Heavy flavour and quarkonium at forward and central rapidity in p-p collisions with ALICE at LHC

Quarkonia and open heavy flavour production are crucial to study the properties of the nuclear matter at high energy densities and of the Quark Gluon Plasma (QGP). In proton-proton collisions at LHC, the measurement of their production cross-section will allow to test perturbative QCD calculations in a new energy regime and provide the baseline for measurements in heavy ion collisions. In the latter, as they experience the full evolution of the collision, heavy quarks are ideal probes to study the property of the system. During the 2010 campaign of the LHC, ALICE took proton-proton data at $\sqrt{s}$=7 TeV and Pb-Pb data at $\sqrt{s_{nn}}$=2.76 TeV. The first physics results on heavy flavors production in p-p collisions are presented combining hadronic and (semi-)leptonic channels, both at central and forward rapidity.Comment: Presented on behalf of the ALICE Collaboration at the Cracow Epiphany Conference on the First Year of the LHC, Cracow, Poland, January 10-12, 201

Minimaliai invazyvi chirurgija ir sarginio limfmazgio biopsija – šiuolaikinis lokaliai neišplitusio endometriumo vėžio gydymo standartas: literatūros apžvalga ir Nacionalinio vėžio instituto patirtis

Objectives. To find out sentinel lymph node detection rate of low-risk endometrial cancer patients. To compare postoperative complications rate, lenght of a surgery, lenght of hospital stay and sensitivity of detecting lymph node metastasis between minimally invasive surgery with sentinel lymph node biopsy and abdominal surgery with systemic pelvic lymphadenectomy. Methods. Retrospective analysis of low-risk endometrial cancer patients, treated in National Cancer Institute (n = 103) history cases from 2018 10 untill 2019 12. I group – laparoscopic hysterectomy with sentinel lymph node biopsy (n = 35); II group – abdominal hysterectomy with systemic pelvic lymphadenectomy (n = 68). Both groups were homogeneous according to clinicopathological features. Results. Sentinel lymph node were detected in 97.1% cases. Sentinel lymph nodes in both sides were detected in 85.7% cases. Metastasis in regional lymph nodes were detected in 2 cases (5.7%) in group I and none group II. Postoperative complications rate in group I were 3.8% and 13% in group II. Conclusions. There are significantly less postoperative complications in endoscopic surgery with sentinel node biopsy for low-risk endometrial cancer treatment, also this method is more accurate in surgical staging in National Cancer Institute.Sarginio limfmazgio biopsija – saugus ir efektyvus endometriumo vėžio gydymo metodas, taikytinas už gimdos ribų neišplitusios ligos atvejais. Tikslas. Išsiaiškinti pacienčių, kurioms diagnozuotas mažos rizikos endometriumo vėžys, sarginio limfmazgio nustatymo dažnį, palyginti minimaliai invazyvios chirurgijos su sarginio limfmazgio biopsija ir atvirųjų operacijų su sistemine dubens limfonodektomija komplikacijų dažnį, operacijų trukmę, lovadienių skaičių ir metodų jautrumą, nustatant metastazes limfmazgiuose. Tyrimo metodai. Atlikta retrospektyvioji ligos istorijų analizė. Tiriamąją imtį sudarė mažos rizikos endometriumo vėžiu sergančios pacientės (n = 103), gydytos Nacionaliniame vėžio institute nuo 2018 m. spalio mėn. iki 2019 m. gruodžio mėn. Tiriamosios suskirstytos į dvi grupes: I grupės pacientėms atlikta laparoskopinė histerektomija ir sarginio limfmazgio biopsija (n = 35); II grupės pacientėms – atviroji histerektomija ir sisteminė dubens limfonodektomija (n = 68). Abi grupės, palyginus jų klinikines ir patologines charakteristikas, buvo tolygios. Rezultatai. Sarginis limfmazgis nustatytas 97,1 proc. pacienčių. Sarginis limfmazgis abiejose dubens pusėse identifikuotas 85,7 proc. atvejų. Sritiniuose limfmazgiuose metastazių nustatyta dviem I grupės pacientėms (5,7 %), II grupėje – nenustatyta. Pooperacinės komplikacijos I grupėje sudarė 3,8 proc., II grupėje – 13 proc.Išvados. Pacientėms, kurioms diagnozuotas mažos rizikos endometriumo vėžys, taikant endoskopinę chirurgiją ir sarginio limfmazgio biopsiją, nustatoma statistiškai reikšmingai mažiau pooperacinių komplikacijų. Analizuojant Nacionaliniame vėžio institute gydytų pacienčių duomenis, pastebėtas didesnis kalbamojo chirurginio metodo jautrumas nustatant metastazes limfmazgiuose

Test results for the V0 detector in ALICE

In this report, we describe the V0 detector, a device made of two arrays of scintillating counters (V0L and V0R) installe d on both sides of the ALICE in teraction vertex. The light yield and the time resolution were measured for several prototype counter s which were tested on the PS T10 beam line and with cosmic rays. Results from the test and from simulations are reported

International smoking-related burden of cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease at the turn of the twenty-first century

While smoking prevalence has declined or remained stable in most countries thanks to public awareness of the health hazard of smoking and the implementation of tobacco control policies, the burden of smoking-related diseases remains colossal and underestimated. Therefore, in this thesis, Joannie Lortet-Tieulent assesses the international burden of two smoking-related diseases —cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)— at the turn of the twenty-first century, with a special focus on Europe and the USA. This burden is examined through the gender (social norms on smoking), race (associated with socioeconomic status in the USA) and geographic location (impact of tobacco control policies and country income level) perspectives. First, the impact of gender on incidence trends of the four cancers that are the most associated with smoking are examined in Europe. Incidence trends reflect the delayed adoption of smoking by women compared with men, and the large declines in smoking prevalence in men. Second, cigarette design and content have evolved over time and the impact of these changes on the distribution of lung cancer types (histologies) on each sex is tracked. Having massively started to smoke when filtered/low tar cigarettes were made available, women mainly developed a different type of lung cancer (adenocarcinoma) compared with men (squamous cell carcinoma). However, as men switched to those so-called light cigarettes, more men developed adenocarcinomas. Third, in the USA, racial and ethnic disparities in the smoking-attributable burden of cancer are explored. Blacks have a higher burden of cancer than Whites, but the smoking-attributable fraction of cancer of Blacks is similar to that of Whites. The smoking-attributable fraction of the cancer burden of Asians and Hispanics is the smallest of all races/ethnicities. Geographical differences in the USA are also investigated, by comparing state-level smoking-attributable cancer deaths. At national-level, 29% of cancer deaths are attributable to cigarette smoking. The highest proportion of smoking-related cancer deaths are observed in the South of the USA (up to 34%), where tobacco is grown, tobacco control policies are weaker, cigarettes are more affordable, and large populations with low socioeconomic status (in whom smoking prevalence is the highest) live. Finally, international trends of COPD and lung cancer mortality rates are contrasted to better understand the role of smoking in COPD mortality. COPD mortality rates are decreasing globally, but for different reasons depending on the country income level. In high-income countries, COPD is probably declining due to the decrease in smoking prevalence and the improvement of COPD management. Meanwhile, progress in middle-income countries likely reflects declines in poverty (a risk factor for developing COPD), particularly among women, who seldom smoke cigarettes. In conclusion, while decreasing in some populations, the smoking-related burden of cancer and COPD is large and there is still a great potential to reduce it. Those health gains can be achieved by strengthening tobacco control. We have the ability to end the smoking epidemic during the twenty-first century

Results from the test bench of the Geometry Monitoring System of the ALICE Muon Spectrometer

We present the results obtained with the test bench of the Geometry Monitoring System (GMS) for the ALICE Muon Spectrometer. It consists in a mock up, reproducing at full scale, three half planes of the chambers 6, 7 and 8 of the spectrometer. We show that the GMS is able to measure transverse displacements with an accuracy of 1.5 microm. We show also that the resolution deteriorates by a factor 3 to 4 when thermal gradients are generated

Radiation effects on V0 detector elements

ALIC

The Geometry Monitoring System of the ALICE Dimuon Spectrometer: Overview

ALIC

The Strange Quark Contribution to the Proton's Magnetic Moment

We report a new determination of the strange quark contribution to the proton's magnetic form factor at a four-momentum transfer Q2 = 0.1 (GeV/c)^2 from parity-violating e-p elastic scattering. The result uses a revised analysis of data from the SAMPLE experiment which was carried out at the MIT-Bates Laboratory. The data are combined with a calculation of the proton's axial form factor GAe to determine the strange form factor GMs(Q2=0.1)=0.37 +- 0.20 +- 0.26 +- 0.07. The extrapolation of GMs to its Q2=0 limit and comparison with calculations is also discussed.Comment: 6 pages, 1 figure, submitted to Phys. Lett.

Parity Violation in Elastic Electron-Proton Scattering and the Proton's Strange Magnetic Form Factor

We report a new measurement of the parity-violating asymmetry in elastic electron scattering from the proton at backward scattering angles. This asymmetry is sensitive to the strange magnetic form factor of the proton as well as electroweak axial radiative corrections. The new measurement of A = -4.92±0.61±0.73 ppm provides a significant constraint on these quantities. The implications for the strange magnetic form factor are discussed in the context of theoretical estimates for the axial corrections