Erratum: Global Polarization of Ξ and Ω Hyperons in Au+Au Collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=200 GeV [Phys. Rev. Lett. 126, 162301 (2021)].

This corrects the article DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.126.162301.

Measurements of Proton High-Order Cumulants in sqrt[s_{NN}]=3 GeV Au+Au Collisions and Implications for the QCD Critical Point.

We report cumulants of the proton multiplicity distribution from dedicated fixed-target Au+Au collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=3.0 GeV, measured by the STAR experiment in the kinematic acceptance of rapidity (y) and transverse momentum (p_{T}) within -0.5

Measurements of _{Λ}

We report precision measurements of hypernuclei _{Λ}^{3}H and _{Λ}^{4}H lifetimes obtained from Au+Au collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=3.0 GeV and 7.2 GeV collected by the STAR experiment at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider, and the first measurement of _{Λ}^{3}H and _{Λ}^{4}H midrapidity yields in Au+Au collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=3.0 GeV. _{Λ}^{3}H and _{Λ}^{4}H, being the two simplest bound states composed of hyperons and nucleons, are cornerstones in the field of hypernuclear physics. Their lifetimes are measured to be 221±15(stat)±19(syst) ps for _{Λ}^{3}H and 218±6(stat)±13(syst) ps for _{Λ}^{4}H. The p_{T}-integrated yields of _{Λ}^{3}H and _{Λ}^{4}H are presented in different centrality and rapidity intervals. It is observed that the shape of the rapidity distribution of _{Λ}^{4}H is different for 0%-10% and 10%-50% centrality collisions. Thermal model calculations, using the canonical ensemble for strangeness, describes the _{Λ}^{3}H yield well, while underestimating the _{Λ}^{4}H yield. Transport models, combining baryonic mean-field and coalescence (jam) or utilizing dynamical cluster formation via baryonic interactions (phqmd) for light nuclei and hypernuclei production, approximately describe the measured _{Λ}^{3}H and _{Λ}^{4}H yields. Our measurements provide means to precisely assess our understanding of the fundamental baryonic interactions with strange quarks, which can impact our understanding of more complicated systems involving hyperons, such as the interior of neutron stars or exotic hypernuclei.

Probing the Gluonic Structure of the Deuteron with J/ψ Photoproduction in d+Au Ultraperipheral Collisions.

Understanding gluon density distributions and how they are modified in nuclei are among the most important goals in nuclear physics. In recent years, diffractive vector meson production measured in ultraperipheral collisions (UPCs) at heavy-ion colliders has provided a new tool for probing the gluon density. In this Letter, we report the first measurement of J/ψ photoproduction off the deuteron in UPCs at the center-of-mass energy sqrt[s_{NN}]=200 GeV in d+Au collisions. The differential cross section as a function of momentum transfer -t is measured. In addition, data with a neutron tagged in the deuteron-going zero-degree calorimeter is investigated for the first time, which is found to be consistent with the expectation of incoherent diffractive scattering at low momentum transfer. Theoretical predictions based on the color glass condensate saturation model and the leading twist approximation nuclear shadowing model are compared with the data quantitatively. A better agreement with the saturation model has been observed. With the current measurement, the results are found to be directly sensitive to the gluon density distribution of the deuteron and the deuteron breakup process, which provides insights into the nuclear gluonic structure.

Evidence for Nonlinear Gluon Effects in QCD and Their Mass Number Dependence at STAR.

The STAR Collaboration reports measurements of back-to-back azimuthal correlations of di-π^{0}s produced at forward pseudorapidities (2.6<η<4.0) in p+p, p+Al, and p+Au collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 200 GeV. We observe a clear suppression of the correlated yields of back-to-back π^{0} pairs in p+Al and p+Au collisions compared to the p+p data. The observed suppression of back-to-back pairs as a function of transverse momentum suggests nonlinear gluon dynamics arising at high parton densities. The larger suppression found in p+Au relative to p+Al collisions exhibits a dependence of the saturation scale Q_{s}^{2} on the mass number A. A linear scaling of the suppression with A^{1/3} is observed with a slope of -0.09±0.01.

Collision-System and Beam-Energy Dependence of Anisotropic Flow Fluctuations.

Elliptic flow measurements from two-, four-, and six-particle correlations are used to investigate flow fluctuations in collisions of U+U at sqrt[s_{NN}]=193 GeV, Cu+Au at sqrt[s_{NN}]=200 GeV and Au+Au spanning the range sqrt[s_{NN}]=11.5-200 GeV. The measurements show a strong dependence of the flow fluctuations on collision centrality, a modest dependence on system size, and very little if any, dependence on particle species and beam energy. The results, when compared to similar LHC measurements, viscous hydrodynamic calculations, and trento model eccentricities, indicate that initial-state-driven fluctuations predominate the flow fluctuations generated in the collisions studied.

Search for the Chiral Magnetic Effect via Charge-Dependent Azimuthal Correlations Relative to Spectator and Participant Planes in Au+Au Collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=200 GeV.

The chiral magnetic effect (CME) refers to charge separation along a strong magnetic field due to imbalanced chirality of quarks in local parity and charge-parity violating domains in quantum chromodynamics. The experimental measurement of the charge separation is made difficult by the presence of a major background from elliptic azimuthal anisotropy. This background and the CME signal have different sensitivities to the spectator and participant planes, and could thus be determined by measurements with respect to these planes. We report such measurements in Au+Au collisions at a nucleon-nucleon center-of-mass energy of 200 GeV at the Relativistic Heavy-Ion Collider. It is found that the charge separation, with the flow background removed, is consistent with zero in peripheral (large impact parameter) collisions. Some indication of finite CME signals is seen in midcentral (intermediate impact parameter) collisions. Significant residual background effects may, however, still be present.

Nonmonotonic Energy Dependence of Net-Proton Number Fluctuations.

Nonmonotonic variation with collision energy (sqrt[s_{NN}]) of the moments of the net-baryon number distribution in heavy-ion collisions, related to the correlation length and the susceptibilities of the system, is suggested as a signature for the quantum chromodynamics critical point. We report the first evidence of a nonmonotonic variation in the kurtosis times variance of the net-proton number (proxy for net-baryon number) distribution as a function of sqrt[s_{NN}] with 3.1 σ significance for head-on (central) gold-on-gold (Au+Au) collisions measured solenoidal tracker at Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider. Data in noncentral Au+Au collisions and models of heavy-ion collisions without a critical point show a monotonic variation as a function of sqrt[s_{NN}].

Measurement of the Sixth-Order Cumulant of Net-Proton Multiplicity Distributions in Au+Au Collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=27, 54.4, and 200 GeV at RHIC.

According to first-principle lattice QCD calculations, the transition from quark-gluon plasma to hadronic matter is a smooth crossover in the region µ_{B}≤T_{c}. In this range the ratio, C_{6}/C_{2}, of net-baryon distributions are predicted to be negative. In this Letter, we report the first measurement of the midrapidity net-proton C_{6}/C_{2} from 27, 54.4, and 200 GeV Au+Au collisions at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC). The dependence on collision centrality and kinematic acceptance in (p_{T}, y) are analyzed. While for 27 and 54.4 GeV collisions the C_{6}/C_{2} values are close to zero within uncertainties, it is observed that for 200 GeV collisions, the C_{6}/C_{2} ratio becomes progressively negative from peripheral to central collisions. Transport model calculations without critical dynamics predict mostly positive values except for the most central collisions within uncertainties. These observations seem to favor a smooth crossover in the high-energy nuclear collisions at top RHIC energy.

Observation of D_{s}

We report on the first measurement of charm-strange meson D_{s}^{±} production at midrapidity in Au+Au collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=200 GeV from the STAR experiment. The yield ratio between strange (D_{s}^{±}) and nonstrange (D^{0}) open-charm mesons is presented and compared to model calculations. A significant enhancement, relative to a pythia simulation of p+p collisions, is observed in the D_{s}^{±}/D^{0} yield ratio in Au+Au collisions over a large range of collision centralities. Model calculations incorporating abundant strange-quark production in the quark-gluon plasma and coalescence hadronization qualitatively reproduce the data. The transverse-momentum integrated yield ratio of D_{s}^{±}/D^{0} at midrapidity is consistent with a prediction from a statistical hadronization model with the parameters constrained by the yields of light and strange hadrons measured at the same collision energy. These results suggest that the coalescence of charm quarks with strange quarks in the quark-gluon plasma plays an important role in D_{s}^{±}-meson production in heavy-ion collisions.

Measurement of e

The Breit-Wheeler process which produces matter and antimatter from photon collisions is experimentally investigated through the observation of 6085 exclusive electron-positron pairs in ultraperipheral Au+Au collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=200 GeV. The measurements reveal a large fourth-order angular modulation of cos4Δϕ=(16.8±2.5)% and smooth invariant mass distribution absent of vector mesons (ϕ, ω, and ρ) at the experimental limit of ≤0.2% of the observed yields. The differential cross section as a function of e^{+}e^{-} pair transverse momentum P_{⊥} peaks at low value with sqrt[⟨P_{⊥}^{2}⟩]=38.1±0.9 MeV and displays a significant centrality dependence. These features are consistent with QED calculations for the collision of linearly polarized photons quantized from the extremely strong electromagnetic fields generated by the highly charged Au nuclei at ultrarelativistic speed. The experimental results have implications for vacuum birefringence and for mapping the magnetic field which is important for emergent QCD phenomena.

Global Polarization of Ξ and Ω Hyperons in Au+Au Collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=200 GeV.

Global polarization of Ξ and Ω hyperons has been measured for the first time in Au+Au collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=200 GeV. The measurements of the Ξ^{-} and Ξ[over ¯]^{+} hyperon polarization have been performed by two independent methods, via analysis of the angular distribution of the daughter particles in the parity violating weak decay Ξ→Λ+π, as well as by measuring the polarization of the daughter Λ hyperon, polarized via polarization transfer from its parent. The polarization, obtained by combining the results from the two methods and averaged over Ξ^{-} and Ξ[over ¯]^{+}, is measured to be ⟨P_{Ξ}⟩=0.47±0.10(stat)±0.23(syst)% for the collision centrality 20%-80%. The ⟨P_{Ξ}⟩ is found to be slightly larger than the inclusive Λ polarization and in reasonable agreement with a multiphase transport model. The ⟨P_{Ξ}⟩ is found to follow the centrality dependence of the vorticity predicted in the model, increasing toward more peripheral collisions. The global polarization of Ω, ⟨P_{Ω}⟩=1.11±0.87(stat)±1.97(syst)% was obtained by measuring the polarization of daughter Λ in the decay Ω→Λ+K, assuming the polarization transfer factor C_{ΩΛ}=1.

Primary hyperparathyroidism in pregnancy: observations from the Indian PHPT registry.

PURPOSE: To present the data on primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT) in pregnancy from India obtained from a large database maintained over 15 years. METHODS: We retrieved data of all women with gestational PHPT from the Indian PHPT registry between July 2005 and January 2020, and compared their clinical, biochemical, and other characteristics with age-matched non-pregnant women with PHPT. RESULTS: Out of 386 women, eight had gestational PHPT (2.1%). The common presenting manifestations were acute pancreatitis (50%) and renal stone disease (50%); two were asymptomatic. Five women (62.5%) had a history of prior miscarriages. Seven patients (88%) had preeclampsia during the present gestation. Serum calcium and intact parathyroid hormone (iPTH) were not statistically different from the age-matched non-pregnant PHPT group. Six patients with mild-to-moderate hypercalcemia were medically managed with hydration with/without cinacalcet while one patient underwent percutaneous ethanol ablation of the parathyroid adenoma; none underwent surgery during pregnancy. Mean serum calcium maintained from treatment initiation till delivery was 10.5 ± 0.4 mg/dl. One patient had spontaneous preterm delivery at 36 weeks; the remaining patients had normal vaginal delivery at term. None had severe preeclampsia/eclampsia. Fetal outcomes included low birth weight in three newborns (37.5%); two of them had hypocalcemic seizures. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of gestational PHPT was 2.1% in this largest Indian PHPT cohort, which is higher than that reported from the West (< 1%). Gestational PHPT can lead to preeclampsia and miscarriage. Pregnant PHPT patients with mild-to-moderate hypercalcemia can be managed with hydration/cinacalcet; however, long-term safety data and large-scale randomized controlled trials are required.

First Measurement of Λ_{c} Baryon Production in Au+Au Collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=200 GeV.

We report on the first measurement of the charmed baryon Λ_{c}^{±} production at midrapidity (|y|<1) in Au+Au collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=200 GeV collected by the STAR experiment at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider. The Λ_{c}/D^{0} [denoting (Λ_{c}^{+}+Λ_{c}^{-})/(D^{0}+D[over ¯]^{0})] yield ratio is measured to be 1.08±0.16 (stat)±0.26 (sys) in the 0%-20% most central Au+Au collisions for the transverse momentum (p_{T}) range 3

Dysregulated mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway mediated cell cycle disruption in sporadic parathyroid tumors.

OBJECTIVES: The study was designed to evaluate expression profiling of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signalling pathway genes in sporadic parathyroid adenoma. METHODS: Expression of MAPK signalling pathway genes including activated transcription factors and cell cycle regulatory genes was analysed by real-time PCR- based array in parathyroid adenoma (N = 20) and normal parathyroid tissue (N = 4). RESULTS: MAPK signalling pathway as studied by PCR array revealed that a total of 22 genes were differentially expressed (≥ twofold change, p ≤ 0.05) in parathyroid adenoma. Up-regulated genes were ARAF, MAPK12, CREBBP, MYC, HSPB1, HRAS, CDK4, CCND1, and E2F1, and down-regulated genes were MAP4K1, DLK1, MAP3K4, MAPK10, MAPK8, ATF2, SMAD4, MEF2C, LAMTOR3, FOS, CDKN2A CDKN2B, and RB1. The present study revealed that ERK1/2 signalling pathway with up-regulation of HRAS, ARAF, and MEK1 genes and up-regulation of positive regulators of cell cycle (CCND1, CDK4, and E2F1) and down-regulation negative regulators of cell cycle (CDKN2A, CDKN2B, and RB1) made highly dysregulated MAPK signalling pathway in parathyroid adenoma. Expression of CDK4 was positively associated with plasma PTH level (r = 0.60, p = 0.04) and tumor weight (r = 0.80, p = 0.02) of the adenoma patients, respectively. Expression of CDKN2A was correlated negatively with PTH level (r = - 0.52, p = 0.04) of the adenoma patients. CONCLUSION: The current study revealed that ERK pathway and associated cell cycle regulator genes are dysregulated in sporadic parathyroid adenoma.

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.

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.

First Observation of the Directed Flow of D

We report the first measurement of rapidity-odd directed flow (v_{1}) for D^{0} and D^{0}[over ¯] mesons at midrapidity (|y|<0.8) in Au+Au collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=200 GeV using the STAR detector at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider. In 10-80% Au+Au collisions, the slope of the v_{1} rapidity dependence (dv_{1}/dy), averaged over D^{0} and D^{0}[over ¯] mesons, is -0.080±0.017(stat)±0.016(syst) for transverse momentum p_{T} above 1.5 GeV/c. The absolute value of D^{0} meson dv_{1}/dy is about 25 times larger than that for charged kaons, with 3.4σ significance. These data give a unique insight into the initial tilt of the produced matter, and offer constraints on the geometric and transport parameters of the hot QCD medium created in relativistic heavy-ion collisions.

Quantitative proteomics analysis of sporadic parathyroid adenoma tissue samples.

OBJECTIVE: Molecular pathogenesis of parathyroid tumors is incompletely understood. Identification of novel molecules and understanding their role in parathyroid tumorigenesis by proteomics approach would be informative with potential clinical implications. METHOD: Adenomatous (n = 5) and normal (n = 2) parathyroid tissue lysates were analyzed for protein profile by LC-MS/MS method and the proteins were classified using bioinformatics tools such as PANTHER and toppfun functional enrichment tool. Identified proteins were further validated by western blotting and qRT-PCR (n = 20). RESULT: Comparative proteomics analysis revealed that a total of 206 proteins (74 upregulated and 132 downregulated) were differentially expressed (≥ twofold change) in adenomas. Bioinformatics analysis revealed that 48 proteins were associated with plasma membrane, 49 with macromolecular complex, 39 were cytoplasm, 38 were organelle related, 21 were cell junction and 10 were extracellular proteins. These proteins belonged to a diverse protein family such as enzymes, transcription factors, cell signalling, cell adhesion, cytoskeleton proteins, receptors, and calcium-binding proteins. The major biological processes predicted for the proteins were a cellular, metabolic and developmental process, cellular localization, and biological regulation. The differentially expressed proteins were found to be associated with MAPK, phospholipase C (PLC) and phosphatidylinositol (PI) signalling pathways, and with chromatin organization. Western blot and qRT-PCR analysis of three proteins (DNAJC2, ACO2, and PRDX2) validated the LC-MS/MS findings. CONCLUSION: This exploratory study demonstrates the feasibility of proteomics approach in finding the dysregulated proteins in benign parathyroid adenomas, and our preliminary results suggest that MAPK, PLC and PI signalling pathways and chromatin organization are involved in parathyroid tumorigenesis.