Search for anomalous t t-bar production in the highly-boosted all-hadronic final state

A search is presented for a massive particle, generically referred to as a Z', decaying into a t t-bar pair. The search focuses on Z' resonances that are sufficiently massive to produce highly Lorentz-boosted top quarks, which yield collimated decay products that are partially or fully merged into single jets. The analysis uses new methods to analyze jet substructure, providing suppression of the non-top multijet backgrounds. The analysis is based on a data sample of proton-proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 7 TeV, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 5 inverse femtobarns. Upper limits in the range of 1 pb are set on the product of the production cross section and branching fraction for a topcolor Z' modeled for several widths, as well as for a Randall--Sundrum Kaluza--Klein gluon. In addition, the results constrain any enhancement in t t-bar production beyond expectations of the standard model for t t-bar invariant masses larger than 1 TeV.Comment: Submitted to the Journal of High Energy Physics; this version includes a minor typo correction that will be submitted as an erratu

Measurement of the W-boson helicity in top-quark decays from t(t)over-bar production in lepton plus jets events in pp collisions at √s=7 TeV

This is the pre-print version of the final published article that can be accessed at the link below.The W-boson helicity fractions in top-quark decays are measured with tt events in the lepton+jets final state, using proton-proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 7 TeV, collected in 2011 with the CMS detector at the LHC. The data sample corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 5.0 fb-1. The measured fractions of longitudinal, left-, and right-handed helicity are F0 = 0.682 0.030 (stat.) 0.033 (syst.), FL = 0.310 0.022 (stat.) 0.022 (syst.), and FR = 0.008 0.012 (stat.) 0.014 (syst.), consistent with the standard model predictions. The measured fractions are used to probe the existence of anomalous Wtb couplings. Exclusion limits on the real components of the anomalous couplings gL, gR are also derived

Collection and morphological characterization of sweet potato landraces in north of Rio de Janeiro state Coleta e caracterização morfológica de variedades locais de batata-doce no norte do Rio de Janeiro

The traditional farmers play an important role in plant genetic resources conservation. Collecting the germplasm maintained by these farmers is a very important action to avoid genetic variability losses. The goals of this work were to collect sweet potato from farms in the north of Rio de Janeiro state; to gather information regarding to the farmers profile, and to characterize the sweet potato landraces collected using morphological descriptors. Fifty three farms were visited in six collection expedition and 46 accessions were collected. During the visits the farmers were interviewed using a query with ten items. Six root traits and eight descriptors for vegetative parts were used for morphological characterization. The data were analyzed based on Cole-Rodgers distance and clustering was done with UPGMA method. Familiar agriculture with subsistence objective was observed and sweet potato was cultivated by 72% of the farmers at least for more than a decade, supporting the observation that this vegetable is traditionally cultivated in small areas in the specific region. The morphological characterization was efficient to detect genetic variability among accessions, revealing that traditional farmers from Campos dos Goytacazes and São João da Barra are responsible for sweet potato genotypes conservation with expressive genetic diversity in their properties. There was no relationship between genetic distance and collecting areas.<br>Os agricultores tradicionais têm um papel fundamental na conservação dos recursos genéticos vegetais e a coleta de germoplasma mantido por esses produtores é muito importante para evitar a perda da variabilidade genética. Os objetivos deste trabalho foram coletar germoplasma de batata-doce em propriedades rurais situadas no norte do estado do Rio de Janeiro; levantar informações quanto ao perfil dos produtores rurais visitados durante as coletas, e caracterizar morfologicamente as variedades locais de batata-doce coletadas. Em seis viagens de coleta foram visitadas 53 propriedades rurais, e coletados 46 acessos. Em todas as visitas foi possível entrevistar o produtor por meio de questionário contendo dez itens. Para a caracterização, foram usados seis caracteres de raiz e oito da parte aérea. A análise dos dados foi efetuada com o uso da distância de Cole-Rodgers e o agrupamento foi gerado com o método UPGMA. Foi constatado predomínio da agricultura familiar, voltada para subsistência, sendo que 72% dos agricultores cultivavam a batata-doce há mais de uma década, o que evidencia a tradição de cultivo desta hortaliça em pequenas áreas na região. A caracterização morfológica foi eficiente para detectar a variabilidade genética entre os acessos, demonstrando que os agricultores tradicionais dos municípios de Campos dos Goytacazes e São João da Barra detêm genótipos de batata-doce com expressiva diversidade genética em suas propriedades. Não foi detectada correlação entre a distância genética e os locais de coleta

Safety and efficacy of subcutaneous iscalimab (CFZ533) in two distinct populations of patients with Sj\uf6gren\u27s disease (TWINSS): week 24 results of a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase 2b dose-ranging study

\ua9 2024 Elsevier LtdBackground: Sj\uf6gren\u27s disease is a chronic autoimmune disease with an unmet need for targeted therapies. The aim of the TWINSS study is to evaluate the safety and efficacy of iscalimab, a monoclonal antibody against CD40, in patients with active Sj\uf6gren\u27s disease. Methods: This randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase 2b study, conducted at 71 sites in 23 countries, enrolled patients aged 18 years or older fulfilling the American College of Rheumatology/European Alliance of Associations for Rheumatology (EULAR) 2016 criteria. In the dose-ranging cohort 1, patients with a EULAR Sj\uf6gren\u27s Syndrome Disease Activity Index (ESSDAI) score of 5 or higher and a EULAR Sj\uf6gren\u27s Syndrome Patient Reported Index (ESSPRI) score of 5 or higher were randomly assigned (1:1:1:1) to subcutaneous iscalimab 150 mg, 300 mg, 600 mg, or placebo. In the proof-of-concept cohort 2, patients with an ESSDAI score of less than 5, ESSPRI (dryness or fatigue) score of 5 or higher, and Impact of Dry Eye on Everyday Life score of 30 or higher were randomly assigned (1:1) to iscalimab 600 mg or placebo. The sponsor, investigator, site personnel, and patients were masked to the treatment assignment. The primary objectives were to demonstrate a dose–response relationship of iscalimab based on the change in ESSDAI from baseline to week 24 in cohort 1 by Multiple Comparison Procedure—Modelling (MCP-Mod), and to assess the effect of iscalimab 600 mg on ESSPRI at week 24 in cohort 2. All the efficacy analyses included all patients who were randomly assigned, and safety analysis included all patients who received at least one dose of study drug. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT03905525), and is complete. Findings: Between Oct 1, 2019, and Feb 28, 2022, 460 patients were screened; 173 patients were assigned to cohort 1 (44 to iscalimab 150 mg, 43 to 300 mg, 43 to 600 mg, and 43 to placebo) and 100 to cohort 2 (50 to each group). In cohort 1, the MCP step showed a significant dose–response relationship for placebo-adjusted ESSDAI change from baseline in one of four models (Linlog model, one-sided p=0\ub70041). ESSDAI decreased from baseline to week 24 with all three doses of iscalimab; 150 mg and 600 mg doses showed statistically significant improvement (placebo-adjusted least squares [LS] mean difference –3\ub70 [95% CI –4\ub79 to –1\ub71]; p=0\ub70025 for 150 mg and –2\ub79 [–4\ub79 to –1\ub70]; p=0\ub70037 for 600 mg). In cohort 2, ESSPRI showed a trend towards improvement with iscalimab 600 mg (placebo-adjusted LS mean change from baseline –0\ub757 points [95% CI –1\ub730 to 0\ub715]; p=0\ub712). Serious adverse events were reported in nine patients in cohort 1 (one [2%] of 43 in the placebo group, one [2%] of 44 in the iscalimab 150 mg group, three [7%] of 42 in the 300 mg group, four [9%] of 44 in the 600 mg group) and four patients in cohort 2 (two [4%] of 50 in each group). No deaths occurred over the 24-week period. Interpretation: The study met the primary objective of demonstrating a significant dose–response relationship with iscalimab in terms of disease activity at week 24. Iscalimab was well tolerated and showed initial clinical benefit over placebo in two distinct populations of patients with Sj\uf6gren\u27s disease, to be confirmed in larger trials. Funding: Novartis Pharma