1,454 research outputs found
Characterization of anisotropic nano-particles by using depolarized dynamic light scattering in the near field
Light scattering techniques are widely used in many fields of condensed and
sof t matter physics. Usually these methods are based on the study of the
scattered light in the far field. Recently, a new family of near field
detection schemes has been developed, mainly for the study of small angle light
scattering. These techniques are based on the detection of the light intensity
near to the sample, where light scattered at different directions overlaps but
can be distinguished by Fourier transform analysis. Here we report for the
first time data obtained with a dynamic near field scattering instrument,
measuring both polarized and depolarized scattered light. Advantages of this
procedure over the traditional far field detection include the immunity to
stray light problems and the possibility to obtain a large number of
statistical samples for many different wave vectors in a single instantaneous
measurement. By using the proposed technique we have measured the translational
and rotational diffusion coefficients of rod-like colloidal particles. The
obtained data are in very good agreement with the data acquired with a
traditional light scattering apparatus.Comment: Published in Optics Express. This version has changes in bibliograph
Depicting conformational ensembles of \u3b1-synuclein by single molecule force spectroscopy and native mass spectroscopy
Description of heterogeneous molecular ensembles, such as intrinsically disordered proteins, represents a challenge in structural biology and an urgent question posed by biochemistry to interpret many physiologically important, regulatory mechanisms. Single-molecule techniques can provide a unique contribution to this field. This work applies single molecule force spectroscopy to probe conformational properties of \u3b1-synuclein in solution and its conformational changes induced by ligand binding. The goal is to compare data from such an approach with those obtained by native mass spectrometry. These two orthogonal, biophysical methods are found to deliver a complex picture, in which monomeric \u3b1-synuclein in solution spontaneously populates compact and partially compacted states, which are differently stabilized by binding to aggregation inhibitors, such as dopamine and epigallocatechin-3-gallate. Analyses by circular dichroism and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy show that these transitions do not involve formation of secondary structure. This comparative analysis provides support to structural interpretation of charge-state distributions obtained by native mass spectrometry and helps, in turn, defining the conformational components detected by single molecule force spectroscopy
Double-stranded flanking ends affect the folding kinetics and conformational equilibrium of G-quadruplexes forming sequences within the promoter of KIT oncogene
G-quadruplexes embedded within promoters play a crucial role in regulating the gene expression. KIT is a widely studied oncogene, whose promoter contains three G-quadruplex forming sequences, c-kit1, c-kit2 and c-kit 17. For these sequences available studies cover ensemble and single-molecule analyses, although for kit 17 the latter were limited to a study on a promoter domain comprising all of them. Recently, c-kit2 has been reported to fold according to a multi-step process involving folding intermediates. Here, by exploiting fluorescence resonance energy transfer, both in ensemble and at the single molecule level, we investigated the folding of expressly designed constructs in which, alike in the physiological context, either c-kit2 or c-kit 17 are flanked by double stranded DNA segments. To assess whether the presence of flanking ends at the borders of the G-quadruplex affects the folding, we studied under the same protocols oligonucleotides corresponding to the minimal G-quadruplex forming sequences. Data suggest that addition of flanking ends results in biasing both the final equilibrium state and the folding kinetics. A previously unconsidered aspect is thereby unravelled, which ought to be taken into account to achieve a deeper insight of the complex relationships underlying the fine tuning of the gene-regulatory properties of these fascinating DNA structures
Test of the photon detection system for the LHCb RICH Upgrade in a charged particle beam
The LHCb detector will be upgraded to make more efficient use of the
available luminosity at the LHC in Run III and extend its potential for
discovery. The Ring Imaging Cherenkov detectors are key components of the LHCb
detector for particle identification. In this paper we describe the setup and
the results of tests in a charged particle beam, carried out to assess
prototypes of the upgraded opto-electronic chain from the Multi-Anode PMT
photosensor to the readout and data acquisition system.Comment: 25 pages, 22 figure
First array of enriched ZnSe bolometers to search for double beta decay
The R&D activity performed during the last years proved the potential of ZnSe
scintillating bolometers to the search for neutrino-less double beta decay,
motivating the realization of the first large-mass experiment based on this
technology: CUPID-0. The isotopic enrichment in Se, the ZnSe
crystals growth, as well as the light detectors production have been
accomplished, and the experiment is now in construction at Laboratori Nazionali
del Gran Sasso (Italy). In this paper we present the results obtained testing
the first three ZnSe crystals operated as scintillating bolometers, and
we prove that their performance in terms of energy resolution, background
rejection capability and intrinsic radio-purity complies with the requirements
of CUPID-0
CUPID-0: the first array of enriched scintillating bolometers for 0decay investigations
The CUPID-0 detector hosted at the Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso, Italy, is the first large array of enriched scintillating cryogenic detectors for the investigation of82Se neutrinoless double-beta decay (0). CUPID-0 aims at measuring a background index in the region of interest (RoI) for 0at the level of 10- 3Â counts/(keV kg years), the lowest value ever measured using cryogenic detectors. CUPID-0 operates an array of Zn82Se scintillating bolometers coupled with bolometric light detectors, with a state of the art technology for background suppression and thorough protocols and procedures for the detector preparation and construction. In this paper, the different phases of the detector design and construction will be presented, from the material selection (for the absorber production) to the new and innovative detector structure. The successful construction of the detector lead to promising preliminary detector performance which is discussed here
Nanoparticle characterization by using Tilted Laser Microscopy: back scattering measurement in near field
By using scattering in near field techniques, a microscope can be easily
turned into a device measuring static and dynamic light scattering, very useful
for the characterization of nanoparticle dispersions. Up to now, microscopy
based techniques have been limited to forward scattering, up to a maximum of 30
degrees. In this paper we present a novel optical scheme that overcomes this
limitation, extending the detection range to angles larger than 90 degrees
(back-scattering). Our optical scheme is based on a microscope, a wide
numerical aperture objective, and a laser illumination, with the collimated
beam positioned at a large angle with respect to the optical axis of the
objective (Tilted Laser Microscopy, TLM). We present here an extension of the
theory for near field scattering, which usually applies only to paraxial
scattering, to our strongly out-of-axis s ituation. We tested our instrument
and our calculations with calibrated spherical nanoparticles of several
different diameters, performing static and dynamic scattering measurements up
to 110 degrees. The measured static spectra and decay times are compatible with
the Mie theory and the diffusion coefficients provided by the Stokes-Einstein
equation. The ability of performing backscattering measurements with this
modified microscope opens the way to new applications of scattering in near
field techniques to the measurement of systems with strongly angle dependent
scattering.Comment: 18 pages, 10 figures. Accepted for publication in Optics Express,
vol. 17, no. 17 (08/17/2009
CUORE-0 results and prospects for the CUORE experiment
With 741 kg of TeO2 crystals and an excellent energy resolution of 5 keV
(0.2%) at the region of interest, the CUORE (Cryogenic Underground Observatory
for Rare Events) experiment aims at searching for neutrinoless double beta
decay of 130Te with unprecedented sensitivity. Expected to start data taking in
2015, CUORE is currently in an advanced construction phase at LNGS. CUORE
projected neutrinoless double beta decay half-life sensitivity is 1.6E26 y at 1
sigma (9.5E25 y at the 90% confidence level), in five years of live time,
corresponding to an upper limit on the effective Majorana mass in the range
40-100 meV (50-130 meV). Further background rejection with auxiliary bolometric
detectors could improve CUORE sensitivity and competitiveness of bolometric
detectors towards a full analysis of the inverted neutrino mass hierarchy.
CUORE-0 was built to test and demonstrate the performance of the upcoming CUORE
experiment. It consists of a single CUORE tower (52 TeO2 bolometers of 750 g
each, arranged in a 13 floor structure) constructed strictly following CUORE
recipes both for materials and assembly procedures. An experiment its own,
CUORE-0 is expected to reach a sensitivity to the neutrinoless double beta
decay half-life of 130Te around 3E24 y in one year of live time. We present an
update of the data, corresponding to an exposure of 18.1 kg y. An analysis of
the background indicates that the CUORE performance goal is satisfied while the
sensitivity goal is within reach.Comment: 10 pages, 3 figures, to appear in the proceedings of NEUTRINO 2014,
26th International Conference on Neutrino Physics and Astrophysics, 2-7 June
2014, held at Boston, Massachusetts, US
Analysis Techniques for the Evaluation of the Neutrinoless Double-Beta Decay Lifetime in Te with CUORE-0
We describe in detail the methods used to obtain the lower bound on the
lifetime of neutrinoless double-beta () decay in Te and
the associated limit on the effective Majorana mass of the neutrino using the
CUORE-0 detector. CUORE-0 is a bolometric detector array located at the
Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso that was designed to validate the
background reduction techniques developed for CUORE, a next-generation
experiment scheduled to come online in 2016. CUORE-0 is also a competitive
decay search in its own right and functions as a platform to
further develop the analysis tools and procedures to be used in CUORE. These
include data collection, event selection and processing, as well as an
evaluation of signal efficiency. In particular, we describe the amplitude
evaluation, thermal gain stabilization, energy calibration methods, and the
analysis event selection used to create our final decay search
spectrum. We define our high level analysis procedures, with emphasis on the
new insights gained and challenges encountered. We outline in detail our
fitting methods near the hypothesized decay peak and catalog
the main sources of systematic uncertainty. Finally, we derive the
decay half-life limits previously reported for CUORE-0,
yr, and in combination with the Cuoricino
limit, yr.Comment: 18 pages, 18 figures. (Version 3 reflects only minor changes to the
text. Few additional details, no major content changes.
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