Energy dependence of exclusive J/ photoproduction off protons in ultra-peripheral p-Pb collisions at NN=5.02 TeV

The ALICE Collaboration has measured the energy dependence of exclusive photoproduction of J / \u3c8 vector mesons off proton targets in ultra\u2013peripheral p\u2013Pb collisions at a centre-of-mass energy per nucleon pair sNN=5.02 TeV. The e + e - and \u3bc + \u3bc - decay channels are used to measure the cross section as a function of the rapidity of the J / \u3c8 in the range - 2.5 < y< 2.7 , corresponding to an energy in the \u3b3p centre-of-mass in the interval 40 < W \u3b3p < 550 GeV. The measurements, which are consistent with a power law dependence of the exclusive J / \u3c8 photoproduction cross section, are compared to previous results from HERA and the LHC and to several theoretical models. They are found to be compatible with previous measurements

Calibration of the photon spectrometer PHOS of the ALICE experiment

The procedure for the energy calibration of the high granularity electromagnetic calorimeter PHOS of the ALICE experiment is presented. The methods used to perform the relative gain calibration, to evaluate the geometrical alignment and the corresponding correction of the absolute energy scale, to obtain the nonlinearity correction coefficients and finally, to calculate the time-dependent calibration corrections, are discussed and illustrated by the PHOS performance in proton-proton (pp) collisions at s=13 TeV. After applying all corrections, the achieved mass resolutions for \u3c00 and \u3b7 mesons for pT > 1.7 GeV/c are \u3c3m\u3c0javax.xml.bind.JAXBElement@533d1c3d = 4.56 \ub1 0.03 MeV/c2 and \u3c3m\u3b7 = 15.3 \ub1 1.0 MeV/c2, respectively

Charged-particle pseudorapidity density at mid-rapidity in p-Pb collisions at root S-NN=8.16 TeV

The pseudorapidity density of charged particles, d N ch / d \u3b7, in p\u2013Pb collisions has been measured at a centre-of-mass energy per nucleon\u2013nucleon pair of 1asNN = 8.16 TeV at mid-pseudorapidity for non-single-diffractive events. The results cover 3.6 units of pseudorapidity, | \u3b7| < 1.8. The d N ch / d \u3b7 value is 19.1 \ub1 0.7 at | \u3b7| < 0.5. This quantity divided by \u27e8 N part \u27e9 / 2 is 4.73 \ub1 0.20 , where \u27e8 N part \u27e9 is the average number of participating nucleons, is 9.5% higher than the corresponding value for p\u2013Pb collisions at 1asNN = 5.02 TeV. Measurements are compared with models based on different mechanisms for particle production. All models agree within uncertainties with data in the Pb-going side, while HIJING overestimates, showing a symmetric behaviour, and EPOS underestimates the p-going side of the d N ch / d \u3b7 distribution. Saturation-based models reproduce the distributions well for \u3b7> - 1.3. The d N ch / d \u3b7 is also measured for different centrality estimators, based both on the charged-particle multiplicity and on the energy deposited in the Zero-Degree Calorimeters. A study of the implications of the large multiplicity fluctuations due to the small number of participants for systems like p\u2013Pb in the centrality calculation for multiplicity-based estimators is discussed, demonstrating the advantages of determining the centrality with energy deposited near beam rapidity

Erratum to: Insight into particle production mechanisms via angular correlations of identified particles in pp collisions at s = 7 TeV (The European Physical Journal C, (2017), 77, 8, (569), 10.1140/epjc/s10052-017-5129-6)

We have identified a mistake in how Fig. 1 is referenced in the text of the article Eur. Phys. J. C 77 (2017) no. 8, 569 which affected three paragraphs of the results section. The corrected three paragraphs as well as the unmodified accompanying figure are reproduced in this document with the correct labeling. In addition, an editing issue led to a missing acknowledgements section. The missing section is reproduced at the end of this document in the manner in which it should have appeared in the published article. © 2019, CERN for the benefit of the ALICE collaboration

Brazilian Flora 2020: Leveraging the power of a collaborative scientific network

International audienceThe shortage of reliable primary taxonomic data limits the description of biological taxa and the understanding of biodiversity patterns and processes, complicating biogeographical, ecological, and evolutionary studies. This deficit creates a significant taxonomic impediment to biodiversity research and conservation planning. The taxonomic impediment and the biodiversity crisis are widely recognized, highlighting the urgent need for reliable taxonomic data. Over the past decade, numerous countries worldwide have devoted considerable effort to Target 1 of the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation (GSPC), which called for the preparation of a working list of all known plant species by 2010 and an online world Flora by 2020. Brazil is a megadiverse country, home to more of the world's known plant species than any other country. Despite that, Flora Brasiliensis, concluded in 1906, was the last comprehensive treatment of the Brazilian flora. The lack of accurate estimates of the number of species of algae, fungi, and plants occurring in Brazil contributes to the prevailing taxonomic impediment and delays progress towards the GSPC targets. Over the past 12 years, a legion of taxonomists motivated to meet Target 1 of the GSPC, worked together to gather and integrate knowledge on the algal, plant, and fungal diversity of Brazil. Overall, a team of about 980 taxonomists joined efforts in a highly collaborative project that used cybertaxonomy to prepare an updated Flora of Brazil, showing the power of scientific collaboration to reach ambitious goals. This paper presents an overview of the Brazilian Flora 2020 and provides taxonomic and spatial updates on the algae, fungi, and plants found in one of the world's most biodiverse countries. We further identify collection gaps and summarize future goals that extend beyond 2020. Our results show that Brazil is home to 46,975 native species of algae, fungi, and plants, of which 19,669 are endemic to the country. The data compiled to date suggests that the Atlantic Rainforest might be the most diverse Brazilian domain for all plant groups except gymnosperms, which are most diverse in the Amazon. However, scientific knowledge of Brazilian diversity is still unequally distributed, with the Atlantic Rainforest and the Cerrado being the most intensively sampled and studied biomes in the country. In times of “scientific reductionism”, with botanical and mycological sciences suffering pervasive depreciation in recent decades, the first online Flora of Brazil 2020 significantly enhanced the quality and quantity of taxonomic data available for algae, fungi, and plants from Brazil. This project also made all the information freely available online, providing a firm foundation for future research and for the management, conservation, and sustainable use of the Brazilian funga and flora

Antiinflammatory therapy with canakinumab for atherosclerotic disease

BACKGROUND: Experimental and clinical data suggest that reducing inflammation without affecting lipid levels may reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. Yet, the inflammatory hypothesis of atherothrombosis has remained unproved. METHODS: We conducted a randomized, double-blind trial of canakinumab, a therapeutic monoclonal antibody targeting interleukin-1β, involving 10,061 patients with previous myocardial infarction and a high-sensitivity C-reactive protein level of 2 mg or more per liter. The trial compared three doses of canakinumab (50 mg, 150 mg, and 300 mg, administered subcutaneously every 3 months) with placebo. The primary efficacy end point was nonfatal myocardial infarction, nonfatal stroke, or cardiovascular death. RESULTS: At 48 months, the median reduction from baseline in the high-sensitivity C-reactive protein level was 26 percentage points greater in the group that received the 50-mg dose of canakinumab, 37 percentage points greater in the 150-mg group, and 41 percentage points greater in the 300-mg group than in the placebo group. Canakinumab did not reduce lipid levels from baseline. At a median follow-up of 3.7 years, the incidence rate for the primary end point was 4.50 events per 100 person-years in the placebo group, 4.11 events per 100 person-years in the 50-mg group, 3.86 events per 100 person-years in the 150-mg group, and 3.90 events per 100 person-years in the 300-mg group. The hazard ratios as compared with placebo were as follows: in the 50-mg group, 0.93 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.80 to 1.07; P=0.30); in the 150-mg group, 0.85 (95% CI, 0.74 to 0.98; P=0.021); and in the 300-mg group, 0.86 (95% CI, 0.75 to 0.99; P=0.031). The 150-mg dose, but not the other doses, met the prespecified multiplicity-adjusted threshold for statistical significance for the primary end point and the secondary end point that additionally included hospitalization for unstable angina that led to urgent revascularization (hazard ratio vs. placebo, 0.83; 95% CI, 0.73 to 0.95; P=0.005). Canakinumab was associated with a higher incidence of fatal infection than was placebo. There was no significant difference in all-cause mortality (hazard ratio for all canakinumab doses vs. placebo, 0.94; 95% CI, 0.83 to 1.06; P=0.31). CONCLUSIONS: Antiinflammatory therapy targeting the interleukin-1β innate immunity pathway with canakinumab at a dose of 150 mg every 3 months led to a significantly lower rate of recurrent cardiovascular events than placebo, independent of lipid-level lowering. Copyright © 2017 Massachusetts Medical Society