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Sample records for mice particle identification

  1. Particle Rate and Host Accelerator Beam Loss on the MICE Experiment

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Dobbs, Adam James [Imperial College, London (United Kingdom)

    2011-10-01

    A study is presented of particle rates in the MICE Muon Beamline and their relationship to beam loss produced in ISIS. A brief overview of neutrino physics is presented, together with a discussion on the Neutrino Factory as a motivation for MICE. An overview of MICE itself is then presented, highlighting the need for a systematic understanding of the relationship between the MICE target parameters, ISIS beam loss, and MICE particle rate. The variation of beam loss with target depth is examined and observed to be non-linear. The variation of beam loss with respect to the target dip time in the ISIS cycle is examined and observed to be approximately linear for dip times between 11.1 ms and 12.6 ms after ISIS injection, before tailing at earlier dip times. The variation of beam loss with particle rate is also observed to follow an approximately linear relationship from 0.05 V.ms to 4.7 V.ms beam loss, with a further strong indication that this continues up to 7.1 V.ms. Particle identification using time-of-flight data is used to give an insight into the relative abundances of each particle species present in the MICE beam. Estimates of muon rate are then produced as a function of beam loss. At a level of 2 V.ms beam loss ~10.9 muons per spill for a 3.2 ms spill with negative π → μ optics, and ~31.1 muons per 1 ms spill with positive π → μ optics are observed. Simulations using the ORBIT particle tracking code of the beam loss distributions around the ISIS ring, caused by the MICE target, are also presented and the implications for MICE running discussed.

  2. Comments on particle identification at the B factory

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ratcliff, B.N.

    1992-01-01

    The importance of particle identification at an asymmetric B Factory is discussed, and the general status of a number of particle identification technologies which might be included in B Factory detectors is briefly reviewed. It is generally agreed that high quality hadronic particle identification is fundamental to the central mission of understanding CP violation at the B Factory, but there is as yet no clear open-quotes consensusclose quotes solution for such a detector. In a sense, this lack of a particle identification solution is a matter of definition. There is, in fact, a perfectly reasonable, open-quotes conventional technologyclose quotes, particle identification system which makes use of a large tracking chamber with excellent (i.e., relativistic rise quality) dE/dx surrounded by a good TOF with a rather long flight path. The chamber must be rather large (around 2 meters in outer radius) and perhaps high pressure as well, but similar devices are rather well understood and it would appear to be possible to meet the particle identification performance required at B Factory momenta. This solution has not been embraced by any of the detector groups, however, because of the effect it has on the electromagnetic calorimetry. open-quotes Everyoneclose quotes wants high quality calorimetry (such as can be provided by CsI crystals), but such devices cost a great deal per unit volume, and the cost scales roughly like the inner radius squared. Moreover, no one wants to see the high quality (expensive) calorimetry compromised by excessive mass in front. Thus, the essence of the particle identification problem is that there is no approximately massless, very thin particle identification device known with adequate performance. Of course, it might equally well be said that there is no high quality calorimeter known which is sufficiently cost-effective to be placed outside an appropriately sized tracking plus particle identification system

  3. Particle identification in ALICE: a Bayesian approach

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Adam, J.; Adamova, D.; Aggarwal, M. M.; Rinella, G. Aglieri; Agnello, M.; Agrawal, N.; Ahammed, Z.; Ahn, S. U.; Aiola, S.; Akindinov, A.; Alam, S. N.; Albuquerque, D. S. D.; Aleksandrov, D.; Alessandro, B.; Alexandre, D.; Alfaro Molina, R.; Alici, A.; Alkin, A.; Almaraz, J. R. M.; Alme, J.; Alt, T.; Altinpinar, S.; Altsybeev, I.; Alves Garcia Prado, C.; Andrei, C.; Andronic, A.; Anguelov, V.; Anticic, T.; Antinori, F.; Antonioli, P.; Aphecetche, L.; Appelshaeuser, H.; Arcelli, S.; Arnaldi, R.; Arnold, O. W.; Arsene, I. C.; Arslandok, M.; Audurier, B.; Augustinus, A.; Averbeck, R.; Azmi, M. D.; Badala, A.; Baek, Y. W.; Bagnasco, S.; Bailhache, R.; Bala, R.; Balasubramanian, S.; Baldisseri, A.; Baral, R. C.; Barbano, A. M.; Barbera, R.; Barile, F.; Barnafoeldi, G. G.; Barnby, L. S.; Barret, V.; Bartalini, P.; Barth, K.; Bartke, J.; Bartsch, E.; Basile, M.; Bastid, N.; Bathen, B.; Batigne, G.; Camejo, A. Batista; Batyunya, B.; Batzing, P. C.; Bearden, I. G.; Beck, H.; Bedda, C.; Behera, N. K.; Belikov, I.; Bellini, F.; Bello Martinez, H.; Bellwied, R.; Belmont, R.; Belmont-Moreno, E.; Belyaev, V.; Benacek, P.; Bencedi, G.; Beole, S.; Berceanu, I.; Bercuci, A.; Berdnikov, Y.; Berenyi, D.; Bertens, R. A.; Berzano, D.; Betev, L.; Bhasin, A.; Bhat, I. R.; Bhati, A. K.; Bhattacharjee, B.; Bhom, J.; Bianchi, L.; Bianchi, N.; Bianchin, C.; Bielcik, J.; Bielcikova, J.; Bilandzic, A.; Biro, G.; Biswas, R.; Biswas, S.; Bjelogrlic, S.; Blair, J. T.; Blau, D.; Blume, C.; Bock, F.; Bogdanov, A.; Boggild, H.; Boldizsar, L.; Bombara, M.; Book, J.; Borel, H.; Borissov, A.; Borri, M.; Bossu, F.; Botta, E.; Bourjau, C.; Braun-Munzinger, P.; Bregant, M.; Breitner, T.; Broker, T. A.; Browning, T. A.; Broz, M.; Brucken, E. J.; Bruna, E.; Bruno, G. E.; Budnikov, D.; Buesching, H.; Bufalino, S.; Buncic, P.; Busch, O.; Buthelezi, Z.; Butt, J. B.; Buxton, J. T.; Cabala, J.; Caffarri, D.; Cai, X.; Caines, H.; Diaz, L. Calero; Caliva, A.; Calvo Villar, E.; Camerini, P.; Carena, F.; Carena, W.; Carnesecchi, F.; Castellanos, J. Castillo; Castro, A. J.; Casula, E. A. R.; Sanchez, C. Ceballos; Cepila, J.; Cerello, P.; Cerkala, J.; Chang, B.; Chapeland, S.; Chartier, M.; Charvet, J. L.; Chattopadhyay, S.; Chattopadhyay, S.; Chauvin, A.; Chelnokov, V.; Cherney, M.; Cheshkov, C.; Cheynis, B.; Barroso, V. Chibante; Chinellato, D. D.; Cho, S.; Chochula, P.; Choi, K.; Chojnacki, M.; Choudhury, S.; Christakoglou, P.; Christensen, C. H.; Christiansen, P.; Chujo, T.; Cicalo, C.; Cifarelli, L.; Cindolo, F.; Cleymans, J.; Colamaria, F.; Colella, D.; Collu, A.; Colocci, M.; Balbastre, G. Conesa; del Valle, Z. Conesa; Connors, M. E.; Contreras, J. G.; Cormier, T. M.; Morales, Y. Corrales; Cortes Maldonado, I.; Cortese, P.; Cosentino, M. R.; Costa, F.; Crochet, P.; Cruz Albino, R.; Cuautle, E.; Cunqueiro, L.; Dahms, T.; Dainese, A.; Danisch, M. C.; Danu, A.; Das, I.; Das, S.; Dash, A.; Dash, S.; De, S.; De Caro, A.; de Cataldo, G.; de Conti, C.; de Cuveland, J.; De Falco, A.; De Gruttola, D.; De Marco, N.; De Pasquale, S.; Deisting, A.; Deloff, A.; Denes, E.; Deplano, C.; Dhankher, P.; Di Bari, D.; Di Mauro, A.; Di Nezza, P.; Corchero, M. A. Diaz; Dietel, T.; Dillenseger, P.; Divia, R.; Djuvsland, O.; Dobrin, A.; Gimenez, D. Domenicis; Doenigus, B.; Dordic, O.; Drozhzhova, T.; Dubey, A. K.; Dubla, A.; Ducroux, L.; Dupieux, P.; Ehlers, R. J.; Elia, D.; Endress, E.; Engel, H.; Epple, E.; Erazmus, B.; Erdemir, I.; Erhardt, F.; Espagnon, B.; Estienne, M.; Esumi, S.; Eum, J.; Evans, D.; Evdokimov, S.; Eyyubova, G.; Fabbietti, L.; Fabris, D.; Faivre, J.; Fantoni, A.; Fasel, M.; Feldkamp, L.; Feliciello, A.; Feofilov, G.; Ferencei, J.; Fernandez Tellez, A.; Ferreiro, E. G.; Ferretti, A.; Festanti, A.; Feuillard, V. J. G.; Figiel, J.; Figueredo, M. A. S.; Filchagin, S.; Finogeev, D.; Fionda, F. M.; Fiore, E. M.; Fleck, M. G.; Floris, M.; Foertsch, S.; Foka, P.; Fokin, S.; Fragiacomo, E.; Francescon, A.; Frankenfeld, U.; Fronze, G. G.; Fuchs, U.; Furget, C.; Furs, A.; Girard, M. Fusco; Gaardhoje, J. J.; Gagliardi, M.; Gago, A. M.; Gallio, M.; Gangadharan, D. R.; Ganoti, P.; Gao, C.; Garabatos, C.; Garcia-Solis, E.; Gargiulo, C.; Gasik, P.; Gauger, E. F.; Germain, M.; Gheata, A.; Gheata, M.; Gianotti, P.; Giubellino, P.; Giubilato, P.; Gladysz-Dziadus, E.; Glaessel, P.; Gomez Coral, D. M.; Ramirez, A. Gomez; Gonzalez, A. S.; Gonzalez, V.; Gonzalez-Zamora, P.; Gorbunov, S.; Goerlich, L.; Gotovac, S.; Grabski, V.; Grachov, O. A.; Graczykowski, L. K.; Graham, K. L.; Grelli, A.; Grigoras, A.; Grigoras, C.; Grigoriev, V.; Grigoryan, A.; Grigoryan, S.; Grinyov, B.; Grion, N.; Gronefeld, J. M.; Grosse-Oetringhaus, J. F.; Grosso, R.; Guber, F.; Guernane, R.; Guerzoni, B.; Gulbrandsen, K.; Gunji, T.; Gupta, A.; Haake, R.; Haaland, O.; Hadjidakis, C.; Haiduc, M.; Hamagaki, H.; Hamar, G.; Hamon, J. C.; Harris, J. W.; Harton, A.; Hatzifotiadou, D.; Hayashi, S.; Heckel, S. T.; Hellbaer, E.; Helstrup, H.; Herghelegiu, A.; Herrera Corral, G.; Hess, B. A.; Hetland, K. F.; Hillemanns, H.; Hippolyte, B.; Horak, D.; Hosokawa, R.; Hristov, P.; Humanic, T. J.; Hussain, N.; Hussain, T.; Hutter, D.; Hwang, D. S.; Ilkaev, R.; Inaba, M.; Incani, E.; Ippolitov, M.; Irfan, M.; Ivanov, M.; Ivanov, V.; Izucheev, V.; Jacazio, N.; Jadhav, M. B.; Jadlovska, S.; Jadlovsky, J.; Jahnke, C.; Jakubowska, M. J.; Jang, H. J.; Janik, M. A.; Jayarathna, P. H. S. Y.; Jena, C.; Jena, S.; Bustamante, R. T. Jimenez; Jones, P. G.; Jusko, A.; Kalinak, P.; Kalweit, A.; Kamin, J.; Kaplin, V.; Kar, S.; Uysal, A. Karasu; Karavichev, O.; Karavicheva, T.; Karayan, L.; Karpechev, E.; Kebschull, U.; Keidel, R.; Keijdener, D. L. D.; Keil, M.; Khan, M. Mohisin; Khan, P.; Khan, S. A.; Khanzadeev, A.; Kharlov, Y.; Kileng, B.; Kim, D. W.; Kim, D. J.; Kim, D.; Kim, J. S.; Kim, M.; Kim, T.; Kirsch, S.; Kisel, I.; Kiselev, S.; Kisiel, A.; Kiss, G.; Klay, J. L.; Klein, C.; Klein-Boesing, C.; Klewin, S.; Kluge, A.; Knichel, M. L.; Knospe, A. G.; Kobdaj, C.; Kofarago, M.; Kollegger, T.; Kolojvari, A.; Kondratiev, V.; Kondratyeva, N.; Kondratyuk, E.; Konevskikh, A.; Kopcik, M.; Kostarakis, P.; Kour, M.; Kouzinopoulos, C.; Kovalenko, O.; Kovalenko, V.; Kowalski, M.; Meethaleveedu, G. Koyithatta; Kralik, I.; Kravcakova, A.; Krivda, M.; Krizek, F.; Kryshen, E.; Krzewicki, M.; Kubera, A. M.; Kucera, V.; Kuijer, P. G.; Kumar, J.; Kumar, L.; Kumar, S.; Kurashvili, P.; Kurepin, A.; Kurepin, A. B.; Kuryakin, A.; Kweon, M. J.; Kwon, Y.; La Pointe, S. L.; La Rocca, P.; Ladron de Guevara, P.; Lagana Fernandes, C.; Lakomov, I.; Langoy, R.; Lara, C.; Lardeux, A.; Lattuca, A.; Laudi, E.; Lea, R.; Leardini, L.; Lee, G. R.; Lee, S.; Lehas, F.; Lemmon, R. C.; Lenti, V.; Leogrande, E.; Monzon, I. Leon; Leon Vargas, H.; Leoncino, M.; Levai, P.; Lien, J.; Lietava, R.; Lindal, S.; Lindenstruth, V.; Lippmann, C.; Lisa, M. A.; Ljunggren, H. M.; Lodato, D. F.; Loenne, P. I.; Loginov, V.; Loizides, C.; Lopez, X.; Torres, E. Lopez; Lowe, A.; Luettig, P.; Lunardon, M.; Luparello, G.; Lutz, T. H.; Maevskaya, A.; Mager, M.; Mahajan, S.; Mahmood, S. M.; Maire, A.; Majka, R. D.; Malaev, M.; Maldonado Cervantes, I.; Malinina, L.; Mal'Kevich, D.; Malzacher, P.; Mamonov, A.; Manko, V.; Manso, F.; Manzari, V.; Marchisone, M.; Mares, J.; Margagliotti, G. V.; Margotti, A.; Margutti, J.; Marin, A.; Markert, C.; Marquard, M.; Martin, N. A.; Blanco, J. Martin; Martinengo, P.; Martinez, M. I.; Garcia, G. Martinez; Pedreira, M. Martinez; Mas, A.; Masciocchi, S.; Masera, M.; Masoni, A.; Mastroserio, A.; Matyja, A.; Mayer, C.; Mazer, J.; Mazzoni, M. A.; Mcdonald, D.; Meddi, F.; Melikyan, Y.; Menchaca-Rocha, A.; Meninno, E.; Perez, J. Mercado; Meres, M.; Miake, Y.; Mieskolainen, M. M.; Mikhaylov, K.; Milano, L.; Milosevic, J.; Mischke, A.; Mishra, A. N.; Miskowiec, D.; Mitra, J.; Mitu, C. M.; Mohammadi, N.; Mohanty, B.; Molnar, L.; Montano Zetina, L.; Montes, E.; De Godoy, D. A. Moreira; Moreno, L. A. P.; Moretto, S.; Morreale, A.; Morsch, A.; Muccifora, V.; Mudnic, E.; Muehlheim, D.; Muhuri, S.; Mukherjee, M.; Mulligan, J. D.; Munhoz, M. G.; Munzer, R. H.; Murakami, H.; Murray, S.; Musa, L.; Musinsky, J.; Naik, B.; Nair, R.; Nandi, B. K.; Nania, R.; Nappi, E.; Naru, M. U.; Natal da Luz, H.; Nattrass, C.; Navarro, S. R.; Nayak, K.; Nayak, R.; Nayak, T. K.; Nazarenko, S.; Nedosekin, A.; Nellen, L.; Ng, F.; Nicassio, M.; Niculescu, M.; Niedziela, J.; Nielsen, B. S.; Nikolaev, S.; Nikulin, S.; Nikulin, V.; Noferini, F.; Nomokonov, P.; Nooren, G.; Noris, J. C. C.; Norman, J.; Nyanin, A.; Nystrand, J.; Oeschler, H.; Oh, S.; Oh, S. K.; Ohlson, A.; Okatan, A.; Okubo, T.; Olah, L.; Oleniacz, J.; Oliveira Da Silva, A. C.; Oliver, M. H.; Onderwaater, J.; Oppedisano, C.; Orava, R.; Oravec, M.; Ortiz Velasquez, A.; Oskarsson, A.; Otwinowski, J.; Oyama, K.; Ozdemir, M.; Pachmayer, Y.; Pagano, D.; Pagano, P.; Paic, G.; Pal, S. K.; Pan, J.; Papikyan, V.; Pappalardo, G. S.; Pareek, P.; Park, W. J.; Parmar, S.; Passfeld, A.; Paticchio, V.; Patra, R. N.; Paul, B.; Pei, H.; Peitzmann, T.; Da Costa, H. Pereira; Peresunko, D.; Lara, C. E. Perez; Lezama, E. Perez; Peskov, V.; Pestov, Y.; Petracek, V.; Petrov, V.; Petrovici, M.; Petta, C.; Piano, S.; Pikna, M.; Pillot, P.; Pimentel, L. O. D. L.; Pinazza, O.; Pinsky, L.; Piyarathna, D. B.; Ploskon, M.; Planinic, M.; Pluta, J.; Pochybova, S.; Podesta-Lerma, P. L. M.; Poghosyan, M. G.; Polichtchouk, B.; Poljak, N.; Poonsawat, W.; Pop, A.; Porteboeuf-Houssais, S.; Porter, J.; Pospisil, J.; Prasad, S. K.; Preghenella, R.; Prino, F.; Pruneau, C. A.; Pshenichnov, I.; Puccio, M.; Puddu, G.; Pujahari, P.; Punin, V.; Putschke, J.; Qvigstad, H.; Rachevski, A.; Raha, S.; Rajput, S.; Rak, J.; Rakotozafindrabe, A.; Ramello, L.; Rami, F.; Raniwala, R.; Raniwala, S.; Raesaenen, S. S.; Rascanu, B. T.; Rathee, D.; Read, K. F.; Redlich, K.; Reed, R. J.; Reichelt, P.; Reidt, F.; Ren, X.; Renfordt, R.; Reolon, A. R.; Reshetin, A.; Reygers, K.; Riabov, V.; Ricci, R. A.; Richert, T.; Richter, M.; Riedler, P.; Riegler, W.; Riggi, F.; Ristea, C.; Rocco, E.; Rodriguez Cahuantzi, M.; Manso, A. Rodriguez; Roed, K.; Rogochaya, E.; Rohr, D.; Roehrich, D.; Ronchetti, F.; Ronflette, L.; Rosnet, P.; Rossi, A.; Roukoutakis, F.; Roy, A.; Roy, C.; Roy, P.; Montero, A. J. Rubio; Rui, R.; Russo, R.; Ryabinkin, E.; Ryabov, Y.; Rybicki, A.; Saarinen, S.; Sadhu, S.; Sadovsky, S.; Safarik, K.; Sahlmuller, B.; Sahoo, P.; Sahoo, R.; Sahoo, S.; Sahu, P. K.; Saini, J.; Sakai, S.; Saleh, M. A.; Salzwedel, J.; Sambyal, S.; Samsonov, V.; Sandor, L.; Sandoval, A.; Sano, M.; Sarkar, D.; Sarkar, N.; Sarma, P.; Scapparone, E.; Scarlassara, F.; Schiaua, C.; Schicker, R.; Schmidt, C.; Schmidt, H. R.; Schuchmann, S.; Schukraft, J.; Schulc, M.; Schutz, Y.; Schwarz, K.; Schweda, K.; Scioli, G.; Scomparin, E.; Scott, R.; Sefcik, M.; Seger, J. E.; Sekiguchi, Y.; Sekihata, D.; Selyuzhenkov, I.; Senosi, K.; Senyukov, S.; Serradilla, E.; Sevcenco, A.; Shabanov, A.; Shabetai, A.; Shadura, O.; Shahoyan, R.; Shahzad, M. I.; Shangaraev, A.; Sharma, M.; Sharma, M.; Sharma, N.; Sheikh, A. I.; Shigaki, K.; Shou, Q.; Shtejer, K.; Sibiriak, Y.; Siddhanta, S.; Sielewicz, K. M.; Siemiarczuk, T.; Silvermyr, D.; Silvestre, C.; Simatovic, G.; Simonetti, G.; Singaraju, R.; Singh, R.; Singha, S.; Singhal, V.; Sinha, B. C.; Sinha, T.; Sitar, B.; Sitta, M.; Skaali, T. B.; Slupecki, M.; Smirnov, N.; Snellings, R. J. M.; Snellman, T. W.; Song, J.; Song, M.; Song, Z.; Soramel, F.; Sorensen, S.; de Souza, R. D.; Sozzi, F.; Spacek, M.; Spiriti, E.; Sputowska, I.; Spyropoulou-Stassinaki, M.; Stachel, J.; Stan, I.; Stankus, P.; Stenlund, E.; Steyn, G.; Stiller, J. H.; Stocco, D.; Strmen, P.; Suaide, A. A. P.; Sugitate, T.; Suire, C.; Suleymanov, M.; Suljic, M.; Sultanov, R.; Sumbera, M.; Sumowidagdo, S.; Szabo, A.; Szanto de Toledo, A.; Szarka, I.; Szczepankiewicz, A.; Szymanski, M.; Tabassam, U.; Takahashi, J.; Tambave, G. J.; Tanaka, N.; Tarhini, M.; Tariq, M.; Tarzila, M. G.; Tauro, A.; Tejeda Munoz, G.; Telesca, A.; Terasaki, K.; Terrevoli, C.; Teyssier, B.; Thaeder, J.; Thakur, D.; Thomas, D.; Tieulent, R.; Timmins, A. R.; Toia, A.; Trogolo, S.; Trombetta, G.; Trubnikov, V.; Trzaska, W. H.; Tsuji, T.; Tumkin, A.; Turrisi, R.; Tveter, T. S.; Ullaland, K.; Uras, A.; Usai, G. L.; Utrobicic, A.; Vala, M.; Palomo, L. Valencia; Vallero, S.; Van Der Maarel, J.; Van Hoorne, J. W.; van Leeuwen, M.; Vanat, T.; Vyvre, P. Vande; Varga, D.; Vargas, A.; Vargyas, M.; Varma, R.; Vasileiou, M.; Vasiliev, A.; Vauthier, A.; Vechernin, V.; Veen, A. M.; Veldhoen, M.; Velure, A.; Vercellin, E.; Vergara Limon, S.; Vernet, R.; Verweij, M.; Vickovic, L.; Viesti, G.; Viinikainen, J.; Vilakazi, Z.; Baillie, O. Villalobos; Villatoro Tello, A.; Vinogradov, A.; Vinogradov, L.; Vinogradov, Y.; Virgili, T.; Vislavicius, V.; Viyogi, Y. P.; Vodopyanov, A.; Voelkl, M. A.; Voloshin, K.; Voloshin, S. A.; Volpe, G.; von Haller, B.; Vorobyev, I.; Vranic, D.; Vrlakova, J.; Vulpescu, B.; Wagner, B.; Wagner, J.; Wang, H.; Watanabe, D.; Watanabe, Y.; Weiser, D. F.; Westerhoff, U.; Whitehead, A. M.; Wiechula, J.; Wikne, J.; Wilk, G.; Wilkinson, J.; Williams, M. C. S.; Windelband, B.; Winn, M.; Yang, H.; Yano, S.; Yasin, Z.; Yokoyama, H.; Yoo, I. -K.; Yoon, J. H.; Yurchenko, V.; Yushmanov, I.; Zaborowska, A.; Zaccolo, V.; Zaman, A.; Zampolli, C.; Zanoli, H. J. C.; Zaporozhets, S.; Zardoshti, N.; Zarochentsev, A.; Zavada, P.; Zaviyalov, N.; Zbroszczyk, H.; Zgura, I. S.; Zhalov, M.; Zhang, C.; Zhao, C.; Zhigareva, N.; Zhou, Y.; Zhou, Z.; Zhu, H.; Zichichi, A.; Zimmermann, A.; Zimmermann, M. B.; Zinovjev, G.; Zyzak, M.

    2016-01-01

    We present a Bayesian approach to particle identification (PID) within the ALICE experiment. The aim is to more effectively combine the particle identification capabilities of its various detectors. After a brief explanation of the adopted methodology and formalism, the performance of the Bayesian

  4. SYMPOSIUM: Particle identification

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Anon.

    1989-07-15

    Typical elementary particle experiments consist of a source of interactions (an external beam and a fixed target or two colliding beams) and a detector system including most of the following components: a tracking system and analysis magnet, calorimetry (measurement of energy deposition), hadron and electron identification, muon detection, trigger counters and processors, and data acquisition electronics. Experiments aimed at future high luminosity hadron collider (proton-proton or proton-antiproton) projects such as an upgraded Tevatron at Fermilab, the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) idea at CERN, and the proposed US Superconducting Supercollider (SSC), must ideally cover the entire solid angle and be capable of not only surviving the collisions, but also providing high resolution event information at incredible interaction rates. The Symposium on Particle Identification at High Luminosity Hadron Colliders held at Fermilab from 5-7 April (sponsored by Fermilab, the US Department of Energy, and the SSC Central Design Group) focused on this single facet of detector technology.

  5. New Methodology for Known Metabolite Identification in Metabonomics/Metabolomics: Topological Metabolite Identification Carbon Efficiency (tMICE).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sanchon-Lopez, Beatriz; Everett, Jeremy R

    2016-09-02

    A new, simple-to-implement and quantitative approach to assessing the confidence in NMR-based identification of known metabolites is introduced. The approach is based on a topological analysis of metabolite identification information available from NMR spectroscopy studies and is a development of the metabolite identification carbon efficiency (MICE) method. New topological metabolite identification indices are introduced, analyzed, and proposed for general use, including topological metabolite identification carbon efficiency (tMICE). Because known metabolite identification is one of the key bottlenecks in either NMR-spectroscopy- or mass spectrometry-based metabonomics/metabolomics studies, and given the fact that there is no current consensus on how to assess metabolite identification confidence, it is hoped that these new approaches and the topological indices will find utility.

  6. Particle identification at an asymmetric B Factory

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Coyle, P.; Eigen, G.; Hitlin, D.; Oddone, P.; Ratcliff, B.; Roe, N.; Va'vra, J.; Ypsilantis, T.

    1991-09-01

    Particle identification systems are an important component of any detector at a high-luminosity, asymmetric B Factory. In particular, excellent hadron identification is required to probe CP violation in B 0 decays to CP eigenstates. The particle identification systems discussed below also provide help in separating leptons from hadrons at low momenta. We begin this chapter with a discussion of the physics motivation for providing particle identification, the inherent limitations due to interactions and decays in flight, and the requirements for hermiticity and angular coverage. A special feature of an asymmetric B Factory is the resulting asymmetry in the momentum distribution as a function of polar angle; this will also be quantified and discussed. In the next section the three primary candidates, time-of-flight (TOF), energy loss (dE/dx), and Cerenkov counters, both ring-imaging and threshold, will be briefly described and evaluated. Following this, one of the candidates, a long-drift Cerenkov ring-imaging device, is described in detail to provide a reference design. Design considerations for a fast RICH are then described. A detailed discussion of aerogel threshold counter designs and associated R ampersand D conclude the chapter. 56 refs., 64 figs., 13 tabs

  7. Performance of PC-based charged particle multi-channel spectrometer utilising particle identification

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Palla, G.; Sziklai, J.; Trajber, Cs.

    1993-12-01

    A collaterally expandable charged particle spectrometer based on PC control and particle identification is described. A typical system configuration consisting of two channels are used to test the system performance. (author) 7 refs.; 5 figs

  8. Neutral particles identification at LHCb

    CERN Multimedia

    Quintana, Boris Julien

    2018-01-01

    Important analyses of the core LHCb physics program rely on calorimetry to identify photons, high-energy neutral pions and electrons. For this purpose, the LHCb calorimeter system is composed of a scintillating pad plane, a preshower detector, an electromagnetic and a hadronic sampling calorimeters. The interaction of a given particle in these detectors leaves a specific signature. This is exploited for particle identification (PID) by combining calorimeters and tracking information into multi-variate classifiers. In this contribution, we focus on the identification of photons against high-energy neutral pion and hadronic backgrounds. Performance on Run 1 data will be shown. Small discrepancies with simulation predictions are then discussed, with special emphasis on the methods to correctly estimate PID cut efficiencies by means of large calibration samples of abundant beauty and charm decays to final states with photons. Finally, the technical aspects of the collection of these samples in Run 2 are presented...

  9. Cataract production in mice by heavy charged particles

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ainsworth, E.H.; Jose, J.; Yang, V.V.; Barker, M.E.

    1981-03-01

    The cataractogenic effects of heavy charged particles have been evaluated in mice in relation to dose and ionization density (LET/sub infinity/). The study was undertaken due to the high potential for eye exposures to HZE particles among SPS personnel working in outer space. This has made it imperative that the relative biological effectiveness (RBE) in relation to LET/sub infinity/ for various particles be defined so that appropriate quality factors (Q) could be assigned for estimation of risk. Although mice and men differ in susceptibility to radiation-induced cataracts, the results from this project should assist in defining appropriate quality factors in relation to LET/sub infinity/, particle mass, charge, or velocity. Evaluation of results indicated that : (1) low single doses (5 to 20 rad) of iron ( 56 Fe) or argon ( 40 Ar) particles are cataractogenic at 11 to 18 months after irradiation; (2) onset and density of the opacification are dose related; (3) cataract density (grade) at 9, 11, 13, and 16 months after irradiation shows partial LET/sub infinity/-dependence; and (4) the severity of cataracts is reduced significantly when 417 rad of 60 Co gamma radiation is given in 24 weekly 17 rad fractions compared to giving this radiation as a single dose, but cataract severity is not reduced by fractionation of 12 C doses over 24 weeks

  10. Decision Tree Technique for Particle Identification

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Quiller, Ryan

    2003-01-01

    Particle identification based on measurements such as the Cerenkov angle, momentum, and the rate of energy loss per unit distance (-dE/dx) is fundamental to the BaBar detector for particle physics experiments. It is particularly important to separate the charged forms of kaons and pions. Currently, the Neural Net, an algorithm based on mapping input variables to an output variable using hidden variables as intermediaries, is one of the primary tools used for identification. In this study, a decision tree classification technique implemented in the computer program, CART, was investigated and compared to the Neural Net over the range of momenta, 0.25 GeV/c to 5.0 GeV/c. For a given subinterval of momentum, three decision trees were made using different sets of input variables. The sensitivity and specificity were calculated for varying kaon acceptance thresholds. This data was used to plot Receiver Operating Characteristic curves (ROC curves) to compare the performance of the classification methods. Also, input variables used in constructing the decision trees were analyzed. It was found that the Neural Net was a significant contributor to decision trees using dE/dx and the Cerenkov angle as inputs. Furthermore, the Neural Net had poorer performance than the decision tree technique, but tended to improve decision tree performance when used as an input variable. These results suggest that the decision tree technique using Neural Net input may possibly increase accuracy of particle identification in BaBar

  11. Identification of Particles in Parenteral Drug Raw Materials.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Kathryn; Lankers, Markus; Valet, Oliver

    2018-04-18

    Particles in drug products are not good and are therefore regulated. These particles can come from the very beginning of the manufacturing process, from the raw materials. To prevent particles, it is important to understand what they are and where they come from so the raw material quality, processing, and shipping can be improved. Thus, it is important to correctly identify particles seen in raw materials. Raw materials need to be of a certain quality with respect to physical and chemical composition, and need to have no contaminants in the form of particles which could contaminate the product or indicate the raw materials are not pure enough to make a good quality product. Particles are often seen when handling raw materials due to color, size, or shape characteristics different from those in the raw materials. Particles may appear to the eye to be very different things than they actually are, so microscope, chemical, and elemental analyses are required for accuracy in proper identification. This paper shows how using three different spectroscopy tools correctly and together can be used to identify particles from extrinsic, intrinsic, and inherent particles. Sources of materials can be humans and the environment (extrinsic), from within the process (intrinsic), and part of the formulation (inherent). Microscope versions of Raman spectroscopy, laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS), and IR spectroscopy are excellent tools for identifying particles because they are fast and accurate techniques needing minimal sample preparation that can provide chemical composition as well as images that can be used for identification. The micro analysis capabilities allow for easy analysis of different portions of samples so multiple components can be identified and sample preparation can be reduced. Using just one of these techniques may not be sufficient to give adequate identification results so that the source of contamination can be adequately identified. The

  12. A Bayesian statistical method for particle identification in shower counters

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Takashimizu, N.; Kimura, A.; Shibata, A.; Sasaki, T.

    2004-01-01

    We report an attempt on identifying particles using a Bayesian statistical method. We have developed the mathematical model and software for this purpose. We tried to identify electrons and charged pions in shower counters using this method. We designed an ideal shower counter and studied the efficiency of identification using Monte Carlo simulation based on Geant4. Without having any other information, e.g. charges of particles which are given by tracking detectors, we have achieved 95% identifications of both particles

  13. Particle identification in ALICE: a Bayesian approach

    CERN Document Server

    Adam, Jaroslav; Aggarwal, Madan Mohan; Aglieri Rinella, Gianluca; Agnello, Michelangelo; Agrawal, Neelima; Ahammed, Zubayer; Ahmad, Shakeel; Ahn, Sang Un; Aiola, Salvatore; Akindinov, Alexander; Alam, Sk Noor; Silva De Albuquerque, Danilo; Aleksandrov, Dmitry; Alessandro, Bruno; Alexandre, Didier; Alfaro Molina, Jose Ruben; Alici, Andrea; Alkin, Anton; Millan Almaraz, Jesus Roberto; Alme, Johan; Alt, Torsten; Altinpinar, Sedat; Altsybeev, Igor; Alves Garcia Prado, Caio; Andrei, Cristian; Andronic, Anton; Anguelov, Venelin; Anticic, Tome; Antinori, Federico; Antonioli, Pietro; Aphecetche, Laurent Bernard; Appelshaeuser, Harald; Arcelli, Silvia; Arnaldi, Roberta; Arnold, Oliver Werner; Arsene, Ionut Cristian; Arslandok, Mesut; Audurier, Benjamin; Augustinus, Andre; Averbeck, Ralf Peter; Azmi, Mohd Danish; Badala, Angela; Baek, Yong Wook; Bagnasco, Stefano; Bailhache, Raphaelle Marie; Bala, Renu; Balasubramanian, Supraja; Baldisseri, Alberto; Baral, Rama Chandra; Barbano, Anastasia Maria; Barbera, Roberto; Barile, Francesco; Barnafoldi, Gergely Gabor; Barnby, Lee Stuart; Ramillien Barret, Valerie; Bartalini, Paolo; Barth, Klaus; Bartke, Jerzy Gustaw; Bartsch, Esther; Basile, Maurizio; Bastid, Nicole; Basu, Sumit; Bathen, Bastian; Batigne, Guillaume; Batista Camejo, Arianna; Batyunya, Boris; Batzing, Paul Christoph; Bearden, Ian Gardner; Beck, Hans; Bedda, Cristina; Behera, Nirbhay Kumar; Belikov, Iouri; Bellini, Francesca; Bello Martinez, Hector; Bellwied, Rene; Belmont Iii, Ronald John; Belmont Moreno, Ernesto; Belyaev, Vladimir; Benacek, Pavel; Bencedi, Gyula; Beole, Stefania; Berceanu, Ionela; Bercuci, Alexandru; Berdnikov, Yaroslav; Berenyi, Daniel; Bertens, Redmer Alexander; Berzano, Dario; Betev, Latchezar; Bhasin, Anju; Bhat, Inayat Rasool; Bhati, Ashok Kumar; Bhattacharjee, Buddhadeb; Bhom, Jihyun; Bianchi, Livio; Bianchi, Nicola; Bianchin, Chiara; Bielcik, Jaroslav; Bielcikova, Jana; Bilandzic, Ante; Biro, Gabor; Biswas, Rathijit; Biswas, Saikat; Bjelogrlic, Sandro; Blair, Justin Thomas; Blau, Dmitry; Blume, Christoph; Bock, Friederike; Bogdanov, Alexey; Boggild, Hans; Boldizsar, Laszlo; Bombara, Marek; Book, Julian Heinz; Borel, Herve; Borissov, Alexander; Borri, Marcello; Bossu, Francesco; Botta, Elena; Bourjau, Christian; Braun-Munzinger, Peter; Bregant, Marco; Breitner, Timo Gunther; Broker, Theo Alexander; Browning, Tyler Allen; Broz, Michal; Brucken, Erik Jens; Bruna, Elena; Bruno, Giuseppe Eugenio; Budnikov, Dmitry; Buesching, Henner; Bufalino, Stefania; Buncic, Predrag; Busch, Oliver; Buthelezi, Edith Zinhle; Bashir Butt, Jamila; Buxton, Jesse Thomas; Cabala, Jan; Caffarri, Davide; Cai, Xu; Caines, Helen Louise; Calero Diaz, Liliet; Caliva, Alberto; Calvo Villar, Ernesto; Camerini, Paolo; Carena, Francesco; Carena, Wisla; Carnesecchi, Francesca; Castillo Castellanos, Javier Ernesto; Castro, Andrew John; Casula, Ester Anna Rita; Ceballos Sanchez, Cesar; Cepila, Jan; Cerello, Piergiorgio; Cerkala, Jakub; Chang, Beomsu; Chapeland, Sylvain; Chartier, Marielle; Charvet, Jean-Luc Fernand; Chattopadhyay, Subhasis; Chattopadhyay, Sukalyan; Chauvin, Alex; Chelnokov, Volodymyr; Cherney, Michael Gerard; Cheshkov, Cvetan Valeriev; Cheynis, Brigitte; Chibante Barroso, Vasco Miguel; Dobrigkeit Chinellato, David; Cho, Soyeon; Chochula, Peter; Choi, Kyungeon; Chojnacki, Marek; Choudhury, Subikash; Christakoglou, Panagiotis; Christensen, Christian Holm; Christiansen, Peter; Chujo, Tatsuya; Chung, Suh-Urk; Cicalo, Corrado; Cifarelli, Luisa; Cindolo, Federico; Cleymans, Jean Willy Andre; Colamaria, Fabio Filippo; Colella, Domenico; Collu, Alberto; Colocci, Manuel; Conesa Balbastre, Gustavo; Conesa Del Valle, Zaida; Connors, Megan Elizabeth; Contreras Nuno, Jesus Guillermo; Cormier, Thomas Michael; Corrales Morales, Yasser; Cortes Maldonado, Ismael; Cortese, Pietro; Cosentino, Mauro Rogerio; Costa, Filippo; Crochet, Philippe; Cruz Albino, Rigoberto; Cuautle Flores, Eleazar; Cunqueiro Mendez, Leticia; Dahms, Torsten; Dainese, Andrea; Danisch, Meike Charlotte; Danu, Andrea; Das, Debasish; Das, Indranil; Das, Supriya; Dash, Ajay Kumar; Dash, Sadhana; De, Sudipan; De Caro, Annalisa; De Cataldo, Giacinto; De Conti, Camila; De Cuveland, Jan; De Falco, Alessandro; De Gruttola, Daniele; De Marco, Nora; De Pasquale, Salvatore; Deisting, Alexander; Deloff, Andrzej; Denes, Ervin Sandor; Deplano, Caterina; Dhankher, Preeti; Di Bari, Domenico; Di Mauro, Antonio; Di Nezza, Pasquale; Diaz Corchero, Miguel Angel; Dietel, Thomas; Dillenseger, Pascal; Divia, Roberto; Djuvsland, Oeystein; Dobrin, Alexandru Florin; Domenicis Gimenez, Diogenes; Donigus, Benjamin; Dordic, Olja; Drozhzhova, Tatiana; Dubey, Anand Kumar; Dubla, Andrea; Ducroux, Laurent; Dupieux, Pascal; Ehlers Iii, Raymond James; Elia, Domenico; Endress, Eric; Engel, Heiko; Epple, Eliane; Erazmus, Barbara Ewa; Erdemir, Irem; Erhardt, Filip; Espagnon, Bruno; Estienne, Magali Danielle; Esumi, Shinichi; Eum, Jongsik; Evans, David; Evdokimov, Sergey; Eyyubova, Gyulnara; Fabbietti, Laura; Fabris, Daniela; Faivre, Julien; Fantoni, Alessandra; Fasel, Markus; Feldkamp, Linus; Feliciello, Alessandro; Feofilov, Grigorii; Ferencei, Jozef; Fernandez Tellez, Arturo; Gonzalez Ferreiro, Elena; Ferretti, Alessandro; Festanti, Andrea; Feuillard, Victor Jose Gaston; Figiel, Jan; Araujo Silva Figueredo, Marcel; Filchagin, Sergey; Finogeev, Dmitry; Fionda, Fiorella; Fiore, Enrichetta Maria; Fleck, Martin Gabriel; Floris, Michele; Foertsch, Siegfried Valentin; Foka, Panagiota; Fokin, Sergey; Fragiacomo, Enrico; Francescon, Andrea; Frankenfeld, Ulrich Michael; Fronze, Gabriele Gaetano; Fuchs, Ulrich; Furget, Christophe; Furs, Artur; Fusco Girard, Mario; Gaardhoeje, Jens Joergen; Gagliardi, Martino; Gago Medina, Alberto Martin; Gallio, Mauro; Gangadharan, Dhevan Raja; Ganoti, Paraskevi; Gao, Chaosong; Garabatos Cuadrado, Jose; Garcia-Solis, Edmundo Javier; Gargiulo, Corrado; Gasik, Piotr Jan; Gauger, Erin Frances; Germain, Marie; Gheata, Andrei George; Gheata, Mihaela; Ghosh, Premomoy; Ghosh, Sanjay Kumar; Gianotti, Paola; Giubellino, Paolo; Giubilato, Piero; Gladysz-Dziadus, Ewa; Glassel, Peter; Gomez Coral, Diego Mauricio; Gomez Ramirez, Andres; Sanchez Gonzalez, Andres; Gonzalez, Victor; Gonzalez Zamora, Pedro; Gorbunov, Sergey; Gorlich, Lidia Maria; Gotovac, Sven; Grabski, Varlen; Grachov, Oleg Anatolievich; Graczykowski, Lukasz Kamil; Graham, Katie Leanne; Grelli, Alessandro; Grigoras, Alina Gabriela; Grigoras, Costin; Grigoryev, Vladislav; Grigoryan, Ara; Grigoryan, Smbat; Grynyov, Borys; Grion, Nevio; Gronefeld, Julius Maximilian; Grosse-Oetringhaus, Jan Fiete; Grosso, Raffaele; Guber, Fedor; Guernane, Rachid; Guerzoni, Barbara; Gulbrandsen, Kristjan Herlache; Gunji, Taku; Gupta, Anik; Gupta, Ramni; Haake, Rudiger; Haaland, Oystein Senneset; Hadjidakis, Cynthia Marie; Haiduc, Maria; Hamagaki, Hideki; Hamar, Gergoe; Hamon, Julien Charles; Harris, John William; Harton, Austin Vincent; Hatzifotiadou, Despina; Hayashi, Shinichi; Heckel, Stefan Thomas; Hellbar, Ernst; Helstrup, Haavard; Herghelegiu, Andrei Ionut; Herrera Corral, Gerardo Antonio; Hess, Benjamin Andreas; Hetland, Kristin Fanebust; Hillemanns, Hartmut; Hippolyte, Boris; Horak, David; Hosokawa, Ritsuya; Hristov, Peter Zahariev; Humanic, Thomas; Hussain, Nur; Hussain, Tahir; Hutter, Dirk; Hwang, Dae Sung; Ilkaev, Radiy; Inaba, Motoi; Incani, Elisa; Ippolitov, Mikhail; Irfan, Muhammad; Ivanov, Marian; Ivanov, Vladimir; Izucheev, Vladimir; Jacazio, Nicolo; Jacobs, Peter Martin; Jadhav, Manoj Bhanudas; Jadlovska, Slavka; Jadlovsky, Jan; Jahnke, Cristiane; Jakubowska, Monika Joanna; Jang, Haeng Jin; Janik, Malgorzata Anna; Pahula Hewage, Sandun; Jena, Chitrasen; Jena, Satyajit; Jimenez Bustamante, Raul Tonatiuh; Jones, Peter Graham; Jusko, Anton; Kalinak, Peter; Kalweit, Alexander Philipp; Kamin, Jason Adrian; Kang, Ju Hwan; Kaplin, Vladimir; Kar, Somnath; Karasu Uysal, Ayben; Karavichev, Oleg; Karavicheva, Tatiana; Karayan, Lilit; Karpechev, Evgeny; Kebschull, Udo Wolfgang; Keidel, Ralf; Keijdener, Darius Laurens; Keil, Markus; Khan, Mohammed Mohisin; Khan, Palash; Khan, Shuaib Ahmad; Khanzadeev, Alexei; Kharlov, Yury; Kileng, Bjarte; Kim, Do Won; Kim, Dong Jo; Kim, Daehyeok; Kim, Hyeonjoong; Kim, Jinsook; Kim, Minwoo; Kim, Se Yong; Kim, Taesoo; Kirsch, Stefan; Kisel, Ivan; Kiselev, Sergey; Kisiel, Adam Ryszard; Kiss, Gabor; Klay, Jennifer Lynn; Klein, Carsten; Klein, Jochen; Klein-Boesing, Christian; Klewin, Sebastian; Kluge, Alexander; Knichel, Michael Linus; Knospe, Anders Garritt; Kobdaj, Chinorat; Kofarago, Monika; Kollegger, Thorsten; Kolozhvari, Anatoly; Kondratev, Valerii; Kondratyeva, Natalia; Kondratyuk, Evgeny; Konevskikh, Artem; Kopcik, Michal; Kostarakis, Panagiotis; Kour, Mandeep; Kouzinopoulos, Charalampos; Kovalenko, Oleksandr; Kovalenko, Vladimir; Kowalski, Marek; Koyithatta Meethaleveedu, Greeshma; Kralik, Ivan; Kravcakova, Adela; Krivda, Marian; Krizek, Filip; Kryshen, Evgeny; Krzewicki, Mikolaj; Kubera, Andrew Michael; Kucera, Vit; Kuhn, Christian Claude; Kuijer, Paulus Gerardus; Kumar, Ajay; Kumar, Jitendra; Kumar, Lokesh; Kumar, Shyam; Kurashvili, Podist; Kurepin, Alexander; Kurepin, Alexey; Kuryakin, Alexey; Kweon, Min Jung; Kwon, Youngil; La Pointe, Sarah Louise; La Rocca, Paola; Ladron De Guevara, Pedro; Lagana Fernandes, Caio; Lakomov, Igor; Langoy, Rune; Lara Martinez, Camilo Ernesto; Lardeux, Antoine Xavier; Lattuca, Alessandra; Laudi, Elisa; Lea, Ramona; Leardini, Lucia; Lee, Graham Richard; Lee, Seongjoo; Lehas, Fatiha; Lemmon, Roy Crawford; Lenti, Vito; Leogrande, Emilia; Leon Monzon, Ildefonso; Leon Vargas, Hermes; Leoncino, Marco; Levai, Peter; Li, Shuang; Li, Xiaomei; Lien, Jorgen Andre; Lietava, Roman; Lindal, Svein; Lindenstruth, Volker; Lippmann, Christian; Lisa, Michael Annan; Ljunggren, Hans Martin; Lodato, Davide Francesco; Lonne, Per-Ivar; Loginov, Vitaly; Loizides, Constantinos; Lopez, Xavier Bernard; Lopez Torres, Ernesto; Lowe, Andrew John; Luettig, Philipp Johannes; Lunardon, Marcello; Luparello, Grazia; Lutz, Tyler Harrison; Maevskaya, Alla; Mager, Magnus; Mahajan, Sanjay; Mahmood, Sohail Musa; Maire, Antonin; Majka, Richard Daniel; Malaev, Mikhail; Maldonado Cervantes, Ivonne Alicia; Malinina, Liudmila; Mal'Kevich, Dmitry; Malzacher, Peter; Mamonov, Alexander; Manko, Vladislav; Manso, Franck; Manzari, Vito; Marchisone, Massimiliano; Mares, Jiri; Margagliotti, Giacomo Vito; Margotti, Anselmo; Margutti, Jacopo; Marin, Ana Maria; Markert, Christina; Marquard, Marco; Martin, Nicole Alice; Martin Blanco, Javier; Martinengo, Paolo; Martinez Hernandez, Mario Ivan; Martinez-Garcia, Gines; Martinez Pedreira, Miguel; Mas, Alexis Jean-Michel; Masciocchi, Silvia; Masera, Massimo; Masoni, Alberto; Mastroserio, Annalisa; Matyja, Adam Tomasz; Mayer, Christoph; Mazer, Joel Anthony; Mazzoni, Alessandra Maria; Mcdonald, Daniel; Meddi, Franco; Melikyan, Yuri; Menchaca-Rocha, Arturo Alejandro; Meninno, Elisa; Mercado-Perez, Jorge; Meres, Michal; Miake, Yasuo; Mieskolainen, Matti Mikael; Mikhaylov, Konstantin; Milano, Leonardo; Milosevic, Jovan; Mischke, Andre; Mishra, Aditya Nath; Miskowiec, Dariusz Czeslaw; Mitra, Jubin; Mitu, Ciprian Mihai; Mohammadi, Naghmeh; Mohanty, Bedangadas; Molnar, Levente; Montano Zetina, Luis Manuel; Montes Prado, Esther; Moreira De Godoy, Denise Aparecida; Perez Moreno, Luis Alberto; Moretto, Sandra; Morreale, Astrid; Morsch, Andreas; Muccifora, Valeria; Mudnic, Eugen; Muhlheim, Daniel Michael; Muhuri, Sanjib; Mukherjee, Maitreyee; Mulligan, James Declan; Gameiro Munhoz, Marcelo; Munzer, Robert Helmut; Murakami, Hikari; Murray, Sean; Musa, Luciano; Musinsky, Jan; Naik, Bharati; Nair, Rahul; Nandi, Basanta Kumar; Nania, Rosario; Nappi, Eugenio; Naru, Muhammad Umair; Ferreira Natal Da Luz, Pedro Hugo; Nattrass, Christine; Rosado Navarro, Sebastian; Nayak, Kishora; Nayak, Ranjit; Nayak, Tapan Kumar; Nazarenko, Sergey; Nedosekin, Alexander; Nellen, Lukas; Ng, Fabian; Nicassio, Maria; Niculescu, Mihai; Niedziela, Jeremi; Nielsen, Borge Svane; Nikolaev, Sergey; Nikulin, Sergey; Nikulin, Vladimir; Noferini, Francesco; 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Singaraju, Rama Narayana; Singh, Ranbir; Singha, Subhash; Singhal, Vikas; Sinha, Bikash; Sarkar - Sinha, Tinku; Sitar, Branislav; Sitta, Mario; Skaali, Bernhard; Slupecki, Maciej; Smirnov, Nikolai; Snellings, Raimond; Snellman, Tomas Wilhelm; Song, Jihye; Song, Myunggeun; Song, Zixuan; Soramel, Francesca; Sorensen, Soren Pontoppidan; Derradi De Souza, Rafael; Sozzi, Federica; Spacek, Michal; Spiriti, Eleuterio; Sputowska, Iwona Anna; Spyropoulou-Stassinaki, Martha; Stachel, Johanna; Stan, Ionel; Stankus, Paul; Stenlund, Evert Anders; Steyn, Gideon Francois; Stiller, Johannes Hendrik; Stocco, Diego; Strmen, Peter; Alarcon Do Passo Suaide, Alexandre; Sugitate, Toru; Suire, Christophe Pierre; Suleymanov, Mais Kazim Oglu; Suljic, Miljenko; Sultanov, Rishat; Sumbera, Michal; Sumowidagdo, Suharyo; Szabo, Alexander; Szanto De Toledo, Alejandro; Szarka, Imrich; Szczepankiewicz, Adam; Szymanski, Maciej Pawel; Tabassam, Uzma; Takahashi, Jun; Tambave, Ganesh Jagannath; Tanaka, Naoto; Tarhini, Mohamad; Tariq, Mohammad; Tarzila, Madalina-Gabriela; Tauro, Arturo; Tejeda Munoz, Guillermo; Telesca, Adriana; Terasaki, Kohei; Terrevoli, Cristina; Teyssier, Boris; Thaeder, Jochen Mathias; Thakur, Dhananjaya; Thomas, Deepa; Tieulent, Raphael Noel; Timmins, Anthony Robert; Toia, Alberica; Trogolo, Stefano; Trombetta, Giuseppe; Trubnikov, Victor; Trzaska, Wladyslaw Henryk; Tsuji, Tomoya; Tumkin, Alexandr; Turrisi, Rosario; Tveter, Trine Spedstad; Ullaland, Kjetil; Uras, Antonio; Usai, Gianluca; Utrobicic, Antonija; Vala, Martin; Valencia Palomo, Lizardo; Vallero, Sara; Van Der Maarel, Jasper; Van Hoorne, Jacobus Willem; Van Leeuwen, Marco; Vanat, Tomas; Vande Vyvre, Pierre; Varga, Dezso; Diozcora Vargas Trevino, Aurora; Vargyas, Marton; Varma, Raghava; Vasileiou, Maria; Vasiliev, Andrey; Vauthier, Astrid; Vechernin, Vladimir; Veen, Annelies Marianne; Veldhoen, Misha; Velure, Arild; Vercellin, Ermanno; Vergara Limon, Sergio; Vernet, Renaud; Verweij, Marta; Vickovic, Linda; Viesti, Giuseppe; Viinikainen, Jussi Samuli; Vilakazi, Zabulon; Villalobos Baillie, Orlando; Villatoro Tello, Abraham; Vinogradov, Alexander; Vinogradov, Leonid; Vinogradov, Yury; Virgili, Tiziano; Vislavicius, Vytautas; Viyogi, Yogendra; Vodopyanov, Alexander; Volkl, Martin Andreas; Voloshin, Kirill; Voloshin, Sergey; Volpe, Giacomo; Von Haller, Barthelemy; Vorobyev, Ivan; Vranic, Danilo; Vrlakova, Janka; Vulpescu, Bogdan; Wagner, Boris; Wagner, Jan; Wang, Hongkai; Wang, Mengliang; Watanabe, Daisuke; Watanabe, Yosuke; Weber, Michael; Weber, Steffen Georg; Weiser, Dennis Franz; Wessels, Johannes Peter; Westerhoff, Uwe; Whitehead, Andile Mothegi; Wiechula, Jens; Wikne, Jon; Wilk, Grzegorz Andrzej; Wilkinson, Jeremy John; Williams, Crispin; Windelband, Bernd Stefan; Winn, Michael Andreas; Yang, Hongyan; Yang, Ping; Yano, Satoshi; Yasin, Zafar; Yin, Zhongbao; Yokoyama, Hiroki; Yoo, In-Kwon; Yoon, Jin Hee; Yurchenko, Volodymyr; Yushmanov, Igor; Zaborowska, Anna; Zaccolo, Valentina; Zaman, Ali; Zampolli, Chiara; Correia Zanoli, Henrique Jose; Zaporozhets, Sergey; Zardoshti, Nima; Zarochentsev, Andrey; Zavada, Petr; Zavyalov, Nikolay; Zbroszczyk, Hanna Paulina; Zgura, Sorin Ion; Zhalov, Mikhail; Zhang, Haitao; Zhang, Xiaoming; Zhang, Yonghong; Chunhui, Zhang; Zhang, Zuman; Zhao, Chengxin; Zhigareva, Natalia; Zhou, Daicui; Zhou, You; Zhou, Zhuo; Zhu, Hongsheng; Zhu, Jianhui; Zichichi, Antonino; Zimmermann, Alice; Zimmermann, Markus Bernhard; Zinovjev, Gennady; Zyzak, Maksym

    2016-05-25

    We present a Bayesian approach to particle identification (PID) within the ALICE experiment. The aim is to more effectively combine the particle identification capabilities of its various detectors. After a brief explanation of the adopted methodology and formalism, the performance of the Bayesian PID approach for charged pions, kaons and protons in the central barrel of ALICE is studied. PID is performed via measurements of specific energy loss (dE/dx) and time-of-flight. PID efficiencies and misidentification probabilities are extracted and compared with Monte Carlo simulations using high purity samples of identified particles in the decay channels ${\\rm K}_{\\rm S}^{\\rm 0}\\rightarrow \\pi^+\\pi^-$, $\\phi\\rightarrow {\\rm K}^-{\\rm K}^+$ and $\\Lambda\\rightarrow{\\rm p}\\pi^-$ in p–Pb collisions at $\\sqrt{s_{\\rm NN}}= 5.02$TeV. In order to thoroughly assess the validity of the Bayesian approach, this methodology was used to obtain corrected $p_{\\rm T}$ spectra of pions, kaons, protons, and D$^0$ mesons in pp coll...

  14. MICE: the Muon Ionization Cooling Experiment. Step I: First Measurement of Emittance with Particle Physics Detectors

    CERN Document Server

    Bravar, U; Karadzhov, Y; Kolev, D; Russinov, I; Tsenov, R; Wang, L; Xu, F Y; Zheng, S X; Bertoni, R; Bonesini, M; Mazza, R; Palladino, V; Cecchet, G; de Bari, A; Capponi, M; Iaciofano, A; Orestano, D; Pastore, F; Tortora, L; Ishimoto, S; Suzuki, S; Yoshimura, K; Mori, Y; Kuno, Y; Sakamoto, H; Sato, A; Yano, T; Yoshida, M; Filthaut, F; Vretenar, M; Ramberger, S; Blondel, A; Cadoux, F; Masciocchi, F; Graulich, J S; Verguilov, V; Wisting, H; Petitjean, C; Seviour, R; Ellis, M; Kyberd, P; Littlefield, M; Nebrensky, J J; Forrest, D; Soler, F J P; Walaron, K; Cooke, P; Gamet, R; Alecou, A; Apollonio, M; Barber, G; Dobbs, A; Dornan, P; Fish, A; Hare, R; Jamdagni, A; Kasey, V; Khaleeq, M; Long, K; Pasternak, J; Sakamoto, H; Sashalmi, T; Blackmore, V; Cobb, J; Lau, W; Rayner, M; Tunnell, C D; Witte, H; Yang, S; Alexander, J; Charnley, G; Griffiths, S; Martlew, B; Moss, A; Mullacrane, I; Oats, A; York, S; Apsimon, R; Alexander, R J; Barclay, P; Baynham, D E; Bradshaw, T W; Courthold, M; Hayler, R Edgecock T; Hills, M; Jones, T; McNubbin, N; Murray, W J; Nelson, C; Nicholls, A; Norton, P R; Prior, C; Rochford, J H; Rogers, C; Spensley, W; Tilley, K; Booth, C N; Hodgson, P; Nicholson, R; Overton, E; Robinson, M; Smith, P; Adey, D; Back, J; Boyd, S; Harrison, P; Norem, J; Bross, A D; Geer, S; Moretti, A; Neuffer, D; Popovic, M; Qian, Z; Raja, R; Stefanski, R; Cummings, M A C; Roberts, T J; DeMello, A; Green, M A; Li, D; Sessler, A M; Virostek, S; Zisman, M S; Freemire, B; Hanlet, P; Huang, D; Kafka, G; Kaplan, D M; Snopok, P; Torun, Y; Onel, Y; Cline, D; Lee, K; Fukui, Y; Yang, X; Rimmer, R A; Cremaldi, L M; Hart, T L; Summers, D J; Coney, L; Fletcher, R; Hanson, G G; Heidt, C; Gallardo, J; Kahn, S; Kirk, H; Palmer, R B; C11-08-09

    2011-01-01

    The Muon Ionization Cooling Experiment (MICE) is a strategic R&D project intended to demonstrate the only practical solution to providing high brilliance beams necessary for a neutrino factory or muon collider. MICE is under development at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory (RAL) in the United Kingdom. It comprises a dedicated beamline to generate a range of input muon emittances and momenta, with time-of-flight and Cherenkov detectors to ensure a pure muon beam. The emittance of the incoming beam will be measured in the upstream magnetic spectrometer with a scintillating fiber tracker. A cooling cell will then follow, alternating energy loss in Liquid Hydrogen (LH2) absorbers to RF cavity acceleration. A second spectrometer, identical to the first, and a second muon identification system will measure the outgoing emittance. In the 2010 run at RAL the muon beamline and most detectors were fully commissioned and a first measurement of the emittance of the muon beam with particle physics (time-of-flight) de...

  15. Application of digital sampling techniques to particle identification in scintillation detectors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bardelli, L.; Bini, M.; Poggi, G.; Taccetti, N.

    2002-01-01

    In this paper, the use of a fast digitizing system for identification of fast charged particles with scintillation detectors is discussed. The three-layer phoswich detectors developed in the framework of the FIASCO experiment for the detection of light charged particles (LCP) and intermediate mass fragments (IMF) emitted in heavy-ion collisions at Fermi energies are briefly discussed. The standard analog electronics treatment of the signals for particle identification is illustrated. After a description of the digitizer designed to perform a fast digital sampling of the phoswich signals, the feasibility of particle identification on the sampled data is demonstrated. The results obtained with two different pulse shape discrimination analyses based on the digitally sampled data are compared with the standard analog signal treatment. The obtained results suggest, for the present application, the replacement of the analog methods with the digital sampling technique

  16. Particle Identification in Cherenkov Detectors using Convolutional Neural Networks

    CERN Document Server

    Theodore, Tomalty

    2016-01-01

    Cherenkov detectors are used for charged particle identification. When a charged particle moves through a medium faster than light can propagate in that medium, Cherenkov radiation is released in the shape of a cone in the direction of movement. The interior of the Cherenkov detector is instrumented with PMTs to detect this Cherenkov light. Particles, then, can be identified by the shapes of the images on the detector walls.

  17. New application of (ΔE-E) technique for particle identification and dosimetry

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mineev, Yu.V.

    1998-01-01

    The modified method of charged particle identification is described. It is based on the simultaneous measurement of the energy E and the specific losses ΔE with the application of semiconductor detectors as well as programmed semiconductor memory devices for the storage of the preset calculated dependence ΔE(E) for each particle kinds. The comparison of expected and measured values ΔE at the measured energy value E defines completely the particle kind. New possibilities of the method for identification as well as separate and simultaneous detection of different particles (electrons, protons, alpha-particles, nuclei with Z ≤ 12 and gamma-radiation) are analyzed

  18. Effects of anti-glare particles on sedation in mice

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Hongyu; Hao, Shaojun; Liu, Xiaobin; Kong, Xuejun; Wang, Xidong; Li, Wenjun; Zhang, Zhengchen

    2018-04-01

    To investigate the effect of anti-glare particles on sedation of mice, 60 mice were randomly divided into 5 groups, were fed by Ant-dizzy Granule Suspension, saline, Yang Xue Qing Nao Granule suspension and the same volume of saline, and administered 1 times daily, for 7 days. The mice in the wilderness box, hang - 150W light bulbs in the box above, the light recording activities within 2 minutes. The wilderness box into the box after the number of mice, mice with limbs went to the 1 squares is around 1 in the same case, mouse location and method of wilderness case; each group was placed in the turn/bar with rotating speed of 40RPM, each time 5 Parallel experiment recorded the mouse stay time on the rotating rod, if the mouse fell within 2 minutes, immediately put it on the rotating rod to continue the experiment, recorded the mouse on the rotating rod accumulated stay time. If 10 minutes did not drop, press 10 minutes; eighty mice were divided into 5 groups. The number of each rat injected subthreshold dose of pentobarbital sodium in mice. The sleep recording liquid were recorded sleep latency and sleep time. The anti-vertigo granule can obviously reduce the spontaneous activity of mice (Pparticles have good sedative effect.

  19. Uses of particle identification for supercollider physics

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Quigg, C.

    1989-05-01

    I summarize the basic characteristics of the Superconducting Super Collider and describe the experimental environment of its high- luminosity interaction regions. I then review some of the discovery possibilities opened by the SSC, with special attention to the advantages conferred by particle identification. 16 refs., 8 figs

  20. Bacterial magnetic particles improve testes-mediated transgene efficiency in mice.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Chao; Sun, Guanghong; Wang, Ye; Kong, Nana; Chi, Yafei; Yang, Leilei; Xin, Qiliang; Teng, Zhen; Wang, Xu; Wen, Yujun; Li, Ying; Xia, Guoliang

    2017-11-01

    Nano-scaled materials have been proved to be ideal DNA carriers for transgene. Bacterial magnetic particles (BMPs) help to reduce the toxicity of polyethylenimine (PEI), an efficient gene-transferring agent, and assist tissue transgene ex vivo. Here, the effectiveness of the BMP-PEI complex-conjugated foreign DNAs (BPDs) in promoting testes-mediated gene transfer (TMGT) in mouse was compared with that of liposome-conjugated foreign DNAs. The results proved that through testes injection, the clusters of BPDs successfully reached the cytoplasm and the nuclear of spermatogenesis cell, and expressed in testes of transgene founder mice. Additionally, the ratio of founder mice obtained from BPDs (88%) is about 3 times higher than the control (25%) (p mice from BPD group were significantly improved, as compared with the control (p mice within the first filial was significantly higher in BPDs compared with the control (73.8% versus 11.6%, p mice in vivo.

  1. The plastic ball spectrometer - an electronic 4π detector with particle identification

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Baden, A.; Poskanzer, A.M.; Renner, T.; Riedesel, H.

    1982-04-01

    For the high multiplicity events occuring in relativistic nuclear collisions an electronic 4π detector with particle identification has been built. It consists of 815 ΔE-E telescopes and 176 TOF telescopes covering 97% of 4π. Very good particle identification has been obtained for hydrogen and helium isotopes and also π + have been detected with high efficiency. (orig.)

  2. Multivariate methods for particle identification

    CERN Document Server

    Visan, Cosmin

    2013-01-01

    The purpose of this project was to evaluate several MultiVariate methods in order to determine which one, if any, offers better results in Particle Identification (PID) than a simple n$\\sigma$ cut on the response of the ALICE PID detectors. The particles considered in the analysis were Pions, Kaons and Protons and the detectors used were TPC and TOF. When used with the same input n$\\sigma$ variables, the results show similar perfoance between the Rectangular Cuts Optimization method and the simple n$\\sigma$ cuts. The method MLP and BDT show poor results for certain ranges of momentum. The KNN method is the best performing, showing similar results for Pions and Protons as the Cuts method, and better results for Kaons. The extension of the methods to include additional input variables leads to poor results, related to instabilities still to be investigated.

  3. Influence of Asian dust particles on immune adjuvant effects and airway inflammation in asthma model mice.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jun Kurai

    Full Text Available An Asian dust storm (ADS contains airborne particles that affect conditions such as asthma, but the mechanism of exacerbation is unclear. The objective of this study was to compare immune adjuvant effects and airway inflammation induced by airborne particles collected on ADS days and the original ADS soil (CJ-1 soil in asthma model mice.Airborne particles were collected on ADS days in western Japan. NC/Nga mice were co-sensitized by intranasal instillation with ADS airborne particles and/or Dermatophagoides farinae (Df, and with CJ-1 soil and/or Df for 5 consecutive days. Df-sensitized mice were stimulated with Df challenge intranasally at 7 days after the last Df sensitization. At 24 hours after challenge, serum allergen specific antibody, differential leukocyte count and inflammatory cytokines in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF were measured, and airway inflammation was examined histopathologically.Co-sensitization with ADS airborne particles and Df increased the neutrophil and eosinophil counts in BALF. Augmentation of airway inflammation was also observed in peribronchiolar and perivascular lung areas. Df-specific serum IgE was significantly elevated by ADS airborne particles, but not by CJ-1 soil. Levels of interleukin (IL-5, IL-13, IL-6, and macrophage inflammatory protein-2 were higher in BALF in mice treated with ADS airborne particles.These results suggest that substances attached to ADS airborne particles that are not in the original ADS soil may play important roles in immune adjuvant effects and airway inflammation.

  4. Particle identification method in the CsI(Tl) scintillator used for the CHIMERA 4 pi detector

    CERN Document Server

    Alderighi, M; Basssini, R; Berceanu, I; Blicharska, J; Boiano, C; Borderie, B; Bougault, R; Bruno, M; Cali, C; Cardella, G; Cavallaro, S; D'Agostino, M; D'andrea, M; Dayras, R; De Filippo, E; Fichera, F; Geraci, E; Giustolisi, F; Grzeszczuk, A; Guardone, N; Guazzoni, P; Guinet, D; Iacono-Manno, M; Kowalski, S; La Guidara, E; Lanchais, A L; Lanzalone, G; Lanzanò, G; Le Neindre, N; Li, S; Maiolino, C; Majka, Z; Manfredi, G; Nicotra, D; Paduszynski, T; Pagano, A; Papa, M; Petrovici, C M; Piasecki, E; Pirrone, S; Politi, G; Pop, A; Porto, F; Rivet, M F; Rosato, E; Sacca, G; Sechi, G; Simion, V; Sperduto, M L; Steckmeyer, J C; Trifiró, A; Trimarchi, M; Urso, S; Vannini, G; Vigilante, M; Wilczynski, J; Wu, H; Xiao, Z; Zetta, L; Zipper, W

    2002-01-01

    The charged particle identification obtained by the analysis of signals coming from the CsI(Tl) detectors of the CHIMERA 4 pi heavy-ion detector is presented. A simple double-gate integration method, with the use of the cyclotron radiofrequency as reference time, results in low thresholds for isotopic particle identification. The dependence of the identification quality on the gate generation timing is discussed. Isotopic identification of light ions up to Beryllium is clearly seen. For the first time also the identification of Z=5 particles is observed. The identification of neutrons interacting with CsI(Tl) by (n,alpha) and (n,gamma) reactions is also discussed.

  5. Particle identification methods in High Energy Physics

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Va' Vra, J.

    2000-01-27

    This paper deals with two major particle identification methods: dE/dx and Cherenkov detection. In the first method, the authors systematically compare existing dE/dx data with various predictions available in the literature, such as the Particle Data group recommendation, and judge the overall consistency. To my knowledge, such comparison was not done yet in a published form for the gaseous detectors used in High-Energy physics. As far as the second method, there are two major Cherenkov light detection techniques: the threshold and the Ring imaging methods. The authors discuss the recent trend in these techniques.

  6. The CPLEAR particle identification detector

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Angelopoulos, A.; Apostolakis, A.; Rozaki, E.; Sakeliou, L.; Backenstoss, G.; Kuzminski, J.; Rickenbach, R.; Wildi, M.; Carlson, P.; Francis, D.; Jansson, K.; Jon-And, K.; Kerek, A.; Szilagyi, S.; Carvalho, J.; Cobbaert, H.; Ferreira-Marques, R.; Machado, E.; Onofre, A.; Pinto da Cunha, J.; Policarpo, A.; Charalambous, S.; Chardalas, M.; Dedoussis, S.; Touramanis, C.; Fassnacht, P.; Pelucchi, F.; Fetcher, W.; Gerber, H.J.; Fuglesang, C.; Kesseler, G.; Montanet, F.; Go, A.; Lawry, T.; Miller, J.; Roberts, B.L.; Varner, G.; Warner, D.; Zimmerman, D.; Kokkas, P.; Pavlopoulos, P.; Sarigiannis, K.; Triantis, F.

    1992-01-01

    The CPLEAR experiment will measure CP violation parameters in the neutral kaon system, using a low energy antiproton beam from the Low Energy Antiproton Ring (LEAR) at CERN. One of its subdetectors, the Particle Identification Detector (PID), makes a fast separation of pions and kaons, which is essential for the experiment. This article describes the design of the PID and its performance during beam tests and during initial runs at LEAR. A pion rejection efficiency of 99.7% for the first level trigger (after 60 ns) is found in the relevant momentum region. (orig.)

  7. The CPLEAR particle identification detector

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Angelopoulos, A.; Apostolakis, A.; Rozaki, E.; Sakeliou, L. (Univ. Athens (Greece)); Backenstoss, G.; Kuzminski, J.; Rickenbach, R.; Wildi, M. (Univ. Basel (Switzerland)); Carlson, P.; Francis, D.; Jansson, K.; Jon-And, K.; Kerek, A.; Szilagyi, S. (Manne Siegbahn Inst. Stockholm (Sweden)); Carvalho, J.; Cobbaert, H.; Ferreira-Marques, R.; Machado, E.; Onofre, A.; Pinto da Cunha, J.; Policarpo, A. (Univ. Coimbra, LIP (Portugal) Technical Univ., Delft (Netherlands)); Charalambous, S.; Chardalas, M.; Dedoussis, S.; Touramanis, C. (Univ. Thessaloniki (Greece)); Fassnacht, P.; Pelucchi, F. (CPPM, Marseille (France) CSNSM, Orsay (France) P. Scherrer Inst., Villingen (Switzerland) DPhPe, CEN-Saclay, 91 - Gif-sur-Yvette (France)); Fetcher, W.; Gerber, H.J. (Inst. fuer Mittelenergiephysik, ETH Villingen (Switzerland)); Fuglesang, C.; Kesseler, G.; Montanet, F. (CERN, Geneva (Switzerland)); Go, A.; Lawry, T.; Miller, J.; Roberts, B.L.; Varner, G.; Warner, D.; Zimmerman, D. (Univ. Boston,; CPLEAR Collaboration

    1992-01-01

    The CPLEAR experiment will measure CP violation parameters in the neutral kaon system, using a low energy antiproton beam from the Low Energy Antiproton Ring (LEAR) at CERN. One of its subdetectors, the Particle Identification Detector (PID), makes a fast separation of pions and kaons, which is essential for the experiment. This article describes the design of the PID and its performance during beam tests and during initial runs at LEAR. A pion rejection efficiency of 99.7% for the first level trigger (after 60 ns) is found in the relevant momentum region. (orig.).

  8. The MICE Online Systems

    CERN Multimedia

    CERN. Geneva

    2012-01-01

    The Muon Ionization Cooling Experiment (MICE) is designed to test transverse cooling of a muon beam, demonstrating an important step along the path toward creating future high intensity muon beam facilities. Protons in the ISIS synchrotron impact a titanium target, producing pions which decay into muons that propagate through the beam line to the MICE cooling channel. Along the beam line, particle identification (PID) detectors, scintillating fiber tracking detectors, and beam diagnostic tools identify and measure individual muons moving through the cooling channel. The MICE Online Systems encompass all tools; including hardware, software, and documentation, within the MLCR (MICE Local Control Room) that allow the experiment to efficiently record high quality data. Controls and Monitoring (C&M), Data Acquisition (DAQ), Online Monitoring and Reconstruction, Data Transfer, and Networking all fall under the Online Systems umbrella. C&M controls all MICE systems including the target, conventional an...

  9. Particle identification algorithms for the PANDA Endcap Disc DIRC

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schmidt, M.; Ali, A.; Belias, A.; Dzhygadlo, R.; Gerhardt, A.; Götzen, K.; Kalicy, G.; Krebs, M.; Lehmann, D.; Nerling, F.; Patsyuk, M.; Peters, K.; Schepers, G.; Schmitt, L.; Schwarz, C.; Schwiening, J.; Traxler, M.; Böhm, M.; Eyrich, W.; Lehmann, A.; Pfaffinger, M.; Uhlig, F.; Düren, M.; Etzelmüller, E.; Föhl, K.; Hayrapetyan, A.; Kreutzfeld, K.; Merle, O.; Rieke, J.; Wasem, T.; Achenbach, P.; Cardinali, M.; Hoek, M.; Lauth, W.; Schlimme, S.; Sfienti, C.; Thiel, M.

    2017-12-01

    The Endcap Disc DIRC has been developed to provide an excellent particle identification for the future PANDA experiment by separating pions and kaons up to a momentum of 4 GeV/c with a separation power of 3 standard deviations in the polar angle region from 5o to 22o. This goal will be achieved using dedicated particle identification algorithms based on likelihood methods and will be applied in an offline analysis and online event filtering. This paper evaluates the resulting PID performance using Monte-Carlo simulations to study basic single track PID as well as the analysis of complex physics channels. The online reconstruction algorithm has been tested with a Virtex4 FGPA card and optimized regarding the resulting constraints.

  10. Lepton identification at particle flow oriented detector for the future e+e- Higgs factories

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yu, Dan; Ruan, Manqi; Boudry, Vincent; Videau, Henri

    2017-09-01

    The lepton identification is essential for the physics programs at high-energy frontier, especially for the precise measurement of the Higgs boson. For this purpose, a toolkit for multivariate data analysis (TMVA) based lepton identification (LICH) has been developed for detectors using high granularity calorimeters. Using the conceptual detector geometry for the Circular Electron-Positron Collider (CEPC) and single charged particle samples with energy larger than 2 GeV, LICH identifies electrons/muons with efficiencies higher than 99.5% and controls the mis-identification rate of hadron to muons/electrons to better than 1/0.5%. Reducing the calorimeter granularity by 1-2 orders of magnitude, the lepton identification performance is stable for particles with E > 2 GeV. Applied to fully simulated eeH/μ μ H events, the lepton identification performance is consistent with the single particle case: the efficiency of identifying all the high energy leptons in an event, is 95.5-98.5%.

  11. Particle Identification algorithm for the CLIC ILD and CLIC SiD detectors

    CERN Document Server

    Nardulli, J

    2011-01-01

    This note describes the algorithm presently used to determine the particle identification performance for single particles for the CLIC ILD and CLIC SiD detector concepts as prepared in the CLIC Conceptual Design Report.

  12. A feature point identification method for positron emission particle tracking with multiple tracers

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wiggins, Cody, E-mail: cwiggin2@vols.utk.edu [University of Tennessee-Knoxville, Department of Physics and Astronomy, 1408 Circle Drive, Knoxville, TN 37996 (United States); Santos, Roque [University of Tennessee-Knoxville, Department of Nuclear Engineering (United States); Escuela Politécnica Nacional, Departamento de Ciencias Nucleares (Ecuador); Ruggles, Arthur [University of Tennessee-Knoxville, Department of Nuclear Engineering (United States)

    2017-01-21

    A novel detection algorithm for Positron Emission Particle Tracking (PEPT) with multiple tracers based on optical feature point identification (FPI) methods is presented. This new method, the FPI method, is compared to a previous multiple PEPT method via analyses of experimental and simulated data. The FPI method outperforms the older method in cases of large particle numbers and fine time resolution. Simulated data show the FPI method to be capable of identifying 100 particles at 0.5 mm average spatial error. Detection error is seen to vary with the inverse square root of the number of lines of response (LORs) used for detection and increases as particle separation decreases. - Highlights: • A new approach to positron emission particle tracking is presented. • Using optical feature point identification analogs, multiple particle tracking is achieved. • Method is compared to previous multiple particle method. • Accuracy and applicability of method is explored.

  13. Improved identification of primary biological aerosol particles using single-particle mass spectrometry

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M. A. Zawadowicz

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available Measurements of primary biological aerosol particles (PBAP, especially at altitudes relevant to cloud formation, are scarce. Single-particle mass spectrometry (SPMS has been used to probe aerosol chemical composition from ground and aircraft for over 20 years. Here we develop a method for identifying bioaerosols (PBAP and particles containing fragments of PBAP as part of an internal mixture using SPMS. We show that identification of bioaerosol using SPMS is complicated because phosphorus-bearing mineral dust and phosphorus-rich combustion by-products such as fly ash produce mass spectra with peaks similar to those typically used as markers for bioaerosol. We have developed a methodology to differentiate and identify bioaerosol using machine learning statistical techniques applied to mass spectra of known particle types. This improved method provides far fewer false positives compared to approaches reported in the literature. The new method was then applied to two sets of ambient data collected at Storm Peak Laboratory and a forested site in Central Valley, California to show that 0.04–2 % of particles in the 200–3000 nm aerodynamic diameter range were identified as bioaerosol. In addition, 36–56 % of particles identified as biological also contained spectral features consistent with mineral dust, suggesting internal dust–biological mixtures.

  14. Particle identification using three angular distribution of transition radiation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Deutschmann, M; Struczinski, W [Technische Hochschule Aachen (Germany, F.R.). Lehrstuhl fuer Experimentalphysik 3B und 3. Physikalisches Inst.; Fabjan, C W; Willis, W [European Organization for Nuclear Research, Geneva (Switzerland); Gavrilenko, I; Maiburov, S; Shmeleva, A; Vasiliev, P [AN SSSR, Moscow. Inst. Fiziki; Tchernyatin, V; Dolgoshein, B [Moskovskij Inzhenerno-Fizicheskij Inst. (USSR)

    1981-04-01

    An electronic detector has been built which measures the angle of emission of transition radiation photons, as well as the energy deposit. A significant gain in the efficiency of particle identification is obtained for ..gamma.. approx. equal to 10/sup 3/.

  15. Design of the TORCH detector: A Cherenkov based Time-of-Flight system for particle identification

    CERN Document Server

    AUTHOR|(CDS)2078663; Rademacker, Jonas

    The LHCb detector at the LHC collider has been very successfully operated over the past years, providing new and profound insights into the Standard Model, in particular through study of $b$-hadrons to achieve a better understanding of CP violation. One of the key components of LHCb is its particle identification system, comprised of two RICH detectors, which allow for high precision separation of particle species over a large momentum range. In order to retain and improve the performance of the particle identification system in light of the LHCb upgrade, the TORCH detector has been proposed to supplement the RICH system at low momentum (2-10 GeV/c). The TORCH detector provides (charged) particle identification through precision timing of particles passing through it. Assuming a known momentum from the tracking, it is possible to derive the species of a particle from the time of flight from its primary vertex. This measurement is achieved by timing and combining photons generated in a solid radiator. The geom...

  16. A Very High Momentum Particle Identification Detector

    CERN Document Server

    Acconcia, T.V.; Barile, F.; Barnaföldi, G.G.; Bellwied, R.; Bencedi, G.; Bencze, G.; Berenyi, D.; Boldizsar, L.; Chattopadhyay, S.; Cindolo, F.; Chinellato, D.D.; D'Ambrosio, S.; Das, D.; Das, K.; Das-Bose, L.; Dash, A.K.; De Cataldo, G.; De Pasquale, S.; Di Bari, D.; Di Mauro, A.; Futo, E.; Garcia, E.; Hamar, G.; Harton, A.; Iannone, G.; Jimenez, R.T.; Kim, D.W.; Kim, J.S.; Knospe, A.; Kovacs, L.; Levai, P.; Nappi, E.; Markert, C.; Martinengo, P.; Mayani, D.; Molnar, L.; Olah, L.; Paic, G.; Pastore, C.; Patimo, G.; Patino, M.E.; Peskov, V.; Pinsky, L.; Piuz, F.; Pochybova, S.; Sgura, I.; Sinha, T.; Song, J.; Takahashi, J.; Timmins, A.; Van Beelen, J.B.; Varga, D.; Volpe, G.; Weber, M.; Xaplanteris, L.; Yi, J.; Yoo, I.K.

    2014-01-01

    The construction of a new detector is proposed to extend the capabilities of ALICE in the high transverse momentum (pT) region. This Very High Momentum Particle Identification Detector (VHMPID) performs charged hadron identification on a track-by-track basis in the 5 GeV/c < p < 25 GeV/c momentum range and provides ALICE with new opportunities to study parton-medium interactions at LHC energies. The VHMPID covers up to 30% of the ALICE central barrel and presents sufficient acceptance for triggered- and tagged-jet studies, allowing for the first time identified charged hadron measurements in jets. This Letter of Intent summarizes the physics motivations for such a detector as well as its layout and integration into ALICE.

  17. Data on the histological and immune cell response in the popliteal lymph node in mice following exposure to metal particles and ions

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bethany Winans

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available Hip implants containing cobalt–chromium (CoCr have been used for over 80 years. In patients with metal-on-metal (MoM hip implants, it has been suggested that wear debris particles may contribute to metal sensitization in some individuals, leading to adverse reactions. This article presents data from a study in which the popliteal lymph node assay (PLNA was used to assess immune responses in mice treated with chromium-oxide (Cr2O3 particles, metal salts (CoCl2, CrCl3, and NiCl2 or Cr2O3 particles with metal salts (“A preliminary evaluation of immune stimulation following exposure to metal particles and ions using the mouse popliteal lymph node assay” (B.E. Tvermoes, K.M. Unice, B. Winans, M. Kovochich, E.S. Fung, W.V. Christian, E. Donovan, B.L. Finley, B.L. Kimber, I. Kimber, D.J. Paustenbach, 2016 [1]. Data are presented on (1 the chemical characterization of TiO2 particles (used as a particle control, (2 clinical observations in mice treated with Cr2O3 particles, metal salts or Cr2O3 particles with metal salts, (3 PLN weight and weight index (WI in mice treated with Cr2O3 particles, metal salts or Cr2O3 particles with metal salts, (4 histological changes in PLNs of mice treated with Cr2O3 particles, metal salts or Cr2O3 particles with metal salts, (5 percentages of immune cells in the PLNs of mice treated with Cr2O3 particles, metal salts or Cr2O3 particles with metal salts, and (6 percentages of proliferating cells in the PLNs of mice treated with Cr2O3 particles, metal salts or Cr2O3 particles with metal salts.

  18. Identification and quantification of particle growth channels during new particle formation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M. R. Pennington

    2013-10-01

    Full Text Available Atmospheric new particle formation (NPF is a key source of ambient ultrafine particles that may contribute substantially to the global production of cloud condensation nuclei (CCN. While NPF is driven by atmospheric nucleation, its impact on CCN concentration depends strongly on atmospheric growth mechanisms since the growth rate must exceed the loss rate due to scavenging in order for the particles to reach the CCN size range. In this work, chemical composition measurements of 20 nm diameter particles during NPF in Hyytiälä, Finland, in March–April 2011 permit identification and quantitative assessment of important growth channels. In this work we show the following: (A sulfuric acid, a key species associated with atmospheric nucleation, accounts for less than half of particle mass growth during this time period; (B the sulfate content of a growing particle during NPF is quantitatively explained by condensation of gas-phase sulfuric acid molecules (i.e., sulfuric acid uptake is collision-limited; (C sulfuric acid condensation substantially impacts the chemical composition of preexisting nanoparticles before new particles have grown to a size sufficient to be measured; (D ammonium and sulfate concentrations are highly correlated, indicating that ammonia uptake is driven by sulfuric acid uptake; (E sulfate neutralization by ammonium does not reach the predicted thermodynamic end point, suggesting that a barrier exists for ammonia uptake; (F carbonaceous matter accounts for more than half of the particle mass growth, and its oxygen-to-carbon ratio (~ 0.5 is characteristic of freshly formed secondary organic aerosol; and (G differences in the overall growth rate from one formation event to another are caused by variations in the growth rates of all major chemical species, not just one individual species.

  19. Identification of nuclear power plant transients using the Particle Swarm Optimization algorithm

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Canedo Medeiros, Jose Antonio Carlos; Schirru, Roberto

    2008-01-01

    In order to help nuclear power plant operator reduce his cognitive load and increase his available time to maintain the plant operating in a safe condition, transient identification systems have been devised to help operators identify possible plant transients and take fast and right corrective actions in due time. In the design of classification systems for identification of nuclear power plants transients, several artificial intelligence techniques, involving expert systems, neuro-fuzzy and genetic algorithms have been used. In this work we explore the ability of the Particle Swarm Optimization algorithm (PSO) as a tool for optimizing a distance-based discrimination transient classification method, giving also an innovative solution for searching the best set of prototypes for identification of transients. The Particle Swarm Optimization algorithm was successfully applied to the optimization of a nuclear power plant transient identification problem. Comparing the PSO to similar methods found in literature it has shown better results

  20. Identification of nuclear power plant transients using the Particle Swarm Optimization algorithm

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Canedo Medeiros, Jose Antonio Carlos [Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, PEN/COPPE, UFRJ, Ilha do Fundao s/n, CEP 21945-970 Rio de Janeiro (Brazil)], E-mail: canedo@lmp.ufrj.br; Schirru, Roberto [Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, PEN/COPPE, UFRJ, Ilha do Fundao s/n, CEP 21945-970 Rio de Janeiro (Brazil)], E-mail: schirru@lmp.ufrj.br

    2008-04-15

    In order to help nuclear power plant operator reduce his cognitive load and increase his available time to maintain the plant operating in a safe condition, transient identification systems have been devised to help operators identify possible plant transients and take fast and right corrective actions in due time. In the design of classification systems for identification of nuclear power plants transients, several artificial intelligence techniques, involving expert systems, neuro-fuzzy and genetic algorithms have been used. In this work we explore the ability of the Particle Swarm Optimization algorithm (PSO) as a tool for optimizing a distance-based discrimination transient classification method, giving also an innovative solution for searching the best set of prototypes for identification of transients. The Particle Swarm Optimization algorithm was successfully applied to the optimization of a nuclear power plant transient identification problem. Comparing the PSO to similar methods found in literature it has shown better results.

  1. On the efficiency of high-energy particle identification statistical methods

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chilingaryan, A.A.

    1982-01-01

    An attempt is made to analyze the statistical methods of making decisions on the high-energy particle identification. The Bayesian approach is shown to provide the most complete account of the primary discriminative information between the particles of various tupes. It does not impose rigid requirements on the density form of the probability function and ensures the account of the a priori information as compared with the Neyman-Pearson approach, the mimimax technique and the heristic rules of the decision limits construction in the variant region of the specially chosen parameter. The methods based on the concept of the nearest neighbourhood are shown to be the most effective one among the local methods of the probability function density estimation. The probability distances between the training sample classes are suggested to make a decision on selecting the high-energy particle detector optimal parameters. The method proposed and the software constructed are tested on the problem of the cosmic radiation hadron identification by means of transition radiation detectors (the ''PION'' experiment)

  2. Anti-tumor effects of 125I radioactive particles implantation on transplantated tumor model of human breast cancer cells in nude mice

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Xiao Zhongdi; Liang Chunlin; Zhang Guoli; Jing Yue; Zhang Yucheng; Gai Baodong

    2011-01-01

    Objective: To study the anti-tumor effects of 125 I radioactive particles implantation on transplantated tumor model of human breast cancer cells in nude mice and clarify their anti-tumor mechanisms. Methods 120 nude mice transplantated with human breast cancer cells MCF-7 were randomly divided into 3 groups (n=40): 125 I radioactive particles implanted group, non-radioactive particles implanted group and non-particles implanted group. The articles were implanted into mice according to Pairs system principle. The expressions of Fas mRNA and protein and the activaties of caspase-3 and caspase-8 enzyme were detected by RT-PCR and Western blotting. The changes of cell cycle were detected by flow cytometry. Results: Compared with non-radioactive particles implanted group and non-particles implanted group, the size of cancer tissues in 125 I radioactive particles implanted group was reduced significantly (P 0 /G 1 phase was significantly increased (P 125 I radioactive particles into transplantated tumor model of human breast cancer cells can kill tumor cells, inhibit the growth cycle of tumor cells and induce the apoptosis of tumor cells in nude mice. (authors)

  3. Probiotics protect mice from CoCrMo particles-induced osteolysis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Wang Z

    2017-07-01

    Full Text Available Zhenheng Wang,* Kaiwen Xue,* Maosheng Bai, Zhantao Deng, Jingjing Gan, Gang Zhou, Hongbo Qian,* Nirong Bao, Jianning Zhao Department of Orthopaedics, Jinling Hospital, School of Medicine, Nanjing University, Nanjing, People’s Republic of China *These authors contributed equally to this work Abstract: Wear particle-induced inflammatory osteolysis is the primary cause of aseptic loosening, which is the most common reason for total hip arthroplasty (THA failure in the med- and long term. Recent studies have suggested an important role of gut microbiota (GM in modulating the host metabolism and immune system, leading to alterations in bone mass. Probiotic bacteria administered in adequate amounts can alter the composition of GM and confer health benefits to the host. Given the inflammatory osteolysis that occurs in wear debris-induced prosthesis loosening, we examined whether the probiotic Lactobacillus casei could reduce osteolysis in a mouse calvarial resorption model. In this study, L. casei markedly protected mice from CoCrMo particles (CoPs-induced osteolysis. Osteoclast gene markers and the number of osteoclasts were significantly decreased in L. casei-treated mice. Probiotic treatment decreased the M1-like macrophage phenotype indicated by downregulation of tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α, interleukin (IL-6 and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS and increased the M2-like macrophage phenotype indicated by upregulation of IL-4, IL-10 and arginase. Collectively, these results indicated that the L. casei treatment modulated the immune status and suppressed wear particle-induced osteolysis in vivo. Thus, probiotic treatment may represent a potential preventive and therapeutic approach to reduced wear debris-induced osteolysis. Keywords: wear particles, gut microbiota, nanotoxicity, macrophage polarization, inflammatory cytokines, aseptic loosening

  4. Particle Identification Studies with an ALICE Test TPC

    CERN Document Server

    Christiansen, P

    2007-01-01

    Using a test TPC, consisting of the ALICE TPC field cage prototype in combination with the final ALICE TPC readout and electronics, the energy loss distribution and resolution were measured for identified protons. The measurements were compared to theoretical calculations and good quantitative agreement was found when detector effects were taken into account. The implications for particle identification are discussed.

  5. Sampling and identification of gaseous and particle bounded air pollutants

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kettrup, A.

    1993-01-01

    Air pollutants are gaseous, components of aerosols or particle bounded. Sampling, sample preparation, identification and quantification of compounds depend from kind and chemical composition of the air pollutants. Quality assurance of analytical data must be guaranted. (orig.) [de

  6. Boosted decision trees as an alternative to artificial neural networks for particle identification

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Roe, Byron P.; Yang Haijun; Zhu Ji; Liu Yong; Stancu, Ion; McGregor, Gordon

    2005-01-01

    The efficacy of particle identification is compared using artificial neutral networks and boosted decision trees. The comparison is performed in the context of the MiniBooNE, an experiment at Fermilab searching for neutrino oscillations. Based on studies of Monte Carlo samples of simulated data, particle identification with boosting algorithms has better performance than that with artificial neural networks for the MiniBooNE experiment. Although the tests in this paper were for one experiment, it is expected that boosting algorithms will find wide application in physics

  7. Distribution and histologic effects of intravenously administered amorphous nanosilica particles in the testes of mice

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Morishita, Yuki; Yoshioka, Yasuo; Satoh, Hiroyoshi; Nojiri, Nao; Nagano, Kazuya; Abe, Yasuhiro; Kamada, Haruhiko; Tsunoda, Shin-ichi; Nabeshi, Hiromi; Yoshikawa, Tomoaki; Tsutsumi, Yasuo

    2012-01-01

    Highlights: ► There is rising concern regarding the potential health risks of nanomaterials. ► Few studies have investigated the effect of nanomaterials on the reproductive system. ► Here, we evaluated the intra-testicular distribution of nanosilica particles. ► We showed that nanosilica particles can penetrate the blood-testis barrier. ► These data provide basic information on ways to create safer nanomaterials. -- Abstract: Amorphous nanosilica particles (nSP) are being utilized in an increasing number of applications such as medicine, cosmetics, and foods. The reduction of the particle size to the nanoscale not only provides benefits to diverse scientific fields but also poses potential risks. Several reports have described the in vivo and in vitro toxicity of nSP, but few studies have examined their effects on the male reproductive system. The aim of this study was to evaluate the testicular distribution and histologic effects of systemically administered nSP. Mice were injected intravenously with nSP with diameters of 70 nm (nSP70) or conventional microsilica particles with diameters of 300 nm (nSP300) on two consecutive days. The intratesticular distribution of these particles 24 h after the second injection was analyzed by transmission electron microscopy. nSP70 were detected within sertoli cells and spermatocytes, including in the nuclei of spermatocytes. No nSP300 were observed in the testis. Next, mice were injected intravenously with 0.4 or 0.8 mg nSP70 every other day for a total of four administrations. Testes were harvested 48 h and 1 week after the last injection and stained with hematoxylin–eosin for histologic analysis. Histologic findings in the testes of nSP70-treated mice did not differ from those of control mice. Taken together, our results suggest that nSP70 can penetrate the blood-testis barrier and the nuclear membranes of spermatocytes without producing apparent testicular injury.

  8. Distribution and histologic effects of intravenously administered amorphous nanosilica particles in the testes of mice

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Morishita, Yuki [Laboratory of Toxicology and Safety Science, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Osaka University, 1-6 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871 (Japan); Yoshioka, Yasuo, E-mail: yasuo@phs.osaka-u.ac.jp [Laboratory of Toxicology and Safety Science, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Osaka University, 1-6 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871 (Japan); Satoh, Hiroyoshi; Nojiri, Nao [Laboratory of Toxicology and Safety Science, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Osaka University, 1-6 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871 (Japan); Nagano, Kazuya [Laboratory of Biopharmaceutical Research, National Institute of Biomedical Innovation, 7-6-8 Saitoasagi, Ibaraki, Osaka 567-0085 (Japan); Abe, Yasuhiro [Cancer Biology Research Center, Sanford Research/USD, 2301 E. 60th Street N, Sioux Falls, SD 57104 (United States); Kamada, Haruhiko; Tsunoda, Shin-ichi [Laboratory of Biopharmaceutical Research, National Institute of Biomedical Innovation, 7-6-8 Saitoasagi, Ibaraki, Osaka 567-0085 (Japan); The Center for Advanced Medical Engineering and Informatics, Osaka University, 1-6 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871 (Japan); Nabeshi, Hiromi [Division of Foods, National Institute of Health Sciences, 1-18-1, Kamiyoga, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo 158-8501 (Japan); Yoshikawa, Tomoaki [Laboratory of Toxicology and Safety Science, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Osaka University, 1-6 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871 (Japan); Tsutsumi, Yasuo, E-mail: ytsutsumi@phs.osaka-u.ac.jp [Laboratory of Toxicology and Safety Science, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Osaka University, 1-6 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871 (Japan); Laboratory of Biopharmaceutical Research, National Institute of Biomedical Innovation, 7-6-8 Saitoasagi, Ibaraki, Osaka 567-0085 (Japan); The Center for Advanced Medical Engineering and Informatics, Osaka University, 1-6 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871 (Japan)

    2012-04-06

    Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer There is rising concern regarding the potential health risks of nanomaterials. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Few studies have investigated the effect of nanomaterials on the reproductive system. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Here, we evaluated the intra-testicular distribution of nanosilica particles. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer We showed that nanosilica particles can penetrate the blood-testis barrier. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer These data provide basic information on ways to create safer nanomaterials. -- Abstract: Amorphous nanosilica particles (nSP) are being utilized in an increasing number of applications such as medicine, cosmetics, and foods. The reduction of the particle size to the nanoscale not only provides benefits to diverse scientific fields but also poses potential risks. Several reports have described the in vivo and in vitro toxicity of nSP, but few studies have examined their effects on the male reproductive system. The aim of this study was to evaluate the testicular distribution and histologic effects of systemically administered nSP. Mice were injected intravenously with nSP with diameters of 70 nm (nSP70) or conventional microsilica particles with diameters of 300 nm (nSP300) on two consecutive days. The intratesticular distribution of these particles 24 h after the second injection was analyzed by transmission electron microscopy. nSP70 were detected within sertoli cells and spermatocytes, including in the nuclei of spermatocytes. No nSP300 were observed in the testis. Next, mice were injected intravenously with 0.4 or 0.8 mg nSP70 every other day for a total of four administrations. Testes were harvested 48 h and 1 week after the last injection and stained with hematoxylin-eosin for histologic analysis. Histologic findings in the testes of nSP70-treated mice did not differ from those of control mice. Taken together, our results suggest that nSP70 can penetrate the blood-testis barrier and the

  9. Raman, Infrared, and Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy Identification of Particles in Raw Materials.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Kathryn; Lankers, Markus; Valet, Oliver

    2018-02-01

    Raw materials need to be of a certain quality with respect to physical and chemical composition. They also need to have no contaminants, including particles, because these could indicate raw material impurities or contaminate the product. Particle identification allows determination of process conditions that caused them and whether the quality of the final product is acceptable. Particles may appear to the eye to be very different things than they actually are. They may be coated with the raw material and may consist of several components; therefore, chemical and elemental analyses are required for accuracy in proper identification and definitive information about their source. Thus, microscope versions of Raman spectroscopy, laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS), and infrared (IR) spectroscopy are excellent tools for identifying particles in materials. Those tools are fast and accurate, and can provide chemical and elemental composition as well as images that can aid identification. The micro-analysis capabilities allow for easy analysis of different portions of samples so that multiple components can be identified and sample preparation can be reduced or eliminated. The differences in sensitivities of Raman and IR spectroscopies to different functional groups as well as the elemental analysis provided by LIBS and the image analysis provided by the microscopy makes these complementary techniques and provides the advantage of identifying various chemical components. Proper spectral searching techniques and interpretation of the results are important for interpretation and identification of trace contaminants.

  10. Particle identification using artificial neural networks at BESIII

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Qin Gang; Lv Junguang; Bian Jianming; Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing

    2008-01-01

    A multilayered perceptrons' neural network technique has been applied in the particle identification at BESIII. The networks are trained in each sub-detector level. The NN output of sub-detectors can be sent to a sequential network or be constructed as PDFs for a likelihood. Good muon-ID, electron-ID and hadron-ID are obtained from the networks by using the simulated Monte Carlo samples. (authors)

  11. Charge identification of highly ionizing particles in desensitized nuclear emulsion using high speed read-out system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Toshito, T.; Kodama, K.; Yusa, K.; Ozaki, M.; Amako, K.; Kameoka, S.; Murakami, K.; Sasaki, T.; Aoki, S.; Ban, T.; Fukuda, T.; Naganawa, N.; Nakamura, T.; Natsume, M.; Niwa, K.; Takahashi, S.; Kanazawa, M.; Kanematsu, N.; Komori, M.; Sato, S.; Asai, M.; Koi, T.; Fukushima, C.; Ogawa, S.; Shibasaki, M.; Shibuya, H.

    2006-01-01

    We performed an experimental study of charge identification of heavy ions from helium to carbon having energy of about 290MeV/u using an emulsion chamber. Emulsion was desensitized by means of forced fading (refreshing) to expand a dynamic range of response to highly charged particles. For the track reconstruction and charge identification, the fully automated high speed emulsion read-out system, which was originally developed for identifying minimum ionizing particles, was used without any modification. Clear track by track charge identification up to Z=6 was demonstrated. The refreshing technique has proved to be a powerful technique to expand response of emulsion film to highly ionizing particles

  12. Lepton identification at particle flow oriented detector for the future e{sup +}e{sup -} Higgs factories

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Yu, Dan [IHEP, Beijing (China); LLR, Ecole Polytechnique, Palaiseau (France); Ruan, Manqi [IHEP, Beijing (China); Boudry, Vincent; Videau, Henri [LLR, Ecole Polytechnique, Palaiseau (France)

    2017-09-15

    The lepton identification is essential for the physics programs at high-energy frontier, especially for the precise measurement of the Higgs boson. For this purpose, a toolkit for multivariate data analysis (TMVA) based lepton identification (LICH) has been developed for detectors using high granularity calorimeters. Using the conceptual detector geometry for the Circular Electron-Positron Collider (CEPC) and single charged particle samples with energy larger than 2 GeV, LICH identifies electrons/muons with efficiencies higher than 99.5% and controls the mis-identification rate of hadron to muons/electrons to better than 1/0.5%. Reducing the calorimeter granularity by 1-2 orders of magnitude, the lepton identification performance is stable for particles with E > 2 GeV. Applied to fully simulated eeH/μμH events, the lepton identification performance is consistent with the single particle case: the efficiency of identifying all the high energy leptons in an event, is 95.5-98.5%. (orig.)

  13. TOP counter for particle identification at the Belle II experiment

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Inami, Kenji

    2014-12-01

    Ring imaging Cherenkov counter, named TOP counter, utilizing precise photon detection timing has been developed as a particle identification detector for the Belle II experiment. The real size prototype has been produced and tested with 2 GeV positrons at Spring-8 LEPS beam line. The quartz radiator production and assembling with microchannel plate photomultipliers was successfully carried out. The beam test data shows good agreement with full Monte-Carlo simulation results in the ring image and the distribution of number of detected photons and timing information. - Highlights: • TOP counter was developed as a particle identification detector for the Belle II experiment. • The real size prototype was produced and tested with 2 GeV positrons. • The quartz radiator production and assembling with MCP-PMT was successfully carried out. • The beam test data shows good agreement with full Monte-Carlo simulation results.

  14. Particle identification with the OPAL jet chamber in the region of the relativistic rise

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Breuker, H; Fischer, H M; Hauschild, M; Hartmann, H; Wuensch, B; Boerner, H; Burckhart, H J; Dittmar, M; Hammarstroem, R; Heuer, R D

    1987-10-15

    An important goal of the OPAL jet chamber is particle identification at high momenta by exploiting the relativistic rise of the energy loss. Extensive tests have been performed with the full scale prototype of the OPAL jet chamber to measure the energy loss in an argon-methane-isobutane mixture as function of momentum and particle species. The measurements were done under various operating conditions in order to optimise the operationg point, to investigate sources of systematic errors, to monitor the stability of the energy loss measurement and to develop calibration procedures. The particle separation capability in the region of relativistic rise has been studied at gas pressures of 3 and 4 bar. The adopted operation point represents a reasonable compromise between the requirements for particle identification and tracking accuracy.

  15. A Bayesian approach to particle identification in ALICE

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wilkinson, Jeremy [Physikalisches Institut, Ruprecht-Karls-Universitaet Heidelberg (Germany); Collaboration: ALICE-Collaboration

    2016-07-01

    Particle identification (PID) is one of the major strengths of the ALICE detector at the LHC, and provides essential insight into quark-gluon plasma formation in heavy-ion collisions. PID is most effective when complementary identification techniques (such as specific energy loss in the Time Projection Chamber, or flight times measured by the Time Of Flight detector) are combined, however with standard PID techniques it can be difficult to combine these signals, especially when detectors with non-Gaussian responses are used. Here, an alternative probabilistic PID approach based on Bayes' theorem will be presented. This method facilitates the combination of different detector technologies based on the combined probability of a particle type to produce the signals measured in various detectors. The Bayesian PID approach will be briefly outlined, and benchmark analyses will be presented for high-purity samples of pions, kaons, and protons, as well as for the two-pronged decay D{sup 0} → K{sup -}π{sup +}, comparing the performance of the standard PID approach with that of the Bayesian approach. Finally, prospects for measuring the Λ{sub c} baryon in the three-pronged decay channel Λ{sub c}{sup +} → pK{sup -}π{sup +} are presented.

  16. High Resolution Spectrometer (HRS) particle-identification system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pratt, J.C.; Spencer, J.E.; Whitten, C.A.

    1977-08-01

    The functions of the particle-identification system (PIDS) designed for the High Resolution Spectrometer facility (HRS) at LAMPF are described, together with the mechanical layout, counter hardware, and associated electronics. The system was designed for easy use and to be applicable to currently proposed experiments at HRS. The several strobe signals that can be generated correspond to different event types or characteristics, and logic configuration and timing can be remotely controlled by computer. Concepts of discrete pattern recognition and multidimensional, analog pulse discrimination are used to distinguish between different event types

  17. Particle mis-identification rate algorithm for the CLIC ILD and CLIC SiD detectors

    CERN Document Server

    Nardulli, J

    2011-01-01

    This note describes the algorithm presently used to determine the particle mis- identification rate and gives results for single particles for the CLIC ILD and CLIC SiD detector concepts as prepared for the CLIC Conceptual Design Report.

  18. Pion contamination in the MICE muon beam

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Adams, D.; Barclay, P.; Bayliss, V.; Brashaw, T.W.; Alekou, A.; Apollonio, M.; Barber, G.; Asfandiyarov, R.; Blondel, A.; De Bari, A.; Bayes, R.; Bertoni, R.; Bonesini, M.; Blackmore, V.J.; Blot, S.; Bogomilov, M.; Booth, C.N.; Bowring, D.; Boyd, S.; Bravar, U.

    2016-01-01

    The international Muon Ionization Cooling Experiment (MICE) will perform a systematic investigation of ionization cooling with muon beams of momentum between 140 and 240 MeV/c at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory ISIS facility. The measurement of ionization cooling in MICE relies on the selection of a pure sample of muons that traverse the experiment. To make this selection, the MICE Muon Beam is designed to deliver a beam of muons with less than ∼1% contamination. To make the final muon selection, MICE employs a particle-identification (PID) system upstream and downstream of the cooling cell. The PID system includes time-of-flight hodoscopes, threshold-Cherenkov counters and calorimetry. The upper limit for the pion contamination measured in this paper is f π  < 1.4% at 90% C.L., including systematic uncertainties. Therefore, the MICE Muon Beam is able to meet the stringent pion-contamination requirements of the study of ionization cooling

  19. Pion contamination in the MICE muon beam

    CERN Document Server

    Bogomilov, M.; Vankova-Kirilova, G.; Bertoni, R.; Bonesini, M.; Chignoli, F.; Mazza, R.; Palladino, V.; de Bari, A.; Cecchet, G.; Capponi, M.; Iaciofano, A.; Orestano, D.; Pastore, F.; Tortora, L.; Kuno, Y.; Sakamoto, H.; Ishimoto, S.; Japan, Ibaraki; Filthaut, F.; Hansen, O.M.; Ramberger, S.; Vretenar, M.; Asfandiyarov, R.; Blondel, A.; Drielsma, F.; Karadzhov, Y.; Charnley, G.; Collomb, N.; Gallagher, A.; Grant, A.; Griffiths, S.; Hartnett, T.; Martlew, B.; Moss, A.; Muir, A.; Mullacrane, I.; Oates, A.; Owens, P.; Stokes, G.; Warburton, P.; White, C.; Adams, D.; Barclay, P.; Bayliss, V.; Bradshaw, T.W.; Courthold, M.; Francis, V.; Fry, L.; Hayler, T.; Hills, M.; Lintern, A.; Macwaters, C.; Nichols, A.; Preece, R.; Ricciardi, S.; Rogers, C.; Stanley, T.; Tarrant, J.; Watson, S.; Wilson, A.; Bayes, R.; Nugent, J.C.; Soler, F.J.P.; Cooke, P.; Gamet, R.; Alekou, A.; Apollonio, M.; Barber, G.; Colling, D.; Dobbs, A.; Dornan, P.; Hunt, C.; Lagrange, J-B.; Long, K.; Martyniak, J.; Middleton, S.; Pasternak, J.; Santos, E.; Savidge, T.; Uchida, M.A.; Blackmore, V.J.; Carlisle, T.; Cobb, J.H.; Lau, W.; Rayner, M.A.; Tunnell, C.D.; Booth, C.N.; Hodgson, P.; Langlands, J.; Nicholson, R.; Overton, E.; Robinson, M.; Smith, P.J.; Dick, A.; Ronald, K.; Speirs, D.; Whyte, C.G.; Young, A.; Boyd, S.; Franchini, P.; Greis, J.R.; Pidcott, C.; Taylor, I.; Gardener, R.; Kyberd, P.; Littlefield, M.; Nebrensky, J.J.; Bross, A.D.; Fitzpatrick, T.; Leonova, M.; Moretti, A.; Neuffer, D.; Popovic, M.; Rubinov, P.; Rucinski, R.; Roberts, T.J.; Bowring, D.; DeMello, A.; Gourlay, S.; Li, D.; Prestemon, S.; Virostek, S.; Zisman, M.; Drews, M.; Hanlet, P.; Kafka, G.; Kaplan, D.M.; Rajaram, D.; Snopok, P.; Torun, Y.; Winter, M.; Blot, S.; Kim, Y.K.; Bravar, U.; Onel, Y.; Cremaldi, L.M.; Hart, T.L.; Luo, T.; Sanders, D.A.; Summers, D.J.; Cline, D.; Yang, X.; Coney, L.; Hanson, G.G.; Heidt, C.

    2016-01-01

    The international Muon Ionization Cooling Experiment (MICE) will perform a systematic investigation of ionization cooling with muon beams of momentum between 140 and 240\\,MeV/c at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory ISIS facility. The measurement of ionization cooling in MICE relies on the selection of a pure sample of muons that traverse the experiment. To make this selection, the MICE Muon Beam is designed to deliver a beam of muons with less than $\\sim$1\\% contamination. To make the final muon selection, MICE employs a particle-identification (PID) system upstream and downstream of the cooling cell. The PID system includes time-of-flight hodoscopes, threshold-Cherenkov counters and calorimetry. The upper limit for the pion contamination measured in this paper is $f_\\pi < 1.4\\%$ at 90\\% C.L., including systematic uncertainties. Therefore, the MICE Muon Beam is able to meet the stringent pion-contamination requirements of the study of ionization cooling.

  20. Cataractogenic effects of heavy charged particles in mice

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ainsworth, E.J.; Jose, J.G.; Yang, V.V.; Barker, M.E.

    1980-01-01

    The effects of heavy charged particles on the crystalline lens of the eye of mice are important because this tissue has proven susceptible to other forms of high-LET radiation. This report summarizes the results currently available from a prospectively designed study to explore the LET dependence of the cataractogenic process. The present results are consistent with a high cataractogenic effect at 100 keV/μm, because plateau argon 40 ions, with an LET in this range, produce higher average cataracts scores at 9, 11 and 13 months than do carbon 12 or neon 20 ions. In the electron micrographs, significant changes were observed from the controls

  1. Electron-Muon Ranger: performance in the MICE Muon Beam

    CERN Document Server

    Adams, D.; Vankova-Kirilova, G.; Bertoni, R.; Bonesini, M.; Chignoli, F.; Mazza, R.; Palladino, V.; de Bari, A.; Cecchet, G.; Capponi, M.; Iaciofano, A.; Orestano, D.; Pastore, F.; Tortora, L.; Kuno, Y.; Sakamoto, H.; Ishimoto, S.; Filthaut, F.; Hansen, O.M.; Ramberger, S.; Vretenar, M.; Asfandiyarov, R.; Bene, P.; Blondel, A.; Cadoux, F.; Debieux, S.; Drielsma, F.; Graulich, J.S.; Husi, C.; Karadzhov, Y.; Masciocchi, F.; Nicola, L.; Messomo, E.Noah; Rothenfusser, K.; Sandstrom, R.; Wisting, H.; Charnley, G.; Collomb, N.; Gallagher, A.; Grant, A.; Griffiths, S.; Hartnett, T.; Martlew, B.; Moss, A.; Muir, A.; Mullacrane, I.; Oates, A.; Owens, P.; Stokes, G.; Warburton, P.; White, C.; Adams, D.; Barclay, P.; Bayliss, V.; Bradshaw, T.W.; Courthold, M.; Francis, V.; Fry, L.; Hayler, T.; Hills, M.; Lintern, A.; Macwaters, C.; Nichols, A.; Preece, R.; Ricciardi, S.; Rogers, C.; Stanley, T.; Tarrant, J.; Watson, S.; Wilson, A.; Bayes, R.; Nugent, J.C.; Soler, F.J.P.; Cooke, P.; Gamet, R.; Alekou, A.; Apollonio, M.; Barber, G.; Colling, D.; Dobbs, A.; Dornan, P.; Hunt, C.; Lagrange, J-B.; Long, K.; Martyniak, J.; Middleton, S.; Pasternak, J.; Santos, E.; Savidge, T.; Uchida, M.A.; Blackmore, V.J.; Carlisle, T.; Cobb, J.H.; Lau, W.; Rayner, M.A.; Tunnell, C.D.; Booth, C.N.; Hodgson, P.; Langlands, J.; Nicholson, R.; Overton, E.; Robinson, M.; Smith, P.J.; Dick, A.; Ronald, K.; Speirs, D.; Whyte, C.G.; Young, A.; Boyd, S.; Franchini, P.; Greis, J.; Pidcott, C.; Taylor, I.; Gardener, R.; Kyberd, P.; Littlefield, M.; Nebrensky, J.J.; Bross, A.D.; Fitzpatrick, T.; Leonova, M.; Moretti, A.; Neuffer, D.; Popovic, M.; Rubinov, P.; Rucinski, R.; Roberts, T.J.; Bowring, D.; DeMello, A.; Gourlay, S.; Li, D.; Prestemon, S.; Virostek, S.; Zisman, M.; Hanlet, P.; Kafka, G.; Kaplan, D.M.; Rajaram, D.; Snopok, P.; Torun, Y.; Blot, S.; Kim, Y.K.; Bravar, U.; Onel, Y.; Cremaldi, L.M.; Hart, T.L.; Luo, T.; Sanders, D.A.; Summers, D.J.; Cline, D.; Yang, X.; Coney, L.; Hanson, G.G.; Heidt, C.

    2015-12-16

    The Muon Ionization Cooling Experiment (MICE) will perform a detailed study of ionization cooling to evaluate the feasibility of the technique. To carry out this program, MICE requires an efficient particle-identification (PID) system to identify muons. The Electron-Muon Ranger (EMR) is a fully-active tracking-calorimeter that forms part of the PID system and tags muons that traverse the cooling channel without decaying. The detector is capable of identifying electrons with an efficiency of 98.6%, providing a purity for the MICE beam that exceeds 99.8%. The EMR also proved to be a powerful tool for the reconstruction of muon momenta in the range 100-280 MeV/$c$.

  2. Electron-muon ranger: performance in the MICE muon beam

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Adams, D.; Barclay, P.; Bayliss, V.; Bradshaw, T.W.; Alekou, A.; Apollonio, M.; Barber, G.; Asfandiyarov, R.; Bene, P.; Blondel, A.; De Bari, A.; Bayes, R.; Bertoni, R.; Bonesini, M.; Blackmore, V.J.; Blot, S.; Bogomilov, M.; Booth, C.N.; Bowring, D.; Boyd, S.

    2015-01-01

    The Muon Ionization Cooling Experiment (MICE) will perform a detailed study of ionization cooling to evaluate the feasibility of the technique. To carry out this program, MICE requires an efficient particle-identification (PID) system to identify muons. The Electron-Muon Ranger (EMR) is a fully-active tracking-calorimeter that forms part of the PID system and tags muons that traverse the cooling channel without decaying. The detector is capable of identifying electrons with an efficiency of 98.6%, providing a purity for the MICE beam that exceeds 99.8%. The EMR also proved to be a powerful tool for the reconstruction of muon momenta in the range 100–280 MeV/c

  3. Particle identification for beauty physics

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ludlam, T.

    1987-01-01

    We look briefly at the requirements for particle identification for possible beauty experiments at the Tevatron, both in the fixed target and the collider mode. Techniques presently in use in high energy physics experiments, and under development, should make sensitive experiments feasible. However, in all cases the present state of the art must be advanced to meet the necessary requirements for segmentation andor rate capability. The most fundamentally difficult challenges appear to be the efficient tagging of soft electrons (for the collider experiment) and the need to handle interaction rates up to /approximately/ 10 9 HZ in the fixed target mode. In both cases we can find ''in principle'' demonstrations that the requirements can be met. We have considered only the most basic prooperties of detectors, however, and the real answers will come from careful studies of details. 20 refs., 10 figs

  4. Charged particle identification including Pions by pulse-shape discrimination with an NE213 liquid scintillator

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nakamoto, T.; Ishibashi, K.; Matsufuji, N.; Shigyo, N.; Maehata, K.

    1995-01-01

    Particles emitted from spallation reactions induced by protons having GeV energies were measured with an NE213 liquid scintillator, 12.7 cm in diameter and 12.7 cm thick. The pulse-shape discrimination (PSD) was carried out for charged particle identification by the two-gate integration method. Pions having energies up to 60 MeV were clearly discriminated from protons and electrons. On the contrary, pions with higher energies could not be identified since they escaped from the detector. The advantage of PSD for charged particle identification is that there is no requirement for a ΔE detector in the measurements. copyright 1995 American Institute of Physics

  5. Particles identification using nuclear emulsion in OPERA

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Manai, K.

    2007-10-01

    The Opera experiment will try to confirm the ν μ → ν τ oscillations by the appearance of the ν τ in a pure ν μ beam. Indeed, a neutrino beam almost pure is produced at CERN (CNGS Beam) and sent to the Opera detector. The detector is composed of two muons spectrometers and a target formed by walls of bricks. Each brick is an alternation of lead plates and emulsions. This modular structure allows to reconstruct the kink topology of the τ lepton decay with a high spatial resolution. The great challenge of the Opera experiment is to detect the ν τ interactions with the less uncertainty. To reduce this uncertainty it is essential to identify with the greatest efficiency any background event not including a tau particle. My work permits to reduce background. My principal contribution concerns the selection development, the reconstruction and the muons identification at low energy. This work is based on the setting of variables related to the deposit energy and the multiple scattering. Previously, only deposit energy was used in the analyses of pion/muon separation. This study allows doubling the muon identification efficiency at low energy. This leads to increase the background events rejection in Opera and to decrease the contamination by 30%. I also studied the nuclear emulsions capacity to identify charged particles through the analysis of a test beam carried out by the Nagoya group. This test contains protons and pions with different energies. My work proves that the European scan system gives comparable results with those obtained by the Japanese scan system. (author)

  6. Kalman and particle filtering methods for full vehicle and tyre identification

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bogdanski, Karol; Best, Matthew C.

    2018-05-01

    This paper considers identification of all significant vehicle handling dynamics of a test vehicle, including identification of a combined-slip tyre model, using only those sensors currently available on most vehicle controller area network buses. Using an appropriately simple but efficient model structure, all of the independent parameters are found from test vehicle data, with the resulting model accuracy demonstrated on independent validation data. The paper extends previous work on augmented Kalman Filter state estimators to concentrate wholly on parameter identification. It also serves as a review of three alternative filtering methods; identifying forms of the unscented Kalman filter, extended Kalman filter and particle filter are proposed and compared for effectiveness, complexity and computational efficiency. All three filters are suited to applications of system identification and the Kalman Filters can also operate in real-time in on-line model predictive controllers or estimators.

  7. Boosted jet identification using particle candidates and deep neural networks

    CERN Document Server

    CMS Collaboration

    2017-01-01

    This note presents developments for the identification of hadronically decaying top quarks using deep neural networks in CMS. A new method that utilizes one dimensional convolutional neural networks based on jet constituent particles is proposed. Alternative methods using boosted decision trees based on jet observables are compared. The new method shows significant improvement in performance.

  8. The DIRC Particle Identification System for the BaBar Experiment

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Adam, I

    2004-06-30

    A new type of ring-imaging Cherenkov detector is being used for hadronic particle identification in the BABAR experiment at the SLAC B Factory (PEP-II). This detector is called DIRC, an acronym for Detection of Internally Reflected Cherenkov (Light). This paper will discuss the construction, operation and performance of the BABAR DIRC in detail.

  9. Effects of oral administration of titanium dioxide fine-sized particles on plasma glucose in mice.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gu, Ning; Hu, Hailong; Guo, Qian; Jin, Sanli; Wang, Changlin; Oh, Yuri; Feng, Yujie; Wu, Qiong

    2015-12-01

    Titanium dioxide (TiO2) is an authorized additive used as a food colorant, is composed of nano-sized particles (NP) and fine-sized particles (FP). Previous study reported that oral administration of TiO2 NPs triggers an increase in plasma glucose of mice. However, no previous studies have focused on toxic effects of TiO2 FPs on plasma glucose homeostasis following oral administration. In the current study, mice were orally administered TiO2 FPs greater than 100 nm in size (64 mg/kg body weight per day), and effects on plasma glucose levels examined. Our results showed that titanium levels was not changed in mouse blood, livers and pancreases after mice were orally administered TiO2 FPs. Biochemical analyzes showed that plasma glucose and ROS levels were not affected by TiO2 FPs. Histopathological results showed that TiO2 FPs did not induce pathology changes in organs, especially plasma glucose homeostasis regulation organs, such as pancreas and liver. Western blotting showed that oral administration of TiO2 FPs did not induce insulin resistance (IR) in mouse liver. These results showed that, TiO2 FPs cannot be absorbed via oral administration and affect plasma glucose levels in mice. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  10. Measurement methods for high energy particle identification in gaseous mixture detectors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Marchand, Patrick.

    1981-01-01

    In this work, we discuss some methods for high energy particle identification. We study and design a MWPC equipped with a preamplifier gap for increased resolution. In addition, we propose a new mehod of counting primary collisions. The electronic system used for multiplexing analog wire signals is also described [fr

  11. The DIRC counter: A new type of particle identification device for B factories

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Coyle, P.; Lu, A.

    1992-07-01

    A very thin, solid radiator, totally internally reflecting, imaging Cherenkov counter (DIRC) is described. this device is well matched to the hadronic charged particle identification requirements at an asymmetric e + e - B Factory

  12. The DIRC counter: A new type of particle identification device for B factories

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ratcliff, B.

    1993-01-01

    A very thin, solid radiator, totally internally reflecting, imaging Cherenkov counter (DIRC) is described. This device is well matched to the hadronic charged particle identification requirements at an asymmetric e + e - B Factory

  13. Tracking and Particle Identification at LHCb and Strange Hadron Production in Events with Z Boson

    CERN Document Server

    AUTHOR|(INSPIRE)INSPIRE-00392146; Serra, N.; Mueller, K; Steinkamp, O

    The Lhcb experiment, located at the Large Hadron Collider at CERN, is a high energy particle physics experiment dedicated to precision measurements of events containing beauty and charm quarks. The detector is built as a single-arm forward spectrometer. It uses tracking stations upstream and downstream of its dipole magnet to measure the trajectories and momenta of charged particles. This thesis describes the improvements to the track reconstruction algorithm, which were implemented for the second run of the LHC that started in spring 2015. Furthermore, the method to confirm the performance numbers on data is presented. In addition to the tracking system, the detector uses two Ring Imaging Cherenkov detectors, upstream and downstream of the dipole magnet, together with the calorimeter and muon system, for particle identification. The detector response for the particle identification is known to be poorly modelled, since the dependence on environmental variables like temperature and pressure inside the gas mo...

  14. A Bayesian approach to particle identification in ALICE

    CERN Multimedia

    CERN. Geneva

    2016-01-01

    Among the LHC experiments, ALICE has unique particle identification (PID) capabilities exploiting different types of detectors. During Run 1, a Bayesian approach to PID was developed and intensively tested. It facilitates the combination of information from different sub-systems. The adopted methodology and formalism as well as the performance of the Bayesian PID approach for charged pions, kaons and protons in the central barrel of ALICE will be reviewed. Results are presented with PID performed via measurements of specific energy loss (dE/dx) and time-of-flight using information from the TPC and TOF detectors, respectively. Methods to extract priors from data and to compare PID efficiencies and misidentification probabilities in data and Monte Carlo using high-purity samples of identified particles will be presented. Bayesian PID results were found consistent with previous measurements published by ALICE. The Bayesian PID approach gives a higher signal-to-background ratio and a similar or larger statist...

  15. The DIRC, the particle identification detector of BaBar

    CERN Document Server

    Yéche, C

    1999-01-01

    A novel particle identification detector (PID) has been developed for the BABAR experiment which will operate at the PEP-II B factory at SLAC. The principles of this new concept of PID called the DIRC, based on ring imaging $9 Cherenkov techniques, are briefly described. The results obtained with a large scale prototype and pion, kaon and proton beams at CERN are presented. The performances of this prototype are compared to the Monte-Carlo simulations and $9 the BABAR requirements. (4 refs).

  16. Particle identification at LHCb: new calibration techniques and machine learning classification algorithms

    CERN Multimedia

    CERN. Geneva

    2018-01-01

    Particle identification (PID) plays a crucial role in LHCb analyses. Combining information from LHCb subdetectors allows one to distinguish between various species of long-lived charged and neutral particles. PID performance directly affects the sensitivity of most LHCb measurements. Advanced multivariate approaches are used at LHCb to obtain the best PID performance and control systematic uncertainties. This talk highlights recent developments in PID that use innovative machine learning techniques, as well as novel data-driven approaches which ensure that PID performance is well reproduced in simulation.

  17. Particle identification aerogel counter with n=1.13 for {pi}/K separation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Barnyakov, A.Yu.; Barnyakov, M.Yu. [Budker Institute of Nuclear Physics, 11, akademika Lavrentieva prospect, Novosobirsk 630090 (Russian Federation); Beloborodov, K.I., E-mail: K.I.Beloborodov@inp.nsk.s [Budker Institute of Nuclear Physics, 11, akademika Lavrentieva prospect, Novosobirsk 630090 (Russian Federation); Novosibirsk State University, 2, Pirogova Street, Novosibirsk 630090 (Russian Federation); Bobrovnikov, V.S.; Buzykaev, A.R. [Budker Institute of Nuclear Physics, 11, akademika Lavrentieva prospect, Novosobirsk 630090 (Russian Federation); Danilyuk, A.F. [Boreskov Institute of Catalysis, 5, akademika Lavrentieva prospect, Novosibirsk 630090 (Russian Federation); Golubev, V.B. [Budker Institute of Nuclear Physics, 11, akademika Lavrentieva prospect, Novosobirsk 630090 (Russian Federation); Novosibirsk State University, 2, Pirogova Street, Novosibirsk 630090 (Russian Federation); Kirillov, V.L. [Boreskov Institute of Catalysis, 5, akademika Lavrentieva prospect, Novosibirsk 630090 (Russian Federation); Kononov, S.A. [Budker Institute of Nuclear Physics, 11, akademika Lavrentieva prospect, Novosobirsk 630090 (Russian Federation); Kravchenko, E.A. [Budker Institute of Nuclear Physics, 11, akademika Lavrentieva prospect, Novosobirsk 630090 (Russian Federation); Novosibirsk State University, 2, Pirogova Street, Novosibirsk 630090 (Russian Federation); Onuchin, A.P. [Budker Institute of Nuclear Physics, 11, akademika Lavrentieva prospect, Novosobirsk 630090 (Russian Federation); Martin, K.A. [Budker Institute of Nuclear Physics, 11, akademika Lavrentieva prospect, Novosobirsk 630090 (Russian Federation); Novosibirsk State Technical University, 20, Karl Marx prospect, Novosibirsk 630092 (Russian Federation); Serednyakov, S.I. [Budker Institute of Nuclear Physics, 11, akademika Lavrentieva prospect, Novosobirsk 630090 (Russian Federation); Novosibirsk State University, 2, Pirogova Street, Novosibirsk 630090 (Russian Federation)

    2010-11-01

    The paper is devoted to the cosmic muon tests of particle identification system for the SND detector at the new VEPP-2000 e{sup +}e{sup -} collider. The goal of the tests is to measure average signal for the relativistic particles. The measurements of the average signal were done at five different points of the counter. Obtained values of the signal are close to 10 photoelectrons. Preliminary results for misidentification probability for {pi} and K mesons with the energy of 1000 MeV are presented.

  18. Identification of charged particles by etching the solid state nuclear track detectors in successive intervals

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Randhawa, G.S.; Virk, H.S.

    1997-01-01

    The suitability of the method of charged particle identification by etching the samples in successive intervals developed by Grabez et al. has been checked in CR-39 exposed to heavy ions 238 U, 208 Pb, 197 Au and 132 Xe in the interval 11.0 to 17.0 MeV/u. A similar study has been made on soda glass detectors irradiated by 238 U, 132 Xe, 56 Fe and 48 Ti ions having energy 4.0 to 6.0 MeV/u. It is concluded that this method of particle identification can be used successfully in CR-39 and soda glass detectors. (author)

  19. Adenovirus Particles that Display the Plasmodium falciparum Circumsporozoite Protein NANP Repeat Induce Sporozoite-Neutralizing Antibodies in Mice

    Science.gov (United States)

    Palma, Christopher; Overstreet, Michael G.; Guedon, Jean-Marc; Hoiczyk, Egbert; Ward, Cameron; Karen, Kasey A.; Zavala, Fidel; Ketner, Gary

    2011-01-01

    Adenovirus particles can be engineered to display exogenous peptides on their surfaces by modification of viral capsid proteins, and particles that display pathogen-derived peptides can induce protective immunity. We constructed viable recombinant adenoviruses that display B-cell epitopes from the Plasmodium falciparum circumsporozoite protein (PfCSP) in the major adenovirus capsid protein, hexon. Recombinants induced high-titer antibodies against CSP when injected intraperitoneally into mice. Serum obtained from immunized mice recognized both recombinant PfCSP protein and P. falciparum sporozoites, and neutralized P. falciparum sporozoites in vitro. Replicating adenovirus vaccines have provided economical protection against adenovirus disease for over three decades. The recombinants described here may provide a path to an affordable malaria vaccine in the developing world. PMID:21199707

  20. Particle Identification performance for leptons in jets for the CLIC ILD and CLIC SiD detectors

    CERN Document Server

    Nardulli, J

    2011-01-01

    This note describes the particle identification performance for particles in jets for the CLIC ILD and CLIC SiD detector concepts as prepared in the CLIC Conceptual Design Report. The results are presented with and without the presence of the γγ → hadrons background events.

  1. Motorcycle exhaust particles induce airway inflammation and airway hyperresponsiveness in BALB/C mice.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Chen-Chen; Liao, Jiunn-Wang; Kang, Jaw-Jou

    2004-06-01

    A number of large studies have reported that environmental pollutants from fossil fuel combustion can cause deleterious effects to the immune system, resulting in an allergic reaction leading to respiratory tract damage. In this study, we investigated the effect of motorcycle exhaust particles (MEP), a major pollutant in the Taiwan urban area, on airway inflammation and airway hyperresponsiveness in laboratory animals. BALB/c mice were instilled intratracheally (i.t.) with 1.2 mg/kg and 12 mg/kg of MEP, which was collected from two-stroke motorcycle engines. The mice were exposed 3 times i.t. with MEP, and various parameters for airway inflammation and hyperresponsiveness were sequentially analyzed. We found that MEP would induce airway and pulmonary inflammation characterized by infiltration of eosinophils, neutrophils, lymphocytes, and macrophages in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) and inflammatory cell infiltration in lung. In addition, MEP treatment enhanced BALF interleukin-4 (IL-4), IL-5, and interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) cytokine levels and serum IgE production. Bronchial response measured by unrestrained plethysmography with methacholine challenge showed that MEP treatment induced airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR) in BALB/c mice. The chemical components in MEP were further fractionated with organic solvents, and we found that the benzene-extracted fraction exerts a similar biological effect as seen with MEP, including airway inflammation, increased BALF IL-4, serum IgE production, and induction of AHR. In conclusion, we present evidence showing that the filter-trapped particles emitted from the unleaded-gasoline-fueled two-stroke motorcycle engine may induce proinflammatory and proallergic response profiles in the absence of exposure to allergen.

  2. Adenovirus Particles that Display the Plasmodium falciparum Circumsporozoite Protein NANP Repeat Induce Sporozoite-Neutralizing Antibodies in Mice

    OpenAIRE

    Palma, Christopher; Overstreet, Michael G.; Guedon, Jean-Marc; Hoiczyk, Egbert; Ward, Cameron; Karen, Kasey A.; Zavala, Fidel; Ketner, Gary

    2011-01-01

    Adenovirus particles can be engineered to display exogenous peptides on their surfaces by modification of viral capsid proteins, and particles that display pathogen-derived peptides can induce protective immunity. We constructed viable recombinant adenoviruses that display B-cell epitopes from the Plasmodium falciparum circumsporozoite protein (PfCSP) in the major adenovirus capsid protein, hexon. Recombinants induced high-titer antibodies against CSP when injected intraperitoneally into mice...

  3. Cosmic ray particle dosimetry and trajectory tracing

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cruty, M.R.; Benton, E.V.; Turnbill, C.E.; Philpott, D.E.

    1975-01-01

    Five pocket mice (Perognathus longimembris) were flown on Apollo XVII, each with a solid-state (plastic) nuclear track detector implanted beneath its scalp. The subscalp detectors were sensitive to HZE cosmic ray particles with a LET greater than or approximately equal to 0.15 million electron volts per micrometer (MeV/micron). A critical aspect of the dosimetry of the experiment involved tracing individual particle trajectories through each mouse head from particle tracks registered in the individual subscalp detectors, thereby establishing a one-to-one correspondence between a trajectory location in the tissue and the presence or absence of a lesion. The other major aspect was the identification of each registered particle. An average of 16 particles with Z greater than or equal to 6 and 2.2 particles with Z greater than or equal to 20 were found per detector. The track density, 29 tracks/sq cm, when adjusted for detection volume, was in agreement with the photographic emulsion data from an area dosimeter located next to the flight package

  4. Charged particle identification with the liquid Xenon calorimeter of the CMD-3 detector

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ivanov, V.L.; Fedotovich, G.V.; Anisenkov, A.V.; Grebenuk, A.A.; Mikhailov, K.Yu.; Kozyrev, A.A.; Shebalin, V.E.; Ruban, A.A.; Bashtovoy, N.S.

    2017-01-01

    This paper describes a procedure of particle identification with the liquid Xenon calorimeter of the CMD-3 detector currently being developed. The procedure uses the boosted decision tree classification method with specific energy losses of charged particles in the liquid Xenon calorimeter as input variables. The efficiency of the procedure is illustrated by an example of the measurement of the cross section of the process e + e − → K + K − in the center-of-mass energy range from 1.8 to 2.0 GeV.

  5. Germline mutation rates in mice following in utero exposure to diesel exhaust particles by maternal inhalation

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Ritz, Caitlin; Ruminski, Wojciech; Hougaard, Karin S.

    2011-01-01

    (PAPs) from industrial environments cause DNA damage and mutations in the sperm of adult male mice. Effects on the female and male germline during critical stages of development (in utero) are unknown. In mice, previous studies have shown that expanded simple tandem repeat (ESTR) loci exhibit high rates......The induction of inherited DNA sequence mutations arising in the germline (i.e., sperm or egg) of mice exposed in utero to diesel exhaust particles (DEPs) via maternal inhalation compared to unexposed controls was investigated in this study. Previous work has shown that particulate air pollutants...... of spontaneous mutation, making this endpoint a valuable tool for studying inherited mutation and genomic instability. In the present study, pregnant C57Bl/6 mice were exposed to 19mg/m3 DEP from gestational day 7 through 19, alongside air exposed controls. Male and female F1 offspring were raised to maturity...

  6. The High Momentum Particle IDentification (HMPID) detector PID performance and its contribution to the ALICE physics program

    Science.gov (United States)

    Volpe, Giacomo; ALICE Collaboration

    2017-12-01

    The ALICE apparatus is dedicated to study the properties of strongly interacting matter under extremely high temperature and energy density conditions. For this, enhanced particle identification (PID) capabilities are required. Among the PID ALICE detectors, the ALICE-HMPID (High Momentum Particle IDentification) detector is devoted to the identification of charged hadrons, exploiting the Cherenkov effect. It consists of seven identical RICH modules, with liquid C6F14 as Cherenkov radiator (n ≈1.298 at λ=175 nm). Photon and charged particle detection is performed by a MWPC, coupled with a pad segmented CsI coated photo-cathode. The total CsI active area is 10.3 m2. The HMPID provides 3 sigma separation for pions and kaons up to pT = 3 GeV / c and for kaons and (anti-)protons up to pT = 5 GeV / c . A review of the HMPID PID performance, in particular in the challenging central Pb-Pb collisions, and its contribution to the ALICE physics program, using the LHC RUN1 (2010-2013) and RUN2 (2015) data, are presented.

  7. Chimeric plant virus particles administered nasally or orally induce systemic and mucosal immune responses in mice

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Brennan, F.R.; Bellaby, T.; Helliwell, S.M.

    1999-01-01

    The humoral immune responses to the D2 peptide of fibronectin-binding protein B (FnBP) of Staphylococcus aureus, expressed on the plant virus cowpea mosaic virus (CPMV), were evaluated after mucosal delivery to mice. Intranasal immunization of these chimeric virus particles (CVPs), either alone...

  8. Lung inflammation and genotoxicity in mice lungs after pulmonary exposure to candle light combustion particles

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Skovmand, Astrid; Damiao Gouveia, Ana Cecilia; Koponen, Ismo Kalevi

    2017-01-01

    Candle burning produces a large amount of particles that contribute substantially to the exposure to indoor particulate matter. The exposures to various types of combustion particles, such as diesel exhaust particles, have been associated with increased risk of lung cancer by mechanisms that invo......Candle burning produces a large amount of particles that contribute substantially to the exposure to indoor particulate matter. The exposures to various types of combustion particles, such as diesel exhaust particles, have been associated with increased risk of lung cancer by mechanisms...... that involve oxidative stress, inflammation and genotoxicity. The aim of this study was to compare pulmonary effects of candle light combustion particles (CP) with two benchmark diesel exhaust particles (A-DEP and SRM2975). Intratracheal (i.t.) instillation of CP (5mg/kg bodyweight) in C57BL/6n mice produced......-DEP or SRM2975. The i.t. instillation of CP did not generate oxidative damage to DNA in lung tissue, measured as DNA strand breaks and human 8-oxoguanine glycosylase-sensitive sites by the comet assay. The lack of genotoxic response was confirmed in lung epithelial (A549) cells, although the exposure to CP...

  9. Application of digital sampling techniques to particle identification

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bardelli, L.; Poggi, G.; Bini, M.; Carraresi, L.; Pasquali, G.; Taccetti, N.

    2003-01-01

    An application of digital sampling techniques is presented which can greatly simplify experiments involving sub-nanosecond time-mark determinations and energy measurements with nuclear detectors, used for Pulse Shape Analysis and Time of Flight measurements in heavy ion experiments. In this work a 100 M Sample/s, 12 bit analog to digital converter has been used: examples of this technique applied to Silicon and CsI(Tl) detectors in heavy-ions experiments involving particle identification via Pulse Shape analysis and Time of Flight measurements are presented. The system is suited for applications to large detector arrays and to different kinds of detectors. Some preliminary results regarding the simulation of current signals in Silicon detectors are also discussed. (authors)

  10. Effects of prenatal exposure to diesel exhaust particles on postnatal development, behavior, genotoxicity and inflammation in mice

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hougaard, K. S.; Jensen, K. A.; Nordly, P.

    2008-01-01

    Background: Results from epidemiological studies indicate that particulate air pollution constitutes a hazard for human health. Recent studies suggest that diesel exhaust possesses endocrine activity and therefore may affect reproductive outcome. This study in mice aimed to investigate whether...... exposure to diesel exhaust particles (DEP; NIST 2975) would affect gestation, postnatal development, activity, learning and memory, and biomarkers of transplacental toxicity. Pregnant mice (C57BL/6; BomTac) were exposed to 19 mg/m(3) DEP (similar to 1.10(6) particles/cm(3); mass median diameter congruent...... to 240 nm) on gestational days 9-19, for 1 h/day. Results: Gestational parameters were similar in control and diesel groups. Shortly after birth, body weights of DEP offspring were slightly lower than in controls. This difference increased during lactation, so by weaning the DEP exposed offspring weighed...

  11. A neural network device for on-line particle identification in cosmic ray experiments

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Scrimaglio, R.; Finetti, N.; D'Altorio, L.; Rantucci, E.; Raso, M.; Segreto, E.; Tassoni, A.; Cardarilli, G.C.

    2004-01-01

    On-line particle identification is one of the main goals of many experiments in space both for rare event studies and for optimizing measurements along the orbital trajectory. Neural networks can be a useful tool for signal processing and real time data analysis in such experiments. In this document we report on the performances of a programmable neural device which was developed in VLSI analog/digital technology. Neurons and synapses were accomplished by making use of Operational Transconductance Amplifier (OTA) structures. In this paper we report on the results of measurements performed in order to verify the agreement of the characteristic curves of each elementary cell with simulations and on the device performances obtained by implementing simple neural structures on the VLSI chip. A feed-forward neural network (Multi-Layer Perceptron, MLP) was implemented on the VLSI chip and trained to identify particles by processing the signals of two-dimensional position-sensitive Si detectors. The radiation monitoring device consisted of three double-sided silicon strip detectors. From the analysis of a set of simulated data it was found that the MLP implemented on the neural device gave results comparable with those obtained with the standard method of analysis confirming that the implemented neural network could be employed for real time particle identification

  12. The HERMES recoil detector. Particle identification and determination of detector efficiency of the scintillating fiber tracker

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lu, Xianguo

    2009-11-15

    HERMES is a fixed target experiment using the HERA 27.6 GeV polarized electron/positron beams. With the polarized beams and its gas targets, which can be highly polarized, HERMES is dedicated to study the nucleon spin structure. One of its current physics programs is to measure deeply virtual Compton scattering (DVCS). In order to detect the recoiling proton the Recoil Detector was installed in the target region in the winter of 2005, taking data until the HERA-shutdown in the summer of 2007. The Recoil Detector measured energy loss of the traversing particles with its sub-detectors, including the silicon strip detector and the scintillating fiber tracker. This enables particle identification for protons and pions. In this work a systematic particle identification procedure is developed, whose performance is quantified. Another aspect of this work is the determination of the detector efficiency of the scintillating fiber tracker. (orig.)

  13. A transition radiation detector which features accurate tracking and dE/dx particle identification

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    O'Brien, E.; Lissauer, D.; McCorkle, S.; Polychronakos, V.; Takai, H.; Chi, C.Y.; Nagamiya, S.; Sippach, W.; Toy, M.; Wang, D.; Wang, Y.F.; Wiggins, C.; Willis, W.; Cherniatin, V.; Dolgoshein, B.; Bennett, M.; Chikanian, A.; Kumar, S.; Mitchell, J.T.; Pope, K.

    1991-01-01

    We describe the results of a test run involving a Transition Radiation Detector that can both distinguish electrons from pions with momenta greater than 0.7 GeV/c and simultaneously track particles passing through the detector. The particle identification is accomplished through a combination of the detection of Transition Radiation from the electron and the differences in electron and pion energy loss (dE/dx) in the detector. The dE/dx particle separation is most efficient below 2 GeV/c while particle ID utilizing Transition Radiation is effective above 1.5 GeV/c. Combined, the electron-pion separation is better than 5 x l0 2 . The single-wire, track-position resolution for the TRD is ∼230μm

  14. Genetic analysis of autoimmune gld mice. I. Identification of a restriction fragment length polymorphism closely linked to the gld mutation within a conserved linkage group

    Science.gov (United States)

    1988-01-01

    A linkage map of distal mouse chromosome 1 was generated using restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis of DNA prepared from 95 [C3H-gld/gld X Mus spretus)F1 X C3H-gld/gld] backcross mice. The gene order was: (centromere) C4bp, Ren-1,2, Ly-5, [At-3/gld], Apoa-2/Ly-17, Spna-1 (telomere). All mice expressing the phenotype of gld homozygotes were homozygous for the At-3 RFLP characteristic of C3H mice and none of the mice heterozygous for At-3 RFLPs had characteristics of gld homozygotes, demonstrating close linkage between these genes. The identification of an RFLP closely linked to the gld gene provides a starting point for the identification of a genetic defect that results in abnormal T cells and autoimmune disease. PMID:2894402

  15. Particle identification by nuclear emulsions in the OPERA experiment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Manai, Kais

    2007-01-01

    The OPERA experiment will try to confirm the ν μ →ν τ oscillations by the appearance of the ν τ in a pure ν μ beam. Indeed, a neutrino beam almost pure is produced at CERN (CNGS Beam) and sent to the OPERA detector. The detector is composed of two muons spectrometers and a target formed by walls of bricks. Each brick is an alternation of lead plates and emulsions. This modular structure allows to reconstruct the kink topology of the τ lepton decay with a high spatial resolution. The great challenge of the OPERA experiment is to detect the ν τ interactions with the less uncertainty. To reduce this uncertainty it is essential to identify with the greatest efficiency any background event not including a tau particle. My work permits to reduce background. My principal contribution concerns the selection development, the reconstruction and the muons identification at low energy. This work is based on the setting of variables related to the deposit energy and the multiple scattering. Previously, only deposit energy was used in the analyses of pion/muon separation. This study allows doubling the muon identification efficiency at low energy. This leads to increase the background events rejection in OPERA and to decrease the contamination by 30 pour cent. I also studied the nuclear emulsions capacity to identify charged particles through the analysis of a test beam carried out by the Nagoya group. This test contains protons and pions with different energies. My work proves that the European scan system gives comparable results with those obtained by the Japanese scan system. (Author)

  16. Final report of the IAEA advisory group meeting on accelerator-based nuclear analytical techniques for characterization and source identification of aerosol particles

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    1995-07-01

    The field of aerosol characterization and source identification covers a wide range of scientific and technical activities in many institutions, in both developed and developing countries. This field includes research and applications on urban air pollution, source apportionment of suspended particulate matter, radioactive aerosol particles, organic compounds carried on particulate matter, elemental characterization of particles, and other areas. The subject of this AGM focused on the use of accelerator-based nuclear analytical techniques for determination of elemental composition of particles (by either bulk or single particle analysis) and the use of accumulated knowledge for source identification.

  17. Final report of the IAEA advisory group meeting on accelerator-based nuclear analytical techniques for characterization and source identification of aerosol particles

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1995-01-01

    The field of aerosol characterization and source identification covers a wide range of scientific and technical activities in many institutions, in both developed and developing countries. This field includes research and applications on urban air pollution, source apportionment of suspended particulate matter, radioactive aerosol particles, organic compounds carried on particulate matter, elemental characterization of particles, and other areas. The subject of this AGM focused on the use of accelerator-based nuclear analytical techniques for determination of elemental composition of particles (by either bulk or single particle analysis) and the use of accumulated knowledge for source identification

  18. Charged Particle Identification using the Liquid Xenon Calorimeter of the CMD-3 Detector

    CERN Document Server

    Akhmetshin, R R; Anisenkov, A V; Aulchenko, V M; Banzarov, V Sh; Bashtovoy, N S; Bondar, A E; Bragin, A V; Eidelman, S I; Epifanov, D A; Epshteyn, L B; Erofeev, A L; Fedotovich, G V; Gayazov, S E; Grebenuk, A A; Gribanov, S S; Grigoriev, D N; Ignatov, F V; Ivanov, V L; Karpov, S V; Kazanin, V F; Korobov, A A; Kovalenko, O A; Kozyrev, A N; Kozyrev, E A; Krokovny, P P; Kuzmenko, A E; Kuzmin, A S; Logashenko, I B; Lukin, P A; Mikhailov, K Yu; Okhapkin, V S; Pestov, Yu N; Popov, A S; Razuvaev, G P; Ruban, A A; Ryskulov, N M; Ryzhenenkov, A E; Shebalin, V E; Shemyakin, D N; Shwartz, B A; Sibidanov, A L; Solodov, E P; Talyshev, A A; Titov, V M; Vorobiov, A I; Yudin, Yu V

    2017-01-01

    This paper describes a currently being developed procedure of the charged particle identification for CMD-3 detector, installed at the VEPP-2000 collider. The procedure is based on the application of the boosted decision trees classification method, and uses as input variables, among others, the specific energy losses of charged particle in the layers of the liquid Xenon calorimeter. The efficiency of the procedure is demonstrated by an example of the extraction of events of e+e- to K+K- process in the center of mass energy range from 1.8 to 2.0 GeV.

  19. Identification of high-energetic particles by transition radiation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Struczinski, W.

    1986-01-01

    This thesis gives a comprehensive survey on the application of the transition radiation for the particle identification. After a short historical review on the prediction and the detection of the transition radiation its theoretical foundations are more precisely explained. They form the foundations for the construction of an optimal transition radiation detector the principal construction of which is described. The next chapter shows some experiments by which the main predictions of the transition-radiation theory are confirmed. Then the construction and operation of two transition-radiation detectors are described which were applied at the ISR respectively SPS in the CERN in Geneva in complex experiments. The detector applied at the ISR served for the e ± identification. With two lithium radiators which were followed by xenon-filled proportional chambers an e/π separation of ≅ 10 -2 could be reached. The transition-radiation detector applied in the SPS was integrated into the European Hybrid Spectrometer. It served for the identification of high-energetic pions (> or approx. 90 GeV) against kaons and protons. With twenty units of carbon-fiber radiators which were followed by xenon-filled proportional chambers a π/K, p separation of better than 1:20 for momenta above 100 GeV could be reached. The cluster-counting method is then presented. Finally, a survey on the contemporary status in the development of transition-radiation detectors for the e/π separation is given. It is shown that by an about half a meter long detector the radiators of which consist of carbon fibers an e/π separation in the order of magnitude of ≅ 10 -2 can be reached. (orig./HSI) [de

  20. A transition radiation detector for RHIC featuring accurate tracking and dE/dx particle identification

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    O`Brien, E.; Lissauer, D.; McCorkle, S.; Polychronakos, V.; Takai, H. [Brookhaven National Lab., Upton, NY (United States); Chi, C.Y.; Nagamiya, S.; Sippach, W.; Toy, M.; Wang, D.; Wang, Y.F.; Wiggins, C.; Willis, W. [Columbia Univ., New York, NY (United States); Cherniatin, V.; Dolgoshein, B. [Moscow Institute of Physics and Engineering, (Russian Federation); Bennett, M.; Chikanian, A.; Kumar, S.; Mitchell, J.T.; Pope, K. [Yale Univ., New Haven, CT (United States)

    1991-12-31

    We describe the results of a test ran involving a Transition Radiation Detector that can both distinguish electrons from pions which momenta greater titan 0.7 GeV/c and simultaneously track particles passing through the detector. The particle identification is accomplished through a combination of the detection of Transition Radiation from the electron and the differences in electron and pion energy loss (dE/dx) in the detector. The dE/dx particle separation is most, efficient below 2 GeV/c while particle ID utilizing Transition Radiation effective above 1.5 GeV/c. Combined, the electron-pion separation is-better than 5 {times} 10{sup 2}. The single-wire, track-position resolution for the TRD is {approximately}230 {mu}m.

  1. Comparison of particle-exposure triggered pulmonary and systemic inflammation in mice fed with three different diets.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Götz, Alexander A; Rozman, Jan; Rödel, Heiko G; Fuchs, Helmut; Gailus-Durner, Valérie; Hrabě de Angelis, Martin; Klingenspor, Martin; Stoeger, Tobias

    2011-09-27

    Obesity can be linked to disease risks such as diabetes and cardiovascular disorders, but recently, the adipose tissue (AT) macrophage also emerges as actively participating in inflammation and immune function, producing pro- and anti-inflammatory factors. Connections between the AT and chronic lung diseases, like emphysema and asthma and a protective role of adipocyte-derived proteins against acute lung injury were suggested.In this study we addressed the question, whether a diet challenge increases the inflammatory response in the alveolar and the blood compartment in response to carbon nanoparticles (CNP), as a surrogate for ambient/urban particulate air pollutants. Mice were fed a high caloric carbohydrate-rich (CA) or a fat-rich (HF) diet for six weeks and were compared to mice kept on a purified low fat (LF) diet, respectively. Bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) and blood samples were taken 24 h after intratracheal CNP instillation and checked for cellular and molecular markers of inflammation. The high caloric diets resulted in distinct effects when compared with LF mice, respectively: CA resulted in increased body and fat mass without affecting blood cellular immunity. Conversely, HF activated the blood system, increasing lymphocyte and neutrophil counts, and resulted in slightly increased body fat content. In contrast to higher pro-inflammatory BAL Leptin in CA and HF mice, on a cellular level, both diets did not lead to an increased pro-inflammatory basal status in the alveolar compartment per se, nor did result in differences in the particle-triggered response. However both diets resulted in a disturbance of the alveolar capillary barrier as indicated by enhanced BAL protein and lactate-dehydrogenase concentrations. Systemically, reduced serum Adiponectin in HF mice might be related to the observed white blood cell increase. The increase in BAL pro-inflammatory factors in high caloric groups and reductions in serum concentrations of anti-inflammatory factors

  2. Comparison of particle-exposure triggered pulmonary and systemic inflammation in mice fed with three different diets

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hrabě de Angelis Martin

    2011-09-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Obesity can be linked to disease risks such as diabetes and cardiovascular disorders, but recently, the adipose tissue (AT macrophage also emerges as actively participating in inflammation and immune function, producing pro- and anti-inflammatory factors. Connections between the AT and chronic lung diseases, like emphysema and asthma and a protective role of adipocyte-derived proteins against acute lung injury were suggested. In this study we addressed the question, whether a diet challenge increases the inflammatory response in the alveolar and the blood compartment in response to carbon nanoparticles (CNP, as a surrogate for ambient/urban particulate air pollutants. Methods Mice were fed a high caloric carbohydrate-rich (CA or a fat-rich (HF diet for six weeks and were compared to mice kept on a purified low fat (LF diet, respectively. Bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL and blood samples were taken 24 h after intratracheal CNP instillation and checked for cellular and molecular markers of inflammation. Results and discussion The high caloric diets resulted in distinct effects when compared with LF mice, respectively: CA resulted in increased body and fat mass without affecting blood cellular immunity. Conversely, HF activated the blood system, increasing lymphocyte and neutrophil counts, and resulted in slightly increased body fat content. In contrast to higher pro-inflammatory BAL Leptin in CA and HF mice, on a cellular level, both diets did not lead to an increased pro-inflammatory basal status in the alveolar compartment per se, nor did result in differences in the particle-triggered response. However both diets resulted in a disturbance of the alveolar capillary barrier as indicated by enhanced BAL protein and lactate-dehydrogenase concentrations. Systemically, reduced serum Adiponectin in HF mice might be related to the observed white blood cell increase. Conclusion The increase in BAL pro-inflammatory factors in high caloric

  3. DIRC, a new type of particle identification system For BABAR

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Schwiening, J.

    1997-12-01

    The DIRC, a new type of Cherenkov imaging device, has been selected as the primary particle identification system for the BABAR detector at the asymmetric B-factory, PEP-II. It is based on total internal reflection and uses long, rectangular bars made from synthetic fused silica as Cherenkov radiators and light guides. In this paper, the principles of the DIRC ring imaging Cherenkov technique are explained and results from the prototype program are presented. The studies of the optical properties and radiation hardness of the quartz radiators are described, followed by a discussion of the detector design

  4. Cytokine expression in mice exposed to diesel exhaust particles by inhalation. Role of tumor necrosis factor

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Loft Steffen

    2006-02-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Particulate air pollution has been associated with lung and cardiovascular disease, for which lung inflammation may be a driving mechanism. The pro-inflammatory cytokine, tumor necrosis factor (TNF has been suggested to have a key-role in particle-induced inflammation. We studied the time course of gene expression of inflammatory markers in the lungs of wild type mice and Tnf-/- mice after exposure to diesel exhaust particles (DEPs. Mice were exposed to either a single or multiple doses of DEP by inhalation. We measured the mRNA level of the cytokines Tnf and interleukin-6 (Il-6 and the chemokines, monocyte chemoattractant protein (Mcp-1, macrophage inflammatory protein-2 (Mip-2 and keratinocyte derived chemokine (Kc in the lung tissue at different time points after exposure. Results Tnf mRNA expression levels increased late after DEP-inhalation, whereas the expression levels of Il-6, Mcp-1 and Kc increased early. The expression of Mip-2 was independent of TNF if the dose was above a certain level. The expression levels of the cytokines Kc, Mcp-1 and Il-6, were increased in the absence of TNF. Conclusion Our data demonstrate that Tnf is not important in early DEP induced inflammation and rather exerts negative influence on Mcp-1 and Kc mRNA levels. This suggests that other signalling pathways are important, a candidate being one involving Mcp-1.

  5. Particle identification in the relativistic rise region using a longitudinal drift chamber

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Arai, R; Bensinger, J; Boerner, H; Fukushima, Y; Hayashi, K; Ishihara, N; Inaba, S; Kohriki, T; Nakamura, S; Ogawa, K [National Lab. for High Energy Physics, Oho, Ibaraki (Japan)

    1983-09-01

    Particle identification by energy loss measurement was tested using a longitudinal drift chamber equipped with a 25 MHz flash ADC. For 3 GeV/c pions the resolution sigmasub(E)/E was about 5%. The separation between pions and protons at this momentum was about 4 standard deviations. The influence of a magnetic field was examined. The deterioration of the separation was less than 15% up to a field strength of 5.2 kG.

  6. Antitumor Effect of Selenium and Modified Pectin Nano Particles and Gamma Radiation on Ehrilch Solid Tumor in Female Mice

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mansour, S. Z.; Anis, L.M.; EI- Batal, A.I.

    2010-01-01

    Selenium nano particle (Nano- Se) is a novel Se species with novel biological activities with low toxicity. The aim of the present work was to evaluate the antitumor activity of a novel Nano- Se compound with or without gamma irradiation of female mice. Selenium size- controlled Nano-Se was prepared by a simple method by adding modified pectin to the selenious acid and ascorbic acid. The antitumor activity of Selenium and Modified Pectin Nano Particles (Se-Mp- NPs) were evaluated against Ehrilch ascites carcinoma (In vitro) and Ehrilch solid tumor model (In vivo). The antioxidant states of the novel compound were assessed measuring parameters in blood and tumor tissue of female mice. Malonaldehydoyl (MDA) end product of lipid peroxidation was evaluated in plasma and tumor tissue. Glutathione -S- transferase (GST) and cytochrome P450 (Cyto P450) were determined in tumor tissue homogenate. Tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF- a) concentration and interleukin 10 (IL- 10) concentrations was evaluated in plasma of female mice. The effect of tumor inoculation and different treatments on liver enzymes (ALT and AST) and kidney Function (urea and creatinine) were detected in the plasma of animals. Apoptosis was shown and estimated in tumor tissue of animals histopathological of tumor in different groups of mice were examined. Ehrilch solid tumor induced a significant increase in MDA content, GSH-Px and GST activities level and in the amount of metabolites of CYP 450. Moreover, a significant decrease was observed in GSH content, SOD activity level in the tumor tissue, INF- a concentration, IL- 10 concentration in the plasma. Also, a significant alteration in kidney and liver functions was occurred as compared to control group. The results showed a significant antitumor activity of selenium and Modified Pectin Nano Particles (Se-Mp- NPs) at the concentration 2.25 μg / ml was 70%

  7. Particle Identification in Jets and High-Multiplicity pp Events with the ALICE TPC

    CERN Document Server

    AUTHOR|(SzGeCERN)683272; Vogelsang, Werner

    The spectra of identified particles in a collision experiment comprise crucial information about the underlying physical processes. The ALICE experiment has powerful Particle IDentification (PID) capabilities, which are unique at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). In this thesis, a statistical PID method based on the specific energy loss d$E$/d$x$ in the ALICE Time Projection Chamber (TPC) is developed: the TPC Multi-Template Fit (MTF). The MTF allows for the extraction of identified charged particle spectra in a wide momentum range, which extends from about 150 MeV/$c$ to above 20 GeV/$c$. The TPC PID requires a detailed modelling of the TPC d$E$/d$x$ response for momenta above 2-3 GeV/$c$. A framework is developed that allows for the determination of the model parameters and for evaluating the PID information of charged particles. With the MTF, the transverse momentum $p_{\\mathrm{T}}$ spectra of charged pions, kaons and protons at mid-rapidity ($|\\eta| < 0.9$) are measured for pp collisions at $\\sqrt{s}$ ...

  8. Particles identification using nuclear emulsion in OPERA; Identification des particules par les emulsions nucleaires dans OPERA

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Manai, K

    2007-10-15

    The Opera experiment will try to confirm the {nu}{sub {mu}} {yields} {nu}{sub {tau}} oscillations by the appearance of the {nu}{sub {tau}} in a pure {nu}{sub {mu}} beam. Indeed, a neutrino beam almost pure is produced at CERN (CNGS Beam) and sent to the Opera detector. The detector is composed of two muons spectrometers and a target formed by walls of bricks. Each brick is an alternation of lead plates and emulsions. This modular structure allows to reconstruct the kink topology of the {tau} lepton decay with a high spatial resolution. The great challenge of the Opera experiment is to detect the {nu}{sub {tau}} interactions with the less uncertainty. To reduce this uncertainty it is essential to identify with the greatest efficiency any background event not including a tau particle. My work permits to reduce background. My principal contribution concerns the selection development, the reconstruction and the muons identification at low energy. This work is based on the setting of variables related to the deposit energy and the multiple scattering. Previously, only deposit energy was used in the analyses of pion/muon separation. This study allows doubling the muon identification efficiency at low energy. This leads to increase the background events rejection in Opera and to decrease the contamination by 30%. I also studied the nuclear emulsions capacity to identify charged particles through the analysis of a test beam carried out by the Nagoya group. This test contains protons and pions with different energies. My work proves that the European scan system gives comparable results with those obtained by the Japanese scan system. (author)

  9. A cell culture-derived whole virus influenza A vaccine based on magnetic sulfated cellulose particles confers protection in mice against lethal influenza A virus infection.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pieler, Michael M; Frentzel, Sarah; Bruder, Dunja; Wolff, Michael W; Reichl, Udo

    2016-12-07

    Downstream processing and formulation of viral vaccines employs a large number of different unit operations to achieve the desired product qualities. The complexity of individual process steps involved, the need for time consuming studies towards the optimization of virus yields, and very high requirements regarding potency and safety of vaccines results typically in long lead times for the establishment of new processes. To overcome such obstacles, to enable fast screening of potential vaccine candidates, and to explore options for production of low cost veterinary vaccines a new platform for whole virus particle purification and formulation based on magnetic particles has been established. Proof of concept was carried out with influenza A virus particles produced in suspension Madin Darby canine kidney (MDCK) cells. The clarified, inactivated, concentrated, and diafiltered virus particles were bound to magnetic sulfated cellulose particles (MSCP), and directly injected into mice for immunization including positive and negative controls. We show here, that in contrast to the mock-immunized group, vaccination of mice with antigen-loaded MSCP (aMSCP) resulted in high anti-influenza A antibody responses and full protection against a lethal challenge with replication competent influenza A virus. Antiviral protection correlated with a 400-fold reduced number of influenza nucleoprotein gene copies in the lungs of aMSCP immunized mice compared to mock-treated animals, indicating the efficient induction of antiviral immunity by this novel approach. Thus, our data proved the use of MSCP for purification and formulation of the influenza vaccine to be fast and efficient, and to confer protection of mice against influenza A virus infection. Furthermore, the method proposed has the potential for fast purification of virus particles directly from bioreactor harvests with a minimum number of process steps towards formulation of low-cost veterinary vaccines, and for screening

  10. Chaotic System Identification Based on a Fuzzy Wiener Model with Particle Swarm Optimization

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yong, Li; Ying-Gan, Tang

    2010-01-01

    A fuzzy Wiener model is proposed to identify chaotic systems. The proposed fuzzy Wiener model consists of two parts, one is a linear dynamic subsystem and the other is a static nonlinear part, which is represented by the Takagi–Sugeno fuzzy model. Identification of chaotic systems is converted to find optimal parameters of the fuzzy Wiener model by minimizing the state error between the original chaotic system and the fuzzy Wiener model. Particle swarm optimization algorithm, a global optimizer, is used to search the optimal parameter of the fuzzy Wiener model. The proposed method can identify the parameters of the linear part and nonlinear part simultaneously. Numerical simulations for Henón and Lozi chaotic system identification show the effectiveness of the proposed method

  11. Magnetic particle imaging for in vivo blood flow velocity measurements in mice

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kaul, Michael G.; Salamon, Johannes; Knopp, Tobias; Ittrich, Harald; Adam, Gerhard; Weller, Horst; Jung, Caroline

    2018-03-01

    Magnetic particle imaging (MPI) is a new imaging technology. It is a potential candidate to be used for angiographic purposes, to study perfusion and cell migration. The aim of this work was to measure velocities of the flowing blood in the inferior vena cava of mice, using MPI, and to evaluate it in comparison with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). A phantom mimicking the flow within the inferior vena cava with velocities of up to 21 cm s‑1 was used for the evaluation of the applied analysis techniques. Time–density and distance–density analyses for bolus tracking were performed to calculate flow velocities. These findings were compared with the calibrated velocities set by a flow pump, and it can be concluded that velocities of up to 21 cm s‑1 can be measured by MPI. A time–density analysis using an arrival time estimation algorithm showed the best agreement with the preset velocities. In vivo measurements were performed in healthy FVB mice (n  =  10). MRI experiments were performed using phase contrast (PC) for velocity mapping. For MPI measurements, a standardized injection of a superparamagnetic iron oxide tracer was applied. In vivo MPI data were evaluated by a time–density analysis and compared to PC MRI. A Bland–Altman analysis revealed good agreement between the in vivo velocities acquired by MRI of 4.0  ±  1.5 cm s‑1 and those measured by MPI of 4.8  ±  1.1 cm s‑1. Magnetic particle imaging is a new tool with which to measure and quantify flow velocities. It is fast, radiation-free, and produces 3D images. It therefore offers the potential for vascular imaging.

  12. Neurotoxicity of low-dose repeatedly intranasal instillation of nano- and submicron-sized ferric oxide particles in mice

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wang Bing; Feng Weiyue, E-mail: fengwy@mail.ihep.ac.cn; Zhu Motao; Wang Yun; Wang Meng [Chinese Academy of Sciences, Laboratory for Bio-Environmental Effects of Nanomaterials and Nanosafety and Key Laboratory of Nuclear Analytical Techniques, Institute of High Energy Physics (China); Gu Yiqun [Maternity Hospital of Haidian District (China); Ouyang Hong; Wang Huajian; Li Ming; Zhao Yuliang, E-mail: zhaoyuliang@mail.ihep.ac.cn; Chai Zhifang [Chinese Academy of Sciences, Laboratory for Bio-Environmental Effects of Nanomaterials and Nanosafety and Key Laboratory of Nuclear Analytical Techniques, Institute of High Energy Physics (China); Wang Haifang [Peking University, College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering (China)

    2009-01-15

    Olfactory tract has been demonstrated to be an important portal for inhaled solid nanoparticle transportation into the central nervous system (CNS). We have previously demonstrated that intranasally instilled Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3} nanoparticles could transport into the CNS via olfactory pathway. In this study, we investigated the neurotoxicity and size effect of repeatedly low-dose (130 {mu}g) intranasal exposure of nano- and submicron-sized Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3} particles (21 nm and 280 nm) to mice. The biomarkers of oxidative stress, activity of nitric oxide synthases and release of monoamine neurotransmitter in the brain were studied. Our results showed that significant oxidative stress was induced by the two sizes of Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3} particles. The activities of GSH-Px, Cu,Zn-SOD, and cNOS significantly elevated and the total GSH and GSH/GSSG ratio significantly decreased in the olfactory bulb and hippocampus after the nano- and submicron-sized Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3} particle treatment (p < 0.05). The nano-sized Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3} generally induced greater alteration and more significant dose-effect response than the submicron-sized particle did. Some slight perturbation of monoamine neurotransmitters were found in the hippocampus after exposure to the two sizes of Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3} particle. The TEM image showed that some ultrastructural alterations in nerve cells, including neurodendron degeneration, membranous structure disruption and lysosome increase in the olfactory bulb, slight dilation in the rough endoplasmic reticulum and lysosome increase in the hippocampus were induced by the nano-sized Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3} treatment. In contrast, in the submicron-sized Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3} treated mice, slightly swollen mitochondria and some vacuoles were observed in the olfactory bulb and hippocampus, respectively. These results indicate that intranasal exposure of Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3} nanoparticles could induce more severe oxidative stress and nerve cell damage in the brain than the

  13. Beijing ambient particle exposure accelerates atherosclerosis in ApoE knockout mice.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Tian; Jia, Guang; Wei, Yongjie; Li, Jiucun

    2013-11-25

    Air pollution is associated with significant adverse health effects including increased cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. However research on the cardiovascular effect of "real-world" exposure to ambient particulate matter (PM) in susceptible animal model is very limited. In this study, we aimed to investigate the association between Beijing ambient particle exposure and the atherosclerosis development in the apolipoprotein E knockout mice (ApoE(-/-) mice). Two parallel exposure chambers were used for whole body exposure among ApoE knockout mice. One of the chambers was supplied with untreated ambient air (PM group) and the other chamber was treated with ambient air filtered by high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter (FA group). Twenty mice were divided into two groups and exposed to ambient PM (n=10 for PM group) or filtered air (n=10 for FA group) for two months from January 18th to March 18th, 2010. During the exposure, the mass concentrations of PM2.5 and PM10 in the two chambers were continuously monitored. Additionally, a receptor source apportionment model of chemical mass balance using 19 organic tracers was applied to determine the contributions of sources on the PM2.5 in terms of natural gas, diesel vehicle, gasoline vehicle, coal burning, vegetable debris, biomass burning and cooking. At the end of the two-month exposure, biomarkers of oxidative stress, inflammation and lipid metabolism in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BAL) and blood samples were determined and the plaque area on the aortic endothelium was quantified. In the experiment, the concentrations of PM10 and PM2.5 in PM chamber were 99.45μg/m(3) and 61.0μg/m(3) respectively, while PM2.5 in FA chamber was 17.6μg/m(3). Source apportionment analysis by organic tracers showed that gasoline vehicle (39.9%) and coal burning (24.3%) emission were the two major sources contributing to the mass concentration of PM2.5 in Beijing. Among the ApoE knockout mice, the PM group were significantly

  14. Identification of Multiple-Mode Linear Models Based on Particle Swarm Optimizer with Cyclic Network Mechanism

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tae-Hyoung Kim

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available This paper studies the metaheuristic optimizer-based direct identification of a multiple-mode system consisting of a finite set of linear regression representations of subsystems. To this end, the concept of a multiple-mode linear regression model is first introduced, and its identification issues are established. A method for reducing the identification problem for multiple-mode models to an optimization problem is also described in detail. Then, to overcome the difficulties that arise because the formulated optimization problem is inherently ill-conditioned and nonconvex, the cyclic-network-topology-based constrained particle swarm optimizer (CNT-CPSO is introduced, and a concrete procedure for the CNT-CPSO-based identification methodology is developed. This scheme requires no prior knowledge of the mode transitions between subsystems and, unlike some conventional methods, can handle a large amount of data without difficulty during the identification process. This is one of the distinguishing features of the proposed method. The paper also considers an extension of the CNT-CPSO-based identification scheme that makes it possible to simultaneously obtain both the optimal parameters of the multiple submodels and a certain decision parameter involved in the mode transition criteria. Finally, an experimental setup using a DC motor system is established to demonstrate the practical usability of the proposed metaheuristic optimizer-based identification scheme for developing a multiple-mode linear regression model.

  15. Particle identification by silicon detectors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Santos, Denison de Souza

    1997-01-01

    A method is developed for the evaluation of the energy loss, dE/dx, of a charged particle traversing a silicon strip detector. The method is applied to the DELPHI microvertex detector leading to diagrams of dE/dx versus momentum for different particles. The specific case of pions and protons is treated and the most probable value of dE/dx and the width of the dE/dx distribution for those particles in the momentum range of 0.2 GeV/c to 1.5 GeV/c, are obtained. The resolution found is 13.4 % for particles with momentum higher than 2 GeV/c and the separation power is 2.9 for 1.0 GeV/c pions and protons. (author)

  16. Particle identification by means of fine sampling dE/dX measurements

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Imanishi, A; Ishii, T; Ohshima, T; Okuno, H; Shiino, K [Tokyo Univ., Tanashi (Japan). Inst. for Nuclear Study; Naito, F [Tokyo Univ. of Agriculture and Technology, Koganei (Japan). Faculty of Technology; Matsuda, T [Osaka Univ., Toyonaka (Japan). Faculty of Engineering Science

    1983-04-01

    Identification of relativistic charged particles by means of fine sampling d E/d X measurements with a longitudinal drift chamber has been studied. Using a fast-sampling ADC (25 MHz), dE/dX was measured in a 1.4 mm gas thickness over an electron drift space of 51 mm. For the simulated 1 m long tracks of pions and electrons of 500 MeV/c, a particle separation of 10sigma - 12sigma has been obtained, where sigma is the r.m.s. resolution of the dE/dX measurement. This result with fine sampling is better by a factor of 1.7 compared to the dE/dX measurement, with 21 mm sampling thickness. Further improvement achievable by reducing the correlation between neighbouring samples and simplification of electronics by use of the delta-ray clipping method are also discussed.

  17. Multiparticle magnetic spectrometer with dE/dx and TRD particle identification

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lindenbaum, S.J.; Longacre, R.S.

    1981-01-01

    Recent advances in detector development by BNL, CCNY and other groups have made possible new designs of fast high resolution large effective solid angle magnetic multiparticle spectrometers with excellent particle tracking, momentum measurement, and identification capability. These new spectrometers are relatively compact and relatively low cost electronics have been developed for them. Thus the cost is relatively low. These techniques are applied here primarily for design of spectrometers for low p/sub t/ and other physics (at moderate and even high p/sub t/) in the ISABELLE small angle hall. However, one should keep in mind that these techniques can be utilized in many other applications

  18. Combined preclinical magnetic particle imaging and magnetic resonance imaging. Initial results in mice

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kaul, M.G.; Mummert, T.; Jung, C.; Raabe, N.; Ittrich, H.; Adam, G.; Heinen, U.; Reitmeier, A.

    2015-01-01

    Magnetic particle imaging (MPI) is a new radiologic imaging modality. For the first time, a commercial preclinical scanner is installed. The goal of this study was to establish a workflow between MPI and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanners for a complete in vivo examination of a mouse and to generate the first co-registered in vivo MR-MP images. The in vivo examination of five mice were performed on a preclinical MPI scanner and a 7 Tesla preclinical MRI system. MRI measurements were used for anatomical referencing and validation of the injection of superparamagnetic iron oxide (SPIO) particles during a dynamic MPI scan. We extracted MPI data of the injection phase and co-registered it with MRI data. A workflow process for a combined in vivo MRI and MPI examination was established. A successful injection of ferucarbotran was proven in MPI and MRI. MR-MPI co-registration allocated the SPIOs in the inferior vena cava and the heart during and shortly after the injection. The acquisition of preclinical MPI and MRI data is feasible and allows the combined analysis of MR-MPI information.

  19. Combined preclinical magnetic particle imaging and magnetic resonance imaging. Initial results in mice

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kaul, M.G.; Mummert, T.; Jung, C.; Raabe, N.; Ittrich, H.; Adam, G. [University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg (Germany). Dept. of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology; Weber, O. [Philips Medical Systems DMC GmbH, Hamburg (Germany); Heinen, U. [Bruker BioSpin MRI GmbH, Ettlingen (Germany); Reitmeier, A. [Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg (Germany). Animal Facility; Knopp, T. [University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg (Germany). Dept. of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology; Hamburg University of Technology, Hamburg (Germany)

    2015-05-15

    Magnetic particle imaging (MPI) is a new radiologic imaging modality. For the first time, a commercial preclinical scanner is installed. The goal of this study was to establish a workflow between MPI and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanners for a complete in vivo examination of a mouse and to generate the first co-registered in vivo MR-MP images. The in vivo examination of five mice were performed on a preclinical MPI scanner and a 7 Tesla preclinical MRI system. MRI measurements were used for anatomical referencing and validation of the injection of superparamagnetic iron oxide (SPIO) particles during a dynamic MPI scan. We extracted MPI data of the injection phase and co-registered it with MRI data. A workflow process for a combined in vivo MRI and MPI examination was established. A successful injection of ferucarbotran was proven in MPI and MRI. MR-MPI co-registration allocated the SPIOs in the inferior vena cava and the heart during and shortly after the injection. The acquisition of preclinical MPI and MRI data is feasible and allows the combined analysis of MR-MPI information.

  20. Light microscopic identification and semiquantification of polyethylene particles in methylmethacrylate and paraffin-embedded experimental bone implant specimens

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Rahbek, O; Kold, S; Overgaard, S

    2005-01-01

    The aim of this study was to evaluate the identification of polyethylene (PE) particles in relatively thick methylmethacrylate (MMA) sections widely used in bone implant research. The sensitivity and specificity were compared between decalcified paraffin-embedded oil red O (ORO) stained and MMA-e...

  1. Development of an optimal filter substrate for the identification of small microplastic particles in food by micro-Raman spectroscopy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Oßmann, Barbara E; Sarau, George; Schmitt, Sebastian W; Holtmannspötter, Heinrich; Christiansen, Silke H; Dicke, Wilhelm

    2017-06-01

    When analysing microplastics in food, due to toxicological reasons it is important to achieve clear identification of particles down to a size of at least 1 μm. One reliable, optical analytical technique allowing this is micro-Raman spectroscopy. After isolation of particles via filtration, analysis is typically performed directly on the filter surface. In order to obtain high qualitative Raman spectra, the material of the membrane filters should not show any interference in terms of background and Raman signals during spectrum acquisition. To facilitate the usage of automatic particle detection, membrane filters should also show specific optical properties. In this work, beside eight different, commercially available membrane filters, three newly designed metal-coated polycarbonate membrane filters were tested to fulfil these requirements. We found that aluminium-coated polycarbonate membrane filters had ideal characteristics as a substrate for micro-Raman spectroscopy. Its spectrum shows no or minimal interference with particle spectra, depending on the laser wavelength. Furthermore, automatic particle detection can be applied when analysing the filter surface under dark-field illumination. With this new membrane filter, analytics free of interference of microplastics down to a size of 1 μm becomes possible. Thus, an important size class of these contaminants can now be visualized and spectrally identified. Graphical abstract A newly developed aluminium coated polycarbonate membrane filter enables automatic particle detection and generation of high qualitative Raman spectra allowing identification of small microplastics.

  2. Phase identification of individual crystalline particles by combining EDX and EBSD: application to workplace aerosols.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ervik, Torunn Kringlen; Benker, Nathalie; Weinbruch, Stephan; Skogstad, Asbjørn; Thomassen, Yngvar; Ellingsen, Dag G; Berlinger, Balázs

    2018-04-01

    This paper discusses the combined use of electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) and energy dispersive X-ray microanalysis (EDX) to identify unknown phases in particulate matter from different workplace aerosols. Particles of α-silicon carbide (α-SiC), manganese oxide (MnO) and α-quartz (α-SiO 2 ) were used to test the method. Phase identification of spherical manganese oxide particles from ferromanganese production, with diameter less than 200 nm, was unambiguous, and phases of both MnO and Mn 3 O 4 were identified in the same agglomerate. The same phases were identified by selected area electron diffraction (SAED) in transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The method was also used to identify the phases of different SiC fibres, and both β-SiC and α-SiC fibres were found. Our results clearly demonstrate that EBSD combined with EDX can be successfully applied to the characterisation of workplace aerosols. Graphical abstract Secondary electron image of an agglomerate of manganese oxide particles collected at a ferromanganese smelter (a). EDX spectrum of the particle highlighted by an arrow (b). Indexed patterns after dynamic background subtraction from three particles shown with numbers in a (c).

  3. Application of hepatitis B core particles produced by human primary hepatocellular carcinoma (PLC/342) propagated in nude mice to the determination of anti-HBc by passive hemagglutination.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Miyamoto, K; Itoh, Y; Tsuda, F; Matsui, T; Tanaka, T; Miyamoto, H; Naitoh, S; Imai, M; Usuda, S; Nakamura, T

    1986-05-22

    Human primary hepatocellular carcinoma (PLC/342), carried by nude mice, produces hepatitis B core particles as well as hepatitis B surface antigen particles. Core particles purified form PLC/342 tumors displayed epitopes of hepatitis B core antigen (HBcAg) but not epitopes of hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) on their surface, unlike core particles prepared from Dane particles, derived from plasma of asymptomatic carriers, that expressed epitopes of both HBcAg and HBeAg. Core particles obtained from PLC/342 tumors were applied to the determination of antibody to HBcAg (anti-HBc) by passive hemagglutination. The assay detected anti-HBc not only in individuals with persistent infection with hepatitis B virus and in those who had recovered from transient infection, but also in patients with acute type B hepatitis, indicating that it can detect anti-HBc of either IgG or IgM class. A liberal availability of core particles from tumors carried by nude mice, taken together with an easy applicability of the method, would make the passive hemagglutination for anti-HBc a valuable tool in clinical and epidemiological studies, especially in places where sophisticated methods are not feasible.

  4. Particle-induced pulmonary acute phase response correlates with neutrophil influx linking inhaled particles and cardiovascular risk

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Saber, Anne Thoustrup; Lamson, Jacob Stuart; Jacobsen, Nicklas Raun

    2013-01-01

    We analysed the mRNA expression of Serum Amyloid A (Saa3) in lung tissue from female C57BL/6J mice exposed to different particles including nanomaterials (carbon black and titanium dioxide nanoparticles, multi- and single walled carbon nanotubes), diesel exhaust particles and airborne dust collected...... at a biofuel plant. Mice were exposed to single or multiple doses of particles by inhalation or intratracheal instillation and pulmonary mRNA expression of Saa3 was determined at different time points of up to 4 weeks after exposure. Also hepatic mRNA expression of Saa3, SAA3 protein levels in broncheoalveolar...... lavage fluid and in plasma and high density lipoprotein levels in plasma were determined in mice exposed to multiwalled carbon nanotubes. Results Pulmonary exposure to particles strongly increased Saa3 mRNA levels in lung tissue and elevated SAA3 protein levels in broncheoalveolar lavage fluid and plasma...

  5. An amino-terminal segment of hantavirus nucleocapsid protein presented on hepatitis B virus core particles induces a strong and highly cross-reactive antibody response in mice

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Geldmacher, Astrid; Skrastina, Dace; Petrovskis, Ivars; Borisova, Galina; Berriman, John A.; Roseman, Alan M.; Crowther, R. Anthony; Fischer, Jan; Musema, Shamil; Gelderblom, Hans R.; Lundkvist, Aake; Renhofa, Regina; Ose, Velta; Krueger, Detlev H.; Pumpens, Paul; Ulrich, Rainer

    2004-01-01

    Previously, we have demonstrated that hepatitis B virus (HBV) core particles tolerate the insertion of the amino-terminal 120 amino acids (aa) of the Puumala hantavirus nucleocapsid (N) protein. Here, we demonstrate that the insertion of 120 amino-terminal aa of N proteins from highly virulent Dobrava and Hantaan hantaviruses allows the formation of chimeric core particles. These particles expose the inserted foreign protein segments, at least in part, on their surface. Analysis by electron cryomicroscopy of chimeric particles harbouring the Puumala virus (PUUV) N segment revealed 90% T = 3 and 10% T = 4 shells. A map computed from T = 3 shells shows additional density splaying out from the tips of the spikes producing the effect of an extra shell of density at an outer radius compared with wild-type shells. The inserted Puumala virus N protein segment is flexibly linked to the core spikes and only partially icosahedrally ordered. Immunisation of mice of two different haplotypes (BALB/c and C57BL/6) with chimeric core particles induces a high-titered and highly cross-reactive N-specific antibody response in both mice strains

  6. Vaccination with dengue virus-like particles induces humoral and cellular immune responses in mice

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zhang Quanfu

    2011-06-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background The incidence of dengue, an infectious disease caused by dengue virus (DENV, has dramatically increased around the world in recent decades and is becoming a severe public health threat. However, there is currently no specific treatment for dengue fever, and licensed vaccine against dengue is not available. Vaccination with virus-like particles (VLPs has shown considerable promise for many viral diseases, but the effect of DENV VLPs to induce specific immune responses has not been adequately investigated. Results By optimizing the expression plasmids, recombinant VLPs of four antigenically different DENV serotypes DENV1-4 were successfully produced in 293T cells. The vaccination effect of dengue VLPs in mice showed that monovalent VLPs of each serotype stimulated specific IgG responses and potent neutralizing antibodies against homotypic virus. Tetravalent VLPs efficiently enhanced specific IgG and neutralizing antibodies against all four serotypes of DENV. Moreover, vaccination with monovalent or tetravalent VLPs resulted in the induction of specific cytotoxic T cell responses. Conclusions Mammalian cell expressed dengue VLPs are capable to induce VLP-specific humoral and cellular immune responses in mice, and being a promising subunit vaccine candidate for prevention of dengue virus infection.

  7. Phase identification of quasi-periodic flow measured by particle image velocimetry with a low sampling rate

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pan, Chong; Wang, Hongping; Wang, Jinjun

    2013-01-01

    This work mainly deals with the proper orthogonal decomposition (POD) time coefficient method used for extracting phase information from quasi-periodic flow. The mathematical equivalence between this method and the traditional cross-correlation method is firstly proved. A two-dimensional circular cylinder wake flow measured by time-resolved particle image velocimetry within a range of Reynolds numbers is then used to evaluate the reliability of this method. The effect of both the sampling rate and Reynolds number on the identification accuracy is finally discussed. It is found that the POD time coefficient method provides a convenient alternative for phase identification, whose feasibility in low-sampling-rate measurement has additional advantages for experimentalists. (paper)

  8. Enhancement of antigen-induced eosinophilic inflammation in the airways of mast-cell deficient mice by diesel exhaust particles

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ichinose, Takamichi; Takano, Hirohisa; Miyabara, Yuichi; Sadakaneo, Kaori; Sagai, Masaru; Shibamoto, Takayuki

    2002-01-01

    The present study was conducted to clarify the involvement of mast cells in the exacerbating effect of diesel exhaust particles (DEP) toward allergic airway inflammation and airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR). Airway inflammation by the infiltration of cosinophils with goblet cell proliferation and AHR, as well as by the production of antigen-specific IgG1 and IgE, in plasma were examined using mast cell-deficient mice (W/W v ) and normal mice (W/W + ). Both groups of mice received ovalbumin (OVA) or OVA+DEP intratracheally. The eosinophilic airway inflammation and goblet cell proliferation promoted by OVA were significantly greater in W/W + than in W/W v . A similar result was observed in AHR, but was not significant among both groups of mice. DEP enhanced OVA induced-allergic airway inflammation, goblet cell proliferation, and development of AHR in W/W v , but not in W/W + . DEP decreased production of antigen-specific IgG1 and IgE in both groups of mice. Mast cells were observed in the submucosal layer of the main bronchus in W/W v . The number of mast cells was significantly decreased by OVA treatment. The results indicate that mast cells are not necessary to enhance airway damage and development of AHR in W/W v by DEP. However, mast cells may be required for the OVA-induced cosinophilic inflammation, airway damage with goblet cell proliferation, and AHR in W/W +

  9. arXiv Particle identification studies with a full-size 4-GEM prototype for the ALICE TPC upgrade

    CERN Document Server

    INSPIRE-00180720; Aiola, S.; Alme, J.; Alt, T.; Amend, W.; Andronic, A.; Anguelov, V.; Appelshäuser, H.; Arslandok, M.; Averbeck, R.; Ball, M.; Barnaföldi, G.G.; Bartsch, E.; Bellwied, R.; Bencedi, G.; Berger, M.; Bialas, N.; Bialas, P.; Bianchi, L.; Biswas, S.; Boldizsár, L.; Bratrud, L.; Braun-Munzinger, P.; Bregant, M.; Britton, C.L.; Brucken, E.J.; Caines, H.; Castro, A.J.; Chattopadhyay, S.; Christiansen, P.; Clonts, L.G.; Cormier, T.M.; Das, S.; Dash, S.; Deisting, A.; Dittrich, S.; Dubey, A.K.; Ehlers, R.; Erhardt, F.; Ezell, N.B.; Fabbietti, L.; Frankenfeld, U.; Gaardhøje, J.J.; Garabatos, C.; Gasik, P.; Gera, A.; Ghosh, P.; Ghosh, S.K.; Glässel, P.; Grachov, O.; Grein, A.; Gunji, T.; Hamagaki, H.; Hamar, G.; Harris, J.W.; Hehner, J.; Hellbär, E.; Helstrup, H.; Hilden, T.E.; Hohlweger, B.; Ivanov, M.; Jung, M.; Just, D.; Kangasaho, E.; Keidel, R.; Ketzer, B.; Khan, S.A.; Kirsch, S.; Klemenz, T.; Klewin, S.; Knospe, A.G.; Kowalski, M.; Kumar, L.; Lang, R.; Langoy, R.; Lautner, L.; Liebske, F.; Lien, J.; Lippmann, C.; Ljunggren, H.M.; Llope, W.J.; Mahmood, S.; Mahmoud, T.; Majka, R.; Malzacher, P.; Marín, A.; Markert, C.; Masciocchi, S.; Mathis, A.; Matyja, A.; Meres, M.; Mihaylov, D.L.; Miskowiec, D.; Mitra, J.; Mittelstaedt, T.; Morhardt, T.; Mulligan, J.; Munzer, R.H.; Münning, K.; Munhoz, M.G.; Muhuri, S.; Murakami, H.; Nandi, B.K.; Natal da Luz, H.; Nattrass, C.; Nayak, T.K.; Negrao De Oliveira, R.A.; Nicassio, M.; Nielsen, B.S.; Oláh, L.; Oskarsson, A.; Otwinowski, J.; Oyama, K.; Paić, G.; Patra, R.N.; Peskov, V.; Pikna, M.; Pinsky, L.; Planinic, M.; Poghosyan, M.G.; Poljak, N.; Pompei, F.; Prasad, S.K.; Pruneau, C.A.; Putschke, J.; Raha, S.; Rak, J.; Rasson, J.; Ratza, V.; Read, K.F.; Rehman, A.; Renfordt, R.; Richert, T.; Røed, K.; Röhrich, D.; Rudzki, T.; Sahoo, R.; Sahoo, S.; Sahu, P.K.; Saini, J.; Schaefer, B.; Schambach, J.; Scheid, S.; Schmidt, C.; Schmidt, H.R.; V Schmidt, N.; Schulte, H.; Schweda, K.; Selyuzhenkov, I.; Sharma, N.; Silvermyr, D.; Singaraju, R.N.; Sitar, B.; Smirnov, N.; Sorensen, S.P.; Sozzi, F.; Stachel, J.; Stenlund, E.; Strmen, P.; Szarka, I.; Tambave, G.; Terasaki, K.; Timmins, A.; Ullaland, K.; Utrobicic, A.; Varga, D.; Varma, R.; Velure, A.; Vislavicius, V.; Voloshin, S.; Voss, B.; Vranic, D.; Wiechula, J.; Winkler, S.; Wikne, J.; Windelband, B.; Zhao, C.

    A large Time Projection Chamber is the main device for tracking and charged-particle identification in the ALICE experiment at the CERN LHC. After the second long shutdown in 2019/20, the LHC will deliver Pb beams colliding at an interaction rate of about 50 kHz, which is about a factor of 50 above the present readout rate of the TPC. This will result in a significant improvement on the sensitivity to rare probes that are considered key observables to characterize the QCD matter created in such collisions. In order to make full use of this luminosity, the currently used gated Multi-Wire Proportional Chambers will be replaced. The upgrade relies on continuously operated readout detectors employing Gas Electron Multiplier technology to retain the performance in terms of particle identification via the measurement of the specific energy loss by ionization d$E$/d$x$. A full-size readout chamber prototype was assembled in 2014 featuring a stack of four GEM foils as an amplification stage. The performance of the pr...

  10. Simultaneous identification of optical constants and PSD of spherical particles by multi-wavelength scattering-transmittance measurement

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Jun-You; Qi, Hong; Ren, Ya-Tao; Ruan, Li-Ming

    2018-04-01

    An accurate and stable identification technique is developed to retrieve the optical constants and particle size distributions (PSDs) of particle system simultaneously from the multi-wavelength scattering-transmittance signals by using the improved quantum particle swarm optimization algorithm. The Mie theory are selected to calculate the directional laser intensity scattered by particles and the spectral collimated transmittance. The sensitivity and objective function distribution analysis were conducted to evaluate the mathematical properties (i.e. ill-posedness and multimodality) of the inverse problems under three different optical signals combinations (i.e. the single-wavelength multi-angle light scattering signal, the single-wavelength multi-angle light scattering and spectral transmittance signal, and the multi-angle light scattering and spectral transmittance signal). It was found the best global convergence performance can be obtained by using the multi-wavelength scattering-transmittance signals. Meanwhile, the present technique have been tested under different Gaussian measurement noise to prove its feasibility in a large solution space. All the results show that the inverse technique by using multi-wavelength scattering-transmittance signals is effective and suitable for retrieving the optical complex refractive indices and PSD of particle system simultaneously.

  11. Tumor necrosis factor is not required for particle-induced genotoxicity and pulmonary inflammation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Saber, Anne T.; Bornholdt, Jette; Dybdahl, Marianne; Sharma, Anoop K.; Vogel, Ulla; Wallin, Haakan [National Institute of Occupational Health, Copenhagen (Denmark); Loft, Steffen [Copenhagen University, Institute of Public Health, Copenhagen (Denmark)

    2005-03-01

    Particle-induced carcinogenicity is not well understood, but might involve inflammation. The proinflammatory cytokine tumor necrosis factor (TNF) is considered to be an important mediator in inflammation. We investigated its role in particle-induced inflammation and DNA damage in mice with and without TNF signaling. TNF-/- mice and TNF+/+ mice were exposed by inhalation to 20 mg m{sup -3} carbon black (CB), 20 mg m{sup -3} diesel exhaust particles (DEP), or filtered air for 90 min on each of four consecutive days. DEP, but not CB particles, induced infiltration of neutrophilic granulocutes into the lung lining fluid (by the cellular fraction in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid), and both particle types induced interleukin-6 mRNA in the lung tissue. Surprisingly, TNF-/- mice were intact in these inflammatory responses. There were more DNA strand breaks in the BAL cells of DEP-exposed TNF-/- mice and CB-exposed mice compared with the air-exposed mice. Thus, the CB-induced DNA damage in BAL-cells was independent of neutrophil infiltration. The data indicate that an inflammatory response was not a prerequisite for DNA damage, and TNF was not required for the induction of inflammation by DEP and CB particles. (orig.)

  12. Particle identification using dE/dx in the Mark II detector at the SLC

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Boyarski, A.; Coupal, D.P.; Feldman, G.J.; Hanson, G.; Nash, J.; O'Shaughnessy, K.F.; Rankin, P.; Van Kooten, R.

    1989-04-01

    The central drift chamber in the Mark II detector at the SLAC Linear Collider has been instrumented with 100-MHz Flash-ADCs. Pulse digitization provides particle identification through the measurement of average ionization loss in the chamber. We present the results of a study of system performance and outline the systematic corrections that optimize resolution. The data used are from a short test run at PEP with one-third of the FADCs installed and an extensive cosmic ray sample with the fully instrumented chamber. 11 refs., 9 figs

  13. Investigation and identification of etiologies involved in the development of acquired hydronephrosis in aged laboratory mice with the use of high-frequency ultrasound imaging

    Science.gov (United States)

    Springer, Danielle A.; Allen, Michele; Hoffman, Victoria; Brinster, Lauren; Starost, Matthew F.; Bryant, Mark; Eckhaus, Michael

    2014-01-01

    Laboratory mice develop naturally occurring lesions that affect biomedical research. Hydronephrosis is a recognized pathologic abnormality of the mouse kidney. Acquired hydronephrosis can affect any mouse, as it is caused by any naturally occurring disease that impairs free urine flow. Many etiologies leading to this condition are of particular significance to aging mice. Non-invasive ultrasound imaging detects renal pelvic dilation, renal enlargement, and parenchymal loss for pre-mortem identification of this condition. High-frequency ultrasound transducers produce high-resolution images of small structures, ideal for detecting organ pathology in mice. Using a 40 MHz linear array transducer, we obtained high-resolution images of a diversity of pathologic lesions occurring within the abdomen of seven geriatric mice with acquired hydronephrosis that enabled a determination of the underlying etiology. Etiologies diagnosed from the imaging results include pyelonephritis, neoplasia, urolithiasis, mouse urologic syndrome, and spontaneous hydronephrosis, and were confirmed at necropsy. A retrospective review of abdominal scans from an additional 149 aging mice shows that the most common etiologies associated with acquired hydronephrosis are mouse urologic syndrome and abdominal neoplasia. This report highlights the utility of high-frequency ultrasound for surveying research mice for age-related pathology, and is the first comprehensive report of multiple cases of acquired hydronephrosis in mice. PMID:25143818

  14. Particle ID in LHCb

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Powell, Andrew

    2010-01-01

    Particle identification (PID) is a fundamental requirement for LHCb and is provided by CALO, MUON and RICH sub-detectors. The Calorimeters provide identification of electrons, photons and hadrons in addition to the measurement of their energies and positions. As well as being part of the LHCb trigger, the MUON system provides identification of muons to a very high level of purity, essential for many CP-sensitive measurements that have J/ψ's in their final states. Hadron identification, in particular the ability to distinguish kaons and pions, is crucial to many LHCB analyses, particularly where the final states of interest are purely hadronic. The LHCb RICH system provides this, covering a momentum range between 1 and 100 GeV/c. To maintain the integrity of the LHCb physics performance, it is essential to measure and monitor the particle identification efficiency and mis-identification fraction over time. This can be done by using specific decays, such as K-shorts, φ's, Λ's, J/ψ's and D*'s, for which pure samples can be isolated using only kinematic quantities, due to their unique decay topologies. This allows for clean samples of known particle types to be selected, which can then be used to calibrate and monitor the PID performance from data. The procedures for performing this will be presented, together with preliminary results from the 2009 and 2010 LHC runs. (author)

  15. Electron microscopic study of spontaneous and experimentally induced leukemia in IRC mice

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hiraki, S.; Ranadive, K.J.; Dmochowski, L.

    1974-01-01

    Spontaneous, serially transplanted, and experimentally induced leukemias of ICRC mice were studied by electron microscopy in an attempt to detect the presence of virus particles, if any, and to observe the influence of chemical and hormonal treatment on the presence of these virus particles. The first series of experiments included spontaneous, serially transplanted, and radiation-induced leukemia. The paucity of type C virus particles was quite conspicuous in spontaneous leukemia. Serially transplanted and radiation-accelerated leukemic lesions showed the presence of some type C and intracisternal type A particles. Found in two of these leukemic lesions (thymus and lymphosarcoma), in addition to type C virus particles, were budding and some mature type B virus particles, and numerous intracytoplasmic type A particles. ''Viropexis'' of type B virus particles has been observed in the lymphosarcoma and in a leukemic thymus gland. The second series of experiments included leukemia induced in ovariectomized ICRC mice with 20-methylcholanthrene (MCA), pituitary transplants, and ovarian hormones (estradiol and estradiol-progesterone). In ovariectomized ICRC mice, leukemic lesions induced by MCA or pituitary transplants, or by MCA and pituitary transplants, showed type C virus particles and, in most cases, intracisternal type A particles. In leukemia induced in ovariectomized ICRC mice by MCA and estradiol, numerous intracytoplasmic type A particles were observed but no type C virus particles

  16. Oral Immunization with Recombinant Norwalk Virus-Like Particles Induces a Systemic and Mucosal Immune Response in Mice

    OpenAIRE

    Ball, Judith M.; Hardy, Michele E.; Atmar, Robert L.; Conner, Margaret E.; Estes, Mary K.

    1998-01-01

    Recombinant Norwalk virus-like particles (rNV VLPs) produced in insect cells were evaluated as an oral immunogen in CD1 and BALB/c mice by monitoring rNV-specific serum total and subclass immunoglobulin G (IgG) and intestinal IgA responses. Dose and kinetics of response were evaluated in the presence and absence of the mucosal adjuvant cholera toxin (CT). rNV-specific serum IgG and intestinal IgA were detected in the absence of CT, and the number of responders was not significantly different ...

  17. High resolution time-of-flight (TOF) detector for particle identification

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Boehm, Merlin; Lehmann, Albert; Pfaffinger, Markus; Uhlig, Fred [Physikalisches Institut, Universitaet Erlangen-Nuernberg (Germany); Collaboration: PANDA-Collaboration

    2016-07-01

    Several prototype tests were performed with the PANDA DIRC detectors at the CERN T9 beam line. A mixed hadron beam with pions, kaons and protons was used at momenta from 2 to 10 GeV/c. For these tests a good particle identification was mandatory. We report about a high resolution TOF detector built especially for this purpose. It consists of two stations each consisting of a Cherenkov radiator read out by a Microchannel-Plate Photomultiplier (MCP-PMT) and a Scintillating Tile (SciTil) counter read out by silicon photomultipliers (SiPMs). With a flight path of 29 m a pion/kaon separation up to 5 GeV/c and a pion/proton separation up to 10 GeV/c was obtained. From the TOF resolutions of different counter combinations the time resolution (sigma) of the individual MCP-PMTs and SciTils was determined. The best counter reached a time resolution of 50 ps.

  18. Modified Particle Swarm Optimization for Blind Deconvolution and Identification of Multichannel FIR Filters

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Khanagha Ali

    2010-01-01

    Full Text Available Blind identification of MIMO FIR systems has widely received attentions in various fields of wireless data communications. Here, we use Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO as the update mechanism of the well-known inverse filtering approach and we show its good performance compared to original method. Specially, the proposed method is shown to be more robust against lower SNR scenarios or in cases with smaller lengths of available data records. Also, a modified version of PSO is presented which further improves the robustness and preciseness of PSO algorithm. However the most important promise of the modified version is its drastically faster convergence compared to standard implementation of PSO.

  19. Peptide immunisation of HLA-DR-transgenic mice permits the identification of a novel HLA-DRbeta1*0101- and HLA-DRbeta1*0401-restricted epitope from p53.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rojas, José Manuel; McArdle, Stephanie E B; Horton, Roger B V; Bell, Matthew; Mian, Shahid; Li, Geng; Ali, Selman A; Rees, Robert C

    2005-03-01

    Because of the central role of CD4(+) T cells in antitumour immunity, the identification of the MHC class II-restricted peptides to which CD4(+) T cells respond has become a priority of tumour immunologists. Here, we describe a strategy permitting us to rapidly determine the immunogenicity of candidate HLA-DR-restricted peptides using peptide immunisation of HLA-DR-transgenic mice, followed by assessment of the response in vitro. This strategy was successfully applied to the reported haemaglutinin influenza peptide HA(307-319), and then extended to three candidate HLA-DR-restricted p53 peptides predicted by the evidence-based algorithm SYFPEITHI to bind to HLA-DRbeta1*0101 (HLA-DR1) and HLA-DRbeta1*0401 (HLA-DR4) molecules. One of these peptides, p53(108-122), consistently induced responses in HLA-DR1- and in HLA-DR4-transgenic mice. Moreover, this peptide was naturally processed by dendritic cells (DCs), and induced specific proliferation in the splenocytes of mice immunised with p53 cDNA, demonstrating that immune responses could be naturally mounted to the peptide. Furthermore, p53(108-122) peptide was also immunogenic in HLA-DR1 and HLA-DR4 healthy donors. Thus, the use of this transgenic model permitted the identification of a novel HLA-DR-restricted epitope from p53 and constitutes an attractive approach for the rapid identification of novel immunogenic MHC class II-restricted peptides from tumour antigens, which can ultimately be incorporated in immunotherapeutic protocols.

  20. IMPLANT-ASSOCIATED PATHOLOGY: AN ALGORITHM FOR IDENTIFYING PARTICLES IN HISTOPATHOLOGIC SYNOVIALIS/SLIM DIAGNOSTICS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    V. Krenn

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available In histopathologic SLIM diagnostic (synovial-like interface membrane, SLIM apart from diagnosing periprosthetic infection particle identification has an important role to play. The differences in particle pathogenesis and variability of materials in endoprosthetics explain the particle heterogeneity that hampers the diagnostic identification of particles. For this reason, a histopathological particle algorithm has been developed. With minimal methodical complexity this histopathological particle algorithm offers a guide to prosthesis material-particle identification. Light microscopic-morphological as well as enzyme-histochemical characteristics and polarization-optical proporties have set and particles are defined by size (microparticles, macroparticles and supra- macroparticles and definitely characterized in accordance with a dichotomous principle. Based on these criteria, identification and validation of the particles was carried out in 120 joint endoprosthesis pathological cases. A histopathological particle score (HPS is proposed that summarizes the most important information for the orthopedist, material scientist and histopathologist concerning particle identification in the SLIM.

  1. The effects of size and surface modification of amorphous silica particles on biodistribution and liver metabolism in mice

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lu, Xiaoyan; Ji, Cai; Jin, Tingting; Fan, Xiaohui

    2015-05-01

    Engineered nanoparticles, with unconventional properties, are promising platforms for biomedical applications. Since they may interact with a wide variety of biomolecules, it is critical to understand the impact of the physicochemical properties of engineered nanoparticles on biological systems. In this study, the effects of particle size and surface modification alone or in combination of amorphous silica particles (SPs) on biological responses were determined using a suite of general toxicological assessments and metabonomics analysis in mice model. Our results suggested that amino or carboxyl surface modification mitigated the liver toxicity of plain-surface SPs. 30 nm SPs with amino surface modification were found to be the most toxic SPs among all the surface-modified SP treatments at the same dosage. When treatment dose was increased, submicro-sized SPs with amino or carboxyl surface modification also induced liver toxicity. Biodistribution studies suggested that 70 nm SPs were mainly accumulated in liver and spleen regardless of surface modifications. Interestingly, these two organs exhibited different uptake trends. Furthermore, metabonomics studies indicated that surface modification plays a more dominant role to affect the liver metabolism than particle size.

  2. TOF for heavy stable particle identification

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chang, C.Y.

    1983-01-01

    Searching for heavy stable particle production in a new energy region of hadron-hadron collisions is of fundamental theoretical interest. Observation of such particles produced in high energy collisions would indicate the existence of stable heavy leptons or any massive hadronic system carrying new quantum numbers. Experimentally, evidence of its production has not been found for PP collisions either at FNAL or at the CERN ISR for √S = 23 and 62 GeV respectively. However, many theories beyond the standard model do predict its existence on a mass scale ranging from 50 to a few hundred GeV. If so, it would make a high luminosity TeV collider an extremely ideal hunting ground for searching the production of such a speculated object. To measure the mass of a heavy stable charged particle, one usually uses its time of flight (TOF) and/or dE/dX information. For heavy neutral particle, one hopes it may decay at some later time after its production. Hence a pair of jets or a jet associated with a high P/sub t/ muon originated from some places other than the interacting point (IP) of the colliding beams may be a good signal. In this note, we examine the feasibility of TOF measurement on a heavy stable particle produced in PP collisions at √S = 1 TeV and a luminosity of 10 33 cm -2 sec -1 with a single arm spectrometer pointing to the IP

  3. Identification of minority ion cyclotron emission during radio frequency heating in the JET tokamak

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cottrell, G.A.

    1999-11-01

    First measurements and identification of Minority Ion Cyclotron Emission (MICE) during ICRF (H)D minority heating in the JET tokamak are presented. An inner wall radiofrequency (rf) probe shows the new single MICE spectral line, downshifted from the heating, frequency and appearing ∼ 400 ms after the ICRH switch-on. The line is narrow (Δω / ω) ∼ 0.04), characterised by the ion cyclotron frequency of minority protons in the outer edge mid-plane plasma and is observed irrespective of whether single or multi-frequency ICRH is applied. Threshold conditions for MICE are: coupled RF power to the plasma P rf ≥ 4.5 MW; total fast ion energy content W fast ≥ 0.6 MJ. At the time of the rapid switch-on of MICE, the measured power loss from the energetic minority ions is ∼ 0.1 ± 0.1 MW, constituting rf . The observations are consistent with the classical evolution and population of the plasma edge with ∼ 3 MeV ICRH protons on orbits near the outboard limiters. Particle loss and energy filtering contribute to a local non-Maxwellian energetic ion distribution which is susceptible to ion cyclotron instability

  4. Particle identification for a future EIC detector

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ilieva, Y.; Allison, L.; Barber, C.; Cao, T.; Del Dotto, A.; Gleason, C.; He, X.; Kalicy, G.; McKisson, J.; Nadel-Turonski, P.; Park, K.; Rapoport, J.; Schwarz, C.; Schwiening, J.; Wong, C. P.; Zhao, Zh.; Zorn, C.

    2018-03-01

    In its latest Long Range Plan for Nuclear Science Research in the U.S., the Nuclear Science Advisory Committee to the Department of Energy recommended that in regards to new nuclear-physics facilities, the construction of an Electron Ion Collider (EIC) be of the highest priority after the completion of the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams. In order to carry out key aspects of the scientific program of the EIC, the EIC central detector must be capable of hadron particle identification (PID) over a broad momentum range of up to 50 GeV/c. The goal of the EIC-PID consortium is to develop an integrated program for PID at EIC, which employs several different technologies for imaging Cherenkov detectors. Here we discuss the conceptual designs and the expected PID performance of two of these detectors, as well as the newest results of gain evaluation studies of photon sensors that are good candidates to read out these detectors. Development of a gas-aerogel dual-radiator Ring Imaging Cherenkov (dRICH) detector with outward focusing mirrors is being pursued for the hadron endcap. Simulations demonstrate that the dRICH can provide a continuous >= 3σ π /K/p separation from 2.5 GeV/c to 50 GeV/c. A modular aerogel Ring Imaging Cherenkov (mRICH) detector with a Fresnel lens as a focusing element is being pursued for the electron endcap. The design provides for hadron identification over a momentum range of 3 GeV/c-10 GeV/c. The working principle of the mRICH design has been proven in a beam test with a first prototype. The location of the sensor readout planes of the Cherenkov detectors in the magnetic field of the central-detector solenoid, which is expected to be within 1.5 T-3 T, makes is necessary to evaluate the limit of the acceptable performance of commercially available photosensors, such as microchannel-plate photomultipliers (MCP PMTs). Here we present the results of gain evaluation of multi-anode MCP PMTs with a pore size of 10 μm. Overall, our preliminary results

  5. Generation of transgenic mice producing fungal xylanase in the ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    DR TONUKARI NYEROVWO

    express exogenous digestive enzymes, since a single- stomached animal, such as a pig, can secret .... transgenic founder mice; 1 to15 are fifteen wild-type founder mice; M, marke; β-actin, endogenous control. (C) Identification of transgenic mice by ... 61.48±0.34%), gross energy digestibility (WT vs. TG = 68.79±0.51% vs.

  6. [Construction and immunogenicity of recombinant porcine parvovirus-like particles with somatostatin].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Xuehua; Zheng, Qisheng; Chen, Jin; Xue, Gang; Hou, Hongyan; Hou, Jibo

    2010-08-01

    In order to obtain a virus-like particle vaccine both for porcine parvovirus (PPV) prevention and growth-promotion, VP2 gene of PPV NJ-a strain was amplified with PCR, and four copies of synthetic somatostatin gene were fused to the N-terminal of VP2 gene. The fused gene was cloned into pFast-HT A to construct the recombinant plasmid pFast-SS4-VP2, then the pFast-SS4-VP2 was transformed into DH10Bac competent cells and recombined with shuttle vector Bacmid, followed by identification with blue-white screening and PCR analysis for three cycles, and the positive recombinant was named as rBacmid-SS4-VP2. The positive Sf-9 cells were transfected with rBacmid-SS4-VP2 by Lipofectamine to produce recombinant baculovirus. When the cytopathic effect (CPE) was obvious, the transfected Sf-9 cell was harvested, and the positive recombinant virus was named as rBac-SS4-VP2. The insertion for the target gene into baculovirus genome was confirmed with PCR. SDS-PAGE and Western blotting revealed that the calculated protein of approximately 68 kDa was in the expressed in the insect cells. The Sf-9 cells infected with rBac-SS4-VP2 were stained positive against PPV antibody using the indirect immunofluorescence assay (IFA). Moreover, the virus particle self-assembly was observed under electron microscopy. 90 four-week-old mice were immunized by the recombinant protein coupled with different adjuvants alhydrogel, IMS and oil. VP2-specific ELISA antibodies, PPV-specific neutralizing antibody, somatostatin antibody and growth hormone levels were examined to evaluate the immunogenicity of this virus like particle. Results indicated that mice groups immunized rSS4-VP2 protein with alhydrogel and IMS developed similar humoral immune response comparing with inactived PPV vaccine. Mice group immunized with rSS4-VP2 generated higher level of SS antibody and growth hormone comparing with negative control, mice receiving rSS4-VP2 with alhydrogel developed the highest antibody titre than all

  7. Dynamic Parameter Identification of Tool-Spindle Interface Based on RCSA and Particle Swarm Optimization

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Erhua Wang

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available In order to ensure the stability of machining processes, the tool point frequency response functions (FRFs should be obtained initially. By the receptance coupling substructure analysis (RCSA, the tool point FRFs can be generated quickly for any combination of holder and tool without the need of repeated measurements. A major difficulty in the sub-structuring analysis is to determine the connection parameters at the tool-holder interface. This study proposed an identification method to recognize the connection parameters at the tool-holder interface by using RCSA and particle swarm optimization (PSO. In this paper, the XHK machining center is divided into two components, which are the tool and the spindle assembly firstly. After that, the end point FRFs of the tool are achieved by mode superposition method. The end receptances of the spindle assembly with complicated structure are obtained by impacting test method. Through translational and rotational springs and dampers, the tool point FRF of the machining center is obtained by coupling the two components. Finally, PSO is adopted to identify the connection parameters at the tool-holder interface by minimizing the difference between the predicted and the measured tool point FRFs. Comparison results between the predicted and measured tool point FRFs show a good agreement and demonstrate that the identification method is valid in the identification of connection parameters at the tool-holder interface.

  8. Pulmonary instillation of low doses of titanium dioxide nanoparticles in mice leads to particle retention and gene expression changes in the absence of inflammation

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Husain, Mainul; Saber, Anne Thoustrup; Guo, Charles

    2013-01-01

    We investigated gene expression, protein synthesis, and particle retention in mouse lungs following intratracheal instillation of varying doses of nano-sized titanium dioxide (nano-TiO2). Female C57BL/6 mice were exposed to rutile nano-TiO2 via single intratracheal instillations of 18, 54, and 162......μg/mouse. Mice were sampled 1, 3, and 28days post-exposure. The deposition of nano-TiO2 in the lungs was assessed using nanoscale hyperspectral microscopy. Biological responses in the pulmonary system were analyzed using DNA microarrays, pathway-specific real-time RT-PCR (qPCR), gene-specific q...

  9. The effects of size and surface modification of amorphous silica particles on biodistribution and liver metabolism in mice

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lu, Xiaoyan; Ji, Cai; Jin, Tingting; Fan, Xiaohui

    2015-01-01

    Engineered nanoparticles, with unconventional properties, are promising platforms for biomedical applications. Since they may interact with a wide variety of biomolecules, it is critical to understand the impact of the physicochemical properties of engineered nanoparticles on biological systems. In this study, the effects of particle size and surface modification alone or in combination of amorphous silica particles (SPs) on biological responses were determined using a suite of general toxicological assessments and metabonomics analysis in mice model. Our results suggested that amino or carboxyl surface modification mitigated the liver toxicity of plain-surface SPs. 30 nm SPs with amino surface modification were found to be the most toxic SPs among all the surface-modified SP treatments at the same dosage. When treatment dose was increased, submicro-sized SPs with amino or carboxyl surface modification also induced liver toxicity. Biodistribution studies suggested that 70 nm SPs were mainly accumulated in liver and spleen regardless of surface modifications. Interestingly, these two organs exhibited different uptake trends. Furthermore, metabonomics studies indicated that surface modification plays a more dominant role to affect the liver metabolism than particle size. (paper)

  10. A new paradigm for known metabolite identification in metabonomics/metabolomics: metabolite identification efficiency.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Everett, Jeremy R

    2015-01-01

    A new paradigm is proposed for assessing confidence in the identification of known metabolites in metabonomics studies using NMR spectroscopy approaches. This new paradigm is based upon the analysis of the amount of metabolite identification information retrieved from NMR spectra relative to the molecular size of the metabolite. Several new indices are proposed including: metabolite identification efficiency (MIE) and metabolite identification carbon efficiency (MICE), both of which can be easily calculated. These indices, together with some guidelines, can be used to provide a better indication of known metabolite identification confidence in metabonomics studies than existing methods. Since known metabolite identification in untargeted metabonomics studies is one of the key bottlenecks facing the science currently, it is hoped that these concepts based on molecular spectroscopic informatics, will find utility in the field.

  11. A New Paradigm for Known Metabolite Identification in Metabonomics/Metabolomics: Metabolite Identification Efficiency

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jeremy R. Everett

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available A new paradigm is proposed for assessing confidence in the identification of known metabolites in metabonomics studies using NMR spectroscopy approaches. This new paradigm is based upon the analysis of the amount of metabolite identification information retrieved from NMR spectra relative to the molecular size of the metabolite. Several new indices are proposed including: metabolite identification efficiency (MIE and metabolite identification carbon efficiency (MICE, both of which can be easily calculated. These indices, together with some guidelines, can be used to provide a better indication of known metabolite identification confidence in metabonomics studies than existing methods. Since known metabolite identification in untargeted metabonomics studies is one of the key bottlenecks facing the science currently, it is hoped that these concepts based on molecular spectroscopic informatics, will find utility in the field.

  12. Multiplication circuit for particle identification

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gerlier, Jean

    1962-01-01

    After having commented some characteristics of the particles present in a cyclotron, and their interactions, this report addresses the development and the implementation of a method and a device for selecting and counting particles. The author presents the principle and existing techniques of selection. In comparison with an existing device, the proportional counter and the scintillator are replaced by junctions: a surface barrier type junction (a silicon N layer with a very thin oxygen layer playing the role of the P layer), and lithium-based junction (a silicon P type layer made intrinsic by migration of lithium). The author then describes the developed circuit and assembly (background of the choice of a multiplication circuit), and their operation. In the next part, he presents the performed tests and discuses the obtained results. He finally outlines the benefits of the herein presented circuit [fr

  13. Study on the performance of the Particle Identification Detectors at LHCb after the LHC First Long Shutdown (LS1)

    CERN Document Server

    Fontana, Marianna

    2016-01-01

    During the First Long Shutdown (LS1), the LHCb experiment has introduced major modification in the data-processing procedure and modified part of the detector to deal with the increased energy and the increased heavy-hadron production cross-section. In this contribution we review the performance of the particle identification detectors at LHCb, Rich, Calorimeters, and Muon system, after the LS1

  14. Of mice and men

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Andersen, Troels Askhøj; Troelsen, Karin de Linde Lind; Larsen, Lars Allan

    2014-01-01

    CHD is part of the phenotype. Furthermore, mapping of genomic copy number variants and exome sequencing of CHD patients have led to the identification of a large number of candidate disease genes. Experiments in animal models, particularly in mice, have been used to verify human disease genes...

  15. Identifying a size-specific hazard of silica nanoparticles after intravenous administration and its relationship to the other hazards that have negative correlations with the particle size in mice

    Science.gov (United States)

    Handa, Takayuki; Hirai, Toshiro; Izumi, Natsumi; Eto, Shun-ichi; Tsunoda, Shin-ichi; Nagano, Kazuya; Higashisaka, Kazuma; Yoshioka, Yasuo; Tsutsumi, Yasuo

    2017-03-01

    Many of the beneficial and toxic biological effects of nanoparticles have been shown to have a negative correlation with particle size. However, few studies have demonstrated biological effects that only occur at specific nanoparticle sizes. Further elucidation of the size-specific biological effects of nanoparticles may reveal not only unknown toxicities, but also novel benefits of nanoparticles. We used surface-unmodified silica particles with a wide range of diameters and narrow size intervals between the diameters (10, 30, 50, 70, 100, 300, and 1000 nm) to investigate the relationship between particle size and acute toxicity after intravenous administration in mice. Negative correlations between particle size and thrombocytopenia, liver damage, and lethal toxicity were observed. However, a specific size-effect was observed for the severity of hypothermia, where silica nanoparticles with a diameter of 50 nm induced the most severe hypothermia. Further investigation revealed that this hypothermia was mediated not by histamine, but by platelet-activating factor, and it was independent of the thrombocytopenia and the liver damage. In addition, macrophages/Kupffer cells and platelets, but not neutrophils, play a critical role in the hypothermia. The present results reveal that silica nanoparticles have particle size-specific toxicity in mice, suggesting that other types of nanoparticles may also have biological effects that only manifest at specific particle sizes. Further study of the size-specific effects of nanoparticles is essential for safer and more effective nanomedicines.

  16. R and D on high momentum particle identification with a pressurized Cherenkov radiator

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Agócs, A.G. [Wigner RCP of the HAS, Budapest (Hungary); Barile, F. [INFN Sezione di Bari and Universit´a degli Studi di Bari, Dipartimento Interateneo di Fisica M. Merlin, Bari (Italy); Barnaföldi, G.G. [Wigner RCP of the HAS, Budapest (Hungary); Bellwied, R. [University of Houston, Houston (United States); Bencédi, G.; Bencze, G.; Berényi, D.; Boldizsár, L. [Wigner RCP of the HAS, Budapest (Hungary); Chattopadhyay, S. [Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics, Kolkata (India); Chinellato, D.D. [University of Houston, Houston (United States); Cindolo, F. [University of Salerno, Salerno (Italy); Cossyleon, K. [Chicago State University, Chicago, IL (United States); Das, D.; Das, K.; Das-Bose, L. [Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics, Kolkata (India); De Cataldo, G.; Di Bari, D. [INFN Sezione di Bari and Universit´a degli Studi di Bari, Dipartimento Interateneo di Fisica M. Merlin, Bari (Italy); Di Mauro, A. [CERN, CH1211 Geneva 23 (Switzerland); Futó, E. [Wigner RCP of the HAS, Budapest (Hungary); Garcia-Solis, E. [Chicago State University, Chicago, IL (United States); and others

    2014-12-01

    We report on the R and D results for a Very High Momentum Particle Identification (VHMPID) detector, which was proposed to extend the charged hadron track-by-track identification in the momentum range from 5 to 25 GeV/c in the ALICE experiment at CERN. It is a RICH detector with focusing geometry using pressurized perfluorobutane (C{sub 4}F{sub 8}O) as a Cherenkov radiator. A MWPC with a CsI photocathode was investigated as the baseline option for the photon detector. The results of beam tests performed on RICH prototypes using both liquid C{sub 6}F{sub 14} radiator (in proximity focusing geometry for reference measurements) and pressurized C{sub 4}F{sub 8}O gaseous radiator will be shown in this paper. In addition, we present studies of a CsI based gaseous photon detector equipped with a MWPC having an adjustable anode–cathode gap, aiming at the optimization of the chamber layout and performance in the detection of single photoelectrons. - Highlights: • Pressurized and heated C{sub 4}F{sub 8}O was used as Cherenkov radiator gas. • A Cherenkov angle resolution of 1.5 mrad was achieved. • The separation of electrons, pions, and kaons in a large momentum range is shown.

  17. The design, construction and performance of the MICE target

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Booth, C N; Hodgson, P; Howlett, L; Nicholson, R; Overton, E; Robinson, M; Smith, P J; Apollonio, M; Barber, G; Dobbs, A; Leaver, J; Long, K R; Shepherd, B; Adams, D; Capocci, E; McCarron, E; Tarrant, J

    2013-01-01

    The pion-production target that serves the MICE Muon Beam consists of a titanium cylinder that is dipped into the halo of the ISIS proton beam. The design and construction of the MICE target system are described along with the quality-assurance procedures, electromagnetic drive and control systems, the readout electronics, and the data-acquisition system. The performance of the target is presented together with the particle rates delivered to the MICE Muon Beam. Finally, the beam loss in ISIS generated by the operation of the target is evaluated as a function of the particle rate, and the operating parameters of the target are derived.

  18. Molecular Mechanisms of Particle Ration Induced Apoptosis in Lymphocyte

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shi, Yufang

    Space radiation, composed of high-energy charged nuclei (HZE particles) and protons, has been previously shown to severely impact immune homeostasis in mice. To determine the molecular mechanisms that mediate acute lymphocyte depletion following exposure to HZE particle radiation mice were exposed to particle radiation beams at Brookhaven National Laboratory. We found that mice given whole body 5 6Fe particle irradiation (1GeV /n) had dose-dependent losses in total lymphocyte numbers in the spleen and thymus (using 200, 100 and 50 cGy), with thymocytes being more sensitive than splenocytes. All phenotypic subsets were reduced in number. In general, T cells and B cells were equally sensitive, while CD8+ T cells were more senstive than CD4+ T cells. In the thymus, immature CD4+CD8+ double-positive thymocytes were exquisitely sensitive to radiation-induced losses, single-positive CD4 or CD8 cells were less sensitive, and the least mature double negative cells were resistant. Irradiation of mice deficient in genes encoding essential apoptosis-inducing proteins revealed that the mechanism of lymphocyte depletion is independent of Fas ligand and TRAIL (TNF-ralated apoptosis-inducing ligand), in contrast to γ-radiation-induced lymphocyte losses which require the Fas-FasL pathway. Using inhibitors in vitro, lymphocyte apoptosis induced by HZE particle radiation was found to be caspase dependent, and not involve nitric oxide or oxygen free radicals.

  19. Ultrastructural findings in the brain of fruit flies (Drosophila melanogaster) and mice exposed to high-energy particle radiation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    D'Amelio, F.; Kraft, L.M.; D'Antoni-D'Amelio, E.; Benton, E.V.; Miquel, J.

    1984-01-01

    Effects of high energy, heavy particle (HZE) radiation were studied in the brain of the fruit fly (Drosophila melanogaster) exposed to argon (40Ar) or krypton (84Kr) ions. In the flies exposed to argon the fluence ranged from 6 X 10(4) to 8 X 10(7) particles/cm2. The insects were killed 35 days after exposure. Extensive tissue fragmentation was observed at the higher fluence employed. At fluences ranging from 5 X 10(6) (one hit/two cell bodies) to 9 X 10(4) (one hit/90 cell bodies) particles/cm2, swelling of the neuronal cytoplasm and focally fragmented membranes was observed. Marked increase of glial lamellae around nerve cell processes was seen at fluences ranging from one hit/six to one hit/135 cell bodies. In the flies irradiated with krypton, the fluences employed were 5.8 X 10(3) and 2.2 X 10(6) particles/cm2. Acute and late effects were evaluated. In the flies killed 36 hours after exposure (acute effects) to either fluence, glycogen particles were found in the neuroglial compartment. The granules were no longer present in flies killed 35 days later (late effects). From these studies it appears that the Drosophila brain is a useful model to investigate radiation damage to mature neurons, neuroglia, and therefore, to the glio-neuronal metabolic unit. In a separate study, the synaptic profiles of the neuropil in layers II-III of the frontal cerebral cortex of anesthesized adult LAFl mice were quantitatively appraised after exposure to argon (40Ar) particles. The absorbed dose ranged from 0.05 to 5 gray (Gy) plateau. It was determined that the sodium pentobarbital anesthesia per se results in a significant decrease in synaptic profile length one day after anesthetization, with return to normal values after 2-28 days. Irradiation with 0.05-5 Gy argon particles significantly inhibited the synaptic shortening effect of anesthesia at one day after exposure

  20. Study on acute toxicity of anti-vertigo granule on mice

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wen, Zhonghua; Hao, Shaojun; Xie, Guoqi; Li, Jun; Su, Feng; Liu, Xiaobin; Wang, Xidong; Zhang, Zhengchen

    2018-04-01

    To observe the effect of anti - glare particles on acute toxicity of mice. Methods: 40 male and female mice weighing 18 - 21 g were randomly divided into anti - glare granule group and normal saline control group. The maximum volume of anti - glare particles (0.94 g/ml) was administered before the experiment. Results: the oral toxicity of the suspension was very small. The maximal concentration of mice was given at the maximum volume of gastric perfusion, and it was given three times in 1st. The cumulative maximum tolerance dose was 112.8g/kg per day. The dose was 226 times of clinical dosage and no death was found in mice. Conclusion: the toxicity of Kangxuan granules is very small and it can be considered safe in clinical use.

  1. Pulmonary instillation of low doses of titanium dioxide nanoparticles in mice leads to particle retention and gene expression changes in the absence of inflammation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Husain, Mainul; Saber, Anne T.; Guo, Charles; Jacobsen, Nicklas R.; Jensen, Keld A.; Yauk, Carole L.; Williams, Andrew; Vogel, Ulla; Wallin, Hakan; Halappanavar, Sabina

    2013-01-01

    We investigated gene expression, protein synthesis, and particle retention in mouse lungs following intratracheal instillation of varying doses of nano-sized titanium dioxide (nano-TiO 2 ). Female C57BL/6 mice were exposed to rutile nano-TiO 2 via single intratracheal instillations of 18, 54, and 162 μg/mouse. Mice were sampled 1, 3, and 28 days post-exposure. The deposition of nano-TiO 2 in the lungs was assessed using nanoscale hyperspectral microscopy. Biological responses in the pulmonary system were analyzed using DNA microarrays, pathway-specific real-time RT-PCR (qPCR), gene-specific qPCR arrays, and tissue protein ELISA. Hyperspectral mapping showed dose-dependent retention of nano-TiO 2 in the lungs up to 28 days post-instillation. DNA microarray analysis revealed approximately 3000 genes that were altered across all treatment groups (± 1.3 fold; p 2 in the absence of inflammation over time may potentially perturb calcium and ion homeostasis, and affect smooth muscle activities. - Highlights: • Pulmonary effects following exposure to low doses of nano-TiO 2 were examined. • Particle retention in lungs was assessed using nanoscale hyperspectral microscopy. • Particles persisted up to 28 days in lungs in all dose groups. • Inflammation was the pathway affected in the high dose group at all time points. • Ion homeostasis and muscle activity pathways were affected in the low dose group

  2. CCL28 induces mucosal homing of HIV-1-specific IgA-secreting plasma cells in mice immunized with HIV-1 virus-like particles.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Veronica Rainone

    Full Text Available Mucosae-associated epithelial chemokine (MEC or CCL28 binds to CCR3 and CCR10 and recruits IgA-secreting plasma cells (IgA-ASCs in the mucosal lamina propria. The ability of this chemokine to enhance migration of IgA-ASCs to mucosal sites was assessed in a mouse immunization model using HIV-1(IIIB Virus-like particles (VLPs. Mice receiving either HIV-1(IIIB VLPs alone, CCL28 alone, or the irrelevant CCL19 chemokine were used as controls. Results showed a significantly increased CCR3 and CCR10 expression on CD19(+ splenocytes of HIV-1(IIIB VPL-CCL28-treated mice. HIV-1 Env-specific IFN-γ, IL-4 and IL-5 production, total IgA, anti-Env IgA as well as gastro-intestinal mucosal IgA-secreting plasma cells were also significantly augmented in these mice. Notably, sera and vaginal secretions from HIV-1(IIIB VLP-CCL28-treated mice exhibited an enhanced neutralizing activity against both a HIV-1/B-subtype laboratory strain and a heterologous HIV-1/C-subtype primary isolate. These data suggest that CCL28 could be useful in enhancing the IgA immune response that will likely play a pivotal role in prophylactic HIV vaccines.

  3. Fisetin disposition and metabolism in mice: Identification of geraldol as an active metabolite. : Fisetin disposition and metabolism in mice

    OpenAIRE

    Touil, Yasmine,; Auzeil, Nicolas; Boulinguez, François; Saighi, Hanane; Regazzetti, Anne; Scherman, Daniel; Chabot, Guy,

    2011-01-01

    International audience; Although the natural flavonoid fisetin (3,3',4',7-tetrahydroxyflavone) has been recently identified as an anticancer agent with antiangiogenic properties in mice, its in vivo pharmacokinetics and metabolism are presently not characterized. Our purpose was to determine the pharmacokinetics and metabolism of fisetin in mice and determine the biological activity of a detected fisetin metabolite. After fisetin administration of an efficacious dose of 223 mg/kg i.p. in mice...

  4. Data management and database framework for the MICE experiment

    Science.gov (United States)

    Martyniak, J.; Nebrensky, J. J.; Rajaram, D.; MICE Collaboration

    2017-10-01

    The international Muon Ionization Cooling Experiment (MICE) currently operating at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory in the UK, is designed to demonstrate the principle of muon ionization cooling for application to a future Neutrino Factory or Muon Collider. We present the status of the framework for the movement and curation of both raw and reconstructed data. A raw data-mover has been designed to safely upload data files onto permanent tape storage as soon as they have been written out. The process has been automated, and checks have been built in to ensure the integrity of data at every stage of the transfer. The data processing framework has been recently redesigned in order to provide fast turnaround of reconstructed data for analysis. The automated reconstruction is performed on a dedicated machine in the MICE control room and any reprocessing is done at Tier-2 Grid sites. In conjunction with this redesign, a new reconstructed-data-mover has been designed and implemented. We also review the implementation of a robust database system that has been designed for MICE. The processing of data, whether raw or Monte Carlo, requires accurate knowledge of the experimental conditions. MICE has several complex elements ranging from beamline magnets to particle identification detectors to superconducting magnets. A Configuration Database, which contains information about the experimental conditions (magnet currents, absorber material, detector calibrations, etc.) at any given time has been developed to ensure accurate and reproducible simulation and reconstruction. A fully replicated, hot-standby database system has been implemented with a firewall-protected read-write master running in the control room, and a read-only slave running at a different location. The actual database is hidden from end users by a Web Service layer, which provides platform and programming language-independent access to the data.

  5. Lung inflammation and genotoxicity following pulmonary exposure to nanoparticles in ApoE-/- mice

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ladefoged Ole

    2009-01-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background The toxic and inflammatory potential of 5 different types of nanoparticles were studied in a sensitive model for pulmonary effects in apolipoprotein E knockout mice (ApoE-/-. We studied the effects instillation or inhalation Printex 90 of carbon black (CB and compared CB instillation in ApoE-/- and C57 mice. Three and 24 h after pulmonary exposure, inflammation was assessed by mRNA levels of cytokines in lung tissue, cell composition, genotoxicity, protein and lactate dehydrogenase activity in broncho-alveolar lavage (BAL fluid. Results Firstly, we found that intratracheal instillation of CB caused far more pulmonary toxicity in ApoE-/- mice than in C57 mice. Secondly, we showed that instillation of CB was more toxic than inhalation of a presumed similar dose with respect to inflammation in the lungs of ApoE-/- mice. Thirdly, we compared effects of instillation in ApoE-/- mice of three carbonaceous particles; CB, fullerenes C60 (C60 and single walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNT as well as gold particles and quantum dots (QDs. Characterization of the instillation media revealed that all particles were delivered as agglomerates and aggregates. Significant increases in Il-6, Mip-2 and Mcp-1 mRNA were detected in lung tissue, 3 h and 24 h following instillation of SWCNT, CB and QDs. DNA damage in BAL cells, the fraction of neutrophils in BAL cells and protein in BAL fluid increased statistically significantly. Gold and C60 particles caused much weaker inflammatory responses. Conclusion Our data suggest that ApoE-/- model is sensitive for evaluating particle induced inflammation. Overall QDs had greatest effects followed by CB and SWCNT with C60 and gold being least inflammatory and DNA-damaging. However the gold was used at a much lower mass dose than the other particles. The strong effects of QDs were likely due to Cd release. The surface area of the instilled dose correlated well the inflammatory response for low toxicity particles.

  6. Pulmonary exposure to particles from diesel exhaust, urban dust or single-walled carbon nanotubes and oxidatively damaged DNA and vascular function in apoE(-/-)mice

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Vesterdal, Lise K; Jantzen, Kim; Sheykhzade, Majid

    2012-01-01

    Abstract This study compared the oxidative stress level and vasomotor dysfunction after exposure to urban dust, diesel exhaust particles (DEP) or single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNT). DEP and SWCNT increased the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in cultured endothelial cells and acell......Abstract This study compared the oxidative stress level and vasomotor dysfunction after exposure to urban dust, diesel exhaust particles (DEP) or single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNT). DEP and SWCNT increased the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in cultured endothelial cells...... and acellullarly, whereas the exposure to urban dust did not generate ROS. ApoE(-/-) mice, which were exposed twice to 0.5 mg/kg of the particles by intratracheal instillation, had unaltered acetylcholine-elicited vasorelaxation in aorta segments. There was unaltered pulmonary expression level of Vcam-1, Icam-1...

  7. Intraperitoneal alpha-radioimmunotherapy in mice using different specific activities

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Elgqvist, Jörgen; Andersson, Håkan; Haglund, Elin

    2009-01-01

    The aim of this study was to investigate the therapeutic efficacy of the alpha-radioimmunotherapy of ovarian cancer in mice, using different specific activities. This study was performed by using the monoclonal antibody, MX35 F(ab')(2), labeled with the alpha-particle-emitter, 211At.......The aim of this study was to investigate the therapeutic efficacy of the alpha-radioimmunotherapy of ovarian cancer in mice, using different specific activities. This study was performed by using the monoclonal antibody, MX35 F(ab')(2), labeled with the alpha-particle-emitter, 211At....

  8. Identification of digitized particle trajectories

    CERN Document Server

    Grote, H; Lassalle, J C; Zanella, P

    1973-01-01

    High-energy Physics Laboratories make increasing use of particle detectors which directly produce digital measurements of trajectories at very high rates. Data collected in vast amounts during experiments are then analysed by computer programs whose first task is the recognition of tracks and reconstruction of the interesting events. This paper discusses the applicability of various Pattern Recognition approaches. Examples are given of the problems and the practical achievements in this field.

  9. Overcoming antigen masking of anti-amyloidbeta antibodies reveals breaking of B cell tolerance by virus-like particles in amyloidbeta immunized amyloid precursor protein transgenic mice

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ugen Kenneth E

    2004-06-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background In prior work we detected reduced anti-Aβ antibody titers in Aβ-vaccinated transgenic mice expressing the human amyloid precursor protein (APP compared to nontransgenic littermates. We investigated this observation further by vaccinating APP and nontransgenic mice with either the wild-type human Aβ peptide, an Aβ peptide containing the "Dutch Mutation", E22Q, or a wild-type Aβ peptide conjugated to papillomavirus virus-like particles (VLPs. Results Anti-Aβ antibody titers were lower in vaccinated APP than nontransgenic mice even when vaccinated with the highly immunogenic Aβ E22Q. One concern was that human Aβ derived from the APP transgene might mask anti-Aβ antibodies in APP mice. To test this possibility, we dissociated antigen-antibody complexes by incubation at low pH. The low pH incubation increased the anti-Aβ antibody titers 20–40 fold in APP mice but had no effect in sera from nontransgenic mice. However, even after dissociation, the anti-Aβ titers were still lower in transgenic mice vaccinated with wild-type Aβ or E22Q Aβ relative to non-transgenic mice. Importantly, the dissociated anti-Aβ titers were equivalent in nontransgenic and APP mice after VLP-based vaccination. Control experiments demonstrated that after acid-dissociation, the increased antibody titer did not cross react with bovine serum albumin nor alpha-synuclein, and addition of Aβ back to the dissociated serum blocked the increase in antibody titers. Conclusions Circulating human Aβ can interfere with ELISA assay measurements of anti-Aβ titers. The E22Q Aβ peptide vaccine is more immunogenic than the wild-type peptide. Unlike peptide vaccines, VLP-based vaccines against Aβ abrogate the effects of Aβ self-tolerance.

  10. Registered particles onboard identification in the various apertures of GAMMA-400 space gamma-telescope

    Science.gov (United States)

    Arkhangelskaja, Irene

    2016-07-01

    GAMMA-400 (Gamma Astronomical Multifunctional Modular Apparatus) will be the gamma-telescope onboard international satellite gamma-observatory designed for particle registration in the wide energy band. Its parameters are optimized for detection of gamma-quanta with the energy ˜ 100 GeV in the main aperture. The main scientific goals of GAMMA-400 are to investigate fluxes of γ-rays and the electron-positron cosmic ray component possibly generated by dark matter particles decay or annihilation and to search for and study in detail discrete γ-ray sources, to investigate the energy spectra of Galactic and extragalactic diffuse γ-rays, and to study γ-ray bursts and γ-emission from the active Sun. This article presents analysis of detected events identification procedures and energy resolution in three apertures provide particles registration both from upper and lateral directions based on GAMMA-400 modeling due special designed software. Time and segmentation methods are used to reject backsplash (backscattering particles created when high energy γ-rays interact with the calorimeter's matter and move in the opposite direction) in the main aperture while only energy deposition analysis allows to reject this effect in the additional and lateral ones. The main aperture provides the best angular (all strip layers information analysis) and energy (energy deposition in the all detectors studying) resolution in the energy range 0.1 - 3 × 10^{3} GeV. The energy resolution in this band is 1%. Triggers in the main aperture will be formed using information about particle direction provided by time of flight system and presence of charged particle or backsplash signal formed according to analysis of energy deposition in combination of all two-layers anticoincidence systems individual detectors. In the additional aperture gamma-telescope allows to register events in the energy band 10 × 10^{-3} - 3 × 10^{3} GeV. The additional aperture energy resolution provides due to

  11. Recent results on prototype aerogel threshold counters for particle identification in the region: 0.5 6 4.3 GeV / c

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Arisaka, K.; Borsato, E.; DalCorso, F.; Iacovella, F.; Morandin, M.; Posocco, M.; Stroili, R.; Torassa, DE.; Voci, C.; Boutigny, D.; Bonis, I. de; Favier, J.; Karyotakis, Y.; Lafaye, R.; Ferroni, F.; Mazzoni, M.A.; Morganti, S.; Piredda, G.; Santacesaria, R.; Oyang, J.

    1996-01-01

    The recent development of new processes has lead to the fabrication of small density silica aerogel with high optical quality. The BaBar experiment, in order to achieve its physics program, requires a good pion kaon identification capability up to 4.3 GeV/c able to work inside a 1.5 Tesla magnetic field. An aerogel threshold counter using thee combination of 2 refractive indices (1.055 and 1.007) can be used to complete the angular coverage of the particle identification system in the forward region. Different detector geometries read out by two photo-detectors types (fine mesh phototubes and Hybrid Photo-Diodes) have been considered and tested in CERN beam test. (author)

  12. Apolipoprotein E expression and behavioral toxicity of high charge, high energy (HZE) particle radiation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Higuchi, Yoshinori; Nelson, Gregory A.; Vazquez, Marcelo; Laskowitz, Daniel T.; Slater, James M.; Pearlstein, Robert D.

    2002-01-01

    Apolipoprotein E (apoE) is a lipid binding protein that plays an important role in tissue repair following brain injury. In the present studies, we have investigated whether apoE affects the behavioral toxicity of high charge, high energy (HZE) particle radiation. METHODS: Sixteen male apoE knockout (KO) mice and sixteen genetically matched wild-type (WT) C57BL mice were used in this experiment. Half of the KO and half of the WT animals were irradiated with 600 MeV/amu iron particles (2 Gy whole body). The effect of irradiation on motor coordination and stamina (Rotarod test), exploratory behavior (open field test), and spatial working and reference memory (Morris water maze) was assessed. ROTAROD TEST: Performance was adversely affected by radiation exposure in both KO and WT groups at 30 d after irradiation. By 60 d after radiation, the radiation effect was lost in WT, but still apparent in irradiated KO mice. OPEN FIELD TEST: Radiation reduced open field exploratory activity 14, 28, 56, 84, and 168 d after irradiation of KO mice, but had no effect on WT mice. MORRIS WATER MAZE: Radiation adversely affected spatial working memory in the KO mice, but had no discernible effect in the WT mice as assessed 180 d after irradiation. In contrast, irradiated WT mice showed marked impairment of spatial reference memory in comparison to non-irradiated mice, while no effect of radiation was observed in KO mice. CONCLUSIONS: These studies show that apoE expression influences the behavioral toxicity of HZE particle radiation and suggest that apoE plays a role in the repair/recovery from radiation injury of the CNS. ApoE deficiency may exacerbate the previously reported effects of HZE particle radiation in accelerating the brain aging process.

  13. Apolipoprotein E expression and behavioral toxicity of high charge, high energy (HZE) particle radiation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Higuchi, Yoshinori; Nelson, G.A.; Slater, J.M.; Pearlstein, R.D.; Laskowitz, D.T.

    2002-01-01

    Apolipoprotein E (apoE) is a lipid binding protein that plays an important role in tissue repair following brain injury. In the present studies, we have investigated whether apoE affects the behavioral toxicity of high charge, high energy (HZE) particle radiation. Sixteen male apoE knockout (KO) mice and sixteen genetically matched wild-type (WT) C57BL mice were used in this experiment. Half of the KO and half of the WT animals were irradiated with 600 MeV/amu iron particles (2 Gy whole body). The effect of irradiation on motor coordination and stamina (Rotarod test), exploratory behavior (open field test), and spatial working and reference memory (Morris water maze) was assessed. Rotarod test: Performance was adversely affected by radiation exposure in both KO and WT groups at 30 d after irradiation. By 60 d after radiation, the radiation effect was lost in WT, but still apparent in irradiated KO mice. Open field test: Radiation reduced open field exploratory activity 14, 28, 56, 84, and 168 d after irradiation of KO mice, but had no effect on WT mice. Morris water maze: Radiation adversely affected spatial working memory in the KO mice, but had no discernible effect in the WT mice as assessed 180 d after irradiation. In contrast, irradiated WT mice showed marked impairment of spatial reference memory in comparison to non-irradiated mice, while no effect of radiation was observed in KO mice. These studies show that apoE expression influences the behavioral toxicity of HZE particle radiation and suggest that apoE plays a role in the repair/recovery from radiation injury of the central nervous system (CNS). ApoE deficiency may exacerbate the previously reported effects of HZE particle radiation in accelerating the brain aging process. (author)

  14. Apolipoprotein E expression and behavioral toxicity of high charge, high energy (HZE) particle radiation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Higuchi, Yoshinori; Nelson, G.A.; Slater, J.M.; Pearlstein, R.D. [Loma Linda Univ., CA (United States). Medical Center; Vazquez, M. [Brookhaven National Lab., Upton, NY (United States); Laskowitz, D.T. [Duke Univ., Durham, NC (United States). Medical Center

    2002-12-01

    Apolipoprotein E (apoE) is a lipid binding protein that plays an important role in tissue repair following brain injury. In the present studies, we have investigated whether apoE affects the behavioral toxicity of high charge, high energy (HZE) particle radiation. Sixteen male apoE knockout (KO) mice and sixteen genetically matched wild-type (WT) C57BL mice were used in this experiment. Half of the KO and half of the WT animals were irradiated with 600 MeV/amu iron particles (2 Gy whole body). The effect of irradiation on motor coordination and stamina (Rotarod test), exploratory behavior (open field test), and spatial working and reference memory (Morris water maze) was assessed. Rotarod test: Performance was adversely affected by radiation exposure in both KO and WT groups at 30 d after irradiation. By 60 d after radiation, the radiation effect was lost in WT, but still apparent in irradiated KO mice. Open field test: Radiation reduced open field exploratory activity 14, 28, 56, 84, and 168 d after irradiation of KO mice, but had no effect on WT mice. Morris water maze: Radiation adversely affected spatial working memory in the KO mice, but had no discernible effect in the WT mice as assessed 180 d after irradiation. In contrast, irradiated WT mice showed marked impairment of spatial reference memory in comparison to non-irradiated mice, while no effect of radiation was observed in KO mice. These studies show that apoE expression influences the behavioral toxicity of HZE particle radiation and suggest that apoE plays a role in the repair/recovery from radiation injury of the central nervous system (CNS). ApoE deficiency may exacerbate the previously reported effects of HZE particle radiation in accelerating the brain aging process. (author)

  15. Laplace transform method in analysing the effect of amplifier parameter on identification of light charged particles with CsI(Tl) + PD (photodiodes) detector

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wang Jinchuan; Xi Hongfei; Guo Zhongyan; Zhan Wenlong; Zhu Yongtai; Zhou Jianqun; Liu Guanhua; Su Hong

    1992-01-01

    Laplace transform method is applied to investigate the effect of the choice of amplifier parameter on identification of the light charged particles emitted from 12 C(46.7 MeV/u) + 58 Ni reaction. The significance of application of Laplace transformation method in heavy ion experimental nuclear physics is discussed as well

  16. A single intranasal administration of virus-like particle vaccine induces an efficient protection for mice against human respiratory syncytial virus.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jiao, Yue-Ying; Fu, Yuan-Hui; Yan, Yi-Fei; Hua, Ying; Ma, Yao; Zhang, Xiu-Juan; Song, Jing-Dong; Peng, Xiang-Lei; Huang, Jiaqiang; Hong, Tao; He, Jin-Sheng

    2017-08-01

    Human respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is an important pediatric pathogen causing acute viral respiratory disease in infants and young children. However, no licensed vaccines are currently available. Virus-like particles (VLPs) may bring new hope to producing RSV VLP vaccine with high immunogenicity and safety. Here, we constructed the recombinants of matrix protein (M) and fusion glycoprotein (F) of RSV, respectively into a replication-deficient first-generation adenoviral vector (FGAd), which were used to co-infect Vero cells to assemble RSV VLPs successfully. The resulting VLPs showed similar immunoreactivity and function to RSV virion in vitro. Moreover, Th1 polarized response, and effective mucosal virus-neutralizing antibody and CD8 + T-cell responses were induced by a single intranasal (i.n.) administration of RSV VLPs rather than intramuscular (i.m.) inoculation, although the comparable RSV F-specific serum IgG and long-lasting RSV-specific neutralizing antibody were detected in the mice immunized by both routes. Upon RSV challenge, VLP-immunized mice showed increased viral clearance but decreased signs of enhanced lung pathology and fewer eosinophils compared to mice immunized with formalin-inactivated RSV (FI-RSV). In addition, a single i.n. RSV VLP vaccine has the capability to induce RSV-specific long-lasting neutralizing antibody responses observable up to 15 months. Our results demonstrate that the long-term and memory immune responses in mice against RSV were induced by a single i.n. administration of RSV VLP vaccine, suggesting a successful approach of RSV VLPs as an effective and safe mucosal vaccine against RSV infection, and an applicable and qualified platform of FGAd-infected Vero cells for VLP production. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  17. Machine learning based global particle indentification algorithms at LHCb experiment

    CERN Multimedia

    Derkach, Denis; Likhomanenko, Tatiana; Rogozhnikov, Aleksei; Ratnikov, Fedor

    2017-01-01

    One of the most important aspects of data processing at LHC experiments is the particle identification (PID) algorithm. In LHCb, several different sub-detector systems provide PID information: the Ring Imaging CHerenkov (RICH) detector, the hadronic and electromagnetic calorimeters, and the muon chambers. To improve charged particle identification, several neural networks including a deep architecture and gradient boosting have been applied to data. These new approaches provide higher identification efficiencies than existing implementations for all charged particle types. It is also necessary to achieve a flat dependency between efficiencies and spectator variables such as particle momentum, in order to reduce systematic uncertainties during later stages of data analysis. For this purpose, "flat” algorithms that guarantee the flatness property for efficiencies have also been developed. This talk presents this new approach based on machine learning and its performance.

  18. Diesel Exhaust Particles Induce Impairment of Vascular and Cardiac Homeostasis in Mice: Ameliorative Effect of Emodin

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Abderrahim Nemmar

    2015-07-01

    Full Text Available Background/Aim: There is strong epidemiological and clinical evidence that components of the cardiovascular system are adversely affected by particulate air pollutants through the generation of inflammation and oxidative stress. Emodin (1,3,8-trihydroxy-6-methylanthraquinone, which is commonly found in the roots of rhubarb plant, has strong antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. However, its possible protective effect on the cardiovascular effect of particulate air pollutants has never been reported before. Methods: We tested, in Tuck-Ordinary mice, the possible ameliorative effect of emodin on the acute (24h cardiovascular effects of diesel exhaust particles (DEP, 1 mg/kg or saline (control. Emodin (4 mg/kg was administered intraperitoneally 1h before and 7h after pulmonary exposure to DEP. Twenty four h following DEP exposure, several cardiovascular endpoints were assessed. Results: Emodin significantly prevented the increase of leukocyte (n=8, Pin vivo prothrombotic effect of DEP in pial arterioles (n=6, Pin vitro in whole blood (n=4-5, PConclusion: We conclude that emodin treatment has consistently protected against DEP-induced impairment of vascular and cardiac homeostasis in mice. Our study provides experimental evidence that the use of functional food such as emodin, pending further studies, can be considered a useful agent and may have the potential to protect or mitigate the cardiovascular detrimental effects observed in people living in cities with high concentrations of particulate air pollution.

  19. A Parallel Particle Swarm Optimizer

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Schutte, J. F; Fregly, B .J; Haftka, R. T; George, A. D

    2003-01-01

    .... Motivated by a computationally demanding biomechanical system identification problem, we introduce a parallel implementation of a stochastic population based global optimizer, the Particle Swarm...

  20. Oral Immunization with Recombinant Norwalk Virus-Like Particles Induces a Systemic and Mucosal Immune Response in Mice

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ball, Judith M.; Hardy, Michele E.; Atmar, Robert L.; Conner, Margaret E.; Estes, Mary K.

    1998-01-01

    Recombinant Norwalk virus-like particles (rNV VLPs) produced in insect cells were evaluated as an oral immunogen in CD1 and BALB/c mice by monitoring rNV-specific serum total and subclass immunoglobulin G (IgG) and intestinal IgA responses. Dose and kinetics of response were evaluated in the presence and absence of the mucosal adjuvant cholera toxin (CT). rNV-specific serum IgG and intestinal IgA were detected in the absence of CT, and the number of responders was not significantly different from that of mice administered VLPs with CT at most doses. The use of CT was associated with induction of higher levels of IgG in serum; this effect was greater at higher doses of VLPs. IgG in serum was detected in the majority of animals by 9 days postimmunization (dpi), and intestinal IgA responses were detected by 24 dpi. In the absence of CT, IgG2b was the dominant IgG subclass response in both mouse strains. Thus, nonreplicating rNV VLPs are immunogenic when administered orally in the absence of any delivery system or mucosal adjuvant. These studies demonstrate that rNV VLPs are an excellent model to study the oral delivery of antigen, and they are a potential mucosal vaccine for NV infections. PMID:9445035

  1. Particle identification using digital pulse shape discrimination in a nTD silicon detector with a 1 GHz sampling digitizer

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mahata, K.; Shrivastava, A.; Gore, J. A.; Pandit, S. K.; Parkar, V. V.; Ramachandran, K.; Kumar, A.; Gupta, S.; Patale, P.

    2018-06-01

    In beam test experiments have been carried out for particle identification using digital pulse shape analysis in a 500 μm thick Neutron Transmutation Doped (nTD) silicon detector with an indigenously developed FPGA based 12 bit resolution, 1 GHz sampling digitizer. The nTD Si detector was used in a low-field injection setup to detect light heavy-ions produced in reactions of ∼ 5 MeV/A 7Li and 12C beams on different targets. Pulse height, rise time and current maximum have been obtained from the digitized charge output of a high bandwidth charge and current sensitive pre-amplifier. Good isotopic separation have been achieved using only the digitized charge output in case of light heavy-ions. The setup can be used for charged particle spectroscopy in nuclear reactions involving light heavy-ions around the Coulomb barrier energies.

  2. Use of transgenic mice in lipoprotein metabolism and atherosclerosis research

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Havekes, L.M.; Vlijmen, B.J.M. van; Jong, M.C.; Dijk, K.W. van; Hofker, M.H.

    1997-01-01

    In APOE*3-Leiden transgenic mice the atherosclerotic lesion size is correlated with plasma cholesterol. In these mice the plasma lipid levels are positively correlated with the relative amount of APOE 3-Leiden protein on the VLDL particle. The plasma cholesterol levels are influenced by diet, age

  3. Identification of an astrovirus commonly infecting laboratory mice in the US and Japan.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Terry Fei Fan Ng

    Full Text Available Mice (Mus musculus are the most commonly used laboratory animals. Viral metagenomics on tissues of immunodeficient mice revealed sequences of a novel mammalian astrovirus. Using PCR, we screened mice from 4 breeders, 4 pharmaceutical companies, 14 research institutes and 30 universities in the US and Japan. Mice from one US breeder tested positive while none from Japanese breeders were positive for MuAstV. Mice in over half of the universities (19/30, institutes (7/14 and pharmaceutical animal facilities (2/4 investigated revealed the presence of MuAstV. Nine mice strains tested positive including both immunodeficient strains (NSG, NOD-SCID, NSG-3GS, C57BL6-Timp-3 (-/-, and uPA-NOG and immunocompetent strains (B6J, ICR, Bash2, BALB/c. Our data indicates that MuAstV has a wide geographical, institutional and host strain distribution. Comparison of the MuAstV RdRp sequences showed numerous mutations indicating ongoing viral divergence in different facilities. This study demonstrates the need for metagenomic screening of laboratory animals to identify adventitious infections that may affect experimental outcomes.

  4. Effect of silica particle size on macrophage inflammatory responses.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Toshimasa Kusaka

    Full Text Available Amorphous silica particles, such as nanoparticles (<100 nm diameter particles, are used in a wide variety of products, including pharmaceuticals, paints, cosmetics, and food. Nevertheless, the immunotoxicity of these particles and the relationship between silica particle size and pro-inflammatory activity are not fully understood. In this study, we addressed the relationship between the size of amorphous silica (particle dose, diameter, number, and surface area and the inflammatory activity (macrophage phagocytosis, inflammasome activation, IL-1β secretion, cell death and lung inflammation. Irrespective of diameter size, silica particles were efficiently internalized by mouse bone marrow-derived macrophages via an actin cytoskeleton-dependent pathway, and induced caspase-1, but not caspase-11, activation. Of note, 30 nm-1000 nm diameter silica particles induced lysosomal destabilization, cell death, and IL-1β secretion at markedly higher levels than did 3000 nm-10000 nm silica particles. Consistent with in vitro results, intra-tracheal administration of 30 nm silica particles into mice caused more severe lung inflammation than that of 3000 nm silica particles, as assessed by measurement of pro-inflammatory cytokines and neutrophil infiltration in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid of mice, and by the micro-computed tomography analysis. Taken together, these results suggest that silica particle size impacts immune responses, with submicron amorphous silica particles inducing higher inflammatory responses than silica particles over 1000 nm in size, which is ascribed not only to their ability to induce caspase-1 activation but also to their cytotoxicity.

  5. Identification of chemical components of combustion emissions that affect pro-atherosclerotic vascular responses in mice.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Seilkop, Steven K; Campen, Matthew J; Lund, Amie K; McDonald, Jacob D; Mauderly, Joe L

    2012-04-01

    Combustion emissions cause pro-atherosclerotic responses in apolipoprotein E-deficient (ApoE/⁻) mice, but the causal components of these complex mixtures are unresolved. In studies previously reported, ApoE⁻/⁻ mice were exposed by inhalation 6 h/day for 50 consecutive days to multiple dilutions of diesel or gasoline exhaust, wood smoke, or simulated "downwind" coal emissions. In this study, the analysis of the combined four-study database using the Multiple Additive Regression Trees (MART) data mining approach to determine putative causal exposure components regardless of combustion source is reported. Over 700 physical-chemical components were grouped into 45 predictor variables. Response variables measured in aorta included endothelin-1, vascular endothelin growth factor, three matrix metalloproteinases (3, 7, 9), metalloproteinase inhibitor 2, heme-oxygenase-1, and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances. Two or three predictors typically explained most of the variation in response among the experimental groups. Overall, sulfur dioxide, ammonia, nitrogen oxides, and carbon monoxide were most highly predictive of responses, although their rankings differed among the responses. Consistent with the earlier finding that filtration of particles had little effect on responses, particulate components ranked third to seventh in predictive importance for the eight response variables. MART proved useful for identifying putative causal components, although the small number of pollution mixtures (4) can provide only suggestive evidence of causality. The potential independent causal contributions of these gases to the vascular responses, as well as possible interactions among them and other components of complex pollutant mixtures, warrant further evaluation.

  6. Cytogenetic effects of protracted exposures to alpha-particles from plutonium-239 and to gamma-rays from cobalt-60 compared in male mice

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Searle, A.G.; Beechey, C.V.; Green, D.; Humphreys, E.R.

    1976-01-01

    Adult C3HX 101 hybrid male mice were injected intravenously with 4 μCi of 239 Pu citrate per kg body weight and examined for evidence of cytogenetic damage to the testis after exposures of 21, 28 and 34 weeks, with average doses from α-particles estimated as 13, 18 and 18 rad respectively (mean dose rate 0.00006 rad/min). Results were compared with those obtained when equivalent males were exposed continuously and concurrently to 1128 rad 60 Co γ-irradiation over 28 weeks (0.004 rad/min) The following estimates of the relative effectiveness of the α-and γ-radiation were made: 24 for reciprocal translocations and for chromosome fragments, 22 for dominant lethal mutations acting after implantation. These values (with mean of 23) are based on average testis doses, with no correction for probable non-homogeneity of α dose distribution. In the mice exposed to γ-irradiation, there were significant reductions in testis mass and epididymal sperm-count

  7. Identification of Candida Species Using MP65 Gene and Evaluation of the Candida albicans MP65 Gene Expression in BALB/C Mice.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bineshian, Farahnaz; Yadegari, Mohammad Hossien; Sharifi, Zohre; Akbari Eidgahi, Mohammadreza; Nasr, Reza

    2015-05-01

    Systemic candidiasis is a major public health concern. In particular, in immunocompromised people, such as patients with neutropenia, patients with Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) and cancer who are undergoing antiballistic chemotherapy or bone marrow transplants, and people with diabetes. Since the clinical signs and symptoms are nonspecific, early diagnosis is often difficult. The 65-kDa mannoprotein (MP65) gene of Candida albicans is appropriate for detection and identification of systemic candidiasis. This gene encodes a putative b-glucanase mannoprotein of 65 kDa, which plays a major role in the host-fungus relationship, morphogenesis and pathogenicity. The current study aimed to identify different species of Candida (C. albicans, C. glabrata and C. parapsilosis) using the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) technique and also to evaluate C. albicans MP65 gene expression in BALB/C mice. All yeast isolates were identified on cornmeal agar supplemented with tween-80, germ tube formation in serum, and assimilation of carbon sources in the API 20 C AUX yeast identification system. Polymerase Chain Reaction was performed on all samples using species-specific primers for the MP65 65 kDa gene. After RNA extraction, cDNA synthesis was performed by the Maxime RT Pre Mix kit. Candida albicans MP65 gene expression was evaluated by quantitative Real-Time (q Real-Time) and Real-Time (RT) PCR techniques. The 2-ΔΔCT method was used to analyze relative changes in gene expression of MP65. For statistical analysis, nonparametric Wilcoxon test was applied using the SPSS version 16 software. Using biochemical methods, one hundred, six and one isolates of clinical samples were determined as C. albicans, C. glabrata and C. parapsilosis, respectively. Species-specific primers for PCR experiments were applied to clinical specimens, and in all cases a single expected band for C. albicans, C. glabrata and C. parapsilosis was obtained (475, 361 and 124 base pairs, respectively

  8. Murine polyomavirus virus-like particles carrying full-length human PSA protect BALB/c mice from outgrowth of a PSA expressing tumor.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mathilda Eriksson

    Full Text Available Virus-like particles (VLPs consist of capsid proteins from viruses and have been shown to be usable as carriers of protein and peptide antigens for immune therapy. In this study, we have produced and assayed murine polyomavirus (MPyV VLPs carrying the entire human Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA (PSA-MPyVLPs for their potential use for immune therapy in a mouse model system. BALB/c mice immunized with PSA-MPyVLPs were only marginally protected against outgrowth of a PSA-expressing tumor. To improve protection, PSA-MPyVLPs were co-injected with adjuvant CpG, either alone or loaded onto murine dendritic cells (DCs. Immunization with PSA-MPyVLPs loaded onto DCs in the presence of CpG was shown to efficiently protect mice from tumor outgrowth. In addition, cellular and humoral immune responses after immunization were examined. PSA-specific CD4(+ and CD8(+ cells were demonstrated, but no PSA-specific IgG antibodies. Vaccination with DCs loaded with PSA-MPyVLPs induced an eight-fold lower titre of anti-VLP antibodies than vaccination with PSA-MPyVLPs alone. In conclusion, immunization of BALB/c mice with PSA-MPyVLPs, loaded onto DCs and co-injected with CpG, induces an efficient PSA-specific tumor protective immune response, including both CD4(+ and CD8(+ cells with a low induction of anti-VLP antibodies.

  9. Murine Polyomavirus Virus-Like Particles Carrying Full-Length Human PSA Protect BALB/c Mice from Outgrowth of a PSA Expressing Tumor

    Science.gov (United States)

    Eriksson, Mathilda; Andreasson, Kalle; Weidmann, Joachim; Lundberg, Kajsa; Tegerstedt, Karin

    2011-01-01

    Virus-like particles (VLPs) consist of capsid proteins from viruses and have been shown to be usable as carriers of protein and peptide antigens for immune therapy. In this study, we have produced and assayed murine polyomavirus (MPyV) VLPs carrying the entire human Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) (PSA-MPyVLPs) for their potential use for immune therapy in a mouse model system. BALB/c mice immunized with PSA-MPyVLPs were only marginally protected against outgrowth of a PSA-expressing tumor. To improve protection, PSA-MPyVLPs were co-injected with adjuvant CpG, either alone or loaded onto murine dendritic cells (DCs). Immunization with PSA-MPyVLPs loaded onto DCs in the presence of CpG was shown to efficiently protect mice from tumor outgrowth. In addition, cellular and humoral immune responses after immunization were examined. PSA-specific CD4+ and CD8+ cells were demonstrated, but no PSA-specific IgG antibodies. Vaccination with DCs loaded with PSA-MPyVLPs induced an eight-fold lower titre of anti-VLP antibodies than vaccination with PSA-MPyVLPs alone. In conclusion, immunization of BALB/c mice with PSA-MPyVLPs, loaded onto DCs and co-injected with CpG, induces an efficient PSA-specific tumor protective immune response, including both CD4+ and CD8+ cells with a low induction of anti-VLP antibodies. PMID:21858228

  10. Real-time resolution of point mutations that cause phenovariance in mice

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Tao; Zhan, Xiaowei; Bu, Chun-Hui; Lyon, Stephen; Pratt, David; Hildebrand, Sara; Choi, Jin Huk; Zhang, Zhao; Zeng, Ming; Wang, Kuan-wen; Turer, Emre; Chen, Zhe; Zhang, Duanwu; Yue, Tao; Wang, Ying; Shi, Hexin; Wang, Jianhui; Sun, Lei; SoRelle, Jeff; McAlpine, William; Hutchins, Noelle; Zhan, Xiaoming; Fina, Maggy; Gobert, Rochelle; Quan, Jiexia; Kreutzer, McKensie; Arnett, Stephanie; Hawkins, Kimberly; Leach, Ashley; Tate, Christopher; Daniel, Chad; Reyna, Carlos; Prince, Lauren; Davis, Sheila; Purrington, Joel; Bearden, Rick; Weatherly, Jennifer; White, Danielle; Russell, Jamie; Sun, Qihua; Tang, Miao; Li, Xiaohong; Scott, Lindsay; Moresco, Eva Marie Y.; McInerney, Gerald M.; Karlsson Hedestam, Gunilla B.; Xie, Yang; Beutler, Bruce

    2015-01-01

    With the wide availability of massively parallel sequencing technologies, genetic mapping has become the rate limiting step in mammalian forward genetics. Here we introduce a method for real-time identification of N-ethyl-N-nitrosourea-induced mutations that cause phenotypes in mice. All mutations are identified by whole exome G1 progenitor sequencing and their zygosity is established in G2/G3 mice before phenotypic assessment. Quantitative and qualitative traits, including lethal effects, in single or multiple combined pedigrees are then analyzed with Linkage Analyzer, a software program that detects significant linkage between individual mutations and aberrant phenotypic scores and presents processed data as Manhattan plots. As multiple alleles of genes are acquired through mutagenesis, pooled “superpedigrees” are created to analyze the effects. Our method is distinguished from conventional forward genetic methods because it permits (1) unbiased declaration of mappable phenotypes, including those that are incompletely penetrant (2), automated identification of causative mutations concurrent with phenotypic screening, without the need to outcross mutant mice to another strain and backcross them, and (3) exclusion of genes not involved in phenotypes of interest. We validated our approach and Linkage Analyzer for the identification of 47 mutations in 45 previously known genes causative for adaptive immune phenotypes; our analysis also implicated 474 genes not previously associated with immune function. The method described here permits forward genetic analysis in mice, limited only by the rates of mutant production and screening. PMID:25605905

  11. Analogue particle identifier and test unit for automatic measuring of errors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Boden, A.; Lauch, J.

    1979-04-01

    A high accuracy analogue particle identifier is described. The unit is used for particle identification or data correction of experimental based errors in magnetic spectrometers. Signals which are proportional to the energy, the time-of-flight or the position of absorption of the particles are supplied to an analogue computation circuit (multifunction converter). Three computation functions are available for different applications. The output of the identifier produces correction signals or pulses whose amplitudes are proportional to the mass of the particles. Particle identification and data correction can be optimized by the adjustment of variable parameters. An automatic test unit has been developed for adjustment and routine checking of particle identifiers. The computation functions can be tested by this unit with an accuracy of 1%. (orig.) [de

  12. Identified particle yield associated with a high-$p_T$ trigger particle at the LHC

    CERN Document Server

    Veldhoen, Misha; van Leeuwen, Marco

    Identified particle production ratios are important observables, used to constrain models of particle production in heavy-ion collisions. Measurements of the inclusive particle ratio in central heavy-ion collisions showed an increase of the baryon-to-meson ratio compared to proton-proton collisions at intermediate pT, the so-called baryon anomaly. One possible explanation of the baryon anomaly is that partons from the thermalized deconfined QCD matter hadronize in a different way compared to hadrons produced in a vacuum jet. In this work we extend on previous measurements by measuring particle ratios in the yield associated with a high-pT trigger particle. These measurements can potentially further constrain the models of particle production since they are sensitive to the difference between particles from a jet and particles that are produced in the bulk. We start by developing a particle identification method that uses both the specific energy loss of a particle and the time of flight. From there, we presen...

  13. Particle Identification with the Cherenkov imaging technique using MPGD based Photon Detectors for Physics at COMPASS Experiment at CERN

    CERN Document Server

    AUTHOR|(CDS)2070220; Martin, Anna

    A novel technology for the detection of single photons has been developed and implemented in 2016 in the Ring Imaging Cherenkov (RICH) detector of the COMPASS Experiment at CERN SPS. Some basic knowledge in the field of particle identification and RICH counters, Micro Pattern Gaseous Detectors (MPGDs) in general and their development for photon detection applications are provided. The characteristics of the COMPASS setup are summarized and the COMPAS RICH-1 detector is described and shown to provide hadron identification in the momentum range between 3 and 55 GeV/c. The THGEM technology is discussed illustrating their characterization as gas multipliers and as reflective photocathodes: large gains and efficient photodetection collections are achieved when using optimized parameters and conditions (hole diameter = THGEM thickness = 0.4 mm; hole pitch = 0.8 mm and no rim; CH4-rich gas mixtures and electric field values > 1 kV/cm at the CsI surface). The intense R\\&D program leading to the choice of a hybrid...

  14. Silica nanoparticles as the adjuvant for the immunisation of mice using hepatitis B core virus-like particles.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dace Skrastina

    Full Text Available Advances in nanotechnology and nanomaterials have facilitated the development of silicon dioxide, or Silica, particles as a promising immunological adjuvant for the generation of novel prophylactic and therapeutic vaccines. In the present study, we have compared the adjuvanting potential of commercially available Silica nanoparticles (initial particles size of 10-20 nm with that of aluminium hydroxide, or Alum, as well as that of complete and incomplete Freund's adjuvants for the immunisation of BALB/c mice with virus-like particles (VLPs formed by recombinant full-length Hepatitis B virus core (HBc protein. The induction of B-cell and T-cell responses was studied after immunisation. Silica nanoparticles were able to adsorb maximally 40% of the added HBc, whereas the adsorption capacity of Alum exceeded 90% at the same VLPs/adjuvant ratio. Both Silica and Alum formed large complexes with HBc VLPs that sedimented rapidly after formulation, as detected by dynamic light scattering, spectrophotometry, and electron microscopy. Both Silica and Alum augmented the humoral response against HBc VLPs to the high anti-HBc level in the case of intraperitoneal immunisation, whereas in subcutaneous immunisation, the Silica-adjuvanted anti-HBc level even exceeded the level adjuvanted by Alum. The adjuvanting of HBc VLPs by Silica resulted in the same typical IgG2a/IgG1 ratios as in the case of the adjuvanting by Alum. The combination of Silica with monophosphoryl lipid A (MPL led to the same enhancement of the HBc-specific T-cell induction as in the case of the Alum and MPL combination. These findings demonstrate that Silica is not a weaker putative adjuvant than Alum for induction of B-cell and T-cell responses against recombinant HBc VLPs. This finding may have an essential impact on the development of the set of Silica-adjuvanted vaccines based on a long list of HBc-derived virus-like particles as the biological component.

  15. Raman Spectroscopy of Optically Trapped Single Biological Micro-Particles

    Science.gov (United States)

    Redding, Brandon; Schwab, Mark J.; Pan, Yong-le

    2015-01-01

    The combination of optical trapping with Raman spectroscopy provides a powerful method for the study, characterization, and identification of biological micro-particles. In essence, optical trapping helps to overcome the limitation imposed by the relative inefficiency of the Raman scattering process. This allows Raman spectroscopy to be applied to individual biological particles in air and in liquid, providing the potential for particle identification with high specificity, longitudinal studies of changes in particle composition, and characterization of the heterogeneity of individual particles in a population. In this review, we introduce the techniques used to integrate Raman spectroscopy with optical trapping in order to study individual biological particles in liquid and air. We then provide an overview of some of the most promising applications of this technique, highlighting the unique types of measurements enabled by the combination of Raman spectroscopy with optical trapping. Finally, we present a brief discussion of future research directions in the field. PMID:26247952

  16. Novel strategies at Lhcb for particle identification

    CERN Document Server

    Ferrari, Fabio

    2017-01-01

    The LHCb experiment at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) is performing high precision measurements in the avour sector. An excellent performance of the particle identication (PID) detectors as well as the development of new data taking techniques are of fundamental importance in order to cope with increasingly harder challenges posed by the LHC Run 2. The approach of data-driven calibration of particle identication performance at LHCb has changed significantly from Run 1 to Run 2 and calibration samples are now selected directly in the LHCb high-level trigger. This change of data-taking paradigm enables larger calibration samples with respect to Run 1 to be collected, giving access to low-level detector informations useful for studies of systematic effects, while retaining the same (or improving) the PID performances observed Run 1.

  17. An observation of histological evidence on internal organ damages in mice caused by repeated exposures to motorcycle emissions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wardoyo, Arinto Y. P.; Juswono, Unggul P.; Noor, Johan A. E.

    2017-05-01

    Motor vehicle emissions have been identified as a source of ultrafine particles, which have significant impacts on human health. Repeated and prolonged exposure to ultrafine particles may have a significant association with organ damage. Here, we evaluated the correlation between repeated exposure to ultrafine particles and organ damage in mice. Motorcycle emissions were injected into an exposure chamber with mice for a period of 20 seconds. This treatment was conducted over 10 days. The mice were sacrificed on the 2nd, 4th, 6th, 8th, and 10th days for organ preparations. Based on the results, motorcycle emission exposure caused organ damage in mice, with different severities depending on the organ. The highest damage was found for the lung, followed by the kidney, erythrocytes, and liver.

  18. Identification of a Glycogen Synthase Kinase-3[beta] Inhibitor that Attenuates Hyperactivity in CLOCK Mutant Mice

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kozikowski, Alan P.; Gunosewoyo, Hendra; Guo, Songpo; Gaisina, Irina N.; Walter, Richard L.; Ketcherside, Ariel; McClung, Colleen A.; Mesecar, Andrew D.; Caldarone, Barbara (Psychogenics); (Purdue); (UIC); (UTSMC)

    2012-05-02

    Bipolar disorder is characterized by a cycle of mania and depression, which affects approximately 5 million people in the United States. Current treatment regimes include the so-called 'mood-stabilizing drugs', such as lithium and valproate that are relatively dated drugs with various known side effects. Glycogen synthase kinase-3{beta} (GSK-3{beta}) plays a central role in regulating circadian rhythms, and lithium is known to be a direct inhibitor of GSK-3{beta}. We designed a series of second generation benzofuran-3-yl-(indol-3-yl)maleimides containing a piperidine ring that possess IC{sub 50} values in the range of 4 to 680 nM against human GSK-3{beta}. One of these compounds exhibits reasonable kinase selectivity and promising preliminary absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion (ADME) data. The administration of this compound at doses of 10 to 25 mg kg{sup -1} resulted in the attenuation of hyperactivity in amphetamine/chlordiazepoxide-induced manic-like mice together with enhancement of prepulse inhibition, similar to the effects found for valproate (400 mg kg{sup -1}) and the antipsychotic haloperidol (1 mg kg{sup -1}). We also tested this compound in mice carrying a mutation in the central transcriptional activator of molecular rhythms, the CLOCK gene, and found that the same compound attenuates locomotor hyperactivity in response to novelty. This study further demonstrates the use of inhibitors of GSK-3{beta} in the treatment of manic episodes of bipolar/mood disorders, thus further validating GSK-3{beta} as a relevant therapeutic target in the identification of new therapies for bipolar patients.

  19. 21 CFR 892.5050 - Medical charged-particle radiation therapy system.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ...-particle radiation therapy system. (a) Identification. A medical charged-particle radiation therapy system... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Medical charged-particle radiation therapy system... equipment, patient and equipment supports, treatment planning computer programs, component parts, and...

  20. Toxicogenomic analysis of the particle dose- and size-response relationship of silica particles-induced toxicity in mice

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lu Xiaoyan; Jin Tingting; Jin Yachao; Wu Leihong; Hu Bin; Tian Yu; Fan Xiaohui

    2013-01-01

    This study investigated the relationship between particle size and toxicity of silica particles (SP) with diameters of 30, 70, and 300 nm, which is essential to the safe design and application of SP. Data obtained from histopathological examinations suggested that SP of these sizes can all induce acute inflammation in the liver. In vivo imaging showed that intravenously administrated SP are mainly present in the liver, spleen and intestinal tract. Interestingly, in gene expression analysis, the cellular response pathways activated in the liver are predominantly conserved independently of particle dose when the same size SP are administered or are conserved independently of particle size, surface area and particle number when nano- or submicro-sized SP are administered at their toxic doses. Meanwhile, integrated analysis of transcriptomics, previous metabonomics and conventional toxicological results support the view that SP can result in inflammatory and oxidative stress, generate mitochondrial dysfunction, and eventually cause hepatocyte necrosis by neutrophil-mediated liver injury. (paper)

  1. Cardiovascular risks associated with low dose ionizing particle radiation.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Xinhua Yan

    Full Text Available Previous epidemiologic data demonstrate that cardiovascular (CV morbidity and mortality may occur decades after ionizing radiation exposure. With increased use of proton and carbon ion radiotherapy and concerns about space radiation exposures to astronauts on future long-duration exploration-type missions, the long-term effects and risks of low-dose charged particle irradiation on the CV system must be better appreciated. Here we report on the long-term effects of whole-body proton ((1H; 0.5 Gy, 1 GeV and iron ion ((56Fe; 0.15 Gy, 1GeV/nucleon irradiation with and without an acute myocardial ischemia (AMI event in mice. We show that cardiac function of proton-irradiated mice initially improves at 1 month but declines by 10 months post-irradiation. In AMI-induced mice, prior proton irradiation improved cardiac function restoration and enhanced cardiac remodeling. This was associated with increased pro-survival gene expression in cardiac tissues. In contrast, cardiac function was significantly declined in (56Fe ion-irradiated mice at 1 and 3 months but recovered at 10 months. In addition, (56Fe ion-irradiation led to poorer cardiac function and more adverse remodeling in AMI-induced mice, and was associated with decreased angiogenesis and pro-survival factors in cardiac tissues at any time point examined up to 10 months. This is the first study reporting CV effects following low dose proton and iron ion irradiation during normal aging and post-AMI. Understanding the biological effects of charged particle radiation qualities on the CV system is necessary both for the mitigation of space exploration CV risks and for understanding of long-term CV effects following charged particle radiotherapy.

  2. Study of a prototype module of a precision time-of-flight detector for particle identification at low momentum

    CERN Document Server

    AUTHOR|(INSPIRE)INSPIRE-00388630

    In this thesis, Time Of internally Reflected Cherenkov light detector (TORCH), proposed for the LHCb Upgrade to perform three-sigma separation between kaon and pion up to 10$\\ \\rm{GeV}/\\textit{c}$, was studied. TORCH is designed to add significant particle identification capability to the existing LHCb system based on two gas Ring Imaging Cherenkov detectors. TORCH would be placed at $\\sim$ 10 m from the interaction point, where the flight time difference between a primary pion and kaon is 37.5 ps. TORCH will give a pion-kaon separation of three sigma at 10$\\ \\rm{GeV}/\\textit{c}$ from the flight time using the Cherenkov photons generated by the charged particle in a 1 cm-thick quartz plate. In order to calculate accurately the flight time in a busy LHCb environment, Cherenkov angle and photon detection time information, as well as the momentum information from the tracking detector are included in the analysis. For the required TORCH performance, the flight time difference must be measured with a resolution o...

  3. High Momentum Particle Identification Detector The Study of Cesium Iodide Quantum Efficiency Dependency on Substrate Material, Temperature and Quartz Window

    CERN Document Server

    Wisna, Gde Bimananda M

    2014-01-01

    The Cesium Iodide (CsI) is used as a material for detecting Cherenkov radiation produced by high momentum particle in High Momentum Particle Identification Detector (HMPID) at ALICE Experiment at CERN. This work provides investigation and analysis of The Quantum Efficiency (QE) result of CsI which is deposited on five samples substrates such as copper passivated red, copper passivated yellow, aluminium, copper coated with nickel and copper coated with nickel then coated with gold. The measurement of five samples is held under temperature $60^{0}$ C and $25^{0}$ C (room temperature) and also with optical quartz window which can be adjusted to limit the wavelength range which reach the CsI. The result shows there are dependency of substrate, temperature due to enhancement effect and also quartz windows usage on QE of CsI. The results of five samples is then compared and analyzed.

  4. Particle identification system based on dense aerogel

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Barnyakov, A.Yu. [Budker Institute of Nuclear Physics, 11, akademika Lavrentieva prospect, Novosibirsk 630090 (Russian Federation); Barnyakov, M.Yu. [Budker Institute of Nuclear Physics, 11, akademika Lavrentieva prospect, Novosibirsk 630090 (Russian Federation); Novosibirsk State Technical University, 20, Karl Marx prospect, Novosibirsk, 630092 (Russian Federation); Beloborodov, K.I., E-mail: K.I.Beloborodov@inp.nsk.su [Budker Institute of Nuclear Physics, 11, akademika Lavrentieva prospect, Novosibirsk 630090 (Russian Federation); Novosibirsk State University, 2, Pirogova Street, Novosibirsk 630090 (Russian Federation); Bobrovnikov, V.S.; Buzykaev, A.R. [Budker Institute of Nuclear Physics, 11, akademika Lavrentieva prospect, Novosibirsk 630090 (Russian Federation); Danilyuk, A.F. [Boreskov Institute of Catalysis, 5, akademika Lavrentieva prospect, Novosibirsk 630090 (Russian Federation); Golubev, V.B. [Budker Institute of Nuclear Physics, 11, akademika Lavrentieva prospect, Novosibirsk 630090 (Russian Federation); Novosibirsk State University, 2, Pirogova Street, Novosibirsk 630090 (Russian Federation); Gulevich, V.V. [Budker Institute of Nuclear Physics, 11, akademika Lavrentieva prospect, Novosibirsk 630090 (Russian Federation); Kononov, S.A.; Kravchenko, E.A. [Budker Institute of Nuclear Physics, 11, akademika Lavrentieva prospect, Novosibirsk 630090 (Russian Federation); Novosibirsk State University, 2, Pirogova Street, Novosibirsk 630090 (Russian Federation); Onuchin, A.P.; Martin, K.A. [Budker Institute of Nuclear Physics, 11, akademika Lavrentieva prospect, Novosibirsk 630090 (Russian Federation); Novosibirsk State Technical University, 20, Karl Marx prospect, Novosibirsk, 630092 (Russian Federation); Serednyakov, S.I. [Budker Institute of Nuclear Physics, 11, akademika Lavrentieva prospect, Novosibirsk 630090 (Russian Federation); Novosibirsk State University, 2, Pirogova Street, Novosibirsk 630090 (Russian Federation); and others

    2013-12-21

    A threshold Cherenkov counter based on dense aerogel with refraction index n=1.13 is described. This counter is used for kaon identification at momenta below 1 GeV/c in the SND detector, which takes data at the VEPP-2000 e{sup +}e{sup −} collider. The results of measurements of the counter efficiency using electrons, muons, pions, and kaons produced in e{sup +}e{sup −} annihilation are presented.

  5. Candidate Gene Identification of Feed Efficiency and Coat Color Traits in a C57BL/6J × Kunming F2 Mice Population Using Genome-Wide Association Study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Miao, Yuanxin; Soudy, Fathia; Xu, Zhong; Liao, Mingxing; Zhao, Shuhong; Li, Xinyun

    2017-01-01

    Feed efficiency (FE) is a very important trait in livestock industry. Identification of the candidate genes could be of benefit for the improvement of FE trait. Mouse is used as the model for many studies in mammals. In this study, the candidate genes related to FE and coat color were identified using C57BL/6J (C57) × Kunming (KM) F2 mouse population. GWAS results showed that 61 and 2 SNPs were genome-wise suggestive significantly associated with feed conversion ratio (FCR) and feed intake (FI) traits, respectively. Moreover, the Erbin, Msrb2, Ptf1a, and Fgf10 were considered as the candidate genes of FE. The Lpl was considered as the candidate gene of FI. Further, the coat color trait was studied. KM mice are white and C57 ones are black. The GWAS results showed that the most significant SNP was located at chromosome 7, and the closely linked gene was Tyr. Therefore, our study offered useful target genes related to FE in mice; these genes may play similar roles in FE of livestock. Also, we identified the major gene of coat color in mice, which would be useful for better understanding of natural mutation of the coat color in mice.

  6. Candidate Gene Identification of Feed Efficiency and Coat Color Traits in a C57BL/6J × Kunming F2 Mice Population Using Genome-Wide Association Study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yuanxin Miao

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Feed efficiency (FE is a very important trait in livestock industry. Identification of the candidate genes could be of benefit for the improvement of FE trait. Mouse is used as the model for many studies in mammals. In this study, the candidate genes related to FE and coat color were identified using C57BL/6J (C57 × Kunming (KM F2 mouse population. GWAS results showed that 61 and 2 SNPs were genome-wise suggestive significantly associated with feed conversion ratio (FCR and feed intake (FI traits, respectively. Moreover, the Erbin, Msrb2, Ptf1a, and Fgf10 were considered as the candidate genes of FE. The Lpl was considered as the candidate gene of FI. Further, the coat color trait was studied. KM mice are white and C57 ones are black. The GWAS results showed that the most significant SNP was located at chromosome 7, and the closely linked gene was Tyr. Therefore, our study offered useful target genes related to FE in mice; these genes may play similar roles in FE of livestock. Also, we identified the major gene of coat color in mice, which would be useful for better understanding of natural mutation of the coat color in mice.

  7. Current technology of particle physics detectors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ludlam, T.W.

    1986-01-01

    A brief discussion is given of the characteristics required of new accelerator facilities, leading into a discussion of the required detectors, including position sensitive detectors, particle identification, and calorimeters

  8. Particle Identification in the T2K TPCs and study of the electron neutrino component in the T2K neutrino beam

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Giganti, Claudio

    2010-01-01

    This thesis describes the work done on the TPCs of the Near Detector of the T2K experiment. T2K is an experiment installed in Japan and its main purpose is the measurement of the last angle of the neutrino mixing matrix, Θ 13 . The other two angles of the matrix have already been measured in the last years, through the phenomenon of the neutrino oscillations, showing that the neutrinos have masses different from zero. The measurement of the missing angle Θ 13 is of fundamental importance for the neutrino physics as, if this angle is different from zero, CP violation in the lepton sector can occur. Up to now only upper limits on the value of Θ 13 exist: the aim of T2K is to measure this angle or to put upper limits on it with a sensitivity 20 times better than the current limit. This measurement will be done measuring the appearance at the far detector, SuperKamiokande, of electron neutrinos in the muon neutrino beam produced at JPARC. The main background to the measurement of Θ 13 is the electron neutrinos produced together with the muon neutrinos in the beam: this component, expected to be of the order of 1% of the total neutrino flux, has to be measured at the T2K Near Detector, before the oscillations. This can be done selecting neutrino interactions in the Near Detector tracker and using the TPC particle identification capabilities to distinguish electrons from muons. This allows to select a sample of electron neutrino interactions and to measure their spectrum at the Near Detector. During this thesis I have developed the methods to perform the particle identification in the TPCs: the method is based on the measurement of the truncated mean of the energy deposited by the charged particles in the gas: at the typical energy of the T2K neutrinos the difference in the deposited energy between muons and electrons is of the order of 40% and for this reason a resolution better than 10% is needed to distinguish the two particles: as we will show in the thesis, with

  9. Novel chimeric virus-like particles vaccine displaying MERS-CoV receptor-binding domain induce specific humoral and cellular immune response in mice.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Chong; Zheng, Xuexing; Gai, Weiwei; Wong, Gary; Wang, Hualei; Jin, Hongli; Feng, Na; Zhao, Yongkun; Zhang, Weijiao; Li, Nan; Zhao, Guoxing; Li, Junfu; Yan, Jinghua; Gao, Yuwei; Hu, Guixue; Yang, Songtao; Xia, Xianzhu

    2017-04-01

    Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) has continued spreading since its emergence in 2012 with a mortality rate of 35.6%, and is a potential pandemic threat. Prophylactics and therapies are urgently needed to address this public health problem. We report here the efficacy of a vaccine consisting of chimeric virus-like particles (VLP) expressing the receptor binding domain (RBD) of MERS-CoV. In this study, a fusion of the canine parvovirus (CPV) VP2 structural protein gene with the RBD of MERS-CoV can self-assemble into chimeric, spherical VLP (sVLP). sVLP retained certain parvovirus characteristics, such as the ability to agglutinate pig erythrocytes, and structural morphology similar to CPV virions. Immunization with sVLP induced RBD-specific humoral and cellular immune responses in mice. sVLP-specific antisera from these animals were able to prevent pseudotyped MERS-CoV entry into susceptible cells, with neutralizing antibody titers reaching 1: 320. IFN-γ, IL-4 and IL-2 secreting cells induced by the RBD were detected in the splenocytes of vaccinated mice by ELISpot. Furthermore, mice inoculated with sVLP or an adjuvanted sVLP vaccine elicited T-helper 1 (Th1) and T-helper 2 (Th2) cell-mediated immunity. Our study demonstrates that sVLP displaying the RBD of MERS-CoV are promising prophylactic candidates against MERS-CoV in a potential outbreak situation. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  10. α/β-particle radiation identification based on fuzzy C-means clustering

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yang Yijianxia; Yang Lu; Li Wenqiang

    2013-01-01

    A pulse shape recognition method based on fuzzy C-means clustering for the discrimination of α/βparticle was presented. A detection circuit to isolate α/β-particles is designed. Using a single probe scintillating detector to acquire α/β particles. By comparing the results to pulse amplitude analysis, it is shown that by Fuzzy C-means clustering α-particle count rate increased by 42.9% and the cross-talk ratio of α-β is decreased by 15.9% for 6190 cps 0420 αsource; β-particle count rate increased by 31.8% and the cross -talk ratio of β-α is decreased by 7.7% for 05-05β source. (authors)

  11. Molecular Determinants of Influenza Virus Pathogenesis in Mice

    Science.gov (United States)

    Katz, Jaqueline M.; York, Ian A.

    2015-01-01

    Mice are widely used for studying influenza virus pathogenesis and immunology because of their low cost, the wide availability of mouse-specific reagents, and the large number of mouse strains available, including knockout and transgenic strains. However, mice do not fully recapitulate the signs of influenza infection of humans: transmission of influenza between mice is much less efficient than in humans, and influenza viruses often require adaptation before they are able to efficiently replicate in mice. In the process of mouse adaptation, influenza viruses acquire mutations that enhance their ability to attach to mouse cells, replicate within the cells, and suppress immunity, among other functions. Many such mouse-adaptive mutations have been identified, covering all 8 genomic segments of the virus. Identification and analysis of these mutations have provided insight into the molecular determinants of influenza virulence and pathogenesis, not only in mice but also in humans and other species. In particular, several mouse-adaptive mutations of avian influenza viruses have proved to be general mammalian-adaptive changes that are potential markers of pre-pandemic viruses. As well as evaluating influenza pathogenesis, mice have also been used as models for evaluation of novel vaccines and anti-viral therapies. Mice can be a useful animal model for studying influenza biology as long as differences between human and mice infections are taken into account. PMID:25038937

  12. Application of on-line nanoLC-IT-TOF in the identification of serum β-catenin complex in mice scald model.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Cheng-cai Huang

    Full Text Available Severe burn shock remains an unresolved clinical problem with an urgent need to explore novel therapeutic treatments. Intracellular β-catenin, through interaction with other proteins, has been reported to be able to regulate the size of cutaneous wounds. Higher expression of β-catenin is associated with larger sized wounds. However, the identification of serum β-catenin complex is difficult and has been rarely reported. The exploitation of more binding partners can contribute to uncovering the exact mechanisms behind serum β-catenin mediated biological effects. Here, we describe a method that consists of immunoprecipitation, SDS-PAGE, in-gel digestion, and nanoLC coupled to LCMS-IT-TOF for the investigation of serum β-catenin complex in mice scald model. Among selected gel bands obtained from the protein gels, a total of 31 peptides were identified and sequenced with high statistical significance (p<0.01. Three proteins (alpha-2-marcoglobulin, serine protease inhibitor A3K, and serine protease inhibitor A1A were identified and validated with high reliability and high reproducibility. It was inferred that these proteins might interact with serum β-catenin, which could affect the wound healing resulting from burn shock. Our study demonstrated that the on-line coupling of nano-LC with a LCMS-IT-TOF mass spectrometer was capable of sensitive and automated characterization of the serum β-catenin complex in mice scald model.

  13. Thermophysical lesions caused by HZE particles

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tobias, C.A.; Malachowski, M.; Nelson, A.; Philpott, D.E.

    1980-01-01

    This paper deals with a type of damage caused by heavy particles that may occur in subcellular structures. These lesions are called thermophysical radiation injury and are similar to damage produced in solids by HZE particles. This chapter summarizes some of the experimental evidence for the presence of these lesions in certain mammalian tissues including the retina, brain, cornea, lens of mice and seeds of corn. Of all tissues examined, only the cornea exhibited a type of lesion which would fulfill the criteria of thermophysical lesions

  14. Biotransformation of cannabidiol in mice. Identification of new acid metabolites.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Martin, B R; Harvey, D J; Paton, W D

    1977-01-01

    The in vivo metabolism of cannabidiol (CBD) was investigated in mice. Following the ip administration of CBD to mice, livers were removed and metabolites were extracted with ethyl acetate prior to partial purification on Sephadex LH-20 columns. Fractions from the columns were converted into trimethylsilyl, d9-trimethylsilyl, and methylester-trimethylsilyl derivatives for analysis by gas-liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. In addition, metabolites containing carboxylic acid and ketone functional groups were reduced to alcohols with lithium aluminum deuteride before trimethylsilation. A total of 22 metabolites were characterized, 14 of which had not been reported previously. The metabolites could be categorized as follows: monohydroxylated (N=2), dihydroxylated (N=3), CBD-7-oic acid, side chain hydroxy-GBD-7-oic acids (N=3), side-chain acids (N=3), 7-hydroxy-side-chain acids (N=4), 6-oxo-side-chain acids (N=3) and glucuronide conjugates (N=3). The most significant biotransformations were glucuronide conjugation and, to a lesser extent, formation of CBD-7-oic acid.

  15. Effect of pulmonary irradiation from inhaled 90Y on immunity to Listeria monocytogenes in mice

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sanchez, A.; Lundgren, D.L.; McClellan, R.O.

    1976-01-01

    The immunological response of mice subjected to irradiation from particles deposited in the lungs and challenged with Listeria monocytogenes was investigated. Mice, exposed by inhalation to 90 Y (a beta-emitting radionuclide) in relatively insoluble fused aluminosilicate particles, were immunized with L. monocytogenes either before or after exposure. Two additional groups of mice were either immunized or irradiated only. A group of control mice received no irradiation or immunization. The beta radiation dose absorbed by the lungs of each mouse at time of challenge averaged 10,000 rads. Fourteen days after immunization, all mice were challenged with 2 LD 50 doses of L. monocytogenes via the respiratory route. Survival of all immunized mice either with or without exposure to 90 Y varied from 90 to 100% as compared to 10 to 20% for the mice irradiated only and for control mice through 14 days after challenge. Pulmonary clearance of inhaled L. monocytogenes during the first 4 hr after challenge was suppressed in the mice irradiated only but not in those immunized only, or in the immunized and irradiated groups, and control mice. There appeared to be a suppression of proliferation of L. monocytogenes in lungs and spleen in the immunized groups 72 hr after challenge, whereas the lungs and spleens of the mice irradiated only and the control mice had extensive bacterial invasion. It was concluded that the 10,000 rads of beta radiation absorbed by the lungs did not suppress the immune mechanisms of the immunized mice

  16. Particle identification in ALICE: a Bayesian approach

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Adam, J.; Adamová, Dagmar; Benáček, Pavel; Bielčík, J.; Bielčíková, Jana; Brož, M.; Čepila, J.; Contreras, J. G.; Eyyubova, G.; Ferencei, Jozef; Horák, D.; Křížek, Filip; Kučera, Vít; Mareš, Jiří A.; Petráček, V.; Pospíšil, Jan; Schulc, M.; Špaček, M.; Šumbera, Michal; Vaňát, Tomáš; Závada, Petr

    2016-01-01

    Roč. 131, č. 5 (2016), s. 168 ISSN 2190-5444 R&D Projects: GA MŠk(CZ) LG13031 Institutional support: RVO:68378271 ; RVO:61389005 Keywords : ALICE collaboration * heavy ion collisions Subject RIV: BG - Nuclear, Atomic and Molecular Physics, Colliders; BF - Elementary Particles and High Energy Physics (FZU-D) Impact factor: 1.753, year: 2016

  17. Ehrlich ascites tumor-bearing mice treated with aqueous ethanol ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Conclusion: Euphorbia tirucalli extract inhibits Ehrlich ascites tumor in mice, but the therapeutic ... traditional treatment of cancer. ... can be used with therapeutic purposes, this .... investigation suggested an antitumor action of E. .... Prasad SB, Giri A. Antitumor effect of cisplatin against ... Identification of the molecular basis of.

  18. P and e identification capabilities CAPRICE

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Basini, G. [INFN, Laboratori Nazionali di Frascati, Rome (Italy); Codino, A.; Grimani, C. [Perugia Univ. (Italy)]|[INFN, Perugia (Italy); De Pascale, M.P. [Rome Univ. `Tor Vergata` (Italy)]|[INFN, Rome (Italy); Hof, M. [Siegen Univ. (Germany). Fachbereich Physik; Golden, R.L. [New Mexico State Univ., Las Cruces, NM (United States). Particle Astrophysics Lab.; Brancaccio, F.; Bocciolini, M. [Florence Univ. (Italy)]|[INFN, Florence (Italy); Barbiellini, G.; Boezio, M. [Trieste Univ. (Italy)]|[INFN, Trieste (Italy)

    1995-09-01

    The cosmic antiparticle ring imaging Cherenkov experiment (CAPRICE) flew on a stratospheric balloon 8-9 August 1994 over northern Canada and collected data for more than 21 hours with less than 5 g/cm{sup 2} of residual atmosphere. The instrument includes a solid radiator RICH detector and an electromagnetic calorimeter for particle identification in the magnetic spectrometer. Preliminary antiproton and positron identification capabilities are presented.

  19. RF System for the MICE Demonstration of Ionisation Cooling

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ronald, K.; et al.

    2017-04-01

    Muon accelerators offer an attractive option for a range of future particle physics experiments. They can enable high energy (TeV+) high energy lepton colliders whilst mitigating the difficulty of synchrotron losses, and can provide intense beams of neutrinos for fundamental physics experiments investigating the physics of flavor. The method of production of muon beams results in high beam emittance which must be reduced for efficient acceleration. Conventional emittance control schemes take too long, given the very short (2.2 microsecond) rest lifetime of the muon. Ionisation cooling offers a much faster approach to reducing particle emittance, and the international MICE collaboration aims to demonstrate this technique for the first time. This paper will present the MICE RF system and its role in the context of the overall experiment.

  20. A tracking system for laboratory mice to support medical researchers in behavioral analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Macrì, S; Mainetti, L; Patrono, L; Pieretti, S; Secco, A; Sergi, I

    2015-08-01

    The behavioral analysis of laboratory mice plays a key role in several medical and scientific research areas, such as biology, toxicology, pharmacology, and so on. Important information on mice behavior and their reaction to a particular stimulus is deduced from a careful analysis of their movements. Moreover, behavioral analysis of genetically modified mice allows obtaining important information about particular genes, phenotypes or drug effects. The techniques commonly adopted to support such analysis have many limitations, which make the related systems particularly ineffective. Currently, the engineering community is working to explore innovative identification and sensing technologies to develop new tracking systems able to guarantee benefits to animals' behavior analysis. This work presents a tracking solution based on passive Radio Frequency Identification Technology (RFID) in Ultra High Frequency (UHF) band. Much emphasis is given to the software component of the system, based on a Web-oriented solution, able to process the raw tracking data coming from a hardware system, and offer 2D and 3D tracking information as well as reports and dashboards about mice behavior. The system has been widely tested using laboratory mice and compared with an automated video-tracking software (i.e., EthoVision). The obtained results have demonstrated the effectiveness and reliability of the proposed solution, which is able to correctly detect the events occurring in the animals' cage, and to offer a complete and user-friendly tool to support researchers in behavioral analysis of laboratory mice.

  1. Potency of whole virus particle and split virion vaccines using dissolving microneedle against challenges of H1N1 and H5N1 influenza viruses in mice.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nakatsukasa, Akihiro; Kuruma, Koji; Okamatsu, Masatoshi; Hiono, Takahiro; Suzuki, Mizuho; Matsuno, Keita; Kida, Hiroshi; Oyamada, Takayoshi; Sakoda, Yoshihiro

    2017-05-15

    Transdermal vaccination using a microneedle (MN) confers enhanced immunity compared with subcutaneous (SC) vaccination. Here we developed a novel dissolving MN patch for the influenza vaccine. The potencies of split virion and whole virus particle (WVP) vaccines prepared from A/Puerto Rico/8/1934 (H1N1) and A/duck/Hokkaido/Vac-3/2007 (H5N1), respectively, were evaluated. MN vaccination induced higher neutralizing antibody responses than SC vaccination in mice. Moreover, MN vaccination with a lower dose of antigens conferred protective immunity against lethal challenges of influenza viruses than SC vaccination in mice. These results suggest that the WVP vaccines administered using MN are an effective combination for influenza vaccine to be further validated in humans. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  2. Particle identification by time-of-flight measurement in the SAPHIR

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hoffmann-Rothe, P.

    1993-02-01

    Using photoproduction data which have been measured with the SAPHIR-detector with different target materials (C H 2 solid , H 2 liquid , D 2 liquid ) a detailed investigation and discussion of the detectors performance to measure the time of flight of charged particles and to separate between particles of different mass has been accomplished. A FORTRAN program has been written which provides a calibration of the scintillator panels of the TOF hodoscopes, calculates correction factors for the time-walk effect an finally, by combining the time of flight with track momentum measurement, determines particle masses. The current configuration of the detector makes it possible to separate between proton and pion up to a particle momentum of 1.6 GeV/c. Proton and kaon can be separated up to a momentum of 1.3 GeV/c, kaon and pion up to a momentum of 0.85 GeV/c. (prog.) [de

  3. Pulmonary instillation of low doses of titanium dioxide nanoparticles in mice leads to particle retention and gene expression changes in the absence of inflammation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Husain, Mainul, E-mail: mainul.husain@hc-sc.gc.ca [Environmental Health Science and Research Bureau, Health Canada, Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0K9 (Canada); Saber, Anne T., E-mail: ats@nrcwe.dk [The Danish NanoSafety Centre, National Research Centre for the Working Environment, Copenhagen DK-2100 (Denmark); Guo, Charles, E-mail: charles.guo@hc-sc.gc.ca [Environmental Health Science and Research Bureau, Health Canada, Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0K9 (Canada); Jacobsen, Nicklas R., E-mail: nrj@nrcwe.dk [The Danish NanoSafety Centre, National Research Centre for the Working Environment, Copenhagen DK-2100 (Denmark); Jensen, Keld A., E-mail: kaj@nrcwe.dk [The Danish NanoSafety Centre, National Research Centre for the Working Environment, Copenhagen DK-2100 (Denmark); Yauk, Carole L., E-mail: carole.yauk@hc-sc.gc.ca [Environmental Health Science and Research Bureau, Health Canada, Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0K9 (Canada); Williams, Andrew, E-mail: andrew.williams@hc-sc.gc.ca [The Danish NanoSafety Centre, National Research Centre for the Working Environment, Copenhagen DK-2100 (Denmark); Vogel, Ulla, E-mail: ubv@nrcwe.dk [The Danish NanoSafety Centre, National Research Centre for the Working Environment, Copenhagen DK-2100 (Denmark); Department of Micro- and Nanotechnology, Technical University of Denmark, Kgs. Lyngby DK-2800 (Denmark); Wallin, Hakan, E-mail: hwa@nrcwe.dk [The Danish NanoSafety Centre, National Research Centre for the Working Environment, Copenhagen DK-2100 (Denmark); Institute of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen DK-1014 (Denmark); Halappanavar, Sabina, E-mail: sabina.halappanavar@hc-sc.gc.ca [Environmental Health Science and Research Bureau, Health Canada, Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0K9 (Canada)

    2013-06-15

    We investigated gene expression, protein synthesis, and particle retention in mouse lungs following intratracheal instillation of varying doses of nano-sized titanium dioxide (nano-TiO{sub 2}). Female C57BL/6 mice were exposed to rutile nano-TiO{sub 2} via single intratracheal instillations of 18, 54, and 162 μg/mouse. Mice were sampled 1, 3, and 28 days post-exposure. The deposition of nano-TiO{sub 2} in the lungs was assessed using nanoscale hyperspectral microscopy. Biological responses in the pulmonary system were analyzed using DNA microarrays, pathway-specific real-time RT-PCR (qPCR), gene-specific qPCR arrays, and tissue protein ELISA. Hyperspectral mapping showed dose-dependent retention of nano-TiO{sub 2} in the lungs up to 28 days post-instillation. DNA microarray analysis revealed approximately 3000 genes that were altered across all treatment groups (± 1.3 fold; p < 0.1). Several inflammatory mediators changed in a dose- and time-dependent manner at both the mRNA and protein level. Although no influx of neutrophils was detected at the low dose, changes in the expression of several genes and proteins associated with inflammation were observed. Resolving inflammation at the medium dose, and lack of neutrophil influx in the lung fluid at the low dose, were associated with down-regulation of genes involved in ion homeostasis and muscle regulation. Our gene expression results imply that retention of nano-TiO{sub 2} in the absence of inflammation over time may potentially perturb calcium and ion homeostasis, and affect smooth muscle activities. - Highlights: • Pulmonary effects following exposure to low doses of nano-TiO{sub 2} were examined. • Particle retention in lungs was assessed using nanoscale hyperspectral microscopy. • Particles persisted up to 28 days in lungs in all dose groups. • Inflammation was the pathway affected in the high dose group at all time points. • Ion homeostasis and muscle activity pathways were affected in the low dose

  4. Pulmonary exposure to particles during pregnancy causes increased neonatal asthma susceptibility

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Fedulov, Alexey V; Leme, Adriana; Yang, Zhiping

    2008-01-01

    Maternal immune responses can promote allergy development in offspring, as shown in a model of increased susceptibility to asthma in babies of ovalbumin (OVA)-sensitized and -challenged mother mice. We investigated whether inflammatory responses to air pollution particles (diesel exhaust particles...... inflammatory responses were evaluated 48 hours after exposure. Offspring of particle- or buffer-treated mothers were sensitized and aerosolized with OVA, followed by assays of airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR) and allergic inflammation (AI). Nonpregnant females had the expected minimal response to "inert" TiO(2......). In contrast, pregnant mice showed robust and persistent acute inflammation after both TiO(2) and DEP. Genomic profiling identified genes differentially expressed in pregnant lungs exposed to TiO(2). Neonates of mothers exposed to TiO(2) (and DEP, but not PBS) developed AHR and AI, indicating that pregnancy...

  5. Identification of novel genes associated with renal tertiary lymphoid organ formation in aging mice.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huang, Yuan; Caputo, Christina R; Noordmans, Gerda A; Yazdani, Saleh; Monteiro, Luiz Henrique; van den Born, Jaap; van Goor, Harry; Heeringa, Peter; Korstanje, Ron; Hillebrands, Jan-Luuk

    2014-01-01

    A hallmark of aging-related organ deterioration is a dysregulated immune response characterized by pathologic leukocyte infiltration of affected tissues. Mechanisms and genes involved are as yet unknown. To identify genes associated with aging-related renal infiltration, we analyzed kidneys from aged mice (≥20 strains) for infiltrating leukocytes followed by Haplotype Association Mapping (HAM) analysis. Immunohistochemistry revealed CD45+ cell clusters (predominantly T and B cells) in perivascular areas coinciding with PNAd+ high endothelial venules and podoplanin+ lymph vessels indicative of tertiary lymphoid organs. Cumulative cluster size increased with age (analyzed at 6, 12 and 20 months). Based on the presence or absence of clusters in male and female mice at 20 months, HAM analysis revealed significant associations with loci on Chr1, Chr2, Chr8 and Chr14 in male mice, and with loci on Chr4, Chr7, Chr13 and Chr14 in female mice. Wisp2 (Chr2) showed the strongest association (P = 5.00×10(-137)) in male mice; Ctnnbip1 (P = 6.42×10(-267)) and Tnfrsf8 (P = 5.42×10(-245)) (both on Chr4) showed the strongest association in female mice. Both Wisp2 and Ctnnbip1 are part of the Wnt-signaling pathway and the encoded proteins were expressed within the tertiary lymphoid organs. In conclusion, this study revealed differential lymphocytic infiltration and tertiary lymphoid organ formation in aged mouse kidneys across different inbred mouse strains. HAM analysis identified candidate genes involved in the Wnt-signaling pathway that may be causally linked to tertiary lymphoid organ formation.

  6. Continuous-Flow Detector for Rapid Pathogen Identification

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Barrett, Louise M. [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-CA), Livermore, CA (United States). Microfluidics; Skulan, Andrew J. [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-CA), Livermore, CA (United States). Microfluidics; Singh, Anup K. [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-CA), Livermore, CA (United States). Microfluidics; Cummings, Eric B. [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-CA), Livermore, CA (United States). Microfluidics; Fiechtner, Gregory J. [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-CA), Livermore, CA (United States). Microfluidics

    2006-09-01

    This report describes the continued development of a low-power, portable detector for the rapid identification of pathogens such as B. anthracis and smallpox. Based on our successful demonstration of the continuous filter/concentrator inlet, we believe strongly that the inlet section will enable differentiation between viable and non-viable populations, between types of cells, and between pathogens and background contamination. Selective, continuous focusing of particles in a microstream enables highly selective and sensitive identification using fluorescently labeled antibodies and other receptors such as peptides, aptamers, or small ligands to minimize false positives. Processes such as mixing and lysing will also benefit from the highly localized particle streams. The concentrator is based on faceted prisms to contract microfluidic flows while maintaining uniform flowfields. The resulting interfaces, capable of high throughput, serve as high-, low-, and band-pass filters to direct selected bioparticles to a rapid, affinity-based detection system. The proposed device is superior to existing array-based detectors as antibody-pathogen binding can be accomplished in seconds rather than tens of minutes or even hours. The system is being designed to interface with aerosol collectors under development by the National Laboratories or commercial systems. The focused stream is designed to be interrogated using diode lasers to differentiate pathogens by light scattering. Identification of particles is done using fluorescently labeled antibodies to tag the particles, followed by multiplexed laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) detection (achieved by labeling each antibody with a different dye).

  7. Chimeric polyomavirus-derived virus-like particles: the immunogenicity of an inserted peptide applied without adjuvant to mice depends on its insertion site and its flanking linker sequence

    OpenAIRE

    Lawatscheck, R.; Aleksaite, E.; Schenk, J.A.; Micheel, B.; Jandrig, B.; Holland, G.; Sasnauskas, K.; Gedvilaite, A.; Ulrich, R.G.

    2007-01-01

    We inserted the sequence of the carcinoembryonic antigen-derived T cell epitope CAP-1-6D (CEA) into different positions of the hamster polyomavirus major capsid protein VP1. Independently from additional flanking linkers, yeast-expressed VP1 proteins harboring the CEA insertion between VP1 amino acid residues 80 and 89 (site 1) or 288 and 295 (site 4) or simultaneously at both positions assembled to chimeric virus-like particles (VLPs). BALB/c mice immunized with adjuvant-free VLPs developed ...

  8. Online single particle analysis of ice particle residuals from mountain-top mixed-phase clouds using laboratory derived particle type assignment

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schmidt, Susan; Schneider, Johannes; Klimach, Thomas; Mertes, Stephan; Schenk, Ludwig Paul; Kupiszewski, Piotr; Curtius, Joachim; Borrmann, Stephan

    2017-01-01

    In situ single particle analysis of ice particle residuals (IPRs) and out-of-cloud aerosol particles was conducted by means of laser ablation mass spectrometry during the intensive INUIT-JFJ/CLACE campaign at the high alpine research station Jungfraujoch (3580 m a.s.l.) in January-February 2013. During the 4-week campaign more than 70 000 out-of-cloud aerosol particles and 595 IPRs were analyzed covering a particle size diameter range from 100 nm to 3 µm. The IPRs were sampled during 273 h while the station was covered by mixed-phase clouds at ambient temperatures between -27 and -6 °C. The identification of particle types is based on laboratory studies of different types of biological, mineral and anthropogenic aerosol particles. The outcome of these laboratory studies was characteristic marker peaks for each investigated particle type. These marker peaks were applied to the field data. In the sampled IPRs we identified a larger number fraction of primary aerosol particles, like soil dust (13 ± 5 %) and minerals (11 ± 5 %), in comparison to out-of-cloud aerosol particles (2.4 ± 0.4 and 0.4 ± 0.1 %, respectively). Additionally, anthropogenic aerosol particles, such as particles from industrial emissions and lead-containing particles, were found to be more abundant in the IPRs than in the out-of-cloud aerosol. In the out-of-cloud aerosol we identified a large fraction of aged particles (31 ± 5 %), including organic material and secondary inorganics, whereas this particle type was much less abundant (2.7 ± 1.3 %) in the IPRs. In a selected subset of the data where a direct comparison between out-of-cloud aerosol particles and IPRs in air masses with similar origin was possible, a pronounced enhancement of biological particles was found in the IPRs.

  9. Genes Altered by Intracisternal A Particles in Mouse Mammary Tumorigenesis

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Crowley, Michael

    1997-01-01

    ...) in BALB/c mice which express high levels of intracistemal A-particles (IAP). Differential hybpridization and differential display strategies are being used to isolate transcripts which contained IAP LTR sequences...

  10. Identification of sources of aerosol particles in three locations in eastern Botswana

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chimidza, S.; Moloi, K.

    2000-07-01

    Airborne particles have been collected using a dichotomous virtual impactor at three different locations in the eastern part of Botswana: Serowe, Selibe-Phikwe, and Francistown. The particles were separated into two fractions (fine and coarse). Sampling at the three locations was done consecutively during the months of July and August, which are usually dry and stable. The sampling time for each sample was 12 hours during the day. For elemental composition, energy-dispersive x-ray fluorescence technique was used. Correlations and principal component analysis with varimax rotation were used to identify major sources of aerosol particles. In all the three places, soil was found to be the main source of aerosol particles. A copper-nickel mine and smelter at Selibe-Phikwe was found to be not only a source of copper and nickel particles in Selibe-Phikwe but also a source of these particles in far places like Serowe. In Selibe-Phikwe and Francistown, car exhaust was found to be the major source of fine particles of lead and bromine.

  11. Parameters identification of hydraulic turbine governing system using improved gravitational search algorithm

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Chaoshun Li; Jianzhong Zhou [College of Hydroelectric Digitization Engineering, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074 (China)

    2011-01-15

    Parameter identification of hydraulic turbine governing system (HTGS) is crucial in precise modeling of hydropower plant and provides support for the analysis of stability of power system. In this paper, a newly developed optimization algorithm, called gravitational search algorithm (GSA), is introduced and applied in parameter identification of HTGS, and the GSA is improved by combination of the search strategy of particle swarm optimization. Furthermore, a new weighted objective function is proposed in the identification frame. The improved gravitational search algorithm (IGSA), together with genetic algorithm, particle swarm optimization and GSA, is employed in parameter identification experiments and the procedure is validated by comparing experimental and simulated results. Consequently, IGSA is shown to locate more precise parameter values than the compared methods with higher efficiency. (author)

  12. Parameters identification of hydraulic turbine governing system using improved gravitational search algorithm

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Li Chaoshun; Zhou Jianzhong

    2011-01-01

    Parameter identification of hydraulic turbine governing system (HTGS) is crucial in precise modeling of hydropower plant and provides support for the analysis of stability of power system. In this paper, a newly developed optimization algorithm, called gravitational search algorithm (GSA), is introduced and applied in parameter identification of HTGS, and the GSA is improved by combination of the search strategy of particle swarm optimization. Furthermore, a new weighted objective function is proposed in the identification frame. The improved gravitational search algorithm (IGSA), together with genetic algorithm, particle swarm optimization and GSA, is employed in parameter identification experiments and the procedure is validated by comparing experimental and simulated results. Consequently, IGSA is shown to locate more precise parameter values than the compared methods with higher efficiency.

  13. Molecular identification of polymers and anthropogenic particles extracted from oceanic water and fish stomach - A Raman micro-spectroscopy study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ghosal, Sutapa; Chen, Michael; Wagner, Jeff; Wang, Zhong-Min; Wall, Stephen

    2018-02-01

    Pacific Ocean trawl samples, stomach contents of laboratory-raised fish as well as fish from the subtropical gyres were analyzed by Raman micro-spectroscopy (RMS) to identify polymer residues and any detectable persistent organic pollutants (POP). The goal was to access specific molecular information at the individual particle level in order to identify polymer debris in the natural environment. The identification process was aided by a laboratory generated automated fluorescence removal algorithm. Pacific Ocean trawl samples of plastic debris associated with fish collection sites were analyzed to determine the types of polymers commonly present. Subsequently, stomach contents of fish from these locations were analyzed for ingested polymer debris. Extraction of polymer debris from fish stomach using KOH versus ultrapure water were evaluated to determine the optimal method of extraction. Pulsed ultrasonic extraction in ultrapure water was determined to be the method of choice for extraction with minimal chemical intrusion. The Pacific Ocean trawl samples yielded primarily polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP) particles >1 mm, PE being the most prevalent type. Additional microplastic residues (1 mm - 10 μm) extracted by filtration, included a polystyrene (PS) particle in addition to PE and PP. Flame retardant, deca-BDE was tentatively identified on some of the PP trawl particles. Polymer residues were also extracted from the stomachs of Atlantic and Pacific Ocean fish. Two types of polymer related debris were identified in the Atlantic Ocean fish: (1) polymer fragments and (2) fragments with combined polymer and fatty acid signatures. In terms of polymer fragments, only PE and PP were detected in the fish stomachs from both locations. A variety of particles were extracted from oceanic fish as potential plastic pieces based on optical examination. However, subsequent RMS examination identified them as various non-plastic fragments, highlighting the importance

  14. Parameter Identification with the Random Perturbation Particle Swarm Optimization Method and Sensitivity Analysis of an Advanced Pressurized Water Reactor Nuclear Power Plant Model for Power Systems

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Li Wang

    2017-02-01

    Full Text Available The ability to obtain appropriate parameters for an advanced pressurized water reactor (PWR unit model is of great significance for power system analysis. The attributes of that ability include the following: nonlinear relationships, long transition time, intercoupled parameters and difficult obtainment from practical test, posed complexity and difficult parameter identification. In this paper, a model and a parameter identification method for the PWR primary loop system were investigated. A parameter identification process was proposed, using a particle swarm optimization (PSO algorithm that is based on random perturbation (RP-PSO. The identification process included model variable initialization based on the differential equations of each sub-module and program setting method, parameter obtainment through sub-module identification in the Matlab/Simulink Software (Math Works Inc., Natick, MA, USA as well as adaptation analysis for an integrated model. A lot of parameter identification work was carried out, the results of which verified the effectiveness of the method. It was found that the change of some parameters, like the fuel temperature and coolant temperature feedback coefficients, changed the model gain, of which the trajectory sensitivities were not zero. Thus, obtaining their appropriate values had significant effects on the simulation results. The trajectory sensitivities of some parameters in the core neutron dynamic module were interrelated, causing the parameters to be difficult to identify. The model parameter sensitivity could be different, which would be influenced by the model input conditions, reflecting the parameter identifiability difficulty degree for various input conditions.

  15. The induction of myeloid leukemia in CBA/H mice by alpha-particle emitters

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Humphreys, E.R.; Stones, V.A.

    1991-01-01

    An early experiment showed that myeloid leukemia could be induced in CBA/H mice by 224 Ra and indicated that, for a range of injected amounts of 224 Ra below that which caused a maximum yield of osteosarcoma, the incidence of myeloid leukemia was greater than that of osteosarcoma. A larger experiment set up principally to investigate this observation is now nearing completion and is confirming this early indication. Results are presented for single injection experiments and multiple injection experiments; and more recently, an investigation of the distribution and short term effects on the offspring of plutonium-239 administered to pregnant mice

  16. Shigella IpaB and IpaD displayed on L. lactis bacterium-like particles induce protective immunity in adult and infant mice.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Heine, Shannon J; Franco-Mahecha, Olga L; Chen, Xiaotong; Choudhari, Shyamal; Blackwelder, William C; van Roosmalen, Maarten L; Leenhouts, Kees; Picking, Wendy L; Pasetti, Marcela F

    2015-08-01

    Shigella spp. are among the enteric pathogens with the highest attributable incidence of moderate-to-severe diarrhea in children under 5 years of age living in endemic areas. There are no vaccines available to prevent this disease. In this work, we investigated a new Shigella vaccine concept consisting of nonliving, self-adjuvanted, Lactococcus lactis bacterium-like particles (BLP) displaying Shigella invasion plasmid antigen (Ipa) B and IpaD and examined its immunogenicity and protective efficacy in adult and newborn/infant mice immunized via the nasal route. Unique advantages of this approach include the potential for broad protection due to the highly conserved structure of the Ipas and the safety and practicality of a probiotic-based mucosal/adjuvant delivery platform. Immunization of adult mice with BLP-IpaB and BLP-IpaD (BLP-IpaB/D) induced high levels of Ipa-specific serum IgG and stool IgA in a dose-dependent manner. Immune responses and protection were enhanced by BLP delivery. Vaccine-induced serum antibodies exhibited opsonophagocytic and cytotoxic neutralizing activity, and IpaB/D IgG titers correlated with increased survival post-challenge. Ipa-specific antibody secreting cells were detected in nasal tissue and lungs, as well as IgG in bronchoalveolar lavage. Bone marrow cells produced IpaB/D-specific antibodies and contributed to protection after adoptive transfer. The BLP-IpaB/D vaccine conferred 90% and 80% protection against S. flexneri and S. sonnei, respectively. Mice immunized with BLP-IpaB/D as newborns also developed IpaB and IpaD serum antibodies; 90% were protected against S. flexneri and 44% against S. sonnei. The BLP-IpaB/D vaccine is a promising candidate for safe, practical and potentially effective immunization of children against shigellosis.

  17. A scintillation detector set measuring the charge particle energy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dore, Chantal.

    1979-01-01

    The S143 experiment, at CERN in 1976, needed both the measurement and the identification of light nuclei, and especially the separation between 3 H and 3 He, over a large energy range. In the chosen solution, in addition to semiconductor detectors, some scintillation counters are used. The non-linearity of light versus energy of charged particles was complicated by the fact there was two different linear laws according to the charge of particles. To obtain good analogic signals over a dynamic range nearly equal to 200, the signals from several dynodes were used simultaneously. In the experimental setting up, each scintillator was put directly in contact with the corresponding photocathode. In spite of a special shielding, some perturbations due to the magnet placed close by required to bring important corrections to linear laws. Thanks to complementary informations from semiconductor counters, a full separation between charge 1 and charge 2 particles was possible. A suitable identification as guaranted among charge 1 particles, but only kinematic constraints gave the possibility to extract 4 He corresponding to the elastic scattering [fr

  18. Online neural trigger for optimizing data acquisition during particle beam calibration tests with calorimeters

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Silva, P.V.M. da; Seixas, J.M. de; Damazio, D.O.; Ferreira, B.C.

    2004-01-01

    For LHC, the hadronic calorimetry of the ATLAS detector is performed by Tilecal, a scintillating tile calorimeter. For calibration purposes, a fraction of the Tilecal modules is placed in particle beam lines. Despite beam high quality, experimental beam contamination is observed and this masks the actual performance of the calorimeter. For optimizing the calibration task, an online neural particle classifier was developed for Tilecal. Envisaging a neural trigger for incoming particles, a neural process runs integrated to the data acquisition task and performs online training for particle identification. The neural classification performance is evaluated by correlating the neural response to classical methodology, confirming an ability for outsider identification at levels as high as 99.3%

  19. Online neural trigger for optimizing data acquisition during particle beam calibration tests with calorimeters

    CERN Document Server

    Da Silva, P V M; De Seixas, J M; Ferreira, B C

    2004-01-01

    For LHC, the hadronic calorimetry of the ATLAS detector is performed by Tilecal, a scintillating tile calorimeter. For calibration purposes, a fraction of the Tilecal modules is placed in particle beam lines. Despite beam high quality, experimental beam contamination is observed and this masks the actual performance of the calorimeter. For optimizing the calibration task, an online neural particle classifier was developed for Tilecal. Envisaging a neural trigger for incoming particles, a neural process runs integrated to the data acquisition task and performs online training for particle identification. The neural classification performance is evaluated by correlating the neural response to classical methodology, confirming an ability for outsider identification at levels as high as 99.3%.

  20. Novel recombinant chimeric virus-like particle is immunogenic and protective against both enterovirus 71 and coxsackievirus A16 in mice.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhao, Hui; Li, Hao-Yang; Han, Jian-Feng; Deng, Yong-Qiang; Zhu, Shun-Ya; Li, Xiao-Feng; Yang, Hui-Qin; Li, Yue-Xiang; Zhang, Yu; Qin, E-De; Chen, Rong; Qin, Cheng-Feng

    2015-01-19

    Hand-foot-and-mouth disease (HFMD) has been recognized as an important global public health issue, which is predominantly caused by enterovirus 71 (EV-A71) and coxsackievirus A16 (CVA16). There is no available vaccine against HFMD. An ideal HFMD vaccine should be bivalent against both EV-A71 and CVA16. Here, a novel strategy to produce bivalent HFMD vaccine based on chimeric EV-A71 virus-like particles (ChiEV-A71 VLPs) was proposed and illustrated. The neutralizing epitope SP70 within the capsid protein VP1 of EV-A71 was replaced with that of CVA16 in ChiEV-A71 VLPs. Structural modeling revealed that the replaced CVA16-SP70 epitope is well exposed on the surface of ChiEV-A71 VLPs. These VLPs produced in Saccharomyces cerevisiae exhibited similarity in both protein composition and morphology as naive EV-A71 VLPs. Immunization with ChiEV-A71 VLPs in mice elicited robust Th1/Th2 dependent immune responses against EV-A71 and CVA16. Furthermore, passive immunization with anti-ChiEV-A71 VLPs sera conferred full protection against lethal challenge of both EV-A71 and CVA16 infection in neonatal mice. These results suggested that this chimeric vaccine, ChiEV-A71 might have the potential to be further developed as a bivalent HFMD vaccine in the near future. Such chimeric enterovirus VLPs provide an alternative platform for bivalent HFMD vaccine development.

  1. The design, construction and performance of the MICE scintillating fibre trackers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ellis, M.; Hobson, P.R.; Kyberd, P.; Nebrensky, J.J.; Bross, A.; Fagan, J.; Fitzpatrick, T.; Flores, R.; Kubinski, R.; Krider, J.; Rucinski, R.; Rubinov, P.; Tolian, C.; Hart, T.L.; Kaplan, D.M.; Luebke, W.; Freemire, B.; Wojcik, M.; Barber, G.; Clark, D.

    2011-01-01

    Charged-particle tracking in the international Muon Ionisation Cooling Experiment (MICE) will be performed using two solenoidal spectrometers, each instrumented with a tracking detector based on 350μm diameter scintillating fibres. The design and construction of the trackers is described along with the quality-assurance procedures, photon-detection system, readout electronics, reconstruction and simulation software and the data-acquisition system. Finally, the performance of the MICE tracker, determined using cosmic rays, is presented.

  2. The design, construction and performance of the MICE scintillating fibre trackers

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ellis, M.; Hobson, P.R.; Kyberd, P.; Nebrensky, J.J. [Brunel University, Uxbridge, Middlesex UB8 3PH (United Kingdom); Bross, A.; Fagan, J.; Fitzpatrick, T.; Flores, R.; Kubinski, R.; Krider, J.; Rucinski, R.; Rubinov, P.; Tolian, C. [Fermilab, P.O. Box 500, Batavia, IL 60510-0500 (United States); Hart, T.L.; Kaplan, D.M.; Luebke, W.; Freemire, B.; Wojcik, M. [Physics Division, Illinois Institute of Technology, 3101 S. Dearborn Street, Chicago, IL 60616 (United States); Barber, G.; Clark, D. [Department of Physics, Blackett Laboratory, Imperial College London, Exhibition Road, London SW7 2AZ (United Kingdom); and others

    2011-12-11

    Charged-particle tracking in the international Muon Ionisation Cooling Experiment (MICE) will be performed using two solenoidal spectrometers, each instrumented with a tracking detector based on 350{mu}m diameter scintillating fibres. The design and construction of the trackers is described along with the quality-assurance procedures, photon-detection system, readout electronics, reconstruction and simulation software and the data-acquisition system. Finally, the performance of the MICE tracker, determined using cosmic rays, is presented.

  3. Analysis of the T Cell Response to Zika Virus and Identification of a Novel CD8+ T Cell Epitope in Immunocompetent Mice.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ryan D Pardy

    2017-02-01

    Full Text Available Zika virus (ZIKV is an emerging arbovirus of the Flaviviridae family. Although ZIKV infection is typically mild and self-limiting in healthy adults, infection has been associated with neurological symptoms such as Guillain-Barré syndrome, and a causal link has been established between fetal microcephaly and ZIKV infection during pregnancy. These risks, and the magnitude of the ongoing ZIKV pandemic, have created an urgent need for the development of animal models to study the immune response to ZIKV infection. Previous animal models have primarily focused on pathogenesis in immunocompromised mice. In this study, we provide a model of ZIKV infection in wild-type immunocompetent C57BL/6 mice, and have provided an analysis of the immune response to infection. We evaluated the activation of several innate immune cell types, and studied the kinetics, phenotype, and functionality of T cell responses to ZIKV infection. Our results demonstrate that ZIKV infection is mild in wild-type immunocompetent C57BL/6 mice, resulting in minimal morbidity. Our data establish that at the peak of the adaptive response, antigen-experienced CD4+ T cells polarize to a Th1 phenotype, and antigen-experienced CD8+ T cells exhibit an activated effector phenotype, producing both effector cytokines and cytolytic molecules. Furthermore, we have identified a novel ZIKV CD8+ T cell epitope in the envelope protein that is recognized by the majority of responding cells. Our model provides an important reference point that will help dissect the impact of polymorphisms in the circulating ZIKV strains on the immune response and ZIKV pathogenesis. In addition, the identification of a ZIKV epitope will allow for the design of tetramers to study epitope-specific T cell responses, and will have important implications for the design and development of ZIKV vaccine strategies.

  4. Particle identification via transition radiation and detectors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Egorytchev, V.; Saveliev, V.; Aplin, S.J.

    2000-01-01

    Transition radiation detectors show great promise for the purposes of lepton identification in existing and future experiments in high-energy physics such as HERA-B, ATLAS, ALICE in high-luminosity environment. More high performance can be expected in low-luminosity conditions - neutrino experiments (NOMAD), and ideal condition for the use of transition radiation detectors in flying and space high-energy experiments (AMS). This paper discusses the practical theory of transition radiation, basic equation and algorithm suitable for detailed analysis of transition radiation and optimization of transition radiation detectors in the area of experimental high-energy physics. The results are based on detailed Monte Carlo simulation of transition radiation introduced in GEANT and experimental results

  5. Particle identification via transition radiation and detectors

    CERN Document Server

    Egorytchev, V; Aplin, S J

    2000-01-01

    Transition radiation detectors show great promise for the purposes of lepton identification in existing and future experiments in high- energy physics such as HERA-B, ATLAS, ALICE in high-luminosity environment. More high performance can be expected in low-luminosity conditions-neutrino experiments (NOMAD), and the ideal condition for the use of transition radiation detectors in flying and space high- energy experiments (AMS). This paper discusses the practical theory of transition radiation, basic equation and algorithm suitable for detailed analysis of transition radiation and optimization of transition radiation detectors in the area of experimental high- energy physics. The results are based on detailed Monte Carlo simulation of transition radiation introduced in GEANT and experimental results. (12 refs).

  6. Construction and identification of subtracted cDNA library in bone marrow cells of radon-exposed mice

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Li Jianxiang; Nie Jihua; Tong Jian; Fu Chunling; Zhou Jianwei

    2008-01-01

    Objective: To construct and identify subtracted cDNA library in bone marrow cells of mice exposed to radon inhalation. Methods: Adult male BALB/c mice, weighing 18-22 g, were placed in a multi- functional radon chamber. One group of mice was exposed to radon up to the accumulative dose of 105 work level month (WLM). The control group of mice was housed in a room with an accumulative dose of 1 WLM. To construct a subtracted cDNA library enriched with differentially expressed genes, the SMART technique and the suppression subtractive hybridization were performed. The obtained forward and reverse cDNA fragments were directly inserted into pMD18-T vector and transformed into E. coli JM109. The inserting cDNA fragments were screened by the blue-and-white blot screening and nested PCR of bacterium liquid. Results: The 244 of 285 white bacteria clones obtained randomly were positive clones contained 100-1100 bp inserted cDNA fragments. Conclusions: The forward and reverse subtracted cDNA library in bone marrow cells of mice exposed to radon inhalation is successfully constructed. (authors)

  7. Acoustic Detection Of Loose Particles In Pressure Sensors

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kwok, Lloyd C.

    1995-01-01

    Particle-impact-noise-detector (PIND) apparatus used in conjunction with computer program analyzing output of apparatus to detect extraneous particles trapped in pressure sensors. PIND tester essentially shaker equipped with microphone measuring noise in pressure sensor or other object being shaken. Shaker applies controlled vibration. Output of microphone recorded and expressed in terms of voltage, yielding history of noise subsequently processed by computer program. Data taken at sampling rate sufficiently high to enable identification of all impacts of particles on sensor diaphragm and on inner surfaces of sensor cavities.

  8. Detection of genotoxic and non-genotoxic carcinogens in Xpc−/−p53+/− mice

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Melis, Joost P.M.; Speksnijder, Ewoud N.; Kuiper, Raoul V.; Salvatori, Daniela C.F.; Schaap, Mirjam M.; Maas, Saskia; Robinson, Joke; Verhoef, Aart; Benthem, Jan van; Luijten, Mirjam; Steeg, Harry van

    2013-01-01

    An accurate assessment of the carcinogenic potential of chemicals and pharmaceutical drugs is essential to protect humans and the environment. Therefore, substances are extensively tested before they are marketed to the public. Currently, the rodent two-year bioassay is still routinely used to assess the carcinogenic potential of substances. However, over time it has become clear that this assay yields false positive results and also has several economic and ethical drawbacks including the use of large numbers of animals, the long duration, and the high cost. The need for a suitable alternative assay is therefore high. Previously, we have proposed the Xpa*p53 mouse model as a very suitable alternative to the two-year bioassay. We now show that the Xpc*p53 mouse model preserves all the beneficial traits of the Xpa*p53 model for sub-chronic carcinogen identification and can identify both genotoxic and non-genotoxic carcinogens. Moreover, Xpc*p53 mice appear to be more responsive than Xpa*p53 mice towards several genotoxic and non-genotoxic carcinogens. Furthermore, Xpc*p53 mice are far less sensitive than Xpa*p53 mice for the toxic activity of DNA damaging agents and as such clearly respond in a similar way as wild type mice do. These advantageous traits of the Xpc*p53 model make it a better alternative for in vivo carcinogen testing than Xpa*p53. This pilot study suggests that Xpc*p53 mice are suited for routine sub-chronic testing of both genotoxic and non-genotoxic carcinogens and as such represent a suitable alternative to possibly replace the murine life time cancer bioassay. Highlights: ► The Xpc*p53 mouse model is able to identify genotoxic and non-genotoxic carcinogens. ► Time, animals and cost can be significantly reduced compared to the 2-year bioassay. ► Xpc*p53 mice are more advantageous for carcinogen identification than Xpa*p53 mice. ► Xpc*p53 mice exhibit a wild type response upon exposure to genotoxicants.

  9. Microplastic particles in sediments of Lagoon of Venice, Italy: First observations on occurrence, spatial patterns and identification

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vianello, A.; Boldrin, A.; Guerriero, P.; Moschino, V.; Rella, R.; Sturaro, A.; Da Ros, L.

    2013-09-01

    In order to improve knowledge of the identification, distribution and abundances of microplastic particles of 1 mm or less (S-MPPs) in the coastal area of the Mediterranean region, a preliminary monitoring survey was carried out in a transitional environment along the north-eastern Italian coasts, the Lagoon of Venice. S-MPPs were evaluated in sediments collected from 10 sites chosen in shallow areas variously affected by natural conditions and anthropogenic influences (i.e., landward stations influenced by freshwater inputs, seaward areas near sea inlets, and sites influenced by the presence of aquaculture farms, industry and city centers). S-MPPs, extracted from bulk sediments by density separation, were counted and identified by Fourier-Transform Infrared Micro-spectroscopy (μFT-IR). The μFT-IR process included automatic surface chemical mapping and references to an infrared library database to identify the compositional spectra of particles. S-MPPs were recovered from all samples - a fact which emphasizes their extensive distribution throughout the Lagoon. Total abundances varied from 2175 to 672 S-MPPs kg-1 d.w., higher concentrations generally being observed in landward sites. Of the ten polymer types identified, the most abundant, accounting for more than 82% of total S-MPPs, were polyethylene and polypropylene. The most frequent size (93% of observed microplastics) was in the range 30-500 μm. Total S-MPP values were significantly correlated with the finer sediment fraction and with the metal pollution index.

  10. Vaccination with Recombinant Cryptococcus Proteins in Glucan Particles Protects Mice against Cryptococcosis in a Manner Dependent upon Mouse Strain and Cryptococcal Species

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Charles A. Specht

    2017-11-01

    Full Text Available Development of a vaccine to protect against cryptococcosis is a priority given the enormous global burden of disease in at-risk individuals. Using glucan particles (GPs as a delivery system, we previously demonstrated that mice vaccinated with crude Cryptococcus-derived alkaline extracts were protected against lethal challenge with Cryptococcus neoformans and Cryptococcus gattii. The goal of the present study was to identify protective protein antigens that could be used in a subunit vaccine. Using biased and unbiased approaches, six candidate antigens (Cda1, Cda2, Cda3, Fpd1, MP88, and Sod1 were selected, recombinantly expressed in Escherichia coli, purified, and loaded into GPs. Three mouse strains (C57BL/6, BALB/c, and DR4 were then vaccinated with the antigen-laden GPs, following which they received a pulmonary challenge with virulent C. neoformans and C. gattii strains. Four candidate vaccines (GP-Cda1, GP-Cda2, GP-Cda3, and GP-Sod1 afforded a significant survival advantage in at least one mouse model; some vaccine combinations provided added protection over that seen with either antigen alone. Vaccine-mediated protection against C. neoformans did not necessarily predict protection against C. gattii. Vaccinated mice developed pulmonary inflammatory responses that effectively contained the infection; many surviving mice developed sterilizing immunity. Predicted T helper cell epitopes differed between mouse strains and in the degree to which they matched epitopes predicted in humans. Thus, we have discovered cryptococcal proteins that make promising candidate vaccine antigens. Protection varied depending on the mouse strain and cryptococcal species, suggesting that a successful human subunit vaccine will need to contain multiple antigens, including ones that are species specific.

  11. Multi-step ahead nonlinear identification of Lorenz's chaotic system using radial basis neural network with learning by clustering and particle swarm optimization

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Guerra, Fabio A.; Coelho, Leandro dos S.

    2008-01-01

    An important problem in engineering is the identification of nonlinear systems, among them radial basis function neural networks (RBF-NN) using Gaussian activation functions models, which have received particular attention due to their potential to approximate nonlinear behavior. Several design methods have been proposed for choosing the centers and spread of Gaussian functions and training the RBF-NN. The selection of RBF-NN parameters such as centers, spreads, and weights can be understood as a system identification problem. This paper presents a hybrid training approach based on clustering methods (k-means and c-means) to tune the centers of Gaussian functions used in the hidden layer of RBF-NNs. This design also uses particle swarm optimization (PSO) for centers (local clustering search method) and spread tuning, and the Penrose-Moore pseudoinverse for the adjustment of RBF-NN weight outputs. Simulations involving this RBF-NN design to identify Lorenz's chaotic system indicate that the performance of the proposed method is superior to that of the conventional RBF-NN trained for k-means and the Penrose-Moore pseudoinverse for multi-step ahead forecasting

  12. Sorting it out: bedding particle size and nesting material processing method affect nest complexity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Robinson-Junker, Amy; Morin, Amelia; Pritchett-Corning, Kathleen; Gaskill, Brianna N

    2017-04-01

    As part of routine husbandry, an increasing number of laboratory mice receive nesting material in addition to standard bedding material in their cages. Nesting material improves health outcomes and physiological performance in mice that receive it. Providing usable nesting material uniformly and efficiently to various strains of mice remains a challenge. The aim of this study was to determine how bedding particle size, method of nesting material delivery, and processing of the nesting material before delivery affected nest building in mice of strong (BALB/cAnNCrl) and weak (C3H/HeNCrl) gathering abilities. Our data suggest that processing nesting material through a grinder in conjunction with bedding material, although convenient for provision of bedding with nesting material 'built-in', negatively affects the integrity of the nesting material and subsequent nest-building outcomes. We also found that C3H mice, previously thought to be poor nest builders, built similarly scored nests to those of BALB/c mice when provided with unprocessed nesting material. This was true even when nesting material was mixed into the bedding substrate. We also observed that when nesting material was mixed into the bedding substrate, mice of both strains would sort their bedding by particle size more often than if it were not mixed in. Our findings support the utility of the practice of distributing nesting material mixed in with bedding substrate, but not that of processing the nesting material with the bedding in order to mix them.

  13. Production of knock-in mice in a single generation from embryonic stem cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ukai, Hideki; Kiyonari, Hiroshi; Ueda, Hiroki R

    2017-12-01

    The system-level identification and analysis of molecular networks in mammals can be accelerated by 'next-generation' genetics, defined as genetics that does not require crossing of multiple generations of animals in order to achieve the desired genetic makeup. We have established a highly efficient procedure for producing knock-in (KI) mice within a single generation, by optimizing the genome-editing protocol for KI embryonic stem (ES) cells and the protocol for the generation of fully ES-cell-derived mice (ES mice). Using this protocol, the production of chimeric mice is eliminated, and, therefore, there is no requirement for the crossing of chimeric mice to produce mice that carry the KI gene in all cells of the body. Our procedure thus shortens the time required to produce KI ES mice from about a year to ∼3 months. Various kinds of KI ES mice can be produced with a minimized amount of work, facilitating the elucidation of organism-level phenomena using a systems biology approach. In this report, we describe the basic technologies and protocols for this procedure, and discuss the current challenges for next-generation mammalian genetics in organism-level systems biology studies.

  14. Raman spectroscopic identification of size-selected airborne particles for quantitative exposure assessment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Steer, Brian; Gorbunov, Boris; Price, Mark C; Podoleanu, Adrian

    2016-01-01

    In this paper we present a method for the quantification of chemically distinguished airborne particulate matter, required for health risk assessment. Rather than simply detecting chemical compounds in a sample, we demonstrate an approach for the quantification of exposure to airborne particles and nanomaterials. In line with increasing concerns over the proliferation of engineered particles we consider detection of synthetically produced ZnO crystals. A multi-stage approach is presented whereby the particles are first aerodynamically size segregated from a lab-generated single component aerosol in an impaction sampler. These size fractionated samples are subsequently analysed by Raman spectroscopy. Imaging analysis is applied to Raman spatial maps to provide chemically specific quantification of airborne exposure against background which is critical for health risk evaluation of exposure to airborne particles. Here we present a first proof-of-concept study of the methodology utilising particles in the 2–4 μm aerodynamic diameter range to allow for validation of the approach by comparison to optical microscopy. The results show that the combination of these techniques provides independent size and chemical discrimination of particles. Thereby a method is provided to allow quantitative and chemically distinguished measurements of aerosol concentrations separated into exposure relevant size fractions. (paper)

  15. Acute and subchronic airway inflammation after intratracheal instillation of quartz and titanium dioxide agglomerates in mice

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Roursgaard, Martin; Jensen, Keld A; Poulsen, Steen Seier

    2011-01-01

    This study investigated the acute and subchronic inflammatory effects of micrometer-size (micro-size) and nanometer-size (nano-size) particles after intratracheal (i.t.) installation in mice. The role of the type of compound, polymorphism, and size of the particles was investigated. Studied compo...

  16. Scattering by ensembles of small particles

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gustafson, B. Aa. S.

    1980-11-01

    With the advent of high altitude rockets and of space probes, evidence has accumulated that several particle types coexiste in the interplanetary medium. It also became apparent that the zodiacal light is not produced by particles with previously known scattering characteristics. However, the scattering is here shown to be consistent with the hypothesis that presolar interstellar grains accumulate into comets which through fragmentation provide a major component of the interplanetary dust complex. Cometary debris - zodiscal light particles - are therefore modeled as conglomerates of elongated core-mantle particles. Light scattering characteristics of the conglomerates are investigated using a micro-wave analogue method. Approximate theoretical methods for prediction and interpretation of the electro-magnetic scattering patterns are developed and are found to compare favorably with the experimental results and with observations of the zodiacal light. The model is also found to be consistent with comet- and impactdata. Dynamical considerations predicts a small particle component rapidly receding from the Sun, an identification with the B-meteoroids is tentatively suggested. (author)

  17. Charged particle scintillation mass spectrometer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Baranov, P.S.; Zhuravlev, E.E.; Nafikov, A.A.; Osadchi , A.I.; Raevskij, V.G.; Smirnov, P.A.; Cherepnya, S.N.; Yanulis, Yu.P.

    1982-01-01

    A scintillation mass-spectrometer for charged particle identification by the measured values of time-of-flight and energy operating on line with the D-116 computer is described. Original time detectors with 100x100x2 mm 3 and 200x2 mm 2 scintillators located on the 1- or 2 m path length are used in the spectrometer. The 200x200x200 mm 3 scintillation unit is used as a E-counter. Time-of-flight spectra of the detected particles on the 2 m path length obtained in spectrometer test in the beam of charged particles escaping from the carbon target at the angle of 130 deg under 1.2 GeV bremsstrahlung beam of the ''Pakhra'' PIAS synchrotron are presented. Proton and deuteron energy spectra as well as mass spectrum of all the particles detected by the spectrometer are given. Mass resolution obtained on the 2 m path length for π-mesons is +-25%, for protons is +-5%, for deuterons is +-3%

  18. Hanford Tank Waste Particle Atlas

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Herting, D. L. [Washington River Protection Solutions LLC (WRPS), Richland, WA (United States); Cooke, G. A. [Washington River Protection Solutions LLC (WRPS), Richland, WA (United States); Page, J S [Washington River Protection Solutions LLC (WRPS), Richland, WA (United States); Valerio, J. L. [Washington River Protection Solutions LLC (WRPS), Richland, WA (United States)

    2015-08-01

    Several methods have been utilized to perform solid phase characterization. Polarized light microscopy (PLM) is used to identify individual particles based on size, shape, color, and optical properties (e.g., refractive index1, birefringence, extinction positions, and interference figures). Scanning electron microscopy with energy-dispersive spectroscopy (SEM/EDS) is used to detect which elements are present in individual particles and to infer chemical phase identification based on the metals present in combination with the size and shape of the particles. Powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) is used to identify crystalline phases present in bulk samples by matching the X-ray patterns with a library of known patterns for pure phases. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) is used to identify individual particles by their X-ray diffraction patterns. RAMAN analysis is used to identify bulk sample compositions by matching RAMAN spectra with a library of known patterns. Other specialized techniques have not been employed routinely for Hanford tank waste samples.

  19. A virus-like particle based bivalent vaccine confers dual protection against enterovirus 71 and coxsackievirus A16 infections in mice.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ku, Zhiqiang; Liu, Qingwei; Ye, Xiaohua; Cai, Yicun; Wang, Xiaoli; Shi, Jinping; Li, Dapeng; Jin, Xia; An, Wenqi; Huang, Zhong

    2014-07-23

    Enterovirus 71(EV71) and coxsackievirus A16 (CA16) are responsible for hand, foot and mouth disease which has been prevalent in Asia-Pacific regions, causing significant morbidity and mortality in young children. Co-circulation of and co-infection by both viruses underscores the importance and urgency of developing vaccines against both viruses simultaneously. Here we report the immunogenicity and protective efficacy of a bivalent combination vaccine comprised of EV71 and CA16 virus-like particles (VLPs). We show that monovalent EV71- or CA16-VLPs-elicited serum antibodies exhibited potent neutralization effect on the homotypic virus but little or no effect on the heterotypic one, whereas the antisera against the bivalent vaccine formulation were able to efficiently neutralize both EV71 and CA16, indicating there is no immunological interference between the two antigens with respect to their ability to induce virus-specific neutralizing antibodies. Passive immunization with monovalent VLP vaccines protected mice against a homotypic virus challenge but not heterotypic infection. Surprisingly, antibody-dependent enhancement (ADE) of disease was observed in mice passively transferred with mono-specific anti-CA16 VLP sera and subsequently challenged with EV71. In contrast, the bivalent VLP vaccine conferred full protection against lethal challenge by either EV71 or CA16, thus eliminating the potential of ADE. Taken together, our results demonstrate for the first time that the bivalent VLP approach represents a safe and efficacious vaccine strategy for both EV71 and CA16. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  20. Particle identification by silicon detectors; Identificacao de particulas por detetores de silicio

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Santos, Denison de Souza

    1997-07-01

    A method is developed for the evaluation of the energy loss, dE/dx, of a charged particle traversing a silicon strip detector. The method is applied to the DELPHI microvertex detector leading to diagrams of dE/dx versus momentum for different particles. The specific case of pions and protons is treated and the most probable value of dE/dx and the width of the dE/dx distribution for those particles in the momentum range of 0.2 GeV/c to 1.5 GeV/c, are obtained. The resolution found is 13.4 % for particles with momentum higher than 2 GeV/c and the separation power is 2.9 for 1.0 GeV/c pions and protons. (author)

  1. [Effect of Jinlida on DGAT1 in Skeletal Muscle in Fat-Induced Insulin Resistance ApoE -/- Mice].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jin, Xin; Zhang, Hui-xin; Cui, Wen-wen

    2015-06-01

    To investigate the effect of Jinlida on DGAT1 in skeletal muscle in fat-induced insulin resistance ApoE-/- mice. Eight male C57BL/6J mice were used as normal group. 40 male ApoE -/- mice were fed high-fat diet for 16 weeks and divided into five groups: control group, rosiglitazone group, and Jinlida low, middle and high dose groups. Then corresponding drugs were administrated intragastrically for eight weeks. TG content in skeletal muscle was measured by enzymic enzymatic, Glucose tolerance test (OGTT) was used to evaluate the degree of insulin resistance in mice. The mRNA and protein expression of insulin receptor substrate (IRS-1) and diacylglycerol acyltransferase 1 (DGAT1) in skeletal muscle were measured by real-time quantitative reverse transcription PCR (RT-PCR)and Western blot. Jinlida particles reduced fasting blood glucose (FBG) cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), free fatty acid (FFA)and fasting insulin (FIns) levels, raised insulin sensitive index (ISI), improved glucose tolerance, and reduced skeletal muscle lipid deposition in ApoE -/- mice significantly. Jinlida particles increased the expression of IRS-1 mRNA and protein, and reduced DGAT1. Jinlida can alleviate the expression of DGAT in skeletal muscle in fat-induced insulin resistance ApoE-/- mice.

  2. Hadron identification in a fixed target experiment at the SSC

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nelson, K.S.; Cox, B.

    1993-01-01

    This article presents the design criteria and expected performance of a hadron identification system in a fixed target experiment at the SSC. The proposed SFT spectrometer will be used as a model for the discussion. Two primary uses of hadron identification is a B physics experiment are flavor tagging and the rejection of background due to particle reflections in the reconstruction of exclusive decay modes. In the first case it is shown that use of kaons can increase substantially the number of events which can be tagged. In the latter case, decays in which particles are mis-identified can form a background to a desired decay mode

  3. Some questions on the research in particle physics

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kiss, D.

    1978-01-01

    Some new developments in elementary particle physics and interaction processes are reviewed. Recent advances in the field of particle physics including the observation of an anomalous behaviour of interaction cross section at high energy levels, the deep inelastic scattering of electrons from protons, the existence of neutral currents and the relative frequency of events with high transverse pulses are pointed out. A special development is the discovery and identification of a number of new particles and processes. New advances in understanding of the structure of subelementary particles, and the combination of electromagnetic and weak interactions are described. After a discussion of the technical and instrumental requirements and possibilities in the field of elementary particle research, the role and achievements of Hungarian scientists in high-energy facilities of the Soviet Union are emphasized. (P.J.)

  4. Particle identification with neural networks using a rotational invariant moment representation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sinkus, Ralph; Voss, Thomas

    1997-02-01

    A feed-forward neural network is used to identify electromagnetic particles based upon their showering properties within a segmented calorimeter. A preprocessing procedure is applied to the spatial energy distribution of the particle shower in order to account for the varying geometry of the calorimeter. The novel feature is the expansion of the energy distribution in terms of moments of the so-called Zernike functions which are invariant under rotation. The distributions of moments exhibit very different scales, thus the multidimensional input distribution for the neural network is transformed via a principal component analysis and rescaled by its respective variances to ensure input values of the order of one. This increases the sensitivity of the network and thus results in better performance in identifying and separating electromagnetic from hadronic particles, especially at low energies.

  5. Particle identification with neural networks using a rotational invariant moment representation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sinkus, R.

    1997-01-01

    A feed-forward neural network is used to identify electromagnetic particles based upon their showering properties within a segmented calorimeter. A preprocessing procedure is applied to the spatial energy distribution of the particle shower in order to account for the varying geometry of the calorimeter. The novel feature is the expansion of the energy distribution in terms of moments of the so-called Zernike functions which are invariant under rotation. The distributions of moments exhibit very different scales, thus the multidimensional input distribution for the neural network is transformed via a principal component analysis and rescaled by its respective variances to ensure input values of the order of one. This increases the sensitivity of the network and thus results in better performance in identifying and separating electromagnetic from hadronic particles, especially at low energies. (orig.)

  6. Position and mass determination of multiple particles using cantilever based mass sensors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dohn, Soeren; Schmid, Silvan; Boisen, Anja; Amiot, Fabien

    2010-01-01

    Resonant microcantilevers are highly sensitive to added masses and have the potential to be used as mass-spectrometers. However, making the detection of individual added masses quantitative requires the position determination for each added mass. We derive expressions relating the position and mass of several added particles to the resonant frequencies of a cantilever, and an identification procedure valid for particles with different masses is proposed. The identification procedure is tested by calculating positions and mass of multiple microparticles with similar mass positioned on individual microcantilevers. Excellent agreement is observed between calculated and measured positions and calculated and theoretical masses.

  7. Identification of clinical target areas in the brainstem of prion‐infected mice

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mirabile, Ilaria; Jat, Parmjit S.; Brandner, Sebastian

    2015-01-01

    Aims While prion infection ultimately involves the entire brain, it has long been thought that the abrupt clinical onset and rapid neurological decline in laboratory rodents relates to involvement of specific critical neuroanatomical target areas. The severity and type of clinical signs, together with the rapid progression, suggest the brainstem as a candidate location for such critical areas. In this study we aimed to correlate prion pathology with clinical phenotype in order to identify clinical target areas. Method We conducted a comprehensive survey of brainstem pathology in mice infected with two distinct prion strains, which produce different patterns of pathology, in mice overexpressing prion protein (with accelerated clinical onset) and in mice in which neuronal expression was reduced by gene targeting (which greatly delays clinical onset). Results We identified specific brainstem areas that are affected by prion pathology during the progression of the disease. In the early phase of disease the locus coeruleus, the nucleus of the solitary tract, and the pre‐Bötzinger complex were affected by prion protein deposition. This was followed by involvement of the motor and autonomic centres of the brainstem. Conclusions Neurodegeneration in the locus coeruleus, the nucleus of the solitary tract and the pre‐Bötzinger complex predominated and corresponded to the manifestation of the clinical phenotype. Because of their fundamental role in controlling autonomic function and the overlap with clinical signs in sporadic Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease, we suggest that these nuclei represent key clinical target areas in prion diseases. PMID:25311251

  8. Particle identification with Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) detector with high detection threshold

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dey, S.; Maulik, A.; Raha, Sibaji; Saha, Swapan K.; Syam, D.

    2014-10-01

    In the present work we describe the results of studies, using accelerator data, to determine the accuracy with which particles can be identified and their energies determined with a commercially available polymer (PET) used as a Nuclear Track Detector (NTD). The achieved charge resolution was ± 1 . The initial energy of stopping particle in PET was determined with an accuracy of 10 % for ion energies above the Bragg peak.

  9. Particle identification with Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) detector with high detection threshold

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Dey, S. [Centre for Astroparticle Physics and Space Science, Bose Institute, Kolkata 700 091 (India); Maulik, A., E-mail: atanu.maulik@gmail.com [Centre for Astroparticle Physics and Space Science, Bose Institute, Kolkata 700 091 (India); Raha, Sibaji; Saha, Swapan K. [Centre for Astroparticle Physics and Space Science, Bose Institute, Kolkata 700 091 (India); Department of Physics, Bose Institute, Kolkata 700 009 (India); Syam, D. [Department of Physics, Barasat Government College, Kolkata 700 124 (India)

    2014-10-01

    In the present work we describe the results of studies, using accelerator data, to determine the accuracy with which particles can be identified and their energies determined with a commercially available polymer (PET) used as a Nuclear Track Detector (NTD). The achieved charge resolution was ±1. The initial energy of stopping particle in PET was determined with an accuracy of 10% for ion energies above the Bragg peak.

  10. Academic Training: Particle Detectors - Principles and Techniques

    CERN Multimedia

    Françoise Benz

    2005-01-01

    2004-2005 ACADEMIC TRAINING PROGRAMME LECTURE SERIES FOR POSTGRADUATE STUDENTS 11, 12, 13, 14 & 15 April from 11.00 to 12.00 hrs - Main Auditorium, bldg. 500 Particle Detectors - Principles and Techniques C. JORAM, L. ROPELEWSKI, M. MOLL, C. D'AMBROSIO, T. GYS / CERN-PH The lecture series presents an overview of the physical principles and basic techniques of particle detection, applied to current and future high energy physics experiments. Illustrating examples, chosen mainly from the field of collider experiments, demonstrate the performance and limitations of the various techniques. Main topics of the series are: interaction of particles and photons with matter; particle tracking with gaseous and solid state devices, including a discussion of radiation damage and strategies for improved radiation hardness; scintillation and photon detection; electromagnetic and hadronic calorimetry; particle identification using specific energy loss dE/dx, time of flight, Cherenkov light and transition radi...

  11. In vivo toxicologic study of larger silica nanoparticles in mice

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Chan WT

    2017-04-01

    Full Text Available Wai-Tao Chan,1–3 Cheng-Che Liu,4 Jen-Shiu Chiang Chiau,5 Shang-Ting Tsai,6 Chih-Kai Liang,6 Mei-Lien Cheng,5 Hung-Chang Lee,7,8 Chun-Yun Yeung,1,3,9 Shao-Yi Hou2,6 1Department of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, MacKay Children’s Hospital, 2Graduate Institute of Engineering Technology, National Taipei University of Technology, 3Mackay Medicine, Nursing, and Management College, 4Institute of Preventive Medicine, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei, 5Department of Medical Research, MacKay Memorial Hospital, Hsinchu, 6Graduate Institute of Biochemical and Biomedical Engineering, National Taipei University of Technology, Taipei, 7Department of Pediatrics, MacKay Memorial Hospital, Hsinchu, 8Department of Pediatrics, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, 9Department of Medicine, Mackay Medical College, New Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of China Abstract: Silica nanoparticles (SiNPs are being studied and used for medical purposes. As nanotechnology grows rapidly, its biosafety and toxicity have frequently raised concerns. However, diverse results have been reported about the safety of SiNPs; several studies reported that smaller particles might exhibit toxic effects to some cell lines, and larger particles of 100 nm were reported to be genotoxic to the cocultured cells. Here, we investigated the in vivo toxicity of SiNPs of 150 nm in various dosages via intravenous administration in mice. The mice were observed for 14 days before blood examination and histopathological assay. All the mice survived and behaved normally after the administration of nanoparticles. No significant weight change was noted. Blood examinations showed no definite systemic dysfunction of organ systems. Histopathological studies of vital organs confirmed no SiNP-related adverse effects. We concluded that 150 nm SiNPs were biocompatible and safe for in vivo use in mice. Keywords: in vivo, mice, silica nanoparticle, nanotoxicity

  12. Gene expression analysis reveals early changes in several molecular pathways in cerebral malaria-susceptible mice versus cerebral malaria-resistant mice

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Grau Georges E

    2007-12-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Microarray analyses allow the identification and assessment of molecular signatures in whole tissues undergoing pathological processes. To better understand cerebral malaria pathogenesis, we investigated intra-cerebral gene-expression profiles in well-defined genetically cerebral malaria-resistant (CM-R and CM-susceptible (CM-S mice, upon infection by Plasmodium berghei ANKA (PbA. We investigated mouse transcriptional responses at early and late stages of infection by use of cDNA microarrays. Results Through a rigorous statistical approach with multiple testing corrections, we showed that PbA significantly altered brain gene expression in CM-R (BALB/c, and in CM-S (CBA/J and C57BL/6 mice, and that 327 genes discriminated between early and late infection stages, between mouse strains, and between CM-R and CM-S mice. We further identified 104, 56, 84 genes with significant differential expression between CM-R and CM-S mice on days 2, 5, and 7 respectively. The analysis of their functional annotation indicates that genes involved in metabolic energy pathways, the inflammatory response, and the neuroprotection/neurotoxicity balance play a major role in cerebral malaria pathogenesis. In addition, our data suggest that cerebral malaria and Alzheimer's disease may share some common mechanisms of pathogenesis, as illustrated by the accumulation of β-amyloid proteins in brains of CM-S mice, but not of CM-R mice. Conclusion Our microarray analysis highlighted marked changes in several molecular pathways in CM-S compared to CM-R mice, particularly at early stages of infection. This study revealed some promising areas for exploration that may both provide new insight into the knowledge of CM pathogenesis and the development of novel therapeutic strategies.

  13. Early phenotypical diagnoses in Trembler-J mice model.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rosso, Gonzalo; Cal, Karina; Canclini, Lucía; Damián, Juan Pablo; Ruiz, Paul; Rodríguez, Héctor; Sotelo, José Roberto; Vazquez, Cristina; Kun, Alejandra

    2010-06-30

    Pmp-22 mutant mice (Trembler-J: B6.D2-Pmp22/J), are used as a model to study Charcot-Marie-Tooth type 1A (CMT1A). The identification of individual genotypes is a routine in the management of the Tr(J) colony. The earliest phenotypic manifestation of the pmp-22 mutation is just about 20th postnatal days, when pups begin to tremble. In this study, a rapid and simple diagnostic method was developed by modifying the Tail Suspension Test (MTST) to determine the difference between the Tr(J) and the wild-type mice phenotype. The animal behavioral phenotypes generated during the test were consistent with the specific genotype of each animal. The MTST allowed us to infer the heterozygous genotype in early postnatal stages, at 11 days after birth. The motor impairment of Tr(J) mice was also analyzed by a Fixed Bar Test (FBT), which revealed the disease evolution according to age. The main advantages of MTST are its objectivity, simplicity, and from the viewpoint of animal welfare, it is a non-invasive technique that combined with his rapidity show its very well applicability for use from an early age in these mice. Copyright 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  14. Anacardic Acids from Cashew Nuts Ameliorate Lung Damage Induced by Exposure to Diesel Exhaust Particles in Mice

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ana Laura Nicoletti Carvalho

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available Anacardic acids from cashew nut shell liquid, a Brazilian natural substance, have antimicrobial and antioxidant activities and modulate immune responses and angiogenesis. As inflammatory lung diseases have been correlated to environmental pollutants exposure and no reports addressing the effects of dietary supplementation with anacardic acids on lung inflammation in vivo have been evidenced, we investigated the effects of supplementation with anacardic acids in a model of diesel exhaust particle- (DEP- induced lung inflammation. BALB/c mice received an intranasal instillation of 50 μg of DEP for 20 days. Ten days prior to DEP instillation, animals were pretreated orally with 50, 150, or 250 mg/kg of anacardic acids or vehicle (100 μL of cashew nut oil for 30 days. The biomarkers of inflammatory and antioxidant responses in the alveolar parenchyma, bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF, and pulmonary vessels were investigated. All doses of anacardic acids ameliorated antioxidant enzyme activities and decreased vascular adhesion molecule in vessels. Animals that received 50 mg/kg of anacardic acids showed decreased levels of neutrophils and tumor necrosis factor in the lungs and BALF, respectively. In summary, we demonstrated that AAs supplementation has a potential protective role on oxidative and inflammatory mechanisms in the lungs.

  15. Transcriptional Profiling of Immune-Related Genes in Leishmania infantum-Infected Mice: Identification of Potential Biomarkers of Infection and Progression of Disease

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Eduardo Ontoria

    2018-06-01

    Full Text Available Leishmania spp. is a protozoan parasite that affects millions of people around the world. At present, there is no effective vaccine to prevent leishmaniases in humans. A major limitation in vaccine development is the lack of precise understanding of the particular immunological mechanisms that allow parasite survival in the host. The parasite-host cell interaction induces dramatic changes in transcriptome patterns in both organisms, therefore, a detailed analysis of gene expression in infected tissues will contribute to the evaluation of drug and vaccine candidates, the identification of potential biomarkers, and the understanding of the immunological pathways that lead to protection or progression of disease. In this large-scale analysis, differential expression of 112 immune-related genes has been analyzed using high-throughput qPCR in spleens of infected and naïve Balb/c mice at four different time points. This analysis revealed that early response against Leishmania infection is characterized by the upregulation of Th1 markers and M1-macrophage activation molecules such as Ifng, Stat1, Cxcl9, Cxcl10, Ccr5, Cxcr3, Xcl1, and Ccl3. This activation doesn't protect spleen from infection, since parasitic burden rises along time. This marked difference in gene expression between infected and control mice disappears during intermediate stages of infection, probably related to the strong anti-inflammatory and immunosuppresory signals that are activated early upon infection (Ctla4 or remain activated throughout the experiment (Il18bp. The overexpression of these Th1/M1 markers is restored later in the chronic phase (8 wpi, suggesting the generation of a classical “protective response” against leishmaniasis. Nonetheless, the parasitic burden rockets at this timepoint. This apparent contradiction can be explained by the generation of a regulatory immune response characterized by overexpression of Ifng, Tnfa, Il10, and downregulation Il4 that

  16. Radiation enhances silica translocation to the pulmonary interstitium and increases fibrosis in mice

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Adamson, I.Y.R.

    1992-01-01

    The effects of whole body irradiation (WBR) on particle clearance and the development of pulmonary fibrosis have been investigated. Using carbon, clearance is accomplished by polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMN) and alveolar macrophages (AM), and only a few particles reach the interstitum. However, in preirradiated mice, the usual eflux of inflammatory cells is much delayed so that more free carbon remains in the alveoli, and by 1 week, many particles cross the epithelium to be phagocytized by interstitial macrophages. Carbon is found in the peribronchiolar interstitium 6 months later with no evidence of fibrosis. In the present study, mice received 1 mg silica intratracheally 2 days after 6.5 Gy WBR when the white blood cell count was low. A much-reduced Am and PMN response was found in the following 2 weeks compared to the reaction to silica alone, and many silica particles reached interstitial macrophages. In this case, macrophage activation by silica was associated with fibroblast proliferation, and by 16 weeks, much more pulmonary fibrosis was produced than after silica or irradiation only. This was measured biochemically and correlated with a large increase in retained silica in the irradiation-silica group. The results indicate that radiation inhibits the inflammatory response to particle instillation, resulting in greater translocation of free particles to the pulmonary interstitium. In the case of silica, the greater, prolonged interaction with interstitial macrophages leads to a much exaggerated fibrotic reaction. 17 refs., 11 figs

  17. A multi-parametric particle-pairing algorithm for particle tracking in single and multiphase flows

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cardwell, Nicholas D; Vlachos, Pavlos P; Thole, Karen A

    2011-01-01

    Multiphase flows (MPFs) offer a rich area of fundamental study with many practical applications. Examples of such flows range from the ingestion of foreign particulates in gas turbines to transport of particles within the human body. Experimental investigation of MPFs, however, is challenging, and requires techniques that simultaneously resolve both the carrier and discrete phases present in the flowfield. This paper presents a new multi-parametric particle-pairing algorithm for particle tracking velocimetry (MP3-PTV) in MPFs. MP3-PTV improves upon previous particle tracking algorithms by employing a novel variable pair-matching algorithm which utilizes displacement preconditioning in combination with estimated particle size and intensity to more effectively and accurately match particle pairs between successive images. To improve the method's efficiency, a new particle identification and segmentation routine was also developed. Validation of the new method was initially performed on two artificial data sets: a traditional single-phase flow published by the Visualization Society of Japan (VSJ) and an in-house generated MPF data set having a bi-modal distribution of particles diameters. Metrics of the measurement yield, reliability and overall tracking efficiency were used for method comparison. On the VSJ data set, the newly presented segmentation routine delivered a twofold improvement in identifying particles when compared to other published methods. For the simulated MPF data set, measurement efficiency of the carrier phases improved from 9% to 41% for MP3-PTV as compared to a traditional hybrid PTV. When employed on experimental data of a gas–solid flow, the MP3-PTV effectively identified the two particle populations and reported a vector efficiency and velocity measurement error comparable to measurements for the single-phase flow images. Simultaneous measurement of the dispersed particle and the carrier flowfield velocities allowed for the calculation of

  18. A DNA Vaccine Protects Human Immune Cells against Zika Virus Infection in Humanized Mice

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Guohua Yi

    2017-11-01

    Full Text Available A DNA vaccine encoding prM and E protein has been shown to induce protection against Zika virus (ZIKV infection in mice and monkeys. However, its effectiveness in humans remains undefined. Moreover, identification of which immune cell types are specifically infected in humans is unclear. We show that human myeloid cells and B cells are primary targets of ZIKV in humanized mice. We also show that a DNA vaccine encoding full length prM and E protein protects humanized mice from ZIKV infection. Following administration of the DNA vaccine, humanized DRAG mice developed antibodies targeting ZIKV as measured by ELISA and neutralization assays. Moreover, following ZIKV challenge, vaccinated animals presented virtually no detectable virus in human cells and in serum, whereas unvaccinated animals displayed robust infection, as measured by qRT-PCR. Our results utilizing humanized mice show potential efficacy for a targeted DNA vaccine against ZIKV in humans.

  19. A heterologous prime-boost Ebola virus vaccine regimen induces durable neutralizing antibody response and prevents Ebola virus-like particle entry in mice.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Tan; Li, Dapeng; Song, Yufeng; Yang, Xi; Liu, Qingwei; Jin, Xia; Zhou, Dongming; Huang, Zhong

    2017-09-01

    Ebola virus (EBOV) is one of the most virulent pathogens known to humans. Neutralizing antibodies play a major role in the protection against EBOV infections. Thus, an EBOV vaccine capable of inducing a long-lasting neutralizing antibody response is highly desirable. We report here that a heterologous prime-boost vaccine regimen can elicit durable EBOV-neutralizing antibody response in mice. A chimpanzee serotype 7 adenovirus expressing EBOV GP (denoted AdC7-GP) was generated and used for priming. A truncated version of EBOV GP1 protein (denoted GP1t) was produced at high levels in Drosophila S2 cells and used for boosting. Mouse immunization studies showed that the AdC7-GP prime/GP1t boost vaccine regimen was more potent in eliciting neutralizing antibodies than either the AdC7-GP or GP1t alone. Neutralizing antibodies induced by the heterologous prime-boost regimen sustained at high titers for at least 18 weeks after immunization. Significantly, in vivo challenge studies revealed that the entry of reporter EBOV-like particles was efficiently blocked in mice receiving the heterologous prime-boost regimen even at 18 weeks after the final dose of immunization. These results suggest that this novel AdC7-GP prime/GP1t boost regimen represents an EBOV vaccine approach capable of establishing long-term protection, and therefore warrants further development. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  20. Identification of target organs of copper nanoparticles with ICP-MS technique

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhen Chen; Huan Meng; Yun Wang; Chengcheng Zhang; Yuliang Zhao

    2007-01-01

    Nanosized copper particles are widely used in fields of lubricants, polymers/plastic, metallic coating and ink. Recently, we found that copper particles in different sizes can lead to different toxicological effects. To clarify the target organs of copper particles of different sizes, the inductively coupled plasma mass spectroscopy (ICP-MS) was employed to evaluate the distribution of copper in different organs of mice after a single dose oral exposure. The results suggest that the main target organs for copper nanoparticles are kidney, liver and blood. Liver is the main damaged organ. (author)

  1. Biodistribution of Different Sized Nanodiamonds in Mice.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Purtov, Konstantin; Petunin, Alexey; Inzhevatkin, Evgeny; Burov, Andrey; Ronzhin, Nikita; Puzyr, Alexey; Bondar, Vladimir

    2015-02-01

    The particle size is one of critical parameters influencing the biodistribution of detonation nanodiamonds (DND) after their administration into the body. As DNDs are prone to aggregation, the difference between their sizes in aqueous and physiological solutions has to be taken into account. Radioactive I125-BSA molecules were covalently immobilized on DNDs divided in three fractions of different average size. The DND-BSAI125 conjugates were intravenously administrated into adult mice and the particle allocation in the animal's organs and blood was evaluated based on the radioactivity distribution. We conclude that most of the conjugates were taken from the bloodstream and trapped in the liver and spleen. The short-term distribution pattern for all DNDs was similar regardless of size and practically unchanged with time. No significant clearance of the particles was observed for 4 h, but the presence of DNDs was detected in the blood. It was found that the largest particles tend to accumulate more into the liver as compared to the smaller ones. However, the size effect was not well pronounced for the studied size range.

  2. Detection and identification of Toxocara canis DNA in bronchoalveolar lavage of infected mice using a novel real-time PCR.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pinelli, E; Roelfsema, J H; Brandes, S; Kortbeek, T

    2013-04-15

    Toxocarosis is a zoonosis with worldwide distribution caused by Toxocara spp. of dogs and cats. In humans, diagnosis relies mainly on detection of parasite-specific antibodies. Although serological assays in current use have defined sensitivity and specificity, the problem of cross-reactivity still remains, particularly in areas of endemic polyparasitism. Microscopic detection of the parasite in tissue biopsies is not recommended for diagnosis because larvae can be difficult to locate, and finding the parasite eggs in faeces is not applicable since the larvae do not develop to the adult stage in the human host. In this study we describe a novel real-time PCR ('Nemo-PCR') that, in combination with DNA sequencing, allows the detection and identification of Toxocara canis and other nematodes in the Superfamily Ascaridoidea. Results indicate that this approach can detect Toxocara spp. DNA in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) of experimentally-infected mice. For diagnostic purposes further studies are necessary to evaluate this assay including testing human BAL fluid. The availability of such a direct assay would improve diagnosis of toxocarosis particularly for patients with pulmonary signs and symptoms. Copyright © 2013. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  3. Internal distribution of micro- / nano-sized inorganic particles and their cytocompatibility

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Abe, Shigeaki; Iwadera, Nobuki; Esaki, Mitsue; Kida, Ikuhiro; Akasaka, Tsukasa; Uo, Motohiro; Yawaka, Yasutaka; Watari, Fumio [Graduate School of Dental Medicine, Hokkaido University, Sapporo 060-8586 (Japan); Mutoh, Mami [School of Dental Medicine, Hokkaido University, Sapporo 060-8586 (Japan); Morita, Manabu [Department of Oral Health, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentisity and Pharmaceutical Science, Okayama 700-8525 (Japan); Haneda, Koichi [Department of Information Technology and Electronics, Senshu University of Ishinomaki, Ishinomaki 986-8580 (Japan); Yonezawa, Tetsu, E-mail: sabe@den.hokudai.ac.jp [Graduate School of Engineering, Hokkaido University, Sapporo 060-8628 (Japan)

    2011-10-29

    Nano-sized materials have received much attention lately, both in terms of their multiple applications and their biocompatibility. From both viewpoints, understanding the biodistribution of administered nano-materials is very important. In this study, we succeeded in visualizing the biodistribution of administered nano-materials using a scanning X-ray analytical microscope and magnetic resonance imaging method. Quantitative observation was carried out by inductively coupled plasma - atomic emission spectroscopy. We observed that the administered nano-particles accumulated in the liver, lung and spleen of mice. To estimate their cytocompatibility, the nano-particles were exposed to human liver cells. The results suggested that the micro-/ nano- particles have good cytocompatibility, except for copper oxide nano-particles.

  4. Development of ghrelin transgenic mice for elucidation of clinical implication of ghrelin.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aotani, Daisuke; Ariyasu, Hiroyuki; Shimazu-Kuwahara, Satoko; Shimizu, Yoshiyuki; Nomura, Hidenari; Murofushi, Yoshiteru; Kaneko, Kentaro; Izumi, Ryota; Matsubara, Masaki; Kanda, Hajime; Noguchi, Michio; Tanaka, Tomohiro; Kusakabe, Toru; Miyazawa, Takashi; Nakao, Kazuwa

    2017-01-01

    To elucidate the clinical implication of ghrelin, we have been trying to generate variable models of transgenic (Tg) mice overexpressing ghrelin. We generated Tg mice overexpressing des-acyl ghrelin in a wide variety of tissues under the control of β-actin promoter. While plasma des-acyl ghrelin level in the Tg mice was 44-fold greater than that of control mice, there was no differences in the plasma ghrelin level between des-acyl ghrelin Tg and the control mice. The des-acyl ghrelin Tg mice exhibited the lower body weight and the shorter body length due to modulation of GH-IGF-1 axis. We tried to generate Tg mice expressing a ghrelin analog, which possessed ghrelin-like activity (Trp 3 -ghrelin Tg mice). The plasma Trp 3 -ghrelin concentration in Trp 3 -ghrelin Tg mice was approximately 85-fold higher than plasma ghrelin (acylated ghrelin) concentration seen in the control mice. Because Trp 3 -ghrelin is approximately 24-fold less potent than ghrelin, the plasma Trp 3 -ghrelin concentration in Trp 3 -ghrelin Tg mice was calculated to have approximately 3.5-fold biological activity greater than that of ghrelin (acylated ghrelin) in the control mice. Trp 3 -ghrelin Tg mice did not show any phenotypes except for reduced insulin sensitivity in 1-year old. After the identification of ghrelin O-acyltransferase (GOAT), we generated doubly Tg mice overexpressing both mouse des-acyl ghrelin and mouse GOAT in the liver by cross-mating the two kinds of Tg mice. The plasma ghrelin concentration of doubly Tg mice was approximately 2-fold higher than that of the control mice. No apparent phenotypic changes in body weight and food intake were observed in doubly Tg mice. Further studies are ongoing in our laboratory to generate Tg mice with the increased plasma ghrelin level to a greater extent. The better understanding of physiological and pathophysiological significance of ghrelin from experiments using an excellent animal model may provide a new therapeutic approach for human

  5. Identification of chemical components of combustion emissions that affect pro-atherosclerotic vascular responses in mice

    OpenAIRE

    Seilkop, Steven K.; Campen, Matthew J.; Lund, Amie K.; McDonald, Jacob D.; Mauderly, Joe L.

    2012-01-01

    Combustion emissions cause pro-atherosclerotic responses in apolipoprotein E-deficient (ApoE/−) mice, but the causal components of these complex mixtures are unresolved. In studies previously reported, ApoE−/− mice were exposed by inhalation 6 h/day for 50 consecutive days to multiple dilutions of diesel or gasoline exhaust, wood smoke, or simulated “downwind” coal emissions. In this study, the analysis of the combined four-study database using the Multiple Additive Regression Trees (MART) da...

  6. [Identification of Zaocys type II collagen and its effect on arthritis in mice with collagen-induced arthritis].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Hao; Feng, Zhi-tao; Zhu, Jun-qing; Wu, Xiang-hui; Li, Juan

    2014-06-01

    To analyze the homology of Zaocys type 1I collagen ( ZC II ) with the C II collagen from other species, and to investigate the effect of ZC II on arthritis in mice with collagen-induced arthritis (CIA). ZC II was purified with restriction pepsin digestion. Then SDS-PAGE gel electrophoresis and UV spectrophotometry were used to identify the protein,the homology of the ZC II peptide was analyzed with Mass Spectrometry. The model of CIA mice were induced by subcutaneous injection of Chicken C II into male C57BL/6 mice from the base of the tails. After immunization,ZC II [H,M,L:40,20 and 10 μg/(kgd) ]was administered orally to mice from day 21 to 28 accordingly. The severity of the arthritis in each limb was evaluated using a macroscopic scoring system, and his- topathological change of joint was observed by light microscope with HE staining. The molecular weight of ZC II protein deter- mined by SDS-PAGE gel electrophoresis was between 110 kD and 140 kD, and UV absorption peak appeared at around 230 nm in wave- length. The peptide mass fingerprinting(PMF) of the purified protein by Mass Spectrometry analysis showed that it had at least 4 peptides matched with other species,and the protein score was greater than 95%. Compared with normal group,the CIA model group had significantly higher scores for arthritis and histopathological changes (P II peptide-treated mice with CIA were significantly lower than the mice from CIA model group(P II has high homology with the C II from other species. Oral administration of ZC II can suppress arthritis in mice with CIA and ameliorate the histopathological changes of the joint.

  7. Proteomic Analysis of Pachytene Spermatocytes of Sterile Hybrid Male Mice.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Lu; Guo, Yueshuai; Liu, Wenjing; Zhao, Weidong; Song, Gendi; Zhou, Tao; Huang, Hefeng; Guo, Xuejiang; Sun, Fei

    2016-09-01

    Incompatibilities in interspecific hybrids, such as reduced hybrid fertility and lethality, are common features resulting from reproductive isolation that lead to speciation. Subspecies crosses of house mice produce offspring in which one sex is infertile or absent, yet the molecular mechanisms of hybrid sterility are poorly understood. In this study, we observed extensive asynapsis of chromosomes and disturbance of the sex body in pachytene spermatocytes of sterile F1 males (PWK/Ph female × C57BL/6J male). We report the high-confidence identification of 4005 proteins in the pachytene spermatocytes of fertile F1 males (PWK/Ph male × C57BL/6J female) and sterile F1 males (PWK/Ph female × C57BL/6J male), of which 215 were upregulated and 381 were downregulated. Bioinformatics analysis of the proteome led to the identification of 43 and 59 proteins known to be essential for male meiosis and spermatogenesis in mice, respectively. Characterization of the proteome of pachytene spermatocytes associated with hybrid male sterility provides an inventory of proteins that is useful for understanding meiosis and the mechanisms of hybrid male infertility. © 2016 by the Society for the Study of Reproduction, Inc.

  8. ATLAS Transition Radiation Tracker (TRT): Straw tubes for tracking and particle identification at the Large Hadron Collider

    CERN Document Server

    AUTHOR|(INSPIRE)INSPIRE-00220535; The ATLAS collaboration

    2017-01-01

    The ATLAS Transition Radiation Tracker (TRT) is the outermost of the three inner detector tracking subsystems and consists of ∼300,000 thin-walled drift tubes (“straw tubes”) that are 4 mm in diameter. The TRT system provides ∼30 space points with ∼130 micron resolution for charged tracks with |η| 0.5 GeV/c . The TRT also provides electron identification capability by detecting transition radiation (TR) X-ray photons in an Xe-based working gas mixture. Compared to Run 1, the LHC beams now provide a higher centre of mass energy (13 TeV), more bunches with a reduced spacing (25 ns), and more particles in each bunch leading to very challenging, higher occupancies in the TRT. Significant modifications of the TRT detector have been made for LHC Run 2 mainly to improve response to the expected much higher rate of hits and to mitigate leaks of the Xe-based active gas mixture. The higher rates required changes to the data acquisition system and introduction of validity gate to reject out-of-time hits. Man...

  9. ATLAS Transition Radiation Tracker (TRT): Straw Tubes for Tracking and Particle Identification at the Large Hadron Collider

    CERN Document Server

    Mindur, Bartosz; The ATLAS collaboration

    2016-01-01

    The ATLAS Transition Radiation Tracker (TRT) is the outermost of the three inner detector tracking subsystems and consists of 300000 thin-walled drift tubes (“straw tubes”) that are 4 mm in diameter. The TRT system provides 30 space points with 130 micron resolution for charged tracks with |η| 0.5 GeV/c. The TRT also provides electron identification capability by detecting transition radiation (TR) X-ray photons in a Xe-based working gas mixture. Compared to Run 1, the LHC beams now provide a higher center of mass energy (13 TeV), more bunches with a reduced spacing (25 ns), and more particles in each bunch leading to very challenging, higher occupancies in the TRT. We will present TRT modifications made for Run 2 for in areas: to improve response to the expected much higher rate of hits and to mitigate leaks of the Xe-based active gas mixture. The higher rates required changes to the data acquisition system and introduction of validity gate to reject out-of-time hits. Radiation-induced gain changes in ...

  10. A Prototype Combination TPC Cherenkov Detector with GEM Readout for Tracking and Particle Identification and its Potential Use at an Electron Ion Collider

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Woody Craig

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available A prototype detector is being developed which combines the functions of a Time Projection Chamber for charged particle tracking and a Cherenkov detector for particle identification. The TPC consists of a 10×10×10 cm3 drift volume where the charge is drifted to a 10×10 cm2 triple GEM detector. The charge is measured on a readout plane consisting of 2×10 mm2 chevron pads which provide a spatial resolution ∼ 100 μm per point in the chevron direction along with dE/dx information. The Cherenkov portion of the detector consists of a second 10×10 cm2 triple GEM with a photosensitive CsI photocathode on the top layer. This detector measures Cherenkov light produced in the drift gas of the TPC by high velocity particles which are above threshold. CF4 or CF4 mixtures will be used as the drift gas which are highly transparent to UV light and can provide excellent efficiency for detecting Cherenkov photons. The drift gas is also used as the operating gas for both GEM detectors. The prototype detector has been constructed and is currently being tested in the lab with sources and cosmic rays, and additional tests are planned in the future to study the detector in a test beam.

  11. A Prototype Combination TPC Cherenkov Detector with GEM Readout for Tracking and Particle Identification and its Potential Use at an Electron Ion Collider

    Science.gov (United States)

    Woody, Craig; Azmoun, Babak; Majka, Richard; Phipps, Michael; Purschke, Martin; Smirnov, Nikolai

    2018-02-01

    A prototype detector is being developed which combines the functions of a Time Projection Chamber for charged particle tracking and a Cherenkov detector for particle identification. The TPC consists of a 10×10×10 cm3 drift volume where the charge is drifted to a 10×10 cm2 triple GEM detector. The charge is measured on a readout plane consisting of 2×10 mm2 chevron pads which provide a spatial resolution ˜ 100 μm per point in the chevron direction along with dE/dx information. The Cherenkov portion of the detector consists of a second 10×10 cm2 triple GEM with a photosensitive CsI photocathode on the top layer. This detector measures Cherenkov light produced in the drift gas of the TPC by high velocity particles which are above threshold. CF4 or CF4 mixtures will be used as the drift gas which are highly transparent to UV light and can provide excellent efficiency for detecting Cherenkov photons. The drift gas is also used as the operating gas for both GEM detectors. The prototype detector has been constructed and is currently being tested in the lab with sources and cosmic rays, and additional tests are planned in the future to study the detector in a test beam.

  12. The study of the particle trajectories in the magnetic fields of MARUSYA setup using GEANT 3 package

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Argintaru, Danut; Besliu, Calin; Jipa, Alexandru; Esanu, Tiberiu; Calin, Marius; Argintaru, Cristina

    2005-01-01

    Using the GEANT 3 package we simulate the trajectories of the detected particles in the MARUSYA (JINR Dubna) setup. The dependence between the particle momenta and TOF, dE/dx, velocities and angles are important both for the detectors design and particle identification (PID). (authors)

  13. Ring-shaped Calorimetry Information for a Neural eGamma Identification with ATLAS Detector

    CERN Document Server

    Da Fonseca Pinto, Joao Victor; The ATLAS collaboration; Oliveira Damazio, Denis; Seixas, Jose

    2016-01-01

    \\title{Ring-shaped Calorimetry Information for a Neural e/$\\gamma$ Identification with ATLAS Detector} After the successful operation of the Large Hadron Collider resulting with the discovery of the Higgs boson, a new data-taking period (Run 2) has started. For the first time, collisions are produced with energies of 13 TeV in the centre of mass. It is foreseen the luminosity increase, reaching values as high as $10^{34}cm^{-2}s^{-1}$ yet in 2015. These changes in experimental conditions bring a proper environment for possible new physics key-findings. ATLAS is the largest LHC detector and was designed for general-purpose physics studies. Many potential physics channels have electrons or photons in their final states. For efficient studies on these channels precise measurement and identification of such particles is necessary. The identification task consists of disentangling those particles (signal) from collimated hadronic jets (background). Reported work concerns the identification process based on the cal...

  14. Particle identification with neural networks using a rotational invariant moment representation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sinkus, R.

    1997-01-01

    A feed-forward neural network is used to identify electromagnetic particles based upon their showering properties within a segmented calorimeter. The novel feature is the expansion of the energy distribution in terms of moments of the so-called Zernike functions which are invariant under rotation. The multidimensional input distribution for the neural network is transformed via a principle component analysis and rescaled by its respective variances to ensure input values of the order of one. This results is a better performance in identifying and separating electromagnetic from hadronic particles, especially at low energies. (orig.)

  15. Albendazole nanocrystals with improved pharmacokinetic performance in mice.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Paredes, Alejandro J; Bruni, Sergio Sánchez; Allemandi, Daniel; Lanusse, Carlos; Palma, Santiago D

    2018-02-01

    Albendazole (ABZ) is a broad-spectrum antiparasitic agent with poor aqueous solubility, which leads to poor/erratic bioavailability and therapeutic failures. Here, we aimed to produce a novel formulation of ABZ nanocrystals (ABZNC) and assess its pharmacokinetic performance in mice. Results/methodology: ABZNC were prepared by high-pressure homogenization and spray-drying processes. Redispersion capacity and solid yield were measured in order to obtain an optimized product. The final particle size was 415.69±7.40 nm and the solid yield was 72.32%. The pharmacokinetic parameters obtained in a mice model for ABZNC were enhanced (p < 0.05) with respect to the control formulation. ABZNC with improved pharmacokinetic behavior were produced by a simple, inexpensive and potentially scalable methodology.

  16. Identification of Secretory Odontoblasts Using DMP1-GFP Transgenic Mice

    Science.gov (United States)

    Balic, Anamaria; Mina, Mina

    2011-01-01

    Terminal differentiation of odontoblasts from dental papilla is a long process involving several intermediate steps and changes in the transcriptional profile and expression of proteins secreted by cells in the odontoblast lineage. Transgenic mouse lines in which GFP expression is under the control of tissue-and stage specific promoters have provided powerful experimental tools for identification and isolation of cells at specific stages of differentiation along a lineage. Our previous studies showed utilization of pOBCol3.6GFP and pOBCol2.3GFP animals for identification of odontoblasts at early and late stages of polarization respectively. In the present study we used the DMP1-GFP transgenic animal as an experimental model to examine its expression during the differentiation of odontoblasts from progenitor cells in vivo and in vitro. Our observations showed that DMP1-GFP transgene is first activated in secretory/functional odontoblasts engaged in secretion of predentin and then transiently expressed at high levels in newly differentiated odontoblasts. Expression of DMP1-GFP was down-regulated in highly differentiated odontoblasts. The temporal and spatial pattern of expression of DMP1-GFP transgene closely mimics the expression of endogenous DMP1. This transgenic animal will facilitate studies of gene expression and biological functions in secretory/functional odontoblasts. PMID:21172466

  17. High energy particle experiment for the GEOTAIL mission

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1989-09-01

    The high energy particle experiment for GEOTAIL mission was designed to understand the particle acceleration mechanism, energy flow, boundary dynamics and magnetic reconnection mechanism in the geotail region, solar flare particle acceleration mechanism, the propagation mechanism through interplanetary space, and the origin, lifetime and propagation mechanism of cosmic ray heavy ions. In order to achieve these objectives, particle detectors, burst detectors, medium energy isotope telescopes and a high energy isotope telescope will be placed in the spacecraft which will be launched in 1992 as one of the spacecraft missions in the International Solar Terrestrial Physics program. With these detectors, electrons, protons and helium, carbon, silicon and iron particles will be detected. The characteristics and the main technique used for each instrument to observe high energy particles are summarized. The details of the scientific objectives, the basic principle of particle identification, the electronic system and data processing system, key parameter information, telemetry data formats, preflight and in-flight calibration method and data an analysis plan are described in this report. (K.I.)

  18. Experimental study of the occurence and properties of C-type retroviruses in radiation-induced osteosarcomas in mice

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Erfle, V.

    1981-01-01

    In the radiation induced osteosarcomas of the C 3 Hx101/F 1 -mouse C-type virus particles had been found regularly with a density of 1.16 g/cm 3 , with high molecular RNA, a reverse transcriptase and the murine group-specific antigen p 30. Osteosarcomas of the NMRI-mouse, however, had only p 30 protein and so-called intra-cisternal A-type particles. After 'in vitro' cultivation retroviruses had been liberated from the osteosarcoma cells of the C 3 Hx101/F 1 -mice as well as from the NMRI-mice type C. During the tumour latency period a virus expression of the C-type retroviruses had been found for a certain period in the first month after irradiation of the bone tissue had begun; then followed an antibody-reaction which continued to persist until the 8th month. Another virus expression was observed in the skeleton during the period when the osteosarcomas appeared. This virus expression was accompanied by a decrease in antibodies and a temporary increase of the viral p 30 protein in the serum. The viruses which had been isolated from the radiation induced osteosarcomas showed the properties which are typical for ecotropic C-type retroviruses of mice. After infection of new-born mice these viruses produced fibrosarcomas (C 3 Hx 101/F 1 -mice) or lymphomas and osteomas (NMRI-mice). The results make it obvious that the endogenetic C-type retroviruses participate in the formation of radiation-induced sarcomas in mice. (orig./MG) [de

  19. Identification methods for structural health monitoring

    CERN Document Server

    Papadimitriou, Costas

    2016-01-01

    The papers in this volume provide an introduction to well known and established system identification methods for structural health monitoring and to more advanced, state-of-the-art tools, able to tackle the challenges associated with actual implementation. Starting with an overview on fundamental methods, introductory concepts are provided on the general framework of time and frequency domain, parametric and non-parametric methods, input-output or output only techniques. Cutting edge tools are introduced including, nonlinear system identification methods; Bayesian tools; and advanced modal identification techniques (such as the Kalman and particle filters, the fast Bayesian FFT method). Advanced computational tools for uncertainty quantification are discussed to provide a link between monitoring and structural integrity assessment. In addition, full scale applications and field deployments that illustrate the workings and effectiveness of the introduced monitoring schemes are demonstrated.

  20. Strategy for determination of an efficient Cochleate particle size.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gil, Danay; Bracho, Gustavo; Zayas, Caridad; del Campo, Judith; Acevedo, Reinaldo; Toledo, Arturo; Lastre, Miriam; Pérez, Oliver

    2006-04-12

    Cochleate structures obtained from the outer membrane of Neisseria meningitidis serotype B have demonstrated to be high immunogenicity when administrated by intramuscular, oral or intranasal routes, and could be used as adjuvant and meningococcal nasal vaccine candidate. Due to the microparticulate nature of Cochleate it is necessary to control the particle size since it capture by cells of the immune system could be affected by this aspect. We combined optic microscopy and immunisation experiments to select the optimum particle size. Six different processes of producing Cochleate obtaining were evaluated and different mechanical stress conditions were carried out to homogenize and modulate the particles size. The more immunogenic particles were selected on the basis of the levels of specific IgA and IgG antibodies induced after intranasal immunisation in mice. The best treatment parameter for mechanical stress of the Cochleate was prolonged treatment with untrasonic low frequency waves.

  1. A tetravalent virus-like particle vaccine designed to display domain III of dengue envelope proteins induces multi-serotype neutralizing antibodies in mice and macaques which confer protection against antibody dependent enhancement in AG129 mice.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Viswanathan Ramasamy

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available Dengue is one of the fastest spreading vector-borne diseases, caused by four antigenically distinct dengue viruses (DENVs. Antibodies against DENVs are responsible for both protection as well as pathogenesis. A vaccine that is safe for and efficacious in all people irrespective of their age and domicile is still an unmet need. It is becoming increasingly apparent that vaccine design must eliminate epitopes implicated in the induction of infection-enhancing antibodies.We report a Pichia pastoris-expressed dengue immunogen, DSV4, based on DENV envelope protein domain III (EDIII, which contains well-characterized serotype-specific and cross-reactive epitopes. In natural infection, <10% of the total neutralizing antibody response is EDIII-directed. Yet, this is a functionally relevant domain which interacts with the host cell surface receptor. DSV4 was designed by in-frame fusion of EDIII of all four DENV serotypes and hepatitis B surface (S antigen and co-expressed with unfused S antigen to form mosaic virus-like particles (VLPs. These VLPs displayed EDIIIs of all four DENV serotypes based on probing with a battery of serotype-specific anti-EDIII monoclonal antibodies. The DSV4 VLPs were highly immunogenic, inducing potent and durable neutralizing antibodies against all four DENV serotypes encompassing multiple genotypes, in mice and macaques. DSV4-induced murine antibodies suppressed viremia in AG129 mice and conferred protection against lethal DENV-4 virus challenge. Further, neither murine nor macaque anti-DSV4 antibodies promoted mortality or inflammatory cytokine production when passively transferred and tested in an in vivo dengue disease enhancement model of AG129 mice.Directing the immune response to a non-immunodominant but functionally relevant serotype-specific dengue epitope of the four DENV serotypes, displayed on a VLP platform, can help minimize the risk of inducing disease-enhancing antibodies while eliciting effective tetravalent

  2. Handling missing data for the identification of charged particles in a multilayer detector: A comparison between different imputation methods

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Riggi, S., E-mail: sriggi@oact.inaf.it [INAF - Osservatorio Astrofisico di Catania (Italy); Riggi, D. [Keras Strategy - Milano (Italy); Riggi, F. [Dipartimento di Fisica e Astronomia - Università di Catania (Italy); INFN, Sezione di Catania (Italy)

    2015-04-21

    Identification of charged particles in a multilayer detector by the energy loss technique may also be achieved by the use of a neural network. The performance of the network becomes worse when a large fraction of information is missing, for instance due to detector inefficiencies. Algorithms which provide a way to impute missing information have been developed over the past years. Among the various approaches, we focused on normal mixtures’ models in comparison with standard mean imputation and multiple imputation methods. Further, to account for the intrinsic asymmetry of the energy loss data, we considered skew-normal mixture models and provided a closed form implementation in the Expectation-Maximization (EM) algorithm framework to handle missing patterns. The method has been applied to a test case where the energy losses of pions, kaons and protons in a six-layers’ Silicon detector are considered as input neurons to a neural network. Results are given in terms of reconstruction efficiency and purity of the various species in different momentum bins.

  3. Improved gravitational search algorithm for parameter identification of water turbine regulation system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chen, Zhihuan; Yuan, Xiaohui; Tian, Hao; Ji, Bin

    2014-01-01

    Highlights: • We propose an improved gravitational search algorithm (IGSA). • IGSA is applied to parameter identification of water turbine regulation system (WTRS). • WTRS is modeled by considering the impact of turbine speed on torque and water flow. • Weighted objective function strategy is applied to parameter identification of WTRS. - Abstract: Parameter identification of water turbine regulation system (WTRS) is crucial in precise modeling hydropower generating unit (HGU) and provides support for the adaptive control and stability analysis of power system. In this paper, an improved gravitational search algorithm (IGSA) is proposed and applied to solve the identification problem for WTRS system under load and no-load running conditions. This newly algorithm which is based on standard gravitational search algorithm (GSA) accelerates convergence speed with combination of the search strategy of particle swarm optimization and elastic-ball method. Chaotic mutation which is devised to stepping out the local optimal with a certain probability is also added into the algorithm to avoid premature. Furthermore, a new kind of model associated to the engineering practices is built and analyzed in the simulation tests. An illustrative example for parameter identification of WTRS is used to verify the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed IGSA, as compared with standard GSA and particle swarm optimization in terms of parameter identification accuracy and convergence speed. The simulation results show that IGSA performs best for all identification indicators

  4. Liver glycogen in type 2 diabetic mice is randomly branched as enlarged aggregates with blunted glucose release.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Besford, Quinn Alexander; Zeng, Xiao-Yi; Ye, Ji-Ming; Gray-Weale, Angus

    2016-02-01

    Glycogen is a vital highly branched polymer of glucose that is essential for blood glucose homeostasis. In this article, the structure of liver glycogen from mice is investigated with respect to size distributions, degradation kinetics, and branching structure, complemented by a comparison of normal and diabetic liver glycogen. This is done to screen for differences that may result from disease. Glycogen α-particle (diameter ∼ 150 nm) and β-particle (diameter ∼ 25 nm) size distributions are reported, along with in vitro γ-amylase degradation experiments, and a small angle X-ray scattering analysis of mouse β-particles. Type 2 diabetic liver glycogen upon extraction was found to be present as large loosely bound, aggregates, not present in normal livers. Liver glycogen was found to aggregate in vitro over a period of 20 h, and particle size is shown to be related to rate of glucose release, allowing a structure-function relationship to be inferred for the tissue specific distribution of particle types. Application of branching theories to small angle X-ray scattering data for mouse β-particles revealed these particles to be randomly branched polymers, not fractal polymers. Together, this article shows that type 2 diabetic liver glycogen is present as large aggregates in mice, which may contribute to the inflexibility of interconversion between glucose and glycogen in type 2 diabetes, and further that glycogen particles are randomly branched with a size that is related to the rate of glucose release.

  5. M2e-displaying virus-like particles with associated RNA promote T helper 1 type adaptive immunity against influenza A.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lorena Itatí Ibañez

    Full Text Available The ectodomain of influenza A matrix protein 2 (M2e is a candidate for a universal influenza A vaccine. We used recombinant Hepatitis B core antigen to produce virus-like particles presenting M2e (M2e-VLPs. We produced the VLPs with and without entrapped nucleic acids and compared their immunogenicity and protective efficacy. Immunization of BALB/c mice with M2e-VLPs containing nucleic acids induced a stronger, Th1-biased antibody response compared to particles lacking nucleic acids. The former also induced a stronger M2e-specific CD4(+ T cell response, as determined by ELISPOT. Mice vaccinated with alum-adjuvanted M2e-VLPs containing the nucleic acid-binding domain were better protected against influenza A virus challenge than mice vaccinated with similar particles lacking this domain, as deduced from the loss in body weight following challenge with X47 (H3N2 or PR/8 virus. Challenge of mice that had been immunized with M2e-VLPs with or without nucleic acids displayed significantly lower mortality, morbidity and lung virus titers than control-immunized groups. We conclude that nucleic acids present in M2e-VLPs correlate with improved immune protection.

  6. Particle Shape Characterization of Lunar Regolith using Reflected Light Microscopy

    Science.gov (United States)

    McCarty, C. B.; Garcia, G. C.; Rickman, D.

    2014-12-01

    Automated identification of particles in lunar thin sections is necessary for practical measurement of particle shape, void characterization, and quantitative characterization of sediment fabric. This may be done using image analysis, but several aspects of the lunar regolith make such automations difficult. For example, many of the particles are shattered; others are aggregates of smaller particles. Sieve sizes of the particles span 5 orders of magnitude. The physical thickness of a thin section, at a nominal 30 microns, is large compared to the size of many of the particles. Image acquisition modes, such as SEM and reflected light, while superior to transmitted light, still have significant ambiguity as to the volume being sampled. It is also desirable to have a technique that is inexpensive, not resource intensive, and analytically robust. To this end, we have developed an image acquisition and processing protocol that identifies and delineates resolvable particles on the front surface of a lunar thin section using a petrographic microscope in reflected light. For a polished thin section, a grid is defined covering the entire thin section. The grid defines discrete images taken with 20% overlap, minimizing the number of particles that intersect image boundaries. In reflected light mode, two images are acquired at each grid location, with a closed aperture diaphragm. One image, A, is focused precisely on the front surface of the thin section. The second image, B, is made after the stage is brought toward the objective lens just slightly. A bright fringe line, analogous to a Becke line, appears inside all transparent particles at the front surface of the section in the second image. The added light in the bright line corresponds to a deficit around the particles. Particle identification is done using ImageJ and uses multiple steps. A hybrid 5x5 median filter is used to make images Af and Bf. This primarily removes very small particles just below the front surface

  7. A novel motion analysis approach reveals late recovery in C57BL/6 mice and deficits in NCAM-deficient mice after sciatic nerve crush.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fey, Andreas; Schachner, Melitta; Irintchev, Andrey

    2010-05-01

    Assessment of motor abilities after sciatic nerve injury in rodents, in particular mice, relies exclusively on walking track (footprint) analysis despite known limitations of this method. Using principles employed recently for video-based motion analyses after femoral nerve and spinal cord injuries, we have designed and report here a novel approach for functional assessments after sciatic nerve lesions in mice. Functional deficits are estimated by angle and distance measurements on single video frames recorded during beam-walking and inclined ladder climbing. Analyses of adult C57BL/6J mice after crush of the sciatic, tibial, or peroneal nerve allowed the identification of six numerical parameters, detecting impairments of the plantar flexion of the foot and the toe spread. Some of these parameters, as well as footprint functional indices, revealed severe impairment after crush injury of the sciatic or tibial, but not the peroneal nerve, and complete recovery within 3 weeks after lesion. Other novel estimates, however, showed that complete recovery is reached as late as 2-3 months after sciatic nerve crush. These measures detected both tibial and peroneal dysfunction. In contrast to the complete restoration of function in wild-type mice (100%), our new parameters, in contrast to the sciatic functional index, showed incomplete recovery (85%) 90 days after sciatic nerve crush in mice deficient in the neural cell adhesion molecule (NCAM). We conclude that the novel video-based approach is more precise, sensitive, and versatile than established tests, allowing objective numerical assessment of different motor functions in a sciatic nerve injury paradigm in mice.

  8. Nuclear track radiography of 'hot' aerosol particles

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Boulyga, S.F.; Kievitskaja, A.I.; Kievets, M.K.; Lomonosova, E.M.; Zhuk, I.V.; Yaroshevich, O.I.; Perelygin, V.P.; Petrova, R.; Brandt, R.; Vater, P.

    1999-01-01

    Nuclear track radiography was applied to identify aerosol 'hot' particles which contain elements of nuclear fuel and fallout after Chernobyl NPP accident. For the determination of the content of transuranium elements in radioactive aerosols the measurement of the α-activity of 'hot' particles by SSNTD was used in this work, as well as radiography of fission fragments formed as a result of the reactions (n,f) and (γ,f) in the irradiation of aerosol filters by thermal neutrons and high energy gamma quanta. The technique allowed the sizes and alpha-activity of 'hot' particles to be determined without extracting them from the filter, as well as the determination of the uranium content and its enrichment by 235 U, 239 Pu and 241 Pu isotopes. Sensitivity of determination of alpha activity by fission method is 5x10 -6 Bq per particle. The software for the system of image analysis was created. It ensured the identification of track clusters on an optical image of the SSNTD surface obtained through a video camera and the determination of size and activity of 'hot' particles

  9. Fractal Dimension of Particle Showers Measured in a Highly Granular Calorimeter

    CERN Document Server

    Ruan, Manqi; Bourdy, Vincent; Brients, Jean-Claude; Videau, Henri

    2014-01-01

    fractal dimension of showers measured in a high granularity calorimeter designed for a future lepton collider. The shower fractal dimension reveals detailed information of the spatial configuration of the shower. It is found to be characteristic of the type of interaction and highly sensitive to the nature of the incident particle. Using the shower fractal dimension, we demonstrate a particle identification algorithm that can efficiently separate electromagnetic showers, hadronic showers and non-showering tracks. We also find a logarithmic dependence of the shower fractal dimension on the particle energy.

  10. Tests of the MICE Electron Muon Ranger frontend electronics with a small scale prototype

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bolognini, D.; Bene, P.; Blondel, A.; Cadoux, F.; Debieux, S.; Giannini, G.; Graulich, J. S.; Lietti, D.; Masciocchi, F.; Prest, M.; Rothenfusser, K.; Vallazza, E.; Wisting, H.

    2011-08-01

    The MICE experiment is being commissioned at RAL to demonstrate the feasibility of the muon ionization cooling technique for future applications such as the Neutrino Factory and the Muon Collider. The cooling will be evaluated by measuring the emittance before and after the cooling channel with two 4 T spectrometers; to distinguish muons from the background, a multi-detector particle identification system is foreseen: three Time of Flight stations, two Cherenkov counters and a calorimetric system consisting of a pre-shower layer and a fully active scintillator detector (EMR) are used to discriminate muons from pions and electrons. EMR consists of 48 planes of triangular scintillating bars coupled to WLS fibers readout by single PMTs on one side and MAPMTs on the other; each plane sensible area is 1 m 2. This article deals with a small scale prototype of the EMR detector which has been used to test the MAPMT frontend electronics based on the MAROC ASIC; the tests with cosmic rays using both an analog mode and a digital readout mode are presented. A very preliminary study on the cross talk problem is also shown.

  11. Tests of the MICE Electron Muon Ranger frontend electronics with a small scale prototype

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bolognini, D., E-mail: davide.bolognini@gmail.com [Universita degli Studi dell' Insubria, Via Valleggio 11, 22100 Como (Italy); INFN Milano Bicocca, Piazza della Scienza 3, 20126 Milano (Italy); Bene, P.; Blondel, A.; Cadoux, F.; Debieux, S. [Universite de Geneve, Quai Ernest-Ansermet 24, 1211 Geneve (Switzerland); Giannini, G. [Universita degli Studi di Trieste, Via A.Valerio, 34127 Trieste (Italy); INFN Trieste, Padriciano 99, 34012 Trieste (Italy); Graulich, J.S. [Universite de Geneve, Quai Ernest-Ansermet 24, 1211 Geneve (Switzerland); Lietti, D. [Universita degli Studi dell' Insubria, Via Valleggio 11, 22100 Como (Italy); INFN Milano Bicocca, Piazza della Scienza 3, 20126 Milano (Italy); Masciocchi, F. [Universite de Geneve, Quai Ernest-Ansermet 24, 1211 Geneve (Switzerland); Prest, M. [Universita degli Studi dell' Insubria, Via Valleggio 11, 22100 Como (Italy); INFN Milano Bicocca, Piazza della Scienza 3, 20126 Milano (Italy); Rothenfusser, K. [Universite de Geneve, Quai Ernest-Ansermet 24, 1211 Geneve (Switzerland); Vallazza, E. [INFN Trieste, Padriciano 99, 34012 Trieste (Italy); Wisting, H. [Universite de Geneve, Quai Ernest-Ansermet 24, 1211 Geneve (Switzerland)

    2011-08-01

    The MICE experiment is being commissioned at RAL to demonstrate the feasibility of the muon ionization cooling technique for future applications such as the Neutrino Factory and the Muon Collider. The cooling will be evaluated by measuring the emittance before and after the cooling channel with two 4 T spectrometers; to distinguish muons from the background, a multi-detector particle identification system is foreseen: three Time of Flight stations, two Cherenkov counters and a calorimetric system consisting of a pre-shower layer and a fully active scintillator detector (EMR) are used to discriminate muons from pions and electrons. EMR consists of 48 planes of triangular scintillating bars coupled to WLS fibers readout by single PMTs on one side and MAPMTs on the other; each plane sensible area is 1 m{sup 2}. This article deals with a small scale prototype of the EMR detector which has been used to test the MAPMT frontend electronics based on the MAROC ASIC; the tests with cosmic rays using both an analog mode and a digital readout mode are presented. A very preliminary study on the cross talk problem is also shown.

  12. Identification of water soluble and particle bound compounds causing sublethal toxic effects. A field study on sediments affected by a chlor-alkali industry

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bosch, Carme; Olivares, Alba; Faria, Melissa; Navas, Jose M.; Olmo, Ivan del; Grimalt, Joan O.; Pina, Benjamin; Barata, Carlos

    2009-01-01

    A combination of cost effective sublethal Daphnia magna feeding tests, yeast- and cell culture-based bioassays and Toxicity Identification Evaluation (TIE) procedures was used to characterize toxic compounds within sediments collected in a river area under the influence of the effluents from a chlor-alkali industry (Ebro River, NE Spain). Tests were designed to measure and identify toxic compounds in the particulate and filtered water fractions of sediment elutriates. The combined use of bioassays responding to elutriates and dioxin-like compounds evidenced the existence of three major groups of hazardous contaminants in the most contaminated site: (A) metals such as cadmium and mercury bound to sediment fine particles that could be easily resuspended and moved downstream, (B) soluble compounds (presumably, lye) able to alkalinize water to toxic levels, and (C) organochlorine compounds with high dioxin-like activity. These results provided evidence that elutriate D. magna feeding responses can be used as surrogate assays for more tedious chronic whole sediment tests, and that the incorporation of such tests in sediment TIE procedures may improve the ability to identify the toxicity of particle-bound and water-soluble contaminants in sediments.

  13. Identification of Metabolism and Excretion Differences of Procymidone between Rats and Humans Using Chimeric Mice: Implications for Differential Developmental Toxicity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Abe, Jun; Tomigahara, Yoshitaka; Tarui, Hirokazu; Omori, Rie; Kawamura, Satoshi

    2018-02-28

    A metabolite of procymidone, hydroxylated-PCM, causes rat-specific developmental toxicity due to higher exposure to it in rats than in rabbits or monkeys. When procymidone was administered to chimeric mice with rat or human hepatocytes, the plasma level of hydroxylated-PCM was higher than that of procymidone in rat chimeric mice, and the metabolic profile of procymidone in intact rats was well reproduced in rat chimeric mice. In human chimeric mice, the plasma level of hydroxylated-PCM was less, resulting in a much lower exposure. The main excretion route of hydroxylated-PCM-glucuronide was bile (the point that hydroxylated-PCM enters the enterohepatic circulation) in rat chimeric mice, and urine in human chimeric mice. These data suggest that humans, in contrast to rats, extensively form the glucuronide and excrete it in urine, as do rabbits and monkeys. Overall, procymidone's potential for causing teratogenicity in humans must be low compared to that in rats.

  14. Preparation and evaluation of tilmicosin-loaded hydrogenated castor oil nanoparticle suspensions of different particle sizes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Xiaojin; Wang, Ting; Lu, Mengmeng; Zhu, Luyan; Wang, Yan; Zhou, WenZhong

    2014-01-01

    Three tilmicosin-loaded hydrogenated castor oil nanoparticle (TMS-HCO-NP) suspensions of different particle sizes were prepared with different polyvinyl alcohol surfactant concentrations using a hot homogenization and ultrasonic technique. The in vitro release, in vitro antibacterial activity, mammalian cytotoxicity, acute toxicity in mice, and stability study were conducted to evaluate the characteristics of the suspensions. The in vitro tilmicosin release rate, antibacterial activity, mammalian cytotoxicity, acute toxicity in mice, and stability of the suspensions were evaluated. When prepared with polyvinyl alcohol concentrations of 0.2%, 1%, and 5%, the mean diameters of the nanoparticles in the three suspensions were 920±35 nm, 452±10 nm, and 151±4 nm, respectively. The three suspensions displayed biphasic release profiles similar to that of freeze-dried TMS-HCO-NP powders, with the exception of having a faster initial release. Moreover, suspensions of smaller-sized particles showed faster initial release, and lower minimum inhibitory concentrations and minimum bactericidal concentrations. Time-kill curves showed that within 12 hours, the suspension with the 151 nm particles had the most potent bactericidal activity, but later, the suspensions with larger-sized particles showed increased antibacterial activity. None of the three suspensions were cytotoxic at clinical dosage levels. At higher drug concentrations, all three suspensions showed similar concentration-dependent cytotoxicity. The suspension with the smallest-sized particle showed significantly more acute toxicity in mice, perhaps due to faster drug release. All three suspensions exhibited good stability at 4°C and at room temperature for at least 6 months. These results demonstrate that TMS-HCO-NP suspensions can be a promising formulation for tilmicosin, and that nanoparticle size can be an important consideration for formulation development.

  15. Aberrant Bone Density in Aging Mice Lacking the Adenosine Transporter ENT1

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hinton, David J.; McGee-Lawrence, Meghan E.; Lee, Moonnoh R.; Kwong, Hoi K.; Westendorf, Jennifer J.; Choi, Doo-Sup

    2014-01-01

    Adenosine is known to regulate bone production and resorption in humans and mice. Type 1 equilibrative nucleoside transporter (ENT1) is responsible for the majority of adenosine transport across the plasma membrane and is ubiquitously expressed in both humans and mice. However, the contribution of ENT1-mediated adenosine levels has not been studied in bone remodeling. With the recent identification of the importance of adenosine signaling in bone homeostasis, it is essential to understand the role of ENT1 to develop novel therapeutic compounds for bone disorders. Here we examined the effect of ENT1 deletion on bone density using X-ray, dual energy X-ray absorptiometry and micro-computerized tomography analysis. Our results show that bone density and bone mineral density is reduced in the lower thoracic and lumbar spine as well as the femur of old ENT1 null mice (>7 months) compared to wild-type littermates. Furthermore, we found increased mRNA expression of tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP), an osteoclast marker, in isolated long bones from 10 month old ENT1 null mice compared to wild-type mice. In addition, aged ENT1 null mice displayed severe deficit in motor coordination and locomotor activity, which might be attributed to dysregulated bone density. Overall, our study suggests that ENT1-regulated adenosine signaling plays an essential role in lumbar spine and femur bone density. PMID:24586402

  16. Aberrant bone density in aging mice lacking the adenosine transporter ENT1.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    David J Hinton

    Full Text Available Adenosine is known to regulate bone production and resorption in humans and mice. Type 1 equilibrative nucleoside transporter (ENT1 is responsible for the majority of adenosine transport across the plasma membrane and is ubiquitously expressed in both humans and mice. However, the contribution of ENT1-mediated adenosine levels has not been studied in bone remodeling. With the recent identification of the importance of adenosine signaling in bone homeostasis, it is essential to understand the role of ENT1 to develop novel therapeutic compounds for bone disorders. Here we examined the effect of ENT1 deletion on bone density using X-ray, dual energy X-ray absorptiometry and micro-computerized tomography analysis. Our results show that bone density and bone mineral density is reduced in the lower thoracic and lumbar spine as well as the femur of old ENT1 null mice (>7 months compared to wild-type littermates. Furthermore, we found increased mRNA expression of tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP, an osteoclast marker, in isolated long bones from 10 month old ENT1 null mice compared to wild-type mice. In addition, aged ENT1 null mice displayed severe deficit in motor coordination and locomotor activity, which might be attributed to dysregulated bone density. Overall, our study suggests that ENT1-regulated adenosine signaling plays an essential role in lumbar spine and femur bone density.

  17. LHCb Particle Identification Strategy and Performance in Run 2

    CERN Multimedia

    Tilley, Matthew James

    2018-01-01

    For Run 2 of LHCb data taking, the selection of PID calibration samples is implemented in the high level trigger. A further processing is needed to provide calibration samples used for the determination the PID performance, which is achieved through a centralised production that makes highly efficient use of LHCb computing resources. This poster presents the major steps of the production procedure and the charged particle PID performance measured using these calibration samples.

  18. Beam-Based Error Identification and Correction Methods for Particle Accelerators

    CERN Document Server

    AUTHOR|(SzGeCERN)692826; Tomas, Rogelio; Nilsson, Thomas

    2014-06-10

    Modern particle accelerators have tight tolerances on the acceptable deviation from their desired machine parameters. The control of the parameters is of crucial importance for safe machine operation and performance. This thesis focuses on beam-based methods and algorithms to identify and correct errors in particle accelerators. The optics measurements and corrections of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), which resulted in an unprecedented low β-beat for a hadron collider is described. The transverse coupling is another parameter which is of importance to control. Improvement in the reconstruction of the coupling from turn-by-turn data has resulted in a significant decrease of the measurement uncertainty. An automatic coupling correction method, which is based on the injected beam oscillations, has been successfully used in normal operation of the LHC. Furthermore, a new method to measure and correct chromatic coupling that was applied to the LHC, is described. It resulted in a decrease of the chromatic coupli...

  19. Comprehensive identification of Salmonella enterica serovar typhimurium genes required for infection of BALB/c mice.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Roy R Chaudhuri

    2009-07-01

    Full Text Available Genes required for infection of mice by Salmonella Typhimurium can be identified by the interrogation of random transposon mutant libraries for mutants that cannot survive in vivo. Inactivation of such genes produces attenuated S. Typhimurium strains that have potential for use as live attenuated vaccines. A quantitative screen, Transposon Mediated Differential Hybridisation (TMDH, has been developed that identifies those members of a large library of transposon mutants that are attenuated. TMDH employs custom transposons with outward-facing T7 and SP6 promoters. Fluorescently-labelled transcripts from the promoters are hybridised to whole-genome tiling microarrays, to allow the position of the transposon insertions to be determined. Comparison of microarray data from the mutant library grown in vitro (input with equivalent data produced after passage of the library through mice (output enables an attenuation score to be determined for each transposon mutant. These scores are significantly correlated with bacterial counts obtained during infection of mice using mutants with individual defined deletions of the same genes. Defined deletion mutants of several novel targets identified in the TMDH screen are effective live vaccines.

  20. Human plasma phospholipid transfer protein increases the antiatherogenic potential of high density lipoproteins in transgenic mice

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    M.J. van Haperen (Rien); A. van Tol (Arie); P. Vermeulen; M. Jauhiainen; T. van Gent (Teus); P.M. van den Berg (Paul); S. Ehnholm (Sonja); A.W.M. van der Kamp (Arthur); M.P.G. de Crom (Rini); F.G. Grosveld (Frank)

    2000-01-01

    textabstractPlasma phospholipid transfer protein (PLTP) transfers phospholipids between lipoprotein particles and alters high density lipoprotein (HDL) subfraction patterns in vitro, but its physiological function is poorly understood. Transgenic mice that overexpress

  1. Thrombosis, systemic and cardiac oxidative stress and DNA damage induced by pulmonary exposure to diesel exhaust particles, and the effect of nootkatone thereon.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nemmar, Abderrahim; Al-Salam, Suhail; Beegam, Sumaya; Yuvaraju, Priya; Ali, Badreldin H

    2018-01-05

    Adverse cardiovascular effects of particulate air pollution persist even at lower concentrations than those of the current air quality limit. Therefore, identification of safe and effective measures against particles-induced cardiovascular toxicity is needed. Nootkatone is a sesquiterpenoid in grapefruit with diverse bioactivities including anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects. However, its protective effect on the cardiovascular injury induced by diesel exhaust particles (DEP) has not been studied before. We assessed the possible protective effect of nootkatone (90 mg/kg) administered by gavage 1h before intratracheal (i.t.) instillation of DEP (30 μg/mouse). Twenty-four h following the i.t. administration of DEP various thrombotic and cardiac parameters were assessed. Nootkatone inhibited the prothrombotic effect induced by DEP in pial arterioles and venules in vivo and platelet aggregation in whole blood in vitro. Also, nootkatone prevented the shortening of activated partial thromboplastin time and prothrombin time induced by DEP. Nootkatone inhibited the increase of plasma concentration of fibrinogen, plasminogen activator inhibitor-1, interleukin-6 and lipid peroxidation induced by DEP. Immunohistochemically, hearts showed an analogous increase in glutathione and nuclear factor erythroid-derived 2-like 2 (Nrf2) expression by cardiac myocytes and endothelial cells following DEP exposure, and these effects were enhanced in mice treated with nootkatone+DEP. Likewise, heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) was increased in mice treated with nootkatone+DEP compared with those treated with DEP or nootkatone+saline. The DNA damage caused by DEP was prevented by nootkatoone pretreatment. In conclusion, nootkatoone alleviates DEP-induced thrombogenicity and systemic and cardiac oxidative stress and DNA damage, at least partly, through Nrf2 and HO-1 activation.

  2. An introduction to data analysis of airborne particle composition

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hopke, P.K.

    1994-01-01

    A major problem facing air quality management personnel is the identification of sources of airborne particles and the quantitative apportionment of the aerosol mass to those sources. The ability to collect particle samples and analyze these samples for a suite of elements by such techniques as neutron activation analysis or x-ray fluorescence provides that data for the problem of resolving a series of complex mixtures into its components based on the profiles of the elements emitted by the various sources in the airshed. If all of the sources and their composition profiles are known, then the mass balance model becomes a multiple regression problem. If a series of samples have been analyzed without substantial information being available on the sources, factor analysis methods can be employed. In both situations, there are limits to the identification of specific sources or the location of the sources. Thus, other methods that combine chemical with meteorological data have been developed to assist in spatial identification of pollutant sources. There are also limitations to the ability of any statistical method to resolve sources in real world problems. The physical and statistical basis of these methods and their application to representative problems are reviewed in this report. (author). 42 refs, 5 figs, 5 tabs

  3. Construction of Non-Perturbative, Unitary Particle-Antiparticle Amplitudes for Finite Particle Number Scattering Formalisms

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lindesay, James V

    2002-01-01

    Starting from a unitary, Lorentz invariant two-particle scattering amplitude, we show how to use an identification and replacement process to construct a unique, unitary particle-antiparticle amplitude. This process differs from conventional on-shell Mandelstam s,t,u crossing in that the input and constructed amplitudes can be off-diagonal and off-energy shell. Further, amplitudes are constructed using the invariant parameters which are appropriate to use as driving terms in the multi-particle, multichannel nonperturbative, cluster decomposable, relativistic scattering equations of the Faddeev-type integral equations recently presented by Alfred, Kwizera, Lindesay and Noyes. It is therefore anticipated that when so employed, the resulting multi-channel solutions will also be unitary. The process preserves the usual particle-antiparticle symmetries. To illustrate this process, we construct a J=0 scattering length model chosen for simplicity. We also exhibit a class of physical models which contain a finite quantum mass parameter and are Lorentz invariant. These are constructed to reduce in the appropriate limits, and with the proper choice of value and sign of the interaction parameter, to the asymptotic solution of the nonrelativistic Coulomb problem, including the forward scattering singularity , the essential singularity in the phase, and the Bohr bound-state spectrum

  4. Advanced electron microscopic techniques applied to the characterization of irradiation effects and fission product identification of irradiated TRISO coated particles from the AGR-1 experiment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rooyen, I.J. van; Lillo, T.M.; Trowbridge, T.L.; Madden, J.M.; Wu, Y.Q.; Goran, D.

    2013-01-01

    Preliminary electron microscopy of coated fuel particles from the AGR-1 experiment was conducted using characterization techniques such as scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), and wavelength dispersive spectroscopy (WDS). Microscopic quantification of fission-product precipitates was performed. Although numerous micro- and nano-sized precipitates observed in the coating layers during initial SEM characterization of the cross-sections, and in subsequent TEM diffraction patterns, were indexed as UPd 2 Si 2 , no Ag was conclusively found. Additionally, characterization of these precipitates highlighted the difficulty of measuring low concentrations of Ag in precipitates in the presence of significantly higher concentrations of Pd and U. The electron microscopy team followed a multi-directional and phased approach in the identification of fission products in irradiated TRISO fuel. The advanced electron microscopy techniques discussed in this paper, not only demonstrate the usefulness of the equipment (methods) as relevant research tools, but also provide relevant scientific results which increase the knowledge about TRISO fuel particles microstructure and fission products transport

  5. Silicon vertex detector for superheavy elements identification

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bednarek A.

    2012-07-01

    Full Text Available Silicon vertex detector for superheavy elements (SHE identification has been proposed. It will be constructed using very thin silicon detectors about 5 μm thickness. Results of test of 7.3 μm four inch silicon strip detector (SSD with fission fragments and α particles emitted by 252Cf source are presented

  6. Effects of prenatal exposure to surface-coated nanosized titanium dioxide (UV-Titan. A study in mice

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Vibenholt Anni

    2010-06-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Engineered nanoparticles are smaller than 100 nm and designed to improve or achieve new physico-chemical properties. Consequently, also toxicological properties may change compared to the parent compound. We examined developmental and neurobehavioral effects following maternal exposure to a nanoparticulate UV-filter (UV-titan L181. Methods Time-mated mice (C57BL/6BomTac were exposed by inhalation 1h/day to 42 mg/m3 aerosolized powder (1.7·106 n/cm3; peak-size: 97 nm on gestation days 8-18. Endpoints included: maternal lung inflammation; gestational and litter parameters; offspring neurofunction and fertility. Physicochemical particle properties were determined to provide information on specific exposure and deposition. Results Particles consisted of mainly elongated rutile titanium dioxide (TiO2 with an average crystallite size of 21 nm, modified with Al, Si and Zr, and coated with polyalcohols. In exposed adult mice, 38 mg Ti/kg was detected in the lungs on day 5 and differential cell counts of bronchoalveolar lavage fluid revealed lung inflammation 5 and 26-27 days following exposure termination, relative to control mice. As young adults, prenatally exposed offspring tended to avoid the central zone of the open field and exposed female offspring displayed enhanced prepulse inhibition. Cognitive function was unaffected (Morris water maze test. Conclusion Inhalation exposure to nano-sized UV Titan dusts induced long term lung inflammation in time-mated adult female mice. Gestationally exposed offspring displayed moderate neurobehavioral alterations. The results are discussed in the light of the observed particle size distribution in the exposure atmosphere and the potential pathways by which nanoparticles may impart changes in fetal development.

  7. Effects of prenatal exposure to surface-coated nanosized titanium dioxide (UV-Titan). A study in mice.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hougaard, Karin S; Jackson, Petra; Jensen, Keld A; Sloth, Jens J; Löschner, Katrin; Larsen, Erik H; Birkedal, Renie K; Vibenholt, Anni; Boisen, Anne-Mette Z; Wallin, Håkan; Vogel, Ulla

    2010-06-14

    Engineered nanoparticles are smaller than 100 nm and designed to improve or achieve new physico-chemical properties. Consequently, also toxicological properties may change compared to the parent compound. We examined developmental and neurobehavioral effects following maternal exposure to a nanoparticulate UV-filter (UV-titan L181). Time-mated mice (C57BL/6BomTac) were exposed by inhalation 1h/day to 42 mg/m(3) aerosolized powder (1.7.10(6) n/cm(3); peak-size: 97 nm) on gestation days 8-18. Endpoints included: maternal lung inflammation; gestational and litter parameters; offspring neurofunction and fertility. Physicochemical particle properties were determined to provide information on specific exposure and deposition. Particles consisted of mainly elongated rutile titanium dioxide (TiO2) with an average crystallite size of 21 nm, modified with Al, Si and Zr, and coated with polyalcohols. In exposed adult mice, 38 mg Ti/kg was detected in the lungs on day 5 and differential cell counts of bronchoalveolar lavage fluid revealed lung inflammation 5 and 26-27 days following exposure termination, relative to control mice. As young adults, prenatally exposed offspring tended to avoid the central zone of the open field and exposed female offspring displayed enhanced prepulse inhibition. Cognitive function was unaffected (Morris water maze test). Inhalation exposure to nano-sized UV Titan dusts induced long term lung inflammation in time-mated adult female mice. Gestationally exposed offspring displayed moderate neurobehavioral alterations. The results are discussed in the light of the observed particle size distribution in the exposure atmosphere and the potential pathways by which nanoparticles may impart changes in fetal development.

  8. (210)Pb as a tracer of soil erosion, sediment source area identification and particle transport in the terrestrial environment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Matisoff, Gerald

    2014-12-01

    Although (137)Cs has been used extensively to study soil erosion and particle transport in the terrestrial environment, there has been much less work using excess or unsupported (210)Pb ((210)Pbxs) to study the same processes. Furthermore, since (137)Cs activities in soils are decreasing because of radioactive decay, some locations have an added complication due to the addition of Chernobyl-derived (137)Cs, and the activities of (137)Cs in the southern hemisphere are low, there is a need to develop techniques that use (210)Pbxs to provide estimates of rates of soil erosion and particle transport. This paper reviews the current status of (210)Pbxs methods to quantify soil erosion rates, to identify and partition suspended sediment source areas, and to determine the transport rates of particles in the terrestrial landscape. Soil erosion rates determined using (210)Pbxs are based on the unsupported (210)Pb ((210)Pbxs) inventory in the soil, the depth distribution of (210)Pbxs, and a mass balance calibration ('conversion model') that relates the soil inventory to the erosion rate using a 'reference site' at which neither soil erosion nor soil deposition has occurred. In this paper several different models are presented to illustrate the effects of different model assumptions such as the timing, depth and rates of the surface soil mixing on the calculated erosion rates. The suitability of model assumptions, including estimates of the depositional flux of (210)Pbxs to the soil surface and the post-depositional mobility of (210)Pb are also discussed. (210)Pb can be used as one tracer to permit sediment source area identification. This sediment 'fingerprinting' has been extended far beyond using (210)Pb as a single radioisotope to include numerous radioactive and stable tracers and has been applied to identifying the source areas of suspended sediment based on underlying rock type, land use (roads, stream banks, channel beds, cultivated or uncultivated lands, pasture lands

  9. Spectrometer based on the silicon semiconductor detectors for a study of the two charged particles correlation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Krumsztein, Z.W.; Siemiarczuk, T.; Szawlowski, M.

    1974-01-01

    The spectrometer based on the silicon semiconductor detectors for a study of the correlation between two charged particles is described. The results of the time resolution and particles identification measurements are presented. The tests were performed in the proton beam of the JINR synchrocyclotron. (author)

  10. Heterologous prime-boost vaccination with DNA and MVA vaccines, expressing HIV-1 subtype C mosaic Gag virus-like particles, is highly immunogenic in mice.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ros Chapman

    Full Text Available In an effort to make affordable vaccines suitable for the regions most affected by HIV-1, we have constructed stable vaccines that express an HIV-1 subtype C mosaic Gag immunogen (BCG-GagM, MVA-GagM and DNA-GagM. Mosaic immunogens have been designed to address the tremendous diversity of this virus. Here we have shown that GagM buds from cells infected and transfected with MVA-GagM and DNA-GagM respectively and forms virus-like particles. Previously we showed that a BCG-GagM prime MVA-GagM boost generated strong cellular immune responses in mice. In this study immune responses to the DNA-GagM and MVA-GagM vaccines were evaluated in homologous and heterologous prime-boost vaccinations. The DNA homologous prime boost vaccination elicited predominantly CD8+ T cells while the homologous MVA vaccination induced predominantly CD4+ T cells. A heterologous DNA-GagM prime MVA-GagM boost induced strong, more balanced Gag CD8+ and CD4+ T cell responses and that were predominantly of an effector memory phenotype. The immunogenicity of the mosaic Gag (GagM was compared to a naturally occurring subtype C Gag (GagN using a DNA homologous vaccination regimen. DNA-GagN expresses a natural Gag with a sequence that was closest to the consensus sequence of subtype C viruses sampled in South Africa. DNA-GagM homologous vaccination induced cumulative HIV-1 Gag-specific IFN-γ ELISPOT responses that were 6.5-fold higher than those induced by the DNA-GagN vaccination. Similarly, DNA-GagM vaccination generated 7-fold higher levels of cytokine-positive CD8+ T cells than DNA-GagN, indicating that this subtype C mosaic Gag elicits far more potent immune responses than a consensus-type Gag. Cells transfected and infected with DNA-GagM and MVA-GagM respectively, expressed high levels of GagM and produced budding virus-like particles. Our data indicates that a heterologous prime boost regimen using DNA and MVA vaccines expressing HIV-1 subtype C mosaic Gag is highly

  11. Quantitative identification of senescent cells in aging and disease.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Biran, Anat; Zada, Lior; Abou Karam, Paula; Vadai, Ezra; Roitman, Lior; Ovadya, Yossi; Porat, Ziv; Krizhanovsky, Valery

    2017-08-01

    Senescent cells are present in premalignant lesions and sites of tissue damage and accumulate in tissues with age. In vivo identification, quantification and characterization of senescent cells are challenging tasks that limit our understanding of the role of senescent cells in diseases and aging. Here, we present a new way to precisely quantify and identify senescent cells in tissues on a single-cell basis. The method combines a senescence-associated beta-galactosidase assay with staining of molecular markers for cellular senescence and of cellular identity. By utilizing technology that combines flow cytometry with high-content image analysis, we were able to quantify senescent cells in tumors, fibrotic tissues, and tissues of aged mice. Our approach also yielded the finding that senescent cells in tissues of aged mice are larger than nonsenescent cells. Thus, this method provides a basis for quantitative assessment of senescent cells and it offers proof of principle for combination of different markers of senescence. It paves the way for screening of senescent cells for identification of new senescence biomarkers, genes that bypass senescence or senolytic compounds that eliminate senescent cells, thus enabling a deeper understanding of the senescent state in vivo. © 2017 The Authors. Aging Cell published by the Anatomical Society and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  12. An efficient plant viral expression system generating orally immunogenic Norwalk virus-like particles.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Santi, Luca; Batchelor, Lance; Huang, Zhong; Hjelm, Brooke; Kilbourne, Jacquelyn; Arntzen, Charles J; Chen, Qiang; Mason, Hugh S

    2008-03-28

    Virus-like particles (VLPs) derived from enteric pathogens like Norwalk virus (NV) are well suited to study oral immunization. We previously described stable transgenic plants that accumulate recombinant NV-like particles (rNVs) that were orally immunogenic in mice and humans. The transgenic approach suffers from long generation time and modest level of antigen accumulation. We now overcome these constraints with an efficient tobacco mosaic virus (TMV)-derived transient expression system using leaves of Nicotiana benthamiana. We produced properly assembled rNV at 0.8 mg/g leaf 12 days post-infection (dpi). Oral immunization of CD1 mice with 100 or 250 microg/dose of partially purified rNV elicited systemic and mucosal immune responses. We conclude that the plant viral transient expression system provides a robust research tool to generate abundant quantities of rNV as enriched, concentrated VLP preparations that are orally immunogenic.

  13. New particles and breaking the colour symmetry

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Krolikowski, W.

    1975-01-01

    In the framework of one-gluon-exchange static forces mediated by a colour octet or nonet of vector gluons, we discuss quark binding in coloured-meson states and its connection with breaking the colour symmetry. A possible identification of psi (3.1), psi(3.7) and the broad bump at 4.1 GeV with some coloured bound states of quarks and antiquarks is pointed out. This identification implies the existence of a second bump in the region of 5 GeV. The general conclusion of the paper is that the colour interpretation of the new particles may be true only if the colour symmetry is badly broken (provided the considered forces are relevant). (author)

  14. Identification unit for phoswich and phostron detectors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pouxe, J.; Stassi, P.; Dauchy, A.; Giorni, A.; Morand, C.; Chambon, B.; Cheynis, B.; Drain, D.; Pastor, C.

    1984-01-01

    In the last few years the phoswich detector techniques have become a convenient solution to detect light particles emitted in heavy ion induced reactions. Generally the signal delivered by the detectors are integrated within two lapses of time by an analog-to-digital converter triggered by the same signal. When time of flight information is needed the detectors are placed far away from the target and the analog to digital converter must have one gate for each channel because of the jitter in the time of flight of the different particles. As soon as the number of detectors increases this solution becomes too expensive. For this reason a new simple and cheap method is proposed where the particle identification is given by the measurement of data taken from the anode output signal

  15. Enhancement of Wound Healing in Normal and Diabetic Mice by Topical Application of Amorphous Polyphosphate. Superior Effect of a Host–Guest Composite Material Composed of Collagen (Host and Polyphosphate (Guest

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Werner E.G. Müller

    2017-07-01

    Full Text Available The effect of polyphosphate (polyP microparticles on wound healing was tested both in vitro and in a mice model in vivo. Two approaches were used: pure salts of polyphosphate, fabricated as amorphous microparticles (MPs, consisting of calcium and magnesium salts of polyP, “Ca–polyp-MPs” and “Mg–polyp-MPs”, and host–guest composite particles, prepared from amorphous collagen (host and polyphosphate (guest, termed “col/polyp-MPs”. Animal experiments with polyP on healing of excisional wounds were performed using both normal mice and diabetic mice. After a healing period of 7 days “Ca–polyp-MP” significantly improved re-epithelialization in normal mice from 31% (control to 72% (polyP microparticle-treated. Importantly, in diabetic mice, particularly the host–guest particles “col/polyp-MP”, increased the rate of re-epithelialization to ≈40% (control, 23%. In addition, those particles increased the expression of COL-I and COL-III as well as the expression the α-smooth muscle actin and the plasminogen activator inhibitor-1. We propose that “Ca–polyp-MPs”, and particularly the host–guest “col/polyp-MPs” are useful for topical treatment of wounds.

  16. Measurements of double differential charged particle emission cross sections and development of a wide range charged particles spectrometer for ten`s MeV neutrons

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Nauchi, Yasushi; Baba, Mamoru; Kiyosumi, Takehide [Tohoku Univ., Sendai (Japan). Faculty of Engineering] [and others

    1997-03-01

    We measured (n,xp), (n,xd) cross sections of C and Al for En=64.3 MeV neutrons at the {sup 7}Li(p,n) neutron sources facility at TIARA (Takasaki Establishment, JAERI) by using a conventional SSD-NaI telescope placed in the air. They show characteristic energy and angular dependence in high energy regions. In order to extend the measurements to low energy protons and {alpha} particles, a new spectrometer consisting of low pressure gas counters and BaF{sub 2} scintillators is now under development. A low threshold for low energy {alpha} particles will be achieved by using the gas counters. The particle identification over a wide energy range will be achieved by combining the {Delta}E-E method for low energy particles with the pulse shape discrimination (PSD) method of BaF{sub 2} for high energy particles. (author)

  17. Particle dark matter from physics beyond the standard model

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Matchev, Konstantin

    2004-01-01

    In this talk I contrast three different particle dark matter candidates, all motivated by new physics beyond the Standard Model: supersymmetric dark matter, Kaluza-Klein dark matter, and scalar dark matter. I then discuss the prospects for their discovery and identification in both direct detection as well as collider experiments

  18. Influence of Background Genome on Enzymatic Characteristics of Yellow (Ay/-, Avy/-) Mice

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wolff, George L.; Pitot, Henry C.

    1973-01-01

    Identification of the fundamental polypeptide difference between yellow (Ay/-, Avy/-) and non-yellow mice is important for biomedical research because of the influence of the yellow genotype on normal and neoplastic growth and obesity. The complexity of the "yellow mouse syndrome" makes attainment of this objective dependent on the separation of those pleiotropic enzyme differences which are secondary, and depend on the background genome, from those which are primary, and depend primarily on the agouti locus genotype.—Four of nine hepatic enzyme activities assayed simultaneously differed between eight-week-old yellow (Ay/-, Avy/-) and non-yellow (A/-, a/a) male inbred and F1 hybrid mice. Among these four, only cytoplasmic malic enzyme activity was elevated in all yellow mice, as compared with the non-yellow sibs, regardless of background genome. Glucokinase, serine dehydratase, and tyrosine α-ketoglutarate transaminase activities were also changed in yellow mice, but these alterations depended on the background genome.—The ratio of malic enzyme activity to citrate-cleavage enzyme activity, possibly related to the altered fat metabolism of yellow mice, was influenced by background genome as well as by the yellow genotype.——Significant deviations of enzyme activities from mid-parent values among F1 hybrids were associated with particular background genomes; the number of such deviations was larger among yellow mice than among non-yellows and this difference was greater among C3H F1 hybrids than among C57BL/6 F1 hybrids. PMID:4405752

  19. Tailoring particle translocation via dielectrophoresis in pore channels

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tanaka, Shoji; Tsutsui, Makusu; Theodore, Hu; Yuhui, He; Arima, Akihide; Tsuji, Tetsuro; Doi, Kentaro; Kawano, Satoyuki; Taniguchi, Masateru; Kawai, Tomoji

    2016-01-01

    Understanding and controlling electrophoretic motions of nanoscopic objects in fluidic channels are a central challenge in developing nanopore technology for molecular analyses. Although progress has been made in slowing the translocation velocity to meet the requirement for electrical detections of analytes via picoampere current measurements, there exists no method useful for regulating particle flows in the transverse directions. Here, we report the use of dielectrophoresis to manipulate the single-particle passage through a solid-state pore. We created a trap field by applying AC voltage between electrodes embedded in a low-aspect-ratio micropore. We demonstrated a traffic control of particles to go through center or near side surface via the voltage frequency. We also found enhanced capture efficiency along with faster escaping speed of particles by virtue of the AC-mediated electroosmosis. This method is compatible with nanopore sensing and would be widely applied for reducing off-axis effects to achieve single-molecule identification. PMID:27527126

  20. Preparation and Identification of HER2 Radioactive Ligands and Imaging Study of Breast Cancer-Bearing Nude Mice

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Meng-zhi Zhang

    2017-08-01

    Full Text Available OBJECTIVE: A micro-molecule peptide TP1623 of 99mTc-human epithelial growth factor receptor 2 (HER2 was prepared and the feasibility of using it as a HER2-positive molecular imaging agent for breast cancer was evaluated. METHODS: TP1623 was chemically synthesized and labeled with 99mTc. The labeling ratio and stability were detected. HER2 expression levels of breast cancer cells (SKBR3 and MDA-MB-231 and cell binding activity were measured. Biodistribution of 99mTC-TP1623 in normal mice was detected. SKBR3/MDA-MB-231-bearing nude mice models with high/low expressions of HER2 were established. Tumor tissues were stained with hematoxylin–eosin (HE and measured by immunohistochemistry to confirm the formation of tumors and HER2 expression. SPECT imaging was conducted for HER2-overexpressing SKBR3-bearing nude mice. The T/NT ratio was calculated and compared with that of MDA-MB-231-bearing nude mice with low HER2 expression. The competitive inhibition image was used to discuss the specific binding of 99mTc- TP1623 and the tumor. RESULTS: The labeling ratio of 99mTc-TP1623, specific activity, and radiochemical purity (RCP after 6 h at room temperature were (97.39 ± 0.23%, (24.61 ± 0.06 TBq/mmol, and (93.25 ± 0.06%, respectively. HER2 of SKBR3 and MDA-MB-231 cells showed high and low expression levels by immunohistochemistry, respectively. The in vitro receptor assays indicated that specific binding of TP1623 and HER2 was retained. Radioactivity in the brain was always at the lowest level, while the clearance rate of blood and the excretion rate of the kidneys were fast. HE staining showed that tumor cells were observed in SKBR3- and MDA-MB-231-bearing nude mice, with significant heteromorphism and increased mitotic count. The imaging of mice showed that targeted images could be made of 99mTc-TP1623 in high HER2-expressing tumors, while no obvious development was shown in tumors in low HER2-expressing nude mice. No development was visible in

  1. Characterization of hydrometeors in Sahelian convective systems with an X-band radar and comparison with in situ measurements. Part I : Sensitivity of polarimetric radar particle identification retrieval and case study evaluation

    OpenAIRE

    Cazenave, Frédéric; Gosset, Marielle; Kacou, M.; Alcoba, M.; Fontaine, E.; Duroure, C.; Dolan, B.

    2016-01-01

    The particle identification scheme developed by Dolan and Rutledge for X-band polarimetric radar is tested for the first time in Africa and compared with in situ measurements. The data were acquired during the Megha-Tropiques mission algorithm-validation campaign that occurred in Niger in 2010. The radar classification is compared with the in situ observations gathered by an instrumented aircraft for the 13 August 2010 squall-line case. An original approach has been developed for the radar-in...

  2. Porcine parvovirus capsid protein expressed in Escherichia coli self-assembles into virus-like particles with high immunogenicity in mice and guinea pigs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ji, Pengchao; Liu, Yunchao; Chen, Yumei; Wang, Aiping; Jiang, Dawei; Zhao, Baolei; Wang, Jvcai; Chai, Shujun; Zhou, Enmin; Zhang, Gaiping

    2017-03-01

    Porcine parvovirus (PPV) is a causative agent of reproductive failure in pregnant sows. Classical inactivated vaccine is extensively used to control PPV infection, but problems concerning safety, such as incomplete inactivation may occur. In this study, a novel subunit vaccine against PPV based on virus-like particles (VLPs) formed from the complete PPV VP2 protein expressed in a prokaryotic system with co-expressed chaperones is reported. The VLPs have a similar size, shape, and hemagglutination property to the PPV. Immunization with these VLPs stimulated the neutralization antibody and hemagglutination inhibition (HI) antibody responses in mice and guinea pigs. The lymphocyte proliferation response and cytokine secretion was also induced in immunized guinea pigs comparable to those immunized with PPV inactivated vaccine. In addition, immunization with VLPs also significantly reduced the PPV content in the spleen of guinea pigs 14 days after the challenge with intact virus. These studies suggest that PPV VLPs created as described here could be a potential candidate for vaccine development. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  3. Nuclear track radiography of 'hot' aerosol particles

    CERN Document Server

    Boulyga, S F; Kievets, M K; Lomonosova, E M; Zhuk, I V; Yaroshevich, O I; Perelygin, V P; Petrova, R I; Brandt, R; Vater, P

    1999-01-01

    Nuclear track radiography was applied to identify aerosol 'hot' particles which contain elements of nuclear fuel and fallout after Chernobyl NPP accident. For the determination of the content of transuranium elements in radioactive aerosols the measurement of the alpha-activity of 'hot' particles by SSNTD was used in this work, as well as radiography of fission fragments formed as a result of the reactions (n,f) and (gamma,f) in the irradiation of aerosol filters by thermal neutrons and high energy gamma quanta. The technique allowed the sizes and alpha-activity of 'hot' particles to be determined without extracting them from the filter, as well as the determination of the uranium content and its enrichment by sup 2 sup 3 sup 5 U, sup 2 sup 3 sup 9 Pu and sup 2 sup 4 sup 1 Pu isotopes. Sensitivity of determination of alpha activity by fission method is 5x10 sup - sup 6 Bq per particle. The software for the system of image analysis was created. It ensured the identification of track clusters on an optical imag...

  4. Preferences of group-housed female mice regarding structure of softwood bedding.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kirchner, J; Hackbarth, H; Stelzer, H D; Tsai, P-P

    2012-04-01

    Bedding influences various parameters in the housing of laboratory mice, such as health, physiology and behaviour (often considered as being integral parts of welfare). Notwithstanding existent studies about bedding preferences of individually tested mice, data about group-housed mice are still lacking. The aim of this study was to find out the structure preference for softwood bedding of group-housed mice. One hundred and eight 8-week-old female mice (C57BL6/JOlaHsd and BALB/cOlaHsd) were housed in groups of three and were given one-week free access to two different bedding structures at a time. In three test combinations, softwood shaving bedding was tested versus softwood chip bedding products of three different particle sizes (fine/medium/coarse-grained). The preference test was performed in a DoubleCage system composed of two Makrolon type IIL cages, connected by a perspex tunnel. This validated system was able to detect the crossings of each individual animal with correct crossing time and direction. On the basis of these data, dwelling times on the particular bedding structures were statistically analysed as a parameter for bedding preferences. In all three test combinations, a highly significant shaving preference was detected. On average, mice spent 70% of their dwelling time on the shavings. This preference was more explicit during the light period and in C57BL/6J mice. The relative ranking of the bedding structures was: shavings > coarse-grained chips > medium chips = fine chips. By means of these results, a shaving structure as bedding can be recommended for laboratory mice, whereas fine chip structures should be avoided.

  5. The ionisation loss of relativistic charged particles in thin gas samples and its use for particle identification. I

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cobb, J.H.; Allison, W.W.M.; Bunch, J.N.

    1976-01-01

    A brief review shows a significant discrepancy between available data and theoretical predictions on the ionisation loss of charged particles in thin gas-filled proportional counters. The discrepancy related both to the increase of the most probable loss at relativistic velocities (relativistic rise) and to the spectrum of such losses at a given velocity (the Landau distribution). The origin of this relativistic rise is discussed in simple terms and related to the phenomena of transition radiation and Cherenkov radiation. It is shown that the failure of the prediction is due to the small number of ionising collisions in a gas. This problem is overcome by using a Monte Carlo method rather than a continuous integral over the spectrum of single collision processes. A specific mode of the atomic form factors is used with a modified Born approximation to yield the differential cross sections needed for the calculation. The new predictions give improved agreement with experiment and are used to investigate the problem of identifying particles of known momenta in the relativistic region. It is shown that by measuring the ionisation loss of each particle several hundred times over 5m or more, kaon, pion and proton separation with good confidence level may be achieved. Many gases are considered and a comparison is made. The results are also compared with the velocity resolution achievable by measuring primary ionisation. (Auth.)

  6. Calcium phosphate-PEG-insulin-casein (CAPIC) particles as oral delivery systems for insulin.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Morçöl, T; Nagappan, P; Nerenbaum, L; Mitchell, A; Bell, S J D

    2004-06-11

    An oral delivery system for insulin was developed and functional activity was tested in a non-obese diabetic (NOD) mice model. Calcium phosphate particles containing insulin was synthesized in the presence of PEG-3350 and modified by aggregating the particles with caseins to obtain the calcium phosphate-PEG-insulin-casein (CAPIC) oral insulin delivery system. Single doses of CAPIC formulation were tested in NOD mice under fasting or fed conditions to evaluate the glycemic activity. The blood glucose levels were monitored every 1-2h for 12h following the treatments using an ACCU CHECK blood glucose monitoring system. Orally administered and subcutaneously injected free insulin solution served as controls in the study. Based on the results obtained we propose that: (1). the biological activity of insulin is preserved in CAPIC formulation; (2). insulin in CAPIC formulations, but not the free insulin, displays a prolonged hypoglycemic effect after oral administration to diabetic mice; (3). CAPIC formulation protects insulin from degradation while passing through the acidic environment of the GI track until it is released in the less acidic environment of the intestines where it can be absorbed in its biologically active form; (4). CAPIC formulation represents a new and unique oral delivery system for insulin and other macromolecules.

  7. The cedar counters for particle identification in the SPS secondary beams: A description and an operation manual

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bovet, C.; Maleyran, R.; Piemontese, L.; Placci, A.; Placidi, M.

    1982-01-01

    The Cerenkov Differential counter with Achromatic Ring Focus (Cedar) has been designed and a number built at Cern for the identification (and selection) of particles in the secondary beams of a high-energy accelerator. Cedar-N can separate kaons from pions up to 300 GeV/c but can detect protons only down to 60 GeV/c; Cedar-W can flag protons of 12 GeV/c and separate kaons from pions up to 150 GeV/c. After a brief account of the relevant physics of the Cerenkov effect, this report describes Cedars with emphasis on those characteristics and construction features that are of interest to the user. Details are given of the high-precision optical system, the mechanical construction to achieve uniform temperature (0.1 K) and rigidity, and the gas handling and measurement. The layout of the Cedars in the secondary beams of the Cern Super Proton Synchrotron is described. The signals provided to the user are listed and explained, together with the programs for on-line control of the counters. Details are given of the performances attained, together with various hints and suggestions on the procedure to follow in order to set-up, tune, and operate a Cedar. The dependence of the performance on beam optics is stressed. (orig.)

  8. Identification of induced and naturally occurring conductive hearing loss in mice using bone conduction.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chhan, David; McKinnon, Melissa L; Rosowski, John J

    2017-03-01

    While many mouse models of hearing loss have been described, a significant fraction of the genetic defects in these models affect both the inner ear and middle ears. A common method used to separate inner-ear (sensory-neural) from middle-ear (conductive) pathologies in the hearing clinic is the combination of air-conduction and bone-conduction audiometry. In this report, we investigate the use of air- and bone-conducted evoked auditory brainstem responses to perform a similar separation in mice. We describe a technique by which we stimulate the mouse ear both acoustically and via whole-head vibration. We investigate the sensitivity of this technique to conductive hearing loss by introducing middle-ear lesions in normal hearing mice. We also use the technique to investigate the presence of an age-related conductive hearing loss in a common mouse model of presbycusis, the BALB/c mouse. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  9. Microvascular dysfunction with increased vascular leakage response in mice systemically exposed to arsenic.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Shih-Chieh; Huang, Shin-Yin; Lu, Chi-Yu; Hsu, Ya-Hung; Wang, Dean-Chuan

    2014-09-01

    The mechanisms underlying cardiovascular disease induced by arsenic exposure are not completely understood. The objectives of this study were to investigate whether arsenic-fed mice have an increased vascular leakage response to vasoactive agents and whether enhanced type-2 protein phosphatase (PP2A) activity is involved in mustard oil-induced leakage. ICR mice were fed water or sodium arsenite (20 mg/kg) for 4 or 8 weeks. The leakage response to vasoactive agents was quantified using the Evans blue (EB) technique or vascular labeling with carbon particles. Increased EB leakage and high density of carbon-labeled microvessels were detected in arsenic-fed mice treated with mustard oil. Histamine induced significantly higher vascular leakage in arsenic-fed mice than in water-fed mice. Pretreatment with the PP2A inhibitor okadaic acid or the neurokinin 1 receptor (NK1R) blocker RP67580 significantly reduced mustard oil-induced vascular leakage in arsenic-fed mice. The protein levels of PP2Ac and NK1R were similar in both groups. PP2A activity was significantly higher in the arsenic-fed mice compared with the control group. These findings indicate that microvessels generally respond to vasoactive agents, and that the increased PP2A activity is involved in mustard oil-induced vascular leakage in arsenic-fed mice. Arsenic may initiate endothelial dysfunction, resulting in vascular leakage in response to vasoactive agents.

  10. Update on Automated Classification of Interplanetary Dust Particles

    Science.gov (United States)

    Maroger, I.; Lasue, J.; Zolensky, M.

    2018-01-01

    Every year, the Earth accretes about 40,000 tons of extraterrestrial material less than 1 mm in size on its surface. These dust particles originate from active comets, from impacts between asteroids and may also be coming from interstellar space for the very small particles. Since 1981, NASA Jonhson Space Center (JSC) has been systematically collecting the dust from Earth's strastosphere by airborne collectors and gathered them into "Cosmic Dust Catalogs". In those catalogs, a preliminary analysis of the dust particles based on SEM images, some geological characteristics and X-ray energy-dispersive spectrometry (EDS) composition is compiled. Based on those properties, the IDPs are classified into four main groups: C (Cosmic), TCN (Natural Terrestrial Contaminant), TCA (Artificial Terrestrial Contaminant) and AOS (Aluminium Oxide Sphere). Nevertheless, 20% of those particles remain ambiguously classified. Lasue et al. presented a methodology to help automatically classify the particles published in the catalog 15 based on their EDS spectra and nonlinear multivariate projections (as shown in Fig. 1). This work allowed to relabel 155 particles out of the 467 particles in catalog 15 and reclassify some contaminants as potential cosmic dusts. Further analyses of three such particles indicated their probable cosmic origin. The current work aims to bring complementary information to the automatic classification of IDPs to improve identification criteria.

  11. Prenatal exposure to diesel exhaust particles and effect on the male reproductive system in mice

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hemmingsen, Jette Gjerke; Hougaard, Karin Sørig; Talsness, Chris

    2009-01-01

    In utero exposure to diesel exhaust particles may reduce sperm production in adulthood. We investigated the effect of prenatal exposure to diesel exhaust particles on the male reproductive system and assessed endocrine disruption and regulation of aquaporin expression as possible mechanisms...... of action. Dams inhaled 20 mg/m(3) of diesel exhaust particle standard reference material 2975 (SRM2975) or clean air for 1h/day on day 7-19 during pregnancy. Male offspring were killed on day 170 after birth. The dams that had inhaled SRM2975 delivered offspring, which in adulthood had reduced daily sperm...

  12. Effect of 1 GeV/n Fe particles on cocaine-stimulated locomotor activity

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vazquez, M.; Bruneus, M.; Gatley, J.; Russell, S.; Billups, A.

    Space travel beyond the Earth's protective magnetic field (for example, to Mars) will involve exposure of astronauts to irradiation by high-energy nuclei such as 56Fe (HZE radiation), which are a component of galactic cosmic rays. These particles have high linear energy transfer (LET) and are expected to irreversibly damage cells they traverse. Our working hypothesis is that long-term behavioral alterations are induced after exposure of the brain to 1 GeV/n iron particles with fluences of 1 to 8 particles/cell targets. Previous studies support this notion but are not definitive, especially with regard to long-term effects. Using the Alternating Gradient Synchrotron (AGS) we expose C57 mice to 1 GeV/n 56Fe radiation (head only) at doses of 0, 15, 30, 60, 120 and 240 cGy. There were originally 19 mice per group. The ability of cocaine to increase locomotor activity in 16 of these animals in response to an intraperitoneal injection of cocaine has been measured so far at 1, 4, 8, 12, 16, 20, 24 and 28 weeks. Cocaine-stimulated locomotor activity was chosen in part because it is a behavioral assay with which we have considerable experience. More importantly, the ability to respond to cocaine is a complex behavior involving many neurotransmitter systems and brain circuits. Therefore, the probability of alteration of this behavior by HZE particles was considered high. However, the central circuit is the nigrostriatal dopamine system, in which dopamine is released in striatum from nerve terminals whose cell bodies are located in the substantia nigra. Cocaine activates behavior by blocking dopamine transporters on striatal nerve terminals and therefore elevating the concentration of dopamine in the synapse. Dopamine activates receptors on striatal GABAergic cells that project via other brain regions to the thalamus. Activation of the motor cortex by glutamatergic projections from the thalamus leads ultimately to increased locomotion. The experimental paradigm involves

  13. Identification of Dietetically Absorbed Rapeseed (Brassica campestris L. Bee Pollen MicroRNAs in Serum of Mice

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Xuan Chen

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available MicroRNAs (miRNAs are a class of small noncoding RNA that, through mediating posttranscriptional gene regulation, play a critical role in nearly all biological processes. Over the last decade it has become apparent that plant miRNAs may serve as a novel functional component of food with therapeutic effects including anti-influenza and antitumor. Rapeseed bee pollen has good properties in enhancing immune function as well as preventing and treating disease. In this study, we identified the exogenous miRNAs from rapeseed bee pollen in mice blood using RNA-seq technology. We found that miR-166a was the most highly enriched exogenous plant miRNAs in the blood of mice fed with rapeseed bee pollen, followed by miR-159. Subsequently, RT-qPCR results confirmed that these two miRNAs also can be detected in rapeseed bee pollen. Our results suggested that food-derived exogenous miRNAs from rapeseed bee pollen could be absorbed in mice and the abundance of exogenous miRNAs in mouse blood is dependent on their original levels in the rapeseed bee pollen.

  14. Neutron-induced charged-particle emission studies below 100 MeV at WNR

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Haight, R.C.; Lee, T.M.; Sterbenz, S.M. [and others

    1994-07-01

    Charged-particles produced by neutron bombardment of selected targets with Z=5 through 53 have been studied for neutron energies from 1 MeV to about 100 MeV using the spallation neutron source at WNR/LAMPF. Particle detection with energy measurement and particle identification is accomplished by two-element {Delta}E-E counters, three-element {Delta}E{sub l}-{Delta}E{sub 2}-E counters or with pulse-shape discrimination using scintillators directly in the neutron beam. The experimental techniques for these measurements are described and comparisons made among the different approaches. This presentation introduces five papers contributed to this conference.

  15. Neutron-induced charged-particle emission studies below 100 MeV at WNR

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Haight, R.C.; Lee, T.M.; Sterbenz, S.M.

    1994-01-01

    Charged-particles produced by neutron bombardment of selected targets with Z=5 through 53 have been studied for neutron energies from 1 MeV to about 100 MeV using the spallation neutron source at WNR/LAMPF. Particle detection with energy measurement and particle identification is accomplished by two-element ΔE-E counters, three-element ΔE l -ΔE 2 -E counters or with pulse-shape discrimination using scintillators directly in the neutron beam. The experimental techniques for these measurements are described and comparisons made among the different approaches. This presentation introduces five papers contributed to this conference

  16. A preliminary evaluation of immune stimulation following exposure to metal particles and ions using the mouse popliteal lymph node assay

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Tvermoes, Brooke E., E-mail: brooke.tvermoes@cardno.com [Cardno ChemRisk, LLC., 4940 Pearl East Circle Suite 100, Boulder, CO 80301 (United States); Unice, Kenneth M. [Cardno ChemRisk, LLC., 20 Stanwix St. Suite 505, Pittsburgh, PA 15222 (United States); Winans, Bethany [Cardno ChemRisk, LLC., 101 2nd St. Suite 700, San Francisco, CA 94105 (United States); Kovochich, Michael [Cardno ChemRisk, LLC., 130 Vantis Suite 170, Aliso Viejo, CA 92656 (United States); Christian, Whitney V. [Cardno ChemRisk, LLC., 20 Stanwix St. Suite 505, Pittsburgh, PA 15222 (United States); Donovan, Ellen [Cardno ChemRisk, LLC., 101 2nd St. Suite 700, San Francisco, CA 94105 (United States); Fung, Ernest S. [Cardno ChemRisk, LLC., 130 Vantis Suite 170, Aliso Viejo, CA 92656 (United States); Finley, Brent L. [Cardno ChemRisk, LLC., 101 2nd St. Suite 700, San Francisco, CA 94105 (United States); Kimber, Ian [University of Manchester, Faculty of Life Sciences, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9PT (United Kingdom); Paustenbach, Dennis J. [Cardno ChemRisk, LLC., 101 2nd St. Suite 700, San Francisco, CA 94105 (United States)

    2016-10-01

    The objective of this preliminary study was to evaluate the threshold for immune stimulation in mice following local exposure to metal particles and ions representative of normal-functioning cobalt-chromium (CoCr) metal-on-metal (MoM) hip implants. The popliteal lymph node assay (PLNA) was used in this study to assess immune responses in BALB/c mice following treatment with chromium-oxide (Cr{sub 2}O{sub 3}) particles, metal salts (CoCl{sub 2}, CrCl{sub 3} and NiCl{sub 2}), or Cr{sub 2}O{sub 3} particles together with metal salts using single-dose exposures representing approximately 10 days (0.000114 mg), 19 years (0.0800 mg), and 40 years (0.171 mg) of normal implant wear. The immune response elicited following treatment with Cr{sub 2}O{sub 3} particles together with metal salts was also assessed at four additional doses equivalent to approximately 1.5 months (0.0005 mg), 0.6 years (0.0025 mg), 2.3 years (0.01 mg), and 9.3 years (0.04 mg) of normal implant wear. Mice were injected subcutaneously (50 μL) into the right hind foot with the test article, or with the relevant vehicle control. The proliferative response of the draining lymph node cells (LNC) was measured four days after treatment, and stimulation indices (SI) were derived relative to vehicle controls. The PLNA was negative (SI < 3) for all Cr{sub 2}O{sub 3} particle doses, and was also negative at the lowest dose of the metal salt mixture, and the lowest four doses of the Cr{sub 2}O{sub 3} particles with metal salt mixture. The PLNA was positive (SI > 3) at the highest two doses of the metal salt mixture and the highest three doses of the Cr{sub 2}O{sub 3} particles with the metal salt mixture. The provisional NOAEL and LOAEL values identified in this study for immune activation corresponds to Co and Cr concentrations in the synovial fluid approximately 500 and 2000 times higher than that reported for normal-functioning MoM hip implants, respectively. Overall, these results indicate that normal wear

  17. Helminth parasites of conventionally mantained laboratory mice

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Roberto Magalhães Pinto

    1994-03-01

    Full Text Available The spectrum of intestinal parasites present in the SwissWebster, C57B1/6 and DBA/2 mice strains from different animal houses was identified and prevalences compared. Three parasites were observed during the course ofthis study, namely the cestode. Vampirolepis nana (Siebold, 1852 Spasskii, 1954(=Hymenolepis nana and the nematodes Aspiculuris tetraptera (Nitzsch, 1821 Schulz, 1924 and Syphacia obvelata (Rudolphi, 1802 Seurat, 1916. The scope of thisinvestigation has been widened to also include morphometric data on the parasites, to further simplify their identification, since the presence of helminths in laboratory animals is regarded as a restricting factor for the proper attainment of experimental protocols.

  18. Advancements in Particle Analysis Procedures and their Application to the Characterization of Reference Materials for Safeguards

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Admon, U.; Chinea-Cano, E.; Dzigal, N.; Vogt, K.S.; Halevy, I.; Boblil, E.; Elkayam, T.; Weiss, A.

    2015-01-01

    Two approaches may be employed in the preparation of Reference Materials (RMs) for use in micro analytical techniques: placement of characterized micro artefacts in bulk materials and characterization of certain classes of individual particles in existing materials. In November 2013, a collaborative project was launched with the aim of adding information about such individual particles in existing RMs. The motivation behind this project was to investigate and characterize micro-artefacts present in certain commercially available RM, making them available and fit for use in safeguards and several other nuclear applications. The implementation and development of new techniques for particle characterization in bulk materials are also part of this project. The strategy for that approach includes the following steps: 1. Sample preparation: Dispersion of particles on stubs and planchets by an in-house shock-wave device. 2. Particle-of-Interest identification and characterization: (a) Fission Track (FT) route: Mosaic imaging of detectors containing FT stars; Applying automatic pattern recognition and localization of FT stars in detectors; Using Laser Micro-Dissection (LMD) for retrieval of individual particles; Preparation of sampled particles for SEM observation and other analytical techniques. (b) Alpha Track (αT) route: Direct particle identification and localization using position sensitive detectors (instrumental auto-radiography). (c) The advanced SEM route: Integration of analytical SEM techniques for characterization of individual particles of interest: EDS, mass spectrometry, FIB, micro-Raman. Preliminary results of the ongoing efforts will be reported. Utilization of these hyphenated techniques and instruments represents an innovative approach to particle characterization for Safeguards applications. (author)

  19. A compact solid-state detector for small angle particle tracking

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Altieri, S.; Barnaba, O.; Braghieri, A.; Cambiaghi, M.; Lanza, A.; Locatelli, T.; Panzeri, A.; Pedroni, P.; Pinelli, T.; Jennewein, P.; Lang, M.; Preobrazhensky, I.; Annand, J.R.M.; Sadiq, F.

    2000-01-01

    MIcrostrip Detector Array System (MIDAS) is a compact silicon-tracking telescope for charged particles emitted at small angles in intermediate energy photonuclear reactions. It was realized to increase the angular acceptance of the DAPHNE detector and used in an experimental program to check the Gerasimov-Drell-Hearn sum rule at the Mainz electron microtron (MAMI). MIDAS provides a trigger for charged hadrons, p/π ± identification and particle tracking in the region 7 deg. <θ<16 deg.. In this paper we present the main characteristics of MIDAS and its measured performances

  20. A compact solid-state detector for small angle particle tracking

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Altieri, S.; Barnaba, O.; Braghieri, A. E-mail: alessandro.braghieri@pv.infn.it; Cambiaghi, M.; Lanza, A.; Locatelli, T.; Panzeri, A.; Pedroni, P.; Pinelli, T.; Jennewein, P.; Lang, M.; Preobrazhensky, I.; Annand, J.R.M.; Sadiq, F

    2000-09-21

    MIcrostrip Detector Array System (MIDAS) is a compact silicon-tracking telescope for charged particles emitted at small angles in intermediate energy photonuclear reactions. It was realized to increase the angular acceptance of the DAPHNE detector and used in an experimental program to check the Gerasimov-Drell-Hearn sum rule at the Mainz electron microtron (MAMI). MIDAS provides a trigger for charged hadrons, p/{pi}{sup {+-}} identification and particle tracking in the region 7 deg. <{theta}<16 deg.. In this paper we present the main characteristics of MIDAS and its measured performances.

  1. Spatio-temporal patterns of sediment particle movement on 2D and 3D bedforms

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tsubaki, Ryota; Baranya, Sándor; Muste, Marian; Toda, Yuji

    2018-06-01

    An experimental study was conducted to explore sediment particle motion in an open channel and its relationship to bedform characteristics. High-definition submersed video cameras were utilized to record images of particle motion over a dune's length scale. Image processing was conducted to account for illumination heterogeneity due to bedform geometric irregularity and light reflection at the water's surface. Identification of moving particles using a customized algorithm was subsequently conducted and then the instantaneous velocity distribution of sediment particles was evaluated using particle image velocimetry. Obtained experimental results indicate that the motion of sediment particles atop dunes differs depending on dune geometry (i.e., two-dimensional or three-dimensional, respectively). Sediment motion and its relationship to dune shape and dynamics are also discussed.

  2. Slow angled-descent forepaw grasping (SLAG): an innate behavioral task for identification of individual experimental mice possessing functional vision.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gil-Pagés, Macarena; Stiles, Robert J; Parks, Christopher A; Neier, Steven C; Radulovic, Maja; Oliveros, Alfredo; Ferrer, Alejandro; Reed, Brendan K; Wilton, Katelynn M; Schrum, Adam G

    2013-08-23

    There is significant interest in the generation of improved assays to clearly identify experimental mice possessing functional vision, a property that could qualify mice for inclusion in behavioral and neuroscience studies. Widely employed current methods rely on mouse responses to visual cues in assays of reflexes, depth perception, or cognitive memory. However, commonly assessed mouse reflexes can sometimes be ambiguous in their expression, while depth perception assays are sometimes confounded by variation in anxiety responses and exploratory conduct. Furthermore, in situations where experimental groups vary in their cognitive memory capacity, memory assays may not be ideal for assessing differences in vision. We have optimized a non-invasive behavioral assay that relies on an untrained, innate response to identify individual experimental mice possessing functional vision: slow angled-descent forepaw grasping (SLAG). First, we verified that SLAG performance depends on vision and not olfaction. Next, all members of an age-ranged cohort of 158 C57BL/6 mice (57 wild-type, 101 knockout, age range 44-241 days) were assessed for functional vision using the SLAG test without training or conditioning. Subjecting the population to a second innate behavioral test, Dark Chamber preference, corroborated that the functional vision assessment of SLAG was valid. We propose that the SLAG assay is immediately useful to quickly and clearly identify experimental mice possessing functional vision. SLAG is based on a behavioral readout with a significant innate component with no requirement for training. This will facilitate the selection of mice of known sighted status in vision-dependent experiments that focus on other types of behavior, neuroscience, and/or cognitive memory.

  3. PIXE analysis of tumors and localization behavior of a lanthanide in nude mice

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chang, Pei-Jiun; Yang, Czau-Siung; Chou, Ming-Ji; Wei, Chau-Chin; Hsu, Chu-Chung; Wang, Chia-Yu

    1984-04-01

    We have used particle induced X-ray emission (PIXE) to analyze the elemental compositions and uptakes of a lanthanide, yttrium in this report, in tumors and normal tissues of nude mice. A small amount of yttrium nitrate was injected into nude mice with tumors. Samples of normal and malignant tissues taken from these mice were bombarded by the 2 MeV proton beam from a 3 MeV Van de Graaff accelerator with a Ge detector system to determine the relative elemental compositions of tissues and the relative concentrations of yttrium taken up by these tissues. We found that the uptakes of yttrium by tumors were at least five times more than those by normal tissues. Substantial differences were often observed between the trace element weight (or concentration) pattern of the cancerous and normal tissues. The present result is compared with human tissues.

  4. The search for a standard model Higgs at the LHC and electron identification using transition radiation in the ATLAS tracker

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Egede, U.

    1998-01-01

    The large Hadron Collider (LHC) will be ready for proton-proton collisions in the year 2005 and the ATLAS detector will be one of the two experiments at the LHC which will explore a new and higher energy range for particle physics. In this thesis, an analysis of the power of the ATLAS detector to detect a Standard Model Higgs boson has been performed. It is shown that it will be possible to discover a Higgs particle across the complete mass range from the lower limit defined by the reach of the LEP2 collider experiments to the upper theoretical limit around 1 TeV. The role of the inner tracking detector of ATLAS for the detection of conversions and the identification of the primary vertex in the detection of a Higgs particle in the Higgs to two photon decay channel is demonstrated with a detailed detector simulation. The identification of a 1 TeV Higgs particle requires a good understanding of both the signal and the backgrounds. The related uncertainties are covered in detail and it is shown that the Higgs can be identified in the H→WW→lvjj, H→ZZ→llvv and H→ZZ→lljj decay channels. The Transition Radiation Tracker (TRT) is a combined tracking and electron identification device which will be a part of the inner tracking detector of ATLAS. For a prototype of the TRT the electron identification performance is analysed and it is shown that the full scale TRT together with the calorimeters will provide the electron identification power required for a clean electron and photon signal at the LHC. For the prototype a rejection factor of 100 against pions was achieved with an electron efficiency of 90%. the importance of the TRT for a clear detection of a Higgs particle is demonstrated

  5. The search for a standard model Higgs at the LHC and electron identification using transition radiation in the ATLAS tracker

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Egede, U.

    1998-01-01

    The large Hadron Collider (LHC) will be ready for proton-proton collisions in the year 2005 and the ATLAS detector will be one of the two experiments at the LHC which will explore a new and higher energy range for particle physics. In this thesis, an analysis of the power of the ATLAS detector to detect a Standard Model Higgs boson has been performed. It is shown that it will be possible to discover a Higgs particle across the complete mass range from the lower limit defined by the reach of the LEP2 collider experiments to the upper theoretical limit around 1 TeV. The role of the inner tracking detector of ATLAS for the detection of conversions and the identification of the primary vertex in the detection of a Higgs particle in the Higgs to two photon decay channel is demonstrated with a detailed detector simulation. The identification of a 1 TeV Higgs particle requires a good understanding of both the signal and the backgrounds. The related uncertainties are covered in detail and it is shown that the Higgs can be identified in the H{yields}WW{yields}lvjj, H{yields}ZZ{yields}llvv and H{yields}ZZ{yields}lljj decay channels. The Transition Radiation Tracker (TRT) is a combined tracking and electron identification device which will be a part of the inner tracking detector of ATLAS. For a prototype of the TRT the electron identification performance is analysed and it is shown that the full scale TRT together with the calorimeters will provide the electron identification power required for a clean electron and photon signal at the LHC. For the prototype a rejection factor of 100 against pions was achieved with an electron efficiency of 90%. the importance of the TRT for a clear detection of a Higgs particle is demonstrated. 82 refs, figs, tabs.

  6. Large-scale in silico mapping of complex quantitative traits in inbred mice.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Pengyuan Liu

    2007-07-01

    Full Text Available Understanding the genetic basis of common disease and disease-related quantitative traits will aid in the development of diagnostics and therapeutics. The processs of gene discovery can be sped up by rapid and effective integration of well-defined mouse genome and phenome data resources. We describe here an in silico gene-discovery strategy through genome-wide association (GWA scans in inbred mice with a wide range of genetic variation. We identified 937 quantitative trait loci (QTLs from a survey of 173 mouse phenotypes, which include models of human disease (atherosclerosis, cardiovascular disease, cancer and obesity as well as behavioral, hematological, immunological, metabolic, and neurological traits. 67% of QTLs were refined into genomic regions <0.5 Mb with approximately 40-fold increase in mapping precision as compared with classical linkage analysis. This makes for more efficient identification of the genes that underlie disease. We have identified two QTL genes, Adam12 and Cdh2, as causal genetic variants for atherogenic diet-induced obesity. Our findings demonstrate that GWA analysis in mice has the potential to resolve multiple tightly linked QTLs and achieve single-gene resolution. These high-resolution QTL data can serve as a primary resource for positional cloning and gene identification in the research community.

  7. Progressive Retinal Degeneration and Accumulation of Autofluorescent Lipopigments in Progranulin Deficient Mice

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hafler, Brian P.; Klein, Zoe A.; Zhou, Z. Jimmy; Strittmatter, Stephen M.

    2014-01-01

    Prior investigations have shown that patients with neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis (NCL) develop neurodegeneration characterized by vision loss, motor dysfunction, seizures, and often early death. Neuropathological analysis of patients with NCL shows accumulation of intracellular autofluorescent storage material, lipopigment, throughout neurons in the central nervous system including in the retina. A recent study of a sibling pair with adult onset NCL and retinal degeneration showed linkage to the region of the progranulin (GRN) locus and a homozygous mutation was demonstrated in GRN. In particular, the sibling pair with a mutation in GRN developed retinal degeneration and optic atrophy. This locus for this form of adult onset neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis was designated neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis-11 (CLN11). Based on these clinical observations, we wished to determine whether Grn-null mice develop accumulation of autofluorescent particles and retinal degeneration. Retinas of both wild-type and Progranulin deficient mice were examined by immunostaining and autofluorescence. Accumulation of autofluorescent material was present in Progranulin deficient mice at 12 months. Degeneration of multiple classes of neurons including photoreceptors and retinal ganglion cells was noted in mice at 12 and 18 months. Our data shows that Grn−/− mice develop degenerative pathology similar to features of human CLN11. PMID:25234724

  8. Gauge hierarchy, decoupling, and heavy particle effects

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yao, York-Peng

    1981-01-01

    This chapter examines the problems of a large gauge hierarchy and decoupling in theories with spontaneously broken symmetry. Attempts to show, with regard to all orders in the loop expansion, that: once a proper identification is made of the light particles and of the heavy particles at the tree level, then such a division will be maintained order by order in the loop expansion without the necessity of fine tuning; there is a local renormalizable effective Lagrangian, composed of light fields only, which can be used to reproduce all the one light particle irreducible Green's functions; and a set of renormalization group equations can be written down, wherein one stays in the lower energy region to correlate the two sets of parameters in the full and the effective light theories. The appendix gives an algebraic rearrangement method which can be efficiently used to calculate the muon effects on the electron anomalous magnetic moment

  9. Identification of SOX3 as an XX male sex reversal gene in mice and humans.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sutton, Edwina; Hughes, James; White, Stefan; Sekido, Ryohei; Tan, Jacqueline; Arboleda, Valerie; Rogers, Nicholas; Knower, Kevin; Rowley, Lynn; Eyre, Helen; Rizzoti, Karine; McAninch, Dale; Goncalves, Joao; Slee, Jennie; Turbitt, Erin; Bruno, Damien; Bengtsson, Henrik; Harley, Vincent; Vilain, Eric; Sinclair, Andrew; Lovell-Badge, Robin; Thomas, Paul

    2011-01-01

    Sex in mammals is genetically determined and is defined at the cellular level by sex chromosome complement (XY males and XX females). The Y chromosome-linked gene sex-determining region Y (SRY) is believed to be the master initiator of male sex determination in almost all eutherian and metatherian mammals, functioning to upregulate expression of its direct target gene Sry-related HMG box-containing gene 9 (SOX9). Data suggest that SRY evolved from SOX3, although there is no direct functional evidence to support this hypothesis. Indeed, loss-of-function mutations in SOX3 do not affect sex determination in mice or humans. To further investigate Sox3 function in vivo, we generated transgenic mice overexpressing Sox3. Here, we report that in one of these transgenic lines, Sox3 was ectopically expressed in the bipotential gonad and that this led to frequent complete XX male sex reversal. Further analysis indicated that Sox3 induced testis differentiation in this particular line of mice by upregulating expression of Sox9 via a similar mechanism to Sry. Importantly, we also identified genomic rearrangements within the SOX3 regulatory region in three patients with XX male sex reversal. Together, these data suggest that SOX3 and SRY are functionally interchangeable in sex determination and support the notion that SRY evolved from SOX3 via a regulatory mutation that led to its de novo expression in the early gonad.

  10. Identification of SOX3 as an XX male sex reversal gene in mice and humans

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sutton, Edwina; Hughes, James; White, Stefan; Sekido, Ryohei; Tan, Jacqueline; Arboleda, Valerie; Rogers, Nicholas; Knower, Kevin; Rowley, Lynn; Eyre, Helen; Rizzoti, Karine; McAninch, Dale; Goncalves, Joao; Slee, Jennie; Turbitt, Erin; Bruno, Damien; Bengtsson, Henrik; Harley, Vincent; Vilain, Eric; Sinclair, Andrew; Lovell-Badge, Robin; Thomas, Paul

    2010-01-01

    Sex in mammals is genetically determined and is defined at the cellular level by sex chromosome complement (XY males and XX females). The Y chromosome–linked gene sex-determining region Y (SRY) is believed to be the master initiator of male sex determination in almost all eutherian and metatherian mammals, functioning to upregulate expression of its direct target gene Sry-related HMG box–containing gene 9 (SOX9). Data suggest that SRY evolved from SOX3, although there is no direct functional evidence to support this hypothesis. Indeed, loss-of-function mutations in SOX3 do not affect sex determination in mice or humans. To further investigate Sox3 function in vivo, we generated transgenic mice overexpressing Sox3. Here, we report that in one of these transgenic lines, Sox3 was ectopically expressed in the bipotential gonad and that this led to frequent complete XX male sex reversal. Further analysis indicated that Sox3 induced testis differentiation in this particular line of mice by upregulating expression of Sox9 via a similar mechanism to Sry. Importantly, we also identified genomic rearrangements within the SOX3 regulatory region in three patients with XX male sex reversal. Together, these data suggest that SOX3 and SRY are functionally interchangeable in sex determination and support the notion that SRY evolved from SOX3 via a regulatory mutation that led to its de novo expression in the early gonad. PMID:21183788

  11. Comments on the soluble particle identification by the spot test technique

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Podzimek, Josef

    2000-01-01

    The results of old and new measurements of salt nuclei are reviewed in order to estimate the effects of particle size and of environmental humidity or temperature on the size distribution of potential cloud condensation nuclei. Several possible improvements of the sampling and evaluation technique are discussed

  12. The influence of Co-Cr and UHMWPE particles on infection persistence : An in vivo study in mice

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Hosman, Anton H.; Bulstra, Sjoerd K.; Sjollema, Jelmer; van der Mei, Henny C.; Busscher, Henk J.; Neut, Danielle

    Wear of metal-on-metal (cobaltchromium, CoCr particles) and metal-on-polyethylene (ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene, UHMWPE particles) bearing surfaces in hip prostheses is a major problem in orthopedics. This study aimed to compare the influence of CoCr and UHMWPE particles on the

  13. Identification of strategy parameters for particle swarm optimizer through Taguchi method

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    KHOSLA Arun; KUMAR Shakti; AGGARWAL K.K.

    2006-01-01

    Particle swarm optimization (PSO), like other evolutionary algorithms is a population-based stochastic algorithm inspired from the metaphor of social interaction in birds, insects, wasps, etc. It has been used for finding promising solutions in complex search space through the interaction of particles in a swarm. It is a well recognized fact that the performance of evolutionary algorithms to a great extent depends on the choice of appropriate strategy/operating parameters like population size,crossover rate, mutation rate, crossover operator, etc. Generally, these parameters are selected through hit and trial process, which is very unsystematic and requires rigorous experimentation. This paper proposes a systematic based on Taguchi method reasoning scheme for rapidly identifying the strategy parameters for the PSO algorithm. The Taguchi method is a robust design approach using fractional factorial design to study a large number of parameters with small number of experiments. Computer simulations have been performed on two benchmark functions-Rosenbrock function and Griewank function-to validate the approach.

  14. Allergy adjuvant effect of particles from wood smoke and road traffic.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Samuelsen, Mari; Nygaard, Unni Cecilie; Løvik, Martinus

    2008-04-18

    There is growing evidence that in addition to augmenting the severity of asthma and allergic diseases, particulate air pollution also increases the incidence of allergy and asthma. We studied the adjuvant effect of particles from wood smoke and road traffic on the immune response to the allergen ovalbumin (OVA). OVA with and without particles was injected into one hind footpad of Balb/cA mice. All particles together with OVA significantly increased the level of OVA-specific immunoglobulin E (IgE) in serum, compared to groups given OVA or particles alone. Reference diesel exhaust particles (DEP) with OVA induced the highest levels of IgE, whereas no clear difference was observed between particles from road traffic and wood smoke. Road traffic particles collected in the autumn induced higher IgE values with OVA than corresponding particles collected during the winter season when studded tires are used, suggesting that studded tire-generated road pavement particles have less allergy adjuvant activity than exhaust particles. Compared to OVA or particles alone, all particles with OVA increased popliteal lymph node cell numbers, cell proliferation, ex vivo secretion of IL-4 and IL-10 after ConA stimulation, and the expression of several cell surface molecules (CD19, MHC class II, CD86 and CD23). Wood smoke particles with OVA induced somewhat higher cellular responses than road traffic particles, but less than DEP with OVA which seemed to be the most potent particle in inducing cellular as well as antibody responses. Thus, wood smoke particles had about the same capacity to enhance allergic sensitization as road traffic particles, but less than diesel exhaust particles.

  15. Allergy adjuvant effect of particles from wood smoke and road traffic

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Samuelsen, Mari; Nygaard, Unni Cecilie; Lovik, Martinus

    2008-01-01

    There is growing evidence that in addition to augmenting the severity of asthma and allergic diseases, particulate air pollution also increases the incidence of allergy and asthma. We studied the adjuvant effect of particles from wood smoke and road traffic on the immune response to the allergen ovalbumin (OVA). OVA with and without particles was injected into one hind footpad of Balb/cA mice. All particles together with OVA significantly increased the level of OVA-specific immunoglobulin E (IgE) in serum, compared to groups given OVA or particles alone. Reference diesel exhaust particles (DEP) with OVA induced the highest levels of IgE, whereas no clear difference was observed between particles from road traffic and wood smoke. Road traffic particles collected in the autumn induced higher IgE values with OVA than corresponding particles collected during the winter season when studded tires are used, suggesting that studded tire-generated road pavement particles have less allergy adjuvant activity than exhaust particles. Compared to OVA or particles alone, all particles with OVA increased popliteal lymph node cell numbers, cell proliferation, ex vivo secretion of IL-4 and IL-10 after ConA stimulation, and the expression of several cell surface molecules (CD19, MHC class II, CD86 and CD23). Wood smoke particles with OVA induced somewhat higher cellular responses than road traffic particles, but less than DEP with OVA which seemed to be the most potent particle in inducing cellular as well as antibody responses. Thus, wood smoke particles had about the same capacity to enhance allergic sensitization as road traffic particles, but less than diesel exhaust particles

  16. Proteins Differentially Expressed in the Pancreas of Hepatic Alcohol Dehydrogenase-Deficient Deer Mice Fed Ethanol For 3 Months.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bhopale, Kamlesh K; Amer, Samir M; Kaphalia, Lata; Soman, Kizhake V; Wiktorowicz, John E; Shakeel Ansari, Ghulam A; Kaphalia, Bhupendra S

    2017-07-01

    The aim of this study was to identify differentially expressed proteins in the pancreatic tissue of hepatic alcohol dehydrogenase-deficient deer mice fed ethanol to understand metabolic basis and mechanism of alcoholic chronic pancreatitis. Mice were fed liquid diet containing 3.5 g% ethanol daily for 3 months, and differentially expressed pancreatic proteins were identified by protein separation using 2-dimensional gel electrophoresis and identification by mass spectrometry. Nineteen differentially expressed proteins were identified by applying criteria established for protein identification in proteomics. An increased abundance was found for ribosome-binding protein 1, 60S ribosomal protein L31-like isoform 1, histone 4, calcium, and adenosine triphosphate (ATP) binding proteins and the proteins involved in antiapoptotic processes and endoplasmic reticulum function, stress, and/or homeostasis. Low abundance was found for endoA cytokeratin, 40S ribosomal protein SA, amylase 2b isoform precursor, serum albumin, and ATP synthase subunit β and the proteins involved in cell motility, structure, and conformation. Chronic ethanol feeding in alcohol dehydrogenase-deficient deer mice differentially expresses pancreatic functional and structural proteins, which can be used to develop biomarker(s) of alcoholic chronic pancreatitis, particularly amylase 2b precursor, and 60 kDa heat shock protein and those involved in ATP synthesis and blood osmotic pressure.

  17. Recent developments in track reconstruction and hadron identification at MPD

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mudrokh, A.; Zinchenko, A.

    2017-03-01

    A Monte Carlo simulation of real detector effects with as many details as possible has been carried out instead of a simplified Geant point smearing approach during the study of the detector performance. Some results of realistic simulation of the MPD TPC (Time Projection Chamber) including digitization in central Au+Au collisions have been obtained. Particle identification (PID) has been tuned to account for modifications in the track reconstruction. Some results on hadron identification in the TPC and TOF (Time Of Flight) detectors with realistically simulated response have been also obtained.

  18. The use of gold nanoparticles to enhance radiotherapy in mice

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hainfeld, James F; Slatkin, Daniel N; Smilowitz, Henry M

    2004-01-01

    Mice bearing subcutaneous EMT-6 mammary carcinomas received a single intravenous injection of 1.9 nm diameter gold particles (up to 2.7 g Au/kg body weight), which elevated concentrations of gold to 7 mg Au/g in tumours. Tumour-to-normal-tissue gold concentration ratios remained ∼8:1 during several minutes of 250 kVp x-ray therapy. One-year survival was 86% versus 20% with x-rays alone and 0% with gold alone. The increase in tumours safely ablated was dependent on the amount of gold injected. The gold nanoparticles were apparently non-toxic to mice and were largely cleared from the body through the kidneys. This novel use of small gold nanoparticles permitted achievement of the high metal content in tumours necessary for significant high-Z radioenhancement. (note)

  19. East Asian SO2 pollution plume over Europe – Part 1: Airborne trace gas measurements and source identification by particle dispersion model simulations

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    A. Stohl

    2009-07-01

    Full Text Available A large SO2-rich pollution plume of East Asian origin was detected by aircraft based CIMS (Chemical Ionization Mass Spectrometry measurements at 3–7.5 km altitude over the North Atlantic. The measurements, which took place on 3 May 2006 aboard of the German research aircraft Falcon, were part of the INTEX-B (Intercontinental Chemical Transport Experiment-B campaign. Additional trace gases (NO, NOy, CO, H2O were measured and used for comparison and source identification. The atmospheric SO2 mole fraction was markedly increased inside the plume and reached up to 900 pmol/mol. Accompanying lagrangian FLEXPART particle dispersion model simulations indicate that the probed pollution plume originated at low altitudes from densely populated and industrialized regions of East Asia, primarily China, about 8–12 days prior to the measurements.

  20. Characterization and biological effect of Buenos Aires urban air particles on mice lungs

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Martin, Susana; Dawidowski, Laura; Mandalunis, Patricia; Cereceda-Balic, Francisco; Tasat, Deborah Ruth

    2007-01-01

    Exposure to increased levels of ambient air particulate matter (PM) is associated with increased cardiopulmonary morbidity and mortality. Its association with adverse health effects and the still unclear mechanisms of action are of concern worldwide. Our objective was to analyze air PM from downtown Buenos Aires (UAP-BA), and evaluate its biological impact on normal airways. We studied the inflammatory response to intranasal instillation of UAP-BA in a short-term-exposure mouse model. We analyzed UAP-BA morphology by scanning electron microscopy and characterized particle chemical composition by energy dispersive X-ray analysis and capillary gas chromatography. We evaluated lung changes by histomorphometry and histochemical methods. Regarding size, surface area and distribution, UAP-BA proved to be small spherical ultrafine particles: free, in clusters and associated to a matrix. The particles contained polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, polychlorinated biphenyls and almost no metal traces. Histologically, UAP-BA induced the recruitment of phagocytes, a reduction in air spaces, an increase in mucous PAS positive cells and weak incomplete elastic fiber network. Our results demonstrate that UAP-BA causes adverse biological effects on the respiratory tract generating inflammation that, in turn, may cause tissue injury or organ dysfunction and may contribute to the pathogenesis of lung diseases

  1. Three dimensional subsurface elemental identification of minerals using confocal micro-X-ray fluorescence and micro-X-ray computed tomography

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cordes, Nikolaus L.; Seshadri, Srivatsan; Havrilla, George J.; Yuan, Xiaoli; Feser, Michael; Patterson, Brian M.

    2015-01-01

    Current non-destructive elemental characterization methods, such as scanning electron microscopy-based energy dispersive spectroscopy (SEM–EDS) and micro-X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (MXRF), are limited to either elemental identification at the surface (SEM–EDS) or suffer from an inability to discriminate between surface or depth information (MXRF). Thus, a non-destructive elemental characterization of individual embedded particles beneath the surface is impossible with either of these techniques. This limitation can be overcome by using laboratory-based 3D confocal micro-X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (confocal MXRF). This technique utilizes focusing optics on the X-ray source and detector which allows for spatial discrimination in all three dimensions. However, the voxel-by-voxel serial acquisition of a 3D elemental scan can be very time-intensive (~ 1 to 4 weeks) if it is necessary to locate individual embedded particles of interest. As an example, if each point takes a 5 s measurement time, a small volume of 50 × 50 × 50 pixels leads to an acquisition time of approximately 174 h, not including sample stage movement time. Initially screening the samples for particles of interest using micro-X-ray computed tomography (micro-CT) can significantly reduce the time required to spatially locate these particles. Once located, these individual particles can be elementally characterized with confocal MXRF. Herein, we report the elemental identification of high atomic number surface and subsurface particles embedded in a mineralogical matrix by coupling micro-CT and confocal MXRF. Synergistically, these two X-ray based techniques first rapidly locate and then elementally identify individual subsurface particles. - Highlights: • Coupling of confocal X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy and X-ray computed tomography • Qualitative elemental identification of surface and subsurface mineral particles • Non-destructive particle size measurements • Utilization of

  2. Three dimensional subsurface elemental identification of minerals using confocal micro-X-ray fluorescence and micro-X-ray computed tomography

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Cordes, Nikolaus L., E-mail: ncordes@lanl.gov [Polymers and Coatings Group, Material Science and Technology Division, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM 87545 (United States); Seshadri, Srivatsan, E-mail: srivatsan.seshadri@zeiss.com [Carl Zeiss X-ray Microscopy, Inc., Pleasanton, CA 94588 (United States); Havrilla, George J. [Chemical Diagnostics and Engineering, Chemistry Division, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM 87545 (United States); Yuan, Xiaoli [Julius Kruttschnitt Mineral Research Centre, University of Queensland, Indooroopilly, Brisbane, QLD 4068 (Australia); Feser, Michael [Carl Zeiss X-ray Microscopy, Inc., Pleasanton, CA 94588 (United States); Patterson, Brian M. [Polymers and Coatings Group, Material Science and Technology Division, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM 87545 (United States)

    2015-01-01

    Current non-destructive elemental characterization methods, such as scanning electron microscopy-based energy dispersive spectroscopy (SEM–EDS) and micro-X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (MXRF), are limited to either elemental identification at the surface (SEM–EDS) or suffer from an inability to discriminate between surface or depth information (MXRF). Thus, a non-destructive elemental characterization of individual embedded particles beneath the surface is impossible with either of these techniques. This limitation can be overcome by using laboratory-based 3D confocal micro-X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (confocal MXRF). This technique utilizes focusing optics on the X-ray source and detector which allows for spatial discrimination in all three dimensions. However, the voxel-by-voxel serial acquisition of a 3D elemental scan can be very time-intensive (~ 1 to 4 weeks) if it is necessary to locate individual embedded particles of interest. As an example, if each point takes a 5 s measurement time, a small volume of 50 × 50 × 50 pixels leads to an acquisition time of approximately 174 h, not including sample stage movement time. Initially screening the samples for particles of interest using micro-X-ray computed tomography (micro-CT) can significantly reduce the time required to spatially locate these particles. Once located, these individual particles can be elementally characterized with confocal MXRF. Herein, we report the elemental identification of high atomic number surface and subsurface particles embedded in a mineralogical matrix by coupling micro-CT and confocal MXRF. Synergistically, these two X-ray based techniques first rapidly locate and then elementally identify individual subsurface particles. - Highlights: • Coupling of confocal X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy and X-ray computed tomography • Qualitative elemental identification of surface and subsurface mineral particles • Non-destructive particle size measurements • Utilization of

  3. Numerical Simulation of a Tumor Growth Dynamics Model Using Particle Swarm Optimization.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Zhijun; Wang, Qing

    Tumor cell growth models involve high-dimensional parameter spaces that require computationally tractable methods to solve. To address a proposed tumor growth dynamics mathematical model, an instance of the particle swarm optimization method was implemented to speed up the search process in the multi-dimensional parameter space to find optimal parameter values that fit experimental data from mice cancel cells. The fitness function, which measures the difference between calculated results and experimental data, was minimized in the numerical simulation process. The results and search efficiency of the particle swarm optimization method were compared to those from other evolutional methods such as genetic algorithms.

  4. DIESEL PARTICLE INSTILLATION ENHANCES INFLAMMATORY AND NEUROTROPHIN RESPONSES IN THE LUNGS OF ALLERGIC BALB/C MICE

    Science.gov (United States)

    Neurotrophins, including nerve growth factor (NGF) partially mediate many features of allergic airways disease including airways resistance and inflammation. Antibody blockade of NGF attenuates airways resistance associated with the allergen-specific airways responses in mice. ...

  5. Determination of particle movement parameters in industrial apparatuses with the aid of radioisotopes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bazaniak, Z.; Michalik, J.S.; Radwan, M.

    1978-01-01

    The coordinatives of particles moving in a blast furnace for the production of copper matte have been determined with the aid of radioactive tracers. The principle of the method is based on an angular identification of the coordinates of the labelled particle by two moving collimated detectors. The application under industrial conditions does not cause any disturbances in the technological process and does not render more difficult the operation of the investigated apparatus

  6. Lactation Defect in a Widely Used MMTV-Cre Transgenic Line of Mice

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yuan, Taichang; Wang, Yongping; Pao, Lily; Anderson, Steve M.; Gu, Haihua

    2011-01-01

    Background MMTV-Cre mouse lines have played important roles in our understanding about the functions of numerous genes in mouse mammary epithelial cells during mammary gland development and tumorigenesis. However, numerous studies have not included MMTV-Cre mice as controls, and many investigators have not indicated which of the different MMTV-Cre founder lines were used in their studies. Here, we describe a lactation defect that severely limits the use of one of the most commonly used MMTV-Cre founder lines. Methodology/Principal Findings To explore the role of protein tyrosine phosphatase Shp1 in mammary gland development, mice bearing the floxed Shp1 gene were crossed with MMTV-Cre mice and mammary gland development was examined by histological and biochemical techniques, while lactation competency was assessed by monitoring pup growth. Surprisingly, both the Shp1fl/+;MMTV-Cre and MMTV-Cre female mice displayed a severe lactation defect when compared to the Shp1 fl/+ control mice. Histological and biochemical analyses reveal that female mice expressing the MMTV-Cre transgene, either alone or in combination with floxed genes, exhibit defects in lobuloalveolar expansion, presence of large cytoplasmic lipid droplets in luminal alveolar epithelial cells postpartum, and precocious induction of involution. Using a PCR-based genotyping method, the three different founder lines can be distinguished, and we determined that the MMTV-Cre line A, the most widely used MMTV-Cre founder line, exhibits a profound lactation defect that limits its use in studies on mammary gland development. Conclusions/Significance The identification of a lactation defect in the MMTV-Cre line A mice indicates that investigators must use MMTV-Cre alone mice as control in studies that utilize Cre recombinase to excise genes of interest from mammary epithelial cells. Our results also suggest that previous results obtained in studies using the MMTV-Cre line A line should be re-evaluated if the

  7. Real-time energy detector for relativistic charged particles

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Piestrup, A.

    1988-01-01

    The objective of the research is to investigate the use of coherent transition radiation to measure the energy of ultra-relativistic charged particles. The research has possible applications for the detection and identification of these particles. It can also be used for beam diagnostics for both high-repetition-rate and single-pulse, high-current accelerators. The device is low cost and can operate in situ while causing little or no perturbation to the beam. Three such coherent radiators have been constructed and tested at two accelerators using electron beam energies ranging from 50 to 228 MeV. Soft x-ray emission (1 keV to 4 keV) was emitted in a circularly symmetrical annulus with half-angle divergence of 2.5 to 9.0 mr. By selecting foil thickness and spacing, it is possible to design radiators whose angle of emission varies radically over a range of charge-particle energies

  8. Estimation of Valve Stiction Using Particle Swarm Optimization

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    S. Sivagamasundari

    2011-06-01

    Full Text Available This paper presents a procedure for quantifying valve stiction in control loops based on particle swarm optimization. Measurements of the Process Variable (PV and Controller Output (OP are used to estimate the parameters of a Hammerstein system, consisting of connection of a non linear control valve stiction model and a linear process model. The parameters of the Hammerstein model are estimated using particle swarm optimization, from the input-output data by minimizing the error between the true model output and the identified model output. Using particle swarm optimization, Hammerstein models with known nonlinear structure and unknown parameters can be identified. A cost-effective optimization technique is adopted to find the best valve stiction models representing a more realistic valve behavior in the oscillating loop. Simulation and practical laboratory control system results are included, which demonstrates the effectiveness and robustness of the identification scheme.

  9. An EPIC Tale of the Quiescent Particle Background

    Science.gov (United States)

    Snowden, S.L.; Kuntz, K.D.

    2017-01-01

    Extended Source Analysis Software Use Based Empirical Investigation: (1) Builds quiescent particle background (QPB) spectra and images for observations of extended sources that fill (or mostly fill) the FOV i.e., annular background subtraction won't work. (2) Uses a combination of Filter Wheel Closed (FWC) and corner data to capture the spectral, spatial, and temporal variation of the quiescent particle background. New Work: (1) Improved understanding of the QPB (aided by adding a whole lot of data since 2008). (2) Significantly improved statistics (did I mention a LOT more data?). (3) Better characterization and identification of anomalous states. (4) Builds backgrounds for some anomalous state. (5) New efficient method for non-anomalous states.

  10. Identification of transformer fault based on dissolved gas analysis using hybrid support vector machine-modified evolutionary particle swarm optimisation

    Science.gov (United States)

    2018-01-01

    Early detection of power transformer fault is important because it can reduce the maintenance cost of the transformer and it can ensure continuous electricity supply in power systems. Dissolved Gas Analysis (DGA) technique is commonly used to identify oil-filled power transformer fault type but utilisation of artificial intelligence method with optimisation methods has shown convincing results. In this work, a hybrid support vector machine (SVM) with modified evolutionary particle swarm optimisation (EPSO) algorithm was proposed to determine the transformer fault type. The superiority of the modified PSO technique with SVM was evaluated by comparing the results with the actual fault diagnosis, unoptimised SVM and previous reported works. Data reduction was also applied using stepwise regression prior to the training process of SVM to reduce the training time. It was found that the proposed hybrid SVM-Modified EPSO (MEPSO)-Time Varying Acceleration Coefficient (TVAC) technique results in the highest correct identification percentage of faults in a power transformer compared to other PSO algorithms. Thus, the proposed technique can be one of the potential solutions to identify the transformer fault type based on DGA data on site. PMID:29370230

  11. Identification of transformer fault based on dissolved gas analysis using hybrid support vector machine-modified evolutionary particle swarm optimisation.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hazlee Azil Illias

    Full Text Available Early detection of power transformer fault is important because it can reduce the maintenance cost of the transformer and it can ensure continuous electricity supply in power systems. Dissolved Gas Analysis (DGA technique is commonly used to identify oil-filled power transformer fault type but utilisation of artificial intelligence method with optimisation methods has shown convincing results. In this work, a hybrid support vector machine (SVM with modified evolutionary particle swarm optimisation (EPSO algorithm was proposed to determine the transformer fault type. The superiority of the modified PSO technique with SVM was evaluated by comparing the results with the actual fault diagnosis, unoptimised SVM and previous reported works. Data reduction was also applied using stepwise regression prior to the training process of SVM to reduce the training time. It was found that the proposed hybrid SVM-Modified EPSO (MEPSO-Time Varying Acceleration Coefficient (TVAC technique results in the highest correct identification percentage of faults in a power transformer compared to other PSO algorithms. Thus, the proposed technique can be one of the potential solutions to identify the transformer fault type based on DGA data on site.

  12. Identification of transformer fault based on dissolved gas analysis using hybrid support vector machine-modified evolutionary particle swarm optimisation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Illias, Hazlee Azil; Zhao Liang, Wee

    2018-01-01

    Early detection of power transformer fault is important because it can reduce the maintenance cost of the transformer and it can ensure continuous electricity supply in power systems. Dissolved Gas Analysis (DGA) technique is commonly used to identify oil-filled power transformer fault type but utilisation of artificial intelligence method with optimisation methods has shown convincing results. In this work, a hybrid support vector machine (SVM) with modified evolutionary particle swarm optimisation (EPSO) algorithm was proposed to determine the transformer fault type. The superiority of the modified PSO technique with SVM was evaluated by comparing the results with the actual fault diagnosis, unoptimised SVM and previous reported works. Data reduction was also applied using stepwise regression prior to the training process of SVM to reduce the training time. It was found that the proposed hybrid SVM-Modified EPSO (MEPSO)-Time Varying Acceleration Coefficient (TVAC) technique results in the highest correct identification percentage of faults in a power transformer compared to other PSO algorithms. Thus, the proposed technique can be one of the potential solutions to identify the transformer fault type based on DGA data on site.

  13. Shower development of particles with momenta from 1 to 10 GeV in the CALICE Scintillator-Tungsten HCAL

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Adloff, C.; Blaising, J.J.; Chefdeville, M.; Cvach, Jaroslav; Gallus, Petr; Havránek, Miroslav; Janata, Milan; Kvasnička, Jiří; Lednický, Denis; Marčišovský, Michal; Polák, Ivo; Popule, Jiří; Tomášek, Lukáš; Tomášek, Michal; Růžička, Pavel; Šícho, Petr; Smolík, Jan; Vrba, Václav; Zálešák, Jaroslav

    2014-01-01

    Roč. 9, Jan (2014), s. 1-20 ISSN 1748-0221 R&D Projects: GA MŠk LG14033 Institutional support: RVO:68378271 Keywords : particle identification methods * calorimeter methods * detector modelling and simulations Subject RIV: BF - Elementary Particles and High Energy Physics Impact factor: 1.399, year: 2014

  14. Identification of keratinocyte specific markers using phage display and mass spectrometry

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jensen, K.B.; Jensen, O.N.; Ravn, P.

    2003-01-01

    and mass spectrometry that allows identification of cell type-specific protein markers. The most important features of the method are (i) reduction of experimental noise originating from background binding of phage particles and (ii) isolation of affinity binders after a single round of selection, which...... antigens were subsequently identified by mass spectrometry as laminin-5, plectin, and fibronectin. The combination of phage display technology with mass spectrometry methods for protein identification is a general and promising approach for proteomic analysis of cell surface complexity....

  15. Nanotip analysis for dielectrophoretic concentration of nanosized viral particles.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yeo, Woon-Hong; Lee, Hyun-Boo; Kim, Jong-Hoon; Lee, Kyong-Hoon; Chung, Jae-Hyun

    2013-05-10

    Rapid and sensitive detection of low-abundance viral particles is strongly demanded in health care, environmental control, military defense, and homeland security. Current detection methods, however, lack either assay speed or sensitivity, mainly due to the nanosized viral particles. In this paper, we compare a dendritic, multi-terminal nanotip ('dendritic nanotip') with a single terminal nanotip ('single nanotip') for dielectrophoretic (DEP) concentration of viral particles. The numerical computation studies the concentration efficiency of viral particles ranging from 25 to 100 nm in radius for both nanotips. With DEP and Brownian motion considered, when the particle radius decreases by two times, the concentration time for both nanotips increases by 4-5 times. In the computational study, a dendritic nanotip shows about 1.5 times faster concentration than a single nanotip for the viral particles because the dendritic structure increases the DEP-effective area to overcome the Brownian motion. For the qualitative support of the numerical results, the comparison experiment of a dendritic nanotip and a single nanotip is conducted. Under 1 min of concentration time, a dendritic nanotip shows a higher sensitivity than a single nanotip. When the concentration time is 5 min, the sensitivity of a dendritic nanotip for T7 phage is 10(4) particles ml(-1). The dendritic nanotip-based concentrator has the potential for rapid identification of viral particles.

  16. Nanotip analysis for dielectrophoretic concentration of nanosized viral particles

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yeo, Woon-Hong; Lee, Hyun-Boo; Kim, Jong-Hoon; Chung, Jae-Hyun; Lee, Kyong-Hoon

    2013-01-01

    Rapid and sensitive detection of low-abundance viral particles is strongly demanded in health care, environmental control, military defense, and homeland security. Current detection methods, however, lack either assay speed or sensitivity, mainly due to the nanosized viral particles. In this paper, we compare a dendritic, multi-terminal nanotip (‘dendritic nanotip’) with a single terminal nanotip (‘single nanotip’) for dielectrophoretic (DEP) concentration of viral particles. The numerical computation studies the concentration efficiency of viral particles ranging from 25 to 100 nm in radius for both nanotips. With DEP and Brownian motion considered, when the particle radius decreases by two times, the concentration time for both nanotips increases by 4–5 times. In the computational study, a dendritic nanotip shows about 1.5 times faster concentration than a single nanotip for the viral particles because the dendritic structure increases the DEP-effective area to overcome the Brownian motion. For the qualitative support of the numerical results, the comparison experiment of a dendritic nanotip and a single nanotip is conducted. Under 1 min of concentration time, a dendritic nanotip shows a higher sensitivity than a single nanotip. When the concentration time is 5 min, the sensitivity of a dendritic nanotip for T7 phage is 10 4 particles ml −1 . The dendritic nanotip-based concentrator has the potential for rapid identification of viral particles. (paper)

  17. Electron identification and hadron contamination studies in proton-proton collisions with ALICE

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Dashi, Anisa [Technische Universitaet Muenchen (Germany); Collaboration: ALICE-Collaboration

    2016-07-01

    The continuum of electron-positron pairs, produced in heavy-ion collisions, provides an excellent probe of the quark-gluon plasma and a possible chiral symmetry restoration, since these particles do not undergo strong final state interactions and hence carry information about the in-medium properties of hadrons to the detectors. To extract possible signatures, it is important to work with an electron sample of high purity, i.e. not contaminated by other particles. Dielectrons are also studied in proton-proton collisions to provide a crucial reference for the measurement in heavy-ion collisions. This poster presents an analysis performed on a data set of pp collisions at √(s) = 7 TeV measured with the ALICE detector at the Large Hadron Collider. The aim of this work is to optimize the electron identification and to reduce the hadron contamination. For that, three different combinations of particle identification (PID) criteria are compared regarding the statistical significance S/σ{sub S} of their dielectron signals and their electron purities. The analysis shows that one can achieve good electron identification efficiencies and high electron purities by combining the specific energy loss signals measured in the Inner Tracking System and the Time Projection Chamber with the information of the Time of Flight detector. With such a PID selection one obtains a dielectron signal with a purity higher than 82% reaching up to 96%, depending on the invariant mass.

  18. SERCA2a gene transfer improves electrocardiographic performance in aged mdx mice

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hajjar Roger

    2011-08-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Cardiomyocyte calcium overloading has been implicated in the pathogenesis of Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD heart disease. The cardiac isoform of sarcoplasmic reticulum calcium ATPase (SERCA2a plays a major role in removing cytosolic calcium during heart muscle relaxation. Here, we tested the hypothesis that SERCA2a over-expression may mitigate electrocardiography (ECG abnormalities in old female mdx mice, a murine model of DMD cardiomyopathy. Methods 1 × 1012 viral genome particles/mouse of adeno-associated virus serotype-9 (AAV-9 SERCA2a vector was delivered to 12-m-old female mdx mice (N = 5 via a single bolus tail vein injection. AAV transduction and the ECG profile were examined eight months later. Results The vector genome was detected in the hearts of all AAV-injected mdx mice. Immunofluorescence staining and western blot confirmed SERCA2a over-expression in the mdx heart. Untreated mdx mice showed characteristic tachycardia, PR interval reduction and QT interval prolongation. AAV-9 SERCA2a treatment corrected these ECG abnormalities. Conclusions Our results suggest that AAV SERCA2a therapy may hold great promise in treating dystrophin-deficient heart disease.

  19. Indoor Air '93. Particles, microbes, radon

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kalliokoski, P.; Jantunen, M.; Seppaenen, O.

    1993-01-01

    The conference was held in Helsinki, Finland, July 4-8, 1993. The proceedings of the conference were published in 6 volumes. The main topics of the volume 5 are: (1) particles, fibers and dust - their concentrations and sources in buildings, (2) Health effects of particles, (3) Need of asbestos replacement and encapsulation, (4) Seasonal and temporal variation of fungal and bacterial concentration, (5) The evaluation of microbial contamination of buildings, (6) New methods and comparison of different methods for microbial sampling and evaluation, (7) Microbes in building materials and HVAC-systems, (8) Prevention of microbial contamination in buildings, (9) Dealing with house dust mites, (10) Radon measurements and surveys in different countries, (11) The identification of homes with high radon levels, (12) The measurement methods and prediction of radon levels in buildings, and (13) Prevention of radon penetration from the soil

  20. Tau Identification at CMS in Run II

    CERN Document Server

    Ojalvo, Isabel

    2016-01-01

    During LHC Long Shutdown 1 necessary upgrades to the CMS detector were made. CMS also took the opportunity to improve further particle reconstruction. A number of improvements were made to the Hadronic Tau reconstruction and Identification algorithms. In particular, electromag- netic strip reconstruction of the Hadron plus Strips (HPS) algorithm was improved to better model signal of pi0 from tau decays. This modification improves energy response and removes the tau footprint from isolation area. In addition to this, improvement to discriminators combining iso- lation and tau life time variables, and anti-electron in MultiVariate Analysis technique was also developed. The results of these improvements are presented and validation of Tau Identification using a variety of techniques is shown.

  1. A versatile analog device for identifying charged particles by their energies and ionizing powers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Harmanci, Ali Emre

    1971-06-01

    The various methods of identification previously used are discussed; particular attention is given to an ΔE-E telescope. The usual approximations of the equation of Beth-Livingstone are examined and a more universal formula is given. It is shown that when this formula is applied to the case of light particles (p, d, t, H e 3 , α) identification over a wide energy range is possible. The equipment operates logarithmically using analog operators. The identifier possesses certain number of special features, especially concerning the logarithmic converters and the base line restorers. High accuracy, speed, and a good performance at high counting rates have been achieved. Experimental results confirm the performance of the equipment and the validity of the formulas used. A large number of particles corresponding to Z = 8, were identified. (author) [fr

  2. Changes of TSPO-mediated mitophagy signaling pathway in learned helplessness mice.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Dongmei; Zheng, Ji; Wang, Mingyang; Feng, Lu; Ren, Zhili; Liu, Yanyong; Yang, Nan; Zuo, Pingping

    2016-11-30

    Low response rate was witnessed with the present monoaminergic based antidepressants, urging a need for new therapeutic target identification. Accumulated evidences strongly suggest that mitochondrial deficit is implicated in major depression and 18kDa translocator protein (TSPO) plays an important role in regulating mitochondrial function. However the changes of TSPO and TSPO mediated mitophagy pathway in the depressive brain is unclear. In present study, a well validated animal model of depression, learned helplessness (LH), was employed to investigate the relevant changes. Significant behavioral changes were observed in the LH mice. Results showed that TSPO and other mitophagy related proteins, such as VDAC1, Pink1 and Beclin1 were significantly decreased by LH challenge. Moreover, KIFC2, relevant to the mitochondrial transport and Snap25, relevant to neurotransmitter vesicle release, were also obviously down-regulated in the LH mice, which further rendered supportive evidence for the existing mitochondrial dysfunction in LH mice. Present results demonstrated that LH induced depressive symptoms and affected TSPO-mediated mitophagy pathway, indicating a potential target candidate for depression treatment. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  3. Deposition of particles and iodine to outdoor surfaces and in the respiratory tract

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Garland, J.A.

    1988-01-01

    Dry deposition of particles depends strongly on particle size, and is also influenced by the geometry of the surface and weather parameters. Precipitation scavenging is also influenced to some degree by particle size, but hygroscopic properties of soluble particles are also likely to enhance deposition in precipitation. Similar comments apply in the respiratory tract, where particle size and solubility may influence the extent and site of deposition: the site is important for insoluble particles at least since it determines retention time in the body. Thus measurement of particle size and investigation of solubility would be valuable in interpreting deposition inhalation and air concentration observations. Iodine has several chemical forms in the air. It is valuable to sample in such a way that different forms are partitioned, although there is some uncertainty in their identification. The rate of deposition to vegetation depends strongly on the chemical form of the iodine, but the vapour forms of iodine that occur in the atmosphere may all be retained efficiently on inhalation

  4. Nanoparticle encapsulation in red blood cells enables blood-pool magnetic particle imaging hours after injection

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rahmer, J; Gleich, B; Borgert, J; Antonelli, A; Sfara, C; Magnani, M; Tiemann, B; Weizenecker, J

    2013-01-01

    Magnetic particle imaging (MPI) is a new medical imaging approach that is based on the nonlinear magnetization response of super-paramagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIOs) injected into the blood stream. To date, real-time MPI of the bolus passage of an approved MRI SPIO contrast agent injected into the tail vein of living mice has been demonstrated. However, nanoparticles are rapidly removed from the blood stream by the mononuclear phagocyte system. Therefore, imaging applications for long-term monitoring require the repeated administration of bolus injections, which complicates quantitative comparisons due to the temporal variations in concentration. Encapsulation of SPIOs into red blood cells (RBCs) has been suggested to increase the blood circulation time of nanoparticles. This work presents first evidence that SPIO-loaded RBCs can be imaged in the blood pool of mice several hours after injection using MPI. This finding is supported by magnetic particle spectroscopy performed to quantify the iron concentration in blood samples extracted from the mice 3 and 24 h after injection of SPIO-loaded RBCs. Based on these results, new MPI applications can be envisioned, such as permanent 3D real-time visualization of the vessel tree during interventional procedures, bleeding monitoring after stroke, or long-term monitoring and treatment control of cardiovascular diseases. (paper)

  5. Perfomance of a high purity germanium multi-detector telescope for long range particles

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Riepe, G.; Protic, D.; Suekoesd, C.; Didelez, J.P.; Frascaria, N.; Gerlic, E.; Hourani, E.; Morlet, M.

    1980-01-01

    A telescope of stacked high purity germanium detectors designed for long range charged particles was tested using medium energy protons. Particle identification and the rejection of the low energy tail could be accomplished on-line allowing the measurement of complex spectra. The efficiency of the detector stack for protons was measured up to 156 MeV incoming energy. The various factors affecting the energy resolution are discussed and their estimated contributions are compared with the experimental results

  6. The Potential Liver, Brain, and Embryo Toxicity of Titanium Dioxide Nanoparticles on Mice

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jia, Xiaochuan; Wang, Shuo; Zhou, Lei; Sun, Li

    2017-08-01

    Nanoscale titanium dioxide (nano-TiO2) has been widely used in industry and medicine. However, the safety of nano-TiO2 exposure remains unclear. In this study, we evaluated the liver, brain, and embryo toxicity and the underlying mechanism of nano-TiO2 using mice models. The results showed that titanium was distributed to and accumulated in the heart, brain, spleen, lung, and kidney of mice after intraperitoneal (i.p.) nano-TiO2 exposure, in a dose-dependent manner. The organ/body weight ratios of the heart, spleen, and kidney were significantly increased, and those of the brain and lung were decreased. High doses of nano-TiO2 significantly damaged the functions of liver and kidney and glucose and lipid metabolism, as showed in the blood biochemistry tests. Nano-TiO2 caused damages in mitochondria and apoptosis of hepatocytes, generation of reactive oxygen species, and expression disorders of protective genes in the liver of mice. We found ruptured and cracked nerve cells and inflammatory cell infiltration in the brain. We also found that the activities of constitutive nitric oxide synthases (cNOS), inducible NOS (iNOS), and acetylcholinesterase, and the levels of nitrous oxide and glutamic acid were changed in the brain after nano-TiO2 exposure. Ex vivo mouse embryo models exhibited developmental and genetic toxicity after high doses of nano-TiO2. The size of nano-TiO2 particles may affect toxicity, larger particles producing higher toxicity. In summary, nano-TiO2 exhibited toxicity in multiple organs in mice after exposure through i.p. injection and gavage. Our study may provide data for the assessment of the risk of nano-TiO2 exposure on human health.

  7. Magnetic properties, microstructure and mineralogical phases of technogenic magnetic particles (TMPs) in urban soils: Their source identification and environmental implications

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lu, Shenggao, E-mail: lusg@zju.edu.cn [College of Environmental and Resource Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058 (China); Yu, Xiuling [College of Environmental and Resource Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058 (China); Chen, Yuyin [Institute of Biological Resources, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058 (China)

    2016-02-01

    Magnetic measurement is an effective method to determine spatial distribution and the degree of heavy metal pollution and to identify various anthropogenic sources of heavy metals. The objectives of this investigation are to characterize the magnetic properties, microstructure and mineralogical phases of technogenic magnetic particles (TMPs) in urban soils and to discuss their potential environmental implications. The TMPs are separated from the urban topsoils of Luoyang city, China. The magnetic properties, morphology, and mineral phase of TMPs are studied using mineral magnetic measurement, scanning electron microscopy equipped with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM/EDS), X-ray diffraction, and synchrotron–radiation-based microprobe. The content of TMPs in urban topsoils ranges from 0.05 to 1.95% (on average 0.32%). The magnetic susceptibility of TMPs ranges from 4559 × 10{sup −8} to 23,661 × 10{sup −8} m{sup 3} kg{sup −1} (on average 13,637 × 10{sup −8} m{sup 3} kg{sup −1}). Thermomagnetic and bulk X-ray diffraction analyses indicate that main magnetic minerals of TMPs are magnetite (Fe{sub 3}O{sub 4}) and hematite (α-Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3}). The morphology of TMPs observed by SEM includes three shape types: spherule, irregular-shaped, and aggregate particles. The size of spherical TMPs ranges from 30 to about 200 μm, with the largest percentage of 30–50 μm. Synchrotron–radiation-based microprobe (μ-XRF and μ-XRD) indicates that TMPs are enriched with heavy metals Pb, Cd, Zn, Cu, and Cr, which are incorporated into lattice or adsorbed on the surface of magnetite/hematite. The content of TMPs significantly relates with the Tomlinson Pollution Load Index (PLI) (R{sup 2} = 0.467), suggesting that it can be used as proxy indicator of degree of heavy metal contamination in urban soils. The magnetic properties, microstructure and mineralogical phases of TMPs can serve as the identification of pollution sources in urban soils. - Graphical

  8. Evaluation of {sup 211}At-labelled monodisperse polymer particles in vivo: comparison of different specific activities

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Larsen, R.H.; Hoff, Per; Alstad, Jorolf [Oslo Univ., Chemistry Dept., Oslo (Norway); Varaas, Tone; De Vos, L.N.; Nustad, Kjell [Norwegian Radium Hospital, Central Lab., Oslo (Norway); Vergote, I.B. [Norwegian Radium Hospital, Gynecologic Oncology Dept., Oslo (Norway)

    1996-09-01

    The {alpha}-particle emitter {sup 211}At was covalently coupled to 1.8 {mu}m aminated monodisperse polymer particles (MDPP) and used to irradiate the intraperitoneal cavity in mice with disseminated tumour cells. Specific activity has previously been shown to influence the therapeutic efficacy of {alpha}-particle emitting compounds and the therapeutic efficacy of {sup 211}At-MDPP with various specific activity was therefore investigated. Groups of mice (10 animals per group) were treated with intraperitoneal injections of 100 kBq of {sup 211}At-MDPP with specific activities of 0.19, 0.55, 1.7, 5.0, 15, and 45 MBq/mg. A significantly prolonged survival was observed in the treated groups compared to the control group (from 19 to 26 days vs. 12 days, median). The difference in survival between the {sup 211}At-MDPP treated groups was not significant, but some animals with short survival were observed in the groups that had received the 0.19, 15 and 45 MBq/mg preparations. K13 monoclonal antibody values, which are an indicator of tumour growth, were high in some animals in the 15 and 45 MBq/mg groups (day 7 values). (author).

  9. Using the combination CsI(Tl) + photodiode for identification and energy measurement of light particles

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Guinet, D.; Chambon, B.; Cheynis, B.; Demeyer, A.; Drain, D.; Hu, X.C.; Pastor, C.; Vagneron, L.; Zaid, K.; Giorni, A.; Heuer, D.; Lleres, A.; Viano, J.B.

    1989-01-01

    The feasibility of discriminating light charged particles in charge and mass using the CsI(Tl) + photodiode combination is demonstrated. Experiment layout and results for a test using a beam of 30 MeV/nucleon α particles impinging on self-supporting gold and aluminium targets are shown

  10. Incomplete development of the spleen and the deformity in the chimeras between asplenic mutant (Dominant hemimelia) and normal mice.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Suto, J; Wakayama, T; Imamura, K; Goto, S; Fukuta, K

    1995-08-01

    The semidominant gene Dh (Dominant hemimelia) induces skeletal and visceral abnormalities of various degrees and failure of the spleen in mice. The homozygous individual (Dh/Dh) seems to be lethal. The present experiment was designed to investigate the ability Dh cells to form a spleen and the genesis of the hind limb malformations by Dh/Dh and Dh/+ cells in chimeric mice. The Dh/Dh and Dh/+ embryos were produced in the F2 progeny of a cross between inbred strains of Dh/+ and DDD mice. They were aggregated with C3H/He or C57BL/6 embryos to make chimeras. Identification of Dh/Dh or Dh/+ embryos was carried out by Pep-3, and chimerism was analyzed by Gpi-1. Of 25 chimeras carrying the Dh gene, four mice formed a small spleen, two mice had a vestigial spleen, and the others no spleen. The tissues of the incompletely developed spleens were normal histologically and Dh cells were involved in the tissues of the spleen. In the chimeric mice, hindlimb malformation by the Dh gene was reduced in severity and the lethality of the homozygote (Dh/Dh) was rescued.

  11. Morphometric and functional abnormalities of kidneys in the progeny of mice fed chocolate during pregnancy and lactation.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ewa Skopińska-Rózewska

    2006-09-01

    Full Text Available Even most commonly consumed beverages like tea, coffee, chocolate and cocoa contain methylxanthines, biogenic amines and polyphenols, among them catechins, that exhibit significant biological activity and might profoundly affect the organism homeostasis. We have previously shown that 400 mg of bitter chocolate or 6 mg of theobromine added to the daily diet of pregnant and afterwards lactating mice affected embryonic angiogenesis and caused bone mineralization disturbances as well as limb shortening in 4-weeks old offspring. The aim of the present study was the morphometric and functional evaluation of kidneys in the 4-weeks old progeny mice fed according to the protocol mentioned above. Progeny from the mice fed chocolate presented considerable morphometric abnormalities in the kidney structure, with the lower number of glomeruli per mm2 and their increased diameter. Moreover, higher serum creatinine concentration was observed in that group of offspring. No morphometric or functional irregularities were found in the progeny of mice fed theobromine. Abnormalities demonstrated in the offspring of mice fed chocolate are not related to its theobromine content. Consequently, identification of active compound(s responsible for the observed effects is of vital importance.

  12. The sustained-release behavior and in vitro and in vivo transfection of pEGFP-loaded core-shell-structured chitosan-based composite particles

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Yun; Lin, Fu-xing; Zhao, Yu; Wang, Mo-zhen; Ge, Xue-wu; Gong, Zheng-xing; Bao, Dan-dan; Gu, Yu-fang

    2014-01-01

    Novel submicron core-shell-structured chitosan-based composite particles encapsulated with enhanced green fluorescent protein plasmids (pEGFP) were prepared by complex coacervation method. The core was pEGFP-loaded thiolated N-alkylated chitosan (TACS) and the shell was pH- and temperature-responsive hydroxybutyl chitosan (HBC). pEGFP-loaded TACS-HBC composite particles were spherical, and had a mean diameter of approximately 120 nm, as measured by transmission electron microscopy and particle size analyzer. pEGFP showed sustained release in vitro for >15 days. Furthermore, in vitro transfection in human embryonic kidney 293T and human cervix epithelial cells, and in vivo transfection in mice skeletal muscle of loaded pEGFP, were investigated. Results showed that the expression of loaded pEGFP, both in vitro and in vivo, was slow but could be sustained over a long period. pEGFP expression in mice skeletal muscle was sustained for >60 days. This work indicates that these submicron core-shell-structured chitosan-based composite particles could potentially be used as a gene vector for in vivo controlled gene transfection. PMID:25364253

  13. Specific anti-EL4-lymphoma immunity in mice cured 2 years earlier with doxorubicin and interleukin-2.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ehrke, M J; Verstovsek, S; Zaleskis, G; Ho, R L; Ujházy, P; Maccubbin, D L; Mihich, E

    1996-05-01

    This laboratory has reported the conditions for an effective, non-toxic, chemoimmunotherapy utilizing doxorubicin in combination with prolonged administration of interleukin-2 and the identification of the critical role of activated CD8+ T cells in the therapeutic effect. Mice (C57BL/6) cured in those studies have been followed for the remainder of their life spans. These mice, approximately 2 months of age when initially inoculated with syngeneic EL4 lymphoma, survived for more than 2 years, the normal life span of C57BL/6 mice. Mice 4 months old reinoculated with the EL4 cells all survived. At about 1 year of age mice were sacrificed and the ability of their thymocytes and splenocytes to develop specific CD8+ anti-EL4 activity was as high as it had been at the time of tumor rejection. At about 2 years of age EL4 was reimplanted into mice; all of them survived. These surviving mice, at 2 years 2 months of age, as well as a group of 2-year-old mice not rechallenged, were killed and functional antitumor activity and phenotype characteristics of various lymphocyte populations were determined in comparison to those of young and age-matched control mice. The phenotyping of the lymphocytes from the cured mice indicated very notable differences in subset distribution and increased CD44 expression. Functionally they developed high levels of anti-EL4 activity, which was ablated by combined treatment with monoclonal antibodies against CD8 and CD44, indicating the role of memory cells. Consistent with cells from aged mice, these same cell populations had a very reduced allogeneic responsiveness. It appears that cured mice have developed an immune memory specific for EL4.

  14. Exact Identification of a Quantum Change Point

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sentís, Gael; Calsamiglia, John; Muñoz-Tapia, Ramon

    2017-10-01

    The detection of change points is a pivotal task in statistical analysis. In the quantum realm, it is a new primitive where one aims at identifying the point where a source that supposedly prepares a sequence of particles in identical quantum states starts preparing a mutated one. We obtain the optimal procedure to identify the change point with certainty—naturally at the price of having a certain probability of getting an inconclusive answer. We obtain the analytical form of the optimal probability of successful identification for any length of the particle sequence. We show that the conditional success probabilities of identifying each possible change point show an unexpected oscillatory behavior. We also discuss local (online) protocols and compare them with the optimal procedure.

  15. Isolation of pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells from neonatal mice.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Keng Jin; Czech, Lyubov; Waypa, Gregory B; Farrow, Kathryn N

    2013-10-19

    Pulmonary hypertension is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in infants. Historically, there has been significant study of the signaling pathways involved in vascular smooth muscle contraction in PASMC from fetal sheep. While sheep make an excellent model of term pulmonary hypertension, they are very expensive and lack the advantage of genetic manipulation found in mice. Conversely, the inability to isolate PASMC from mice was a significant limitation of that system. Here we described the isolation of primary cultures of mouse PASMC from P7, P14, and P21 mice using a variation of the previously described technique of Marshall et al. that was previously used to isolate rat PASMC. These murine PASMC represent a novel tool for the study of signaling pathways in the neonatal period. Briefly, a slurry of 0.5% (w/v) agarose + 0.5% iron particles in M199 media is infused into the pulmonary vascular bed via the right ventricle (RV). The iron particles are 0.2 μM in diameter and cannot pass through the pulmonary capillary bed. Thus, the iron lodges in the small pulmonary arteries (PA). The lungs are inflated with agarose, removed and dissociated. The iron-containing vessels are pulled down with a magnet. After collagenase (80 U/ml) treatment and further dissociation, the vessels are put into a tissue culture dish in M199 media containing 20% fetal bovine serum (FBS), and antibiotics (M199 complete media) to allow cell migration onto the culture dish. This initial plate of cells is a 50-50 mixture of fibroblasts and PASMC. Thus, the pull down procedure is repeated multiple times to achieve a more pure PASMC population and remove any residual iron. Smooth muscle cell identity is confirmed by immunostaining for smooth muscle myosin and desmin.

  16. Nuclear track radiography of 'hot' aerosol particles

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Boulyga, S.F.; Kievitskaja, A.I.; Kievets, M.K.; Lomonosova, E.M.; Zhuk, I.V.; Yaroshevich, O.I.; Perelygin, V.P.; Petrova, R.; Brandt, R.; Vater, P

    1999-06-01

    Nuclear track radiography was applied to identify aerosol 'hot' particles which contain elements of nuclear fuel and fallout after Chernobyl NPP accident. For the determination of the content of transuranium elements in radioactive aerosols the measurement of the {alpha}-activity of 'hot' particles by SSNTD was used in this work, as well as radiography of fission fragments formed as a result of the reactions (n,f) and ({gamma},f) in the irradiation of aerosol filters by thermal neutrons and high energy gamma quanta. The technique allowed the sizes and alpha-activity of 'hot' particles to be determined without extracting them from the filter, as well as the determination of the uranium content and its enrichment by {sup 235}U, {sup 239}Pu and {sup 241}Pu isotopes. Sensitivity of determination of alpha activity by fission method is 5x10{sup -6} Bq per particle. The software for the system of image analysis was created. It ensured the identification of track clusters on an optical image of the SSNTD surface obtained through a video camera and the determination of size and activity of 'hot' particles00.

  17. Research in Elementary Particle Physics

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    White, Andrew Paul [Univ. of Texas, Arlington, TX (United States); De, Kaushik [Univ. of Texas, Arlington, TX (United States); Brandt, Andrew [Univ. of Texas, Arlington, TX (United States); Yu, Jaehoon [Univ. of Texas, Arlington, TX (United States); Farbin, Amir [Univ. of Texas, Arlington, TX (United States)

    2015-02-02

    This report details the accomplishments and research results for the High Energy Physics Group at the University of Texas at Arlington at the Energy and Intensity Frontiers. For the Energy Frontier we have made fundamental contributions in the search for supersymmetric particles, proposed to explain the stabilization of the mass of the Higgs Boson – the agent giving mass to all known particles. We have also made major contributions to the search for additional Higgs Bosons and to the planning for future searches. This work has been carried out in the context of the ATLAS Experiment at CERN (European Nuclear Research Laboratory) and for which we have made major contributions to computing and data distribution and processing, and have worked to calibrate the detector and prepare upgraded electronics for the future. Our other contribution to the Energy Frontier has been to the International Linear Collider (ILC) project, potentially hosted by Japan, and to the Silicon Detector Concept (SiD) in particular. We have lead the development of the SiD Concept and have worked on a new form of precise energy measurement for particles from the high energy collisions of electrons and positrons at the ILC. For the Intensity Frontier, we have worked to develop the concept of Long Baseline Neutrino Experiment(s) (LBNE) at the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory. Our contributions to detector development, neutrino beam studies, particle identification, software development will facilitate future studies of the oscillation of one type of neutrino into other type(s), establish the order of the neutrino masses, and, through an innovative new idea, allow us to create a beam of dark matter particles.

  18. Detection system for the identification of heavy ions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Abriola, Daniel H.; Arazi, Andres; Achterberg, Erhard; Capurro, Oscar A.; Fernandez Niello, Jorge O.; Ferrero, Armando M. J.; Liberman, Rosa G.; Marti, Guillermo V.; Pacheco, Alberto J.; Ramirez, Marcelo C.; Testoni, Jorge E.

    1999-01-01

    The TANDAR laboratory has a magnetic spectrometer as one of its detection facilities. This device allows the separation of incident particles according to the relation between their lineal momentum and their charge state. To complete this identification there are two alternatives: 1) A system of three detectors consisting of a multiwire detector, an ionization chamber and scintillators; 2) A segmented anode ionization chamber. (author)

  19. Isolation of N-linked glycopeptides by hydrazine-functionalized magnetic particles.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sun, Shisheng; Yang, Ganglong; Wang, Ting; Wang, Qinzhe; Chen, Chao; Li, Zheng

    2010-04-01

    We introduce a novel combination of magnetic particles with hydrazine chemistry, dubbed as hydrazine-functionalized magnetic particles (HFMP) for isolation of glycopeptides. Four methods have been developed and compared for the production of HFMP by hydrazine modification of the surface of the carboxyl and epoxy-silanized magnetic particles, respectively. The evaluation of the capability and specificity of HFMP as well as the optimization of the coupling condition for capturing of glycoproteins were systematically investigated. The results showed that HFMP prepared by adipic dihydrazide functionalization from carboxyl-silanized magnetic particles (HFCA) displayed the maximum capture capacity and isolated efficiency for glycoprotein. When measured with glycoproteins, the capacity of the HFCA (1 g) for coupling bovine fetuin was 130 +/- 5.3 mg. The capability of this method was also confirmed by successful isolation of all formerly glycosylated peptides from standard glycoproteins and identification of their glycosylation sites, which demonstrated the feasibility of the HFCA as an alternative solid support for isolation of glycoproteins/glycopeptides.

  20. Prediction of Skin Sensitization with a Particle Swarm Optimized Support Vector Machine

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Chenzhong Cao

    2009-07-01

    Full Text Available Skin sensitization is the most commonly reported occupational illness, causing much suffering to a wide range of people. Identification and labeling of environmental allergens is urgently required to protect people from skin sensitization. The guinea pig maximization test (GPMT and murine local lymph node assay (LLNA are the two most important in vivo models for identification of skin sensitizers. In order to reduce the number of animal tests, quantitative structure-activity relationships (QSARs are strongly encouraged in the assessment of skin sensitization of chemicals. This paper has investigated the skin sensitization potential of 162 compounds with LLNA results and 92 compounds with GPMT results using a support vector machine. A particle swarm optimization algorithm was implemented for feature selection from a large number of molecular descriptors calculated by Dragon. For the LLNA data set, the classification accuracies are 95.37% and 88.89% for the training and the test sets, respectively. For the GPMT data set, the classification accuracies are 91.80% and 90.32% for the training and the test sets, respectively. The classification performances were greatly improved compared to those reported in the literature, indicating that the support vector machine optimized by particle swarm in this paper is competent for the identification of skin sensitizers.

  1. Prediction of Skin Sensitization with a Particle Swarm Optimized Support Vector Machine

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yuan, Hua; Huang, Jianping; Cao, Chenzhong

    2009-01-01

    Skin sensitization is the most commonly reported occupational illness, causing much suffering to a wide range of people. Identification and labeling of environmental allergens is urgently required to protect people from skin sensitization. The guinea pig maximization test (GPMT) and murine local lymph node assay (LLNA) are the two most important in vivo models for identification of skin sensitizers. In order to reduce the number of animal tests, quantitative structure-activity relationships (QSARs) are strongly encouraged in the assessment of skin sensitization of chemicals. This paper has investigated the skin sensitization potential of 162 compounds with LLNA results and 92 compounds with GPMT results using a support vector machine. A particle swarm optimization algorithm was implemented for feature selection from a large number of molecular descriptors calculated by Dragon. For the LLNA data set, the classification accuracies are 95.37% and 88.89% for the training and the test sets, respectively. For the GPMT data set, the classification accuracies are 91.80% and 90.32% for the training and the test sets, respectively. The classification performances were greatly improved compared to those reported in the literature, indicating that the support vector machine optimized by particle swarm in this paper is competent for the identification of skin sensitizers. PMID:19742136

  2. Identification of the common radiation-sensitive and glucose metabolism-related expressed genes in the thymus of ICR and AKR/J mice

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bong, Jin Jong; Kang, Yumi; Choi, Suk Cjul; Choi, Moo Hyun; Choi, Seung Jin; Kim, Hee Sun

    2011-01-01

    Our goal was to identify the common radiation-sensitive expressed genes in the thymus of ICR and AKR/J mice on 100 days after irradiation. Thus, we performed microarray analysis for thymus of ICR and AKR/J mice, respectively. We categorized differential expressed genes by the analysis of DAVID Bioinformatics Resources v 6.7 and GeneSpring GX 11.5.1 and validated gene expression patterns by QPCR analysis. Our result demonstrated that radiation-sensitive expressed genes and signaling pathways in the thymus of irradiated ICR and AKR/J mice.

  3. Airway irritation, inflammation, and toxicity in mice following inhalation of metal oxide nanoparticles

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Larsen, Søren T; Jackson, Petra; Poulsen, Steen S

    2016-01-01

    Metal oxide nanoparticles are used in a broad range of industrial processes and workers may be exposed to aerosols of the particles both during production and handling. Despite the widespread use of these particles, relatively few studies have been performed to investigate the toxicological effects...... in the airways following inhalation. In the present study, the acute (24 h) and persistent (13 weeks) effects in the airways after a single exposure to metal oxide nanoparticles were studied using a murine inhalation model. Mice were exposed 60 min to aerosols of either ZnO, TiO2, Al2O3 or CeO2 and the deposited...

  4. Excretory/secretory products from Trichinella spiralis adult worms ameliorate DSS-induced colitis in mice.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Xiaodi Yang

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Many evidences show the inverse correlation between helminth infection and allergic or autoimmune diseases. Identification and characterization of the active helminth-derived products responsible for the beneficial effects on allergic or inflammatory diseases will provide another feasible approach to treat these diseases. METHODS AND FINDINGS: Colitis was induced in C57BL/6 mice by giving 3% DSS orally for 7 days. During this period, the mice were treated daily with the excretory/secretory products from T. spiralis adult worms (AES intraperitoneally. The severity of colitis was monitored by measuring body weight, stool consistency or bleeding, colon length and inflammation. To determine the T. spiralis AES product-induced immunological response, Th1, Th2, Th17 and regulatory cytokine profiles were measured in lymphocytes isolated from colon, mesenteric lymph nodes (MLN, and the spleen of treated mice. The CD4+ CD25+ FOXP3+ regulatory T cells (Tregs were also measured in the spleens and MLN of treated mice. Mice treated with AES significantly ameliorated the severity of the DSS-induced colitis indicated by the reduced disease manifestations, improved macroscopic and microscopic inflammation correlated with the up-regulation of Treg response (increased regulatory cytokines IL-10, TGF-beta and regulatory T cells and down-regulation of pro-inflammatory cytokines (IFN-gamma, IL-6 and IL-17 in the spleens, MLN and colon of treated mice. CONCLUSIONS: Our results provide direct evidences that T. spiralis AES have a therapeutic potential for alleviating inflammatory colitis in mice. This effect is possibly mediated by the immunomodulation of regulatory T cells to produce regulatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines and inhibit pro-inflammatory cytokines.

  5. Comparison of folylderivative biosynthesis in Ehrlich ascites carcinoma cells and in some organs of healthy and tumor-bearing mice

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sikora, E; Grzelakowska-Sztabert, B [Polska Akademia Nauk, Warsaw. Inst. Biologii Doswiadczelnej

    1984-01-01

    Biosynthesis of folyl derivatives derived from subcutaneously injected 2-(/sup 14/C)folate was studied in Ehrlich ascites carcinoma (EAC) cells and in mouse liver and kidneys. Retention of exogenous folate was followed by measurements of the total radioactivity of folyl derivatives present in the EAC cells and organs examined. Identification of unconjugated and conjugated folyl derivatives was done by means of column chromatography on Sephadex G-25, G-15 and cellulose sheets. The level of retained radioactivity in folyl derivatives, being 5% in the liver and 1% in the kidneys of the radioactivity administered to mice, was similar in healthy and tumor-bearing animals. Moreover, no quantitative and qualitative differences were found in folyl mono- and polyglutamates originating from the organs of healthy or tumor-bearing mice although the content of folyl polyglutamates rose faster in liver and kidneys of EAC cells-bearing mice as well as in the tumor cells, than in the organs of healthy mice.

  6. A guide to the identification of metabolites in NMR-based metabonomics/metabolomics experiments.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dona, Anthony C; Kyriakides, Michael; Scott, Flora; Shephard, Elizabeth A; Varshavi, Dorsa; Veselkov, Kirill; Everett, Jeremy R

    2016-01-01

    Metabonomics/metabolomics is an important science for the understanding of biological systems and the prediction of their behaviour, through the profiling of metabolites. Two technologies are routinely used in order to analyse metabolite profiles in biological fluids: nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy and mass spectrometry (MS), the latter typically with hyphenation to a chromatography system such as liquid chromatography (LC), in a configuration known as LC-MS. With both NMR and MS-based detection technologies, the identification of the metabolites in the biological sample remains a significant obstacle and bottleneck. This article provides guidance on methods for metabolite identification in biological fluids using NMR spectroscopy, and is illustrated with examples from recent studies on mice.

  7. A guide to the identification of metabolites in NMR-based metabonomics/metabolomics experiments

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Anthony C. Dona

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Metabonomics/metabolomics is an important science for the understanding of biological systems and the prediction of their behaviour, through the profiling of metabolites. Two technologies are routinely used in order to analyse metabolite profiles in biological fluids: nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR spectroscopy and mass spectrometry (MS, the latter typically with hyphenation to a chromatography system such as liquid chromatography (LC, in a configuration known as LC–MS. With both NMR and MS-based detection technologies, the identification of the metabolites in the biological sample remains a significant obstacle and bottleneck. This article provides guidance on methods for metabolite identification in biological fluids using NMR spectroscopy, and is illustrated with examples from recent studies on mice.

  8. Evaluation of biocompatibility and administration site reactogenicity of polyanhydride-particle-based platform for vaccine delivery.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huntimer, Lucas; Ramer-Tait, Amanda E; Petersen, Latrisha K; Ross, Kathleen A; Walz, Katherine A; Wang, Chong; Hostetter, Jesse; Narasimhan, Balaji; Wannemuehler, Michael J

    2013-02-01

    Efficacy, purity, safety, and potency are important attributes of vaccines. Polyanhydride particles represent a novel class of vaccine adjuvants and delivery platforms that have demonstrated the ability to enhance the stability of protein antigens as well as elicit protective immunity against bacterial pathogens. This work aims to elucidate the biocompatibility, inflammatory reactions, and particle effects on mice injected with a 5 mg dose of polyanhydride nanoparticles via common parenteral routes (subcutaneous and intramuscular). Independent of polymer chemistry, nanoparticles more effectively disseminated away from the injection site as compared to microparticles, which exhibited a depot effect. Using fluorescent probes, the in vivo distribution of three formulations of nanoparticles, following subcutaneous administration, indicated migration away from the injection site. Less inflammation was observed at the injection sites of mice-administered nanoparticles as compared to Alum and incomplete Freund's adjuvant. Furthermore, histological evaluation revealed minimal adverse injection site reactions and minimal toxicological effects associated with the administration of nanoparticles at 30 days post-administration. Collectively, these results demonstrate that polyanhydride nanoparticles do not induce inflammation as a cumulative effect of particle persistence or degradation and are, therefore, a viable candidate for a vaccine delivery platform. Copyright © 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  9. Project management web tools at the MICE experiment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Coney, L R; Tunnell, C D

    2012-01-01

    Project management tools like Trac are commonly used within the open-source community to coordinate projects. The Muon Ionization Cooling Experiment (MICE) uses the project management web application Redmine to host mice.rl.ac.uk. Many groups within the experiment have a Redmine project: analysis, computing and software (including offline, online, controls and monitoring, and database subgroups), executive board, and operations. All of these groups use the website to communicate, track effort, develop schedules, and maintain documentation. The issue tracker is a rich tool that is used to identify tasks and monitor progress within groups on timescales ranging from immediate and unexpected problems to milestones that cover the life of the experiment. It allows the prioritization of tasks according to time-sensitivity, while providing a searchable record of work that has been done. This record of work can be used to measure both individual and overall group activity, identify areas lacking sufficient personnel or effort, and as a measure of progress against the schedule. Given that MICE, like many particle physics experiments, is an international community, such a system is required to allow easy communication within a global collaboration. Unlike systems that are purely wiki-based, the structure of a project management tool like Redmine allows information to be maintained in a more structured and logical fashion.

  10. Repeated Intraperitoneal alpha-Radioimmunotherapy of Ovarian Cancer in Mice

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Elgqvist, Jörgen; Andersson, Håkan; Jensen, Holger

    2010-01-01

    The aim of this study was to investigate the therapeutic efficacy of alpha-radioimmunotherapy of ovarian cancer in mice using different fractionated treatment regimens. The study was performed using the monoclonal antibody MX35 F(ab')(2) labeled with the alpha-particle emitter (211)At. Methods....... Nude mice were intraperitoneally inoculated with ~1 x 10(7) cells of the cell line NIH:OVCAR-3. Four weeks later 6 groups of animals were given 400 kBq (211)At-MX35 F(ab')(2) as a single or as a repeated treatment of up to 6 times (n = 18 in each group). The fractionated treatments were given every...... seventh day. Control animals were treated with unlabeled MX35 F(ab')(2) (n = 12). Eight weeks posttreatment the animals were sacrificed and the presence of macro- and microscopic tumors and ascites was determined. Results. The tumor-free fractions (TFFs) of the animals, defined as the fraction of animals...

  11. Physical dynamics of quasi-particles in nonlinear wave equations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Christov, Ivan; Christov, C.I.

    2008-01-01

    By treating the centers of solitons as point particles and studying their discrete dynamics, we demonstrate a new approach to the quantization of the soliton solutions of the sine-Gordon equation, one of the first model nonlinear field equations. In particular, we show that a linear superposition of the non-interacting shapes of two solitons offers a qualitative (and to a good approximation quantitative) description of the true two-soliton solution, provided that the trajectories of the centers of the superimposed solitons are considered unknown. Via variational calculus, we establish that the dynamics of the quasi-particles obey a pseudo-Newtonian law, which includes cross-mass terms. The successful identification of the governing equations of the (discrete) quasi-particles from the (continuous) field equation shows that the proposed approach provides a basis for the passage from the continuous to a discrete description of the field

  12. Physical dynamics of quasi-particles in nonlinear wave equations

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Christov, Ivan [Department of Mathematics, Texas A and M University, College Station, TX 77843-3368 (United States)], E-mail: christov@alum.mit.edu; Christov, C.I. [Department of Mathematics, University of Louisiana at Lafayette, Lafayette, LA 70504-1010 (United States)], E-mail: christov@louisiana.edu

    2008-02-04

    By treating the centers of solitons as point particles and studying their discrete dynamics, we demonstrate a new approach to the quantization of the soliton solutions of the sine-Gordon equation, one of the first model nonlinear field equations. In particular, we show that a linear superposition of the non-interacting shapes of two solitons offers a qualitative (and to a good approximation quantitative) description of the true two-soliton solution, provided that the trajectories of the centers of the superimposed solitons are considered unknown. Via variational calculus, we establish that the dynamics of the quasi-particles obey a pseudo-Newtonian law, which includes cross-mass terms. The successful identification of the governing equations of the (discrete) quasi-particles from the (continuous) field equation shows that the proposed approach provides a basis for the passage from the continuous to a discrete description of the field.

  13. Identification of NY-BR-1-specific CD4(+) T cell epitopes using HLA-transgenic mice.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gardyan, Adriane; Osen, Wolfram; Zörnig, Inka; Podola, Lilli; Agarwal, Maria; Aulmann, Sebastian; Ruggiero, Eliana; Schmidt, Manfred; Halama, Niels; Leuchs, Barbara; von Kalle, Christof; Beckhove, Philipp; Schneeweiss, Andreas; Jäger, Dirk; Eichmüller, Stefan B

    2015-06-01

    Breast cancer represents the second most common cancer type worldwide and has remained the leading cause of cancer-related deaths among women. The differentiation antigen NY-BR-1 appears overexpressed in invasive mammary carcinomas compared to healthy breast tissue, thus representing a promising target antigen for T cell based tumor immunotherapy approaches. Since efficient immune attack of tumors depends on the activity of tumor antigen-specific CD4(+) effector T cells, NY-BR-1 was screened for the presence of HLA-restricted CD4(+) T cell epitopes that could be included in immunological treatment approaches. Upon NY-BR-1-specific DNA immunization of HLA-transgenic mice and functional ex vivo analysis, a panel of NY-BR-1-derived library peptides was determined that specifically stimulated IFNγ secretion among splenocytes of immunized mice. Following in silico analyses, four candidate epitopes were determined which were successfully used for peptide immunization to establish NY-BR-1-specific, HLA-DRB1*0301- or HLA-DRB1*0401-restricted CD4(+) T cell lines from splenocytes of peptide immunized HLA-transgenic mice. Notably, all four CD4(+) T cell lines recognized human HLA-DR-matched dendritic cells (DC) pulsed with lysates of NY-BR-1 expressing human tumor cells, demonstrating natural processing of these epitopes also within the human system. Finally, CD4(+) T cells specific for all four CD4(+) T cell epitopes were detectable among PBMC of breast cancer patients, showing that CD4(+) T cell responses against the new epitopes are not deleted nor inactivated by self-tolerance mechanisms. Our results present the first NY-BR-1-specific HLA-DRB1*0301- and HLA-DRB1*0401-restricted T cell epitopes that could be exploited for therapeutic intervention against breast cancer. © 2014 UICC.

  14. Particles of bottom and suspended sediments: height of rise

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Khodzinskaya Anna Gennadievna

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available In the article, characteristic values of dynamic sizes of bottom and suspended sediments, including their probabilistic assessment, are considered. The article presents the processing results in respect of the experimental data for bottom and suspended sediments, obtained in the laboratory environment using samples and filming methods. The experiments have proven that the dynamic hydraulic size determines the height of rise for the particles of the saltation load, rather than suspended ones. In the laboratory environment, the maximal height of rise is mainly driven by the relative flow depth. According to the assessment made by the co-authors, depths of flows employed in the experiments designated for the identification of heights of rises, were comparable to saltation heights of particles. Besides, the saltation height of particles, having relative density well below 2.65, nearly always exceeded half of the depth of the laboratory flow. Hydrodynamic conditions favourable for the separation and motion of artificial particles in coarse surface tanks are far different from the motion of sand particles on the bottom of lowland rivers. Values of hydraulic resistance ratios typical for laboratory experiments by far exceed their values typical for lowland rivers, and it means that the conditions of the experiments performed in the laboratory were similar to those typical for mountain rivers. The research findings have proven that the particle separation and motion pattern, if artificial particles are made of the materials demonstrating variable density and elasticity values and if loose particles travel over fixed ones, is different from the pattern typical for natural particles having variable coarseness.

  15. On electron and pion identification using a multilayer perceptron in the transition radiation detector of the CBM experiment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Akishina, T.P.; Denisova, O.Yu.; Ivanov, V.V.

    2009-01-01

    The problem of pion-electron identification based on their energy losses in the TRD is considered in the frame of the CBM experiment. For particles identification an artificial neural network (ANN) was used, a multilayer perceptron realized in JETNET and ROOT packages. It is demonstrated that, in order to get correct and comparable results, it is important to define the network structure correctly. The recommendations for such a selection are given. In order to achieve an acceptable level of pions suppression, the energy losses need to be transformed to more 'effective' variables. The dependency of ANN output threshold for a fixed portion of electron loss on the particle momentum is presented

  16. Molecular identification of Heterakis spumosa obtained from brown rats (Rattus norvegicus) in Japan and its infectivity in experimental mice.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Šnábel, Viliam; Utsuki, Daisuke; Kato, Takehiro; Sunaga, Fujiko; Ooi, Hong-Kean; Gambetta, Barbara; Taira, Kensuke

    2014-09-01

    Heterakis spumosa is a nematode of invasive rodents, mainly affiliated with Rattus spp. of Asian origin. Despite the ecological importance and cosmopolitan distribution, little information is available on the genetic characteristics and infectivity to experimental animals of this roundworm. Heterakis isolates obtained from naturally infected brown rats caught in 2007 in the city of Sagamihara, east central Honshu, Japan, and maintained by laboratory passages were subjected to mitochondrial sequence analysis and experimental infection in mice. Sequencing of the cox1 gene revealed that nucleotides of H. spumosa and previously examined Heterakis isolonche isolates from gallinaceous birds in Japan differed by 11.2-12.2% that conforms to the range expected for interspecific differences. The two H. spumosa isolates differed by a single 138T/C non-synonymous substitution in the 393-bp mt sequence. In a dendrogram, the H. spumosa samples formed a subcluster with members of the nematode superfamily Heterakoidea, H. isolonche and Ascaridia galli. In an experimental infection study, ICR, AKR, B10.BR and C57BL/6 mice strains were inoculated with 200 H. spumosa eggs/head and necropsied at 14 and 90 days post-inoculation (DPI) when the number of worms was recorded. Eggs were initially detected in faeces from 32-35 DPI in ICR, AKR and B10.BR mice and the highest mean number of eggs per gram of faeces (EPG) was 4,800 at 38 DPI, 2,200 at 58 DPI and 800 at 44 and 72 DPI in ICR, AKR and B10.BR mice, respectively. No eggs were observed in faeces of the C57BL/6 mouse strain during the experiment. A similar number of juvenile worms were isolated from all mouse strains at 14 DPI, whereas no adult worms were detected in C57BL/6 mice at 90 DPI.

  17. Particle Detectors: Research and Development at CERN

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fabjan, C. W.

    2008-01-01

    Over the past 15 years a worldwide Detector R and D Programme has made the LHC experiments possible. These experiments operate at a new level of event rate and detection capabilities. Based on these advances, Detector R and D is continuing at CERN in close collaboration with University and Research Institutes. Several main directions are being pursued for solid-state and gaseous tracking devices, advanced crystal and noble liquid calorimetry, particle identification methods, and advanced signal-processing techniques. This effort is directed towards experiments at even higher collision rates at the LHC, the requirements for the next generation of linear electron-positron colliders and for applications outside particle physics, such as medical diagnostics instrumentation. We shall illustrate this challenging, stimulating and creative programme with examples and show how these developments are taking place in close collaboration between CERN and institutions around the globe

  18. Limitations of the pulse-shape technique for particle discrimination in planar Si detectors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pausch, G.; Seidel, W.; Lampert, M.O.; Rohr, P.

    1996-11-01

    Limitations of the pulse-shape discrimination (PSD) technique - a promising method to identify the charged particles stopped in planar Si-detectors - have been investigated. The particle resolution turned out to be basically determined by resistivity fluctuations in the bulk silicon which cause the charge-collection time to depend on the point of impact. Detector maps showing these fluctuations have been measured and are discussed. Furthermore we present a simple method to test the performance of detectors with respect to PSD. Another limitation of the PSD technique is the finite energy threshold for particle identification. This threshold is caused by an unexpected decrease of the total charge-collection time for ions with a short range, in spite of the fact that the particle tracks are located in a region of very low electric field. (orig.)

  19. Muon reconstruction and identification with the Run II D0 detector

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Abazov, V. M.; Abbott, B.; Acharya, B.S.; Kupčo, Alexander; Lokajíček, Miloš

    2014-01-01

    Roč. 737, Feb (2014), s. 281-294 ISSN 0168-9002 R&D Projects: GA MŠk(CZ) LG12006 Institutional support: RVO:68378271 Keywords : Fermilab * D0 * Tevatron Run II * muon identification * muon reconstruction Subject RIV: BF - Elementary Particles and High Energy Physics Impact factor: 1.216, year: 2014

  20. Prolonged Pulmonary Exposure to Diesel Exhaust Particles Exacerbates Renal Oxidative Stress, Inflammation and DNA Damage in Mice with Adenine-Induced Chronic Renal Failure

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Abderrahim Nemmar

    2016-05-01

    Full Text Available Background/Aims: Epidemiological evidence indicates that patients with chronic kidney diseases have increased susceptibility to adverse outcomes related to long-term exposure to particulate air pollution. However, mechanisms underlying these effects are not fully understood. Methods: Presently, we assessed the effect of prolonged exposure to diesel exhaust particles (DEP on chronic renal failure induced by adenine (0.25% w/w in feed for 4 weeks, which is known to involve inflammation and oxidative stress. DEP (0.5m/kg was intratracheally (i.t. instilled every 4th day for 4 weeks (7 i.t. instillation. Four days following the last exposure to either DEP or saline (control, various renal endpoints were measured. Results: While body weight was decreased, kidney weight increased in DEP+adenine versus saline+adenine or DEP. Water intake, urine volume, relative kidney weight were significantly increased in adenine+DEP versus DEP and adenine+saline versus saline. Plasma creatinine and urea increased and creatinine clearance decreased in adenine+DEP versus DEP and adenine+saline versus saline. Tumor necrosis factor α, lipid peroxidation and reactive oxygen species were significantly increased in adenine+DEP compared with either DEP or adenine+saline. The antioxidant calase was significantly decreased in adenine+DEP compared with either adenine+saline or DEP. Notably, renal DNA damage was significantly potentiated in adenine+DEP compared with either adenine+saline or DEP. Similarly, systolic blood pressure was increased in adenine+DEP versus adenine+saline or DEP, and in DEP versus saline. Histological evaluation revealed more collagen deposition, higher number of necrotic cell counts and dilated tubules, cast formation and collapsing glomeruli in adenine+DEP versus adenine+saline or DEP. Conclusion: Prolonged pulmonary exposure to diesel exhaust particles worsen renal oxidative stress, inflammation and DNA damage in mice with adenine-induced chronic

  1. Assessment of Sub-Micron Particles by Exploiting Charge Differences with Dielectrophoresis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Maria F. Romero-Creel

    2017-08-01

    Full Text Available The analysis, separation, and enrichment of submicron particles are critical steps in many applications, ranging from bio-sensing to disease diagnostics. Microfluidic electrokinetic techniques, such as dielectrophoresis (DEP have proved to be excellent platforms for assessment of submicron particles. DEP is the motion of polarizable particles under the presence of a non-uniform electric field. In this work, the polarization and dielectrophoretic behavior of polystyrene particles with diameters ranging for 100 nm to 1 μm were studied employing microchannels for insulator based DEP (iDEP and low frequency (<1000 Hz AC and DC electric potentials. In particular, the effects of particle surface charge, in terms of magnitude and type of functionalization, were examined. It was found that the magnitude of particle surface charge has a significant impact on the polarization and dielectrophoretic response of the particles, allowing for successful particle assessment. Traditionally, charge differences are exploited employing electrophoretic techniques and particle separation is achieved by differential migration. The present study demonstrates that differences in the particle’s surface charge can also be exploited by means of iDEP; and that distinct types of nanoparticles can be identified by their polarization and dielectrophoretic behavior. These findings open the possibility for iDEP to be employed as a technique for the analysis of submicron biological particles, where subtle differences in surface charge could allow for rapid particle identification and separation.

  2. Surface area-dependence of gas-particle interactions influences pulmonary and neuroinflammatory outcomes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tyler, Christina R; Zychowski, Katherine E; Sanchez, Bethany N; Rivero, Valeria; Lucas, Selita; Herbert, Guy; Liu, June; Irshad, Hammad; McDonald, Jacob D; Bleske, Barry E; Campen, Matthew J

    2016-12-01

    Deleterious consequences of exposure to traffic emissions may derive from interactions between carbonaceous particulate matter (PM) and gaseous components in a manner that is dependent on the surface area or complexity of the particles. To determine the validity of this hypothesis, we examined pulmonary and neurological inflammatory outcomes in C57BL/6 and apolipoprotein E knockout (ApoE -/- ) male mice after acute and chronic exposure to vehicle engine-derived particulate matter, generated as ultrafine (UFP) and fine (FP) sizes, with additional exposures using UFP or FP combined with gaseous copollutants derived from fresh gasoline and diesel emissions, labeled as UFP + G and FP + G. The UFP and UFP + G exposure groups resulted in the most profound pulmonary and neuroinflammatory effects. Phagocytosis of UFP + G particles via resident alveolar macrophages was substantial in both mouse strains, particularly after chronic exposure, with concurrent increased proinflammatory cytokine expression of CXCL1 and TNFα in the bronchial lavage fluid. In the acute exposure paradigm, only UFP and UFP + G induced significant changes in pulmonary inflammation and only in the ApoE -/- animals. Similarly, acute exposure to UFP and UFP + G increased the expression of several cytokines in the hippocampus of ApoE -/- mice including Il-1β, IL-6, Tgf-β and Tnf-α and in the hippocampus of C57BL/6 mice including Ccl5, Cxcl1, Il-1β, and Tnf-α. Interestingly, Il-6 and Tgf-β expression were decreased in the C57BL/6 hippocampus after acute exposure. Chronic exposure to UFP + G increased expression of Ccl5, Cxcl1, Il-6, and Tgf-β in the ApoE -/- hippocampus, but this effect was minimal in the C57BL/6 mice, suggesting compensatory mechanisms to manage neuroinflammation in this strain. Inflammatory responses the lung and brain were most substantial in ApoE -/- animals exposed to UFP + G, suggesting that the surface area-dependent interaction of gases and

  3. Identification and spectrometry of charged particles produced in reactions induced by 14 MeV neutrons. II

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sellem, C.; Perroud, J.P.; Loude, J.F.

    1975-01-01

    A counter telescope consisting of gas proportional counters, a thin semiconductor detector and a thick one has been built and used for the study of the angular differential cross sections of (n, charged particles) reactions induced by 14 MeV neutrons. Detection of the α-particles emitted in the neutron production reaction 3 H(d,n) 4 He gives a time reference for the measurement of the time of flight of the charged particles and allows a precise monitoring of the intensity of the neutron beam. High energy protons, deuterons and tritons are identified by their energy losses in the thin semiconductor detector and in the thick one and by their time of flight. Low energy protons, deuterons, tritons and all α-particles stop in the thin semiconductor detector and are identified by their energy losses in this detector and in one gas proportional counter as well as by their time of flight. It is possible to identify and to measure the energy of all charged particles in the energy range of 2 to 15 MeV: a very low background results from the use of the time of flight. (Auth.)

  4. Biodistribution of ultra small superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles in BALB mice

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Saeed Shanehsazzadeh; Mohammad Ali Oghabian; Tehran University of Medical Science, Tehran; Fariba Johari Daha; Massoud Amanlou; Allen, B.J.

    2013-01-01

    Recently ultrasmall superparamagnetic iron oxide (USPIO) nanoparticles (NPs) have been widely used for medical applications. One of their important applications is using these particles as MRI contrast agent. While various research works have been done about MRI application of USPIOs, there is limited research about their uptakes in various organs. The aim of this study was to evaluate the biodistribution of dextran coated iron oxide NPs labelled with 99m Tc in various organs via intravenous injection in Balb/c mice. The magnetite NPs were dispersed in phosphate buffered saline and SnCl 2 which was used as a reduction reagent. Subsequently, the radioisotope 99m Tc was mixed directly into the reaction solution. The labeling efficiency of USPIOs labeled with 99m Tc, was above 99 %. Sixty mice were sacrificed at 12 different time points (From 1 min to 48 h post injections; five mice at each time). The percentage of injected dose per gram of each organ was measured by direct counting for 19 harvested organs of the mice. The biodistribution of 99m Tc-USPIO in Balb/c mice showed dramatic uptake in reticuloendothelial system. Accordingly, about 75 percent of injected dose was found in spleen and liver at 15 min post injection. More than 24 % of the NPs remain in liver after 48 h post-injection and their clearance is so fast in other organs. The results suggest that USPIOs as characterized in our study can be potentially used as contrast agent in MR Imaging, distributing reticuloendothelial system specially spleen and liver. (author)

  5. ORAL EXPOSURE TO ACROLEIN EXACERBATES ATHEROSCLEROSIS IN APO E-NULL MICE

    Science.gov (United States)

    Srivastava, Sanjay; Sithu, Srinivas D.; Vladykovskaya, Elena; Haberzettl, Petra; Hoetker, David J.; Siddiqui, Maqsood A.; Conklin, Daniel J.; D'Souza, Stanley E.; Bhatnagar, Aruni

    2011-01-01

    Background Acrolein is a dietary aldehyde that is present in high concentrations in alcoholic beverages and foods including cheese, donuts and coffee. It is also abundant in tobacco smoke, automobile exhaust and industrial waste and is generated in vivo during inflammation and oxidative stress. Objectives The goal of this study was to examine the effects of dietary acrolein on atherosclerosis. Methods Eight-week old male apoE-null mice were gavage-fed acrolein (2.5 mg/kg/day) for 8 weeks. Atherosclerotic lesion formation and composition and plasma lipids and platelet factor 4 (PF4) levels were measured. Effects of acrolein and PF4 on endothelial cell function was measured in vitro. Results Acrolein feeding increased the concentration of cholesterol in the plasma. NMR analysis of the lipoproteins showed that acrolein feeding increased the abundance of small and medium VLDL particles. Acrolein feeding also increased atherosclerotic lesion formation in the aortic valve and the aortic arch. Immunohistochemical analysis showed increased macrophage accumulation in the lesions of acrolein-fed mice. Plasma PF4 levels and accumulation of PF4 in atherosclerotic lesions was increased in the acrolein-fed mice. Incubation of endothelial cells with the plasma of acrolein-fed mice augmented transmigration of monocytic cells, which was abolished by anti-PF4 antibody treatment. Conclusions Dietary exposure to acrolein exacerbates atherosclerosis in apoE-null mice. Consumption of foods and beverages rich in unsaturated aldehydes such as acrolein may be a contributing factor to the progression of atherosclerotic lesions. PMID:21371710

  6. Effects of physical characteristics of carbon black on metabolic regulation in mice

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chuang, Hsiao-Chi; Hsiao, Ta-Chih; Lee, Chii-Hong; Chun-Te Lin, Justin; Chuang, Kai-Jen; Feng, Po-Hao; Cheng, Tsun-Jen

    2018-01-01

    Potential adverse effects of human exposure to carbon black (CB) have been reported, but limited knowledge regarding CB-regulated metabolism is currently available. To evaluate how physical parameters of CB influence metabolism, we investigated CB and diesel exhaust particles (DEPs) and attempted to relate various physical parameters, including the hydrodynamic diameter, zeta potential, and particle number concentrations, to lung energy metabolism in female BALB/c mice. A body weight increase was arrested by 3 months of exposure to CB of smaller-size fractions, which was negatively correlated with pyruvate in plasma. There were no significant differences in cytotoxic lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) or total protein in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) after 3 months of CB exposure. However, we observed alterations in acetyl CoA and the NADP/NADPH ratio in lung tissues with CB exposure. Additionally, the NADP/NADPH ratio was associated with the zeta potential of CB. Mild peribronchiovascular and interstitial inflammation and multinucleated giant cells (macrophages) with a transparent and rhomboid appearance and containing foreign bodies were observed in lung sections. We suggest that physical characteristics of CB, such as the zeta potential, may disrupt metabolism after pulmonary exposure. These results, therefore, provide the first evidence of a link between pulmonary exposure to CB and metabolism. - Highlights: • We evaluated how physical parameters of CB influence metabolism in mice lungs. • Body weight was arrested by exposure to CB in mice. • CB-induced peribronchiovascular and interstitial inflammation in the lungs. • Disruption in functions of acetyl CoA and NADP/NADPH was observed in lungs. • NADP/NADPH ratio was associated with the zeta potentials of CB.

  7. Genetic Analysis of Mice Skin Exposed by Hyper-Gravity

    Science.gov (United States)

    Takahashi, Rika; Terada, Masahiro; Seki, Masaya; Higashibata, Akira; Majima, Hideyuki J.; Ohira, Yoshinobu; Mukai, Chiaki; Ishioka, Noriaki

    2013-02-01

    the relationships between genes and protein expression, the proteome analysis was performed. From the result of 2-dimentional electrophoresis, we could detect the some different spots between FL and 2G. These identifications are now in progress using by MALDI-TOF-MS/MS. These results suggested that many genes or proteins on the mice skin might be effected by the different gravity levels.

  8. Integrated circuits for particle physics experiments

    CERN Document Server

    Snoeys, W; Campbell, M; Cantatore, E; Faccio, F; Heijne, Erik H M; Jarron, Pierre; Kloukinas, Kostas C; Marchioro, A; Moreira, P; Toifl, Thomas H; Wyllie, Ken H

    2000-01-01

    High energy particle physics experiments investigate the nature of matter through the identification of subatomic particles produced in collisions of protons, electrons, or heavy ions which have been accelerated to very high energies. Future experiments will have hundreds of millions of detector channels to observe the interaction region where collisions take place at a 40 MHz rate. This paper gives an overview of the electronics requirements for such experiments and explains how data reduction, timing distribution, and radiation tolerance in commercial CMOS circuits are achieved for these big systems. As a detailed example, the electronics for the innermost layers of the future tracking detector, the pixel vertex detector, is discussed with special attention to system aspects. A small-scale prototype (130 channels) implemented in standard 0.25 mu m CMOS remains fully functional after a 30 Mrad(SiO/sub 2/) irradiation. A full-scale pixel readout chip containing 8000 readout channels in a 14 by 16 mm/sup 2/ ar...

  9. The Convolutional Visual Network for Identification and Reconstruction of NOvA Events

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Psihas, Fernanda [Indiana U.

    2017-11-22

    In 2016 the NOvA experiment released results for the observation of oscillations in the vμ and ve channels as well as ve cross section measurements using neutrinos from Fermilab’s NuMI beam. These and other measurements in progress rely on the accurate identification and reconstruction of the neutrino flavor and energy recorded by our detectors. This presentation describes the first application of convolutional neural network technology for event identification and reconstruction in particle detectors like NOvA. The Convolutional Visual Network (CVN) Algorithm was developed for identification, categorization, and reconstruction of NOvA events. It increased the selection efficiency of the ve appearance signal by 40% and studies show potential impact to the vμ disappearance analysis.

  10. Study of conditions of production and characterization of noble metal micro-particles suspensions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Malabre, Catherine

    1983-01-01

    As the production and identification of metal micro-particle suspensions are some aspects of issues related to nuclear fuel reprocessing, this research thesis reports the use of ruthenium, molybdenum, niobium, palladium and rhodium (fission metals) to generate such micro-particles. They are produced by erosion of two electrodes between which occurs an electric arc discharge in aqueous media. Different analytic methods are developed to determine the characteristics of so-produced colloidal solutions. A granulometry study is performed by transmission electronic microscopy, light quasi-elastic scattering, and turbidimetry associated to centrifugation. This has lead to the production of steady micro-particle suspensions which have been used in a first set of industrial trials [fr

  11. Identification of biomarkers of radioresponse and subsequent progression towards lung cancer in normal human bronchial epithelial cells after HZE particle irradiation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Story, Michael; Ding, Liang-Hao; Park, Seongmi; Minna, John

    Using variants of a non-oncogenically immortalized human bronchial epithelial cell line HBEC3-KT, we have examined global gene expression patterns after low and high LET irradiation up to 24h post-IR. Using supervised analyses we have identified 427 genes whoes expression can be used to discriminate the cellular response to γ-vs Si or Fe particles even when the biological outcome, cell death, is equivalent. Furthermore, genetic background also determines gene expression response. When HBEC3-KT is compared to the HBEC3-KT cells line where mutant k-RAS is over-expressed and p53 has been knocked down, HBEC-3KTr53, principal component analysis clearly shows that the response of each cell resides in a different 3-D space, that is, basal gene expression patterns as well as the gene expression response are unique to each cell type. Using regression analysis to examine these 427 genes show clusters of genes whose temporal expression patterns are the same and which are unique to a given radiation type. Ultimately, this approach will allow for the interrogation of gene promoters to identify response elements that drive how cells respond to different radiation types. We are extending our examination to O particles and are now examining gene expression as a function of beam quality. We have made substantial progress in the determination of cellular transformation by HZE particles for these cell lines. (Transformation as defined by the ability to grow in soft agar.) For HBEC-3KT, the spontaneous transformation frequency is about 10- 7.ExposuretoeitherF eorSiparticlesinc KT r53celllinedidnotshowanyincreaseintransf ormationf requencyaf terdosesof upto1Gy, however, thesp 3KT.W ehavenowisolatedover160individualf ocithatf ormedinsof tagarf romcellculturesthatwereirradia termcultureandthenre-introducedintosof tagartoassurethattheabilitytogrowinsof tagarisclonal.T odatew 30 With these cell isolates in hand we will begin to determine tumorigenicity by subcutaneous injections in nude

  12. Observation of cosmic-ray particles with artificial satellites in Japan

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nagata, Katsuaki

    1981-01-01

    The present status are described on the cosmic-ray observation with artificial satellites in Japan. In 1978, an electrostatic analyzer was loaded on the satellite EXOS-A to measure low energy electrons. The spectra taken on April 27, 1978, showed that the electron flux decreased exponentially with the increasing electron energy. A space environment monitor (SEM) was loaded on a geostationary meteorological satellite (GMS) in 1977. The SEM consists of 5 Si detectors, with which particle identification can be made, and protons with the energy of 500 MeV and alpha particles with the energy of 370 MeV were observed. The time variation of particle flux was large in the low energy part and small in the high energy part. In 1984, the satellite EXOS-C will be launched. The purposes of this project are general observation of the middle atmosphere composition and the study of the anomaly of the ionosphere above the Brazilian Anomaly. Measurement of low energy particles will be done with an electrostatic analyzer, and that of high energy particles with a telescope with Si detectors. Other projects designed in Japan are OPEN-J and EXOS-D. (Kato, T.)

  13. Shower development of particles with momenta from 15 GeV to 150 GeV in the CALICE scintillator-tungsten hadronic calorimeter

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Chefdeville, M.; Karyotakis, Y.; Repond, J.; Cvach, Jaroslav; Gallus, Petr; Havránek, Miroslav; Janata, Milan; Kvasnička, Jiří; Lednický, Richard; Marčišovský, Michal; Polák, Ivo; Popule, Jiří; Tomášek, Lukáš; Tomášek, Michal; Růžička, Pavel; Šícho, Petr; Smolík, Jan; Vrba, Václav; Zálešák, Jaroslav

    2015-01-01

    Roč. 10, Dec (2015), P12006 ISSN 1748-0221 R&D Projects: GA MŠk LG14033 Institutional support: RVO:68378271 Keywords : calorimeter methods * detector modelling and simulations I * particle identification methods Subject RIV: BF - Elementary Particles and High Energy Physics Impact factor: 1.310, year: 2015

  14. NFKB activity decreased in BALB/c mice with high fat diet and fructose

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nur'aini, Farida Dewi; Rahayu, Sri; Rifa'i, Muhaimin

    2017-05-01

    Excessive consumption of fat and fructose leads to obesity due to lipid accumulation. The excessive lipid causes hypertrophy in the adipocytes which lead to cell death. Consequently, dead adipocytes will produce adipokines, which cause macrophages and lymphocytes to infiltrate into the adipose tissue, elevating pro-inflammatory cytokines, thus triggering the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines through NFκB activity. Elicited soybeans extract (ESE) with bacteria and light contain Glyceollin and Isoflavones, which inhibit the activation of NFKB and reduce plasma cholesterol levels by upregulating cholesterol metabolism. This study aimed to analyze the effect of ESE against the relative number of CD4+ NFκB+ cells in BALB/c mice spleen after administrated by high-fat diet food and fructose (HFD) for 20 weeks. Mice were given orally with ESE after administrated by HFD at dose 78 mg/kgBW (D1), 104 mg/kgBW (D2), and 130 mg/kgBW (D3) for 4 weeks. This study also used positive control (HFD mice model without ESE treatment) and normal mice. Identification of NFKB activation was conducted using Flowcytometry analytical methods. Our result indicated that ESE could decrease significantly activation of NFκB in CD4 cell compare than positive control. The optimum dose that can decrease the relative number of CD4+ NFκB+ cells is dose 3.

  15. LHCb - Novel Muon Identification Algorithms for the LHCb Upgrade

    CERN Multimedia

    Cogoni, Violetta

    2016-01-01

    The present LHCb Muon Identification procedure was optimised to guarantee high muon detection efficiency at the istantaneous luminosity $\\mathcal{L}$ of $2\\cdot10^{32}$~cm$^{-2}$~s$^{-1}$. In the current data taking conditions, the luminosity is higher than foreseen and the low energy background contribution to the visible rate in the muon system is larger than expected. A worse situation is expected for Run III when LHCb will operate at $\\mathcal{L} = 2\\cdot10^{33}$~cm$^{-2}$~s$^{-1}$ causing the high particle fluxes to deteriorate the muon detection efficiency, because of the increased dead time of the electronics, and in particular to worsen the muon identification capabilities, due to the increased contribution of the background, with deleterious consequences especially for the analyses requiring high purity signal. In this context, possible new algorithms for the muon identification will be illustrated. In particular, the performance on combinatorial background rejection will be shown, together with the ...

  16. Identification of differentially expressed proteins in spontaneous thymic lymphomas from knockout mice with deletion of p53

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Honoré, Bent; Buus, Søren; Claësson, Mogens H

    2008-01-01

    ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Knockout mice with a deletion of p53 spontaneously develop thymic lymphomas. Two cell lines (SM5 and SM7), established from two independent tumours, exhibited about fifty to seventy two-fold differentially expressed proteins compared to wild type thymocytes by two-dimensiona......ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Knockout mice with a deletion of p53 spontaneously develop thymic lymphomas. Two cell lines (SM5 and SM7), established from two independent tumours, exhibited about fifty to seventy two-fold differentially expressed proteins compared to wild type thymocytes by two...... alpha type 3, transforming acidic coiled-coil containing protein 3, mitochondrial ornithine aminotransferase and epidermal fatty acid binding protein and down-regulation of adenylosuccinate synthetase, tubulin beta-3 chain, a 25 kDa actin fragment, proteasome subunit beta type 9, cofilin-1 and glia...

  17. Virus-like particles activate type I interferon pathways to facilitate post-exposure protection against Ebola virus infection.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Natarajan Ayithan

    Full Text Available Ebola virus (EBOV causes a severe hemorrhagic disease with high fatality. Virus-like particles (VLPs are a promising vaccine candidate against EBOV. We recently showed that VLPs protect mice from lethal EBOV infection when given before or after viral infection. To elucidate pathways through which VLPs confer post-exposure protection, we investigated the role of type I interferon (IFN signaling. We found that VLPs lead to accelerated induction of IFN stimulated genes (ISGs in liver and spleen of wild type mice, but not in Ifnar-/- mice. Accordingly, EBOV infected Ifnar-/- mice, unlike wild type mice succumbed to death even after VLP treatment. The ISGs induced in wild type mice included anti-viral proteins and negative feedback factors known to restrict viral replication and excessive inflammatory responses. Importantly, proinflammatory cytokine/chemokine expression was much higher in WT mice without VLPs than mice treated with VLPs. In EBOV infected Ifnar-/- mice, however, uninhibited viral replication and elevated proinflammatory factor expression ensued, irrespective of VLP treatment, supporting the view that type I IFN signaling helps to limit viral replication and attenuate inflammatory responses. Further analyses showed that VLP protection requires the transcription factor, IRF8 known to amplify type I IFN signaling in dendritic cells and macrophages, the probable sites of initial EBOV infection. Together, this study indicates that VLPs afford post-exposure protection by promoting expeditious initiation of type I IFN signaling in the host.

  18. HBsAg-redirected T cells exhibit antiviral activity in HBV-infected human liver chimeric mice.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kruse, Robert L; Shum, Thomas; Tashiro, Haruko; Barzi, Mercedes; Yi, Zhongzhen; Whitten-Bauer, Christina; Legras, Xavier; Bissig-Choisat, Beatrice; Garaigorta, Urtzi; Gottschalk, Stephen; Bissig, Karl-Dimiter

    2018-04-06

    Chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection remains incurable. Although HBsAg-specific chimeric antigen receptor (HBsAg-CAR) T cells have been generated, they have not been tested in animal models with authentic HBV infection. We generated a novel CAR targeting HBsAg and evaluated its ability to recognize HBV+ cell lines and HBsAg particles in vitro. In vivo, we tested whether human HBsAg-CAR T cells would have efficacy against HBV-infected hepatocytes in human liver chimeric mice. HBsAg-CAR T cells recognized HBV-positive cell lines and HBsAg particles in vitro as judged by cytokine production. However, HBsAg-CAR T cells did not kill HBV-positive cell lines in cytotoxicity assays. Adoptive transfer of HBsAg-CAR T cells into HBV-infected humanized mice resulted in accumulation within the liver and a significant decrease in plasma HBsAg and HBV-DNA levels compared with control mice. Notably, the fraction of HBV core-positive hepatocytes among total human hepatocytes was greatly reduced after HBsAg-CAR T cell treatment, pointing to noncytopathic viral clearance. In agreement, changes in surrogate human plasma albumin levels were not significantly different between treatment and control groups. HBsAg-CAR T cells have anti-HBV activity in an authentic preclinical HBV infection model. Our results warrant further preclinical exploration of HBsAg-CAR T cells as immunotherapy for HBV. Copyright © 2018 International Society for Cellular Therapy. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  19. Biological properties of purified recombinant HCV particles with an epitope-tagged envelope

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Takahashi, Hitoshi; Akazawa, Daisuke [Department of Virology II, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Tokyo (Japan); Toray Industries, Inc., Kanagawa (Japan); Kato, Takanobu; Date, Tomoko [Department of Virology II, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Tokyo (Japan); Shirakura, Masayuki [Department of Virology II, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Tokyo (Japan); Toray Industries, Inc., Kanagawa (Japan); Nakamura, Noriko; Mochizuki, Hidenori [Toray Industries, Inc., Kanagawa (Japan); Tanaka-Kaneko, Keiko; Sata, Tetsutaro [Department of Pathology, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Tokyo (Japan); Tanaka, Yasuhito [Department of Clinical Molecular Informative Medicine, Nagoya City University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya (Japan); Mizokami, Masashi [Research Center for Hepatitis and Immunology, Kohnodai Hospital, International Medical Center of Japan, Chiba (Japan); Suzuki, Tetsuro [Department of Virology II, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Tokyo (Japan); Wakita, Takaji, E-mail: wakita@nih.go.jp [Department of Virology II, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Tokyo (Japan)

    2010-05-14

    To establish a simple system for purification of recombinant infectious hepatitis C virus (HCV) particles, we designed a chimeric J6/JFH-1 virus with a FLAG (FL)-epitope-tagged sequence at the N-terminal region of the E2 hypervariable region-1 (HVR1) gene (J6/JFH-1/1FL). We found that introduction of an adaptive mutation at the potential N-glycosylation site (E2N151K) leads to efficient production of the chimeric virus. This finding suggests the involvement of glycosylation at Asn within the envelope protein(s) in HCV morphogenesis. To further analyze the biological properties of the purified recombinant HCV particles, we developed a strategy for large-scale production and purification of recombinant J6/JFH-1/1FL/E2N151K. Infectious particles were purified from the culture medium of J6/JFH-1/1FL/E2N151K-infected Huh-7 cells using anti-FLAG affinity chromatography in combination with ultrafiltration. Electron microscopy of the purified particles using negative staining showed spherical particle structures with a diameter of 40-60 nm and spike-like projections. Purified HCV particle-immunization induced both an anti-E2 and an anti-FLAG antibody response in immunized mice. This strategy may contribute to future detailed analysis of HCV particle structure and to HCV vaccine development.

  20. Biological properties of purified recombinant HCV particles with an epitope-tagged envelope

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Takahashi, Hitoshi; Akazawa, Daisuke; Kato, Takanobu; Date, Tomoko; Shirakura, Masayuki; Nakamura, Noriko; Mochizuki, Hidenori; Tanaka-Kaneko, Keiko; Sata, Tetsutaro; Tanaka, Yasuhito; Mizokami, Masashi; Suzuki, Tetsuro; Wakita, Takaji

    2010-01-01

    To establish a simple system for purification of recombinant infectious hepatitis C virus (HCV) particles, we designed a chimeric J6/JFH-1 virus with a FLAG (FL)-epitope-tagged sequence at the N-terminal region of the E2 hypervariable region-1 (HVR1) gene (J6/JFH-1/1FL). We found that introduction of an adaptive mutation at the potential N-glycosylation site (E2N151K) leads to efficient production of the chimeric virus. This finding suggests the involvement of glycosylation at Asn within the envelope protein(s) in HCV morphogenesis. To further analyze the biological properties of the purified recombinant HCV particles, we developed a strategy for large-scale production and purification of recombinant J6/JFH-1/1FL/E2N151K. Infectious particles were purified from the culture medium of J6/JFH-1/1FL/E2N151K-infected Huh-7 cells using anti-FLAG affinity chromatography in combination with ultrafiltration. Electron microscopy of the purified particles using negative staining showed spherical particle structures with a diameter of 40-60 nm and spike-like projections. Purified HCV particle-immunization induced both an anti-E2 and an anti-FLAG antibody response in immunized mice. This strategy may contribute to future detailed analysis of HCV particle structure and to HCV vaccine development.

  1. Proposal of 5-methoxy-N-methyl-N-isopropyltryptamine consumption biomarkers through identification of in vivo metabolites from mice.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fabregat-Safont, D; Barneo-Muñoz, M; Martinez-Garcia, F; Sancho, J V; Hernández, F; Ibáñez, M

    2017-07-28

    New psychoactive substances (NPS) are a new breed of synthetically produced substances designed to mimic the effects of traditional illegal drugs. Synthetic cannabinoids and synthetic cathinones are the two most common groups, which try to mimic the effects of the natural compounds 9 Δ-tetrahydrocannabinol and cathinone, respectively. Similarly, synthetic tryptamines are designer compounds which are based on the compounds psilocin, N,N-dimethyltryptamine and 5-methoxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine found in some mushrooms. One of the most important tryptamine compounds found in seizures is 5-methoxy-N,N-diisopropyltryptamine, which has been placed as controlled substance in USA and some European countries. The control of this compound has promoted the rising of another tryptamine, the 5-methoxy-N-methyl-N-isopropyltryptamine, which at the time of writing this article has not been banned yet. So, it is undeniable that this new substance should be monitored. 5-methoxy-N-methyl-N-isopropyltryptamine has been reported by the Spanish Early Warning System and detected in our laboratory in two pill samples purchased in a local smart shop. This has promoted the need of stablishing consumption markers for this compound in consumers' urine. In the present work, the metabolism and pharmacokinetic of 5-methoxy-N-methyl-N-isopropyltryptamine has been studied by an in vivo approach, using adult male mice of the inbred strain C57BLJ/6. The use of ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled to high resolution mass spectrometry allowed the identification of four metabolites. After the pharmacokinetic study in serum and urine, the O-demethylated metabolite and the non-metabolised parent compound are proposed as consumption markers in hydrolysed urine. Data reported in this work will help hospitals and forensic laboratories to monitor the consumption and potential intoxication cases related to this tryptamine. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  2. International R and D project on development of coated particle fuel for innovative reactors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kendall, J.M.

    2001-01-01

    The paper presents an outline for an international collaborative project of coated particle fuel development for innovative reactors. Specific issues include identification of R and D needs and the Member State facilities for meeting the needs followed by development and demonstration of technology. (author)

  3. Imaging and recording subventricular zone progenitor cells in live tissue of postnatal mice

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Benjamin Lacar

    2010-07-01

    Full Text Available The subventricular zone (SVZ is one of two regions where neurogenesis persists in the postnatal brain. The SVZ, located along the lateral ventricle, is the largest neurogenic zone in the brain that contains multiple cell populations including astrocyte-like cells and neuroblasts. Neuroblasts migrate in chains to the olfactory bulb where they differentiate into interneurons. Here, we discuss the experimental approaches to record the electrophysiology of these cells and image their migration and calcium activity in acute slices. Although these techniques were in place for studying glial cells and neurons in mature networks, the SVZ raises new challenges due to the unique properties of SVZ cells, the cellular diversity, and the architecture of the region. We emphasize different methods, such as the use of transgenic mice and in vivo electroporation that permit identification of the different SVZ cell populations for patch clamp recording or imaging. Electroporation also permits genetic labeling of cells using fluorescent reporter mice and modification of the system using either RNA interference technology or floxed mice. In this review, we aim to provide conceptual and technical details of the approaches to perform electrophysiological and imaging studies of SVZ cells.

  4. Effects of diesel engine exhaust origin secondary organic aerosols on novel object recognition ability and maternal behavior in BALB/c mice.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Win-Shwe, Tin-Tin; Fujitani, Yuji; Kyi-Tha-Thu, Chaw; Furuyama, Akiko; Michikawa, Takehiro; Tsukahara, Shinji; Nitta, Hiroshi; Hirano, Seishiro

    2014-10-30

    Epidemiological studies have reported an increased risk of cardiopulmonary and lung cancer mortality associated with increasing exposure to air pollution. Ambient particulate matter consists of primary particles emitted directly from diesel engine vehicles and secondary organic aerosols (SOAs) are formed by oxidative reaction of the ultrafine particle components of diesel exhaust (DE) in the atmosphere. However, little is known about the relationship between exposure to SOA and central nervous system functions. Recently, we have reported that an acute single intranasal instillation of SOA may induce inflammatory response in lung, but not in brain of adult mice. To clarify the whole body exposure effects of SOA on central nervous system functions, we first created inhalation chambers for diesel exhaust origin secondary organic aerosols (DE-SOAs) produced by oxidation of diesel exhaust particles caused by adding ozone. Male BALB/c mice were exposed to clean air (control), DE and DE-SOA in inhalation chambers for one or three months (5 h/day, 5 days/week) and were examined for memory function using a novel object recognition test and for memory function-related gene expressions in the hippocampus by real-time RT-PCR. Moreover, female mice exposed to DE-SOA for one month were mated and maternal behaviors and the related gene expressions in the hypothalamus examined. Novel object recognition ability and N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor expression in the hippocampus were affected in male mice exposed to DE-SOA. Furthermore, a tendency to decrease maternal performance and significantly decreased expression levels of estrogen receptor (ER)-α, and oxytocin receptor were found in DE-SOA exposed dams compared with the control. This is the first study of this type and our results suggest that the constituents of DE-SOA may be associated with memory function and maternal performance based on the impaired gene expressions in the hippocampus and hypothalamus, respectively.

  5. Effects of Diesel Engine Exhaust Origin Secondary Organic Aerosols on Novel Object Recognition Ability and Maternal Behavior in BALB/C Mice

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tin-Tin Win-Shwe

    2014-10-01

    Full Text Available Epidemiological studies have reported an increased risk of cardiopulmonary and lung cancer mortality associated with increasing exposure to air pollution. Ambient particulate matter consists of primary particles emitted directly from diesel engine vehicles and secondary organic aerosols (SOAs are formed by oxidative reaction of the ultrafine particle components of diesel exhaust (DE in the atmosphere. However, little is known about the relationship between exposure to SOA and central nervous system functions. Recently, we have reported that an acute single intranasal instillation of SOA may induce inflammatory response in lung, but not in brain of adult mice. To clarify the whole body exposure effects of SOA on central nervous system functions, we first created inhalation chambers for diesel exhaust origin secondary organic aerosols (DE-SOAs produced by oxidation of diesel exhaust particles caused by adding ozone. Male BALB/c mice were exposed to clean air (control, DE and DE-SOA in inhalation chambers for one or three months (5 h/day, 5 days/week and were examined for memory function using a novel object recognition test and for memory function-related gene expressions in the hippocampus by real-time RT-PCR. Moreover, female mice exposed to DE-SOA for one month were mated and maternal behaviors and the related gene expressions in the hypothalamus examined. Novel object recognition ability and N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA receptor expression in the hippocampus were affected in male mice exposed to DE-SOA. Furthermore, a tendency to decrease maternal performance and significantly decreased expression levels of estrogen receptor (ER-a, and oxytocin receptor were found in DE-SOA exposed dams compared with the control. This is the first study of this type and our results suggest that the constituents of DE-SOA may be associated with memory function and maternal performance based on the impaired gene expressions in the hippocampus and hypothalamus

  6. Factors affecting on the particle deposition in the respiratory tract

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kubota, Yoshihisa

    1991-01-01

    The deposition pattern of inhaled particles in the respiratory tracts is affected by anatomical structure of the respiratory tracts and respiratory pattern of animals, which are modified by many factors as animal species, physiological and psychological conditions, age, sex, smoking drug, lung diseases, etc. In human, studies have been focused on the initial lung deposition of particles and have made it clear that the respiratory pattern, gender, and diseases may have influence on the deposition pattern. On the other hand, there was little knowledge on the initial lung deposition of particles in laboratory animals. Recently, Raabe et al. have reported the initial lung deposition of 169 Yb-aluminosilicate particles in mice, rats, hamsters, guinea pigs and rabbits. The authors have also investigated the lung deposition of latex particles with different sizes and 198 Au-colloid in rats whose respiratory volumes during the inhalation were monitored by body plethysmography. These experiments indicated that the deposition of inhaled particles in distal lung e.g. small bronchiolar and alveolar region, was much lower in laboratory animals than that of human. This species difference may be due to smaller diameter of respiratory tract and/or shallower breathing and higher respiratory rate of laboratory animals. The experimental animals in which respiratory diseases were induced artificially have been used to investigate the modification factors on the deposition pattern of inhaled particles. As respiratory diseases, emphysema was induced in rats, hamsters, beagle dogs in some laboratories and pulmonary delayed type hypersensitivity reaction in rats was in our laboratory. The initial lung deposition of particles in these animals was consistently decreased in comparison with normals, regardless of the animal species and the type of disease. (author)

  7. Modelling and measurement of wear particle flow in a dual oil filter system for condition monitoring

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Henneberg, Morten; Eriksen, René Lynge; Fich, Jens

    2016-01-01

    . The quantity of wear particles in gear oil is analysed with respect to system running conditions. It is shown that the model fits the data in terms of startup “particle burst” phenomenon, quasi-stationary conditions during operation, and clean-up filtration when placed out of operation. In order to establish...... boundary condition for particle burst phenomenon, the release of wear particles from a pleated mesh filter is measured in a test rig and included in the model. The findings show that a dual filter model, with startup phenomenon included, can describe trends in the wear particle flow observed in the gear...... particle generation is made possible by model parameter estimation and identification of an unintended lack of filter change. The model may also be used to optimise system and filtration performance, and to enable continuous condition monitoring....

  8. Deep Learning Methods for Particle Reconstruction in the HGCal

    CERN Document Server

    Arzi, Ofir

    2017-01-01

    The High Granularity end-cap Calorimeter is part of the phase-2 CMS upgrade (see Figure \\ref{fig:cms})\\cite{Contardo:2020886}. It's goal it to provide measurements of high resolution in time, space and energy. Given such measurements, the purpose of this work is to discuss the use of Deep Neural Networks for the task of particle and trajectory reconstruction, identification and energy estimation, during my participation in the CERN Summer Students Program.

  9. Parameter estimation for chaotic systems with a Drift Particle Swarm Optimization method

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sun Jun; Zhao Ji; Wu Xiaojun; Fang Wei; Cai Yujie; Xu Wenbo

    2010-01-01

    Inspired by the motion of electrons in metal conductors in an electric field, we propose a variant of Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO), called Drift Particle Swarm Optimization (DPSO) algorithm, and apply it in estimating the unknown parameters of chaotic dynamic systems. The principle and procedure of DPSO are presented, and the algorithm is used to identify Lorenz system and Chen system. The experiment results show that for the given parameter configurations, DPSO can identify the parameters of the systems accurately and effectively, and it may be a promising tool for chaotic system identification as well as other numerical optimization problems in physics.

  10. Pulse-based electron spin transient nutation measurement of BaTiO3 fine particle: Identification of controversial signal around g = 2.00

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sawai, Takatoshi; Yamaguchi, Yoji; Kitamura, Noriko; Date, Tomotsugu; Konishi, Shinya; Taga, Kazuya; Tanaka, Katsuhisa

    2018-05-01

    Two dimensional pulse-based electron spin transient nutation (2D-ESTN) spectroscopy is a powerful tool for determining the spin quantum number and has been applied to BaTiO3 fine powder in order to identify the origin of the continuous wave electron spin resonance (CW-ESR) signal around g = 2.00. The signal is frequently observed in BaTiO3 ceramics, and the correlation between the signal intensity and positive temperature coefficient of resistivity (PTCR) properties has been reported to date. The CW-ESR spectrum of BaTiO3 fine particles synthesized by the sol-gel method shows a typical asymmetric signal at g = 2.004. The 2D-ESTN measurements of the sample clearly reveal that the signal belongs to the S = 5/2 high spin state, indicating that the signal is not due to a point defect as suggested by a number of researchers but rather to a transition metal ion. Our elemental analysis, as well as previous studies, indicates that the origin of the g = 2.004 signal is due to the presence of an Fe3+ impurity. The D value (second-order fine structure parameter) reveals that the origin of the signal is an Fe3+ center with distant charge compensation. In addition, we show a peculiar temperature dependence of the CW-ESR spectrum, suggesting that the phase transition behavior of a BaTiO3 fine particle is quite different from that of a bulk single crystal. Our identification does not contradict a vacancy-mediated mechanism for PTCR. However, it is incorrect to use the signal at g = 2.00 as evidence to support the vacancy-mediated mechanism.

  11. Anomalous baroreflex functionality inherent in floxed and Cre-Lox mice: an overlooked physiological phenotype.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tsai, Ching-Yi; Poon, Yan-Yuen; Chen, Chang-Han; Chan, Samuel H H

    2017-10-01

    The last two decades have seen the emergence of Cre-Lox recombination as one of the most powerful and versatile technologies for cell-specific genetic engineering of mammalian cells. Understandably, the primary concerns in the practice of Cre-Lox recombination are whether the predicted genome has been correctly modified and the targeted phenotypes expressed. Rarely are the physiological conditions of the animals routinely examined because the general assumption is that they are normal. Based on corroborative results from radiotelemetric recording, power spectral analysis, and magnetic resonance imaging/diffusion tensor imaging in brain-derived neurotrophic factor-floxed mice, the present study revealed that this assumption requires amendment. We found that despite comparable blood pressure and heart rate with C57BL/6 or Cre mice under the conscious state, floxed and Cre-Lox mice exhibited diminished baroreflex-mediated sympathetic vasomotor tone and cardiac vagal baroreflex. We further found that the capacity and plasticity of baroreflex of these two strains of mice under isoflurane anesthesia were retarded, as reflected by reduced connectivity between the nucleus tractus solitarii and rostral ventrolateral medulla or nucleus ambiguus. The identification of anomalous baroreflex functionality inherent in floxed and Cre-Lox mice points to the importance of incorporating physiological phenotypes into studies that engage gene manipulations such as Cre-Lox recombination. NEW & NOTEWORTHY We established that anomalous baroreflex functionality is inherent in floxed and Cre-Lox mice. These two mouse strains exhibited diminished baroreflex-mediated sympathetic vasomotor tone and cardiac vagal baroreflex under the conscious state, retarded capacity and plasticity of baroreflex under isoflurane anesthesia, and reduced connectivity between key nuclei in the baroreflex neural circuits. Copyright © 2017 the American Physiological Society.

  12. Lymphatic vasculature mediates macrophage reverse cholesterol transport in mice.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Martel, Catherine; Li, Wenjun; Fulp, Brian; Platt, Andrew M; Gautier, Emmanuel L; Westerterp, Marit; Bittman, Robert; Tall, Alan R; Chen, Shu-Hsia; Thomas, Michael J; Kreisel, Daniel; Swartz, Melody A; Sorci-Thomas, Mary G; Randolph, Gwendalyn J

    2013-04-01

    Reverse cholesterol transport (RCT) refers to the mobilization of cholesterol on HDL particles (HDL-C) from extravascular tissues to plasma, ultimately for fecal excretion. Little is known about how HDL-C leaves peripheral tissues to reach plasma. We first used 2 models of disrupted lymphatic drainage from skin--1 surgical and the other genetic--to quantitatively track RCT following injection of [3H]-cholesterol-loaded macrophages upstream of blocked or absent lymphatic vessels. Macrophage RCT was markedly impaired in both models, even at sites with a leaky vasculature. Inhibited RCT was downstream of cholesterol efflux from macrophages, since macrophage efflux of a fluorescent cholesterol analog (BODIPY-cholesterol) was not altered by impaired lymphatic drainage. We next addressed whether RCT was mediated by lymphatic vessels from the aortic wall by loading the aortae of donor atherosclerotic Apoe-deficient mice with [2H]6-labeled cholesterol and surgically transplanting these aortae into recipient Apoe-deficient mice that were treated with anti-VEGFR3 antibody to block lymphatic regrowth or with control antibody to allow such regrowth. [2H]-Cholesterol was retained in aortae of anti-VEGFR3-treated mice. Thus, the lymphatic vessel route is critical for RCT from multiple tissues, including the aortic wall. These results suggest that supporting lymphatic transport function may facilitate cholesterol clearance in therapies aimed at reversing atherosclerosis.

  13. Enhanced hepatic apoA-I secretion and peripheral efflux of cholesterol and phospholipid in CD36 null mice.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Pin Yue

    2010-03-01

    Full Text Available CD36 facilitates oxidized low density lipoprotein uptake and is implicated in development of atherosclerotic lesions. CD36 also binds unmodified high and very low density lipoproteins (HDL, VLDL but its role in the metabolism of these particles is unclear. Several polymorphisms in the CD36 gene were recently shown to associate with serum HDL cholesterol. To gain insight into potential mechanisms for these associations we examined HDL metabolism in CD36 null (CD36(-/- mice. Feeding CD36(-/- mice a high cholesterol diet significantly increased serum HDL, cholesterol and phospholipids, as compared to wild type mice. HDL apolipoproteins apoA-I and apoA-IV were increased and shifted to higher density HDL fractions suggesting altered particle maturation. Clearance of dual-labeled HDL was unchanged in CD36(-/- mice and cholesterol uptake from HDL or LDL by isolated CD36(-/- hepatocytes was unaltered. However, CD36(-/- hepatocytes had higher cholesterol and phospholipid efflux rates. In addition, expression and secretion of apoA-I and apoA-IV were increased reflecting enhanced PXR. Similar to hepatocytes, cholesterol and phospholipid efflux were enhanced in CD36(-/- macrophages without changes in protein levels of ABCA1, ABCG1 or SR-B1. However, biotinylation assays showed increased surface ABCA1 localization in CD36(-/- cells. In conclusion, CD36 influences reverse cholesterol transport and hepatic ApoA-I production. Both pathways are enhanced in CD36 deficiency, increasing HDL concentrations, which suggests the potential benefit of CD36 inhibition.

  14. Establishment of HSV1 latency in immunodeficient mice facilitates efficient in vivo reactivation.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Chandran Ramakrishna

    2015-03-01

    Full Text Available The establishment of latent infections in sensory neurons is a remarkably effective immune evasion strategy that accounts for the widespread dissemination of life long Herpes Simplex Virus type 1 (HSV1 infections in humans. Periodic reactivation of latent virus results in asymptomatic shedding and transmission of HSV1 or recurrent disease that is usually mild but can be severe. An in-depth understanding of the mechanisms regulating the maintenance of latency and reactivation are essential for developing new approaches to block reactivation. However, the lack of a reliable mouse model that supports efficient in vivo reactivation (IVR resulting in production of infectious HSV1 and/or disease has hampered progress. Since HSV1 reactivation is enhanced in immunosuppressed hosts, we exploited the antiviral and immunomodulatory activities of IVIG (intravenous immunoglobulins to promote survival of latently infected immunodeficient Rag mice. Latently infected Rag mice derived by high dose (HD, but not low dose (LD, HSV1 inoculation exhibited spontaneous reactivation. Following hyperthermia stress (HS, the majority of HD inoculated mice developed HSV1 encephalitis (HSE rapidly and synchronously, whereas for LD inoculated mice reactivated HSV1 persisted only transiently in trigeminal ganglia (Tg. T cells, but not B cells, were required to suppress spontaneous reactivation in HD inoculated latently infected mice. Transfer of HSV1 memory but not OVA specific or naïve T cells prior to HS blocked IVR, revealing the utility of this powerful Rag latency model for studying immune mechanisms involved in control of reactivation. Crossing Rag mice to various knockout strains and infecting them with wild type or mutant HSV1 strains is expected to provide novel insights into the role of specific cellular and viral genes in reactivation, thereby facilitating identification of new targets with the potential to block reactivation.

  15. Expanding Single Particle Mass Spectrometer Analyses for the Identification of Microbe Signatures in Sea Spray Aerosol.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sultana, Camille M; Al-Mashat, Hashim; Prather, Kimberly A

    2017-10-03

    Ocean-derived microbes in sea spray aersosol (SSA) have the potential to influence climate and weather by acting as ice nucleating particles in clouds. Single particle mass spectrometers (SPMSs), which generate in situ single particle composition data, are excellent tools for characterizing aerosols under changing environmental conditions as they can provide high temporal resolution and require no sample preparation. While SPMSs have proven capable of detecting microbes, these instruments have never been utilized to definitively identify aerosolized microbes in ambient sea spray aersosol. In this study, an aerosol time-of-flight mass spectrometer was used to analyze laboratory generated SSA produced from natural seawater in a marine aerosol reference tank. We present the first description of a population of biological SSA mass spectra (BioSS), which closely match the ion signatures observed in previous terrestrial microbe studies. The fraction of BioSS dramatically increased in the largest supermicron particles, consistent with field and laboratory measurements of microbes ejected by bubble bursting, further supporting the assignment of BioSS mass spectra as microbes. Finally, as supported by analysis of inorganic ion signals, we propose that dry BioSS particles have heterogeneous structures, with microbes adhered to sodium chloride nodules surrounded by magnesium-enriched coatings. Consistent with this structure, chlorine-containing ion markers were ubiquitous in BioSS spectra and identified as possible tracers for distinguishing recently aerosolized marine from terrestrial microbes.

  16. A molecular assembly system for presentation of antigens on the surface of HBc virus-like particles

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Blokhina, Elena A.; Kuprianov, Victor V.; Stepanova, Ludmila A.; Tsybalova, Ludmila M.; Kiselev, Oleg I.; Ravin, Nikolai V.; Skryabin, Konstantin G.

    2013-01-01

    Hepatitis B virus-like particles, icosahedral structures formed by multiple core protein dimers, are promising immune-enhancing vaccine carriers for foreign antigens. Insertions into the surface-exposed immunodominant loop are especially immunogenic. However, the need to conserve the particulate structure to ensure high immunogenicity imposes restraints on the nature of the heterologous sequence that can be inserted. We propose a new approach to constructing HBc particles linked to the target epitopes that relies on non-covalent interactions between the epitope and pre-assembled unmodified HBc particles. Interaction was enabled by fusion of the epitope to the GSLLGRMKGA peptide, binding to the spike tips. This peptide may be used as a “binding tag” allowing in vitro construction of HBc particles carrying the target peptide. Such virus-like particles carrying multiple copies of the extracellular domain of the M2 protein of different influenza strains appeared to be highly immunogenic and protected immunised mice against a lethal influenza challenge.

  17. A molecular assembly system for presentation of antigens on the surface of HBc virus-like particles

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Blokhina, Elena A.; Kuprianov, Victor V. [Centre ' Bioengineering' , Russian Academy of Sciences, 117312 Prosp. 60-letya Oktyabrya 7-1, Moscow (Russian Federation); Stepanova, Ludmila A.; Tsybalova, Ludmila M. [Research Institute of Influenza, Russian Federation Ministry of Health and Social Development, St. Petersburg (Russian Federation); Kiselev, Oleg I. [Research Institute of Influenza, Russian Federation Ministry of Health and Social Development, St. Petersburg (Russian Federation); GenNanotech Ltd, St. Petersburg (Russian Federation); Ravin, Nikolai V., E-mail: nravin@biengi.ac.ru [Centre ' Bioengineering' , Russian Academy of Sciences, 117312 Prosp. 60-letya Oktyabrya 7-1, Moscow (Russian Federation); GenNanotech Ltd, St. Petersburg (Russian Federation); Skryabin, Konstantin G. [Centre ' Bioengineering' , Russian Academy of Sciences, 117312 Prosp. 60-letya Oktyabrya 7-1, Moscow (Russian Federation); GenNanotech Ltd, St. Petersburg (Russian Federation)

    2013-01-20

    Hepatitis B virus-like particles, icosahedral structures formed by multiple core protein dimers, are promising immune-enhancing vaccine carriers for foreign antigens. Insertions into the surface-exposed immunodominant loop are especially immunogenic. However, the need to conserve the particulate structure to ensure high immunogenicity imposes restraints on the nature of the heterologous sequence that can be inserted. We propose a new approach to constructing HBc particles linked to the target epitopes that relies on non-covalent interactions between the epitope and pre-assembled unmodified HBc particles. Interaction was enabled by fusion of the epitope to the GSLLGRMKGA peptide, binding to the spike tips. This peptide may be used as a 'binding tag' allowing in vitro construction of HBc particles carrying the target peptide. Such virus-like particles carrying multiple copies of the extracellular domain of the M2 protein of different influenza strains appeared to be highly immunogenic and protected immunised mice against a lethal influenza challenge.

  18. Phagocytosis of Giardia muris by macrophages in Peyer's patch epithelium in mice.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Owen, R L; Allen, C L; Stevens, D P

    1981-08-01

    No mechanism for the initiation of immunological clearance of Giardia from the mammalian intestinal tract has been identified. In normal and nude mice experimentally infected with G. muris, we examined antigen-sampling epithelium over Peyer's patch follicles by electron microscopy for evidence of interaction between G. muris and lymphoid cells. Invading G. muris were found in the epithelium near dying or desquamating columnar cells. Macrophages beneath the basal lamina extended pseudopods into the epithelium, trapping invading G. muris and enclosing them in phagolysosomes. In normal mice, which clear G. muris in 4 to 6 weeks, macrophages containing digested G. muris were surrounded by rosettes of lymphoblasts in the epithelium. In nude mice deficient in lymphocytes, there was apparent hyperplasia of macrophages, which filled the follicle domes, resulting in more frequent entrapment of G. muris but no contact between macrophages and lymphoblasts in the epithelium. In nude mice, which require 6 months to control G. muris infection, lymphoblast contact with macrophages containing distinctive microtubular remnants of G. muris was only identified in the follicle dome. This close physical association of lymphoblasts and macrophages containing G. muris remnants suggests that this macrophage activity represents intraepithelial antigen processing as well as a defense against the effects of the uncontrolled entrance of microorganisms and other antigenic particles into Peyer's patch lymphoid follicles.

  19. Jet-substructure tools and boosted hadronic boson identification in CMS

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Shvetsov, Ivan; Mozer, Matthias; Mueller, Thomas [Institut fuer Experimentelle Kernphysik (IEKP), KIT (Germany)

    2015-07-01

    At the double central-mass energy in Run II boosted hadronic vector boson decays will be of greater importance than in Run I. One of the main challenges for the reconstruction of such hadronic decays in the coming LHC run will be increase of instantaneous luminosity which will result in a large number of additional proton-proton interactions (pileup). In particular the high pileup environment degrades the reconstruction of jet properties. In this talk the performance of several pileup mitigation tools such as charge hadron subtraction, pileup per particle identification (PUPPI) and grooming techniques is presented. Improvements of techniques for the identification of hadronically decaying vector bosons under the challenging conditions of Run II are also discussed.

  20. Identification of high transverse momentum top quarks in pp collisions at √s = 8 TeV with the ATLAS detector

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Aad, G.; Abbott, B.; Abdallah, J.; Chudoba, Jiří; Havránek, Miroslav; Hejbal, Jiří; Jakoubek, Tomáš; Kepka, Oldřich; Kupčo, Alexander; Kůs, Vlastimil; Lokajíček, Miloš; Lysák, Roman; Marčišovský, Michal; Mikeštíková, Marcela; Němeček, Stanislav; Penc, Ondřej; Šícho, Petr; Staroba, Pavel; Svatoš, Michal; Taševský, Marek; Vrba, Václav

    2016-01-01

    Roč. 2016, č. 9 (2016), s. 1-77, č. článku 093. ISSN 1029-8479 Institutional support: RVO:68378271 Keywords : ATLAS * CERN LHC Coll * particle identification * track data analysis * experimental results * 8000 GeV-cms Subject RIV: BF - Elementary Particles and High Energy Physics Impact factor: 6.063, year: 2016

  1. Particle acceleration in binaries

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sinitsyna V.G.

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Cygnus X-3 massive binary system is one of the powerful sources of radio and X-ray emission consisting of an accreting compact object, probably a black hole, with a Wolf-Rayet star companion. Based on the detections of ultra high energy gamma-rays by Kiel and Havera Park, Cygnus X-3 has been proposed to be one of the most powerful sources of charged cosmic ray particles in the Galaxy. The results of long-term observations of the Cyg X-3 binary at energies 800 GeV–85 TeV detected by SHALON in 1995 are presented with images, integral spectra and spectral energy distribution. The identification of source with Cygnus X-3 detected by SHALON was secured by the detection of its 4.8 hour orbital period in TeV gamma-rays. During the whole observation period of Cyg X-3 with SHALON significant flux increases were detected at energies above 0.8 TeV. These TeV flux increases are correlated with flaring activity at a lower energy range of X-ray and/or at observations of Fermi LAT as well as with radio emission from the relativistic jets of Cygnus X-3. The variability of very high-energy gamma-radiation and correlation of radiation activity in the wide energy range can provide essential information on particle mechanism production up to very high energies. Whereas, modulation of very high energy emission connected to the orbital motion of the binary system, provides an understanding of the emission processes, nature and location of particle acceleration.

  2. Application of particle swarm optimization to identify gamma spectrum with neural network

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shi Dongsheng; Di Yuming; Zhou Chunlin

    2007-01-01

    In applying neural network to identification of gamma spectra back propagation (BP) algorithm is usually trapped to a local optimum and has a low speed of convergence, whereas particle swarm optimization (PSO) is advantageous in terms of globe optimal searching. In this paper, we propose a new algorithm for neural network training, i.e. combined BP and PSO optimization, or PSO-BP algorithm. Practical example shows that the new algorithm can overcome shortcomings of BP algorithm and the neural network trained by it has a high ability of generalization with identification result of 100% correctness. It can be used effectively and reliably to identify gamma spectra. (authors)

  3. Surface area-dependence of gas-particle interactions influences pulmonary and neuroinflammatory outcomes

    OpenAIRE

    Tyler, Christina R.; Zychowski, Katherine E.; Sanchez, Bethany N.; Rivero, Valeria; Lucas, Selita; Herbert, Guy; Liu, June; Irshad, Hammad; McDonald, Jacob D.; Bleske, Barry E.; Campen, Matthew J.

    2016-01-01

    Background Deleterious consequences of exposure to traffic emissions may derive from interactions between carbonaceous particulate matter (PM) and gaseous components in a manner that is dependent on the surface area or complexity of the particles. To determine the validity of this hypothesis, we examined pulmonary and neurological inflammatory outcomes in C57BL/6 and apolipoprotein E knockout (ApoE?/?) male mice after acute and chronic exposure to vehicle engine-derived particulate matter, ge...

  4. Dual role of Fcγ receptors in host defense and disease in Borrelia burgdorferi-infected mice

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alexia Anne Belperron

    2014-06-01

    Full Text Available Arthritis in mice infected with the Lyme disease spirochete, Borrelia burgdorferi, results from the influx of innate immune cells responding to the pathogen in the joint and is influenced in part by mouse genetics. Production of inflammatory cytokines by innate immune cells in vitro is largely mediated by Toll-like receptor (TLR interaction with Borrelia lipoproteins, yet surprisingly mice deficient in TLR2 or the TLR signaling molecule MyD88 still develop arthritis comparable to that seen in wild type mice after B. burgdorferi infection. These findings suggest that other, MyD88-independent inflammatory pathways can contribute to arthritis expression. Clearance of B. burgdorferi is dependent on the production of specific antibody and phagocytosis of the organism. As Fc receptors (FcγR are important for IgG-mediated clearance of immune complexes and opsonized particles by phagocytes, we examined the role that FcγR play in host defense and disease in B. burgdorferi-infected mice. B. burgdorferi-infected mice deficient in the Fc receptor common gamma chain (FcεRγ-/- mice harbored ~10 fold more spirochetes than similarly infected wild type mice, and this was associated with a transient increase in arthritis severity. While the elevated pathogen burdens seen in B. burgdorferi-infected MyD88-/- mice were not affected by concomitant deficiency in FcγR, arthritis was reduced in FcεRγ-/-MyD88-/- mice in comparison to wild type or single knockout mice. Gene expression analysis from infected joints demonstrated that absence of both MyD88 and FcγR lowers mRNA levels of proteins involved in inflammation, including Cxcl1 (KC, Xcr1 (Gpr5, IL-1beta, and C reactive protein. Taken together, our results demonstrate a role for FcγR-mediated immunity in limiting pathogen burden and arthritis in mice during the acute phase of B. burgdorferi infection, and further suggest that this pathway contributes to the arthritis that develops in B. burgdorferi

  5. Vaccine potential of Nipah virus-like particles.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Pramila Walpita

    2011-04-01

    Full Text Available Nipah virus (NiV was first recognized in 1998 in a zoonotic disease outbreak associated with highly lethal febrile encephalitis in humans and a predominantly respiratory disease in pigs. Periodic deadly outbreaks, documentation of person-to-person transmission, and the potential of this virus as an agent of agroterror reinforce the need for effective means of therapy and prevention. In this report, we describe the vaccine potential of NiV virus-like particles (NiV VLPs composed of three NiV proteins G, F and M. Co-expression of these proteins under optimized conditions resulted in quantifiable amounts of VLPs with many virus-like/vaccine desirable properties including some not previously described for VLPs of any paramyxovirus: The particles were fusogenic, inducing syncytia formation; PCR array analysis showed NiV VLP-induced activation of innate immune defense pathways; the surface structure of NiV VLPs imaged by cryoelectron microscopy was dense, ordered, and repetitive, and consistent with similarly derived structure of paramyxovirus measles virus. The VLPs were composed of all the three viral proteins as designed, and their intracellular processing also appeared similar to NiV virions. The size, morphology and surface composition of the VLPs were consistent with the parental virus, and importantly, they retained their antigenic potential. Finally, these particles, formulated without adjuvant, were able to induce neutralizing antibody response in Balb/c mice. These findings indicate vaccine potential of these particles and will be the basis for undertaking future protective efficacy studies in animal models of NiV disease.

  6. Single particle analysis with a 3600 light scattering photometer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bartholdi, M.F.

    1979-06-01

    Light scattering by single spherical homogeneous particles in the diameter range 1 to 20 μm and relative refractive index 1.20 is measured. Particle size of narrowly dispersed populations is determined and a multi-modal dispersion of five components is completely analyzed. A 360 0 light scattering photometer for analysis of single particles has been designed and developed. A fluid stream containing single particles intersects a focused laser beam at the primary focal point of an ellipsoidal reflector ring. The light scattered at angles theta = 2.5 0 to 177.5 0 at phi = 0 0 and 180 0 is reflected onto a circular array of photodiodes. The ellipsoidal reflector is situated in a chamber filled with fluid matching that of the stream to minimize refracting and reflecting interfaces. The detector array consists of 60 photodiodes each subtending 3 0 in scattering angle on 6 0 centers around 360 0 . 32 measurements on individual particles can be acquired at rates of 500 particles per second. The intensity and angular distribution of light scattered by spherical particles are indicative of size and relative refractive index. Calculations, using Lorenz--Mie theory, of differential scattering patterns integrated over angle corresponding to the detector geometry determined the instrument response to particle size. From this the expected resolution and experimental procedures are determined.Ultimately, the photometer will be utilized for identification and discrimination of biological cells based on the sensitivity of light scattering to size, shape, refractive index differences, internal granularity, and other internal morphology. This study has demonstrated the utility of the photometer and indicates potential for application to light scattering studies of biological cells

  7. MRI Visualization of Staphyloccocus aureus-Induced Infective Endocarditis in Mice

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ring, Janine; Hoerr, Verena; Tuchscherr, Lorena; Kuhlmann, Michael T.; Löffler, Bettina; Faber, Cornelius

    2014-01-01

    Infective endocarditis (IE) is a severe and often fatal disease, lacking a fast and reliable diagnostic procedure. The purpose of this study was to establish a mouse model of Staphylococcus aureus-induced IE and to develop a MRI technology to characterize and diagnose IE. To establish the mouse model of hematogenous IE, aortic valve damage was induced by placing a permanent catheter into right carotid artery. 24 h after surgery, mice were injected intravenously with either iron particle-labeled or unlabeled S. aureus (strain 6850). To distinguish the effect of IE from mere tissue injury or recruited macrophages, subgroups of mice received sham surgery prior to infection (n = 17), received surgery without infection (n = 8), or obtained additionally injection of free iron particles to label macrophages (n = 17). Cardiac MRI was performed 48 h after surgery using a self-gated ultra-short echo time (UTE) sequence (TR/TE, 5/0.31 ms; in-plane/slice, 0.125/1 mm; duration, 12∶08 min) to obtain high-resolution, artifact-free cinematographic images of the valves. After MRI, valves were either homogenized and plated on blood agar plates for determination of bacterial titers, or sectioned and stained for histology. In the animal model, both severity of the disease and mortality increased with bacterial numbers. Infection with 105 S. aureus bacteria reliably caused endocarditis with vegetations on the valves. Cinematographic UTE MRI visualised the aortic valve over the cardiac cycle and allowed for detection of bacterial vegetations, while mere tissue trauma or labeled macrophages were not detected. Iron labeling of S. aureus was not required for detection. MRI results were consistent with histology and microbial assessment. These data showed that S. aureus-induced IE in mice can be detected by MRI. The established mouse model allows for investigation of the pathophysiology of IE, testing of novel drugs and may serve for the development of a clinical diagnostic

  8. Biochemical systems identification by a random drift particle swarm optimization approach

    Science.gov (United States)

    2014-01-01

    Background Finding an efficient method to solve the parameter estimation problem (inverse problem) for nonlinear biochemical dynamical systems could help promote the functional understanding at the system level for signalling pathways. The problem is stated as a data-driven nonlinear regression problem, which is converted into a nonlinear programming problem with many nonlinear differential and algebraic constraints. Due to the typical ill conditioning and multimodality nature of the problem, it is in general difficult for gradient-based local optimization methods to obtain satisfactory solutions. To surmount this limitation, many stochastic optimization methods have been employed to find the global solution of the problem. Results This paper presents an effective search strategy for a particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm that enhances the ability of the algorithm for estimating the parameters of complex dynamic biochemical pathways. The proposed algorithm is a new variant of random drift particle swarm optimization (RDPSO), which is used to solve the above mentioned inverse problem and compared with other well known stochastic optimization methods. Two case studies on estimating the parameters of two nonlinear biochemical dynamic models have been taken as benchmarks, under both the noise-free and noisy simulation data scenarios. Conclusions The experimental results show that the novel variant of RDPSO algorithm is able to successfully solve the problem and obtain solutions of better quality than other global optimization methods used for finding the solution to the inverse problems in this study. PMID:25078435

  9. Experimental setup for studying the effects of alpha particles on zebrafish embryos

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yum, E.H.W.; Ng, C.K.M.; Lin, A.C.C.; Cheng, S.H.; Yu, K.N.

    2007-01-01

    In the present work, we have studied the feasibility to use an experimental setup based on polyallyldiglycol-carbonate (PADC) films to study effects of alpha particles on dechorionated zebrafish embryos. Thin PADC films with a thickness of 16 μm were prepared from commercially available CR-39 films by chemical etching and used as support substrates for holding zebrafish embryos for alpha-particle irradiation. These films recorded alpha-particle hit positions, quantified the number and energy of alpha particles actually incident on the embryo cells, and thus enabled the calculation of the dose absorbed by the embryo cells. Irradiation was made at 4 h post fertilization (hpf) with absorbed doses up to 2.3 mGy. Images of the embryos at 48 hpf were examined for identification of morphologic abnormalities. The preliminary results showed that absorbed doses corresponding to the abnormally developed embryos ranged from 0.41 to 2.3 mGy, which was equivalent to 0.21-1.2 mGy in human

  10. Experimental setup for studying the effects of alpha particles on zebrafish embryos

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Yum, E.H.W.; Ng, C.K.M. [Department of Physics and Materials Science, City University of Hong Kong, Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong (China); Lin, A.C.C.; Cheng, S.H. [Department of Biology and Chemistry, City University of Hong Kong, Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong (China); Yu, K.N. [Department of Physics and Materials Science, City University of Hong Kong, Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong (China)], E-mail: peter.yu@cityu.edu.hk

    2007-11-15

    In the present work, we have studied the feasibility to use an experimental setup based on polyallyldiglycol-carbonate (PADC) films to study effects of alpha particles on dechorionated zebrafish embryos. Thin PADC films with a thickness of 16 {mu}m were prepared from commercially available CR-39 films by chemical etching and used as support substrates for holding zebrafish embryos for alpha-particle irradiation. These films recorded alpha-particle hit positions, quantified the number and energy of alpha particles actually incident on the embryo cells, and thus enabled the calculation of the dose absorbed by the embryo cells. Irradiation was made at 4 h post fertilization (hpf) with absorbed doses up to 2.3 mGy. Images of the embryos at 48 hpf were examined for identification of morphologic abnormalities. The preliminary results showed that absorbed doses corresponding to the abnormally developed embryos ranged from 0.41 to 2.3 mGy, which was equivalent to 0.21-1.2 mGy in human.

  11. Virus-like particles as nanovaccine candidates

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Guillen, G; Aguilar, J C; Dueñas, S; Hermida, L; Iglesias, E; Penton, E; Lobaina, Y; Lopez, M; Mussachio, A; Falcon, V; Alvarez, L; Martinez, G; Gil, L; Valdes, I; Izquierdo, A; Lazo, L; Marcos, E; Guzman, G; Muzio, V; Herrera, L

    2013-01-01

    The existing vaccines are mainly limited to the microorganisms we are able to culture and produce and/or to those whose killing is mediated by humoral response (antibody mediated). It has been more difficult to develop vaccines capable of inducing a functional cellular response needed to prevent or cure chronic diseases. New strategies should be taken into account in the improvement of cell-based immune responses in order to prevent and control the infections and eventually clear the virus. Preclinical and clinical results with vaccine candidates developed as a vaccine platform based on virus-like particles (VLPs) evidenced their ability to stimulate mucosal as well as systemic immunity. Particles based on envelope, membrane or nucleocapsid microbial proteins induce a strong immune response after nasal or parenteral administration in mice, non-human primates and humans. In addition, the immune response obtained was modulated in a Th1 sense. The VLPs were also able to immunoenhance the humoral and cellular immune responses against several viral pathogens. Studies in animals and humans with nasal and systemic formulations evidenced that it is possible to induce functional immune response against HBV, HCV, HIV and dengue virus. (paper)

  12. Tissue accumulation of microplastics in mice and biomarker responses suggest widespread health risks of exposure

    Science.gov (United States)

    Deng, Yongfeng; Zhang, Yan; Lemos, Bernardo; Ren, Hongqiang

    2017-04-01

    Microplastics (MPs) are a significant environmental health issue and increasingly greater source of concern. MPs have been detected in oceans, rivers, sediments, sewages, soil and even table salts. MPs exposure on marine organisms and humans has been documented, but information about the toxicity of MPs in mammal is limited. Here we used fluorescent and pristine polystyrene microplastics (PS-MPs) particles with two diameters (5 μm and 20 μm) to investigate the tissue distribution, accumulation, and tissue-specific health risk of MPs in mice. Results indicated that MPs accumulated in liver, kidney and gut, with a tissue-accumulation kinetics and distribution pattern that was strongly depended on the MPs particle size. In addition, analyses of multiple biochemical biomarkers and metabolomic profiles suggested that MPs exposure induced disturbance of energy and lipid metabolism as well as oxidative stress. Interestingly, blood biomarkers of neurotoxicity were also altered. Our results uncovered the distribution and accumulation of MPs across mice tissues and revealed significant alteration in several biomarkers that indicate potential toxicity from MPs exposure. Collectively, our data provided new evidence for the adverse consequences of MPs.

  13. Identification of prognostic and diagnostic biomarkers of glucose intolerance in ApoE3Leiden mice

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Wopereis, S.; Radonjic, M.; Rubingh, C.; Erk, M. van; Smilde, A.; Duyvenvoorde, W. van; Cnubben, N.; Kooistra, T.; Ommen, B. van; Kleemann, R.

    2012-01-01

    The prevalence of diabetes mellitus Type 2 could be significantly reduced by early identification of subjects at risk, allowing for better prevention and earlier treatment. Glucose intolerance (GI) is a hallmark of the prediabetic stage. This study aims at identifying 1) prognostic biomarkers

  14. An estimation of percentage of pion, kaon and other particles produced in nuclear emulsion - a simulated approach

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bhattacharyya, Swarnapratim; Haiduc, Maria; Neagu, Alina Tania; Firu, Elena

    2014-01-01

    Multiparticle production in both high-energy nuclear and particle collisions is still a mystery, as far as the understanding of the dynamics of the production of secondary particles, especially of the soft varieties, is concerned. Of the various types of particles produced, mesons, especially the π-mesons, constitute, in practical terms, the near totality of the produced particles. Along with pions, in high-energy interactions kaons, hyperons and other mesons are also produced. In online experiments such as RHIC or LHC all the mesons can be detected. However, in emulsion experiments, there is no identification of the produced particles making a study of particle ratio fluctuations or net charge fluctuations impossible. In emulsion experiments, therefore, it is not possible to distinguish between pions and other mesons. There is one way to look at the compositions of the particles produced in high-energy nucleus-nucleus interactions in nuclear emulsion track detector

  15. The concentration of iron in real-world geogenic PM₁₀ is associated with increased inflammation and deficits in lung function in mice.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Graeme R Zosky

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND: There are many communities around the world that are exposed to high levels of particulate matter <10 µm (PM₁₀ of geogenic (earth derived origin. Mineral dusts in the occupational setting are associated with poor lung health, however very little is known about the impact of heterogeneous community derived particles. We have preliminary evidence to suggest that the concentration of iron (Fe may be associated with the lung inflammatory response to geogenic PM₁₀. We aimed to determine which physico-chemical characteristics of community sampled geogenic PM₁₀ are associated with adverse lung responses. METHODS: We collected geogenic PM₁₀ from four towns in the arid regions of Western Australia. Adult female BALB/c mice were exposed to 100 µg of particles and assessed for inflammatory and lung function responses 6 hours, 24 hours and 7 days post-exposure. We assessed the physico-chemical characteristics of the particles and correlated these with lung outcomes in the mice using principal components analysis and multivariate linear regression. RESULTS: Geogenic particles induced an acute inflammatory response that peaked 6 hours post-exposure and a deficit in lung mechanics 7 days post-exposure. This deficit in lung mechanics was positively associated with the concentration of Fe and particle size variability and inversely associated with the concentration of Si. CONCLUSIONS: The lung response to geogenic PM₁₀ is complex and highly dependent on the physico-chemical characteristics of the particles. In particular, the concentration of Fe in the particles may be a key indicator of the potential population health consequences for inhaling geogenic PM₁₀.

  16. Improved sentinel node visualization in breast cancer by optimizing the colloid particle concentration and tracer dosage

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Valdés Olmos, R. A.; Tanis, P. J.; Hoefnagel, C. A.; Nieweg, O. E.; Muller, S. H.; Rutgers, E. J.; Kooi, M. L.; Kroon, B. B.

    2001-01-01

    Faint lymph uptake may hamper sentinel node (SN) identification by scintigraphy and subsequent gamma probe localization. The aim of the present study was to evaluate an adjustment in the colloid particle concentration and tracer dosage to optimize mammary lymphoscintigraphy. Scintigraphy was

  17. b-Jet Identification in CMS

    CERN Document Server

    AUTHOR|(CDS)2081921

    2016-01-01

    A large fraction of the CMS physics program relies on the identification of jets containing the decay of a B hadron (b jets). The b jets can be discriminated from jets produced by the hadronization of light quarks based on characteristic properties of B hadrons, such as the long lifetime or the presence of soft leptons produced during their decay.An overview of the large variety of b-tagging algorithms and the measurement of their performance with data collected in 2011 and 2012 are presented in this talk. A special focus lies on new methods of b-tagging in jet substructure.As the excluded mass regions for new physics beyond the Standard Model continue to increase, searches often focus on boosted final states characterized by particles with large transverse momenta. In the boosted regime the resulting decay products for hadronic decays of heavy particles tend to be collimated and can fall within a single jet, known as fat-jet. In this case, selections based on multiple jets cannot be applied and jet substruct...

  18. Protective effect of curcumin on pulmonary and cardiovascular effects induced by repeated exposure to diesel exhaust particles in mice.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Abderrahim Nemmar

    Full Text Available Particulate air pollution has been associated with increased risk of cardiopulmonary diseases. However, the underlying mechanisms are not fully understood. We have previously demonstrated that single dose exposure to diesel exhaust particle (DEP causes lung inflammation and peripheral thrombotic events. Here, we exposed mice with repeated doses of DEP (15 µg/animal every 2(nd day for 6 days (a total of 4 exposures, and measured several cardiopulmonary endpoints 48 h after the end of the treatments. Moreover, the potential protective effect of curcumin (the yellow pigment isolated from turmeric on DEP-induced cardiopulmonary toxicity was assessed. DEP exposure increased macrophage and neutrophil numbers, tumor necrosis factor α (TNF α in the bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL fluid, and enhanced airway resistance to methacoline measured invasively using Flexivent. DEP also significantly increased plasma C-reactive protein (CRP and TNF α concentrations, systolic blood pressure (SBP as well as the pial arteriolar thrombosis. It also significantly enhanced the plasma D-dimer and plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1. Pretreatment with curcumin by oral gavage (45 mg/kg 1 h before exposure to DEP significantly prevented the influx of inflammatory cells and the increase of TNF α in BAL, and the increased airway resistance caused by DEP. Likewise, curcumin prevented the increase of SBP, CRP, TNF α, D-dimer and PAI-1. The thrombosis was partially but significantly mitigated. In conclusion, repeated exposure to DEP induced lung and systemic inflammation characterized by TNFα release, increased SBP, and accelerated coagulation. Our findings indicate that curcumin is a potent anti-inflammatory agent that prevents the release of TNFα and protects against the pulmonary and cardiovascular effects of DEP.

  19. Identification and energy measurement of charged particles in the 50-300 MeV energy range by means of a magnet-free hardron spectrometer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bayukov, Yu D.; Bukiej, A.E.; Gavrilov, V.B.

    1980-01-01

    Studied are the main characteristics (efficiency, time delay and amplitude singal distribution) of a magnet-free hadron spectrometer, in which a plastic scintillator block is the main part. The plastic scintillator having the form of a cylinder of the 20 cm diameter and the 20 cm height is examined with a photomultiplier through a 50 cm light guide. The dependencies of the amplitude conversion coefficient and signal time delay on the distance between the scintillation point and the light guide are resented. The analysis of the results obtained has shown that the closer the beam passes to the light guide, the greater is the signal amplitude. The counter signal delay linearly increases with the distance increase between the beam and the light guide. The dependence of the spectrometer efficiency on the proton energy is measured as well. The investigations have proved possible utilization of the scintillation detector described for identification of charged particles in the 50-300 MeV range and measurement of their energy with the 3-8% accuracy

  20. Recombinant in vitro assembled hepatitis C virus core particles induce strong specific immunity enhanced by formulation with an oil-based adjuvant

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    NELSON ACOSTA-RIVERO

    2009-01-01

    Full Text Available In the present work, immunogenicity of recombinant in vitro assembled hepatitis C virus core particles, HCcAg.120-VLPs, either alone or in combination with different adjuvants was evaluated in BALB/c mice. HCcAg.120-VLPs induced high titers of anti-HCcAg.120 antibodies and virus-specific cellular immune responses. Particularly, HCcAg.120-VLPs induced specific delayed type hypersensitivity, and generated a predominant T helper 1 cytokine pro file in immunized mice. In addition, HCcAg.120-VLPs prime splenocytes proliferate in vitro against different HCcAg.120-specific peptides, depending on either the immunization route or the adjuvant used. Remarkably, immunization with HCcAg.120-VLPs/Montanide ISA888 formulation resulted in a significant control of vaccinia virus titer in mice after challenge with a recombinant vaccinia virus expressing HCV core protein, vvCore. Animals immunized with this formulation had a marked increase in the number of IFN-γ producing spleen cells, after stimulation with P815 cells infected with vvCore. These results suggest the use of recombinant HCV core particles as components of therapeutic or preventive vaccine candidates against HCV.