First Measurement of Hard Exclusive π

The polarized cross-section ratio σ_{LT^{'}}/σ_{0} from hard exclusive π^{-}Δ^{++} electroproduction off an unpolarized hydrogen target has been extracted based on beam-spin asymmetry measurements using a 10.2 GeV/10.6 GeV incident electron beam and the CLAS12 spectrometer at Jefferson Lab. The study, which provides the first observation of this channel in the deep-inelastic regime, focuses on very forward-pion kinematics in the valence regime, and photon virtualities ranging from 1.5 GeV^{2} up to 7 GeV^{2}. The reaction provides a novel access to the d-quark content of the nucleon and to p→Δ^{++} transition generalized parton distributions. A comparison to existing results for hard exclusive π^{+}n and π^{0}p electroproduction is provided, which shows a clear impact of the excitation mechanism, encoded in transition generalized parton distributions, on the asymmetry.

Multidimensional, High Precision Measurements of Beam Single Spin Asymmetries in Semi-inclusive π

High precision measurements of the polarized electron beam-spin asymmetry in semi-inclusive deep inelastic scattering (SIDIS) from the proton have been performed using a 10.6 GeV incident electron beam and the CLAS12 spectrometer at Jefferson Lab. We report here a high precision multidimensional study of single π^{+} SIDIS data over a large kinematic range in Bjorken x, fractional energy, and transverse momentum of the hadron as well as photon virtualities Q^{2} ranging from 1-7 GeV^{2}. In particular, the structure function ratio F_{LU}^{sinϕ}/F_{UU} has been determined, where F_{LU}^{sinϕ} is a twist-3 quantity that can reveal novel aspects of emergent hadron mass and quark-gluon correlations within the nucleon. The data's impact on the evolving understanding of the underlying reaction mechanisms and their kinematic variation is explored using theoretical models for the different contributing transverse momentum dependent parton distribution functions.

Search for Sub-eV Sterile Neutrinos at RENO.

We report a search result for a light sterile neutrino oscillation with roughly 2200 live days of data in the RENO experiment. The search is performed by electron antineutrino (ν[over ¯]_{e}) disappearance taking place between six 2.8 GW_{th} reactors and two identical detectors located at 294 m (near) and 1383 m (far) from the center of the reactor array. A spectral comparison between near and far detectors can explore reactor ν[over ¯]_{e} oscillations to a light sterile neutrino. An observed spectral difference is found to be consistent with that of the three-flavor oscillation model. This yields limits on sin^{2}2θ_{14} in the 10^{-4}≲|Δm_{41}^{2}|≲0.5 eV^{2} region, free from reactor ν[over ¯]_{e} flux and spectrum uncertainties. The RENO result provides the most stringent limits on sterile neutrino mixing at |Δm_{41}^{2}|≲0.002 eV^{2} using the ν[over ¯]_{e} disappearance channel.

Extraction of Beam-Spin Asymmetries from the Hard Exclusive π

We have measured beam-spin asymmetries to extract the sinϕ moment A_{LU}^{sinϕ} from the hard exclusive e[over →]p→e^{'}nπ^{+} reaction above the resonance region, for the first time with nearly full coverage from forward to backward angles in the center of mass. The A_{LU}^{sinϕ} moment has been measured up to 6.6 GeV^{2} in -t, covering the kinematic regimes of generalized parton distributions (GPD) and baryon-to-meson transition distribution amplitudes (TDA) at the same time. The experimental results in very forward kinematics demonstrate the sensitivity to chiral-odd and chiral-even GPDs. In very backward kinematics where the TDA framework is applicable, we found A_{LU}^{sinϕ} to be negative, while a sign change was observed near 90° in the center of mass. The unique results presented in this Letter will provide critical constraints to establish reaction mechanisms that can help to further develop the GPD and TDA frameworks.

Fuel-Composition Dependent Reactor Antineutrino Yield at RENO.

We report a fuel-dependent reactor electron antineutrino (ν[over ¯]_{e}) yield using six 2.8 GW_{th} reactors in the Hanbit nuclear power plant complex, Yonggwang, Korea. The analysis uses 850 666 ν[over ¯]_{e} candidate events with a background fraction of 2.0% acquired through inverse beta decay (IBD) interactions in the near detector for 1807.9 live days from August 2011 to February 2018. Based on multiple fuel cycles, we observe a fuel ^{235}U dependent variation of measured IBD yields with a slope of (1.51±0.23)×10^{-43} cm^{2}/fission and measure a total average IBD yield of (5.84±0.13)×10^{-43} cm^{2}/fission. The hypothesis of no fuel-dependent IBD yield is ruled out at 6.6σ. The observed IBD yield variation over ^{235}U isotope fraction does not show significant deviation from the Huber-Mueller (HM) prediction at 1.3 σ. The measured fuel-dependent variation determines IBD yields of (6.15±0.19)×10^{-43} and (4.18±0.26)×10^{-43} cm^{2}/fission for two dominant fuel isotopes ^{235}U and ^{239}Pu, respectively. The measured IBD yield per ^{235}U fission shows the largest deficit relative to the HM prediction. Reevaluation of the ^{235}U IBD yield per fission may mostly solve the reactor antineutrino anomaly (RAA) while ^{239}Pu is not completely ruled out as a possible contributor to the anomaly. We also report a 2.9 σ correlation between the fractional change of the 5 MeV excess and the reactor fuel isotope fraction of ^{235}U.

Measurement of Reactor Antineutrino Oscillation Amplitude and Frequency at RENO.

The RENO experiment reports more precisely measured values of θ_{13} and |Δm_{ee}^{2}| using ∼2200 live days of data. The amplitude and frequency of reactor electron antineutrino (ν[over ¯]_{e}) oscillation are measured by comparing the prompt signal spectra obtained from two identical near and far detectors. In the period between August 2011 and February 2018, the far (near) detector observed 103 212 (850 666) ν[over ¯]_{e} candidate events with a background fraction of 4.8% (2.0%). A clear energy and baseline dependent disappearance of reactor ν[over ¯]_{e} is observed in the deficit of the measured number of ν[over ¯]_{e}. Based on the measured far-to-near ratio of prompt spectra, we obtain sin^{2}2θ_{13}=0.0896±0.0048(stat)±0.0047(syst) and |Δm_{ee}^{2}|=[2.68±0.12(stat)±0.07(syst)]×10^{-3} eV^{2}.

Differential Cross Section and Photon-Beam Asymmetry for the γ[over →]p → π

Differential cross sections and photon-beam asymmetries for the γ[over →]p→π^{-}Δ^{++}(1232) reaction have been measured for 0.7

Sterile Neutrino Search at the NEOS Experiment.

An experiment to search for light sterile neutrinos is conducted at a reactor with a thermal power of 2.8 GW located at the Hanbit nuclear power complex. The search is done with a detector consisting of a ton of Gd-loaded liquid scintillator in a tendon gallery approximately 24 m from the reactor core. The measured antineutrino event rate is 1976 per day with a signal to background ratio of about 22. The shape of the antineutrino energy spectrum obtained from the eight-month data-taking period is compared with a hypothesis of oscillations due to active-sterile antineutrino mixing. No strong evidence of 3+1 neutrino oscillation is found. An excess around the 5 MeV prompt energy range is observed as seen in existing longer-baseline experiments. The mixing parameter sin^{2}2θ_{14} is limited up to less than 0.1 for Δm_{41}^{2} ranging from 0.2 to 2.3 eV^{2} with a 90% confidence level.

Observation of Energy and Baseline Dependent Reactor Antineutrino Disappearance in the RENO Experiment.

The RENO experiment has analyzed about 500 live days of data to observe an energy dependent disappearance of reactor ν[over ¯]_{e} by comparing their prompt signal spectra measured in two identical near and far detectors. In the period between August of 2011 and January of 2013, the far (near) detector observed 31 541 (290 775) electron antineutrino candidate events with a background fraction of 4.9% (2.8%). The measured prompt spectra show an excess of reactor ν[over ¯]_{e} around 5 MeV relative to the prediction from a most commonly used model. A clear energy and baseline dependent disappearance of reactor ν[over ¯]_{e} is observed in the deficit of the observed number of ν[over ¯]_{e}. Based on the measured far-to-near ratio of prompt spectra, we obtain sin^{2}2θ_{13}=0.082±0.009(stat)±0.006(syst) and |Δm_{ee}^{2}|=[2.62_{-0.23}^{+0.21}(stat)_{-0.13}^{+0.12}(syst)]×10^{-3} eV^{2}.

Longitudinal target-spin asymmetries for deeply virtual compton scattering.

A measurement of the electroproduction of photons off protons in the deeply inelastic regime was performed at Jefferson Lab using a nearly 6 GeV electron beam, a longitudinally polarized proton target, and the CEBAF Large Acceptance Spectrometer. Target-spin asymmetries for ep→e^{'}p^{'}γ events, which arise from the interference of the deeply virtual Compton scattering and the Bethe-Heitler processes, were extracted over the widest kinematics in Q^{2}, x_{B}, t, and ϕ, for 166 four-dimensional bins. In the framework of generalized parton distributions, at leading twist the t dependence of these asymmetries provides insight into the spatial distribution of the axial charge of the proton, which appears to be concentrated in its center. These results also bring important and necessary constraints for the existing parametrizations of chiral-even generalized parton distributions.

Skin dryness in apparently healthy human skin is associated with decreased expression of bleomycin hydrolase in the stratum corneum.

BACKGROUND: Maintenance of water balance in the stratum corneum (SC) is determined by the content of intercellular lipids and natural moisturizing factors (NMFs) in corneocytes. AIM: To investigate the association between the NMFs and (pro)filaggrin and the proteases responsible for the processing of (pro)filaggrin to NMFs in the SC of hydrated and dry skin areas of healthy human subjects. METHODS: The SC hydration state and the transepidermal water loss (TEWL) were measured using a Corneometer and a Tewameter, respectively. Proteases, (pro)filaggrin and NMFs were extracted from SC samples obtained by tape-stripping of the tested skin. Expression levels of (pro)filaggrin were determined by dot blotting and western blotting, and total NMFs by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography. Expression of the proteases caspase-14, calpain-1 and bleomycin hydrolase was measured by western blotting. RESULTS: The levels of (pro)filaggrin were not significantly different between hydrated and dry skin, whereas the level of total NMFs was significantly reduced in dry skin. A negative correlation between (pro)filaggrin and NMFs was found in dry skin (Pearson correlation coefficient r = - 0.57, *P < 0.05). Bleomycin hydrolase expression was significantly decreased in the SC of dry skin. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that the low hydration state of dry skin may be due to the reduction in (pro)filaggrin degradation caused by decreased bleomycin hydrolase expression.

Enhanced protection against Clonorchis sinensis induced by co-infection with Trichinella spiralis in rats.

Although co-infection with multiple parasites is a frequent occurrence, changes in the humoral immune response against a pre-existing parasite induced as a result of a subsequent parasitic infection remain undetermined. Here, we utilized enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) to investigate antibody responses, cytokine production and enhanced resistance in Clonorchis sinensis-infected rats (Sprague-Dawley) upon Trichinella spiralis infection. Higher levels of C. sinensis-specific IgG and IgA were elicited upon T. spiralis infection, and these levels remained higher than in rats infected with C. sinensis alone. Upon subsequent infection with T. spiralis, IgG antibodies against C. sinensis appeared to be rapidly boosted at day 3, and IgA antibodies were boosted at day 7. Challenge infection of C. sinensis-infected rats with T. spiralis induced substantial mucosal IgG and IgA responses in the liver and intestine and increases in antibody-secreting plasma cells in the spleen and bone marrow. Subsequent infection also appeared to confer effective control of liver C. sinensis loads, resulting in enhanced resistance. Memory B cells generated in response to C. sinensis infection were rapidly amplified into antibody-secreting cells upon T. spiralis infection. These results indicate that enhanced C. sinensis clearance induced by co-infection is associated with systemic and mucosal IgG and IgA responses.

Endocytic processing of adeno-associated virus type 8 vectors for transduction of target cells.

We investigated the transduction of HEK293T cells permissive to adeno-associated virus serotype 8 (AAV8) to understand the mechanisms underlying its endocytic processing. Results showed that AAV8 enters cells through clathrin-mediated endocytosis followed by trafficking through various endosomal compartments. Interestingly, compared to the relatively well-characterized AAV2, a distinct involvement of late endosomes was observed for AAV8 trafficking within the target cell. AAV8 particles were also shown to exploit the cytoskeleton network to facilitate their transport within cells. Moreover, the cellular factors involved during endosomal escape were examined by an in vitro membrane permeabilization assay. Our data demonstrated that an acidic endosomal environment was required for AAV2 penetration through endosomal membranes and that the cellular endoprotease furin could promote AAV2 escape from the early endosomes. In contrast, these factors were not sufficient for AAV8 penetration through endosomal membranes. We further found that the ubiquitin-proteasome system is likely involved in the intracellular transport of AAV8 to nucleus. Taken together, our data have shed some light on the intracellular trafficking pathways of AAV8, which, in turn, could provide insight for potentializing AAV-mediated gene delivery.

Characteristic features of ageing in Korean women's hair and scalp.

BACKGROUND: The effect of age on hair properties has previously been investigated in white and Japanese women; however, little is known of the age-related characteristic features of hair in Korean women. OBJECTIVES: To determine the ageing features of Korean women's hair by examining physical and biological factors in sufficient numbers of participants. METHODS: In total, 150 healthy Korean women (aged 23-69 years) living in Seoul were allocated to five age-graded groups. Age-related changes of various features of the scalp and hair shaft were measured, including hair density, diameter, tensile strength and lustre, and grey-hair ratio. The hair-shaft compositions of minerals, amino acids and steroid hormones were analysed by high-performance liquid chromatography. RESULTS: Hair-loss parameters (hair density, diameter and tensile strength) and hair lustre decreased significantly with age, beginning in the subjects' 40s. The hair-whiteness value increased significantly with age, beginning in their 60s, due to an increase in the ratio of grey hair. Calcium and magnesium levels greatly exceeded the reference ranges and declined in an age-dependent manner, while potassium and phosphorus levels increased with age. No age-related change of hair-shaft amino acid content was evident. The contents of sterols and their metabolites (cholesterol, desmosterol, lanosterol and pregnenolone) increased significantly with age, but there was no correlation between the examined sex steroids and age. CONCLUSIONS: These results show that intrinsic ageing produces diverse changes in the hair and scalp features of Korean women from their 40s, and the ageing features of Korean women's hair could be partially different from that of women in other countries.

Effect of estradiol on the expression of renal sodium transporters in rats.

BACKGROUND: Although estradiol has been thought to perform an important role in blood pressure regulation, the effects of estradiol on the expression of renal sodium transporters are not fully understood. METHODS: Female Sprague-Dawley rats were treated with 17ß-estradiol or vehicle for 10 days after ovariectomy, and after both ovariectomy and adrenalectomy to eliminate the effect of aldosterone. RESULTS: In the ovariectomized (OVX) rats, estradiol decreased the abundance of the Na-K-2Cl cotransporter (NKCC2) (31.5% of control (OVX), p < 0.01), Na-Cl cotransporter (NCC) proteins (40.5% of control (OVX), p < 0.01) and α- and γ-subunits of the epithelial sodium channel (ENaC) (44.7% and 11.0% of control (OVX), p < 0.01). Estradiol also reduced plasma aldosterone levels (OVX + 17ß-estradiol vs. OVX, 116.3 ± 44.4 vs. 184.2 ± 33.4 pmol/l, p < 0.05) and systolic blood pressure (OVX + 17ß-estradiol vs. OVX, 115 ± 4 vs. 132 ± 2 mmHg, p < 0.05). In rats having undergone adrenalectomy and ovariectomy, estradiol did not reduce systolic blood pressure, or the expression of sodium transporters. CONCLUSION: Estradiol decreased systolic blood pressure, plasma aldosterone levels, and the expression of renal sodium transporters. After aldosterone was eliminated, estradiol did not affect blood pressure or the expression of sodium transporters, which indicates that the effect of estradiol on the renal sodium transporters is at least partly influenced by aldosterone.

Spin-density matrix elements for γp→K*0Σ+ at Eγ=1.85-3.0 GeV with evidence for the κ(800) meson exchange.

The exclusive reaction γp→K(+)π(-)Σ(+) was measured for the first time using linearly polarized photons at beam energies from 1.85 to 2.96 GeV. Angular distributions in the rest frame of the K(+)π(-) system were fitted to extract spin-density matrix elements of the K(*0) decay. The measured parity spin asymmetry shows that natural-parity exchange is dominant in this reaction. This result clearly indicates the need for t-channel exchange of the κ(800) scalar meson.

Observation of reactor electron antineutrinos disappearance in the RENO experiment.

The RENO experiment has observed the disappearance of reactor electron antineutrinos, consistent with neutrino oscillations, with a significance of 4.9 standard deviations. Antineutrinos from six 2.8 GW(th) reactors at the Yonggwang Nuclear Power Plant in Korea, are detected by two identical detectors located at 294 and 1383 m, respectively, from the reactor array center. In the 229 d data-taking period between 11 August 2011 and 26 March 2012, the far (near) detector observed 17102 (154088) electron antineutrino candidate events with a background fraction of 5.5% (2.7%). The ratio of observed to expected numbers of antineutrinos in the far detector is 0.920±0.009(stat)±0.014(syst). From this deficit, we determine sin(2)2θ(13)=0.113±0.013(stat)±0.019(syst) based on a rate-only analysis.

The effects of cyclophosphamide and mycophenolate on end-stage renal disease and death of lupus nephritis.

Debate continues about the optimal treatment modality of lupus nephritis (LN). We compared the efficacy and safety of intravenous cyclophosphamide (CYC) and mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) for LN treatment in Korea. After searching for systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients diagnosed between 1998 and 2007 with the diagnostic code of ICD10, we selected the 71 patients who were treated with CYC or MMF without any other immunosuppressant except systemic steroid. Composite outcome was defined as progression to end-stage renal disease (ESRD) and/or all-cause mortality. The initial manifestations of the CYC group were more severe than those of the MMF group. The mean daily MMF dose was 980 ± 100 mg for 21.67 ± 18.25 months. The mean monthly dose per CYC pulse therapy was 850 ± 30 mg for 17.04 ± 13.15 months. The incidence of composite outcome was 5/20 (25%) in the MMF group and 4/51 (7.8%) in the CYC group. The relative risk (RR) for composite outcome in the CYC group was 0.249 (95% CI for RR: 0.067-0.934, p = 0.039) compared with the MMF group with Cox's hazard proportional analysis. In Kaplan-Meier analysis, the probability of composite outcome was lower in the CYC group than in the MMF group (Log rank test p-value = 0.026). The results of this retrospective study suggest that intravenous CYC therapy may be more efficacious in averting ESRD and death than MMF. These results need to be confirmed in a larger randomized controlled trial.

The effects of oral iron supplementation on the progression of anemia and renal dysfunction in patients with chronic kidney disease.

AIMS: Oral iron traditionally has been administered to patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). However, there are limited data on the effect of oral iron in CKD patients. Here, we evaluate the effects of oral iron therapy on renal anemia and progression of renal disease in CKD patients. METHODS: Anemic patients with nondialytic CKD who were naive to erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESAs) were recruited for the prospective observational study. The participants were classified into oral iron or control group, and they were asked to keep their treatment status for 1 year. The primary outcomes were change in Hb and estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR). RESULTS: A total of 182 participants were enrolled and 138 completed a 12-month follow-up. No change in Hb level was observed during the follow-up period in the iron group, whereas a significant decrease in Hb was observed in the control group. Oral iron supplementation was effective, especially in patients with eGFR < 30 ml/min/1.73 m2. The changes in eGFR did not differ between the two groups. The incidences of drug-related adverse events were equivalent in two groups. CONCLUSIONS: Oral iron supplementation might attenuate the progression of anemia in nondialytic CKD patients without ESAs and not impact kidney function.

Accessory polar renal artery encountered in transperitoneal systemic laparoscopic paraaortic lymphadenectomy.

OBJECTIVE: To increase vigilance among gynecological surgeons for the presence of accessory polar renal artery (APRA) encountered with transperitoneal systemic laparoscopic paraaortic lymphadenectomy (LPAL). METHODS: A retrospective review was conducted on 156 women who underwent LPAL for various gynecologic malignancies between November 2003 and December 2009. RESULTS: The median age, parity, body mass index, and number of previous abdominal surgeries, respectively, of the women were 52 years (range, 23-82 years), two (range, 0-7), 24.1 kg/m2 (range, 17.4-35.0 kg/m2), and 0 (range, 0-3). During the study period, we found four women with APRA. There were three cases of right lower APRAs arising from the abdominal aorta, caudal to the inferior mesenteric artery (IMA), terminating at the parenchyma of the lower pole of the right kidney. In the other case, the APRA arose from the abdominal aorta superior to the IMA. There were no vascular complications, such as transection or ligation of the APRA. CONCLUSION: It is important for the gynecological oncologic surgeon to have knowledge of retroperitoneal vascular anatomy, experience in laparoscopic surgery, and an accurate surgical technique to avoid vascular injury during LPAL.