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In this work a simulation of the electron drift which accounts for diffusion for different configurations of the electric field for the ReD detector has been carried out. An estimate of the reconstruction error of the event coordinates, caused both by nonuniformity of the field and by the focusing of electrons as they pass through the detector grid, is obtained.

In the recent years, argon-based experiments looking for Dark Matter in the Universe have explored the non-standard scenario in which Dark Matter is made by low-mass Weakly Interacting Massive Particles, of mass in the range of 1–10 GeV instead of the canonical hundreds of GeV. Detecting such particles is challenging, as their expected signatures are nuclear recoils with energies below 10 keV, observable solely via ionization. This necessitates a precise understanding of the detector response in this energy regime, which remains incomplete for argon. To address this, the ReD experiment was developed within the framework of the DarkSide-20k Collaboration to produce and characterize few-keV nuclear recoils. A compact dual-phase argon Time Projection Chamber (TPC) was irradiated with neutrons from a$$^{252}$$252 Cf source, to produce Ar recoils in the energy range of interest via (n,n’) elastic scattering. A downstream spectrometer composed of 18 plastic scintillators detected the neutrons scattered off Ar nuclei, enabling recoil energy reconstruction via two-body kinematics. The ionization yield$$Q_{y}$$Q y of argon, defined as the number of electrons produced per unit energy deposit, was measured in a model-independent way between 2 and 10 keV. These measurements extend direct experimental coverage well below the previous limit of approximately 7 keV. The results are consistent with existing data above 7 keV, while they indicate a higher$$Q_{y}$$Q y at lower energies.

Asthma is an increasingly common disease that remains poorly understood and difficult to manage. This disease is characterized by airway hyperreactivity (AHR, defined by exaggerated airflow obstruction in response to bronchoconstrictors), mucus overproduction and chronic eosinophilic inflammation 1 . AHR and mucus overproduction are consistently linked to asthma symptoms and morbidity 2 , 3 . Asthma is mediated by Th2 lymphocytes 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , which produce a limited repertoire of cytokines, including interleukin-4 (IL-4), IL-5, IL-9 and IL-13. Although each of these cytokines has been implicated in asthma 4 , 5 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , IL-13 is now thought to be especially critical. In animal models of allergic asthma, blockade of IL-13 markedly inhibits allergen-induced AHR, mucus production and eosinophilia 10 , 11 . Furthermore, IL-13 delivery to the airway causes all of these effects 10 , 11 . IL-13 is thus both necessary and sufficient for experimental models of asthma. However, the IL-13-responsive cells causing these effects have not been identified. Here we show that mice lacking signal transducer and activator of transcription 6 (STAT6) were protected from all pulmonary effects of IL-13. Reconstitution of STAT6 only in epithelial cells was sufficient for IL-13-induced AHR and mucus production in the absence of inflammation, fibrosis or other lung pathology. These results demonstrate the importance of direct effects of IL-13 on epithelial cells in causing two central features of asthma.

In this paper, a dependence of the erosion of graphite under a high energy ion flux at temperature of 2050°C on the ion dose is investigated. It is shown that, at ion flux densitiy of 1.42×1022 ion/m2s, irradiation stimulates diffusion processes that lead to the removal of carbon atoms from the bulk of the sample, leading to the formation of a porous layer, whereas, for ion flux density of 1.4×1020 ion/m2s, no such layer is formed.

Directional sensitivity to nuclear recoils would provide a smoking gun for a possible discovery of dark matter in the form of WIMPs (Weakly Interacting Massive Particles). A hint of directional dependence of the response of a dual-phase argon Time Projection Chamber (TPC) was found in the SCENE experiment. Given the potential importance of such a capability in the framework of dark matter searches, a new dedicated experiment, ReD (Recoil Directionality), was designed by the Global Argon Dark Matter Collaboration, in order to scrutinise this hint. A small dual-phase argon TPC was irradiated with neutrons produced by the p( 7 Li, 7 Be)n reaction using the 15 MV TANDEM accelerator of the INFN - Laboratori Nazionali del Sud, Catania, Italy, so as to produce argon nuclear recoils in the range (20 - 100) keV of interest for dark matter searches. Energy and direction of nuclear recoils are inferred by the detection of the elastically-scattered neutron by a set of scintillation detectors. Events were selected by gating of the associated 7 Be, which is detected by a telescope of Si detectors.

In this paper, a dependence of the erosion of graphite under a high energy ion flux at temperature of 2050 °C on the ion dose is investigated. It is shown that high doses of irradiation stimulate diffusion processes that lead to the removal of carbon atoms from the bulk of the sample, significantly altering morphology of graphite at depths exceeding penetration depth of irradiating ions for large doses.

Abstract Rationale Macrophages are believed to play a central role in emphysema based largely on data from mouse models. However, the relevance of these models to smoking-related lung disease in humans is uncertain. Objectives We sought to comprehensively characterize the effects of smoking on gene expression in human alveolar macrophages and to compare these with effects seen in transgenic mouse models of emphysema. Methods We used DNA microarrays with genomewide coverage to analyze alveolar macrophages from 15 smokers, 15 nonsmokers, and 15 subjects with asthma (disease control). Selected gene expression changes were validated by polymerase chain reaction and ELISA. Expression changes were compared with those identified by microarray analysis of interleukin-13–overexpressing and integrin-β6–deficient mice, which both develop emphysema. Measurements and Main Results All 15 smokers shared a common pattern of macrophage gene expression that distinguished them from nonsmokers, a finding not observed in subjects with asthma. We identified 110 genes as differentially expressed in smokers despite using conservative statistical methods. Matrix metalloproteinase 12, a proteinase that plays a critical role in mouse models, was the third most highly induced gene in smokers (ninefold, p < 0.0001). However, most changes in smokers were not reflected in mouse models. One such finding was increased osteopontin expression in smokers (fourfold, p = 0.006), which was confirmed at the protein level and correlated with the degree of airway obstruction. Conclusions Smoking induces a remarkably consistent and distinctive pattern of alveolar macrophage activation. These studies identify aspects of mouse models that are directly relevant to human smokers and also reveal novel potential mediators of smoking-related diseases.

Directional sensitivity to nuclear recoils would provide a smoking gun for a possible discovery of dark matter in the form of WIMPs (Weakly Interacting Massive Particles). A hint of directional dependence of the response of a dual-phase argon Time Projection Chamber (TPC) was found in the SCENE experiment. Given the potential importance of such a capability in the framework of dark matter searches, a new dedicated experiment, ReD (Recoil Directionality), was designed by the Global Argon Dark Matter Collaboration, in order to scrutinize this hint. Prior to the irradiation with a neutron beam, the ReD TPC underwent a long campaign of characterization and optimization: some selected results are presented in this contribution.

In this paper, a dependence of the erosion of graphite under a high energy ion flux from the ion dose is investigated at temperatures of 750, 1700 and 2050 °C. High doses of irradiation stimulate diffusion processes that lead to the transport of carbon atoms from the bulk of the sample towards the surface, leading to the formation of a porous layer which thickness increases both with the increase of sample's temperature, as well as the dose of irradiation.

In the direct searches for Weakly Interacting Massive Particles (WIMPs) as Dark Matter candidates, the sensitivity of the detector to the incom- ing particle direction could provide a smoking gun signature for an interesting event. The SCENE collaboration firstly suggested the possible directional de- pendence of a dual-phase argon Time Projection Chamber through the columnar recombination effect. The Recoil Directionality project (ReD) within the Global Argon Dark Matter Collaboration aims to characterize the light and charge re- sponse of a liquid Argon dual-phase TPC to neutron-induced nuclear recoils to probe for the hint by SCENE. In this work, the directional sensitivity of the de- tector in the energy range of interest for WIMPs (20-100 keV) is investigated with a data-driven analysis involving a Machine Learning algorithm.