111 research outputs found
First observation of the cosmic ray shadow of the Moon and the Sun with KM3NeT/ORCA
This article reports the first observation of the Moon and the Sun shadows in the sky distribution of cosmic-ray induced muons measured by the KM3NeT/ORCA detector. The analysed data-taking period spans from February 2020 to November 2021, when the detector had 6 Detection Units deployed at the bottom of the Mediterranean Sea, each composed of 18 Digital Optical Modules. The shadows induced by the Moon and the Sun were detected at their nominal position with a statistical significance of 4.2 Ï and 6.2 Ï , and an angular resolution of Ïres= 0. 49 â and Ïres= 0. 66 â , respectively, consistent with the prediction of 0. 53 â from simulations. This early result confirms the effectiveness of the detector calibration, in time, position and orientation and the accuracy of the event direction reconstruction. This also demonstrates the performance and the competitiveness of the detector in terms of pointing accuracy and angular resolution
Wnt signalling and cancer stem cells
[Abstract] Intracellular signalling mediated by secreted Wnt proteins is essential for the establishment of cell fates and proper tissue patterning during embryo development and for the regulation of tissue homeostasis and stem cell function in adult tissues. Aberrant activation of Wnt signalling pathways has been directly linked to the genesis of different tumours. Here, the components and molecular mechanisms implicated in the transduction of Wnt signal, along with important results supporting a central role for this signalling pathway in stem cell function regulation and carcinogenesis will be briefly reviewed.Ministerio de Ciencia e InnovaciĂłn; SAF2008-0060
TGF-ÎČ induces TIAF1 self-aggregation via type II receptor-independent signaling that leads to generation of amyloid ÎČ plaques in Alzheimer's disease
The role of a small transforming growth factor beta (TGF-ÎČ)-induced TIAF1 (TGF-ÎČ1-induced antiapoptotic factor) in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD) was investigated. TIAF1 physically interacts with mothers against DPP homolog 4 (Smad4), and blocks SMAD-dependent promoter activation when overexpressed. Accordingly, knockdown of TIAF1 by small interfering RNA resulted in spontaneous accumulation of Smad proteins in the nucleus and activation of the promoter governed by the SMAD complex. TGF-ÎČ1 and environmental stress (e.g., alterations in pericellular environment) may induce TIAF1 self-aggregation in a type II TGF-ÎČ receptor-independent manner in cells, and Smad4 interrupts the aggregation. Aggregated TIAF1 induces apoptosis in a caspase-dependent manner. By filter retardation assay, TIAF1 aggregates were found in the hippocampi of nondemented humans and AD patients. Total TIAF1-positive samples containing amyloid ÎČ (AÎČ) aggregates are 17 and 48%, respectively, in the nondemented and AD groups, suggesting that TIAF1 aggregation occurs preceding formation of AÎČ. To test this hypothesis, in vitro analysis showed that TGF-ÎČ-regulated TIAF1 aggregation leads to dephosphorylation of amyloid precursor protein (APP) at Thr668, followed by degradation and generation of APP intracellular domain (AICD), AÎČ and amyloid fibrils. Polymerized TIAF1 physically interacts with amyloid fibrils, which would favorably support plaque formation in vivo
Prospects for combined analyses of hadronic emission from -ray sources in the Milky Way with CTA and KM3NeT
The Cherenkov Telescope Array and the KM3NeT neutrino telescopes are major
upcoming facilities in the fields of -ray and neutrino astronomy,
respectively. Possible simultaneous production of rays and neutrinos
in astrophysical accelerators of cosmic-ray nuclei motivates a combination of
their data. We assess the potential of a combined analysis of CTA and KM3NeT
data to determine the contribution of hadronic emission processes in known
Galactic -ray emitters, comparing this result to the cases of two
separate analyses. In doing so, we demonstrate the capability of Gammapy, an
open-source software package for the analysis of -ray data, to also
process data from neutrino telescopes. For a selection of prototypical
-ray sources within our Galaxy, we obtain models for primary proton and
electron spectra in the hadronic and leptonic emission scenario, respectively,
by fitting published -ray spectra. Using these models and instrument
response functions for both detectors, we employ the Gammapy package to
generate pseudo data sets, where we assume 200 hours of CTA observations and 10
years of KM3NeT detector operation. We then apply a three-dimensional binned
likelihood analysis to these data sets, separately for each instrument and
jointly for both. We find that the largest benefit of the combined analysis
lies in the possibility of a consistent modelling of the -ray and
neutrino emission. Assuming a purely leptonic scenario as input, we obtain, for
the most favourable source, an average expected 68% credible interval that
constrains the contribution of hadronic processes to the observed -ray
emission to below 15%.Comment: 18 pages, 15 figures. Submitted to journa
Embedded Software of the KM3NeT Central Logic Board
The KM3NeT Collaboration is building and operating two deep sea neutrino
telescopes at the bottom of the Mediterranean Sea. The telescopes consist of
latices of photomultiplier tubes housed in pressure-resistant glass spheres,
called digital optical modules and arranged in vertical detection units. The
two main scientific goals are the determination of the neutrino mass ordering
and the discovery and observation of high-energy neutrino sources in the
Universe. Neutrinos are detected via the Cherenkov light, which is induced by
charged particles originated in neutrino interactions. The photomultiplier
tubes convert the Cherenkov light into electrical signals that are acquired and
timestamped by the acquisition electronics. Each optical module houses the
acquisition electronics for collecting and timestamping the photomultiplier
signals with one nanosecond accuracy. Once finished, the two telescopes will
have installed more than six thousand optical acquisition nodes, completing one
of the more complex networks in the world in terms of operation and
synchronization. The embedded software running in the acquisition nodes has
been designed to provide a framework that will operate with different hardware
versions and functionalities. The hardware will not be accessible once in
operation, which complicates the embedded software architecture. The embedded
software provides a set of tools to facilitate remote manageability of the
deployed hardware, including safe reconfiguration of the firmware. This paper
presents the architecture and the techniques, methods and implementation of the
embedded software running in the acquisition nodes of the KM3NeT neutrino
telescopes
KM3NeT broadcast optical data transport system
The optical data transport system of the KM3NeT neutrino telescope at the bottom of the Mediterranean Sea will provide more than 6000 optical modules in the detector arrays with a point-to-point optical connection to the control stations onshore. The ARCA and ORCA detectors of KM3NeT are being installed at a depth of about 3500 m and 2500 m, respectively and their distance to the control stations is about 100 kilometers and 40 kilometers. In particular, the two detectors are optimised for the detection of cosmic neutrinos with energies above about 1 TeV (ARCA) and for the detection of atmospheric neutrinos with energies in the range 1 GeV-1 TeV (ORCA). The expected maximum data rate is 200 Mbps per optical module. The implemented optical data transport system matches the layouts of the networks of electro-optical cables and junction boxes in the deep sea. For efficient use of the fibres in the system the technology of Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexing is applied. The performance of the optical system in terms of measured bit error rates, optical budget are presented. The next steps in the implementation of the system are also discussed
The Power Board of the KM3NeT Digital Optical Module: design, upgrade, and production
The KM3NeT Collaboration is building an underwater neutrino observatory at
the bottom of the Mediterranean Sea consisting of two neutrino telescopes, both
composed of a three-dimensional array of light detectors, known as digital
optical modules. Each digital optical module contains a set of 31 three inch
photomultiplier tubes distributed over the surface of a 0.44 m diameter
pressure-resistant glass sphere. The module includes also calibration
instruments and electronics for power, readout and data acquisition. The power
board was developed to supply power to all the elements of the digital optical
module. The design of the power board began in 2013, and several prototypes
were produced and tested. After an exhaustive validation process in various
laboratories within the KM3NeT Collaboration, a mass production batch began,
resulting in the construction of over 1200 power boards so far. These boards
were integrated in the digital optical modules that have already been produced
and deployed, 828 until October 2023. In 2017, an upgrade of the power board,
to increase reliability and efficiency, was initiated. After the validation of
a pre-production series, a production batch of 800 upgraded boards is currently
underway. This paper describes the design, architecture, upgrade, validation,
and production of the power board, including the reliability studies and tests
conducted to ensure the safe operation at the bottom of the Mediterranean Sea
throughout the observatory's lifespa
Probing invisible neutrino decay with KM3NeT-ORCA
In the era of precision measurements of the neutrino oscillation parameters,
upcoming neutrino experiments will also be sensitive to physics beyond the
Standard Model. KM3NeT/ORCA is a neutrino detector optimised for measuring
atmospheric neutrinos from a few GeV to around 100 GeV. In this paper, the
sensitivity of the KM3NeT/ORCA detector to neutrino decay has been explored. A
three-flavour neutrino oscillation scenario, where the third neutrino mass
state decays into an invisible state, e.g. a sterile neutrino, is
considered. We find that KM3NeT/ORCA would be sensitive to invisible neutrino
decays with ~ at confidence
level, assuming true normal ordering. Finally, the impact of neutrino decay on
the precision of KM3NeT/ORCA measurements for ,
and mass ordering have been studied. No significant effect of neutrino decay on
the sensitivity to these measurements has been found.Comment: 27 pages, 14 figures, bibliography updated, typos correcte
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Fluorescent Biosensing Systems Based on Analyte-Induced Conformational Changes of Genetically Engineered Periplasmic Binding Proteins
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A Dynamical Investigation of Acrylodan-Labeled Mutant Phosphate Binding Protein
The static and dynamical behavior of a fluorescently labeled mutant of the Escherichia coli periplasmic phosphate binding protein (PBP) was investigated through steady-state and time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy. As a means of developing a biorecognition element for inorganic phosphate (Pi), alanine-197 of PBP was replaced with a cysteine. This site was then labeled with an environmentally sensitive fluorophore. The fluorescence emission of the mutant PBP labeled with acrylodan (MPBP-AC) proved to be sensitive to micromolar concentrations of Pi, as indicated by a 50% increase in the steady-state emission intensity. Steady-state results indicated that the labeling protocol was specific for cys-197 only and did not label the wild-type PBP; thus, a site-selective labeling protocol was developed. Time-resolved measurements were used to determine the influence of the dynamics of MPBP-AC on the process of signal transduction. Time-resolved anisotropy measurements revealed that rotational dynamics were best described by a model with two independent motions:â the global motion of the protein and the local motion of the acrylodan probe. The rates of both global and local rotational reorientation of MPBP-AC were faster when the protein was Pi-bound rather than Pi-free. This was a result of structural changes involving or surrounding both the Pi-binding site (global changes) and the residues in near proximity to the fluorescent reporter group (local changes). Recovery of the semiangle (Ξ) indicated that local structural changes in MPBP-AC took place when Pi was bound to the protein. Acrylodan gained mobility when MPBP-AC bound Pi, as indicated by the fact that Ξ increased by approximately 5°. In addition, dynamic quenching measurements confirmed that structural changes occurred locally near the cys-197. Acrylodan became more accessible to iodide when MPBP-AC bound Pi, as demonstrated by the 35% increase in the value of the bimolecular quenching constant
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