Individual mobility: From conventional to electric cars

The aim of this report is twofold. First, to analyse individual (driver) mobility data to obtain fundamental statistical parameters of driving patterns for both conventional and electric vehicles. In doing so, the information contained in large mobility datasets is condensed into compact and concise descriptions through modelling observed (experimental) distributions of mobility variables by expected theoretical distributions. Specifically, the stretched exponential distribution is shown to model rather accurately the distribution of single-trips and their duration, and the scale-invariant power-law with exponential cut-off the daily mobility length, the distance travelled per day. We argue that the theoretical-distribution parameters depend on the road-network topology, terrain topography, traffic, points of interest, and individual activities. Data from conventional vehicles suggest three approximate daily driving patterns corresponding to weekday, Saturday and Sunday driving, the latter two being rather similar. Work trips were found to be longer than average and of longer duration. The second aim is to ascertain, via the limited electric-vehicle data available from the EU-funded Green eMotion project, whether the behaviour of drivers of conventional vehicles differs from the behaviour of drivers of electric vehicles. The data suggest that electric vehicles are driven for shorter distances and shorter duration. Data from the Green eMotion project showed that the median real-life energy consumption of a typical segment A, small-sized, electric car, for example the Mitsubishi i-MiEV and its variants, is 186 Wh/km with a spread of 55 Wh/km. The real-driving energy consumption (per km) was determined to be approximately 38% higher than the type-approved consumption. Moreover, we found considerable dependence of the energy consumed on the ambient temperature. The median winter energy consumption per kilometre was higher than the median summer consumption by approximately 40%. The data presented in this report can be fundamental for subsequent analyses of infrastructure requirements for electric vehicles and assessments of their potential contribution to energy, transport, and climate policy objectives.JRC.F.8-Sustainable Transpor

Observation of an Excited Bc+ State

Using pp collision data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 8.5 fb-1 recorded by the LHCb experiment at center-of-mass energies of s=7, 8, and 13 TeV, the observation of an excited Bc+ state in the Bc+π+π- invariant-mass spectrum is reported. The observed peak has a mass of 6841.2±0.6(stat)±0.1(syst)±0.8(Bc+) MeV/c2, where the last uncertainty is due to the limited knowledge of the Bc+ mass. It is consistent with expectations of the Bc∗(2S31)+ state reconstructed without the low-energy photon from the Bc∗(1S31)+→Bc+γ decay following Bc∗(2S31)+→Bc∗(1S31)+π+π-. A second state is seen with a global (local) statistical significance of 2.2σ (3.2σ) and a mass of 6872.1±1.3(stat)±0.1(syst)±0.8(Bc+) MeV/c2, and is consistent with the Bc(2S10)+ state. These mass measurements are the most precise to date

Functional neuroanatomy of racial categorization from visual perception: a meta-analytic study

We effortlessly sort people into different racial groups from their visual appearance and implicitly generate racial bias affecting cognition and behavior. As these mental activities provide the proximate mechanisms for social behaviours, it becomes essential to understand the neural activity underlying differences between own-race and other-race visual categorization. Yet intrinsic limitations of individual neuroimaging studies, owing to reduced sample size, inclusion of multiple races, and interactions between races in the participants and in the displayed visual stimuli, dampens generalizability of results. In the present meta-analytic study, we applied multimodal techniques to partly overcome these hurdles, and we investigated the entire functional neuroimaging literature on race categorization, therefore including more than 2000 Black, White and Asian participants. Our data-driven approach shows that own- and other-race visual categorization involves partly segregated neural networks, with distinct connectivity and functional profiles, and defined hierarchical organization. Categorization of own-race mainly engages areas related to cognitive components of empathy and mentalizing, such as the medial prefrontal cortex and the inferior frontal gyrus. These areas are functionally co-activated with cortical structures involved in auto-biographical memories and social knowledge. Conversely, other-race categorization recruits areas implicated in, and functionally connected with, visuo-attentive processing, like the fusiform gyrus and the inferior parietal lobule, and areas engaged in affective functions, like the amygdala. These results contribute to a better definition of the neural networks involved in the visual parcelling of social categories based on race, and help to situate these processes within a common neural space

Combined use of serum (1,3)-\u3b2-D-glucan and procalcitonin for the early differential diagnosis between candidaemia and bacteraemia in intensive care units

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to assess the combined performance of serum (1,3)-\u3b2-D-glucan (BDG) and procalcitonin (PCT) for the differential diagnosis between candidaemia and bacteraemia in three intensive care units (ICUs) in two large teaching hospitals in Italy. METHODS: From June 2014 to December 2015, all adult patients admitted to the ICU who had a culture-proven candidaemia or bacteraemia, as well as BDG and PCT measured closely to the time of the index culture, were included in the study. The diagnostic performance of BDG and PCT, used either separately or in combination, was assessed by calculating the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV), and positive and negative likelihood ratios (LR+ and LR-). Changes from pre-test probabilities to post-test probabilities of candidaemia and bacteraemia were inferred from Fagan's nomograms. RESULTS: One hundred and sixty-six patients were included, 73 with candidaemia (44%) and 93 with bacteraemia (56%). When both markers indicated candidaemia (BDG 6580 pg/ml and PCT <2 ng/ml) they showed higher PPV (96%) compared to 79% and 66% for BDG or PCT alone, respectively. When both markers indicated bacteraemia (BDG <80 pg/ml and PCT 652 ng/ml), their NPV for candidaemia was similar to that of BDG used alone (95% vs. 93%). Discordant BDG and PCT results (i.e. one indicating candidaemia and the other bacteraemia) only slightly altered the pre-test probabilities of the two diseases. CONCLUSIONS: The combined use of PCT and BDG could be helpful in the diagnostic workflow for critically ill patients with suspected candidaemia

Diagnostic issues faced by a rare disease healthcare network during Covid-19 outbreak: data from the Campania Rare Disease Registry

Background: The aims of this study were: to investigate the capacity of the rare disease healthcare network in Campania to diagnose patients with rare diseases during the outbreak of Covid-19; and to shed light on problematic diagnoses during this period. Methods: To describe the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the diagnosis of patients with rare diseases, a retrospective analysis of the Campania Region Rare Disease Registry was performed. A tailored questionnaire was sent to rare disease experts to investigate major issues during the emergency period. Results: Prevalence of new diagnoses of rare disease in March and April 2020 was significantly lower than in 2019 (117 versus 317, P < 0.001 and 37 versus 349, P < 0.001, respectively) and 2018 (117 versus 389, P < 0.001 and 37 versus 282, P < 0.001, respectively). Eighty-two among 98 rare disease experts completed the questionnaire. Diagnostic success (95%), access to diagnosis (80%) and follow-up (72%), lack of Personal Protective Equipment (60%), lack of Covid-19 guidelines (50%) and the need for home therapy (78%) were the most important issues raised during Covid-19 outbreak. Conclusions: This study describes the effects of the Covid-19 outbreak on the diagnosis of rare disease in a single Italian region and investigates potential issues of diagnosis and management during this period

Observation of CP Violation in Charm Decays

A search for charge-parity (CP) violation in D-0 -&gt; K-K+ and D-0 -&gt; pi(-)pi(+) decays is reported, using pp collision data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 5.9 fb(-1) collected at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV with the LHCb detector. The flavor of the charm meson is inferred from the charge of the pion in D* (2010)(+) -&gt; D-0 pi(+) decays or from the charge of the muon in (B) over bar -&gt; D-0 mu(-)(nu) over bar X-mu decays. The difference between the CP asymmetries in D-0 -&gt; K-K+ and D-0 -&gt; pi(-)pi(+) decays is measured to be Delta A(CP) = [-18.2 +/- 3.2(stat) +/- 0.9(syst)] x 10(-4) for pi-tagged and Delta A(CP) = [-9 +/- 8(stat) +/- 5(syst)] x 10(-4) for mu-tagged D-0 mesons. Combining these with previous LHCb results leads to Delta A(CP) = (-15.4 +/- 2.9) x 10(-4), where the uncertainty includes both statistical and systematic contributions. The measured value differs from zero by more than 5 standard deviations. This is the first observation of CP violation in the decay of charm hadrons

Measurement of the mass and production rate of Ξb− baryons

The first measurement of the production rate of Ξ − b baryons in p p collisions relative to that of Λ 0 b baryons is reported, using data samples collected by the LHCb experiment, and corresponding to integrated luminosities of 1, 2 and 1.6     fb − 1 at √ s = 7 , 8 and 13 TeV, respectively. In the kinematic region 2 &lt; η &lt; 6 and p T &lt; 20     GeV / c , we measure f Ξ − b f Λ 0 b B ( Ξ − b → J / ψ Ξ − ) B ( Λ 0 b → J / ψ Λ ) = ( 10.8 ± 0.9 ± 0.8 ) × 10 − 2 [ √ s = 7 , 8     TeV ], f Ξ − b f Λ 0 b B ( Ξ − b → J / ψ Ξ − ) B ( Λ 0 b → J / ψ Λ ) = ( 13.1 ± 1.1 ± 1.0 ) × 10 − 2 [ √ s = 13     TeV ], where f Ξ − b and f Λ 0 b are the fragmentation fractions of b quarks into Ξ − b and Λ 0 b baryons, respectively; B represents branching fractions; and the uncertainties are due to statistical and experimental systematic sources. The values of f Ξ − b / f Λ 0 b are obtained by invoking SU(3) symmetry in the Ξ − b → J / ψ Ξ − and Λ 0 b → J / ψ Λ decays. Production asymmetries between Ξ − b and ¯ Ξ + b baryons are also reported. The mass of the Ξ − b baryon is also measured relative to that of the Λ 0 b baryon, from which it is found that m ( Ξ − b ) = 5796.70 ± 0.39 ± 0.15 ± 0.17     MeV / c 2 , where the last uncertainty is due to the precision on the known Λ 0 b mass. This result represents the most precise determination of the Ξ − b mass

Search for the lepton flavour violating decay B + → K + μ − τ + using B s 2 ∗ 0 decays

Abstract: A search is presented for the lepton flavour violating decay B+ → K+μ−τ+ using a sample of proton-proton collisions at centre-of-mass energies of 7, 8, and 13 TeV, collected with the LHCb detector and corresponding to a total integrated luminosity of 9 fb−1. The τ leptons are selected inclusively, primarily via decays with a single charged particle. The four-momentum of the τ lepton is determined by using B+ mesons from Bs2∗0→B+K− decays. No significant excess is observed, and an upper limit is set on the branching fraction ℬ(B+ → K+μ−τ+) < 3.9 × 10−5 at 90 % confidence level. The obtained limit is comparable to the world-best limit