Diagnostic potential of urinary monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 for Alzheimer's disease and amnestic mild cognitive impairment.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The chemokine monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) is involved in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD). This study aimed to investigate whether urinary MCP-1 can distinguish patients with AD, patients with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) and cognitively normal (CN) subjects. METHODS: A total of 754 participants, including 97 patients with AD, 50 patients with aMCI and 84 age- and sex-matched CN controls as well as a cohort of 523 CN subjects of different ages, were enrolled from five hospitals located in different areas of China. Urinary MCP-1 levels were determined using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. The correlations between urinary MCP-1 levels and cognition test scores or age were analysed. The optimal diagnostic sensitivity and specificity were determined using receiver operating characteristic curve analysis. RESULTS: In the cohort of CN subjects of different ages, urinary MCP-1 levels increased with ageing and were correlated with age. The urinary MCP-1 levels were higher in females than in males. In the cohort composed of patients with AD, aMCI and age- and sex-matched CN controls, urinary MCP-1 levels were significantly higher in patients with AD and aMCI than in CN controls. There were no differences in urine MCP-1 levels between the AD group and the aMCI group. The urinary MCP-1 levels were correlated with the Mini-Mental State Examination scores and age, and were able to differentiate patients with AD and aMCI from CN subjects. CONCLUSIONS: Urinary MCP-1 is a potential biomarker for the diagnosis of AD and aMCI.

High Precision Detection of Change in Intermediate Range Order of Amorphous Zirconia-Doped Tantala Thin Films Due to Annealing.

Understanding the local atomic order in amorphous thin film coatings and how it relates to macroscopic performance factors, such as mechanical loss, provides an important path towards enabling the accelerated discovery and development of improved coatings. High precision x-ray scattering measurements of thin films of amorphous zirconia-doped tantala (ZrO_{2}-Ta_{2}O_{5}) show systematic changes in intermediate range order (IRO) as a function of postdeposition heat treatment (annealing). Atomic modeling captures and explains these changes, and shows that the material has building blocks of metal-centered polyhedra and the effect of annealing is to alter the connections between the polyhedra. The observed changes in IRO are associated with a shift in the ratio of corner-sharing to edge-sharing polyhedra. These changes correlate with changes in mechanical loss upon annealing, and suggest that the mechanical loss can be reduced by developing a material with a designed ratio of corner-sharing to edge-sharing polyhedra.

Efficient high-power dual-wavelength lime-green Nd:YVO4 lasers.

An efficient high-power dual-wavelength lime-green Nd:YVO4 self-Raman laser is inventively developed by using two different lithium triborate (LBO) crystals. The first and second LBO crystals are employed to generate the 559 nm lime and 532 nm green lasers, respectively. The temperature of the first LBO crystal is fixed at the optimal phase matching, whereas the temperature of the second LBO crystal is tuned to flexibly control the relative strengths between the 532 and 559 nm waves. When the temperature of the second LBO crystal is set for the maximal total output power, the 532 and 559 nm output powers, respectively, are 7.1 and 2.9 W at a pump power of 31.6 W, corresponding to a conversion efficiency of 31.6%. When the temperature is controlled for the balanced output, the 532 and 559 nm powers, respectively, are 4.3 and 4.2 W at a pump power of 31.6 W, corresponding to a conversion efficiency of 26.9%.

Efficient high-power continuous-wave lasers at green-lime-yellow wavelengths by using a Nd:YVO4 self-Raman crystal.

Efficient high-power continuous-wave Nd:YVO4 visible lasers at versatile wavelengths of 532 (green), 559 (lime), and 588 nm (yellow) are demonstrated to be achieved by using the identical cavity mirrors and gain medium. A dichroic coating is deposited on one end surface of the gain medium to gather the backward green-yellow emission. The green, lime, and yellow outputs are individually optimized by using different phase-matched lithium triborate (LBO) crystals for second harmonic generation (SHG) of the fundamental field, sum frequency generation (SFG) of the fundamental and the stimulated Raman fields, and SHG of the stimulated Raman field, respectively. At a pump power of 31.6 W, the output powers at 532, 559, and 588 nm can be up to 6.8, 5.4, and 3.1 W. The high efficient and compact Nd:YVO4 lasers at green-lime-yellow wavelengths can be potentially beneficial to future applications in retinal photocoagulation.

Precision Study of η

Using a low background data sample of 9.7×10^{5} J/ψ→γη^{'}, η^{'}→γπ^{+}π^{-} events, which are 2 orders of magnitude larger than those from the previous experiments, recorded with the BESIII detector at BEPCII, the decay dynamics of η^{'}→γπ^{+}π^{-} are studied with both model-dependent and model-independent approaches. The contributions of ω and the ρ(770)-ω interference are observed for the first time in the decays η^{'}→γπ^{+}π^{-} in both approaches. Additionally, a contribution from the box anomaly or the ρ(1450) resonance is required in the model-dependent approach, while the process specific part of the decay amplitude is determined in the model-independent approach.

Determination of the Spin and Parity of the Z_{c}(3900).

The spin and parity of the Z_{c}(3900)^{±} state are determined to be J^{P}=1^{+} with a statistical significance larger than 7σ over other quantum numbers in a partial wave analysis of the process e^{+}e^{-}→π^{+}π^{-}J/ψ. We use a data sample of 1.92 fb^{-1} accumulated at sqrt[s]=4.23 and 4.26 GeV with the BESIII experiment. When parametrizing the Z_{c}(3900)^{±} with a Flatté-like formula, we determine its pole mass M_{pole}=(3881.2±4.2_{stat}±52.7_{syst}) MeV/c^{2} and pole width Γ_{pole}=(51.8±4.6_{stat}±36.0_{syst}) MeV. We also measure cross sections for the process e^{+}e^{-}→Z_{c}(3900)^{+}π^{-}+c.c.→J/ψπ^{+}π^{-} and determine an upper limit at the 90% confidence level for the process e^{+}e^{-}→Z_{c}(4020)^{+}π^{-}+c.c.→J/ψπ^{+}π^{-}.

Observation of ψ(3686)→e

Using 4.479×10^{8} ψ(3686) events collected with the BESIII detector, we search for the decays ψ(3686)→e^{+}e^{-}χ_{cJ} and χ_{cJ}→e^{+}e^{-}J/ψ, where J=0, 1, 2. The decays ψ(3686)→e^{+}e^{-}χ_{cJ} and χ_{cJ}→e^{+}e^{-}J/ψ are observed for the first time. The measured branching fractions are B(ψ(3686)→e^{+}e^{-}χ_{cJ})=(11.7±2.5±1.0)×10^{-4}, (8.6±0.3±0.6)×10^{-4}, (6.9±0.5±0.6)×10^{-4} for J=0, 1, 2, and B(χ_{cJ}→e^{+}e^{-}J/ψ)=(1.51±0.30±0.13)×10^{-4}, (3.73±0.09±0.25)×10^{-3}, (2.48±0.08±0.16)×10^{-3} for J=0, 1, 2, respectively. The ratios of the branching fractions B(ψ(3686)→e^{+}e^{-}χ_{cJ})/B(ψ(3686)→γχ_{cJ}) and B(χ_{cJ}→e^{+}e^{-}J/ψ)/B(χ_{cJ}→γJ/ψ) are also reported. Also, the α values of helicity angular distributions of the e^{+}e^{-} pair are determined for ψ(3686)→e^{+}e^{-}χ_{c1,2} and χ_{c1,2}→e^{+}e^{-}J/ψ.

Amplitude Analysis of the Decays η

Based on a sample of 1.31×10^{9} J/ψ events collected with the BESIII detector, an amplitude analysis of the isospin-violating decays η^{'}→π^{+}π^{-}π^{0} and η^{'}→π^{0}π^{0}π^{0} is performed. A significant P-wave contribution from η^{'}→ρ^{±}π^{∓} is observed for the first time in η^{'}→π^{+}π^{-}π^{0}. The branching fraction is determined to be B(η^{'}→ρ^{±}π^{∓})=(7.44±0.60±1.26±1.84)×10^{-4}, where the first uncertainty is statistical, the second systematic, and the third model dependent. In addition to the nonresonant S-wave component, there is a significant σ meson component. The branching fractions of the combined S-wave components are determined to be B(η^{'}→π^{+}π^{-}π^{0})_{S}=(37.63±0.77±2.22±4.48)×10^{-4} and B(η^{'}→π^{0}π^{0}π^{0})=(35.22±0.82±2.54)×10^{-4}, respectively. The latter one is consistent with previous BESIII measurements.

Measurement of Singly Cabibbo Suppressed Decays Λ_{c}

Using 567 pb^{-1} of data collected with the BESIII detector at a center-of-mass energy of sqrt[s]=4.599 GeV, near the Λ_{c}^{+}Λ[over ¯]_{c}^{-} threshold, we study the singly Cabibbo-suppressed decays Λ_{c}^{+}→pπ^{+}π^{-} and Λ_{c}^{+}→pK^{+}K^{-}. By normalizing with respect to the Cabibbo-favored decay Λ_{c}^{+}→pK^{-}π^{+}, we obtain ratios of branching fractions: [B(Λ_{c}^{+}→pπ^{+}π^{-})/B(Λ_{c}^{+}→pK^{-}π^{+})]=(6.70±0.48±0.25)%, [B(Λ_{c}^{+}→pϕ)/B(Λ_{c}^{+}→pK^{-}π^{+})]=(1.81±0.33±0.13)%, and [B(Λ_{c}^{+}→pK^{+}K_{non-ϕ}^{-})/B(Λ_{c}^{+}→pK^{-}π^{+})]=(9.36±2.22±0.71)×10^{-3}, where the uncertainties are statistical and systematic, respectively. The absolute branching fractions are also presented. Among these measurements, the decay Λ_{c}^{+}→pπ^{+}π^{-} is observed for the first time, and the precision of the branching fraction for Λ_{c}^{+}→pK^{+}K_{non-ϕ}^{-} and Λ_{c}^{+}→pϕ is significantly improved.

Monolithic dual-polarization self-mode-locked Nd:YAG 946-nm lasers: controlling beat frequency and observation of temporal chaos.

The self-mode-locked (SML) operation at 946 nm can be achieved with a monolithic Nd:YAG crystal when the pump power is above the threshold of the multiple-longitudinal-mode generation. The SML output is further found to include two orthogonal polarization components with a beat frequency coming from the birefringence effect in the laser crystal. The beat frequency can be widely adjusted in the range of 5-220 MHz by controlling the cooling temperature. The present experiment also confirms the theoretical prediction that the two-mode operation generally exhibits the chaotic dynamics when the frequency difference is sufficiently close to the relaxation frequency.

Jellyfish stings on Langkawi Island, Malaysia.

INTRODUCTION: Jellyfish stings are the most frequently reported marine animal envenomation worldwide. However, data on jellyfish sting from Malaysia remains obscure due to inadequate research. METHODS: We investigated the epidemiology, clinical features and treatment of patients presenting at the emergency department of Langkawi Hospital between January 2012 and December 2014. Secondary data on the nature of the incident, patient demographics, clinical presentation, and treatment were retrieved from the patients' medical records. Descriptive statistics were presented for all patient variables. RESULTS: A total of 759 patients presented with jellyfish stings during the 3-year study period, with highest number of visits in July, October, November, and December. The mean patient age was 26.7 years (SD: 12.14), 59.4% were men, 68.1% were foreigners or international tourists, and 40.4% were stung between 12.00 p.m. and 6:59 p.m. At least 90 patients presented with mild Irukandji or Irukandji-like syndromes. Most of the jellyfish stings occurred at Chenang Beach (590 reported cases), followed by Tengah Beach and Kok Beach. Most patients were treated symptomatically, and no deaths following a jellyfish sting was reported during the study period. CONCLUSION: There is a need for public health interventions for both local and international tourists who visit Langkawi Island. Preventive steps and education on initial treatment at the incident site could elevate public awareness and decrease the adverse effects of jellyfish stings.

Synchronized self-mode-locked 1061-nm and 1064-nm monolithic Nd:YAG laser at cryogenic temperatures with two orthogonally polarized emissions: generation of 670 GHz beating.

A dual-wavelength self-mode-locked monolithic Nd:YAG laser at 1061 and 1064 nm is realized at cryogenic temperatures. At an incident pump power of 5.5 W, the total output power can reach 2.5 W and the mode-locked pulse width is 29 ps at a pulse repetition rate of 7.75 GHz. The synchronization of the dual-wavelength emissions leads to a beat frequency of 670 GHz in the individual mode-locked pulse. It is further discovered that the laser output consists of two orthogonally polarized components with a central frequency difference of 127 MHz. The central frequency difference between two orthogonal polarizations mainly arises from the external mechanical stress introduced by the copper holder for the laser crystal.

Observation of an Anomalous Line Shape of the η

Using 1.09×10^{9} J/ψ events collected by the BESIII experiment in 2012, we study the J/ψ→γη^{'}π^{+}π^{-} process and observe a significant abrupt change in the slope of the η^{'}π^{+}π^{-} invariant mass distribution at the proton-antiproton (pp[over ¯]) mass threshold. We use two models to characterize the η^{'}π^{+}π^{-} line shape around 1.85 GeV/c^{2}: one that explicitly incorporates the opening of a decay threshold in the mass spectrum (Flatté formula), and another that is the coherent sum of two resonant amplitudes. Both fits show almost equally good agreement with data, and suggest the existence of either a broad state around 1.85 GeV/c^{2} with strong couplings to the pp[over ¯] final states or a narrow state just below the pp[over ¯] mass threshold. Although we cannot distinguish between the fits, either one supports the existence of a pp[over ¯] moleculelike state or bound state with greater than 7σ significance.

Observation of h_{c} Radiative Decay h_{c}→γη

A search for radiative decays of the P-wave spin singlet charmonium resonance h_{c} is performed based on 4.48×10^{8} ψ^{'} events collected with the BESIII detector operating at the BEPCII storage ring. Events of the reaction channels h_{c}→γη^{'} and γη are observed with a statistical significance of 8.4σ and 4.0σ, respectively, for the first time. The branching fractions of h_{c}→γη^{'} and h_{c}→γη are measured to be B(h_{c}→γη^{'})=(1.52±0.27±0.29)×10^{-3} and B(h_{c}→γη)=(4.7±1.5±1.4)×10^{-4}, respectively, where the first errors are statistical and the second are systematic uncertainties.

Generation of orthogonally polarized self-mode-locked Nd:YAG lasers with tunable beat frequencies from the thermally induced birefringence.

The simultaneous self-mode-locking of two orthogonally polarized states in a Nd:YAG laser is demonstrated by using a short linear cavity. A total output power of 3.8 W can be obtained at an incident pump power of 8.2 W. The beat frequency Δfc between two orthogonally polarized mode-locked components is observed and measured precisely. It is found that the beat frequency increases linearly with an increase in the absorbed pump power. The origin of the beat frequency can be utterly manifested by considering the thermally induced birefringence in the Nd:YAG crystal. The present result offers a promising approach to generate orthogonally polarized mode-locked lasers with tunable beat frequency.

Observation of the Singly Cabibbo-Suppressed Decay D

Based on 2.93 fb^{-1} e^{+}e^{-} collision data taken at center-of-mass energy of 3.773 GeV by the BESIII detector, we report searches for the singly Cabibbo-suppressed decays D^{+}→ωπ^{+} and D^{0}→ωπ^{0}. A double tag technique is used to measure the absolute branching fractions B(D^{+}→ωπ^{+})=(2.79±0.57±0.16)×10^{-4} and B(D^{0}→ωπ^{0})=(1.17±0.34±0.07)×10^{-4}, with statistical significances of 5.5σ and 4.1σ, where the first and second uncertainties are statistical and systematic, respectively.

Analysis of the optimal temperature for the cryogenic monolithic Nd:YAG laser at 946-nm.

The optimal temperature for the cryogenic monolithic Nd:YAG laser at 946-nm is theoretically and experimentally analyzed. It is clear that decreasing temperature can considerably eliminate the thermal population at the lower laser level to enhance the quantum efficiency. However, the narrowing of the absorption bandwidth for the gain medium leads to a reduction of the effective absorption efficiency as the temperature is decreased. Consequently, an optimal temperature for the maximum output power is found to be in the range of approximately 120 K to 140 K. It is experimentally verified that employing a pump source with a narrower emission spectrum linewidth contributes a more efficient output for the cryogenic laser.

Measurements of Absolute Hadronic Branching Fractions of the Λ_{c}

We report the first measurement of absolute hadronic branching fractions of Λ_{c}^{+} baryon at the Λ_{c}^{+}Λ[over ¯]_{c}^{-} production threshold, in the 30 years since the Λ_{c}^{+} discovery. In total, 12 Cabibbo-favored Λ_{c}^{+} hadronic decay modes are analyzed with a double-tag technique, based on a sample of 567 pb^{-1} of e^{+}e^{-} collisions at sqrt[s]=4.599 GeV recorded with the BESIII detector. A global least-squares fitter is utilized to improve the measured precision. Among the measurements for twelve Λ_{c}^{+} decay modes, the branching fraction for Λ_{c}^{+}→pK^{-}π^{+} is determined to be (5.84±0.27±0.23)%, where the first uncertainty is statistical and the second is systematic. In addition, the measurements of the branching fractions of the other 11 Cabibbo-favored hadronic decay modes are significantly improved.

Measurement of Azimuthal Asymmetries in Inclusive Charged Dipion Production in e

We present a measurement of the azimuthal asymmetries of two charged pions in the inclusive process e^{+}e^{-}→ππX, based on a data set of 62 pb^{-1} at the center-of-mass energy of 3.65 GeV collected with the BESIII detector. These asymmetries can be attributed to the Collins fragmentation function. We observe a nonzero asymmetry, which increases with increasing pion momentum. As our energy scale is close to that of the existing semi-inclusive deep inelastic scattering experimental data, the measured asymmetries are important inputs for the global analysis of extracting the quark transversity distribution inside the nucleon and are valuable to explore the energy evolution of the spin-dependent fragmentation function.

Observation of a Neutral Structure near the DD[over ¯]

A neutral structure in the DD[over ¯]^{*} system around the DD[over ¯]^{*} mass threshold is observed with a statistical significance greater than 10σ in the processes e^{+}e^{-}→D^{+}D^{*-}π^{0}+c.c. and e^{+}e^{-}→D^{0}D[over ¯]^{*0}π^{0}+c.c. at sqrt[s]=4.226 and 4.257 GeV in the BESIII experiment. The structure is denoted as Z_{c}(3885)^{0}. Assuming the presence of a resonance, its pole mass and width are determined to be [3885.7_{-5.7}^{+4.3}(stat)±8.4(syst)] MeV/c^{2} and [35_{-12}^{+11}(stat)±15(syst)] MeV, respectively. The Born cross sections are measured to be σ[e^{+}e^{-}→Z_{c}(3885)^{0}π^{0},Z_{c}(3885)^{0}→DD[over ¯]^{*}]=[77±13(stat)±17(syst)] pb at 4.226 GeV and [47±9(stat)±10(syst)] pb at 4.257 GeV. The ratio of decay rates B[Z_{c}(3885)^{0}→D^{+}D^{*-}+c.c.]/B[Z_{c}(3885)^{0}→D^{0}D[over ¯]^{*0}+c.c.] is determined to be 0.96±0.18(stat)±0.12(syst), consistent with no isospin violation in the process, Z_{c}(3885)^{0}→DD[over ¯]^{*}.