IDEA (Innovative Detector for Electron–positron Accelerators) is a detector concept designed for a future leptonic collider operating as a Higgs factory. It is based on innovative detector ...technologies developed over years of R&D. In September 2018, prototypes of the proposed sub-detectors have been tested for the first time on a beam line at CERN. The preliminary results from this test of a full slice of the IDEA detector and standalone measurements of dual read-out calorimeter prototypes are presented.
This document summarises the current theoretical and experimental status of the di-Higgs boson production searches, and of the direct and indirect constraints on the Higgs boson self-coupling, with ...the wish to serve as a useful guide for the next years. The document discusses the theoretical status, including state-of-the-art predictions for di-Higgs cross sections, developments on the effective field theory approach, and studies on specific new physics scenarios that can show up in the di-Higgs final state. The status of di-Higgs searches and the direct and indirect constraints on the Higgs self-coupling at the LHC are presented, with an overview of the relevant experimental techniques, and covering all the variety of relevant signatures. Finally, the capabilities of future colliders in determining the Higgs self-coupling are addressed, comparing the projected precision that can be obtained in such facilities. The work has started as the proceedings of the Di-Higgs workshop at Colliders, held at Fermilab from the 4th to the 9th of September 2018, but it went beyond the topics discussed at that workshop and included further developments. FERMILAB-CONF-19-468-E-T, LHCHXSWG-2019-005
Triple-GEM detector technology was recently selected by CMS for a part of the upgrade of its forward muon detector system as GEM detectors provide a stable operation in the high radiation environment ...expected during the future High-Luminosity phase of the Large Hadron Collider (HL-LHC). In a first step, GEM chambers (detectors) will be installed in the innermost muon endcap station in the 1.6<η<2.2 pseudo-rapidity region, mainly to control level-1 muon trigger rates after the second LHC Long Shutdown. These new chambers will add redundancy to the muon system in the η-region where the background rates are high, and the bending of the muon trajectories due to the CMS magnetic field is small. A novel construction technique for such chambers has been developed in such a way where foils are mounted onto a single stack and then uniformly stretched mechanically, avoiding the use of spacers and glue inside the active gas volume. We describe the layout, the stretching mechanism and the overall assembly technique of such GEM chambers.
This document summarises the current theoretical and experimental status of the di-Higgs boson production searches, and of the direct and indirect constraints on the Higgs boson self-coupling, with ...the wish to serve as a useful guide for the next years. The document discusses the theoretical status, including state-of-the-art predictions for di-Higgs cross sections, developments on the effective field theory approach, and studies on specific new physics scenarios that can show up in the di-Higgs final state. The status of di-Higgs searches and the direct and indirect constraints on the Higgs self-coupling at the LHC are presented, with an overview of the relevant experimental techniques, and covering all the variety of relevant signatures. Finally, the capabilities of future colliders in determining the Higgs self-coupling are addressed, comparing the projected precision that can be obtained in such facilities. The work has started as the proceedings of the Di-Higgs workshop at Colliders, held at Fermilab from the 4th to the 9th of September 2018, but it went beyond the topics discussed at that workshop and included further developments.
In this study, using daughter design and selective DNA pooling methods, we verified the occurrence of a QTL important for milk production in the proximal region of bovine chromosome 14 in Italian ...Holstein Friesian breed. Furthermore, we scanned this chromosome for other QTLs affecting milk yield, protein percentage and fat percentage. The results show that the QTLs in proximal region is only partly due to mutation A232K of DGAT1 gene and that probably one or more QTL segregate in middle-distal end of chromosome. Further studies are necessary to confirm and explain these results.
Nel presente studio, utilizzando le metodologie del daughter design e del selective DNA pooling, abbiamo verificato la presenza di un importante QTL per la produzione di latte nella regione prossimale del cromosoma 14 nella razza Frisona Italiana. Inoltre, abbiamo effettuato la ricerca di altri QTL per la percentuale di proteine, la percentuale di grasso e la produzione di latte su questo cromosoma. I risultati mettono in evidenza che il QTL nella regione prossimale è dovuto solo in parte alla mutazione A232K del gene DGAT1 e che probabilmente un altro o altri QTL segregano nella regione centrale-distale del cromosoma. Ulteriori studi sono necessari per confermare e chiarire questi risultati
Fibroblasts from patients with Tangier disease carrying ATP-binding cassette A1 (ABCA1) loss-of-function mutations are characterized by cardiolipin accumulation, a mitochondrial-specific ...phospholipid. Suppression of ABCA1 expression occurs in glomeruli from patients with diabetic kidney disease (DKD) and in human podocytes exposed to DKD sera collected prior to the development of DKD. We demonstrated that siRNA ABCA1 knockdown in podocytes led to reduced oxygen consumption capabilities associated with alterations in the oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) complexes and with cardiolipin accumulation. Podocyte-specific deletion of Abca1 (Abca1fl/fl) rendered mice susceptible to DKD, and pharmacological induction of ABCA1 improved established DKD. This was not mediated by free cholesterol, as genetic deletion of sterol-o-acyltransferase-1 (SOAT1) in Abca1fl/fl mice was sufficient to cause free cholesterol accumulation but did not cause glomerular injury. Instead, cardiolipin mediates ABCA1-dependent susceptibility to podocyte injury, as inhibition of cardiolipin peroxidation with elamipretide improved DKD in vivo and prevented ABCA1-dependent podocyte injury in vitro and in vivo. Collectively, we describe a pathway definitively linking ABCA1 deficiency to cardiolipin-driven mitochondrial dysfunction. We demonstrated that this pathway is relevant to DKD and that ABCA1 inducers or inhibitors of cardiolipin peroxidation may each represent therapeutic strategies for the treatment of established DKD.
Reggiana is a local cattle breed from northern Italy known for its rusticity and profitability, due to the production of branded Parmigiano Reggiano cheese. To ensure the persistence of such ...profitability in the long term, an adequate breeding program is required. To this aim, in the present study we estimate the genetic parameters of the main productive and reproductive traits, and we evaluate the effect of genotype by environment interaction (GxE) on these traits using 2 environmental covariates: (1) productivity and (2) temperature-humidity index (THI). Milk, fat, protein, and casein yield were considered as daily production traits, whereas protein, fat, casein percentage, casein index, and somatic cell score were considered as milk quality traits. Finally, reproductive traits such as the number of inseminations, days open, calving interval, and calving-to-first-insemination interval were evaluated. Reggiana cattle produce an average of 19 kg of milk per day with 3.7% fat and 3.4% protein content and have excellent fertility parameters. Compared with other breeds, they have slightly lower heritability for production and quality for production traits (e.g., 0.12 0.09; 0.15 for milk yield), but similar heritability for fertility traits. Milk, protein, and fat daily yields are highly correlated but negatively correlated with the percentage of protein, fat, and casein, whereas fertility traits have an unfavorable genetic correlation with daily production traits. When considering productivity, a consistent amount of variability due to GxE was observed for all daily production traits, somatic cell count, and casein index. A modest amount of GxE was observed for fertility parameters, while the percentage of solid content showed almost no GxE effect. A similar situation occurred when considering the THI, but no GxE interaction was observed for reproduction traits. In conclusion, this study provides useful information for the implementation of accurate selection plans in this local breed, accounting for environmental plasticity measured through the consistent GxE interaction observed.
Nero Siciliano (NS; Sicilian Black) is a local pig breed reared on the island of Sicily mainly under extensive management. The breed is well adapted to marginal conditions and is appreciated for its ...reproductive performance, disease resistance and production of tasty meat. For a genetic characterization of this breed we analyzed the allele frequencies of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in eight major or candidate genes (ryanodine receptor 1, RYR1; Na
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, K
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ATPase subunit α 2, ATP1A2; myosin heavy chain 2B, MYH4; sarcolipin, SLN; cathepsin B, CTSB; cystatin B, CSTB; estrogen receptor, ESR; melanocortin receptor 1, MC1R) for performance and phenotypic traits. The animals that were sampled and analyzed represent about 6-8% of the total NS pig population. PCR-RFLP or PCR-SSCP techniques were used to type the DNA markers in the selected loci. Exact test of Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium was computed for each locus, Fis statistics and heterozygosity were calculated for each locus and over all loci. Allele frequencies obtained in NS breed were compared to the frequencies already available in literature for the Large White, Landrace, Duroc, Belgian Landrace, Piétrain, Hampshire and Meishan breeds. For the ESR locus, as no information on the distribution of the two alleles were available, we typed a sample of unrelated pigs from the considered breeds.
Even if only eight loci were studied in NS breed, important elements were obtained from the data. The 1843T (n) allele at the RYR1 locus is present in NS breed, thus the molecular test to identify the carriers of this allele should be adopted to avoid its spreading in the population. Moreover, other studies are needed to clarify the allelic structure of the MC1R gene, which affects coat color, in order to evaluate if this gene could be used in genetic tests for the traceability of the meat products of this breed. Finally, the present work represents an attempt to evaluate data on mutations within major and candidate genes with the final aim to provide information that could be useful for the conservation and valorization of local farm animal genetic resources.
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