Long Term Stabilization of Expanding Aortic Aneurysms by a Short Course of Cyclosporine A through Transforming Growth Factor-Beta Induction

Abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs) expand as a consequence of extracellular matrix destruction, and vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) depletion. Transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta 1 overexpression stabilizes expanding AAAs in rat. Cyclosporine A (CsA) promotes tissue accumulation and induces TGF -beta1 and, could thereby exert beneficial effects on AAA remodelling and expansion. In this study, we assessed whether a short administration of CsA could durably stabilize AAAs through TGF-beta induction. We showed that CsA induced TGF-beta1 and decreased MMP-9 expression dose-dependently in fragments of human AAAs in vitro, and in animal models of AAA in vivo. CsA prevented AAA formation at 14 days in the rat elastase (diameter increase: CsA: 131.9±44.2%; vehicle: 225.9±57.0%, P = 0.003) and calcium chloride mouse models (diameters: CsA: 0.72±0.14 mm; vehicle: 1.10±0.11 mm, P = .008), preserved elastic fiber network and VSMC content, and decreased inflammation. A seven day administration of CsA stabilized formed AAAs in rats seven weeks after drug withdrawal (diameter increase: CsA: 14.2±15.1%; vehicle: 45.2±13.7%, P = .017), down-regulated wall inflammation, and increased αSMA-positive cell content. Co-administration of a blocking anti-TGF-beta antibody abrogated CsA impact on inflammation, αSMA-positive cell accumulation and diameter control in expanding AAAs. Our study demonstrates that pharmacological induction of TGF-beta1 by a short course of CsA administration represents a new approach to induce aneurysm stabilization by shifting the degradation/repair balance towards healing

Measurement of J/ψ production in association with a W ± boson with pp data at 8 TeV

A measurement of the production of a prompt J/ψ meson in association with a W± boson with W± → μν and J/ψ → μ+μ− is presented for J/ψ transverse momenta in the range 8.5–150 GeV and rapidity |yJ/ψ| < 2.1 using ATLAS data recorded in 2012 at the LHC. The data were taken at a proton-proton centre-of-mass energy of s = 8 TeV and correspond to an integrated luminosity of 20.3 fb−1. The ratio of the prompt J/ψ plus W± cross-section to the inclusive W± cross-section is presented as a differential measurement as a function of J/ψ transverse momenta and compared with theoretical predictions using different double-parton-scattering cross-sections. [Figure not available: see fulltext.]

Search for new phenomena in final states with an energetic jet and large missing transverse momentum in pp collisions at √ s = 8 TeV with the ATLAS detector

Results of a search for new phenomena in final states with an energetic jet and large missing transverse momentum are reported. The search uses 20.3 fb−1 of √ s = 8 TeV data collected in 2012 with the ATLAS detector at the LHC. Events are required to have at least one jet with pT > 120 GeV and no leptons. Nine signal regions are considered with increasing missing transverse momentum requirements between Emiss T > 150 GeV and Emiss T > 700 GeV. Good agreement is observed between the number of events in data and Standard Model expectations. The results are translated into exclusion limits on models with either large extra spatial dimensions, pair production of weakly interacting dark matter candidates, or production of very light gravitinos in a gauge-mediated supersymmetric model. In addition, limits on the production of an invisibly decaying Higgs-like boson leading to similar topologies in the final state are presente

Searches for exclusive Higgs and Z boson decays into J/ψ γ, ψ(2S) γ, and ϒ(nS) γ at s=13TeV with the ATLAS detector

Searches for the exclusive decays of the Higgs and Z bosons into a J/ψ, ψ(2S), or ϒ(nS) (n=1,2,3) meson and a photon are performed with a pp collision data sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 36.1fb collected at s=13TeV with the ATLAS detector at the CERN Large Hadron Collider. No significant excess of events is observed above the expected backgrounds, and 95% confidence-level upper limits on the branching fractions of the Higgs boson decays to J/ψγ, ψ(2S)γ, and ϒ(nS)γ of 3.5×10 , 2.0×10 , and (4.9,5.9,5.7)×10 , respectively, are obtained assuming Standard Model production. The corresponding 95% confidence-level upper limits for the branching fractions of the Z boson decays are 2.3×10 , 4.5×10 and (2.8,1.7,4.8)×10 , respectively. −1 −4 −3 −4 −6 −6 −

Search for R-parity-violating supersymmetric particles in multi-jet final states produced in p–p collisions at s=13 TeV using the ATLAS detector at the LHC

Results of a search for gluino pair production with subsequent R-parity-violating decays to quarks are presented. This search uses 36.1 fb of data collected by the ATLAS detector in proton–proton collisions with a centre-of-mass energy of s=13 TeV at the LHC. The analysis is performed using requirements on the number of jets and the number of jets tagged as containing a b-hadron as well as a topological observable formed by the scalar sum of masses of large-radius jets in the event. No significant excess above the expected Standard Model background is observed. Limits are set on the production of gluinos in models with the R-parity-violating decays of either the gluino itself (direct decay) or the neutralino produced in the R-parity-conserving gluino decay (cascade decay). In the gluino cascade decay model, gluino masses below 1850 GeV are excluded for 1000 GeV neutralino mass. For the gluino direct decay model, the 95% confidence level upper limit on the cross section times branching ratio varies between 0.80 fb at m =900 GeV and 0.011 fb at m =1800 GeV. −1 g˜ g

Measurement of the production cross section of three isolated photons in pp collisions at √s = 8 TeV using the ATLAS detector

A measurement of the production of three isolated photons in proton–proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy s=8 TeV is reported. The results are based on an integrated luminosity of 20.2 fb −1 collected with the ATLAS detector at the LHC. The differential cross sections are measured as functions of the transverse energy of each photon, the difference in azimuthal angle and in pseudorapidity between pairs of photons, the invariant mass of pairs of photons, and the invariant mass of the triphoton system. A measurement of the inclusive fiducial cross section is also reported. Next-to-leading-order perturbative QCD predictions are compared to the cross-section measurements. The predictions underestimate the measurement of the inclusive fiducial cross section and the differential measurements at low photon transverse energies and invariant masses. They provide adequate descriptions of the measurements at high values of the photon transverse energies, invariant mass of pairs of photons, and invariant mass of the triphoton system

Search for lepton-flavor-violating decays of the Z boson into a τ lepton and a light lepton with the ATLAS detector

Direct searches for lepton flavor violation in decays of the $Z$ boson with the ATLAS detector at the LHC are presented. Decays of the $Z$ boson into an electron or a muon and a hadronically decaying $\tau$ lepton are considered. The searches are based on a data sample of proton-proton collisions collected by the ATLAS detector in 2015 and 2016, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 36.1 fb$^{-1}$ at a center-of-mass energy of $\sqrt{s} = 13$ TeV. No significant excess of events above the expected background is observed, and upper limits on the branching ratios of lepton-flavor-violating decays are set at the 95% confidence level: $\mathcal{B} (Z\to e\tau) < 5.8 \times 10^{-5}$ and $\mathcal{B} (Z\to \mu\tau) < 2.4 \times 10^{-5}$. This is the first limit on $\mathcal{B} (Z\to e\tau)$ with ATLAS data. The upper limit on $\mathcal{B} (Z\to \mu\tau)$ is combined with a previous ATLAS result based on 20.3 fb$^{-1}$ of proton-proton collision data at a center-of-mass energy of $\sqrt{s} = 8$ TeV and the combined upper limit at 95% confidence level is $\mathcal{B} (Z\to \mu\tau) < 1.3 \times 10^{-5}$

Determination of jet calibration and energy resolution in proton–proton collisions at √s=8TeV using the ATLAS detector

The jet energy scale, jet energy resolution, and their systematic uncertainties are measured for jets reconstructed with the ATLAS detector in 2012 using proton–proton data produced at a centre-of-mass energy of 8 TeV with an integrated luminosity of 20fb-1. Jets are reconstructed from clusters of energy depositions in the ATLAS calorimeters using the anti-kt algorithm. A jet calibration scheme is applied in multiple steps, each addressing specific effects including mitigation of contributions from additional proton–proton collisions, loss of energy in dead material, calorimeter non-compensation, angular biases and other global jet effects. The final calibration step uses several in situ techniques and corrects for residual effects not captured by the initial calibration. These analyses measure both the jet energy scale and resolution by exploiting the transverse momentum balance in γ + jet, Z + jet, dijet, and multijet events. A statistical combination of these measurements is performed. In the central detector region, the derived calibration has a precision better than 1% for jets with transverse momentum 150GeV<pT< 1500 GeV, and the relative energy resolution is (8.4 ± 0.6) % for pT=100GeV and (23 ± 2) % for pT=20GeV. The calibration scheme for jets with radius parameter R= 1.0 , for which jets receive a dedicated calibration of the jet mass, is also discussed