α4β2 nicotinic acetylcholine receptors drive human temporal glutamate/GABA balance toward inhibition.

Heteromeric nicotinic acetylcholine nAChRs (nAChRs) containing the α4 and β2 subunits (α4β2 nAChRs) modulate neurotransmitter release in several regions of the brain. In temporal lobe epilepsy, inhibitory GABAergic neurotransmission is altered, whereas no evidence of nicotinic dysfunction has been reported. Here, we investigated, in human epileptic cortical tissues, the ability of α4β2 nAChRs to modulate synaptic transmission.

Measurement of the Branching Fraction Ratios R(D^{+}) and R(D^{*+}) Using Muonic τ Decays.

The branching fraction ratios of B[over ¯]^{0}→D^{+}τ^{-}ν[over ¯]_{τ} and B[over ¯]^{0}→D^{*+}τ^{-}ν[over ¯]_{τ} decays are measured with respect to their muonic counterparts, using a data sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 2.0  fb^{-1} collected by the LHCb experiment in proton-proton collisions at sqrt[s]=13  TeV. The reconstructed final states are formed by combining D^{+} mesons with τ^{-}→μ^{-}ν[over ¯]_{μ}ν_{τ} candidates, where the D^{+} is reconstructed via the D^{+}→K^{-}π^{+}π^{+} decay.

Observation of Exotic J/ψϕ Resonant Structure in Diffractive Processes in Proton-Proton Collisions.

The first study of J/ψϕ production in diffractive processes in proton-proton collisions is presented. The study is based on an LHCb dataset recorded at center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 5  fb^{-1}. The data disfavor a nonresonant J/ψϕ production but are consistent with a resonant model including several resonant states observed previously only in B^{+}→J/ψϕK^{+} decays.

Measurement of Λ_{b}^{0}, Λ_{c}^{+}, and Λ Decay Parameters Using Λ_{b}^{0}→Λ_{c}^{+}h^{-} Decays.

A comprehensive study of the angular distributions in the bottom-baryon decays Λ_{b}^{0}→Λ_{c}^{+}h^{-}(h=π,K), followed by Λ_{c}^{+}→Λh^{+} with Λ→pπ^{-} or Λ_{c}^{+}→pK_{S}^{0} decays, is performed using a data sample of proton-proton collisions corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 9  fb^{-1} collected by the LHCb experiment at center-of-mass energies of 7, 8, and 13 TeV. The decay parameters and the associated charge-parity (CP) asymmetries are measured, with no significant CP violation observed. For the first time, the Λ_{b}^{0}→Λ_{c}^{+}h^{-} decay parameters are measured.