667 research outputs found
The OPERA magnetic spectrometer
The OPERA neutrino oscillation experiment foresees the construction of two
magnetized iron spectrometers located after the lead-nuclear emulsion targets.
The magnet is made up of two vertical walls of rectangular cross section
connected by return yokes. The particle trajectories are measured by high
precision drift tubes located before and after the arms of the magnet.
Moreover, the magnet steel is instrumented with Resistive Plate Chambers that
ease pattern recognition and allow a calorimetric measurement of the hadronic
showers. In this paper we review the construction of the spectrometers. In
particular, we describe the results obtained from the magnet and RPC prototypes
and the installation of the final apparatus at the Gran Sasso laboratories. We
discuss the mechanical and magnetic properties of the steel and the techniques
employed to calibrate the field in the bulk of the magnet. Moreover, results of
the tests and issues concerning the mass production of the Resistive Plate
Chambers are reported. Finally, the expected physics performance of the
detector is described; estimates rely on numerical simulations and the outcome
of the tests described above.Comment: 6 pages, 10 figures, presented at the 2003 IEEE-NSS conference,
Portland, OR, USA, October 20-24, 200
The hematopoietic cell transplantation comorbidity index (HCT-CI) predicts clinical outcomes in lymphoma and myeloma patients after reduced-intensity or non-myeloablative allogeneic stem cell transplantation
Multicentre surveillance study on feasibility, safety and efficacy of antifungal combination therapy for proven or probable invasive fungal diseases in haematological patients: the SEIFEM real-life combo study
Prospect for Charge Current Neutrino Interactions Measurements at the CERN-PS
Tensions in several phenomenological models grew with experimental results on
neutrino/antineutrino oscillations at Short-Baseline (SBL) and with the recent,
carefully recomputed, antineutrino fluxes from nuclear reactors. At a
refurbished SBL CERN-PS facility an experiment aimed to address the open issues
has been proposed [1], based on the technology of imaging in ultra-pure
cryogenic Liquid Argon (LAr). Motivated by this scenario a detailed study of
the physics case was performed. We tackled specific physics models and we
optimized the neutrino beam through a full simulation. Experimental aspects not
fully covered by the LAr detection, i.e. the measurements of the lepton charge
on event-by-event basis and their energy over a wide range, were also
investigated. Indeed the muon leptons from Charged Current (CC) (anti-)neutrino
interactions play an important role in disentangling different phenomenological
scenarios provided their charge state is determined. Also, the study of muon
appearance/disappearance can benefit of the large statistics of CC muon events
from the primary neutrino beam. Results of our study are reported in detail in
this proposal. We aim to design, construct and install two Spectrometers at
"NEAR" and "FAR" sites of the SBL CERN-PS, compatible with the already proposed
LAr detectors. Profiting of the large mass of the two Spectrometers their
stand-alone performances have also been exploited.Comment: 70 pages, 38 figures. Proposal submitted to SPS-C, CER
Prospects for the measurement of muon-neutrino disappearance at the FNAL-Booster
Neutrino physics is nowadays receiving more and more attention as a possible
source of information for the long-standing problem of new physics beyond the
Standard Model. The recent measurement of the mixing angle in the
standard mixing oscillation scenario encourages us to pursue the still missing
results on leptonic CP violation and absolute neutrino masses. However,
puzzling measurements exist that deserve an exhaustive evaluation. The NESSiE
Collaboration has been setup to undertake conclusive experiments to clarify the
muon-neutrino disappearance measurements at small , which will be able to
put severe constraints to models with more than the three-standard neutrinos,
or even to robustly measure the presence of a new kind of neutrino oscillation
for the first time. To this aim the use of the current FNAL-Booster neutrino
beam for a Short-Baseline experiment has been carefully evaluated. This
proposal refers to the use of magnetic spectrometers at two different sites,
Near and Far. Their positions have been extensively studied, together with the
possible performances of two OPERA-like spectrometers. The proposal is
constrained by availability of existing hardware and a time-schedule compatible
with the CERN project for a new more performant neutrino beam, which will
nicely extend the physics results achievable at the Booster. The possible FNAL
experiment will allow to clarify the current disappearance tension
with appearance and disappearance at the eV mass scale. Instead, a new
CERN neutrino beam would allow a further span in the parameter space together
with a refined control of systematics and, more relevant, the measurement of
the antineutrino sector, by upgrading the spectrometer with detectors currently
under R&D study.Comment: 76 pages, 52 figure
Soil microbial CNP and respiration responses to organic matter and nutrient additions: evidence from a tropical soil incubation
Soil nutrient availability has a strong influence on the fate of soil carbon (C) during microbial decomposition, contributing to Earth's C balance. While nutrient availability itself can impact microbial physiology and C partitioning between biomass and respiration during soil organic matter decomposition, the availability of labile C inputs may mediate the response of microorganisms to nutrient additions. As soil organic matter is decomposed, microorganisms retain or release C, nitrogen (N) or phosphorus (P) to maintain a stoichiometric balance. Although the concept of a microbial stoichiometric homeostasis has previously been proposed, microbial biomass CNP ratios are not static, and this may have very relevant implications for microbial physiological activities. Here, we tested the hypothesis that N, P and potassium (K) nutrient additions impact C cycling in a tropical soil due to microbial stoichiometric constraints to growth and respiration, and that the availability of energy-rich labile organic matter in the soil (i.e. leaf litter) mediates the response to nutrient addition. We incubated tropical soil from French Guiana with a ¹³C labeled leaf litter addition and with mineral nutrient additions of +K, +N, +NK, +PK and +NPK for 30 days. We found that litter additions led to a ten-fold increase in microbial respiration and a doubling of microbial biomass C, along with greater microbial N and P content. We found some evidence that P additions increased soil CO² fluxes. Additionally, we found microbial biomass CP and NP ratios varied more widely than CN in response to nutrient and organic matter additions, with important implications for the role of microorganisms in C cycling. The addition of litter did not prime soil organic matter decomposition, except in combination with +NK fertilization, indicating possible P-mining of soil organic matter in this P-poor tropical soil. Together, these results point toward an ultimate labile organic substrate limitation of soil microorganisms in this tropical soil, but also indicate a complex interaction between C, N, P and K availability. This highlights the difference between microbial C cycling responses to N, P, or K additions in the tropics and explains why coupled C, N and P cycling modeling efforts cannot rely on strict microbial stoichiometric homeostasis as an underlying assumption
Compared to conventional, ecological intensive management promotes beneficial proteolytic soil microbial communities for agro-ecosystem functioning under climate change-induced rain regimes
Projected climate change and rainfall variability will affect soil microbial communities, biogeochemical cycling and agriculture. Nitrogen (N) is the most limiting nutrient in agroecosystems and its cycling and availability is highly dependent on microbial driven processes. In agroecosystems, hydrolysis of organic nitrogen (N) is an important step in controlling soil N availability. We analyzed the effect of management (ecological intensive vs. conventional intensive) on N-cycling processes and involved microbial communities under climate change-induced rain regimes. Terrestrial model ecosystems originating from agroecosystems across Europe were subjected to four different rain regimes for 263 days. Using structural equation modelling we identified direct impacts of rain regimes on N-cycling processes, whereas N-related microbial communities were more resistant. In addition to rain regimes, management indirectly affected N-cycling processes via modifications of N-related microbial community composition. Ecological intensive management promoted a beneficial N-related microbial community composition involved in N-cycling processes under climate change-induced rain regimes. Exploratory analyses identified phosphorus-associated litter properties as possible drivers for the observed management effects on N-related microbial community composition. This work provides novel insights into mechanisms controlling agro-ecosystem functioning under climate change
Calpain 3 is important for muscle regeneration: Evidence from patients with limb girdle muscular dystrophies
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Limb girdle muscular dystrophy (LGMD) type 2A is caused by mutations in the CAPN3 gene and complete lack of functional calpain 3 leads to the most severe muscle wasting. Calpain 3 is suggested to be involved in maturation of contractile elements after muscle degeneration. The aim of this study was to investigate how mutations in the four functional domains of calpain 3 affect muscle regeneration.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We studied muscle regeneration in 22 patients with LGMD2A with calpain 3 deficiency, in five patients with LGMD2I, with a secondary reduction in calpain 3, and in five patients with Becker muscular dystrophy (BMD) with normal calpain 3 levels. Regeneration was assessed by using the developmental markers neonatal myosin heavy chain (nMHC), vimentin, MyoD and myogenin and counting internally nucleated fibers.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We found that the recent regeneration as determined by the number of nMHC/vimentin-positive fibers was greatly diminished in severely affected LGMD2A patients compared to similarly affected patients with LGMD2I and BMD. Whorled fibers, a sign of aberrant regeneration, was highly elevated in patients with a complete lack of calpain 3 compared to patients with residual calpain 3. Regeneration is not affected by location of the mutation in the <it>CAPN3 </it>gene.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Our findings suggest that calpain 3 is needed for the regenerative process probably during sarcomere remodeling as the complete lack of functional calpain 3 leads to the most severe phenotypes.</p
The instrumented magnets for the OPERA experiment: construction and commissioning
The design and construction of the 990-ton gapless iron magnets for the OPERA experiment represent a major challenge from the point of view of mechanics, electric and heat engineering. Two of such magnets have been built in a deep underground hall of the Gran Sasso laboratories between 2003 and 2006 and they have been switched on for the first time in March 2006. In this paper we discuss the construction and characterization of these devices. First experience with the CNGS beam are also reported. © 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved
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