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Background: Previous retrospective research has shown that maintaining prone positioning (PP) for an average of 40 h is associated with an increase of survival rates in intubated patients with COVID-19-related acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). This study aims to determine whether a cumulative PP duration of more than 32 h during the first 2 days of intensive care unit (ICU) admission is associated with increased survival compared to a cumulative PP duration of 32 h or less. Methods: This study is an ancillary analysis from a previous large international observational study involving intubated patients placed in PP in the first 48 h of ICU admission in 149 ICUs across France, Belgium and Switzerland. Given that PP is recommended for a 16-h daily duration, intensive PP was defined as a cumulated duration of more than 32 h during the first 48 h, whereas standard PP was defined as a duration equal to or less than 32 h. Patients were followed-up for 90 days. The primary outcome was mortality at day 60. An Inverse Probability Censoring Weighting (IPCW) Cox model including a target emulation trial method was used to analyze the data. Results: Out of 2137 intubated patients, 753 were placed in PP during the first 48 h of ICU admission. The intensive PP group (n = 79) had a median PP duration of 36 h, while standard PP group (n = 674) had a median of 16 h during the first 48 h. Sixty-day mortality rate in the intensive PP group was 39.2% compared to 38.7% in the standard PP group (p = 0.93). Twenty-eight-day and 90-day mortality as well as the ventilator-free days until day 28 were similar in both groups. After IPCW, there was no significant difference in mortality at day 60 between the two-study groups (HR 0.95 [0.52–1.74], p = 0.87 and HR 1.1 [0.77–1.57], p = 0.61 in complete case analysis or in multiple imputation analysis, respectively). Conclusions: This secondary analysis of a large multicenter European cohort of intubated patients with ARDS due to COVID-19 found that intensive PP during the first 48 h did not provide a survival benefit compared to standard PP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dynamic face stimuli are increasingly used in face perception research, as increasing evidence shows they are perceived differently from static photographs. One popular method for creating dynamic faces is the dynamic morph, which can animate the transition between expressions by blending two photographs together. Although morphs offer increased experimental control, their unnatural motion differs from the biological facial motion captured in video recordings. This study aimed to compare ratings of emotion intensity and genuineness in video recordings, dynamic morphs, and static photographs of happy, sad, fearful, and angry expressions. We found that video recordings were perceived to have greater emotional intensity than dynamic morphs, and video recordings of happy expressions were perceived as more genuine compared to happy dynamic morphs. Unexpectedly, static photographs and video recordings had similar ratings for genuineness and intensity. Overall, these results suggest that dynamic morphs may be an inappropriate substitute for video recordings, as they may elicit misleading dynamic effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores the reception of the IPCC reports on a national scale, focusing on the case of the Sixth Assessment Report (AR6) in France and Switzerland. It sheds light on the orchestration processes of national reception by the actors involved in the two science-policy interfaces, and introduces the theoretical concept of "landing" for the comparative analysis. Using mixed qualitative methods, it reveals that in both case studies, the domestic science-policy interactions stemming from the landing deviated significantly from expectations. Unusual actors different from the IPCC National Focal Points got involved in framing the conditions of the report's domestic reception, and AR6 faced challenges when entering national Parliament. The results are discussed within the broader context of a global reflection on the imperative to enhance the dissemination channels of the IPCC scientific results to political audiences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Backgound: Hyperoxemia is common and associated with poor outcome during veno-arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VA ECMO) support for cardiogenic shock. However, little is known about practical daily management of oxygenation. Then, we aim to describe sweep gas oxygen fraction (FSO2), postoxygenator oxygen partial pressure (PPOSTO2), inspired oxygen fraction (FIO2), and right radial arterial oxygen partial pressure (PaO2) between day 1 and day 7 of peripheral VA ECMO support. We also aim to evaluate the association between oxygenation parameters and outcome. In this retrospective multicentric study, each participating center had to report data on the last 10 eligible patients for whom the ICU stay was terminated. Patients with extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation were excluded. Primary endpoint was individual mean FSO2 during the seven first days of ECMO support (FSO2mean (day 1−7)). Results: Between August 2019 and March 2022, 139 patients were enrolled in 14 ECMO centers in France, and one in Switzerland. Among them, the median value for FSO2mean (day 1−7) was 70 [57; 79] % but varied according to center case volume. Compared to high volume centers, centers with less than 30 VA-ECMO runs per year were more likely to maintain FSO2 ≥ 70% (OR 5.04, CI 95% [1.39; 20.4], p = 0.017). Median value for right radial PaO2mean (day 1−7) was 114 [92; 145] mmHg, and decreased from 125 [86; 207] mmHg at day 1, to 97 [81; 133] mmHg at day 3 (p < 0.01). Severe hyperoxemia (i.e. right radial PaO2 ≥ 300 mmHg) occurred in 16 patients (12%). PPOSTO2, a surrogate of the lower body oxygenation, was measured in only 39 patients (28%) among four centers. The median value of PPOSTO2mean (day 1−7) value was 198 [169; 231] mmHg. By multivariate analysis, age (OR 1.07, CI95% [1.03–1.11], p < 0.001), FSO2mean (day 1−3)(OR 1.03 [1.00-1.06], p = 0.039), and right radial PaO2mean (day 1−3) (OR 1.03, CI95% [1.00-1.02], p = 0.023) were associated with in-ICU mortality. Conclusion: In a multicentric cohort of cardiogenic shock supported by VA ECMO, the median value for FSO2mean (day 1−7) was 70 [57; 79] %. PPOSTO2 monitoring was infrequent and revealed significant hyperoxemia. Higher FSO2mean (day 1−3) and right radial PaO2mean (day 1−3) were independently associated with in-ICU mortality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

River–lake transition zones have been identified as major drivers of phytoplankton growth. With climate change reducing the frequency of complete lake overturns, it is expected that the Rhône River, the main tributary to Lake Geneva (France/Switzerland), will become the major source of nutrients for the lake euphotic zone. The river–lake transition zone was hence examined at the mouth of the Rhône River with the aim of understanding the complexities and controls of phytoplankton distribution in this specific deltaic ecosystem. Two field campaigns were carried out in which water samples were collected from longitudinal and transversal transects across the transition zone. These samples were analyzed for both nutrient and phytoplankton concentrations, while the fraction of Rhône River water in a lake sample was determined by the stable isotope composition of the water. The results indicate contributions in P and Si related to the Rhône intrusion into the lake. Furthermore, this river–lake transition zone appears to be a dynamic area that can locally present optimal conditions for phytoplankton growth. In early spring, a wind event broke the early and weak stratification of the lake, forcing the Rhône River and its turbidity plume to intrude deeper. Thus, this sharp drop of the turbidity within the euphotic zone allowed an increase in the phytoplankton biovolume of 44%. In early fall, outside of the turbid near field of the river mouth, the Rhône interflow, located just below the thermocline, promoted a local deep chlorophyll maximum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Multinational prevalence data on sarcopenia among generally healthy older adults is limited. The aim of the study was to assess prevalence of sarcopenia in the DO-HEALTH European trial based on twelve current sarcopenia definitions. Setting and Participants: This is an analysis of the DO-HEALTH study including 1495 of 2157 community-dwelling participants age 70+ years from Germany, France, Portugal, and Switzerland with complete measurements of the sarcopenia toolbox including muscle mass by DXA, grip strength, and gait speed. Measurements: The twelve sarcopenia definitions applied were Asian Working Group on Sarcopenia (AWGS1), AWGS2, Baumgartner, Delmonico, European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People (EWGSOP1), EWGSOP2, EWGSOP2-lower extremities, Foundation for the National Institutes of Health (FNIH1), FNIH2, International Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People (IWGS), Morley, and Sarcopenia Definitions and Outcomes Consortium (SDOC). Results: Mean age was 74.9 years (SD 4.4); 63.3% were women. Sarcopenia prevalence ranged between 0.7% using the EWGSOP2 or AWGS2 definition, up to 16.8% using the Delmonico definition. Overall, most sarcopenia definitions, including Delmonico (16.8%), Baumgartner (12.8%), FNIH1(10.5%), IWGS (3.6%), EWGSOP1 (3.4%), SDOC (2.0%), Morley (1.3%), and AWGS1 (1.1%) tended to be higher than the prevalence based on EWGSOP2 (0.7%). In contrast, the definitions AWGS2 (0.7%), EWGSOP2-LE (1.1%), FNIH2 (1.0%) — all based on muscle mass and muscle strength — showed similar lower prevalence as EWGSOP2 (0.7%). Moreover, most sarcopenia definitions did not overlap on identifying sarcopenia on an individual participant-level. Conclusion: In this multinational European trial of community-dwelling older adults we found major discordances of sarcopenia prevalence both on a population- and on a participant- level between various sarcopenia definitions. Our findings suggest that the concept of sarcopenia may need to be rethought to reliably and validly identify people with impaired muscle health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this finite element stress analysis (FEA) study was to assess the effect of separated files (SF) that were broken at two levels (at apical 4 and 9 mm) on the biomechanics of premolars and to determine if removal techniques affect stresses. Six lower premolar teeth were screened on computerized microtomography (micro-CT), standard access cavities were prepared, working lengths were determined, and root canals were prepared (Protaper files, Protaper Universal, Dentsply, Switzerland). Notches were created on the final shaping-file F3 at points 4 and 9 mm from the file tips, inserted in the canals, and squeezed at the apical to break. The roots were rescreened, and SFs were removed by using a Masseran kit (MK; Micro Mega, France), ultrasonic tips (UT; Satelec, Acteon group, France), and the bypass (BP) technique. Final scans were obtained and converted into three-dimensional FEA models. The following conditions were then simulated: a) root-filled tooth with SF; b) root-filled tooth after removal of the SF by using MK, UT, or BP techniques. The models were loaded axially (from two directions) and vertically (300 N), and von Mises stresses were then analyzed. SFs increased the stresses within the root. Longer SFs cause higher stresses within the root and thus should be removed, while short SFs could be kept considering the other clinical factors. Removal via MK caused the highest stresses within the roots among the techniques used. Axial loading caused higher stresses at the cervical side, while the stresses moved toward the apical side under vertical loading. SFs increase the stresses within the root. Long SFs should be removed while short SFs can be left (considering other clinical factors that may affect the success of the treatment). Removing short SFs located at the apical side negatively affects the biomechanics of the teeth, and this effect is more dramatic with the MK technique. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change and reduction in nutrient loads have significant effects on primary production and phytoplankton growth dynamics. Since in the last few decades in many regions, nutrients in lakes were reduced simultaneously as the climate changed. Yet, it remains unclear which of the two has impacted primary production the most. In this study, we couple the General Ocean Turbulence Model with the Ecological Regional Ocean Model to disentangle the effects of climate change and reoligotrophication on primary production (PP) in Lake Geneva, Switzerland–France. We apply a data assimilation method to calibrate the model with the observations from the past (1981–1990) and validate it against the in situ data from the present decade (2011–2019). Both decades represent different climate conditions and trophic states of the lake. We show that the model is skilful to reproduce assimilated and unassimilated observations from both periods. According to our results, the effect of reoligotrophication on PP is marginally higher than that of warming, leading to a net decrease in primary production by 10% from the past to the present. The areal phosphorus supply in Lake Geneva, in spite of a decrease by ∼ 70%, is still characteristic of a meso-to-eutrophic ecosystem. This points towards an incomplete reoligotrophication of the lake. The effects of future climate change on winter mixing and PP dynamics have also been studied. Although there would be a significant reduction in deep mixing, the autotrophic production in Lake Geneva is expected to increase by ∼ 20% by the end of twenty-first century, largely due to stimulation in biomass build-up of temperature-dependent algae (e.g. dinoflagellates and cyanobacteria). Considering our results to represent other large temperate lakes with similar trophic status and water residence time as Lake Geneva, future climate scenarios are expected to bring back symptoms of eutrophication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Successful deprescribing requires understanding the attitudes of older adults and caregivers towards this process. This study aimed to capture these attitudes in four French-speaking countries and to investigate associated factors. Methods: A multicenter cross-sectional study was conducted by administrating the French version of the revised Patients' Attitudes Towards Deprescribing (rPATD) questionnaire in Belgium, Canada, France, and Switzerland. Community-dwelling or nursing home older adults ≥ 65 years taking ≥ 1 prescribed medications and caregivers of older adults with similar characteristics were included. Multivariate logistic regressions were carried out to examine factors associated with willingness to deprescribe. Results: A total of 367 older adults (79.3 ± 8.7 years, 63% community-dwelling, 54% ≥ 5 medications) and 255 unrelated caregivers (64.4 ± 12.6 years) of care recipients (83.4 ± 7.9 years, 52% community-dwelling, 69% ≥ 5 medications) answered the questionnaire. Among them, 87.5% older adults and 75.6% caregivers would be willing to stop medications if the physician said it was possible. Reluctance to stop a medication taken for a long time was expressed by 46% of both older adults and caregivers. A low score for the factor "concerns about stopping" (older adults: aOR: 0.21; 95% CI: 0.07–0.59), and a high score for the factor "involvement" (older adults: aOR: 2.66; 95% CI: 1.01–7.07; caregivers: aOR: 11.28; 95% CI: 1.48–85.91) were associated with willingness to deprescribe. Conclusions: A significant proportion of older adults and caregivers of French-speaking countries are open to deprescribing. Despite this apparent willingness, deprescribing conversations in clinical practice remains marginal, emphasizing the importance of optimizing the integration of existing tools such as rPATD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and aim: Iron deficiency is associated with increased morbidity and mortality in older adults. However, data on its prevalence and incidence among older adults is limited. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence and incidence of iron deficiency in European community-dwelling older adults aged ≥ 70 years. Methods: Secondary analysis of the DO-HEALTH trial, a 3-year clinical trial including 2157 community-dwelling adults aged ≥ 70 years from Austria, France, Germany, Portugal and Switzerland. Iron deficiency was defined as soluble transferrin receptor (sTfR) > 28.1 nmol/L. Prevalence and incidence rate (IR) of iron deficiency per 100 person-years were examined overall and stratified by sex, age group, and country. Sensitivity analysis for three commonly used definitions of iron deficiency (ferritin < 45 μg/L, ferritin < 30 μg/L, and sTfR–ferritin index > 1.5) were also performed. Results: Out of 2157 participants, 2141 had sTfR measured at baseline (mean age 74.9 years; 61.5% women). The prevalence of iron deficiency at baseline was 26.8%, and did not differ by sex, but by age (35.6% in age group ≥ 80, 29.3% in age group 75–79, 23.2% in age group 70–74); P < 0.0001) and country (P = 0.02), with the highest prevalence in Portugal (34.5%) and the lowest in France (24.4%). As for the other definitions of iron deficiency, the prevalence ranged from 4.2% for ferritin < 30 µg/L to 35.3% for sTfR–ferritin index > 1.5. Occurrences of iron deficiency were observed with IR per 100 person-years of 9.2 (95% CI 8.3–10.1) and did not significantly differ by sex or age group. The highest IR per 100 person-years was observed in Austria (20.8, 95% CI 16.1–26.9), the lowest in Germany (6.1, 95% CI 4.7–8.0). Regarding the other definitions of iron deficiency, the IR per 100 person-years was 4.5 (95% CI 4.0–4.9) for ferritin < 45 µg/L, 2.4 (95% CI 2.2–2.7) for ferritin < 30 µg/L, and 12.2 (95% CI 11.0–13.5) for sTfR–ferritin index > 1.5. Conclusions: Iron deficiency is frequent among relatively healthy European older adults, with people aged ≥ 80 years and residence in Austria and Portugal associated with the highest risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The investigation of the mechanical behaviour of swelling claystones and shales is challenging because of their very low permeability and of their high sensitivity to changes in water content. The former makes it difficult to carry out triaxial tests with controlled homogeneous water pore pressure fields, and the latter results in some possible effects of swelling when unsaturated extracted specimens are re-saturated prior to being tested. This work presents some data from drained triaxial tests performed on specimens of Opalinus Clay, designated as host rock for radioactive waste disposal in Switzerland, extracted at shallow depth close to the city of Lausen. The data are compared to those recently published from undrained triaxial tests on specimens from the same place, and also to two sets of recent data independently obtained on Opalinus Clay specimens sourced from greater depth at the Mt Terri Underground Research Laboratory. By comparing the data of our drained tests on Lausen specimens to those from specific undrained tests in which swelling has been prevented, quite a good comparability in shear strength is observed at confining effective stresses larger than 5–6 MPa. This is related to the small magnitude of the swelling occurring above this stress during the specimen hydration in drained tests. The question of the possible linearity of the shear strength criterion at low stress is also discussed with respect to both our data and other published ones. It is suggested that undrained tests be also carried out at low confining stresses to investigate whether some perturbations due to hydration swelling occur in this area that could result in a nonlinear shape of the criterion. The change in Young modulus and Poisson coefficient with stress is also discussed, and the data on Opalinus Clay are compared to those of the Callovo–Oxfordian claystone from France, evidencing interesting similarities in terms of shear strength properties and Young's moduli. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Bone microarchitecture assessed by high-resolution peripheral quantitative computed tomography varies across populations of different origin. The study presents a reference dataset of microarchitectural parameters in a homogeneous group of participants aged within 22–27 range determined by a discriminant analysis of a larger cross-sectional cohort of 339 women. Introduction: High-resolution peripheral quantitative computed tomography (HR-pQCT) non-invasively measures three-dimensional bone microarchitectural parameters and volumetric bone mineral density. Previous studies established normative reference HR-pQCT datasets for several populations, but there were few data assessed in a reference group of young women with Caucasian ethnicity living in Western Europe. It is important to obtain different specific reference dataset for a valid interpretation of cortical and trabecular microarchitecture data. The aim of our study was to find the population with the most optimal bone status in order to establish a descriptive reference HR-pQCT dataset in a young and healthy normal-weight female cohort living in a European area including Geneva, Switzerland, Lyon and Saint-Etienne, France. Methods: We constituted a cross-sectional cohort of 339 women aged 19–41 years with a BMI > 18 and < 30 kg/m2. All participants had HR-pQCT measurements at both non-dominant distal radius and tibia sites. Results: We observed that microarchitectural parameters begin to decline before the age of 30 years. Based on a discriminant analysis, the optimal bone profile in this population was observed between the age range of 22 to 27 years. Consequently, we considered 43 participants aged 22–27 years to establish a reference dataset with median values and percentiles. Conclusion: This is the first study providing reference values of HR-pQCT measurements considering specific age bounds in a Franco-Swiss female cohort at the distal radius and tibia sites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context: One mainstay of soundscape ecology is to understand acoustic pattern changes, in particular the relative balance between biophony (biotic sounds), geophony (abiotic sounds), and anthropophony (human-related sounds). However, little research has been pursued to automatically track these three components. Objectives: Here, we introduce a 15-year program that aims at estimating soundscape dynamics in relation to possible land use and climate change. We address the relative prevalence patterns of these components during the first year of recording. Methods: Using four recorders, we monitored the soundscape of a large coniferous Alpine forest at the France-Switzerland border. We trained an artificial neural network (ANN) with mel frequency cepstral coefficients to systematically detect the occurrence of silence and sounds coming from birds, mammals, insects (biophony), rain (geophony), wind (geophony), and aircraft (anthropophony). Results: The ANN satisfyingly classified each sound type. The soundscape was dominated by anthropophony (75% of all files), followed by geophony (57%), biophony (43%), and silence (14%). The classification revealed expected phenologies for biophony and geophony and a co-occurrence of biophony and anthropophony. Silence was rare and mostly limited to night time. Conclusions: It was possible to track the main soundscape components in order to empirically estimate their relative prevalence across seasons. This analysis reveals that anthropogenic noise is a major component of the soundscape of protected habitats, which can dramatically impact local animal behavior and ecology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Scientists increasingly cross their disciplinary boundaries and connect with local stakeholders to jointly solve complex problems. Working with stakeholders means higher legitimacy and supports practical impact of research. Games provide a tool to achieve such transdisciplinary collaboration. In this paper, we explore the use of a game in a participatory project where scientists and local stakeholders are seeking and defining a joint problem. The literature is clear that this step is essential but remains short on concrete methods. Here, we explore this potential in practice. We conducted parallel participatory processes in two alpine regions considered as socio-ecological system (SES) in Switzerland and France, both vulnerable to global change. Based on these two case studies, we co-constructed a game, integrating scientific concerns about key land use, climate change and socio-economic elements of a mountain SES (tourism, agriculture, housing and demography). With the game, we assessed the existence of joint problems connecting scientific and local interests. The game successfully engaged participants at both sites over 11 game sessions, showing potential of use in other transdisciplinary settings. By covering a wide array of issues, the game created a discussion space for listing problems and identifying where scientist and stakeholder interests overlap. In Switzerland, the game revealed no pressing joint problem to be addressed. In France, game sessions revealed, among other problems, an enduring and complex issue regarding the co-existence of inhabitants and powerful institutions. Having demonstrated the capacity of this game for joint-problem assessment, we believe other participatory research in similar SES could benefit from an early use of such an approach to frame the potential for collaboration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The three dimensional (3D) displacement induced by fluid injection was measured during two fault reactivation experiments conducted in carbonate rocks at the Rustrel Low Noise Underground Laboratory (LSBB URL), France, and in shale rocks at the Mont Terri Rock laboratory, Switzerland. The faults were activated by injecting high pressure fluid and using the Step-Rate Injection Method for Fracture In-Situ Properties, which allows a coupled pressure-flowrate-3D displacement monitoring in boreholes. Both experiments mainly show complex aseismic deformation of preexisting fractures that depend on (1) the fluid pressure variations related to chamber pressurization and leakage into the formation and (2) irreversible shear slip and opening of the reactivated fractures. Here we detail the processing of the 3D displacement data from both experiments to isolate slip vectors from the complex displacement signal. Firstly, we explain the test protocol and describe the in situ hydromechanical behavior of the borehole/fault system. Secondly, we define the methodology of the displacement data processing to isolate slip vectors with high displacement rates, which carry information about the key orientation of fault reactivation. Finally, we discuss which slip vectors can potentially be used to solve the stress inversion problem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present a methodology for generating fractal fracture networks in one, two and three dimensions that respects the dual power-law model, in which the scaling characteristics are set by the two independent parameters: (1) the correlation dimension that pertains to separation of fracture centers, and (2) the length exponent that governs the distribution of fracture lengths. Synthetic fracture distributions were generated to evaluate the stereological relationships between the scaling parameters of 2D and 3D networks, and the scaling of fracture intersection points along a scanline through the network. The results showed that it is not possible to estimate the 2D and 3D fractal scaling parameters of the correlation dimension from the 1D correlation dimension of fracture spacing from scanlines through the network, even if the length exponent is known a priori. Synthetic 1D distributions of fracture spacing of known correlation dimension were used as a benchmark to test the consistency of estimates of fractal dimension derived from box-counting, two-point correlation, and power-law fitting. The results showed that the correlation dimension obtained from the two-point correlation method provided the most stable and reliable estimate of the fractal dimension of fractures on 1D scanlines or boreholes. Application of the two-point correlation function to the observed fracture distributions along three deep boreholes in crystalline rock at Basel, Switzerland and Soultz-sous-Forêts, France showed that the distribution was fractal over more than two orders of magnitude in scale, and in all cases the fractal dimensions was in the range 0.86–0.88. Similar results were obtained for fracture sets of common orientation within the wells, although the fractal dimension ranged between 0.65 and 0.75. This constitutes strong evidence that fracturing in rock masses penetrated by the wells follows a fractal organization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy (CIDP) is a debilitating autoimmune neuropathy that is treated with intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG). The aim of this retrospective study was to investigate the efficacy and safety of the sucrose-free IVIG Octagam® (Octapharma AG, Lachen, Switzerland) in patients with CIDP. Methods: Data from 47 patients who received at least one dose of Octagam were collected from the records of 11 centres in France. Efficacy was assessed using Overall Neuropathy Limitation Scale (ONLS). Safety was evaluated using adverse event rates. Results: Data from 24 patients who were IVIG naïve (n = 11) or had stopped IVIG ≥ 12 weeks before initiation of Octagam therapy (washout group; n = 13) were included in the efficacy analysis. At 4 months post-initiation of Octagam treatment, 41.7% of patients had improved their functional status (decrease of ≥ 1 ONLS score) with a significant change in the ONLS score from baseline (– 0.42; p = 0.04; signed test). Functional status was reduced in only two patients: one patient in the IVIG-naïve group and one patient in the IVIG-washout group. All 47 patients were included in the safety analysis, which showed that Octagam was well tolerated, with a frequency of 0.04 adverse events per Octagam course. The most common adverse drug reaction was headache. Conclusions: These real-life results are consistent with the efficacy and safety of IVIG reported in randomised controlled studies. A long-term prospective study of Octagam in patients with CIDP is warranted. Funding: Octapharma, France SAS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Non-medical use of benzodiazepines and Z-drugs is common; however, there is limited information available on the extent of harm related to this in Europe, as well as the relationship between misuse and availability.Aim: To describe presentations to the emergency department in Europe related to the recreational use of benzodiazepines and Z-drugs and compare regional differences in these presentations with legal drug sales of benzodiazepines and Z-drugs within each country.Methods: Emergency department presentations with recreational misuse of benzodiazepines and Z-drugs were obtained from the Euro-DEN dataset for the period from October 2013 to September 2015; data extracted included demographics, clinical features, reported coused drugs, and outcome data. Sales figures obtained by QuintilesIMS™ (Atlanta, Georgia) were used to compare regional differences in the proportion of benzodiazepines and Z-drugs in the emergency department presentations and legal drug sales across Europe.Results: Over the 2 years, there were 2119 presentations to the Euro-DEN project associated with recreational use of benzodiazepines and/or Z-drugs (19.3% of all Euro-DEN presentations). Presentations with 25 different benzodiazepines and Z-drugs were registered in all countries, most (1809/2340 registered benzodiazepines and Z-drugs, 77.3%) of which were prescription drugs. In 24.9%, the benzodiazepine was not specified. Where the benzodiazepine/Z-drug was known, the most frequently used benzodiazepines and Z-drugs were respectively clonazepam (29.5% of presentations), diazepam (19.9%), alprazolam (11.7%), and zopiclone (9.4%). The proportions of types of benzodiazepines/Z-drugs related to ED-presentations varied between countries. There was a moderate (Spain, UK, Switzerland) to high (France, Ireland, Norway) positive correlation between ED presentations and sales data (Spearman Row's correlation 0.66-0.80, p < 0.005), with higher correlation in countries with higher ED presentation rates.Conclusion: Presentations to the emergency department associated with the non-medical use of benzodiazepines and/or Z-drugs are common, with variation in the benzodiazepines and/or Z-drugs between countries. There was a moderate to high correlation with sales data, with higher correlation in countries with higher ED presentation rates. However, this is not the only explanation for the variation in non-medical use and in the harm associated with the non-medical use of benzodiazepines/Z-drugs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Study design:This is a retrospective analysis.Objectives:The objective of this study was to describe and quantify the discrepancy in the classification of the International Standards for Neurological Classification of Spinal Cord Injury (ISNCSCI) by clinicians versus a validated computational algorithm.Settings:European Multicenter Study on Human Spinal Cord Injury (EMSCI).Methods:Fully documented ISNCSCI data sets from EMSCI's first years (2003-2005) classified by clinicians (mostly spinal cord medicine residents, who received in-house ISNCSCI training by senior SCI physicians) were computationally reclassified. Any differences in the scoring of sensory and motor levels, American Spinal Injury Association Impairment Scale (AIS) or the zone of partial preservation (ZPP) were quantified.Results:Four hundred and twenty ISNCSCI data sets were evaluated. The lowest agreement was found in motor levels (right: 62.1%, P=0.002; left: 61.8%, P=0.003), followed by motor ZPP (right: 81.6%, P=0.74; left 80.0%, P=0.27) and then AIS (83.4%, P=0.001). Sensory levels and sensory ZPP showed the best concordance (right sensory level: 90.8%, P=0.66; left sensory level: 90.0%, P=0.30; right sensory ZPP: 91.0%, P=0.18; left sensory ZPP: 92.2%, P=0.03). AIS B was most often misinterpreted as AIS C and vice versa (AIS B as C: 29.4% and AIS C as B: 38.6%).Conclusion:Most difficult classification tasks were the correct determination of motor levels and the differentiation between AIS B and AIS C/D. These issues should be addressed in upcoming ISNCSCI revisions. Training is strongly recommended to improve classification skills for clinical practice, as well as for clinical investigators conducting spinal cord studies.Sponsorship:This study is partially funded by the International Foundation for Research in Paraplegia, Zurich, Switzerland. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Rhône basin is one of Europe's major rivers. It stretches from its source in the Swiss Alps through to the Lake Geneva and then down through France to its mouth on the Mediterranean Sea, where its delta constitutes the Camargue Region. It crosses three different 'cantonal' jurisdictions in Switzerland alone, while its course through Lake Geneva itself demarcates the border between France and Switzerland. This presents a valuable opportunity to analyse the multitude of challenges that face the management of a river flowing through such a variety of different hydrological contexts and institutional settings (Swiss, French and European). For the first time, this special issue collates interdisciplinary insights into the challenges faced by the governance systems across the entire Rhône basin. Papers present insights into barriers and opportunities for effectively responding to the many political, economic and climatological challenges facing the managers of the River Rhône over the coming decades. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Developing a sense of identity is a crucial psychosocial task for young people. The purpose of this study was to evaluate identity development in French-speaking adolescents and emerging adults (in France and Switzerland) using a process-oriented model of identity formation including five dimensions (i.e., exploration in breadth, commitment making, exploration in depth, identification with commitment, and ruminative exploration). The study included participants from three different samples (total N = 2,239, 66.7 % women): two samples of emerging adult student and one sample of adolescents. Results confirmed the hypothesized five-factor dimensional model of identity in our three samples and provided evidence for convergent validity of the model. The results also indicated that exploration in depth might be subdivided in two aspects: a first form of exploration in depth leading to a better understanding and to an increase of the strength of current commitments and a second form of exploration in depth leading to a re-evaluation and a reconsideration of current commitments. Further, the identity status cluster solution that emerged is globally in line with previous literature (i.e., achievement, foreclosure, moratorium, carefree diffusion, diffused diffusion, undifferentiated). However, despite a structural similarity, we found variations in identity profiles because identity development is shaped by cultural context. These specific variations are discussed in light of social, educational and economic differences between France and the French-speaking part of Switzerland. Implications and suggestions for future research are offered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

From June 1995 to August 2012, 18 children were treated surgically using elastic stable intramedullary nails for displaced closed fractures of the distal metaphysis of the tibia. The patients were followed radiographically and clinically on a regular basis until union was clinically and radiographically achieved. Thirteen boys and five girls with a mean age at trauma of 11 ± 2.9 years (range 6-15) were included in the study. Radiographically, all fractures healed without evidence of delayed union, re-fracture, hardware migration. All patients were pain free at last follow-up and all regained full, normal activities including sports. Level of evidence IV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many countries have carried out over the past decade a series of reforms and measures to encourage longer working lives and to respond to the looming challenges of rapid population ageing. But have these steps gone far enough and have the necessary measures been taken? Much of the focus of this policy action has been on old-age pension reform but, as stressed in the report Live Longer, Work Longer (OECD ), a more comprehensive set of reform may be necessary to encourage work at an older age. This includes policy action in three broad areas to: (1) reward work, (2) change employer practices, and (3) improve the employability of workers. The aim of this paper is to provide an overview of recent policy initiatives to give older people better work incentives and choices implemented in France, The Netherlands, Norway and Switzerland since 2006 as well as to identify areas where more could be done, covering both supply-side and demand-side aspects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Obesity represents a growing public health concern worldwide. The latest data in Switzerland rely on self-reported body mass index (BMI), leading to underestimation of prevalence. We reassessed the prevalence of obesity and overweight in a sample of the Swiss population using measured BMI and waist circumference (WC) and explored the association with nutritional factors and living in different linguistic-cultural regions. Methods: Data of 1,505 participants of a cross-sectional population-based survey in the three linguistic regions of Switzerland were analyzed. BMI and WC were measured, and a 24-h urine collection was performed to evaluate dietary sodium, potassium and protein intake. Results: The prevalence of overweight, obesity and abdominal obesity was 32.2, 14.2 and 33.6 %, respectively. Significant differences were observed in the regional distribution, with a lower prevalence in the Italian-speaking population. Low educational level, current smoking, scarce physical activity and being migrant were associated with an higher prevalence of obesity. Sodium, potassium and protein intake increased significantly across BMI categories. Conclusions: Obesity and overweight affect almost half of the Swiss adolescents and adults, and the prevalence appears to increase. Using BMI and WC to define obesity led to different prevalences. Differences were furthermore observed across Swiss linguistic-cultural regions, despite a common socio-economic and governmental framework. We found a positive association between obesity and salt intake, with a potential deleterious synergistic effect on cardiovascular risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A correction is presented to the article "Reference microarchitectural values measured by HR‑pQCT in a Franco‑Swiss cohort of young adult women."

The lake sediment record was used to reconstruct past vegetation dynamics and human impacts from the middle Neolithic (6500 cal. b.p.) to the Middle Ages (1500 cal. b.p.) around Lac d'Antre in the southern Jura mountains of France. This lake was surrounded by the Gallo-Roman sanctuary of Villards d'Héria, which has been widely investigated by archaeologists and enables a comparison between palaeoenvironmental proxies and archaeological data. Pollen and microscopic charcoal analyses were conducted on a 500 cm sediment core with eleven radiocarbon dates providing the chronological control. In a mixed oak woodland context, the successive development of Taxus, Fagus and Abies were mainly caused by climatic variations during the Neolithic, in which there was weak human impact. The first significant signs of human activity were detected during the Bronze Age from 3900 cal. b.p., followed by an increase of human pressure and woodland clearances during the Iron Age, from 2700 cal. b.p. The occupation of the Gallo-Roman sanctuary was continuous with the Iron Age occupation. All the analysed palaeoenvironmental data indicate that the strongest human impact occurred during the Gallo-Roman period, which matches the occupation of Villards d'Héria previously dated by archaeologists from 2000 to 1700 cal. b.p., 1st to 3rd century a.d. Moreover, there appears to have been a new period of human settlement close to the lake at the beginning of the Middle Ages. The low charcoal accumulation rate (CHAR) recorded during the Bronze and Iron Ages suggests that fire was not the main agent used to clear the dense woods to create new cultivated fields and pastures. High CHAR values recorded during the Roman period may represent fire use for domestic and agro-pastoral activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper the information loss for fermionic superstrings 'superstring balls' in mini black holes at LHC by extending the Gottesman and Preskill method to string theory and calculate the information transformation from the collapsing matter to the state of outgoing Hawking radiation is calculated. It is found that for all finite values of ω, all information from all string emission processes experiences some degree of loss. It means that the string model is not sufficient to solve the information-loss problem. Then the fermionic superstring states at corresponding point are considered. The correspondence principle offered a unique opportunity to test the Horowitz and Maldacena mechanism at correspondence point 'the centre of mass energies around ( M/( g))'. To consider the super string states, a copy of the original Hilbert space is constructed with a set of operators of creation/annihilation that have the same anticommutation properties as the original ones. The total Hilbert space is the tensor product of the two spaces H⊗ H, where in this case H denotes the physical quantum states space of the fermionic string. It is shown that fermionic string states can be represented by a maximally entangled two-mode squeezed state of the physical and unphysical spaces of fermionic string. Also, the entropy for these string states is calculated. It is observed that black hole entropy matches the fermionic superstring entropy at transition point. This means that our result is consistent with correspondence principle and thus HM mechanism in string theory works. Finally the signature of fermionic string ball at LHC is studied. When superstring balls produce at LHC, they evaporate to Massive particles like Higgs boson. In fact string balls act as a factory for Higgs production. Then Higgs bosons decay to QCD matter. Thus an enhancement of QCD matter can be a signature of fermionic superstring ball at LHC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The uncertainty on the calorimeter energy response to jets of particles is derived for the ATLAS experiment at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). First, the calorimeter response to single isolated charged hadrons is measured and compared to the Monte Carlo simulation using proton-proton collisions at centre-of-mass energies of $\sqrt{s} = 900~\mbox{GeV}$ and 7 TeV collected during 2009 and 2010. Then, using the decay of K and ? particles, the calorimeter response to specific types of particles (positively and negatively charged pions, protons, and anti-protons) is measured and compared to the Monte Carlo predictions. Finally, the jet energy scale uncertainty is determined by propagating the response uncertainty for single charged and neutral particles to jets. The response uncertainty is 2-5 % for central isolated hadrons and 1-3 % for the final calorimeter jet energy scale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Direct searches at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) have pushed the lower limits on the masses of the gluinos ( $\tilde{g}$) and the squarks of the first two generations ( $\tilde{q}$) to the TeV range. On the other hand, the limits are rather weak for the third generation squarks and masses around a few hundred GeV are still allowed. A comparatively light third generation of squarks is also consistent with the lightest Higgs boson with mass ∼125 GeV. In view of this, we consider the direct production of a pair of sbottom quarks ( $\tilde{b}_{1}$) at the LHC and study their collider signatures. We focus on the scenario where the $\tilde{b}_{1}$ is not the next-to-lightest supersymmetric particle (NLSP) and hence can also decay to channels other than the commonly considered decay mode to a bottom quark and the lightest neutralino ( $\tilde{\chi}^{0}_{1}$). For example, we consider the decay modes containing a bottom quark and the second neutralino ( $\tilde{b}_{1} \to b \tilde{\chi}^{0}_{2}$) and/or a top quark and the lightest chargino ( $\tilde{b}_{1} \to t \tilde{\chi}^{\pm}_{1}$) following the leptonic decays of the neutralino, chargino and the top quark giving rise to a four leptons ( ℓ) + two b-jets + missing transverse momentum ([InlineEquation not available: see fulltext.]) final state. We show that a sbottom mass ≲550 GeV can be probed in this channel at the 14 TeV LHC energy with integrated luminosity ≲100 fb. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Precise measurement of the Higgs boson couplings is an important task for International Linear Collider (ILC) experiments and will clarify the understanding of the particle mass generation mechanism. In particular, high precision measurement of Higgs branching ratios plays a key role in the search for the origin of the Yukawa and Higgs interactions. In this study, the measurement accuracies of Higgs boson branching ratios to b and c quarks and gluons were evaluated using a full detector simulation based on the International Large Detector, and assuming a Higgs mass of 120 GeV/ c. We analyze two center-of-mass (CM) energies, 250 and 350 GeV, close to the e e→ ZH and $e^{+}e^{-}\to t\bar{t}$ production thresholds. At both energies, an integrated luminosity of 250 fb and an electron (positron) beam polarization of −80 % (+30 %) were assumed. We obtain the following measurement accuracies for the product of the Higgs production cross section and the branching ratio of the Higgs into $b\bar{b}$, $c\bar{c}$, and gg: 1.0 %, 6.9 %, and 8.5 % at a CM energy of 250 GeV and 1.0 %, 6.2 %, and 7.3 % at 350 GeV. (After writing our article, Large Hadron Collider experiments reported the observation of a new resonance around the mass of 125 GeV/ c (ATLAS Collaboration, [hep-ex]; CMS Collaboration, [hep-ex]). Considering the small difference in branching ratios of the Higgs at masses of 120 and 125 GeV/ c, our results are not significantly affected by this mass difference.) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A search for supersymmetric particles in final states with zero, one, and two leptons, with and without jets identified as originating from b-quarks, in 4.7 fb of $\sqrt{s}=7\mbox{ TeV}$ pp collisions produced by the Large Hadron Collider and recorded by the ATLAS detector is presented. The search uses a set of variables carrying information on the event kinematics transverse and parallel to the beam line that are sensitive to several topologies expected in supersymmetry. Mutually exclusive final states are defined, allowing a combination of all channels to increase the search sensitivity. No deviation from the Standard Model expectation is observed. Upper limits at 95 % confidence level on visible cross-sections for the production of new particles are extracted. Results are interpreted in the context of the constrained minimal supersymmetric extension to the Standard Model and in supersymmetry-inspired models with diverse, high-multiplicity final states. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We show that a right-handed stop in the 200-400 GeV mass range, together with a nearly degenerate neutralino and, possibly, a gluino below 1.5 TeV, follows from reasonable assumptions, is consistent with present data, and offers interesting discovery prospects at the LHC. Triggering on an extra jet produced in association with stops allows the experimental search for stops even when their mass difference with neutralinos is very small and the decay products are too soft for direct observation. Using a razor analysis, we are able to set stop bounds that are stronger than those published by ATLAS and CMS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we discuss the production of a heavy scalar MSSM Higgs boson H and its subsequent decays into pairs of electroweak gauge bosons WW and ZZ. We perform a scan over the relevant MSSM parameters, using constraints from direct Higgs searches and several low-energy observables. We then compare the possible size of the pp→ H→ WW, ZZ cross sections with corresponding Standard Model cross sections. We also include the full MSSM vertex corrections to the H→ WW, ZZ decay and combine them with the Higgs propagator corrections, paying special attention to the IR-divergent contributions. We find that the vertex corrections can be as large as −30 % in MSSM parameter space regions which are currently probed by Higgs searches at the LHC. Once the sensitivity of these searches reaches two percent of the SM signal strength the vertex corrections can be numerically as important as the leading order and Higgs self-energy corrections and have to be considered when setting limits on MSSM parameters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We show that the observation of the Drell-Yan production of low-mass lepton-pairs ( M≲20 GeV) at high rapidities ( Y≳3) at the LHC can make a direct measurement of parton distribution functions (PDFs) in the low x region, x≲10. We describe a procedure that greatly reduces the sensitivity of the predictions to the choice of the factorization scale and, in particular, show how, by imposing a cutoff on the transverse momentum of the lepton-pair, the data are able to probe PDFs in the important low scale, low x domain. We include the effects of the Sudakov suppression factor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we investigate how a sizeable width-to-mass ratio for a gluino, as is for example realized in GMSB scenarios, could affect the discovery potential of gluinos at the LHC. More importantly, the influence of the gluino being 'fat' on the standard mass and spin determination methods at the LHC are investigated. For this purpose, we focus on gluino production at the LHC, where we do not factorize the first step in the gluino decay cascade, but treat the following decay cascade steps in factorization, including full spin correlations. The effects of sizeable width-to-mass ratios from a few up to 15-20 per cent on the endpoint of several mass determination methods as well as on means for discrimination between BSM spin paradigms like SUSY and UED are studied. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN - the most expensive and complex instrument mankind has ever built to address some of the most fundamental questions of Nature - is colliding proton-on-proton at high energy since November 2009. The full data set delivered by the LHC over the last 4 years has been analyzed by the ATLAS and CMS experiments in their pursuit of the Higgs boson, the particle responsible for generating masses for the basic building blocks of matter. In this article I discuss in detail the building and commissioning of the detector, search strategy and results obtained by the two experiments with special emphasis on ATLAS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, we provide a bird's-eye view of the discovery of a new particle at CERN in Geneva, which very much seems like the long sought-after Higgs boson. We conclude on a celebratory note of the Indian connection to this epochmaking discovery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We show that the observed enhancement in the diphoton decays of the recently discovered new boson at the LHC, which we assume to be a Higgs boson, can be naturally explained by a new doublet of charged vector bosons from extended electroweak models with SU(3)⊗SU(3)⊗U(1) symmetry. These models are also rather economical in explaining the measured signal strengths, within the current experimental errors, demanding fewer assumptions and less parameters tuning. Our results show a good agreement between the theoretical expected sensitivity to a 126-125 GeV Higgs boson, and the experimental significance observed in the diphoton channel at the 8 TeV LHC. Effects of an invisible decay channel for the Higgs boson are also taken into account, in order to anticipate a possible confirmation of deficits in the branching ratios into ZZ, WW, bottom quarks, and tau leptons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Single-jet production with missing transverse momentum is one of the most promising discovery channels for new physics at the LHC. In the Standard Model, Z+jet production with a Z-boson decay into neutrinos leads to this monojet signature. To improve the corresponding Standard Model predictions, we present the calculation of the full next-to-leading-order (NLO) electroweak corrections and a recalculation of the NLO QCD corrections to monojet production at the Tevatron and the LHC. We discuss the phenomenological impact on the total cross sections as well as on relevant differential distributions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Evidence of a new particle with mass ∼125 GeV decaying into a pair of tau leptons at the Large Hadron Collider spurs interest in ascertaining its spin in this channel. Here we present a comparative study between spin-0 and spin-2 nature of this new particle, using spin correlations and decay product directions. The TauSpinner algorithm is used to re-weight distributions from $q \bar{q} \to \gamma/Z \to\tau^{+} \tau^{-}$ sample to simulate a spin-2 state exchange. The method is based on supplementing the Standard Model matrix elements with those arising from presence of a new interaction. Studies with simulated samples demonstrate the discrimination power between these spin hypotheses based on data collected at the Large Hadron Collider. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study reveals the changes and evolution of rainstorm-driven intermediate floods occurring and driving multiple damaging hydrological events in the Rhone River Basin (RRB), since 1500 until 2010. A parsimonious approach was developed to simulate the major hydroclimatological flood-producing forcing, the Multiscale Rainstorm Climate Model ( STORMCLIMM). We collected the frequency of intermediate floods-a type of particularly hazardous floods commonly taking place between June and beginning of November-from the RCB to be compared to STORMCLIMM estimates. The latter, smoothed by a moving window of 21 years, results in a high-pass filter in the time domain, which magnifies the signal of forcing variations causing intermediate floods. The RRB showed large temporal variations in both extreme rainstorms and associated multidecadal intermediate-floods (MUDIF) frequency at different climatic periods and land-use systems through historical times. An important peak was observed in the Maunder Minimum (1645-1715 AD). The model allowed detecting MUDIF occurred in the historical times. The situation becomes interesting with respect to recent times, because the Rhone landscape looks more vulnerable in the last decades as a consequence of land-use changes and climate shift towards more erratic and intensive storms. This evidence suggests that the interactions of land-use and climatic changes may turn into considerable vulnerability to fluvial flooding and agro-ecosystem connected to them for upcoming years. The Rhone, for example, provides basis for use of hydrological indicators (such as the one represented by STORMCLIMM) for one site or region and which, through minor modifications, can be made relevant to specific needs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We calculate the inclusive spectra of secondaries produced in soft (minimum bias) p+Pb collisions in the framework of Quark-Gluon String Model at LHC energy, and by taking into account the inelastic screening corrections (percolation effects). The role of these effects is expected to be very large at very high energies, and they should decrease the spectra more than 1.5 times in the midrapidity region and increase them about 1.5 times in the fragmentation region at the energy of LHC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We consider the top forward-backward (FB) asymmetry at the Tevatron and top charge asymmetry at the LHC within chiral U(1)′ models with flavor-dependent U(1)′ charges and flavored Higgs fields, which were introduced in Ko et al. (J. High Energy Phys. 1201:147, ). In this model, one has to include the flavor-changing couplings of the Higgs bosons as well as the Z′ to the up-type quarks. The models could enhance not only the top forward-backward asymmetry at the Tevatron, but also the top charge asymmetry at LHC, without too large same-sign top-quark pair production rates. Also the $m_{t\bar{t}}$ distribution at high $m_{t\bar{t}}$ shows less deviations from the SM predictions. We identify parameter spaces for the U(1)′ gauge boson and (pseudo) scalar Higgs bosons where all the experimental data could be accommodated, including the case with about 125 GeV Higgs boson, as suggested recently by ATLAS and CMS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main objective of this study was to collect new data on the occurrence, levels of priority and emerging organic compounds in freshwater fish sampled in the Rhone River. The 34 studied contaminants included alkylphenols, bisphenol A, polybromodiphenylethers (PBDE), perfluorinated compounds, hexabromocyclododecanes (HBCD), hexachlorobenzene and hexachlorobutadiene (HCBD). About 50 fish samples (individual specimens or pooled fish) were collected from three sites located upstream and downstream of the Lyon metropolitan area in the Rhone River (France). Four species were caught at each site, namely: the barbel ( Barbus barbus), the common bream ( Abramis brama), the white bream ( Blicca bjoerkna) and the chub ( Squalius cephalus). Some contaminants were quantified in all the 32 fish samples analysed: 4-nonylphenol, α-HBCD, the six PBDE congeners (28, 47, 99, 100, 153, 154), perfluorooctanesulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorodecanoic acid. Twenty three of the 32 samples had a concentration of PFOS above the Environmental Quality Standards (EQS) (up to six times higher than the EQS), and all the 32 samples had concentrations of PBDE above the EQS (up to 4,000 times higher, with the sum of six PBDE varying from 4.5 to 182 ng/g dry weight). Clearly, the interest to consider PFOS and HBCD as new priority substances is confirmed. In contrast, the pertinence of a priority status for HCBD, which was never quantified in our study, might have to be reconsidered in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The prospects for detecting a candidate supersymmetric dark matter particle at the LHC are reviewed, and compared with the prospects for direct and indirect searches for astrophysical dark matter. The discussion is based on a frequentist analysis of the preferred regions of the Minimal supersymmetric extension of the Standard Model with universal soft supersymmetry breaking (the CMSSM). LHC searches may have good chances to observe supersymmetry in the near future - and so may direct searches for astrophysical dark matter particles, whereas indirect searches may require greater sensitivity, at least within the CMSSM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We establish that the light Higgs boson mass in the context of the No-Scale Flipped SU(5) GUT with TeV-scale vector-like matter multiplets (flippons) is consistent with m=125.5±0.5 GeV in the region of the best supersymmetry (SUSY) spectrum fit to low statistics data excesses observed by ATLAS in multijet and light stop 5 fb SUSY searches at the LHC7. Simultaneous satisfaction of these disparate goals is achieved by employing a minor decrease in the SU(5) partial unification scale M to lower the flippon mass, inducing a larger Higgs boson mass shift from the flippon loops. The reduction in M, which is facilitated by a phenomenologically favorable reduction of the low-energy strong coupling constant, moreover suggests an imminently observable ( e| μ) π proton decay with a central value time scale of 1.7×10 years. At the same point in the model space, we find a lightest neutralino mass of m=145 GeV, which is suitable for the production of 130 GeV monochromatic gamma-rays through annihilations yielding associated Z-bosons; a signal with this energy signature has been identified within observations of the galactic center by the FERMI-LAT Space Telescope. In conjunction with direct correlations to the fate of the ATLAS multijet and light stop production channels presently being tested at the LHC8, we suggest that the reality of a 125.5 GeV Higgs boson affords a particularly rich company of specific and imminently testable associated observables. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

If produced in high energy particle collisions at the LHC, magnetic monopoles could stop in material surrounding the interaction points. Obsolete parts of the beam pipe near the CMS interaction region, which were exposed to the products of pp and heavy ion collisions, were analysed using a SQUID-based magnetometer. The purpose of this work is to quantify the performance of the magnetometer in the context of a monopole search using a small set of samples of accelerator material ahead of the 2013 shutdown. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A measurement is presented of the relative prompt production rate of ? and ? with 4.6 fb of data collected by the CMS experiment at the LHC in pp collisions at $\sqrt{s}= 7~\mathrm{TeV}$. The two states are measured via their radiative decays ??J/ ?+ ?, with the photon converting into an ee pair for J/ ? rapidity | y(J/ ?)|<1.0 and photon transverse momentum p( ?)>0.5 GeV/ c. The measurement is given for six intervals of p(J/ ?) between 7 and 25 GeV/ c. The results are compared to theoretical predictions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents options for high-energy colliders at the energy frontier for the years to come. The immediate plans include the exploitation of the LHC at its design luminosity and energy as well as upgrades to the LHC (luminosity and energy) and to its injectors. This may be complemented by a linear electron-positron collider, based on the technology being developed by the Compact Linear Collider and by the International Linear Collider, by a high-energy electron-proton machine, the LHeC, and/or by a muon collider. This contribution describes the various future directions, all of which have a unique value to add to experimental particle physics, and concludes by outlining the key messages for the way forward. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]