Variants in SNCA Gene Are Associated with Parkinson’s Disease Risk and Cognitive Symptoms in a Brazilian Sample

Genetic susceptibility contributes to the etiology of sporadic Parkinson’s Disease (PD) and worldwide studies have found positive associations of polymorphisms in the alpha-synuclein gene (SNCA) with the risk for PD. However, little is known about the influence of variants of SNCA in individual traits or phenotypical aspects of PD. Further, there is a lack of studies with Latin-American samples. We evaluated the association between SNCA single nucleotide polymorphisms (single nucleotide polymorphisms, SNPs – rs2583988, rs356219, rs2736990, and rs11931074) and PD risk in a Brazilians sample. In addition, we investigated their potential interactions with environmental factors and specific clinical outcomes (motor and cognitive impairments, depression, and anxiety). A total of 105 PD patients and 101 controls participated in the study. Single locus analysis showed that the risk allele of all SNPs were more frequent in PD patients (p < 0.05), and the associations of SNPs rs2583988, rs356219, and rs2736990 with increased PD risk were confirmed. Further, the G-rs356219 and C-rs2736990 alleles were associated with early onset PD. T-rs2583988, G-rs356219 and C-2736990 alleles were significantly more frequent in PD patients with cognitive impairments than controls in this condition. In addition, in a logistic regression model, we found an association of cognitive impairment with PD, and the practice of cognitive activity and smoking habits had a protective effect. This study shows for the first time an association of SNCA polymorphism and PD in a South-American sample. In addition, we found an interaction between SNP rs356219 and a specific clinical outcome, i.e., the increased risk for cognitive impairment in PD patients

Enhanced production of multi-strange hadrons in high-multiplicity proton-proton collisions

At sufficiently high temperature and energy density, nuclear matter undergoes a transition to a phase in which quarks and gluons are not confined: the quark-gluon plasma (QGP). Such an exotic state of strongly interacting quantum chromodynamics matter is produced in the laboratory in heavy nuclei high-energy collisions, where an enhanced production of strange hadrons is observed. Strangeness enhancement, originally proposed as a signature of QGP formation in nuclear collisions, is more pronounced for multi-strange baryons. Several effects typical of heavy-ion phenomenology have been observed in high-multiplicity proton-proton (pp) collisions, but the enhanced production of multi-strange particles has not been reported so far. Here we present the first observation of strangeness enhancement in high-multiplicity proton-proton collisions. We find that the integrated yields of strange and multi-strange particles, relative to pions, increases significantly with the event charged-particle multiplicity. The measurements are in remarkable agreement with the p-Pb collision results, indicating that the phenomenon is related to the final system created in the collision. In high-multiplicity events strangeness production reaches values similar to those observed in Pb-Pb collisions, where a QGP is formed. © 2017 Macmillan Publishers Limited, part of Springer Nature. All rights reserved

Technical design report for the upgrade of the ALICE inner tracking system

ALICE (A Large Ion Collider Experiment) is studying the physics of strongly interacting matter, and in particular the properties of the Quark-Gluon Plasma (QGP), using proton-proton, proton-nucleus and nucleus-nucleus collisions at the CERN LHC (Large Hadron Collider). The ALICE Collaboration is preparing a major upgrade of the experimental apparatus, planned for installation in the second long LHC shutdown in the years 2018-2019. A key element of the ALICE upgrade is the construction of a new, ultra-light, high-resolution Inner Tracking System (ITS) based on monolithic CMOS pixel detectors. The primary focus of the ITS upgrade is on improving the performance for detection of heavy-flavour hadrons, and of thermal photons and low-mass di-electrons emitted by the QGP. With respect to the current detector, the new Inner Tracking System will significantly enhance the determination of the distance of closest approach to the primary vertex, the tracking efficiency at low transverse momenta, and the read-out rate capabilities. This will be obtained by seven concentric detector layers based on a 50 \uce\ubcm thick CMOS pixel sensor with a pixel pitch of about 30\uc3\u9730 \uce\ubcm2. This document, submitted to the LHCC (LHC experiments Committee) in September 2013, presents the design goals, a summary of the R&D activities, with focus on the technical implementation of the main detector components, and the projected detector and physics performance. \uc2\ua9 2014 CERN on behalf of The ALICE Collaboration

Measurement of pion, kaon and proton production in proton–proton collisions at √s = 7 TeV

The measurement of primary $$\pi ^{\pm }$$π±, $$K^{\pm }$$K±, $$p$$p and $${\overline{{p}}}$$p¯ production at mid-rapidity (|y| <|y|< 0.5) in proton–proton collisions at $$\sqrt{s}$$s$$=$$= 7 TeV performed with a large ion collider experiment at the large hadron collider (LHC) is reported. Particle identification is performed using the specific ionisation energy-loss and time-of-flight information, the ring-imaging Cherenkov technique and the kink-topology identification of weak decays of charged kaons. Transverse momentum spectra are measured from 0.1 up to 3 GeV/$$c$$c for pions, from 0.2 up to 6 GeV/$$c$$c for kaons and from 0.3 up to 6 GeV/$$c$$c for protons. The measured spectra and particle ratios are compared with quantum chromodynamics-inspired models, tuned to reproduce also the earlier measurements performed at the LHC. Furthermore, the integrated particle yields and ratios as well as the average transverse momenta are compared with results at lower collision energies. © 2015, CERN for the benefit of the ALICE collaboration