Electric Field Performance Evaluation of the nEXO Detector

The Nuclear physics, Particle physics, Astrophysics, and Cosmology Initiative (NPAC) at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory engages in cross-disciplinary scientific collaboration projects to address fundamental questions about the origin and evolution of the Universe. The next Enriched Xenon Observatory (nEXO) is a proposed experiment to search for the rare “neutrino-less double beta decay” (0vBB) process. The observation of 0vBB decay would demonstrate lepton number violation and confirm that the neutrino is a Majorana fermion, where neutrino is identical to its antiparticle. This would have important implications for our understanding of neutrino mass and the origin of the matter-antimatter asymmetry in the universe. Since the event is so rare, the goal of this project is to analyze the characteristics and performance of the electric field within the TPC. The nEXO TPC is currently in the design phase and different TPC geometries will be studied and compared to optimize the electric field uniformity and charge collection efficiency to maximize the sensitivity of the experiment

Subsurface cosmogenic and radiogenic production of ^{42}Ar

Radioactive decays from ^{42}Ar and its progeny ^{42}K are potential background sources in large-scale liquid-argon-based neutrino and dark matter experiments. In the atmosphere, ^{42}Ar is produced primarily by cosmogenic activation on ^{40}Ar. The use of low radioactivity argon from cosmogenically shielded underground sources can expand the reach and sensitivity of liquid-argon-based rare event searches. We estimate ^{42}Ar production underground by nuclear reactions induced by natural radioactivity and cosmic-ray muon-induced interactions. At 3,000 mwe, ^{42}Ar production rate is 1.8E-3 atoms per ton of crust per year, 7 orders of magnitude smaller than the ^{39}Ar production rate at a similar depth in the crust. By comparing the calculated production rate of ^{42}Ar to that of ^{39}Ar for which the concentration has been measured in an underground gas sample, we estimate the activity of ^{42}Ar in gas extracted from 3,000 mwe depth to be less than 2 decays per ton of argon per year.Comment: 17 pages, 10 figure

Manual lymphatic drainage for premenstrual syndrome symptoms: a pilot study

Premenstrual syndrome is a symptomatology - including premenstrual edema - that affects women between the 10th and 14th days prior to menstruation and ends at the onset of menstrual flux. The technique of manual lymphatic drainage (MLD) draws off accumulated fluid excess, acts on edema and might help relieve such symptoms. The purpose of this pilot study was to assess the effect of MLD on premenstrual symptoms and on health-related quality of life of four young women. The study was carried out along two menstrual cycles, the first with no intervention; MLD was applied along the second cycle. Participants were assessed, at the beginning of the first cycle and after treatment, as to height and weight, body composition estimate, daily symptoms by means of a diary, and quality of life by the WHOQoL-bref. After treatment results showed the sole significant decreases in abdomen xyphoid and navel level diameters; mean total and individual symptom scores decreased, but with no significant differences, the same happening to the higher WHOQoL-bref mean scores. Manual lymphatic drainage was thus able to reduce one premenstrual symptom, namely the upper abdomen edema, and didn't affect these young women's quality of life.A síndrome pré-menstrual é um complexo de sintomas - dentre os quais o edema pré-menstrual - entre o 10o e o 14o dias que antecedem a menstruação e cessam no início do fluxo menstrual. A técnica de drenagem linfática manual (DLM) drena o excesso de líquido acumulado, atua no edema e poderia aliviar esses sintomas. O objetivo deste estudo piloto foi verificar o efeito da DLM no alívio dos sintomas da síndrome pré-menstrual e a qualidade de vida relacionada à saúde em quatro mulheres jovens. O estudo foi realizado ao longo de dois ciclos menstruais, ciclo 1 sem intervenção terapêutica, e o segundo ciclo, com aplicação da técnica de DLM. As participantes foram avaliadas, no início do ciclo 1 e final do ciclo 2, por anamnese, mensuração de estatura e massa, estimativa da composição corporal, diário de sintomas e quanto à qualidade de vida relacionada à saúde, pelo WHOQoL-bref. Os resultados mostraram redução significativa apenas do diâmetro de abdome superior nos níveis xifóide e umbilical; as médias total e individual dos sintomas do diário reduziram-se, porém sem significância, tal como ocorreu no aumento dos escores no WHOQoL-bref. A drenagem linfática manual foi eficaz na diminuição de um sintoma da síndrome pré-menstrual, o edema em região superior abdominal, e não alterou a qualidade de vida dessas jovens.Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP) Escola Paulista de MedicinaUniversidade Cidade de São PauloCentro Universitário São CamiloUNIFESP, EPMSciEL

Analysis of lesion localisation at colonoscopy: outcomes from a multi-centre U.K. study

Background: Colonoscopy is currently the gold standard for detection of colorectal lesions, but may be limited in anatomically localising lesions. This audit aimed to determine the accuracy of colonoscopy lesion localisation, any subsequent changes in surgical management and any potentially influencing factors. Methods: Patients undergoing colonoscopy prior to elective curative surgery for colorectal lesion/s were included from 8 registered U.K. sites (2012–2014). Three sets of data were recorded: patient factors (age, sex, BMI, screener vs. symptomatic, previous abdominal surgery); colonoscopy factors (caecal intubation, scope guide used, colonoscopist accreditation) and imaging modality. Lesion localisation was standardised with intra-operative location taken as the gold standard. Changes to surgical management were recorded. Results: 364 cases were included; majority of lesions were colonic, solitary, malignant and in symptomatic referrals. 82% patients had their lesion/s correctly located at colonoscopy. Pre-operative CT visualised lesion/s in only 73% of cases with a reduction in screening patients (64 vs. 77%; p = 0.008). 5.2% incorrectly located cases at colonoscopy underwent altered surgical management, including conversion to open. Univariate analysis found colonoscopy accreditation, scope guide use, incomplete colonoscopy and previous abdominal surgery significantly influenced lesion localisation. On multi-variate analysis, caecal intubation and scope guide use remained significant (HR 0.35, 0.20–0.60 95% CI and 0.47; 0.25–0.88, respectively). Conclusion: Lesion localisation at colonoscopy is incorrect in 18% of cases leading to potentially significant surgical management alterations. As part of accreditation, colonoscopists need lesion localisation training and awareness of when inaccuracies can occur

Artificial neutrino source experiment in Borexino

An experiment with an artificial neutrino source in Borexino is presented. The neutrino source can be located outside the detector or eventually, at the end of the solar neutrino phase, could be deployed inside. The physics case for the source experiment includes the search for short-baseline neutrino oscillations, neutrino-electron scattering at sub-MeV range, neutrino magnetic moment. Preliminary predictions of the sensitivity are reported for the sterile neutrino search

EMAGE—Edinburgh Mouse Atlas of Gene Expression: 2008 update

EMAGE (http://genex.hgu.mrc.ac.uk/Emage/database) is a database of in situ gene expression patterns in the developing mouse embryo. Domains of expression from raw data images are spatially integrated into a set of standard 3D virtual mouse embryos at different stages of development, allowing data interrogation by spatial methods. Sites of expression are also described using an anatomy ontology and data can be queried using text-based methods. Here we describe recent enhancements to EMAGE which include advances in spatial search methods including: a refined local spatial similarity search algorithm, a method to allow global spatial comparison of patterns in EMAGE and subsequent hierarchical-clustering, and spatial searches across multiple stages of development. In addition, we have extended data access by the introduction of web services and new HTML-based search interfaces, which allow access to data that has not yet been spatially annotated. We have also started incorporating full 3D images of gene expression that have been generated using optical projection tomography (OPT)