6,869 research outputs found
Differentiating between live and deadᅠMycobacterium smegmatisᅠusing autofluorescence
While there have been research efforts to find faster and more efficient diagnostic techniques for tuberculosis (TB), it is equally important to monitor a patient's response to treatment over time, especially with the increasing prevalence of multi-drug resistant (MDR) and extensively-drug resistant (XDR) TB. Between sputum smear microscopy, culture, and GeneXpert, only culture can verify viability of mycobacteria. However, it may take up to six weeks to grow Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), during which time the patient may have responded to treatment or the mycobacteria are still viable because the patient has MDR or XDR TB. In both situations, treatment incurs increased patient costs and makes them more susceptible to host-drug effects such as liver damage. Coenzyme Factor 420 (F420) is a fluorescent coenzyme found naturally in mycobacteria, with an excitation peak around 420 nm and an emission peak around 470 nm. Using Mycobacterium smegmatis, we show that live and dead mycobacteria undergo different rates of photobleaching over a period of 2 min. These preliminary experiments suggest that the different photobleaching rates could be used to help monitor a patient's response to TB treatment. In future studies, we propose to describe these experiments with Mtb as both M. smegmatis and Mtb use F420
Characterisation of plastic scintillators used as an active background shield for neutron detection
This work is part of a JRC Exploratory Research project to develop an active shield that is used to reduce the background due to cosmic radiation in a low-level nuclear waste detection system. The shield consists of an array of plastic scintillators surrounding the detection system.
Commercially available plastic scintillation detectors with different thicknesses were characterized for their response to gamma rays, neutrons and muons. Response functions to gamma rays were determined by measurements with radionuclide sources in the energy range from 0.6 MeV to 6.0 MeV. Neutron response functions were measured at mono-energetic neutron beams produced at the Van de Graaff accelerator of the JRC Geel (B) and were derived from results of time-of-flight measurements at the Van de Graaff accelerator of the INFN Legnaro (I). From the response functions for gamma rays and neutrons, light output and resolution functions for protons and electrons were derived.
Experimental response functions for muons were determined with the detectors positioned at different orientations. The muon peak is more pronounced in horizontally oriented detectors. Using a scintillator with a minimum thickness of 20 mm a signal caused by the detection of a muon can be separated from events due to natural gamma ray background.
For detectors that are stacked, signals caused by the detection of muons can be identified based on a coincidence pattern. Hence, requirements on such a coincidence pattern together with requirements on the light production are effective as parameters for the veto system to be designed.JRC.D.4-Standards for Nuclear Safety, Security and Safeguard
Highlights from the Pierre Auger Observatory
The Pierre Auger Observatory is the world's largest cosmic ray observatory.
Our current exposure reaches nearly 40,000 km str and provides us with an
unprecedented quality data set. The performance and stability of the detectors
and their enhancements are described. Data analyses have led to a number of
major breakthroughs. Among these we discuss the energy spectrum and the
searches for large-scale anisotropies. We present analyses of our X
data and show how it can be interpreted in terms of mass composition. We also
describe some new analyses that extract mass sensitive parameters from the 100%
duty cycle SD data. A coherent interpretation of all these recent results opens
new directions. The consequences regarding the cosmic ray composition and the
properties of UHECR sources are briefly discussed.Comment: 9 pages, 12 figures, talk given at the 33rd International Cosmic Ray
Conference, Rio de Janeiro 201
Measurement of J/Psi and Psi(2S) Polarization in ppbar Collisions at sqrt(s) = 1.8 TeV
We have measured the polarization of J/Psi and Psi(2S) mesons produced in
p\bar{p} collisions at \sqrt{s} = 1.8 TeV, using data collected at CDF during
1992-95.
The polarization of promptly produced J/Psi [Psi(2S)] mesons is isolated from
those produced in B-hadron decay, and measured over the kinematic range 4[5.5]
< P_T < 20 GeV/c and |y| < 0.6. For P_T \gessim 12 GeV/c we do not observe
significant polarization in the prompt component.Comment: Revised version, accepted for publication in Physical Review Letter
Measurement of the Strong Coupling Constant from Inclusive Jet Production at the Tevatron Collider
We report a measurement of the strong coupling constant, ,
extracted from inclusive jet production in collisions at
1800 GeV. The QCD prediction for the evolution of with
jet transverse energy is tested over the range 40<<450 GeV using
for the renormalization scale. The data show good agreement with QCD in
the region below 250 GeV. In the text we discuss the data-theory comparison in
the region from 250 to 450 GeV. The value of at the mass of the
boson averaged over the range 40<<250 GeV is found to be
. The associated theoretical uncertainties are mainly due to the choice
of renormalization scale (^{+6%}_{-4%}) and input parton distribution
functions (5%).Comment: 7 pages, 3 figures, using RevTeX. Submitted to Physical Review
Letter
Observation of the Baryonic Flavor-Changing Neutral Current Decay Lambda_b -> Lambda mu+ mu-
We report the first observation of the baryonic flavor-changing neutral
current decay Lambda_b -> Lambda mu+ mu- with 24 signal events and a
statistical significance of 5.8 Gaussian standard deviations. This measurement
uses ppbar collisions data sample corresponding to 6.8fb-1 at sqrt{s}=1.96TeV
collected by the CDF II detector at the Tevatron collider. The total and
differential branching ratios for Lambda_b -> Lambda mu+ mu- are measured. We
find B(Lambda_b -> Lambda mu+ mu-) = [1.73+-0.42(stat)+-0.55(syst)] x 10^{-6}.
We also report the first measurement of the differential branching ratio of B_s
-> phi mu+ mu- using 49 signal events. In addition, we report branching ratios
for B+ -> K+ mu+ mu-, B0 -> K0 mu+ mu-, and B -> K*(892) mu+ mu- decays.Comment: 8 pages, 2 figures, 4 tables. Submitted to Phys. Rev. Let
Observation of Hadronic W Decays in t-tbar Events with the Collider Detector at Fermilab
We observe hadronic W decays in t-tbar -> W (-> l nu) + >= 4 jet events using
a 109 pb-1 data sample of p-pbar collisions at sqrt{s} = 1.8 TeV collected with
the Collider Detector at Fermilab (CDF). A peak in the dijet invariant mass
distribution is obtained that is consistent with W decay and inconsistent with
the background prediction by 3.3 standard deviations. From this peak we measure
the W mass to be 77.2 +- 4.6 (stat+syst) GeV/c^2. This result demonstrates the
presence of two W bosons in t-tbar candidates in the W (-> l nu) + >= 4 jet
channel.Comment: 20 pages, 4 figures, submitted to PR
Search for the Supersymmetric Partner of the Top-Quark in Collisions at
We report on a search for the supersymmetric partner of the top quark (stop)
produced in events using of
collisions at recorded with the Collider Detector at
Fermilab. In the case of a light stop squark, the decay of the top quark into
stop plus the lightest supersymmetric particle (LSP) could have a significant
branching ratio. The observed events are consistent with Standard Model production and decay. Hence, we set limits on the branching ratio of
the top quark decaying into stop plus LSP, excluding branching ratios above 45%
for a LSP mass up to 40 {\rm GeV/c}.Comment: 11 pages, 4 figure
The Pierre Auger Observatory III: Other Astrophysical Observations
Astrophysical observations of ultra-high-energy cosmic rays with the Pierre
Auger ObservatoryComment: Contributions to the 32nd International Cosmic Ray Conference,
Beijing, China, August 201
- …