New genetic loci link adipose and insulin biology to body fat distribution.

Body fat distribution is a heritable trait and a well-established predictor of adverse metabolic outcomes, independent of overall adiposity. To increase our understanding of the genetic basis of body fat distribution and its molecular links to cardiometabolic traits, here we conduct genome-wide association meta-analyses of traits related to waist and hip circumferences in up to 224,459 individuals. We identify 49 loci (33 new) associated with waist-to-hip ratio adjusted for body mass index (BMI), and an additional 19 loci newly associated with related waist and hip circumference measures (P < 5 × 10(-8)). In total, 20 of the 49 waist-to-hip ratio adjusted for BMI loci show significant sexual dimorphism, 19 of which display a stronger effect in women. The identified loci were enriched for genes expressed in adipose tissue and for putative regulatory elements in adipocytes. Pathway analyses implicated adipogenesis, angiogenesis, transcriptional regulation and insulin resistance as processes affecting fat distribution, providing insight into potential pathophysiological mechanisms

Measurement of the W gamma Production Cross Section in Proton-Proton Collisions at root s=13 TeV and Constraints on Effective Field Theory Coefficients

A fiducial cross section for W gamma production in proton-proton collisions is measured at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV in 137 fb(-1) of data collected using the CMS detector at the LHC. The W -> e nu and mu nu decay modes are used in a maximum-likelihood fit to the lepton-photon invariant mass distribution to extract the combined cross section. The measured cross section is compared with theoretical expectations at next-to-leading order in quantum chromodynamics. In addition, 95% confidence level intervals are reported for anomalous triple-gauge couplings within the framework of effective field theory.Peer reviewe

Performance of the CMS muon trigger system in proton-proton collisions at √s = 13 TeV

The muon trigger system of the CMS experiment uses a combination of hardware and software to identify events containing a muon. During Run 2 (covering 2015-2018) the LHC achieved instantaneous luminosities as high as 2 × 10 cm s while delivering proton-proton collisions at √s = 13 TeV. The challenge for the trigger system of the CMS experiment is to reduce the registered event rate from about 40 MHz to about 1 kHz. Significant improvements important for the success of the CMS physics program have been made to the muon trigger system via improved muon reconstruction and identification algorithms since the end of Run 1 and throughout the Run 2 data-taking period. The new algorithms maintain the acceptance of the muon triggers at the same or even lower rate throughout the data-taking period despite the increasing number of additional proton-proton interactions in each LHC bunch crossing. In this paper, the algorithms used in 2015 and 2016 and their improvements throughout 2017 and 2018 are described. Measurements of the CMS muon trigger performance for this data-taking period are presented, including efficiencies, transverse momentum resolution, trigger rates, and the purity of the selected muon sample. This paper focuses on the single- and double-muon triggers with the lowest sustainable transverse momentum thresholds used by CMS. The efficiency is measured in a transverse momentum range from 8 to several hundred GeV

Search for top squark production in fully hadronic final states in proton-proton collisions at root s=13 TeV

A search for production of the supersymmetric partners of the top quark, top squarks, is presented. The search is based on proton-proton collision events containing multiple jets, no leptons, and large transverse momentum imbalance. The data were collected with the CMS detector at the CERN LHC at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV, and correspond to an integrated luminosity of 137 fb(-1). The targeted signal production scenarios are direct and gluino-mediated top squark production, including scenarios in which the top squark and neutralino masses are nearly degenerate. The search utilizes novel algorithms based on deep neural networks that identify hadronically decaying top quarks and W bosons, which are expected in many of the targeted signal models. No statistically significant excess of events is observed relative to the expectation from the standard model, and limits on the top squark production cross section are obtained in the context of simplified supersymmetric models for various production and decay modes. Exclusion limits as high as 1310 GeVare established at the 95% confidence level on the mass of the top squark for direct top squark production models, and as high as 2260 GeV on the mass of the gluino for gluino-mediated top squark production models. These results represent a significant improvement over the results of previous searches for supersymmetry by CMS in the same final state.Peer reviewe

Measurements of Higgs boson production cross sections and couplings in the diphoton decay channel at root s=13 TeV

Measurements of Higgs boson production cross sections and couplings in events where the Higgs boson decays into a pair of photons are reported. Events are selected from a sample of proton-proton collisions at root s = 13TeV collected by the CMS detector at the LHC from 2016 to 2018, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 137 fb(-1). Analysis categories enriched in Higgs boson events produced via gluon fusion, vector boson fusion, vector boson associated production, and production associated with top quarks are constructed. The total Higgs boson signal strength, relative to the standard model (SM) prediction, is measured to be 1.12 +/- 0.09. Other properties of the Higgs boson are measured, including SM signal strength modifiers, production cross sections, and its couplings to other particles. These include the most precise measurements of gluon fusion and vector boson fusion Higgs boson production in several different kinematic regions, the first measurement of Higgs boson production in association with a top quark pair in five regions of the Higgs boson transverse momentum, and an upper limit on the rate of Higgs boson production in association with a single top quark. All results are found to be in agreement with the SM expectations.Peer reviewe

Search for a heavy resonance decaying to a top quark and a w boson at √s = 13 tev in the fully hadronic final state

A search for a heavy resonance decaying to a top quark and a W boson in the fully hadronic final state is presented. The analysis is performed using data from proton-proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 137 fb−1 recorded by the CMS experiment at the LHC. The search is focused on heavy resonances, where the decay products of each top quark or W boson are expected to be reconstructed as a single, large-radius jet with a distinct substructure. The production of an excited bottom quark, b*, is used as a benchmark when setting limits on the cross section for a heavy resonance decaying to a top quark and a W boson. The hypotheses of b* quarks with left-handed, right-handed, and vector-like chiralities are excluded at 95% confidence level for masses below 2.6, 2.8, and 3.1 TeV, respectively. These are the most stringent limits on the b* quark mass to date, extending the previous best limits by almost a factor of two

Measurements of production cross sections of the Higgs boson in the four-lepton final state in proton–proton collisions at √s=13Te

Production cross sections of the Higgs boson are measured in the H → Z Z → 4 ℓ (ℓ=e,μ) decay channel. A data sample of proton–proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 13Te, collected by the CMS detector at the LHC and corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 137fb-1 is used. The signal strength modifier μ, defined as the ratio of the Higgs boson production rate in the 4 ℓ channel to the standard model (SM) expectation, is measured to be μ=0.94±0.07(stat)-0.08+0.09(syst) at a fixed value of mH=125.38Ge. The signal strength modifiers for the individual Higgs boson production modes are also reported. The inclusive fiducial cross section for the H → 4 ℓ process is measured to be 2.84-0.22+0.23(stat)-0.21+0.26(syst)fb, which is compatible with the SM prediction of 2.84±0.15fb for the same fiducial region. Differential cross sections as a function of the transverse momentum and rapidity of the Higgs boson, the number of associated jets, and the transverse momentum of the leading associated jet are measured. A new set of cross section measurements in mutually exclusive categories targeted to identify production mechanisms and kinematical features of the events is presented. The results are in agreement with the SM predictions.STFC, Marie-Curie program and the European Research Council and Horizon 2020 Gran

Understanding the Growth Mechanism of α‑Fe₂O₃ Nanoparticles through a Controlled Shape Transformation

The growth mechanism of α-Fe₂O₃ nanoparticles in solution has been elucidated from a comprehensive analysis on the shape and morphology of obtained particles. It is found that the hydrothermal synthesis of α-Fe₂O₃ nanoparticles from ferric chloride precursor follows two stages: the initial nucleation of α-Fe₂O₃ nuclei and the subsequent ripening of nuclei into various shapes. The initial nucleation involves the formation of polynuclears from hydrolysis of Fe³⁺ salt precursors, followed by the growth of β-FeOOH nanowires with an akaganeite structure, and then into two-line ferrihydrite nanoparticles through a dissolution–recrystallization process. In the subsequent ripening process, we suggest that the formation of large α-Fe₂O₃ particles follows the dissolution of two-line ferrihydrite and then precipitation and oriented aggregation of α-Fe₂O₃ nuclei rather than the oriented aggregation of ferrihydrite nanoparticles followed by phase transformation. The oriented attachment of {104} facets between α-Fe₂O₃ nuclei results in the formation of oblate spheroid nanocrystals (nanoflower-like particles) either in ethanol or in the beginning stage where the particles first undergo oriented aggregation. With the addition of water, Ostwald ripening process (dissolution–reprecipitation) will play an important role to convert the assembly of nanoflowers into a 3D rhombohedral shape with well-defined edges and surfaces. The proposed mechanism in this article not only allows us to better control the synthesis of iron oxide particles with designed shapes and structures but also provides guidance for theoretical simulations on the oriented attachment process for hematite formation

Understanding the Growth Mechanism of α‑Fe₂O₃ Nanoparticles through a Controlled Shape Transformation

The growth mechanism of α-Fe₂O₃ nanoparticles in solution has been elucidated from a comprehensive analysis on the shape and morphology of obtained particles. It is found that the hydrothermal synthesis of α-Fe₂O₃ nanoparticles from ferric chloride precursor follows two stages: the initial nucleation of α-Fe₂O₃ nuclei and the subsequent ripening of nuclei into various shapes. The initial nucleation involves the formation of polynuclears from hydrolysis of Fe³⁺ salt precursors, followed by the growth of β-FeOOH nanowires with an akaganeite structure, and then into two-line ferrihydrite nanoparticles through a dissolution–recrystallization process. In the subsequent ripening process, we suggest that the formation of large α-Fe₂O₃ particles follows the dissolution of two-line ferrihydrite and then precipitation and oriented aggregation of α-Fe₂O₃ nuclei rather than the oriented aggregation of ferrihydrite nanoparticles followed by phase transformation. The oriented attachment of {104} facets between α-Fe₂O₃ nuclei results in the formation of oblate spheroid nanocrystals (nanoflower-like particles) either in ethanol or in the beginning stage where the particles first undergo oriented aggregation. With the addition of water, Ostwald ripening process (dissolution–reprecipitation) will play an important role to convert the assembly of nanoflowers into a 3D rhombohedral shape with well-defined edges and surfaces. The proposed mechanism in this article not only allows us to better control the synthesis of iron oxide particles with designed shapes and structures but also provides guidance for theoretical simulations on the oriented attachment process for hematite formation

Experimental Evidence for Self-Assembly of CeO₂ Particles in Solution: Formation of Single-Crystalline Porous CeO₂ Nanocrystals

Single-crystalline porous CeO₂ nanocrystals, with sizes of ∼20 nm and pore diameters of 1–2 nm, were synthesized successfully using a hydrothermal method. Using electron tomography, we imaged the three-dimensional structure of the pores in the nanocrystals and found that the oriented aggregation of small CeO₂ nanoparticles resulted in the growth of CeO₂ nanocrystals with an irregular truncated octahedral shape and pores extending along the ⟨110⟩ directions. Oxygen vacancies were found on the crystal surfaces and internal walls of the pores by scanning transmission electron microscopy and electron energy-loss spectroscopy. The oxygen vacancies might play an important role in oxygen diffusion in the crystals and the catalytic activities of single-crystalline porous CeO₂ structures