The SciCryo Project and Cryogenic Scintillation of Al2O3Al_2O_3 for Dark Matter

International audienceWe discuss cryogenic scintillation of Al2O3. Room-temperature measurements with α particles are first carried out to study effect of Ti concentration on response. Measurements under X-rays between room temperature and 10 K confirm a doubling of light output. The integration of a scintillation-phonon detector into an ionization-phonon dark matter search is underway, and the quenching factor for neutrons has been verified

The WHF Roadmap for Reducing CV Morbidity and Mortality Through Prevention and Control of Rheumatic Heart Disease.

Rheumatic heart disease (RHD) is a preventable non-communicable condition that disproportionately affects the world's poorest and most vulnerable. The World Heart Federation Roadmap for improved RHD control is a resource designed to help a variety of stakeholders raise the profile of RHD nationally and globally, and provide a framework to guide and support the strengthening of national, regional and global RHD control efforts. The Roadmap identifies the barriers that limit access to and uptake of proven interventions for the prevention and control of RHD. It also highlights a variety of established and promising solutions that may be used to overcome these barriers. As a general guide, the Roadmap is meant to serve as the foundation for the development of tailored plans of action to improve RHD control in specific contexts

The CRESST Dark Matter Search

We present first competitive results on WIMP dark matter using the phonon-light-detection technique. A particularly strong limit for WIMPs with coherent scattering results from selecting a region of the phonon-light plane corresponding to tungsten recoils. The observed count rate in the neutron band is compatible with the rate expected from neutron background. CRESST is presently being upgraded with a 66 channel SQUID readout system, a neutron shield and a muon veto system. This results in a significant improvement in sensitivity.Comment: 6 pages, 3 figures, to be published in the proceedings of the 5th International Workshop on the Identification and Detection of Dark Matter IDM 2004, Edinburgh, Sept. 2004, World Scientifi

[Reactive arthritis: advances in diagnosis and treatment]

Reactive Arthritis (ReA) is an aseptic synovitis developing after a primary infection distant from the joint, mainly localized in the gastrointestinal (Enteroarthritis) or genitourinary tract (Uroarthritis). Because of either the asymmetric joint involvement, the possibility of involvement of the spine and enthesis, and the HLA-B27 association ReA is considered one of the spondylarthropathies. Recently, bacterial components or viable bacteria were found in joints during ReA. For this reason, the limits between ReA itself and infectious arthritis are now less definite. Generally accepted diagnostic and classification criteria are still lacking but the improvement in techniques for detection of bacteria increase the possibility to identify the triggering agents. Several studies have examined the role of antimicrobial drugs in ameliorating the natural course of ReA, with some positive results for Uroarthritis only. However, more conventional treatments based on NSAIDs, sulfasalazine and steroids are effective in many cases

Precision measurement of 65^{65}Zn electron-capture decays with the KDK coincidence setup

$^{65}$Zn is a common calibration source, moreover used as a radioactive tracer in medical and biological studies. In many cases, $\gamma$-spectroscopy is a preferred method of $^{65}$Zn standardization, which relies directly on the branching ratio of $J \pi (^{65}\text{Zn} ) = 5/2^- \rightarrow J \pi (^{65}\text{Cu}) = 5/2^-$ via electron capture (EC*). We measure the relative intensity of this branch to that proceeding directly to the ground state (EC$^0$) using a novel coincidence technique, finding $I_{\text{EC}^0}/I_{\text{EC*}} = 0.9684 \pm 0.0018$. Re-evaluating the decay scheme of $^{65}$Zn by adopting the commonly evaluated branching ratio of $I_{\beta^+}= 1.4271(7)\%$ we obtain $I_{\text{EC*}} = (50.08 \pm 0.06)\%$, and I_\text{EC^0} = (48.50 \pm 0.06) \%. The associated 1115 keV gamma intensity agrees with the previously reported NNDC value, and is now accessible with a factor of ~2 increase in precision. Our re-evaluation removes reliance on the deduction of this gamma intensity from numerous measurements, some of which disagree and depend directly on total activity determination. The KDK experimental technique provides a new avenue for verification or updates to the decay scheme of $^{65}$Zn, and is applicable to other isotopes.Comment: Uses similar methodology to the 40K measurement by the KDK Collaboration (Stukel et al PRL 2023, arXiv:2211.10319; Hariasz et al PRC 2023, arXiv:2211.10343), as such there may be some similarity in figures and tex

Dark-Photon Search using Data from CRESST-II Phase 2

Identifying the nature and origin of dark matter is one of the major challenges for modern astro and particle physics. Direct dark-matter searches aim at an observation of dark-matter particles interacting within detectors. The focus of several such searches is on interactions with nuclei as provided e.g. by Weakly Interacting Massive Particles. However, there is a variety of dark-matter candidates favoring interactions with electrons rather than with nuclei. One example are dark photons, i.e., long-lived vector particles with a kinetic mixing to standard-model photons. In this work we present constraints on this kinetic mixing based on data from CRESST-II Phase 2 corresponding to an exposure before cuts of 52\,kg-days. These constraints improve the existing ones for dark-photon masses between 0.3 and 0.7\,keV/c$^2$.Comment: submitted EPJ

Results from 730 kg days of the CRESST-II Dark Matter Search

The CRESST-II cryogenic Dark Matter search, aiming at detection of WIMPs via elastic scattering off nuclei in CaWO$_4$ crystals, completed 730 kg days of data taking in 2011. We present the data collected with eight detector modules, each with a two-channel readout; one for a phonon signal and the other for coincidently produced scintillation light. The former provides a precise measure of the energy deposited by an interaction, and the ratio of scintillation light to deposited energy can be used to discriminate different types of interacting particles and thus to distinguish possible signal events from the dominant backgrounds. Sixty-seven events are found in the acceptance region where a WIMP signal in the form of low energy nuclear recoils would be expected. We estimate background contributions to this observation from four sources: 1) "leakage" from the e/\gamma-band 2) "leakage" from the \alpha-particle band 3) neutrons and 4) Pb-206 recoils from Po-210 decay. Using a maximum likelihood analysis, we find, at a high statistical significance, that these sources alone are not sufficient to explain the data. The addition of a signal due to scattering of relatively light WIMPs could account for this discrepancy, and we determine the associated WIMP parameters.Comment: 17 pages, 13 figure