Extra Higgs Boson and Z′Z' as Portals to Signatures of Heavy Neutrinos at the LHC

In this paper, we discuss the potential of observing heavy neutrino ($\nu_h$) signatures of a $U(1)_{B-L}$ enlarged Standard Model (SM) encompassing three heavy Majorana neutrinos alongside the known light neutrino states at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). We exploit the theoretical decay via a pair of heavy (non-SM-like) Higgs boson and $Z'$ production followed by $\nu_h \rightarrow l^\pm W^{\mp (*)}$ and $\nu_h \rightarrow \nu_l Z^{(*)}$ decays, ultimately yielding a $3l+2j+E_{T}^{\rm{miss}}$ signature and, depending upon how boosted the final state objects are, we define different possible selections aimed at improving the signal to background ratio in LHC Run 2 data for a wide range of heavy neutrino masses.Comment: 31 pages, 10 figures. arXiv admin note: text overlap with arXiv:1612.0597

Real particle physics analysis by UK secondary school students using the ATLAS Open Data: an illustration through a collection of original student research

Since the 2020 release of 10fb-1 of integrated luminosity of proton–proton collision data to the public by the ATLAS experiment, significant potential for its use for youth engagement in physics and citizen science has been present. In particular, this article aims to address whether, if provided adequate training and resources, high school students are capable of leveraging the ATLAS Open Data to semi-autonomously develop their own original research projects. To this end, a repository of interactive Python Jupyter notebook training materials was developed, incrementally increasing in difficulty; in the initial instalments no prior knowledge of particle physics or Python coding is assumed, while in the latter stages students emulate the steps of a real Higgs boson search using ATLAS data. This programme was implemented in secondary schools throughout the UK during the 2022/23 academic year and is presented in this article through a collection of research projects developed by a selection of participating students

Perceived quality of life and life style modification of cancer patients undergoing varied treatments in a tertiary health institution, Ekiti State, Nigeria

Introduction: cancer is viewed in the African context as a death sentence. Its effect can be overwhelming to both the patient and their support system. The objective of the study was to assess the perceived quality of life of cancer patients undergoing varied cancer treatments in a tertiary health institution in Ekiti State and to determine the life style modification of cancer patients undergoing varied treatments in the same health facility. Methods: the study employed a descriptive cross-sectional design. A consecutive sampling approach was utilized to select 80 respondents among the cancer patients who attended the cancer registry within the study time frame. Data was collected from these cancer patients by using structured and validated questionnaire. Data was analyzed using descriptive statistics and inferential statistics with level of significance set at p < 0.05. Results: respondent´s ages ranged from 20 - 61 years with a mean age of 50 ± 18.3 years. Only 7.8% are not dependent on medications to function in their daily life. Most of the participants reported that their sex life has been affected (61.1%) and 77% of the respondents reported fatigue. About 76% of respondents need varying measure of medical treatment to function in their daily life. Overall, 44.8% have poor quality of life, while 55.1% had good quality of life in this current study. Moreover, a significant relationship was found between quality of life and self-assessment of patient´s health (p < 0.001). Multivariate analysis predicting factors affecting quality of life of respondents revealed that self-assessment of respondents (AOR: 3.389; 95% CI: 1.897-6.054) remained a significant and more likely predictor of quality of life while respondent´s age (AOR: 0.244; 95% CI: 0.068-0.876) and level of education (AOR: 0.054; 95% CI: 0.005-0.546) were less likely predictors. Conclusion: one quarter of the participants have poor quality of life and majority of the participants need varying measure of medical treatment to function in their day to day life. Management of cancer patients should be geared towards improving/ameliorating symptoms and improving quality of life of cancer patients

Parasitological identification and histological examination of Fasciola gigantica sequel to occurrence of bovine Billiary fasciolosis in cattle slaughtered at Bodija abattoir, Ibadan

Fasciola gigantica is the parasitic fluke causing tropical fasciolosis leading to greateconomic losses in cattle production in Nigeria. One hundred and five (105) flukes werecollected and identified after careful examination of the bile ducts from twenty one (21)infected slaughtered cattle out of a total of two hundred (200) cattle examined fromBodija Municipal Abattoir. Semichon’s Acetic-Carmine staining technique and histologicalexamination was carried out for parasitic identification while simple faecal floatation andsedimentation techniques was done for parasite egg examination. Postmortemexamination showed enlarged and friable liver covered with fibrin tags while bile ductswere thickened, distended and packed with adult flukes when sliced open. Microscopicand histological examination revealed greyish-brown leaf-shaped adult Fasciola giganticaflukes, bearing a cone shaped projection and a pair of broad shoulders with the intestinalceca branched as well as the testes and the ovary. The vitelline follicles fill the lateralfields of the worm and the common genital pore just anterior to the acetabulum. LargeFasciola gigantica eggs which are oval, yellowish to greenish in colour and bears a polaroperculum. Public enlightenment especially among the butchers and abattoir workersshould be periodical on the public health importance of the parasite and howunwholesome abattoir practices can lead to accidental human infection. This will greatlyreduce the practice of selling infected organ that have been deemed unfit for humanconsumption.Keywords: Fasciola gigantica, Cattle, Semichon’s Acetic-Carmine technique, Histology, Bile duc

Review of global burden of disease studies: trends, challenges, and future directions

Global burden of disease (GBD) studies plays an important role in assessing the variability of risk factors, injuries, and diseases worldwide, providing essential evidence for policy-making and healthcare planning. This study presents a review of current literature on GBD studies, aiming to analyze the trends, challenges, and future directions in this field. We conducted a review of published GBD studies from inception to date, utilizing major scientific databases and relevant sources. Our findings reveal several noteworthy trends in GBD studies. Over the years, GBD studies have expanded to cover a wider range of diseases and risk factors, providing a more comprehensive understanding of global health. Advances in data availability, technology, and modeling techniques have improved the accuracy of disease burden estimates. The inclusion of disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) has enabled comparisons as well as prioritization of interventions. However, challenges remain, such as limited data in middle and low-income countries and methodological complexities. The COVID-19 pandemic has emphasized the need for responsive methodologies. Future directions include strengthening data collection, utilizing machine learning, big data analytics, ethical use of artificial intelligence and promoting collaboration for consistent GBD studies

Effect of post-partum body condition score on milk yield and composition of Friesian x Bunaji dairy cows

The study determines the effect of dam body condition on milk yield and milk composition of dairy cows. The milk production records of 60 Friesian x Bunaji dairy cows were used for the study. The body condition score (BCS) was recorded on scale 1 to 5 with an increment of 0.25 points. The mean initial milk yield (IMY), daily milk yield (DMY) and total milk yield (TMY) was 6.54, 6.51 and 1872kg, respectively, while the mean peak yield (PY), peak day (PD), peak week (PWK) and lactation length (LL) were 10.61kg, 26.94 days, 4.33 weeks and 283.87 days, respectively. The mean fat, protein and lactose content of the milk was 4.22, 4.15 and 4.00 %, respectively, while the mean fat, protein and lactose yield was 0.269, 0.272 and 0.261 kg/day. The ratios of the milk composition were FPR (1.02), FLR (1.03) and PLR (104). There was relatively high variability in the population of the experimental animals with regard to their milk yield characteristics (CV = 15.38 – 67.13%) compared to the milk composition variables (CV = 4.36 – 26.09%). The effect of dam body condition score was significant (p<0.05) on all the milk yield  characteristics except IMY, PY and ADY. Dams with moderate BCS of between 2.5 to 3.5 during the lactation period takes longer days to peak yield (PD = 27.41 ± 3.27 days) and peak week (PWK = 4.43 ± 0.49 weeks) with longer lactation length (LL = 301 ± 31.17 days) and consequently higher TMY (1995.25 kg/lactation). However, those with higher BCS (>3.5) had higher IY (7.00 ± 1.86 kg) and shorter days to peak yield (PD = 20.50 ± 13.12 days), PWK (3.0 ± 1.95 weeks) and shorter LL (275.33 ± 25.44 days), which invariably resulted in relatively lower TMY (1819.83 ± 335.80 kg/lactation). The dam BCS had significant effect (p<0.05) on the percentage milk fat (MFC), milk lactose (MLC), fat protein ratio (FPR) and fat lactose ratio (FLR). Dams with higher (>3.5) BCS had higher MFC, MLC, FPR and FLR. It is obvious that BCS is an important factor that reflects the metabolic stability of dairy cows.Keywords: Post-partum, Body condition score, Milk yield, Milk composition, Friesian X Bunaji dairy cow

Moringa Regimen Corrects Nicotine-induced Deficits in Behaviour, Altered Energy Metabolism and Neurotransmitter Processing in Rat Brain

Background: Nicotine is the addictive component of tobacco smoking. It has been reported to have a negative neuromodulatory role in the CNS. Moringa oleifera is a medicinal plant with reported antioxidant, anticonvulsant, anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective properties. Aim and Objectives: This study was purposed to investigate the neuronal adaptation potentials of Moringa Oleifera (MO) on nicotine induced behavioural decline and perturbed bioenergetics. Material and Methods: Twenty-four adult male Wistar rats were used. The treatment regimen was as follows; control group received distilled water, MO group received 200 mg/kg of MO, Nicotine Group received 1.38 mg/kg body weight of nicotine, and Nicotine + MO group received combined treatment of 200 mg/kg body weight of MO after 1.38 mg/kg body weight of nicotine for 28 days. The animals were subjected to Morris water maze for spatial memory, Y maze for working memory and elevated-plus maze tests for anxiety levels after which they were sacrificed for spectrophotometric analysis of global protein expression, neural bioenergetics (lactate dehydrogenase and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase), and Acetylcholinesterase (AChE) levels. Results: Nicotine infusion caused a reduction in the escape latency period, increased the percentage incorrect alternation, and elevated the anxiety levels of rats. These observations were indicative of decreased synaptic activity in the brain. Together with, nicotine induced chromatolytic changes in cells of the frontal cortex and hippocampus. Co-administration with MO prevented nicotine-associated memory decline, perturbed glucose bioenergetics, induced chromatolysis and histomorphological distortion in the frontal cortex and hippocampus. Conclusion: Our data demonstrate that MO administration enhances experience-dependent neuroplasticity and cognitive behaviour function in laboratory animals, modulates energy metabolism and reduced oxidant stress possibly through enhanced production of key antioxidant enzymes against the damaging effects of nicotine. It provided evidence that MO can be further developed as a means to protect the brain from oxidative stress-induced injury