Higgs boson measurements in the WW∗WW^{\ast}, ττ\tau\tau, and μμ\mu\mu channels with the ATLAS Experiment

The status of Higgs boson measurements in the $WW^{\ast}$, $\tau\tau$, and $\mu\mu$ decay modes with the ATLAS experiment is presented. These measurements are done using $pp$ collision data from the Large Hadron Collider with either the full Run 1 dataset at $\sqrt{s}= 7\,\mathrm{TeV}$ and $\sqrt{s}= 8\,\mathrm{TeV}$ or with a partial Run 2 dataset at $\sqrt{s}= 13\,\mathrm{TeV}$ of either $5.81\,\mathrm{fb}^{-1}$ or $36.1\,\mathrm{fb}^{-1}$. The different couplings to the Higgs boson are probed by measuring the production cross sections and extracting the signal strengths. Depending on the analysis, the measurements are sensitive to the gluon-fusion or vector-boson fusion Higgs boson production, or associated production of a vector boson and a Higgs boson.Comment: LHCP2017 Conference Proceedings, on behalf of the ATLAS Collaboration, 6 pages, 3 figure

The underestimated significance of conditioning in placebo hypoalgesia and nocebo hyperalgesia

Placebo and nocebo effects are intriguing phenomena in pain perception with important implications for clinical research and practice because they can alleviate or increase pain. According to current theoretical accounts, these effects can be shaped by verbal suggestions, social observational learning, and classical conditioning and are necessarily mediated by explicit expectation. In this review, we focus on the contribution of conditioning in the induction of placebo hypoalgesia and nocebo hyperalgesia and present accumulating evidence that conditioning independent from explicit expectation can cause these effects. Especially studies using subliminal stimulus presentation and implicit conditioning (i.e., without contingency awareness) that bypass the development of explicit expectation suggest that conditioning without explicit expectation can lead to placebo and nocebo effects in pain perception. Because only few studies have investigated clinical samples, the picture seems less clear when it comes to patient populations with chronic pain. However, conditioning appears to be a promising means to optimize treatment. In order to get a better insight into the mechanisms of placebo and nocebo effects in pain and the possible benefits of conditioning compared to explicit expectation, future studies should carefully distinguish both methods of induction

Elizabethkingia miricolainfection in multiple anuran species

This report describes an outbreak of Elizabethkingia miricola in northern leopard frogs (Lithobates pipiens) and three other species of frogs and toads held in captivity in Germany. The authors examine several treatment options and underline the difficulties in treating larger numbers of individuals with antimicrobials applied through bathing. Whole genome sequencing of three bacterial isolates emphasizes their relatedness to other frog isolates and leads us to conclude that E. miricola is an emerging and difficult to treat pathogen with a broad host range across anuran species. Moreover, ambiguities in identification of flavobacteria associated with disease in frogs reported in the literature make it seem possible that E. miricola has been overlooked as an anuran pathogen in the past

Measuring the weak mixing angle with the P2 experiment at MESA

The P2 experiment in Mainz aims to measure the weak mixing angle in electron- proton scattering to a precision of 0.13 %. In order to suppress uncertainties due to proton structure and contributions from box graphs, both a low average momentum transfer $Q^2$ of $4.5\cdot 10^{-3}$ GeV$^2/c^2$ and a low beam energy of 155 MeV are chosen. In order to collect the enormous statistics required for this measurement, the new Mainz Energy Recovery Superconducting Accelerator (MESA) is being constructed. These proceedings describe the motivation for the measurement, the experimental and accelerator challenges and how we plan to tackle them.Comment: Proceedings of the PhiPsi15, Sep. 23-26, 2015, Hefei, Chin

Ergebnisse der NUBBEK-Studie zu Qualitätsdimensionen in der Kindertagesbetreuung: Interpretation aus bindungstheoretischer Sicht

"Ziel dieses Beitrags ist es, die verschiedenen Qualitätsdimensionen in der außerfamiliären Tagesbetreuung von Kindern im Kindergartenalter anhand der Daten der Nationalen Untersuchung zur Bildung, Betreuung und Erziehung in der frühen Kindheit (NUBBEK) näher zu betrachten und daraus Implikationen für Politik und Praxis abzuleiten. Die Bindungstheorie dient dabei als theoretisches Rahmenmodell. Verbesserungsbedarf zeigt sich vor allem im Bereich Betreuung und Pflege der Kinder, aber auch in den Bereichen Lesen, Mathematik, Naturwissenschaften und Diversität. Aus Sicht der Bindungstheorie sollten Verbesserungsmaßnahmen jedoch nicht isoliert auf einzelne Fähigkeitsbereiche abzielen, sondern immer den Beziehungsaspekt als wichtige Grundvoraussetzung für erfolgreiches Lernen mit einbeziehen." (Autorenreferat)"Using data from the national study on education and care in early childhood (NUBBEK), the authors examined different dimensions of center based child care quality. Attachment theory serves as a theoretical framework to formulate recommendations for policymakers and practitioners. The data suggest a need of improvement especially in the area of Personal Care Routines, but also in the domains Literacy, Mathematics, Science/Environment and Diversity. However, based on attachment theory efforts to improve quality should not only focus on single competence domains, but always take into account the studentcaregiver- relationship as a major precondition for successful learning." (author's abstract

Design and validation of a German version of the GSRS-IBS - an analysis of its psychometric quality and factorial structure

Background: Currently, a suitable questionnaire in German language is not available to monitor the progression and evaluate the severity of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Therefore, this study aimed to translate the Gastrointestinal Symptom Rating Scale for Irritable Bowel Syndrome (GSRS-IBS) into German and to evaluate its psychometric qualities and factorial structure. Methods: This study is based on a total sample of 372 participants [62.6% female, mean age = 41 years (SD = 17 years)]. 17.5% of the participants had a diagnosis of IBS, 19.9% were receiving treatment for chronic inflammatory bowel disease, 12.1% of the participants were recruited from a psychosomatic clinic, and 50.5% belonged to a control group. All participants completed the German version of GSRS-IBS (called Reizdarm-Fragebogen, RDF), as well as the Gießen Subjective Complaints List (GBB-24) and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale - German version (HADS-D). Results: The internal consistency of the RDF total scale was at least satisfactory in all subsamples (Cronbach’s Alpha between .77 and .92), and for all subscales (Cronbach’s Alpha between .79 and .91). The item difficulties (between .25 and .73) and the item-total correlations (between .48 and .83) were equally satisfactory. Principal axis analysis revealed a four-factorial structure of the RDF items, which mainly resembled the structure of the English original. Convergent validity was established based on substantial and significant correlations with the stomach-complaint scale of the GBB-24 (r = .71; p < .01) and the anxiety (r = .42; p < .01) and depression scales (r = .43; p < .01) of the HADS-D. Conclusion: The German version of the GSRS-IBS RDF proves to be an effective, reliable, and valid questionnaire for the assessment of symptom severity in IBS, which can be used in clinical practice as well as in clinical studies

Structure of sulfamidase provides insight into the molecular pathology of mucopolysaccharidosis IIIA

Mucopolysaccharidosis type IIIA (Sanfilippo A syndrome), a fatal childhood-onset neurodegenerative disease with mild facial, visceral and skeletal abnormalities, is caused by an inherited deficiency of the enzyme N-sulfoglucosamine sulfohydrolase (SGSH; sulfamidase). More than 100 mutations in the SGSH gene have been found to reduce or eliminate its enzymatic activity. However, the molecular understanding of the effect of these mutations has been confined by a lack of structural data for this enzyme. Here, the crystal structure of glycosylated SGSH is presented at 2Å resolution. Despite the low sequence identity between this unique N-sulfatase and the group of O-sulfatases, they share a similar overall fold and active-site architecture, including a catalytic formylglycine, a divalent metal-binding site and a sulfate-binding site. However, a highly conserved lysine in O-sulfatases is replaced in SGSH by an arginine (Arg282) that is positioned to bind the N-linked sulfate substrate. The structure also provides insight into the diverse effects of pathogenic mutations on SGSH function in mucopolysaccharidosis type IIIA and convincing evidence for the molecular consequences of many missense mutations. Further, the molecular characterization of SGSH mutations will lay the groundwork for the development of structure-based drug design for this devastating neurodegenerative disorder. © 2014 International Union of Crystallography.This work was funded by the DFG. Partial support from DFG grant No. SH 14/5-1 is gratefully acknowledged (NSS). IU is grateful to the Spanish MEC and Generalitat de Catalunya for financial support (grants BFU2012-35367, IDC-20101173 and 2009SGR-1036)Peer Reviewe