With the full data sample of 772×106 BB¯ pairs recorded by the Belle detector at the KEKB electron-positron collider, the decay B¯→D*τ−ν¯τ is studied with the hadronic τ decays τ−→π−ντ and τ−→ρ−ντ. ...The τ polarization Pτ(D*) in two-body hadronic τ decays is measured, as well as the ratio of the branching fractions R(D*)=B(B¯→D*τ−ν¯τ)/B(B¯→D*ℓ−ν¯ℓ), where ℓ− denotes an electron or a muon. Our results, Pτ(D*)=−0.38±0.51(stat)−0.16+0.21(syst) and R(D*)=0.270±0.035(stat)−0.025+0.028(syst), are consistent with the theoretical predictions of the standard model. The polarization values of Pτ(D*)>+0.5 are excluded at the 90% confidence level.
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A 3D fully kinetic simulation shows that the lower-hybrid drift instability disturbs the front of magnetic reconnection outflow jets and additionally causes energy dissipation. The result is very ...consistent with a disturbance observed at the dipolarization front (DF) in Earth's magnetotail by the Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) mission. A fully kinetic dispersion relation solver, validated by the MMS observations, further predicts that the disturbance of the reconnection jet front could occur over different parameter regimes in space plasmas including Earth's DF and solar flares.
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Background
The optimal surgical approach for treatment of oesophagogastric junction (OGJ) cancer is controversial. A randomized clinical trial (JCOG9502) comparing transhiatal (TH) and left ...thoracoabdominal (LTA) approaches was stopped after the first interim analysis owing to limited efficacy for LTA resections. Complete 10‐year follow‐up data are now available.
Methods
Patients with histologically proven adenocarcinoma of the OGJ or gastric cardia with oesophageal invasion of 3 cm or less were randomized to a TH or LTA approach. Both groups underwent total gastrectomy and splenectomy with D2 nodal dissection plus para‐aortic lymphadenectomy above the left renal vein. For LTA, a thorough mediastinal lymphadenectomy below the left inferior pulmonary vein was also mandatory. The primary endpoint was overall survival.
Results
A total of 167 patients (82 TH, 85 LTA) were enrolled. The 10‐year overall survival rate was 37 (95 per cent c.i. 26 to 47) per cent for the TH approach and 24 (15 to 34) per cent for the LTA technique (P = 0·060). The hazard ratio for death was 1·42 (0·98 to 2·05) for the LTA technique. Subgroup analysis based on the Siewert classification indicated non‐significant survival advantages in favour of the TH approach.
Conclusion
LTA resections should be avoided in the treatment of adenocarcinoma of the OGJ or gastric cardia. Registration number: NCT00149266 (https://www.clinicaltrials.gov).
No survival benefit from a more extensive operation
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BFBNIB, FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SAZU, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
Compact, tunable, radially symmetric focusing of electrons is critical to laser-plasma accelerator (LPA) applications. Experiments are presented demonstrating the use of a discharge-capillary active ...plasma lens to focus 100-MeV-level LPA beams. The lens can provide tunable field gradients in excess of 3000 T/m, enabling cm-scale focal lengths for GeV-level beam energies and allowing LPA-based electron beams and light sources to maintain their compact footprint. For a range of lens strengths, excellent agreement with simulation was obtained.
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A Phase III study was started in Japan to evaluate the non-inferiority in overall survival of segmentectomy compared with lobectomy in patients with small-sized (diameter ≤2 cm) peripheral non-small ...cell lung cancer, excluding radiologically determined non-invasive cancer. This study began in August 2009, and a total of 1100 patients will be accrued from 71 institutions within 3 years. The primary endpoint is overall survival. The secondary endpoints are post-operative respiratory function, relapse-free survival, proportion of local recurrence, adverse events, proportion of patients who complete segmentectomy, duration of hospitalization, duration of chest tube placement, operation time, blood loss and number of auto-sutures used. This study is one of the first intergroup studies in Japan between the Japan Clinical Oncology Group and the West Japan Oncology Group.
Multicopper blue proteins (MCBPs) are multidomain proteins that utilize the distinctive redox ability of copper ions. There are a variety of MCBPs that have been roughly classified into three ...different groups, based on their domain organization and functions: (i) nitrite reductase-type with two domains, (ii) laccase-type with three domains, and (iii) ceruloplasmin-type with six domains. Together, the second and third group are often commonly called multicopper oxidases (MCOs). The rapid accumulation of genome sequence information in recent years has revealed several new types of proteins containing MCBP domains, mainly from bacteria. In this review, the recent research on the functions and structures of MCBPs is summarized, mainly focusing on the new types. The latter half of this review focusses on the two domain MCBPs, which we propose as the evolutionary intermediate of the MCBP family.
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EMUNI, FZAB, GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, SBMB, SBNM, UL, UM, UPUK, VKSCE, ZAGLJ
Single-shot, charge-dependent emittance measurements of electron beams generated by a laser plasma accelerator (LPA) reveal that shock-induced density down-ramp injection produces beams with ...normalized emittances a factor of 2 smaller than beams produced via ionization injection. Such a comparison is made possible by the tunable LPA setup, which allows electron beams with nearly identical central energy and peak spectral charge density to be produced using the two distinct injection mechanisms. Parametric measurements of this type are essential for the development of LPA-based applications which ultimately require high charge density and low emittance.
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At the Earth's low‐latitude magnetopause, clear signatures of the Kelvin‐Helmholtz (KH) waves have been frequently observed during periods of the northward interplanetary magnetic field (IMF), ...whereas these signatures have been much less frequently observed during the southward IMF. Here, we performed the first 3‐D fully kinetic simulation of the magnetopause KH instability under the southward IMF condition. The simulation demonstrates that fast magnetic reconnection is induced at multiple locations along the vortex edge in an early nonlinear growth phase of the instability. The reconnection outflow jets significantly disrupt the flow of the nonlinear KH vortex, while the disrupted turbulent flow strongly bends and twists the reconnected field lines. The resulting coupling of the complex field and flow patterns within the magnetopause boundary layer leads to a quick decay of the vortex structure, which may explain the difference in the observation probability of KH waves between northward and southward IMF conditions.
Plain Language Summary
Space between planets is filled with ionized gas released from the upper atmosphere of the Sun, called the solar wind. Although the Earth's magnetic field basically acts as a barrier to prevent energetic solar wind from penetrating into the region filled with the Earth's magnetic field, called the magnetosphere, it is known that the solar wind frequently leaks into the magnetosphere. The Kelvin‐Helmholtz (KH) instability, which is a flow‐driven instability and can be unstable by the antisunward flowing solar wind, has been considered as an important candidate process for the solar wind leaks. However, past spacecraft observations have revealed that the observation probability of KH waves is very low when the magnetic field in the solar wind, called the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF), is oriented southward, that is, opposite from the Earth's magnetic field. In this study, based on a plasma kinetic simulation, it is found that when the IMF is southward, magnetic reconnection, which is an explosive plasma process that rearranges the magnetic topology across the boundary, occurs at multiple locations in the KH waves and rapidly destroys the wave structures. This may explain the low observation probability of the KH waves under the southward IMF.
Key Points
Three‐dimensional fully kinetic simulation of Kelvin‐Helmholtz instability at the Earth's magnetopause under the southward IMF condition is performed
Fast reconnection causes a rapid decay of the nonlinear vortex structure in the early nonlinear growth phase of the instability
The vortex decay can lead to a lower probability of observing magnetopause Kelvin‐Helmholtz waves/vortices during southward IMF periods
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