Is there a dark decay of neutrons in 6^6He ?

Motivated by the four standard deviations discrepancy between the mean values for the neutron lifetime obtained from beam and bottle experiments, we have searched for a hypothetical neutron dark decay in $^6$He nuclei through the channel $^6{\rm He} \rightarrow ^4{\rm He}+n+\chi$. The experiment used a 25~keV high intensity $^6$He$^+$ beam with a high efficiency neutron detector. The search for a signal correlated with the $^6$He activity in the neutron detection rate resulted in a branching ratio ${\rm Br}_\chi \leq 4.0\times10^{-10}$ with a 95\% C.L. over the mass window $937.993 < m_\chi < m_n-0.975$ MeV. This result is five orders of magnitude smaller than required to solve the neutron lifetime discrepancy

A novel polyphenol-rich combination of 5 plant extracts prevents high-fat diet-induced body weight gain by regulating intestinal macronutrient absorption in mice

Global prevalence of obesity and type 2 diabetes are rapidly increasing to pandemic proportions. A novel supplement composed of 5 plant extracts from olive leaf, bilberry, artichoke, chrysanthellum, and black pepper was designed to prevent type 2 diabetes development in people at risk. It was previously shown to improve body weight and glucose control in preclinical rodent models, with these effects being accompanied by increased fecal energy excretion and in vitro inhibition of several digestive enzymes. Thus, we hypothesized that, in mice fed a high-fat diet (HFD), a single dose of this botanical supplementation would decrease the responses to oral fat and carbohydrate tolerance tests, and that chronic supplementation would result in increased fecal triglyceride content. We showed that acute administration in HFD-fed mice (1.452 g/kg body weight) markedly reduced circulating triglycerides following an oral lipid gavage, whereas glycemic responses to various carbohydrate tests were only mildly affected. When incorporated into the food (2.5%) of HFD-fed mice, chronic supplementation prevented body weight gain and improved glucose homeostasis and lipid tolerance. Fecal free fatty acid content, but not triglyceride, was significantly increased in supplemented animals, suggesting reduced lipid absorption in the digestive tract. Congruently, this botanical supplementation downregulated several genes associated with fatty acid transport whose expression was increased by HFD, principally in the jejunum. This study provides novel insights as for the mode of action behind the antiobesity effect of this plant-based supplementation, in HFD-fed mice. Proteomic

Totum-070, a polyphenol-rich plant extract, prevents hypercholesterolemia in high-fat diet-fed hamsters by inhibiting intestinal cholesterol absorption

Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of mortality worldwide, and hypercholesterolemia is a central risk factor for atherosclerosis. This study evaluated the effects of Totum-070, a plant-based polyphenol-rich supplement, in hamsters with high-fat diet (HFD)-induced dyslipidemia. The molecular mechanisms of action were explored using human Caco2 enterocytes. Totum-070 supplementation reduced the total cholesterol (-41%), non-HDL cholesterol (-47%), and triglycerides (-46%) in a dose-dependent manner, compared with HFD. HFD-induced hepatic steatosis was also significantly decreased by Totum-070, an effect associated with the reduction in various lipid and inflammatory gene expression. Upon challenging with olive oil gavage, the post-prandial triglyceride levels were strongly reduced. The sterol excretion in the feces was increased in the HFD-Totum-070 groups compared with the HFD group and associated with reduction of intestinal cholesterol absorption. These effects were confirmed in the Caco2 cells, where incubation with Totum-070 inhibited cholesterol uptake and apolipoprotein B secretion. Furthermore, a microbiota composition analysis revealed a strong effect of Totum-070 on the alpha and beta diversity of bacterial species and a significant decrease in the Firmicutes to Bacteroidetes ratio. Altogether, our findings indicate that Totum-070 lowers hypercholesterolemia by reducing intestinal cholesterol absorption, suggesting that its use as dietary supplement may be explored as a new preventive strategy for cardiovascular diseases.Proteomic

Is there a dark decay of neutrons in 6^6He ?

International audienceNeutron dark decays have been suggested as a solution to the discrepancy between bottle and beam experiments, providing a dark matter candidate that can be searched for in halo nuclei. The free neutron in the final state following the decay of 6He into 4He+n+χ provides an exceptionally clean detection signature when combined with a high efficiency neutron detector. Using a high-intensity 6He+ beam at Grand Accélérateur National d’Ions Lourds, a search for a coincident neutron signal resulted in an upper limit on a dark decay branching ratio of Brχ≤4.0×10−10 (95% C.L.). Using the dark neutron decay model proposed originally by Fornal and Grinstein, we translate this into an upper bound on a dark neutron branching ratio of O(10−5), improving over global constraints by one to several orders of magnitude depending on mχ

Do industry 4.0 technologies matter when companies backshore manufacturing activities? An explorative study comparing Europe and the US

The objective of this chapter is to analyze the impact (if any) of Industry 4.0 enabling technology on firms’ decision to relocate to the home country their offshored production activities. In particular, the chapter analyzes whether Industry 4.0 technologies may represent a driver/motivation or an enabling factor for companies which are evaluating such a strategic alternative. In order to reach such an objective, a two-step explorative methodology has been applied. After implementing a structured literature review, empirical evidence of backshoring decisions implemented by both European and US companies has been analyzed. Collected findings show that the majority of sampled articles conceptualize Industry 4.0 technologies as a driver. At the same time, empirical findings show some interesting differences between European and US companies adopting backshoring decisions based on/enabled by Industry 4.0 technologies. Finally, competences (related to both the manufacturing activities as a whole and the Industry 4.0 technologies) emerge as one of the most critical issue for investigated companies