Polarization of Λ (Λ[over ¯]) Hyperons along the Beam Direction in Au+Au Collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=200 GeV

The Λ (Λ[over ¯]) hyperon polarization along the beam direction has been measured in Au+Au collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=200  GeV, for the first time in heavy-ion collisions. The polarization dependence on the hyperons' emission angle relative to the elliptic flow plane exhibits a second harmonic sine modulation, indicating a quadrupole pattern of the vorticity component along the beam direction, expected due to elliptic flow. The polarization is found to increase in more peripheral collisions, and shows no strong transverse momentum (p_{T}) dependence at p_{T} greater than 1  GeV/c. The magnitude of the signal is about 5 times smaller than those predicted by hydrodynamic and multiphase transport models; the observed phase of the emission angle dependence is also opposite to these model predictions. In contrast, the kinematic vorticity calculations in the blast-wave model tuned to reproduce particle spectra, elliptic flow, and the azimuthal dependence of the Gaussian source radii measured with the Hanbury Brown-Twiss intensity interferometry technique reproduce well the modulation phase measured in the data and capture the centrality and transverse momentum dependence of the polarization signal.

Observation of Excess J/ψ Yield at Very Low Transverse Momenta in Au+Au Collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=200 GeV and U+U Collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=193 GeV

We report on the first measurements of J/ψ production at very low transverse momentum (p_{T}<0.2  GeV/c) in hadronic Au+Au collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=200  GeV and U+U collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=193  GeV. Remarkably, the inferred nuclear modification factor of J/ψ at midrapidity in Au+Au (U+U) collisions reaches about 24 (52) for p_{T}<0.05  GeV/c in the 60%-80% collision centrality class. This noteworthy enhancement cannot be explained by hadronic production accompanied by cold and hot medium effects. In addition, the dN/dt distribution of J/ψ for the very low p_{T} range is presented for the first time. The distribution is consistent with that expected from the Au nucleus and shows a hint of interference. Comparison of the measurements to theoretical calculations of coherent production shows that the excess yield can be described reasonably well and reveals a partial disruption of coherent production in semicentral collisions, perhaps due to the violent hadronic interactions. Incorporating theoretical calculations, the results strongly suggest that the dramatic enhancement of J/ψ yield observed at extremely low p_{T} originates from coherent photon-nucleus interactions. In particular, coherently produced J/ψ's in violent hadronic collisions may provide a novel probe of the quark-gluon plasma.

C-46 Assessing Global Delays in Corpus Callosum Agenesis: Infants and Toddlers

Objective

Corpus callosum agenesis (ACC) is a congenital birth defect in which the corpus callosum fails to fully form (Badaruddin, et al., 2007). The partial or complete absence of a corpus callosum affects specific functioning (Brown, Jeeves, Dietrich, & Burnison, 1999) resulting in behavioral, social, and cognitive difficulties (Badaruddin, et al., 2007). We evaluated the development of infants and toddlers with ACC in cognition, language, and motor functioning.

Methods

Boys (n = 6) and girls (n = 4) ages 3 to 41 months were assessed utilizing the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development-Third Edition, a test designed to assess the developmental functioning in 5 domains: motor, social-emotional, adaptive behavior, cognitive, and language (Bayley, 2006). Volunteers were assessed during ACC conferences.

Results

Cognitive, language and motor index scores were significantly correlated but not age. Moderate to large effect sizes (Cohens d) were found. Girls had lower Cognitive Index scores and were below average; boys mean score was within the average range. Large effect sizes for receptive and expressive language. Boys scored within the low average range; girls below average for receptive language. For expressive language, girls fell in the borderline range, boys were low average. Gross motor was very low compared to age norms. Girls showed deficits in fine motor skill development; boys within the average range.

Conclusions

Global developmental deficits and gender differences occurred for infants and toddlers with ACC. Girls show more delays than boys. Outcomes suggest that delays can be measured well before entering school and supports early intervention services.

A randomised trial of non-invasive cardiac output monitoring to guide haemodynamic optimisation in high risk patients undergoing urgent surgical repair of proximal femoral fractures (ClearNOF trial NCT02382185)

Background

Hip fracture is a procedure with high mortality and complication rates, and there exists a group especially at risk of these outcomes identified by their Nottingham Hip Fracture Score (NHFS). Meta-analysis suggests a possible benefit to this patient group from intravascular volume optimisation. We investigated whether intraoperative fluid and blood pressure optimisation improved complications in this group.

Methods

Patients with a NHFS ≥ 5 were enrolled into this multicentre observer-blinded randomised control trial. Patients were allocated to either standard care or a combination of fluid optimisation and blood pressure control using a non-invasive system. The primary outcome was the number of patients with one or more complications in each group. Secondary outcomes included hospital length of stay (LOS), incidence of hypotension and fluid and vasopressor usage.

Results

Forty-six percent of patients in the intervention group suffered one or more complications compared to the 51% in the control group (OR 0.82 (95% CI 0.49–1.36)). Per-protocol analysis improved the OR to 0.73 (95% CI 0.43–1.24). Median LOS was the same between both groups; however, the mean LOS on a per-protocol analysis was longer in the control group compared to the intervention group (23.2 (18.0) days vs. 18.5 (16.5), p = 0.047).

Conclusions

Haemodynamic optimisation including blood pressure management in high-risk patients undergoing repair of a hip fracture did not result in a statistically significant reduction in complications; however, a potential reduction in length of stay was seen.

Trial registration

A randomised trial of non-invasive cardiac output monitoring to guide haemodynamic optimisation in high risk patients undergoing urgent surgical repair of proximal femoral fractures (ClearNOF trial NCT02382185).

Differences in soil organic carbon and soil erosion for native pasture and minimum till agricultural management systems

There is considerable debate over how different agricultural management systems such as minimum tillage and grazing affect soil organic carbon (SOC), soil nitrogen (SN) concentrations and soil erosion over the long-term. In this study SOC, SN and erosion characteristics were compared over a ten year period for two neighbouring sites with longstanding but different land management strategies; one cropped under a minimum tillage (MT) regime and one used for grazing on largely native pasture. Both sites (Hunter Valley, New South Wales, Australia) shared the same soil type (Euchrozem) and climate. SOC and SN were both found to be ~50% higher at the grazing site while erosion was found to be significantly greater (an order of magnitude) at the cropping site despite the application of MT practices. No discernible link between erosion and either SOC, SN or C:N was evident. While both sites have temporally constant SOC, SN and C:N, the MT site offers scope for increased SOC sequestration.

Azimuthal Harmonics in Small and Large Collision Systems at RHIC Top Energies

The first (v_{1}^{fluc}), second (v_{2}), and third (v_{3}) harmonic coefficients of the azimuthal particle distribution at midrapidity are extracted for charged hadrons and studied as a function of transverse momentum (p_{T}) and mean charged particle multiplicity density ⟨N_{ch}⟩ in U+U (sqrt[s_{NN}]=193  GeV), Au+Au, Cu+Au, Cu+Cu, d+Au, and p+Au collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=200  GeV with the STAR detector. For the same ⟨N_{ch}⟩, the v_{1}^{fluc} and v_{3} coefficients are observed to be independent of the collision system, while v_{2} exhibits such a scaling only when normalized by the initial-state eccentricity (ϵ_{2}). The data also show that ln(v_{2}/ϵ_{2}) scales linearly with ⟨N_{ch}⟩^{-1/3}. These measurements provide insight into initial-geometry fluctuations and the role of viscous hydrodynamic attenuation on v_{n} from small to large collision systems.

Erratum: Observation of D^{0} Meson Nuclear Modifications in Au+Au Collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=200 GeV [Phys. Rev. Lett. 113, 142301 (2014)]

This corrects the article DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.113.142301.

Development of non-governmental organisation-academic partnership to tackle rabies in Africa and Asia

Rabies kills approximately 60,000 people each year, mainly in sub-Saharan Africa and Asia, of which 40% of victims are less than 15 years old. Once clinical signs develop, the disease is almost invariably fatal. Globally, rabies has been estimated to cause 3∙7 million disability-adjusted life years and $8∙6B in economic losses annually. The vast majority of human rabies cases are caused by bites from rabies-infected dogs. Despite this loss of human life and resultant economic and societal costs, rabies can be prevented in both humans and dogs by vaccination. This has been demonstrated in many countries, notably in Central and South America, where large-scale, high coverage mass dog vaccination programmes have dramatically reduced the incidence of rabies. Even in parts of Africa and Asia, projects have shown that rabies can be eliminated locally. Nevertheless, rabies remains an important cause of mortality in many sub-Saharan and Asian countries. The reasons why some countries have been able to effectively eliminate rabies whereas others have not are complex and often impossible to definitively identify; commonly cited explanations include political, economic, logistical and societal barriers.

Low-p_{T} e^{+}e^{-} Pair Production in Au+Au Collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=200 GeV and U+U Collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=193 GeV at STAR

We report first measurements of e^{+}e^{-} pair production in the mass region 0.4<M_{ee}<2.6  GeV/c^{2} at low transverse momentum (p_{T}<0.15  GeV/c) in noncentral Au+Au collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=200  GeV and U+U collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=193  GeV. Significant enhancement factors, expressed as ratios of data over known hadronic contributions, are observed in the 40%-80% centrality of these collisions. The excess yields peak distinctly at low p_{T} with a width (sqrt[⟨p_{T}^{2}⟩]) between 40 and 60  MeV/c. The absolute cross section of the excess depends weakly on centrality, while those from a theoretical model calculation incorporating an in-medium broadened ρ spectral function and radiation from a quark gluon plasma or hadronic cocktail contributions increase dramatically with an increasing number of participant nucleons. Model calculations of photon-photon interactions generated by the initial projectile and target nuclei describe the observed excess yields but fail to reproduce the p_{T}^{2} distributions.