Detecting interactions between dark matter and photons at high energy e+e−e^+e^- colliders

We investigate the sensitivity to the effective operators describing interactions between dark matter particles and photons at future high energy $e^+e^-$ colliders via the \gamma+ \slashed{E} channel. Such operators could be useful to interpret the potential gamma-ray line signature observed by the Fermi-LAT. We find that these operators can be further tested at $e^+ e^-$ colliders by using either unpolarized or polarized beams. We also derive a general unitarity condition for $2 \to n$ processes and apply it to the dark matter production process $e^+e^-\to\chi\chi\gamma$.Comment: 13 pages, 8 figure

Low Expression of DYRK2 (Dual Specificity Tyrosine Phosphorylation Regulated Kinase 2) Correlates with Poor Prognosis in Colorectal Cancer.

Dual-specificity tyrosine-phosphorylation-regulated kinase 2 (DYRK2) is a member of dual-specificity kinase family, which could phosphorylate both Ser/Thr and Tyr substrates. The role of DYRK2 in human cancer remains controversial. For example, overexpression of DYRK2 predicts a better survival in human non-small cell lung cancer. In contrast, amplification of DYRK2 gene occurs in esophageal/lung adenocarcinoma, implying the role of DYRK2 as a potential oncogene. However, its clinical role in colorectal cancer (CRC) has not been explored. In this study, we analyzed the expression of DYRK2 from Oncomine database and found that DYRK2 level is lower in primary or metastatic CRC compared to adjacent normal colon tissue or non-metastatic CRC, respectively, in 6 colorectal carcinoma data sets. The correlation between DYRK2 expression and clinical outcome in 181 CRC patients was also investigated by real-time PCR and IHC. DYRK2 expression was significantly down-regulated in colorectal cancer tissues compared with adjacent non-tumorous tissues. Functional studies confirmed that DYRK2 inhibited cell invasion and migration in both HCT116 and SW480 cells and functioned as a tumor suppressor in CRC cells. Furthermore, the lower DYRK2 levels were correlated with tumor sites (P = 0.023), advanced clinical stages (P = 0.006) and shorter survival in the advanced clinical stages. Univariate and multivariate analyses indicated that DYRK2 expression was an independent prognostic factor (P < 0.001). Taking all, we concluded that DYRK2 a novel prognostic biomarker of human colorectal cancer

Materials and Designs for Heat Harvesting and Thermal Management of Asphalt Pavements

Asphalt pavements are subjected to annual, seasonal, and daily temperature fluctuations, which can lead to cracks and even failure of the pavements. Additionally, snow removal in winter on highways and parking lots in the cold-climate region is often challenging and the current snow removal approaches (salt and plowing) are neither efficient enough nor environmental-friendly. Here we propose a multifunctional system that utilizes solar and geothermal energy for heat harvesting and temperature regulation of the pavements, which allows self-de-icing in winter, cooling in summer, reduced maintenance cost, and extended life span. This new pavement technology consists of an underground heat exchanger, circulation pumps, thermal tubes, a photovoltaic system, and thermally conductive pavement overly. This presentation will focus on investigation of the thermal, electrical, and mechanical performance of the asphalt materials modified with conductive additives including carbon nanotubes and graphene nanoplatelets. Using sonication combined with an oil bath and a mechanical shear mixer, we can achieve a homogenous dispersion of the conductive modifiers in asphalt binders, which is verified by a digital microscope. Our results show that the combination of carbon nanotubes and graphene nanoplates can enhance the thermal conductivity of the asphalt binders more than any of the single-phase addition. More work on the electrical conductivity improvement in using these modifiers are underway. These modified asphalt binders are expected to increase asphalt pavements’ overall thermal conductivity, which is an integral part of the multifunctional pavement system