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Abstract We study the inclusive and exclusive cross sections of $$e^+e^-\rightarrow \text {hadrons}$$ e + e - → hadrons for center-of-mass energies between 3.70 and $$3.83\,\,\textrm{GeV} $$ 3.83 GeV to infer the mass, width, and couplings of the $$\psi (3770)$$ ψ ( 3770 ) resonance. By using a coupled-channel K-matrix approach, we setup our analysis to respect unitarity and the analyticity properties of the underlying scattering amplitudes. We fit several models to the full dataset and identify our nominal results through a statistical model comparison. We find that, accounting for the interplay between the $$\psi (2S)$$ ψ ( 2 S ) and the $$\psi (3770)$$ ψ ( 3770 ) , no further pole is required to describe the $$\psi (3770)$$ ψ ( 3770 ) line shape. In particular we derive from the pole location $$M_{\psi (3770)}~=~3778.8~\pm ~0.3~\,\textrm{MeV} $$ M ψ ( 3770 ) = 3778.8 ± 0.3 MeV and $$\varGamma _{\psi (3770)}~=~25.0~\pm ~0.5~\,\textrm{MeV} $$ Γ ψ ( 3770 ) = 25.0 ± 0.5 MeV . Moreover, we find the decay to $$D^+D^-$$ D + D - and $$D^0\bar{D}^0$$ D 0 D ¯ 0 to be consistent with isospin symmetry and derive an upper bound on the branching ratio $${\mathcal {B}}(\psi (3770) \rightarrow \text {non-}D\bar{D}) < 6\%$$ B ( ψ ( 3770 ) → non- D D ¯ ) < 6 % at $$90\%$$ 90 % probability.

Aerosol particles have an important role in Earth's radiation balance and climate, both directly and indirectly through aerosol–cloud interactions. Most aerosol particles in the atmosphere are weakly charged, affecting both their collision rates with ions and neutral molecules, as well as the rates by which they are scavenged by other aerosol particles and cloud droplets. The rate coefficients between ions and aerosol particles are important since they determine the growth rates and lifetimes of ions and charged aerosol particles, and so they may influence cloud microphysics, dynamics, and aerosol processing. However, despite their importance, very few experimental measurements exist of charged aerosol collision rates under atmospheric conditions, where galactic cosmic rays in the lower troposphere give rise to ion pair concentrations of around 1000 cm−3. Here we present measurements in the CERN CLOUD chamber of the rate coefficients between ions and small ( nm) aerosol particles containing up to 9 elementary charges, e. We find the rate coefficient of a singly charged ion with an oppositely charged particle increases from 2.0 (0.4–4.4) × 10−6 cm3 s−1 to 30.6 (24.9–45.1) × 10−6 cm3 s−1 for particles with charges of 1 to 9 e, respectively, where the parentheses indicate the ±1σ uncertainty interval. Our measurements are compatible with theoretical predictions and show excellent agreement with the model of Gatti and Kortshagen (2008).

Currently, the complete chemical characterization of nanoparticles (< 100 nm) represents an analytical challenge, since these particles are abundant in number but have negligible mass. Several methods for particle-phase characterization have been recently developed to better detect and infer more accurately the sources and fates of sub-100 nm particles, but a detailed comparison of different approaches is missing. Here we report on the chemical composition of secondary organic aerosol (SOA) nanoparticles from experimental studies of α-pinene ozonolysis at −50, −30, and −10 ∘C and intercompare the results measured by different techniques. The experiments were performed at the Cosmics Leaving OUtdoor Droplets (CLOUD) chamber at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN). The chemical composition was measured simultaneously by four different techniques: (1) thermal desorption–differential mobility analyzer (TD–DMA) coupled to a NO3- chemical ionization–atmospheric-pressure-interface–time-of-flight (CI–APi–TOF) mass spectrometer, (2) filter inlet for gases and aerosols (FIGAERO) coupled to an I− high-resolution time-of-flight chemical ionization mass spectrometer (HRToF-CIMS), (3) extractive electrospray Na+ ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometer (EESI-TOF), and (4) offline analysis of filters (FILTER) using ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC) and heated electrospray ionization (HESI) coupled to an Orbitrap high-resolution mass spectrometer (HRMS). Intercomparison was performed by contrasting the observed chemical composition as a function of oxidation state and carbon number, by estimating the volatility and comparing the fraction of volatility classes, and by comparing the thermal desorption behavior (for the thermal desorption techniques: TD–DMA and FIGAERO) and performing positive matrix factorization (PMF) analysis for the thermograms. We found that the methods generally agree on the most important compounds that are found in the nanoparticles. However, they do see different parts of the organic spectrum. We suggest potential explanations for these differences: thermal decomposition, aging, sampling artifacts, etc. We applied PMF analysis and found insights of thermal decomposition in the TD–DMA and the FIGAERO.

For practical reasons, in many studies PD-L1 expression is measured by combined positive score (CPS) from a single tumor sample. This does not reflect the heterogeneity of PD-L1 expression in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). We investigated the extent and relevance of PD-L1 expression heterogeneity in HNSCC analyzing primary tumors and recurrences (LRs), as well as metastases. Tumor tissue from 200 HNSCC patients was immunohistochemically stained for PD-L1 and analyzed using image-analysis software QuPath v3.4 with multiple specimens per patient. CPS was ≥20 in 25.6% of primary tumors. Intra-tumoral heterogeneity led to a therapeutically relevant underestimation of PD-L1 expression in 28.7% of patients, when only one specimen per patient was analyzed. Inter-tumoral differences in PD-L1 expression between primary tumors and lymph node metastasis (LNM) or LR occurred in 44.4% and 61.5% (CPS) and in 40.6% and 50% of cases (TPS). Overall survival was increased in patients with CPS ≥ 1 vs. CPS < 1 in primary tumors and LNM (hazard ratio: 0.46 and 0.35; p < 0.005); CPS in LR was not prognostic. Our analysis shows clinically relevant intra- and inter-sample heterogeneity of PD-L1 expression in HNSCC. To account for heterogeneity and improve patient selection for immunotherapy, multiple sample analyses should be performed, particularly in patients with CPS/TPS < 1.

IntroductionThe cyclic nucleotide cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) is a ubiquitous second messenger, which is known to play an important anti-inflammatory role. Astrocytes in the central nervous system (CNS) can modulate inflammation but little is known about the significance of cAMP in their function.MethodsWe investigated cAMP dynamics in mouse olfactory bulb astrocytes in brain slices prepared from healthy and experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) mice.ResultsThe purinergic receptor ligands adenosine and adenosine triphosphate (ATP) both induced transient increases in cAMP in astrocytes expressing the genetically encoded cAMP sensor Flamindo2. The A2A receptor antagonist ZM241385 inhibited the responses. Similar transient increases in astrocytic cAMP occurred when olfactory receptor neurons were stimulated electrically, resulting in ATP release from the stimulated axons that increased cAMP, again via A2A receptors. Notably, A2A-mediated responses to ATP and adenosine were not different in EAE mice as compared to healthy mice.DiscussionOur results indicate that ATP, synaptically released by afferent axons in the olfactory bulb, is degraded to adenosine that acts on A2A receptors in astrocytes, thereby increasing the cytosolic cAMP concentration. However, this pathway is not altered in the olfactory bulb of EAE mice.

Jet engine lubrication oil is an efficient nucleation agent that likely contributes to high levels of ultrafine particles near airports contributing to poor air quality, suggest laboratory thermodenuder experiments and observations near Frankfurt International Airport.

In Germany, the recorded quantities of bio-waste have grown continuously after the introduction of a separate organic waste bin. Residual biomass is not a waste – it is a raw material, which forms the basis for various marketable products, such as compost, biogas/biofuels, or biomass coke. This article highlights possible process ways according to the state of the art from bio-waste collection until the generation of products for second use. In addition, possible trends for the development of the bio-waste industry are shown.

An important cognitive requirement in multitasking is the decision of how multiple tasks should be temporally scheduled (task order control). Specifically, task order switches (vs. repetitions) yield performance costs (i.e., task-order switch costs), suggesting that task order scheduling is a vital part of configuring a task set. Recently, it has been shown that this process takes specific task-related characteristics into account: task order switches were easier when switching to a preferred (vs. non-preferred) task order. Here, we ask whether another determinant of task order control, namely the phenomenon that a task order switch in a previous trial facilitates a task order switch in a current trial (i.e., a sequential modulation of task order switch effect) also takes task-specific characteristics into account. Based on three experiments involving task order switches between a preferred (dominant oculomotor task prior to non-dominant manual/pedal task) and a non-preferred (vice versa) order, we replicated the finding that task order switching (in Trial N) is facilitated after a previous switch (vs. repetition in Trial N - 1) in task order. There was no substantial evidence in favor of a significant difference when switching to the preferred vs. non-preferred order and in the analyses of the dominant oculomotor task and the non-dominant manual task. This indicates different mechanisms underlying the control of immediate task order configuration (indexed by task order switch costs) and the sequential modulation of these costs based on the task order transition type in the previous trial.

Atmospheric new-particle formation (NPF) affects climate by contributing to a large fraction of the cloud condensation nuclei (CCN). Highly oxygenated organic molecules (HOMs) drive the early particle growth and therefore substantially influence the survival of newly formed particles to CCN. Nitrogen oxide (NOx) is known to suppress the NPF driven by HOMs, but the underlying mechanism remains largely unclear. Here, we examine the response of particle growth to the changes of HOM formation caused by NOx. We show that NOx suppresses particle growth in general, but the suppression is rather nonuniform and size dependent, which can be quantitatively explained by the shifted HOM volatility after adding NOx. By illustrating how NOx affects the early growth of new particles, a critical step of CCN formation, our results help provide a refined assessment of the potential climatic effects caused by the diverse changes of NOx level in forest regions around the globe.

Many different atmospheric, physical, and chemical processes are affected by ions. An important sink for atmospheric ions is the reaction and mutual neutralisation of a positive and negative ion, also called ion–ion recombination. While the value for the ion–ion recombination coefficient α is well-known for standard conditions (namely 1.7 × 10−6 cm3 s−1), it needs to be calculated for deviating temperature and pressure conditions, especially for applications at higher altitudes of the atmosphere. In this work, we review the history of theories and parameterisations of the ion–ion recombination coefficient, focussing on the temperature and pressure dependencies as well as the altitude range between 0 and 50 km. Commencing with theories based on J. J. Thomson's work, we describe important semi-empirical adjustments as well as field, model, and laboratory data sets, followed by short reviews of binary recombination theories, model simulations, and the application of ion–aerosol theories to ion–ion recombination. We present a comparison between theories, parameterisations, and field, model, and laboratory data sets to conclude favourable parameterisations. While many theories agree well with field data above an altitude of approximately 10 km, the nature of the recombination coefficient is still widely unknown between Earth's surface and an altitude of 10 km. According to the current state of knowledge, it appears reasonable to assume an almost constant value for the recombination coefficient for this region, while it is necessary to use values that are adjusted for pressure and temperature for altitudes above 10 km. Suitable parameterisations for different altitude ranges are presented and the need for future research, be it in the laboratory or by means of modelling, is identified.

Ambient ions play an important role in atmospheric processes such as ion-induced new particle formation. While there are several studies of ambient ions for different layers of the atmosphere, data coverage for the free troposphere and especially the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere (UTLS) region is scarce. Here, we present the first airborne measurements of ambient ions using a high-resolution atmospheric pressure interface time-of-flight mass spectrometer (HR-APi-TOF-MS) in the free troposphere and lower stratosphere above Europe on board the HALO aircraft during the CAFE-EU/BLUESKY campaign in May and June 2020. In negative measurement mode, we observed nitrate and hydrogen sulfate and their related ion clusters in an altitude range of 4.7 to 13.4 km. The horizontal profiles for those ions reveal an increasing count rate for NO3- and (HNO3)NO3- towards higher altitudes but no significant trend for HSO4−. From the count rates of the nitrate (NO3-) and hydrogen sulfate (HSO4-) core ions, we inferred the number concentration of gaseous sulfuric acid. The lowest average value was found to be 1.9×105 cm−3 at the maximum altitude bin, i.e. 13.4 km. The highest average value of 7.8×105 cm−3 was observed in the 8.7–9.2 km altitude bin. During the transit through a mixed-phase cloud, we observed an event of enhanced ion count rates and aerosol particle concentrations that can largely be assigned to nitrate ions and particles, respectively; this may have been caused by the shattering of liquid cloud droplets on the surface of the aircraft or the inlet. Furthermore, we report the proof of principle for the measurement of ambient cations and the identification of protonated pyridine.

Abstract EOS is an open-source software for a variety of computational tasks in flavor physics. Its use cases include theory predictions within and beyond the Standard Model of particle physics, Bayesian inference of theory parameters from experimental and theoretical likelihoods, and simulation of pseudo events for a number of signal processes. EOS ensures high-performance computations through a C++ back-end and ease of usability through a Python front-end. To achieve this flexibility, EOS enables the user to select from a variety of implementations of the relevant decay processes and hadronic matrix elements at run time. In this article, we describe the general structure of the software framework and provide basic examples. Further details and in-depth interactive examples are provided as part of the EOS online documentation.