132 research outputs found
Strange particle production in proton-proton collisions at TeV with ALICE at the LHC
The production of mesons containing strange quarks (K, ) and both
singly and doubly strange baryons (, Anti-, and
+Anti-) are measured at central rapidity in pp collisions at
= 0.9 TeV with the ALICE experiment at the LHC. The results are
obtained from the analysis of about 250 k minimum bias events recorded in 2009.
Measurements of yields (dN/dy) and transverse momentum spectra at central
rapidities for inelastic pp collisions are presented. For mesons, we report
yields () of 0.184 0.002 stat. 0.006 syst. for K and
0.021 0.004 stat. 0.003 syst. for . For baryons, we find
= 0.048 0.001 stat. 0.004 syst. for , 0.047
0.002 stat. 0.005 syst. for Anti- and 0.0101 0.0020 stat.
0.0009 syst. for +Anti-. The results are also compared with
predictions for identified particle spectra from QCD-inspired models and
provide a baseline for comparisons with both future pp measurements at higher
energies and heavy-ion collisions.Comment: 33 pages, 21 captioned figures, 10 tables, authors from page 28,
published version, figures at
http://aliceinfo.cern.ch/ArtSubmission/node/387
Elliptic flow of charged particles in Pb-Pb collisions at 2.76 TeV
We report the first measurement of charged particle elliptic flow in Pb-Pb
collisions at 2.76 TeV with the ALICE detector at the CERN Large Hadron
Collider. The measurement is performed in the central pseudorapidity region
(||<0.8) and transverse momentum range 0.2< < 5.0 GeV/. The
elliptic flow signal v, measured using the 4-particle correlation method,
averaged over transverse momentum and pseudorapidity is 0.087 0.002
(stat) 0.004 (syst) in the 40-50% centrality class. The differential
elliptic flow v reaches a maximum of 0.2 near = 3
GeV/. Compared to RHIC Au-Au collisions at 200 GeV, the elliptic flow
increases by about 30%. Some hydrodynamic model predictions which include
viscous corrections are in agreement with the observed increase.Comment: 10 pages, 4 captioned figures, published version, figures at
http://aliceinfo.cern.ch/ArtSubmission/node/389
ATLAS sensitivity to top quark and W boson polarization in events
Stringent tests on top quark production and decay mechanisms are provided by
the measurement of the top quark and W boson polarization. This paper presents
a detailed study of these two measurements with the ATLAS detector, in the
semileptonic (ttbar -> W W b bbar -> l nu j1 j2 b bbar) and dileptonic (ttbar
-> W W b bbar -> l nu l nu b bbar) ttbar channels. It is based on leading-order
Monte Carlo generators and on a fast simulation of the detector. A particular
attention is paid to the systematic uncertainties, which dominate the
statistical errors after one LHC year at low luminosity (10 fb^{-1}), and to
the background estimate. Combining results from both channel studies, the
longitudinal component of the W polarization (F\_0) can be measured with a 2%
accuracy and the right-handed component (F\_R) with a 1% precision with 10
fb^{-1}. Even though the top quarks in ttbar pairs are not polarized, a large
asymmetry is expected within the Standard Model in the like-spin versus
unlike-spin pair production. A 4% precision on this asymmetry measurement is
possible with 10 fb^{-1}, after combining results from both channel studies.
These promising results are converted in a sensitivity to new physics, such as
tWb anomalous couplings, top decay to charged Higgs boson, or new s-channels
(heavy resonance, gravitons) in ttbar production.Comment: 41+2 pages, 20 figures, ATLAS scientific note SN-ATLAS-2005-05
Planck intermediate results I : Further validation of new Planck clusters with XMM-Newton
Peer reviewe
Higher harmonic anisotropic flow measurements of charged particles in Pb-Pb collisions at 2.76 TeV
We report on the first measurement of the triangular , quadrangular
, and pentagonal charged particle flow in Pb-Pb collisions at 2.76
TeV measured with the ALICE detector at the CERN Large Hadron Collider. We show
that the triangular flow can be described in terms of the initial spatial
anisotropy and its fluctuations, which provides strong constraints on its
origin. In the most central events, where the elliptic flow and
have similar magnitude, a double peaked structure in the two-particle azimuthal
correlations is observed, which is often interpreted as a Mach cone response to
fast partons. We show that this structure can be naturally explained from the
measured anisotropic flow Fourier coefficients.Comment: 10 pages, 4 figures, published version, figures at
http://aliceinfo.cern.ch/ArtSubmission/node/387
Controversy and consensus on the management of elevated sperm DNA fragmentation in male infertility: A global survey, current guidelines, and expert recommendations
Purpose
Sperm DNA fragmentation (SDF) has been associated with male infertility and poor outcomes of assisted reproductive technology (ART). The purpose of this study was to investigate global practices related to the management of elevated SDF in infertile men, summarize the relevant professional society recommendations, and provide expert recommendations for managing this condition.
Materials and Methods
An online global survey on clinical practices related to SDF was disseminated to reproductive clinicians, according to the CHERRIES checklist criteria. Management protocols for various conditions associated with SDF were captured and compared to the relevant recommendations in professional society guidelines and the appropriate available evidence. Expert recommendations and consensus on the management of infertile men with elevated SDF were then formulated and adapted using the Delphi method.
Results
A total of 436 experts from 55 different countries submitted responses. As an initial approach, 79.1% of reproductive experts recommend lifestyle modifications for infertile men with elevated SDF, and 76.9% prescribe empiric antioxidants. Regarding antioxidant duration, 39.3% recommend 4–6 months and 38.1% recommend 3 months. For men with unexplained or idiopathic infertility, and couples experiencing recurrent miscarriages associated with elevated SDF, most respondents refer to ART 6 months after failure of conservative and empiric medical management. Infertile men with clinical varicocele, normal conventional semen parameters, and elevated SDF are offered varicocele repair immediately after diagnosis by 31.4%, and after failure of antioxidants and conservative measures by 40.9%. Sperm selection techniques and testicular sperm extraction are also management options for couples undergoing ART. For most questions, heterogenous practices were demonstrated.
Conclusions
This paper presents the results of a large global survey on the management of infertile men with elevated SDF and reveals a lack of consensus among clinicians. Furthermore, it demonstrates the scarcity of professional society guidelines in this regard and attempts to highlight the relevant evidence. Expert recommendations are proposed to help guide clinicians
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