Centrality dependence of inclusive J/\u3c8 production in p-Pb collisions at 1asNN = 5.02 TeV

We present a measurement of inclusive J/\u3c8 production in p-Pb collisions at 1asNN = 5.02TeV as a function of the centrality of the collision, as estimated from the energy deposited in the Zero Degree Calorimeters. The measurement is performed with the ALICE detector down to zero transverse momentum, pT, in the backward ( 124.46 < ycms < 122.96) and forward (2.03 < ycms < 3.53) rapidity intervals in the dimuon decay channel and in the mid-rapidity region ( 121.37 < ycms < 0.43) in the dielectron decay channel. The backward and forward rapidity intervals correspond to the Pb-going and p-going direction, respectively. The pT-differential J/\u3c8 production cross section at backward and forward rapidity is measured for several centrality classes, together with the corresponding average pT and pT2 values. The nuclear modification factor is presented as a function of centrality for the three rapidity intervals, and as a function of pT for several centrality classes at backward and forward rapidity. At mid- and forward rapidity, the J/\u3c8 yield is suppressed up to 40% compared to that in pp interactions scaled by the number of binary collisions. The degree of suppression increases towards central p-Pb collisions at forward rapidity, and with decreasing pT of the J/\u3c8. At backward rapidity, the nuclear modification factor is compatible with unity within the total uncertainties, with an increasing trend from peripheral to central p-Pb collisions

Centrality dependence of high-pT D meson suppression in Pb-Pb collisions at 1asNN = 2.76 TeV

The nuclear modification factor, RAA, of the prompt charmed mesons D0, D+ and D 17+, and their antiparticles, was measured with the ALICE detector in Pb-Pb collisions at a centre-of-mass energy 1asNN = 2.76 TeV in two transverse momentum intervals, 5 < pT < 8GeV/c and 8 < pT < 16GeV/c, and in six collision centrality classes. The RAA shows a maximum suppression of a factor of 5\u20136 in the 10% most central collisions. The suppression and its centrality dependence are compatible within uncertainties with those of charged pions. A comparison with the RAA of non-prompt J/\u3c8 from B meson decays, measured by the CMS Collaboration, hints at a larger suppression of D mesons in the most central collisions

Extreme hydrological events and the influence of reservoirs in a highly regulated river basin of northeastern Spain

Study region The Segre basin (northeastern Spain). Study focus The Segre basin is extensively regulated, through a dense network of dams, during the second half of the 20th century. This study assessed the impact of river regulation on the evolution of hydroclimatological extreme events across the basin during the past six decades (19502013). We assessed whether the occurrence of floods and hydrological droughts has changed, and whether these changes have differed spatially between the headwaters and lower areas of the basin. For this purpose, we employed a set of hydroclimatological indices in order to quantify the evolution of the amount as well as the frequency of quantiles of high precipitation and flood events. Changes in these variables were assessed by means of the nonparametric MannKendall Tau coefficient. New hydrological insights Results reveal a general reduction in the occurrence of extreme precipitation events in the Segre basin from 1950 to 2013, which corresponded to a general reduction in high flows measured at various gauged stations across the basin. While this study demonstrates spatial differences in the decrease of streamflow between the headwaters and the lower parts of the basin, mainly associated with changes in river regulation, there was no reduction in the frequency of the extraordinary floods. Changes in water management practices in the basin have significantly impacted the frequency, duration, and severity of hydrological droughts downstream of the main dams, as a consequence of the intense water regulation to meet water demands for irrigation and livestock farms. Nonetheless, the hydrological response of the headwaters to these droughts differed markedly from that of the lower areas of the basin

Humoral Immune Response After Intravitreal But Not After Subretinal AAV8 in Primates and Patients

PURPOSE. To study longitudinal changes of anti-drug antibody (ADA) titers to recombinant adeno-associated virus serotype 8 (rAAV8) capsid epitopes in nonhuman primates (NHP) and patients. METHODS. Three groups of six NHP each received subretinal injections (high dose: 1 x 10(12) vector genomes [vg], low dose: 1 x 10(11) vg, or vehicle only). Four additional animals received intravitreal injections of the high dose (1 x 10(12) vg). Three patients received 1 x 10(10) vg as subretinal injections. ELISA quantified ADA levels at baseline and 1, 2, 3, 7, 28, and 90 days after surgery in NHP and at baseline and 1, 3, and 6 months after surgery in patients. RESULTS. Two out of 22 animals lacked ADA titers at baseline and developed low ADA titers toward the end of the study. Titers in the low-dose group stayed constant, while two of six animals from the high-dose group developed titers that rose beyond the range of the assay. All animals from the intravitreal control group showed a rise in ADA titer by day 7 that peaked at day 28. Preliminary data from the clinical trial (NCT02610582) show no humoral immune response in patients following subretinal delivery of 1 x 10(10) vg. Conclusion: S. No significant induction of ADA occurred in NHP when mimicking the clinical scenario of subretinal delivery with a clinical-grade rAAV8 and concomitant immunosuppression. Likewise, clinical data showed no humoral immune response in patients. In contrast, intravitreal delivery was associated with a substantial humoral immune response. Subretinal delivery might be superior to an intravitreal application regarding immunologic aspects

Measurement of quarkonium production at forward rapidity in pp collisions at sqrt(s) =7 TeV

The inclusive production cross sections at forward rapidity of J/\u3c8, \u3c8(2S),\u3d2(1S) and\u3d2(2S) are measured in pp collisions at 1as = 7 TeV with the ALICE detector at the LHC. The analysis is based on a data sample correspondingto an integrated luminosity of 1.35 pb 121. Quarkonia are reconstructed in the dimuon-decay channel and the signal yields are evaluated by fitting the \u3bc+\u3bc 12 invariant mass distributions. The differential production cross sections are measured as a function of the transverse momentum pT and rapidity y, over the ranges 0 < pT < 20 GeV/c for J/\u3c8, 0 < pT < 12 GeV/c for all other resonances and for 2.5 < y < 4. The measured cross sections integrated over pT and y, and assuming unpolarized quarkonia, are: \u3c3J/\u3c8 = 6.69 \ub1 0.04 \ub1 0.63 \u3bcb, \u3c3\u3c8(2S) = 1.13 \ub1 0.07 \ub1 0.19 \u3bcb, \u3c3\u3d2(1S) = 54.2 \ub1 5.0 \ub1 6.7 nb and \u3c3\u3d2(2S) = 18.4 \ub1 3.7 \ub1 2.9 nb, where the first uncertainty is statistical and the second one is systematic. The results are compared to measurements performed by other LHC experiments and to theoretical models

Event-by-event mean pT \ua0fluctuations in pp and Pb\u2013Pb collisions at the LHC

Event-by-event fluctuations of the mean transverse momentum of charged particles produced in pp collisions at 1as = 0.9, 2.76 and 7 TeV, and Pb\u2013Pb collisions at 1asNN = 2.76 TeV are studied as a function of the charged-particle multiplicity using the ALICE detector at the LHC. Dynamical fluctuations indicative of correlated particle emis- sion are observed in all systems. The results in pp collisions show little dependence on collision energy. The Monte Carlo event generators PYTHIA and PHOJET are in qualitative agreement with the data. Peripheral Pb\u2013Pb data exhibit a similar multiplicity dependence as that observed in pp. In central Pb\u2013Pb, the results deviate from this trend, featuring a significant reduction of the fluctuation strength. The results in Pb\u2013 Pb are in qualitative agreement with previous measurements in Au\u2013Au at lower collision energies and with expectations from models that incorporate collective phenomena

Neutral pion production at midrapidity in pp and Pb\u2013Pb collisions at 1asNN = 2.76 TeV

Invariant yields of neutral pions at midrapidity in the transverse momentum range 0.6 < pT < 12 GeV/c measured in Pb\u2013Pb collisions at 1asNN = 2.76 TeV are presented for six centrality classes. The pp reference spectrum was measured in the range 0.4 < pT < 10 GeV/c at the same center-of-mass energy. The nuclear modification factor, RAA , shows a suppression of neutral pions in central Pb\u2013Pb collisions by a factor of up to about 8 1210 for 5 pT 7GeV/c. The presented measurements are compared with results at lower center-of-mass energies and with theoretical calculations

The impact of surgical delay on resectability of colorectal cancer: An international prospective cohort study

AimThe SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has provided a unique opportunity to explore the impact of surgical delays on cancer resectability. This study aimed to compare resectability for colorectal cancer patients undergoing delayed versus non-delayed surgery.MethodsThis was an international prospective cohort study of consecutive colorectal cancer patients with a decision for curative surgery (January-April 2020). Surgical delay was defined as an operation taking place more than 4 weeks after treatment decision, in a patient who did not receive neoadjuvant therapy. A subgroup analysis explored the effects of delay in elective patients only. The impact of longer delays was explored in a sensitivity analysis. The primary outcome was complete resection, defined as curative resection with an R0 margin.ResultsOverall, 5453 patients from 304 hospitals in 47 countries were included, of whom 6.6% (358/5453) did not receive their planned operation. Of the 4304 operated patients without neoadjuvant therapy, 40.5% (1744/4304) were delayed beyond 4 weeks. Delayed patients were more likely to be older, men, more comorbid, have higher body mass index and have rectal cancer and early stage disease. Delayed patients had higher unadjusted rates of complete resection (93.7% vs. 91.9%, P = 0.032) and lower rates of emergency surgery (4.5% vs. 22.5%, P ConclusionOne in 15 colorectal cancer patients did not receive their planned operation during the first wave of COVID-19. Surgical delay did not appear to compromise resectability, raising the hypothesis that any reduction in long-term survival attributable to delays is likely to be due to micro-metastatic disease