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Search for an L-mu - L-tau gauge boson using Z -˃ 4 mu events in proton-proton collisions at root s=13 TeV
No full textA search for a narrow Z' gauge boson with a mass between 5 and 70 GeV resulting from an L-mu - L-tau U (1) local gauge symmetry is reported. Theories that predict such a particle have been proposed as an explanation of various experimental discrepancies, including the lack of a dark matter signal in direct-detection experiments, tension in the measurement of the anomalous magnetic moment of the muon, and reports of possible lepton flavor universality violation in B meson decays. A data sample of proton-proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV is used, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 77.3 fb(-1) recorded in 2016 and 2017 by the CMS detector at the LHC. Events containing four muons with an invariant mass near the standard model Z boson mass are analyzed, and the selection is further optimized to be sensitive to the events that may contain Z -˃ Z'mu mu -˃ 4 mu decays. The event yields are consistent with the standard model predictions. Upper limits of 10(-8)-10(-7) at 95% confidence level are set on the product of branching fractions B(Z -˃ Z'mu mu)B(Z' -˃ mu mu), depending on the Z' mass, which excludes a Z' boson coupling strength to muons above 0.004-0.3. These are the first dedicated limits on L-mu - L-tau models at the LHC and result in a significant increase in the excluded model parameter space. The results of this search may also be used to constrain the coupling strength of any light Z' gauge boson to muons. (C) 2019 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V.We congratulate our colleagues in the CERN accelerator departments for the excellent performance of the LHC and thank the technical and administrative staffs at CERN and at other CMS institutes for their contributions to the success of the CMS effort. In addition, we gratefully acknowledge the computing centers and personnel of the Worldwide LHC Computing Grid for delivering so effectively the computing infrastructure essential to our analyses. Finally, we acknowledge the enduring support for the construction and operation of the LHC and the CMS detector provided by the following funding agencies: BMWFW and FWF (Austria); FNRS and FWO (Belgium); CNPq, CAPES, FAPERJ, and FAPESP (Brazil); MES (Bulgaria); CERN; CAS, MOST, and NSFC (China); COLCIEN-CIAS (Colombia); MSES and CSF (Croatia); RPF (Cyprus); SENESCYT (Ecuador); MoER, ERC IUT, and ERDF (Estonia); Academy of Finland, MEC, and HIP (Finland); CEA and CNRS/IN2P3 (France); BMBF, DFG, and HGF (Germany); GSRT (Greece); NKFIA (Hungary); DAE and DST (India); IPM (Iran); SFI (Ireland); INFN (Italy); MSIP and NRF (Republic of Korea); LAS (Lithuania); MOE and UM (Malaysia); BUAP, CINVESTAV, CONACYT, LNS, SEP, and UASLP-FAI (Mexico); MBIE (New Zealand); PAEC (Pakistan); MSHE and NSC (Poland); FCT (Portugal); JINR (Dubna); MON, ROSATOM, RAS and RFBR (Russia); MESTD (Serbia); SEIDI, CPAN, PCTI and FEDER (Spain); Swiss Funding Agencies (Switzerland); MST (Taipei); ThEPCenter, IPST, STAR, and NSTDA (Thailand); TUBITAK and TAEK (Turkey); NASU and SFFR (Ukraine); STFC (United Kingdom); DOE and NSF (USA).
Individuals have received support from the Marie-Curie program and the European Research Council and Horizon 2020 Grant, contract No. 675440 (European Union); the Leventis Foundation; the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation; the Alexander von Hum-boldt Foundation; the Belgian Federal Science Policy Office; the Fonds pour la Formation a la Recherche dans l'Industrie et dans l'Agriculture(FRIA-Belgium); the Agentschap voor Innovatie door Wetenschap en Technologie (IWT-Belgium); the F.R.S.-FNRS and FWO (Belgium) under the "Excellence of Science - EOS" - be.h project n. 30820817; the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports (MEYS) of the Czech Republic; the Lendulet ("Momentum") Program and the Janos Bolyai Research Scholarship of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, the New National Excellence Program UNKP, the NKFIA research grants 123842, 123959, 124845, 124850 and 125105 (Hungary); the Council of Science and Industrial Research, India; the HOMING PLUS program of the Foundation for Polish Science, cofinanced from European Union, Regional Development Fund, the Mobility Plus program of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education, the National Science Center (Poland), contracts Harmonia 2014/14/M/ST2/00428, Opus 2014/13/B/ST2/02543, 2014/15/B/ST2/03998, and 2015/19/B/ST2/02861, Sonata-bis 2012/07/E/ST2/01406; the National Priorities Research Program by Qatar National Research Fund; the Programa Estatal de Fomento de la Investigacion Cientifica y Tecnica de Excelencia Maria de Maeztu, grant MDM-2015-0509 and the Programa Severo Ochoa del Principado de Asturias; the Thalis and Aristeia programs cofinanced by EU-ESF and the Greek NSRF; the Rachadapisek Sompot Fund for Postdoctoral Fellowship, Chulalongkorn University and the Chulalongkorn Academic into Its 2nd Century Project Advancement Project (Thailand); the Welch Foundation, contract C-1845; and the Weston Havens Foundation (USA)
Ultrasensitive Fluorescence Detection of Alzheimer's Disease Based on Polyvalent Directed Peptide Polymer Coupled to a Nanoporous ZnO Nanoplatform.
No full textAmyloid-beta 42 (A beta(42)), the key biomarker of Alzheimer's disease (AD), aggregates to form neurotoxic amyloid plaques. In this work, we modified two fluorescein isothiocyanate-labeled A beta(42)-targeting peptides and designed an A beta(42)-specific ultrasensitive polyvalent-directed peptide polymer (PDPP) to enhance AD diagnosis sensitivity. The dissociation constant of A beta(42) by PDPP was 10(3)-fold higher than the single-site-directed peptide. The improved binding was due to the ability of PDPP to detect multiple receptors on the target. The power of the PDPP diagnostic probe was verified in its application to detect A beta(42) in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), which showed a lower limit of detection (LOD) in the fg mL(-1) range that is more sensitive than detection by antibodies or single peptides. In addition, we present a novel ultrasensitive diagnostic system using an array of nanoporous ZnO nanoparticles, which play a role in fluorescence signal amplification, to further improve AD diagnosis sensitivity. We enhanced the signal on the basis of the properties of nanoporous ZnO nanoparticles and measured and quantified an ultralow concentration (ag mL(-1) range) of A beta(42). This PDPP coupled to the nanoporous ZnO-based system is a novel approach to AD diagnosis that might also be useful for the detection of other target biomarkers and clinical applications.This work was supported by the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) grant funded by the Korea government (MSIP) (No. 201800000001222)
Clinical outcomes of patients with active rheumatoid arthritis with normal acute phase reactant values
No full textAim Despite high clinical disease activity, some patients with active rheumatoid arthritis (RA) have normal acute phase reactant (APR) values. This study aimed to determine the clinical outcomes of active RA patients with normal APR values. Method Of 5376 patients with RA enrolled in the Korean observational study network for arthritis (KORONA) registry, 400 patients with disease duration of <2 years who had Clinical Disease Activity Index (CDAI) score of >2.8 at baseline, biologic-naive, and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and C-reactive protein (CRP) drawn at both baseline and 2-year follow-up visits were identified. Patients were grouped according to baseline APR levels: normal APRs, one APR elevated, and both APRs elevated. Results Baseline tender and swollen joint counts, mean CDAI and Health Assessment Questionnaire-Disability Index (HAQ-DI) scores were significantly lower in the normal APRs group compared with APR-elevated groups (P < 0.0001). At 2-year follow-up, mean CDAI scores, HAQ-DI, and percentage of the patient achieving remission were not significantly different between the normal APRs group compared with the APR-elevated groups regardless of the baseline disease activity. However, in patients with baseline CDAI moderate to high disease activity, the normal APRs group less frequently required initiation of the biologic disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs compared with the APR-elevated groups (P = 0.044). Conclusion Active RA patients with normal APR values have milder disease presentation, but similar clinical outcomes to those with elevated APRs.Ministry of Health and Welfare, Republic of Korea, Grant/Award Number: HI10C202
Trpm2 Ablation Accelerates Protein Aggregation by Impaired ADPR and Autophagic Clearance in the Brain
No full textTRPM2 a cation channel is also known to work as an enzyme that hydrolyzes highly reactive, neurotoxic ADP-ribose (ADPR). Although ADPR is hydrolyzed by NUT9 pyrophosphatase in major organs, the enzyme is defective in the brain. The present study questions the role of TRPM2 in the catabolism of ADPR in the brain. Genetic ablation of Trpm2 results in the disruption of ADPR catabolism that leads to the accumulation of ADPR and reduction in AMP. Trpm2(-/-) mice elicit the reduction in autophagosome formation in the hippocampus. Trpm2(-/-) mice also show aggregations of proteins in the hippocampus, aberrant structural changes and neuronal connections in synapses, and neuronal degeneration. Trpm2(-/-) mice exhibit learning and memory impairment, enhanced neuronal intrinsic excitability, and imbalanced synaptic transmission. These results respond to long-unanswered questions regarding the potential role of the enzymatic function of TRPM2 in the brain, whose dysfunction evokes protein aggregation. In addition, the present finding answers to the conflicting reports such as neuroprotective or neurodegenerative phenotypes observed in Trpm2(-/-) mice
Relaxin gene therapy: A promising new treatment option for various diseases with aberrant fibrosis or irregular angiogenesis
No full textRelaxin (RLX) is an insulin-like polypeptide hormone that was initially introduced for its pregnancy-related function. Subsequent studies revealed that RLX possesses anti-fibrotic functions in tumors and nonreproductive tissues, such as skin, lungs, and others. This aspect of the RLX has been explored for the treatment of various illnesses, such as cardiac fibrosis, liver fibrosis, and solid tumors. With gene therapy coming into age with increasing number of products being approved by regulatory bodies in Europe and United States, we aim to discuss how RLX have been utilized in scope of gene therapy for treatment of various illnesses.This work was supported by grants from the National Research Foundation of Korea (2016M3A9B5942352; Dr. C-O Yun)
The effect of diverse metal oxides in graphene composites on the adsorption isotherm of gaseous benzene
No full textThe effective removal technique is necessary for the real world treatment of a hazardous pollutant (e.g., gaseous benzene). In an effort to develop such technique, the adsorption efficiency of benzene in a nitrogen stream (5 Pa (50 ppm) at 50 mL atm min(-1) flow rate and 298 K) was assessed against 10 different metal oxide/GO composite materials (i.e., 1: graphene oxide Co (GO-Co (OH)(2)), 2: graphene oxide Cu (GO-Cu(OH)(2)), 3: graphene oxide Mn (GO-MnO), 4: graphene oxide Ni (GO-Ni(OH)(2)), 5: graphene oxide Sn (GO-SnO2), 6: reduced graphene oxide Co (rGO-Co(OH)(2)), 7: reduced graphene oxide Cu (rGO-Cu(OH)(2)), 8: reduced graphene oxide Mn (rGO-MnO), 9: reduced graphene oxide Ni (rGO-Ni(OH)(2)), and 10: reduced graphene oxide Sn (rGO-SnO2)) in reference to their pristine forms of graphene oxide (GO) and reduced graphene oxide (rGO). The highest adsorption capacities (at 100% breakthrough) were observed as similar to 23 mg g(-1) for both GO-Ni(OH)(2) and rGO-SnO2, followed by GO (similar to 19.1 mg g(-1)) and GO-Co(OH)(2) (similar to 18.8 mg g(-1)). Therefore, the GO-Ni(OH)(2) and rGO-SnO2 composites exhibited considerably high capacities to treat streams containing > 5 Pa of benzene. However, the lowest adsorption capacity was found for GO-MnO (0.05 mg g(-1)). Alternately, if expressed in terms of the 10% break-through volume (BTV), the five aforementioned materials showed values of 0.50, 0.46, 0.40, 0.44, and 0.39 L g(-1), respectively. The experimental data of target sorbents were fitted to linearized Langmuir, Freundlich, Elovich, and Dubinin-Radushkevich isotherm models. Accordingly, the non-linear Langmuir isotherm model revealed the presence of two or more distinct sorption profiles for several of the tested sorbents. Most of the sorbents showed type-III isotherm profiles where the sorption capacity proportional to the loaded volume.This study was supported by a grant from the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) funded by the Ministry of Science, ICT & Future Planning (Grant no.: 2016R1E1A1A01940995) by the R&D Center for Green Patrol Technologies through the R&D for Global Top Environmental Technologies funded by the Ministry of Environment (Grant no: 2018001850001). The authors also acknowledge the support of the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF-2016R1A6A1A03013422)
Survey of Current Status and Cognition of Activities of Daily Living in Dementia Patients: the 2018 “Il-sang-ye-chan” Campaign
No full textBackground and Purpose: Disability associated with activities of daily living (ADL) is thebasis of dementia diagnosis and is an important factor in the care of dementia patients. Thestatus of awareness and burden of ADL disability in dementia patients was investigated sixyears ago and used as an important reference for “Il-sang-ye-chan” campaign. They were reinvestigatedin six years and compared with previous results.
Methods: The survey included caregivers of 100 dementia patients listed at the four regionaldementia centers. Structured open and closed questions about ADL were asked. Assessmentsincluded age, sex, education level, economic status, severity of dementia, caregiving pattern,current statues and cognition of ADL, and caregiver needs.
Results: The cognition of ADL was still very low (43%). Increased stress among caregiverswas the biggest burden, and they frequently suffered from outing disability (56%), recentmemory loss (48%), and loss of bowel/bladder control (40%). The economic burden hasbeen greatly reduced compared with the burden six years ago and the needs of caregivers werestill highly about educational guide lines or programs.
Conclusions: Continued interest and further investigation into ADL disability of dementiapatients are needed. Korean Dementia Association will further expand the “Il-sang-ye-chan”program: via a multi-domain cognitive intervention program under the Care for ADL indementia and Relieve symptoms in Dementia Project
SweepNet: Wide-baseline Omnidirectional Depth Estimation
No full textOmnidirectional depth sensing has its advantage over the conventional stereo systems since it enables us to recognize the objects of interest in all directions without any blind regions. In this paper, we propose a novel wide-baseline omnidirectional stereo algorithm which computes the dense depth estimate from the fisheye images using a deep convolutional neural network. The capture system consists of multiple cameras mounted on a wide-baseline rig with ultra-wide field of view (FOV) lenses, and we present the calibration algorithm for the extrinsic parameters based on the bundle adjustment. Instead of estimating depth maps from multiple sets of rectified images and stitching them, our approach directly generates one dense omnidirectional depth map with full 360° coverage at the rig global coordinate system. To this end, the proposed neural network is designed to output the cost volume from the warped images in the sphere sweeping method, and the final depth map is estimated by taking the minimum cost indices of the aggregated cost volume by SGM. For training the deep neural network and testing the entire system, realistic synthetic urban datasets are rendered using Blender. The experiments using the synthetic and real-world datasets show that our algorithm outperforms the conventional depth estimation methods and generate highly accurate depth maps.This research was supported by Samsung Research Funding & Incubation Center for Future Technology under Project Number SRFC-TC1603-05, Next-Generation Information Computing Development Program through National Research Foundation of Korea(NRF) funded by the Ministry of Science, ICT (NRF-2017M3C4A7069369), and the NRF grant funded by the Korea government(MISP)(NRF-2017R1A2B4011928)
A Real-time Virtual Model Synchronization Algorithm Using Object Feature Detection
No full text본 논문은 객체 특징 탐색을 이용한 실시간 가상 모델 동기화 알고리즘을 제안한다. 제안된 알고리즘은 2차원 영상에서 객체 특징 탐색을 사용하여, 실제 객체와 가상모델을 실시간으로 동기화 한다. 객체 특징 탐색 알고리즘은 색상을 이용하여 객체를 개별적으로 분류하는 알고리즘과 각도를 이용하여 객체가 설치된 방향을 분석하는 알고리즘으로 구성된다. 제안한 알고리즘을 사용하여 실제 물체의 움직임을 가상 모델에 동기화함으로써, 별도의 사용자 조작 도구 사용 없이 손을 사용하여 가상 물체를 움직이는 환경을 제공할 수 있다. 본 알고리즘은 향후 불특정한 모양과 색상 및 방향을 갖는 객체를 동기화하는 연구를 진행하며, VR/AR기술에 적용하여 사실적인 가상환경을 제공하는 것을 목표로 한다. In this paper, we propose a real-time virtual model synchronization algorithm using object feature detection. The proposed algorithm may be useful to synchronize between real objects and their corresponding virtual models through object feature search in two-dimensional images. It consists of an algorithm to classify objects with colors individually, and an algorithm to analyze the orientation of objects with angles. We can synchronize the motion of the real object with the virtual model by providing the environment of moving the virtual object through the hand without specific controllers. The future research will include the algorithm to synchronize real object with unspecified shapes, colors, and directions to the corresponding virtual object
In situ reduction and exfoliation of g-C3N4 nanosheets with copious active sites via a thermal approach for effective water splitting
No full textPoor optical absorbance and charge recombination are the major drawbacks of polymeric graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4)-based photocatalysts. In this paper, we show for the first time a single-step in situ technique to control the porosity of two-dimensional g-C3N4 sheets and exfoliate them by introducing ascorbic acid (AA) molecules. The AA simultaneously acts as the carbon (C) source and deposits amorphous C onto g-C3N4 sheets. Nanosized pores are also introduced into the g-C3N4 sheets, leading to a large number of active sites. The as-prepared C-doped porous g-C3N4 nanosheets demonstrate a high visible light-photocatalytic H-2 production activity of 793 mol g(-1) with the optimum structure, which is almost 25 times higher than the value obtained with bulk g-C3N4 (31 mol g(-1)). This exceptional photocatalytic performance arises from the C-doped conjugated system and porous nanosheets. The enhanced photocatalytic H-2 evolution was attributed to the effective separation and transport of charge carriers by the deposition of C onto the nanosheets and an increased number of active sites resulting from the nanopores created inside the g-C3N4 sheets. Moreover, molecular dynamics (MD) simulations confirm that the interaction between AA and melamine molecules at elevated temperatures results in the formation of C-doped porous and exfoliated g-C3N4 structures. Therefore, the present approach is very promising for application to the design of new and efficient photocatalysts for photocatalytic H-2 evolution under visible irradiation.This work was supported by the Human Resources Development Program (No. 20174030201830) of the Korea Institute of Energy Technology Evaluation and Planning (KETEP) grant funded by the Korean Government Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and by a National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) grant funded by the Korean Government (Ministry of Education) (No. NRF-2016R1D1A1A02936936)