J/ψ production as a function of charged particle multiplicity in pp collisions at s =7 TeV

ALICE Collaboration,Abelev, B.,Adam, J.,Adamova, D.,Adare, A.M.,Aggarwal, M.M.,Aglieri Rinella, G.,Agocs, A.G.,Agostinelli, A.,Aguilar Salazar, S.,Ahammed, Z.,Ahmad Masoodi, A.,Ahmad, N.,Ahn, S.U.,Aki North-Holland Pub. Co 2012 Physics letters: B Vol.712 No.3

The ALICE Collaboration reports the measurement of the relative J/ψ yield as a function of charged particle pseudorapidity density dN<SUB>ch</SUB>/dη in pp collisions at s=7 TeV at the LHC. J/ψ particles are detected for p<SUB>t</SUB>>0, in the rapidity interval |y|<0.9 via decay into e<SUP>+</SUP>e<SUP>-</SUP>, and in the interval 2.5<y<4.0 via decay into μ<SUP>+</SUP>μ<SUP>-</SUP> pairs. An approximately linear increase of the J/ψ yields normalized to their event average (dN<SUB>J/ψ</SUB>/dy)/<dN<SUB>J/ψ</SUB>/dy> with (dN<SUB>ch</SUB>/dη)/<dN<SUB>ch</SUB>/dη> is observed in both rapidity ranges, where dN<SUB>ch</SUB>/dη is measured within |η|<1 and p<SUB>t</SUB>>0. In the highest multiplicity interval with <dN<SUB>ch</SUB>/dη(bin)≥24.1, corresponding to four times the minimum bias multiplicity density, an enhancement relative to the minimum bias J/ψ yield by a factor of about 5 at 2.5<y<4 (8 at |y|<0.9) is observed.

The microRNA miR-124 inhibits vascular smooth muscle cell proliferation by targeting S100 calcium-binding protein A4 (S100A4)

Choe, N.,Kwon, D. H.,Shin, S.,Kim, Y. S.,Kim, Y. K.,Kim, J.,Ahn, Y.,Eom, G. H.,Kook, H. Elsevier Science B.V., Amsterdam. 2017 FEBS letters Vol.591 No.7

<P>S100 calcium-binding protein A4 (S100A4) induces proliferation and migration of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs). We aimed to find the microRNA regulating S100A4 expression. S100A4 transcripts are abruptly increased in the acute phase of carotid arterial injury 1 day later (at day 1) but gradually decreases at days 7 and 14. Bioinformatics analysis reveals that miR-124 targets S100A4. VSMC survival is attenuated by miR-124 mimic but increased by miR-124 inhibitor. miR-124 decreases immediately after carotid arterial injury but dramatically increases at days 7 and 14. miR-124 inhibitor-induced cell proliferation is blocked by S100A4 siRNA, whereas miR-124-induced cell death is recovered by S100A4. Our findings suggest that miR-124 is a novel regulator of VSMC proliferation and may play a role in the development of neointimal proliferation.</P>

The degree complexity of smooth surfaces of codimension 2

Ahn, J.,Kwak, S.,Song, Y. Academic Press 2012 Journal of symbolic computation Vol.47 No.5

For a given term order, the degree complexity of a projective scheme is defined by the maximal degree of the reduced Grobner basis of its defining saturated ideal in generic coordinates (Bayer and Mumford, 1993). It is well known that the degree complexity with respect to the graded reverse lexicographic order is equal to the Castelnuovo-Mumford regularity (Bayer and Stillman, 1987). However, much less is known if one uses the graded lexicographic order (Ahn, 2008; Conca and Sidman, 2005). In this paper, we study the degree complexity of a smooth irreducible surface in P<SUP>4</SUP> with respect to the graded lexicographic order and its geometric meaning. As in the case of a smooth curve (Ahn, 2008), we expect that this complexity is closely related to the invariants of the double curve of a surface under a generic projection. As results, we prove that except in a few cases, the degree complexity of a smooth surface S of degree d with h<SUP>0</SUP>(I<SUB>S</SUB>(2))<>0 in P<SUP>4</SUP> is given by 2+(degY<SUB>1</SUB>(S)-12)-g(Y<SUB>1</SUB>(S)), where Y<SUB>1</SUB>(S) is a double curve of degree (d-12)-g(S@?H) under a generic projection of S. In particular, this complexity is actually obtained at the monomial x<SUB>0</SUB>x<SUB>1</SUB>x<SUB>3</SUB><SUP>(degY<SUB>1</SUB>(S)-12)-g(Y<SUB>1</SUB>(S))</SUP> where k[x<SUB>0</SUB>,x<SUB>1</SUB>,x<SUB>2</SUB>,x<SUB>3</SUB>,x<SUB>4</SUB>] is a polynomial ring defining P<SUP>4</SUP>. Exceptional cases are a rational normal scroll, a complete intersection surface of (2,2)-type, or a Castelnuovo surface of degree 5 in P<SUP>4</SUP> whose degree complexities are in fact equal to their degrees. This complexity can also be expressed in terms of degrees of defining equations of I<SUB>S</SUB> in the same manner as the result of A. Conca and J. Sidman (Conca and Sidman, 2005). We also provide some illuminating examples of our results via calculations done withMacaulay 2 (Grayson and Stillman, 1997).

A phase II study of S-1 monotherapy administered for 2 weeks of a 3-week cycle in advanced gastric cancer patients with poor performance status

Jeung, H-C,Rha, S Y,Shin, S J,Ahn, J B,Noh, S H,Roh, J K,Chung, H C Nature Publishing Group 2007 The British journal of cancer Vol.97 No.4

<P>Systemic chemotherapy for gastric cancer is often associated with treatment-related toxicity, which is particularly severe in patients with a poor performance status. In this paper, we describe the first study to evaluate S-1 monotherapy as an option for advanced gastric cancer patients who are not candidates for combination chemotherapy due to poor clinical condition. Fifty-two patients with Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance scale 2–3, whose general condition had made use of combination chemotherapy impossible, were enrolled. S-1 was administered to 30 patients as second- or third-line therapy. The initial dose of S-1 was 35 mg m<SUP>−2</SUP>, administered b.i.d for 14 days every 3 weeks. With a median follow-up period of 33 weeks, the median progression-free survival, and overall survival were 11 weeks (95% CI, 8–14) and 33 weeks (95% CI, 19–47), respectively. The overall 1-year survival rate was 29% by intent-to-treat analysis. The overall response rate was 12% (95% CI, 3–21), and the percentage of stable disease was 35%, resulting in the disease control rate of 47% (95% CI, 32–60). Significant drug-related toxicity included grade 3 diarrhoea (14%), anorexia (14%), fatigue (10%), neutropenia (10%), and leucopenia (6%). In conclusion, this study indicated the modest activity of S-1 in gastric cancer patients with poor performance status.</P>

J/ψ Elliptic Flow in Pb-Pb Collisions at sNN=5.02 TeV

Acharya, S.,Adamová,, D.,Adolfsson, J.,Aggarwal, M. M.,Aglieri Rinella, G.,Agnello, M.,Agrawal, N.,Ahammed, Z.,Ahn, S. U.,Aiola, S.,Akindinov, A.,Al-Turany, M.,Alam, S. N.,Albuquerque, D. S. D. American Physical Society 2017 Physical Review Letters Vol.119 No.24

<P>We report a precise measurement of the J/psi elliptic flow in Pb-Pb collisions at root s(NN) = 5.02 TeV with the ALICE detector at the LHC. The J/psi mesons are reconstructed at midrapidity (|y| < 0.9) in the dielectron decay channel and at forward rapidity (2.5 < y < 4.0) in the dimuon channel, both down to zero transverse momentum. At forward rapidity, the elliptic flow v(2) of the J/psi is studied as a function of the transverse momentum and centrality. A positive v(2) is observed in the transverse momentum range 2<p(T)<8GeV/c in the three centrality classes studied and confirms with higher statistics our earlier results at root s(NN) = 2.76 TeV in semicentral collisions. At midrapidity, the J/psi v(2) is investigated as a function of the transverse momentum in semicentral collisions and found to be in agreement with the measurements at forward rapidity. These results are compared to transport model calculations. The comparison supports the idea that at low p(T) the elliptic flow of the J/psi originates from the thermalization of charm quarks in the deconfined medium but suggests that additional mechanisms might be missing in the models.</P>

The antimicrobial effects of deglycyrrhizinated licorice root extract on Streptococcus mutans UA159 in both planktonic and biofilm cultures

Ahn, S.J.,Cho, E.J.,Kim, H.J.,Park, S.N.,Lim, Y.K.,Kook, J.K. Academic Press 2012 Anaerobe Vol.18 No.6

The objective of the study was to investigate the antimicrobial effects of deglycyrrhizinated licorice root extracts (DG-LRE) against Streptococcus mutans UA159 in both the planktonic and biofilm phases by determining the minimum inhibitory concentration and minimum bactericidal concentration, and by performing time-kill kinetic, growth, adhesion, and biofilm assays. The cell toxicity of DG-LRE on normal human gingival fibroblast (NHGF) cells was tested using a methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium assay. This study showed that DG-LRE had strong antimicrobial activity against S. mutans in the planktonic phase with little cytotoxic effect on NHGF cells. In addition, DG-LRE significantly inhibited biofilm formation by S. mutans UA159 at concentrations over 4 μg/ml for glucose or 16 μg/ml for sucrose, respectively, regardless of the presence of saliva-coating. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report to provide evidence that DG-LRE demonstrates antimicrobial activity against S. mutans. These results suggest that DG-LRE can be used in developing oral hygiene products, such as gargling solution and dentifrice to prevent human dental caries.

Evaluation of Sulfur and Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotube Composite Synthesized by Dissolution and Precipitation for Li/S Batteries

Park, J. S.,Kim, D. J.,Park, J. W.,Ryu, H. S.,Kim, K. W.,Wang, G. X.,Ahn, H. J. American Scientific Publishers 2012 Journal of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology Vol.12 No.7

<P>An elemental sulfur and multi-walled carbon nanotube (S-MWNT) composite was synthesized by dissolving sulfur in ammonium sulfides and then precipitating on MWNT. Morphology observation by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) confirmed that S-MWNT product was successfully prepared by incorporating sulfur into MWNT network. Without additional conducting material, the S-MWNT composite cathodes were prepared for electrochemical tests. The properties measured in discharge-charge cycling test showed that the composite had the initial discharge capacity of 1024 mAh g(-1), which is about 61% sulfur utilization. However, in the subsequent cycling, the capacities faded. To determine the reason of rapid capacity drop, S-MWNT composite cathodes were compared in the cycling tests with varying three kinds of electrolytes and the cathode was subjected to physical force by rolling. The changes in the cycle performances proved that the deterioration of S-MWNT composite cathodes was not related to the electrolytes but to physical bonding that may not maintain the conducting path between sulfur and MWNT.</P>

Coherent J/<i>ψ</i> photoproduction at forward rapidity in ultra-peripheral Pb–Pb collisions at _{s NN} = 5.02 TeV

Acharya, S.,Adamová,, D.,Adhya, S.P.,Adler, A.,Adolfsson, J.,Aggarwal, M.M.,Aglieri Rinella, G.,Agnello, M.,Agrawal, N.,Ahammed, Z.,Ahmad, S.,Ahn, S.U.,Aiola, S.,Akindinov, A.,Al-Turany, M.,Alam North-Holland Pub. Co 2019 Physics letters. Section B Vol.798 No.-

<P><B>Abstract</B></P> <P>The ALICE collaboration performed the first rapidity-differential measurement of coherent J / ψ photoproduction in ultra-peripheral Pb–Pb collisions at a center-of-mass energy <SUB> s NN </SUB> = 5.02 TeV. The J / ψ is detected via its dimuon decay in the forward rapidity region ( − 4.0 < y < − 2.5 ) for events where the hadronic activity is required to be minimal. The analysis is based on an event sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of about 750 μb<SUP>−1</SUP>. The cross section for coherent J / ψ production is presented in six rapidity bins. The results are compared with theoretical models for coherent J / ψ photoproduction. These comparisons indicate that gluon shadowing effects play a role in the photoproduction process. The ratio of <SUP> ψ ′ </SUP> to J / ψ coherent photoproduction cross sections was measured and found to be consistent with that measured for photoproduction off protons.</P>

Search for collectivity with azimuthal J/<i>ψ</i>-hadron correlations in high multiplicity p–Pb collisions at _{s NN} = 5.02 and 8.16 TeV

Acharya, S.,Adamová,, D.,Adolfsson, J.,Aggarwal, M.M.,Aglieri Rinella, G.,Agnello, M.,Agrawal, N.,Ahammed, Z.,Ahn, S.U.,Aiola, S.,Akindinov, A.,Al-Turany, M.,Alam, S.N.,Albuquerque, D.S.D.,Aleks North-Holland Pub. Co 2018 Physics letters. Section B Vol.780 No.-

<P><B>Abstract</B></P> <P>We present a measurement of azimuthal correlations between inclusive J/<I>ψ</I> and charged hadrons in p–Pb collisions recorded with the ALICE detector at the CERN LHC. The J/<I>ψ</I> are reconstructed at forward (p-going, 2.03 < y < 3.53 ) and backward (Pb-going, − 4.46 < y < − 2.96 ) rapidity via their <SUP> μ + </SUP> <SUP> μ − </SUP> decay channel, while the charged hadrons are reconstructed at mid-rapidity ( | η | < 1.8 ). The correlations are expressed in terms of associated charged-hadron yields per J/<I>ψ</I> trigger. A rapidity gap of at least 1.5 units is required between the trigger J/<I>ψ</I> and the associated charged hadrons. Possible correlations due to collective effects are assessed by subtracting the associated per-trigger yields in the low-multiplicity collisions from those in the high-multiplicity collisions. After the subtraction, we observe a strong indication of remaining symmetric structures at Δ φ ≈ 0 and Δ φ ≈ π , similar to those previously found in two-particle correlations at middle and forward rapidity. The corresponding second-order Fourier coefficient ( <SUB> v 2 </SUB> ) in the transverse momentum interval between 3 and 6 GeV/<I>c</I> is found to be positive with a significance of about 5<I>σ</I>. The obtained results are similar to the J/<I>ψ</I> <SUB> v 2 </SUB> coefficients measured in Pb–Pb collisions at <SUB> s NN </SUB> = 5.02 TeV, suggesting a common mechanism at the origin of the J/<I>ψ</I> <SUB> v 2 </SUB> .</P>

The circulating sphingosine-1-phosphate level predicts incident fracture in postmenopausal women: a 3.5-year follow-up observation study

Bae, S. J.,Lee, S. H.,Ahn, S. H.,Kim, H. M.,Kim, B. J.,Koh, J. M. Springer Science + Business Media 2016 Osteoporosis International Vol.27 No.8

<P>A high level of circulating sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) is associated with a high incidence of osteoporotic fracture and a high rate of an insufficient response to bisphosphonate therapy. Sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) is a significant regulator of bone metabolism. Recently, we found that a high plasma S1P level is associated with low bone mineral density (BMD), high levels of bone resorption markers (BRMs), and a high risk of prevalent vertebral fracture in postmenopausal women. We investigated the possibility that S1P is a predictor of incident fracture. A total of 248 postmenopausal women participated in this longitudinal study and were followed up for a mean duration of 3.5 years (untreated [n = 76] or treated with bisphosphonate or hormone replacement therapy [n = 172]). The baseline plasma S1P level and prevalent and incident fracture occurrence were assessed. A high S1P level was significantly associated with a higher rate of prevalent fracture after adjusting for femoral neck (FN) BMD, BRM, and potential confounders (odds ratio = 2.05; 95 % confidence interval [CI] = 1.03-4.00). Incident fractures occurred more frequently in the highest S1P tertile (T3) than in the lower two tertiles (T1-2) after adjusting for confounders, including baseline FN BMD, prevalent fracture, antiosteoporotic medication, annualized changes in FN BMD, BRM, and potential confounders (hazard ratio = 5.52; 95 % CI = 1.04-56.54). Insufficient response to bisphosphonate therapy occurred more frequently in T3 than T1-2 (odds ratio = 4.43; 95 % CI = 1.02-21.25). The plasma S1P level may be a potential predictor of fracture occurrence and an insufficient response to bisphosphonate therapy in postmenopausal women.</P>