The Pulsed Neutron Beam EDM Experiment

We report on the Beam EDM experiment, which aims to employ a pulsed cold neutron beam to search for an electric dipole moment instead of the established use of storable ultracold neutrons. We present a brief overview of the basic measurement concept and the current status of our proof-of-principle Ramsey apparatus

Experimental Investigation of Impact-Induced Molecular Desorption by 4.2 MeV/u Pb ions

In preparation for the heavy ion program of the LHC, accumulation and cooling test with lead ion beams have been performed in the LEAR storage ring. These tests have revealed that due to the unexpected, large outgassing of the vacuum system, the dynamic pressure of the ring could not be maintained low enough to reach the required beam intensities. To determine the actions necessary to lower the dynamic pressure rise, an experimental program has been initiated for measuring the molecular desorption yields of stainless steel vacuum chambers by the impact of 4.2 MeV/u lead ions with the charge states +27 and +53. The test chambers were exposed either at grazing or at perpendicular incidence. Different surface treatments are reported in terms of the molecular desorption yields for H2, CH4, CO and CO2. Unpexpected large values of molecular yields per incident ion up to 2x104 molecules/ion have been observed. The implications of these results for the vacuum system of the future ion accumulator ring (LEIR) and possible remedies to reduce the vacuum degradation will be discussed

Hadron Coolers at CERN

To provide efficient deceleration and to produce antiproton beam with the required characteristics two different cooler systems (stochastic and electron) are used in operation on the AD (Antiproton Decelerator) machine. In a near future, an electron cooling system will be used in LEIR (Low Energy Ion Ring) to accumulate ions for LHC. This system will be used for a fast ion beam cooling and stacking. These cooling systems are described

Design of a fuzzy affective agent based on typicality degrees of physiological signals

Conference paper presented at International Conference on Information Processing and Management in July 2014Physiology-based emotionally intelligent paradigms provide an opportunity to enhance human computer interactions by continuously evoking and adapting to the user experiences in real-time. However , there are unresolved questions on how to model real- time emotionally intelligent applications through mapping of physiological patterns to users ' affective states. In ·this study, we consider an approach for design of fuzzy affective agent based on the concept of typicality. We propose the use of typicality degrees of physiological patterns to construct the fuzzy rules representing the continuous transitions of user 's affective states. The approach was tested· on experimental data in which physiological measures were recorded on players involved in an action game to characterize various gaming experiences . We show that , in addition to exploitation of the results to characterize users ' affective states through .typicality degrees, this approach is a systematic way to automatically define fuzzy rules from experimental data for an affective agent to be used in real -time continuous assessment of user's affective states.Physiology-based emotionally intelligent paradigms provide an opportunity to enhance human computer interactions by continuously evoking and adapting to the user experiences in real-time. However , there are unresolved questions on how to model real- time emotionally intelligent applications through mapping of physiological patterns to users ' affective states. In ·this study, we consider an approach for design of fuzzy affective agent based on the concept of typicality. We propose the use of typicality degrees of physiological patterns to construct the fuzzy rules representing the continuous transitions of user 's affective states. The approach was tested· on experimental data in which physiological measures were recorded on players involved in an action game to characterize various gaming experiences . We show that , in addition to exploitation of the results to characterize users ' affective states through .typicality degrees, this approach is a systematic way to automatically define fuzzy rules from experimental data for an affective agent to be used in real -time continuous assessment of user's affective states

The Impact of Different Classification Criteria Sets on the Estimated Prevalence and Associated Risk Factors of Diastolic Dysfunction in Rheumatoid Arthritis

This study compared the estimated prevalence and potential determinants of left ventricular (LV) diastolic dysfunction upon applying different classification criteria in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). LV diastolic function was assessed echocardiographically by pulsed Doppler (E/A), tissue Doppler (E/e′, lateral and septal e′), and left atrial volume index in 176 RA patients. Relationships of traditional cardiovascular risk factors and RA characteristics with LV diastolic function and dysfunction according to previous and current criteria were determined in multivariate regression models. Waist-hip ratio was associated with E/A (standardised β (SE) = -0.28±0.09, p=0.0002) and lateral e′ (standardised β (SE) = 0.26±0.09, p=0.01); low diastolic blood pressure was related to E/e′ (standardised β (SE) = -0.16±0.08, p=0.04). Diastolic dysfunction prevalence differed upon applying previous (59%) compared to current (22%) criteria (p<0.0001). One SD increase in waist-hip ratio was associated with diastolic dysfunction when applying current criteria (OR = 2.61 (95% CI = 1.51–4.52), p=0.0006), whereas one SD increase in diastolic blood pressure was inversely related to diastolic dysfunction upon using previous criteria (OR = 0.57 (95% CI = 0.40–0.81), p=0.002). In conclusion, application of current and previous diastolic dysfunction criteria markedly alters the prevalence and risk factors associated with diastolic dysfunction in RA

Investigation of N-terminal domain charged residues on the assembly and stability of HIV-1CA

ABSTRACT: The human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) capsid protein (CA) plays a crucial role in both assembly and maturation of the virion as well as viral infectivity. Previous in vivo experiments generated two N-terminal domain charge change mutants (E45A and E128A/R132A) that showed an increase in stability of the viral core. This increase in core stability resulted in decreased infectivity, suggesting the need for a delicate balance of favorable and unfavorable interactions to both allow assembly and facilitate uncoating following infection. Purified CA protein can be triggered to assemble into tubelike structures through the use of a high salt buffer system. The requirement for high salt suggests the need to overcome charge/charge repulsion between subunits. The mutations mentioned above lie within a highly charged region of the N-terminal domain of CA, away from any of the proposed protein/protein interaction sites. We constructed a number of charge mutants in this region (E45A, E45K, E128A, R132A, E128A/ R132A, K131A, and K131E) and evaluated their effect on protein stability in addition to their effect on the rate of CA assembly. We find that the mutations alter the rate of assembly of CA without significantly changing the stability of the CA monomer. The changes in rate for the mutants studied are found to be due to varying degrees of electrostatic repulsion between the subunits of each mutant

Experimental investigation of electron cooling and stacking of lead ions in a low energy accumulation ring

This report gives the results of a programme of experimental investigations, which were carried out to test stacking of lead ions in a storage ring (the former Low Energy Antiproton Ring, LEAR) at 4.2 MeV per nucleon. The motivation was to demonstrate the feasibility of gaining the large factor in the phase-space density required for injection into the LHC. In the first part of the report, the layout of the experiments is described, the choice of the parameters of the electron cooling system used for stacking is reported and the multi-turn injection using horizontal- and longitudinal- (and in the final project also vertical-) phase space is discussed. In the second part the experimental results are presented. Factors of vital importance are the stacking efficiency, the beam life-time and the cooling time of the ions. The beam decay owing to charge exchange with the residual gas and to recombination by the capture of cooling electrons was intensively studied. Beam instabilities and space-charge effects in the ion beam turned out to be additional, although less serious, limitations of the accumulation rate. The cooling speed as a function of cooler and storage-ring properties was investigated over a wide range of parameters. Among the 'surprises' encountered are an anomalously fast recombination rate for certain ion charge states (Pb53+), a strong dependence of the cooling time on the dispersion function of the storage ring, and an intensity-dependent outgassing of equipment in the vacuum chamber. After a careful choice of parameters and antidotes, an overall factor of 120 in intensity could be gained, by multi-turn injection and stacking for 4 s. The intensity obtained ($6 x 10^8$ ions with a length corresponding to four LHC bunches) is only a factor of two short of the LHC requirement, and the stacking time (4 s instead of 2 s foreseen for filling each LHC ring in 8 min) is another factor of two off

Methamphetamine Self-Administration Is Associated with Persistent Biochemical Alterations in Striatal and Cortical Dopaminergic Terminals in the Rat

Methamphetamine (meth) is an illicit psychostimulant that is abused throughout the world. Repeated passive injections of the drug given in a single day or over a few days cause significant and long-term depletion of dopamine and serotonin in the mammalian brain. Because meth self-administration may better mimic some aspects of human drug-taking behaviors, we examined to what extent this pattern of drug treatment might also result in damage to monoaminergic systems in the brain. Rats were allowed to intravenously self-administer meth (yoked control rats received vehicle) 15 hours per day for 8 days before being euthanized at either 24 hours or at 7 and 14 days after cessation of drug taking. Meth self-administration by the rats was associated with a progressive escalation of daily drug intake to 14 mg/kg per day. Animals that self-administered meth exhibited dose-dependent decreases in striatal dopamine levels during the period of observation. In addition, there were significant reductions in the levels of striatal dopamine transporter and tyrosine hydroxylase proteins. There were also significant decreases in the levels of dopamine, dopamine transporter, and tyrosine hydroxylase in the cortex. In contrast, meth self-administration caused only transient decreases in norepinephrine and serotonin levels in the two brain regions, with these values returning to normal at seven days after cessation of drug taking. Importantly, meth self-administration was associated with significant dose-dependent increases in glial fibrillary acidic protein in both striatum and cortex, with these changes being of greater magnitude in the striatum. These results suggest that meth self-administration by rats is associated with long-term biochemical changes that are reminiscent of those observed in post-mortem brain tissues of chronic meth abusers

Neuromotor Changes in Participants with a Concussion History can be Detected with a Custom Smartphone App

Neuromotor dysfunction after a concussion is common, but balance tests used to assess neuromotor dysfunction are typically subjective. Current objective balance tests are either cost- or space-prohibitive, or utilize a static balance protocol, which may mask neuromotor dysfunction due to the simplicity of the task. To address this gap, our team developed an Android-based smartphone app (portable and cost-effective) that uses the sensors in the device (objective) to record movement profiles during a stepping-in-place task (dynamic movement). The purpose of this study was to examine the extent to which our custom smartphone app and protocol could discriminate neuromotor behavior between concussed and non-concussed participants. Data were collected at two university laboratories and two military sites. Participants included civilians and Service Members (N = 216) with and without a clinically diagnosed concussion. Kinematic and variability metrics were derived from a thigh angle time series while the participants completed a series of stepping-in-place tasks in three conditions: eyes open, eyes closed, and head shake. We observed that the standard deviation of the mean maximum angular velocity of the thigh was higher in the participants with a concussion history in the eyes closed and head shake conditions of the stepping-in-place task. Consistent with the optimal movement variability hypothesis, we showed that increased movement variability occurs in participants with a concussion history, for which our smartphone app and protocol were sensitive enough to capture