Online 222Rn^{222}Rn removal by cryogenic distillation in the XENON100 experiment

We describe the purification of xenon from traces of the radioactive noble gas radon using a cryogenic distillation column. The distillation column was integrated into the gas purification loop of the XENON100 detector for online radon removal. This enabled us to significantly reduce the constant $^{222}Rn$ background originating from radon emanation. After inserting an auxiliary $^{222}Rn$ emanation source in the gas loop, we determined a radon reduction factor of $R\,>\,27$ (95% C.L.) for the distillation column by monitoring the $^{222}Rn$ activity concentration inside the XENON100 detector

Search for Electronic Recoil Event Rate Modulation with 4 Years of XENON100 Data

We report on a search for electronic recoil event rate modulation signatures in the XENON100 data accumulated over a period of 4 yr, from January 2010 to January 2014. A profile likelihood method, which incorporates the stability of the XENON100 detector and the known electronic recoil background model, is used to quantify the significance of periodicity in the time distribution of events. There is a weak modulation signature at a period of $431^{+16}_{−14}$ day in the low energy region of (2.0–5.8) keV in the single scatter event sample, with a global significance of 1.9$\sigma$; however, no other more significant modulation is observed. The significance of an annual modulation signature drops from 2.8$\sigma$, from a previous analysis of a subset of this data, to 1.8$\sigma$ with all data combined. Single scatter events in the low energy region are thus used to exclude the DAMA/LIBRA annual modulation as being due to dark matter electron interactions via axial vector coupling at 5.7$\sigma$

Erratum: First axion results from the XENON100 experiment [Phys. Rev. D 90, 062009 (2014)]

n our paper, we presented searches for solar axions and galactic axionlike particles (ALPs) in the data collected by the XENON100 experiment (with an exposure of 224.6 days). We recently found a bug in the code to calculate the exclusion limit for galactic ALPs. This resulted in an underestimation of the ALP expected rate, which in turn led to an overly conservative limit, compared to what it should really be. We corrected the code, and the result of the XENON100 90% C.L. exclusion limit on galactic ALPs (shown in Fig. 1) was reevaluated. The corrected limit is stronger than the one previously published by approximately a factor of 5 across all masses and sets the best published limit on the axion-electron coupling, $g_{Ae}$, in the (1–40)  keV/$c^2$ mass range

Granulocyte colony-stimulating factors for febrile neutropenia prophylaxis following chemotherapy: systematic review and meta-analysis

Background: Febrile neutropenia (FN) occurs following myelosuppressive chemotherapy and is associated with morbidity, mortality, costs, and chemotherapy reductions and delays. Granulocyte colony-stimulating factors (G-CSFs) stimulate neutrophil production and may reduce FN incidence when given prophylactically following chemotherapy. Methods: A systematic review and meta-analysis assessed the effectiveness of G-CSFs (pegfilgrastim, filgrastim or lenograstim) in reducing FN incidence in adults undergoing chemotherapy for solid tumours or lymphoma. G-CSFs were compared with no primary G-CSF prophylaxis and with one another. Nine databases were searched in December 2009. Meta-analysis used a random effects model due to heterogeneity. Results: Twenty studies compared primary G-CSF prophylaxis with no primary G-CSF prophylaxis: five studies of pegfilgrastim; ten of filgrastim; and five of lenograstim. All three G-CSFs significantly reduced FN incidence, with relative risks of 0.30 (95% CI: 0.14 to 0.65) for pegfilgrastim, 0.57 (95% CI: 0.48 to 0.69) for filgrastim, and 0.62 (95% CI: 0.44 to 0.88) for lenograstim. Overall, the relative risk of FN for any primary G-CSF prophylaxis versus no primary G-CSF prophylaxis was 0.51 (95% CI: 0.41 to 0.62). In terms of comparisons between different G-CSFs, five studies compared pegfilgrastim with filgrastim. FN incidence was significantly lower for pegfilgrastim than filgrastim, with a relative risk of 0.66 (95% CI: 0.44 to 0.98). Conclusions: Primary prophylaxis with G-CSFs significantly reduces FN incidence in adults undergoing chemotherapy for solid tumours or lymphoma. Pegfilgrastim reduces FN incidence to a significantly greater extent than filgrastim

Erratum to: Sensitivity of the DARWIN observatory to the neutrinoless double beta decay of 136^{136}Xe

We correct an overestimation of the production rate of $^{137}$Xe in the DARWIN detector operated at LNGS. This formerly dominant intrinsic background source is now at a level similar to the irreducible background from solar $^8$B neutrinos, thus unproblematic at the LNGS depth. The projected half-life sensitivity for the neutrinoless double beta decay ($$0\nu \beta \beta$$) of $^{136}$Xe improves by $22\%$ compared to the previously reported number and is now $T^{0\nu }_{1/2}= {3.0\times 10^{27}} \hbox { yr}$ (90% C.L.) after 10 years of DARWIN operation

Hindsight: The Development of Orthoptics in Australia 1931-60

This thesis explores the development of orthoptic education, orthoptic clinical practice and its professional association chronologically in the early period of the profession from 1931-60 and aims to add to the historiography of allied health care in Australia. My objective is to answer the basic questions of how and why changes and developments in orthoptic practice, orthoptic education and in the professional association came to be made and how these developments were influenced by the profession being all-female. It will be shown that by 1960, orthoptic education was run by orthoptists and the practice and science of orthoptics had advanced, mainly due to the research conducted by orthoptists themselves. The professional association, the Orthoptic Association of Australia (now Orthoptics Australia), established and run by orthoptists, had been operating for 16 years and it had fulfilled its main objective to further the science of orthoptics for the benefit of its patients and for the continuing education of its workforce. Despite opposition from some ophthalmologists who did not value orthoptic therapy, the all-female workforce had established Australian orthoptics as world-class. 1960 was chosen as the endpoint because by that date the practice of orthoptics was changing. Orthoptists were being urged by ophthalmologist to widen their scope of practice, to continue with their management of eye movement disorders and to add examinations of a wider range of ocular problems. These changes in practice took place over the following decade

Di-μ-iodido-bis[(biphenyl-2-yl)(triphenylphosphane-κP)palladium(II)]

In the title compound, [Pd2(C12H9)2I2(C18H15P)2], the dimeric complex molecule lies about an inversion center. The Pd...I...Pd bridges are slightly asymmetric, with Pd—I distances of 2.6709 (6) and 2.7486 (7) Å. The metal atom has a slightly puckered square-planar CI2P environment, the largest deviation from the least-squares plane being 0.143 (8) Å

Nutrient removal in a wet detention pond with baffle dike – A case study of the cedar river project

The City of Jacksonville, Florida USA is in the midst of an important program to reduce nutrient load from its municipal storm water system. New regulations promulgated by the US EPA and State of Florida have targeted nutrient reduction within the St. Johns River watershed which includes most of the City of Jacksonville. In order to reduce overall nutrient loads to the St. Johns River, the City of Jacksonville and its consultant team have begun a construction program to build a series of wet detention storm water reservoirs designed to attenuate storm runoff and reduce nutrient discharge. One such facility lies within the Cedar River watershed which is connected downstream to the St. Johns River. This paper describes the layout of the facility and its nutrient removal performance over a period of more than one year. The storage and treatment facility is unique in its design since it includes a longitudinal baffle dike designed to extend the flow path and increase the overall residence time of the facility. The actual nutrient removal performance of the specially-designed facility greatly exceeded its design goals and outperformed other typical wet detention facilities in Florida as well as many storm water treatment wetlands. Overall, the pond removed approximately 31% of total nitrogen, 59% of total phosphorus, and 83% of total suspended solids during the study period

Removing krypton from xenon by cryogenic distillation to the ppq level

The XENON1T experiment aims for the direct detection of dark matter in a detector filled with 3.3 tons of liquid xenon. In order to achieve the desired sensitivity, the background induced by radioactive decays inside the detector has to be sufficiently low. One major contributor is the β\beta-emitter $^{85}$Kr which is present in the xenon. For XENON1T a concentration of natural krypton in xenon $^{nat}\mathrm{Kr/Xe}\,<\,200\,ppq$ (parts per quadrillion, $1~\mathrm{ppq}~=10^{-15} \mathrm{mol/mol}$) is required. In this work, the design, construction and test of a novel cryogenic distillation column using the common McCabe–Thiele approach is described. The system demonstrated a krypton reduction factor of $6.4\cdot 10^5$ with thermodynamic stability at process speeds above 3 kg/h. The resulting concentration of $^{nat}\mathrm{Kr/Xe}<26\,ppq$ is the lowest ever achieved, almost one order of magnitude below the requirements for XENON1T and even sufficient for future dark matter experiments using liquid xenon, such as XENONnT and DARWIN