297 research outputs found
Full genome sequence analysis of Group B human rotaviruses
Rotavirus is a major causative pathogen of severe diarrhea in humans and animals. On the basis of VP6 antigen, Rotaviruses are classified into seven groups (A-G), among which only groups A-C rotaviruses cause infection in humans. Group B rotavirus (GBR) was first detected in China in 1982 as a cause of adult diarrheal outbreaks. Although the detection of GBR had been limited in China, GBR has been found in India since 1998, in Bangladesh since 2000, and in Myanmar in 2007. Because of limited data, genetic characteristics of GBR have not been well known so far.
Methods: GBRs detected recently in India (IDH-084 in 2007, IC-008 in 2008), Bangladesh (Bang117 in 2003), and Myanmar (MMR-B1 in 2007) were analyzed genetically. Full genome sequences of these strains were determined by RT-PCR and direct sequencing methods. Sequence data was analyzed phylogenetically by MEGA4 program with those of GBRs reported previously.
Results: Sequences of all genes of GBRs, including those of animals, were classified into three clusters, i.e., Chinese lineage, India-Bangladeshi-Myanmar lineage, and animal (bovine and murine) lineages. Each strain showed high sequence identity among the same lineage (e.g.,95.6-100% among India-Bangladeshi-Myanmar lineage). The evolutionary rate of all segment genes of GBRs was estimated to be 1.89-2.05310-3 nucleotide substitutions per site per year, using the synonymous substitutions between CAL-1(1998 in India) and IDH-084, CAL-1 and IC-008, and Bang373(2000 in Bangladesh) and Bang117.
Conclusion: Full genome sequences of recent group B human rotaviruses were determined and revealed the presence of two major lineages in human GBRs by phylogenetic analysis. Compared to the strains detected in different years, the substitution rate was estimated for the first time for all the gene segments. It was similar to those from partial sequence data reported previously and was comparable to the rate of other rapidly evolving RNA viruses. Further accumulation of genetic data is needed for resolution of ecological features of group B rotaviruses
Anisotropic flow of charged hadrons, pions and (anti-)protons measured at high transverse momentum in Pb-Pb collisions at TeV
The elliptic, , triangular, , and quadrangular, , azimuthal
anisotropic flow coefficients are measured for unidentified charged particles,
pions and (anti-)protons in Pb-Pb collisions at TeV
with the ALICE detector at the Large Hadron Collider. Results obtained with the
event plane and four-particle cumulant methods are reported for the
pseudo-rapidity range at different collision centralities and as a
function of transverse momentum, , out to GeV/.
The observed non-zero elliptic and triangular flow depends only weakly on
transverse momentum for GeV/. The small dependence
of the difference between elliptic flow results obtained from the event plane
and four-particle cumulant methods suggests a common origin of flow
fluctuations up to GeV/. The magnitude of the (anti-)proton
elliptic and triangular flow is larger than that of pions out to at least
GeV/ indicating that the particle type dependence persists out
to high .Comment: 16 pages, 5 captioned figures, authors from page 11, published
version, figures at http://aliceinfo.cern.ch/ArtSubmission/node/186
Centrality dependence of charged particle production at large transverse momentum in Pb-Pb collisions at TeV
The inclusive transverse momentum () distributions of primary
charged particles are measured in the pseudo-rapidity range as a
function of event centrality in Pb-Pb collisions at
TeV with ALICE at the LHC. The data are presented in the range
GeV/ for nine centrality intervals from 70-80% to 0-5%.
The Pb-Pb spectra are presented in terms of the nuclear modification factor
using a pp reference spectrum measured at the same collision
energy. We observe that the suppression of high- particles strongly
depends on event centrality. In central collisions (0-5%) the yield is most
suppressed with at -7 GeV/. Above
GeV/, there is a significant rise in the nuclear modification
factor, which reaches for GeV/. In
peripheral collisions (70-80%), the suppression is weaker with almost independently of . The measured nuclear
modification factors are compared to other measurements and model calculations.Comment: 17 pages, 4 captioned figures, 2 tables, authors from page 12,
published version, figures at
http://aliceinfo.cern.ch/ArtSubmission/node/284
Measurement of charm production at central rapidity in proton-proton collisions at TeV
The -differential production cross sections of the prompt (B
feed-down subtracted) charmed mesons D, D, and D in the rapidity
range , and for transverse momentum GeV/, were
measured in proton-proton collisions at TeV with the ALICE
detector at the Large Hadron Collider. The analysis exploited the hadronic
decays DK, DK, DD, and their charge conjugates, and was performed on a
nb event sample collected in 2011 with a
minimum-bias trigger. The total charm production cross section at TeV and at 7 TeV was evaluated by extrapolating to the full phase space
the -differential production cross sections at TeV
and our previous measurements at TeV. The results were compared
to existing measurements and to perturbative-QCD calculations. The fraction of
cdbar D mesons produced in a vector state was also determined.Comment: 20 pages, 5 captioned figures, 4 tables, authors from page 15,
published version, figures at
http://aliceinfo.cern.ch/ArtSubmission/node/307
Particle-yield modification in jet-like azimuthal di-hadron correlations in Pb-Pb collisions at = 2.76 TeV
The yield of charged particles associated with high- trigger
particles ( GeV/) is measured with the ALICE detector in
Pb-Pb collisions at = 2.76 TeV relative to proton-proton
collisions at the same energy. The conditional per-trigger yields are extracted
from the narrow jet-like correlation peaks in azimuthal di-hadron correlations.
In the 5% most central collisions, we observe that the yield of associated
charged particles with transverse momenta GeV/ on the
away-side drops to about 60% of that observed in pp collisions, while on the
near-side a moderate enhancement of 20-30% is found.Comment: 15 pages, 2 captioned figures, 1 table, authors from page 10,
published version, figures at
http://aliceinfo.cern.ch/ArtSubmission/node/350
Perceptions of trekking tourism and social and environmental change in Nepal's Himalayas
The Himalayas are among the world’s youngest mountain ranges. In addition to the geologic processes of mountain building and erosion, they are also highly vulnerable to human influenced change, occurring at local, national, regional, and international scales. A photo-elicitation methodology is employed to show how residents perceive those changes from historical perspectives, as well as their current conditions and impacts on their daily lives. Nepal’s Khumbu region has undergone major social and environmental transformations since the 1960s when international trekking first began to influence the area's economy. The current perceptions of Khumbu residents of these changes is assessed through photo-elicitation interviews. Their responses are placed in the historical context of: (i) institutional and political changes, much of which have been driven by national government policies; (ii) social and economic changes, for which the tourism economy has been central; and (iii) environmental changes, reflecting the impacts of resource management and climate change. The mostly positive perceptions of Khumbu residents toward how their region has changed reflects general improvements in the physical and cultural landscapes of the Khumbu over time, as well as its continuing geographic isolation, which has helped to slow the rate of globalization, while also keeping the region a dynamic and popular tourist destination
Inclusive J/psi production in pp collisions at sqrt(s) = 2.76 TeV
The ALICE Collaboration has measured inclusive J/psi production in pp
collisions at a center of mass energy sqrt(s)=2.76 TeV at the LHC. The results
presented in this Letter refer to the rapidity ranges |y|<0.9 and 2.5<y<4 and
have been obtained by measuring the electron and muon pair decay channels,
respectively. The integrated luminosities for the two channels are L^e_int=1.1
nb^-1 and L^mu_int=19.9 nb^-1, and the corresponding signal statistics are
N_J/psi^e+e-=59 +/- 14 and N_J/psi^mu+mu-=1364 +/- 53. We present
dsigma_J/psi/dy for the two rapidity regions under study and, for the forward-y
range, d^2sigma_J/psi/dydp_t in the transverse momentum domain 0<p_t<8 GeV/c.
The results are compared with previously published results at sqrt(s)=7 TeV and
with theoretical calculations.Comment: 7 figures, 3 tables, accepted for publication in Phys. Lett.
KK correlations in pp collisions at TeV from the LHC ALICE experiment
Identical neutral kaon pair correlations are measured in TeV pp
collisions in the ALICE experiment. One-dimensional KK correlation
functions in terms of the invariant momentum difference of kaon pairs are
formed in two multiplicity and two transverse momentum ranges. The femtoscopic
parameters for the radius and correlation strength of the kaon source are
extracted. The ft includes quantum statistics and final-state
interactions of the a/f resonance. KK correlations show an
increase in radius for increasing multiplicity and a slight decrease in radius
for increasing transverse mass, , as seen in correlations
in the pp system and in heavy-ion collisions. Transverse mass scaling is
observed between the KK and radii. Also, the frst
observation is made of the decay of the f(1525) meson into the
KK channel in pp collisions.Comment: 17 pages, 7 captioned figures, 2 tables, authors from page 12,
published version, figures at
http://aliceinfo.cern.ch/ArtSubmission/node/310
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