Activation of distinct inflammatory pathways in subgroups of LR-MDS.

Aberrant innate immune signaling has been identified as a potential key driver of the complex pathophysiology of myelodysplastic neoplasms (MDS). This study of a large, clinically and genetically well-characterized cohort of treatment-naïve MDS patients confirms intrinsic activation of inflammatory pathways in general mediated by caspase-1, interleukin (IL)-1β and IL-18 in low-risk (LR)-MDS bone marrow and reveals a previously unrecognized heterogeneity of inflammation between genetically defined LR-MDS subgroups. Principal component analysis resolved two LR-MDS phenotypes with low (cluster 1) and high (cluster 2) levels of IL1B gene expression, respectively.

Heavy ion beam measurement of the hydration of cementitious materials.

The setting and development of strength of Portland cement concrete depends upon the reaction of water with various phases in the Portland cement. Nuclear resonance reaction analysis (NRRA) involving the (1)H((15)N,alpha,gamma)(12)C reaction has been applied to measure the hydrogen depth profile in the few 100 nm thick surface layer that controls the early stage of the reaction. Specific topics that have been investigated include the reactivity of individual cementitious phases and the effects of accelerators and retarders.

Stellar and primordial nucleosynthesis of 7Be: measurement of 3He(alpha,gamma)7Be.

The 3He(alpha,gamma)7Be reaction presently represents the largest nuclear uncertainty in the predicted solar neutrino flux and has important implications on the big bang nucleosynthesis, i.e., the production of primordial 7Li.

12C+12C fusion reactions near the Gamow energy.

The fusion reactions 12C(12C,alpha)20Ne and 12C(12C,p)23Na have been studied from E=2.10 to 4.75 MeV by gamma-ray spectroscopy using a C target with ultralow hydrogen contamination.

Activation measurement of the 3He(alpha,gamma)7Be cross section at low energy.

The nuclear physics input from the 3He(alpha,gamma)7Be cross section is a major uncertainty in the fluxes of 7Be and 8B neutrinos from the Sun predicted by solar models and in the 7Li abundance obtained in big-bang nucleosynthesis calculations. The present work reports on a new precision experiment using the activation technique at energies directly relevant to big-bang nucleosynthesis. Previously such low energies had been reached experimentally only by the prompt-gamma technique and with inferior precision.