel discrete ordinates calculation for ex-vessel neutron dosimetry on a Westinghouse 4-Loop XL Pressurized Water Reactor has been done. It shows good agreement between the calculated results and measured results. Furthermore, the results show very different fast neutron flux values at some of the former plate locationsmore » and elevations above and below an active core than those calculated by a 2D/1D SYNTHESIS method. This indicates that for certain irregular reactor internal structures, where the fast neutron flux has a very strong local effect, it is required to use a 3D transport method to calculate accurate fast neutron exposure. (authors)« less

Mid infrared MEMS FTIR spectrometer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Erfan, Mazen; Sabry, Yasser M.; Mortada, Bassem; Sharaf, Khaled; Khalil, Diaa

2016-03-01

In this work we report, for the first time to the best of our knowledge, a bulk-micromachined wideband MEMS-based spectrometer covering both the NIR and the MIR ranges and working from 1200 nm to 4800 nm. The core engine of the spectrometer is a scanning Michelson interferometer micro-fabricated using deep reactive ion etching (DRIE) technology. The spectrum is obtained using the Fourier Transform techniques that allows covering a very wide spectral range limited by the detector responsivity. The moving mirror of the interferometer is driven by a relatively large stroke electrostatic comb-drive actuator. Zirconium fluoride (ZrF4) multimode optical fibers are used to connect light between the white light source and the interferometer input, as well as the interferometer output to a PbSe photoconductive detector. The recorded signal-to-noise ratio is 25 dB at the wavelength of 3350 nm. The spectrometer is successfully used in measuring the absorption spectra of methylene chloride, quartz glass and polystyrene film. The presented solution provides a low cost method for producing miniaturized spectrometers in the near-/mid-infrared.

The circuit of polychromator for Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak edge Thomson scattering diagnostic

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zang, Qing; Zhao, Junyu; Chen, Hui

2013-09-15

The detector circuit is the core component of filter polychromator which is used for scattering light analysis in Thomson scattering diagnostic, and is responsible for the precision and stability of a system. High signal-to-noise and stability are primary requirements for the diagnostic. Recently, an upgraded detector circuit for weak light detecting in Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST) edge Thomson scattering system has been designed, which can be used for the measurement of large electron temperature (T{sub e}) gradient and low electron density (n{sub e}). In this new circuit, a thermoelectric-cooled avalanche photodiode with the aid circuit is involved for increasingmore » stability and enhancing signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), especially the circuit will never be influenced by ambient temperature. These features are expected to improve the accuracy of EAST Thomson diagnostic dramatically. Related mechanical construction of the circuit is redesigned as well for heat-sinking and installation. All parameters are optimized, and SNR is dramatically improved. The number of minimum detectable photons is only 10.« less

Absolute linearity measurements on a gold-black-coated deuterated L-alanine-doped triglycine sulfate pyroelectric detector.

PubMed

Theocharous, E

2008-07-20

The nonlinearity characteristics of a commercially available deuterated L-alanine-doped triglycine sulfate (DLATGS) pyroelectric detector were experimentally investigated at high levels of illumination using the National Physical Laboratory detector linearity characterization facility. The detector was shown to exhibit a superlinear response at high levels of illumination. Moreover, the linearity factor was shown to depend on the area of the spot on the detector active area being illuminated, i.e., the incident irradiance. Possible reasons for the observed behavior are proposed and discussed. The temperature coefficient of the response of the DLATGS pyroelectric detector was measured and found to be higher than +2.5% degrees C(-1). This large and positive temperature coefficient of response is the most likely cause of the superlinear behavior of the DLATGS pyroelectric detector.

Active Learning Approaches by Visualizing ICT Devices with Milliseconds Resolution for Deeper Understanding in Physics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kobayashi, Akizo; Okiharu, Fumiko

2010-07-01

We are developing various modularized materials in physics education to overcome students' misconceptions by use of ICT, i.e. video analysis software and ultra-high-speed digital movies, motion detector, force sensors, current and voltage probes, temperature sensors etc. Furthermore, we also present some new modules of active learning approaches on electric circuit using high speed camera and voltage probes with milliseconds resolution. We are now especially trying to improve conceptual understanding by use of ICT devices with milliseconds resolution in various areas of physics education We give some modules of mass measurements by video analysis of collision phenomena by using high speed cameras—Casio EX-F1(1200 fps), EX-FH20(1000 fps) and EX-FC100/150(1000 fps). We present several new modules on collision phenomena to establish deeper understanding of conservation laws of momentum. We discuss some effective results of trial on a physics education training courses for science educators, and those for science teachers during the renewal years of teacher's license after every ten years in Japan. Finally, we discuss on some typical results of pre-test and post-test in our active learning approaches based on ICT, i.e. some evidence on improvements of physics education (increasing ratio of correct answer are 50%-level).

Exposure and response prevention helps adults with obsessive-compulsive disorder who do not respond to pharmacological augmentation strategies.

PubMed

McLean, Carmen P; Zandberg, Laurie J; Van Meter, Page E; Carpenter, Joseph K; Simpson, Helen Blair; Foa, Edna B

2015-12-01

Serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SRIs) are a first-line treatment for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Yet, most patients with OCD who are taking SRIs do not show excellent response. Recent studies show that augmenting SRIs with risperidone benefits a minority of patients. We evaluated the effectiveness of exposure and response prevention (EX/RP) among nonresponders to SRI augmentation with 8 weeks of risperidone or placebo. The study was conducted from January 2007 to August 2012. Nonresponders to SRI augmentation with risperidone or pill placebo (N = 32) in a randomized controlled trial for adults meeting DSM-IV-TR criteria for OCD were offered up to 17 twice-weekly EX/RP sessions. Independent evaluators, blind to treatment, evaluated patients at crossover baseline (week 8), midway through crossover treatment (week 12), post-EX/RP treatment (week 16), and follow-up (weeks 20, 24, 28, and 32). The primary outcome was OCD severity, measured with the Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS). Secondary outcomes were depression, quality of life, insight, and social functioning. Between crossover baseline and follow-up, nonresponders to SRI augmentation with risperidone or placebo who received EX/RP showed significant reductions in OCD symptoms and depression, as well as significant increases in insight, quality of life, and social functioning (all P < .001). Exposure and response prevention is an effective treatment for patients who have failed to respond to SRI augmentation with risperidone or placebo. This study adds to the body of evidence supporting the use of EX/RP with patients who continue to report clinically significant OCD symptoms after multiple pharmacologic trials. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT00389493. © Copyright 2015 Physicians Postgraduate Press, Inc.

The Amateur Scientist.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Walker, Jearl

1980-01-01

Describes an inexpensive apparatus for the detection of gravity waves traveling through the ionosphere. The detector consists of a modified transistor radio with a ferrite-core antenna. Numerous diagrams accompany a lengthy description. (CS)

Shallow Water Marine UXO Detection Survey, United States Marine Corps Base, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-04-01

resolution time-domain EM metal detector that is capable of detecting both ferrous and nonferrous metallic objects. The EM61 consists of air-cored...modifications to the Geonics EM61 metal detector . Modifications include higher transmitter power and frequency, faster sampling rates, and flexible...towed array (UUTA) electromagnetic system designed by 3Dgeophysics.com (3Dg) utilizes modified and improved Geonics, Ltd. electromagnetic (EM)61 metal

Standardized UXO Technology Demonstration Site, Blind Grid Scoring Record No. 919

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-07-01

provided by demonstrator) a. The core component of the electromagnetic (EM) AMOS metal detector is a linear multichannel sensor array consisting of a...Attainable accuracy of depth (z) +0.3 m h. Detection performance for ferrous and nonferrous metals : Will detect ammunition components 20-mm caliber...2-meter-wide transmitter coil and 16 receiver coils, mounted on a robust, all-terrain trailer (fig. 1). b. The AMOS detector unit consists of the

14 CFR 16.305 - Procedures for handling ex parte communications.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... of all such oral communications; and (c) All written responses, and memoranda stating the substance... communications. 16.305 Section 16.305 Aeronautics and Space FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF... Communications § 16.305 Procedures for handling ex parte communications. A decisional employee who receives or...

Faraday-effect polarimeter diagnostic for internal magnetic field fluctuation measurements in DIII-D

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Chen, J., E-mail: chenjie@ucla.edu; State Key Laboratory of Advanced Electromagnetic Engineering and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074; Ding, W. X.

2016-11-15

Motivated by the need to measure fast equilibrium temporal dynamics, non-axisymmetric structures, and core magnetic fluctuations (coherent and broadband), a three-chord Faraday-effect polarimeter-interferometer system with fast time response and high phase resolution has recently been installed on the DIII-D tokamak. A novel detection scheme utilizing two probe beams and two detectors for each chord results in reduced phase noise and increased time response [δb ∼ 1G with up to 3 MHz bandwidth]. First measurement results were obtained during the recent DIII-D experimental campaign. Simultaneous Faraday and density measurements have been successfully demonstrated and high-frequency, up to 100 kHz, Faraday-effect perturbationsmore » have been observed. Preliminary comparisons with EFIT are used to validate diagnostic performance. Principle of the diagnostic and first experimental results is presented.« less

Detector Powering in the 21st Century Why stay stuck with the Good old 20th Century methods?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dhawan, Satish; Sumner, Richard

Future Collider Physics Detectors are envisioned with large granularity but we have a power delivery problem unless we fill a large fraction of the detector volume with copper conductors. LHC detector electronics is powered by transporting direct current over distances of 30 to 150 meters. This is how Thomas Alva Edison powered his light bulb. For example, CMS ECAL uses 50 kiloamps at 2.5 volts, supplied over a cable set with a transmission efficiency of only 30%. The transmission loss becomes waste heat in the detector that has to be removed. We have been exploring methods to transmit the DC power at higher voltage (low current), reducing to the final low voltage (high current) using DC-DC converters. These converters must operate in high magnetic fields and high radiation levels. This requires rad hard components and non-magnetic (air core) inductors.

Extracellular nanovesicles released from the commensal yeast Malassezia sympodialis are enriched in allergens and interact with cells in human skin.

PubMed

Johansson, Henrik J; Vallhov, Helen; Holm, Tina; Gehrmann, Ulf; Andersson, Anna; Johansson, Catharina; Blom, Hans; Carroni, Marta; Lehtiö, Janne; Scheynius, Annika

2018-06-15

Malassezia sympodialis is a dominant commensal fungi in the human skin mycobiome but is also associated with common skin disorders including atopic eczema (AE). M. sympodialis releases extracellular vesicles, designated MalaEx, which are carriers of small RNAs and allergens, and they can induce inflammatory cytokine responses. Here we explored how MalaEx are involved in host-microbe interactions by comparing protein content of MalaEx with that of the parental yeast cells, and by investigating interactions of MalaEx with cells in the skin. Cryo-electron tomography revealed a heterogeneous population of MalaEx. iTRAQ based quantitative proteomics identified in total 2439 proteins in all replicates of which 110 were enriched in MalaEx compared to the yeast cells. Among the MalaEx enriched proteins were two of the M. sympodialis allergens, Mala s 1 and s 7. Functional experiments indicated an active binding and internalization of MalaEx into human keratinocytes and monocytes, and MalaEx were found in close proximity of the nuclei using super-resolution fluorescence 3D-SIM imaging. Our results provides new insights into host-microbe interactions, supporting that MalaEx may have a role in the sensitization and maintenance of inflammation in AE by containing enriched amounts of allergens and with their ability to interact with skin cells.

CHARACTERIZATION OF EXTRAINTESTINAL PATHOGENIC ESCHERICHIA COLI FROM MEAT IN SOUTHERN THAILAND.

PubMed

Sukkua, Kannika; Pomwised, Rattanaruji; Rattanachuay, Pattamarat; Khianngam, Saowapar; Sukhumungoon, Pharanai

2017-01-01

Extraintestinal pathogenic Escherichia coli (ExPEC) is an E. coli group, which causes diseases in systems outside human intestinal tract. ExPEC isolates were recovered from fresh chicken (25%) and pork (10%) meats, but not beef and shrimp, from markets in southern Thailand. Among the 14 ExPEC strains isolated, all carried iutA and fimH, coding for aerobactin and type 1 fimbriae, respectively. Two ExPEC strains from chicken meat possessed kpsMTK1 coding for K1 capsular antigen, responsible for neonatal meningitis. Antimicrobial susceptibility assay revealed that all ExPEC were resistant to streptomycin and carried blaTEM, but susceptible to imipenem. Phylogenetic group analysis showed that 4, 4, and 6 ExPEC strains belonged to group A, B1 and D, respectively. ExPEC strains were classified into four serotypes, namely, O8 (2 strains), O15 (2 strains), O25 (1 strain), and O127a (1 strain), with the remaining untypeable. DNA profiling analysis by BOX-PCR revealed clonality of strains with the same serotype. The existence of ExPEC in meat products should cause concern regarding food safety and public health not only in southern Thailand but also throughout the country.

The glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide and glucose-stimulated insulin response to exercise training and diet in obesity.

PubMed

Kelly, Karen R; Brooks, Latina M; Solomon, Thomas P J; Kashyap, Sangeeta R; O'Leary, Valerie B; Kirwan, John P

2009-06-01

Aging and obesity are characterized by decreased beta-cell sensitivity and defects in the potentiation of nutrient-stimulated insulin secretion by GIP. Exercise and diet are known to improve glucose metabolism and the pancreatic insulin response to glucose, and this effect may be mediated through the incretin effect of GIP. The purpose of this study was to assess the effects of a 12-wk exercise training intervention (5 days/wk, 60 min/day, 75% Vo(2 max)) combined with a eucaloric (EX, n = 10) or hypocaloric (EX-HYPO, pre: 1,945 +/- 190, post: 1,269 +/- 70, kcal/day; n = 9) diet on the GIP response to glucose in older (66.8 +/- 1.5 yr), obese (34.4 +/- 1.7 kg/m(2)) adults with impaired glucose tolerance. In addition to GIP, plasma PYY(3-36), insulin, and glucose responses were measured during a 3-h, 75-g oral glucose tolerance test. Both interventions led to a significant improvement in Vo(2 max) (P < 0.05). Weight loss (kg) was significant in both groups but was greater after EX-HYPO (-8.3 +/- 1.1 vs. -2.8 +/- 0.5, P = 0.002). The glucose-stimulated insulin response was reduced after EX-HYPO (P = 0.02), as was the glucose-stimulated GIP response (P < 0.05). Furthermore, after the intervention, changes in insulin (DeltaI(0-30)/DeltaG(0-30)) and GIP (Delta(0-30)) secretion were correlated (r = 0.69, P = 0.05). The PYY(3-36) (Delta(0-30)) response to glucose was increased after both interventions (P < 0.05). We conclude that 1) a combination of caloric restriction and exercise reduces the GIP response to ingested glucose, 2) GIP may mediate the attenuated glucose-stimulated insulin response after exercise/diet interventions, and 3) the increased PYY(3-36) response represents an improved capacity to regulate satiety and potentially body weight in older, obese, insulin-resistant adults.

The energy dependence of the lateral dose response functions of detectors with various densities in photon-beam dosimetry.

PubMed

Looe, Hui Khee; Harder, Dietrich; Poppe, Björn

2017-02-07

The lateral dose response function is a general characteristic of the volume effect of a detector used for photon dosimetry in a water phantom. It serves as the convolution kernel transforming the true absorbed dose to water profile, which would be produced within the undisturbed water phantom, into the detector-measured signal profile. The shape of the lateral dose response function characterizes (i) the volume averaging attributable to the detector's size and (ii) the disturbance of the secondary electron field associated with the deviation of the electron density of the detector material from the surrounding water. In previous work, the characteristic dependence of the shape of the lateral dose response function upon the electron density of the detector material was studied for 6 MV photons by Monte Carlo simulation of a wall-less voxel-sized detector (Looe et al 2015 Phys. Med. Biol. 60 6585-07). This study is here continued for 60 Co gamma rays and 15 MV photons in comparison with 6 MV photons. It is found (1) that throughout these photon spectra the shapes of the lateral dose response functions are retaining their characteristic dependence on the detector's electron density, and (2) that their energy-dependent changes are only moderate. This appears as a practical advantage because the lateral dose response function can then be treated as practically invariant across a clinical photon beam in spite of the known changes of the photon spectrum with increasing distance from the beam axis.

Modeling radiation damage to pixel sensors in the ATLAS detector

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ducourthial, A.

2018-03-01

Silicon pixel detectors are at the core of the current and planned upgrade of the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) . As the closest detector component to the interaction point, these detectors will be subject to a significant amount of radiation over their lifetime: prior to the High-Luminosity LHC (HL-LHC) [1], the innermost layers will receive a fluence in excess of 1015 neq/cm2 and the HL-LHC detector upgrades must cope with an order of magnitude higher fluence integrated over their lifetimes. Simulating radiation damage is essential in order to make accurate predictions for current and future detector performance that will enable searches for new particles and forces as well as precision measurements of Standard Model particles such as the Higgs boson. We present a digitization model that includes radiation damage effects on the ATLAS pixel sensors for the first time. In addition to thoroughly describing the setup, we present first predictions for basic pixel cluster properties alongside early studies with LHC Run 2 proton-proton collision data.

Positional calibrations of the germanium double sided strip detectors for the Compton spectrometer and imager

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lowell, A.; Boggs, S.; Chiu, J. L.; Kierans, C.; McBride, S.; Tseng, C. H.; Zoglauer, A.; Amman, M.; Chang, H. K.; Jean, P.; Lin, C. H.; Sleator, C.; Tomsick, J.; von Ballmoos, P.; Yang, C. Y.

2016-08-01

The Compton Spectrometer and Imager (COSI) is a medium energy gamma ray (0.2 - 10 MeV) imager designed to observe high-energy processes in the universe from a high altitude balloon platform. At its core, COSI is comprised of twelve high purity germanium double sided strip detectors which measure particle interaction energies and locations with high precision. This manuscript focuses on the positional calibrations of the COSI detectors. The interaction depth in a detector is inferred from the charge collection time difference between the two sides of the detector. We outline our previous approach to this depth calibration and also describe a new approach we have recently developed. Two dimensional localization of interactions along the faces of the detector (x and y) is straightforward, as the location of the triggering strips is simply used. However, we describe a possible technique to improve the x/y position resolution beyond the detector strip pitch of 2 mm. With the current positional calibrations, COSI achieves an angular resolution of 5.6 +/- 0.1 degrees at 662 keV, close to our expectations from simulations.

Endogenous GLP-1 in lateral septum contributes to stress-induced hypophagia.

PubMed

Terrill, Sarah J; Maske, Calyn B; Williams, Diana L

2018-03-03

Glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) neurons of the caudal brainstem project to many brain areas, including the lateral septum (LS), which has a known role in stress responses. Previously, we showed that endogenous GLP-1 in the LS plays a physiologic role in the control of feeding under non-stressed conditions, however, central GLP-1 is also involved in behavioral and endocrine responses to stress. Here, we asked whether LS GLP-1 receptors (GLP-1R) contribute to stress-induced hypophagia. Male rats were implanted with bilateral cannulas targeting the dorsal subregion of the LS (dLS). In a within-subjects design, shortly before the onset of the dark phase, rats received dLS injections of saline or the GLP-1R antagonist Exendin (9-39) (Ex9) prior to 30 min restraint stress. Food intake was measured continuously for the next 20 h. The stress-induced hypophagia observed within the first 30 min of dark was not influenced by Ex9 pretreatment, but Ex9 tended to blunt the effect of stress as early as 1 and 2 h into the dark phase. By 4-6 h, there were significant stress X drug interactions, and Ex9 pretreatment blocked the stress-induced suppression of feeding. These effects were mediated entirely through changes in average meal size; stress suppressed meal size while dLS Ex9 attenuated this effect. Using a similar design, we examined the role of dLS GLP-1R in the neuroendocrine response to acute restraint stress. As expected, stress potently increased serum corticosterone, but blockade of dLS GLP-1Rs did not affect this response. Together, these data show that endogenous GLP-1 action in the dLS plays a role in some but not all of the physiologic responses to acute stress. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Traceable terahertz power measurement from 1 THz to 5 THz.

PubMed

Steiger, Andreas; Kehrt, Mathias; Monte, Christian; Müller, Ralf

2013-06-17

The metrology institute in Germany, the Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB), calibrates the spectral responsivity of THz detectors at 2.52 THz traceable to International System of Units. The Terahertz detector calibration facility is equipped with a standard detector calibrated against a cryogenic radiometer at this frequency. In order to extend this service to a broader spectral range in the THz region a new standard detector was developed. This detector is based on a commercial thermopile detector. Its absorber was modified and characterized by spectroscopic methods with respect to its absorptance and reflectance from 1 THz to 5 THz and at the wavelength of a helium-neon laser in the visible spectral range. This offers the possibility of tracing back the THz power responsivity scale to the more accurate responsivity scale in the visible spectral range and thereby to reduce the uncertainty of detector calibrations in the THz range significantly.

Stability of the Helical TomoTherapy Hi·Art II detector for treatment beam irradiations

PubMed Central

Schombourg, Karin; Bochud, François

2014-01-01

The Hi·Art II Helical TomoTherapy (HT) unit is equipped with a built‐in onboard MVCT detector used for patient imaging and beam monitoring. Our aim was to study the detector stability for treatment beam measurements. We studied the MVCT detector response with the 6 MV photon beam over time, throughout short‐term (during an irradiation) and long‐term (two times 50 days) periods. Our results show a coefficient of variation ≤1% for detector chambers inside the beam (excluding beam gradients) for short‐ and long‐term response of the MVCT detector. Larger variations were observed in beam gradients and an influence of the X‐ray target where degradation was found. The results assume that an ‘air scan’ procedure is performed daily to recalibrate the detector with the imaging beam. On short term, the detector response stability is comparable to other devices. Long‐term measurements during two 50‐day periods show a good reproducibility. PACS numbers: 87.55.ne, 87.55.Qr PMID:25493514

Assembly and evaluation of a pyroelectric detector bonded to vertically aligned multiwalled carbon nanotubes over thin silicon.

PubMed

Theocharous, E; Theocharous, S P; Lehman, J H

2013-11-20

A novel pyroelectric detector consisting of a vertically aligned nanotube array on thin silicon (VANTA/Si) bonded to a 60 μm thick crystal of LiTaO₃ has been fabricated. The performance of the VANTA/Si-coated pyroelectric detector was evaluated using National Physical Laboratory's (NPL's) detector-characterization facilities. The relative spectral responsivity of the detector was found to be spectrally flat in the 0.8-24 μm wavelength range, in agreement with directional-hemispherical reflectance measurements of witness samples of the VANTA. The spatial uniformity of response of the test detector exhibited good uniformity, although the nonuniformity increased with increasing modulation frequency. The nonuniformity may be assigned either to the dimensions of the VANTA or the continuity of the bond between the VANTA/Si coating and the pyroelectric crystal substrate. The test detector exhibited a small superlinear response, which is similar to that of pyroelectric detectors coated with good quality gold-black coatings.

DANSSino: a pilot version of the DANSS neutrino detector

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alekseev, I.; Belov, V.; Brudanin, V.; Danilov, M.; Egorov, V.; Filosofov, D.; Fomina, M.; Hons, Z.; Kobyakin, A.; Medvedev, D.; Mizuk, R.; Novikov, E.; Olshevsky, A.; Rozov, S.; Rumyantseva, N.; Rusinov, V.; Salamatin, A.; Shevchik, Ye.; Shirchenko, M.; Shitov, Yu.; Starostin, A.; Svirida, D.; Tarkovsky, E.; Tikhomirov, I.; Yakushev, E.; Zhitnikov, I.; Zinatulina, D.

2014-07-01

DANSSino is a reduced pilot version of a solid-state detector of reactor antineutrinos (to be created within the DANSS project and installed under the industrial 3 GWth reactor of the Kalinin Nuclear Power Plant—KNPP). Numerous tests performed at a distance of 11 m from the reactor core demonstrate operability of the chosen design and reveal the main sources of the background. In spite of its small size (20 × 20 × 100 cm3), the pilot detector turned out to be quite sensitive to reactor antineutrinos, detecting about 70 IBD events per day with the signal-to-background ratio about unity.

Sterile Neutrino Search with the Double Chooz Experiment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hellwig, D.; Matsubara, T.; Double Chooz Collaboration

2017-09-01

Double Chooz is a reactor antineutrino disappearance experiment located in Chooz, France. A far detector at a distance of about 1 km from reactor cores is operating since 2011; a near detector of identical design at a distance of about 400 m is operating since begin 2015. Beyond the precise measurement of θ 13, Double Chooz has a strong sensitivity to so called light sterile neutrinos. Sterile neutrinos are neutrino mass states not taking part in weak interactions, but may mix with known neutrino states. In this paper, we present an analysis method to search for sterile neutrinos and the expected sensitivity with the baselines of our detectors.

Multi-element germanium detectors for synchrotron applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rumaiz, A. K.; Kuczewski, A. J.; Mead, J.; Vernon, E.; Pinelli, D.; Dooryhee, E.; Ghose, S.; Caswell, T.; Siddons, D. P.; Miceli, A.; Baldwin, J.; Almer, J.; Okasinski, J.; Quaranta, O.; Woods, R.; Krings, T.; Stock, S.

2018-04-01

We have developed a series of monolithic multi-element germanium detectors, based on sensor arrays produced by the Forschungzentrum Julich, and on Application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs) developed at Brookhaven. Devices have been made with element counts ranging from 64 to 384. These detectors are being used at NSLS-II and APS for a range of diffraction experiments, both monochromatic and energy-dispersive. Compact and powerful readout systems have been developed, based on the new generation of FPGA system-on-chip devices, which provide closely coupled multi-core processors embedded in large gate arrays. We will discuss the technical details of the systems, and present some of the results from them.

Fluorescence multiplexing with time-resolved and spectral discrimination using a near-IR detector.

PubMed

Zhu, Li; Stryjewski, Wieslaw; Lassiter, Suzanne; Soper, Steven A

2003-05-15

We report on the design and performance of a two-color, time-resolved detector for the acquisition of both steady-state and time-resolved fluorescence data acquired in real time during the capillary gel electrophoresis separation of DNA sequencing fragments. The detector consisted of a pair of pulsed laser diodes operating at 680 and 780 nm. The diode heads were coupled directly to single-mode fibers, which were terminated into a single fiber mounted via a FC/PC connector to the detector body. The detector contained a dichroic filter, which directed the dual-laser beams to an objective. The objective focused the laser light into a capillary gel column and also collected the resulting fluorescence emission. The dual-color emission was transmitted through the dichroic and focused onto a multimode fiber (core diameter 50 microm), which carried the luminescence to a pair of single-photon avalanche diodes (SPADs). The emission was sorted spectrally using a second dichroic onto one of two SPADs and isolated using appropriate interference filters (710- or 810-nm channel). The dual-color detector demonstrated a time response of 450 and 510 ps (fwhm) for the 710- and 810-nm channels, respectively. The mass detection limits for two near-IR dye-labeled sequencing primers electrophoresed in a capillary gel column were found to be 7.1 x 10(-21) and 3.2 x 10(-20) mol (SNR = 3) for the 710- and 810-nm detector channels, respectively. In addition, no leakage of luminescence excited at 680 nm was observed in the 810-nm channel or 780-nm excited luminescence into the 710-nm channel. An M13mp18 template was sequenced in a single capillary gel column using a two-color, two-lifetime format. The read length was found to be 650 base pairs for the test template at a calling accuracy of 95.1% using a linear poly(dimethylacrylamide) (POP6) gel column, with the read length determined primarily by the electrophoretic resolution produced by the sieving gel.

On the radiation tolerance of SU-8, a new material for gaseous microstructure radiation detector fabrication

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Key, M. J.; Cindro, V.; Lozano, M.

2004-12-01

SU-8 photosensitive epoxy resin was developed for the fabrication of high-aspect ratio microstructures in MEMS and microengineering applications, and has potential for use in the construction of novel gaseous micropattern radiation detectors. However, little is known of the behaviour of the cured material under irradiation. Mechanical properties of SU-8 film have been measured as a function of neutron exposure and compared with Kapton ® polyimide and Mylar ® PET polyester films, materials routinely used in gaseous radiation detectors, to asses the suitability of SU-8 based microstructures for gaseous detector applications. After exposure to a reactor core neutron fluence of 7.5×10 18 n cm -2, the new material showed a high level of resistance to radiation damage, comparable to Kapton film.

THz imaging system for in vivo human cornea.

PubMed

Sung, Shijun; Selvin, Skyler; Bajwa, Neha; Chantra, Somporn; Nowroozi, Bryan; Garritano, James; Goell, Jacob; Li, Alex; Deng, Sophie X; Brown, Elliott; Grundfest, Warren S; Taylor, Zachary D

2018-01-01

Terahertz (THz) imaging of corneal tissue water content (CTWC) is a proposed method for early, accurate detection and study of corneal diseases. Despite promising results from ex vivo and in vivo cornea studies, interpretation of the reflectivity data is confounded by the contact between corneal tissue and rigid dielectric window used to flatten the imaging field. This work develops a novel imaging system and image reconstruction methods specifically for nearly spherical targets such as human cornea. A prototype system was constructed using a 650 GHz multiplier source and Schottky diode detector. Resolution and imaging field strength measurement from characterization targets correlate well with those predicted by the quasioptical theory and physical optics analysis. Imaging experiments with corneal phantoms and ex vivo corneas demonstrate the hydration sensitivity of the imaging system and reliable measurement of CTWC. We present successful acquisition of non-contact THz images of in vivo human cornea, and discuss strategies for optimizing the imaging system design for clinical use.

The Core Avionics System for the DLR Compact-Satellite Series

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Montenegro, S.; Dittrich, L.

2008-08-01

The Standard Satellite Bus's core avionics system is a further step in the development line of the software and hardware architecture which was first used in the bispectral infrared detector mission (BIRD). The next step improves dependability, flexibility and simplicity of the whole core avionics system. Important aspects of this concept were already implemented, simulated and tested in other ESA and industrial projects. Therefore we can say the basic concept is proven. This paper deals with different aspects of core avionics development and proposes an extension to the existing core avionics system of BIRD to meet current and future requirements regarding flexibility, availability, reliability of small satellite and the continuous increasing demand of mass memory and computational power.

Circular Polarizations of Gravitational Waves from Core-Collapse Supernovae: A Clear Indication of Rapid Rotation.

PubMed

Hayama, Kazuhiro; Kuroda, Takami; Nakamura, Ko; Yamada, Shoichi

2016-04-15

We propose to employ the circular polarization of gravitational waves emitted by core-collapse supernovae as an unequivocal indication of rapid rotation deep in their cores just prior to collapse. It has been demonstrated by three dimensional simulations that nonaxisymmetric accretion flows may develop spontaneously via hydrodynamical instabilities in the postbounce cores. It is not surprising, then, that the gravitational waves emitted by such fluid motions are circularly polarized. We show, in this Letter, that a network of the second generation detectors of gravitational waves worldwide may be able to detect such polarizations up to the opposite side of the Galaxy as long as the rotation period of the core is shorter than a few seconds prior to collapse.

The pyroelectric properties of TGS for application in infrared detection

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kroes, R. L.; Reiss, D.

1981-01-01

The pyroelectric property of triglycine sulfate and its application in the detection of infrared radiation are described. The detectivities of pyroelectric detectors and other types of infrared detectors are compared. The thermal response of a pyroelectric detector element and the resulting electrical response are derived in terms of the material parameters. The noise sources which limit the sensitivity of pyroelectric detectors are described, and the noise equivalent power for each noise source is given as a function of frequency and detector area.

Heat Transfer Issues in Thin-Film Thermal Radiation Detectors

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Barry, Mamadou Y.

1999-01-01

The Thermal Radiation Group at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University has been working closely with scientists and engineers at NASA's Langley Research Center to develop accurate analytical and numerical models suitable for designing next generation thin-film thermal radiation detectors for earth radiation budget measurement applications. The current study provides an analytical model of the notional thermal radiation detector that takes into account thermal transport phenomena, such as the contact resistance between the layers of the detector, and is suitable for use in parameter estimation. It was found that the responsivity of the detector can increase significantly due to the presence of contact resistance between the layers of the detector. Also presented is the effect of doping the thermal impedance layer of the detector with conducting particles in order to electrically link the two junctions of the detector. It was found that the responsivity and the time response of the doped detector decrease significantly in this case. The corresponding decrease of the electrical resistance of the doped thermal impedance layer is not sufficient to significantly improve the electrical performance of the detector. Finally, the "roughness effect" is shown to be unable to explain the decrease in the thermal conductivity often reported for thin-film layers.

Analysis of antigen-specific B-cell memory directly ex vivo.

PubMed

McHeyzer-Williams, Louise J; McHeyzer-Williams, Michael G

2004-01-01

Helper T-cell-regulated B-cell memory develops in response to initial antigen priming as a cellular product of the germinal center (GC) reaction. On antigen recall, memory response precursors expand rapidly with exaggerated differentiation into plasma cells to produce the high-titer, high-affinity antibody(Ab) that typifies the memory B-cell response in vivo. We have devised a high-resolution flow cytometric strategy to quantify the emergence and maintenance of antigen-specific memory B cells directly ex vivo. Extended cell surface phenotype establishes a level of cellular diversity not previously appreciated for the memory B-cell compartment. Using an "exclusion transfer" strategy, we ascertain the capacity of two distinct memory B-cell populations to transfer antigen-specific memory into naive adoptive hosts. Finally, we sequence expressed messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) from single cells within the population to estimate the level of somatic hypermutation as the best molecular indicator of B-cell memory. In this chapter, we describe the methods used in each of these four sections that serve to provide high-resolution quantification of antigen-specific B-cell memory responses directly ex vivo.

Calibration of а single hexagonal NaI(Tl) detector using a new numerical method based on the efficiency transfer method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abbas, Mahmoud I.; Badawi, M. S.; Ruskov, I. N.; El-Khatib, A. M.; Grozdanov, D. N.; Thabet, A. A.; Kopatch, Yu. N.; Gouda, M. M.; Skoy, V. R.

2015-01-01

Gamma-ray detector systems are important instruments in a broad range of science and new setup are continually developing. The most recent step in the evolution of detectors for nuclear spectroscopy is the construction of large arrays of detectors of different forms (for example, conical, pentagonal, hexagonal, etc.) and sizes, where the performance and the efficiency can be increased. In this work, a new direct numerical method (NAM), in an integral form and based on the efficiency transfer (ET) method, is used to calculate the full-energy peak efficiency of a single hexagonal NaI(Tl) detector. The algorithms and the calculations of the effective solid angle ratios for a point (isotropic irradiating) gamma-source situated coaxially at different distances from the detector front-end surface, taking into account the attenuation of the gamma-rays in the detector's material, end-cap and the other materials in-between the gamma-source and the detector, are considered as the core of this (ET) method. The calculated full-energy peak efficiency values by the (NAM) are found to be in a good agreement with the measured experimental data.

Effect of Exercise Training and L-arginine on Oxidative Stress and Left Ventricular Function in the Post-ischemic Failing Rat Heart.

PubMed

Ranjbar, Kamal; Nazem, Farzad; Nazari, Afshin

2016-04-01

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of exercise training (ET) and L-arginine on oxidative stress and ventricular function in rat with myocardial infarction (MI). Four weeks after the surgical procedures, 40 Wistar male rats were randomized to the following groups: MI-sedentary (Sed); MI-exercise (Ex); MI-sedentary + L-arginine (Sed + LA); and MI-exercise + L-arginine (Ex + LA); the rats were subjected to aerobic training in the form of treadmill running. Rats in the L-arginine-treated groups drank water containing 4 % L-arginine. Before and after the training program, all subjects underwent resting echocardiography. Catalase (CAT) glutathione peroxidase (GPx), malondialdehyde (MDA) and myeloperoxidase (MPO) were measured. Cardiac output, stroke volume and fractional shortening in Ex and Ex + LA groups significantly increased in comparison with the Sed group. Cardiac systolic function indices in Ex + LA group were significantly greater than Ex group. Also, GPx activity and MDA, respectively, increased and decreased in response to ET, but no change was observed in MPO and CAT. These results suggest that ET increased LV function by decreasing oxidative stress and increasing antioxidant defense system in rats with MI. In addition in response to training, L-arginine appears to have additive effect on cardiac function, but have no effect on oxidative stress indices.

A Novel Ex Vivo Method for Visualizing Live-Cell Calcium Response Behavior in Intact Human Tumors.

PubMed

Koh, James; Hogue, Joyce A; Sosa, Julie A

2016-01-01

The functional impact of intratumoral heterogeneity has been difficult to assess in the absence of a means to interrogate dynamic, live-cell biochemical events in the native tissue context of a human tumor. Conventional histological methods can reveal morphology and static biomarker expression patterns but do not provide a means to probe and evaluate tumor functional behavior and live-cell responsiveness to experimentally controlled stimuli. Here, we describe an approach that couples vibratome-mediated viable tissue sectioning with live-cell confocal microscopy imaging to visualize human parathyroid adenoma tumor cell responsiveness to extracellular calcium challenge. Tumor sections prepared as 300 micron-thick tissue slices retain viability throughout a >24 hour observation period and retain the native architecture of the parental tumor. Live-cell observation of biochemical signaling in response to extracellular calcium challenge in the intact tissue slices reveals discrete, heterogeneous kinetic waveform categories of calcium agonist reactivity within each tumor. Plotting the proportion of maximally responsive tumor cells as a function of calcium concentration yields a sigmoid dose-response curve with a calculated calcium EC50 value significantly elevated above published reference values for wild-type calcium-sensing receptor (CASR) sensitivity. Subsequent fixation and immunofluorescence analysis of the functionally evaluated tissue specimens allows alignment and mapping of the physical characteristics of individual cells within the tumor to specific calcium response behaviors. Evaluation of the relative abundance of intracellular PTH in tissue slices challenged with variable calcium concentrations demonstrates that production of the hormone can be dynamically manipulated ex vivo. The capability of visualizing live human tumor tissue behavior in response to experimentally controlled conditions opens a wide range of possibilities for personalized ex vivo therapeutic testing. This highly adaptable system provides a unique platform for live-cell ex vivo provocative testing of human tumor responsiveness to a range of physiological agonists or candidate therapeutic compounds.

Speckle imaging of active galactic nuclei: NGC 1068 and NGC 4151

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ebstein, Steven Michael

High resolution images of NGC 1068 and NGC 4151 in the 5007 A line and the nearby continuum produced from data taken with the PAPA photon counting imaging detector using the technique of speckle imaging are presented. The images show an unresolved core of 5007 A emission in the middle of an extended emission region. The extended emission tends to lie alongside the subarcsecond radio structure. In NGC 4151, the extended emission comes from a nearly linear structure extending on both sides of the unresolved core. In NGC 1068, the extended emission is concentrated in lobes lying to the unresolved core but the emission is concentrated in lobes lying to either side of the major axis. The continuum of NGC 4151 is spatially unresolved. The continuum of NGC 1068 is extended approx. 1 in to the SW of the center of the 5007 A emission. Certain aspects of the PAPA detector are discussed, including the variable threshold discriminators that track the image intensifier pulse height and the camera artifacts. The data processing is described in detail.

Towards the use of bioresorbable fibers in time-domain diffuse optics.

PubMed

Di Sieno, Laura; Boetti, Nadia G; Dalla Mora, Alberto; Pugliese, Diego; Farina, Andrea; Konugolu Venkata Sekar, Sanathana; Ceci-Ginistrelli, Edoardo; Janner, Davide; Pifferi, Antonio; Milanese, Daniel

2018-01-01

In the last years bioresorbable materials are gaining increasing interest for building implantable optical components for medical devices. In this work we show the fabrication of bioresorbable optical fibers designed for diffuse optics applications, featuring large core diameter (up to 200 μm) and numerical aperture (0.17) to maximize the collection efficiency of diffused light. We demonstrate the suitability of bioresorbable fibers for time-domain diffuse optical spectroscopy firstly checking the intrinsic performances of the setup by acquiring the instrument response function. We then validate on phantoms the use of bioresorbable fibers by applying the MEDPHOT protocol to assess the performance of the system in measuring optical properties (namely, absorption and scattering coefficients) of homogeneous media. Further, we show an ex-vivo validation on a chicken breast by measuring the absorption and scattering spectra in the 500-1100 nm range using interstitially inserted bioresorbable fibers. This work represents a step toward a new way to look inside the body using optical fibers that can be implanted in patients. These fibers could be useful either for diagnostic (e. g. for monitoring the evolution after surgical interventions) or treatment (e. g. photodynamic therapy) purposes. Picture: Microscopy image of the 100 μm core bioresorbable fiber. © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Manganese-containing Prussian blue nanoparticles for imaging of pediatric brain tumors

PubMed Central

Dumont, Matthieu F; Yadavilli, Sridevi; Sze, Raymond W; Nazarian, Javad; Fernandes, Rohan

2014-01-01

Pediatric brain tumors (PBTs) are a leading cause of death in children. For an improved prognosis in patients with PBTs, there is a critical need to develop molecularly-specific imaging agents to monitor disease progression and response to treatment. In this paper, we describe manganese-containing Prussian blue nanoparticles as agents for molecular magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and fluorescence-based imaging of PBTs. Our core-shell nanoparticles consist of a core lattice structure that incorporates and retains paramagnetic Mn2+ ions, and generates MRI contrast (both negative and positive). The biofunctionalized shell is comprised of fluorescent avidin, which serves the dual purpose of enabling fluorescence imaging and functioning as a platform for the attachment of biotinylated ligands that target PBTs. The surfaces of our nanoparticles are modified with biotinylated antibodies targeting neuron-glial antigen 2 or biotinylated transferrin. Both neuron-glial antigen 2 and the transferrin receptor are protein markers overexpressed in PBTs. We describe the synthesis, biofunctionalization, and characterization of these multimodal nanoparticles. Further, we demonstrate the MRI and fluorescence imaging capabilities of manganese-containing Prussian blue nanoparticles in vitro. Finally, we demonstrate the potential of these nanoparticles as PBT imaging agents by measuring their organ and brain biodistribution in an orthotopic mouse model of PBTs using ex vivo fluorescence imaging. PMID:24920896

Surgical Tooth Implants, Combat and Field.

DTIC Science & Technology

1983-07-15

The upper two parts of the implant (post and core and crown) are conventional dental materials, usually gold. EX) 1473 MrION Of" I POV GS IS O&SOLETE...10 Clinical Examples of Baboon Dental Implants . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Histologic Analysis of the Bone-Implant Interface . . . . . . . . 16...Aluminum Oxide Dental Implant . . . . . . . . . . 2 Figure 2. Clinical Photograph of A29 and A30 in Baboon 469 at Necropsy

System for detecting special nuclear materials

DOEpatents

Jandel, Marian; Rusev, Gencho Yordanov; Taddeucci, Terry Nicholas

2015-07-14

The present disclosure includes a radiological material detector having a convertor material that emits one or more photons in response to a capture of a neutron emitted by a radiological material; a photon detector arranged around the convertor material and that produces an electrical signal in response to a receipt of a photon; and a processor connected to the photon detector, the processor configured to determine the presence of a radiological material in response to a predetermined signature of the electrical signal produced at the photon detector. One or more detectors described herein can be integrated into a detection system that is suited for use in port monitoring, treaty compliance, and radiological material management activities.

Particle Detectors in the Theory of Quantum Fields on Curved Spacetimes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cant, John Fraser

This work discusses aspects of a fundamental problem in the theory of quantum fields on curved spacetimes--that of giving physical meaning to the particle representations of the theory. In particular, the response of model particle detectors is analysed in detail. Unruh (1976) first introduced the idea of a model particle detector in order to give an operational definition to particles. He found that even in flat spacetime, the excitation of a particle detector does not necessarily correspond to the presence of an energy carrier--an accelerating detector will excite in response to the zero-energy state of the Minkowski vacuum. The central question I consider in this work is --where does the energy for the excitation of the accelerating detector come from? The accepted response has been that the accelerating force provides the energy. Evaluating the energy carried by the (conformally-invariant massless scalar) field after the interaction with the detector, however, I find that the detector excitation is compensated by an equal but opposite emission of negative energy. This result suggests that there may be states of lesser energy than that of the Minkowski vacuum. To resolve this paradox, I argue that the emission of a detector following a more realistic trajectory than that of constant acceleration--one that starts and finishes in inertial motion--will in total be positive, although during periods of constant acceleration the detector will still emit negative energy. The Minkowski vacuum retains its status as the field state of lowest energy. The second question I consider is the response of Unruh's detector in curved spacetime--is it possible to use such a detector to measure the energy carried by the field? In the particular case of a detector following a Killing trajectory, I find that there is a response to the energy of the field, but that there is also an inherent 'noise'. In a two dimensional model spacetime, I show that this 'noise' depends on the detector's acceleration and on the curvature of the spacetime, thereby encompassing previous results of Unruh (1976) and of Gibbons & Hawking (1977).

Measurements of localized core turbulence & turbulence suppression on DIII-D

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shafer, Morgan W.

The crucial dynamics of turbulent-driven cross-field transport in tokamak plasmas reside in the two-dimensional (2D) radial/poloidal plane. Thus, 2D measurements of turbulence are needed to test theoretical models and validate sophisticated gyrokinetic codes. Furthermore, measurements are important for understanding the role of turbulence suppression in enhanced confinement regimes. The Beam Emission Spectroscopy (BES) diagnostic on the DIII-D tokamak measures localized, long-wavelength (k⊥rho i≤1) density fluctuations in the 2D radial/poloidal plane and is suitable for these studies. Measurements of turbulence amplitude, S(kr,k theta) spectra, correlation lengths, decorrelation rates and group velocities are obtained via BES in the core (0.3< r/a <0.9) and compared to nonlinear gyrokinetic simulations from the GYRO code. The 2D measurements show a tilted eddy structure in the core that is consistent with ExB shear. The S(kr,ktheta) spectra are directly compared to GYRO simulations. These comparisons show the 2D structure is in reasonable agreement at r/a = 0.5 where the predicted turbulence amplitude and heat flux agree well with the measurements. However, the simulations show a strongly tilted eddy structure that extends to high-kr at r/a = 0.75, where the simulations under-predict the turbulence amplitude and heat flux. This is not observed in the experiment and suggests a possible over-exaggeration of an ExB or zonal flow shearing mechanism in the simulations. Measurements demonstrate local turbulence suppression near low-order rational q-surfaces at low magnetic shear. This interaction can lead to an Internal Transport Barrier (ITB) provided sufficient equilibrium ExB shear (largely due to the toroidal rotation of neutral beam heated rotating plasmas) sustains the barrier. Related GYRO simulations suggest these ITBs are triggered by zonal flows that form near the q = 2 surface. Consistent with the simulations, localized measurements demonstrate increased shear in the poloidal turbulence velocity. The resulting shear rate transiently exceeds the decorrelation rate, causing a reduction in turbulence and radial correlation length. The layer of suppressed turbulence moves radially outward, nearly coincident with integer q-surfaces.

Collisional relaxation of an isotopic, strongly magnetized pure ion plasma and topics in resonant wave-particle interaction of plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chim, Chi Yung

First in Chapter 2, we discuss the collisional relaxation of a strongly magnetized pure ion plasma that is composed of two species with slightly different masses, but both with singly-ionized atoms. In a limit of high cyclotron frequencies O j, the total cyclotron action Ij for the two species are adiabatic invariants. In a few collisions, maximizing entropy yields a modified Gibbs distribution of the form exp[-H/T ∥-alpha1 I 1-alpha2I2]. Here, H is the total Hamiltonian and alphaj's are related to parallel and perpendicular temperatures through T ⊥j=(1/T∥ +alphaj/Oj) -1. On a longer timescale, the two species share action so that alpha 1 and alpha2 relax to a common value alpha. On an even longer timescale, the total action ceases to be a constant of the motion and alpha relaxes to zero. Next, weak transport produces a low density halo of electrons moving radially outward from the pure electron plasma core, and the m = 1 mode begins to damp algebraically when the halo reaches the wall. The damping rate is proportional to the particle flux through the resonant layer at the wall. Chapter 3 explains analytically the new algebraic damping due to both mobility and diffusion transport. Electrons swept around the resonant "cat's eye" orbits form a dipole (m = 1) density distribution, setting up a field that produces ExB-drift of the core back to the axis, that is, damps the mode. Finally, Chapter 4 provides a simple mechanistic interpretation of the resonant wave-particle interaction of Landau. For the simple case of a Vlasov plasma oscillation, the non-resonant electrons are driven resonantly by the bare electric field from the resonant electrons, and this complex driver field is of a phase to reduce the oscillation amplitude. The wave-particle resonant interaction also occurs in 2D ExB-drift waves, such as a diocotron wave. In this case, the bare electric field from the resonant electrons causes ExB-drift motion back in the core plasma, thus damping the wave.

Maia Mapper: high definition XRF imaging in the lab

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ryan, Chris G.; Kirkham, R.; Moorhead, G. F.

Here, Maia Mapper is a laboratory μXRF mapping system for efficient elemental imaging of drill core sections serving minerals research and industrial applications. It targets intermediate spatial scales, with imaging of up to ~80 M pixels over a 500×150 mm 2 sample area. It brings together (i) the Maia detector and imaging system, with its large solid-angle, event-mode operation, millisecond pixel transit times in fly-scan mode and real-time spectral deconvolution and imaging, (ii) the high brightness MetalJet D2 liquid metal micro-focus X-ray source from Excillum, and (iii) an efficient XOS polycapillary lens with a flux gain ~15,900 at 21 keVmore » into a ~32 μm focus, and (iv) a sample scanning stage engineered for standard drill-core sections. Count-rates up to ~3 M/s are observed on drill core samples with low dead-time up to ~1.5%. Automated scans are executed in sequence with display of deconvoluted element component images accumulated in real-time in the Maia detector. Application images on drill core and polished rock slabs illustrate Maia Mapper capabilities as part of the analytical workflow of the Advanced Resource Characterisation Facility, which spans spatial dimensions from ore deposit to atomic scales.« less

Maia Mapper: high definition XRF imaging in the lab

DOE PAGES

Ryan, Chris G.; Kirkham, R.; Moorhead, G. F.; ...

2018-03-13

Here, Maia Mapper is a laboratory μXRF mapping system for efficient elemental imaging of drill core sections serving minerals research and industrial applications. It targets intermediate spatial scales, with imaging of up to ~80 M pixels over a 500×150 mm 2 sample area. It brings together (i) the Maia detector and imaging system, with its large solid-angle, event-mode operation, millisecond pixel transit times in fly-scan mode and real-time spectral deconvolution and imaging, (ii) the high brightness MetalJet D2 liquid metal micro-focus X-ray source from Excillum, and (iii) an efficient XOS polycapillary lens with a flux gain ~15,900 at 21 keVmore » into a ~32 μm focus, and (iv) a sample scanning stage engineered for standard drill-core sections. Count-rates up to ~3 M/s are observed on drill core samples with low dead-time up to ~1.5%. Automated scans are executed in sequence with display of deconvoluted element component images accumulated in real-time in the Maia detector. Application images on drill core and polished rock slabs illustrate Maia Mapper capabilities as part of the analytical workflow of the Advanced Resource Characterisation Facility, which spans spatial dimensions from ore deposit to atomic scales.« less

Maia Mapper: high definition XRF imaging in the lab

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ryan, C. G.; Kirkham, R.; Moorhead, G. F.; Parry, D.; Jensen, M.; Faulks, A.; Hogan, S.; Dunn, P. A.; Dodanwela, R.; Fisher, L. A.; Pearce, M.; Siddons, D. P.; Kuczewski, A.; Lundström, U.; Trolliet, A.; Gao, N.

2018-03-01

Maia Mapper is a laboratory μXRF mapping system for efficient elemental imaging of drill core sections serving minerals research and industrial applications. It targets intermediate spatial scales, with imaging of up to ~80 M pixels over a 500×150 mm2 sample area. It brings together (i) the Maia detector and imaging system, with its large solid-angle, event-mode operation, millisecond pixel transit times in fly-scan mode and real-time spectral deconvolution and imaging, (ii) the high brightness MetalJet D2 liquid metal micro-focus X-ray source from Excillum, and (iii) an efficient XOS polycapillary lens with a flux gain ~15,900 at 21 keV into a ~32 μm focus, and (iv) a sample scanning stage engineered for standard drill-core sections. Count-rates up to ~3 M/s are observed on drill core samples with low dead-time up to ~1.5%. Automated scans are executed in sequence with display of deconvoluted element component images accumulated in real-time in the Maia detector. Application images on drill core and polished rock slabs illustrate Maia Mapper capabilities as part of the analytical workflow of the Advanced Resource Characterisation Facility, which spans spatial dimensions from ore deposit to atomic scales.

Experimental investigation of neutronic characteristics of the IR-8 reactor to confirm the results of calculations by MCU-PTR code

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Surkov, A. V., E-mail: surkov.andrew@gmail.com; Kochkin, V. N.; Pesnya, Yu. E.

2015-12-15

A comparison of measured and calculated neutronic characteristics (fast neutron flux and fission rate of {sup 235}U) in the core and reflector of the IR-8 reactor is presented. The irradiation devices equipped with neutron activation detectors were prepared. The determination of fast neutron flux was performed using the {sup 54}Fe (n, p) and {sup 58}Ni (n, p) reactions. The {sup 235}U fission rate was measured using uranium dioxide with 10% enrichment in {sup 235}U. The determination of specific activities of detectors was carried out by measuring the intensity of characteristic gamma peaks using the ORTEC gamma spectrometer. Neutron fields inmore » the core and reflector of the IR-8 reactor were calculated using the MCU-PTR code.« less

Including arm exercise during a cold water immersion recovery better assists restoration of sprint cycling performance.

PubMed

Crampton, D; Egaña, M; Donne, B; Warmington, S A

2014-08-01

Sprint (high-intensity) exercise performance is reduced when immediately preceded by cold water immersion (CWI). We aimed to investigate whether this performance effect could be attenuated by combining an active recovery (arm exercise) with hip-level CWI, and whether this attenuation may be related to an effect on core temperature (Tcore ). Participants (n = 8) completed three Wingate tests before (Ex1) and after (Ex2) four different 30-min recovery interventions: CWI at 15 °C (CW15), arm exercise during CWI at 15 °C (CW15+AE), arm exercise during thermoneutral immersion at 34 °C (TW34+AE) and non-immersed arm exercise (AE). After AE and TW34+AE, performance during Ex2 was not different from Ex1; while after CW15+AE and CW15, performance was reduced by 4.9% and 7.6%, respectively. Arm exercise maintained Tcore during recovery in CW15+AE, while it declined to a larger extent upon commencement of Ex2 (-0.9 °C) when compared with CW15 (-0.6 °C). This suggests similar leg muscle cooling during recovery in CW15 and CW15+AE. Without any other significant effects (e.g., on blood lactate), these data suggest that the improvement in sprint performance following an active CWI recovery, over CWI alone, may be related to maintained Tcore and its effect on neurophysiological mechanisms that drive muscle activation, but not by reduced muscle cooling. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Regulation of glycan structures in murine embryonic stem cells: combined transcript profiling of glycan-related genes and glycan structural analysis.

PubMed

Nairn, Alison V; Aoki, Kazuhiro; dela Rosa, Mitche; Porterfield, Mindy; Lim, Jae-Min; Kulik, Michael; Pierce, J Michael; Wells, Lance; Dalton, Stephen; Tiemeyer, Michael; Moremen, Kelley W

2012-11-02

The abundance and structural diversity of glycans on glycoproteins and glycolipids are highly regulated and play important roles during vertebrate development. Because of the challenges associated with studying glycan regulation in vertebrate embryos, we have chosen to study mouse embryonic stem (ES) cells as they differentiate into embryoid bodies (EBs) or into extraembryonic endodermal (ExE) cells as a model for cellular differentiation. We profiled N- and O-glycan structures isolated from these cell populations and examined transcripts encoding the corresponding enzymatic machinery for glycan biosynthesis in an effort to probe the mechanisms that drive the regulation of glycan diversity. During differentiation from mouse ES cells to either EBs or ExE cells, general trends were detected. The predominance of high mannose N-glycans in ES cells shifted to an equal abundance of complex and high mannose structures, increased sialylation, and increased α-Gal termination in the differentiated cell populations. Whereas core 1 O-glycan structures predominated in all three cell populations, increased sialylation and increased core diversity characterized the O-glycans of both differentiated cell types. Increased polysialylation was also found in both differentiated cell types. Differences between the two differentiated cell types included greater sialylation of N-glycans in EBs, whereas α-Gal-capped structures were more prevalent in ExE cells. Changes in glycan structures generally, but not uniformly, correlated with alterations in transcript abundance for the corresponding biosynthetic enzymes, suggesting that transcriptional regulation contributes significantly to the regulation of glycan expression. Knowledge of glycan structural diversity and transcript regulation should provide greater understanding of the roles of protein glycosylation in vertebrate development.

Z-disc-associated, Alternatively Spliced, PDZ Motif-containing Protein (ZASP) Mutations in the Actin-binding Domain Cause Disruption of Skeletal Muscle Actin Filaments in Myofibrillar Myopathy*

PubMed Central

Lin, Xiaoyan; Ruiz, Janelle; Bajraktari, Ilda; Ohman, Rachel; Banerjee, Soojay; Gribble, Katherine; Kaufman, Joshua D.; Wingfield, Paul T.; Griggs, Robert C.; Fischbeck, Kenneth H.; Mankodi, Ami

2014-01-01

The core of skeletal muscle Z-discs consists of actin filaments from adjacent sarcomeres that are cross-linked by α-actinin homodimers. Z-disc-associated, alternatively spliced, PDZ motif-containing protein (ZASP)/Cypher interacts with α-actinin, myotilin, and other Z-disc proteins via the PDZ domain. However, these interactions are not sufficient to maintain the Z-disc structure. We show that ZASP directly interacts with skeletal actin filaments. The actin-binding domain is between the modular PDZ and LIM domains. This ZASP region is alternatively spliced so that each isoform has unique actin-binding domains. All ZASP isoforms contain the exon 6-encoded ZASP-like motif that is mutated in zaspopathy, a myofibrillar myopathy (MFM), whereas the exon 8–11 junction-encoded peptide is exclusive to the postnatal long ZASP isoform (ZASP-LΔex10). MFM is characterized by disruption of skeletal muscle Z-discs and accumulation of myofibrillar degradation products. Wild-type and mutant ZASP interact with α-actin, α-actinin, and myotilin. Expression of mutant, but not wild-type, ZASP leads to Z-disc disruption and F-actin accumulation in mouse skeletal muscle, as in MFM. Mutations in the actin-binding domain of ZASP-LΔex10, but not other isoforms, cause disruption of the actin cytoskeleton in muscle cells. These isoform-specific mutation effects highlight the essential role of the ZASP-LΔex10 isoform in F-actin organization. Our results show that MFM-associated ZASP mutations in the actin-binding domain have deleterious effects on the core structure of the Z-discs in skeletal muscle. PMID:24668811

Measurement of the Energy-Dependent Angular Response of the ARES Detector System and Application to Aerial Imaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Joshi, Tenzing H. Y.; Quiter, Brian J.; Maltz, Jonathan S.; Bandstra, Mark S.; Haefner, Andrew; Eikmeier, Nicole; Wagner, Eric; Luke, Tanushree; Malchow, Russell; McCall, Karen

2017-07-01

The Airborne Radiological Enhanced-sensor System (ARES) includes a prototype helicopter-borne CsI(Na) detector array that has been developed as part of the DHS Domestic Nuclear Detection Office Advanced Technology Demonstration. The detector system geometry comprises two pairs of 23-detector arrays designed to function as active masks, providing additional angular resolution of measured gamma rays in the roll dimension. Experimental measurements, using five radioisotopes (137Cs, 60Co, 241Am, 131I, and 99mTc), were performed to map the detector response in both roll and pitch dimensions. This paper describes the acquisition and analysis of these characterization measurements, calculation of the angular response of the ARES system, and how this response function is used to improve aerial detection and localization of radiological and nuclear threat sources.

Jitter Reduces Response-Time Variability in ADHD: An Ex-Gaussian Analysis.

PubMed

Lee, Ryan W Y; Jacobson, Lisa A; Pritchard, Alison E; Ryan, Matthew S; Yu, Qilu; Denckla, Martha B; Mostofsky, Stewart; Mahone, E Mark

2015-09-01

"Jitter" involves randomization of intervals between stimulus events. Compared with controls, individuals with ADHD demonstrate greater intrasubject variability (ISV) performing tasks with fixed interstimulus intervals (ISIs). Because Gaussian curves mask the effect of extremely slow or fast response times (RTs), ex-Gaussian approaches have been applied to study ISV. This study applied ex-Gaussian analysis to examine the effects of jitter on RT variability in children with and without ADHD. A total of 75 children, aged 9 to 14 years (44 ADHD, 31 controls), completed a go/no-go test with two conditions: fixed ISI and jittered ISI. ADHD children showed greater variability, driven by elevations in exponential (tau), but not normal (sigma) components of the RT distribution. Jitter decreased tau in ADHD to levels not statistically different than controls, reducing lapses in performance characteristic of impaired response control. Jitter may provide a nonpharmacologic mechanism to facilitate readiness to respond and reduce lapses from sustained (controlled) performance. © 2012 SAGE Publications.

Application of the ex-Gaussian function to the effect of the word blindness suggestion on Stroop task performance suggests no word blindness

PubMed Central

Parris, Benjamin A.; Dienes, Zoltan; Hodgson, Timothy L.

2013-01-01

The aim of the present paper was to apply the ex-Gaussian function to data reported by Parris et al. (2012) given its utility in studies involving the Stroop task. Parris et al. showed an effect of the word blindness suggestion when Response-Stimulus Interval (RSI) was 500 ms but not when it was 3500 ms. Analysis revealed that: (1) The effect of the suggestion on interference is observed in μ, supporting converging evidence indicating the suggestion operates over response competition mechanisms; and, (2) Contrary to Parris et al. an effect of the suggestion was observed in μ when RSI was 3500 ms. The reanalysis of the data from Parris et al. (2012) supports the utility of ex-Gaussian analysis in revealing effects that might otherwise be thought of as absent. We suggest that word reading itself is not suppressed by the suggestion but instead that response conflict is dealt with more effectively. PMID:24065947

Application of the ex-Gaussian function to the effect of the word blindness suggestion on Stroop task performance suggests no word blindness.

PubMed

Parris, Benjamin A; Dienes, Zoltan; Hodgson, Timothy L

2013-01-01

The aim of the present paper was to apply the ex-Gaussian function to data reported by Parris et al. (2012) given its utility in studies involving the Stroop task. Parris et al. showed an effect of the word blindness suggestion when Response-Stimulus Interval (RSI) was 500 ms but not when it was 3500 ms. Analysis revealed that: (1) The effect of the suggestion on interference is observed in μ, supporting converging evidence indicating the suggestion operates over response competition mechanisms; and, (2) Contrary to Parris et al. an effect of the suggestion was observed in μ when RSI was 3500 ms. The reanalysis of the data from Parris et al. (2012) supports the utility of ex-Gaussian analysis in revealing effects that might otherwise be thought of as absent. We suggest that word reading itself is not suppressed by the suggestion but instead that response conflict is dealt with more effectively.

77 FR 14527 - Proposed Information Collection Activity; Comment Request

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-03-12

...-Centered Healthy Marriage, Pathways to Responsible Fatherhood and Community-Centered Responsible Fatherhood... Marriage, Pathways to Responsible Fatherhood and Community-Centered Responsible Fatherhood Ex-Prisoner... 61 Community-Centered Healthy Marriage, 53 Pathways to Responsible Fatherhood and 4 Community...

Fast response pyroelectric detector-preamplifier assembled device

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bai, PiJi; Tai, Yunjian; Liu, Huiping

2008-03-01

The pyroelectric detector is wide used for its simple structure and high performance to price ratio. It has been used in thermal detecting, infrared spectrum and laser testing. When the pyroelectric detector was applied in practice, fast reponse speed is need. For improving the response speed of the pyroelectric detector some specific technology has been used in the preamplifier schematic. High sense and fast response character of the pyroelectric detector-preamplifier assembled device had been achieved. When the device is applied in acute concussion condition, it must survive from the acute concussion condition testing. For it reliability some specific technology was used in the device fabricating procedure. At last the performance parameter testing result and simulation application condition result given in this paper show the performance of the pyroelectric detector-preamplifier assembled device had achieved the advance goal.

Development of a multi-element microdosimetric detector based on a thick gas electron multiplier

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Anjomani, Z.; Hanu, A. R.; Prestwich, W. V.; Byun, S. H.

2017-03-01

A prototype multi-element gaseous microdosimetric detector was developed using the Thick Gas Electron Multiplier (THGEM) technique. The detector aims at measuring neutron and gamma-ray dose rates for weak neutron-gamma radiation fields. The multi-element design was employed to increase the neutron detection efficiency. The prototype THGEM multi-element detector consists of three layers of tissue equivalent plastic hexagons and each layer houses a hexagonal array of seven cylindrical gas cavity elements with equal heights and diameters of 17 mm. The final detector structure incorporates 21 gaseous volumes. Owing to the absence of wire electrodes, the THGEM multi-element detector offers flexible and convenient fabrication. The detector responses to neutron and gamma-ray were investigated using the McMaster Tandetron 7Li(p,n) neutron source. The dosimetric performance of the detector is presented in contrast to the response of a commercial tissue equivalent proportional counter. Compared to the standard TEPC response, the detector gave a consistent microdosimetric response with an average discrepancy of 8 % in measured neutron absorbed dose. An improvement of a factor of 3.0 in neutron detection efficiency has been accomplished with only a small degradation in energy resolution. However, its low energy cut off is about 6 keV/μm, which is not sufficient to measure the gamma-ray dose. This problem will be addressed by increasing the electron multiplication gain using double THGEM layers.

Spectral response model for a multibin photon-counting spectral computed tomography detector and its applications.

PubMed

Liu, Xuejin; Persson, Mats; Bornefalk, Hans; Karlsson, Staffan; Xu, Cheng; Danielsson, Mats; Huber, Ben

2015-07-01

Variations among detector channels in computed tomography can lead to ring artifacts in the reconstructed images and biased estimates in projection-based material decomposition. Typically, the ring artifacts are corrected by compensation methods based on flat fielding, where transmission measurements are required for a number of material-thickness combinations. Phantoms used in these methods can be rather complex and require an extensive number of transmission measurements. Moreover, material decomposition needs knowledge of the individual response of each detector channel to account for the detector inhomogeneities. For this purpose, we have developed a spectral response model that binwise predicts the response of a multibin photon-counting detector individually for each detector channel. The spectral response model is performed in two steps. The first step employs a forward model to predict the expected numbers of photon counts, taking into account parameters such as the incident x-ray spectrum, absorption efficiency, and energy response of the detector. The second step utilizes a limited number of transmission measurements with a set of flat slabs of two absorber materials to fine-tune the model predictions, resulting in a good correspondence with the physical measurements. To verify the response model, we apply the model in two cases. First, the model is used in combination with a compensation method which requires an extensive number of transmission measurements to determine the necessary parameters. Our spectral response model successfully replaces these measurements by simulations, saving a significant amount of measurement time. Second, the spectral response model is used as the basis of the maximum likelihood approach for projection-based material decomposition. The reconstructed basis images show a good separation between the calcium-like material and the contrast agents, iodine and gadolinium. The contrast agent concentrations are reconstructed with more than 94% accuracy.

Spectral response model for a multibin photon-counting spectral computed tomography detector and its applications

PubMed Central

Liu, Xuejin; Persson, Mats; Bornefalk, Hans; Karlsson, Staffan; Xu, Cheng; Danielsson, Mats; Huber, Ben

2015-01-01

Abstract. Variations among detector channels in computed tomography can lead to ring artifacts in the reconstructed images and biased estimates in projection-based material decomposition. Typically, the ring artifacts are corrected by compensation methods based on flat fielding, where transmission measurements are required for a number of material-thickness combinations. Phantoms used in these methods can be rather complex and require an extensive number of transmission measurements. Moreover, material decomposition needs knowledge of the individual response of each detector channel to account for the detector inhomogeneities. For this purpose, we have developed a spectral response model that binwise predicts the response of a multibin photon-counting detector individually for each detector channel. The spectral response model is performed in two steps. The first step employs a forward model to predict the expected numbers of photon counts, taking into account parameters such as the incident x-ray spectrum, absorption efficiency, and energy response of the detector. The second step utilizes a limited number of transmission measurements with a set of flat slabs of two absorber materials to fine-tune the model predictions, resulting in a good correspondence with the physical measurements. To verify the response model, we apply the model in two cases. First, the model is used in combination with a compensation method which requires an extensive number of transmission measurements to determine the necessary parameters. Our spectral response model successfully replaces these measurements by simulations, saving a significant amount of measurement time. Second, the spectral response model is used as the basis of the maximum likelihood approach for projection-based material decomposition. The reconstructed basis images show a good separation between the calcium-like material and the contrast agents, iodine and gadolinium. The contrast agent concentrations are reconstructed with more than 94% accuracy. PMID:26839904

First-in-human response of BCL-2 inhibitor venetoclax in T-cell prolymphocytic leukemia.

PubMed

Boidol, Bernd; Kornauth, Christoph; van der Kouwe, Emiel; Prutsch, Nicole; Kazianka, Lukas; Gültekin, Sinan; Hoermann, Gregor; Mayerhoefer, Marius E; Hopfinger, Georg; Hauswirth, Alexander; Panny, Michael; Aretin, Marie-Bernadette; Hilgarth, Bernadette; Sperr, Wolfgang R; Valent, Peter; Simonitsch-Klupp, Ingrid; Moriggl, Richard; Merkel, Olaf; Kenner, Lukas; Jäger, Ulrich; Kubicek, Stefan; Staber, Philipp B

2017-12-07

T-cell prolymphocytic leukemia (T-PLL) is a rare and aggressive T-lymphoid malignancy usually refractory to current treatment strategies and associated with short overall survival. By applying next-generation functional testing of primary patient-derived lymphoma cells using a library of 106 US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved anticancer drugs or compounds currently in clinical development, we set out to identify novel effective treatments for T-PLL patients. We found that the B-cell lymphoma 2 (BCL-2) inhibitor venetoclax (ABT-199) demonstrated the strongest T-PLL-specific response when comparing individual ex vivo drug response in 86 patients with refractory hematologic malignancies. Mechanistically, responses to venetoclax correlated with protein expression of BCL-2 but not with expression of the BCL-2 family members myeloid cell leukemia 1 (MCL-1) and BCL-XL in lymphoma cells. BCL-2 expression was inversely correlated with the expression of MCL-1. Based on the ex vivo responses, venetoclax treatment was commenced in 2 late-stage refractory T-PLL patients resulting in clinical responses. Our findings demonstrate first evidence of single-agent activity of venetoclax both ex vivo and in humans, offering a novel agent in T-PLL. © 2017 by The American Society of Hematology.

Aging impairs heat loss, but when does it matter?

PubMed Central

Stapleton, Jill M.; Poirier, Martin P.; Flouris, Andreas D.; Boulay, Pierre; Sigal, Ronald J.; Malcolm, Janine

2014-01-01

Aging is associated with an attenuated physiological ability to dissipate heat. However, it remains unclear if age-related impairments in heat dissipation only occur above a certain level of heat stress and whether this response is altered by aerobic fitness. Therefore, we examined changes in whole body evaporative heat loss (HE) as determined using whole body direct calorimetry in young (n = 10; 21 ± 1 yr), untrained middle-aged (n = 10; 48 ± 5 yr), and older (n = 10; 65 ± 3 yr) males matched for body surface area. We also studied a group of trained middle-aged males (n = 10; 49 ± 5 yr) matched for body surface area with all groups and for aerobic fitness with the young group. Participants performed intermittent aerobic exercise (30-min exercise bouts separated by 15-min rest) in the heat (40°C and 15% relative humidity) at progressively greater fixed rates of heat production equal to 300 (Ex1), 400 (Ex2), and 500 (Ex3) W. Results showed that HE was significantly lower in middle-aged untrained (Ex2: 426 ± 34; and Ex3: 497 ± 17 W) and older (Ex2: 424 ± 38; and Ex3: 485 ± 44 W) compared with young (Ex2: 472 ± 42; and Ex3: 558 ± 51 W) and middle-aged trained (474 ± 21; Ex3: 552 ± 23 W) males at the end of Ex2 and Ex3 (P < 0.05). No differences among groups were observed during recovery. We conclude that impairments in HE in older and middle-aged untrained males occur at exercise-induced heat loads of ≥400 W when performed in a hot environment. These impairments in untrained middle-aged males can be minimized through regular aerobic exercise training. PMID:25505030

77 FR 36178 - Carriage of Digital Television Broadcast Signals: Amendment to the Commission's Rules

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-06-18

... technology and the marketplace.'' \\14\\ The Commission identified certain factors it believed would be... four comments, five reply comments, and numerous ex parte submissions in response to our Fourth FNPRM... eliminating the rule.'' ION Media Networks and Liberman Broadcasting Ex Parte (dated Jun. 1, 2012) at 6-7. To...

Ex vivo detection of adenovirus specific CD4{sup +} T-cell responses to HLA-DR-epitopes of the Hexon protein show a contracted specificity of T{sub HELPER} cells following stem cell transplantation

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Serangeli, Celine; Bicanic, Oliver; Scheible, Michael H.

2010-02-20

Human adenovirus (HAdV) is a cause of significant morbidity and mortality in immunocompromised patients, especially after stem cell transplantation (SCT). Viral clearance has been attributed to CD4{sup +} T-cell responses against the Hexon-protein, but the frequency of specific T{sub HELPER} cells is extremely low or not detectable ex vivo and preference for different CD4{sup +} T-cell epitopes is variable among individuals. We therefore analyzed 44 healthy donors and 6 SCT-recipients for Hexon-specific CD4{sup +}-responses ex vivo, to identify epitopes which would be broadly applicable. We selected 19 candidate epitopes with predicted restriction to HLA-DR1/DR3/DR4/DR7; 16 were located within the highlymore » conserved regions, indicating cross-reactivity of T cells among HAdV-subspecies. Ten epitopes induced CD4{sup +}-proliferation in >50% of individuals, confirmed by intracellular IFN-gamma detection. Three SCT recipients who recovered from an infection with HAdV displayed reactivity towards only a single hexon epitope, whereas healthy individuals were responsive to two to eight epitopes (median 3). The ex vivo detection of Hexon-specific CD4{sup +} T-cells, without any long-term culture in vitro, enables the detection and generation of HAdV-specific CD4{sup +} T cells for adoptive T-cell transfer against HAdV-infection post SCT.« less

TH-C-18A-09: Exam and Patient Parameters Affecting the DNA Damage Response Following CT Studies

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Elgart, S; Adibi, A; Bostani, M

Purpose: To identify exam and patient parameters affecting the biological response to CT studies using in vivo and ex vivo blood samples. Methods: Blood samples were collected under IRB approval from 16 patients undergoing clinically-indicated CT exams. Blood was procured prior to, immediately after and 30minutes following irradiation. A sample of preexam blood was placed on the patient within the exam region for ex vivo analysis. Whole blood samples were fixed immediately following collection and stained for γH2AX to assess DNA damage response (DDR). Median fluorescence of treated samples was compared to non-irradiated control samples for each patient. Patients weremore » characterized by observed biological kinetic response: (a) fast — phosphorylation increased by 2minutes and fell by 30minutes, (b) slow — phosphorylation continued to increase to 30minutes and (c) none — little change was observed or irradiated samples fell below controls. Total dose values were normalized to exam time for an averaged dose-rate in dose/sec for each exam. Relationships between patient biological responses and patient and exam parameters were investigated. Results: A clearer dose response at 30minutes is observed for young patients (<61yoa; R2>0.5) compared to old patients (>61yoa; R{sup 2}<0.11). Fast responding patients were significantly younger than slow responding patients (p<0.05). Unlike in vivo samples, age did not significantly affect the patient response ex vivo. Additionally, fast responding patients received exams with significantly smaller dose-rate than slow responding patients (p<0.05). Conclusion: Age is a significant factor in the biological response suggesting that DDR may be more rapid in a younger population and slower as the population ages. Lack of an agerelated response ex vivo suggests a systemic response to radiation not present when irradiated outside the body. Dose-rate affects the biological response suggesting that patient response may be related to scan timing and dose delivery within an exam protocol. All authors receive(d) funding from a Master Research Agreement from Siemens Healthcare with UCLA Radiological Sciences.« less

Combination of image descriptors for the exploration of cultural photographic collections

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bhowmik, Neelanjan; Gouet-Brunet, Valérie; Bloch, Gabriel; Besson, Sylvain

2017-01-01

The rapid growth of image digitization and collections in recent years makes it challenging and burdensome to organize, categorize, and retrieve similar images from voluminous collections. Content-based image retrieval (CBIR) is immensely convenient in this context. A considerable number of local feature detectors and descriptors are present in the literature of CBIR. We propose a model to anticipate the best feature combinations for image retrieval-related applications. Several spatial complementarity criteria of local feature detectors are analyzed and then engaged in a regression framework to find the optimal combination of detectors for a given dataset and are better adapted for each given image; the proposed model is also useful to optimally fix some other parameters, such as the k in k-nearest neighbor retrieval. Three public datasets of various contents and sizes are employed to evaluate the proposal, which is legitimized by improving the quality of retrieval notably facing classical approaches. Finally, the proposed image search engine is applied to the cultural photographic collections of a French museum, where it demonstrates its added value for the exploration and promotion of these contents at different levels from their archiving up to their exhibition in or ex situ.

Chandra Radiation Environment Modeling

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Minow, Joseph I.; Blackwell, W. C.

2003-01-01

CRMFLX (Chandra Radiation Model of ion FluX) is a radiation environment risk mitigation tool for use as a decision aid in planning the operations times for Chandra's Advanced CCD Imaging Spectrometer (ACIS) detector. The accurate prediction of the proton flux environment with energies of 100 - 200 keV is needed in order to protect the ACIS detector against proton degradation. Unfortunately, protons of this energy are abundant in the region of space Chandra must operate, and on-board particle detectors do not measure proton flux levels of the required energy range. This presentation will describe the plasma environment data analysis and modeling basis of the CRMFLX engineering environment model developed to predict the proton flux in the solar wind, magnetosheath, and magnetosphere phenomenological regions of geospace. The recently released CRMFLX Version 2 implementation includes an algorithm that propagates flux from an observation location to other regions of the magnetosphere based on convective ExB and VB-curvature particle drift motions. This technique has the advantage of more completely filling out the database and makes maximum use of limited data obtained during high Kp periods or in areas of the magnetosphere with poor satellite flux measurement coverage.

The spatial resolution of silicon-based electron detectors in beta-autoradiography.

PubMed

Cabello, Jorge; Wells, Kevin

2010-03-21

Thin tissue autoradiography is an imaging modality where ex-vivo tissue sections are placed in direct contact with autoradiographic film. These tissue sections contain a radiolabelled ligand bound to a specific biomolecule under study. This radioligand emits beta - or beta+ particles ionizing silver halide crystals in the film. High spatial resolution autoradiograms are obtained using low energy radioisotopes, such as (3)H where an intrinsic 0.1-1 microm spatial resolution can be achieved. Several digital alternatives have been presented over the past few years to replace conventional film but their spatial resolution has yet to equal film, although silicon-based imaging technologies have demonstrated higher sensitivity compared to conventional film. It will be shown in this work how pixel size is a critical parameter for achieving high spatial resolution for low energy uncollimated beta imaging. In this work we also examine the confounding factors impeding silicon-based technologies with respect to spatial resolution. The study considers charge diffusion in silicon and detector noise, and this is applied to a range of radioisotopes typically used in autoradiography. Finally an optimal detector geometry to obtain the best possible spatial resolution for a specific technology and a specific radioisotope is suggested.

Statistical relative gain calculation for Landsat 8

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Anderson, Cody; Helder, Dennis L.; Jeno, Drake

2017-09-01

The Landsat 8 Operational Land Imager (OLI) is an optical multispectral push-broom sensor with a focal plane consisting of over 7000 detectors per spectral band. Each of the individual imaging detectors contributes one column of pixels to an image. Any difference in the response between neighboring detectors may result in a visible stripe or band in the imagery. An accurate estimate of each detector's relative gain is needed to account for any differences between detector responses. This paper describes a procedure for estimating relative gains which uses normally acquired Earth viewing statistics.

Calibration uncertainty for Advanced LIGO's first and second observing runs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cahillane, Craig; Betzwieser, Joe; Brown, Duncan A.; Goetz, Evan; Hall, Evan D.; Izumi, Kiwamu; Kandhasamy, Shivaraj; Karki, Sudarshan; Kissel, Jeff S.; Mendell, Greg; Savage, Richard L.; Tuyenbayev, Darkhan; Urban, Alex; Viets, Aaron; Wade, Madeline; Weinstein, Alan J.

2017-11-01

Calibration of the Advanced LIGO detectors is the quantification of the detectors' response to gravitational waves. Gravitational waves incident on the detectors cause phase shifts in the interferometer laser light which are read out as intensity fluctuations at the detector output. Understanding this detector response to gravitational waves is crucial to producing accurate and precise gravitational wave strain data. Estimates of binary black hole and neutron star parameters and tests of general relativity require well-calibrated data, as miscalibrations will lead to biased results. We describe the method of producing calibration uncertainty estimates for both LIGO detectors in the first and second observing runs.

Generation-recombination noise in extrinsic photoconductive detectors

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Brukilacchio, T. J.; Skeldon, M. D.; Boyd, R. W.

1984-01-01

A theory of generation-recombination noise is presented and applied to the analysis of the performance limitations of extrinsic photoconductive detectors. The theory takes account both of the photoinduced generation of carriers and of thermal generation that is due to the finite temperature of the detector. Explicit formulas are derived that relate the detector response time, responsivity, and noise equivalent power to the material properties of the photoconductor (such as the presence of compensating impurities) and to the detector's operating conditions, such as its temperature and the presence of background radiation. The detector's performance is shown to degrade at high background levels because of saturation effects.

Fe-FeO and Fe-Fe3C melting relations at Earth's core-mantle boundary conditions: Implications for a volatile-rich or oxygen-rich core

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Morard, G.; Andrault, D.; Antonangeli, D.; Nakajima, Y.; Auzende, A. L.; Boulard, E.; Cervera, S.; Clark, A.; Lord, O. T.; Siebert, J.; Svitlyk, V.; Garbarino, G.; Mezouar, M.

2017-09-01

Eutectic melting temperatures in the Fe-FeO and Fe-Fe3C systems have been determined up to 150 GPa. Melting criteria include observation of a diffuse scattering signal by in situ X-Ray diffraction, and textural characterisation of recovered samples. In addition, compositions of eutectic liquids have been established by combining in situ Rietveld analyses with ex situ chemical analyses. Gathering these new results together with previous reports on Fe-S and Fe-Si systems allow us to discuss the specific effect of each light element (Si, S, O, C) on the melting properties of the outer core. Crystallization temperatures of Si-rich core compositional models are too high to be compatible with the absence of extensive mantle melting at the core-mantle boundary (CMB) and significant amounts of volatile elements such as S and/or C (>5 at%, corresponding to >2 wt%), or a large amount of O (>15 at% corresponding to ∼5 wt%) are required to reduce the crystallisation temperature of the core material below that of a peridotitic lower mantle.

Automated response matching for organic scintillation detector arrays

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aspinall, M. D.; Joyce, M. J.; Cave, F. D.; Plenteda, R.; Tomanin, A.

2017-07-01

This paper identifies a digitizer technology with unique features that facilitates feedback control for the realization of a software-based technique for automatically calibrating detector responses. Three such auto-calibration techniques have been developed and are described along with an explanation of the main configuration settings and potential pitfalls. Automating this process increases repeatability, simplifies user operation, enables remote and periodic system calibration where consistency across detectors' responses are critical.

Accurate and efficient modeling of the detector response in small animal multi-head PET systems.

PubMed

Cecchetti, Matteo; Moehrs, Sascha; Belcari, Nicola; Del Guerra, Alberto

2013-10-07

In fully three-dimensional PET imaging, iterative image reconstruction techniques usually outperform analytical algorithms in terms of image quality provided that an appropriate system model is used. In this study we concentrate on the calculation of an accurate system model for the YAP-(S)PET II small animal scanner, with the aim to obtain fully resolution- and contrast-recovered images at low levels of image roughness. For this purpose we calculate the system model by decomposing it into a product of five matrices: (1) a detector response component obtained via Monte Carlo simulations, (2) a geometric component which describes the scanner geometry and which is calculated via a multi-ray method, (3) a detector normalization component derived from the acquisition of a planar source, (4) a photon attenuation component calculated from x-ray computed tomography data, and finally, (5) a positron range component is formally included. This system model factorization allows the optimization of each component in terms of computation time, storage requirements and accuracy. The main contribution of this work is a new, efficient way to calculate the detector response component for rotating, planar detectors, that consists of a GEANT4 based simulation of a subset of lines of flight (LOFs) for a single detector head whereas the missing LOFs are obtained by using intrinsic detector symmetries. Additionally, we introduce and analyze a probability threshold for matrix elements of the detector component to optimize the trade-off between the matrix size in terms of non-zero elements and the resulting quality of the reconstructed images. In order to evaluate our proposed system model we reconstructed various images of objects, acquired according to the NEMA NU 4-2008 standard, and we compared them to the images reconstructed with two other system models: a model that does not include any detector response component and a model that approximates analytically the depth of interaction as detector response component. The comparisons confirm previous research results, showing that the usage of an accurate system model with a realistic detector response leads to reconstructed images with better resolution and contrast recovery at low levels of image roughness.

Accurate and efficient modeling of the detector response in small animal multi-head PET systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cecchetti, Matteo; Moehrs, Sascha; Belcari, Nicola; Del Guerra, Alberto

2013-10-01

In fully three-dimensional PET imaging, iterative image reconstruction techniques usually outperform analytical algorithms in terms of image quality provided that an appropriate system model is used. In this study we concentrate on the calculation of an accurate system model for the YAP-(S)PET II small animal scanner, with the aim to obtain fully resolution- and contrast-recovered images at low levels of image roughness. For this purpose we calculate the system model by decomposing it into a product of five matrices: (1) a detector response component obtained via Monte Carlo simulations, (2) a geometric component which describes the scanner geometry and which is calculated via a multi-ray method, (3) a detector normalization component derived from the acquisition of a planar source, (4) a photon attenuation component calculated from x-ray computed tomography data, and finally, (5) a positron range component is formally included. This system model factorization allows the optimization of each component in terms of computation time, storage requirements and accuracy. The main contribution of this work is a new, efficient way to calculate the detector response component for rotating, planar detectors, that consists of a GEANT4 based simulation of a subset of lines of flight (LOFs) for a single detector head whereas the missing LOFs are obtained by using intrinsic detector symmetries. Additionally, we introduce and analyze a probability threshold for matrix elements of the detector component to optimize the trade-off between the matrix size in terms of non-zero elements and the resulting quality of the reconstructed images. In order to evaluate our proposed system model we reconstructed various images of objects, acquired according to the NEMA NU 4-2008 standard, and we compared them to the images reconstructed with two other system models: a model that does not include any detector response component and a model that approximates analytically the depth of interaction as detector response component. The comparisons confirm previous research results, showing that the usage of an accurate system model with a realistic detector response leads to reconstructed images with better resolution and contrast recovery at low levels of image roughness.

Wire-inhomogeneity detector

DOEpatents

Gibson, G.H.; Smits, R.G.; Eberhard, P.H.

1982-08-31

A device for uncovering imperfections in electrical conducting wire, particularly superconducting wire, by detecting variations in eddy currents. Eddy currents effect the magnetic field in a gap of an inductor, contained in a modified commercial ferrite core, through which the wire being tested is passed. A small increase or decrease in the amount of conductive material, such as copper, in a fixed cross section of wire will unbalance a bridge used to measure the impedance of the inductor, tripping a detector and sounding an alarm.

Microstructured Optical Fiber for X-ray Detection

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

DeHaven, Stanton L.

2009-01-01

A novel scintillating optical fiber is presented using a composite micro-structured quartz optical fiber. Scintillating materials are introduced into the multiple inclusions of the fiber. This creates a composite optical fiber having quartz as a cladding with an organic scintillating material core. X-ray detection using these fibers is compared to a collimated cadmium telluride (CdTe) detector over an energy range from 10 to 40 keV. Results show a good correlation between the fiber count rate trend and that of the CdTe detector.

Correlation Between Bulk Material Defects and Spectroscopic Response in Cadmium Zinc Telluride Detectors

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Parker, Bradford H.; Stahle, C. M.; Barthelmy, S. D.; Parsons, A. M.; Tueller, J.; VanSant, J. T.; Munoz, B. F.; Snodgrass, S. J.; Mullinix, R. E.

1999-01-01

One of the critical challenges for large area cadmium zinc telluride (CdZnTe) detector arrays is obtaining material capable of uniform imaging and spectroscopic response. Two complementary nondestructive techniques for characterizing bulk CdZnTe have been developed to identify material with a uniform response. The first technique, infrared transmission imaging, allows for rapid visualization of bulk defects. The second technique, x-ray spectral mapping, provides a map of the material spectroscopic response when it is configured as a planar detector. The two techniques have been used to develop a correlation between bulk defect type and detector performance. The correlation allows for the use of infrared imaging to rapidly develop wafer mining maps. The mining of material free of detrimental defects has the potential to dramatically increase the yield and quality of large area CdZnTe detector arrays.

Is vacuum ultraviolet detector a concentration or a mass dependent detector?

PubMed

Liu, Huian; Raffin, Guy; Trutt, Guillaume; Randon, Jérôme

2017-12-29

The vacuum ultraviolet detector (VUV) is a very effective tool for chromatogram deconvolution and peak identification, and can also be used for quantification. To avoid quantitative issues in relation to time drift, such as variation of peak area or peak height, the detector response type has to be well defined. Due to the make-up flow and pressure regulation of make-up, the detector response (height of the peak) and peak area appeared to be dependent on experimental conditions such as inlet pressure and make-up pressure. Even if for some experimental conditions, VUV looks like mass-flow sensitive detector, it has been demonstrated that VUV is a concentration sensitive detector. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

EX4 stabilizes and activates Nrf2 via PKCδ, contributing to the prevention of oxidative stress-induced pancreatic beta cell damage

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kim, Mi-Hwi; Kim, Eung-Hwi

Oxidative stress in pancreatic beta cells can inhibit insulin secretion and promote apoptotic cell death. Exendin-4 (EX4), a glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist, can suppress beta cell apoptosis, improve beta cell function and protect against oxidative damage. In this study, we investigated the molecular mechanisms for antioxidative effects of EX4 in pancreatic beta cells. INS-1 cells, a rat insulinoma cell line, were pretreated with EX4 and exposed to palmitate or H{sub 2}O{sub 2}. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, and glutathione and insulin secretion were measured. The mRNA and protein expression levels of antioxidant genes were examined. The level of nuclear factormore » erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2), its binding to antioxidant response element (ARE), and its ubiquination in the presence of EX4 were determined. The Nrf2 signaling pathway was determined using rottlerin (protein kinase [PK]Cδ inhibitor), H89 (PKA inhibitor) and LY294002 (phosphatidylinositide 3-kinase [PI3K] inhibitor). EX4 treatment decreased ROS production, recovered cellular glutathione levels and insulin secretion in the presence of oxidative stress in INS-1 cells. The expression levels of glutamate-cysteine ligase catalytic subunit and heme oxygenase-1 were increased by EX4 treatment. EX4 promoted Nrf2 translocation, ARE binding activity and enhanced stabilization of Nrf2 by inhibition of ubiquitination. Knockdown of Nrf2 abolished the effect of EX4 on increased insulin secretion. Inhibition of PKCδ attenuated Nrf2 translocation and antioxidative gene expression by EX4 treatment. We suggest that EX4 activates and stabilizes Nrf2 through PKCδ activation, contributing to the increase of antioxidant gene expression and consequently improving beta cell function in the presence of oxidative stress. - Highlights: • EX4 protects against oxidative stress-induced pancreatic beta cell dysfunction. • EX4 increases antioxidant gene expression. • Antioxidative effect of EX4 is mediated by Nrf2. • EX4 increases Nrf2 level by stabilizing Nrf2 protein. • EX4 stabilizes Nrf2 by activation of PKCδ.« less

The Diffuse Soft X-ray Background: Trials and Tribulations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ulmer, Melville P.

2013-01-01

I joined the University of Wisconsin-Madison sounding rocket group at its inception. It was an exciting time, as nobody knew what the X-ray sky looked like. Our group focused on the soft X-ray background, and built proportional counters with super thin (2 micron thick) windows. As the inter gas pressure of the counters was about 1 atmosphere, it was no mean feat to get payload to launch without the window bursting. On top of that we built all our own software from space solutions to unfolding the spectral data. For we did it then as now: Our computer code modeled the detector response and then folded various spectral shapes through the response and compared the results with the raw data. As far as interpretation goes, here are examples of how one can get things wrong: The Berkeley group published a paper of the soft X-ray background that disagreed with ours. Why? It turned out they had **assumed** the galactic plane was completely opaque to soft X-ray and hence corrected for detector background that way. It turns out that the ISM emits in soft X-rays! Another example was the faux pas of the Calgary group. They didn’t properly shield their detector from the sounding rocket telemetry. Thus they got an enormous signal, which to our amusement some (ambulance chaser) theoreticians tried to explain! So back then as now, mistakes were made, but at least we all knew how our X-ray systems worked from soup (the detectors) to nuts (the data analysis code) where as toady “anybody” with a good idea but only a vague inkling of how detectors, mirrors and software work, can be an X-ray astronomer. On the one hand, this has made the field accessible to all, and on the other, errors in interpretation can be made as the X-ray telescope user can fall prey to running black box software. Furthermore with so much funding going into supporting observers, there is little left to make the necessary technology advances or keep the core expertise in place to even to stay even with today’s observatories. We will need a newly launched facility (or two) or the field will eventually die.

GPU-accelerated low-latency real-time searches for gravitational waves from compact binary coalescence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Yuan; Du, Zhihui; Chung, Shin Kee; Hooper, Shaun; Blair, David; Wen, Linqing

2012-12-01

We present a graphics processing unit (GPU)-accelerated time-domain low-latency algorithm to search for gravitational waves (GWs) from coalescing binaries of compact objects based on the summed parallel infinite impulse response (SPIIR) filtering technique. The aim is to facilitate fast detection of GWs with a minimum delay to allow prompt electromagnetic follow-up observations. To maximize the GPU acceleration, we apply an efficient batched parallel computing model that significantly reduces the number of synchronizations in SPIIR and optimizes the usage of the memory and hardware resource. Our code is tested on the CUDA ‘Fermi’ architecture in a GTX 480 graphics card and its performance is compared with a single core of Intel Core i7 920 (2.67 GHz). A 58-fold speedup is achieved while giving results in close agreement with the CPU implementation. Our result indicates that it is possible to conduct a full search for GWs from compact binary coalescence in real time with only one desktop computer equipped with a Fermi GPU card for the initial LIGO detectors which in the past required more than 100 CPUs.

Development of Subspace-based Hybrid Monte Carlo-Deterministric Algorithms for Reactor Physics Calculations

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Abdel-Khalik, Hany S.; Zhang, Qiong

2014-05-20

The development of hybrid Monte-Carlo-Deterministic (MC-DT) approaches, taking place over the past few decades, have primarily focused on shielding and detection applications where the analysis requires a small number of responses, i.e. at the detector locations(s). This work further develops a recently introduced global variance reduction approach, denoted by the SUBSPACE approach is designed to allow the use of MC simulation, currently limited to benchmarking calculations, for routine engineering calculations. By way of demonstration, the SUBSPACE approach is applied to assembly level calculations used to generate the few-group homogenized cross-sections. These models are typically expensive and need to be executedmore » in the order of 10 3 - 10 5 times to properly characterize the few-group cross-sections for downstream core-wide calculations. Applicability to k-eigenvalue core-wide models is also demonstrated in this work. Given the favorable results obtained in this work, we believe the applicability of the MC method for reactor analysis calculations could be realized in the near future.« less

Registration of reactor neutrinos with the highly segmented plastic scintillator detector DANSSino

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Belov, V.; Brudanin, V.; Danilov, M.; Egorov, V.; Fomina, M.; Kobyakin, A.; Rusinov, V.; Shirchenko, M.; Shitov, Yu; Starostin, A.; Zhitnikov, I.

2013-05-01

DANSSino is a simplified pilot version of a solid-state detector of reactor antineutrino (it is being created within the DANSS project and will be installed close to an industrial nuclear power reactor). Numerous tests performed under a 3 GWth reactor of the Kalinin NPP at a distance of 11 m from the core demonstrate operability of the chosen design and reveal the main sources of the background. In spite of its small size (20 × 20 × 100 cm3), the pilot detector turned out to be quite sensitive to reactor neutrinos, detecting about 70 IBD events per day with the signal-to-background ratio about unity.

Infrared detectors and test technology of cryogenic camera

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Xiaole; Liu, Xingxin; Xing, Mailing; Ling, Long

2016-10-01

Cryogenic camera which is widely used in deep space detection cools down optical system and support structure by cryogenic refrigeration technology, thereby improving the sensitivity. Discussing the characteristics and design points of infrared detector combined with camera's characteristics. At the same time, cryogenic background test systems of chip and detector assembly are established. Chip test system is based on variable cryogenic and multilayer Dewar, and assembly test system is based on target and background simulator in the thermal vacuum environment. The core of test is to establish cryogenic background. Non-uniformity, ratio of dead pixels and noise of test result are given finally. The establishment of test system supports for the design and calculation of infrared systems.

Experimental evaluation of the response of micro-channel plate detector to ions with 10s of MeV energies.

PubMed

Jeong, Tae Won; Singh, P K; Scullion, C; Ahmed, H; Kakolee, K F; Hadjisolomou, P; Alejo, A; Kar, S; Borghesi, M; Ter-Avetisyan, S

2016-08-01

The absolute calibration of a microchannel plate (MCP) assembly using a Thomson spectrometer for laser-driven ion beams is described. In order to obtain the response of the whole detection system to the particles' impact, a slotted solid state nuclear track detector (CR-39) was installed in front of the MCP to record the ions simultaneously on both detectors. The response of the MCP (counts/particles) was measured for 5-58 MeV carbon ions and for protons in the energy range 2-17.3 MeV. The response of the MCP detector is non-trivial when the stopping range of particles becomes larger than the thickness of the detector. Protons with energies E ≳ 10 MeV are energetic enough that they can pass through the MCP detector. Quantitative analysis of the pits formed in CR-39 and the signal generated in the MCP allowed to determine the MCP response to particles in this energy range. Moreover, a theoretical model allows to predict the response of MCP at even higher proton energies. This suggests that in this regime the MCP response is a slowly decreasing function of energy, consistently with the decrease of the deposited energy. These calibration data will enable particle spectra to be obtained in absolute terms over a broad energy range.

Experimental evaluation of the response of micro-channel plate detector to ions with 10s of MeV energies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jeong, Tae Won; Singh, P. K.; Scullion, C.; Ahmed, H.; Kakolee, K. F.; Hadjisolomou, P.; Alejo, A.; Kar, S.; Borghesi, M.; Ter-Avetisyan, S.

2016-08-01

The absolute calibration of a microchannel plate (MCP) assembly using a Thomson spectrometer for laser-driven ion beams is described. In order to obtain the response of the whole detection system to the particles' impact, a slotted solid state nuclear track detector (CR-39) was installed in front of the MCP to record the ions simultaneously on both detectors. The response of the MCP (counts/particles) was measured for 5-58 MeV carbon ions and for protons in the energy range 2-17.3 MeV. The response of the MCP detector is non-trivial when the stopping range of particles becomes larger than the thickness of the detector. Protons with energies E ≳ 10 MeV are energetic enough that they can pass through the MCP detector. Quantitative analysis of the pits formed in CR-39 and the signal generated in the MCP allowed to determine the MCP response to particles in this energy range. Moreover, a theoretical model allows to predict the response of MCP at even higher proton energies. This suggests that in this regime the MCP response is a slowly decreasing function of energy, consistently with the decrease of the deposited energy. These calibration data will enable particle spectra to be obtained in absolute terms over a broad energy range.

Highly-Sensitive Thin Film THz Detector Based on Edge Metal-Semiconductor-Metal Junction.

PubMed

Jeon, Youngeun; Jung, Sungchul; Jin, Hanbyul; Mo, Kyuhyung; Kim, Kyung Rok; Park, Wook-Ki; Han, Seong-Tae; Park, Kibog

2017-12-04

Terahertz (THz) detectors have been extensively studied for various applications such as security, wireless communication, and medical imaging. In case of metal-insulator-metal (MIM) tunnel junction THz detector, a small junction area is desirable because the detector response time can be shortened by reducing it. An edge metal-semiconductor-metal (EMSM) junction has been developed with a small junction area controlled precisely by the thicknesses of metal and semiconductor films. The voltage response of the EMSM THz detector shows the clear dependence on the polarization angle of incident THz wave and the responsivity is found to be very high (~2,169 V/W) at 0.4 THz without any antenna and signal amplifier. The EMSM junction structure can be a new and efficient way of fabricating the nonlinear device THz detector with high cut-off frequency relying on extremely small junction area.

Preliminary study of the Suomi NPP VIIRS detector-level spectral response function effects for the long-wave infrared bands M15 and M16

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Padula, Francis; Cao, Changyong

2014-09-01

The Suomi NPP Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) Sea Surface Temperature (SST) Environmental Data Record (EDR) team observed an anomalous striping pattern in the SST data. To assess possible causes due to the detector-level Spectral Response Functions (SRFs), a study was conducted to compare the radiometric response of the detector-level and operation band averaged SRFs of VIIRS bands M15 & M16 using simulated blackbody radiance data and clear-sky ocean radiances under different atmospheric conditions. It was concluded that the SST product is likely impacted by small differences in detector-level SRFs, and that if users require optimal system performance detector-level processing is recommended. Future work will investigate potential SDR product improvements through detector-level processing in support of the generation of Suomi NPP VIIRS climate quality SDRs.

An evaluation of some pertinent parameters that influence the dosimetric performance of synthetic diamond detectors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ade, N.; Nam, T. L.; Mhlanga, S. H.

2013-05-01

Although the near-tissue equivalence of diamond allows the direct measurement of dose for clinical applications without the need for energy-corrections, it is often cited that diamond detectors require pre-irradiation, a procedure necessary to stabilize the response or sensitivity of a diamond detector before dose measurements. In addition it has been pointed out that the relative dose measured with a diamond detector requires dose rate dependence correction and that the angular dependence of a detector could be due to its mechanical design or to the intrinsic angular sensitivity of the detection process. While the cause of instability of response has not been meticulously investigated, the issue of dose rate dependence correction is uncertain as some studies ignored it but reported good results. The aims of this study were therefore to investigate, in particular (1) the major cause of the unstable response of diamond detectors requiring pre-irradiation; (2) the influence of dose rate dependence correction in relative dose measurements; and (3) the angular dependence of the diamond detectors. The study was conducted with low-energy X-rays and electron therapy beams on HPHT and CVD synthesized diamonds. Ionization chambers were used for comparative measurements. Through systematic investigations, the major cause of the unstable response of diamond detectors requiring the recommended pre-irradiation step was isolated and attributed to the presence and effects of ambient light. The variation in detector's response between measurements in light and dark conditions could be as high as 63% for a CVD diamond. Dose rate dependence parameters (Δ values) of 0.950 and 1.035 were found for the HPHT and CVD diamond detectors, respectively. Without corrections based on dose rate dependence, the relative differences between depth-doses measured with the diamond detectors and a Markus chamber for exposures to 7 and 14 MeV electron beams were within 2.5%. A dose rate dependence correction using the Δ values obtained seemed to worsen the performance of the HPHT sample (up to about 3.3%) but it had a marginal effect on the performance of the CVD sample. In addition, the angular response of the CVD diamond detector was shown to be comparable with that of a cylindrical chamber. This study concludes that once the responses of the diamond detectors have been stabilised and they are properly shielded from ambient light, pre-irradiation prior to each measurement is not required. Also, the relative dose measured with the diamond detectors do not require dose rate dependence corrections as the required correction is only marginal and could have no dosimetric significance.

In Vivo Imaging of Human Cone Photoreceptor Inner Segments

PubMed Central

Scoles, Drew; Sulai, Yusufu N.; Langlo, Christopher S.; Fishman, Gerald A.; Curcio, Christine A.; Carroll, Joseph; Dubra, Alfredo

2014-01-01

Purpose. An often overlooked prerequisite to cone photoreceptor gene therapy development is residual photoreceptor structure that can be rescued. While advances in adaptive optics (AO) retinal imaging have recently enabled direct visualization of individual cone and rod photoreceptors in the living human retina, these techniques largely detect strongly directionally-backscattered (waveguided) light from normal intact photoreceptors. This represents a major limitation in using existing AO imaging to quantify structure of remnant cones in degenerating retina. Methods. Photoreceptor inner segment structure was assessed with a novel AO scanning light ophthalmoscopy (AOSLO) differential phase technique, that we termed nonconfocal split-detector, in two healthy subjects and four subjects with achromatopsia. Ex vivo preparations of five healthy donor eyes were analyzed for comparison of inner segment diameter to that measured in vivo with split-detector AOSLO. Results. Nonconfocal split-detector AOSLO reveals the photoreceptor inner segment with or without the presence of a waveguiding outer segment. The diameter of inner segments measured in vivo is in good agreement with histology. A substantial number of foveal and parafoveal cone photoreceptors with apparently intact inner segments were identified in patients with the inherited disease achromatopsia. Conclusions. The application of nonconfocal split-detector to emerging human gene therapy trials will improve the potential of therapeutic success, by identifying patients with sufficient retained photoreceptor structure to benefit the most from intervention. Additionally, split-detector imaging may be useful for studies of other retinal degenerations such as AMD, retinitis pigmentosa, and choroideremia where the outer segment is lost before the remainder of the photoreceptor cell. PMID:24906859

Magnetic moments, E3 transitions and the structure of high-spin core excited states in 211Rn

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Poletti, A. R.; Dracoulis, G. D.; Byrne, A. P.; Stuchbery, A. E.; Poletti, S. J.; Gerl, J.; Lewis, P. M.

1985-05-01

The results of g-factor measurements of high-spin states in 211Rn are: Ex = 8856 + Δ' keV (Jπ = 63/2-), g = 0.626(7); 6101 + Δ' KeV (49/2+), 0.766(8); 5347 + Δ' KeV (43/2-), 0.74(2); 3927 + Δ KeV (35/2+), 1.017(12); 1578 + Δ KeV (17/2-), 0.912(9). These results together with measured E3 transition strengths and shell model calculations are used to assign configurations to the core excited states in 211Rn. Mixed configurations are required to explain the g-factors and enhanced E3 strengths simultaneously.

Hyperthermia increases interleukin-6 in mouse skeletal muscle

PubMed Central

Welc, Steven S.; Phillips, Neil A.; Oca-Cossio, Jose; Wallet, Shannon M.; Chen, Daniel L.

2012-01-01

Skeletal muscles produce and contribute to circulating levels of IL-6 during exercise. However, when core temperature is reduced, the response is attenuated. Therefore, we hypothesized that hyperthermia may be an important and independent stimulus for muscle IL-6. In cultured C2C12 myotubes, hyperthermia (42°C) increased IL-6 gene expression 14-fold after 1 h and 35-fold after 5 h of 37°C recovery; whereas exposure to 41°C resulted in a 2.6-fold elevation at 1 h. IL-6 protein was secreted and significantly elevated in the cell supernatant. Similar but reduced responses to heat were seen in C2C12 myoblasts. Isolated soleus muscles from mice, exposed ex vivo to 41°C for 1 h, yielded similar IL-6 gene responses (>3-fold) but without a significant effect on protein release. When whole animals were exposed to passive hyperthermia, such that core temperature increased to 42.4°C, IL-6 mRNA in soleus increased 5.4-fold compared with time matched controls. Interestingly, TNF-α gene expression was routinely suppressed at all levels of hyperthermia (40.5–42°C) in the isolated models, but TNF-α was elevated (4.2-fold) in the soleus taken from intact mice exposed, in vivo, to hyperthermia. Muscle HSP72 mRNA increased as a function of the level of hyperthermia, and IL-6 mRNA responses increased proportionally with HSP72. In cultured C2C12 myotubes, when heat shock factor was pharmacologically blocked with KNK437, both HSP72 and IL-6 mRNA elevations, induced by heat, were suppressed. These findings implicate skeletal muscle as a “heat stress sensor” at physiologically relevant hyperthermia, responding with a programmed cytokine expression pattern characterized by elevated IL-6. PMID:22673618

Measurement of Bremsstrahlung radiation for in vivo monitoring of 14C tracer distribution between fruit and roots of kiwifruit (Actinidia arguta) cuttings.

PubMed

Black, Marykate Z; Minchin, Peter E H; Gould, Nick; Patterson, Kevin J; Clearwater, Michael J

2012-10-01

In vivo measurements of (14)C tracer distribution have usually involved monitoring the β(-) particles produced as (14)C decays. These particles are only detectable over short distances, limiting the use of this technique to thin plant material. In the present experiments, X-ray detectors were used to monitor the Bremsstrahlung radiation emitted since β(-) particles were absorbed in plant tissues. Bremsstrahlung radiation is detectable through larger tissue depths. The aim of these experiments was to demonstrate the Bremsstrahlung method by monitoring in vivo tracer-labelled photosynthate partitioning in small kiwifruit (Actinidia arguta (Siebold & Zucc.) Planch. ex Miq.) plants in response to root pruning. A source shoot, consisting of four leaves, was pulse labelled with (14)CO(2). Detectors monitored import into a fruit and the root system, and export from a source leaf. Repeat pulse labelling enabled the comparison of pre- and post-treatment observations within an individual plant. Diurnal trends were observed in the distribution of tracer, with leaf export reduced at night. Tracer accumulated in the roots declined after approximately 48 h, which may have resulted from export of (14)C from the roots in carbon skeletons. Cutting off half the roots did not affect tracer distribution to the remaining half. Tracer distribution to the fruit was increased after root pruning, demonstrating the higher competitive strength of the fruit than the roots for carbohydrate supply. Increased partitioning to the fruit following root pruning has also been demonstrated in kiwifruit field trials.

High-sensitivity fast neutron detector KNK-2-7M

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Koshelev, A. S., E-mail: alexsander.coshelev@yandex.ru; Dovbysh, L. Ye.; Ovchinnikov, M. A.

2015-12-15

The construction of the fast neutron detector KNK-2-7M is briefly described. The results of the study of the detector in the pulse-counting mode are given for the fissions of {sup 237}Np nuclei in the radiator of the neutron-sensitive section and in the current mode with the separation of sectional currents of functional sections. The possibilities of determining the effective number of {sup 237}Np nuclei in the radiator of the neutronsensitive section are considered. The diagnostic possibilities of the detector in the counting mode are shown by example of the analysis of the reference data from the neutron-field characteristics in themore » working hall of the BR-K1 reactor. The diagnostic possibilities of the detector in the current operating mode are shown by example of the results of measuring the {sup 237}Np-fission intensity in the BR-K1 reactor power start-ups implemented in the mode of fission-pulse generation on delayed neutrons at the detector arrangement inside the reactor core cavity under conditions of a wide variation of the reactor radiation field.« less

Polycrystalline CdTe detectors: A luminosity monitor for the LHC

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gschwendtner, E.; Placidia, M.; Schmicklera, H.

2003-09-01

The luminosity at the four interaction points of the Large Hadron Collider must be continuously monitored in order to provide an adequate tool for the control and optimization of the collision parameters and the beam optics. At both sides of the interaction points absorbers are installed to protect the super-conducting accelerator elements from quenches caused by the deposited energy of collision products. The luminosity detectors will be installed in the copper core of these absorbers to measure the electromagnetic and hadronic showers caused by neutral particles that are produced at the proton-proton collision in the interaction points. The detectors have to withstand extreme radiation levels (108 Gy/yr at the design luminosity) and their long-term operation has to be assured without requiring human intervention. In addition the demand for bunch-by-bunch luminosity measurements, i.e. 40 MHz detection speed, puts severe constraints on the detectors. Polycrystalline CdTe detectors have a high potential to fulfill the requirements and are considered as LHC luminosity monitors. In this paper the interaction region is shown and the characteristics of the CdTe detectors are presented.

Comprehensive Fuel Spray Modeling and Impacts on Chamber Acoustics in Combustion Dynamics Simulations

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-05-01

multiple swirler configurations and fuel injector locations at atmospheric pressure con- ditions. Both single-element and multiple-element LDI...the swirl number, Reynolds’ number and injector location in the LDI element. Besides the multi-phase flow characteristics, several experimen- tal...region downstream of the fuel injector on account of a sta- ble and compact precessing vortex core. Recent ex- periments conducted by the Purdue group have

Combined exposure to big endothelin-1 and mechanical loading in bovine sternal cores promotes osteogenesis.

PubMed

Meyer, Luisa A; Johnson, Michael G; Cullen, Diane M; Vivanco, Juan F; Blank, Robert D; Ploeg, Heidi-Lynn; Smith, Everett L

2016-04-01

Increased bone formation resulting from mechanical loading is well documented; however, the interactions of the mechanotransduction pathways are less well understood. Endothelin-1, a ubiquitous autocrine/paracrine signaling molecule promotes osteogenesis in metastatic disease. In the present study, it was hypothesized that exposure to big endothelin-1 (big ET1) and/or mechanical loading would promote osteogenesis in ex vivo trabecular bone cores. In a 2×2 factorial trial of daily mechanical loading (-2000με, 120cycles daily, "jump" waveform) and big ET1 (25ng/mL), 48 bovine sternal trabecular bone cores were maintained in bioreactor chambers for 23days. The bone cores' response to the treatment stimuli was assessed with percent change in core apparent elastic modulus (ΔEapp), static and dynamic histomorphometry, and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) secretion. Two-way ANOVA with a post hoc Fisher's LSD test found no significant treatment effects on ΔEapp (p=0.25 and 0.51 for load and big ET1, respectively). The ΔEapp in the "no load + big ET1" (CE, 13±12.2%, p=0.56), "load + no big ET1" (LC, 17±3.9%, p=0.14) and "load + big ET1" (LE, 19±4.2%, p=0.13) treatment groups were not statistically different than the control group (CC, 3.3%±8.6%). Mineralizing surface (MS/BS), mineral apposition (MAR) and bone formation rates (BFR/BS) were significantly greater in LE than CC (p=0.037, 0.0040 and 0.019, respectively). While the histological bone formation markers in LC trended to be greater than CC (p=0.055, 0.11 and 0.074, respectively) there was no difference between CE and CC (p=0.61, 0.50 and 0.72, respectively). Cores in LE and LC had more than 50% greater MS/BS (p=0.037, p=0.055 respectively) and MAR (p=0.0040, p=0.11 respectively) than CC. The BFR/BS was more than two times greater in LE (p=0.019) and LC (p=0.074) than CC. The PGE2 levels were elevated at 8days post-osteotomy in all groups and the treatment groups remained elevated compared to the CC group on days 15, 19 and 23. The data suggest that combined exposure to big ET1 and mechanical loading results in increased osteogenesis as measured in biomechanical, histomorphometric and biochemical responses. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A novel dressing for the combined delivery of platelet lysate and vancomycin hydrochloride to chronic skin ulcers: Hyaluronic acid particles in alginate matrices.

PubMed

Rossi, S; Mori, M; Vigani, B; Bonferoni, M C; Sandri, G; Riva, F; Caramella, C; Ferrari, F

2018-06-15

The aim of the present work was to develop a medication allowing for the combined delivery of platelet lysate (PL) and an anti-infective model drug, vancomycin hydrochloride (VCM), to chronic skin ulcers. A simple method was set up for the preparation of hyaluronic acid (HA) core-shell particles, loaded with PL and coated with calcium alginate, embedded in a VCM containing alginate matrix. Two different CaCl 2 concentrations were investigated to allow for HA/PL core-shell particle formation. The resulting dressings were characterized for mechanical and hydration properties and tested in vitro (on fibroblasts) and ex-vivo (on skin biopsies) for biological activity. They were found of sufficient mechanical strength to withstand packaging and handling stress and able to absorb a high amount of wound exudate and to form a protective gel on the lesion area. The CaCl 2 concentration used for shell formation did not affect VCM release from the alginate matrix, but strongly modified the release of PGFAB (chosen as representative of growth factors present in PL) from HA particles. In vitro and ex vivo tests provided sufficient proof of concept of the ability of dressings to improve skin ulcers healing. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

High-frequency ultrasound imaging for breast cancer biopsy guidance

PubMed Central

Cummins, Thomas; Yoon, Changhan; Choi, Hojong; Eliahoo, Payam; Kim, Hyung Ham; Yamashita, Mary W.; Hovanessian-Larsen, Linda J.; Lang, Julie E.; Sener, Stephen F.; Vallone, John; Martin, Sue E.; Kirk Shung, K.

2015-01-01

Abstract. Image-guided core needle biopsy is the current gold standard for breast cancer diagnosis. Microcalcifications, an important radiographic finding on mammography suggestive of early breast cancer such as ductal carcinoma in situ, are usually biopsied under stereotactic guidance. This procedure, however, is uncomfortable for patients and requires the use of ionizing radiation. It would be preferable to biopsy microcalcifications under ultrasound guidance since it is a faster procedure, more comfortable for the patient, and requires no radiation. However, microcalcifications cannot reliably be detected with the current standard ultrasound imaging systems. This study is motivated by the clinical need for real-time high-resolution ultrasound imaging of microcalcifications, so that biopsies can be accurately performed under ultrasound guidance. We have investigated how high-frequency ultrasound imaging can enable visualization of microstructures in ex vivo breast tissue biopsy samples. We generated B-mode images of breast tissue and applied the Nakagami filtering technique to help refine image output so that microcalcifications could be better assessed during ultrasound-guided core biopsies. We describe the preliminary clinical results of high-frequency ultrasound imaging of ex vivo breast biopsy tissue with microcalcifications and without Nakagami filtering and the correlation of these images with the pathology examination by hematoxylin and eosin stain and whole slide digital scanning. PMID:26693167

Ex vivo catheter-based imaging of coronary atherosclerosis using multimodality OCT and NIRAF excited at 633 nm

PubMed Central

Wang, Hao; Gardecki, Joseph A.; Ughi, Giovanni J.; Jacques, Paulino Vacas; Hamidi, Ehsan; Tearney, Guillermo J.

2015-01-01

While optical coherence tomography (OCT) has been shown to be capable of imaging coronary plaque microstructure, additional chemical/molecular information may be needed in order to determine which lesions are at risk of causing an acute coronary event. In this study, we used a recently developed imaging system and double-clad fiber (DCF) catheter capable of simultaneously acquiring both OCT and red excited near-infrared autofluorescence (NIRAF) images (excitation: 633 nm, emission: 680nm to 900nm). We found that NIRAF is elevated in lesions that contain necrotic core – a feature that is critical for vulnerable plaque diagnosis and that is not readily discriminated by OCT alone. We first utilized a DCF ball lens probe and a bench top setup to acquire en face NIRAF images of aortic plaques ex vivo (n = 20). In addition, we used the OCT-NIRAF system and fully assembled catheters to acquire multimodality images from human coronary arteries (n = 15) prosected from human cadaver hearts (n = 5). Comparison of these images with corresponding histology demonstrated that necrotic core plaques exhibited significantly higher NIRAF intensity than other plaque types. These results suggest that multimodality intracoronary OCT-NIRAF imaging technology may be used in the future to provide improved characterization of coronary artery disease in human patients. PMID:25909020

A Complete Pathological Response to Pembrolizumab following ex vivo Liver Resection in a Patient with Colorectal Liver Metastases.

PubMed

Baimas-George, Maria; Baker, Erin; Kamionek, Michal; Salmon, J Stuart; Sastry, Amit; Levi, David; Vrochides, Dionisios

2018-04-05

Advances in the systemic treatment of stage IV colorectal cancer with liver metastases has offered improved survival rates for patients who otherwise face a dismal prognosis. However, a pathologically complete response (PCR) to chemotherapy for colorectal liver metastases is still rare, and its significance is not fully understood. In this case report, we describe a patient who achieved PCR after neoadjuvant immunotherapy with pembrolizumab and a left hepatectomy using an ex vivo resection technique. © 2018 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Supramolecular Ex plorations: Ex hibiting the Ex tent of Ex tended Cationic Cyclophanes

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Dale, Edward J.; Vermeulen, Nicolaas A.; Juricek, Michal

Acting as hosts, cationic cyclophanes, consisting of π-electron-poor bipyridinium units, are capable of entering into strong donor–acceptor interactions to form host–guest complexes with various guests when the size and electronic constitution are appropriately matched. A synthetic protocol has been developed that utilizes catalytic quantities of tetrabutylammonium iodide to make a wide variety of cationic pyridinium-based cyclophanes in a quick and easy manner. Members of this class of cationic cyclophanes with boxlike geometries, dubbed ExnBoxm4+ for short, have been prepared by altering a number of variables: (i) n, the number of “horizontal” p-phenylene spacers between adjoining pyridinium units, to modulate themore » “length” of the cavity; (ii) m, the number of “vertical” p-phenylene spacers, to modulate the “width” of the cavity; and (iii) the aromatic linkers, namely, 1,4-di- and 1,3,5-trisubstituted units for the construction of macrocycles (ExBoxes) and macrobicycles (ExCages), respectively. This Account serves as an exploration of the properties that emerge from these structural modifications of the pyridinium-based hosts, coupled with a call for further investigation into the wealth of properties inherent in this class of compounds. By variation of only the aforementioned components, the role of these cationic receptors covers ground that spans (i) synthetic methodology, (ii) extraction and sequestration, (iii) catalysis, (iv) molecular electronics, (v) physical organic chemistry, and (vi) supramolecular chemistry. Ex1Box4+ (or simply ExBox4+) has been shown to be a multipurpose receptor capable of binding a wide range of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), while also being a suitable component in switchable mechanically interlocked molecules. Additionally, the electronic properties of some host–guest complexes allow the development of artificial photosystems. Ex2Box4+ boasts the ability to bind both π-electron-rich and -poor aromatic guests in different binding sites located within the same cavity. ExBox24+ forms complexes with C60 in which discrete arrays of aligned fullerenes result in single cocrystals, leading to improved material conductivities. When the substitution pattern of the ExnBox4+ series is changed to 1,3,5-trisubstituted benzenoid cores, the hexacationic cagelike compound, termed ExCage6+, exhibits different kinetics of complexation with guests of varying sizes—a veritable playground for physical organic chemists. The organization of functionality with respect to structure becomes valuable as the number of analogues continues to grow. With each of these minor structural modifications, a wealth of properties emerge, begging the question as to what discoveries await and what properties will be realized with the continued exploration of this area of supramolecular chemistry based on a unique class of receptor molecules.« less

Supramolecular Ex plorations: Ex hibiting the Ex tent of Ex tended Cationic Cyclophanes

DOE PAGES

Dale, Edward J.; Vermeulen, Nicolaas A.; Juricek, Michal; ...

2016-01-19

Acting as hosts, cationic cyclophanes, consisting of π-electron-poor bipyridinium units, are capable of entering into strong donor–acceptor interactions to form host–guest complexes with various guests when the size and electronic constitution are appropriately matched. A synthetic protocol has been developed that utilizes catalytic quantities of tetrabutylammonium iodide to make a wide variety of cationic pyridinium-based cyclophanes in a quick and easy manner. Members of this class of cationic cyclophanes with boxlike geometries, dubbed ExnBoxm4+ for short, have been prepared by altering a number of variables: (i) n, the number of “horizontal” p-phenylene spacers between adjoining pyridinium units, to modulate themore » “length” of the cavity; (ii) m, the number of “vertical” p-phenylene spacers, to modulate the “width” of the cavity; and (iii) the aromatic linkers, namely, 1,4-di- and 1,3,5-trisubstituted units for the construction of macrocycles (ExBoxes) and macrobicycles (ExCages), respectively. This Account serves as an exploration of the properties that emerge from these structural modifications of the pyridinium-based hosts, coupled with a call for further investigation into the wealth of properties inherent in this class of compounds. By variation of only the aforementioned components, the role of these cationic receptors covers ground that spans (i) synthetic methodology, (ii) extraction and sequestration, (iii) catalysis, (iv) molecular electronics, (v) physical organic chemistry, and (vi) supramolecular chemistry. Ex1Box4+ (or simply ExBox4+) has been shown to be a multipurpose receptor capable of binding a wide range of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), while also being a suitable component in switchable mechanically interlocked molecules. Additionally, the electronic properties of some host–guest complexes allow the development of artificial photosystems. Ex2Box4+ boasts the ability to bind both π-electron-rich and -poor aromatic guests in different binding sites located within the same cavity. ExBox24+ forms complexes with C60 in which discrete arrays of aligned fullerenes result in single cocrystals, leading to improved material conductivities. When the substitution pattern of the ExnBox4+ series is changed to 1,3,5-trisubstituted benzenoid cores, the hexacationic cagelike compound, termed ExCage6+, exhibits different kinetics of complexation with guests of varying sizes—a veritable playground for physical organic chemists. The organization of functionality with respect to structure becomes valuable as the number of analogues continues to grow. With each of these minor structural modifications, a wealth of properties emerge, begging the question as to what discoveries await and what properties will be realized with the continued exploration of this area of supramolecular chemistry based on a unique class of receptor molecules.« less

Lower Body Negative Pressure Treadmill Exercise and Resistive Exercise Countermeasures Maintain Physiologic Function in Women during Simulated Microgravity

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Macias, B. R.; Schneider, S. M.; Lee, S. M. C.; Guinet, P.; Hughson, R. L.; Smith, Scott M.; Watenpaugh, D. E.; Hargens, A. R.

2008-01-01

We hypothesized that supine LBNP treadmill exercise combined with Flywheel resistive exercise maintains upright physiologic responses following 60-days of head-down tilt (HDT) bed rest (BR). METHODS: 16 healthy women (age 25-40 years) underwent 60-days HDT (-6deg.) BR. Women were assigned to either a non-exercise control group (CON, n=8) or to an exercise group (EX, n=8). EX subjects performed a 40-min, variable intensity LBNP exercise protocol at foot-ward forces between 1.0-1.1 times body weight, followed by 10- min of resting LBNP 3-4 days/week. Resistive exercise of maximal concentric and eccentric supine leg press and heel raise exercises were performed using a flywheel ergometer 2-3 days/week. IRBs approved this study with informed/written consent. RESULTS: Post-BR VO2pk was not different in EX (-3.3+/-1.2%) but decreased significantly in CON (-21.2+/-2.1%), p< 0.05. Post-BR orthostatic tolerance time (mean se) decreased significantly less in EX (19.3+/-1.3 to 14.4+/-1.5 min) than in CON (17.5+/-0.1 to 9.1+/- 1.5 min), p=0.03. Post-BR muscle strength decreased significantly in CON, but was preserved in EX. Post-BR bone resorption was greater than pre-BR in both groups (p<0.05). Bone formation markers, were significantly elevated (p<0.05) in EX than in CON. CONCLUSIONS: Supine LBNP treadmill exercise along with flywheel resistive exercise maintains upright exercise capacity, orthostatic responses and muscle strength during 60-days HDT BR.

Core-shell designed scaffolds for drug delivery and tissue engineering.

PubMed

Perez, Roman A; Kim, Hae-Won

2015-07-01

Scaffolds that secure and deliver therapeutic ingredients like signaling molecules and stem cells hold great promise for drug delivery and tissue engineering. Employing a core-shell design for scaffolds provides a promising solution. Some unique methods, such as co-concentric nozzle extrusion, microfluidics generation, and chemical confinement reactions, have been successful in producing core-shelled nano/microfibers and nano/microspheres. Signaling molecules and drugs, spatially allocated to the core and/or shell part, can be delivered in a controllable and sequential manner for optimal therapeutic effects. Stem cells can be loaded within the core part on-demand, safely protected from the environments, which ultimately affords ex vivo culture and in vivo tissue engineering. The encapsulated cells experience three-dimensional tissue-mimic microenvironments in which therapeutic molecules are secreted to the surrounding tissues through the semi-permeable shell. Tuning the material properties of the core and shell, changing the geometrical parameters, and shaping them into proper forms significantly influence the release behaviors of biomolecules and the fate of the cells. This topical issue highlights the immense usefulness of core-shell designs for the therapeutic actions of scaffolds in the delivery of signaling molecules and stem cells for tissue regeneration and disease treatment. Copyright © 2015 Acta Materialia Inc. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The CMS experiment at the CERN LHC

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

CMS Collaboration; Chatrchyan, S.; Hmayakyan, G.; Khachatryan, V.; Sirunyan, A. M.; Adam, W.; Bauer, T.; Bergauer, T.; Bergauer, H.; Dragicevic, M.; Erö, J.; Friedl, M.; Frühwirth, R.; Ghete, V. M.; Glaser, P.; Hartl, C.; Hoermann, N.; Hrubec, J.; Hänsel, S.; Jeitler, M.; Kastner, K.; Krammer, M.; Magrans de Abril, I.; Markytan, M.; Mikulec, I.; Neuherz, B.; Nöbauer, T.; Oberegger, M.; Padrta, M.; Pernicka, M.; Porth, P.; Rohringer, H.; Schmid, S.; Schreiner, T.; Stark, R.; Steininger, H.; Strauss, J.; Taurok, A.; Uhl, D.; Waltenberger, W.; Walzel, G.; Widl, E.; Wulz, C.-E.; Petrov, V.; Prosolovich, V.; Chekhovsky, V.; Dvornikov, O.; Emeliantchik, I.; Litomin, A.; Makarenko, V.; Marfin, I.; Mossolov, V.; Shumeiko, N.; Solin, A.; Stefanovitch, R.; Suarez Gonzalez, J.; Tikhonov, A.; Fedorov, A.; Korzhik, M.; Missevitch, O.; Zuyeuski, R.; Beaumont, W.; Cardaci, M.; DeLanghe, E.; DeWolf, E. A.; Delmeire, E.; Ochesanu, S.; Tasevsky, M.; Van Mechelen, P.; D'Hondt, J.; DeWeirdt, S.; Devroede, O.; Goorens, R.; Hannaert, S.; Heyninck, J.; Maes, J.; Mozer, M. U.; Tavernier, S.; Van Doninck, W.; Van Lancker, L.; Van Mulders, P.; Villella, I.; Wastiels, C.; Yu, C.; Bouhali, O.; Charaf, O.; Clerbaux, B.; DeHarenne, P.; DeLentdecker, G.; Dewulf, J. P.; Elgammal, S.; Gindroz, R.; Hammad, G. H.; Mahmoud, T.; Neukermans, L.; Pins, M.; Pins, R.; Rugovac, S.; Stefanescu, J.; Sundararajan, V.; Vander Velde, C.; Vanlaer, P.; Wickens, J.; Tytgat, M.; Assouak, S.; Bonnet, J. L.; Bruno, G.; Caudron, J.; DeCallatay, B.; DeFavereau DeJeneret, J.; DeVisscher, S.; Demin, P.; Favart, D.; Felix, C.; Florins, B.; Forton, E.; Giammanco, A.; Grégoire, G.; Jonckman, M.; Kcira, D.; Keutgen, T.; Lemaitre, V.; Michotte, D.; Militaru, O.; Ovyn, S.; Pierzchala, T.; Piotrzkowski, K.; Roberfroid, V.; Rouby, X.; Schul, N.; Van der Aa, O.; Beliy, N.; Daubie, E.; Herquet, P.; Alves, G.; Pol, M. E.; Souza, M. H. G.; Vaz, M.; DeJesus Damiao, D.; Oguri, V.; Santoro, A.; Sznajder, A.; DeMoraes Gregores, E.; Iope, R. L.; Novaes, S. F.; Tomei, T.; Anguelov, T.; Antchev, G.; Atanasov, I.; Damgov, J.; Darmenov, N.; Dimitrov, L.; Genchev, V.; Iaydjiev, P.; Marinov, A.; Piperov, S.; Stoykova, S.; Sultanov, G.; Trayanov, R.; Vankov, I.; Cheshkov, C.; Dimitrov, A.; Dyulendarova, M.; Glushkov, I.; Kozhuharov, V.; Litov, L.; Makariev, M.; Marinova, E.; Markov, S.; Mateev, M.; Nasteva, I.; Pavlov, B.; Petev, P.; Petkov, P.; Spassov, V.; Toteva, Z.; Velev, V.; Verguilov, V.; Bian, J. G.; Chen, G. M.; Chen, H. S.; Chen, M.; Jiang, C. H.; Liu, B.; Shen, X. Y.; Sun, H. S.; Tao, J.; Wang, J.; Yang, M.; Zhang, Z.; Zhao, W. R.; Zhuang, H. L.; Ban, Y.; Cai, J.; Ge, Y. C.; Liu, S.; Liu, H. T.; Liu, L.; Qian, S. J.; Wang, Q.; Xue, Z. H.; Yang, Z. C.; Ye, Y. L.; Ying, J.; Li, P. J.; Liao, J.; Xue, Z. L.; Yan, D. S.; Yuan, H.; Carrillo Montoya, C. A.; Sanabria, J. C.; Godinovic, N.; Puljak, I.; Soric, I.; Antunovic, Z.; Dzelalija, M.; Marasovic, K.; Brigljevic, V.; Kadija, K.; Morovic, S.; Fereos, R.; Nicolaou, C.; Papadakis, A.; Ptochos, F.; Razis, P. A.; Tsiakkouri, D.; Zinonos, Z.; Hektor, A.; Kadastik, M.; Kannike, K.; Lippmaa, E.; Müntel, M.; Raidal, M.; Rebane, L.; Aarnio, P. A.; Anttila, E.; Banzuzi, K.; Bulteau, P.; Czellar, S.; Eiden, N.; Eklund, C.; Engstrom, P.; Heikkinen, A.; Honkanen, A.; Härkönen, J.; Karimäki, V.; Katajisto, H. M.; Kinnunen, R.; Klem, J.; Kortesmaa, J.; Kotamäki, M.; Kuronen, A.; Lampén, T.; Lassila-Perini, K.; Lefébure, V.; Lehti, S.; Lindén, T.; Luukka, P. R.; Michal, S.; Moura Brigido, F.; Mäenpää, T.; Nyman, T.; Nystén, J.; Pietarinen, E.; Skog, K.; Tammi, K.; Tuominen, E.; Tuominiemi, J.; Ungaro, D.; Vanhala, T. P.; Wendland, L.; Williams, C.; Iskanius, M.; Korpela, A.; Polese, G.; Tuuva, T.; Bassompierre, G.; Bazan, A.; David, P. Y.; Ditta, J.; Drobychev, G.; Fouque, N.; Guillaud, J. P.; Hermel, V.; Karneyeu, A.; LeFlour, T.; Lieunard, S.; Maire, M.; Mendiburu, P.; Nedelec, P.; Peigneux, J. P.; Schneegans, M.; Sillou, D.; Vialle, J. P.; Anfreville, M.; Bard, J. P.; Besson, P.; Bougamont, E.; Boyer, M.; Bredy, P.; Chipaux, R.; Dejardin, M.; Denegri, D.; Descamps, J.; Fabbro, B.; Faure, J. L.; Ganjour, S.; Gentit, F. X.; Givernaud, A.; Gras, P.; Hamel de Monchenault, G.; Jarry, P.; Jeanney, C.; Kircher, F.; Lemaire, M. C.; Lemoigne, Y.; Levesy, B.; Locci, E.; Lottin, J. P.; Mandjavidze, I.; Mur, M.; Pansart, J. P.; Payn, A.; Rander, J.; Reymond, J. M.; Rolquin, J.; Rondeaux, F.; Rosowsky, A.; Rousse, J. Y. A.; Sun, Z. H.; Tartas, J.; Van Lysebetten, A.; Venault, P.; Verrecchia, P.; Anduze, M.; Badier, J.; Baffioni, S.; Bercher, M.; Bernet, C.; Berthon, U.; Bourotte, J.; Busata, A.; Busson, P.; Cerutti, M.; Chamont, D.; Charlot, C.; Collard, C.; Debraine, A.; Decotigny, D.; Dobrzynski, L.; Ferreira, O.; Geerebaert, Y.; Gilly, J.; Gregory, C.; Guevara Riveros, L.; Haguenauer, M.; Karar, A.; Koblitz, B.; Lecouturier, D.; Mathieu, A.; Milleret, G.; Miné, P.; Paganini, P.; Poilleux, P.; Pukhaeva, N.; Regnault, N.; Romanteau, T.; Semeniouk, I.; Sirois, Y.; Thiebaux, C.; Vanel, J. C.; Zabi, A.; Agram, J. L.; Albert, A.; Anckenmann, L.; Andrea, J.; Anstotz, F.; Bergdolt, A. M.; Berst, J. D.; Blaes, R.; Bloch, D.; Brom, J. M.; Cailleret, J.; Charles, F.; Christophel, E.; Claus, G.; Coffin, J.; Colledani, C.; Croix, J.; Dangelser, E.; Dick, N.; Didierjean, F.; Drouhin, F.; Dulinski, W.; Ernenwein, J. P.; Fang, R.; Fontaine, J. C.; Gaudiot, G.; Geist, W.; Gelé, D.; Goeltzenlichter, T.; Goerlach, U.; Graehling, P.; Gross, L.; Hu, C. Guo; Helleboid, J. M.; Henkes, T.; Hoffer, M.; Hoffmann, C.; Hosselet, J.; Houchu, L.; Hu, Y.; Huss, D.; Illinger, C.; Jeanneau, F.; Juillot, P.; Kachelhoffer, T.; Kapp, M. R.; Kettunen, H.; Lakehal Ayat, L.; LeBihan, A. C.; Lounis, A.; Maazouzi, C.; Mack, V.; Majewski, P.; Mangeol, D.; Michel, J.; Moreau, S.; Olivetto, C.; Pallarès, A.; Patois, Y.; Pralavorio, P.; Racca, C.; Riahi, Y.; Ripp-Baudot, I.; Schmitt, P.; Schunck, J. P.; Schuster, G.; Schwaller, B.; Sigward, M. H.; Sohler, J. L.; Speck, J.; Strub, R.; Todorov, T.; Turchetta, R.; Van Hove, P.; Vintache, D.; Zghiche, A.; Ageron, M.; Augustin, J. E.; Baty, C.; Baulieu, G.; Bedjidian, M.; Blaha, J.; Bonnevaux, A.; Boudoul, G.; Brunet, P.; Chabanat, E.; Chabert, E. C.; Chierici, R.; Chorowicz, V.; Combaret, C.; Contardo, D.; Della Negra, R.; Depasse, P.; Drapier, O.; Dupanloup, M.; Dupasquier, T.; El Mamouni, H.; Estre, N.; Fay, J.; Gascon, S.; Giraud, N.; Girerd, C.; Guillot, G.; Haroutunian, R.; Ille, B.; Lethuillier, M.; Lumb, N.; Martin, C.; Mathez, H.; Maurelli, G.; Muanza, S.; Pangaud, P.; Perries, S.; Ravat, O.; Schibler, E.; Schirra, F.; Smadja, G.; Tissot, S.; Trocme, B.; Vanzetto, S.; Walder, J. P.; Bagaturia, Y.; Mjavia, D.; Mzhavia, A.; Tsamalaidze, Z.; Roinishvili, V.; Adolphi, R.; Anagnostou, G.; Brauer, R.; Braunschweig, W.; Esser, H.; Feld, L.; Karpinski, W.; Khomich, A.; Klein, K.; Kukulies, C.; Lübelsmeyer, K.; Olzem, J.; Ostaptchouk, A.; Pandoulas, D.; Pierschel, G.; Raupach, F.; Schael, S.; Schultz von Dratzig, A.; Schwering, G.; Siedling, R.; Thomas, M.; Weber, M.; Wittmer, B.; Wlochal, M.; Adamczyk, F.; Adolf, A.; Altenhöfer, G.; Bechstein, S.; Bethke, S.; Biallass, P.; Biebel, O.; Bontenackels, M.; Bosseler, K.; Böhm, A.; Erdmann, M.; Faissner, H.; Fehr, B.; Fesefeldt, H.; Fetchenhauer, G.; Frangenheim, J.; Frohn, J. H.; Grooten, J.; Hebbeker, T.; Hermann, S.; Hermens, E.; Hilgers, G.; Hoepfner, K.; Hof, C.; Jacobi, E.; Kappler, S.; Kirsch, M.; Kreuzer, P.; Kupper, R.; Lampe, H. R.; Lanske, D.; Mameghani, R.; Meyer, A.; Meyer, S.; Moers, T.; Müller, E.; Pahlke, R.; Philipps, B.; Rein, D.; Reithler, H.; Reuter, W.; Rütten, P.; Schulz, S.; Schwarthoff, H.; Sobek, W.; Sowa, M.; Stapelberg, T.; Szczesny, H.; Teykal, H.; Teyssier, D.; Tomme, H.; Tomme, W.; Tonutti, M.; Tsigenov, O.; Tutas, J.; Vandenhirtz, J.; Wagner, H.; Wegner, M.; Zeidler, C.; Beissel, F.; Davids, M.; Duda, M.; Flügge, G.; Giffels, M.; Hermanns, T.; Heydhausen, D.; Kalinin, S.; Kasselmann, S.; Kaussen, G.; Kress, T.; Linn, A.; Nowack, A.; Perchalla, L.; Poettgens, M.; Pooth, O.; Sauerland, P.; Stahl, A.; Tornier, D.; Zoeller, M. H.; Behrens, U.; Borras, K.; Flossdorf, A.; Hatton, D.; Hegner, B.; Kasemann, M.; Mankel, R.; Meyer, A.; Mnich, J.; Rosemann, C.; Youngman, C.; Zeuner, W. D.; Bechtel, F.; Buhmann, P.; Butz, E.; Flucke, G.; Hamdorf, R. H.; Holm, U.; Klanner, R.; Pein, U.; Schirm, N.; Schleper, P.; Steinbrück, G.; Van Staa, R.; Wolf, R.; Atz, B.; Barvich, T.; Blüm, P.; Boegelspacher, F.; Bol, H.; Chen, Z. Y.; Chowdhury, S.; DeBoer, W.; Dehm, P.; Dirkes, G.; Fahrer, M.; Felzmann, U.; Frey, M.; Furgeri, A.; Gregoriev, E.; Hartmann, F.; Hauler, F.; Heier, S.; Kärcher, K.; Ledermann, B.; Mueller, S.; Müller, Th; Neuberger, D.; Piasecki, C.; Quast, G.; Rabbertz, K.; Sabellek, A.; Scheurer, A.; Schilling, F. P.; Simonis, H. J.; Skiba, A.; Steck, P.; Theel, A.; Thümmel, W. H.; Trunov, A.; Vest, A.; Weiler, T.; Weiser, C.; Weseler, S.; Zhukov, V.; Barone, M.; Daskalakis, G.; Dimitriou, N.; Fanourakis, G.; Filippidis, C.; Geralis, T.; Kalfas, C.; Karafasoulis, K.; Koimas, A.; Kyriakis, A.; Kyriazopoulou, S.; Loukas, D.; Markou, A.; Markou, C.; Mastroyiannopoulos, N.; Mavrommatis, C.; Mousa, J.; Papadakis, I.; Petrakou, E.; Siotis, I.; Theofilatos, K.; Tzamarias, S.; Vayaki, A.; Vermisoglou, G.; Zachariadou, A.; Gouskos, L.; Karapostoli, G.; Katsas, P.; Panagiotou, A.; Papadimitropoulos, C.; Aslanoglou, X.; Evangelou, I.; Kokkas, P.; Manthos, N.; Papadopoulos, I.; Triantis, F. A.; Bencze, G.; Boldizsar, L.; Debreczeni, G.; Hajdu, C.; Hidas, P.; Horvath, D.; Kovesarki, P.; Laszlo, A.; Odor, G.; Patay, G.; Sikler, F.; Veres, G.; Vesztergombi, G.; Zalan, P.; Fenyvesi, A.; Imrek, J.; Molnar, J.; Novak, D.; Palinkas, J.; Szekely, G.; Beni, N.; Kapusi, A.; Marian, G.; Radics, B.; Raics, P.; Szabo, Z.; Szillasi, Z.; Trocsanyi, Z. L.; Zilizi, G.; Bawa, H. S.; Beri, S. B.; Bhandari, V.; Bhatnagar, V.; Kaur, M.; Kohli, J. M.; Kumar, A.; Singh, B.; Singh, J. B.; Arora, S.; Bhattacharya, S.; Chatterji, S.; Chauhan, S.; Choudhary, B. C.; Gupta, P.; Jha, M.; Ranjan, K.; Shivpuri, R. K.; Srivastava, A. K.; Choudhury, R. K.; Dutta, D.; Ghodgaonkar, M.; Kailas, S.; Kataria, S. K.; Mohanty, A. K.; Pant, L. M.; Shukla, P.; Topkar, A.; Aziz, T.; Banerjee, Sunanda; Bose, S.; Chendvankar, S.; Deshpande, P. V.; Guchait, M.; Gurtu, A.; Maity, M.; Majumder, G.; Mazumdar, K.; Nayak, A.; Patil, M. R.; Sharma, S.; Sudhakar, K.; Acharya, B. S.; Banerjee, Sudeshna; Bheesette, S.; Dugad, S.; Kalmani, S. D.; Lakkireddi, V. R.; Mondal, N. K.; Panyam, N.; Verma, P.; Arfaei, H.; Hashemi, M.; Najafabadi, M. Mohammadi; Moshaii, A.; Paktinat Mehdiabadi, S.; Felcini, M.; Grunewald, M.; Abadjiev, K.; Abbrescia, M.; Barbone, L.; Cariola, P.; Chiumarulo, F.; Clemente, A.; Colaleo, A.; Creanza, D.; DeFilippis, N.; DePalma, M.; DeRobertis, G.; Donvito, G.; Ferorelli, R.; Fiore, L.; Franco, M.; Giordano, D.; Guida, R.; Iaselli, G.; Lacalamita, N.; Loddo, F.; Maggi, G.; Maggi, M.; Manna, N.; Marangelli, B.; Mennea, M. S.; My, S.; Natali, S.; Nuzzo, S.; Papagni, G.; Pinto, C.; Pompili, A.; Pugliese, G.; Ranieri, A.; Romano, F.; Roselli, G.; Sala, G.; Selvaggi, G.; Silvestris, L.; Tempesta, P.; Trentadue, R.; Tupputi, S.; Zito, G.; Abbiendi, G.; Bacchi, W.; Battilana, C.; Benvenuti, A. C.; Boldini, M.; Bonacorsi, D.; Braibant-Giacomelli, S.; Cafaro, V. D.; Capiluppi, P.; Castro, A.; Cavallo, F. R.; Ciocca, C.; Codispoti, G.; Cuffiani, M.; D'Antone, I.; Dallavalle, G. M.; Fabbri, F.; Fanfani, A.; Finelli, S.; Giacomelli, P.; Giordano, V.; Giunta, M.; Grandi, C.; Guerzoni, M.; Guiducci, L.; Marcellini, S.; Masetti, G.; Montanari, A.; Navarria, F. L.; Odorici, F.; Paolucci, A.; Pellegrini, G.; Perrotta, A.; Rossi, A. M.; Rovelli, T.; Siroli, G. P.; Torromeo, G.; Travaglini, R.; Veronese, G. P.; Albergo, S.; Chiorboli, M.; Costa, S.; Galanti, M.; Gatto Rotondo, G.; Giudice, N.; Guardone, N.; Noto, F.; Potenza, R.; Saizu, M. A.; Salemi, G.; Sutera, C.; Tricomi, A.; Tuve, C.; Bellucci, L.; Brianzi, M.; Broccolo, G.; Catacchini, E.; Ciulli, V.; Civinini, C.; D'Alessandro, R.; Focardi, E.; Frosali, S.; Genta, C.; Landi, G.; Lenzi, P.; Macchiolo, A.; Maletta, F.; Manolescu, F.; Marchettini, C.; Masetti, L.; Mersi, S.; Meschini, M.; Minelli, C.; Paoletti, S.; Parrini, G.; Scarlini, E.; Sguazzoni, G.; Benussi, L.; Bertani, M.; Bianco, S.; Caponero, M.; Colonna, D.; Daniello, L.; Fabbri, F.; Felli, F.; Giardoni, M.; La Monaca, A.; Ortenzi, B.; Pallotta, M.; Paolozzi, A.; Paris, C.; Passamonti, L.; Pierluigi, D.; Ponzio, B.; Pucci, C.; Russo, A.; Saviano, G.; Fabbricatore, P.; Farinon, S.; Greco, M.; Musenich, R.; Badoer, S.; Berti, L.; Biasotto, M.; Fantinel, S.; Frizziero, E.; Gastaldi, U.; Gulmini, M.; Lelli, F.; Maron, G.; Squizzato, S.; Toniolo, N.; Traldi, S.; Banfi, S.; Bertoni, R.; Bonesini, M.; Carbone, L.; Cerati, G. B.; Chignoli, F.; D'Angelo, P.; DeMin, A.; Dini, P.; Farina, F. M.; Ferri, F.; Govoni, P.; Magni, S.; Malberti, M.; Malvezzi, S.; Mazza, R.; Menasce, D.; Miccio, V.; Moroni, L.; Negri, P.; Paganoni, M.; Pedrini, D.; Pullia, A.; Ragazzi, S.; Redaelli, N.; Rovere, M.; Sala, L.; Sala, S.; Salerno, R.; Tabarelli de Fatis, T.; Tancini, V.; Taroni, S.; Boiano, A.; Cassese, F.; Cassese, C.; Cimmino, A.; D'Aquino, B.; Lista, L.; Lomidze, D.; Noli, P.; Paolucci, P.; Passeggio, G.; Piccolo, D.; Roscilli, L.; Sciacca, C.; Vanzanella, A.; Azzi, P.; Bacchetta, N.; Barcellan, L.; Bellato, M.; Benettoni, M.; Bisello, D.; Borsato, E.; Candelori, A.; Carlin, R.; Castellani, L.; Checchia, P.; Ciano, L.; Colombo, A.; Conti, E.; Da Rold, M.; Dal Corso, F.; DeGiorgi, M.; DeMattia, M.; Dorigo, T.; Dosselli, U.; Fanin, C.; Galet, G.; Gasparini, F.; Gasparini, U.; Giraldo, A.; Giubilato, P.; Gonella, F.; Gresele, A.; Griggio, A.; Guaita, P.; Kaminskiy, A.; Karaevskii, S.; Khomenkov, V.; Kostylev, D.; Lacaprara, S.; Lazzizzera, I.; Lippi, I.; Loreti, M.; Margoni, M.; Martinelli, R.; Mattiazzo, S.; Mazzucato, M.; Meneguzzo, A. T.; Modenese, L.; Montecassiano, F.; Neviani, A.; Nigro, M.; Paccagnella, A.; Pantano, D.; Parenti, A.; Passaseo, M.; Pedrotta, R.; Pegoraro, M.; Rampazzo, G.; Reznikov, S.; Ronchese, P.; Sancho Daponte, A.; Sartori, P.; Stavitskiy, I.; Tessaro, M.; Torassa, E.; Triossi, A.; Vanini, S.; Ventura, S.; Ventura, L.; Verlato, M.; Zago, M.; Zatti, F.; Zotto, P.; Zumerle, G.; Baesso, P.; Belli, G.; Berzano, U.; Bricola, S.; Grelli, A.; Musitelli, G.; Nardò, R.; Necchi, M. M.; Pagano, D.; Ratti, S. P.; Riccardi, C.; Torre, P.; Vicini, A.; Vitulo, P.; Viviani, C.; Aisa, D.; Aisa, S.; Ambroglini, F.; Angarano, M. M.; Babucci, E.; Benedetti, D.; Biasini, M.; Bilei, G. M.; Bizzaglia, S.; Brunetti, M. T.; Caponeri, B.; Checcucci, B.; Covarelli, R.; Dinu, N.; Fanò, L.; Farnesini, L.; Giorgi, M.; Lariccia, P.; Mantovani, G.; Moscatelli, F.; Passeri, D.; Piluso, A.; Placidi, P.; Postolache, V.; Santinelli, R.; Santocchia, A.; Servoli, L.; Spiga, D.; Azzurri, P.; Bagliesi, G.; Balestri, G.; Basti, A.; Bellazzini, R.; Benucci, L.; Bernardini, J.; Berretta, L.; Bianucci, S.; Boccali, T.; Bocci, A.; Borrello, L.; Bosi, F.; Bracci, F.; Brez, A.; Calzolari, F.; Castaldi, R.; Cazzola, U.; Ceccanti, M.; Cecchi, R.; Cerri, C.; Cucoanes, A. S.; Dell'Orso, R.; Dobur, D.; Dutta, S.; Fiori, F.; Foà, L.; Gaggelli, A.; Gennai, S.; Giassi, A.; Giusti, S.; Kartashov, D.; Kraan, A.; Latronico, L.; Ligabue, F.; Linari, S.; Lomtadze, T.; Lungu, G. A.; Magazzu, G.; Mammini, P.; Mariani, F.; Martinelli, G.; Massa, M.; Messineo, A.; Moggi, A.; Palla, F.; Palmonari, F.; Petragnani, G.; Petrucciani, G.; Profeti, A.; Raffaelli, F.; Rizzi, D.; Sanguinetti, G.; Sarkar, S.; Segneri, G.; Sentenac, D.; Serban, A. T.; Slav, A.; Spagnolo, P.; Spandre, G.; Tenchini, R.; Tolaini, S.; Tonelli, G.; Venturi, A.; Verdini, P. G.; Vos, M.; Zaccarelli, L.; Baccaro, S.; Barone, L.; Bartoloni, A.; Borgia, B.; Capradossi, G.; Cavallari, F.; Cecilia, A.; D'Angelo, D.; Dafinei, I.; DelRe, D.; Di Marco, E.; Diemoz, M.; Ferrara, G.; Gargiulo, C.; Guerra, S.; Iannone, M.; Longo, E.; Montecchi, M.; Nuccetelli, M.; Organtini, G.; Palma, A.; Paramatti, R.; Pellegrino, F.; Rahatlou, S.; Rovelli, C.; Safai Tehrani, F.; Zullo, A.; Alampi, G.; Amapane, N.; Arcidiacono, R.; Argiro, S.; Arneodo, M.; Bellan, R.; Benotto, F.; Biino, C.; Bolognesi, S.; Borgia, M. A.; Botta, C.; Brasolin, A.; Cartiglia, N.; Castello, R.; Cerminara, G.; Cirio, R.; Cordero, M.; Costa, M.; Dattola, D.; Daudo, F.; Dellacasa, G.; Demaria, N.; Dughera, G.; Dumitrache, F.; Farano, R.; Ferrero, G.; Filoni, E.; Kostyleva, G.; Larsen, H. E.; Mariotti, C.; Marone, M.; Maselli, S.; Menichetti, E.; Mereu, P.; Migliore, E.; Mila, G.; Monaco, V.; Musich, M.; Nervo, M.; Obertino, M. M.; Panero, R.; Parussa, A.; Pastrone, N.; Peroni, C.; Petrillo, G.; Romero, A.; Ruspa, M.; Sacchi, R.; Scalise, M.; Solano, A.; Staiano, A.; Trapani, P. P.; Trocino, D.; Vaniev, V.; Vilela Pereira, A.; Zampieri, A.; Belforte, S.; Cossutti, F.; Della Ricca, G.; Gobbo, B.; Kavka, C.; Penzo, A.; Kim, Y. E.; Nam, S. K.; Kim, D. H.; Kim, G. N.; Kim, J. C.; Kong, D. J.; Ro, S. R.; Son, D. C.; Park, S. Y.; Kim, Y. J.; Kim, J. Y.; Lim, I. T.; Pac, M. Y.; Lee, S. J.; Jung, S. Y.; Rhee, J. T.; Ahn, S. H.; Hong, B. S.; Jeng, Y. K.; Kang, M. H.; Kim, H. C.; Kim, J. H.; Kim, T. J.; Lee, K. S.; Lim, J. K.; Moon, D. H.; Park, I. C.; Park, S. K.; Ryu, M. S.; Sim, K.-S.; Son, K. J.; Hong, S. J.; Choi, Y. I.; Castilla Valdez, H.; Sanchez Hernandez, A.; Carrillo Moreno, S.; Morelos Pineda, A.; Aerts, A.; Van der Stok, P.; Weffers, H.; Allfrey, P.; Gray, R. N. C.; Hashimoto, M.; Krofcheck, D.; Bell, A. J.; Bernardino Rodrigues, N.; Butler, P. H.; Churchwell, S.; Knegjens, R.; Whitehead, S.; Williams, J. C.; Aftab, Z.; Ahmad, U.; Ahmed, I.; Ahmed, W.; Asghar, M. I.; Asghar, S.; Dad, G.; Hafeez, M.; Hoorani, H. R.; Hussain, I.; Hussain, N.; Iftikhar, M.; Khan, M. S.; Mehmood, K.; Osman, A.; Shahzad, H.; Zafar, A. R.; Ali, A.; Bashir, A.; Jan, A. M.; Kamal, A.; Khan, F.; Saeed, M.; Tanwir, S.; Zafar, M. A.; Blocki, J.; Cyz, A.; Gladysz-Dziadus, E.; Mikocki, S.; Rybczynski, M.; Turnau, J.; Wlodarczyk, Z.; Zychowski, P.; Bunkowski, K.; Cwiok, M.; Czyrkowski, H.; Dabrowski, R.; Dominik, W.; Doroba, K.; Kalinowski, A.; Kierzkowski, K.; Konecki, M.; Krolikowski, J.; Kudla, I. M.; Pietrusinski, M.; Pozniak, K.; Zabolotny, W.; Zych, P.; Gokieli, R.; Goscilo, L.; Górski, M.; Nawrocki, K.; Traczyk, P.; Wrochna, G.; Zalewski, P.; Pozniak, K. T.; Romaniuk, R.; Zabolotny, W. M.; Alemany-Fernandez, R.; Almeida, C.; Almeida, N.; Araujo Vila Verde, A. S.; Barata Monteiro, T.; Bluj, M.; Da Mota Silva, S.; Tinoco Mendes, A. David; Freitas Ferreira, M.; Gallinaro, M.; Husejko, M.; Jain, A.; Kazana, M.; Musella, P.; Nobrega, R.; Rasteiro Da Silva, J.; Ribeiro, P. Q.; Santos, M.; Silva, P.; Silva, S.; Teixeira, I.; Teixeira, J. P.; Varela, J.; Varner, G.; Vaz Cardoso, N.; Altsybeev, I.; Babich, K.; Belkov, A.; Belotelov, I.; Bunin, P.; Chesnevskaya, S.; Elsha, V.; Ershov, Y.; Filozova, I.; Finger, M.; Finger, M., Jr.; Golunov, A.; Golutvin, I.; Gorbounov, N.; Gramenitski, I.; Kalagin, V.; Kamenev, A.; Karjavin, V.; Khabarov, S.; Khabarov, V.; Kiryushin, Y.; Konoplyanikov, V.; Korenkov, V.; Kozlov, G.; Kurenkov, A.; Lanev, A.; Lysiakov, V.; Malakhov, A.; Melnitchenko, I.; Mitsyn, V. V.; Moisenz, K.; Moisenz, P.; Movchan, S.; Nikonov, E.; Oleynik, D.; Palichik, V.; Perelygin, V.; Petrosyan, A.; Rogalev, E.; Samsonov, V.; Savina, M.; Semenov, R.; Sergeev, S.; Shmatov, S.; Shulha, S.; Smirnov, V.; Smolin, D.; Tcheremoukhine, A.; Teryaev, O.; Tikhonenko, E.; Urkinbaev, A.; Vasil'ev, S.; Vishnevskiy, A.; Volodko, A.; Zamiatin, N.; Zarubin, A.; Zarubin, P.; Zubarev, E.; Bondar, N.; Gavrikov, Y.; Golovtsov, V.; Ivanov, Y.; Kim, V.; Kozlov, V.; Lebedev, V.; Makarenkov, G.; Moroz, F.; Neustroev, P.; Obrant, G.; Orishchin, E.; Petrunin, A.; Shcheglov, Y.; Shchetkovskiy, A.; Sknar, V.; Skorobogatov, V.; Smirnov, I.; Sulimov, V.; Tarakanov, V.; Uvarov, L.; Vavilov, S.; Velichko, G.; Volkov, S.; Vorobyev, A.; Chmelev, D.; Druzhkin, D.; Ivanov, A.; Kudinov, V.; Logatchev, O.; Onishchenko, S.; Orlov, A.; Sakharov, V.; Smetannikov, V.; Tikhomirov, A.; Zavodthikov, S.; Andreev, Yu; Anisimov, A.; Duk, V.; Gninenko, S.; Golubev, N.; Gorbunov, D.; Kirsanov, M.; Krasnikov, N.; Matveev, V.; Pashenkov, A.; Pastsyak, A.; Postoev, V. E.; Sadovski, A.; Skassyrskaia, A.; Solovey, Alexander; Solovey, Anatoly; Soloviev, D.; Toropin, A.; Troitsky, S.; Alekhin, A.; Baldov, A.; Epshteyn, V.; Gavrilov, V.; Ilina, N.; Kaftanov, V.; Karpishin, V.; Kiselevich, I.; Kolosov, V.; Kossov, M.; Krokhotin, A.; Kuleshov, S.; Oulianov, A.; Pozdnyakov, A.; Safronov, G.; Semenov, S.; Stepanov, N.; Stolin, V.; Vlasov, E.; Zaytsev, V.; Boos, E.; Dubinin, M.; Dudko, L.; Ershov, A.; Eyyubova, G.; Gribushin, A.; Ilyin, V.; Klyukhin, V.; Kodolova, O.; Kruglov, N. A.; Kryukov, A.; Lokhtin, I.; Malinina, L.; Mikhaylin, V.; Petrushanko, S.; Sarycheva, L.; Savrin, V.; Shamardin, L.; Sherstnev, A.; Snigirev, A.; Teplov, K.; Vardanyan, I.; Fomenko, A. M.; Konovalova, N.; Kozlov, V.; Lebedev, A. I.; Lvova, N.; Rusakov, S. V.; Terkulov, A.; Abramov, V.; Akimenko, S.; Artamonov, A.; Ashimova, A.; Azhgirey, I.; Bitioukov, S.; Chikilev, O.; Datsko, K.; Filine, A.; Godizov, A.; Goncharov, P.; Grishin, V.; Inyakin, A.; Kachanov, V.; Kalinin, A.; Khmelnikov, A.; Konstantinov, D.; Korablev, A.; Krychkine, V.; Krinitsyn, A.; Levine, A.; Lobov, I.; Lukanin, V.; Mel'nik, Y.; Molchanov, V.; Petrov, V.; Petukhov, V.; Pikalov, V.; Ryazanov, A.; Ryutin, R.; Shelikhov, V.; Skvortsov, V.; Slabospitsky, S.; Sobol, A.; Sytine, A.; Talov, V.; Tourtchanovitch, L.; Troshin, S.; Tyurin, N.; Uzunian, A.; Volkov, A.; Zelepoukine, S.; Lukyanov, V.; Mamaeva, G.; Prilutskaya, Z.; Rumyantsev, I.; Sokha, S.; Tataurschikov, S.; Vasilyev, I.; Adzic, P.; Anicin, I.; Djordjevic, M.; Jovanovic, D.; Maletic, D.; Puzovic, J.; Smiljkovic, N.; Aguayo Navarrete, E.; Aguilar-Benitez, M.; Ahijado Munoz, J.; Alarcon Vega, J. M.; Alberdi, J.; Alcaraz Maestre, J.; Aldaya Martin, M.; Arce, P.; Barcala, J. M.; Berdugo, J.; Blanco Ramos, C. L.; Burgos Lazaro, C.; Caballero Bejar, J.; Calvo, E.; Cerrada, M.; Chamizo Llatas, M.; Chercoles Catalán, J. J.; Colino, N.; Daniel, M.; DeLa Cruz, B.; Delgado Peris, A.; Fernandez Bedoya, C.; Ferrando, A.; Fouz, M. C.; Francia Ferrero, D.; Garcia Romero, J.; Garcia-Abia, P.; Gonzalez Lopez, O.; Hernandez, J. M.; Josa, M. I.; Marin, J.; Merino, G.; Molinero, A.; Navarrete, J. J.; Oller, J. C.; Puerta Pelayo, J.; Puras Sanchez, J. C.; Ramirez, J.; Romero, L.; Villanueva Munoz, C.; Willmott, C.; Yuste, C.; Albajar, C.; de Trocóniz, J. F.; Jimenez, I.; Macias, R.; Teixeira, R. F.; Cuevas, J.; Fernández Menéndez, J.; Gonzalez Caballero, I.; Lopez-Garcia, J.; Naves Sordo, H.; Vizan Garcia, J. M.; Cabrillo, I. J.; Calderon, A.; Cano Fernandez, D.; Diaz Merino, I.; Duarte Campderros, J.; Fernandez, M.; Fernandez Menendez, J.; Figueroa, C.; Garcia Moral, L. A.; Gomez, G.; Gomez Casademunt, F.; Gonzalez Sanchez, J.; Gonzalez Suarez, R.; Jorda, C.; Lobelle Pardo, P.; Lopez Garcia, A.; Lopez Virto, A.; Marco, J.; Marco, R.; Martinez Rivero, C.; Martinez Ruiz del Arbol, P.; Matorras, F.; Orviz Fernandez, P.; Patino Revuelta, A.; Rodrigo, T.; Rodriguez Gonzalez, D.; Ruiz Jimeno, A.; Scodellaro, L.; Sobron Sanudo, M.; Vila, I.; Vilar Cortabitarte, R.; Barbero, M.; Goldin, D.; Henrich, B.; Tauscher, L.; Vlachos, S.; Wadhwa, M.; Abbaneo, D.; Abbas, S. M.; Ahmed, I.; Akhtar, S.; Akhtar, M. I.; Albert, E.; Alidra, M.; Ashby, S.; Aspell, P.; Auffray, E.; Baillon, P.; Ball, A.; Bally, S. L.; Bangert, N.; Barillère, R.; Barney, D.; Beauceron, S.; Beaudette, F.; Benelli, G.; Benetta, R.; Benichou, J. L.; Bialas, W.; Bjorkebo, A.; Blechschmidt, D.; Bloch, C.; Bloch, P.; Bonacini, S.; Bos, J.; Bosteels, M.; Boyer, V.; Branson, A.; Breuker, H.; Bruneliere, R.; Buchmuller, O.; Campi, D.; Camporesi, T.; Caner, A.; Cano, E.; Carrone, E.; Cattai, A.; Chatelain, J. P.; Chauvey, M.; Christiansen, T.; Ciganek, M.; Cittolin, S.; Cogan, J.; Conde Garcia, A.; Cornet, H.; Corrin, E.; Corvo, M.; Cucciarelli, S.; Curé, B.; D'Enterria, D.; DeRoeck, A.; de Visser, T.; Delaere, C.; Delattre, M.; Deldicque, C.; Delikaris, D.; Deyrail, D.; Di Vincenzo, S.; Domeniconi, A.; Dos Santos, S.; Duthion, G.; Edera, L. M.; Elliott-Peisert, A.; Eppard, M.; Fanzago, F.; Favre, M.; Foeth, H.; Folch, R.; Frank, N.; Fratianni, S.; Freire, M. A.; Frey, A.; Fucci, A.; Funk, W.; Gaddi, A.; Gagliardi, F.; Gastal, M.; Gateau, M.; Gayde, J. C.; Gerwig, H.; Ghezzi, A.; Gigi, D.; Gill, K.; Giolo-Nicollerat, A. S.; Girod, J. P.; Glege, F.; Glessing, W.; Gomez-Reino Garrido, R.; Goudard, R.; Grabit, R.; Grillet, J. P.; Gutierrez Llamas, P.; Gutierrez Mlot, E.; Gutleber, J.; Hall-wilton, R.; Hammarstrom, R.; Hansen, M.; Harvey, J.; Hervé, A.; Hill, J.; Hoffmann, H. F.; Holzner, A.; Honma, A.; Hufnagel, D.; Huhtinen, M.; Ilie, S. D.; Innocente, V.; Jank, W.; Janot, P.; Jarron, P.; Jeanrenaud, M.; Jouvel, P.; Kerkach, R.; Kloukinas, K.; Kottelat, L. J.; Labbé, J. C.; Lacroix, D.; Lagrue, X.; Lasseur, C.; Laure, E.; Laurens, J. F.; Lazeyras, P.; LeGoff, J. M.; Lebeau, M.; Lecoq, P.; Lemeilleur, F.; Lenzi, M.; Leonardo, N.; Leonidopoulos, C.; Letheren, M.; Liendl, M.; Limia-Conde, F.; Linssen, L.; Ljuslin, C.; Lofstedt, B.; Loos, R.; Lopez Perez, J. A.; Lourenco, C.; Lyonnet, A.; Machard, A.; Mackenzie, R.; Magini, N.; Maire, G.; Malgeri, L.; Malina, R.; Mannelli, M.; Marchioro, A.; Martin, J.; Meijers, F.; Meridiani, P.; Meschi, E.; Meyer, T.; Meynet Cordonnier, A.; Michaud, J. F.; Mirabito, L.; Moser, R.; Mossiere, F.; Muffat-Joly, J.; Mulders, M.; Mulon, J.; Murer, E.; Mättig, P.; Oh, A.; Onnela, A.; Oriunno, M.; Orsini, L.; Osborne, J. A.; Paillard, C.; Pal, I.; Papotti, G.; Passardi, G.; Patino-Revuelta, A.; Patras, V.; Perea Solano, B.; Perez, E.; Perinic, G.; Pernot, J. F.; Petagna, P.; Petiot, P.; Petit, P.; Petrilli, A.; Pfeiffer, A.; Piccut, C.; Pimiä, M.; Pintus, R.; Pioppi, M.; Placci, A.; Pollet, L.; Postema, H.; Price, M. J.; Principe, R.; Racz, A.; Radermacher, E.; Ranieri, R.; Raymond, G.; Rebecchi, P.; Rehn, J.; Reynaud, S.; Rezvani Naraghi, H.; Ricci, D.; Ridel, M.; Risoldi, M.; Rodrigues Simoes Moreira, P.; Rohlev, A.; Roiron, G.; Rolandi, G.; Rumerio, P.; Runolfsson, O.; Ryjov, V.; Sakulin, H.; Samyn, D.; Santos Amaral, L. C.; Sauce, H.; Sbrissa, E.; Scharff-Hansen, P.; Schieferdecker, P.; Schlatter, W. D.; Schmitt, B.; Schmuecker, H. G.; Schröder, M.; Schwick, C.; Schäfer, C.; Segoni, I.; Sempere Roldán, P.; Sgobba, S.; Sharma, A.; Siegrist, P.; Sigaud, C.; Sinanis, N.; Sobrier, T.; Sphicas, P.; Spiropulu, M.; Stefanini, G.; Strandlie, A.; Szoncsó, F.; Taylor, B. G.; Teller, O.; Thea, A.; Tournefier, E.; Treille, D.; Tropea, P.; Troska, J.; Tsesmelis, E.; Tsirou, A.; Valls, J.; Van Vulpen, I.; Vander Donckt, M.; Vasey, F.; Vazquez Acosta, M.; Veillet, L.; Vichoudis, P.; Waurick, G.; Wellisch, J. P.; Wertelaers, P.; Wilhelmsson, M.; Willers, I. M.; Winkler, M.; Zanetti, M.; Bertl, W.; Deiters, K.; Dick, P.; Erdmann, W.; Feichtinger, D.; Gabathuler, K.; Hochman, Z.; Horisberger, R.; Ingram, Q.; Kaestli, H. C.; Kotlinski, D.; König, S.; Poerschke, P.; Renker, D.; Rohe, T.; Sakhelashvili, T.; Starodumov, A.; Aleksandrov, V.; Behner, F.; Beniozef, I.; Betev, B.; Blau, B.; Brett, A. M.; Caminada, L.; Chen, Z.; Chivarov, N.; Da Silva Di Calafiori, D.; Dambach, S.; Davatz, G.; Delachenal, V.; Della Marina, R.; Dimov, H.; Dissertori, G.; Dittmar, M.; Djambazov, L.; Dröge, M.; Eggel, C.; Ehlers, J.; Eichler, R.; Elmiger, M.; Faber, G.; Freudenreich, K.; Fuchs, J. F.; Georgiev, G. M.; Grab, C.; Haller, C.; Herrmann, J.; Hilgers, M.; Hintz, W.; Hofer, Hans; Hofer, Heinz; Horisberger, U.; Horvath, I.; Hristov, A.; Humbertclaude, C.; Iliev, B.; Kastli, W.; Kruse, A.; Kuipers, J.; Langenegger, U.; Lecomte, P.; Lejeune, E.; Leshev, G.; Lesmond, C.; List, B.; Luckey, P. D.; Lustermann, W.; Maillefaud, J. D.; Marchica, C.; Maurisset, A.; Meier, B.; Milenovic, P.; Milesi, M.; Moortgat, F.; Nanov, I.; Nardulli, A.; Nessi-Tedaldi, F.; Panev, B.; Pape, L.; Pauss, F.; Petrov, E.; Petrov, G.; Peynekov, M. M.; Pitzl, D.; Punz, T.; Riboni, P.; Riedlberger, J.; Rizzi, A.; Ronga, F. J.; Roykov, P. A.; Röser, U.; Schinzel, D.; Schöning, A.; Sourkov, A.; Stanishev, K.; Stoenchev, S.; Stöckli, F.; Suter, H.; Trüb, P.; Udriot, S.; Uzunova, D. G.; Veltchev, I.; Viertel, G.; von Gunten, H. P.; Waldmeier-Wicki, S.; Weber, R.; Weber, M.; Weng, J.; Wensveen, M.; Wittgenstein, F.; Zagoursky, K.; Alagoz, E.; Amsler, C.; Chiochia, V.; Hoermann, C.; Regenfus, C.; Robmann, P.; Rommerskirchen, T.; Schmidt, A.; Steiner, S.; Tsirigkas, D.; Wilke, L.; Blyth, S.; Chang, Y. H.; Chen, E. A.; Go, A.; Hung, C. C.; Kuo, C. M.; Li, S. W.; Lin, W.; Chang, P.; Chao, Y.; Chen, K. F.; Gao, Z.; Hou, G. W. S.; Hsiung, Y. B.; Lei, Y. J.; Lin, S. W.; Lu, R. S.; Shiu, J. G.; Tzeng, Y. M.; Ueno, K.; Velikzhanin, Y.; Wang, C. C.; Wang, M.-Z.; Aydin, S.; Azman, A.; Bakirci, M. N.; Basegmez, S.; Cerci, S.; Dumanoglu, I.; Erturk, S.; Eskut, E.; Kayis Topaksu, A.; Kisoglu, H.; Kurt, P.; Ozdemir, K.; Ozdes Koca, N.; Ozkurt, H.; Ozturk, S.; Polatöz, A.; Sogut, K.; Topakli, H.; Vergili, M.; Önengüt, G.; Gamsizkan, H.; Sekmen, S.; Serin-Zeyrek, M.; Sever, R.; Zeyrek, M.; Deliomeroglu, M.; Gülmez, E.; Isiksal, E.; Kaya, M.; Kaya, O.; Ozkorucuklu, S.; Sonmez, N.; Grinev, B.; Lyubynskiy, V.; Senchyshyn, V.; Levchuk, L.; Lukyanenko, S.; Soroka, D.; Sorokin, P.; Zub, S.; Anjum, A.; Baker, N.; Hauer, T.; McClatchey, R.; Odeh, M.; Rogulin, D.; Solomonides, A.; Brooke, J. J.; Croft, R.; Cussans, D.; Evans, D.; Frazier, R.; Grant, N.; Hansen, M.; Head, R. D.; Heath, G. P.; Heath, H. F.; Hill, C.; Huckvale, B.; Jackson, J.; Lynch, C.; Mackay, C. K.; Metson, S.; Nash, S. J.; Newbold, D. M.; Presland, A. D.; Probert, M. G.; Reid, E. C.; Smith, V. J.; Tapper, R. J.; Walton, R.; Bateman, E.; Bell, K. W.; Brown, R. M.; Camanzi, B.; Church, I. T.; Cockerill, D. J. A.; Cole, J. E.; Connolly, J. F.; Coughlan, J. A.; Flower, P. S.; Ford, P.; Francis, V. B.; French, M. J.; Galagedera, S. B.; Gannon, W.; Gay, A. P. R.; Geddes, N. I.; Greenhalgh, R. J. S.; Halsall, R. N. J.; Haynes, W. J.; Hill, J. A.; Jacob, F. R.; Jeffreys, P. W.; Jones, L. L.; Kennedy, B. W.; Lintern, A. L.; Lodge, A. B.; Maddox, A. J.; Morrissey, Q. R.; Murray, P.; Patrick, G. N.; Pattison, C. A. X.; Pearson, M. R.; Quinton, S. P. H.; Rogers, G. J.; Salisbury, J. G.; Shah, A. A.; Shepherd-Themistocleous, C. H.; Smith, B. J.; Sproston, M.; Stephenson, R.; Taghavi, S.; Tomalin, I. R.; Torbet, M. J.; Williams, J. H.; Womersley, W. J.; Worm, S. D.; Xing, F.; Apollonio, M.; Arteche, F.; Bainbridge, R.; Barber, G.; Barrillon, P.; Batten, J.; Beuselinck, R.; Brambilla Hall, P. M.; Britton, D.; Cameron, W.; Clark, D. E.; Clark, I. W.; Colling, D.; Cripps, N.; Davies, G.; Della Negra, M.; Dewhirst, G.; Dris, S.; Foudas, C.; Fulcher, J.; Futyan, D.; Graham, D. J.; Greder, S.; Greenwood, S.; Hall, G.; Hassard, J. F.; Hays, J.; Iles, G.; Kasey, V.; Khaleeq, M.; Leaver, J.; Lewis, P.; MacEvoy, B. C.; Maroney, O.; McLeod, E. M.; Miller, D. G.; Nash, J.; Nikitenko, A.; Noah Messomo, E.; Noy, M.; Papageorgiou, A.; Pesaresi, M.; Petridis, K.; Price, D. R.; Qu, X.; Raymond, D. M.; Rose, A.; Rutherford, S.; Ryan, M. J.; Sciacca, F.; Seez, C.; Sharp, P.; Sidiropoulos, G.; Stettler, M.; Stoye, M.; Striebig, J.; Takahashi, M.; Tallini, H.; Tapper, A.; Timlin, C.; Toudup, L.; Virdee, T.; Wakefield, S.; Walsham, P.; Wardrope, D.; Wingham, M.; Zhang, Y.; Zorba, O.; Da Via, C.; Goitom, I.; Hobson, P. R.; Imrie, D. C.; Reid, I.; Selby, C.; Sharif, O.; Teodorescu, L.; Watts, S. J.; Yaselli, I.; Hazen, E.; Heering, A.; Heister, A.; Lawlor, C.; Lazic, D.; Machado, E.; Rohlf, J.; Sulak, L.; Varela Rodriguez, F.; Wu, S. X.; Avetisyan, A.; Bose, T.; Christofek, L.; Cutts, D.; Esen, S.; Hooper, R.; Landsberg, G.; Narain, M.; Nguyen, D.; Speer, T.; Tsang, K. V.; Breedon, R.; Case, M.; Chertok, M.; Conway, J.; Cox, P. T.; Dolen, J.; Erbacher, R.; Fisyak, Y.; Friis, E.; Grim, G.; Holbrook, B.; Ko, W.; Kopecky, A.; Lander, R.; Lin, F. C.; Lister, A.; Maruyama, S.; Pellett, D.; Rowe, J.; Searle, M.; Smith, J.; Soha, A.; Squires, M.; Tripathi, M.; Vasquez Sierra, R.; Veelken, C.; Andreev, V.; Arisaka, K.; Bonushkin, Y.; Chandramouly, S.; Cline, D.; Cousins, R.; Erhan, S.; Hauser, J.; Ignatenko, M.; Jarvis, C.; Lisowski, B.; Matthey, C.; Mohr, B.; Mumford, J.; Otwinowski, S.; Pischalnikov, Y.; Rakness, G.; Schlein, P.; Shi, Y.; Tannenbaum, B.; Tucker, J.; Valuev, V.; Wallny, R.; Wang, H. G.; Yang, X.; Zheng, Y.; Andreeva, J.; Babb, J.; Campana, S.; Chrisman, D.; Clare, R.; Ellison, J.; Fortin, D.; Gary, J. W.; Gorn, W.; Hanson, G.; Jeng, G. Y.; Kao, S. C.; Layter, J. G.; Liu, F.; Liu, H.; Luthra, A.; Pasztor, G.; Rick, H.; Satpathy, A.; Shen, B. C.; Stringer, R.; Sytnik, V.; Tran, P.; Villa, S.; Wilken, R.; Wimpenny, S.; Zer-Zion, D.; Branson, J. G.; Coarasa Perez, J. A.; Dusinberre, E.; Kelley, R.; Lebourgeois, M.; Letts, J.; Lipeles, E.; Mangano, B.; Martin, T.; Mojaver, M.; Muelmenstaedt, J.; Norman, M.; Paar, H. P.; Petrucci, A.; Pi, H.; Pieri, M.; Rana, A.; Sani, M.; Sharma, V.; Simon, S.; White, A.; Würthwein, F.; Yagil, A.; Affolder, A.; Allen, A.; Campagnari, C.; D'Alfonso, M.; Dierlamm, A.; Garberson, J.; Hale, D.; Incandela, J.; Kalavase, P.; Koay, S. A.; Kovalskyi, D.; Krutelyov, V.; Kyre, S.; Lamb, J.; Lowette, S.; Nikolic, M.; Pavlunin, V.; Rebassoo, F.; Ribnik, J.; Richman, J.; Rossin, R.; Shah, Y. S.; Stuart, D.; Swain, S.; Vlimant, J. R.; White, D.; Witherell, M.; Bornheim, A.; Bunn, J.; Chen, J.; Denis, G.; Galvez, P.; Gataullin, M.; Legrand, I.; Litvine, V.; Ma, Y.; Mao, R.; Nae, D.; Narsky, I.; Newman, H. B.; Orimoto, T.; Rogan, C.; Shevchenko, S.; Steenberg, C.; Su, X.; Thomas, M.; Timciuc, V.; van Lingen, F.; Veverka, J.; Voicu, B. R.; Weinstein, A.; Wilkinson, R.; Xia, Y.; Yang, Y.; Zhang, L. Y.; Zhu, K.; Zhu, R. Y.; Ferguson, T.; Jang, D. W.; Jun, S. Y.; Paulini, M.; Russ, J.; Terentyev, N.; Vogel, H.; Vorobiev, I.; Bunce, M.; Cumalat, J. P.; Dinardo, M. E.; Drell, B. R.; Ford, W. T.; Givens, K.; Heyburn, B.; Johnson, D.; Nauenberg, U.; Stenson, K.; Wagner, S. R.; Agostino, L.; Alexander, J.; Blekman, F.; Cassel, D.; Das, S.; Duboscq, J. E.; Gibbons, L. K.; Heltsley, B.; Jones, C. D.; Kuznetsov, V.; Patterson, J. R.; Riley, D.; Ryd, A.; Stroiney, S.; Sun, W.; Thom, J.; Vaughan, J.; Wittich, P.; Beetz, C. P.; Cirino, G.; Podrasky, V.; Sanzeni, C.; Winn, D.; Abdullin, S.; Afaq, M. A.; Albrow, M.; Amundson, J.; Apollinari, G.; Atac, M.; Badgett, W.; Bakken, J. A.; Baldin, B.; Banicz, K.; Bauerdick, L. A. T.; Baumbaugh, A.; Berryhill, J.; Bhat, P. C.; Binkley, M.; Bloch, I.; Borcherding, F.; Boubekeur, A.; Bowden, M.; Burkett, K.; Butler, J. N.; Cheung, H. W. K.; Chevenier, G.; Chlebana, F.; Churin, I.; Cihangir, S.; Dagenhart, W.; Demarteau, M.; Dykstra, D.; Eartly, D. P.; Elias, J. E.; Elvira, V. D.; Evans, D.; Fisk, I.; Freeman, J.; Gaines, I.; Gartung, P.; Geurts, F. J. M.; Giacchetti, L.; Glenzinski, D. A.; Gottschalk, E.; Grassi, T.; Green, D.; Grimm, C.; Guo, Y.; Gutsche, O.; Hahn, A.; Hanlon, J.; Harris, R. M.; Hesselroth, T.; Holm, S.; Holzman, B.; James, E.; Jensen, H.; Johnson, M.; Joshi, U.; Klima, B.; Kossiakov, S.; Kousouris, K.; Kowalkowski, J.; Kramer, T.; Kwan, S.; Lei, C. M.; Leininger, M.; Los, S.; Lueking, L.; Lukhanin, G.; Lusin, S.; Maeshima, K.; Marraffino, J. M.; Mason, D.; McBride, P.; Miao, T.; Moccia, S.; Mokhov, N.; Mrenna, S.; Murray, S. J.; Newman-Holmes, C.; Noeding, C.; O'Dell, V.; Paterno, M.; Petravick, D.; Pordes, R.; Prokofyev, O.; Ratnikova, N.; Ronzhin, A.; Sekhri, V.; Sexton-Kennedy, E.; Sfiligoi, I.; Shaw, T. M.; Skup, E.; Smith, R. P.; Spalding, W. J.; Spiegel, L.; Stavrianakou, M.; Stiehr, G.; Stone, A. L.; Suzuki, I.; Tan, P.; Tanenbaum, W.; Temple, L. E.; Tkaczyk, S.; Uplegger, L.; Vaandering, E. W.; Vidal, R.; Wands, R.; Wenzel, H.; Whitmore, J.; Wicklund, E.; Wu, W. M.; Wu, Y.; Yarba, J.; Yarba, V.; Yumiceva, F.; Yun, J. C.; Zimmerman, T.; Acosta, D.; Avery, P.; Barashko, V.; Bartalini, P.; Bourilkov, D.; Cavanaugh, R.; Dolinsky, S.; Drozdetskiy, A.; Field, R. D.; Fu, Y.; Furic, I. K.; Gorn, L.; Holmes, D.; Kim, B. J.; Klimenko, S.; Konigsberg, J.; Korytov, A.; Kotov, K.; Levchenko, P.; Madorsky, A.; Matchev, K.; Mitselmakher, G.; Pakhotin, Y.; Prescott, C.; Ramond, L.; Ramond, P.; Schmitt, M.; Scurlock, B.; Stasko, J.; Stoeck, H.; Wang, D.; Yelton, J.; Gaultney, V.; Kramer, L.; Lebolo, L. M.; Linn, S.; Markowitz, P.; Martinez, G.; Rodriguez, J. L.; Adams, T.; Askew, A.; Atramentov, O.; Bertoldi, M.; Dharmaratna, W. G. D.; Gershtein, Y.; Gleyzer, S. V.; Hagopian, S.; Hagopian, V.; Jenkins, C. J.; Johnson, K. F.; Prosper, H.; Simek, D.; Thomaston, J.; Baarmand, M.; Baksay, L.; Guragain, S.; Hohlmann, M.; Mermerkaya, H.; Ralich, R.; Vodopiyanov, I.; Adams, M. R.; Anghel, I. M.; Apanasevich, L.; Barannikova, O.; Bazterra, V. E.; Betts, R. R.; Dragoiu, C.; Garcia-Solis, E. J.; Gerber, C. E.; Hofman, D. J.; Hollis, R.; Iordanova, A.; Khalatian, S.; Mironov, C.; Shabalina, E.; Smoron, A.; Varelas, N.; Akgun, U.; Albayrak, E. A.; Ayan, A. S.; Briggs, R.; Cankocak, K.; Clarida, W.; Cooper, A.; Debbins, P.; Duru, F.; Fountain, M.; McCliment, E.; Merlo, J. P.; Mestvirishvili, A.; Miller, M. J.; Moeller, A.; Newsom, C. R.; Norbeck, E.; Olson, J.; Onel, Y.; Perera, L.; Schmidt, I.; Wang, S.; Yetkin, T.; Anderson, E. W.; Chakir, H.; Hauptman, J. M.; Lamsa, J.; Barnett, B. A.; Blumenfeld, B.; Chien, C. Y.; Giurgiu, G.; Gritsan, A.; Kim, D. W.; Lae, C. K.; Maksimovic, P.; Swartz, M.; Tran, N.; Baringer, P.; Bean, A.; Chen, J.; Coppage, D.; Grachov, O.; Murray, M.; Radicci, V.; Wood, J. S.; Zhukova, V.; Bandurin, D.; Bolton, T.; Kaadze, K.; Kahl, W. E.; Maravin, Y.; Onoprienko, D.; Sidwell, R.; Wan, Z.; Dahmes, B.; Gronberg, J.; Hollar, J.; Lange, D.; Wright, D.; Wuest, C. R.; Baden, D.; Bard, R.; Eno, S. C.; Ferencek, D.; Hadley, N. J.; Kellogg, R. G.; Kirn, M.; Kunori, S.; Lockner, E.; Ratnikov, F.; Santanastasio, F.; Skuja, A.; Toole, T.; Wang, L.; Wetstein, M.; Alver, B.; Ballintijn, M.; Bauer, G.; Busza, W.; Gomez Ceballos, G.; Hahn, K. A.; Harris, P.; Klute, M.; Kravchenko, I.; Li, W.; Loizides, C.; Ma, T.; Nahn, S.; Paus, C.; Pavlon, S.; Piedra Gomez, J.; Roland, C.; Roland, G.; Rudolph, M.; Stephans, G.; Sumorok, K.; Vaurynovich, S.; Wenger, E. A.; Wyslouch, B.; Bailleux, D.; Cooper, S.; Cushman, P.; DeBenedetti, A.; Dolgopolov, A.; Dudero, P. R.; Egeland, R.; Franzoni, G.; Gilbert, W. J.; Gong, D.; Grahl, J.; Haupt, J.; Klapoetke, K.; Kronkvist, I.; Kubota, Y.; Mans, J.; Rusack, R.; Sengupta, S.; Sherwood, B.; Singovsky, A.; Vikas, P.; Zhang, J.; Booke, M.; Cremaldi, L. M.; Godang, R.; Kroeger, R.; Reep, M.; Reidy, J.; Sanders, D. A.; Sonnek, P.; Summers, D.; Watkins, S.; Bloom, K.; Bockelman, B.; Claes, D. R.; Dominguez, A.; Eads, M.; Furukawa, M.; Keller, J.; Kelly, T.; Lundstedt, C.; Malik, S.; Snow, G. R.; Swanson, D.; Ecklund, K. M.; Iashvili, I.; Kharchilava, A.; Kumar, A.; Strang, M.; Alverson, G.; Barberis, E.; Boeriu, O.; Eulisse, G.; McCauley, T.; Musienko, Y.; Muzaffar, S.; Osborne, I.; Reucroft, S.; Swain, J.; Taylor, L.; Tuura, L.; Gobbi, B.; Kubantsev, M.; Kubik, A.; Ofierzynski, R. A.; Schmitt, M.; Spencer, E.; Stoynev, S.; Szleper, M.; Velasco, M.; Won, S.; Andert, K.; Baumbaugh, B.; Beiersdorf, B. A.; Castle, L.; Chorny, J.; Goussiou, A.; Hildreth, M.; Jessop, C.; Karmgard, D. J.; Kolberg, T.; Marchant, J.; Marinelli, N.; McKenna, M.; Ruchti, R.; Vigneault, M.; Wayne, M.; Wiand, D.; Bylsma, B.; Durkin, L. S.; Gilmore, J.; Gu, J.; Killewald, P.; Ling, T. Y.; Rush, C. J.; Sehgal, V.; Williams, G.; Adam, N.; Chidzik, S.; Denes, P.; Elmer, P.; Garmash, A.; Gerbaudo, D.; Halyo, V.; Jones, J.; Marlow, D.; Olsen, J.; Piroué, P.; Stickland, D.; Tully, C.; Werner, J. S.; Wildish, T.; Wynhoff, S.; Xie, Z.; Huang, X. T.; Lopez, A.; Mendez, H.; Ramirez Vargas, J. E.; Zatserklyaniy, A.; Apresyan, A.; Arndt, K.; Barnes, V. E.; Bolla, G.; Bortoletto, D.; Bujak, A.; Everett, A.; Fahling, M.; Garfinkel, A. F.; Gutay, L.; Ippolito, N.; Kozhevnikov, Y.; Laasanen, A. T.; Liu, C.; Maroussov, V.; Medved, S.; Merkel, P.; Miller, D. H.; Miyamoto, J.; Neumeister, N.; Pompos, A.; Roy, A.; Sedov, A.; Shipsey, I.; Cuplov, V.; Parashar, N.; Bargassa, P.; Lee, S. J.; Liu, J. H.; Maronde, D.; Matveev, M.; Nussbaum, T.; Padley, B. P.; Roberts, J.; Tumanov, A.; Bodek, A.; Budd, H.; Cammin, J.; Chung, Y. S.; DeBarbaro, P.; Demina, R.; Ginther, G.; Gotra, Y.; Korjenevski, S.; Miner, D. C.; Sakumoto, W.; Slattery, P.; Zielinski, M.; Bhatti, A.; Demortier, L.; Goulianos, K.; Hatakeyama, K.; Mesropian, C.; Bartz, E.; Chuang, S. H.; Doroshenko, J.; Halkiadakis, E.; Jacques, P. F.; Khits, D.; Lath, A.; Macpherson, A.; Plano, R.; Rose, K.; Schnetzer, S.; Somalwar, S.; Stone, R.; Watts, T. L.; Cerizza, G.; Hollingsworth, M.; Lazoflores, J.; Ragghianti, G.; Spanier, S.; York, A.; Aurisano, A.; Golyash, A.; Kamon, T.; Nguyen, C. N.; Pivarski, J.; Safonov, A.; Toback, D.; Weinberger, M.; Akchurin, N.; Berntzon, L.; Carrell, K. W.; Gumus, K.; Jeong, C.; Kim, H.; Lee, S. W.; McGonagill, B. G.; Roh, Y.; Sill, A.; Spezziga, M.; Thomas, R.; Volobouev, I.; Washington, E.; Wigmans, R.; Yazgan, E.; Bapty, T.; Engh, D.; Florez, C.; Johns, W.; Keskinpala, T.; Luiggi Lopez, E.; Neema, S.; Nordstrom, S.; Pathak, S.; Sheldon, P.; Andelin, D.; Arenton, M. W.; Balazs, M.; Buehler, M.; Conetti, S.; Cox, B.; Hirosky, R.; Humphrey, M.; Imlay, R.; Ledovskoy, A.; Phillips, D., II; Powell, H.; Ronquest, M.; Yohay, R.; Anderson, M.; Baek, Y. W.; Bellinger, J. N.; Bradley, D.; Cannarsa, P.; Carlsmith, D.; Crotty, I.; Dasu, S.; Feyzi, F.; Gorski, T.; Gray, L.; Grogg, K. S.; Grothe, M.; Jaworski, M.; Klabbers, P.; Klukas, J.; Lanaro, A.; Lazaridis, C.; Leonard, J.; Loveless, R.; Magrans de Abril, M.; Mohapatra, A.; Ott, G.; Smith, W. H.; Weinberg, M.; Wenman, D.; Atoian, G. S.; Dhawan, S.; Issakov, V.; Neal, H.; Poblaguev, A.; Zeller, M. E.; Abdullaeva, G.; Avezov, A.; Fazylov, M. I.; Gasanov, E. M.; Khugaev, A.; Koblik, Y. N.; Nishonov, M.; Olimov, K.; Umaraliev, A.; Yuldashev, B. S.

2008-08-01

The Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) detector is described. The detector operates at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN. It was conceived to study proton-proton (and lead-lead) collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 14 TeV (5.5 TeV nucleon-nucleon) and at luminosities up to 1034 cm-2 s-1 (1027 cm-2 s-1). At the core of the CMS detector sits a high-magnetic-field and large-bore superconducting solenoid surrounding an all-silicon pixel and strip tracker, a lead-tungstate scintillating-crystals electromagnetic calorimeter, and a brass-scintillator sampling hadron calorimeter. The iron yoke of the flux-return is instrumented with four stations of muon detectors covering most of the 4π solid angle. Forward sampling calorimeters extend the pseudorapidity coverage to high values (|η| <= 5) assuring very good hermeticity. The overall dimensions of the CMS detector are a length of 21.6 m, a diameter of 14.6 m and a total weight of 12500 t.

7 CFR 15f.13 - What is the function of the ALJ and who may communicate with him?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

...: (i) All such written communications; (ii) Memoranda stating the substance of all such oral... any oral responses to such communications. (c) Upon receipt of a communication knowingly made or..., unless the ASCR reviews the proposed determination. (b) What is an ex parte communication? An ex parte...

A ponderosa pine-lodgepole pine spacing study in central Oregon: results after 20 years.

Treesearch

K.W. Seidel

1989-01-01

The growth response after 20 years from an initial spacing study established in a ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa Dougl. ex Laws.) and lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta Dougl. ex Loud.) plantation was measured in central Oregon. The study was designed to compare the growth rates of pure ponderosa pine, pure lodgepole pine, and a...

Prospective Primary Teachers' Prior Experiences, Conceptions, and Pedagogical Valuations of Experimental Activities in Science Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

García-Carmona, Antonio; Criado, Ana M.; Cruz-Guzmán, Marta

2018-01-01

A diagnostic study is presented of the prior experiences, conceptions, and pedagogical valuations of prospective primary teachers (PPTs) about experimental activities (ExA's) in science education. The participants were 121 PPTs who, in small teams, responded to various questions related to ExA. Their responses were analysed interpretively with…

Primary energy reconstruction from the charged particle densities recorded at 500 m distance from shower core with the KASCADE-Grande detector

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Toma, G.; Apel, W. D.; Arteaga, J. C.; Bekk, K.; Bertaina, M.; Blümer, J.; Bozdog, H.; Brâncuş, I. M.; Buchholz, P.; Cantoni, E.; Chiavassa, A.; Cossavella, F.; Daumiller, K.; de Souza, V.; di Pierro, F.; Doll, P.; Engel, R.; Engler, J.; Finger, M.; Fuhrmann, D.; Ghia, P. L.; Gils, H. J.; Glasstetter, R.; Grupen, C.; Haungs, A.; Heck, D.; Hörandel, J. R.; Huege, T.; Isar, P. G.; Kampert, K.-H.; Kang, D.; Kickelbick, D.; Klages, H. O.; Link, K.; Łuczak, P.; Ludwig, M.; Mathes, H. J.; Mayer, H. J.; Melissas, M.; Milke, J.; Mitrică, B.; Morello, C.; Navarra, G.; Nehls, S.; Oehlschläger, J.; Ostapchenko, S.; Over, S.; Palmieri, N.; Petcu, M.; Pierog, T.; Rebel, H.; Roth, M.; Schieler, H.; Schröder, F. G.; Sima, O.; Trinchero, G. C.; Ulrich, H.; Weindl, A.; Wochele, J.; Wommer, M.; Zabierowski, J.

2011-05-01

Previous EAS investigations have shown that for a fixed primary energy the charged particle density becomes independent of the primary mass at certain (fixed) distances from the shower axis. This feature can be used as an estimator for the primary energy. We present results on the reconstruction of the primary energy spectrum of cosmic rays from the experimentally recorded S(500) observable (the density of charged particles at a distance of 500 m to the shower core as measured in a plane normal to the shower axis) using the KASCADE-Grande detector array. The KASCADE-Grande experiment is hosted by the Karlsruhe Institute for Technology - Campus North, Karlsruhe, Germany, 110 m a.s.l. and operated by an international collaboration. The obtained primary energy spectrum is presented along with the result of another reconstruction technique presently employed at KASCADE-Grande.

Perceived Exertion during Exercise is Associated with Children's Energy Intake

PubMed Central

Fearnbach, S. Nicole; Masterson, Travis D.; Schlechter, Haley A.; Loken, Eric; Downs, Danielle S.; Thivel, David; Keller, Kathleen L.

2016-01-01

PURPOSE To examine the individual-level factors that predict energy intake (EI) following imposed exercise (EX) and sedentary time (SED) in children. METHODS Healthy-weight children ages 9-12 years (n = 20) reported to the laboratory for 1 baseline and 2 experimental visits (EX and SED) each separated by 1 week in a randomized crossover design. Percent body fat, weight (kg), and height (m) were used to calculate fat-mass index (FM index) and fat-free mass index (FFM index; kg/m2). On the EX day, children exercised at 70% estimated VO2peak for 30 minutes on a cycle ergometer while cardiovascular responses and ratings of perceived exertion (RPE) were measured. Objective EI (kcal) was measured at identical meals (breakfast, lunch, snack, and dinner) on the EX and SED days. RESULTS Total EI was not statistically different between the EX and SED days (t = 1.8, p = 0.09). FFM index was positively associated with EI on the EX day (r = 0.54, p < 0.05). RPE was also positively associated with EI on the EX day (r = 0.82, p < 0.001). Together, FFM index and RPE explained 77% of the variability in EX day EI (F(2,17) = 26.4, p < 0.001). For each unit increase in RPE, children consumed ~270 more calories on the EX day. A similar pattern of associations was observed on the SED day. CONCLUSION FFM index was positively associated with EI on the EX day. Despite experiencing the same 70% relative exercise intensity, increased perceived difficulty predicted greater EI on both the EX and SED day. These findings demonstrate a role for both FFM and RPE in explaining EI variability in children. PMID:27902529

[A Generator of Mono-energetic Electrons for Response Test of Charged Particle Detectors.].

PubMed

Matsubayashi, Fumiyasu; Yoshida, Katsuhide; Maruyama, Koichi

2005-01-01

We designed and fabricated a generator of mono-energetic electrons for the response test of charged particle detectors, which is used to measure fragmented particles of the carbon beam for cancer therapy. Mono-energetic electrons are extracted from (90)Sr by analyzing the energy of beta rays in the generator with a magnetic field. We evaluated performance parameters of the generator such as the absolute energy, the energy resolution and the counting rates of extracted electrons. The generator supplies mono-energetic electrons from 0.5MeV to 1.7MeV with the energy resolution of 20% in FWHM at higher energies than 1.0MeV. The counting rate of electrons is 400cpm at the maximum when the activity of (90)Sr is 298kBq. The generator was used to measure responses of fragmented-particle detectors and to determine the threshold energy of the detectors. We evaluated the dependence of pulse height variation on the detector position and the threshold energy by using the generator. We concluded this generator is useful for the response test of general charged particle detectors.

18F-FDG positron autoradiography with a particle counting silicon pixel detector.

PubMed

Russo, P; Lauria, A; Mettivier, G; Montesi, M C; Marotta, M; Aloj, L; Lastoria, S

2008-11-07

We report on tests of a room-temperature particle counting silicon pixel detector of the Medipix2 series as the detector unit of a positron autoradiography (AR) system, for samples labelled with (18)F-FDG radiopharmaceutical used in PET studies. The silicon detector (1.98 cm(2) sensitive area, 300 microm thick) has high intrinsic resolution (55 microm pitch) and works by counting all hits in a pixel above a certain energy threshold. The present work extends the detector characterization with (18)F-FDG of a previous paper. We analysed the system's linearity, dynamic range, sensitivity, background count rate, noise, and its imaging performance on biological samples. Tests have been performed in the laboratory with (18)F-FDG drops (37-37 000 Bq initial activity) and ex vivo in a rat injected with 88.8 MBq of (18)F-FDG. Particles interacting in the detector volume produced a hit in a cluster of pixels whose mean size was 4.3 pixels/event at 11 keV threshold and 2.2 pixels/event at 37 keV threshold. Results show a sensitivity for beta(+) of 0.377 cps Bq(-1), a dynamic range of at least five orders of magnitude and a lower detection limit of 0.0015 Bq mm(-2). Real-time (18)F-FDG positron AR images have been obtained in 500-1000 s exposure time of thin (10-20 microm) slices of a rat brain and compared with 20 h film autoradiography of adjacent slices. The analysis of the image contrast and signal-to-noise ratio in a rat brain slice indicated that Poisson noise-limited imaging can be approached in short (e.g. 100 s) exposures, with approximately 100 Bq slice activity, and that the silicon pixel detector produced a higher image quality than film-based AR.

SU-E-T-299: Small Fields Profiles Correction Through Detectors Spatial Response Functions and Field Size Dependence Analysis

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Filipuzzi, M; Garrigo, E; Venencia, C

2014-06-01

Purpose: To calculate the spatial response function of various radiation detectors, to evaluate the dependence on the field size and to analyze the small fields profiles corrections by deconvolution techniques. Methods: Crossline profiles were measured on a Novalis Tx 6MV beam with a HDMLC. The configuration setup was SSD=100cm and depth=5cm. Five fields were studied (200×200mm2,100×100mm2, 20×20mm2, 10×10mm2and 5×5mm2) and measured were made with passive detectors (EBT3 radiochromic films and TLD700 thermoluminescent detectors), ionization chambers (PTW30013, PTW31003, CC04 and PTW31016) and diodes (PTW60012 and IBA SFD). The results of passive detectors were adopted as the actual beam profile. To calculatemore » the detectors kernels, modeled by Gaussian functions, an iterative process based on a least squares criterion was used. The deconvolutions of the measured profiles were calculated with the Richardson-Lucy method. Results: The profiles of the passive detectors corresponded with a difference in the penumbra less than 0.1mm. Both diodes resolve the profiles with an overestimation of the penumbra smaller than 0.2mm. For the other detectors, response functions were calculated and resulted in Gaussian functions with a standard deviation approximate to the radius of the detector in study (with a variation less than 3%). The corrected profiles resolve the penumbra with less than 1% error. Major discrepancies were observed for cases in extreme conditions (PTW31003 and 5×5mm2 field size). Conclusion: This work concludes that the response function of a radiation detector is independent on the field size, even for small radiation beams. The profiles correction, using deconvolution techniques and response functions of standard deviation equal to the radius of the detector, gives penumbra values with less than 1% difference to the real profile. The implementation of this technique allows estimating the real profile, freeing from the effects of the detector used for the acquisition.« less

Sensitivity of the DANSS detector to short range neutrino oscillations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Danilov, Mikhail; DANSS Collaboration

2016-04-01

DANSS is a highly segmented 1 m3 plastic scintillator detector. Its 2500 scintillator strips have a Gd loaded reflective cover. Light is collected with 3 wave length shifting fibers per strip and read out with 50 PMTs and 2500 SiPMs. The DANSS will be installed under the industrial 3 GWth reactor of the Kalinin Nuclear Power Plant at distances varying from 9.7 m to 12.2 m from the reactor core. PMTs and SiPMs collect about 30 photo electrons per MeV distributed approximately equally between two types of the readout. Light collection non-uniformity across and along the strip is about ±13% from maximum to minimum. The resulting energy resolution is modest, σ / E = 15% at 5 MeV. This leads to a smearing of the oscillation pattern comparable with the smearing due to the large size of the reactor core. Nevertheless because of the large counting rate (˜10000/day), small background (< 1%) and good control of systematic uncertainties due to frequent changes of positions, the DANSS is quite sensitive to reactor antineutrino oscillations to hypothetical sterile neutrinos with a mass in eV ballpark suggested recently to explain a so-called reactor anomaly. DANSS will have an elaborated calibration system. The high granularity of the detector allows calibration of every strip with about 40 thousand cosmic muons every day. The expected systematic effects do not reduce much the sensitivity region. Tests of the detector prototype DANSSino demonstrated that in spite of a small size (4% of DANSS), it is quite sensitive to reactor antineutrinos, detecting about 70 Inverse Beta Decay events per day with the signal-to-background ratio of about unity. The prototype tests have demonstrated feasibility to reach the design performance of the DANSS detector.

The Complete Sequence and Comparative Analysis of a Multidrug-Resistance and Virulence Multireplicon IncFII Plasmid pEC302/04 from an Extraintestinal Pathogenic Escherichia coli EC302/04 Indicate Extensive Diversity of IncFII Plasmids.

PubMed

Ho, Wing Sze; Yap, Kien-Pong; Yeo, Chew Chieng; Rajasekaram, Ganeswrie; Thong, Kwai Lin

2015-01-01

Extraintestinal pathogenic Escherichia coli (ExPEC) that causes extraintestinal infections often harbor plasmids encoding fitness traits such as resistance and virulence determinants that are of clinical importance. We determined the complete nucleotide sequence of plasmid pEC302/04 from a multidrug-resistant E. coli EC302/04 which was isolated from the tracheal aspirate of a patient in Malaysia. In addition, we also performed comparative sequence analyses of 18 related IncFIIA plasmids to determine the phylogenetic relationship and diversity of these plasmids. The 140,232 bp pEC302/04 is a multireplicon plasmid that bears three replication systems (FII, FIA, and FIB) with subtype of F2:A1:B1. The plasmid is self-transmissible with a complete transfer region. pEC302/04 also carries antibiotic resistance genes such as bla TEM-1 and a class I integron containing sul1, cml and aadA resistance genes, conferring multidrug resistance (MDR) to its host, E. coli EC302/04. Besides, two iron acquisition systems (SitABCD and IutA-IucABCD) which are the conserved virulence determinants of ExPEC-colicin V or B and M (ColV/ColBM)-producing plasmids were identified in pEC302/04. Multiple toxin-antitoxin (TA)-based addiction systems (i.e., PemI/PemK, VagC/VagD, CcdA/CcdB, and Hok/Sok) and a plasmid partitioning system, ParAB, and PsiAB, which are important for plasmid maintenance were also found. Comparative plasmid analysis revealed only one conserved gene, the repA1 as the core genome, showing that there is an extensive diversity among the IncFIIA plasmids. The phylogenetic relationship of 18 IncF plasmids based on the core regions revealed that ColV/ColBM-plasmids and non-ColV/ColBM plasmids were separated into two distinct groups. These plasmids, which carry highly diverse genetic contents, are also mosaic in nature. The atypical combination of genetic materials, i.e., the MDR- and ColV/ColBM-plasmid-virulence encoding regions in a single ExPEC plasmid is rare but of clinical importance. Such phenomenon is bothersome when the plasmids are transmissible, facilitating the spread of virulence and resistance plasmids among pathogenic bacteria. Notably, certain TA systems are more commonly found in particular ExPEC plasmid types, indicating the possible relationships between certain TA systems and ExPEC pathogenesis.

The glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide and glucose-stimulated insulin response to exercise training and diet in obesity

PubMed Central

Kelly, Karen R.; Brooks, Latina M.; Solomon, Thomas P. J.; Kashyap, Sangeeta R.; O'Leary, Valerie B.; Kirwan, John P.

2009-01-01

Aging and obesity are characterized by decreased β-cell sensitivity and defects in the potentiation of nutrient-stimulated insulin secretion by GIP. Exercise and diet are known to improve glucose metabolism and the pancreatic insulin response to glucose, and this effect may be mediated through the incretin effect of GIP. The purpose of this study was to assess the effects of a 12-wk exercise training intervention (5 days/wk, 60 min/day, 75% V̇o2 max) combined with a eucaloric (EX, n = 10) or hypocaloric (EX-HYPO, pre: 1,945 ± 190, post: 1,269 ± 70, kcal/day; n = 9) diet on the GIP response to glucose in older (66.8 ± 1.5 yr), obese (34.4 ± 1.7 kg/m2) adults with impaired glucose tolerance. In addition to GIP, plasma PYY3–36, insulin, and glucose responses were measured during a 3-h, 75-g oral glucose tolerance test. Both interventions led to a significant improvement in V̇o2 max (P < 0.05). Weight loss (kg) was significant in both groups but was greater after EX-HYPO (−8.3 ± 1.1 vs. −2.8 ± 0.5, P = 0.002). The glucose-stimulated insulin response was reduced after EX-HYPO (P = 0.02), as was the glucose-stimulated GIP response (P < 0.05). Furthermore, after the intervention, changes in insulin (ΔI0–30/ΔG0–30) and GIP (Δ0–30) secretion were correlated (r = 0.69, P = 0.05). The PYY3–36 (Δ0–30) response to glucose was increased after both interventions (P < 0.05). We conclude that 1) a combination of caloric restriction and exercise reduces the GIP response to ingested glucose, 2) GIP may mediate the attenuated glucose-stimulated insulin response after exercise/diet interventions, and 3) the increased PYY3–36 response represents an improved capacity to regulate satiety and potentially body weight in older, obese, insulin-resistant adults. PMID:19351807

Evaluation of an ex vivo murine local lymph node assay: multiple endpoint comparison.

PubMed

Piccotti, Joseph R; Knight, Stephanie A; Gillhouse, Kimberly; Lagattuta, Mark S; Bleavins, Michael R

2006-01-01

The local lymph node assay (LLNA) is used to assess the skin sensitization potential of chemicals. In the standard assay, mice are treated topically on the dorsum of both ears with test substance for 3 days. Following 2 days of rest, the initiation of the hypersensitivity response is evaluated by injecting (3)H-thymidine into a tail vein, and then measuring the levels of radioisotope incorporated into the DNA of lymph node cells draining the ears. In the current study, BALB/c mice were treated with the contact sensitizers hexylcinnamic aldehyde (HCA) and oxazolone, and the nonsensitizer methyl salicylate. The proliferative response of lymph node cells was evaluated in an ex vivo assay, in which isolated cells were cultured in vitro with (3)H-thymidine. Treatment of mice with HCA at 5-50% resulted in concentration-related increases in (3)H-thymidine incorporation, with stimulation indices ranging from 3 to 14. Low animal-to-animal variability was seen in three replicate assays testing HCA at 25%. As anticipated, the proliferative response induced by the potent sensitizer oxazolone at 0.25% was greater than HCA at all concentrations tested. Stimulation indices of 1.5 and 3 were seen in two independent experiments with methyl salicylate. These equivocal findings were likely due to the irritancy properties of the compound. Importantly, measuring ex vivo (3)H-thymidine incorporation was more sensitive than evaluating lymph node weight and cellularity, and in vitro bromodeoxyuridine incorporation. Furthermore, the results of the ex vivo LLNA were comparable to the standard assay. This study provided evidence that supports the use of an ex vivo LLNA for hazard assessment of contact hypersensitivity. Copyright 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Transcriptomic analysis of synovial extracellular RNA following knee trauma: A pilot study.

PubMed

Griswold, Anthony J; Perez, Jose; Nuytemans, Karen; Strong, Thomas A; Wang, Liyong; Vance, Danica D; Ennis, Hayley; Smith, Marvin K; Best, Thomas M; Vance, Jeffery M; Pericak-Vance, Margaret A; Kaplan, Lee D

2018-06-01

Traumatic knee injuries often result in damage to articular cartilage and other joint structures. Such trauma is a strong risk factor for the future development and progression of osteoarthritis (OA). The molecular mechanisms and signaling pathways modulating response to knee joint trauma remain unclear. Moreover, investigations of biomarkers influencing responses have been targeted rather than broad, unbiased discovery studies. Herein, we characterize the complete complement of extracellular RNA (exRNA) in the synovial fluid of 14 subjects following knee injury. Fluid was collected during surgery from the injured knees, and from the contralateral knee in a subset, undergoing surgical repair of the ACL and/or meniscal repair/debridement. Arthroscopic grading of chondral damage in four knee compartments was performed using the Outerbridge classification. exRNA was extracted and subjected to massively parallel total RNA sequencing. Differential abundance of RNA was calculated between the subject cohorts of injured and non-injured knee, average Outerbridge score ≥0.5 and less, and chronic and acute injury duration defined as ≤4 months till surgery or longer. Overall, expression of several thousand genes was identified in the synovial fluid. Furthermore, differential expression analysis suggests a role of exRNA fragments of matrix metalloproteinases and skeletal muscle fiber genes in the response to traumatic injury. Together, these data suggest that high-throughput approaches can indicate exRNA molecular signatures following knee trauma. Future studies are required to more fully characterize the biological roles of these exRNA and the cadence of their respective release that may lead to translational treatment options for post-traumatic OA. © 2017 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res 36:1659-1665, 2018. © 2017 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

WISE-2005: Integrative cardiovascular responses with LBNP during 60-day bed rest in women

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hughson, R. L.; Kerbeci, P.; Arbeille, P.; Mattar, L.; Shoemaker, J. K.

2005-08-01

During 2005, 24 women will take part in the Women International Space-simulation for Exploration (WISE). In this paper we report on the first phase that studied 4 Exercise (EX+LBNP), 4 nutrition (NUT), and 4 no countermeasure control (CON) subjects. The EX+LBNP group completed regular exercise on a treadmill inside LBNP, flywheel resistive exercise and static periods of LBNP, and had recovery days. The NUT group received daily protein supplements. Integrative cardiovascular responses were obtained and here we report data for heart rate during LBNP, blood volume and angiotensin II. LBNP was applied at 0, -10, -20 and -30 mmHg for 2-minutes for each stage. Blood was sampled pre- bed rest and on HDT-60. After 60-days head down bed rest, HR in the CON group increased by 6.1±2.8 bpm at rest and by 20.7±5.0 bpm at -30 mmHg LBNP. The EX+LBNP group had increases of 3.6±5.6 and 11.6±5.4 bpm, while the NUT group HR increased 2.6±3.1 and 9.4±3.6 bpm. The EX+LBNP group had almost no change in blood volume or plasma angiotensin II from pre-bed rest to HDT60, while both the CON and NUT groups had larger increases in plasma volume and almost double concentrations of angiotensin II. These data show a positive effect in the EX+LBNP group on the heart rate response as well as an unexpected possible benefit in the NUT group. Further studies are required to confirm possible cardiovascular benefits of the protein supplement.

WISE-2005: Integrative Cardiovascular Responses with LBNP during 60-Day Bed Rest in Women

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hughson, R. L.; Kerbeci, P.; Arbeille, Ph.; Mattar, L.; Shoemaker, J. K.

2005-01-01

During 2005, 24 women will take part in the Women International Space-simulation for Exploration (WISE). In this paper we report on the first phase that studied 4 Exercise (EX+LBNP), 4 nutrition (NUT), and 4 no countermeasure control (CON) subjects. The EX+LBNP group completed regular exercise on a treadmill inside LBNP, flywheel resistive exercise and static periods of LBNP, and had recovery days. The NUT group received daily protein supplements. Integrative cardiovascular responses were obtained and here we report data for heart rate during LBNP, blood volume and angiotensin 11. LBNP was applied at 0, -10, -20 and -30 mmHg for 2-minutes for each stage. Blood was sampled prebed rest and on HDT-60. After 60-days head down bed rest, HR in the CON group increased by 6.1+/-2.8 bpm at rest and by 20.7+/-5.0 bpm at -30 mmHg LBNP. The EX+LBNP group had increases of 3.6+/-5.6 and 11.6+/-5.4 bpm, while the NUT group HR increased 2.6+/-3.1 and 9.4+/-3.6 bpm. The EX+LBNP group had almost no change in blood volume or plasma angiotensin II from pre-bed rest to HDT60, while both the CON and NUT groups had larger increases in plasma volume and almost double concentrations of angiotensin II. These data show a positive effect in the EX+LBNP group on the heart rate response as well as an unexpected possible benefit in the NUT group. Further studies are required to confirm possible cardiovascular benefits of the protein supplement.

Response of timepix detector with GaAs:Cr and Si sensor to heavy ions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abu Al Azm, S. M.; Chelkov, G.; Kozhevnikov, D.; Guskov, A.; Lapkin, A.; Leyva Fabelo, A.; Smolyanskiy, P.; Zhemchugov, A.

2016-05-01

The response of the Timepix detector to neon ions with kinetic energy 77 and 158.4 MeV has been studied at the cyclotron U-400M of the JINR Flerov Laboratory of Nuclear Reaction. Sensors produced from gallium arsenide compensated by chromium and from silicon are used for these measurements. While in Timepix detector with Si sensor the well-known so-called "volcano effect" observed, in Timepix detector with GaAs:Cr sensor such effect was completely absent. In the work the behavior of the Timepix detector with GaAs:Cr sensor under irradiation with heavy ions is described in comparison with the detector based on Si sensor. Also the possible reason for absence of "volcano" effect in GaAs:Cr detector is proposed.

The detector response matrices of the burst and transient source experiment (BATSE) on the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pendleton, Geoffrey N.; Paciesas, William S.; Mallozzi, Robert S.; Koshut, Tom M.; Fishman, Gerald J.; Meegan, Charles A.; Wilson, Robert B.; Horack, John M.; Lestrade, John Patrick

1995-01-01

The detector response matrices for the Burst And Transient Source Experiment (BATSE) on board the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory (CGRO) are described, including their creation and operation in data analysis. These response matrices are a detailed abstract representation of the gamma-ray detectors' operating characteristics that are needed for data analysis. They are constructed from an extensive set of calibration data coupled with a complex geometry electromagnetic cascade Monte Carlo simulation code. The calibration tests and simulation algorithm optimization are described. The characteristics of the BATSE detectors in the spacecraft environment are also described.

Micro-machined thermo-conductivity detector

DOEpatents

Yu, Conrad

2003-01-01

A micro-machined thermal conductivity detector for a portable gas chromatograph. The detector is highly sensitive and has fast response time to enable detection of the small size gas samples in a portable gas chromatograph which are in the order of nanoliters. The high sensitivity and fast response time are achieved through micro-machined devices composed of a nickel wire, for example, on a silicon nitride window formed in a silicon member and about a millimeter square in size. In addition to operating as a thermal conductivity detector, the silicon nitride window with a micro-machined wire therein of the device can be utilized for a fast response heater for PCR applications.

Detectors for the gamma-ray resonant absorption (GRA) method of explosives detection in cargo: a comparative study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vartsky, David; Goldberg, Mark B.; Engler, Gideon; Shor, Asher; Goldschmidt, Aharon; Feldman, Gennady; Bar, Doron; Orion, Itzhak; Wielopolski, Lucian

2004-01-01

Gamma-Ray Resonant Absorption (GRA) is an automatic-decision radiographic screening technique that combines high radiation penetration with very good sensitivity and specificity to nitrogenous explosives. The method is particularly well-suited to inspection of large, massive objects (since the resonant γ-ray probe is at 9.17 MeV) such as aviation and marine containers, heavy vehicles and railroad cars. Two kinds of γ-ray detectors have been employed to date in GRA systems: 1) Resonant-response nitrogen-rich liquid scintillators and 2) BGO detectors. This paper analyses and compares the response of these detector-types to the resonant radiation, in terms of single-pixel figures of merit. The latter are sensitive not only to detector response, but also to accelerator-beam quality, via the properties of the nuclear reaction that produces the resonant-γ-rays. Generally, resonant detectors give rise to much higher nitrogen-contrast sensitivity in the radiographic image than their non-resonant detector counterparts and furthermore, do not require proton beams of high energy-resolution. By comparison, the non-resonant detectors have higher γ-detection efficiency, but their contrast sensitivity is very sensitive to the quality of the accelerator beam. Implications of these detector/accelerator characteristics for eventual GRA field systems are discussed.

Online monitoring of the Osiris reactor with the Nucifer neutrino detector

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Boireau, G.; Bouvet, L.; Collin, A. P.; Coulloux, G.; Cribier, M.; Deschamp, H.; Durand, V.; Fechner, M.; Fischer, V.; Gaffiot, J.; Gérard Castaing, N.; Granelli, R.; Kato, Y.; Lasserre, T.; Latron, L.; Legou, P.; Letourneau, A.; Lhuillier, D.; Mention, G.; Mueller, Th. A.; Nghiem, T.-A.; Pedrol, N.; Pelzer, J.; Pequignot, M.; Piret, Y.; Prono, G.; Scola, L.; Starzinski, P.; Vivier, M.; Dumonteil, E.; Mancusi, D.; Varignon, C.; Buck, C.; Lindner, M.; Bazoma, J.; Bouvier, S.; Bui, V. M.; Communeau, V.; Cucoanes, A.; Fallot, M.; Gautier, M.; Giot, L.; Guilloux, G.; Lenoir, M.; Martino, J.; Mercier, G.; Milleto, T.; Peuvrel, N.; Porta, A.; Le Quéré, N.; Renard, C.; Rigalleau, L. M.; Roy, D.; Vilajosana, T.; Yermia, F.; Nucifer Collaboration

2016-06-01

Originally designed as a new nuclear reactor monitoring device, the Nucifer detector has successfully detected its first neutrinos. We provide the second-shortest baseline measurement of the reactor neutrino flux. The detection of electron antineutrinos emitted in the decay chains of the fission products, combined with reactor core simulations, provides a new tool to assess both the thermal power and the fissile content of the whole nuclear core and could be used by the International Agency for Atomic Energy to enhance the safeguards of civil nuclear reactors. Deployed at only 7.2 m away from the compact Osiris research reactor core (70 MW) operating at the Saclay research center of the French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission, the experiment also exhibits a well-suited configuration to search for a new short baseline oscillation. We report the first results of the Nucifer experiment, describing the performances of the ˜0.85 m3 detector remotely operating at a shallow depth equivalent to ˜12 m of water and under intense background radiation conditions. Based on 145 (106) days of data with the reactor on (off), leading to the detection of an estimated 40760 ν¯ e , the mean number of detected antineutrinos is 281 ±7 (stat )±18 (syst )ν¯ e/day , in agreement with the prediction of 277 ±23 ν¯ e/day . Because of the large background, no conclusive results on the existence of light sterile neutrinos could be derived, however. As a first societal application we quantify how antineutrinos could be used for the Plutonium Management and Disposition Agreement.

Influence of body heat content on hand function during prolonged cold exposures.

PubMed

Flouris, A D; Cheung, S S; Fowles, J R; Kruisselbrink, L D; Westwood, D A; Carrillo, A E; Murphy, R J L

2006-09-01

We examined the influence of 1) prior increase [preheating (PHT)], 2) increase throughout [heating (HT)], and 3) no increase [control (Con)] of body heat content (H(b)) on neuromuscular function and manual dexterity of the hands during a 130-min exposure to -20 degrees C (coldEx). Ten volunteers randomly underwent three passive coldEx, incorporating a 10-min moderate-exercise period at the 65th min while wearing a liquid conditioning garment (LCG) and military arctic clothing. In PHT, 50 degrees C water was circulated in the LCG before coldEx until core temperature was increased by 0.5 degrees C. In HT, participants regulated the inlet LCG water temperature throughout coldEx to subjective comfort, while the LCG was not operating in Con. Thermal comfort, rectal temperature, mean skin temperature, mean finger temperature (T(fing)), change in H(b) (DeltaH(b)), rate of body heat storage, Purdue pegboard test, finger tapping, handgrip, maximum voluntary contraction, and evoked twitch force of the first dorsal interosseus muscle were recorded. Results demonstrated that, unlike in HT and PHT, thermal comfort, rectal temperature, mean skin temperature, twitch force, maximum voluntary contraction, and finger tapping declined significantly in Con. In contrast, T(fing) and Purdue pegboard test remained constant only in HT. Generalized estimating equations demonstrated that DeltaH(b) and T(fing) were associated over time with hand function, whereas no significant association was detected for rate of body heat storage. It is concluded that increasing H(b) not only throughout but also before a coldEx is effective in maintaining hand function. In addition, we found that the best indicator of hand function is DeltaH(b) followed by T(fing).

Morning Exercise: Enhancement of Afternoon Sprint-Swimming Performance.

PubMed

McGowan, Courtney J; Pyne, David B; Thompson, Kevin G; Raglin, John S; Rattray, Ben

2017-05-01

An exercise bout completed several hours prior to an event may improve competitive performance later that same day. To examine the influence of morning exercise on afternoon sprint-swimming performance. Thirteen competitive swimmers (7 male, mean age 19 ± 3 y; 6 female, mean age 17 ± 3 y) completed a morning session of 1200 m of variedintensity swimming (SwimOnly), a combination of varied-intensity swimming and a resistance-exercise routine (SwimDry), or no morning exercise (NoEx). After a 6-h break, swimmers completed a 100-m time trial. Time-trial performance was faster in SwimOnly (1.6% ± 0.6, mean ± 90% confidence limit, P < .01) and SwimDry (1.7% ± 0.7%, P < .01) than in NoEx. Split times for the 25- to 50-m distance were faster in both SwimOnly (1.7% ± 1.2%, P = .02) and SwimDry (1.5% ± 0.8%, P = .01) than in NoEx. The first 50-m stroke rate was higher in SwimOnly (0.70 ± 0.21 Hz, mean ± SD, P = .03) and SwimDry (0.69 ± 0.18 Hz, P = .05) than in NoEx (0.64 ± 0.16 Hz). Before the afternoon session, core (0.2°C ± 0.1°C [mean ± 90% confidence limit], P = .04), body (0.2°C ± 0.1°C, P = .02), and skin temperatures (0.3°C ± 0.3°C, P = .02) were higher in SwimDry than in NoEx. Completion of a morning swimming session alone or together with resistance exercise can substantially enhance sprint-swimming performance completed later the same day.

Application of photodiodes to the detection of electromagnetic bursts

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fukushima, Y.; Saito, T.; Sakata, M.; Shima, M.; Yamamoto, Y.

1985-01-01

A new type of photodiode + scintillator (1 m2 x 1 cm) detector is developed to detect the large electro-magnetic burst under an EX-chamber. The threshold burst size is found to be 4.3 x 10 the 5 particles at the center of the scintillator. Therefore a gamma-ray family of 10 TeV is detectable by it, when it is set under 14 r.1. of iron. In addition, a very fast (2.4 nsec width) and very bright (correspond to 10 to the 6 particles) scintillation pulse has become avarable for this study.

Glufosinate ammonium clean-up procedure from water samples using SPE

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tayeb M., A.; Ismail B., S.; Mardiana-Jansar, K.; Ta, Goh Choo; Agustar, Hani Kartini

2015-09-01

For the determination of glufosinate ammonium residue in soil and water samples, different solid phase extraction (SPE) sorbent efficiency was studied. Four different SPE sorbents i.e.: CROMABOND PS-H+, CROMABOND PS-OH-, ISOLUTE ENV+, Water Sep-Pak and OASIS HLB were used. Sample clean-up performance was evaluated using high performance liquid chromatography (Agilent 1220 infinity LC) with fluorescence detector. Detection of FMO-derivatives was done at λ ex = 260 nm and λ em= 310 nm. OASIS HLB column was the most suitable for the clean-up in view of the overall feasibility of the analysis.

The GOES-R Advanced Baseline Imager: detector spectral response effects on thermal emissive band calibration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pearlman, Aaron J.; Padula, Francis; Cao, Changyong; Wu, Xiangqian

2015-10-01

The Advanced Baseline Imager (ABI) will be aboard the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite R-Series (GOES-R) to supply data needed for operational weather forecasts and long-term climate variability studies, which depend on high quality data. Unlike the heritage operational GOES systems that have two or four detectors per band, ABI has hundreds of detectors per channel requiring calibration coefficients for each one. This increase in number of detectors poses new challenges for next generation sensors as each detector has a unique spectral response function (SRF) even though only one averaged SRF per band is used operationally to calibrate each detector. This simplified processing increases computational efficiency. Using measured system-level SRF data from pre-launch testing, we have the opportunity to characterize the calibration impact using measured SRFs, both per detector and as an average of detector-level SRFs similar to the operational version. We calculated the spectral response impacts for the thermal emissive bands (TEB) theoretically, by simulating the ABI response viewing an ideal blackbody and practically, with the measured ABI response to an external reference blackbody from the pre-launch TEB calibration test. The impacts from the practical case match the theoretical results using an ideal blackbody. The observed brightness temperature trends show structure across the array with magnitudes as large as 0.1 K for and 12 (9.61 µm), and 0.25 K for band 14 (11.2 µm) for a 300 K blackbody. The trends in the raw ABI signal viewing the blackbody support the spectral response measurements results, since they show similar trends in bands 12 (9.61µm), and 14 (11.2 µm), meaning that the spectral effects dominate the response differences between detectors for these bands. We further validated these effects using the radiometric bias calculated between calibrations using the external blackbody and another blackbody, the ABI on-board calibrator. Using the detector-level SRFs reduces the structure across the arrays but leaves some residual bias. Further understanding of this bias could lead to refinements of the blackbody thermal model. This work shows the calibration impacts of using an average SRF across many detectors instead of accounting for each detector SRF independently in the TEB calibration. Note that these impacts neglect effects from the spectral sampling of Earth scene radiances that include atmospheric effects, which may further contribute to artifacts post-launch and cannot be mitigated by processing with detector-level SRFs. This study enhances the ability to diagnose anomalies on-orbit and reduce calibration uncertainty for improved system performance.

Ex Vivo Adenoviral Vector Gene Delivery Results in Decreased Vector-associated Inflammation Pre- and Post–lung Transplantation in the Pig

PubMed Central

Yeung, Jonathan C; Wagnetz, Dirk; Cypel, Marcelo; Rubacha, Matthew; Koike, Terumoto; Chun, Yi-Min; Hu, Jim; Waddell, Thomas K; Hwang, David M; Liu, Mingyao; Keshavjee, Shaf

2012-01-01

Acellular normothermic ex vivo lung perfusion (EVLP) is a novel method of donor lung preservation for transplantation. As cellular metabolism is preserved during perfusion, it represents a potential platform for effective gene transduction in donor lungs. We hypothesized that vector-associated inflammation would be reduced during ex vivo delivery due to isolation from the host immune system response. We compared ex vivo with in vivo intratracheal delivery of an E1-, E3-deleted adenoviral vector encoding either green fluorescent protein (GFP) or interleukin-10 (IL-10) to porcine lungs. Twelve hours after delivery, the lung was transplanted and the post-transplant function assessed. We identified significant transgene expression by 12 hours in both in vivo and ex vivo delivered groups. Lung function remained excellent in all ex vivo groups after viral vector delivery; however, as expected, lung function decreased in the in vivo delivered adenovirus vector encoding GFP (AdGFP) group with corresponding increases in IL-1β levels. Transplanted lung function was excellent in the ex vivo transduced lungs and inferior lung function was seen in the in vivo group after transplantation. In summary, ex vivo delivery of adenoviral gene therapy to the donor lung is superior to in vivo delivery in that it leads to less vector-associated inflammation and provides superior post-transplant lung function. PMID:22453765

Impurity-doped optical shock, detonation and damage location sensor

DOEpatents

Weiss, J.D.

1995-02-07

A shock, detonation, and damage location sensor providing continuous fiber-optic means of measuring shock speed and damage location, and could be designed through proper cabling to have virtually any desired crush pressure. The sensor has one or a plurality of parallel multimode optical fibers, or a singlemode fiber core, surrounded by an elongated cladding, doped along their entire length with impurities to fluoresce in response to light at a different wavelength entering one end of the fiber(s). The length of a fiber would be continuously shorted as it is progressively destroyed by a shock wave traveling parallel to its axis. The resulting backscattered and shifted light would eventually enter a detector and be converted into a proportional electrical signals which would be evaluated to determine shock velocity and damage location. The corresponding reduction in output, because of the shortening of the optical fibers, is used as it is received to determine the velocity and position of the shock front as a function of time. As a damage location sensor the sensor fiber cracks along with the structure to which it is mounted. The size of the resulting drop in detector output is indicative of the location of the crack. 8 figs.

The LUX experiment - trigger and data acquisition systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Druszkiewicz, Eryk

2013-04-01

The Large Underground Xenon (LUX) detector is a two-phase xenon time projection chamber designed to detect interactions of dark matter particles with the xenon nuclei. Signals from the detector PMTs are processed by custom-built analog electronics which provide properly shaped signals for the trigger and data acquisition (DAQ) systems. During calibrations, both systems must be able to handle high rates and have large dynamic ranges; during dark matter searches, maximum sensitivity requires low thresholds. The trigger system uses eight-channel 64-MHz digitizers (DDC-8) connected to a Trigger Builder (TB). The FPGA cores on the digitizers perform real-time pulse identification (discriminating between S1 and S2-like signals) and event localization. The TB uses hit patterns, hit maps, and maximum response detection to make trigger decisions, which are reached within few microseconds after the occurrence of an event of interest. The DAQ system is comprised of commercial digitizers with customized firmware. Its real-time baseline suppression allows for a maximum event acquisition rate in excess of 1.5 kHz, which results in virtually no deadtime. The performance of the trigger and DAQ systems during the commissioning runs of LUX will be discussed.

Impurity-doped optical shock, detonation and damage location sensor

DOEpatents

Weiss, Jonathan D.

1995-01-01

A shock, detonation, and damage location sensor providing continuous fiber-optic means of measuring shock speed and damage location, and could be designed through proper cabling to have virtually any desired crush pressure. The sensor has one or a plurality of parallel multimode optical fibers, or a singlemode fiber core, surrounded by an elongated cladding, doped along their entire length with impurities to fluoresce in response to light at a different wavelength entering one end of the fiber(s). The length of a fiber would be continuously shorted as it is progressively destroyed by a shock wave traveling parallel to its axis. The resulting backscattered and shifted light would eventually enter a detector and be converted into a proportional electrical signals which would be evaluated to determine shock velocity and damage location. The corresponding reduction in output, because of the shortening of the optical fibers, is used as it is received to determine the velocity and position of the shock front as a function of time. As a damage location sensor the sensor fiber cracks along with the structure to which it is mounted. The size of the resulting drop in detector output is indicative of the location of the crack.

Cable tunnel fire experiment study based on linear optical fiber fire detectors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fan, Dian; Ding, Hongjun

2013-09-01

Aiming at exiting linear temperature fire detection technology including temperature sensing cable, fiber Raman scattering, fiber Bragg grating, this paper establish an experimental platform in cable tunnel, set two different experimental scenes of the fire and record temperature variation and fire detector response time in the processing of fire simulation. Since a small amount of thermal radiation and no flame for the beginning of the small-scale fire, only directly contacting heat detectors can make alarm response and the rest of other non- contact detectors are unable to respond. In large-scale fire, the alarm response time of the fiber Raman temperature sensing fire detector and fiber Bragg grating temperature sensing fire detector is about 30 seconds, and depending on the thermocouples' record the temperature over the fire is less than 35° in first 60 seconds of large-scale fire, while the temperature rising is more than 5°/min within the range of +/- 3m. According to the technical characteristics of the three detectors, the engineering suitability of the typical linear heat detectors in cable tunnels early fire detection is analyzed, which provide technical support for the preparation of norms.

Magnetic field influences on the lateral dose response functions of photon-beam detectors: MC study of wall-less water-filled detectors with various densities.

PubMed

Looe, Hui Khee; Delfs, Björn; Poppinga, Daniela; Harder, Dietrich; Poppe, Björn

2017-06-21

The distortion of detector reading profiles across photon beams in the presence of magnetic fields is a developing subject of clinical photon-beam dosimetry. The underlying modification by the Lorentz force of a detector's lateral dose response function-the convolution kernel transforming the true cross-beam dose profile in water into the detector reading profile-is here studied for the first time. The three basic convolution kernels, the photon fluence response function, the dose deposition kernel, and the lateral dose response function, of wall-less cylindrical detectors filled with water of low, normal and enhanced density are shown by Monte Carlo simulation to be distorted in the prevailing direction of the Lorentz force. The asymmetric shape changes of these convolution kernels in a water medium and in magnetic fields of up to 1.5 T are confined to the lower millimetre range, and they depend on the photon beam quality, the magnetic flux density and the detector's density. The impact of this distortion on detector reading profiles is demonstrated using a narrow photon beam profile. For clinical applications it appears as favourable that the magnetic flux density dependent distortion of the lateral dose response function, as far as secondary electron transport is concerned, vanishes in the case of water-equivalent detectors of normal water density. By means of secondary electron history backtracing, the spatial distribution of the photon interactions giving rise either directly to secondary electrons or to scattered photons further downstream producing secondary electrons which contribute to the detector's signal, and their lateral shift due to the Lorentz force is elucidated. Electron history backtracing also serves to illustrate the correct treatment of the influences of the Lorentz force in the EGSnrc Monte Carlo code applied in this study.

Probing infrared detectors through energy-absorption interferometry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moinard, Dan; Withington, Stafford; Thomas, Christopher N.

2017-08-01

We describe an interferometric technique capable of fully characterizing the optical response of few-mode and multi-mode detectors using only power measurements, and its implementation at 1550 nm wavelength. EnergyAbsorption Interferometry (EAI) is an experimental procedure where the system under test is excited with two coherent, phase-locked sources. As the relative phase between the sources is varied, a fringe is observed in the detector output. Iterating over source positions, the fringes' complex visibilities allow the two-point detector response function to be retrieved: this correlation function corresponds to the state of coherence to which the detector is maximally sensitive. This detector response function can then be decomposed into a set of natural modes, in which the detector is incoherently sensitive to power. EAI therefore allows the reconstruction of the individual degrees of freedom through which the detector can absorb energy, including their relative sensitivities and full spatial forms. Coupling mechanisms into absorbing structures and their underlying solidstate phenomena can thus be studied, with direct applications in improving current infrared detector technology. EAI has previously been demonstrated for millimeter wavelength. Here, we outline the theoretical basis of EAI, and present a room-temperature 1550 nm wavelength infrared experiment we have constructed. Finally, we discuss how this experimental system will allow us to study optical coupling into fiber-based systems and near-infrared detectors.

Characterization of MOSkin detector for in vivo skin dose measurement during megavoltage radiotherapy

PubMed Central

Jong, Wei Loong; Wong, Jeannie Hsiu Ding; Ng, Kwan Hoong; Ho, Gwo Fuang; Cutajar, Dean L.; Rosenfeld, Anatoly B.

2014-01-01

In vivo dosimetry is important during radiotherapy to ensure the accuracy of the dose delivered to the treatment volume. A dosimeter should be characterized based on its application before it is used for in vivo dosimetry. In this study, we characterize a new MOSFET‐based detector, the MOSkin detector, on surface for in vivo skin dosimetry. The advantages of the MOSkin detector are its water equivalent depth of measurement of 0.07 mm, small physical size with submicron dosimetric volume, and the ability to provide real‐time readout. A MOSkin detector was calibrated and the reproducibility, linearity, and response over a large dose range to different threshold voltages were determined. Surface dose on solid water phantom was measured using MOSkin detector and compared with Markus ionization chamber and GAFCHROMIC EBT2 film measurements. Dependence in the response of the MOSkin detector on the surface of solid water phantom was also tested for different (i) source to surface distances (SSDs); (ii) field sizes; (iii) surface dose; (iv) radiation incident angles; and (v) wedges. The MOSkin detector showed excellent reproducibility and linearity for dose range of 50 cGy to 300 cGy. The MOSkin detector showed reliable response to different SSDs, field sizes, surface, radiation incident angles, and wedges. The MOSkin detector is suitable for in vivo skin dosimetry. PACS number: 87.55.Qr PMID:25207573

Neutrino emission from nearby supernova progenitors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yoshida, Takashi; Takahashi, Koh; Umeda, Hideyuki

2016-05-01

Neutrinos have an important role for energy loss process during advanced evolution of massive stars. Although the luminosity and average energy of neutrinos during the Si burning are much smaller than those of supernova neutrinos, these neutrinos are expected to be detected by the liquid scintillation neutrino detector KamLAND if a supernova explosion occurs at the distance of ~100 parsec. We investigate the neutrino emission from massive stars during advanced evolution. We calculate the evolution of the energy spectra of neutrinos produced through electron-positron pair-annihilation in the supernova progenitors with the initial mass of 12, 15, and 20 M ⊙ during the Si burning and core-collapse stages. The neutrino emission rate increases from ~ 1050 s-1 to ~ 1052 s-1. The average energy of electron-antineutrinos is about 1.25 MeV during the Si burning and gradually increases until the core-collapse. For one week before the supernova explosion, the KamLAND detector is expected to observe 12-24 and 6-13 v¯e events in the normal and inverted mass hierarchies, respectively, if a supernova explosion of a 12-20 M ⊙ star occurs at the distance of 200 parsec, corresponding to the distance to Betelgeuse. Observations of neutrinos from SN progenitors have a possibility to constrain the core structure and the evolution just before the core collapse of massive stars.

Detector response artefacts in spectral reconstruction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Olsen, Ulrik L.; Christensen, Erik D.; Khalil, Mohamad; Gu, Yun; Kehres, Jan

2017-09-01

Energy resolved detectors are gaining traction as a tool to achieve better material contrast. K-edge imaging and tomography is an example of a method with high potential that has evolved on the capabilities of photon counting energy dispersive detectors. Border security is also beginning to see instruments taking advantage of energy resolved detectors. The progress of the field is halted by the limitations of the detectors. The limitations include nonlinear response for both x-ray intensity and x-ray spectrum. In this work we investigate how the physical interactions in the energy dispersive detectors affect the quality of the reconstruction and how corrections restore the quality. We have modeled detector responses for the primary detrimental effects occurring in the detector; escape peaks, charge sharing/loss and pileup. The effect of the change in the measured spectra is evaluated based on the artefacts occurring in the reconstructed images. We also evaluate the effect of a correction algorithm for reducing these artefacts on experimental data acquired with a setup using Multix ME-100 V-2 line detector modules. The artefacts were seen to introduce 20% deviation in the reconstructed attenuation coefficient for the uncorrected detector. We performed tomography experiments on samples with various materials interesting for security applications and found the SSIM to increase > 5% below 60keV. Our work shows that effective corrections schemes are necessary for the accurate material classification in security application promised by the advent of high flux detectors for spectral tomography

Detector Simulations with DD4hep

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Petrič, M.; Frank, M.; Gaede, F.; Lu, S.; Nikiforou, N.; Sailer, A.

2017-10-01

Detector description is a key component of detector design studies, test beam analyses, and most of particle physics experiments that require the simulation of more and more different detector geometries and event types. This paper describes DD4hep, which is an easy-to-use yet flexible and powerful detector description framework that can be used for detector simulation and also extended to specific needs for a particular working environment. Linear collider detector concepts ILD, SiD and CLICdp as well as detector development collaborations CALICE and FCal have chosen to adopt the DD4hep geometry framework and its DDG4 pathway to Geant4 as its core simulation and reconstruction tools. The DDG4 plugins suite includes a wide variety of input formats, provides access to the Geant4 particle gun or general particles source and allows for handling of Monte Carlo truth information, eg. by linking hits and the primary particle that caused them, which is indispensable for performance and efficiency studies. An extendable array of segmentations and sensitive detectors allows the simulation of a wide variety of detector technologies. This paper shows how DD4hep allows to perform complex Geant4 detector simulations without compiling a single line of additional code by providing a palette of sub-detector components that can be combined and configured via compact XML files. Simulation is controlled either completely via the command line or via simple Python steering files interpreted by a Python executable. It also discusses how additional plugins and extensions can be created to increase the functionality.

Poster — Thur Eve — 27: Flattening Filter Free VMAT Quality Assurance: Dose Rate Considerations for Detector Response

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Viel, Francis; Duzenli, Cheryl; British Columbia Cancer Agency, Department of Medical Physics, Vancouver Centre

2014-08-15

Introduction: Radiation detector responses can be affected by dose rate. Due to higher dose per pulse and wider range of mu rates in FFF beams, detector responses should be characterized prior to implementation of QA protocols for FFF beams. During VMAT delivery, the MU rate may also vary dramatically within a treatment fraction. This study looks at the dose per pulse variation throughout a 3D volume for typical VMAT plans and the response characteristics for a variety of detectors, and makes recommendations on the design of QA protocols for FFF VMAT QA. Materials and Methods: Linac log file data andmore » a simplified dose calculation algorithm are used to calculate dose per pulse for a variety of clinical VMAT plans, on a voxel by voxel basis, as a function of time in a cylindrical phantom. Diode and ion chamber array responses are characterized over the relevant range of dose per pulse and dose rate. Results: Dose per pulse ranges from <0.1 mGy/pulse to 1.5 mGy/pulse in a typical VMAT treatment delivery using the 10XFFF beam. Diode detector arrays demonstrate increased sensitivity to dose (+./− 3%) with increasing dose per pulse over this range. Ion chamber arrays demonstrate decreased sensitivity to dose (+/− 1%) with increasing dose rate over this range. Conclusions: QA protocols should be designed taking into consideration inherent changes in detector sensitivity with dose rate. Neglecting to account for changes in detector response with dose per pulse can lead to skewed QA results.« less

Pre-SN neutrino emissions from ONe cores in the progenitors of CCSNe

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kato, Chinami; Yamada, S.; Nagakura, H.; Furusawa, S.; Takahashi, K.; Umeda, H.; Yoshida, T.; Ishidoshiro, K.

2017-11-01

In order to investigate the distinguishability about the progenitors of FeCCSNe and ECSNe, we calculate the luminosities and spectra of their pre-SN neutrinos and estimate the number of events at neutrino detectors.

Critical Configuration and Physics Measurements for Beryllium Reflected Assemblies of U(93.15)O₂ Fuel Rods (1.506-cm Pitch and 7-Tube Clusters)

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Marshall, Margaret A.; Bess, John D.; Briggs, J. Blair

2015-03-01

Cadmium ratios were measured with enriched uranium metal foils at various locations in the assembly with the fuel tube at the 1.506-cm spacing. They are described in the following subsections. The experiment configuration was the same as the first critical configuration described in HEU-COMP-FAST-004 (Case 1). The experimenter placed 0.75-cm-diameter × 0.010-cm-thick 93.15%-235U-enriched uranium metal foils with and without 0.051-cm-thick cadmium covers at various locations in the core and top reflector. One part of the cadmium cover was cupshape and contained the uranium foil. The other part was a lid that fit over the exposed side of the foil whenmore » it was in the cup shaped section of the cover. As can be seen in the logbook, two runs were required to obtain all the measurements necessary for the cadmium ratio. The bare foil measurements within the top reflector were run first as part of the axial foil activation measurements. The results of this run are used for both the axial activation results and the cadmium ratios. Cadmium covered foils were then placed at the same location through the top reflector in a different run. Three pairs of bare and cadmium covered foils were also placed through the core tank. One pair was placed at the axial center of a fuel tube 11.35 cm from the center of the core. Two pairs of foils were placed on top of fuel tubes 3.02 and 12.06 cm from the center of the core. The activation of the uranium metal foils was measured after removal from the assembly using two lead shielded NaI scintillation detectors as follows. The NaI scintillators were carefully matched and had detection efficiencies for counting delayed-fission-product gamma rays with energies above 250 KeV within 5%. In all foil activation measurements, one foil at a specific location was used as a normalizing foil to remove the effects of the decay of fission products during the counting measurements with the NaI detectors. The normalization foil was placed on one NaI scintillator and the other foil on the other NaI detector and the activities measured simultaneously. The activation of a particular foil was compared to that of the normalization foil by dividing the count rate for each foil by that of the normalization foil. To correct for the differing efficiencies of the two NaI detectors, the normalization foil was counted in Detector 1 simultaneously with the foil at position x in Detector 2, and then the normalization foil was counted simultaneously in Detector 2 with the foil from position x in Counter 1. The activity of the foil from position x was divided by the activity of the normalization foil counted simultaneously. This resulted in obtaining two values of the ratio that were then averaged. This procedure essentially removed the effect of the differing efficiencies of the two NaI detectors. Differing efficiencies of 10% resulted in errors in the ratios measured to less than 1%. The background counting rates obatined with the foils used for the measurements on the NaI detectors before their irradiation measurement were subtracted from all count rates. The results of the cadmium ratio measurements are given in Table 1.3-1 and Figure 1.3-1. “No correction has been made for self shielding in the foils” (Reference 3).« less

The Angra Project: Monitoring Nuclear Reactors with Antineutrino Detectors

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Anjos, J. C.; Barbosa, A. F.; Lima, H. P. Jr.

2010-03-30

We present the status of the Angra Neutrino project, describing the development of an antineutrino detector aimed at monitoring nuclear reactor activity. The experiment will take place at the Brazilian nuclear power plant located in Angra dos Reis. The Angra II reactor, with 4 GW of thermal power, will be used as a source of antineutrinos. A water Cherenkov detector will be placed above ground in a commercial container outside the reactor containment, about 30 m from the reactor core. With a detector of one ton scale a few thousand antineutrino interactions per day are expected. We intend, in amore » first step, to use the measured neutrino event rate to monitor the on--off status and the thermal power delivered by the reactor. In addition to the safeguards issues the project will provide an alternative tool to have an independent measurement of the reactor power.« less

The Angra Project: Monitoring Nuclear Reactors with Antineutrino Detectors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Anjos, J. C.; Barbosa, A. F.; Bezerra, T. J. C.; Chimenti, P.; Gonzalez, L. F. G.; Kemp, E.; de Oliveira, M. A. Leigui; Lima, H. P.; Lima, R. M.; Nunokawa, H.

2010-03-01

We present the status of the Angra Neutrino project, describing the development of an antineutrino detector aimed at monitoring nuclear reactor activity. The experiment will take place at the Brazilian nuclear power plant located in Angra dos Reis. The Angra II reactor, with 4 GW of thermal power, will be used as a source of antineutrinos. A water Cherenkov detector will be placed above ground in a commercial container outside the reactor containment, about 30 m from the reactor core. With a detector of one ton scale a few thousand antineutrino interactions per day are expected. We intend, in a first step, to use the measured neutrino event rate to monitor the on—off status and the thermal power delivered by the reactor. In addition to the safeguards issues the project will provide an alternative tool to have an independent measurement of the reactor power.

The lateral distribution of extensive air showers produced by cosmic rays above 10 19 eV as measured by water-Čerenkov detectors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Coy, R. N.; Cunningham, G.; Pryke, C. L.; Watson, A. A.

1997-03-01

Measurements of the lateral distribution function (ldf) of Extensive Air Showers (EAS) as recorded by the array of water-Čerenkov detectors at Haverah Park are described, and accurate experimental parameterizations expressing the mean ldf for 2 × 10 17 < E < 4 × 10 18 eV, 50 < r < 700 m, and θ < 45° are given. An extrapolation of these relations to the regime E ≥ 10 19 eV and r > 700 m is described: extrapolation in this energy domain appears valid, and an approximate correction term is given for the larger core distances. The results of recent Monte Carlo simulations of shower development and detector behavior are compared to the parameterized ldf. The agreement is good increasing confidence that these simulations may be trusted as design tools for the Auger project, a proposed 'next generation' detector system.

Research of x-ray nondestructive detector for high-speed running conveyor belt with steel wire ropes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Junfeng; Miao, Changyun; Wang, Wei; Lu, Xiaocui

2008-03-01

An X-ray nondestructive detector for high-speed running conveyor belt with steel wire ropes is researched in the paper. The principle of X-ray nondestructive testing (NDT) is analyzed, the general scheme of the X-ray nondestructive testing system is proposed, and the nondestructive detector for high-speed running conveyor belt with steel wire ropes is developed. The hardware of system is designed with Xilinx's VIRTEX-4 FPGA that embeds PowerPC and MAC IP core, and its network communication software based on TCP/IP protocol is programmed by loading LwIP to PowerPC. The nondestructive testing of high-speed conveyor belt with steel wire ropes and network transfer function are implemented. It is a strong real-time system with rapid scanning speed, high reliability and remotely nondestructive testing function. The nondestructive detector can be applied to the detection of product line in industry.

Silicon Drift Detector response function for PIXE spectra fitting

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Calzolai, G.; Tapinassi, S.; Chiari, M.; Giannoni, M.; Nava, S.; Pazzi, G.; Lucarelli, F.

2018-02-01

The correct determination of the X-ray peak areas in PIXE spectra by fitting with a computer program depends crucially on accurate parameterization of the detector peak response function. In the Guelph PIXE software package, GUPIXWin, one of the most used PIXE spectra analysis code, the response of a semiconductor detector to monochromatic X-ray radiation is described by a linear combination of several analytical functions: a Gaussian profile for the X-ray line itself, and additional tail contributions (exponential tails and step functions) on the low-energy side of the X-ray line to describe incomplete charge collection effects. The literature on the spectral response of silicon X-ray detectors for PIXE applications is rather scarce, in particular data for Silicon Drift Detectors (SDD) and for a large range of X-ray energies are missing. Using a set of analytical functions, the SDD response functions were satisfactorily reproduced for the X-ray energy range 1-15 keV. The behaviour of the parameters involved in the SDD tailing functions with X-ray energy is described by simple polynomial functions, which permit an easy implementation in PIXE spectra fitting codes.

Characterization and Analysis of InGaAsSb Detectors

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Abedin, M. Nurul; Refaat, Tamer F.; Joshi, Ravindra P.; Sulima, Oleg V.; Mauk, Michael; Singh, Upendra N.

2003-01-01

Profiling of atmospheric CO2 at 2 micron wavelength using the LIDAR technique, has recently gained interest. Although several detectors might be suitable for this application, an ideal device would have high gain, low noise and narrow spectral response peaking around the wavelength of interest. This increases the detector signal-to-noise ratio and minimizes the background signal, thereby increasing the device sensitivity and dynamic range. Detectors meeting the above idealized criteria are commercially unavailable for this particular wavelength. In this paper, the characterization and analysis of Sb-based detectors for 2 micron lidar applications are presented. The detectors were manufactured by AstroPower, Inc., with an InGaAsSb absorbing layer and AlGaAsSb passivating layer. The characterization experiments included spectral response, current versus voltage and noise measurements. The effect of the detectors bias voltage and temperature on its performance, have been investigated as well. The detectors peak responsivity is located at the 2 micron wavelength. Comparing three detector samples, an optimization of the spectral response around the 2 micron wavelength, through a narrower spectral period was observed. Increasing the detector bias voltage enhances the device gain at the narrow spectral range, while cooling the device reduces the cut-off wavelength and lowers its noise. Noise-equivalent-power analysis results in a value as low as 4 x 10(exp -12) W/Hz(exp 1/2) corresponding to D* of 1 x 10(exp 10) cmHz(exp 1/2)/W, at -1 V and 20 C. Discussions also include device operational physics and optimization guidelines, taking into account peculiarity of the Type II heterointerface and transport mechanisms under these conditions.

Performance evaluation of a direct-conversion flat-panel detector system in imaging and quality assurance for a high-dose-rate 192Ir source

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Miyahara, Yoshinori; Hara, Yuki; Nakashima, Hiroto; Nishimura, Tomonori; Itakura, Kanae; Inomata, Taisuke; Kitagaki, Hajime

2018-03-01

In high-dose-rate (HDR) brachytherapy, a direct-conversion flat-panel detector (d-FPD) clearly depicts a 192Ir source without image halation, even under the emission of high-energy gamma rays. However, it was unknown why iridium is visible when using a d-FPD. The purpose of this study was to clarify the reasons for visibility of the source core based on physical imaging characteristics, including the modulation transfer functions (MTF), noise power spectral (NPS), contrast transfer functions, and linearity of d-FPD to high-energy gamma rays. The acquired data included: x-rays, [X]; gamma rays, [γ] dual rays (X  +  γ), [D], and subtracted data for depicting the source ([D]  -  [γ]). In the quality assurance (QA) test for the positional accuracy of a source core, the coordinates of each dwelling point were compared between the planned and actual source core positions using a CT/MR-compatible ovoid applicator and a Fletcher-Williamson applicator. The profile curves of [X] and ([D]  -  [γ]) matched well on MTF and NPS. The contrast resolutions of [D] and [X] were equivalent. A strongly positive linear correlation was found between the output data of [γ] and source strength (r 2  >  0.99). With regard to the accuracy of the source core position, the largest coordinate difference (3D distance) was noted at the maximum curvature of the CT/MR-compatible ovoid and Fletcher-Williamson applicators, showing 1.74  ±  0.02 mm and 1.01  ±  0.01 mm, respectively. A d-FPD system provides high-quality images of a source, even when high-energy gamma rays are emitted to the detector, and positional accuracy tests with clinical applicators are useful in identifying source positions (source movements) within the applicator for QA.

Origins of the changing detector response in small megavoltage photon radiation fields.

PubMed

Fenwick, John D; Georgiou, Georgios; Rowbottom, Carl G; Underwood, Tracy S A; Kumar, Sudhir; Nahum, Alan E

2018-06-08

Differences in detector response between measured small fields, f clin, and wider reference fields, f msr , can be overcome by using correction factors [Formula: see text] or by designing detectors with field-size invariant responses. The changing response in small fields is caused by perturbations of the electron fluence within the detector sensitive volume. For solid-state detectors, it has recently been suggested that these perturbations might be caused by the non-water-equivalent effective atomic numbers Z of detector materials, rather than by their non-water-like densities. Using the EGSnrc Monte Carlo code we have analyzed the response of a PTW 60017 diode detector in a 6 MV beam, calculating the [Formula: see text] correction factor from computed doses absorbed by water and by the detector sensitive volume in 0.5  ×  0.5 and 4  ×  4 cm 2 fields. In addition to the 'real' detector, fully modelled according to the manufacturer's blue-prints, we calculated doses and [Formula: see text] factors for a 'Z  →  water' detector variant in which mass stopping-powers and microscopic interaction coefficients were set to those of water while preserving real material densities, and for a 'density  →  1' variant in which densities were set to 1 g cm -3 , leaving mass stopping-powers and interaction coefficients at real levels. [Formula: see text] equalled 0.910  ±  0.005 (2 standard deviations) for the real detector, was insignificantly different at 0.912  ±  0.005 for the 'Z  →  H 2 O' variant, but equalled 1.012  ±  0.006 for the 'density  →  1' variant. For the 60017 diode in a 6 MV beam, then, [Formula: see text] was determined primarily by the detector's density rather than its atomic composition. Further calculations showed this remained the case in a 15 MV beam. Interestingly, the sensitive volume electron fluence was perturbed more by detector atomic composition than by density; however, the density-dependent perturbation varied with field-size, whereas the Z-dependent perturbation was relatively constant, little affecting [Formula: see text].

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kelley, R.P.; Lewis, J.M.; Murer, D.

Previous work has measured the neutron response of pressurized {sup 4}He scintillation detectors, however these studies only examine the response as a function of incident neutron energy. Since the detection mechanism in {sup 4}He detectors is elastic scattering, and the interacting neutron will only deposit a fraction of its incident kinetic energy in the detector gas, an examination of the response of the detector output to deposited energy is necessary to transform these detectors into instruments for neutron spectrometry. Using a combined time-of-flight (TOF) and coincidence scattering method, this paper further characterizes the {sup 4}He light response to fast neutronsmore » by examining the scintillation light yield as a function of deposited energy, measuring the light response up to 5 MeV. These {sup 4}He detectors are simple in design, and are manufactured by Arktis Radiation Detectors in several sizes. The specific model used in this experiment had an active volume 20 cm long with an inner diameter of 4.4 cm, giving a total active volume of 304 cm{sup 3}. The key components include the active volume, filled with 150 bar of helium-4 gas, and photomultiplier tubes (PMTs) mounted at either end of the active volume. The detector body is made of stainless steel. The detector response was experimentally measured using a two-detector coincidence arrangement with a {sup 252}Cf source. Two {sup 4}He detectors were vertically mounted, and the source was placed at a horizontal distance from the center of the bottom detector, forming a right angle. By requiring coincidence between the two detectors, it was confirmed that each neutron interacting in the second (top) detector must first have undergone a scattering interaction in the first (bottom) detector, and the time-of-flight (TOF) technique could then be used to determine the energy of the neutron as it traveled between the two detectors by the difference in time between the two detector events. More importantly, with the scattering angle known, the amount of energy deposited by the neutron in the bottom detector (ER) was also calculated using kinematic scattering equations. This deposited recoil energy was then compared to the corresponding light output for each event to form a deposited energy scintillation light response matrix. Similarly, the system's insensitivity to gammas and its ability to reject gammas by pulse shape discrimination (PSD) are often cited as an important advantage, although a detailed analysis of these capabilities has not yet been performed. This work therefore quantified these parameters in order to further characterize these detectors for future mixed radiation field measurements. Gamma sources were measured spanning a range of gamma-ray energies from 0.122 MeV to 1.332 MeV, including {sup 57}Co, {sup 137}Cs, {sup 54}Mn, and {sup 60}Co. Each source was counted by the {sup 4}He detector and the background subtracted. Taking the ratio of the number of events detected during the experimental source measurement to the number of gammas predicted by MCNPX to pass through the detector volume yields the detector's intrinsic gamma efficiency. The difference between this fraction and unity is therefore a measure of the detector's ability to ignore interfering gamma rays, defined as its inherent gamma rejection rate. The ability of post-processing PSD algorithms to further reduce the number of gammas is also investigated and quantified. Finally, it has been noted that the scintillation signal from a single neutron event can be separated in time into two components: the fast component is a sharp peak that exists on the order of nanoseconds; the slow component is a series of smaller pulses, stretched out over four microseconds. Whereas previous research has exclusively focused on the energy information contained in the slow component, this work demonstrates that the fast component is also sensitive to neutron energy, and the entire scintillation signal can therefore be used. In conclusion, the relationship of fast neutron {sup 4}He scintillation detectors to deposited neutron energy was explored, and will be combined with previous works that measured the scintillation response to incident neutron energy in order to develop a neutron spectrometer. Similarly, the ability of these {sup 4}He detectors to reject interfering gamma rays was also quantified, and so will enable this spectrometer to be deployed in mixed radiation field measurements. Finally, while previous works with these detectors have focused on an analysis of the slow scintillation component, it was demonstrated in this work that the fast component also contains significant energy information.« less

A novel dendritic cell-based direct ex vivo assay for detection and enumeration of circulating antigen-specific human T cells.

PubMed

Carrio, Roberto; Zhang, Ge; Drake, Donald R; Schanen, Brian C

2018-05-07

Although a variety of assays have been used to examine T cell responses in vitro, standardized ex vivo detection of antigen-specific CD4 + T cells from human circulatory PBMCs remains constrained by low-dimensional characterization outputs and the need for polyclonal, mitogen-induced expansion methods to generate detectable response signals. To overcome these limitations, we developed a novel methodology utilizing antigen-pulsed autologous human dendritic target cells in a rapid and sensitive assay to accurately enumerate antigen-specific CD4 + T cell precursor frequency by multiparametric flow cytometry. With this approach, we demonstrate the ability to reproducibly quantitate poly-functional T cell responses following both primary and recall antigenic stimulation. Furthermore, this approach enables more comprehensive phenotypic profiling of circulating antigen-specific CD4 + T cells, providing valuable insights into the pre-existing polarization of antigen-specific T cells in humans. Combined, this approach permits sensitive and detailed ex vivo detection of antigen-specific CD4 + T cells delivering an important tool for advancing vaccine, immune-oncology and other therapeutic studies.

CdS QDs-chitosan microcapsules with stimuli-responsive property generated by gas-liquid microfluidic technique.

PubMed

Chen, Yanjun; Yao, Rongyi; Wang, Yifeng; Chen, Ming; Qiu, Tong; Zhang, Chaocan

2015-01-01

This article describes a straightforward gas-liquid microfluidic approach to generate uniform-sized chitosan microcapsules containing CdS quantum dots (QDs). CdS QDs are encapsulated into the liquid-core of the microcapsules. The sizes of the microcapsules can be conveniently controlled by gas flow rate. QDs-chitosan microcapsules show good fluorescent stability in water, and exhibit fluorescent responses to chemical environmental stimuli. α-Cyclodextrin (α-CD) causes the microcapsules to deform and even collapse. More interestingly, α-CD induces obvious changes on the fluorescent color of the microcapsules. However, β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) has little influence on the shape and fluorescent color of the microcapsules. Based on the results of scanning electron microscopy, the possible mechanism about the effects of α-CD on the chitosan microcapsules is analyzed. These stimuli-responsive microcapsules are low-cost and easy to be prepared by gas-liquid microfluidic technique, and can be applied as a potential micro-detector to chemicals, such as CDs. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A Novel CMOS Multi-band THz Detector with Embedded Ring Antenna

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, Lei-jun; Guan, Jia-ning; Bai, Xue; Li, Qin; Mao, Han-ping

2017-10-01

To overcome the large chip area occupation for the traditional terahertz multi-frequency detector by using the antenna elements in a different frequency, a novel structure for a multi-frequency detector is proposed and studied. Based on the ring antenna detector, an embedded multi-ring antenna with multi-port is proposed for the multi-frequency detector. A single-ring and dual-ring detectors are analyzed and designed in 0.18 μ m CMOS. For the single-ring detector, the best responsivity and NEP is 701 V/W and 261 pW/Hz0.5 at the frequency of 290 GHz. For the dual-ring detector, the best responsivity is 367 V/W and 297 V/W, NEP is 578 pW/Hz0.5 and 713pW/Hz0.5, at the frequency of 600 GHz and 806 GHz, respectively. This embedded multi-ring detector has a simple structure which can be expanded easily in a compact size.

Characterization of Photon-Counting Detector Responsivity for Non-Linear Two-Photon Absorption Process

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sburlan, S. E.; Farr, W. H.

2011-01-01

Sub-band absorption at 1550 nm has been demonstrated and characterized on silicon Geiger mode detectors which normally would be expected to have no response at this wavelength. We compare responsivity measurements to singlephoton absorption for wavelengths slightly above the bandgap wavelength of silicon (approx. 1100 microns). One application for this low efficiency sub-band absorption is in deep space optical communication systems where it is desirable to track a 1030 nm uplink beacon on the same flight terminal detector array that monitors a 1550 nm downlink signal for pointingcontrol. The currently observed absorption at 1550 nm provides 60-70 dB of isolation compared to the response at 1064 nm, which is desirable to avoid saturation of the detector by scattered light from the downlink laser.

A ponderosa pine-grand fir spacing study in central Oregon: results after 10 years.

Treesearch

K.W. Seidel

1985-01-01

The 10-year growth response from an initial spacing study established in a ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa Dougl, ex Laws.) and grand fir (Abies grandis (Dougl. ex D. Don) Lindl.) plantation was measured in central Oregon. The study was designed to compare the growth rates of pure pine, pure fir, and a 50-percent mixture of...