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We report the first measurements of absolute branching fractions for the W -exchange-only processes + c → 0K + and + c → (1530)0K + with the double-tag technique, by analyzing an e+e− collision data sample, that corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 567 pb−1 collected at a center-of-mass energy of 4.6 GeV by the BESIII detector. The branching fractions are measured to be B(+c → 0K +) = (5.90 ± 0.86 ± 0.39) × 10−3 and B(+c → (1530)0K +) = (5.02 ± 0.99 ± 0.31) × 10−3, where the first uncertainties are statistical and the second systematic. Our results are more precise than the previous relative measurements.
Using 2.93 fb−1 of 𝑒+𝑒− annihilation data collected at a center-of-mass energy √𝑠=3.773 GeV with the BESIII detector operating at the BEPCII collider, we search for the semileptonic 𝐷0(+) decays into a 𝑏1(1235)−(0) axial-vector meson for the first time. No significant signal is observed for either charge combination. The upper limits on the product branching fractions are ℬ𝐷0→𝑏1(1235)−𝑒+𝜈𝑒·ℬ𝑏1(1235) −→ 𝜔𝜋−<1.12×10−4 and ℬ𝐷+→𝑏1(1235)0𝑒+𝜈𝑒·ℬ𝑏1(1235)0→𝜔𝜋0<1.75×10−4 at the 90% confidence level.
Using a data sample of (1.0087±0.0044)×1010 𝐽/𝜓 decay events collected with the BESIII detector at the center-of-mass energy of √𝑠=3.097 GeV, we present a search for the hyperon semileptonic decay Ξ0→Σ−𝑒+𝜈𝑒 which violates the Δ𝑆=Δ𝑄 rule. No significant signal is observed, and the upper limit on the branching fraction ℬ(Ξ0→Σ−𝑒+𝜈𝑒) is determined to be 1.6×10−4 at the 90% confidence level. This result improves the previous upper limit result by about one order of magnitude.
Utilizing the data set corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 3.19 fb−1 collected by the BESIII detector at a center-of-mass energy of 4.178 GeV, we perform an amplitude analysis of the 𝐷+
𝑠→𝜋+𝜋−𝜋+ decay. The sample contains 13,797 candidates with a signal purity of ∼80%. The amplitude and phase of the contributing 𝜋𝜋 𝒮 wave are measured based on a quasi-model-independent approach, along with the amplitudes and phases of the 𝒫 and 𝒟 waves parametrized by Breit-Wigner models. The fit fractions of different intermediate decay channels are also reported.
Using data samples with an integrated luminosity of 19 fb−1 at twenty-eight center-of-mass energies from 3.872 GeV to 4.700 GeV collected with the BESIII detector at the BEPCII electron-positron collider, the process e+e− → ηπ+π− and the intermediate process e+e− → ηρ0 are studied for the first time. The Born cross sections are measured. No significant resonance structure is observed in the cross section lineshape.
We report a measurement of the cross section for the process e+e−→π+π−J/ψ around the X(3872) mass in search for the direct formation of e+e−→X(3872) through the two-photon fusion process. No enhancement of the cross section is observed at the X(3872) peak and an upper limit on the product of electronic width and branching fraction of X(3872)→π+π−J/ψ is determined to be Γee×B(X(3872)→π+π−J/ψ)<7.5×10−3eV at 90% confidence level under an assumption of total width of 1.19±0.21 MeV. This is an improvement of a factor of about 17 compared to the previous limit. Furthermore, using the latest result of B(X(3872)→π+π−J/ψ), an upper limit on the electronic width Γee of X(3872) is obtained to be <0.32eV at the 90% confidence level.
The archaeal ATP synthase is a multisubunit complex that consists of a catalytic A(1) part and a transmembrane, ion translocation domain A(0). The A(1)A(0) complex from the hyperthermophile Pyrococcus furiosus was isolated. Mass analysis of the complex by laser-induced liquid bead ion desorption (LILBID) indicated a size of 730 +/- 10 kDa. A three-dimensional map was generated by electron microscopy from negatively stained images. The map at a resolution of 2.3 nm shows the A(1) and A(0) domain, connected by a central stalk and two peripheral stalks, one of which is connected to A(0), and both connected to A(1) via prominent knobs. X-ray structures of subunits from related proteins were fitted to the map. On the basis of the fitting and the LILBID analysis, a structural model is presented with the stoichiometry A(3)B(3)CDE(2)FH(2)ac(10).
The properties of compact stars and in particular the existence of twin star solutions are investigated within an effective model that is constrained by lattice QCD thermodynamics. The model is modified at large baryon densities to incorporate a large variety of scenarios of first order phase transitions to a phase of deconfined quarks. This is achieved by matching two different variants of the bag model equation of state, in order to estimate the role of the Bag model parameters on the appearance of a second family of neutron stars. The produced sequences of neutron stars are compared with modern constrains on stellar masses, radii, and tidal deformability from astrophysical observations and gravitational wave analyses. It is found that those scenarios in our analysis, in which a third family of stars appeared due to the deconfinement transition, are disfavored from astrophysical constraints.
The thermodynamic properties of the interacting particle–antiparticle boson system at high temperatures and densities were investigated within the framework of scalar and thermodynamic mean-field models. We assume isospin (charge) density conservation in the system. The equations of state and thermodynamic functions are determined after solving the self-consistent equations. We study the relationship between attractive and repulsive forces in the system and the influence of these interactions on the thermodynamic properties of the bosonic system, especially on the development of the Bose–Einstein condensate. It is shown that under “weak” attraction, the boson system has a phase transition of the second order, which occurs every time the dependence of the particle density crosses the critical curve or even touches it. It was found that with a “strong” attractive interaction, the system forms a Bose condensate during a phase transition of the first order, and, despite the finite value of the isospin density, these condensate states are characterized by a zero chemical potential. That is, such condensate states cannot be described by the grand canonical ensemble since the chemical potential is involved in the conditions of condensate formation, so it cannot be a free variable when the system is in the condensate phase.
An independent Taiwanese lineage of powdery mildew on the endemic host species Koelreuteria henryi
(2024)
Background: Powdery mildews (Erysiphaceae, Ascomycota) are common plant disease agents and also cause stress for forest and fruit trees worldwide as well as in Taiwan. The powdery mildew Erysiphe bulbouncinula on Koelreuteria host trees was considered an endemic species in China. While in China the host was K. paniculata and only the teleomorph stage found, the anamorph and the teleomorph were both recorded for the host in Taiwan, K. henryi. We aimed to clarify the relationship of the powdery mildews recorded under E. bulbouncinula with an apparently disjunct distribution.
Results: Specimens of powdery mildew on K. henryi from Taiwan were characterized based on the anamorph morphology and DNA sequences. They revealed a new record of Sawadaea koelreuteriae for this host species and Taiwan and a new species of Erysiphe, E. formosana, sister to E. bulbouncinula from China.
Conclusions: In Erysiphe on Koelreuteria hosts, speciation of plant parasitic fungi seems to be correlated with disjunct host and geographic distribution possibly shaped by extinction of potential host species which are known only as fossils. Two of the three extant East Asian species of Koelreuteria are now known as hosts of specific Erysiphe species. We may predict a further not yet discovered Erysiphe species on the third East Asian species, K. bipinnata, in South and Southwest China. In the speciation in Sawadaea, the extinction events in Koelreuteria can be excluded from being involved.
Purpose: The stomachs and spiral valves of sharks and rays were examined for their trypanorhynch (Cestoda) parasite fauna and dietary items to infer feeding ecology. In Indonesia, sharks and rays have been experiencing increasing awareness and conservation in the recent years due to high fisheries activities and to avoid future species extinction.
Methods: The samples were collected in 2009 from two different sampling sites at the southern coasts of Java and Bali in Indonesia. The parasite fauna was studied for 41 elasmobranch fishes. Amongst these, three shark species, Carcharhinus sorrah, Carcharhinus sp. I and Squalus megalops and seven ray species, Brevitrygon heterura, B. cf. heterura, Gymnura zonura, Maculabatis gerrardi, Mobula kuhlii, Neotrygon cauruleopuncatata and Rhinobatos penggali were studied. Four additional specimens, belonging to the shark species Carcharhinus sp. II and Mustelus cf. manazo and the ray species Maculabatis gerrardi were studied from the waters of South Bali.
Results: Analyses of the feeding ecology of the ray M. gerrardi revealed distinct differences between both sampling sites, indicating the presence of ecological differences between the geographically independent regions. A total of 11 different trypanorhynch species/taxa belonging to the five families Eutetrarhynchidae (5), Gilquiniidae (1), Lacistorhynchidae (1), Pterobothriidae (1) and Tentaculariidae (3) were found. Ten trypanorhynch species from Penyu Bay and four species from South Bali could be identified. Two taxa that might represent new species were collected: Dollfusiella sp. from Brevitrygon heterura and Prochristianella sp. from Maculabatis gerrardi.
Conclusions: The present paper gives insights in using the trypanorhynch cestode community in combination with feeding ecology analyses to support conservation of elasmobranchs in Indonesian waters.
One like all? Behavioral response range of native and invasive amphipods to neonicotinoid exposure
(2024)
Highlights
• Short-time neonicotinoid exposure causes behavioral responses in non-target species.
• Environmentally relevant concentrations can induce changes in invertebrate behavior.
• Different baseline activity of ecological similar crustacean amphipods.
• Species respond specifically to thiacloprid exposure.
• Acantocephalan infection affects locomotion of intermediate host Gammarus roeselii.
Abstract
Native and invasive species often occupy similar ecological niches and environments where they face comparable risks from chemical exposure. Sometimes, invasive species are phylogenetically related to native species, e.g. they may come from the same family and have potentially similar sensitivities to environmental stressors due to phylogenetic conservatism and ecological similarity. However, empirical studies that aim to understand the nuanced impacts of chemicals on the full range of closely related species are rare, yet they would help to comprehend patterns of current biodiversity loss and species turnover. Behavioral sublethal endpoints are of increasing ecotoxicological interest. Therefore, we investigated behavioral responses (i.e., change in movement behavior) of the four dominant amphipod species in the Rhine-Main area (central Germany) when exposed to the neonicotinoid thiacloprid. Moreover, beyond species-specific behavioral responses, ecological interactions (e.g. parasitation with Acanthocephala) play a crucial role in shaping behavior, and we have considered these infections in our analysis. Our findings revealed distinct baseline behaviors and species-specific responses to thiacloprid exposure. Notably, Gammarus fossarum exhibited biphasic behavioral changes with hyperactivity at low concentrations that decreased at higher concentrations. Whereas Gammarus pulex, Gammarus roeselii and the invasive species Dikerogammarus villosus, showed no or weaker behavioral responses. This may partly explain why G. fossarum disappears in chemically polluted regions while the other species persist there to a certain degree. But it also shows that potential pre-exposure in the habitat may influence behavioral responses of the other amphipod species, because habituation occurs, and potential hyperactivity would be harmful to individuals in the habitat. The observed responses were further influenced by acanthocephalan parasites, which altered baseline behavior in G. roeselii and enhanced the behavioral response to thiacloprid exposure. Our results underscore the intricate and diverse nature of responses among closely related amphipod species, highlighting their unique vulnerabilities in anthropogenically impacted freshwater ecosystems.
Highlights
• The higher the extinction risk, the fewer exposure-effect data are available.
• Lack of studies in the Southern Hemisphere shows a spatial bias in the literature.
• Commonly studied pollutants are persistent organic pollutants, metals, pesticides.
• Pollution-effect studies focus on molecular and cellular levels.
• In silico and in vitro approaches aid in assessing in vivo effects.
Abstract
Marine mammals, due to their long life span, key position in the food web, and large lipid deposits, often face significant health risks from accumulating contaminants. This systematic review examines published literature on pollutant-induced adverse health effects in the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) red-listed marine mammal species. Thereby, identifying gaps in literature across different extinction risk categories, spatial distribution and climatic zones of studied habitats, commonly used methodologies, researched pollutants, and mechanisms from cellular to population levels. Our findings reveal a lower availability of exposure-effect data for higher extinction risk species (critically endangered 16%, endangered 15%, vulnerable 66%), highlighting the need for more research. For many threatened species in the Southern Hemisphere pollutant-effect relationships are not established. Non-destructively sampled tissues, like blood or skin, are commonly measured for exposure assessment. The most studied pollutants are POPs (31%), metals (30%), and pesticides (17%). Research on mixture toxicity is scarce while pollution-effect studies primarily focus on molecular and cellular levels. Bridging the gap between molecular data and higher-level effects is crucial, with computational approaches offering a high potential through in vitro to in vivo extrapolation using (toxico-)kinetic modelling. This could aid in population-level risk assessment for threatened marine mammals.
Beside mosquitoes, ticks are well-known vectors of different human pathogens. In the Northern Hemisphere, Lyme borreliosis (Eurasia, LB) or Lyme disease (North America, LD) is the most commonly occurring vector-borne infectious disease caused by bacteria of the genus Borrelia which are transmitted by hard ticks of the genus Ixodes. The reported incidence of LB in Europe is about 22.6 cases per 100,000 inhabitants annually with a broad range depending on the geographical area analyzed. However, the epidemiological data are largely incomplete, because LB is not notifiable in all European countries. Furthermore, not only differ reporting procedures between countries, there is also variation in case definitions and diagnostic procedures. Lyme borreliosis is caused by several species of the Borrelia (B.) burgdorferi sensu lato (s.l.) complex which are maintained in complex networks including ixodid ticks and different reservoir hosts. Vector and host influence each other and are affected by multiple factors including climate that have a major impact on their habitats and ecology. To classify factors that influence the risk of transmission of B. burgdorferi s.l. to their different vertebrate hosts as well as to humans, we briefly summarize the current knowledge about the pathogens including their astonishing ability to overcome various host immune responses, regarding the main vector in Europe Ixodes ricinus, and the disease caused by borreliae. The research shows, that a higher standardization of case definition, diagnostic procedures, and standardized, long-term surveillance systems across Europe is necessary to improve clinical and epidemiological data.
Highlights
• Stomach content analyses, parasitological and fecal examinations were performed on 73 raccoon dogs from Germany.
• 9 ecto- and 11 endoparasitic species could be identified of which 6 endoparasitic species have a human pathogenic potential.
• Stomach content was composed of one-third vegetable and two-thirds animal components.
• Invasive alien species can have negative impact on native animal species and can act as a carrier of various parasites.
Abstract
Originally from Asia, the raccoon dog Nyctereutes procyonoides is an invasive alien species in Europe, listed since 2019 on the List of invasive alien species of Union concern. The raccoon dog is considered to have negative impact on native biodiversity, as well as a crucial role in hosting and transmitting diverse parasites and pathogens of human and veterinary importance. In the present study, stomach content analyses and parasitological examinations were performed on 73 raccoon dogs from Germany. In addition, fecal samples were analyzed. The results of the study confirm the assumption that the examined raccoon dogs were infested with a various ecto- and endoparasite fauna. A total of 9 ecto- and 11 endoparasites were detected, with 6 of the endoparasites having human pathogenic potential. Trichodectes canis (P = 53.42%), Toxocara canis (P = 50.68%) and Uncinaria stenocephala (P = 68.49%) were the most abundant parasite species. The stomach contents consisted of approximately one-third vegetable and two-thirds animal components, composed of various species of amphibians, fish, insects, mammals and birds. Among them were specially protected or endangered species such as the grass frog Rana temporaria. The study shows that the raccoon dog exerts predation pressure on native species due to its omnivorous diet and, as a carrier of various parasites, poses a potential risk of infection to wild, domestic and farm animals and humans.
Evidence of predation pressure on sensitive species by raccoons based on parasitological studies
(2024)
Highlights
• Parasitological analyses were carried out on 108 free-ranging raccoons in Germany.
• Three endoparasite species were newly discovered, alongside 13 parasites already known.
• A high prevalence of the pathogenic nematode Baylisascaris procyonis was identified.
• Uncovering endoparasites provides insights into predation events from the past.
• Stomach contents show serious negative impact of raccoons on native amphibians.
Abstract
To demonstrate predation and potential impacts of raccoons on various species, a total of 108 raccoons from aquatic-associated nature reserves and natural areas in three federal states of Germany, Hesse (n = 36), Saxony-Anhalt (n = 36) and Brandenburg (n = 36), were investigated from a dietary ecological perspective in the present study. Fecal analyses and stomach content examinations were conducted for this purpose. Additionally, as a supplementary method for analyzing the dietary spectrum of raccoons, the parasite fauna was considered, as metazoan parasites, in particular, can serve as indicators for the species and origin of food organisms. While stomach content analyses allow for a detailed recording of trophic relationships solely at the time of sampling, parasitological examinations enable inferences about more distant interaction processes. With their different developmental stages and heteroxenous life cycles involving specific, sometimes obligate, intermediate hosts, they utilize the food web to reach their definitive host. The results of this study clearly demonstrate that spawning areas of amphibians and reptiles were predominantly utilized as food resources by raccoons in the study areas. Thus, common toad (Bufo bufo), common newt (Lissotriton vulgaris), grass frog (Rana temporaria), and grass snake (Natrix natrix) were identified as food organisms for raccoons. The detection of the parasite species Euryhelmis squamula, Isthmiophora melis, and Physocephalus sexalatus with partially high infestation rates also suggests that both amphibians and reptiles belong to the established dietary components of raccoons from an ecological perspective, as amphibians and reptiles are obligate intermediate hosts in the respective parasitic life cycles of the detected parasites. The study clearly demonstrates that raccoons have a significant impact on occurrence-sensitive animal species in certain areas and, as an invasive species, can exert a negative influence on native species and ecosystems.
Highlights
• 234 raccoons were dissected, 23 parasite species could be detected.
• 14 new parasite species have been identified for raccoons in Europe.
• Compared to literature, a very high prevalence (95%) of B. procyonis was detected.
• The human pathogenic trematode P. muris was detected in raccoons for the first time.
Abstract
The invasive raccoon (Procyon lotor) is an abundant carnivore and considered as an important potential vector of infectious diseases and parasites in Europe. Raccoons show a broad, opportunistic, omnivorous food spectrum. Food supply and habitat quality in urban areas are very attractive for the generalist raccoon. This inevitably leads to increased interaction with humans, domestic animals and livestock, making the raccoon a potentially suitable zoonosis vector. In its autochthonous range, especially in the Eastern and Midwestern United States, the raccoon has been studied very intensively since the beginning of the 20th century. Whereas, basic field biology and parasitology studies in Germany and Europe are lacking and have only been conducted sporadically, regionally and on small sample sizes. In the presented study 234 raccoons from central Germany were comprehensively examined for their metazoan parasite fauna. The present study shows for the first time an extremely diverse parasite fauna in raccoons outside their native range and proves their essential role as intermediate hosts and hosts for ecto- and endoparasites. A total of 23 different parasite species were identified, five of which are human pathogens, 14 of which are new for the parasite fauna of raccoons in Europe. The human pathogenic raccoon roundworm Baylisascaris procyonis is the most common parasite species in this study, with a prevalence of up to 95%. The digenetic trematode Plagiorchis muris, another human pathogenic parasite species, was detected for the first time in raccoons. The ongoing spread of invasive carnivores and the associated spread and transmission of their parasites and other pathogens increases the potential health risk of wild and farmed animals as well as humans. An increase in parasitic diseases in humans (e.g. raccoon roundworm) is to be expected, especially in urban areas, where raccoons are becoming more and more abundant.
Highlights
• Floating ability facilitates water dispersal.
• Hydrochorous seed dispersal is more effective than wind dispersal.
• Storage in water induced germination rate.
Abstract
In many Central European countries Fraxinus pennsylvanica is an invasive species that spreads rapidly in floodplain forests. The aim of this study was to analyse anemochorous and hydrochorous dispersal distances and to compare the findings with dispersal data for the native Fraxinus excelsior. A simulation revealed that wind dispersal distances are similar for both species, reaching to 120–250 m. By contrast, the mean floating time (50% floating samaras) measured in an experiment was 2 days in the case of F. pennsylvanica and 0.5 days for F. excelsior. This high floating ability facilitates water dispersal over several kilometres in both species, but for the invasive species the modelled mean dispersal distance was 3.7 times higher. A germination test of F. pennsylvanica seeds revealed that the rate, onset and speed of germination increase with the duration of the inundation. After a maximum storage time in water of about 15 days the germination rate amounts to 78%, which was higher than the germination rate of seeds without storage in water (53%). We also found that regeneration was enhanced in flooded areas. Hydrochory, therefore, may be viewed as an important factor explaining the successful invasion of F. pennsylvanica in floodplain forests in Central Europe.
Seed dispersal is hard to measure, and there is still a lack of knowledge about dispersal-related traits of plant species. Therefore, we developed D3, the Dispersal and Diaspore Database (available at
www.seed-dispersal.info), which aims at simplifying ecological and evolutionary analyses by providing and integrating various items related to seed dispersal: empirical studies, functional traits, image analyses and ranking indices (quantifying the adaptation to dispersal modes).
Currently, the database includes data for more than 5000 taxa and 33 items as well as digital images of diaspores (i.e. the dispersal units), seeds, fruits and infructescences. The included items cover common traits like diaspore mass, size, shape, terminal velocity and seed number per diaspore. Furthermore, we present newly or further developed items like ecomorphological categorizations of the diaspore and fruit as well as information from literature on prevailing dispersal modes. Finally, we introduce several items which are not covered in other databases yet: surface structure and form of the diaspore, the exposure of the diaspores in the infructescence and dispersal rankings. Dispersal rankings allow estimations of how well certain species are adapted to a specific dispersal mode in comparison to a larger species set. They are calculated as the percentile rank of an indicator of species’ dispersal potential in relation to a larger species set.
Especially for the new and further developed items we outline the basic concepts in detail, describe the measurement and categorization methods and show how to interpret and integrate these data for single species as well as for larger species sets. Thereby, we calculate baseline statistics of seed dispersal of the Central European flora. We found that diaspores of 72% of the taxa show specializations related to long-distance dispersal, i.e. most often elongated appendages or nutrient-rich tissues. Diaspore masses, sizes and terminal velocities vary over several orders of magnitude and can be approximated by lognormal distributions.
The raccoon is listed among the invasive alien species of EU concern requiring management actions. Projections of its global distribution have been mainly based on climatic variables so far. In this study, we aim to address the impact of land cover (LC) on the raccoon distribution in North America and Europe. First, we identified the LC types in which the observation sites are predominantly located to derive preferred LC types. Second, we used an ecological niche modelling (ENM) approach to evaluate the predictive power of climatic and LC information on the current distribution patterns of raccoons in both ranges. Raccoons seem to be more often associated to forested areas and mixed landscapes, including cropland and urban areas, but underrepresented in vegetation-poor areas, with patterns largely coinciding in both ranges. In order to compare the predictive power of climate variables and land cover variables, we conducted principal component analyses of all variables in the respective variable sets (climate variables and land cover variables) and used all PC variables that together explain 90% of the total variance in the respective set as predictors. Land cover only models resulted in patchy patterns in the projected habitat suitabilities and showed a higher performance compared to the climate only models in both ranges. In Europe, the land cover habitat suitability seems to exceed the current observed occurrences, which could indicate a further spread potential of the raccoon in Europe. We conclude that information on land cover types are important drivers, which explain well the spatial patterns of the raccoon. Consideration of land cover could benefit efforts to control invasive carnivores and contribute to better management of biodiversity, but also human and animal health.
A modification of the Einstein–Hilbert theory, the Covariant Canonical Gauge Gravity (CCGG), leads to a cosmological constant that represents the energy of the space–time continuum when deformed from its (A)dS ground state to a flat geometry. CCGG is based on the canonical transformation theory in the De Donder–Weyl (DW) Hamiltonian formulation. That framework modifies the Einstein–Hilbert Lagrangian of the free gravitational field by a quadratic Riemann–Cartan concomitant. The theory predicts a total energy-momentum of the system of space–time and matter to vanish, in line with the conjecture of a “Zero-Energy-Universe” going back to Lorentz (1916) and Levi-Civita (1917). Consequently, a flat geometry can only exist in presence of matter where the bulk vacuum energy of matter, regardless of its value, is eliminated by the vacuum energy of space–time. The observed cosmological constant Λobs is found to be merely a small correction attributable to deviations from a flat geometry and effects of complex dynamical geometry of space–time, namely torsion and possibly also vacuum fluctuations. That quadratic extension of General Relativity, anticipated already in 1918 by Einstein, thus provides a significant and natural contribution to resolving the “cosmological constant problem”.
This short paper gives a brief overview of the manifestly covariant canonical gauge gravity (CCGG) that is rooted in the De Donder-Weyl Hamiltonian formulation of relativistic field theories, and the proven methodology of the canonical transformation theory. That framework derives, from a few basic physical and mathematical assumptions, equations describing generic matter and gravity dynamics with the spin connection emerging as a Yang Mills-type gauge field. While the interaction of any matter field with spacetime is fixed just by the transformation property of that field, a concrete gravity ansatz is introduced by the choice of the free (kinetic) gravity Hamiltonian. The key elements of this approach are discussed and its implications for particle dynamics and cosmology are presented. New insights: Anomalous Pauli coupling of spinors to curvature and torsion of spacetime, spacetime with (A)dS ground state, inertia, torsion and geometrical vacuum energy, Zero-energy balance of the Universe leading to a vanishing cosmological constant and torsional dark energy.
An extension to the Einstein–Cartan (EC) action is discussed in terms of cosmological solutions. The torsion incorporated in the EC Lagrangian is assumed to be totally anti-symmetric, represented by a time-like axial vector Sμ. The dynamics of torsion is invoked by a novel kinetic term. Here we show that this kinetic term gives rise to dark energy, while the quadratic torsion term, emanating from the EC part, represents a stiff fluid that leads to a bouncing cosmology solution. A constraint on the bouncing solution is calculated using cosmological data from different epochs.
A partial-wave analysis of the decay 𝐽/𝜓→𝐾+𝐾−𝜋0 has been made using (223.7±1.4)×106 𝐽/𝜓 events collected with the BESIII detector in 2009. The analysis, which is performed within the isobar-model approach, reveals contributions from 𝐾*2(1430)±, 𝐾*2(1980)± and 𝐾*4(2045)± decaying to 𝐾±𝜋0. The two latter states are observed in 𝐽/𝜓 decays for the first time. Two resonance signals decaying to 𝐾+𝐾− are also observed. These contributions cannot be reliably identified and their possible interpretations are discussed. The measured branching fraction 𝐵(𝐽/𝜓→𝐾+𝐾−𝜋0) of (2.88±0.01±0.12)×10−3 is more precise than previous results. Branching fractions for the reported contributions are presented as well. The results of the partial-wave analysis differ significantly from those previously obtained by BESII and BABAR.
We study the hadronic decays of Λ+c to the final states Σ+η and Σ+η′, using an e+e− annihilation data sample of 567 pb−1 taken at a center-of-mass energy of 4.6 GeV with the BESIII detector at the BEPCII collider. We find evidence for the decays Λ+c→Σ+η and Σ+η′ with statistical significance of 2.5σ and 3.2σ, respectively. Normalizing to the reference decays Λ+c→Σ+π0 and Σ+ω, we obtain the ratios of the branching fractions B(Λ+c→Σ+η)B(Λ+c→Σ+π0) and B(Λ+c→Σ+η′)B(Λ+c→Σ+ω) to be 0.35±0.16±0.03 and 0.86±0.34±0.07, respectively. The upper limits at the 90\% confidence level are set to be B(Λ+c→Σ+η)B(Λ+c→Σ+π0)<0.58 and B(Λ+c→Σ+η′)B(Λ+c→Σ+ω)<1.2. Using BESIII measurements of the branching fractions of the reference decays, we determine B(Λ+c→Σ+η)=(0.41±0.19±0.05)% (<0.68%) and B(Λ+c→Σ+η′)=(1.34±0.53±0.21)% (<1.9%). Here, the first uncertainties are statistical and the second systematic. The obtained branching fraction of Λ+c→Σ+η is consistent with the previous measurement, and the branching fraction of Λ+c→Σ+η′ is measured for the first time.
Neutron star mergers (NSMs) are one of the astrophysical sites for the occurrence of the rapid neutron capture process (r-process). After a merger, the ejected neutron-rich matter hosts the production of radioactive heavy nuclei located far from the stability valley. Their nuclear physics properties are key inputs for r-process nucleosynthesis calculations. Here, we focus on the importance of neutron-capture rates and perform a sensitivity study for typical outflows from NSMs. We identify the rates with the highest impact on the final r-process abundance pattern and the nuclear energy release, therefore determining the nucleosynthesis in NSMs. A list of major n-capture rates affecting individual isotopes and elements production is also provided.
The sympathetic nervous system (SNS) is a major regulatory mediator connecting the brain and the immune system that influences accordingly inflammatory processes within the entire body. In the periphery, the SNS exerts its effects mainly via its neurotransmitters norepinephrine (NE) and epinephrine (E), which are released by peripheral nerve endings in lymphatic organs and other tissues. Depending on their concentration, NE and E bind to specific α- and β-adrenergic receptor subtypes and can cause both pro- and anti-inflammatory cellular responses. The co-transmitter neuropeptide Y, adenosine triphosphate, or its metabolite adenosine are also mediators of the SNS. Local pro-inflammatory processes due to injury or pathogens lead to an activation of the SNS, which in turn induces several immunoregulatory mechanisms with either pro- or anti-inflammatory effects depending on neurotransmitter concentration or pathological context. In chronic inflammatory diseases, the activity of the SNS is persistently elevated and can trigger detrimental pathological processes. Recently, the sympathetic contribution to mild chronic inflammatory diseases like osteoarthritis (OA) has attracted growing interest. OA is a whole-joint disease and is characterized by mild chronic inflammation in the joint. In this narrative article, we summarize the underlying mechanisms behind the sympathetic influence on inflammation during OA pathogenesis. In addition, OA comorbidities also accompanied by mild chronic inflammation, such as hypertension, obesity, diabetes, and depression, will be reviewed. Finally, the potential of SNS-based therapeutic options for the treatment of OA will be discussed.
The dynamics of the torsion field is analyzed in the framework of the Covariant Canonical Gauge Theory of Gravity (CCGG), a De Donder–Weyl Hamiltonian formulation of gauge gravity. The action is quadratic in both, the torsion and the Riemann–Cartan tensor. Since the latter adds the derivative of torsion to the equations of motion, torsion is no longer identical to spin density, as in the Einstein–Cartan theory, but an additional propagating degree of freedom. As torsion turns out to be totally anti-symmetric, it can be parametrised via a single axial vector. It is shown in this paper that, in the weak torsion limit, the axial vector obeys a wave equation with an effective mass term which is partially dependent on the scalar curvature. The source of torsion is thereby given by the fermion axial current which is the net fermionic spin density of the system. Possible measurable effects and approaches to experimental analysis are addressed. For example, neutron star mergers could act as a dipoles or quadrupoles for torsional radiation, and an analysis of radiation of pulsars could lead to a detection of torsion wave background radiation.
We introduce a Cannings model with directional selection via a paintbox construction and establish a strong duality with the line counting process of a new Cannings ancestral selection graph in discrete time. This duality also yields a formula for the fixation probability of the beneficial type. Haldane’s formula states that for a single selectively advantageous individual in a population of haploid individuals of size N the probability of fixation is asymptotically (as N→∞) equal to the selective advantage of haploids sN divided by half of the offspring variance. For a class of offspring distributions within Kingman attraction we prove this asymptotics for sequences sN obeying N−1≪sN≪N−1/2, which is a regime of “moderately weak selection”. It turns out that for sN≪N−2/3 the Cannings ancestral selection graph is so close to the ancestral selection graph of a Moran model that a suitable coupling argument allows to play the problem back asymptotically to the fixation probability in the Moran model, which can be computed explicitly.
Highlights
• Reduced evoked theta activity in the deaf.
• Reduced theta-gamma and alpha-gamma cross-frequency couplings in the deaf.
• Stronger delta-alpha coupling in the deaf.
Abstract
Neurons within a neuronal network can be grouped by bottom-up and top-down influences using synchrony in neuronal oscillations. This creates the representation of perceptual objects from sensory features. Oscillatory activity can be differentiated into stimulus-phase-locked (evoked) and non-phase-locked (induced). The former is mainly determined by sensory input, the latter by higher-level (cortical) processing. Effects of auditory deprivation on cortical oscillations have been studied in congenitally deaf cats (CDCs) using cochlear implant (CI) stimulation. CI-induced alpha, beta, and gamma activity were compromised in the auditory cortex of CDCs. Furthermore, top-down information flow between secondary and primary auditory areas in hearing cats, conveyed by induced alpha oscillations, was lost in CDCs. Here we used the matching pursuit algorithm to assess components of such oscillatory activity in local field potentials recorded in primary field A1. Additionally to the loss of induced alpha oscillations, we also found a loss of evoked theta activity in CDCs. The loss of theta and alpha activity in CDCs can be directly related to reduced high-frequency (gamma-band) activity due to cross-frequency coupling. Here we quantified such cross-frequency coupling in adult 1) hearing-experienced, acoustically stimulated cats (aHCs), 2) hearing-experienced cats following acute pharmacological deafening and subsequent CIs, thus in electrically stimulated cats (eHCs), and 3) electrically stimulated CDCs. We found significant cross-frequency coupling in all animal groups in > 70% of auditory-responsive sites. The predominant coupling in aHCs and eHCs was between theta/alpha phase and gamma power. In CDCs such coupling was lost and replaced by alpha oscillations coupling to delta/theta phase. Thus, alpha/theta oscillations synchronize high-frequency gamma activity only in hearing-experienced cats. The absence of induced alpha and theta oscillations contributes to the loss of induced gamma power in CDCs, thereby signifying impaired local network activity.
Libra — a global virtual currency project initiated by Facebook — has been the subject of many controversial discussions since its announcement in June 2019. This paper provides a differentiated view on Libra, recognising that different development scenarios of Libra are conceivable. Libra could serve purely as an alternative payment system in combination with a dedicated payment token, the Libra coin. Alternatively, the Libra project could develop into a broader financial infrastructure for advanced financial services such as savings and loan products operating on the Libra Blockchain. Based on a comparison of the Libra architecture with other cryptocurrencies, the opportunities and challenges for the development of the respective Libra ecosystems are investigated from a commercial, regulatory and monetary policy perspective.
The importance of agile methods has increased in recent years, not only to manage IT projects but also to establish flexible and adaptive organisational structures, which are essential to deal with disruptive changes and build successful digital business strategies. This paper takes an industry-specific perspective by analysing the dissemination, objectives and relative popularity of agile frameworks in the German banking sector. The data provides insights into expectations and experiences associated with agile methods and indicates possible implementation hurdles and success factors. Our research provides the first comprehensive analysis of agile methods in the German banking sector. The comparison with a selected number of fintechs has revealed some differences between banks and fintechs. We found that almost all banks and fintechs apply agile methods in IT projects. However, fintechs have relatively more experience with agile methods than banks and use them more intensively. Scrum is the most relevant framework used in practice. Scaled agile frameworks are so far negligible in the German banking sector. Acceleration of projects is apparently the most important objective of deploying agile methods. In addition, agile methods can contribute to cost savings and lead to improved quality and innovation performance, though for banks it is evidently more challenging to reach their respective targets than for fintechs. Overall our findings suggest that German banks are still in a maturing process of becoming more agile and that there is room for an accelerated adoption of agile methods in general and scaled agile frameworks in particular.
The financial sector plays an important role in financing the green transformation. Various regulatory initiatives in the EU aim to improve transparency in relation to the sustainability of financial products and the sustainability of economic activities of non-financial and financial undertakings. For credit institutions, the Green Asset Ratio (GAR) has been established by the European regulatory authorities as a key performance indicator (KPI) for measuring the proportion of Taxonomy-aligned on-balance-sheet exposure in relation to the total assets. The breakdown of the total GAR by type of counterparty, environmental objective and type of asset provides in-depth information about the sustainability profile of a credit institution. This information, which has not been available to date, may also initiate discussions between management and shareholders or other stakeholders regarding the future sustainability strategy of credit institutions. This paper provides an overview of the regulatory background and the method of calculating the GAR along different dimensions. Finally, the potential benefits and limitations of the GAR are discussed.
Advances in distributed ledger technology are leading to a growing decentralisation of financial services (“decentralised finance”) that can be offered largely without intermediation by financial institutions. An important driver for this development is the ongoing tokenisation of assets, payments and rights, which enables the digital encryption of “crypto assets” on distributed ledgers. This article elaborates the foundations and fields of application of decentralised financial services with crypto assets that could challenge the established business models of financial institutions. This trend not only affects payment systems based on controversial crypto currencies such as Bitcoin, but also exchange platforms, capital markets solutions and corporate financing. A rapidly growing ecosystem of start-ups, tech companies and financial institutions is emerging, yet this ecosystem lacks a consistent regulatory framework. The European initiative MiCA (Markets in Crypto Assets) points in the right direction but needs to be adopted soon to ensure the future competitiveness of the European financial sector.
The financial sector plays an important role in supporting the green transformation of the European economy. A critical assessment of the current regulatory framework for sustainable finance in Europe leads to ambiguous results. Although the level of transparency on environmental, social and governance aspects of financial products has improved significantly, it is questionable whether the complex, mainly disclosure-oriented architecture is sufficient to mobilise more private capital into sustainable investments. It should be discussed whether a minimum taxonomy ratio or Green Asset Ratio has to be fulfilled to market a financial product as “green”. Furthermore, because of the high complexity of the regulation, it could be helpful for private investors to establish a simplified green rating, based on the taxonomy ratio, to facilitate the selection of green financial products.
With a notional amount outstanding of more than USD 500 trillion, the market for OTC derivatives is of vital importance for global financial stability. A growing proportion of these contracts are cleared via central counterparties (CCPs), which means that CCPs are gaining in importance as critical financial market infrastructures. At the same time, there is growing concern that a new „too big to fail" problem could arise, as the CCP industry is highly concentrated due to economies of scale. From a European perspective, it should be noted that the clearing of euro-denominated OTC derivatives mainly takes place in London, hence outside the EU in the foreseeable future. For some time there has been a controversial discussion as to whether this can remain the case post Brexit. CCPs, which clear a significant proportion of euro OTC derivatives and are systemically relevant from an EU perspective, should be subject to direct supervision by EU authorities and should be established in the EU. This would represent an important building block for a future Capital Markets Union in Europe, as regulatory or supervisory arbitrage in favour of systemically important third-country CCPs could be prevented. In addition, if a systemically relevant CCP handling a considerable portion of the euro OTC derivatives business were to run into serious difficulties, this may impact ECB monetary policy. This applies both to demand for central bank money and to the transmission of monetary policy measures, which can be significantly impaired, particularly in the event that the repo market or payment systems are disrupted. It is therefore essential for the ECB to be closely involved in the supervision of CCPs. Against this background, the draft amendment of EMIR (European Market Infrastructure Regulation) presented on 13 June 2017 is a step in the right direction. In addition, there is an urgent need to introduce a recovery and resolution mechanism for CCPs in the EU to complement the existing single resolution mechanism (SRM) for banks in the eurozone. Only then can the diverse interdependencies between banks and CCPs be adequately taken into account in the recovery and resolution programmes required in a financial crisis.
We analyze the experimental data on nuclei and hypernuclei yields recently obtained by the STAR collaboration. The hybrid dynamical and statistical approaches which have been developed previously are able to describe the experimental data reasonably. We discuss the intriguing difference between the yields of normal nuclei and hypernuclei which may be related to the properties of hypermatter at subnuclear densities. New (hyper)nuclei could be detected via particle correlations. Such measurements are important to pin down the production mechanism.
We report on new measurements of Cabibbo-suppressed semileptonic D+s decays using 3.19 fb−1 of e+e− annihilation data sample collected at a center-of-mass energy of 4.178~GeV with the BESIII detector at the BEPCII collider. Our results include branching fractions B(D+s→K0e+νe)=(3.25±0.38(stat.)±0.16(syst.))×10−3 and B(D+s→K∗0e+νe)=(2.37±0.26(stat.)±0.20(syst.))×10−3 which are much improved relative to previous measurements, and the first measurements of the hadronic form-factor parameters for these decays. For D+s→K0e+νe, we obtain f+(0)=0.720±0.084(stat.)±0.013(syst.), and for D+s→K∗0e+νe, we find form-factor ratios rV=V(0)/A1(0)=1.67±0.34(stat.)±0.16(syst.) and r2=A2(0)/A1(0)=0.77±0.28(stat.)±0.07(syst.).
he process e+e−→pK0Sn¯K−+c.c. and its intermediate processes are studied for the first time, using data samples collected with the BESIII detector at BEPCII at center-of-mass energies of 3.773, 4.008, 4.226, 4.258, 4.358, 4.416, and 4.600 GeV, with a total integrated luminosity of 7.4 fb−1. The Born cross section of e+e−→pK0Sn¯K−+c.c. is measured at each center-of-mass energy, but no significant resonant structure in the measured cross-section line shape between 3.773 and 4.600 GeV is observed. No evident structure is detected in the pK−, nK0S, pK0S, nK+, pn¯, or K0SK− invariant mass distributions except for Λ(1520). The Born cross sections of e+e−→Λ(1520)n¯K0S+c.c. and e+e−→Λ(1520)p¯K++c.c. are measured, and the 90\% confidence level upper limits on the Born cross sections of e+e−→Λ(1520)Λ¯(1520) are determined at the seven center-of-mass energies.
An amplitude analysis of the 𝐾𝑆𝐾𝑆 system produced in radiative 𝐽/𝜓 decays is performed using the (1310.6±7.0)×106 𝐽/𝜓 decays collected by the BESIII detector. Two approaches are presented. A mass-dependent analysis is performed by parametrizing the 𝐾𝑆𝐾𝑆 invariant mass spectrum as a sum of Breit-Wigner line shapes. Additionally, a mass-independent analysis is performed to extract a piecewise function that describes the dynamics of the 𝐾𝑆𝐾𝑆 system while making minimal assumptions about the properties and number of poles in the amplitude. The dominant amplitudes in the mass-dependent analysis include the 𝑓0(1710), 𝑓0(2200), and 𝑓′2(1525). The mass-independent results, which are made available as input for further studies, are consistent with those of the mass-dependent analysis and are useful for a systematic study of hadronic interactions. The branching fraction of radiative 𝐽/𝜓 decays to 𝐾𝑆𝐾𝑆 is measured to be (8.1±0.4)×10−4, where the uncertainty is systematic and the statistical uncertainty is negligible.
Using an 𝑒+𝑒− collision data sample with a total integrated luminosity of 3.19 fb−1 collected with the BESIII detector at a center-of-mass energy of 4.178 GeV, the branching fraction of the inclusive decay of the 𝐷+𝑠 meson to final states including at least three charged pions is measured for the first time to be ℬ(𝐷+𝑠→𝜋+𝜋+𝜋−𝑋)=(32.81±0.35stat±0.63syst)%. In this measurement the charged pions from 𝐾0𝑆 meson decays are excluded. The partial branching fractions of 𝐷+𝑠→𝜋+𝜋+𝜋−𝑋 are also measured as a function of the 𝜋+𝜋+𝜋− invariant mass.
The process 𝑒+𝑒−→Σ+¯Σ− is studied from threshold up to 3.04 GeV/𝑐2 via the initial-state radiation technique using data with an integrated luminosity of 12.0 fb−1, collected at center-of-mass energies between 3.773 and 4.258 GeV with the BESIII detector at the BEPCII collider. The pair production cross sections and the effective form factors of Σ are measured in eleven Σ+¯Σ− invariant mass intervals from threshold to 3.04 GeV/𝑐2. The results are consistent with the previous results from Belle and BESIII. Furthermore, the branching fractions of the decays 𝐽/𝜓→Σ+¯Σ− and 𝜓(3686)→Σ+¯Σ− are determined and the obtained results are consistent with the previous results of BESIII.
The differential cross section for 𝑍0 production, measured as a function of the boson’s transverse momentum (𝑝T), provides important constraints on the evolution of the transverse momentum dependent parton distribution functions (TMDs). The transverse single spin asymmetry (TSSA) of the 𝑍0 is sensitive to one of the polarized TMDs, the Sivers function, which is predicted to have the opposite sign in 𝑝 + 𝑝 → 𝑊 ∕𝑍 + 𝑋 from that which enters in semi-inclusive deep inelastic scattering. In this Letter, the STAR Collaboration reports the first measurement of the 𝑍0∕𝛾∗ differential cross section as a function of its 𝑝T in 𝑝+𝑝 collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 510 GeV, together with the 𝑍0∕𝛾∗ total cross section. We also report the measurement of 𝑍0∕𝛾∗ TSSA in transversely polarized 𝑝+𝑝 collisions at 510 GeV.
Graph4Med: a web application and a graph database for visualizing and analyzing medical databases
(2022)
Background: Medical databases normally contain large amounts of data in a variety of forms. Although they grant significant insights into diagnosis and treatment, implementing data exploration into current medical databases is challenging since these are often based on a relational schema and cannot be used to easily extract information for cohort analysis and visualization. As a consequence, valuable information regarding cohort distribution or patient similarity may be missed. With the rapid advancement of biomedical technologies, new forms of data from methods such as Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) or chromosome microarray (array CGH) are constantly being generated; hence it can be expected that the amount and complexity of medical data will rise and bring relational database systems to a limit.
Description: We present Graph4Med, a web application that relies on a graph database obtained by transforming a relational database. Graph4Med provides a straightforward visualization and analysis of a selected patient cohort. Our use case is a database of pediatric Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL). Along routine patients’ health records it also contains results of latest technologies such as NGS data. We developed a suitable graph data schema to convert the relational data into a graph data structure and store it in Neo4j. We used NeoDash to build a dashboard for querying and displaying patients’ cohort analysis. This way our tool (1) quickly displays the overview of patients’ cohort information such as distributions of gender, age, mutations (fusions), diagnosis; (2) provides mutation (fusion) based similarity search and display in a maneuverable graph; (3) generates an interactive graph of any selected patient and facilitates the identification of interesting patterns among patients.
Conclusion: We demonstrate the feasibility and advantages of a graph database for storing and querying medical databases. Our dashboard allows a fast and interactive analysis and visualization of complex medical data. It is especially useful for patients similarity search based on mutations (fusions), of which vast amounts of data have been generated by NGS in recent years. It can discover relationships and patterns in patients cohorts that are normally hard to grasp. Expanding Graph4Med to more medical databases will bring novel insights into diagnostic and research.
Monitoring woody cover by remote sensing is considered a key methodology towards sustainable management of trees in dryland forests. However, while modern very high resolution satellite (VHRS) sensors allow woodland mapping at the individual tree level, the historical perspective is often hindered by lack of appropriate image data. In this first study employing the newly accessible historical HEXAGON KH-9 stereo-panoramic camera images for environmental research, we propose their use for mapping trees in open-canopy conditions. The 2–4 feet resolution panchromatic HEXAGON satellite photographs were taken 1971–1986 within the American reconnaissance programs that are better known to the scientific community for their lower-resolution CORONA images. Our aim is to evaluate the potential of combining historical CORONA and HEXAGON with recent WorldView VHRS imagery for retrospective woodland change mapping on the tree level. We mapped all trees on 30 1-ha test sites in open-canopy argan woodlands in Morocco in the field and from the VHRS imagery for estimating changes of tree density and size between 1967/1972 and 2018. Prior to image interpretation, we used simulations based on unmanned aerial system (UAS) imagery for exemplarily examining the role of illumination, viewing geometry and image resolution on the appearance of trees and their shadows in the historical panchromatic images. We show that understanding these parameters is imperative for correct detection and size-estimation of tree crowns. Our results confirm that tree maps derived solely from VHRS image analysis generally underestimate the number of small trees and trees in clumped-canopy groups. Nevertheless, HEXAGON images compare remarkably well with WorldView images and have much higher tree-mapping potential than CORONA. By classifying the trees in three sizes, we were able to measure tree-cover changes on an ordinal scale. Although we found no clear trend of forest degradation or recovery, our argan forest sites show varying patterns of change, which are further analysed in Part B of our study. We conclude that the HEXAGON stereo-panoramic camera images, of which 670,000 worldwide will soon be available, open exciting opportunities for retrospective monitoring of trees in open-canopy conditions and other woody vegetation patterns back into the 1980s and 1970s.
Climate forecasts show that in many regions the temporal distribution of precipitation events will become less predictable. Root traits may play key roles in dealing with changes in precipitation predictability, but their functional plastic responses, including transgenerational processes, are scarcely known. We investigated root trait plasticity of Papaver rhoeas with respect to higher versus lower intra-seasonal and inter-seasonal precipitation predictability (i.e., the degree of temporal autocorrelation among precipitation events) during a four-year outdoor multi-generation experiment. We first tested how the simulated predictability regimes affected intra-generational plasticity of root traits and allocation strategies of the ancestors, and investigated the selective forces acting on them. Second, we exposed three descendant generations to the same predictability regime experienced by their mothers or to a different one. We then investigated whether high inter-generational predictability causes root trait differentiation, whether transgenerational root plasticity existed and whether it was affected by the different predictability treatments. We found that the number of secondary roots, root biomass and root allocation strategies of ancestors were affected by changes in precipitation predictability, in line with intra-generational plasticity. Lower predictability induced a root response, possibly reflecting a fast-acquisitive strategy that increases water absorbance from shallow soil layers. Ancestors’ root traits were generally under selection, and the predictability treatments did neither affect the strength nor the direction of selection. Transgenerational effects were detected in root biomass and root weight ratio (RWR). In presence of lower predictability, descendants significantly reduced RWR compared to ancestors, leading to an increase in performance. This points to a change in root allocation in order to maintain or increase the descendants’ fitness. Moreover, transgenerational plasticity existed in maximum rooting depth and root biomass, and the less predictable treatment promoted the lowest coefficient of variation among descendants’ treatments in five out of six root traits. This shows that the level of maternal predictability determines the variation in the descendants’ responses, and suggests that lower phenotypic plasticity evolves in less predictable environments. Overall, our findings show that roots are functional plastic traits that rapidly respond to differences in precipitation predictability, and that the plasticity and adaptation of root traits may crucially determine how climate change will affect plants.
In recent decades, a rapid range expansion of the golden jackal (Canis aureus) towards Northern and Western Europe has been observed. The golden jackal is a medium-sized canid, with a broad and flexible diet. Almost 200 different parasite species have been reported worldwide from C. aureus, including many parasites that are shared with dogs and cats and parasite species of public health concern. As parasites may follow the range shifts of their host, the range expansion of the golden jackal could be accompanied by changes in the parasite fauna in the new ecosystems. In the new distribution area, the golden jackal could affect ecosystem equilibrium, e.g., through changed competition situations or predation pressure. In a niche modeling approach, we project the future climatic habitat suitability of the golden jackal in Europe in the context of whether climatic changes promote range expansion. We use an ensemble forecast based on six presence-absence algorithms to estimate the climatic suitability of C. aureus for different time periods up to the year 2100 considering different IPCC scenarios on future development. As predictor variables, we used six bioclimatic variables provided by worldclim. Our results clearly indicate that areas with climatic conditions analogous to those of the current core distribution area of the golden jackal in Europe will strongly expand towards the north and the west in future decades. Thus, the observed range expansion may be favored by climate change. The occurrence of stable populations can be expected in Central Europe. With regard to biodiversity and public health concerns, the population and range dynamics of the golden jackal should be surveyed. Correlative niche models provide a useful and frequently applied tool for this purpose. The results can help to make monitoring more efficient by identifying areas with suitable habitat and thus a higher probability of occurrence.
Background: The assessment of therapeutic adherence and competence is essential to understand mechanisms that contribute to treatment outcome. Nevertheless, their assessment is often neglected in psychotherapy research.
Aims/Objective: To develop an adherence and a treatment-specific competence rating scale for Dialectical Behaviour Therapy for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (DBT-PTSD), and to examine their psychometric properties. Global cognitive behavioural therapeutic competence and disorder-specific therapeutic competence were assessed using already existing scales to confirm their psychometric properties in our sample of patients with PTSD and emotion regulation difficulties.
Method: Two rating scales were developed using an inductive procedure. 155 videotaped therapy sessions from a multicenter randomised controlled trial were rated by trained raters using these scales, 40 randomly chosen videotapes involving eleven therapists and fourteen patients were doubly rated by two raters.
Results: Both the adherence scale (Patient-level ICC = .98; αs = .65; αp = .75) and the treatment-specific competence scale (Patient-level ICC = .98; αs = .78; αp = .82) for DBT-PTSD showed excellent interrater – and good reliability on the patient level. Content validity, including relevance and appropriateness of all items, was confirmed by experts in DBT-PTSD for the new treatment-specific competence scale.
Conclusion: Our results indicate that both scales are reliable instruments. They will be useful to examine possible effects of adherence and treatment-specific competence on DBT-PTSD treatment outcome.
Measurement of inclusive charged-particle jet production in Au + Au collisions at √sNN=200 GeV
(2020)
The STAR Collaboration at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider reports the first measurement of inclusive jet production in peripheral and central Au+Au collisions at √𝑠𝑁𝑁=200 GeV. Jets are reconstructed with the anti-𝑘𝑇 algorithm using charged tracks with pseudorapidity |𝜂|<1.0 and transverse momentum 0.2<𝑝ch
𝑇,jet<30 GeV/𝑐, with jet resolution parameter 𝑅=0.2, 0.3, and 0.4. The large background yield uncorrelated with the jet signal is observed to be dominated by statistical phase space, consistent with a previous coincidence measurement. This background is suppressed by requiring a high-transverse-momentum (high-𝑝𝑇) leading hadron in accepted jet candidates. The bias imposed by this requirement is assessed, and the 𝑝𝑇 region in which the bias is small is identified. Inclusive charged-particle jet distributions are reported in peripheral and central Au+Au collisions for 5<𝑝ch
𝑇,jet<25 GeV/𝑐 and 5<𝑝ch
𝑇,jet<30 GeV/𝑐, respectively. The charged-particle jet inclusive yield is suppressed for central Au+Au collisions, compared to both the peripheral Au+Au yield from this measurement and to the 𝑝𝑝 yield calculated using the PYTHIA event generator. The magnitude of the suppression is consistent with that of inclusive hadron production at high 𝑝𝑇 and that of semi-inclusive recoil jet yield when expressed in terms of energy loss due to medium-induced energy transport. Comparison of inclusive charged-particle jet yields for different values of 𝑅 exhibits no significant evidence for medium-induced broadening of the transverse jet profile for 𝑅 <0.4 in central Au+Au collisions. The measured distributions are consistent with theoretical model calculations that incorporate jet quenching.
The STAR Collaboration reports measurements of the transverse single-spin asymmetry (TSSA) of inclusive 𝜋0 at center-of-mass energies (√𝑠) of 200 GeV and 500 GeV in transversely polarized proton-proton collisions in the pseudo-rapidity region 2.7 to 4.0. The results at the two different energies show a continuous increase of the TSSA with Feynman-𝑥, and, when compared to previous measurements, no dependence on √𝑠 from 19.4 GeV to 500 GeV is found. To investigate the underlying physics leading to this large TSSA, different topologies have been studied. 𝜋0 with no nearby particles tend to have a higher TSSA than inclusive 𝜋0. The TSSA for inclusive electromagnetic jets, sensitive to the Sivers effect in the initial state, is substantially smaller, but shows the same behavior as the inclusive 𝜋0 asymmetry as a function of Feynman-𝑥. To investigate final-state effects, the Collins asymmetry of 𝜋0 inside electromagnetic jets has been measured. The Collins asymmetry is analyzed for its dependence on the 𝜋0 momentum transverse to the jet thrust axis and its dependence on the fraction of jet energy carried by the 𝜋0. The asymmetry was found to be small in each case for both center-of-mass energies. All the measurements are compared to QCD-based theoretical calculations for transverse-momentum-dependent parton distribution functions and fragmentation functions. Some discrepancies are found, which indicates new mechanisms might be involved.
In response to pathogen infection, gasdermin (GSDM) proteins form membrane pores that induce a host cell death process called pyroptosis1–3. Studies of human and mouse GSDM pores reveal the functions and architectures of 24–33 protomers assemblies4–9, but the mechanism and evolutionary origin of membrane targeting and GSDM pore formation remain unknown. Here we determine a structure of a bacterial GSDM (bGSDM) pore and define a conserved mechanism of pore assembly. Engineering a panel of bGSDMs for site-specific proteolytic activation, we demonstrate that diverse bGSDMs form distinct pore sizes that range from smaller mammalian-like assemblies to exceptionally large pores containing >50 protomers. We determine a 3.3 Å cryo-EM structure of a Vitiosangium bGSDM in an active slinky-like oligomeric conformation and analyze bGSDM pores in a native lipid environment to create an atomic-level model of a full 52-mer bGSDM pore. Combining our structural analysis with molecular dynamics simulations and cellular assays, our results support a stepwise model of GSDM pore assembly and suggest that a covalently bound palmitoyl can leave a hydrophobic sheath and insert into the membrane before formation of the membrane-spanning β-strand regions. These results reveal the diversity of GSDM pores found in nature and explain the function of an ancient post-translational modification in enabling programmed host cell death.
Background: Alternative splicing is a key regulatory mechanism in eukaryotic cells and increases the effective number of functionally distinct gene products. Using bulk RNA sequencing, splicing variation has been studied across human tissues and in genetically diverse populations. This has identified disease-relevant splicing events, as well as associations between splicing and genomic features, including sequence composition and conservation. However, variability in splicing between single cells from the same tissue or cell type and its determinants remains poorly understood.
Results: We applied parallel DNA methylation and transcriptome sequencing to differentiating human induced pluripotent stem cells to characterize splicing variation (exon skipping) and its determinants. Our results show that variation in single-cell splicing can be accurately predicted based on local sequence composition and genomic features. We observe moderate but consistent contributions from local DNA methylation profiles to splicing variation across cells. A combined model that is built based on genomic features as well as DNA methylation information accurately predicts different splicing modes of individual cassette exons. These categories include the conventional inclusion and exclusion patterns, but also more subtle modes of cell-to-cell variation in splicing. Finally, we identified and characterized associations between DNA methylation and splicing changes during cell differentiation.
Conclusions: Our study yields new insights into alternative splicing at the single-cell level and reveals a previously underappreciated link between DNA methylation variation and splicing.
Predator-prey interactions are vital for organismal survival. They shape anti-predator mechanisms and often depend on sensory abilities. Tadpoles use chemical cues, such as injury cues (alarm cues), to assess predation risks and modify their life-history, morphology, and behaviours accordingly. However, the prevalence of chemically mediated anti-predator responses in species with distinct ecological niches (e.g. within phytotelmata) remains unknown, hindering our understanding of the ecological significance and evolution of alarm substances. Therefore, our study aimed to investigate chemically mediated anti-predator responses in tadpoles of two Neotropical poison dart frogs, Ranitomeya sirensis and Epipedobates anthonyi (and compare their responses to two Palearctic model organisms, Rana temporaria and Bufo bufo, which are known to utilise alarm substances). Through behavioural bioassays, we exposed predator-naïve tadpoles to extracts of each species (i.e. con- and heterospecific cues), including water as a control (i.e. five treatments per species). We assessed changes in their activity before and after stimulus introduction. Our results show that E. anthonyi did not respond to any of the stimuli, whereas R. sirensis displayed increased activity levels exclusively in response to conspecific cues, but not to heterospecific cues. With this, our findings suggest a specialized recognition system in R. sirensis, potentially directed at conspecific competitors but likely unrelated to anti-predator mechanisms. In contrast, E. anthonyi may be insensitive to injury cues or utilize alternative sensory modalities to respond to acute predation events. This study sheds light on the chemical alarm response system of Neotropical poison dart frog tadpoles, providing foundational understanding of how dendrobatids react to injury cues. It prompts questions about the ecological significance and evolutionary implications of chemical communication in species facing extreme resource limitation during development and underscores the importance of comparative research for understanding chemical communication in diverse aquatic ecosystems.
Purpose: To evaluate intermediate and long-term visual outcomes and safety of a phakic intraocular posterior chamber lens with a central hole (ICL V4c) for myopic eyes.
Methods: Retrospective, consecutive case study of patients that uneventfully received a ICL V4c for myopia correction, with a 5-year postoperative follow-up. Department of Ophthalmology, Goethe University Frankfurt, Germany.
Results: From 241 eyes that underwent ICL implantation, we included 45 eyes with a mean age at surgery of 33 years ± 6 (18–48 years), with a 5 years follow-up. CDVA improved from 0.05logMAR ± 0.15 CDVA preoperatively to − 0.00 ± 0,07 at 5 years and did not change significantly from 3 to 5 years’ time (p = 0.266). The mean spherical equivalent (SE) improved from -10.13D ± 3.39 to − 0.45D ± 0.69. The change in endothelial cell count showed a mean decrease of 1.9% per year throughout the follow-up. Safety and efficacy index were 1.16 and 0.78, respectively. Cataract formation was seen in 2 of 241 eyes (0.8%), but in none of the 45 eyes that finished the 5-year follow-up.
Conclusions: Our data show a good intermediate and long-term stability, efficiency, and safety of ICL V4c phakic lenses in myopic eyes comparable to other known literature.
The category of abelian varieties over Fq is shown to be anti-equivalent to a category of Z-lattices that are modules for a non-commutative pro-ring of endomorphisms of a suitably chosen direct system of abelian varieties over Fq. On full subcategories cut out by a finite set w of conjugacy classes of Weil q-numbers, the anti-equivalence is represented by what we call w-locally projective abelian varieties.
We consider ground state solutions u ∈ H2(RN) of biharmonic (fourth-order) nonlinear Schrodinger equations of the form ¨2u + 2au + bu − |u| p−2u = 0 in RN with positive constants a, b > 0 and exponents 2 < p < 2∗, where 2∗ = 2N N−4 if N > 4 and 2∗ = ∞ if N ≤ 4. By exploiting a connection to the adjoint Stein–Tomas inequality on the unit sphere and by using trial functions due to Knapp, we prove a general symmetry breaking result by showing that all ground states u ∈ H2(RN) in dimension N ≥ 2 fail to be radially symmetric for all exponents 2 < p < 2N+2 N−1 in a suitable regime of a, b > 0. As applications of our main result, we also prove symmetry breaking for a minimization problem with constrained L2-mass and for a related problem on the unit ball in RN subject to Dirichlet boundary conditions.
ABC transporters are found in all organisms and almost every cellular compartment. They mediate the transport of various solutes across membranes, energized by ATP binding and hydrolysis. Dysfunctions can result in severe diseases, such as cystic fibrosis or antibiotic resistance. In type IV ABC transporters, each of the two nucleotide-binding domains is connected to a transmembrane domain by two coupling helices, which are part of cytosolic loops. Although there are many structural snapshots of different conformations, the interdomain communication is still enigmatic. Therefore, we analyzed the function of three conserved, charged residues in the intra-cytosolic loop 1 of the human homodimeric, lysosomal peptide transporter TAPL. Substitution of D278 in coupling helix 1 by alanine interrupted peptide transport by impeding ATP hydrolysis. Alanine substitution of R288 and D292, both localized next to the coupling helix 1 extending to transmembrane helix 3, reduced peptide transport but increased basal ATPase activity. Surprisingly, the ATPase activity of the R288A variant dropped in a peptide-dependent manner while ATPase activity of wildtype and D292A was unaffected. Interestingly, R288A and D292A mutants did not differentiate between ATP and GTP in respect of hydrolysis. However, in contrast to wildtype TAPL, only ATP energized peptide transport. In sum, D278 seems to be involved in bidirectional interdomain communication mediated by network of polar interactions while the two residues in the cytosolic extension of TMH3 are involved in regulation of ATP hydrolysis, most likely by stabilization of the outward facing conformation.
The article discusses the University Library Frankfurt am Main’s current exhibition focusing on the background of and the systematic search for looted assets in the library holdings as part of a wider provenance research project. It offers an overview of various topical areas reaching from initial changes in 1933 to raids throughout Europe by Nazi organisations and restitution procedures during the post-war period. The scope and first findings of the provenance research project will also be addressed.
By analyzing 𝑒+𝑒− annihilation data with an integrated luminosity of 2.93 fb−1 collected at the center-of-mass energy √𝑠=3.773 GeV with the BESIII detector, we present the first absolute measurements of the branching fractions of twenty Cabibbo-suppressed hadronic 𝐷0(+) decays involving multiple pions. The highest four branching fractions obtained are ℬ(𝐷0→𝜋+𝜋−𝜋0) = (1.343±0.013stat±0.016syst)%, ℬ(𝐷0→𝜋+𝜋−2𝜋0) = (1.002±0.019stat±0.024syst)%, ℬ(𝐷+→2𝜋+𝜋−𝜋0) = (1.165±0.021stat±0.021syst)%, and ℬ(𝐷+→2𝜋+𝜋−2𝜋0) = (1.074±0.040stat±0.030syst)%. The 𝐶𝑃 asymmetries for the six decays with highest signal yields are also determined and found to be compatible with zero.
Using a sample of (448.1±2.9)×106 𝜓(3686) decays collected with the BESIII detector at BEPCII, we report an observation of Ξ− transverse polarization with a significance of 7.3𝜎 in the decay 𝜓(3686)→Ξ− ¯Ξ+ (Ξ−→Λ𝜋−, ¯Ξ+→¯Λ𝜋+, Λ→𝑝𝜋−, ¯Λ→¯𝑝𝜋+). The relative phase of the electric and magnetic form factors is determined to be ΔΦ=(0.667±0.111±0.058) rad. This is the first measurement of the relative phase for a 𝜓(3686) decay into a pair of Ξ−¯Ξ+ hyperons. The Ξ− decay parameters (𝛼Ξ−, 𝜙Ξ−) and their conjugates (𝛼¯Ξ+, 𝜙¯Ξ+), the angular-distribution parameter 𝛼𝜓, and the strong-phase difference 𝛿𝑝−𝛿𝑠 for Λ𝜋− scattering are measured to be consistent with previous BESIII results.
Luminosities and energies of e⁺e⁻ collision data taken between √s=4.61 GeV and 4.95 GeV at BESIII
(2022)
From December 2019 to June 2021, the BESIII experiment collected about 5.85 fb−1 of data at center-of-mass energies between 4.61 GeV and 4.95 GeV. This is the highest collision energy BEPCII has reached so far. The accumulated e+e− annihilation data samples are useful for studying charmonium(-like) states and charmed-hadron decays. By adopting a novel method of analyzing the production of Λ+cΛ¯−c pairs in e+e− annihilation, the center-of-mass energies are measured with a precision of ∼0.6 MeV. Integrated luminosities are measured with a precision of better than 1\% by analyzing the events of large-angle Bhabha scattering. These measurements provide important inputs to the analyses based on these data samples.
Ad blockers allow users to browse websites without viewing ads. Online news publishers that rely on advertising income tend to perceive users’ adoption of ad blockers purely as a threat to revenue. Yet, this perception ignores the possibility that avoiding ads—which users presumably dislike—may affect users’ online news consumption behavior in positive ways. Using 3.1 million visits from 79,856 registered users on a news website, this research finds that ad blocker adoption has robust positive effects on the quantity and variety of articles users consume. Specifically, ad blocker adoption increases the number of articles that users read by 21.0%–43.2%, and it increases the number of content categories that users consume by 13.4%–29.1%. These effects are stronger for less-experienced users of the website. The increase in news consumption stems from increases in repeat visits to the news website, rather than in the number of page impressions per visit. These postadoption visits tend to start from direct navigation to the news website, rather than from referral sources. The authors discuss how news publishers could benefit from these findings, including exploring revenue models that consider users’ desire to avoid ads.
A common element of market structure analysis is the spatial representation of firms’ competitive positions on maps. Such maps typically capture static snapshots in time. Yet, competitive positions tend to change. Embedded in such changes are firms’ trajectories, that is, the series of changes in firms’ positions over time relative to all other firms in a market. Identifying these trajectories contributes to market structure analysis by providing a forward-looking perspective on competition, revealing firms’ (re)positioning strategies and indicating strategy effectiveness. To unlock these insights, we propose EvoMap, a novel dynamic mapping framework that identifies firms’ trajectories from high-frequency and potentially noisy data. We validate EvoMap via extensive simulations and apply it empirically to study the trajectories of more than 1,000 publicly listed firms over 20 years. We find substantial changes in several firms’ positioning strategies, including Apple, Walmart, and Capital One. Because EvoMap accommodates a wide range of mapping methods, analysts can easily apply it in other empirical settings and to data from various sources.
Regulators worldwide have been implementing different privacy laws. They vary in their impact on the value for advertisers, publishers and users, but not much is known about these differences. This article focuses on three important privacy laws (i.e., General Data Protection Regulation [GDPR], California Consumer Privacy Act [CCPA] and Personal Information Protection Law [PIPL]) and compares their impact on the value for the three primary actors of the online advertising market, namely, advertisers, publishers and users. This article first compares these three privacy laws by developing a legal strictness score. It then uses the existing literature to derive the effects of the legal strictness of each privacy law on each actor’s value. Finally, it quantifies the three privacy laws’ impact on each actor’s value. The results show that GDPR and PIPL are similar and stricter than CCPA. Stricter privacy laws bring larger negative changes to the value for actors. As a result, both GDPR and PIPL decrease the actors’ value more substantially than CCPA. These value declines are the largest for publishers and are rather similar for users and advertisers. Scholars and practitioners can use our findings to explore ways to create value for multiple actors under various privacy laws.
For many services, consumers can choose among a range of optional tariffs that differ in their access and usage prices. Recent studies indicate that tariff-specific preferences may lead consumers to choose a tariff that does not minimize their expected billing rate. This study analyzes how tariff-specific preferences influence the responsiveness of consumers’ usage and tariff choice to changes in price. We show that consumer heterogeneity in tariff-specific preferences leads to heterogeneity in their sensitivity to price changes. Specifically, consumers with tariff-specific preferences are less sensitive to price increases of their preferred tariff than other consumers. Our results provide an additional reason why firms should offer multiple tariffs rather than a uniform nonlinear pricing plan to extract maximum consumer surplus.
Background: Prostate cancer is a major health concern in aging men. Paralleling an aging society, prostate cancer prevalence increases emphasizing the need for efcient diagnostic algorithms.
Methods: Retrospectively, 106 prostate tissue samples from 48 patients (mean age,
66 ± 6.6 years) were included in the study. Patients sufered from prostate cancer (n = 38) or benign prostatic hyperplasia (n = 10) and were treated with radical prostatectomy or Holmium laser enucleation of the prostate, respectively. We constructed tissue microarrays (TMAs) comprising representative malignant (n = 38) and benign (n = 68) tissue cores. TMAs were processed to histological slides, stained, digitized and assessed for the applicability of machine learning strategies and open–source tools in diagnosis of prostate cancer. We applied the software QuPath to extract features for shape, stain intensity, and texture of TMA cores for three stainings, H&E, ERG, and PIN-4. Three machine learning algorithms, neural network (NN), support vector machines (SVM), and random forest (RF), were trained and cross-validated with 100 Monte Carlo random splits into 70% training set and 30% test set. We determined AUC values for single color channels, with and without optimization of hyperparameters by exhaustive grid search. We applied recursive feature elimination to feature sets of multiple color transforms.
Results: Mean AUC was above 0.80. PIN-4 stainings yielded higher AUC than H&E and
ERG. For PIN-4 with the color transform saturation, NN, RF, and SVM revealed AUC of 0.93 ± 0.04, 0.91 ± 0.06, and 0.92 ± 0.05, respectively. Optimization of hyperparameters improved the AUC only slightly by 0.01. For H&E, feature selection resulted in no increase of AUC but to an increase of 0.02–0.06 for ERG and PIN-4.
Conclusions: Automated pipelines may be able to discriminate with high accuracy between malignant and benign tissue. We found PIN-4 staining best suited for classifcation. Further bioinformatic analysis of larger data sets would be crucial to evaluate the reliability of automated classifcation methods for clinical practice and to evaluate potential discrimination of aggressiveness of cancer to pave the way to automatic precision medicine.
Climate change affects ecosystems worldwide and is threatening biodiversity. Insects, as ectotherm organisms, are strongly dependent on the thermal environment. Yet, little is known about the effects of summer heat and drought on insect diversity. In the Mediterranean climate zone, a region strongly affected by climate change, hot summers might have severe effects on insect communities. Especially the larval stage might be sensitive to thermal variation, as larvae—compared to other life stages—cannot avoid hot temperatures and drought by dormancy. Here we ask, whether inter-annual fluctuations in Mediterranean moth diversity can be explained by temperature (TLarv) and precipitation during larval development (HLarv). To address our question, we analyzed moth communities of a Mediterranean coastal forest during the last 20 years. For species with summer-developing larvae, species richness was significantly negatively correlated with TLarv, while the community composition was affected by both, TLarv and HLarv. Therefore, summer-developing larvae seem particularly sensitive to climate change, as hot summers might exceed the larval temperature optima and drought reduces food plant quality. Increasing frequency and severity of temperature and drought extremes due to climate change, therefore, might amplify insect decline in the future.
This prospective study sought to evaluate potential savings of radiation dose to medical staff using real-time dosimetry coupled with visual radiation dose feedback during angiographic interventions. For this purpose, we analyzed a total of 214 angiographic examinations that consisted of chemoembolizations and several other types of therapeutic interventions. The Unfors RaySafe i2 dosimeter was worn by the interventionalist at chest height over the lead protection. A total of 110 interventions were performed with real-time radiation dosimetry allowing the interventionalist to react upon higher x-ray exposure and 104 examinations served as the comparative group without real-time radiation monitoring. By using the real-time display during interventions, the overall mean operator radiation dose decreased from 3.67 (IQR, 0.95–23.01) to 2.36 μSv (IQR, 0.52–12.66) (−36%; p = 0.032) at simultaneously reduced operator exposure time by 4.5 min (p = 0.071). Dividing interventions into chemoembolizations and other types of therapeutic interventions, radiation dose decreased from 1.31 (IQR, 0.46-3.62) to 0.95 μSv (IQR, 0.53-3.11) and from 24.39 (IQR, 12.14-63.0) to 10.37 μSv (IQR, 0.85-36.84), respectively, using live-screen dosimetry (p ≤ 0.005). Radiation dose reductions were also observed for the participating assistants, indicating that they could also benefit from real-time visual feedback dosimetry during interventions (−30%; p = 0.039). Integration of real-time dosimetry into clinical processes might be useful in reducing occupational radiation exposure time during angiographic interventions. The real-time visual feedback raised the awareness of interventionalists and their assistants to the potential danger of prolonged radiation exposure leading to the adoption of radiation-sparing practices. Therefore, it might create a safer environment for the medical staff by keeping the applied radiation exposure as low as possible.
Biodiversity patterns of marine crustaceans are still unknown in many locations or might have been overlooked due to our knowledge gaps, despite increasing sampling and data sharing efforts during the last decades. By analysing big data extracted from open portals such as Ocean Biodiversity Information System (OBIS) and Global Biodiversity Information System (GBIF), we aim to revisit the distribution and biodiversity patterns of the highly speciose and abundant Crustacea in the Northwest Pacific (NWP) from shallowest depths to the deep sea. This study focussed on selected benthic and pelagic crustacean (sub) classes and their species richness, sampling effort, and expected species richness (ES50) using equal/sized hexagonal cells, 5° latitudinal bands, 500 m depth intervals were analyzed. Crustacean species richness was highest in the tropical Philippines as well as around the Japanese islands. Pelagic crustacean species richness peaked at 30° latitude and declined beyond that. Benthic taxa; however, depicted high levels of species richness across most of the latitudinal gradient, reaching its highest point at 45° latitude. Due to the prevalence of certain crustacean orders in the deep sea, benthic species richness showed a distribution pattern with two distinct peaks across bathymetric gradients; with highest species richness recorded at shallow-water depths and also at abyssal depths. The most important environmental drivers of benthic and pelagic crustacean species richness were primary productivity (positive correlation) and salinity (negative correlation). Our study provides first insights into biodiversity patterns of the highly diverse Crustacea in the NWP and highlights strong differences between benthic and pelagic taxa. The results presented here could help us to better understand whether benthic or pelagic taxa might respond differently to climate changes in the NWP based on their distinct physiological and biological characteristics. This information is crucial in establishing species management strategies and ecosystem restorations in both shallow water and deep-sea environments.
The combination of histological and biomolecular analyses provides deep understanding of different biological processes and is of high interest for basic and applied research. However, the available analytical methods are still limited, especially when considering bone samples. This study compared different fixation media to identify a sufficient analytical method for the combination of histological, immuno-histological and biomolecular analyses of the same fixed, processed and paraffin embedded bone sample. Bone core biopsies of rats’ femurs were fixed in different media (RNAlater + formaldehyde (R + FFPE), methacarn (MFPE) or formaldehyde (FFPE)) for 1 week prior to decalcification by EDTA and further histological processing and paraffin embedding. Snap freezing (unfixed frozen tissue, UFT) and incubation in RNAlater were used as additional controls. After gaining the paraffin sections for histological and immunohistological analysis, the samples were deparaffined and RNA was isolated by a modified TRIZOL protocol. Subsequently, gene expression was evaluated using RT-qPCR. Comparable histo-morphological and immuno-histological results were evident in all paraffin embedded samples of MFPE, FFPE and R + FFPE. The isolated RNA in the group of MFPE showed a high concentration and high purity, which was comparable to the UFT and RNAlater groups. However, in the groups of FFPE and R + FFPE, the RNA quality and quantity were statistically significantly lower when compared to MFPE, UFT and RNAlater. RT-qPCR results showed a comparable outcome in the group of MFPE and UFT, whereas the groups of FFPE and R + FFPE did not result in a correctly amplified gene product. Sample fixation by means of methacarn is of high interest for clinical samples to allow a combination of histological, immunohistological and biomolecular analysis. The implementation of such evaluation method in clinical research may allow a deeper understanding of the processes of bone formation and regeneration.
Alternating acquisition of background and sample spectra is often employed in conventional Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy or ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy for accurate background subtraction. For example, for solvent background correction, typically a spectrum of a cuvette with solvent is measured and subtracted from a spectrum of a cuvette with solvent and solute. Ultrafast spectroscopies, though, come with many peculiarities that make the collection of well-matched, subtractable background and sample spectra challenging. Here, we present a demountable split-sample cell in combination with a modified Lissajous scanner to overcome these challenges. It allows for quasi-simultaneous measurements of background and sample spectra, mitigating the effects of drifts of the setup and maintaining the beam and sample geometry when swapping between background and sample measurements. The cell is moving between subsequent laser shots to refresh the excited sample volume. With less than 45 μl of solution for 150 μm optical thickness, sample usage is economical. Cell assembly is a key step and covered in an illustrated protocol.
Hepatic cells are sensitive to internal and external signals. Ethanol is one of the oldest and most widely used drugs in the world. The focus on the mechanistic engine of the alcohol-induced injury has been in the liver, which is responsible for the pathways of alcohol metabolism. Ethanol undergoes a phase I type of reaction, mainly catalyzed by the cytoplasmic enzyme, alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH), and by the microsomal ethanol-oxidizing system (MEOS). Reactive oxygen species (ROS) generated by cytochrome (CYP) 2E1 activity and MEOS contribute to ethanol-induced toxicity. We aimed to: (1) Describe the cellular, pathophysiological and clinical effects of alcohol misuse on the liver; (2) Select the biomarkers and analytical methods utilized by the clinical laboratory to assess alcohol exposure; (3) Provide therapeutic ideas to prevent/reduce alcohol-induced liver injury; (4) Provide up-to-date knowledge regarding the Corona virus and its affect on the liver; (5) Link rare diseases with alcohol consumption. The current review contributes to risk identification of patients with alcoholic, as well as non-alcoholic, liver disease and metabolic syndrome. Additional prevalence of ethnic, genetic, and viral vulnerabilities are presented.
Growing up in cities is associated with increased risk for developing mental health problems. Stress exposure and altered stress regulation have been proposed as mechanisms linking urbanicity and psychopathology, with most research conducted in adult populations. Here, we focus on early childhood, and investigate urbanicity, behavior problems and the regulation of the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, a central circuit of the stress system, in a sample of N = 399 preschoolers aged 45 months. Urbanicity was coded dichotomously distinguishing between residences with more or less than 100,000 inhabitants. Behavior problems were measured using the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) 1½ - 5. Cortisol stress reactivity was assessed using an age-appropriated game-like stress task, and cortisol in the first morning urine was measured to assess nocturnal HPA axis activity. Urbanicity was not associated with behavior problems, urinary cortisol or the cortisol stress response. Neither urinary cortisol nor salivary cortisol response after stress exposure were identified as mediators of the relationship between urbanicity and behavior problems. The findings suggest no strong association of urbanicity with behavior problems and HPA axis regulation in preschool age. To our knowledge, this is the youngest sample to date studying the relationship between urbanicity and behavior problems as well as HPA axis regulation. Future research should examine at which age associations can first be identified and which mechanisms contribute to these relationships.
Aim
To compare overall mortality (OM), cancer-specific mortality (CSM), and other cause mortality (OCM) rates between radical prostatectomy (RP) versus radiotherapy (RT) in clinical node-positive (cN1) prostate cancer (PCa).
Materials and Methods
Within Surveillance, Epidemiology, End Results (SEER) (2004–2016), we identified 4685 cN1 PCa patients, of whom 3589 (76.6%) versus 1096 (24.4%) were treated with RP versus RT. After 1:1 propensity score matching (PSM), Kaplan–Meier plots and Cox regression models tested the effect of RP versus RT on OM, while cumulative incidence plots and competing-risks regression (CRR) models addressed CSM and OCM between RP and RT patients. All analyses were repeated after the inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW). For CSM and OCM analyses, the propensity score was used as a covariate in the regression model.
Results
Overall, RT patients were older, harbored higher prostate-specific antigen values, higher clinical T and higher Gleason grade groups. PSM resulted in two equally sized groups of 894 RP versus 894 RT patients. After PSM, 5-year OM, CSM, and OCM rates were, respectively, 15.4% versus 25%, 9.3% versus 17%, and 6.1% versus 8% for RP versus RT (all p < 0.001) and yielded respective multivariate hazard ratios (HRs) of 0.63 (0.52–0.78, p < 0.001), 0.66 (0.52–0.86, p < 0.001), 0.71 (0.5–1.0, p = 0.05), all favoring RP. After IPTW, Cox regression models yielded HR of 0.55 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.46–0.66) for OM, and CRR yielded HRs of 0.49 (0.34–0.70) and 0.54 (0.36–0.79) for, respectively, CSM and OCM, all favoring RP (all p < 0.001).
Conclusions
RP may hold a CSM advantage over RT in cN1 PCa patients.
The intensity and the features of sensory stimuli are encoded in the activity of neurons in the cortex. In the visual and piriform cortices, the stimulus intensity rescales the activity of the population without changing its selectivity for the stimulus features. The cortical representation of the stimulus is therefore intensity invariant. This emergence of network-invariant representations appears robust to local changes in synaptic strength induced by synaptic plasticity, even though (i) synaptic plasticity can potentiate or depress connections between neurons in a feature-dependent manner, and (ii) in networks with balanced excitation and inhibition, synaptic plasticity determines the nonlinear network behavior. In this study we investigate the consistency of invariant representations with a variety of synaptic states in balanced networks. By using mean-field models and spiking network simulations, we show how the synaptic state controls the emergence of intensity-invariant or intensity-dependent selectivity. In particular, we demonstrate that an effective power-law synaptic transformation at the population level is necessary for invariance. In a range of firing rates, purely depressing short-term synapses fulfills this condition, and in this case, the network is contrast-invariant. Instead, facilitating short-term plasticity generally narrows the network selectivity. We found that facilitating and depressing short-term plasticity can be combined to approximate a power-law that leads to contrast invariance. These results explain how the physiology of individual synapses is linked to the emergence of invariant representations of sensory stimuli at the network level.
A plethora of modified nucleotides extends the chemical and conformational space for natural occurring RNAs. tRNAs constitute the class of RNAs with the highest modification rate. The extensive modification modulates their overall stability, the fidelity and efficiency of translation. However, the impact of nucleotide modifications on the local structural dynamics is not well characterized. Here we show that the incorporation of the modified nucleotides in tRNAfMet from Escherichia coli leads to an increase in the local conformational dynamics, ultimately resulting in the stabilization of the overall tertiary structure. Through analysis of the local dynamics by NMR spectroscopic methods we find that, although the overall thermal stability of the tRNA is higher for the modified molecule, the conformational fluctuations on the local level are increased in comparison to an unmodified tRNA. In consequence, the melting of individual base pairs in the unmodified tRNA is determined by high entropic penalties compared to the modified. Further, we find that the modifications lead to a stabilization of long-range interactions harmonizing the stability of the tRNA’s secondary and tertiary structure. Our results demonstrate that the increase in chemical space through introduction of modifications enables the population of otherwise inaccessible conformational substates.
Research in social insects has shown that hydrocarbons on their cuticle are species-specific. This has also been proven for Diptera and is a promising tool for identifying important fly taxa in Forensic Entomology. Sometimes the empty puparia, in which the metamorphosis to the adult fly has taken place, can be the most useful entomological evidence at the crime scene. However, so far, they are used with little profit in criminal investigations due to the difficulties of reliably discriminate among different species. We analysed the CHC chemical profiles of empty puparia from seven forensically important blow flies Calliphora vicina, Chrysomya albiceps, Lucilia caesar, Lucilia sericata, Lucilia silvarum, Protophormia terraenovae, Phormia regina and the flesh fly Sarcophaga caerulescens. The aim was to use their profiles for identification but also investigate geographical differences by comparing profiles of the same species (here: C. vicina and L. sericata) from different regions. The cuticular hydrocarbons were extracted with hexane and analysed using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Our results reveal distinguishing differences within the cuticular hydrocarbon profiles allowing for identification of all analysed species. There were also differences shown in the profiles of C. vicina from Germany, Spain, Norway and England, indicating that geographical locations can be determined from this chemical analysis. Differences in L. sericata, sampled from England and two locations in Germany, were less pronounced, but there was even some indication that it may be possible to distinguish populations within Germany that are about 70 km apart from one another.
With the introduction of the virtual allocation crossmatch in the Eurotransplant (ET) region in 2023, the determination of unacceptable antigen mismatches (UAM) in kidney transplant recipients is of utmost importance for histocompatibility laboratories and transplant centers. Therefore, a joined working group of members from the German Society for Immunogenetics (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Immungenetik, DGI) and the German Transplantation Society (Deutsche Transplantationsgesellschaft, DTG) revised and updated the previous recommendations from 2015 in light of recently published evidence. Like in the previous version, a wide range of topics is covered from technical issues to clinical risk factors. This review summarizes the evidence about the prognostic value of contemporary methods for HLA antibody detection and identification, as well as the impact of UAM on waiting time, on which these recommendations are based. As no clear criteria could be determined to differentiate potentially harmful from harmless HLA antibodies, the general recommendation is to assign all HLA against which plausible antibodies are found as UAM. There is, however, a need for individualized solutions for highly immunized patients. These revised recommendations provide a list of aspects that need to be considered when assigning UAM to enable a fair and comprehensible procedure and to harmonize risk stratification prior to kidney transplantation between transplant centers.
Mining is one of the major pollution sources worldwide, causing huge disturbances to the environment. Industrial and artisanal mining activities are widespread in Mexico, a major global producer of various metals. This study aimed to assess the ecological impairments resulting from mining activities using aquatic macroinvertebrates assemblages (MA). A multiple co-inertia analysis was applied to determine the relationships between environmental factors, habitat quality, heavy metals, and aquatic macroinvertebrates in 15 study sites in two different seasons (dry and wet) along two rivers running across the Central Plateau of Mexico. The results revealed three contrasting environmental conditions associated with different MAs. High concentrations of heavy metals, nutrients, and salinity limit the presence of several families of seemingly sensitive macroinvertebrates. These factors were found to influence structural changes in MAs, showing that not only mining activities, but also agriculture and presence of villages in the basin, exert adverse effects on macroinvertebrate assemblages. Diversity indices showed that the lowest diversity matched both the most polluted and the most saline rivers. The rivers studied displayed high alkalinity and hardness levels, which can reduce the availability of metals and cause adverse effects on periphyton by inhibiting photosynthesis and damaging MAs. Aquatic biomonitoring in rivers, impacted by mining and other human activities, is critical for detecting the effect of metals and other pollutants to improve management and conservation strategies. This study supports the design of cost-effective and accurate water quality biomonitoring protocols in developing countries.
Generative AI is a game changer – also in the financial sector. Institutions and their IT service providers need to consider carefully: Which AI approach will enable them to implement optimal solutions for themselves and their customers in this highly regulated environment? How did Finanz Informatik, as the savings banks’ digitalization partner, proceed here?
The significance of data and Artificial Intelligence (AI) has a profound impact on all industries, presenting both challenges and opportunities. Given its power and relevance, AI has not gone unnoticed in the public affairs sector. The upcoming German federal election in 2025 brings discussions about AI to the forefront, raising questions about the extent to which data will drive the public affairs field and how it will be handled.
Customer loyalty is a critical measure for success, showing if a firm's product is received well by its customers. To understand its development over time, two fundamental questions must be answered: (I) How will current customers' loyalty develop, and (II) will new customers' loyalty differ from current customers' loyalty? The authors empirically answer these questions based on a data set including ~500 B2B web technologies with jointly ~325 million customers spanning over 24 years. They show that loyalty hardly develops and, if so, it rather decreases than increases. The loyalty of current customers rarely changes and, if so, rather increases than decreases. New customers are most likely less loyal than current customers. These results show that by failing to account for these underlying developments, stakeholders, in most cases, draw the wrong conclusions about product value measured via customer lifetime value.
Existing table retrieval approaches estimate each table’s relevance for a particular information need and return a ranking of the most relevant tables. This approach is not ideal since the returned tables often include irrelevant data and the required information may be scattered across multiple tables. To address these issues, we propose the idea of fine-grained structured table retrieval and present our vision of R2D2, a system which slices tables into small tiles that are later composed into a structured result that is tailored to the user-provided information need. An initial evaluation of our approach demonstrates how our idea can improve table retrieval and relevant downstream tasks such as table question answering.
Using about 23 fb−1 of data collected with the BESIII detector operating at the BEPCII storage ring, a precise measurement of the 𝑒+𝑒−→𝜋+𝜋−𝐽/𝜓 Born cross section is performed at center-of-mass energies from 3.7730 to 4.7008 GeV. Two structures, identified as the 𝑌(4220) and the 𝑌(4320) states, are observed in the energy-dependent cross section with a significance larger than 10𝜎. The masses and widths of the two structures are determined to be (𝑀,Γ)=(4221.4±1.5±2.0 MeV/𝑐2,41.8±2.9±2.7 MeV) and (𝑀,Γ)=(4298±12±26 MeV/𝑐2,127±17±10 MeV), respectively. A small enhancement around 4.5 GeV with a significance about 3𝜎, compatible with the 𝜓(4415), might also indicate the presence of an additional resonance in the spectrum. The inclusion of this additional contribution in the fit to the cross section affects the resonance parameters of the 𝑌(4320) state.
Observation of ηc(2S) → 3(π⁺π⁻) and measurements of χcJ → 3(π⁺π⁻) in ψ(3686) radiative transitions
(2022)
The hadronic decay 𝜂𝑐(2𝑆)→3(𝜋+𝜋−) is observed with a statistical significance of 9.3 standard deviations using (448.1±2.9)×106 𝜓(3686) events collected by the BESIII detector at the BEPCII collider. The measured mass and width of 𝜂𝑐(2𝑆) are (3643.4±2.3 (stat)±4.4 (syst)) MeV/𝑐2 and (19.8±3.9 (stat)±3.1 (syst)) MeV, respectively, which are consistent with the world average values within two standard deviations. The product branching fraction ℬ[𝜓(3686)→𝛾𝜂𝑐(2𝑆)]×ℬ[𝜂𝑐(2𝑆)→3(𝜋+𝜋−)] is measured to be (9.2±1.0 (stat)±1.2 (syst))×10−6. Using ℬ[𝜓(3686)→𝛾𝜂𝑐(2𝑆)]=(7.0+3.4−2.5)×10−4, we obtain ℬ[𝜂𝑐(2𝑆)→3(𝜋+𝜋−)]=(1.31±0.15 (stat)±0.17 (syst) (+0.64−0.47) (extr))×10−2, where the third uncertainty is from ℬ[𝜓(3686)→𝛾𝜂𝑐(2𝑆)]. We also measure the 𝜒𝑐𝐽→3(𝜋+𝜋−) (𝐽=0, 1, 2) decays via 𝜓′→𝛾𝜒𝑐𝐽 transitions. The branching fractions are ℬ[𝜒𝑐0→3(𝜋+𝜋−)]=(2.080±0.006 (stat)±0.068 (syst))×10−2, ℬ[𝜒𝑐1→3(𝜋+𝜋−)]=(1.092±0.004 (stat)±0.035 (syst))×10−2, and ℬ[𝜒𝑐2→3(𝜋+𝜋−)]=(1.565±0.005 (stat)±0.048 (syst))×10−2.
We report new STAR measurements of the single-spin asymmetries 𝐴𝐿 for 𝑊+ and 𝑊− bosons produced in polarized proton-proton collisions at √𝑠=510 GeV as a function of the decay-positron and decay-electron pseudorapidity. The data were obtained in 2013 and correspond to an integrated luminosity of 250 pb−1. The results are combined with previous results obtained with 86 pb−1. A comparison with theoretical expectations based on polarized lepton-nucleon deep-inelastic scattering and prior polarized proton-proton data suggests a difference between the ¯𝑢 and ¯𝑑 quark helicity distributions for 0.05<𝑥<0.25. In addition, we report new results for the double-spin asymmetries 𝐴𝐿𝐿 for 𝑊±, as well as 𝐴𝐿 for 𝑍/𝛾* production and subsequent decay into electron-positron pairs.
Using a sample of (10.09 ± 0.04) × 109 J/ψ decays collected with the BESIII detector, partial wave analyses of the decay J/ψ → γK0SK0Sπ0 are performed within the K0SK0Sπ0 invariant mass region below 1.6 GeV/c2. The covariant tensor amplitude method is used in both mass independent and mass dependent approaches. Both analysis approaches exhibit dominant pseudoscalar and axial vector components, and show good consistency for the other individual components. Furthermore, the mass dependent analysis reveals that the K0SK0 Sπ0 invariant mass spectrum for the pseudoscalar component can be well described with two isoscalar resonant states using relativistic Breit-Wigner model, i.e., the η(1405) with a mass of 1391.7±0.7+11.3 −0.3 MeV/c 2 and a width of 60.8±1.2+5.5 −12.0 MeV, and the η(1475) with a mass of 1507.6±1.6+15.5−32.2 MeV/c2 and a width of 115.8±2.4 +14.8 −10.9 MeV. The first and second uncertainties are statistical and systematic, respectively. Alternate models for the pseudoscalar component are also tested, but the description of the K0SK0Sπ0invariant mass spectrum deteriorates significantly.
A measurement of the 𝐶𝑃-even fraction of the decay 𝐷0→𝜋+𝜋−𝜋+𝜋− is performed with a quantum-correlated 𝜓(3770)→𝐷¯𝐷 data sample collected by the BESIII experiment, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 2.93 fb−1. Using a combination of 𝐶𝑃 eigenstates, 𝐷→𝜋+𝜋−𝜋0 and 𝐷→𝐾0𝑆,𝐿𝜋+𝜋− as tagging modes, the 𝐶𝑃-even fraction is measured to be 𝐹4𝜋+=0.735±0.015±0.005, where the first uncertainty is statistical and the second is systematic. This is the most precise determination of this quantity to date. It provides valuable model-independent input for the measurement of the angle 𝛾 of the Cabibbo-Kobayashi-Maskawa matrix with 𝐵±→𝐷𝐾± decays, and for time-dependent studies of 𝐶𝑃 violation and mixing in the 𝐷0−¯𝐷0 system.
Lattice QCD investigation of a doubly-bottom b̄b̄ud tetraquark with quantum numbers I(JP) = 0(1⁺)
(2019)
We use lattice QCD to investigate the spectrum of the ¯𝑏¯𝑏𝑢𝑑 four-quark system with quantum numbers 𝐼(𝐽𝑃)=0(1+). We use five different gauge-link ensembles with 2+1 flavors of domain-wall fermions, including one at the physical pion mass, and treat the heavy ¯𝑏 quark within the framework of lattice nonrelativistic QCD. Our work improves upon previous similar computations by considering in addition to local four-quark interpolators also nonlocal two-meson interpolators and by performing a Lüscher analysis to extrapolate our results to infinite volume. We obtain a binding energy of (−128±24±10) MeV, corresponding to the mass (10476±24±10) MeV, which confirms the existence of a ¯𝑏¯𝑏𝑢𝑑 tetraquark that is stable with respect to the strong and electromagnetic interactions.
We present our recent results on antiheavy-antiheavy-light-light tetraquark systems using lattice QCD. Our study of the b¯b¯us four-quark system with quantum numbers JP=1+ and the b¯c¯ud four-quark systems with I(JP)=0(0+) and I(JP)=0(1+) utilizes scattering operators at the sink to improve the extraction of the low-lying energy levels. We found a bound state for b¯b¯us with Ebind,b¯b¯us=(−86±22±10)MeV, but no indication for a bound state in both b¯c¯ud channels. Moreover, we show preliminary results for b¯b¯ud with I(JP)=0(1+), where we used scattering operators both at the sink and the source. We found a bound state and determined its infinite-volume binding energy with a scattering analysis, resulting in Ebind,b¯b¯ud=(−103±8)MeV.
The rare decay 𝜂′→𝜋+𝜋−𝑒+𝑒− is studied using a sample of 1.3×109 𝐽/𝜓 events collected with the BESIII detector at BEPCII in 2009 and 2012. The branching fraction is measured with improved precision to be (2.42±0.05stat±0.08syst)×10−3. Due to the inclusion of new data, this result supersedes the last BESIII result on this branching fraction. In addition, the 𝐶𝑃-violating asymmetry in the angle between the decay planes of the 𝜋+𝜋−-pair and the 𝑒+𝑒−-pair is investigated. A measurable value would indicate physics beyond the standard model; the result is 𝒜𝐶𝑃=(2.9±3.7stat±1.1syst)%, which is consistent with the standard model expectation of no 𝐶𝑃-violation. The precision is comparable to the asymmetry measurement in the 𝐾0𝐿→𝜋+𝜋−𝑒+𝑒− decay where the observed (14±2)% effect is driven by a standard model mechanism.
Search for the reaction channel e⁺e⁻ → ηcηπ⁺π⁻ at center-of-mass energies from 4.23 to 4.60 GeV
(2021)
Using data collected with the BESIII detector operating at the Beijing Electron Positron Collider, we search for the process 𝑒+𝑒−→𝜂𝑐𝜂𝜋+𝜋−. The search is performed using five large datasets recorded at center-of-mass energies of 4.23, 4.26, 4.36, 4.42, and 4.60 GeV. The 𝜂𝑐 meson is reconstructed in 16 exclusive decay modes. No signal is observed in the 𝜂𝑐 mass region at any center-of-mass energy. The upper limits on the reaction cross sections are determined to be 6.2, 10.8, 27.6, 22.6 and 23.7 pb at the 90% confidence level at the center-of-mass energies listed above.
Using a sample of 1.31×109 𝐽/𝜓 events collected with the BESIII detector, we perform a study of 𝐽/𝜓→𝛾𝜂𝜂𝜂′ to search for the 𝑋(2370) and 𝜂𝑐 in the 𝜂𝜂𝜂′ invariant mass distribution. No significant signal for the 𝑋(2370) is observed, and we set an upper limit for the product branching fraction of ℬ(𝐽/𝜓→𝛾𝑋(2370)·ℬ(𝑋(2370)→𝜂𝜂𝜂′)<9.2×10−6 at the 90% confidence level. A clear 𝜂𝑐 signal is observed for the first time, yielding a product branching fraction of ℬ(𝐽/𝜓→𝛾𝜂𝑐)·ℬ(𝜂𝑐→𝜂𝜂𝜂′)=(4.86±0.62(stat)±0.45(sys))×10−5.
Observation of η′ → π⁺π⁻μ⁺μ⁻
(2021)
Using (1310.6±7.0)×106 𝐽/𝜓 events acquired with the BESIII detector at the BEPCII storage rings, the decay 𝜂′→𝜋+𝜋−𝜇+𝜇− is observed for the first time with a significance of 8𝜎 via the process 𝐽/𝜓→𝛾𝜂′. We measure the branching fraction of 𝜂′→𝜋+𝜋−𝜇+𝜇− to be ℬ(𝜂′→𝜋+𝜋−𝜇+𝜇−)=(1.97±0.33(stat)±0.19(syst))×10−5, where the first and second uncertainties are statistical and systematic, respectively
he Born cross sections for the process 𝑒+𝑒−→𝜂′𝜋+𝜋− at different center-of-mass energies between 2.00 and 3.08 GeV are reported with improved precision from an analysis of data samples collected with the BESIII detector operating at the BEPCII storage ring. An obvious structure is observed in the Born cross section line shape. Fit as a Breit-Wigner resonance, it has a statistical significance of 6.3𝜎 and a mass and width of 𝑀=(2111±43±25) MeV/𝑐2 and Γ=(135±34±30) MeV, where the uncertainties are statistical and systematic, respectively. These measured resonance parameters agree with the measurements of BABAR in 𝑒+𝑒−→𝜂′𝜋+𝜋− and BESIII in 𝑒+𝑒−→𝜔𝜋0 within two standard deviations.
Observation of a near-threshold structure in the K⁺ recoil-mass spectra in e⁺e⁻ → K⁺(Dₛ⁻D*⁰+Dₛ*⁻D⁰)
(2021)
We report a study of the processes of 𝑒+𝑒−→𝐾+𝐷−𝑠𝐷*0 and 𝐾+𝐷*−𝑠𝐷0 based on 𝑒+𝑒− annihilation samples collected with the BESIII detector operating at BEPCII at five center-of-mass energies ranging from 4.628 to 4.698 GeV with a total integrated luminosity of 3.7 fb−1. An excess of events over the known contributions of the conventional charmed mesons is observed near the 𝐷−𝑠𝐷*0 and 𝐷*−𝑠𝐷0 mass thresholds in the 𝐾+ recoil-mass spectrum for events collected at √𝑠=4.681 GeV. The structure matches a mass-dependent-width Breit-Wigner line shape, whose pole mass and width are determined as (3982.5+1.8
−2.6±2.1) MeV/𝑐2 and (12.8+5.3−4.4±3.0) MeV, respectively. The first uncertainties are statistical and the second are systematic. The significance of the resonance hypothesis is estimated to be 5.3 𝜎 over the contributions only from the conventional charmed mesons. This is the first candidate for a charged hidden-charm tetraquark with strangeness, decaying into 𝐷−𝑠𝐷*0 and 𝐷*−𝑠𝐷0. However, the properties of the excess need further exploration with more statistics.