DAMIC at SNOLAB

We introduce the fully-depleted charge-coupled device (CCD) as a particle detector. We demonstrate its low energy threshold operation, capable of detecting ionizing energy depositions in a single pixel down to 50 eVee. We present results of energy calibrations from 0.3 keVee to 60 keVee, showing that the CCD is a fully active detector with uniform energy response throughout the silicon target, good resolution (Fano ~0.16), and remarkable linear response to electron energy depositions. We show the capability of the CCD to localize the depth of particle interactions within the silicon target. We discuss the mode of operation and unique imaging capabilities of the CCD, and how they may be exploited to characterize and suppress backgrounds. We present the first results from the deployment of 250 um thick CCDs in SNOLAB, a prototype for the upcoming DAMIC100. DAMIC100 will have a target mass of 0.1 kg and should be able to directly test the CDMS-Si signal within a year of operation.Comment: 13 pages, 12 figures, proceedings prepared for 13th International Conference on Topics in Astroparticle and Underground Physics (TAUP2013

Explaining the impact of reconfigurable manufacturing systems on environmental performance: The role of top management and organizational culture

This study develops a theoretical model that links reconfigurable manufacturing systems with top management beliefs, participation, and environmental performance, drawing on agency theory and organizational culture. The study takes into account the possible confounding effects of organization size and organizational compatibility. Drawing on responses from 167 top managers, the results of hypothesis testing suggest that (i) higher top management participation, being influenced by top management beliefs, leads to higher chances of RMS becoming adopted by organizations as their manufacturing strategy; (ii) organizational culture moderates the relationship between the level of top management participation and RMS (and manufacturing strategies) adoption; and (iii) higher re-configurability of manufacturing systems leads to better environmental performance. Furthermore, we integrate Agency Theory and organizational culture to explain the role of top management beliefs and participation in achieving environmental performance via RMS. Finally, we offer guidance to those managers who would like to engage in leveraging top management commitment for achieving environmental performance, and outline further research directions

Search for light mediators in the low-energy data of the CONNIE reactor neutrino experiment

The CONNIE experiment is located at a distance of 30 m from the core of a commercial nuclear reactor, and has collected a 3.7 kg-day exposure using a CCD detector array sensitive to an ∼1 keV threshold for the study of coherent neutrino-nucleus elastic scattering. Here we demonstrate the potential of this low-energy neutrino experiment as a probe for physics Beyond the Standard Model, by using the recently published results to constrain two simplified extensions of the Standard Model with light mediators. We compare the new limits with those obtained for the same models using neutrinos from the Spallation Neutron Source. Our new constraints represent the best limits for these simplified models among the experiments searching for CEνNS for a light vector mediator with mass MZ′< 10 MeV, and for a light scalar mediator with mass Mϕ< 30 MeV. These results constitute the first use of the CONNIE data as a probe for physics Beyond the Standard Model

The DAMIC-100 dark matter detection experiment with CCDs at SNOLAB

The DAMIC (Dark Matter in CCDs) experiment uses the fully depleted silicon of CCDs (Charge Coupled Devices) as a target for galactic dark matter. The ionization energy threshold for detecting nuclear recoils of dark matter reaches down to 50 eV$_{ee}$, resulting in better sensitivity to dark matter with mass below 5 GeV than other direct dark matter detection experiments. Installation of the DAMIC-100 experiment at SNOLAB is ongoing and we present our expected sensitivity, which will extend the reach to low-mass dark matter cross sections within a year of operation

Expression profiling for bladder cancer: strategies to uncover prognostic factors

Despite being a common cancer worldwide, management of transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder currently relies primarily on clinical staging and histopathologic parameters. Assaying alterations in molecular pathways can contribute valuable information that can accurately predict outcome and chemotherapeutic response in individual patients with bladder cancer. Medium- to high-throughput gene-expression profiling technologies are now allowing multiplexed assessment of alterations responsible for the genesis and progression of bladder tumors. These investigations employ global or pathway-based approaches to define molecular signatures that can predict prognosis independent of traditional clinical performance metrics. Prognostic panels generated using these strategies can also elucidate the biology of tumor progression and identify potential therapeutic targets

Phytoplankton Glycerolipids: Challenging but Promising Prospects from Biomedicine to Green Chemistry and Biofuels

International audienc

EXCESS workshop: Descriptions of rising low-energy spectra

International audienceMany low-threshold experiments observe sharply rising event rates of yet unknown origins below a few hundred eV, and larger than expected from known backgrounds. Due to the significant impact of this excess on the dark matter or neutrino sensitivity of these experiments, a collective effort has been started to share the knowledge about the individual observations. For this, the EXCESS Workshop was initiated. In its first iteration in June 2021, ten rare event search collaborations contributed to this initiative via talks and discussions. The contributing collaborations were CONNIE, CRESST, DAMIC, EDELWEISS, MINER, NEWS-G, NUCLEUS, RICOCHET, SENSEI and SuperCDMS. They presented data about their observed energy spectra and known backgrounds together with details about the respective measurements. In this paper, we summarize the presented information and give a comprehensive overview of the similarities and differences between the distinct measurements. The provided data is furthermore publicly available on the workshop’s data repository together with a plotting tool for visualization