11 research outputs found
Epigenetic and Genetic Factors Predict Women's Salivary Cortisol following a Threat to the Social Self
10.1371/journal.pone.0048597PLoS ONE711
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Measurement of sigma(ppbar->Z) Br(Z->tau+tau-) and search for Higgs bosons decaying to tau+tau- at s**(1/2) = 1.96 TeV
The resonant production of tau-lepton pairs is as interesting for the study of Standard Model (SM) physics as the production of lighter leptons pairs. For new phenomena, such as Higgs boson production or in case new particles beyond the SM would arise, the detection of (resonant) pairs of tau leptons becomes much more interesting. This is due to the fact that tau leptons are much heavier than the other leptons, which increases the chance that these new phenomena would be observed first in this channel. Unfortunately their clean detection is far more difficult than that of muons or electrons. The cross section times branching ratio {sigma}{center_dot} Br for the process p{bar p} {yields} Z {yields} {tau}{sup +}{tau}{sup -} was measured at {radical}s = 1.96 GeV using 1.0 fb{sup -1} of data collected by the D0 experiment. This measurement was performed in the channel in which one of the tau leptons decays to a muon and neutrinos, while the other decays either hadronically or to an electron and neutrinos. A set of 1511 events, of which about 20% estimated background, passed all selection criteria. The trigger and muon reconstruction efficiencies, as well as the efficiency for track reconstruction were obtained from data using the 'tag and probe' method on Z {yields} {mu}{sup +}{mu}{sup -} events. The multijet background was estimated from the sample of events which passed all selection criteria but in which the muon and the tau candidate had the same charge. The W {yields} {mu}{nu} + jets background was modeled by Monte Carlo simulations, but normalized to data. All the other backgrounds, as well as the efficiency for Z {yields} {tau}{sup +}{tau}{sup -} events were estimated using simulated events normalized to the theoretical calculations of cross sections at next-to-leading order or next-to-next-to-leading order. The energy of the tau candidates was corrected for the estimated response of the charged pions in the calorimeter, which is of the order 50-80%. Since the charged pion response in data was not well reproduced by the default simulation of hadronic interactions (Geisha), a different simulation (gCALOR) was used to obtain an estimated charged pion response consistent with the one measured in data. This tau energy correction method makes use of the superior resolution of the track momentum measurement compared to the resolution of the tau candidate energy as measured by the calorimeter, which leads to a better data--simulation agreement and a decrease of 10% in the resolution of the visible mass peak. The result of this measurement is {sigma}(p{bar p} {yields} Z) {center_dot} Br(Z {yields} {tau}{sup +}{tau}{sup -}) = 240 {+-} 8(stat) {+-} 12(syst) {+-} 15(lumi) pb, in good agreement with the theoretical predictions of 241.6{sub -3.2}{sup +3.6} pb [79] or 251.9{sub -12}{sup +5.1} pb [93-95], as well as with other measurements performed by the D0 and CDF experiments in all channels in which the Z boson decays leptonically [96-100]. This is the most precise Z boson cross section measurement to date performed in the tau lepton channel at hadron colliders. The analysis demonstrates the ability of the D0 experiment to identify tau leptons decaying hadronically with good efficiency and high purity, a challenging task in p{bar p} collisions where the number of jets resembling tau leptons is very high. This achievement forms a solid basis for other analyses using hadronic tau lepton decays, such as the search for the Higgs boson decaying into tau-lepton pairs, which was performed for the last part of this thesis
Immunogenicity of SARS-CoV-2 vaccines BBV152 (COVAXIN®) and ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 (COVISHIELD™) in seronegative and seropositive individuals in India: a multicentre, nonrandomised observational studyResearch in context
Summary: Background: There are limited global data on head-to-head comparisons of vaccine platforms assessing both humoral and cellular immune responses, stratified by pre-vaccination serostatus. The COVID-19 vaccination drive for the Indian population in the age group 18–45 years began in April 2021 when seropositivity rates in the general population were rising due to the delta wave of COVID-19 pandemic during April–May 2021. Methods: Between June 30, 2021, and Jan 28, 2022, we enrolled 691 participants in the age group 18–45 years across four clinical sites in India. In this non-randomised and laboratory blinded study, participants received either two doses of Covaxin® (4 weeks apart) or two doses of Covishield™ (12 weeks apart) as per the national vaccination policy. The primary outcome was the seroconversion rate and the geometric mean titre (GMT) of antibodies against the SARS-CoV-2 spike and nucleocapsid proteins post two doses. The secondary outcome was the frequency of cellular immune responses pre- and post-vaccination. Findings: When compared to pre-vaccination baseline, both vaccines elicited statistically significant seroconversion and binding antibody levels in both seronegative and seropositive individuals. In the per-protocol cohort, Covishield™ elicited higher antibody responses than Covaxin® as measured by seroconversion rate (98.3% vs 74.4%, p < 0.0001 in seronegative individuals; 91.7% vs 66.9%, p < 0.0001 in seropositive individuals) as well as by anti-spike antibody levels against the ancestral strain (GMT 1272.1 vs 75.4 binding antibody units/ml [BAU/ml], p < 0.0001 in seronegative individuals; 2089.07 vs 585.7 BAU/ml, p < 0.0001 in seropositive individuals). As participants at all clinical sites were not recruited at the same time, site-specific immunogenicity was impacted by the timing of vaccination relative to the delta and omicron waves. Surrogate neutralising antibody responses against variants-of-concern including delta and omicron was higher in Covishield™ recipients than in Covaxin® recipients; and in seropositive than in seronegative individuals after both vaccination and asymptomatic infection (omicron variant). T cell responses are reported from only one of the four site cohorts where the vaccination schedule preceded the omicron wave. In seronegative individuals, Covishield™ elicited both CD4+ and CD8+ spike-specific cytokine-producing T cells whereas Covaxin® elicited mainly CD4+ spike-specific T cells. Neither vaccine showed significant post-vaccination expansion of spike-specific T cells in seropositive individuals. Interpretation: Covishield™ elicited immune responses of higher magnitude and breadth than Covaxin® in both seronegative individuals and seropositive individuals, across cohorts representing the pre-vaccination immune history of most of the vaccinated Indian population. Funding: Corporate social responsibility (CSR) funding from Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL) and Unilever India Pvt. Ltd. (UIPL)