Light elements were produced in the first few minutes of the Universe through a sequence of nuclear reactions known as Big Bang nucleosynthesis (BBN)
. Among the light elements produced during BBN
, ...deuterium is an excellent indicator of cosmological parameters because its abundance is highly sensitive to the primordial baryon density and also depends on the number of neutrino species permeating the early Universe. Although astronomical observations of primordial deuterium abundance have reached percent accuracy
, theoretical predictions
based on BBN are hampered by large uncertainties on the cross-section of the deuterium burning D(p,γ)
He reaction. Here we show that our improved cross-sections of this reaction lead to BBN estimates of the baryon density at the 1.6 percent level, in excellent agreement with a recent analysis of the cosmic microwave background
. Improved cross-section data were obtained by exploiting the negligible cosmic-ray background deep underground at the Laboratory for Underground Nuclear Astrophysics (LUNA) of the Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso (Italy)
. We bombarded a high-purity deuterium gas target
with an intense proton beam from the LUNA 400-kilovolt accelerator
and detected the γ-rays from the nuclear reaction under study with a high-purity germanium detector. Our experimental results settle the most uncertain nuclear physics input to BBN calculations and substantially improve the reliability of using primordial abundances to probe the physics of the early Universe.
As atoms and molecules condense to form solids, a crystalline state can emerge with its highly ordered geometry and subnanometric lattice constant. In some physical systems, such as ferroelectric ...perovskites, a perfect crystalline structure forms even when the condensing substances are non-stoichiometric. The resulting solids have compositional disorder and complex macroscopic properties, such as giant susceptibilities and non-ergodicity. Here, we observe the spontaneous formation of a cubic structure in composite ferroelectric potassium-lithium-tantalate-niobate with micrometric lattice constant, 10(4) times larger than that of the underlying perovskite lattice. The 3D effect is observed in specifically designed samples in which the substitutional mixture varies periodically along one specific crystal axis. Laser propagation indicates a coherent polarization super-crystal that produces an optical X-ray diffractometry, an ordered mesoscopic state of matter with important implications for critical phenomena and applications in miniaturized 3D optical technologies.
Recent experiments on DIII-D have increased confidence in the ability to suppress edge-localized modes (ELMs) using edge-resonant magnetic perturbations (RMPs) in ITER, including an improved physics ...basis for the edge response to RMPs as well as expansion of RMP ELM suppression to more ITER-like conditions. Complete ELM suppression has been achieved utilizing n = 3 RMPs in the ITER baseline scenario. In addition, RMP ELM suppression has been expanded to include plasmas with helium concentrations near 25% and the use of n = 2 RMPs. Analysis of the kinetic profile response suggests that ELM suppression is correlated with the co-alignment of the ω e = 0 location, an n = 3 rational surface, and the top of the pedestal. Modelling predicts that such a co-alignment could potentially lead to island (or island chain) formation just inside the top of the pedestal, inhibiting the growth of the pedestal and thereby maintaining the ELM-free state. Detailed analysis of data obtained during toroidal phase variations of the applied n = 3 RMPs have provided further evidence of an island-like structure at the top of the pedestal. In addition, nearly matched discharges with co-neutral-beam-injection (co-NBI) and counter-NBI have demonstrated the importance of the presence of the ω e = 0 location for ELM suppression. In the counter-NBI cases, the toroidal rotation profile is such that there is no ω e = 0 location and ELMs are not suppressed in conditions in which ELM suppression is generally observed with co-NBI.
Fetuses exposed to alcohol and/or tobacco are at risk for perinatal adversities. However, little is currently known about the association of the separate or concomitant use of alcohol and tobacco ...with infant motor and cognitive development. Thus, the objective of the present study was to investigate the association between maternal consumption of alcohol and/or tobacco during pregnancy and the motor and cognitive development of children starting from the second year of life. The study included 1006 children of a cohort started during the prenatal period (22-25 weeks of pregnancy), evaluated at birth and reevaluated during the second year of life in 2011/2013. The children were divided into four groups according to the alcohol and/or tobacco consumption reported by their mothers at childbirth: no consumption (NC), separate alcohol consumption (AC), separate tobacco consumption (TC), and concomitant use of both (ACTC). The Bayley Scale of Infant and Toddler Development Third Edition screening tool was used for the assessment of motor and cognitive development. Adjusted Poisson regression models were used to determine the association between groups and delayed development. The results indicated that only the ACTC group showed a higher risk of motor delay, specifically regarding fine motor skills, compared to the NC group (RR=2.81; 95%CI: 1.65; 4.77). Separate alcohol or tobacco consumption was not associated with delayed gross motor or cognitive development. However, the concomitant use of the two substances increased the risk of delayed acquisition of fine motor skills.
•The salts in sea water, which determine the salinity value, are sodium, and in lower concentrations calcium and potassium.•Microwave was used for the synthesis of the composite nanoparticles ...Fe3O4/clinoptilolite-Na.•The nanoparticles were tested for to magnetization susceptibility via VSM, and for structural characterization via XRD and SEM.•The nanoparticles were tested for ion adsorption from seawater solution and magnetic removal.•The study was mainly focused on the adsorbing abilities of the clinoptilolite-Na.
Ion removal from sea and brackish water is essential for desalination process. A similar process takes also place after tertiary treatment of municipal and industrial waste water as a final treatment before discharge to the recipient. The ion removal from sea and brackish water using Reverse Osmosis (R.O.) technique is a certified and well-proven technology that can provide high-quality water supply; however it is relatively expensive. In this paper a study on the effectiveness of cation adsorbing behavior of a common zeolite takes place when combined with magnetite nanoparticles for facile magnetic removal from the bulk of water. The feasibility of selective removal of ions and the ability of producing directly potable water without the need for further enrichment is the basic subject of elaboration in this research.
Abstract Heterozygous mutations in the PINK1 gene are considered a susceptibility factor to develop early-onset Parkinson's disease (PD), as supported by dopamine hypometabolism in asymptomatic ...mutation carriers and subtle alterations of dopamine-dependent striatal synaptic plasticity in heterozygous PINK1 knockout (PINK1+/− ) mice. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether exposure to low-dose rotenone of heterozygous PINK1+/− mice, compared to their wild-type PINK1+/+ littermates, could impact on dopamine-dependent striatal synaptic plasticity, in the absence of apparent structural alterations. Mice were exposed to a range of concentrations of rotenone (0.01–1 mg/kg). Chronic treatment with concentrations of rotenone up to 0.8 mg/kg did not cause manifest neuronal loss or changes in ATP levels both in the striatum or substantia nigra of PINK1+/− and PINK1+/+ mice. Moreover, rotenone (up to 0.8 mg/kg) treatment did not induce mislocalization of the mitochondrial membrane protein Tom20 and release of cytochrome c in PINK1+/− striata. Accordingly, basic electrophysiological properties of nigral dopaminergic and striatal medium spiny neurons (MSNs) were normal. Despite the lack of gross alterations in neuronal viability in chronically-treated PINK1+/− , a complete loss of both long-term depression (LTD) and long-term potentiation (LTP) was recorded in MSNs from PINK1+/− mice treated with a low rotenone (0.1 mg/kg) concentration. Even lower concentrations (0.01 mg/kg) blocked LTP induction in heterozygous PINK1+/− MSNs compared to PINK1+/+ mice. Of interest, chronic pretreatment with the antioxidants alpha-tocopherol and Trolox, a water-soluble analog of vitamin E and powerful antioxidant, rescued synaptic plasticity impairment, confirming that, at the doses we utilized, rotenone did not induce irreversible alterations. In this model, chronic exposure to low-doses of rotenone was not sufficient to alter mitochondrial integrity and ATP production, but profoundly impaired the expression of long-term plasticity at corticostriatal synapses in PINK1 heterozygous knockout mice, suggesting that disruption of synaptic plasticity may represent an early feature of a pre-manifesting state of the disease, and a potential tool to test novel neuroprotective agents.
Research on group differences in response latency often has as its goal the
detection of Group × Treatment interactions. However, accumulating
evidence suggests that response latencies for different ...groups are often
linearly related, leading to an increased likelihood of finding spurious
overadditive interactions in which the slower group produces a larger treatment
effect. The authors propose a rate-amount model that predicts linear
relationships between individuals and that includes global processing parameters
based on large-scale group differences in information processing. These global
processing parameters may be used to linearly transform response latencies from
different individuals to a common information-processing scale so that
small-scale group differences in information processing may be isolated. The
authors recommend linear regression and
z
-score transformations
that may be used to augment traditional analyses of raw response latencies.
The study aimed to increase the understanding of the lived experience of patients during the acute phase of a coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection.
A Web-based survey was distributed through ...established patient and public engagement and involvement groups and networks, social media, and by means of word of mouth. The survey covered questions relating to patient demographics, COVID-19 diagnosis, symptom profile, and patient experience during acute COVID-19.
The findings demonstrate the varying symptom profiles experienced by people in the acute stage of COVID-19 infection, with participants sharing how they managed care at home, and/or accessed medical advice. Findings also highlight themes that people were concerned with being unable to receive care and believed they needed to rely heavily on family, with extreme thoughts of death.
Although the urgent threat to public health has been negated by efficacious vaccines and enhanced treatment strategies, there are key lessons from the lived experience of COVID-19 that should be used to prepare for future pandemics and public health emergencies.
Abstract Despite increasing knowledge of disease‐causing genes in human genetics, approximately half of the individuals affected by neurodevelopmental disorders remain genetically undiagnosed. Part ...of this missing heritability might be caused by genetic variants outside of protein‐coding genes, which are not routinely diagnostically investigated. A recent preprint identified de novo variants in the non‐coding spliceosomal snRNA gene RNU4‐2 as a cause of a frequent novel syndromic neurodevelopmental disorder. Here we mined 164 whole genome sequencing (WGS) trios from individuals with neurodevelopmental or multiple congenital anomaly disorders that received diagnostic genomic investigations at our clinic. We identify a recurrent de novo RNU4‐2 variant (NR_003137.2( RNU4‐2 ):n.64_65insT) in a 5‐year‐old girl with severe global developmental delay, hypotonia, microcephaly, and seizures that likely explains her phenotype, given that extensive previous genetic investigations failed to identify an alternative cause. We present detailed phenotyping of the individual obtained during a 5‐year follow‐up. This includes photographs showing recognizable facial features for this novel disorder, which might allow prioritizing other currently unexplained affected individuals sharing similar facial features for targeted investigations of RNU4‐2 . This case illustrates the power of re‐analysis to solve previously unexplained cases even when a diagnostic genome remains negative.
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