The radiative decay Λ_{b}^{0}→Λγ is observed for the first time using a data sample of proton-proton collisions corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 1.7 fb^{-1} collected by the LHCb experiment at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV. Its branching fraction is measured exploiting the B^{0}→K^{*0}γ decay as a normalization mode and is found to be B(Λ_{b}^{0}→Λγ)=(7.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDuring sepsis, the increased synthesis of circulating lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-binding protein (LBP) activates LPS/TLR4 signaling in renal resident cells, leading to acute kidney injury (AKI). Pericytes are the major source of myofibroblasts during chronic kidney disease (CKD), but their involvement in AKI is poorly understood. Here, we investigate the occurrence of pericyte-to-myofibroblast trans-differentiation (PMT) in sepsis-induced AKI.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPhlomis fruticosa L. and P. herba-venti are species belonging to the Lamiaceae family, which have been traditionally used to prepare tonic and digestive drinks.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFChronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is an inflammatory condition associated with abnormal immune responses, leading to airflow obstruction. Lungs of COPD subjects show accumulation of proinflammatory T helper (Th) 1 and Th17 cells resembling that of autoreactive immune responses. As regulatory T (T) cells play a central role in the control of autoimmune responses and their generation and function are controlled by the adipocytokine leptin, we herein investigated the association among systemic leptin overproduction, reduced engagement of glycolysis in T cells, and reduced peripheral frequency of T cells in different COPD stages.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWe report a measurement of the mass difference between neutral charm-meson eigenstates using a novel approach that enhances sensitivity to this parameter. We use 2.3×10^{6} D^{0}→K_{S}^{0}π^{+}π^{-} decays reconstructed in proton-proton collisions collected by the LHCb experiment in 2011 and 2012.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFUsing pp collision data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 8.5 fb^{-1} recorded by the LHCb experiment at center-of-mass energies of sqrt[s]=7, 8, and 13 TeV, the observation of an excited B_{c}^{+} state in the B_{c}^{+}π^{+}π^{-} invariant-mass spectrum is reported. The observed peak has a mass of 6841.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFA search for charge-parity (CP) violation in D^{0}→K^{-}K^{+} and D^{0}→π^{-}π^{+} decays is reported, using pp collision data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 5.9 fb^{-1} collected at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV with the LHCb detector. The flavor of the charm meson is inferred from the charge of the pion in D^{*}(2010)^{+}→D^{0}π^{+} decays or from the charge of the muon in B[over ¯]→D^{0}μ^{-}ν[over ¯]_{μ}X decays.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFA narrow pentaquark state, P_{c}(4312)^{+}, decaying to J/ψp, is discovered with a statistical significance of 7.3σ in a data sample of Λ_{b}^{0}→J/ψpK^{-} decays, which is an order of magnitude larger than that previously analyzed by the LHCb Collaboration. The P_{c}(4450)^{+} pentaquark structure formerly reported by LHCb is confirmed and observed to consist of two narrow overlapping peaks, P_{c}(4440)^{+} and P_{c}(4457)^{+}, where the statistical significance of this two-peak interpretation is 5.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThis pilot study examines the applicability of osteometric models for addressing commingled remains, which were originally developed for dry specimens, on 3-Dimensional bony elements in relation to a modern cadaveric population. A total of 70 bony elements (humeri, radii, ulnae, femora, tibiae and fibulae) were segmented and virtually reconstructed from cadaveric whole-body CT scans. Linear measurements were taken (using MeshLab v.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe first observation of the decays B_{(s)}^{0}→J/ψpp[over ¯] is reported, using proton-proton collision data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 5.2 fb^{-1}, collected with the LHCb detector. These decays are suppressed due to limited available phase space, as well as due to Okubo-Zweig-Iizuka or Cabibbo suppression.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFA measurement of the ratio of branching fractions of the decays B^{+}→K^{+}μ^{+}μ^{-} and B^{+}→K^{+}e^{+}e^{-} is presented. The proton-proton collision data used correspond to an integrated luminosity of 5.0 fb^{-1} recorded with the LHCb experiment at center-of-mass energies of 7, 8, and 13 TeV.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFA search for charge-parity (CP) violation in Cabibbo-suppressed D_{s}^{+}→K_{S}^{0}π^{+}, D^{+}→K_{S}^{0}K^{+}, and D^{+}→ϕπ^{+} decays is reported using proton-proton collision data, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 3.8 fb^{-1}, collected at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV with the LHCb detector. High-yield samples of kinematically and topologically similar Cabibbo-favored D_{(s)}^{+} decays are analyzed to subtract nuisance asymmetries due to production and detection effects, including those induced by CP violation in the neutral kaon system.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose: To evaluate whether 5 × 5 mm dental implants with a novel nanostructured calcium-incorporated titanium surface could be an alternative to implants at least 10-mm long placed in bone augmented with bone substitutes in posterior atrophic jaws.
Materials And Methods: Forty patients with atrophic posterior (premolar and molar areas) mandibles having 5- to 7-mm bone height above the mandibular canal, and 40 patients with atrophic maxillae having 4- to 6-mm bone height below the maxillary sinus, were randomised according to a parallel-group design to receive one to three 5-mm implants or one to three at least 10-mm long implants in augmented bone at two centres. All implants had a diameter of 5 mm.
Objective: To describe the use of pharmacologic treatment in critically ill children treated according to a delirium protocol and compare those treated with antipsychotics to those treated non-pharmacologically.
Methods>: The study included a retrospective matched cohort describing patients who were pharmacologically treated for delirium compared to those with delirium but not treated in a PICU from December 2013 to September 2015, using a delirium management protocol. Patients were matched by age, sex, diagnosis, mechanical ventilation (MV), and presence of delirium.
Retinal gene therapy with adeno-associated viral (AAV) vectors holds promises for treating inherited and noninherited diseases of the eye. Although clinical data suggest that retinal gene therapy is safe and effective, delivery of large genes is hindered by the limited AAV cargo capacity. Protein trans-splicing mediated by split inteins is used by single-cell organisms to reconstitute proteins.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe original and second editions of the California Verbal Learning Test (CVLT) used nonparametric and parametric methods, respectively, to assess Total Recognition Discriminability (RD). In a previous study, we found evidence that the nonparametric formula may be more sensitive than the parametric formula to high false positive (FP) rates and provide more accurate assessments of yes/no recognition in neurodegenerative populations prone to high FP rates, including Alzheimer's disease (AD). In the present study, we extended our investigation to examine the utility of CVLT-3 nonparametric and parametric Total RD indices in the assessment and comparison of yes/no recognition in individuals with Huntington's disease (HD) and AD in mild and moderate stages of dementia.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAn angular analysis of B^{0}→J/ψK^{+}π^{-} decays is performed, using proton-proton collision data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 3 fb^{-1} collected with the LHCb detector. The m(K^{+}π^{-}) spectrum is divided into fine bins. In each m(K^{+}π^{-}) bin, the hypothesis that the three-dimensional angular distribution can be described by structures induced only by K^{*} resonances is examined, making minimal assumptions about the K^{+}π^{-} system.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe first observation of two structures consistent with resonances in the final states Λ_{b}^{0}π^{-} and Λ_{b}^{0}π^{+} is reported using samples of pp collision data collected by the LHCb experiment at sqrt[s]=7 and 8 TeV, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 3 fb^{-1}. The ground states Σ_{b}^{±} and Σ_{b}^{*±} are also confirmed and their masses and widths are precisely measured.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFA measurement of the charm-mixing parameter y_{CP} using D^{0}→K^{+}K^{-}, D^{0}→π^{+}π^{-}, and D^{0}→K^{-}π^{+} decays is reported. The D^{0} mesons are required to originate from semimuonic decays of B^{-} and B[over ¯]^{0} mesons. These decays are partially reconstructed in a data set of proton-proton collisions at center-of-mass energies of 7 and 8 TeV collected with the LHCb experiment and corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 3 fb^{-1}.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe first measurement of heavy-flavor production by the LHCb experiment in its fixed-target mode is presented. The production of J/ψ and D^{0} mesons is studied with beams of protons of different energies colliding with gaseous targets of helium and argon with nucleon-nucleon center-of-mass energies of sqrt[s_{NN}]=86.6 and 110.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPolyvinylidene difluoride (PVDF) mixed matrix membranes loaded with inorganic TiO₂ nanoparticles have received increasing attention in the last few years as self-cleaning membranes for possible application in wastewater treatment and seawater filtration. These novel membranes show increased hydrophilicity, stability and catalytic activity under UV-A irradiation. In this work, PVDF-TiO₂ hollow fibers were prepared by employing new strategies for enhancing the stability of the TiO₂ dispersion, reducing particle agglomeration and improving their distribution.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCrime scene investigation should be carried out using a critical forensic approach by an expert team. This provides essential tools in the research and collection of evidence and samples which must be integrated with the autopsy and the police officers' investigations. This paper aims to highlight the importance of a multidisciplinary approach to crime scene investigation and describes a very interesting criminal case.
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