Evading no-go for PBH formation and production of SIGWs using Multiple Sharp Transitions in EFT of single field inflation

Deploying \textit{multiple sharp transitions} (MSTs) under a unified framework, we investigate the formation of Primordial Black Holes (PBHs) and the production of Scalar Induced Gravitational Waves (SIGWs) by incorporating one-loop corrected renormalized-resummed scalar power spectrum. With effective sound speed parameter, $1 \leq c_s \leq 1.17$, the direct consequence is the generation of PBH masses spanning $M_{\rm PBH}\sim{\cal O}(10^{-31}M_{\odot}- 10^{4}M_{\odot})$, thus evading well known \textit{No-go theorem} on PBH mass. Our results align coherently with the extensive NANOGrav 15-year data and the sensitivities outlined by other terrestrial and space-based experiments (e.g.: LISA, HLVK, BBO, HLV(O3), etc.).Comment: 14 pages, 3 figures, Comments are welcom

Strategies to control invasion of Sailfin Armoured Catfish, Pterygoplichthys spp. in wastewater-fed aquaculture bheries of East Kolkata Wetland, India with suggestion of a modified barrier based on the biological and behavioural characteristics

Sailfin armoured catfish (Pterygoplichthys spp.), an alien invasive species of family Loricariidae has invaded extensively in wastewater-fed large aquaculture ponds (locally called ‘bheries’) of East Kolkata Wetlands (EKW), West Bengal, India. As there is no viable controlling method at present, commonly these fishes are removed by different physical methods and discarded. In the present study, we investigated the effectiveness and suitability of different in-practice Pterygoplichthys spp. control methods, based on on-field sampling, biological and behavioural study of the fish and also response analysis of the stakeholder’s of EKW. The results indicate that in-practice eradication efforts, like ‘repeated seine netting’ with or without removal of Eichhornia sheath of the pond periphery and ‘dewatering of pond’ aiming to reduce or eradicate Pterygoplichthys spp., are not fully effective, because of the capture avoidance ability and burrowing habit of these fishes. We found deep and branching burrows of Pterygoplichthys spp. in aquaculture ponds of EKW, with maximum burrow depth of 58 cm, and water in that burrows even after 12 days of dewatering. Hence, it is suggested stakeholders to keep dewatered pond exposed to sunlight for at least four weeks or above to ensure complete water-out from the burrows in which Pterygoplichthys spp. take shelter or lay their eggs. ‘Multilayer bamboo fencing’ or ‘combination of bamboo fencing and net barrier’ use by the stakeholders of EKW to prevent intrusion or re-intrusion of Pterygoplichthys spp. were found only partially effective, because of the capability of these fishes to damage net-blocking through their hard dorsal and pectoral spines or entry through the holes dug across the barrier in beneath or banks of the sewage intake channel. Based on learning on the biological and behavioural characteristics of Pterygoplichthys spp., we then suggested a modified version of barrier to the stakeholder’s of EKW, incorporating a sewage feeder pipeline, a concrete collection chamber with size separation arrangement made of hard materials like wire mesh and a dam of specific dimensions across the channel, for effective prevention of intrusion of these fishes in their aquaculture bheries

Use of the oral beta blocker bisoprolol to reduce the rate of exacerbation in people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD): a randomised controlled trial (BICS)

Background: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is associated with significant morbidity, mortality and healthcare costs. Beta blockers are well-established drugs widely used to treat cardiovascular conditions. Observational studies consistently report that beta blocker use in people with COPD is associated with a reduced risk of COPD exacerbations. The bisoprolol in COPD study (BICS) investigates whether adding bisoprolol to routine COPD treatment has clinical and cost-effective benefits. A sub-study will risk stratify participants for heart failure to investigate whether any beneficial effect of bisoprolol is restricted to those with unrecognised heart disease. Methods: BICS is a pragmatic randomised parallel group double-blind placebo-controlled trial conducted in UK primary and secondary care sites. The major inclusion criteria are an established predominant respiratory diagnosis of COPD (post-bronchodilator FEV1 < 80% predicted, FEV1/FVC < 0.7), a self-reported history of ≥ 2 exacerbations requiring treatment with antibiotics and/or oral corticosteroids in a 12-month period since March 2019, age ≥ 40 years and a smoking history ≥ 10 pack years. A computerised randomisation system will allocate 1574 participants with equal probability to intervention or control groups, stratified by centre and recruitment in primary/secondary care. The intervention is bisoprolol (1.25 mg tablets) or identical placebo. The dose of bisoprolol/placebo is titrated up to a maximum of 4 tablets a day (5 mg bisoprolol) over 4–7 weeks depending on tolerance to up-dosing of bisoprolol/placebo—these titration assessments are completed by telephone or video call. Participants complete the remainder of the 52-week treatment period on the final titrated dose (1, 2, 3, 4 tablets) and during that time are followed up at 26 and 52 weeks by telephone or video call. The primary outcome is the total number of participant reported COPD exacerbations requiring oral corticosteroids and/or antibiotics during the 52-week treatment period. A sub-study will risk stratify participants for heart failure by echocardiography and measurement of blood biomarkers. Discussion: The demonstration that bisoprolol reduces the incidence of exacerbations would be relevant not only to patients and clinicians but also to healthcare providers, in the UK and globally. Trial registration: Current controlled trials ISRCTN10497306. Registered on 16 August 201

Bisoprolol in Patients With COPD at High Risk of Exacerbation

Importance: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Observational studies report that β-blocker use may be associated with reduced risk of COPD exacerbations. However, a recent trial reported that metoprolol did not reduce COPD exacerbations and increased COPD exacerbations requiring hospital admission. Objective: To test whether bisoprolol decreased COPD exacerbations in people with COPD at high risk of exacerbations. Design, Setting and Participants: The Bisoprolol in COPD Study (BICS) was a double-blind placebo-controlled randomized clinical trial conducted in 76 UK sites (45 primary care clinics and 31 secondary clinics). Patients with COPD who had at least moderate airflow obstruction on spirometry (FEV1/FVC <0.7, FEV1 <80% predicted) and ≥2 COPD exacerbations treated with oral corticosteroids and/or antibiotics in the prior 12 months were enrolled from October 17, 2018, to May 31, 2022. Follow-up concluded on April 18, 2023. Interventions: Patients were randomly assigned to bisoprolol (n=261) or placebo (n=258). Bisoprolol was started at 1.25 mg orally daily and was titrated as tolerated over 4 sessions to a maximum dose of 5 mg/d using a standardized protocol. Main outcomes and Measures: The primary clinical outcome was the number of patient reported COPD exacerbations treated with oral corticosteroids and/or antibiotics over the 1- year treatment period. Safety outcomes included serious adverse events and adverse reactions. Results: Although the trial planned to enroll 1574 patients, recruitment was suspended from March, 16, 2020, to July 31, 2021, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Two patients in each group were excluded post randomization. Among the 515 patients (mean age, 68 years; men, 274 [53%]; mean FEV1, 50.1%, primary outcome data were available for 514 (99.8%) and 371 (72%) remained on study drug. The primary outcome of patient-reported COPD exacerbations treated with oral corticosteroids and/or antibiotics was 526 in bisoprolol group, with a mean exacerbation rate of 2.03/year vs 513 exacerbations in the placebo group with a mean exacerbation rate of 2.01/year, adjusted incidence rate ratio (IRR) [95% CI, 0.97 (0.84, 1.13), p=0.72]. Serious adverse events occurred in 37 (14.5%) of the bisoprolol group vs 36 (14.3%) in the placebo group, [relative risk 1.01 95% CI, 0.62, 1.66), p=0.96]. Conclusions and Relevance: Among people with COPD at high risk of exacerbation, treatment with bisoprolol did not reduce the number of self-reported COPD exacerbations requiring treatment with oral corticosteroids and/or antibiotics

Consensus recommendations on the use of 18F-FDG PET/CT in lung disease

Positron emission tomography (PET) with 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (18F-FDG) has been increasingly applied, predominantly in the research setting, to study drug effects and pulmonary biology and monitor disease progression and treatment outcomes in lung diseases, disorders that interfere with gas exchange through alterations of the pulmonary parenchyma, airways and/or vasculature. To date, however, there are no widely accepted standard acquisition protocols and imaging data analysis methods for pulmonary 18F-FDG PET/CT in these diseases, resulting in disparate approaches. Hence, comparison of data across the literature is challenging. To help harmonize the acquisition and analysis and promote reproducibility, acquisition protocol and analysis method details were collated from seven PET centers. Based on this information and discussions among the authors, the consensus recommendations reported here on patient preparation, choice of dynamic versus static imaging, image reconstruction, and image analysis reporting were reached.                   </p

Measurement of the top quark forward-backward production asymmetry and the anomalous chromoelectric and chromomagnetic moments in pp collisions at √s = 13 TeV

Abstract The parton-level top quark (t) forward-backward asymmetry and the anomalous chromoelectric (d̂ t) and chromomagnetic (μ̂ t) moments have been measured using LHC pp collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV, collected in the CMS detector in a data sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 35.9 fb−1. The linearized variable AFB(1) is used to approximate the asymmetry. Candidate t t ¯ events decaying to a muon or electron and jets in final states with low and high Lorentz boosts are selected and reconstructed using a fit of the kinematic distributions of the decay products to those expected for t t ¯ final states. The values found for the parameters are AFB(1)=0.048−0.087+0.095(stat)−0.029+0.020(syst),μ̂t=−0.024−0.009+0.013(stat)−0.011+0.016(syst), and a limit is placed on the magnitude of | d̂ t| &lt; 0.03 at 95% confidence level. [Figure not available: see fulltext.

Measurement of t(t)over-bar normalised multi-differential cross sections in pp collisions at root s=13 TeV, and simultaneous determination of the strong coupling strength, top quark pole mass, and parton distribution functions

Peer reviewe

An embedding technique to determine ττ backgrounds in proton-proton collision data

An embedding technique is presented to estimate standard model tau tau backgrounds from data with minimal simulation input. In the data, the muons are removed from reconstructed mu mu events and replaced with simulated tau leptons with the same kinematic properties. In this way, a set of hybrid events is obtained that does not rely on simulation except for the decay of the tau leptons. The challenges in describing the underlying event or the production of associated jets in the simulation are avoided. The technique described in this paper was developed for CMS. Its validation and the inherent uncertainties are also discussed. The demonstration of the performance of the technique is based on a sample of proton-proton collisions collected by CMS in 2017 at root s = 13 TeV corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 41.5 fb(-1).Peer reviewe