Front-end multi-channel PMT-associated readout chip for hodoscope application

International audienceThe system development requires a dedicated multi-channel readout ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) to be associated with the MaPMTs. Each channel should have very low input impedance to avoid electrical crosstalk between adjacent channels and to minimize effects of detector and wiring capacitances (Cd + Cw). Crosstalk between channels may degrade position resolution, while these capacitances may degrade both frequency and noise performances. Each channel should also provide two separated outputs corresponding respectively to high-speed signal-event detection and low-noise signal-charge quantification at low counting rate. This paper presents a readout chip for this purpose. It has been designed in a 0.35µm SiGe BiCMOS process (AMS). This process allows the use of RF and large-transconductance bipolar components, which is useful for the design of wide-band, low-impedance and low-noise circuits with improved performances

Seismic structure characteristics of the 18 December 2023 M6.2 Jishishan earthquake, Gansu Province

On 18 December 2023，at Beijing time，a M6.2 earthquake struck Jishishan in Gansu Province. A thorough analysis of the earthquake structure and characteristics was conducted by combining information on regional seismic tectonics, geology, seismic source mechanism, seismic intensity, and aftershock relocation. The earthquake was a reverse fault event trending north-northwest within the Xining-Lanzhou fault block. The earthquake-controlling tectonics of the earthquake is the Lajishan reverse fault zone，which is closest to the epicentre of the earthquake. The fault zone is situated at the intersection of the northwest-trending Riyueshan dextral strike-slip fault and the east-west-trending Western Qinling North Rim left-trending strike-slip fault. It has an overall northwest-to-north-northwest striking angle and comprises two branch fault zones with opposite trends in the southern and northern rims. The earthquake’s epicentre location, aftershock distribution, and intensity distribution data suggest that the specific fault responsible for this earthquake is the east branch fault of the southern section of the reverse fault zone at the northern rim of Lajishan. This is consistent with the characteristics of the upward disc effect of reverse fault-type earthquakes. Further detailed field investigations are required to determine the deformation of the earth’s surface. The Jishishan earthquake is thought to have been caused by reverse fault activity at the intersection of the Riyueshan strike-slip fault and the northern edge of the Western Qinling fault. This was triggered by the eastward lateral slip along the original left-hand strike-slip fault along the Xining-Lanzhou fault block on the northeastern margin of the Tibetan Plateau. This occurred under the northeast-directed extrusion tectonic stress field resulting from the ongoing land-land collision between the Indian and Eurasian plates. This earthquake suggests that the extrusion tectonic system at the eastern margin of the Tibetan Plateau remains the primary structure controlling strong seismic activity in China in recent years. Further attention should be paid to the risk of strong earthquakes within the fault block

The ‘responsibility’ factor in imagining the future of education in China

Design and creativity have been a considerable force for improving life conditions. A lot of effort has been invested in explaining the design process and creativity mainly through the design thinking methodology, but design accountability and responsible actions in the design process are, yet, to be fully explored. The concept of design ethics is now increasingly scrutinized on both the level of business organization and of the individual designer. A 4-day design workshop that involved creativity techniques provided the base to explore responsibility in the fuzzy front end of the design process. The future of education in 2030 was defined as the workshop's theme and fifty-six students from China were asked to create detailed alternative scenarios. A number of imagination exercises, implementation of technological innovations and macro-environment evolutions employed in the workshop are discussed. The aim was to incite moral and responsible actions among students less familiar with creative educational contexts of student-led discovery and collaborative learning. This paper reflects on the use of creativity methods to stimulate anticipation in (non)design students

Single-cell multiomics of the human retina reveals hierarchical transcription factor collaboration in mediating cell type-specific effects of genetic variants on gene regulation

BACKGROUND: Systematic characterization of how genetic variation modulates gene regulation in a cell type-specific context is essential for understanding complex traits. To address this question, we profile gene expression and chromatin accessibility in cells from healthy retinae of 20 human donors through single-cell multiomics and genomic sequencing. RESULTS: We map eQTL, caQTL, allelic-specific expression, and allelic-specific chromatin accessibility in major retinal cell types. By integrating these results, we identify and characterize regulatory elements and genetic variants effective on gene regulation in individual cell types. The majority of identified sc-eQTLs and sc-caQTLs display cell type-specific effects, while the cis-elements containing genetic variants with cell type-specific effects are often accessible in multiple cell types. Furthermore, the transcription factors whose binding sites are perturbed by genetic variants tend to have higher expression levels in the cell types where the variants exert their effects, compared to the cell types where the variants have no impact. We further validate our findings with high-throughput reporter assays. Lastly, we identify the enriched cell types, candidate causal variants and genes, and cell type-specific regulatory mechanism underlying GWAS loci. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, genetic effects on gene regulation are highly context dependent. Our results suggest that cell type-dependent genetic effect is driven by precise modulation of both trans-factor expression and chromatin accessibility of cis-elements. Our findings indicate hierarchical collaboration among transcription factors plays a crucial role in mediating cell type-specific effects of genetic variants on gene regulation