Anatomy of Prominent B and K Decays and Signatures of CP-Violating New Physics in the Electroweak Penguin Sector

The recent observation of B_d -> pi^0 pi^0 at the B factories with a surprisingly large branching ratio represents a challenge for theory, and complements the amazingly small B_d -> pi^+ pi^- rate. We point out that all puzzling B -> pi pi features can be accommodated in the Standard Model (SM) through non-factorizable hadronic interference effects, extract the relevant parameters, and predict the CP asymmetries of B_d -> pi^0 pi^0. Using then SU(3) flavour-symmetry and plausible dynamical assumptions, we fix the hadronic B -> pi K parameters through their B -> pi pi counterparts, and determine the CKM angle gamma, with a result in remarkable accordance with the usual fits for the unitarity triangle. We may then analyse the B -> pi K system in the SM, where we find agreement with the experimental picture, with the exception of those observables that are significantly affected by electroweak (EW) penguins, thereby suggesting new physics (NP) in this sector. Indeed, a moderate enhancement of these topologies and a large CP-violating NP phase allow us to describe any currently observed feature of the B -> pi K modes, and to predict the CP-violating B_d -> pi^0 K_S observables. If we then restrict ourselves to a specific scenario where NP enters only through Z^0 penguins, we obtain a link to rare K and B decays, where the most spectacular NP effects are an enhancement of the K_L -> pi^0 nu nu_bar rate by one order of magnitude with BR(K_L -> pi^0 nu nu_bar) ~ 4 BR(K^+ -> pi^+ nu nu_bar), BR(K_L -> pi^0 e^+ e^-) = O(10^-10), (sin 2beta)_{pi nu nu_bar} < 0, and a large forward-backward CP asymmetry in B_d -> K^* mu^+ mu^-. We address also epsilon'/epsilon and other prominent decays, including B -> phi K and B -> J/psi K modes.Comment: 78 pages, 12 figures, LaTe

Systemic Chemotherapy Including Ramucirumab in Combination With Pressurized Intra-Peritoneal Aerosol Chemotherapy Is a Safe Treatment Option for Peritoneal Metastasis of Gastric Cancer

Background: Pressurized intraperitoneal aerosol chemotherapy (PIPAC) is a laparoscopic technique for local chemotherapy. It has been used for treatment of peritoneal metastasis of gastric cancer (PM GC) in combination with systemic therapy. VEGFR2 antagonist ramucirumab is a second-line therapy for GC, and has been suspected to cause wound healing disorders. Methods: This is a retrospective single center cohort study of patients with PM GC, who received PIPAC treatment in combination with systemic chemotherapy with and without ramucirumab. Data on patients' characteristics and their perioperative courses were collected and complication rates were compared with regard to preoperative use of ramucirumab and time between last dose of systemic therapy and PIPAC treatment. Results: Fifty patients underwent 90 PIPAC treatments for PM GC in 3 years. Overall postoperative morbidity was 11% with 6% severe complications. The mean interval between systemic therapy and PIPAC was 20 days. Neither the length of interval nor the use of ramucirumab had an effect on complication rates. Conclusion: Our study suggests that addition of ramucirumab to pre-PIPAC systemic therapy, irrespective of the length of the treatment-free interval before PIPAC, does not increase the risk of postoperative complications and is therefore a safe option for treatment of PM GC

Indication of Hyperthermic Intraperitoneal Chemotherapy in Gastric Cancer (Gastripec, Gastrichip)

Background: Gastric cancer (GC) is associated with a poor prognosis mostly due to peritoneal metastasis, which will develop in time during the patient's disease history. To prevent and treat peritoneal metastasis, different kinds of treatment regimens have been described. Summary: In this review, we addressed two main topics - prophylaxis and treatment of peritoneal metastasis in GC. Prevention should be directed towards diminishing cancer cell spillage and reducing adherence of cancer cells to the abdominal cavity. Postoperative washing of the abdomen with or without chemotherapy and additional heat are herein discussed. Key Messages: Treatment of existing peritoneal metastasis is effective in patients with limited disease and tumour spread. Cytoreductive surgery including resection of peritoneal metastasis followed directly with hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy can increase overall survival and progression-free survival in selected patients. Drugs, duration and time schedules of intraperitoneal chemotherapy are reviewed and presented. Intraperitoneal chemotherapy seems to improve the prognosis of patients with GC and peritoneal metastasis after complete resection of both primary and metastatic tumours

Sodium Thiosulfate Reduces Acute Kidney Injury in Patients Undergoing Cytoreductive Surgery Plus Hyperthermic Intraperitoneal Chemotherapy with Cisplatin: A Single-Center Observational Study

Background: Cytoreductive surgery (CRS) in combination with hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) represents a multimodal treatment concept for patients with peritoneal surface malignancies. The use of intraperitoneal cisplatin (CDDP) is associated with a risk of acute kidney injury (AKI). The aim of this study is to evaluate the protective effect of perioperative sodium thiosulfate (STS) administration on kidney function in patients undergoing CRS and CDDP-based HIPEC. Patients and Methods: We retrospectively analyzed clinical data of all patients who underwent CRS and CDDP-based HIPEC at our hospital between March 2017 and August 2020. Patients were stratified according to the use of sodium thiosulfate (STS vs. no STS). We compared kidney function and clinical outcome parameters between both groups and determined risk factors for postoperative AKI on univariate and multivariate analysis. AKI was classified according to acute kidney injury network (AKIN) criteria. Results: Of 238 patients who underwent CRS and CDDP-based HIPEC, 46 patients received STS and 192 patients did not. There were no significant differences in baseline characteristics. In patients who received STS, a lower incidence (6.5% vs. 30.7%; p = 0.001) and severity of AKI (p = 0.009) were observed. On multivariate analysis, the use of STS (OR 0.089, p = 0.001) remained an independent kidney-protective factor, while arterial hypertension (OR 5.283, p < 0.001) and elevated preoperative urea serum level (OR 5.278, p = 0.032) were predictors for postoperative AKI. Conclusions: The present data suggest that STS protects patients from AKI caused by CRS and CDDP-based HIPEC. Further prospective studies are needed to validate the benefit of STS among kidney-protective strategies

Waiting for Precise Measurements of K^+->pi^+ nu nu and K_L->pi^0 nu nu

In view of future plans for accurate measurements of the theoretically clean branching ratios Br(K+ -> pi+ nu nu) and Br(KL -> pi0 nu nu), that should take place in the next decade, we collect the relevant formulae for quantities of interest and analyze their theoretical and parametric uncertainties. We point out that in addition to the angle beta in the unitarity triangle (UT) also the angle gamma can in principle be determined from these decays with respectable precision and emphasize in this context the importance of the recent NNLO QCD calculation of the charm contribution to K+ -> pi+ nu nu and of the improved estimate of the long distance contribution by means of chiral perturbation theory. In addition to known expressions we present several new ones that should allow transparent tests of the Standard Model (SM) and of its extensions. While our presentation is centered around the SM, we also discuss models with minimal flavour violation and scenarios with new complex phases in decay amplitudes and meson mixing. We give a brief review of existing results within specific extensions of the SM, in particular the Littlest Higgs Model with T-parity, Z' models, the MSSM and a model with one universal extra dimension. We derive a new "golden" relation between B and K systems that involves (beta,gamma) and Br(KL -> pi0 nu nu) and investigate the virtues of (R_t,beta), (R_b,gamma), (beta,gamma) and (etabar,gamma) strategies for the UT in the context of K -> pi nu nu decays with the goal of testing the SM and its extensions.Comment: 56 pages, 18 figures, Section on Long Distance Contributions, 2 Figures and few References added, Uses Rev Mod Phys Style; Includes new results of NNLO calculation as well as matrix elements, extended and modified sections on new physic

The pipeline project:Pre-publication independent replications of a single laboratory's research pipeline

This crowdsourced project introduces a collaborative approach to improving the reproducibility of scientific research, in which findings are replicated in qualified independent laboratories before (rather than after) they are published. Our goal is to establish a non-adversarial replication process with highly informative final results. To illustrate the Pre-Publication Independent Replication (PPIR) approach, 25 research groups conducted replications of all ten moral judgment effects which the last author and his collaborators had "in the pipeline" as of August 2014. Six findings replicated according to all replication criteria, one finding replicated but with a significantly smaller effect size than the original, one finding replicated consistently in the original culture but not outside of it, and two findings failed to find support. In total, 40% of the original findings failed at least one major replication criterion. Potential ways to implement and incentivize pre-publication independent replication on a large scale are discussed. (C) 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc.</p

Data from a pre-publication independent replication initiative examining ten moral judgement effects

We present the data from a crowdsourced project seeking to replicate findings in independent laboratories before (rather than after) they are published. In this Pre-Publication Independent Replication (PPIR) initiative, 25 research groups attempted to replicate 10 moral judgment effects from a single laboratory's research pipeline of unpublished findings. The 10 effects were investigated using online/lab surveys containing psychological manipulations (vignettes) followed by questionnaires. Results revealed a mix of reliable, unreliable, and culturally moderated findings. Unlike any previous replication project, this dataset includes the data from not only the replications but also from the original studies, creating a unique corpus that researchers can use to better understand reproducibility and irreproducibility in science

The pipeline project: Pre-publication independent replications of a single laboratory's research pipeline

This crowdsourced project introduces a collaborative approach to improving the reproducibility of scientific research, in which findings are replicated in qualified independent laboratories before (rather than after) they are published. Our goal is to establish a non-adversarial replication process with highly informative final results. To illustrate the Pre-Publication Independent Replication (PPIR) approach, 25 research groups conducted replications of all ten moral judgment effects which the last author and his collaborators had “in the pipeline” as of August 2014. Six findings replicated according to all replication criteria, one finding replicated but with a significantly smaller effect size than the original, one finding replicated consistently in the original culture but not outside of it, and two findings failed to find support. In total, 40% of the original findings failed at least one major replication criterion. Potential ways to implement and incentivize pre-publication independent replication on a large scale are discussed

Crowdsourcing hypothesis tests: Making transparent how design choices shape research results

To what extent are research results influenced by subjective decisions that scientists make as they design studies? Fifteen research teams independently designed studies to answer fiveoriginal research questions related to moral judgments, negotiations, and implicit cognition. Participants from two separate large samples (total N > 15,000) were then randomly assigned to complete one version of each study. Effect sizes varied dramatically across different sets of materials designed to test the same hypothesis: materials from different teams renderedstatistically significant effects in opposite directions for four out of five hypotheses, with the narrowest range in estimates being d = -0.37 to +0.26. Meta-analysis and a Bayesian perspective on the results revealed overall support for two hypotheses, and a lack of support for three hypotheses. Overall, practically none of the variability in effect sizes was attributable to the skill of the research team in designing materials, while considerable variability was attributable to the hypothesis being tested. In a forecasting survey, predictions of other scientists were significantly correlated with study results, both across and within hypotheses. Crowdsourced testing of research hypotheses helps reveal the true consistency of empirical support for a scientific claim.</div

Data from a pre-publication independent replication initiative examining ten moral judgement effects

We present the data from a crowdsourced project seeking to replicate findings in independent laboratories before (rather than after) they are published. In this Pre-Publication Independent Replication (PPIR) initiative, 25 research groups attempted to replicate 10 moral judgment effects from a single laboratory's research pipeline of unpublished findings. The 10 effects were investigated using online/lab surveys containing psychological manipulations (vignettes) followed by questionnaires. Results revealed a mix of reliable, unreliable, and culturally moderated findings. Unlike any previous replication project, this dataset includes the data from not only the replications but also from the original studies, creating a unique corpus that researchers can use to better understand reproducibility and irreproducibility in science.Link_to_subscribed_fulltex