The use of punctal plugs in the treatment of keratoconjunctivitis sicca (KCS) in inflammatory eye disease remains controversial because of the potentially increased retention time of tears enriched ...with inflammatory cytokines that may aggravate eye inflammation. We describe the safety and efficacy of punctal occlusion in a retrospective analysis of 19 patients (16 men) with KCS due to chronic GvHD (cGvHD). Efficacy and safety were assessed by subjective and objective criteria (symptoms, corneal fluorescein staining, tear film break-up time (BUT), Schirmer I test, Jones test and visual acuity). Follow-up was from plug insertion until maximum one year after punctal occlusion. After punctal occlusion, patients reported a significant increase in subjective comfort (1.10 vs 0.59 on a scale ranging from no symptoms (0) to severe impairment (2), P<0.001). Pathological corneal fluorescein staining decreased significantly (P<0.001) and tear film BUT remained unchanged (5.98 vs 4.0 s, P=0.79). Measurement of tear secretion or retention time showed a non-significant trend for improvement in the Schirmer I (3.0 vs 3.40 mm, P=0.08) and Jones (1.36 vs 2.8 mm, P=0.08) tests. The logMAR visual acuity remained unchanged. Punctal occlusion achieved a significant improvement in subjective symptoms and objective findings in ocular GvHD without increasing ocular inflammation.
Using the detector ARGUS at the
e
+
e
− storage ring DORIS II at DESY, we have observed the decays
Λ
c
+ →
Ξ
−
K
+
π
+ and
Λ
c
+ → Ξ
∗0K
+
and obtained evidence for the decay
Ξ
c
0 →
ΛK
s
0. All ...three of these decays are of interest as they provide information about
W-exchange processes. The products of cross sections and branching ratios for
Λ
c
+ →
Ξ
−
K
+
π
+ and
Λ
c
+ → Ξ
∗0K
+
are (1.7±0.3±0.3) pb and (0.6±0.2±0.1) pb, respectively, which implies that (35±17) % of the
Ξ
−
K
+
π
+ final state is generated through a two-body decay via intermediate
W-exchange. The product of production cross section and branching ratio for
Ξ
c
0 →
Λ
K
s
0 is (2.1 ± 1.0 ± 0.6) pb.
Using the ARGUS detector at the e
+e
− storage ring DORIS II at DESY, we have searched for decays
b →
s
gluon through full reconstruction of a whole event. Two B
B
decays were found with one of B ...meson decaying into a final state without charmed particles. We also obtained an upper limit of
Br(B
+ →
τ
+
ν
τ
) of 1.04% at 90%
CL.
Using the ARGUS detector at the
e
+
e
− storage ring DORIS II, we have searched for the real and imaginary part of the electric dipole formfactor
d
τ
of the
τ lepton in the production of
τ pairs at
q
...2=100
GeV
2
. This is the first direct measurement of this
CP
violating formfactor. We applied the method of optimised observables which takes into account all available information on the observed
τ decay products. No evidence for
CP
violation was found, and we derive the following results:
Re(d
τ)=(1.6±1.9)·10
−16
e
cm
and
Im(d
τ)=(−0.2±0.8)·10
−16
e
cm
, where statistical and systematic errors have been combined.
Using the ARGUS detector at the
e
+
e
− storage ring DORIS II at DESY, we have found evidence for the production of the excited charmed baryon state
Λ
c
(2593)
+ in the channel
Λ
c
+
π
+
π
−. Its ...mass was determined to be (2594.6±0.9±0.4) MeV/c
2, and the natural width measured to be Γ = (2.9
−2.1−1.4
+2.9+1.8) MeV. The production cross section times the branching ratios of
σ(
e
+
e
− →
Λ
c
(2593)
+
X) ×
Br(
Λ
c
(2593)
+ →
Λ
c
+
π
+
π
−) ×
Br(
Λ
c
+ →
pK
−
π
+) was measured to be (0.25
−0.13
+0.24 ±0.13) pb. The fractions of
Λ
c
(2593)
+ decays proceeding through the
Σ
c
0
π
+ and
Σ
c
++
π
− channels were determined to be 0.29±0.10±0.11 and 0.37±0.12±0.13, respectively.
Using the ARGUS detector at the
e
+
e
− storage ring DORIS II, we have measured the Michel parameters
ρ,
ξ, and
ξδ for
τ
±→l
±ν
ν
̄
decays in
τ-pair events produced at center of mass energies in the ...region of the
ϒ resonances. Using
τ
∓→
ρ
∓
ν as spin analyzing tags, we find
ρ
e
=0.68±0.04±0.08,
ξ
e
=1.12±0.20±0.09,
ξδ
e
=0.57±0.14±0.07,
ρ
μ
=0.69±0.06±0.08,
ξ
μ
=1.25±0.27±0.14 and
ξδ
μ
=0.72±0.18±0.10. In addition, we report the combined ARGUS results on
ρ,
ξ, and
ξδ using this work und previous measurements.
Using the ARGUS detector at the
e
+
e
− storage ring DORIS II, we have determined the Michel parameters ξ and δ of
τ
∓ → l
∓ν
ν
-
decays. With an integrated luminosity of 445 pb
−1 around
s
= 10
GeV, ...we have produced approximately 415000 τ-pairs. From this data sample, 3262 events were selected with
e
+e
− → τ
+τ
− → (l
±ν
ν
-
) (π
∓π
+π
−ν)
. The semihadronic decay was used as analyser of the τ-spin and made possible - owing to the spin correlations - the determination of the parity-violating Michel parameters ξ and δ in the decay
τ
∓ → l
∓ν
ν
-
. Simultaneously to the determination of the Michel parameters, a measurement of the τ-neutrino helicity
h
ν
τ
in the decay
τ
∓ →
π
∓
π
+
π
−
ν was obtained. We observed
h
ν
τ
= −0.85
−0.17
+0.15 ± 0.05,
ϱ = 0.721 ± 0.040 ± 0.021,
ξ = 1.26
−0.26
+0.30 ± 0.09, and
ξδ = 0.77
−0.16
+0.18 ± 0.05. In addition, the combined ARGUS result on
h
ν
τ
, ϱ, ξ, and ξδ are reported using this work and previous measurements.
Using the ARGUS detector at the
e
+
e
− storage ring DORIS II at DESY, we have studied lepton energy spectra in τ decays. We present a “pseudo-rest-frame” technique in which the second τ in the ...event, decaying into a heavy hadronic system, is used as reference. This method allows for the first measurement of the Michel Parameter η in τ decays. We also determine the Michel Parameter ρ in τ →
ev̄v decays with a precision comparable to the present world average. The measured values of the parameters ρ=0.735±0.036±0.020 and η=0.03±0.18±0.12 are in good agreement with standard V-A coupling at the τ-ν-W vertex.
A maximum likelihood analysis of ARGUS data on two-photon production of
π
+
π
+
π
0
π
0
π
−
π
− is presented. A small fraction of events is due to the production of omega pairs. The
γγ →
ωω cross ...section has its maximum value close to threshold.
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