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The Cryogenic Underground Observatory for Rare Events (CUORE) is designed to search for neutrinoless double beta decay of 130 Te with an array of 988 TeO 2  bolometers operating at temperatures around 10 mK. The experiment is currently being commissioned in Hall A of Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso, Italy. The goal of CUORE is to reach a 90% C.L. exclusion sensitivity on the 130 Te decay half-life of 9 × 10 25 years after 5 years of data taking. The main issue to be addressed to accomplish this aim is the rate of background events in the region of interest, which must not be higher than 10 - 2  counts/keV/kg/year. We developed a detailed Monte Carlo simulation, based on results from a campaign of material screening, radioassays, and bolometric measurements, to evaluate the expected background. This was used over the years to guide the construction strategies of the experiment and we use it here to project a background model for CUORE. In this paper we report the results of our study and our expectations for the background rate in the energy region where the peak signature of neutrinoless double beta decay of 130 Te is expected.

We report on the measurement of the two-neutrino double-beta decay half-life of [Formula omitted]Te with the CUORE-0 detector. From an exposure of 33.4 kg year of TeO [Formula omitted], the half-life is determined to be [Formula omitted] = [8.2 ± 0.2 (stat.) ± 0.6 (syst.)] [Formula omitted] 10 [Formula omitted] year. This result is obtained after a detailed reconstruction of the sources responsible for the CUORE-0 counting rate, with a specific study of those contributing to the [Formula omitted]Te neutrinoless double-beta decay region of interest.

CUPID will be a next generation experiment searching for the neutrinoless double β decay, whose discovery would establish the Majorana nature of the neutrino. Based on the experience achieved with the CUORE experiment, presently taking data at LNGS, CUPID aims to reach a background free environment by means of scintillating Li2100MoO4 crystals coupled to light detectors. Indeed, the simultaneous heat and light detection allows us to reject the dominant background of α particles, as proven by the CUPID-0 and CUPID-Mo demonstrators. In this work we present the results of the first test of the CUPID baseline module. In particular, we propose a new optimized detector structure and light sensors design to enhance the engineering and the light collection, respectively. We characterized the heat detectors, achieving an energy resolution of (5.9 ± 0.2) keV FWHM at the Q-value of 100Mo (about 3034 keV). We studied the light collection of the baseline CUPID design with respect to an alternative configuration which features gravity-assisted light detectors’ mounting. In both cases we obtained an improvement in the light collection with respect to past measures and we validated the particle identification capability of the detector, which ensures an α particle rejection higher than 99.9%, fully satisfying the requirements for CUPID.

CUPID is a next-generation tonne-scale bolometric neutrinoless double beta decay experiment that will probe the Majorana nature of neutrinos and discover lepton number violation in case of observation of this singular process. CUPID will be built on experience, expertise and lessons learned in CUORE and will be installed in the current CUORE infra-structure in the Gran Sasso underground laboratory. The CUPID detector technology, successfully tested in the CUPID-Mo experiment, is based on scintillating bolometers of Li 2 MoO 4 enriched in the isotope of interest 100 Mo. In order to achieve its ambitious science goals, the CUPID collaboration aims to reduce the backgrounds in the region of interest by a factor 100 with respect to CUORE. This performance will be achieved by introducing the high efficient α / β discrimination demonstrated by the CUPID-0 and CUPID-Mo experiments, and using a high transition energy double beta decay nucleus such as 100 Mo to minimize the impact of the gamma background. CUPID will consist of about 1500 hybrid heat-light detectors for a total isotope mass of 250 kg. The CUPID scientific reach is supported by a detailed and safe background model based on CUORE, CUPID-Mo and CUPID-0 results. The required performances have already been demonstrated and will be presented.

CUORE is a tonne-scale cryogenic detector operating at the Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso (LNGS) that uses tellurium dioxide bolometers to search for neutrinoless double-beta decay of 130 Te. CUORE is also suitable to search for low energy rare events such as solar axions or WIMP scattering, thanks to its ultra-low background and large target mass. However, to conduct such sensitive searches requires improving the energy threshold to 10 keV. In this paper, we describe the analysis techniques developed for the low energy analysis of CUORE-like detectors, using the data acquired from November 2013 to March 2015 by CUORE-0, a single-tower prototype designed to validate the assembly procedure and new cleaning techniques of CUORE. We explain the energy threshold optimization, continuous monitoring of the trigger efficiency, data and event selection, and energy calibration at low energies in detail. We also present the low energy background spectrum of CUORE-0 below 60 keV . Finally, we report the sensitivity of CUORE to WIMP annual modulation using the CUORE-0 energy threshold and background, as well as an estimate of the uncertainty on the nuclear quenching factor from nuclear recoils inCUORE-0.

The aetiology and outcomes for patients with acquired subglottic stenosis are highly variable. This study aimed to identify risk factors for subglottic stenosis and patient characteristics that predict long-term clinical outcomes. A retrospective review was performed on 63 patients with subglottic stenosis and 63 age-matched controls. Patient demographics and clinical characteristics were compared. Subglottic stenosis patients were further grouped according to tracheostomy status (i.e. tracheostomy never required, tracheostomy initially required but patient eventually decannulated, and tracheostomy-dependent). Patient factors from these three groups were then compared to evaluate risk factors for long-term tracheostomy dependence. Compared to controls, patients with subglottic stenosis had a significantly higher body mass index (30.8 vs 26.0 kg/m2; p < 0.001) and were more likely to have diabetes (23.8 per cent vs 7.94 per cent; p = 0.01). Comparing tracheostomy outcomes within the subglottic stenosis group, body mass index trended towards significance (p = 0.08). Age, gender, socio-economic status, subglottic stenosis aetiology and other co-morbidities did not correlate with outcome. Obesity and diabetes are significant risk factors for acquiring subglottic stenosis. Further investigations are required to determine if obesity is also a predictor for failed tracheostomy decannulation in subglottic stenosis.

Vibrations from experimental setups and the environment are a persistent source of noise for low-temperature calorimeters searching for rare events, including neutrinoless double beta (0 ν β β ) decay or dark matter interactions. Such noise can significantly limit experimental sensitivity to the physics case under investigation. Here, we report the detection of marine microseismic vibrations using mK-scale calorimeters. This study employs a multi-device analysis correlating data from CUORE, the leading experiment in the search for 0 ν β β decay with mK-scale calorimeters, and the Copernicus Earth Observation program, revealing the seasonal impact of Mediterranean Sea activity on CUORE’s energy thresholds, resolution, and sensitivity over four years. The detection of marine microseisms underscores the need to address faint environmental noise in ultra-sensitive experiments. Understanding how such noise couples to the detector and developing mitigation strategies is essential for next-generation experiments. We demonstrate one such strategy: a noise decorrelation algorithm implemented in CUORE using auxiliary sensors, which reduces vibrational noise and improves detector performance. Enhancing sensitivity to 0 ν β β decay and to rare events with low-energy signatures requires identifying unresolved noise sources, advancing noise reduction methods, and improving vibration suppression systems, all of which inform the design of next-generation rare event experiments. Low-temperature calorimeters used in rare-event searches are often limited in sensitivity by noise, especially at low energies. Here, the authors show that CUORE can detect microseismic vibrations from the Mediterranean Sea and that a denoising algorithm reduces this noise, improving detector resolution and rare-event sensitivity.

Introduction Bartonella species are an important emerging cause of blood culture-negative endocarditis (BCNE). The diagnosis requires serology by indirect immunofluorescence assay (IFA) and PCR testing on blood and/or tissue. Access to the guideline-referenced in-house IFA is limited in Africa and a commercially available IFA is used to identify patients with Bartonella spp. infection in our region. Prior study in South Africa has highlighted a high seroprevalence of Bartonella spp. in the general population. It is unclear how to incorporate these factors into the diagnostic thinking when interpreting a positive IFA result in a patient with BCNE. We explore these important knowledge gaps in a cohort of 31 patients with Bartonella endocarditis.Methods and resultsData from the Tygerberg Endocarditis Cohort Study were evaluated between October 2019 and May 2023. Continuous variables were reported as mean with SD if normally distributed, alternatively as median with IQR. Categorical variables were reported as counts and percentages. A Kaplan-Meier curve will be used to depict the mortality rate of operated versus unoperated patients. The mean age (±SD) was 38±9 years, 70.9% were male, 25.8% were either homeless or lived in informal housing, 70.9% were unemployed, 54.8% had an underlying alcohol-use disorder and 25.8% were HIV positive. Blood serology was positive (IgG titre ≥1:256) in 96.7% of patients with available sera. Valvular tissue was available for PCR testing in 18 cases. Of these, Bartonella quintana was identified in 16 cases and Bartonella henselae in one case. None of the cases with both serology and valve PCR data had negative serology. No cases of blood culture-positive endocarditis (BCPE) had a positive PCR for Bartonella spp. The most common isolated valve lesion on echocardiography was severe aortic regurgitation (43.3%). The 1-month and 6-month mortality in the operated cohort was 0% and 4.5%, respectively.Discussion Bartonella quintana is the most common cause of BCNE accounting for 49.2% of cases at our centre. None of the PCR-proven cases of Bartonella endocarditis had negative serology, which suggests that the test has a high negative predictive value. The current guideline diagnostic titre of ≥1:800 is assay dependent and is not generalisable to alternative, commercially available, assays. Crucially, none of the BCPE cases with available PCR on valve tissue had a positive PCR for Bartonella spp, suggesting a positive valve PCR is definitive evidence of true infection in an endemic region. The specific clinical, echocardiographic and mortality data were consistent with the reported literature and characterised a subacute, but ultimately destructive endocarditis with a high embolic risk and underscores the need for early surgical intervention.

We report a study of the CUORE sensitivity to neutrinoless double beta ( [Formula omitted]) decay. We used a Bayesian analysis based on a toy Monte Carlo (MC) approach to extract the exclusion sensitivity to the [Formula omitted] decay half-life ( [Formula omitted]) at [Formula omitted] credibility interval (CI) - i.e. the interval containing the true value of [Formula omitted] with [Formula omitted] probability - and the [Formula omitted] discovery sensitivity. We consider various background levels and energy resolutions, and describe the influence of the data division in subsets with different background levels. If the background level and the energy resolution meet the expectation, CUORE will reach a [Formula omitted] CI exclusion sensitivity of [Formula omitted] year with 3 months, and [Formula omitted] year with 5 years of live time. Under the same conditions, the discovery sensitivity after 3 months and 5 years will be [Formula omitted] year and [Formula omitted] year, respectively.

We report on a search for double beta decay of \\[^{130}\\hbox {Te}\\] to the first \\[0^{+}\\] excited state of \\[^{130}\\hbox {Xe}\\] using a \\[9.8\\,\\hbox {kg}\\cdot \\hbox {yr}\\] exposure of \\[^{130}\\hbox {Te}\\] collected with the CUORE-0 experiment. In this work we exploit different topologies of coincident events to search for both the neutrinoless and two-neutrino double beta decay modes. We find no evidence for either mode and place lower bounds on the half-lives: \\[T^{0\\nu }_{0^+_1}>7.9\\cdot 10^{23}\\hbox {yr}\\] and \\[T^{2\\nu }_{0^+_1}>2.4\\cdot 10^{23}\\hbox {yr}\\] (\\[90\\%\\,\\hbox {CL}\\]). Combining our results with those obtained by the CUORICINO experiment, we achieve the most stringent constraints available for these processes: \\[T^{0\\nu }_{0^+_1}>1.4\\cdot 10^{24}\\hbox {yr}\\] and \\[T^{2\\nu }_{0^+_1}>2.5\\cdot 10^{23}\\hbox {yr}\\] (\\[90\\%\\,\\hbox {CL}\\]).