Physics Potential of a Few Kiloton Scale Neutrino Detector at a Deep Underground Lab in Korea

The demand for underground labs for neutrino and rare event search experiments has been increasing over the last few decades. Yemilab, constructed in October 2022, is the first deep ($\sim$1~km) underground lab dedicated to science in Korea, where a large cylindrical cavern (D: 20~m, H: 20~m) was excavated in addition to the main caverns and halls. The large cavern could be utilized for a low background neutrino experiment by a liquid scintillator-based detector (LSC) where a 2.26 kiloton LS target would be filled. It's timely to have such a large but ultra-pure LS detector after the shutdown of the Borexino experiment so that solar neutrinos can be measured much more precisely. Interesting BSM physics searches can be also pursued with this detector when it's combined with an electron linac, a proton cyclotron (IsoDAR source), or a radioactive source. This article discusses the concept of a candidate detector and the physics potential of a large liquid scintillator detector.Comment: 63 pages, 36 figures, 8 table

The dopamine D2 receptor mediates approach-avoidance tendencies in smokers

Dopamine D2 receptors (DRD2) have been strongly implicated in reward processing of natural stimuli and drugs. By using the Approach-Avoidance Task (AAT), we recently demonstrated that smokers show an increased approach bias toward smoking-related cues but not toward naturally-rewarding stimuli. Here we examined the contribution of the DRD2 Taq1B polymorphism to smokers’ and non-smokers’ responsivity toward smoking versus naturally-rewarding stimuli in the AAT. Smokers carrying the minor B1 allele of the DRD2 Taq1B polymorphism showed reduced approach behavior for food-related pictures compared to non-smokers with the same allele. In the group of smokers, a higher approach-bias toward smoking-related compared to food-related pictures was found in carriers of the B1 allele. This pattern was not evident in smokers homozygous for the B2 allele. Additionally, smokers with the B1 allele reported fewer attempts to quit smoking relative to smokers homozygous for the B2 allele. This is the first study demonstrating that behavioral shifts in response to smoking relative to natural rewards in smokers are mediated by the DRD2 Taq1B polymorphism. Our results indicate a reduced natural-reward brain reactivity in smokers with a genetically determined decrease in dopaminergic activity (i.e., reduction of DRD2 availability). It remains to be determined whether this pattern might be related to a different outcome after psychological cessation interventions, i.e. AAT modification paradigms, in smokers

Foraging behaviour and prey consumption by grey seals (<i>Halichoerus grypus</i>)-spatial and trophic overlaps with fisheries in a marine protected area

The roles of the marine national park of the Iroise Sea (France) are to maintain marine biodiversity, including the southernmost grey seal colony in the Eastern Atlantic, whilst managing sustainable human activities. This study compares the fish biomass taken by local seals and the landings by man in the Iroise Sea. Sixteen seals were satellite tracked from 1999 and 2003, providing location and behavioural (diving) data from which foraging locations were estimated. One individual spent a third of its foraging time in direct, long distance trips (200-350 km) across the English Channel, but most seals spent the majority (68.5%) of their foraging time in the Iroise Sea, making return trips within 30 km of their departure haulout sites. The energetic consumption of the seal colony, taking sex and age classes into account, was assessed and combined with seal abundance estimates and dietary data to assess the total prey consumption by seals, for each prey species. We estimated that during the study period, the grey seal colony in the Iroise Sea consumed around 115 tons of fish per year. The main source of uncertainty of this calculation came from the confidence intervals in total seal abundance estimates. This consumption comprised 13.6 tons of sea bass, 4.3 tons of pollack and 2.7 tons of sole, representing 16.4, 1.8, and 5.2% of landings in the same areas for these three fish species, respectively. Within the four ICES rectangles where grey seals foraged, overlap between seals and fisheries was greatest in rectangle 25E5 (72.7% of all foraging dives), where grey seals haul out, and less in rectangles 25E4 (11.7%), 26E5 (10.8%), and 26E4 (4.8%).</p

Foraging behaviour and prey consumption by grey seals (<i>Halichoerus grypus</i>)-spatial and trophic overlaps with fisheries in a marine protected area

International audienceThe roles of the marine national park of the Iroise Sea (France) are to maintain marine biodiversity, including the southernmost grey seal colonyin the Eastern Atlantic, whilst managing sustainable human activities. This study compares the fish biomass taken by local seals and thelandings by man in the Iroise Sea. Sixteen seals were satellite tracked from 1999 and 2003, providing location and behavioural (diving) datafrom which foraging locations were estimated. One individual spent a third of its foraging time in direct, long distance trips (200–350 km)across the English Channel, but most seals spent the majority (68.5%) of their foraging time in the Iroise Sea, making return trips within 30 kmof their departure haulout sites. The energetic consumption of the seal colony, taking sex and age classes into account, was assessed and combinedwith seal abundance estimates and dietary data to assess the total prey consumption by seals, for each prey species. We estimated thatduring the study period, the grey seal colony in the Iroise Sea consumed around 115 tons of fish per year. The main source of uncertaintyof this calculation came from the confidence intervals in total seal abundance estimates. This consumption comprised 13.6 tons of sea bass,4.3 tons of pollack and 2.7 tons of sole, representing 16.4, 1.8, and 5.2% of landings in the same areas for these three fish species, respectively.Within the four ICES rectangles where grey seals foraged, overlap between seals and fisheries was greatest in rectangle 25E5 (72.7% of all foragingdives), where grey seals haul out, and less in rectangles 25E4 (11.7%), 26E5 (10.8%), and 26E4 (4.8%)

A molecular switch for photoperiod responsiveness in mammals

Seasonal synchronization based on day length (photoperiod) allows organisms to anticipate environmental change. Photoperiodic decoding relies on circadian clocks, but the underlying molecular pathways have remained elusive [1]. In mammals and birds, photoperiodic responses depend crucially on expression of thyrotrophin β subunit RNA (TSHβ) in the pars tuberalis (PT) of the pituitary gland [ 2, 3 and 4]. Now, using our well-characterized Soay sheep model [2], we describe a molecular switch governing TSHβ transcription through the circadian clock. Central to this is a conserved D element in the TSHβ promoter, controlled by the circadian transcription factor thyrotroph embryonic factor (Tef). In the PT, long-day exposure rapidly induces expression of the coactivator eyes absent 3 (Eya3), which synergizes with Tef to maximize TSHβ transcription. The pineal hormone melatonin, secreted nocturnally, sets the phase of rhythmic Eya3 expression in the PT to peak 12 hr after nightfall. Additionally, nocturnal melatonin levels directly suppress Eya3 expression. Together, these effects form a switch triggering a strong morning peak of Eya3 expression under long days. Species variability in the TSHβ D element influences sensitivity to TEF, reflecting species variability in photoperiodic responsiveness. Our findings define a molecular pathway linking the circadian clock to the evolution of seasonal timing in mammals