Working Group 5: Physics with Heavy Flavours

This paper summarises a few selected topics discussed during Working Group 5 of the Deep Inelastic Scattering 2017 conference, Physics with Heavy Flavours, related to the study of charm, bottom, and top quark physics. While the programme of this Working Group was structured by thematic areas, this conference was the occasion for intense cross-pollination between traditionally disjoint research lines. The four LHC experiments all contribute to heavy-flavour physics, with some degree of overlap in most areas, while experiments at other accelerators provide vital input in complimentary kinematic regions. Theorists now have the possibility to take inputs from more sources, and experimentalists focus on measurements that maximise utility. The interplay of LHC heavy quark cross-section measurements with DIS expertise is greatly improving PDF precision, leading to much improved models that, amongst other things, better inform the prospects for future colliders.Comment: 14 pages, 11 figures, to appear in the proceedings of 25th International Workshop on Deep Inelastic Scattering and Related Topics (DIS 2017), 3-7 April 2017, University of Birmingham, U

The phase of pre-stimulus alpha oscillations influences the visual perception of stimulus timing

AbstractThis study examined the influence of pre-stimulus alpha phase and attention on whether two visual stimuli occurring closely in time were perceived as simultaneous or asynchronous. The results demonstrated that certain phases of alpha in the period immediately preceding stimulus onset were associated with a higher proportion of stimuli judged to be asynchronous. Furthermore, this effect was shown to occur independently of both visuo-spatial attention and alpha amplitude. The findings are compatible with proposals that alpha phase reflects cyclic shifts in neuronal excitability. Importantly, however, the results further suggest that fluctuations in neuronal excitability can create a periodicity in neuronal transfer that can have functional consequences that are decoupled from changes in alpha amplitude. This study therefore provides evidence that perceptual processes fluctuate periodically although it remains uncertain whether this implies the discrete temporal framing of perception

Wrist-worn Accelerometry for Runners: Objective Quantification of Training Load.

PURPOSE: This study aimed to apply open-source analysis code to raw habitual physical activity data from wrist-worn monitors to: 1) objectively, unobtrusively, and accurately discriminate between "running" and "nonrunning" days; and 2) develop and compare simple accelerometer-derived metrics of external training load with existing self-report measures. METHODS: Seven-day wrist-worn accelerometer (GENEActiv; Activinsights Ltd, Kimbolton, UK) data obtained from 35 experienced runners (age, 41.9 ± 11.4 yr; height, 1.72 ± 0.08 m; mass, 68.5 ± 9.7 kg; body mass index, 23.2 ± 2.2 kg·m; 19 [54%] women) every other week over 9 to 18 wk were date-matched with self-reported training log data. Receiver operating characteristic analyses were applied to accelerometer metrics ("Average Acceleration," "Most Active-30mins," "Mins≥400 mg") to discriminate between "running" and "nonrunning" days and cross-validated (leave one out cross-validation). Variance explained in training log criterion metrics (miles, duration, training load) by accelerometer metrics (Mins≥400 mg, "workload (WL) 400-4000 mg") was examined using linear regression with leave one out cross-validation. RESULTS: Most Active-30mins and Mins≥400 mg had >94% accuracy for correctly classifying "running" and "nonrunning" days, with validation indicating robustness. Variance explained in miles, duration, and training load by Mins≥400 mg (67%-76%) and WL400-4000 mg (55%-69%) was high, with validation indicating robustness. CONCLUSIONS: Wrist-worn accelerometer metrics can be used to objectively, unobtrusively, and accurately identify running training days in runners, reducing the need for training logs or user input in future prospective research or commercial activity tracking. The high percentage of variance explained in existing self-reported measures of training load by simple, accelerometer-derived metrics of external training load supports the future use of accelerometry for prospective, preventative, and prescriptive monitoring purposes in runners

When Plans Distinguish Bayes Nets

We consider the complexity of determining whether differing probability distributions for the same Bayes net result in different policies, significantly different policy outcomes or optimal value functions

Health promotion in the age of social media: Evaluation of Word Press as a platform for developing postgraduate student skills

Aims: The present study reports on the evaluation of a postgraduate assignment in which students produced a health promotion website. The aim of the study was to examine the application of WordPress as a platform for developing contemporary skills in health promotion practice. Study design: A mixed methods study including the use of focus groups, survey, document analysis and literature review. Place and Duration of Study: A health promotion course as part of a UK-based MSc in Public Health/Environmental Health between September and December 2013. Methodology: Following a pilot development stage, 27 students were supported to produce a WordPress health promotion assignment. These were content and thematically analysed. Students completed a baseline and follow-up questionnaire on digital and health promotion literacy, and self-efficacy. Approximately half the group took part in focus groups to examine students’ perceptions of the assignment. Results: Participants were able to apply the web-based platform to a wide range of health promotion contexts. The central messages were supported through the use of hierarchically organized web-pages; extensive visual, audio-visual and diagrammatic elements; and contextual fields of theory, research and practice. Participants were able to present frameworks for incorporating interactive and dialogical components, but these areas were challenging within the context of the assignment. Questionnaire outcomes suggested group level improvements in the measures. Focus group themes concerned the role of previous experience; motivation; perceived advantages; challenges; help-seeking strategies; perceived benefits; and proposed improvements. Conclusion: Off-the-shelf blog-sites are a promising platform for developing skills in social media and health promotion. The study found good acceptability and feasibility from a student perspective. The assignment offered professional credibility in terms of the development of multi-media presentation, public and professional communication skills. Pedagogically this mode of assignment raises interesting challenges in the assessment of logical thought, critical reasoning and synthesis of argument

OAS1: A Protective Mechanism for Alzheimer’s Disease?:An Exploration of Data and Possible Mechanisms

Abstract: The immune system and neuroinflammation are now well established in the aetiology of neurodegeneration. Previous studies of transcriptomic and gene association studies have highlighted the potential of the 2′–5′ oligoadenylate synthetase 1 (OAS1) to play a role in Alzheimer’s disease. OAS1 is a viral response gene, interferon-induced, dsRNA activated enzyme, which binds RNase L to degrade dsRNA, and has been associated with COVID-19 response. This study explores whether a viral defence gene could play a vital role in neurodegeneration pathology. The genotyping of five SNPs across the OAS1 locus was conducted in the Brains for Dementia Research (BDR) Cohort for association with AD. RNA-sequencing data were explored for differences in OAS1 gene expression between phenotypes and genotypes. Finally, levels of dsRNA were measured in control cell lines, prior to and after exposure to amyloid oligomers and in cells harbouring a dementia- relevant mutation. No association of any of the OAS1 SNPs investigated were associated with the AD phenotype in the BDR cohort. However, gene expression data supported the previous observation that the minor allele haplotype was associated with higher levels of the OAS1 gene expression and the presence of an alternative transcript. Further to this, the presence of endogenous dsRNA was found to increase with exposure to amyloid oligomers and in the cell line with a dementia-relevant mutation. The data presented here suggest further exploration of the OAS1 gene in relation to dementia is warranted. Investigations of whether carriers of the protective OAS1 haplotype lower dsRNA presence and in turn lower inflammation and cell death are required to support the role of the gene as a moderator of neurodegeneration

Microbial community drivers of PK/NRP gene diversity in selected global soils

Background The emergence of antibiotic-resistant pathogens has created an urgent need for novel antimicrobial treatments. Advances in next-generation sequencing have opened new frontiers for discovery programmes for natural products allowing the exploitation of a larger fraction of the microbial community. Polyketide (PK) and non-ribosomal pepetide (NRP) natural products have been reported to be related to compounds with antimicrobial and anticancer activities. We report here a new culture-independent approach to explore bacterial biosynthetic diversity and determine bacterial phyla in the microbial community associated with PK and NRP diversity in selected soils. Results Through amplicon sequencing, we explored the microbial diversity (16S rRNA gene) of 13 soils from Antarctica, Africa, Europe and a Caribbean island and correlated this with the amplicon diversity of the adenylation (A) and ketosynthase (KS) domains within functional genes coding for non-ribosomal peptide synthetases (NRPSs) and polyketide synthases (PKSs), which are involved in the production of NRP and PK, respectively. Mantel and Procrustes correlation analyses with microbial taxonomic data identified not only the well-studied phyla Actinobacteria and Proteobacteria, but also, interestingly, the less biotechnologically exploited phyla Verrucomicrobia and Bacteroidetes, as potential sources harbouring diverse A and KS domains. Some soils, notably that from Antarctica, provided evidence of endemic diversity, whilst others, such as those from Europe, clustered together. In particular, the majority of the domain reads from Antarctica remained unmatched to known sequences suggesting they could encode enzymes for potentially novel PK and NRP. Conclusions The approach presented here highlights potential sources of metabolic novelty in the environment which will be a useful precursor to metagenomic biosynthetic gene cluster mining for PKs and NRPs which could provide leads for new antimicrobial metabolites

Ransomware Cyberattack Associated With Cardiac Arrest Incidence and Outcomes at Untargeted, Adjacent Hospitals.

OBJECTIVES: Healthcare ransomware cyberattacks have been associated with major regional hospital disruptions, but data reporting patient-oriented outcomes in critical conditions such as cardiac arrest (CA) are limited. This study examined the CA incidence and outcomes of untargeted hospitals adjacent to a ransomware-infected healthcare delivery organization (HDO). DESIGN SETTING AND PATIENTS: This cohort study compared the CA incidence and outcomes of two untargeted academic hospitals adjacent to an HDO under a ransomware cyberattack during the pre-attack (April 3-30, 2021), attack (May 1-28, 2021), and post-attack (May 29, 2021-June 25, 2021) phases. INTERVENTIONS: None. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Emergency department and hospital mean daily census, number of CAs, mean daily CA incidence per 1,000 admissions, return of spontaneous circulation, survival to discharge, and survival with favorable neurologic outcome were measured. The study evaluated 78 total CAs: 44 out-of-hospital CAs (OHCAs) and 34 in-hospital CAs. The number of total CAs increased from the pre-attack to attack phase (21 vs. 38; p = 0.03), followed by a decrease in the post-attack phase (38 vs. 19; p = 0.01). The number of total CAs exceeded the cyberattack month forecast (May 2021: 41 observed vs. 27 forecasted cases; 95% CI, 17.0-37.4). OHCA cases also exceeded the forecast (May 2021: 24 observed vs. 12 forecasted cases; 95% CI, 6.0-18.8). Survival with favorable neurologic outcome rates for all CAs decreased, driven by increases in OHCA mortality: survival with favorable neurologic rates for OHCAs decreased from the pre-attack phase to attack phase (40.0% vs. 4.5%; p = 0.02) followed by an increase in the post-attack phase (4.5% vs. 41.2%; p = 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Untargeted hospitals adjacent to ransomware-infected HDOs may see worse outcomes for patients suffering from OHCA. These findings highlight the critical need for cybersecurity disaster planning and resiliency