Anatomic mapping of the collateral branches of the external carotid artery with regard to daily clinical practice

Background: To identify the anatomical variations of the main branches of the external carotid artery (lingual, facial, occipital, ascending pharyngeal and sternocleidomastoid), giving information about the calibers and origins with the aim of creating a new classification useful in clinical practice. Material and methods: 193 human embalmed body-donors were dissected. The data collected were analyzed using the Chi² test. The results of previous studies were reviewed. Results: The majority of the anterior arterial branches (superior thyroid, facial and lingual artery) were observed with an independent origin, respectively, classified as pattern I (80.83%, 156/193). In 17.62% (34/193) a linguofacial trunk, pattern II, has been observed, only in 1,04% (2/193) a thyrolingual trunk, pattern III, has been found and in one case (1/193, 0.52%) one thyrolinguofacial trunk, pattern IV, was found. Depending on the posterior branches (occipital and ascending pharyngeal), four different types could be determined: type a, the posterior arteries originated independently, type b, the posterior arteries originated in a common trunk, type c, the ascending pharyngeal artery was absent, type d, the occipital artery was absent. Conclusion: Anatomical variations in these arteries are relevant in daily clinical practice due to growing applications, e.g., in Interventional Radiology techniques. Knowledge of these anatomical references could help clinicians in the interpretation of the carotid system

KiDS-450: cosmological parameter constraints from tomographic weak gravitational lensing

We present cosmological parameter constraints from a tomographic weak gravitational lensing analysis of ∼450 deg2 of imaging data from the Kilo Degree Survey (KiDS). For a flat Λ cold dark matter (ΛCDM) cosmology with a prior on H0 that encompasses the most recent direct measurements, we find S8≡σ8Ωm/0.3−−−−−−√=0.745±0.039⁠. This result is in good agreement with other low-redshift probes of large-scale structure, including recent cosmic shear results, along with pre-Planck cosmic microwave background constraints. A 2.3σ tension in S8 and ‘substantial discordance’ in the full parameter space is found with respect to the Planck 2015 results. We use shear measurements for nearly 15 million galaxies, determined with a new improved ‘self-calibrating’ version of lensFIT validated using an extensive suite of image simulations. Four-band ugri photometric redshifts are calibrated directly with deep spectroscopic surveys. The redshift calibration is confirmed using two independent techniques based on angular cross-correlations and the properties of the photometric redshift probability distributions. Our covariance matrix is determined using an analytical approach, verified numerically with large mock galaxy catalogues. We account for uncertainties in the modelling of intrinsic galaxy alignments and the impact of baryon feedback on the shape of the non-linear matter power spectrum, in addition to the small residual uncertainties in the shear and redshift calibration. The cosmology analysis was performed blind. Our high-level data products, including shear correlation functions, covariance matrices, redshift distributions, and Monte Carlo Markov chains are available at http://kids.strw.leidenuniv.nl

Tests of chameleon gravity

Theories of modified gravity, where light scalars with non-trivial self-interactions and non-minimal couplings to matter—chameleon and symmetron theories—dynamically suppress deviations from general relativity in the solar system. On other scales, the environmental nature of the screening means that such scalars may be relevant. The highly-nonlinear nature of screening mechanisms means that they evade classical fifth-force searches, and there has been an intense effort towards designing new and novel tests to probe them, both in the laboratory and using astrophysical objects, and by reinterpreting existing datasets. The results of these searches are often presented using different parametrizations, which can make it difficult to compare constraints coming from different probes. The purpose of this review is to summarize the present state-of-the-art searches for screened scalars coupled to matter, and to translate the current bounds into a single parametrization to survey the state of the models. Presently, commonly studied chameleon models are well-constrained but less commonly studied models have large regions of parameter space that are still viable. Symmetron models are constrained well by astrophysical and laboratory tests, but there is a desert separating the two scales where the model is unconstrained. The coupling of chameleons to photons is tightly constrained but the symmetron coupling has yet to be explored. We also summarize the current bounds on f(R) models that exhibit the chameleon mechanism (Hu and Sawicki models). The simplest of these are well constrained by astrophysical probes, but there are currently few reported bounds for theories with higher powers of R. The review ends by discussing the future prospects for constraining screened modified gravity models further using upcoming and planned experiments

Scientists' warning on climate change and insects

Climate warming is considered to be among the most serious of anthropogenic stresses to the environment, because it not only has direct effects on biodiversity, but it also exacerbates the harmful effects of other human-mediated threats. The associated consequences are potentially severe, particularly in terms of threats to species preservation, as well as in the preservation of an array of ecosystem services provided by biodiversity. Among the most affected groups of animals are insects—central components of many ecosystems—for which climate change has pervasive effects from individuals to communities. In this contribution to the scientists' warning series, we summarize the effect of the gradual global surface temperature increase on insects, in terms of physiology, behavior, phenology, distribution, and species interactions, as well as the effect of increased frequency and duration of extreme events such as hot and cold spells, fires, droughts, and floods on these parameters. We warn that, if no action is taken to better understand and reduce the action of climate change on insects, we will drastically reduce our ability to build a sustainable future based on healthy, functional ecosystems. We discuss perspectives on relevant ways to conserve insects in the face of climate change, and we offer several key recommendations on management approaches that can be adopted, on policies that should be pursued, and on the involvement of the general public in the protection effort

Report of the Topical Group on Top quark physics and heavy flavor production for Snowmass 2021

This report summarizes the work of the Energy Frontier Topical Group on EW Physics: Heavy flavor and top quark physics (EF03) of the 2021 Community Summer Study (Snowmass). It aims to highlight the physics potential of top-quark studies and heavy-flavor production processes (bottom and charm) at the HL-LHC and possible future hadron and lepton colliders and running scenarios

Search for heavy resonances decaying into WW in the eνμν eνμν final state in pp collisions at √s=13 TeV with the ATLAS detector

A search for neutral heavy resonances is performed in the WW→eνμν decay channel using pp collision data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 36.1fb−1, collected at a centre-of-mass energy of 13TeV by the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider. No evidence of such heavy resonances is found. In the search for production via the quark–antiquark annihilation or gluon–gluon fusion process, upper limits on σX×B(X→WW) as a function of the resonance mass are obtained in the mass range between 200GeV GeV and up to 5TeV for various benchmark models: a Higgs-like scalar in different width scenarios, a two-Higgs-doublet model, a heavy vector triplet model, and a warped extra dimensions model. In the vector-boson fusion process, constraints are also obtained on these resonances, as well as on a Higgs boson in the Georgi–Machacek model and a heavy tensor particle coupling only to gauge bosons

Search for W W/W Z resonance production in ℓνqq final states in pp collisions at √s=13 TeV with the ATLAS detector

A search is conducted for new resonances decaying into a W W or W Z boson pair, where one W boson decays leptonically and the other W or Z boson decays hadronically. It is based on proton-proton collision data with an integrated luminosity of 36.1 fb −1 collected with the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider at a centre-of-mass energy of s=13 TeV in 2015 and 2016. The search is sensitive to diboson resonance production via vector-boson fusion as well as quark-antiquark annihilation and gluon-gluon fusion mechanisms. No significant excess of events is observed with respect to the Standard Model backgrounds. Several benchmark models are used to interpret the results. Limits on the production cross section are set for a new narrow scalar resonance, a new heavy vector-boson and a spin-2 Kaluza-Klein graviton.[Figure not available: see fulltext.]