Measurement of Two-Particle Correlations of Hadrons in e^{+}e^{-} Collisions at Belle

The measurement of two-particle angular correlation functions in high-multiplicity e^{+}e^{-} collisions at sqrt[s]=10.52  GeV is reported. In this study, the 89.5  fb^{-1} of hadronic e^{+}e^{-} annihilation data collected by the Belle detector at KEKB are used. Two-particle angular correlation functions are measured in the full relative azimuthal angle (Δϕ) and three units of pseudorapidity (Δη), defined by either the electron beam axis or the event-shape thrust axis, and are studied as a function of charged-particle multiplicity. The measurement in the thrust axis analysis, with mostly outgoing quark pairs determining the reference axis, is sensitive to the region of additional soft gluon emissions. No significant anisotropic collective behavior is observed with either coordinate analyses. Near-side jet correlations appear to be absent in the thrust axis analysis. The measurements are compared to predictions from various event generators and are expected to provide new constraints to the phenomenological models in the low-energy regime.

Search for a Light Higgs Boson in Single-Photon Decays of ϒ(1S) Using ϒ(2S)→π^{+}π^{-}ϒ(1S) Tagging Method

We search for a light Higgs boson (A^{0}) decaying into a τ^{+}τ^{-} or μ^{+}μ^{-} pair in the radiative decays of ϒ(1S). The production of ϒ(1S) mesons is tagged by ϒ(2S)→π^{+}π^{-}ϒ(1S) transitions, using 158×10^{6} ϒ(2S) events accumulated with the Belle detector at the KEKB asymmetric energy electron-positron collider. No significant A^{0} signals in the mass range from the τ^{+}τ^{-} or μ^{+}μ^{-} threshold to 9.2  GeV/c^{2} are observed. We set the upper limits at 90% credibility level (C.L.) on the product branching fractions for ϒ(1S)→γA^{0} and A^{0}→τ^{+}τ^{-} varying from 3.8×10^{-6} to 1.5×10^{-4}. Our results represent an approximately twofold improvement on the current world best upper limits for the ϒ(1S)→γA^{0}(→τ^{+}τ^{-}) production. For A^{0}→μ^{+}μ^{-}, the upper limits on the product branching fractions for ϒ(1S)→γA^{0} and A^{0}→μ^{+}μ^{-} are at the same level as the world average limits, and vary from 3.1×10^{-7} to 1.6×10^{-5}. The upper limits at 90% credibility level on the Yukawa coupling f_{ϒ(1S)} and mixing angle sinθ_{A^{0}} are also given.

Measurement of Differential Branching Fractions of Inclusive B→X_{u}ℓ^{+}ν_{ℓ} Decays

The first measurements of differential branching fractions of inclusive semileptonic B→X_{u}ℓ^{+}ν_{ℓ} decays are performed using the full Belle data set of 711  fb^{-1} of integrated luminosity at the ϒ(4S) resonance and for ℓ=e, μ. With the availability of these measurements, new avenues for future shape-function model-independent determinations of the Cabibbo-Kobayashi-Maskawa matrix element |V_{ub}| can be pursued to gain new insights in the existing tension with respect to exclusive determinations. The differential branching fractions are reported as a function of the lepton energy, the four-momentum-transfer squared, light-cone momenta, the hadronic mass, and the hadronic mass squared. They are obtained by subtracting the backgrounds from semileptonic B→X_{c}ℓ^{+}ν_{ℓ} decays and other processes, and corrected for resolution and acceptance effects.

Precise Measurement of the D^{0} and D^{+} Lifetimes at Belle II

We report a measurement of the D^{0} and D^{+} lifetimes using D^{0}→K^{-}π^{+} and D^{+}→K^{-}π^{+}π^{+} decays reconstructed in e^{+}e^{-}→cc[over ¯] data recorded by the Belle II experiment at the SuperKEKB asymmetric-energy e^{+}e^{-} collider. The data, collected at center-of-mass energies at or near the ϒ(4S) resonance, correspond to an integrated luminosity of 72  fb^{-1}. The results, τ(D^{0})=410.5±1.1(stat)±0.8(syst)  fs and τ(D^{+})=1030.4±4.7(stat)±3.1(syst)  fs, are the most precise to date and are consistent with previous determinations.

Measurements of the Branching Fractions of the Semileptonic Decays Ξ_{c}^{0}→Ξ^{-}ℓ^{+}ν_{ℓ} and the Asymmetry Parameter of Ξ_{c}^{0}→Ξ^{-}π^{+}

Using data samples of 89.5 and 711  fb^{-1} recorded at energies of sqrt[s]=10.52 and 10.58 GeV, respectively, with the Belle detector at the KEKB e^{+}e^{-} collider, we report measurements of branching fractions of semileptonic decays Ξ_{c}^{0}→Ξ^{-}ℓ^{+}ν_{ℓ} (ℓ=e or μ) and the CP-asymmetry parameter of Ξ_{c}^{0}→Ξ^{-}π^{+} decay. The branching fractions are measured to be B(Ξ_{c}^{0}→Ξ^{-}e^{+}ν_{e})=(1.31±0.04±0.07±0.38)% and B(Ξ_{c}^{0}→Ξ^{-}μ^{+}ν_{μ})=(1.27±0.06±0.10±0.37)%, and the decay parameter α_{Ξπ} is measured to be 0.63±0.03±0.01 with much improved precision compared with the current world average. The corresponding ratio B(Ξ_{c}^{0}→Ξ^{-}e^{+}ν_{e})/B(Ξ_{c}^{0}→Ξ^{-}μ^{+}ν_{μ}) is 1.03±0.05±0.07, which is consistent with the expectation of lepton flavor universality. The first measured asymmetry parameter A_{CP}=(α_{Ξ^{-}π^{+}}+α_{Ξ[over ¯]^{+}π^{-}})/(α_{Ξ^{-}π^{+}}-α_{Ξ[over ¯]^{+}π^{-}})=0.024±0.052±0.014 is found to be consistent with zero. The first and the second uncertainties above are statistical and systematic, respectively, while the third ones arise due to the uncertainty of the Ξ_{c}^{0}→Ξ^{-}π^{+} branching fraction.

[Relationship of quality and duration of sleep with hypertension among adults in Guangzhou]

Objective: To explore the relationship of sleep quality and sleep duration with hypertension among adults aged 30-79 years old in Guangzhou. Methods: According to multi-stage stratified cluster sampling, 12 747 residents aged 30-79 years old were sampled and surveyed in Guangzhou from January 2018 to March 2019. Data on general demographic characteristics, sleep quality, sleep duration and hypertension were collected through questionnaire survey, the Pittsburgh sleep quality index (PSQI) and physical examination. Multivariate logistic regression models were used to analyze the putative association between sleep quality, sleep duration and hypertension. Restrictive cubic spline curve was used to draw the dose-response relationship curve between sleep quality, sleep time and hypertension. Results: The mean age of the subjects was (52.68±12.17) years, the prevalence of hypertension was 36.6% (4 664/12 747), the average score of PSQI was (4.70±2.88), and the average sleep time was (7.00±1.32) hours. The prevalence of hypertension was positively associated with the PSQI score. Compared to the subjects with a score less than 3, OR (95%CI) of hypertension with a PSQI score of 3-5, 5-8, ≥9 were 1.14 (1.02-1.27), 1.17 (1.03-1.34), 1.41 (1.21-1.64), respectively. The relationship between sleep duration and hypertension appeared U-shaped. Compared with 6 to 8 hours sleep duration, both sleep duration<6 hours with OR(95%CI) of 1.27(1.12-1.43) or >8 hours with OR(95%CI) of 1.20(1.05-1.38) was associated with hypertension. Conclusion: Both poor sleep quality, longer or shorter sleep duration were responsible for increased risk of cognitive impairment in older Chinese.

MicroRNA-802 promotes the progression of osteosarcoma through targeting p27 and activating PI3K/AKT pathway

PURPOSE

Increasing evidences suggest dysfunctions of microRNAs (miRNAs) are playing important part in tumors. Therefore, the role of miR-802 in osteosarcoma (OS) was exploited. The object was to evaluate the effect of miR-802 and verify its influence on p27 Kip1 (p27) in OS.

METHODS

RT-qPCR experiment was used to detect miR-802 and p27 expression in OS tissues and cells. We explored the function of miR-802 through Transwell assays. The phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)/AKT serine/threonine kinase pathway and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) was detected by Western blot assays. Luciferase assay was used to testify the target of miR-802.

RESULTS

MiR-802 expression was elevated in OS, which was related to poor clinical outcome in OS patients. MiR-802 overexpression promoted OS migration, invasion and EMT. Further, p27 is a direct target of miR-802. P27 elevation counteracted the promotion effect of OS on EMT, migration and invasion induced by miR-802. In addition, miR-802 overexpression inactivated PI3K/AKT pathway via targeting p27 in OS.

CONCLUSION

MiR-802 promoted the progress of EMT, migration and invasion in OS via targeting p27. This newly identified miR-802/p27/PI3K/AKT axis may represent potential targets for OS.

Development of a 19-plex short tandem repeat typing system for individual identification and parentage testing of horses (Equus caballus)

Individual identification of horses for pedigree verification and registration is important for the sustainable development of the horse industry. Horse individual identification and parentage tests commonly use the 17 short tandem repeats (STRs) recommended by the International Society for Animal Genetics (ISAG) and the locus LEX33. While many multiplex STR typing systems have been established for the horse, a sex determining marker is usually absent, and none of them can simultaneously detect all 17 ISAG recommended loci and the locus LEX33. Here, we present a 19-plex STR typing system that contains the 17 ISAG recommend loci, the locus LEX33 and amelogenin as sex determining loci. The results of our sensitivity, species specificity, stutter analysis and population data analysis, indicate that this system is a specific, sensitive, and robust tool for the identification of individuals, parentage testing and genetic research in the horse.

Test of Lepton-Flavor Universality in B→K^{*}ℓ^{+}ℓ^{-} Decays at Belle

We present a measurement of R_{K^{*}}, the branching fraction ratio B(B→K^{*}μ^{+}μ^{-})/B(B→K^{*}e^{+}e^{-}), for both charged and neutral B mesons. The ratio for the charged case R_{K^{*+}} is the first measurement ever performed. In addition, we report absolute branching fractions for the individual modes in bins of the squared dilepton invariant mass q^{2}. The analysis is based on a data sample of 711  fb^{-1}, containing 772×10^{6}  BB[over ¯] events, recorded at the ϒ(4S) resonance with the Belle detector at the KEKB asymmetric-energy e^{+}e^{-} collider. The obtained results are consistent with standard model expectations.

Evidence for X(3872)→J/ψπ^{+}π^{-} Produced in Single-Tag Two-Photon Interactions

We report the first evidence for X(3872) production in two-photon interactions by tagging either the electron or the positron in the final state, exploring the highly virtual photon region. The search is performed in e^{+}e^{-}→e^{+}e^{-}J/ψπ^{+}π^{-}, using 825  fb^{-1} of data collected by the Belle detector operated at the KEKB e^{+}e^{-} collider. We observe three X(3872) candidates, where the expected background is 0.11±0.10 events, with a significance of 3.2σ. We obtain an estimated value for Γ[over ˜]_{γγ}B(X(3872)→J/ψπ^{+}π^{-}) assuming the Q^{2} dependence predicted by a cc[over ¯] meson model, where -Q^{2} is the invariant mass squared of the virtual photon. No X(3915)→J/ψπ^{+}π^{-} candidates are found.

The Combined Effect of Hearing Impairment and Cognitive Impairment with Health-Related Outcomes in Chinese Older People

OBJECTIVES

To determine the risk of poor health-related outcomes in older adults with cooccurring hearing impairment and cognitive impairment, and to compare the risk of hearing impairment only, cognitive impairment only, and multiple morbidities.

DESIGN

Cross-sectional study.

SETTING

Community-dwelling older adults aged 60 years and older were included.

PARTICIPANTS

The data of missing hearing and cognitive status were excluded, and 3770 older people participated in the study.

MEASUREMENTS

The hearing function evaluation was conducted by questionnaire survey. Assessment of cognitive function was completed using the SPMSQ scale. The subjects were divided into hearing impairment and cognitive impairment group, hearing impairment only group, cognitive impairment only group and neither group. Multiple logistic regression was used to analyze the risks of hearing and cognitive impairment and health-related condition.

RESULTS

The prevalence of hearing impairment and cognitive impairment, hearing impairment only, cognitive impairment only, and neither were 9.4%, 8.3%, 29.9% and 52.4%, respectively. Compared with the control group, the individuals with hearing impairment and cognitive impairment were associated with depression (OR=3.48, 95% CI=2.66, 4.56), anxiety (OR=2.35, 95% CI=1.92, 3.33), frailty (OR=4.30, 95% CI=2.89, 6.40), and ADL impairment (OR=2.77, 95% CI=2.03, 3.77).

CONCLUSION

The studies shows that hearing impairment combined with cognitive impairment is significantly associated with anxiety, depression, frailty, and ADL impairment. Comprehensive management and intervention should be provided for older people to reduce the occurrence of adverse health consequences.