Observation of low-lying isomeric states in 136^{136}Cs: a new avenue for dark matter and solar neutrino detection in xenon detectors

We report on new measurements establishing the existence of low-lying isomeric states in $^{136}$Cs using $\gamma$ rays produced in $^{136}$Xe(p,n)$^{136}$Cs reactions. Two states with $\mathcal{O}(100)$~ns lifetimes are placed in the decay sequence of the $^{136}$Cs levels that are populated in charged-current interactions of solar neutrinos and fermionic dark matter with $^{136}$Xe. Xenon-based experiments can therefore exploit a delayed-coincidence tag of these interactions, greatly suppressing backgrounds to enable spectroscopic studies of solar neutrinos and dark matter.Comment: Supplemental material available upon request. Version accepted by Phys.Rev.Let

A Domain-Agnostic Approach for Characterization of Lifelong Learning Systems

Despite the advancement of machine learning techniques in recent years, state-of-the-art systems lack robustness to "real world" events, where the input distributions and tasks encountered by the deployed systems will not be limited to the original training context, and systems will instead need to adapt to novel distributions and tasks while deployed. This critical gap may be addressed through the development of "Lifelong Learning" systems that are capable of 1) Continuous Learning, 2) Transfer and Adaptation, and 3) Scalability. Unfortunately, efforts to improve these capabilities are typically treated as distinct areas of research that are assessed independently, without regard to the impact of each separate capability on other aspects of the system. We instead propose a holistic approach, using a suite of metrics and an evaluation framework to assess Lifelong Learning in a principled way that is agnostic to specific domains or system techniques. Through five case studies, we show that this suite of metrics can inform the development of varied and complex Lifelong Learning systems. We highlight how the proposed suite of metrics quantifies performance trade-offs present during Lifelong Learning system development - both the widely discussed Stability-Plasticity dilemma and the newly proposed relationship between Sample Efficient and Robust Learning. Further, we make recommendations for the formulation and use of metrics to guide the continuing development of Lifelong Learning systems and assess their progress in the future.Comment: To appear in Neural Network

Robust estimation of bacterial cell count from optical density

Optical density (OD) is widely used to estimate the density of cells in liquid culture, but cannot be compared between instruments without a standardized calibration protocol and is challenging to relate to actual cell count. We address this with an interlaboratory study comparing three simple, low-cost, and highly accessible OD calibration protocols across 244 laboratories, applied to eight strains of constitutive GFP-expressing E. coli. Based on our results, we recommend calibrating OD to estimated cell count using serial dilution of silica microspheres, which produces highly precise calibration (95.5% of residuals <1.2-fold), is easily assessed for quality control, also assesses instrument effective linear range, and can be combined with fluorescence calibration to obtain units of Molecules of Equivalent Fluorescein (MEFL) per cell, allowing direct comparison and data fusion with flow cytometry measurements: in our study, fluorescence per cell measurements showed only a 1.07-fold mean difference between plate reader and flow cytometry data

Finishing the euchromatic sequence of the human genome

The sequence of the human genome encodes the genetic instructions for human physiology, as well as rich information about human evolution. In 2001, the International Human Genome Sequencing Consortium reported a draft sequence of the euchromatic portion of the human genome. Since then, the international collaboration has worked to convert this draft into a genome sequence with high accuracy and nearly complete coverage. Here, we report the result of this finishing process. The current genome sequence (Build 35) contains 2.85 billion nucleotides interrupted by only 341 gaps. It covers ∼99% of the euchromatic genome and is accurate to an error rate of ∼1 event per 100,000 bases. Many of the remaining euchromatic gaps are associated with segmental duplications and will require focused work with new methods. The near-complete sequence, the first for a vertebrate, greatly improves the precision of biological analyses of the human genome including studies of gene number, birth and death. Notably, the human enome seems to encode only 20,000-25,000 protein-coding genes. The genome sequence reported here should serve as a firm foundation for biomedical research in the decades ahead

31st Annual Meeting and Associated Programs of the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC 2016) : part two

Background The immunological escape of tumors represents one of the main ob- stacles to the treatment of malignancies. The blockade of PD-1 or CTLA-4 receptors represented a milestone in the history of immunotherapy. However, immune checkpoint inhibitors seem to be effective in specific cohorts of patients. It has been proposed that their efficacy relies on the presence of an immunological response. Thus, we hypothesized that disruption of the PD-L1/PD-1 axis would synergize with our oncolytic vaccine platform PeptiCRAd. Methods We used murine B16OVA in vivo tumor models and flow cytometry analysis to investigate the immunological background. Results First, we found that high-burden B16OVA tumors were refractory to combination immunotherapy. However, with a more aggressive schedule, tumors with a lower burden were more susceptible to the combination of PeptiCRAd and PD-L1 blockade. The therapy signifi- cantly increased the median survival of mice (Fig. 7). Interestingly, the reduced growth of contralaterally injected B16F10 cells sug- gested the presence of a long lasting immunological memory also against non-targeted antigens. Concerning the functional state of tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs), we found that all the immune therapies would enhance the percentage of activated (PD-1pos TIM- 3neg) T lymphocytes and reduce the amount of exhausted (PD-1pos TIM-3pos) cells compared to placebo. As expected, we found that PeptiCRAd monotherapy could increase the number of antigen spe- cific CD8+ T cells compared to other treatments. However, only the combination with PD-L1 blockade could significantly increase the ra- tio between activated and exhausted pentamer positive cells (p= 0.0058), suggesting that by disrupting the PD-1/PD-L1 axis we could decrease the amount of dysfunctional antigen specific T cells. We ob- served that the anatomical location deeply influenced the state of CD4+ and CD8+ T lymphocytes. In fact, TIM-3 expression was in- creased by 2 fold on TILs compared to splenic and lymphoid T cells. In the CD8+ compartment, the expression of PD-1 on the surface seemed to be restricted to the tumor micro-environment, while CD4 + T cells had a high expression of PD-1 also in lymphoid organs. Interestingly, we found that the levels of PD-1 were significantly higher on CD8+ T cells than on CD4+ T cells into the tumor micro- environment (p < 0.0001). Conclusions In conclusion, we demonstrated that the efficacy of immune check- point inhibitors might be strongly enhanced by their combination with cancer vaccines. PeptiCRAd was able to increase the number of antigen-specific T cells and PD-L1 blockade prevented their exhaus- tion, resulting in long-lasting immunological memory and increased median survival

A machine learning approach to classifying algae concentrations

Algal concentrations in marine environments are monitored regularly, as higher concentrations may lead to harmful algal blooms, which negatively impact coastal ecosystems. To identify algae concentration in the field, researchers have developed a handheld, low-cost in-situ device employing spectrophotometry and optical filtering. In an effort to better understand and evaluate the data collected, a pattern recognition method for automatic concentration detection was created. This method employs binary classification to differentiate low and high concentrations. Features for classification were defined by the spectral peaks evaluated, these include: RMS value, distance between edges, variance, and energy

Evaluation of standard municipal energy benchmarking tools

Over the spring and summer 2015 semesters, two undergraduate students completed a full energy audit of two local municipalities in order to provide recommendations for usage reduction. This audit was done as part of a community partnership initiative with Emerald Cities Collaborative, a community development collective focused on promoting sustainable communities through environmental energy education. Utilizing the data provided by a local utility company; students were able to analyze current EPA and DOE online tools for energy benchmarking. These tools are freely available for small local governments. The results of this study suggest that improvements can be made to the existing tools that increase their usefulness to municipalities. Further analysis capabilities beyond what these tools provide were shown to enhance the tools\u27 utility

Personality Characteristics and the Mediating Variables that Lead to Success or Failure of Substance Use Disorder Treatments: An All-Pathways Assessment

The purpose of this study is to examine the All-Pathways approach as an effective modality in SUD treatments. Further, this study aims to identify personality characteristics that may predict an individual’s success rate in different SUD recovery programs. Despite the recent trend in the All-Pathways approach, there is a lack of research to substantiate this therapeutic modality. The All-Pathways approach is based on the “Client-centered” model of psychotherapy developed by Carl Rogers. The research findings by Deane et al. (2012) provide evidence that personality traits, such as self-forgiveness, can predict success or failure in a Twelve-step program. Effective treatments vary and are often a combination of approaches. Despite this, there is not currently a strategy in determining appropriateness of treatment modalities to the individual seeking treatment, which can result in early termination of the program. The end goal of this study is to develop a tool that can predict which SUD recovery program is the best match based on personality traits. The primary aim at first was to create a survey that could identify what these personality characteristics are. The completed survey will use the following scales: The Life Engagement Test scale, Heartland Forgiveness scale, Centrality of Religiosity scale, and the AMBI scale. Participants will be self-selected volunteers and surveys will be administered to participants online using Qualtrics. Data will be analyzed using SPSS once sufficient data has been collected

Development of a low-cost, two-degree-of-freedom spring-cart system and system identification exercises for dynamic modeling

Laboratory experiences provide undergraduate engineering students with knowledge that comes primarily from hands-on activity. Some universities may lack necessary funds to utilize some of the equipment used in engineering education; so low-cost alternatives can be constructed. Low-cost laboratory experiences should be designed according to the following requirements: they should provide a framework to assess the achievement of associated learning outcomes, they should provide a visual demonstration of theoretical information, they should be user friendly, and they should provide consistent results. This paper details the construction of a low-cost spring mass damper apparatus and laboratory exercise, for system identification in a dynamic modeling or vibrations course. This paper also describes the methods used for system identification, an assessment framework, and information for accessing the project materials via the author\u27s website and videos on YouTube. The results of an initial test of this laboratory experience with a small student population demonstrate the effectiveness of the lab materials and apparatus in facilitating student learning