Infrastructure for Detector Research and Development towards the International Linear Collider

The EUDET-project was launched to create an infrastructure for developing and testing new and advanced detector technologies to be used at a future linear collider. The aim was to make possible experimentation and analysis of data for institutes, which otherwise could not be realized due to lack of resources. The infrastructure comprised an analysis and software network, and instrumentation infrastructures for tracking detectors as well as for calorimetry.Comment: 54 pages, 48 picture

The upgrade of the ALICE TPC with GEMs and continuous readout

The upgrade of the ALICE TPC will allow the experiment to cope with the high interaction rates foreseen for the forthcoming Run 3 and Run 4 at the CERN LHC. In this article, we describe the design of new readout chambers and front-end electronics, which are driven by the goals of the experiment. Gas Electron Multiplier (GEM) detectors arranged in stacks containing four GEMs each, and continuous readout electronics based on the SAMPA chip, an ALICE development, are replacing the previous elements. The construction of these new elements, together with their associated quality control procedures, is explained in detail. Finally, the readout chamber and front-end electronics cards replacement, together with the commissioning of the detector prior to installation in the experimental cavern, are presented. After a nine-year period of R&D, construction, and assembly, the upgrade of the TPC was completed in 2020.publishedVersio

Principies of MHC class 1-mediated antigen presentation and T cell selection

Class 1 molecules of the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) are expressed on the cell surface of almost al1 nucleated mammalian cells. Their main function is to transport and present peptides, derived from intracellularly degraded proteins, to cytotoxic T cells (CTL). They are also directly involved in the process leading to maturation and selection of a functional CD8+ T cell repertoire. MHC class 1 molecules consist of a highly polymorphic membranespanning heavy chain of approximately 45 kD that is non-covalently associated with a light chain, B2- microglobulin (B2m). Class 1 molecules bind peptides, usually 8-11 amino acids in length. The majority of the class 1-bound peptides are generated in the cytosol and are subsequently translocated into the lumen of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) through the ATP-dependent transporter associated with antigen processing 112 (TAP112). Here, we provide an up-to-date review summarizing the most essential parts relating to MHC class 1-mediated antigen processing, presentation and T cell selection. A particular emphasis is devoted to the structure of MHC class 1 molecule, and MHC class Ibound peptides