This article focuses on the design, construction, and characterization of an ultra-stable current source. Prototypes of the sub-modules have been constructed and subjected to comprehensive ...characterization. The experimental results are systematically compared with simulations of the current supply. Real-world testing showcases enhanced precision when compared to existing supplies. The intended application of this current source is to attain an exceptionally stable (< pT) and uniform (< nT/m) magnetic field within the measurement cell. Additionally, its versatility extends to various precision experiments or measurements with practical applications across industries such as telecommunications, medical devices, medical imaging, diagnostics, physics, and materials science. In each of these fields, the stable current source plays a crucial role in ensuring accuracy and reliability for specific applications and experiments. The finalization of the current source PCB, along with the integration of an enclosure, is currently in progress.
We report the performance of a magnetically silent optically pumped cesium magnetometer with a statistical sensitivity of 3.9 pT and a stability of 90 fT over 150 seconds of measurement. Optical ...pumping with coherent, linearly-polarized, resonant light leads to a relatively long-lived polarized ground state of the cesium vapour contained in a measurement cell. The state precesses at its Larmor frequency in the magnetic field to be measured. Nonlinear magneto-optical rotation then leads to the rotation of the plane of polarization of a linearly polarized probe laser beam. The rotation angle is modulated at twice the Larmor frequency. A measurement of this frequency constitutes an absolute measurement of the magnetic field magnitude. Featuring purely optical operation, non-magnetic construction, low noise floor, and high stability, this sensor will be used for the upcoming TUCAN electric dipole moment experiment and other highly sensitive magnetic applications.
This paper presents a new technique to study the adsorption and desorption of ions and electrons on insulating surfaces in the presence of strong electric fields in cryoliquids. The experimental ...design consists of a compact cryostat coupled with a sensitive electro-optical Kerr device to monitor the stability of the electric fields. The behavior of nitrogen and helium ions on a poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) surface was compared to a PMMA surface coated with a mixture of deuterated polystyrene and deuterated polybutadiene. Ion accumulation and removal on these surfaces were unambiguously observed. Within the precision of the data, both surfaces behave similarly for the physisorbed ions. The setup was also used to measure the (quasi-)static dielectric constant of PMMA at T = 70 K. The impact of the ion adsorption on the search for a neutron permanent electric dipole moment in a cryogenic environment, like the nEDM@SNS experiment, is discussed.
The Nab experiment at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, USA, aims to measure the beta-antineutrino angular correlation following neutron \(\beta\) decay to an anticipated precision of approximately ...0.1\%. The proton momentum is reconstructed through proton time-of-flight measurements, and potential systematic biases in the timing reconstruction due to detector effects must be controlled at the nanosecond level. We present a thorough and detailed semiconductor and quasiparticle transport simulation effort to provide precise pulse shapes, and report on relevant systematic effects and potential measurement schemes.
Despite decades of theoretical and experimental investigation, the fundamental interactions between nucleons remains poorly understood. While the strong interaction is responsible for binding quarks ...into nucleons, and nucleons into nuclei, there is no consistent description of these processes. At the low energies where nucleon binding occurs, the interactions are in principle calculable from quantum chromodynamics, but the required non-perturbative calculations are not possible. Instead, different models have been created to describe different phenomena.
These models require experimental input to constrain them. As the expected weak interaction effects are not seen in the strangeness-conserving systems as have been seen in other systems, it is believed that the strong interaction interferes with the weak interaction. Therefore by measuring parity-violating observables that occur due to the weak interaction, information can be gained about the strong interaction.
The NPDGamma and n3He experiments are two complementary experiments that measured a parity violating observables in a few nucleon system. They ran on the Fundamental Neutron Physics Beamline at the Spallation Neutron Source.
The NPDGamma experiment measured the parity violating directional asymmetry in the gamma ray's emission direction after polarized cold neutron capture on a liquid parahydrogen target using an array of 48 CsI detectors.
The n3He experiment measured the parity violating directional asymmetry in the proton emission direction after polarized cold neutron capture on a gaseous $^{3}$He target. The capture occurs inside an ionization chamber that measures the proton emission direction.
Both experiments have completed data taking with data analysis in an advanced state. These experiments should be able to be used with a number of already existing experimental results to constrain the models.
I designed and assembled a pair of $^{3}$He ionization chambers that were used as beam monitors during the experiments. Using the lessons learned from the beam monitors, I then designed and assembled the ionization chamber that is the combined target and detector for the n3He experiment. The monitors and target chamber were examined to determine their charge collection properties and linearity after installation. One of the monitors was calibrated to determine the neutron flux from the output current.
February 2017
The TRIUMF Ultra-Cold Advanced Neutron (TUCAN) collaboration aims at a precision neutron electric dipole moment (nEDM) measurement with an uncertainty of \(10^{-27}\,e\cdot\mathrm{cm}\), which is an ...order-of-magnitude better than the current nEDM upper limit and enables us to test Supersymmetry. To achieve this precision, we are developing a new high-intensity ultracold neutron (UCN) source using super-thermal UCN production in superfluid helium (He-II) and a nEDM spectrometer. The current development status of them is reported in this article.
Kidneys are composed of numerous ciliated epithelial tubules called nephrons. Each nephron functions to reabsorb nutrients and concentrate waste products into urine. Defects in primary cilia are ...associated with abnormal formation of nephrons and cyst formation in a wide range of kidney disorders. Previous work in Xenopus laevis and zebrafish embryos established that loss of components that make up the Wnt/PCP pathway, Daam1 and ArhGEF19 (wGEF) perturb kidney tubulogenesis. Dishevelled, which activates both the canonical and non-canonical Wnt/PCP pathway, affect cilia formation in multiciliated cells. In this study, we investigated the role of the noncanoncial Wnt/PCP components Daam1 and ArhGEF19 (wGEF) in renal ciliogenesis utilizing polarized mammalian kidney epithelia cells (MDCKII and IMCD3) and Xenopus laevis embryonic kidney. We demonstrate that knockdown of Daam1 and ArhGEF19 in MDCKII and IMCD3 cells leads to loss of cilia, and Daam1's effect on ciliogenesis is mediated by the formin-activity of Daam1. Moreover, Daam1 co-localizes with the ciliary transport protein Ift88 and is present in cilia. Interestingly, knocking down Daam1 in Xenopus kidney does not lead to loss of cilia. These data suggests a new role for Daam1 in the formation of primary cilia.
In neurons, dendrites form the major sites of information receipt and integration. It is thus vital that, during development, the dendritic arbor is adequately formed to enable proper neural circuit ...formation and function. While several known processes shape the arbor, little is known of those that govern dendrite branching versus extension. Here, we report a new mechanism instructing dendrites to branch versus extend. In it, glutamate signaling activates mGluR5 receptors to promote Ckd5-mediated phosphorylation of the C-terminal PDZ-binding motif of delta-catenin. The phosphorylation state of this motif determines delta-catenin's ability to bind either Pdlim5 or Magi1. Whereas the delta:Pdlim5 complex enhances dendrite branching at the expense of elongation, the delta:Magi1 complex instead promotes lengthening. Our data suggest that these complexes affect dendrite development by differentially regulating the small-GTPase RhoA and actin-associated protein Cortactin. We thus reveal a "phospho-switch" within delta-catenin, subject to a glutamate-mediated signaling pathway, that assists in balancing the branching versus extension of dendrites during neural development.
This paper presents the Sport Concussion Assessment Tool 5th Edition (SCAT5), which is the most recent revision of a sport concussion evaluation tool for use by healthcare professionals in the acute ...evaluation of suspected concussion. The revision of the SCAT3 (first published in 2013) culminated in the SCAT5. The revision was based on a systematic review and synthesis of current research, public input and expert panel review as part of the 5th International Consensus Conference on Concussion in Sport held in Berlin in 2016. The SCAT5 is intended for use in those who are 13 years of age or older. The Child SCAT5 is a tool for those aged 5–12 years, which is discussed elsewhere.
Concussions cause diverse symptoms that are often measured through a single symptom severity score. Researchers have postulated distinct dimensions of concussion symptoms, raising the possibility ...that total scores may not accurately represent their multidimensional nature. This study examined to what degree concussion symptoms, assessed by the Sport Concussion Assessment Tool 3 (SCAT3), reflect a unidimensional versus multidimensional construct to inform how the SCAT3 should be scored and advance efforts to identify distinct phenotypes of concussion.
Data were aggregated across two prospective studies of sport-related concussion, yielding 219 high school and college athletes in the acute (<48 hr) post-injury period. Item-level ratings on the SCAT3 checklist were analyzed through exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses. We specified higher-order and bifactor models and compared their fit, interpretability, and external correlates.
The best-fitting model was a five-factor bifactor model that included a general factor on which all items loaded and four specific factors reflecting emotional symptoms, torpor, sensory sensitivities, and headache symptoms. The bifactor model demonstrated better discriminant validity than the counterpart higher-order model, in which the factors were highly correlated (r=.55-.91).
The SCAT3 contains items that appear unidimensional, suggesting that it is appropriate to quantify concussion symptoms with total scores. However, evidence of multidimensionality was revealed using bifactor modeling. Additional work is needed to clarify the nature of factors identified by this model, explicate their clinical and research utility, and determine to what degree the model applies to other stages of injury recovery and patient subgroups. (JINS, 2018, 24, 793-804).
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