The MiniBooNE-DM Collaboration searched for vector-boson mediated production of dark matter using the Fermilab 8-GeV Booster proton beam in a dedicated run with 1.86×10^{20} protons delivered to a ...steel beam dump. The MiniBooNE detector, 490 m downstream, is sensitive to dark matter via elastic scattering with nucleons in the detector mineral oil. Analysis methods developed for previous MiniBooNE scattering results were employed, and several constraining data sets were simultaneously analyzed to minimize systematic errors from neutrino flux and interaction rates. No excess of events over background was observed, leading to a 90% confidence limit on the dark matter cross section parameter, Y=ε^{2}α_{D}(m_{χ}/m_{V})^{4}≲10^{-8}, for α_{D}=0.5 and for dark matter masses of 0.01<m_{χ}<0.3 GeV in a vector portal model of dark matter. This is the best limit from a dedicated proton beam dump search in this mass and coupling range and extends below the mass range of direct dark matter searches. These results demonstrate a novel and powerful approach to dark matter searches with beam dump experiments.
We report the first measurement of monoenergetic muon neutrino charged current interactions. MiniBooNE has isolated 236 MeV muon neutrino events originating from charged kaon decay at rest ...(K^{+}→μ^{+}ν_{μ}) at the NuMI beamline absorber. These signal ν_{μ}-carbon events are distinguished from primarily pion decay in flight ν_{μ} and νover ¯_{μ} backgrounds produced at the target station and decay pipe using their arrival time and reconstructed muon energy. The significance of the signal observation is at the 3.9σ level. The muon kinetic energy, neutrino-nucleus energy transfer (ω=E_{ν}-E_{μ}), and total cross section for these events are extracted. This result is the first known-energy, weak-interaction-only probe of the nucleus to yield a measurement of ω using neutrinos, a quantity thus far only accessible through electron scattering.
Zero mode waveguides (ZMWs), subwavelength optical nanostructures with dimensions ranging from 50 to 200
nm, have been used to study systems involving ligand-receptor interactions. We show that under ...proper conditions, lipid membranes will invaginate into the nanostructures, which confine optical excitation to subattoliter volumes. Fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (FCS) was used to characterize the diffusion of fluorescently tagged lipids in liquid-disordered phase 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-
sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (POPC) and gel phase 1,2-distearoyl-
sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DSPC) membranes incubated on the nanostructured surface. In contrast to the POPC, DSPC membranes did not appear to enter the structures, suggesting that invagination is dependent on membrane rigidity. Although correlation curves obtained from POPC membranes conformed to previously derived models for diffusion in the evanescent field within the nanostructure, the diffusion constants obtained were systematically lower than expected. The validity of the one-dimensional diffusion model for membrane diffusion is discussed and it is concluded that the erroneous diffusion constants are a result of nontrivial membrane conformation within the ZMWs. Additionally, FCS was used to characterize the fraction of fluorescently labeled tetanus toxin C fragment bound to a ganglioside-populated POPC membrane within the ZMWs. This allowed the determination of the toxin's equilibrium binding constant at a concentration of 500
nM; higher than possible with diffraction-limited FCS. To our knowledge, the results presented here are the first reported for supported lipid bilayers in nanostructured devices. Furthermore, they open the possibility of studying membrane imbedded receptors and proteins at physiological concentrations with single-molecule resolution.
The MiniBooNE experiment at Fermilab reports results from an analysis of ν¯e appearance data from 11.27×10²⁰ protons on target in the antineutrino mode, an increase of approximately a factor of 2 ...over the previously reported results. An event excess of 78.4±28.5 events (2.8σ) is observed in the energy range 200<EQEν<1250 MeV. If interpreted in a two-neutrino oscillation model, ν¯μ→ν¯e, the best oscillation fit to the excess has a probability of 66% while the background-only fit has a χ² probability of 0.5% relative to the best fit. The data are consistent with antineutrino oscillations in the 0.01<Δm²<1.0 eV² range and have some overlap with the evidence for antineutrino oscillations from the Liquid Scintillator Neutrino Detector. All of the major backgrounds are constrained by in situ event measurements so nonoscillation explanations would need to invoke new anomalous background processes. The neutrino mode running also shows an excess at low energy of 162.0±47.8 events (3.4σ) but the energy distribution of the excess is marginally compatible with a simple two neutrino oscillation formalism. Expanded models with several sterile neutrinos can reduce the incompatibility by allowing for CP violating effects between neutrino and antineutrino oscillations.
A search for sub-GeV dark matter produced from collisions of the Fermilab 8 GeV Booster protons with a steel beam dump was performed by the MiniBooNE-DM Collaboration using data from 1.86 × 1020 ...protons on target in a dedicated run. The MiniBooNE detector, consisting of 818 tons of mineral oil and located 490 meters downstream of the beam dump, is sensitive to a variety of dark matter initiated scattering reactions. Three dark matter interactions are considered for this analysis: elastic scattering off nucleons, inelastic neutral pion production, and elastic scattering off electrons. Multiple data sets were used to constrain flux and systematic errors, and time-of-flight information was employed to increase sensitivity to higher dark matter masses. No excess from the background predictions was observed, and 90% confidence level limits were set on the vector portal and leptophobic dark matter models. New parameter space is excluded in the vector portal dark matter model with a dark matter mass between 5 and 50 MeV c−2 . The reduced neutrino flux allowed to test if the MiniBooNE neutrino excess scales with the production of neutrinos. No excess of neutrino oscillation events were measured ruling out models that scale solely by number of protons on target independent of beam configuration at 4.6σ.
This paper describes the operation of the Coherent CAPTAIN-Mills (CCM) detector located at the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center at Los Alamos National Laboratory. CCM is a 10-ton liquid argon ...detector located 20 meters from a high flux neutron/neutrino source and is designed to search for sterile neutrinos (νs’s) and light dark matter (LDM). An engineering run was performed in fall 2019 to study the characteristics of the CCM120 detector by searching for coherent scattering signals consistent with νs’s and LDM resulting from the production and decays of π+ and π0 in the tungsten target. New parameter space in a leptophobic dark matter (DM) model was excluded for DM masses between ~2.0 and 30 MeV. The lessons learned from this run have guided the development and construction of the new CCM200 detector that will begin operations in 2021 and significantly improve on these searches.
Partial splenectomy in sickle cell disease Gutiérrez Díaz, A I; Svarch, E; Arencibia Núñez, A ...
Anales de pediatría (Barcelona, Spain : 2003)
82, Številka:
4
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Total splenectomy in sickle cell disease is related to a high risk of fulminant sepsis and increased incidence of other events, which have not been reported in patients with partial splenectomy. In ...this study we examined the patients with sickle cell disease and partial splenectomy and compared the clinical and laboratory results with non-splenectomized patients.
We studied 54 patients with sickle cell disease who underwent partial splenectomy in childhood from 1986 until 2011 at the Institute of Hematology and Immunology. They were compared with 54 non-splenectomized patients selected by random sampling with similar characteristics.
Partial splenectomy was performed at a mean age of 4.1 years, with a higher frequency in homozygous hemoglobin S (70.4%), and the most common cause was recurrent splenic sequestration crisis. The most common postoperative complications were fever of unknown origin (14.8%) and acute chest syndrome (11.1%). After splenectomy there was a significant increase in leukocytes, neutrophils, and platelets, the latter two parameters remained significantly elevated when compared with non-splenectomized patients. There was no difference in the incidence of clinical events, except hepatic sequestration, which was more common in splenectomized patients.
Partial splenectomy was a safe procedure in patients with sickle cell disease. There were no differences in the clinical picture in children splenectomized and non-splenectomized except the greater frequency of hepatic sequestration crisis in the first group.
Resumen Introducción La esplenectomía total en la drepanocitosis se relaciona con riesgo de infecciones sobreagudas y con aumento de la incidencia de otros eventos, lo que no se ha comunicado en ...pacientes con esplenectomía parcial. En este estudio se caracterizó a los pacientes con drepanocitosis y esplenectomía parcial, y se comparó el comportamiento clínico y de laboratorio con los pacientes no esplenectomizados. Material y métodos Se estudió a 54 pacientes con drepanocitosis sometidos a esplenectomía parcial durante la edad pediátrica, desde 1986 hasta el año 2011, en el Instituto de Hematología e Inmunología. Se compararon con 54 pacientes no esplenectomizados seleccionados por muestreo aleatorio con características similares. Resultados La esplenectomía parcial se realizó a una edad media de 4,1 años, con una frecuencia mayor en la anemia drepanocítica (70,4%) y su causa más común fue la crisis de secuestro esplénico recurrente. Las complicaciones posoperatorias más frecuentes fueron: fiebre de origen desconocido (14,8%) y síndrome torácico agudo (11,1%). Después de la esplenectomía, aumentaron significativamente los leucocitos, neutrófilos y plaquetas; estos 2 últimos parámetros se mantuvieron elevados de manera significativa cuando se compararon con los pacientes no esplenectomizados. No hubo diferencias en la incidencia de los eventos clínicos, excepto el secuestro hepático, que fue más frecuente en los esplenectomizados. Conclusión La esplenectomía parcial constituyó un proceder seguro en los pacientes con drepanocitosis. No hubo diferencias en el cuadro clínico entre los niños esplenectomizados y los no esplenectomizados, salvo la mayor frecuencia de crisis de secuestro hepático en los primeros.