Study of doubly strange systems using stored antiprotons

Bound nuclear systems with two units of strangeness are still poorly known despite their importance for many strong interaction phenomena. Stored antiprotons beams in the GeV range represent an unparalleled factory for various hyperon-antihyperon pairs. Their outstanding large production probability in antiproton collisions will open the floodgates for a series of new studies of systems which contain two or even more units of strangeness at the P‾ANDA experiment at FAIR. For the first time, high resolution γ-spectroscopy of doubly strange ΛΛ-hypernuclei will be performed, thus complementing measurements of ground state decays of ΛΛ-hypernuclei at J-PARC or possible decays of particle unstable hypernuclei in heavy ion reactions. High resolution spectroscopy of multistrange Ξ−-atoms will be feasible and even the production of Ω−-atoms will be within reach. The latter might open the door to the |S|=3 world in strangeness nuclear physics, by the study of the hadronic Ω−-nucleus interaction. For the first time it will be possible to study the behavior of Ξ‾+ in nuclear systems under well controlled conditions

New Blood Pressure-Associated Loci Identified in Meta-Analyses of 475,000 Individuals

Background - Genome-wide association studies have recently identified >400 loci that harbor DNA sequence variants that influence blood pressure (BP). Our earlier studies identified and validated 56 single nucleotide variants (SNVs) associated with BP from meta-analyses of exome chip genotype data. An additional 100 variants yielded suggestive evidence of association. Methods and Results - Here, we augment the sample with 140 886 European individuals from the UK Biobank, in whom 77 of the 100 suggestive SNVs were available for association analysis with systolic BP or diastolic BP or pulse pressure. We performed 2 meta-analyses, one in individuals of European, South Asian, African, and Hispanic descent (pan-ancestry, ≈475 000), and the other in the subset of individuals of European descent (≈423 000). Twenty-one SNVs were genome-wide significant (P<5×10-8) for BP, of which 4 are new BP loci: rs9678851 (missense, SLC4A1AP), rs7437940 (AFAP1), rs13303 (missense, STAB1), and rs1055144 (7p15.2). In addition, we identified a potentially independent novel BP-associated SNV, rs3416322 (missense, SYNPO2L) at a known locus, uncorrelated with the previously reported SNVs. Two SNVs are associated with expression levels of nearby genes, and SNVs at 3 loci are associated with other traits. One SNV with a minor allele frequency <0.01, (rs3025380 at DBH) was genome-wide significant. Conclusions - We report 4 novel loci associated with BP regulation, and 1 independent variant at an established BP locus. This analysis highlights several candidate genes with variation that alter protein function or gene expression for potential follow-up

Long-Baseline Neutrino Facility (LBNF) and Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE) Conceptual Design Report Volume 2: The Physics Program for DUNE at LBNF

The Physics Program for the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE) at the Fermilab Long-Baseline Neutrino Facility (LBNF) is described

Evaluating a bioremediation tool for atrazine contaminated soils in open soil microcosms: The effectiveness of bioaugmentation and biostimulation approaches

A previously developed potential cleanup tool for atrazine contaminated soils was evaluated in larger open soil microcosms for optimization under more realistic conditions, using a natural crop soil spiked with an atrazine commercial formulation (Atrazerba FL). The doses used were 20£ or 200£ higher than the recommended dose (RD) for an agricultural application, mimicking over-use or spill situations. Pseudomonas sp. strain ADP was used for bioaugmentation (around 107 or 108 viable cells g¡1 of soil) and citrate for biostimulation (up to 4.8 mg g¡1 of soil). Bioremediation treatments providing fastest and higher atrazine biodegradation proved to differ according to the initial level of soil ontamination. For 20£ RD of Atrazerba FL, a unique inoculation with Pseudomonas sp. ADP (9 ± 1 £ 107 CFU g¡1) resulted in rapid atrazine removal (99% of the initial 7.2 ± 1.6 lg g¡1 after 8 d), independent of citrate. For 200£ RD, an inoculation with the atrazine- degrading bacteria (8.5 ± 0.5 £ 107 CFU g¡1) supplemented with citrate amendment (2.4 mg g¡1) resulted in improved biodegradation (87%) compared with bioaugmentation alone (79%), even though 7.8 ± 2.1 lg of atrazine g¡1 still remained in the soil after 1 wk. owever, the same amount of inoculum, distributed over three successive inoculations and combined with citrate, increased Pseudomonas sp. ADP survival and atrazine biodegradation (to 98%, in 1 wk). We suggest that this bioremediation tool may be valuable for efficient removal of atrazine from contaminated field soils thus minimizing atrazine and its chlorinated derivatives from reaching water compartments.FEDER, POCI Programme, PPCDT Programme and Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, Portuga

Pharmacogenetics of Modafinil after sleep loss: Catechol-O-methyltransferase genotype modulates waking functions but not recovery sleep

Sleep loss impairs waking functions and is homeostatically compensated in recovery sleep. The mechanisms underlying the consequences of prolonged wakefulness are unknown. The stimulant modafinil may promote primarily dopaminergic neurotransmission. Catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) catalyzes the breakdown of cerebral dopamine. A functional Val158Met polymorphism reduces COMT activity, and Val/Val homozygous individuals presumably have lower dopaminergic signaling in the prefrontal cortex than do Met/Met homozygotes. We quantified the contribution of this polymorphism to the effects of sleep deprivation and modafinil on subjective state, cognitive performance, and recovery sleep in healthy volunteers. Two-time 100 mg modafinil potently improved vigor and well-being, and maintained baseline performance with respect to executive functioning and vigilant attention throughout sleep deprivation in Val/Val genotype subjects but was hardly effective in subjects with the Met/Met genotype. Neither modafinil nor the Val158Met polymorphism affected distinct markers of sleep homeostasis in recovery sleep. In conclusion, dopaminergic mechanisms contribute to impaired waking functions after sleep loss