560 research outputs found
Do hep neutrinos affect the solar neutrino energy spectrum?
If the low energy cross section for 3He + p goes to 4He + e + nu_e, the `hep'
reaction, is > 20 times larger than the best (but uncertain) theoretical
estimates, then this reaction could significantly influence the electron energy
spectrum produced by solar neutrino interactions and measured in the
SuperKamiokande, SNO, and ICARUS experiments. We compare predicted energy
spectra for different assumed hep fluxes and different neutrino oscillation
scenarios with the observed SuperKamiokande spectrum. The spectra with enhanced
hep contributions provide better fits to the SuperKamiokande data.Comment: Accepted Phyics Letters B. Related information at
http://www.sns.ias.edu/~jnb . LaTeX file. 12 pages including 2 figures. Typo
in Table 2 correcte
The human somatostatin receptor type 2 as an imaging and suicide reporter gene for pluripotent stem cell-derived therapy of myocardial infarction
Rationale: Pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) are being investigated as a cell source for regenerative medicine since they provide an infinitive pool of cells that are able to differentiate towards every cell type of the body. One possible therapeutic application involves the use of these cells to treat myocardial infarction (MI), a condition where billions of cardiomyocytes (CMs) are lost. Although several protocols have been developed to differentiate PSCs towards CMs, none of these provide a completely pure population, thereby still posing a risk for neoplastic teratoma formation. Therefore, we developed a strategy to (i) monitor cell behavior noninvasively via site-specific integration of firefly luciferase (Fluc) and the human positron emission tomography (PET) imaging reporter genes, sodium iodide symporter (hNIS) and somatostatin receptor type 2 (hSSTr2), and (ii) perform hSSTr2-mediated suicide gene therapy via the clinically used radiopharmacon 177Lu-DOTATATE. Methods: Human embryonic stem cells (ESCs) were gene-edited via zinc finger nucleases to express Fluc and either hNIS or hSSTr2 in the safe harbor locus, adeno-associated virus integration site 1. Firstly, these cells were exposed to 4.8 MBq 177Lu-DOTATATE in vitro and cell survival was monitored via bioluminescence imaging (BLI). Afterwards, hNIS+ and hSSTr2+ ESCs were transplanted subcutaneously and teratomas were allowed to form. At day 59, baseline 124I and 68Ga-DOTATATE PET and BLI scans were performed. The day after, animals received either saline or 55 MBq 177Lu-DOTATATE. Weekly BLI scans were performed, accompanied by 124I and 68Ga-DOTATATE PET scans at days 87 and 88, respectively. Finally, hSSTr2+ ESCs were differentiated towards CMs and transplanted intramyocardially in the border zone of an infarct that was induced by left anterior descending coronary artery ligation. After transplantation, the animals were monitored via BLI and PET, while global cardiac function was evaluated using cardiac magnetic resonance imaging. Results: Teratoma growth of both hNIS+ and hSSTr2+ ESCs could be followed noninvasively over time by both PET and BLI. After 177Lu-DOTATATE administration, successful cell killing of the hSSTr2+ ESCs was achieved both in vitro and in vivo, indicated by reductions in total tracer lesion uptake, BLI signal and teratoma volume. As undifferentiated hSSTr2+ ESCs are not therapeutically relevant, they were differentiated towards CMs and injected in immune-deficient mice with a MI. Long-term cell survival could be monitored without uncontrolled cell proliferation. However, no improvement in the left ventricular ejection fraction was observed.Conclusion: We developed isogenic hSSTr2-expressing ESCs that allow noninvasive cell monitoring in the context of PSC-derived regenerative therapy. Furthermore, we are the first to use the hSSTr2 not only as an imaging reporter gene, but also as a suicide mechanism for radionuclide therapy in the setting of PSC-derived cell treatment
Realistic Calculation of the hep Astrophysical Factor
The astrophysical factor for the proton weak capture on 3He is calculated
with correlated-hyperspherical-harmonics bound and continuum wave functions
corresponding to a realistic Hamiltonian consisting of the Argonne v18
two-nucleon and Urbana-IX three-nucleon interactions. The nuclear weak charge
and current operators have vector and axial-vector components, that include
one- and many-body terms. All possible multipole transitions connecting any of
the p-3He S- and P-wave channels to the 4He bound state are considered. The
S-factor at a p-3He center-of-mass energy of 10 keV, close to the Gamow-peak
energy, is predicted to be 10.1 10^{-20} keV b, a factor of five larger than
the standard-solar-model value. The P-wave transitions are found to be
important, contributing about 40 % of the calculated S-factor.Comment: 8 pages RevTex file, submitted to Phys. Rev. Let
System size and centrality dependence of charged hadron transverse momentum spectra in Au+Au and Cu+Cu collisions at sqrt(s) = 62.4 and 200 GeV
We present transverse momentum distributions of charged hadrons produced in
Cu+Cu collisions at sqrt(s) = 62.4 and 200 GeV. The spectra are measured for
transverse momenta of 0.25 < p_T < 5.0 GeV/c at sqrt(s) = 62.4 GeV and 0.25 <
p_T < 7.0 GeV/c at sqrt(s) = 200 GeV, in a pseudo-rapidity range of 0.2 < eta <
1.4. The nuclear modification factor R_AA is calculated relative to p+p data at
both collision energies as a function of collision centrality. At a given
collision energy and fractional cross-section, R_AA is observed to be
systematically larger in Cu+Cu collisions compared to Au+Au. However, for the
same number of participating nucleons, R_AA is essentially the same in both
systems over the measured range of p_T, in spite of the significantly different
geometries of the Cu+Cu and Au+Au systems.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figures, submitted to Phys. Rev. Let
System Size, Energy and Centrality Dependence of Pseudorapidity Distributions of Charged Particles in Relativistic Heavy Ion Collisions
We present the first measurements of the pseudorapidity distribution of
primary charged particles in Cu+Cu collisions as a function of collision
centrality and energy, \sqrtsnn = 22.4, 62.4 and 200 GeV, over a wide range of
pseudorapidity, using the PHOBOS detector. Making a global comparison of Cu+Cu
and Au+Au results, we find that the total number of produced charged particles
and the rough shape (height and width) of the pseudorapidity distributions are
determined by the number of nucleon participants. More detailed studies reveal
that a more precise matching of the shape of the Cu+Cu and Au+Au pseudorapidity
distributions over the full range of pseudorapidity occurs for the same
Npart/2A value rather than the same Npart value. In other words, it is the
collision geometry rather than just the number of nucleon participants that
drives the detailed shape of the pseudorapidity distribution and its centrality
dependence at RHIC energies.Comment: Submitted to Physical Review Letter
Identified charged antiparticle to particle ratios near midrapidity in Cu+Cu collisions at sqrt(s) = 62.4 and 200 GeV
Antiparticle to particle ratios for identified protons, kaons and pions at
sqrt(s) = 62.4 and 200 GeV in Cu+Cu collisions are presented as a function of
centrality for the midrapidity region of 0.2 < eta < 1.4. No strong dependence
on centrality is observed. For the / ratio at ~ 0.51 GeV/c, we
observe an average value of 0.50 +/- 0.003_(stat) +/- 0.04_(syst) and 0.77 +/-
0.008_(stat) +/- 0.05_(syst) for the 10% most central collisions of 62.4 and
200 GeV Cu+Cu, respectively. The values for all three particle species measured
at sqrt(s) = 200 GeV are in agreement within systematic uncertainties with that
seen in both heavier and lighter systems measured at the same RHIC energy. This
indicates that system size does not appear to play a strong role in determining
the midrapidity chemical freeze-out properties affecting the antiparticle to
particle ratios of the three most abundant particle species produced in these
collisions.Comment: 5 Pages, 4 figures Made changes to the figures to include the panel
numbers. Slight changes to the text. Updated data points from other
experiment
Centrality dependence of charged hadron transverse momentum spectra in d+Au collisions at sqrt(s_NN) = 200 GeV
We have measured transverse momentum distributions of charged hadrons
produced in d+Au collisions at sqrt(s_NN) = 200 GeV. The spectra were obtained
for transverse momenta 0.25 < p_T < 6.0 GeV/c, in a pseudorapidity range of 0.2
< eta < 1.4 in the deuteron direction. The evolution of the spectra with
collision centrality is presented in comparison to p+pbarcollisions at the same
collision energy. With increasing centrality, the yield at high transverse
momenta increases more rapidly than the overall particle density, leading to a
strong modification of the spectral shape. This change in spectral shape is
qualitatively different from observations in Au+Au collisions at the same
energy. The results provide important information for discriminating between
different models for the suppression of high-p_T hadrons observed in Au+Au
collisions.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures, submitted to PR
Cluster properties from two-particle angular correlations in p+p collisions at = 200 and 410 GeV
We present results on two-particle angular correlations in proton-proton
collisions at center of mass energies of 200 and 410 GeV. The PHOBOS experiment
at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider has a uniquely large coverage for
charged particles, giving the opportunity to explore the correlations at both
short- and long-range scales. At both energies, a complex two-dimensional
correlation structure in and is observed. In the
context of an independent cluster model of short-range correlations, the
cluster size and its decay width are extracted from the two-particle
pseudorapidity correlation function and compared with previous measurements in
proton-proton and proton-antiproton collisions, as well as PYTHIA and HIJING
predictions.Comment: 10 pages, 10 figures, submitted to Phys. Rev.
Endotoxin Induced Chorioamnionitis Prevents Intestinal Development during Gestation in Fetal Sheep
Chorioamnionitis is the most significant source of prenatal inflammation and preterm delivery. Prematurity and prenatal inflammation are associated with compromised postnatal developmental outcomes, of the intestinal immune defence, gut barrier function and the vascular system. We developed a sheep model to study how the antenatal development of the gut was affected by gestation and/or by endotoxin induced chorioamnionitis
The ZEPLIN-III dark matter detector: instrument design, manufacture and commissioning
We present details of the technical design and manufacture of the ZEPLIN-III
dark matter experiment. ZEPLIN-III is a two-phase xenon detector which measures
both the scintillation light and the ionisation charge generated in the liquid
by interacting particles and radiation. The instrument design is driven by both
the physics requirements and by the technology requirements surrounding the use
of liquid xenon. These include considerations of key performance parameters,
such as the efficiency of scintillation light collection, restrictions placed
on the use of materials to control the inherent radioactivity levels,
attainment of high vacuum levels and chemical contamination control. The
successful solution has involved a number of novel design and manufacturing
features which will be of specific use to future generations of direct dark
matter search experiments as they struggle with similar and progressively more
demanding requirements.Comment: 25 pages, 19 figures. Submitted to Astropart. Phys. Some figures down
sampled to reduce siz
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