The need of a fs-scale pulsed, high repetition rate, X-ray source for time-resolved fine analysis of matter (spectroscopy and photon scattering) in the linear response regime is addressed by the ...conceptual design of a facility called MariX (Multi-disciplinary Advanced Research Infrastructure for the generation and application of X-rays) outperforming current X-ray sources for the declared scope. MariX is based on the original design of a two-pass two-way superconducting linear electron accelerator, equipped with an arc compressor, to be operated in CW mode (1 MHz). MariX provides FEL emission in the range 0.2–8 keV with 108 photons per pulse ideally suited for photoelectric effect and inelastic X-ray scattering experiments. The accelerator complex includes an early stage that supports an advanced inverse Compton source of very high-flux hard X-rays of energies up to 180 keV that is well adapted for large area radiological imaging, realizing a broad science programme and serving a multidisciplinary user community, covering fundamental science of matter and application to life sciences, including health at preclinical and clinical level.
Neutrinoless double-beta (0vββ) decay is a hypothesized lepton-number-violating process that offers the only known means of asserting the possible Majorana nature of neutrino mass. The Cryogenic ...Underground Observatory for Rare Events (CUORE) is an upcoming experiment designed to search for 0vββ decay of sup.130Te using an array of 988 TeO.sub.2 crystal bolometers operated at 10 mK. The detector will contain 206 kg of sup.130Te and have an average energy resolution of 5 keV; the projected 0vββ decay half-life sensitivity after five years of livetime is 1.6 x 10.sup.26 γ at 1σ (9.5 x 10.sup.25 γ at the 90% confidence level), which corresponds to an upper limit on the effective Majorana mass in the range 40-100 meV (50-130 meV). In this paper, we review the experimental techniques used in CUORE as well as its current status and anticipated physics reach.
Neutrinoless double beta decay (
0
ν
β
β
) is one of the most sensitive probes for physics beyond the Standard Model, providing unique information on the nature of neutrinos. In this paper we review ...the status and outlook for bolometric
0
ν
β
β
decay searches. We summarize recent advances in background suppression demonstrated using bolometers with simultaneous readout of heat and light signals. We simulate several configurations of a future CUORE-like bolometer array which would utilize these improvements and present the sensitivity reach of a hypothetical next-generation bolometric
0
ν
β
β
experiment. We demonstrate that a bolometric experiment with the isotope mass of about 1 ton is capable of reaching the sensitivity to the effective Majorana neutrino mass (
|
m
e
e
|
) of order 10–20 meV, thus completely exploring the so-called inverted neutrino mass hierarchy region. We highlight the main challenges and identify priorities for an R&D program addressing them.
Hepatic steatosis increases the extent of cellular injury incurred during ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury. (‐)‐Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), the major flavonoid component of green tea (camellia ...sinensis) is a potent antioxidant that inhibits fatty acid synthase (FAS) in vitro. We investigated the effects of EGCG on hepatic steatosis and markers of cellular damage at baseline and after I/R injury in ob/ob mice. Animals were pretreated with 85 mg/kg EGCG via intraperitoneal (ip) injection for 2 days or oral consumption in the drinking water for 5 days before 15 minutes of warm ischemia and 24 hours of reperfusion. After EGCG administration, total baseline hepatic fat content decreased from baseline. Palmitic acid and linoleic acid levels also were reduced substantially in all ECGC‐treated animals before I/R. Alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels decreased in all EGCG‐treated animals compared with control animals after I/R. Histologic analysis demonstrated an average decrease of 65% necrosis after EGCG administration. EGCG administration also increased resting hepatic energy stores as determined by an increase in cellular adenosine triphosphate (ATP) with a concomitant decrease in uncoupling protein 2 (UCP2) before I/R. Finally, there was an increased level of glutathione (GSH) in the EGCG‐treated mice compared with the vehicle‐treated mice both at baseline and after I/R. In conclusion, taken together, this study demonstrates that treatment with ECGC by either oral or ip administration, significantly protects the liver after I/R, possibly by reducing hepatic fat content, increasing hepatic energy status, and functioning as an antioxidant. (Liver Transpl 2005;11:298–308.)
The role of TlyA, TlyB and TlyC proteins in the biology of
Leptospira is still uncertain. Although these proteins have been considered as putative hemolysins, we demonstrate that leptospiral ...recombinant TlyB and TlyC do not possess hemolytic activity. However, further experiments showed that TlyC is a surface-exposed protein that seems to bind to laminin, collagen IV and fibronectin. The expression of both proteins was detected both in vitro and in vivo. Our findings suggest that TlyB and TlyC are not directly involved in hemolysis, and that TlyC may contribute to
Leptospira binding to extracellular matrix (ECM) during host infection.
Initial performance of the CUORE-0 experiment Artusa, D. R.; Avignone, F. T.; Azzolini, O. ...
The European physical journal. C, Particles and fields,
08/2014, Letnik:
74, Številka:
8
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
CUORE-0 is a cryogenic detector that uses an array of tellurium dioxide bolometers to search for neutrinoless double-beta decay of
130
Te
. We present the first data analysis with
7.1
kg
·
y
of total
...TeO
2
exposure focusing on background measurements and energy resolution. The background rates in the neutrinoless double-beta decay region of interest (2.47 to
2.57
MeV
) and in the
α
background-dominated region (2.70 to
3.90
MeV
) have been measured to be
0.071
±
0.011
and
0.019
±
0.002
counts
/
(
keV
·
kg
·
y
)
, respectively. The latter result represents a factor of 6 improvement from a predecessor experiment, Cuoricino. The results verify our understanding of the background sources in CUORE-0, which is the basis of extrapolations to the full CUORE detector. The obtained energy resolution (full width at half maximum) in the region of interest is
5.7
keV
. Based on the measured background rate and energy resolution in the region of interest, CUORE-0 half-life sensitivity is expected to surpass the observed lower bound of Cuoricino with one year of live time.
The Cryogenic Underground Observatory for Rare Events (CUORE) at Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso of INFN in Italy is an experiment searching for neutrinoless double beta (0νββ) decay. Its main ...goal is to investigate this decay in 130Te, but its ton-scale mass and low background make CUORE sensitive to other rare processes as well. Here, in this Letter, we present our first results on the search for 0νββ decay of 128Te, the Te isotope with the second highest natural isotopic abundance. We find no evidence for this decay, and using a Bayesian analysis we set a lower limit on the 128Te 0νββ decay half-life of T1/2 > 3.6 x 1024 yr (90% CI). This represents the most stringent limit on the half-life of this isotope, improving by over a factor of 30 the previous direct search results, and exceeding those from geochemical experiments for the first time.