Inclusive double-quarkonium production at the Large Hadron Collider

Based on the nonrelativistic QCD (NRQCD) factorization formalism, we investigate inclusive productions of two spin-triplet S-wave quarkonia pp->2J/psi+X, 2Upsilon+X, and J/psi+Upsilon+X at the CERN Large Hadron Collider. The total production rates integrated over the rapidity (y) and transverse-momentum (p_T) ranges |y|<2.4 and p_T<50 GGeV are predicted to be sigma[pp->2J/psi+X] = 22 (35) nb, sigma[pp->2Upsilon+X] = 24 (49) pb, and sigma[pp->J/psi+Upsilon+X] = 7 (13) pb at the center-of-momentum energy sqrt{s} = 7 (14) TeV. In order to provide predictions that can be useful in both small- and large-p_T regions, we do not employ the fragmentation approximation and we include the spin-triplet S-wave color-singlet and color-octet channels for each quarkonium final state at leading order in the strong coupling. The p_T distributions of pp->2J/psi+X and 2Upsilon+X in the low-p_T region are dominated by the color-singlet contributions. At leading order in the strong coupling, the color-singlet channel is absent for pp->J/psi+Upsilon+X. Therefore, the process pp->J/psi+Upsilon+X may provide a useful probe to the color-octet mechanism of NRQCD.Comment: 26 pages, 7 figures, 3 tables, version published in JHE

Common Genetic Variant Association with Altered HLA Expression, Synergy with Pyrethroid Exposure, and Risk for Parkinson's Disease: An Observational and Case-Control Study.

Background/objectivesThe common non-coding single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) rs3129882 in HLA-DRA is associated with risk for idiopathic Parkinson's disease (PD). The location of the SNP in the major histocompatibility complex class II (MHC-II) locus implicates regulation of antigen presentation as a potential mechanism by which immune responses link genetic susceptibility to environmental factors in conferring lifetime risk for PD.MethodsFor immunophenotyping, blood cells from 81 subjects were analyzed by qRT-PCR and flow cytometry. A case-control study was performed on a separate cohort of 962 subjects to determine association of pesticide exposure and the SNP with risk of PD.ResultsHomozygosity for G at this SNP was associated with heightened baseline expression and inducibility of MHC class II molecules in B cells and monocytes from peripheral blood of healthy controls and PD patients. In addition, exposure to a commonly used class of insecticide, pyrethroids, synergized with the risk conferred by this SNP (OR = 2.48, p = 0.007), thereby identifying a novel gene-environment interaction that promotes risk for PD via alterations in immune responses.ConclusionsIn sum, these novel findings suggest that the MHC-II locus may increase susceptibility to PD through presentation of pathogenic, immunodominant antigens and/or a shift toward a more pro-inflammatory CD4+ T cell response in response to specific environmental exposures, such as pyrethroid exposure through genetic or epigenetic mechanisms that modulate MHC-II gene expression

P-wave Quarkonium Decays to Meson Pairs

The processes of P-wave Quarkonium exclusive decays to two mesons are investigated, in which the final state vector mesons with various polarizations are considered separately. In the calculation, the initial heavy quarkonia are treated in the framework of non-relativistic quantum chromodynamics, whereas for light mesons, the light cone distribution amplitudes up to twist-3 are employed. It turns out that the higher twist contribution is significant and provides a possible explanation for the observation of the hadron helicity selection rule violated processes $\chi_{c1}\rightarrow \phi\phi,\omega\omega$ by the BESIII collaboration in recently. We also evaluate the $\chi_{b1}\to J/\psi J/\psi$ process and find that its branching ratio is big enough to be measured at the B-factories.Comment: more results and discussions adde

Illicit purchasing and use of flavour accessories after the European Union menthol cigarette ban: Findings from the 2020-2021 ITC Netherlands Surveys

Background The 2020 European Union (EU) menthol cigarette ban increased quitting among pre-ban menthol smokers in the Netherlands, but some reported continuing to smoke menthol cigarettes. This study examined three possible explanations for post-ban menthol use—(i) illicit purchasing, (ii) use of flavour accessories and (iii) use of non-menthol replacement brands marketed for menthol smokers. Methods Data were from the ITC Netherlands Cohort Surveys among adult smokers before the menthol ban (Wave 1: February–March 2020, N = 2067) and after the ban (Wave 2: September–November 2020, N = 1752; Wave 3: June–July 2021, N = 1721). Bivariate, logistic regression and generalized estimating equation model analyses were conducted on weighted data. Results Illicit purchasing remained low from pre-ban (2.4%, 95% CI: 1.8–3.2, Wave 1) to post-ban (1.7%, 1.2–2.5%, Wave 3), with no difference between menthol and non-menthol smokers from Wave 1 to Wave 3. About 4.4% of post-ban menthol smokers last purchased their usual brand outside of the EU and 3.6% from the internet; 42.5% of post-ban menthol smokers and 4.4% of smokers overall reported using flavour accessories, with greater odds among those aged 25–39 years vs. 55+ (aOR = 3.16, P = 0.002). Approximately 70% of post-ban smokers who reported using a menthol brand were actually using a non-menthol replacement brand. Conclusions There was no increase in illicit purchasing or of smuggling outside the EU among menthol and non-menthol smokers in the Netherlands 1 year after the EU menthol cigarette ban. Use of flavour accessories and non-menthol replacement brands best explain post-ban menthol use, suggesting the need to ban accessories and ensure industry compliance

Copy number gain of granulin-epithelin precursor (GEP) at chromosome 17q21 associates with overexpression in human liver cancer

Background: Granulin-epithelin precursor (GEP), a secretory growth factor, demonstrated overexpression in various human cancers, however, mechanism remain elusive. Primary liver cancer, hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), ranks the second in cancer-related death globally. GEP controlled growth, invasion, metastasis and chemo-resistance in liver cancer. Noted that GEP gene locates at 17q21 and the region has been frequently reported to be amplified in subset of HCC. The study aims to investigate if copy number gain would associate with GEP overexpression. Methods: Quantitative Microsatellite Analysis (QuMA) was used to quantify the GEP DNA copy number, and fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) was performed to consolidate the amplification status. GEP gene copy number, mRNA expression level and clinico-pathological features were analyzed. Results: GEP DNA copy number determined by QuMA corroborated well with the FISH data, and the gene copy number correlated with the expression levels (n = 60, r = 0.331, P = 0.010). Gain of GEP copy number was observed in 20% (12/60) HCC and associated with hepatitis B virus infection status (P = 0.015). In HCC with increased GEP copy number, tight association between GEP DNA and mRNA levels were observed (n = 12, r = 0.664, P = 0.019). Conclusions: Gain of the GEP gene copy number was observed in 20% HCC and the frequency comparable to literatures reported on the chromosome region 17q. Increased gene copy number contributed to GEP overexpression in subset of HCC. © Yung et al; licensee BioMed Central.published_or_final_versio

Extreme Energy Cosmic Rays: Bottom-up vs. Top-down scenarii

We present an overview on extreme energy cosmic rays (EECR) and the fundamental physics connected with them. The top-down and bottom-up scenarii are contrasted. We summarize the essential features underlying the top-down scenarii for EECR, namely, the lifetime and the mass {\bf imposed} to the heavy relics whatever they be: topological and non-topological solitons, X-particles, cosmic defects, microscopic black-holes, fundamental strings. An unified formula for the quantum decay rate of all these objects was provided in hep-ph/0202249. The key point in the top-down scenarii is the necessity to {\bf adjust} the lifetime of the heavy object to the age of the universe. The natural lifetimes of such heavy objects are, however, microscopic times associated to the GUT energy scale (sim 10^{-28} sec. or shorter); such heavy objects could have been abundantly formed by the end of inflation and it seems natural they decayed shortly after being formed. The arguments produced to {\bf fine tune} the relics lifetime to the age of the universe are critically analyzed. The annihilation scenario (`Wimpzillas') is analyzed too. Top-down scenarii based on networks of topological defects are strongly disfavored at the light of the recent CMB anisotropy observations. We discuss the acceleration mechanisms of cosmic rays,their possible astrophysical sources and the main open physical problems and difficulties in the context of bottom-up scenarii, and we conclude by outlining the expectations from future observatories like EUSO and where the theoretical effort should be placed.Comment: LaTex, 16 pages, 2 .eps figures. The annihilation scenario (Wimpzillas) is included and the discussion on gamma ray bursts improved. Based on lectures at the Fourth International Workshop on `New Worlds in Astroparticle Physics' in Faro, Portugal, September 2002, at the 9th Course on Astrofundamental Physics of the Chalonge School, Palermo, Italia, September 2002 and at the SOWG EUSO meeting, Roma, Italia, November 200

Characteristics of the double-cycled motion-ruled surface of the Schatz linkage based on differential geometry

This paper applies Euclidean invariants from differential geometry to kinematic properties of the ruled surfaces generated by the coupler link and the constraint-screw axes. Starting from investigating the assembly configuration, the work reveals two cycle phases of the coupler link when the input link finishes a full rotation. This leads to analysis of the motion ruled surface generated by the directrix along the coupler link, where Euclidean invariants are obtained and singularities are identified. This work further presents the constraint ruled surface that is generated by the constraint screw axes and unveils its intrinsic characteristics

CD44+ cancer stem-like cells in EBV-associated nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

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O(αsv2)O(\alpha_s v^2) correction to pseudoscalar quarkonium decay to two photons

We investigate the $O(\alpha_s v^2)$ correction to the process of pseudoscalar quarkonium decay to two photons in nonrelativistic QCD (NRQCD) factorization framework. The short-distance coefficient associated with the relative-order $v^2$ NRQCD matrix element is determined to next-to-leading order in $\alpha_s$ through the perturbative matching procedure. Some technical subtleties encountered in calculating the {O(\alpha_s) QCD amplitude are thoroughly addressed.Comment: v2, 28 pages, 2 figures and 2 tables, matching the published version; typos corrected, references added, as well as a "Note added in the proof