Can a piece of music with a positive emotional elicitation improve dream content and the phenomenological experience?

Dreams can be defined as a series of thoughts, ideas and sensations that occur involuntarily within our minds during the stages of sleep. As there is a current lack of research connecting music and its effects on dreams, this thesis will investigate if music can have a positive effect on dreaming. Longer lasting effects if music can positively alter our dreams, is a reduction in nightmares and stressful dreaming. Many of us dream or experience dreaming on a nightly basis whether it be wild, vivid experiences or just the recall of a sensation. First, five pieces of music across five different genres were assessed (using the BRECVEMA model of music psychology), and then presented to a group of participants to see how emotions were perceived across the five selected genres/pieces (scores attained from the Emotion Worksheets). It was found that the ‘Musical Theatre’ piece of music had the highest level of positive emotional elicitation within participants.Then, various aspects of dreaming including dream contents and various experiences of dreaming (PANAS, vividness, coherence, recall and sensory information) were examined for two weeks, one week where the participants listened to the selected piece of music and one where participants listened to no music. Participants were given a dream journal to complete throughout the two weeks which included; pre-sleep questionnaire, a space to record dreams and a post-sleep questionnaire. It was found that when the participants were listening to music, they experienced significantly more positive contents of their dreams, whereas dreaming experiences were not altered in accordance with the music. Although, further research within this field is needed to fully assess whether all music as a whole can alter our emotions strong enough to change our dream content and our phenomenological experience. Other pieces of music within other genres and the same genre could be deemed more powerful and have more of a lasting effect

Changes in symptomatology, reinfection, and transmissibility associated with the SARS-CoV-2 variant B.1.1.7: an ecological study

Background The SARS-CoV-2 variant B.1.1.7 was first identified in December, 2020, in England. We aimed to investigate whether increases in the proportion of infections with this variant are associated with differences in symptoms or disease course, reinfection rates, or transmissibility. Methods We did an ecological study to examine the association between the regional proportion of infections with the SARS-CoV-2 B.1.1.7 variant and reported symptoms, disease course, rates of reinfection, and transmissibility. Data on types and duration of symptoms were obtained from longitudinal reports from users of the COVID Symptom Study app who reported a positive test for COVID-19 between Sept 28 and Dec 27, 2020 (during which the prevalence of B.1.1.7 increased most notably in parts of the UK). From this dataset, we also estimated the frequency of possible reinfection, defined as the presence of two reported positive tests separated by more than 90 days with a period of reporting no symptoms for more than 7 days before the second positive test. The proportion of SARS-CoV-2 infections with the B.1.1.7 variant across the UK was estimated with use of genomic data from the COVID-19 Genomics UK Consortium and data from Public Health England on spike-gene target failure (a non-specific indicator of the B.1.1.7 variant) in community cases in England. We used linear regression to examine the association between reported symptoms and proportion of B.1.1.7. We assessed the Spearman correlation between the proportion of B.1.1.7 cases and number of reinfections over time, and between the number of positive tests and reinfections. We estimated incidence for B.1.1.7 and previous variants, and compared the effective reproduction number, Rt, for the two incidence estimates. Findings From Sept 28 to Dec 27, 2020, positive COVID-19 tests were reported by 36 920 COVID Symptom Study app users whose region was known and who reported as healthy on app sign-up. We found no changes in reported symptoms or disease duration associated with B.1.1.7. For the same period, possible reinfections were identified in 249 (0·7% [95% CI 0·6–0·8]) of 36 509 app users who reported a positive swab test before Oct 1, 2020, but there was no evidence that the frequency of reinfections was higher for the B.1.1.7 variant than for pre-existing variants. Reinfection occurrences were more positively correlated with the overall regional rise in cases (Spearman correlation 0·56–0·69 for South East, London, and East of England) than with the regional increase in the proportion of infections with the B.1.1.7 variant (Spearman correlation 0·38–0·56 in the same regions), suggesting B.1.1.7 does not substantially alter the risk of reinfection. We found a multiplicative increase in the Rt of B.1.1.7 by a factor of 1·35 (95% CI 1·02–1·69) relative to pre-existing variants. However, Rt fell below 1 during regional and national lockdowns, even in regions with high proportions of infections with the B.1.1.7 variant. Interpretation The lack of change in symptoms identified in this study indicates that existing testing and surveillance infrastructure do not need to change specifically for the B.1.1.7 variant. In addition, given that there was no apparent increase in the reinfection rate, vaccines are likely to remain effective against the B.1.1.7 variant. Funding Zoe Global, Department of Health (UK), Wellcome Trust, Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (UK), National Institute for Health Research (UK), Medical Research Council (UK), Alzheimer's Society

A first update on mapping the human genetic architecture of COVID-19

peer reviewe

COVID-19 due to the B.1.617.2 (Delta) variant compared to B.1.1.7 (Alpha) variant of SARS-CoV-2: a prospective observational cohort study

The Delta (B.1.617.2) variant was the predominant UK circulating SARS-CoV-2 strain between May and December 2021. How Delta infection compares with previous variants is unknown. This prospective observational cohort study assessed symptomatic adults participating in the app-based COVID Symptom Study who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 from May 26 to July 1, 2021 (Delta overwhelmingly the predominant circulating UK variant), compared (1:1, age- and sex-matched) with individuals presenting from December 28, 2020 to May 6, 2021 (Alpha (B.1.1.7) the predominant variant). We assessed illness (symptoms, duration, presentation to hospital) during Alpha- and Delta-predominant timeframes; and transmission, reinfection, and vaccine effectiveness during the Delta-predominant period. 3581 individuals (aged 18 to 100 years) from each timeframe were assessed. The seven most frequent symptoms were common to both variants. Within the first 28 days of illness, some symptoms were more common with Delta versus Alpha infection (including fever, sore throat, and headache) and some vice versa (dyspnoea). Symptom burden in the first week was higher with Delta versus Alpha infection; however, the odds of any given symptom lasting ≥ 7 days was either lower or unchanged. Illness duration ≥ 28 days was lower with Delta versus Alpha infection, though unchanged in unvaccinated individuals. Hospitalisation for COVID-19 was unchanged. The Delta variant appeared more (1.49) transmissible than Alpha. Re-infections were low in all UK regions. Vaccination markedly reduced the risk of Delta infection (by 69-84%). We conclude that COVID-19 from Delta or Alpha infections is similar. The Delta variant is more transmissible than Alpha; however, current vaccines showed good efficacy against disease. This research framework can be useful for future comparisons with new emerging variants

Study of the lineshape of the χc1(3872)\chi_{c1}(3872) state

International audienceA study of the lineshape of the $\chi_{c1}(3872)$ state is made using a data sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of $3\,$fb$^{-1}$ collected in $pp$ collisions at centre-of-mass energies of 7 and 8\,TeV with the LHCb detector. Candidate $\chi_{c1}(3872)$ and $\psi(2S)$ mesons from b-hadron decays are selected in the $J/\psi \pi^+ \pi^-$ decay mode. Describing the {\mbox{lineshape}} with a Breit--Wigner function, the mass splitting between the $\chi_{c1}(3872)$ and $\psi(2S)$ states, $\Delta m$, and the width of the $\chi_{c1}(3872)$ state, $\Gamma_{\mathrm{BW}}$, are determined to be \begin{eqnarray*} \Delta m & = & 185.598 \pm 0.067 \pm 0.068\, \mathrm{MeV} \,, \\ \Gamma_{\mathrm{BW}} & = & \phantom{00}1.39\phantom{0} \pm 0.24\phantom{0} \pm 0.10\phantom{0} \mathrm{MeV} \,, \end{eqnarray*} where the first uncertainty is statistical and the second systematic. Using a Flatt\'e-inspired model, the mode and full width at half maximum of the lineshape are determined to be \begin{eqnarray*} \mathrm{mode} & = 3871.69^{\,+\,0.00\,+\,0.05}_{\,-\,0.04\,-\,0.13} &\mathrm{MeV} \\ \mathrm{FWHM} & = 0.22^{\,+\,0.07\,+\,0.11}_{\,-\,0.06\,-\,0.13}& \mathrm{MeV} . \end{eqnarray*} An investigation of the analytic structure of the Flatt\'e amplitude reveals a pole structure, which is compatible with a quasi-bound $D^0\bar{D}^{*0}$ state but a quasi-virtual state is still allowed at the level of $2$ standard deviations

Branching Fraction Measurements of the Rare Bs0→ϕμ+μ−B^0_s\rightarrow\phi\mu^+\mu^- and Bs0→f2′(1525)μ+μ−B^0_s\rightarrow f_2^\prime(1525)\mu^+\mu^- Decays

The branching fraction of the rare $B^0_s\rightarrow\phi\mu^+\mu^-$ decay is measured using data collected by the LHCb experiment at center-of-mass energies of 7, 8, and 13 TeV, corresponding to integrated luminosities of 1, 2, and 6 fb$^{-1}$, respectively. The branching fraction is reported in intervals of q$^2$, the square of the dimuon invariant mass. In the q$^2$ region between 1.1 and 6.0 GeV$^2$/c$^4$, the measurement is found to lie 3.6 standard deviations below a standard model prediction based on a combination of light cone sum rule and lattice QCD calculations. In addition, the first observation of the rare $B^0_s\rightarrow f_2^\prime(1525)\mu^+\mu^-$ decay is reported with a statistical significance of 9 standard deviations and its branching fraction is determined

Evidence for a new structure in the J/ψpJ/\psi p and J/ψpˉJ/\psi \bar{p} systems in Bs0→J/ψppˉB_s^0 \to J/\psi p \bar{p} decays

International audienceAn amplitude analysis of flavor-untagged Bs0→J/ψpp¯ decays is performed using a sample of 797±31 decays reconstructed with the LHCb detector. The data, collected in proton-proton collisions between 2011 and 2018, correspond to an integrated luminosity of 9  fb-1. Evidence for a new structure in the J/ψp and J/ψp¯ systems with a mass of 4337-4+7 -2+2  MeV and a width of 29-12+26 -14+14  MeV is found, where the first uncertainty is statistical and the second systematic, with a significance in the range of 3.1 to 3.7σ, depending on the assigned JP hypothesis

Observation of Two New Excited Ξb0\Xi_b^0 States Decaying to Λb0K−π+\Lambda^0_b K^- \pi^+

International audienceTwo narrow resonant states are observed in the Λb0K-π+ mass spectrum using a data sample of proton-proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV, collected by the LHCb experiment and corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 6  fb-1. The minimal quark content of the Λb0K-π+ system indicates that these are excited Ξb0 baryons. The masses of the Ξb(6327)0 and Ξb(6333)0 states are m[Ξb(6327)0]=6327.28-0.21+0.23±0.12±0.24 and m[Ξb(6333)0]=6332.69-0.18+0.17±0.03±0.22  MeV, respectively, with a mass splitting of Δm=5.41-0.27+0.26±0.12  MeV, where the uncertainties are statistical, systematic, and due to the Λb0 mass measurement. The measured natural widths of these states are consistent with zero, with upper limits of Γ[Ξb(6327)0]<2.20(2.56) and Γ[Ξb(6333)0]<1.60(1.92)  MeV at a 90% (95%) credibility level. The significance of the two-peak hypothesis is larger than nine (five) Gaussian standard deviations compared to the no-peak (one-peak) hypothesis. The masses, widths, and resonant structure of the new states are in good agreement with the expectations for a doublet of 1D Ξb0 resonances

Study of coherent J/ψJ/\psi production in lead-lead collisions at sNN \sqrt{{\mathrm{s}}_{\mathrm{NN}}} = 5 TeV

International audienceCoherent production of J/ψ mesons is studied in ultraperipheral lead-lead collisions at a nucleon-nucleon centre-of-mass energy of 5 TeV, using a data sample collected by the LHCb experiment corresponding to an integrated luminosity of about 10 μb$^{−1}$. The J/ψ mesons are reconstructed in the dimuon final state and are required to have transverse momentum below 1 GeV. The cross-section within the rapidity range of 2.0 < y < 4.5 is measured to be 4.45 ± 0.24 ± 0.18 ± 0.58 mb, where the first uncertainty is statistical, the second systematic and the third originates from the luminosity determination. The cross-section is also measured in J/ψ rapidity intervals. The results are compared to predictions from phenomenological models.[graphic not available: see fulltext