Search for solar axions in XMASS, a large liquid-xenon detector

XMASS, a low-background, large liquid-xenon detector, was used to search for solar axions that would be produced by bremsstrahlung and Compton effects in the Sun. With an exposure of 5.6ton days of liquid xenon, the model-independent limit on the coupling for mass $\ll$ 1keV is $|g_{aee}|< 5.4\times 10^{-11}$ (90% C.L.), which is a factor of two stronger than the existing experimental limit. The bounds on the axion masses for the DFSZ and KSVZ axion models are 1.9 and 250eV, respectively. In the mass range of 10-40keV, this study produced the most stringent limit, which is better than that previously derived from astrophysical arguments regarding the Sun to date

Identifying topological edge states in 2D optical lattices using light scattering

We recently proposed in a Letter [Physical Review Letters 108 255303] a novel scheme to detect topological edge states in an optical lattice, based on a generalization of Bragg spectroscopy. The scope of the present article is to provide a more detailed and pedagogical description of the system - the Hofstadter optical lattice - and probing method. We first show the existence of topological edge states, in an ultra-cold gas trapped in a 2D optical lattice and subjected to a synthetic magnetic field. The remarkable robustness of the edge states is verified for a variety of external confining potentials. Then, we describe a specific laser probe, made from two lasers in Laguerre-Gaussian modes, which captures unambiguous signatures of these edge states. In particular, the resulting Bragg spectra provide the dispersion relation of the edge states, establishing their chiral nature. In order to make the Bragg signal experimentally detectable, we introduce a "shelving method", which simultaneously transfers angular momentum and changes the internal atomic state. This scheme allows to directly visualize the selected edge states on a dark background, offering an instructive view on topological insulating phases, not accessible in solid-state experiments.Comment: 17 pages, 10 figures. Revised and extended version, to appear in EJP Special Topic for the special issue on "Novel Quantum Phases and Mesoscopic Physics in Quantum Gases". Extended version of arXiv:1203.124

Data-based perfect-deficit approach to understanding climate extremes and forest carbon assimilation capacity

Several lines of evidence suggest that the warming climate plays a vital role in driving certain types of extreme weather. The impact of warming and of extreme weather on forest carbon assimilation capacity is poorly known. Filling this knowledge gap is critical towards understanding the amount of carbon that forests can hold. Here, we used a perfect-deficit approach to identify forest canopy photosynthetic capacity (CPC) deficits and analyze how they correlate to climate extremes, based on observational data measured by the eddy covariance method at 27 forest sites over 146 site-years. We found that droughts severely affect the carbon assimilation capacities of evergreen broadleaf forest (EBF) and deciduous broadleaf forest. The carbon assimilation capacities of Mediterranean forests were highly sensitive to climate extremes, while marine forest climates tended to be insensitive to climate extremes. Our estimates suggest an average global reduction of forest CPC due to unfavorable climate extremes of 6.3 Pg C (~5.2% of global gross primary production) per growing season over 2001–2010, with EBFs contributing 52% of the total reduction

Identification of alpha-enolase as an autoantigen in lung cancer: Its overexpression is associated with clinical outcomes

Purpose: Although existence of humoral immunity has been previously shown in malignant pleural effusions, only a limited number of immunogenic tumor-associated antigens (TAA) have been identified and associated with lung cancer. In this study, we intended to identify more TAAs in pleural effusion-derived tumor cells. Experimental Design: Using morphologically normal lung tissues as a control lysate in Western blotting analyses, 54 tumor samples were screened with autologous effusion antibodies. Biochemical purification and mass spectrometric identification of TAAs were done using established effusion tumor cell lines as antigen sources. We identified a p48 antigen as of-enolase (ENO1). Semiquantitative immunohistochemistry was used to evaluate expression status of ENO1 in the tissue samples of 80 patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and then correlated with clinical variables. Results: Using ENO1-specifc antiserum, up-regulation of ENO1 expression in effusion tumor cells from 11 of 17 patients was clearly observed compared with human normal lung primary epithelial and non-cancer-associated effusion cells. Immunohistochemical studies consistently showed high level of ENO1 expression in all the tumors we have examined thus far. Log-rank and Cox's analyses of ENO1 expression status revealed that its expression level in primary tumors was a key factor contributing to overall- and progression-free survivals of patients (P < 0.05). The same result was also obtained in the early stage of NSCLC patients, showing that tumors expressing relatively higher ENO1 level were tightly correlated with poorer survival outcomes. Conclusions: Our data strongly support a prognostic role of ENO1 in determining tumor malignancy of patients with NSCLC

HEALTHCARE PROCESS OF THE PATIENT WITH ACUTE PANCREATITIS

Akutni pankreatitis je nagla upala gušterače koja se može javiti u blagom ili teškom obliku. Ova nagla upala se u gotovo 80% prijema u bolnicu pripisuje postojanju žučnih kamenaca ili konzumaciji alkohola. Žučni kamenci kao uzrok budu 1,5 puta češći kod žena, dok se alkohol kao uzrok u muškaraca pojavljuje šest puta više nego kod žena. Žučni kamenci najčešće začepe otvor pankreatičnog voda ili se na neko vrijeme zaustave u Oddijevu sfinkteru uzrokujući time upalu dok svakodnevna konzumacija alkohola također može dovesti do začepljenja malih vodova. Jaki bolovi se javljaju najčešće naglo nakon konzumacije prekomjerne količine obroka ili alkohola u gornjem srednjem dijelu abdomena. Osim što je bol nagla, pacijenti je opisuju kao probadajuću bol koja se širi u leđa. Može se javiti mučnina kao i nagon na povraćanje, u većini slučajeva popratnu uz temperaturu. Bolesnik se javlja u hitni trakt radi jakih bolova koji se ne smanjuju te se podvrgava daljnjoj dijagnostici. Laboratorijskim pretragama ne može se potvrditi dijagnoza akutnog pankreatitisa ali povišenom razinom enzima gušterače tu dijagnozu možemo potkrijepiti. Daljnjim radiološkim pretragama (rendgen abdomena, kompjutorizirana tomografija) dokazuje se mogućnost postojanja žučnih kamenaca kao i promjene u veličini i strukturi gušterače. Sa utvrđenom dijagnozom akutnog pankreatitisa, osoba se zaprima na odjel gdje se prekida daljnji unos hrane i pića kako bi se smanjila daljnja proizvodnja enzima u gušterači. Svu potrebnu tekućinu i ostale hranjive tvari nadoknađuju se intravenskim putem. U cijelom procesu liječenja ključna je i medicinska sestra koja najprije može uočiti eventualne promjene koje se mogu javiti kod pacijenta, kao što su primjerice smanjeno mokrenje, otežano disanje te stagniranje ili pogoršavanje intenziteta boli unatoč primijenjenoj analgetskoj terapiji.Acute pancreatitis is a sudden pancreatic inflammation occurring in mild or severe form. This sudden inflammation in almost 80% of admission to the hospital is attributed to the existence of gallstones or drinking alcohol. The gallstones as a cause of Acute pancreatitis are 1.5 times more common in women, while alcohol as a cause is present men appears six times more than in women. Gallstones usually close the pancreatic opening or stop for a while in Oddies sphincter causing it to inflate ,while daily alcohol consumption also leads to clogging of small lines. Strong pain usually are occurring suddnely after eating excessive meals or presence of alcohol in the upper mid-section of the abdomen. Apart pain is acute, patients are describeing as a stabbing kind of pain that is spreading in their back. There can be nausea and vomiting, in most cases accompanied by temperature. The patient is coming to an emergency with severe pain that does not diminish and undergoes further diagnosis. Laboratory examinations can not confirm the diagnosis of acute pancreatitis but elevated pancreatic enzyme levels can be supported by this diagnosis. Further radiological examinations (X-ray abdomena, computerized tomography) are proveing the possibility of gallstones as well as changes in the size and structure of the pancreas. With established diagnosis of acute pancreatitis, a person is hospitalized in intensice care where further food and drink intake is discontinued in order to reduce further enzyme production in the pancreas. All the necessary fluid and other nutrients are compensated by the intravenous. Throughout the process of treatment, role of nurse is also crucial to notice possible changes that may occur in the patient, such as decreased urination, difficulty breathing and stagnation or aggravation of pain intensity despite analgesic therapy

Assessment of the Performance of Osmotically Driven Polymeric Membrane Processes

The universal water scarceness and the extensive ordeals with energy cost in conjunction with the undesirable ecological effects have advanced the improvement of novel osmotically driven membrane processes. Membrane processes which are osmotically driven are developing type of membrane separation procedures that apply concentrated brines to separate liquid streams. They are adaptable in various applications; hence, allow them to be an attractive substitute for drug release, wastewater treatment and the production and recovery of energy. Although, internal concentration polarization (ICP) occurs in membrane practises which are osmotically driven as a consequence of hindered diffusion of solute in a porous stratum, their interest has even increased. Here we review two natural membrane processes that are osmotically driven; Forward osmosis (FO) and Pressure retarded osmosis (PRO). Thus, the major points are as follows: 1) it was highlighted in this review, that the major developments in FO process, important for the process efficiency is to choose a suitable membrane and draw solution. 2) The recent evaluation, understanding and optimizing the activities of fouling throughout the osmotic dilution of seawater employing FO was discussed. 3) Recent advancements of FO in the application of food processing was reviewed. 4) It was highlighted that the main concept of PRO for power generation is the energy of mixing that offers great assessment of the nonexpansion work which could be generated from mixing; nonetheless, the development of effective membranes with appropriate arrangement and performance is needed for the advancement of PRO process for power generation. 5) One major challenge of osmotically driven membrane processes, most recent developments and model development to predict their performances were discussed

Metabolitos de Aspergillus fumigatus endofítico e seu efeito in vitro contra o agente causal da tuberculose

Tuberculosis (TB) remains one of the most deadly communicable infectious diseases, causing 1.4 million deaths in 2015 worldwide due to many conditions, including the inadequate treatment and the emergence of multidrug-resistant strains of the causal agent, Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Therefore, drugs developed from natural sources, as microorganisms and plant extracts, are a frequent target for the research and discovery of antimicrobial compounds. The current study started the characterization of compounds produced by an Aspergillus fumigatus isolated from copaíba (Copaifera multijuga) that efficiently inhibits M. tuberculosis by releasing the compounds into the fermentation broth under specific culture conditions. A preliminary assay was carried out with a correlate species, M. smegmatis, aiming to detect an antimicrobial effect related to A. fumigatus fermentation broth. The direct use of this substrate in antibiosis assays againstM. tuberculosis H37Rv strain (ATCC 27294) allowed the detection of antimicrobial activity with a minimal inhibitory concentration of 256 μg mL-1, demonstrating that purification processes developed by the Biotage Flash Chromatography System are robust and reliable techniques for purification of compounds from natural sources. Also, this chromatographic system can be used in combination with specific biochemical tests, improving the search for reliable results. We conclude that this fraction can express a broad action range, inhibiting both Mycobacterium species used as target organisms.A tuberculose continua a ser uma das doenças infecciosas transmissíveis mais mortais, causando 1,4 milhão de mortes em 2015 em todo o mundo devido a vários fatores, incluindo o tratamento inadequado e o surgimento de cepas multirresistentes do agente causal, Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Portanto, as drogas desenvolvidas a partir de fontes naturais, como micro-organismos e extratos de plantas, são um alvo freqüente para a pesquisa e descoberta de compostos antimicrobianos. O presente estudo foi um ponto de partida para caracterizar compostos produzidos por um Aspergillus fumigatus isolado de copaíba (Copaifera multijuga) que inibe eficientemente M. tuberculosis, liberando os compostos no caldo de fermentação em condições de cultura específicas. Realizou-se um ensaio preliminar com uma espécie correlata, M. smegmatis, com o objetivo de detectar um efeito antimicrobiano relacionado ao caldo de fermentação de A. fumigatus. O uso direto deste substrato em ensaios de antibiose contra a estirpe H37Rv de M. tuberculosis (ATCC 27294) permitiu a detecção de atividade antimicrobiana com uma concentração inibitória mínima de 256 μg mL-1, demonstrando que os processos de purificação desenvolvidos pelo Biotage Flash Chromatography System são técnicas robustas e confiáveis para purificar compostos de fontes naturais. Além disso, este sistema cromatográfico pode ser usado em combinação com testes bioquímicos específicos, melhorando a busca de resultados confiáveis. Concluímos que esta fração pode expressar uma ampla gama de ação, inibindo ambas as espécies de Mycobacterium utilizadas como organismos-alvo

Direct dark matter search by annual modulation in XMASS-I

A search for dark matter was conducted by looking for an annual modulation signal due to the Earth’s rotation around the Sun using XMASS, a single phase liquid xenon detector. The data used for this analysis was 359.2 live days times 832 kg of exposure accumulated between November 2013 and March 2015. When we assume Weakly Interacting Massive Particle (WIMP) dark matter elastically scattering on the target nuclei, the exclusion upper limit of the WIMP–nucleon cross section 4.3 ×10−41 cm2 at 8 GeV/c2 was obtained and we exclude almost all the DAMA/LIBRA allowed region in the 6 to 16 GeV/c2 range at ∼10−40 cm2. The result of a simple modulation analysis, without assuming any specific dark matter model but including electron/γ events, showed a slight negative amplitude. The p-values obtained with two independent analyses are 0.014 and 0.068 for null hypothesis, respectively. We obtained 90% C.L. upper bounds that can be used to test various models. This is the first extensive annual modulation search probing this region with an exposure comparable to DAMA/LIBRA