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Xenon dual-phase time projections chambers (TPCs) have proven to be a successful technology in studying physical phenomena that require low-background conditions. With 40 t of liquid xenon (LXe) in the TPC baseline design, DARWIN will have a high sensitivity for the detection of particle dark matter, neutrinoless double beta decay ( 0 ν β β ), and axion-like particles (ALPs). Although cosmic muons are a source of background that cannot be entirely eliminated, they may be greatly diminished by placing the detector deep underground. In this study, we used Monte Carlo simulations to model the cosmogenic background expected for the DARWIN observatory at four underground laboratories: Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso (LNGS), Sanford Underground Research Facility (SURF), Laboratoire Souterrain de Modane (LSM) and SNOLAB. We present here the results of simulations performed to determine the production rate of 137 Xe, the most crucial isotope in the search for 0 ν β β of 136 Xe. Additionally, we explore the contribution that other muon-induced spallation products, such as other unstable xenon isotopes and tritium, may have on the cosmogenic background. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Particle physics today faces the challenge of explaining the mystery of dark matter, the origin of matter over anti-matter in the Universe, the origin of the neutrino masses, the apparent fine-tuning of the electro-weak scale, and many other aspects of fundamental physics. Perhaps the most striking frontier to emerge in the search for answers involves new physics at mass scales comparable to familiar matter, below the GeV-scale, or even radically below, down to sub-eV scales, and with very feeble interaction strength. New theoretical ideas to address dark matter and other fundamental questions predict such feebly interacting particles (FIPs) at these scales, and indeed, existing data provide numerous hints for such possibility. A vibrant experimental program to discover such physics is under way, guided by a systematic theoretical approach firmly grounded on the underlying principles of the Standard Model. This document represents the report of the FIPs 2022 workshop, held at CERN between the 17 and 21 October 2022 and aims to give an overview of these efforts, their motivations, and the decadal goals that animate the community involved in the search for FIPs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: The bone marrow proton density fat fraction (PDFF) assessed with MRI enables the differentiation between osteoporotic/osteopenic patients with and without vertebral fractures. Therefore, PDFF may be a potentially useful biomarker for bone fragility assessment. Introduction: To evaluate whether magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-based proton density fat fraction (PDFF) of vertebral bone marrow can differentiate between osteoporotic/osteopenic patients with and without vertebral fractures. Methods: Of the 52 study patients, 32 presented with vertebral fractures of the lumbar spine (66.4 ± 14.4 years, 62.5% women; acute low-energy osteoporotic/osteopenic vertebral fractures, N = 25; acute high-energy traumatic vertebral fractures, N = 7). These patients were frequency matched for age and sex to patients without vertebral fractures (N = 20, 69.3 ± 10.1 years, 70.0% women). Trabecular bone mineral density (BMD) values were derived from quantitative computed tomography. Chemical shift encoding-based water-fat MRI of the lumbar spine was performed, and PDFF maps were calculated. Associations between fracture status and PDFF were assessed using multivariable linear regression models. Results: Over all patients, mean PDFF and trabecular BMD correlated significantly (r = − 0.51, P < 0.001). In the osteoporotic/osteopenic group, those patients with osteoporotic/osteopenic fractures had a significantly higher PDFF than those without osteoporotic fractures after adjusting for age, sex, weight, height, and trabecular BMD (adjusted mean difference [95% confidence interval], 20.8% [10.4%, 30.7%]; P < 0.001), although trabecular BMD values showed no significant difference between the subgroups (P = 0.63). For the differentiation of patients with and without vertebral fractures in the osteoporotic/osteopenic subgroup using mean PDFF, an area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve (AUC) of 0.88 (P = 0.006) was assessed. When evaluating all patients with vertebral fractures, those with high-energy traumatic fractures had a significantly lower PDFF than those with low-energy osteoporotic/osteopenic vertebral fractures (P < 0.001). Conclusion: MR-based PDFF enables the differentiation between osteoporotic/osteopenic patients with and without vertebral fractures, suggesting the use of PDFF as a potential biomarker for bone fragility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the study was to relate the extent of myocardial late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) in cardiac MRI to intraoperative graft flow in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery. Thirty-three CAD patients underwent LGE MRI before surgery using an inversion-recovery GRE sequence (turboFLASH). Intraoperative graft flow in Doppler ultrasonography was compared with the scar extent in each coronary vessel territory. One hundred and fourteen grafts were established supplying 86 of the 99 vessel territories. A significant negative correlation was found between scar extent and graft flow (r = -0.4, p < 0.0001). Flow in grafts to territories with no or small subendocardial scar was significantly higher than in grafts to territories with broad nontransmural or transmural scar (75 +/- 39 vs. 38 +/- 26 cc min(-1); p < 0.0001). In summary, the extent of myocardial scar as defined by contrast-enhanced MRI predicts coronary bypass graft flow. Beyond the probability of functional recovery, preoperative MRI might add value to surgery planning by predicting midterm bypass graft patency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]