Atmospheric Muons Measured with IceCube

IceCube is a cubic-kilometer Cherenkov detector in the deep ice at the geographic South Pole. The dominant event yield is produced by penetrating atmospheric muons with energies above several 100 GeV. Due to its large detector volume, IceCube provides unique opportunities to study atmospheric muons with large statistics in detail. Measurements of the energy spectrum and the lateral separation distribution of muons offer insights into hadronic interactions during the air shower development and can be used to test hadronic models. We will present an overview of various measurements of atmospheric muons in IceCube, including the energy spectrum of muons between 10 TeV and 1 PeV. This is used to derive an estimate of the prompt contribution of muons, originating from the decay of heavy (mainly charmed) hadrons and unflavored mesons. We will also present measurements of the lateral separation distributions of TeV muons between 150 m and 450 m for several initial cosmic ray energies between 1 PeV and 16 PeV. Finally, the angular distribution of atmospheric muons in IceCube will be discussed.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figures; Proceedings of the International Symposium on Very High Energy Cosmic Ray Interactions (ISVHECRI 2018), to appear in EPJ Web of Conference

Quality of Life Following Massive Weight Loss and Body Contouring Surgery: an Exploratory Study.

Reconstructive surgery is a major growth intervention for body improvement, enhancing appearance and psychological well-being following massive weight loss. The psychosocial benefits include greater capacity for social networking, lower scores of body uneasiness, body image satisfaction, improved mental well-being and physical function. However little collective evidence exists regarding the impact of body contouring on patients Quality of Life (QoL) and there is a lack of systematic review and randomised controlled trials (RCTs) with a scarcity of high level evidence. The purpose of this exploratory study was to explore the QoL perceptions, experiences and outcomes of patients who have undergone body contouring following significant weight loss and to explore the relevance and potential utility of the Obesity Psychosocial State Questionnaire (OPSQ) as a valuable QoL outcomes measuring tool for use in clinical research. Data were collected in a community setting in the south of England via digitally recorded semi-structured interviews with twenty participants (18 women and 2 men), who also self-completed the Obesity Psychosocial State Questionnaire (OBSQ). Medical notes were reviewed retrospectively to gather data about body mass index (BMI), co-morbidities, eating profiles/lifestyle, uptake of bariatric surgery and type/number of body contouring procedures undergone. A thematic approach was adopted to analyse the interviews and medical record data, supported by Nvivo7 qualitative software, and a statistical approach to analyse the questionnaire data, supported by Statistical Analysis Software. The results provide unique glimpses of the body contouring interventions for empowering and facilitating a ‘transformation’, a ‘new identity’, a ‘new start’ in life, improved physical function, greater body image satisfaction, a stronger sense of well-being and an improved quality of life. A few of the participants who reported that their weight gain was powered by childhood traumas (abuse, neglect, abandonment) continued to struggle for ‘normality’, with fragile eating control and addictive traits. Eating disordered trauma survivors mentioned post traumatic flashbacks and underlying conflicts that triggered powerlessness and emotional eating. The emotional flooding with psychological and body related memories did not appear to be fully processed or released, despite counselling and binge eating programmes. The participants also confirmed the value of the OBSQ, whilst highlighting its limited set of three questions on feelings of self-efficacy towards eating habits. The study findings show that body contouring optimises quality of life with significant improvement in physical function, body image, mental health and psychosocial function. Further research is warranted to extent the scope of the findings within a sample drawn from multiple treatment centres. This would valuably: • Explore gender, ethnic and cultural variables, important to optimising quality of life. • Clarify distinguishing features between short and long-term QoL outcomes. • Lead to the development of national policy and guidelines on reconstructive ‘body contouring’ surgery following massive weight loss, in line with the call from the British Association for Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeons (BAPRAS) A future multi-centre collaborative study could employ the OBSQ, supplemented by an additional tool to explore factors that influence eating habits such as the three factor eating questionnaire (such as the TFEQ-R1 21 Scale). Such research could enhance understanding of quality of life and long-term weight management

Quality of life among adults following bariatric and body contouring surgery: a systematic review.

Background: Weight loss following bariatric surgery is associated with significant improvements in obesity-related comorbidities, body satisfaction and psychosocial outcomes, at least in the short term. However, in the context of extreme weight loss, body image and appearance may worsen again because the “excess” or “loose” skin can lead to both functional and profound dissatisfaction with appearance. These concerns have led to an increasing uptake of post-bariatric surgery, “body-contouring” procedures but the implications for quality of life (QoL) have not been thoroughly considered. Objective/purpose: The objective was to identify the best available evidence regarding the QoL outcomes for adults following bariatric and body contouring surgery. Inclusion criteria Types of participants: The review considered studies involving people aged 18 years and beyond who underwent bariatric surgery and body contouring surgery. Types of interventions: The review considered studies that evaluated bariatric surgery as well as body contouring surgery. Types of studies: The review considered both experimental and epidemiological study designs. Outcomes: The primary outcomes were QoL as measured by validated tools at less than two years, two to five years and more than five years following body contouring surgery. The secondary outcomes were adverse events, unsatisfactory aesthetic appearance and weight gain. Search strategy: Six databases were searched, including Cochrane Central, MEDLINE, Embase, Web of Science, PsycINFO and CINAHL. Studies published from 1954 to 2014 were considered. Additional searches for unpublished studies were undertaken in BIOSIS citation index, Register of Current Controlled Trials and Global Health Observatory. Methodological quality: The methodological quality of eligible studies was assessed independently by two reviewers using the Joanna Briggs Institute quality assessment tool. Data extraction: Data extraction from the included studies was undertaken and summarized independently by two reviewers using the standardized Joanna Briggs Institute data extraction tool. Data synthesis: Studies were too heterogeneous and could not be pooled in statistical meta-analysis. Therefore, the data results are presented as a narrative summary in relation to the outcomes of interest. Results: Nine quantitative studies (four comparable cohort studies, including two group design and two four-group designs and five descriptive or case-series studies) were included in the review. The included studies reported significant clinical improvements in appearance, wellbeing and QoL. These included primary outcomes pointing to body image satisfaction, improved self-esteem and confidence, improved physical function/pain and improved social function. The secondary outcomes were related to adverse events in the early postoperative period and reported wound healing problems, including seromas, partial necrosis, dehiscence, hematoma and anemia because of blood loss. Also, some data sets shed light on appearance-related distress and body dysphoria post surgery associated with visible scars and contour deformities. Conclusion: Body contouring surgery has been shown to have positive benefits, especially in relation to improved wellbeing, function and QoL. However, adjustment to changing body image following body contouring is both challenging and empowering and seems to be a transitional process

Report on Tests and Measurements of Hadronic Interaction Properties with Air Showers

We present a summary of recent tests and measurements of hadronic interaction properties with air showers. This report has a special focus on muon density measurements. Several experiments reported deviations between simulated and recorded muon densities in extensive air showers, while others reported no discrepancies. We combine data from eight leading air shower experiments to cover shower energies from PeV to tens of EeV. Data are combined using the z-scale, a unified reference scale based on simulated air showers. Energy-scales of experiments are cross-calibrated. Above 10 PeV, we find a muon deficit in simulated air showers for each of the six considered hadronic interaction models. The deficit is increasing with shower energy. For the models EPOS-LHC and QGSJet-II.04, the slope is found significant at 8 sigma.Comment: Submitted to the Proceedings of UHECR201

Hormonal circadian rhythms in patients with congenital adrenal hyperplasia: identifying optimal monitoring times and novel disease biomarkers

Objectives: The treatment goal in congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) is to replace glucocorticoids while avoiding androgen excess and iatrogenic Cushing's syndrome. However, there is no consensus on how to monitor disease control. Our main objectives were to evaluate hormonal circadian rhythms and use these profiles to identify optimal monitoring times and novel disease biomarkers in CAH adults on intermediate- and long-acting glucocorticoids. Design: This was an observational, cross-sectional study at the National Institutes of Health Clinical Center in 16 patients with classic CAH. Methods: Twenty-four-hour serum sampling for ACTH, 17-hydroxyprogesterone (17OHP), androstenedione (A4), androsterone, DHEA, testosterone, progesterone and 24-h urinary pdiol and 5β-pdiol was carried out. Bayesian spectral analysis and cosinor analysis were performed to detect circadian rhythmicity. The number of hours to minimal (TminAC) and maximal (TmaxAC) adrenocortical hormone levels after dose administration was calculated. Results: A significant rhythm was confirmed for ACTH (r2, 0.95; P<0.001), 17OHP (r2, 0.70; P=0.003), androstenedione (r2, 0.47; P=0.043), androsterone (r2, 0.80; P<0.001), testosterone (r2, 0.47; P=0.042) and progesterone (r2, 0.64; P=0.006). The mean (S.D.) TminAC and TmaxAC for 17OHP and A4 were: morning prednisone (4.3 (2.3) and 9.7 (3.5) h), evening prednisone (4.5 (2.0) and 10.3 (2.4) h), and daily dexamethasone (9.2 (3.5) and 16.4 (7.2) h). AUC0–24 h progesterone, androsterone and 24-h urine pdiol were significantly related to 17OHP. Conclusion: In CAH patients, adrenal androgens exhibit circadian rhythms influenced by glucocorticoid replacement. Measurement of adrenocortical hormones and interpretation of results should take into account the type of glucocorticoid and time of dose administration. Progesterone and backdoor metabolites may provide alternative disease biomarkers

Preparation, thermal analysis and spectral characterization of the 1 : 1 complexes of mercury(II) halides and Pseudohalides with 3,4,5,6-Tetrahydropyrimidine-2-thione. Crystal structures of bis(3,4,5,6-tetrahydropyrimidine-2-thione-S)mercury(II) tetrachloro and tetrabromomercurate(II)

Mercury(II) complexes of the type HgX2(H(4)pymtH) (X Cl- Br I-, SCN-, CN-; H(4)pymtH = 3,4,5, 6-tetrahydropyrimidine-2-thione) have been obtained and structurally characterized by X-ray diffraction, IR, H-1 and C-13 NMR spectroscopy. Single crystal X-ray structure analysis was performed for the chloro and bromo complexes, which were found to be isostructural. Their crystal structures consist of [Hg(H(4)pymtH)(2)](2+) complex cations and [HgX4](2-) complex anions interconnected by Hg . . .X contacts into puckered sheets. The crystal structure of H(4)pymtH has been redetermined to greater accuracy. In solution NMR spectra of complexes, the greatest complexation effects were found on the C-13 chemical shift of the thioketo-carbon atom and on the H-1 chemical shift of the NH protons

Astroparticle Physics with the Forward Physics Facility at the High-Luminosity LHC

High-energy collisions at the High-Luminosity Large Hadron Collider (HL-LHC) will produce an enormous flux of particles along the beam collision axis that is not accessible by existing LHC experiments. Multi-particle production in the far-forward region is of particular interest for astroparticle physics. High-energy cosmic rays produce large particle cascades in the atmosphere, extensive air showers (EAS), which are driven by hadron-ion collisions under low momentum transfer in the non-perturbative regime of QCD. Thus, the understanding of high-energy hadronic interactions in the forward region is crucial for the interpretation of EAS data and for the estimation of backgrounds for searches of astrophysical neutrinos. The Forward Physics Facility (FPF) is a proposal to build a new underground cavern at the HL-LHC which will host a variety of far-forward experiments to detect particles outside the acceptance of the existing LHC experiments. We will present the current status of plans for the FPF and highlight the synergies with astroparticle physics. In particular, we will discuss how measurements at the FPF will improve the modeling of high-energy hadronic interactions in the atmosphere and thereby reduce the associated uncertainties of measurements in the context of multi-messenger astrophysics.Comment: 8 pages, 5 figures, presented at the 38th International Cosmic Ray Conference (ICRC2023

Edward J. Hughes. Proust, Class, & Nation. Oxford, New York: Oxford UP, 2011. xiii + 287 pp.

Review of Edward J. Hughes. Proust, Class, & Nation. Oxford, New York: Oxford UP, 2011. xiii + 287 pp