KLEVER: An experiment to measure \boldmath{BR(KL→π0νν‾){\rm BR}(K_L \to \pi^0 \nu \overline{\nu})} at the CERN SPS

The KLEVER experiment aims to measure ${\rm BR}(K_L \to \pi^0 \nu \overline{\nu})$, supplementing the ongoing NA62 measurement of ${\rm BR}(K^+ \to \pi^+ \nu \overline{\nu})$, to provide new input on CKM unitarity and potentially new physics. KLEVER is undergoing continuous development, with particular efforts focused on the design of the target and the beamline. As described here, adaptations are required relative to the K12 beamline in its current format, and a series of simulations has been performed to ensure that an adequate particle flux can be achieved while simultaneously suppressing problematic backgrounds.Comment: Published under licence CC-BY in Journal of Physics: Conference Series (JPCS) by IOP Publishing Ltd, proceedings of 6th Symposium on Prospects in the Physics of Discrete Symmetries, DISCRETE 2018, 26-30 Nov. 2018, Vienna, Austri

Beneficial and limiting factors in return to work after primary total knee replacement:Patients' perspective

Return to work (RTW) is an important outcome in Total Knee Arthroplasty (TKA). At present, 70-80%of TKA patients return to work within three to six months. What are patients' perspectives regarding beneficial and limiting factors in RTW after TKA? METHODS: Focus groups were formed in accordance with the Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Research (COREQ) checklist. Three major topics were explored: 1. What was beneficial for RTW after TKA; 2. What was limiting for RTW after TKA; and 3. What additional care would benefit RTW after TKA? RESULTS: Data saturation was reached after four focus groups, comprising 17 participants - nine men and eight women (median age 58, range 52-65). The focus group study identified four main themes that contributed to a successful RTW namely rehabilitation (medical) like post-operative physical therapy, patient characteristics (personal), like motivation to RTW, occupational characteristics (work-related) like build-up in work tasks and medical support (medical) like availability of a walker or crutches. CONCLUSION: According to participants, factors within the following four themes can contribute to a successful return to work: occupational, patient, rehabilitation and medical care. Incorporating these factors into the integrated care pathway for the 'young' TKA patients may increase the chances of a successful RTW

The association between preoperative body composition and aerobic fitness in patients scheduled for colorectal surgery

AIM: Although cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) is considered the gold standard, a preoperative abdominal CT scan might also provide information concerning preoperative aerobic fitness for risk assessment. This study aimed to investigate the association between preoperative CT‐scan‐derived body composition variables and preoperative CPET variables of aerobic fitness in colorectal surgery. METHOD: In this retrospective cohort study, CT images at level L3 were analysed for skeletal muscle mass, skeletal muscle radiation attenuation, visceral adipose tissue (VAT) mass and subcutaneous adipose tissue mass. Regression analyses were performed to investigate the relation between CT‐scan‐derived body composition variables, CPET‐derived aerobic fitness and other preoperative patient‐related variables. Logistic regression analysis was performed to predict a preoperative anaerobic threshold (AT) ≤ 11.1 ml/kg/min as cut‐off for having a high risk for postoperative complications. RESULTS: Data from 78 patients (45 men; mean [SD] age 74.5 [6.4 years]) were analysed. A correlation coefficient of 0.55 was observed between absolute AT and skeletal muscle mass index. Absolute AT (R (2) of 51.1%) was lower in patients with a lower skeletal muscle mass index, together with higher age, lower body mass and higher American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) score. Higher ASA score (odds ratio 5.64; P = 0.033) and higher VAT mass (odds ratio 1.02; P = 0.036) were associated with an increased risk of an AT ≤ 11.1 ml/kg/min. CONCLUSION: Body composition variables from the preoperative CT scan were moderately associated with preoperative CPET‐derived aerobic fitness. Higher ASA score and higher VAT mass were associated with an increased risk of an AT ≤ 11.1 ml/kg/min

A reduced-reference perceptual image and video quality metric based on edge preservation

In image and video compression and transmission, it is important to rely on an objective image/video quality metric which accurately represents the subjective quality of processed images and video sequences. In some scenarios, it is also important to evaluate the quality of the received video sequence with minimal reference to the transmitted one. For instance, for quality improvement of video transmission through closed-loop optimisation, the video quality measure can be evaluated at the receiver and provided as feedback information to the system controller. The original image/video sequence-prior to compression and transmission-is not usually available at the receiver side, and it is important to rely at the receiver side on an objective video quality metric that does not need reference or needs minimal reference to the original video sequence. The observation that the human eye is very sensitive to edge and contour information of an image underpins the proposal of our reduced reference (RR) quality metric, which compares edge information between the distorted and the original image. Results highlight that the metric correlates well with subjective observations, also in comparison with commonly used full-reference metrics and with a state-of-the-art RR metric. © 2012 Martini et al

The first COMPTEL Source Catalogue

The imaging Compton telescope COMPTEL aboard NASA's Compton Gamma-Ray Observatory has opened the MeV gamma-ray band as a new window to astronomy. COMPTEL provided the first complete all-sky survey in the energy range 0.75 to 30 MeV. The catalogue, presented here, is largely restricted to published results. It contains firm as well as marginal detections of continuum and line emitting sources and presents upper limits for various types of objects. The numbers of the most significant detections are 32 for steady sources and 31 for gamma-ray bursters. Among the continuum sources, detected so far, are spin-down pulsars, stellar black-hole candidates, supernova remnants, interstellar clouds, nuclei of active galaxies, gamma-ray bursters, and the Sun during solar flares. Line detections have been made in the light of the 1.809 MeV 26Al line, the 1.157 MeV 44Ti line, the 847 and 1238 keV 56Co lines, and the neutron capture line at 2.223 MeV. For the identification of galactic sources, a modelling of the diffuse galactic emission is essential. Such a modelling at this time does not yet exist at the required degree of accuracy. Therefore, a second COMPTEL source catalogue will be produced after a detailed and accurate modelling of the diffuse interstellar emission has become possible.Comment: 50 pages including 4 figures; accepted for publication in A&A Supplement

Paving the way for research findings: writers' rhetorical choices in education and applied linguistics

Notwithstanding the existence of previous investigations into how research results are presented in different academic disciplines, fewer studies have looked into how authors pave the way for their results, the interdisciplinary differences in ‘result pavements’, and the interconnections between their communicative functions and linguistic choices. Using the techniques of genre analysis, I have analyzed two corpora of research reports in applied linguistics and education in order to identify the possible ways in which experienced writers schematically pave the way for their findings. Using evidence based on authentic research articles, this study demonstrates how writers set the stage for their research results by (i) demonstrating their control of the structure and flow of result-related information, (ii) connecting past research with a current finding while furnishing pertinent background elements that lead the readership progressively to specific findings, (iii) regenerating readers’ interest in their initial research purposes, and (iv) deploying locatives to embed results in a ‘space-saving strategy’ aimed at presenting an abridged Results section. I have also analyzed interdisciplinary differences in the frequencies of these rhetorical steps and the range of intricate linguistic mechanisms employed by authors as communicative resources in each step to establish a smooth rhetorical transition that sets the stage for their research results

High pressure phase diagrams of CeRhIn5_5 and CeCoIn5_5 studied by ac calorimetry

The pressure-temperature phase diagrams of the heavy fermion antiferromagnet CeRhIn$_5$ and the heavy fermion superconductor CeCoIn$_5$ have been studied under hydrostatic pressure by ac calorimetry and ac susceptibility measurements using diamond anvil cells with argon as pressure medium. In CeRhIn$_5$, the use of a highly hydrostatic pressure transmitting medium allows for a clean simultaneous determination by a bulk probe of the antiferromagnetic and superconducting transitions. We compare our new phase diagram with the previous ones, discuss the nature (first or second order) of the various lines, and the coexistence of antiferromagnetic order and superconductivity. The link between the collaps of the superconducting heat anomaly and the broadening of the antiferromagnetic transition points to an inhomogeneous appearence of superconductivity below $P_c \approx 1.95$ GPa. Homogeneous bulk superconductivity is only observed above this critical pressure. We present a detailed analysis of the influence of pressure inomogeneities on the specific heat anomalies which emphasizes that the observed broadening of the transitions near $P_c$ is connected with the first order transition. For CeCoIn$_5$ we show that the large specific heat anomaly observed at $T_c$ at ambient pressure is suppressed linearly at least up to 3 GPa

Reciprocity and the tragedies of maintaining and providing the commons

Social cooperation often requires collectively beneficial but individually costly restraint to maintain a public good, or it needs costly generosity to create one. Status quo effects predict that maintaining a public good is easier than providing a new one. Here, we show experimentally and with simulations that even under identical incentives, low levels of cooperation (the ‘tragedy of the commons’) are systematically more likely in maintenance than provision. Across three series of experiments, we find that strong and weak positive reciprocity, known to be fundamental tendencies underpinning human cooperation, are substantially diminished under maintenance compared with provision. As we show in a fourth experiment, the opposite holds for negative reciprocity (‘punishment’). Our findings suggest that incentives to avoid the ‘tragedy of the commons’ need to contend with dilemma specific reciprocity

Patch: platelet transfusion in cerebral haemorrhage: study protocol for a multicentre, randomised, controlled trial

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Patients suffering from intracerebral haemorrhage have a poor prognosis, especially if they are using antiplatelet therapy. Currently, no effective acute treatment option for intracerebral haemorrhage exists. Limiting the early growth of intracerebral haemorrhage volume which continues the first hours after admission seems a promising strategy. Because intracerebral haemorrhage patients who are on antiplatelet therapy have been shown to be particularly at risk of early haematoma growth, platelet transfusion may have a beneficial effect.</p> <p>Methods/Design</p> <p>The primary objective is to investigate whether platelet transfusion improves outcome in intracerebral haemorrhage patients who are on antiplatelet treatment. The PATCH study is a prospective, randomised, multi-centre study with open treatment and blind endpoint evaluation. Patients will be randomised to receive platelet transfusion within six hours or standard care. The primary endpoint is functional health after three months. The main secondary endpoints are safety of platelet transfusion and the occurrence of haematoma growth. To detect an absolute poor outcome reduction of 20%, a total of 190 patients will be included.</p> <p>Discussion</p> <p>To our knowledge this is the first randomised controlled trial of platelet transfusion for an acute haemorrhagic disease.</p> <p>Trial registration</p> <p>The Netherlands National Trial Register (NTR1303)</p

Surface thermodynamic homeostasis of salivary conditioning films through polar–apolar layering

Salivary conditioning films (SCFs) form on all surfaces exposed to the oral cavity and control diverse oral surface phenomena. Oral chemotherapeutics and dietary components present perturbations to SCFs. Here we determine the surface energetics of SCFs through contact angle measurements with various liquids on SCFs following perturbations with a variety of chemotherapeutics as well as after renewed SCF formation. Sixteen-hour SCFs on polished enamel surfaces were treated with a variety of chemotherapeutics, including toothpastes and mouthrinses. After treatment with chemotherapeutics, a SCF was applied again for 3 h. Contact angles with four different liquids on untreated and treated SCF-coated enamel surfaces were measured and surface free energies were calculated. Perturbations either caused the SCF to become more polar or more apolar, but in all cases, renewed SCF formation compensated these changes. Thus, a polar SCF attracts different salivary proteins or adsorbs proteins in a different conformation to create a more apolar SCF surface after renewed SCF formation and vice versa for apolar SCFs. This polar–apolar layering in SCF formation presents a powerful mechanism in the oral cavity to maintain surface thermodynamic homeostasis—defining oral surface properties within a narrow, biological range and influencing chemotherapeutic strategies. Surface chemical changes brought about by dietary or chemotherapeutic perturbations to SCFs make it more polar or apolar, but new SCFs are rapidly formed compensating for changes in surface energetics