1. |
- Addazi, A., et al.
(author)
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New high-sensitivity searches for neutrons converting into antineutrons and/or sterile neutrons at the HIBEAM/NNBAR experiment at the European Spallation Source
- 2021
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In: Journal of Physics G. - : Institute of Physics Publishing (IOPP). - 0954-3899 .- 1361-6471. ; 48:7
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The violation of baryon number, , is an essential ingredient for the preferential creation of matter over antimatter needed to account for the observed baryon asymmetry in the Universe. However, such a process has yet to be experimentally observed. The HIBEAM/NNBAR program is a proposed two-stage experiment at the European Spallation Source to search for baryon number violation. The program will include high-sensitivity searches for processes that violate baryon number by one or two units: free neutron–antineutron oscillation () via mixing, neutron–antineutron oscillation via regeneration from a sterile neutron state (), and neutron disappearance (n → n'); the effective process of neutron regeneration () is also possible. The program can be used to discover and characterize mixing in the neutron, antineutron and sterile neutron sectors. The experiment addresses topical open questions such as the origins of baryogenesis and the nature of dark matter, and is sensitive to scales of new physics substantially in excess of those available at colliders. A goal of the program is to open a discovery window to neutron conversion probabilities (sensitivities) by up to three orders of magnitude compared with previous searches. The opportunity to make such a leap in sensitivity tests should not be squandered. The experiment pulls together a diverse international team of physicists from the particle (collider and low energy) and nuclear physics communities, while also including specialists in neutronics and magnetics.
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2. |
- McLoughlin, M. R., et al.
(author)
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TrxR1, Gsr, and oxidative stress determine hepatocellular carcinoma malignancy
- 2019
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In: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. - : Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. - 0027-8424 .- 1091-6490. ; 116:23, s. 11408-11417
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Thioredoxin reductase-1 (TrxR1)-, glutathione reductase (Gsr)-, and Nrf2 transcription factor-driven antioxidant systems form an integrated network that combats potentially carcinogenic oxidative damage yet also protects cancer cells from oxidative death. Here we show that although unchallenged wild-type (WT), TrxR1-null, or Gsr-null mouse livers exhibited similarly low DNA damage indices, these were 100-fold higher in unchallenged TrxR1/Gsr-double-null livers. Notwithstanding, spontaneous cancer rates remained surprisingly low in TrxR1/Gsr-null livers. All genotypes, including TrxR1/Gsr-null, were susceptible to N-diethylnitrosamine (DEN)-induced liver cancer, indicating that loss of these antioxidant systems did not prevent cancer cell survival. Interestingly, however, following DEN treatment, TrxR1-null livers developed threefold fewer tumors compared with WT livers. Disruption of TrxR1 in a marked subset of DEN-initiated cancer cells had no effect on their subsequent contributions to tumors, suggesting that TrxR1-disruption does not affect cancer progression under normal care, but does decrease the frequency of DEN-induced cancer initiation. Consistent with this idea, TrxR1-null livers showed altered basal and DEN-exposed metabolomic profiles compared with WT livers. To examine how oxidative stress influenced cancer progression, we compared DEN-induced cancer malignancy under chronically low oxidative stress (TrxR1-null, standard care) vs. elevated oxidative stress (TrxR1/Gsr-null livers, standard care or phenobarbital-exposed TrxR1-null livers). In both cases, elevated oxidative stress was correlated with significantly increased malignancy. Finally, although TrxR1-null and TrxR1/Gsr-null livers showed strong Nrf2 activity in noncancerous hepatocytes, there was no correlation between malignancy and Nrf2 expression within tumors across genotypes. We conclude that TrxR1, Gsr, Nrf2, and oxidative stress are major determinants of liver cancer but in a complex, context-dependent manner.
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3. |
- Harcourt, R., et al.
(author)
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Animal-borne telemetry: An integral component of the ocean observing toolkit
- 2019
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In: Frontiers in Marine Science. - : Frontiers Media SA. - 2296-7745. ; 6:JUN
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Animal telemetry is a powerful tool for observing marine animals and the physical environments that they inhabit, from coastal and continental shelf ecosystems to polar seas and open oceans. Satellite-linked biologgers and networks of acoustic receivers allow animals to be reliably monitored over scales of tens of meters to thousands of kilometers, giving insight into their habitat use, home range size, the phenology of migratory patterns and the biotic and abiotic factors that drive their distributions. Furthermore, physical environmental variables can be collected using animals as autonomous sampling platforms, increasing spatial and temporal coverage of global oceanographic observation systems. The use of animal telemetry, therefore, has the capacity to provide measures from a suite of essential ocean variables (EOVs) for improved monitoring of Earth's oceans. Here we outline the design features of animal telemetry systems, describe current applications and their benefits and challenges, and discuss future directions. We describe new analytical techniques that improve our ability to not only quantify animal movements but to also provide a powerful framework for comparative studies across taxa. We discuss the application of animal telemetry and its capacity to collect biotic and abiotic data, how the data collected can be incorporated into ocean observing systems, and the role these data can play in improved ocean management. © 2019 Harcourt, Sequeira, Zhang, Roquet, Komatsu, Heupel, McMahon, Whoriskey, Meekan, Carroll, Brodie, Simpfendorfer, Hindell, Jonsen, Costa, Block, Muelbert, Woodward, Weise, Aarestrup, Biuw, Boehme, Bograd, Cazau, Charrassin, Cooke, Cowley, de Bruyn, Jeanniard du Dot, Duarte, Eguíluz, Ferreira, Fernández-Gracia, Goetz, Goto, Guinet, Hammill, Hays, Hazen, Hückstädt, Huveneers, Iverson, Jaaman, Kittiwattanawong, Kovacs, Lydersen, Moltmann, Naruoka, Phillips, Picard, Queiroz, Reverdin, Sato, Sims, Thorstad, Thums, Treasure, Trites, Williams, Yonehara and Fedak.
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4. |
- Dijulio, Douglas D., et al.
(author)
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Characterization of the radiation background at the Spallation Neutron Source
- 2016
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In: VI European Conference On Neutron Scattering (ECNS2015). - : IOP Publishing. ; 746:1
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Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We present a survey of the radiation background at the Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, TN, USA during routine daily operation. A broad range of detectors was used to characterize primarily the neutron and photon fields throughout the facility. These include a WENDI-2 extended range dosimeter, a thermoscientific NRD, an Arktis He-4 detector, and a standard Nal photon detector. The information gathered from the detectors was used to map out the neutron dose rates throughout the facility and also the neutron dose rate and flux profiles of several different beamlines. The survey provides detailed information useful for developing future shielding concepts at spallation neutron sources, such as the European Spallation Source (ESS), currently under construction in Lund, Sweden.
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5. |
- Goodwin, Richard J. A., et al.
(author)
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Conductive carbon tape used for support and mounting of both whole animal and fragile heat-treated tissue sections for MALDI MS imaging and quantitation
- 2012
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In: Journal of Proteomics. - : Elsevier BV. - 1874-3919 .- 1876-7737. ; 75:16, s. 4912-4920
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Analysis of whole animal tissue sections by MALDI MS imaging (MSI) requires effective sample collection and transfer methods to allow the highest quality of in situ analysis of small or hard to dissect tissues. We report on the use of double-sided adhesive conductive carbon tape during whole adult rat tissue sectioning of carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) embedded animals, with samples mounted onto large format conductive glass and conductive plastic MALDI targets, enabling MSI analysis to be performed on both TOF and FT-ICR MALDI mass spectrometers. We show that mounting does not unduly affect small molecule MSI detection by analyzing tiotropium abundance and distribution in rat lung tissues, with direct on-tissue quantitation achieved. Significantly, we use the adhesive tape to provide support to embedded delicate heat-stabilized tissues, enabling sectioning and mounting to be performed that maintained tissue integrity on samples that had previously been impossible to adequately prepare section for MSI analysis. The mapping of larger peptidomic molecules was not hindered by tape mounting samples and we demonstrate this by mapping the distribution of PEP-19 in both native and heat-stabilized rat brains. Furthermore, we show that without heat stabilization PEP-19 degradation fragments can detected and identified directly by MALDI MSI analysis.This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Imaging Mass Spectrometry: A User's Guide to a New Technique for Biological and Biomedical Research.
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6. |
- Goodwin, Richard J. A., et al.
(author)
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Exemplifying the Screening Power of Mass Spectrometry Imaging over Label-Based Technologies for Simultaneous Monitoring of Drug and Metabolite Distributions in Tissue Sections
- 2016
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In: Journal of Biomolecular Screening. - : Elsevier BV. - 1087-0571 .- 1552-454X. ; 21:2, s. 187-193
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Mass spectrometry imaging (MSI) provides pharmaceutical researchers with a suite of technologies to screen and assess compound distributions and relative abundances directly from tissue sections and offer insight into drug discovery-applicable queries such as blood-brain barrier access, tumor penetration/retention, and compound toxicity related to drug retention in specific organs/cell types. Label-free MSI offers advantages over label-based assays, such as quantitative whole-body autoradiography (QWBA), in the ability to simultaneously differentiate and monitor both drug and drug metabolites. Such discrimination is not possible by label-based assays if a drug metabolite still contains the radiolabel. Here, we present data exemplifying the advantages of MSI analysis. Data of the distribution of AZD2820, a therapeutic cyclic peptide, are related to corresponding QWBA data. Distribution of AZD2820 and two metabolites is achieved by MSI, which [C-14] AZD2820 QWBA fails to differentiate. Furthermore, the high mass-resolving power of Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance MS is used to separate closely associated ions.
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7. |
- Goodwin, Richard J A, et al.
(author)
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Qualitative and Quantitative MALDI Imaging of the Positron Emission Tomography Ligands Raclopride (a D2 Dopamine Antagonist) and SCH 23390 (a D1 Dopamine Antagonist) in Rat Brain Tissue Sections Using a Solvent-Free Dry Matrix Application Method
- 2011
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In: Analytical Chemistry. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 0003-2700 .- 1520-6882. ; 83:24, s. 9694-9701
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The distributions of positron emission tomography (PET) ligands in rat brain tissue sections were analyzed by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry imaging (MALDI MSI). The detection of the PET ligands was possible following the use of a solvent-free dry MALDI matrix application method employing finely ground dry α-cyano-4-hydroxycinnamic acid (CHCA). The D2 dopamine receptor antagonist 3,5-dichloro-N-{[(2S)-1-ethylpyrrolidin-2-yl]methyl}-2-hydroxy-6-methoxybenzamide (raclopride) and the D1 dopamine receptor antagonist 7-chloro-3-methyl-1-phenyl-1,2,4,5-tetrahydro-3-benzazepin-8-ol (SCH 23390) were both detected at decreasing abundance at increasing period postdosing. Confirmation of the compound identifications and distributions was achieved by a combination of mass-to-charge ratio accurate mass, isotope distribution, and MS/MS fragmentation imaging directly from tissue sections (performed using MALDI TOF/TOF, MALDI q-TOF, and 12T MALDI-FT-ICR mass spectrometers). Quantitative data was obtained by comparing signal abundances from tissues to those obtained from quantitation control spots of the target compound applied to adjacent vehicle control tissue sections (analyzed during the same experiment). Following a single intravenous dose of raclopride (7.5 mg/kg), an average tissue concentration of approximately 60 nM was detected compared to 15 nM when the drug was dosed at 2 mg/kg, indicating a linear response between dose and detected abundance. SCH 23390 was established to have an average tissue concentration of approximately 15 μM following a single intravenous dose at 5 mg/kg. Both target compounds were also detected in kidney tissue sections when employing the same MSI methodology. This study illustrates that a MSI may well be readily applied to PET ligand research development when using a solvent-free dry matrix coating.
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8. |
- Goodwin, Richard JA, et al.
(author)
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The significance of ambient-temperature on pharmaceutical and endogenous compound abundance and distribution in tissues sections when analyzed by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry imaging
- 2012
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In: Rapid Communications in Mass Spectrometry. - : Wiley. - 0951-4198 .- 1097-0231. ; 26:5, s. 494-498
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- RATIONALE: Mass spectrometry imaging has proven to be a complementary assay to the traditional labeled-compound studies employed in drug research and development. However, there has been limited examination of the technical limitations of the technique with respect to small molecule stability in samples. METHODS: Raclopride dosed rat brain tissue sections (single dose i.v. 2 mg/kg) were allowed to warm to room temperature for 0 to 5 min prior to either a solvent-based wet matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) matrix or a solvent-free dry MALDI matrix being applied. Subsequent MS imaging analysis was at a spatial resolution of 200 mm, performed using a MALDI TOF/TOF (Ultraflex II, Bruker Daltonics). RESULTS: MALDI-MS has been used to monitor the time-dependent appearance and loss of small molecule abundance in tissue sections brought rapidly to room temperature for short periods of time. The abundances of a range of markers were seen to vary across the time course, both increasing and decreasing. The intensity of some markers changed significantly within 1 min. Importantly, the abundance of raclopride was seen to decrease over the 5-min time period examined. CONCLUSIONS: The results strongly indicate that considerable care is required to allow comparison of both pharmaceutical and endogenous compounds between MALDI-MSI experiments and also has implications for the standard practice of thaw-mounting multiple tissue sections onto MALDI-MS targets during MSI experiments.
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10. |
- Huebschmann, Nathan A, et al.
(author)
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Comparing Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein (GFAP) in Serum and Plasma Following Mild Traumatic Brain Injury in Older Adults.
- 2020
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In: Frontiers in neurology. - : Frontiers Media SA. - 1664-2295. ; 11
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Objective: Identification and validation of blood-based biomarkers for the diagnosis and prognosis of mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) is of critical importance. There have been calls for more research on mTBI in older adults. We compared blood-based protein marker glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) concentrations in serum and in plasma within the same cohort of older adults and assessed their ability to discriminate between individuals based on intracranial abnormalities and functional outcome following mTBI. Methods: A sample of 121 older adults [≥50 years old with head computed tomography (CT), n = 92] seeking medical care for a head injury [Glasgow Coma Scale scores of 14 (n = 6; 5.0%) or 15 (n = 115; 95.0%)] were enrolled from the emergency department (ED). The mean time between injury and blood sampling was 3.4 h (SD = 2.1; range = 0.5-11.7). Serum GFAP concentration was measured first using the Human Neurology 4-Plex Assay, while plasma GFAP concentration was later measured using the GFAP Discovery Kit, both on an HD-1 Single molecule array (Simoa) instrument. Glasgow Outcome Scale-Extended was assessed 1 week after injury. Results: Both serum and plasma GFAP levels were significantly higher in those with abnormal CT scans compared to those with normal head CT scans (plasma: U = 1,198, p < 0.001; serum: U = 1,253, p < 0.001). The ability to discriminate those with and without intracranial abnormalities was comparable between serum (AUC = 0.814) and plasma (AUC = 0.778). In the total sample, GFAP concentrations were considerably higher in plasma than in serum (Wilcoxon signed-rank test z = 0.42, p < 0.001, r = 0.42). Serum and plasma GFAP levels were highly correlated in the total sample and within all subgroups (Spearman's rho range: 0.826-0.907). Both serum and plasma GFAP levels were significantly higher in those with poor compared to good functional outcome (serum: U = 1,625, p = 0.002; plasma: U = 1,539, p = 0.013). Neither plasma (AUC = 0.653) nor serum (AUC = 0.690) GFAP were adequate predictors of functional outcome 1 week after injury. Conclusions: Despite differences in concentration, serum and plasma GFAP levels were highly correlated and had similar discriminability between those with and without intracranial abnormalities on head CT following an mTBI. Neither serum nor plasma GFAP had adequate discriminability to identify patients who would have poor functional outcome.
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