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Algora, A. et al, Jordan, D., Tain, J. L., Rubio, B., Agramunt, J., Perez-Cerdan, A. B., et al. (2011). Improvements on Decay Heat Summation Calculations by Means of Total Absorption Gamma-ray Spectroscopy Measurements. J. Korean Phys. Soc., 59(2), 1479–1482.
Abstract: The decay heat of fission products plays an important role in predictions of the heat released by nuclear fuel in reactors. In this contribution we present results of the analysis of the measurement of the beta decay of some refractory isotopes that were considered possible important contributors to the decay heat in reactors. The measurements presented here were performed at the IGISOL facility of the University of Jyvaskyla, Finland. In our measurements we have combined for the first time a Penning trap (JYFLTRAP), which was used as a high resolution isobaric separator, with a total absorption spectrometer. The results of the measurements as well as their consequences for decay heat summation calculations are discussed.
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LHCb Collaboration(Aaij, R. et al), Henry, L., Jashal, B. K., Martinez-Vidal, F., Oyanguren, A., Remon Alepuz, C., et al. (2021). Evidence of a J/psi Lambda structure and observation of excited Xi(-) states in the Xi(-)(b) -> J/psi Lambda K- decay. Sci. Bull., 66(13), 1278–1287.
Abstract: First evidence of a structure in the J/psi Lambda invariant mass distribution is obtained from an amplitude analysis of Xi(-)(b) -> J/psi Lambda K- decays. The observed structure is consistent with being due to a charmonium pentaquark with strangeness with a significance of 3.1r including systematic uncertainties and lookelsewhere effect. Its mass and width are determined to be 4458.8 +/- 2.9(-1.1)(+4.7) MeV and 17.3 +/- 6.5(-5.7)(+8.0) MeV, respectively, where the quoted uncertainties are statistical and systematic. The structure is also consistent with being due to two resonances. In addition, the narrow excited Xi(-) states, Xi(-)(1690) and Xi(-)(1820)(-), are seen for the first time in a Xi(-)(b) decay, and their masses and widths are measured with improved precision. The analysis is performed using pp collision data corresponding to a total integrated luminosity of 9 fb(-1), collected with the LHCb experiment at centre-of-mass energies of 7, 8 and 13 TeV.
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Di Gregorio, E., Staelens, M., Hosseinkhah, N., Karimpoor, M., Liburd, J., Lim, L., et al. (2024). Raman Spectroscopy Reveals Photobiomodulation-Induced α-Helix to β-Sheet Transition in Tubulins: Potential Implications for Alzheimer's and Other Neurodegenerative Diseases. Nanomaterials, 14(13), 1093–21pp.
Abstract: In small clinical studies, the application of transcranial photobiomodulation (PBM), which typically delivers low-intensity near-infrared (NIR) to treat the brain, has led to some remarkable results in the treatment of dementia and several neurodegenerative diseases. However, despite the extensive literature detailing the mechanisms of action underlying PBM outcomes, the specific mechanisms affecting neurodegenerative diseases are not entirely clear. While large clinical trials are warranted to validate these findings, evidence of the mechanisms can explain and thus provide credible support for PBM as a potential treatment for these diseases. Tubulin and its polymerized state of microtubules have been known to play important roles in the pathology of Alzheimer's and other neurodegenerative diseases. Thus, we investigated the effects of PBM on these cellular structures in the quest for insights into the underlying therapeutic mechanisms. In this study, we employed a Raman spectroscopic analysis of the amide I band of polymerized samples of tubulin exposed to pulsed low-intensity NIR radiation (810 nm, 10 Hz, 22.5 J/cm2 dose). Peaks in the Raman fingerprint region (300-1900 cm-1)-in particular, in the amide I band (1600-1700 cm-1)-were used to quantify the percentage of protein secondary structures. Under this band, hidden signals of C=O stretching, belonging to different structures, are superimposed, producing a complex signal as a result. An accurate decomposition of the amide I band is therefore required for the reliable analysis of the conformation of proteins, which we achieved through a straightforward method employing a Voigt profile. This approach was validated through secondary structure analyses of unexposed control samples, for which comparisons with other values available in the literature could be conducted. Subsequently, using this validated method, we present novel findings of statistically significant alterations in the secondary structures of polymerized NIR-exposed tubulin, characterized by a notable decrease in alpha-helix content and a concurrent increase in beta-sheets compared to the control samples. This PBM-induced alpha-helix to beta-sheet transition connects to reduced microtubule stability and the introduction of dynamism to allow for the remodeling and, consequently, refreshing of microtubule structures. This newly discovered mechanism could have implications for reducing the risks associated with brain aging, including neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's disease, through the introduction of an intervention following this transition.
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AGATA Collaboration, Doncel, M., Recchia, F., Quintana, B., Gadea, A., & Farnea, E. (2010). Experimental test of the background rejection, through imaging capability, of a highly segmented AGATA germanium detector. Nucl. Instrum. Methods Phys. Res. A, 622(3), 614–618.
Abstract: The development of highly segmented germanium detectors as well as the algorithms to identify the position of the interaction within the crystal opens the possibility to locate the gamma-ray source using Compton imaging algorithms. While the Compton-suppression shield, coupled to the germanium detector in conventional arrays, works also as an active filter against the gamma rays originated outside the target, the new generation of position sensitive gamma-ray detector arrays has to fully rely on tracking capabilities for this purpose. In specific experimental conditions, as the ones foreseen at radioactive beam facilities, the ability to discriminate background radiation improves the sensitivity of the gamma spectrometer. In this work we present the results of a measurement performed at the Laboratori Nazionali di Legnaro (LNL) aiming the evaluation of the AGATA detector capabilities to discriminate the origin of the gamma rays on an event-by-event basis. It will be shown that, exploiting the Compton scattering formula, it is possible to track back gamma rays coming from different positions, assigning them to specific emitting locations. These imaging capabilities are quantified for a single crystal AGATA detector.
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Wimmer, K. et al, Algora, A., & Rubio, B. (2018). Shape coexistence and isospin symmetry in A=70 nuclei: Spectroscopy of the T-z =-1 nucleus Kr-70. Phys. Lett. B, 785, 441–446.
Abstract: Excited states in the T-z = -1 nucleus Kr-70 have been populated using inelastic scattering of a radioactive Kr-70 beam as well as one- and two-neutron removal reactions from Kr-71,Kr-72 at intermediate beam energies. The level scheme of Kr-70 was constructed from the observed gamma-ray transitions and coincidences. Tentative spin and parity assignments were made based on comparison with the mirror nucleus Se-70. Asecond 2(+) state and a candidate for the corresponding 4(2)(+) state suggest shape coexistence in Kr-70.
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