Measurement of the Effective Weak Mixing Angle in pp[over ¯]→Z/γ^{*}→ℓ^{+}ℓ^{-} Events

We present a measurement of the effective weak mixing angle parameter sin^{2}θ_{eff}^{ℓ} in pp[over ¯]→Z/γ^{*}→μ^{+}μ^{-} events at a center-of-mass energy of 1.96 TeV, collected by the D0 detector at the Fermilab Tevatron Collider and corresponding to 8.6  fb^{-1} of integrated luminosity. The measured value of sin^{2}θ_{eff}^{ℓ}[μμ]=0.23016±0.00064 is further combined with the result from the D0 measurement in pp[over ¯]→Z/γ^{*}→e^{+}e^{-} events, resulting in sin^{2}θ_{eff}^{ℓ}[comb]=0.23095±0.00040. This combined result is the most precise measurement from a single experiment at a hadron collider and is the most precise determination using the coupling of the Z/γ^{*} to light quarks.

Combined Forward-Backward Asymmetry Measurements in Top-Antitop Quark Production at the Tevatron

The CDF and D0 experiments at the Fermilab Tevatron have measured the asymmetry between yields of forward- and backward-produced top and antitop quarks based on their rapidity difference and the asymmetry between their decay leptons. These measurements use the full data sets collected in proton-antiproton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of sqrt[s]=1.96  TeV. We report the results of combinations of the inclusive asymmetries and their differential dependencies on relevant kinematic quantities. The combined inclusive asymmetry is A_{FB}^{tt[over ¯]}=0.128±0.025. The combined inclusive and differential asymmetries are consistent with recent standard model predictions.

Visualizing redox orbitals and their potentials in advanced lithium-ion battery materials using high-resolution x-ray Compton scattering

Reduction-oxidation (redox) reactions are the key processes that underlie the batteries powering smartphones, laptops, and electric cars. A redox process involves transfer of electrons between two species. For example, in a lithium-ion battery, current is generated when conduction electrons from the lithium anode are transferred to the redox orbitals of the cathode material. The ability to visualize or image the redox orbitals and how these orbitals evolve under lithiation and delithiation processes is thus of great fundamental and practical interest for understanding the workings of battery materials. We show that inelastic scattering spectroscopy using high-energy x-ray photons (Compton scattering) can yield faithful momentum space images of the redox orbitals by considering lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO₄ or LFP) as an exemplar cathode battery material. Our analysis reveals a new link between voltage and the localization of transition metal 3d orbitals and provides insight into the puzzling mechanism of potential shift and how it is connected to the modification of the bond between the transition metal and oxygen atoms. Our study thus opens a novel spectroscopic pathway for improving the performance of battery materials.

Educational Activity for the Radiation Emergency System in the Northern Part of Japan: Meeting Report on "The 3rd Educational Symposium on Radiation and Health (ESRAH) by Young Scientists in 2016"

In the northern part of Japan, close cooperation is essential in preparing for any possible emergency response to radiation accidents because several facilities, such as the Low-Level Radioactive Waste Disposal Facility, the MOX Fuel Fabrication Plant and the Vitrified Waste Storage Center, exist in Rokkasho Village (Aomori Prefecture). After the accident at Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant in 2011, special attention should be given to the relationship between radiation and human health, as well as establishing a system for managing with a radiation emergency. In the area of Hokkaido and Aomori prefectures in Japan, since 2008 an exchange meeting between Hokkaido University and Hirosaki University has been held every year to have opportunities to discuss radiation effects on human health and to collect the latest news on monitoring environmental radiation. This meeting was elevated to an international meeting in 2014 titled "Educational Symposium on Radiation and Health (ESRAH) by Young Scientists". The 3rd ESRAH meeting took place in 2016, with the theme "Investigating Radiation Impact on the Environmental and Health". Here we report the meeting findings on the continuing educational efforts after the Fukushima incident, what was accomplished in terms of building a community educational approaches, and future goals.

Dacron-Covered Stent Therapy for Portal Vein Tumor Thrombus in Hepatocellular Carcinoma

A tumor thrombus of the portal vein is refractory to therapy and constitutes a serious prognostic factor in hepatocellular carcinoma. For the purpose of treating portal vein tumor thrombus by restoring the blood flow and preventing recurrent ingrowth of tumor, we devised a metallic stent partially covered with a Dacron mesh sheet, and a coaxial percutaneous delivery system. One half of the wall of a Gianturco Z-stent was covered with a sheet of 0.25-mm-thick Dacron mesh, fixed to the stent wall with nylon threads. The covered stent was implanted in a patient with severe main portal vein stenosis due to tumor thrombus protruding from the left portal vein branch. Immediately after stent placement the tumor stenosis was effectively dilated, the portal blood flow restored, and the portal hypertension relieved. CT and angiography after 8 months still showed complete portal vein patency. Intrahepatic tumor dissemination or other complications were not observed. Intraportal placement of a covered metallic stent appears to be an efficacious therapy of major portal tumor thrombi.

Evidence for a B_{s}^{0}π^{±} State

We report evidence for a narrow structure, X(5568), in the decay sequence X(5568)→B_{s}^{0}π^{±}, B_{s}^{0}→J/ψϕ, J/ψ→μ^{+}μ^{-}, ϕ→K^{+}K^{-}. This is evidence for the first instance of a hadronic state with valence quarks of four different flavors. The mass and natural width of this state are measured to be m=5567.8±2.9(stat)_{-1.9}^{+0.9}(syst)  MeV/c^{2} and Γ=21.9±6.4(stat)_{-2.5}^{+5.0}(syst)  MeV/c^{2}. If the decay is X(5568)→B_{s}^{*}π^{±}→B_{s}^{0}γπ^{±} with an unseen γ, m(X(5568)) will be shifted up by m(B_{s}^{*})-m(B_{s}^{0})∼49  MeV/c^{2}. This measurement is based on 10.4  fb^{-1} of pp[over ¯] collision data at sqrt[s]=1.96  TeV collected by the D0 experiment at the Fermilab Tevatron collider.

Mouth breathing, another risk factor for asthma: the Nagahama Study

BACKGROUND

Allergic rhinitis, a known risk factor for asthma onset, often accompanies mouth breathing. Mouth breathing may bypass the protective function of the nose and is anecdotally considered to increase asthma morbidity. However, there is no epidemiological evidence that mouth breathing is independently associated with asthma morbidity and sensitization to allergens. In this study, we aimed to clarify the association between mouth breathing and asthma morbidity and allergic/eosinophilic inflammation, while considering the effect of allergic rhinitis.

METHODS

This community-based cohort study, the Nagahama Study, contained a self-reporting questionnaire on mouth breathing and medical history, blood tests, and pulmonary function testing. We enrolled 9804 general citizens of Nagahama City in the Shiga Prefecture, Japan.

RESULTS

Mouth breathing was reported by 17% of the population and was independently associated with asthma morbidity. The odds ratio for asthma morbidity was 1.85 (95% CI, 1.27-2.62) and 2.20 (95% CI, 1.72-2.80) in subjects with mouth breathing alone and allergic rhinitis alone, which additively increased to 4.09 (95% CI, 3.01-5.52) when mouth breathing and allergic rhinitis coexisted. Mouth breathing in nonasthmatics was a risk for house dust mite sensitization, higher blood eosinophil counts, and lower pulmonary function after adjusting for allergic rhinitis.

CONCLUSION

Mouth breathing may increase asthma morbidity, potentially through increased sensitization to inhaled allergens, which highlights the risk of mouth-bypass breathing in the 'one airway, one disease' concept. The risk of mouth breathing should be well recognized in subjects with allergic rhinitis and in the general population.

Evidence for Simultaneous Production of J/ψ and ϒ Mesons

We report evidence for the simultaneous production of J/ψ and ϒ mesons in 8.1  fb^{-1} of data collected at sqrt[s]=1.96  TeV by the D0 experiment at the Fermilab pp[over ¯] Tevatron Collider. Events with these characteristics are expected to be produced predominantly by gluon-gluon interactions. In this analysis, we extract the effective cross section characterizing the initial parton spatial distribution, σ_{eff}=2.2±0.7(stat)±0.9(syst)  mb.

Inclusive Production of the X(4140) State in pp[over ¯] Collisions at D0

We present a study of the inclusive production of the X(4140) state with the decay to the J/ψϕ final state in hadronic collisions. Based on 10.4  fb^{-1} of pp[over ¯] collision data collected by the D0 experiment at the Fermilab Tevatron collider, we report the first evidence for the prompt production of an X(4140) state and find the fraction of X(4140) events originating from b hadrons to be f_{b}=0.39±0.07(stat)±0.10(syst). The ratio of the nonprompt X(4140) production rate to the B_{s}^{0} yield in the same channel is R=0.19±0.05(stat)±0.07(syst). The values of the mass M=4152.5±1.7(stat)_{-5.4}^{+6.2}(syst)  MeV and width Γ=16.3±5.6(stat)±11.4(syst)  MeV are consistent with previous measurements.