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The ^{244}Pu(^{50}Ti,xn)^{294-x}Lv reaction was investigated at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory's 88-Inch Cyclotron. The experiment was aimed at the production of a superheavy element with Z≥114 by irradiating an actinide target with a beam heavier than ^{48}Ca. Produced Lv ions were separated from the unwanted beam and nuclear reaction products using the Berkeley Gas-filled Separator and implanted into a newly commissioned focal-plane detector system. Two decay chains were observed and assigned to the decay of ^{290}Lv. The production cross section was measured to be σ_{prod}=0.44(_{-0.28}^{+0.58})  pb at a center-of-target center-of-mass energy of 220(3) MeV. This represents the first published measurement of the production of a superheavy element near the "island of stability," with a beam of ^{50}Ti and is an essential precursor in the pursuit of searching for new elements beyond Z=118.

The need for large-scale production of highly accurate simulated event samples for the extensive physics programme of the ATLAS experiment at the Large Hadron Collider motivates the development of new simulation techniques. Building on the recent success of deep learning algorithms, variational autoencoders and generative adversarial networks are investigated for modelling the response of the central region of the ATLAS electromagnetic calorimeter to photons of various energies. The properties of synthesised showers are compared with showers from a full detector simulation using geant4. Both variational autoencoders and generative adversarial networks are capable of quickly simulating electromagnetic showers with correct total energies and stochasticity, though the modelling of some shower shape distributions requires more refinement. This feasibility study demonstrates the potential of using such algorithms for ATLAS fast calorimeter simulation in the future and shows a possible way to complement current simulation techniques.

This White Paper presents an overview of the current status and future perspective of QCD research, based on the community inputs and scientific conclusions from the 2022 Hot and Cold QCD Town Meeting. We present the progress made in the last decade toward a deep understanding of both the fundamental structure of the sub-atomic matter of nucleon and nucleus in cold QCD, and the hot QCD matter in heavy ion collisions. We identify key questions of QCD research and plausible paths to obtaining answers to those questions in the near future, hence defining priorities of our research over the coming decades.

A search for high-mass resonances decaying into a Formula Presented-lepton and a neutrino using proton-proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of Formula Presented is presented. The full run 2 data sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of Formula Presented recorded by the ATLAS experiment in the years 2015-2018 is analyzed. The Formula Presented-lepton is reconstructed in its hadronic decay modes and the total transverse momentum carried out by neutrinos is inferred from the reconstructed missing transverse momentum. The search for new physics is performed on the transverse mass between the Formula Presented-lepton and the missing transverse momentum. No excess of events above the Standard Model expectation is observed and upper exclusion limits are set on the Formula Presented production cross section. Heavy Formula Presented vector bosons with masses up to 5.0 TeV are excluded at 95% confidence level, assuming that they have the same couplings as the Standard Model Formula Presented boson. For nonuniversal couplings, Formula Presented bosons are excluded for masses less than 3.5-5.0 TeV, depending on the model parameters. In addition, model-independent limits on the visible cross section times branching ratio are determined as a function of the lower threshold on the transverse mass of the Formula Presented-lepton and missing transverse momentum.

A search for quantum black holes in electron + jet and muon + jet invariant mass spectra is performed with 140 fb-1 of data collected by the ATLAS detector in proton-proton collisions at √s = 13 TeV at the Large Hadron Collider. The observed invariant mass spectrum of lepton + jet pairs is consistent with Standard Model expectations. Upper limits are set at 95% confidence level on the production cross section times branching fractions for quantum black holes decaying into a lepton and a quark in a search region with invariant mass above 2.0 TeV. The resulting quantum black hole lower mass threshold limit is 9.2 TeV in the Arkani-Hamed-Dimopoulos-Dvali model, and 6.8 TeV in the Randall-Sundrum model.

James Gafirita,1,&ast; Cuthbert Musarurwa,1,&ast; Evariste Ntaganda,2,&ast; Marguerite Uwimana,3,&ast; Aime Dieudonne Hirwa,4,&ast; Mediatrice Mukahigiro,5,&ast; Laetitia Twizelimana,6,&ast; Marie Louise Nshimirimana,6,&ast; Stephen Rulisa,7,8 Charlotte Bavuma,8,9,&ast; Emile Ivan,10 David K Tumusiime11,&ast; 1Department of Biomedical Laboratory Sciences College of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Rwanda, Kigali, Rwanda; 2Division of Non-Communicable Diseases, Rwanda Biomedical Center (RBC), Ministry of Health, Kigali, Rwanda; 3Department of NCD, Ruhengeri Provincial Hospital, Musanze, Northern Province, Rwanda; 4Department of Surgery, Ruhengeri Provincial Hospital, Musanze, Northern Province, Rwanda; 5Department of Laboratory Diagnosis, Ruhengeri Provincial Hospital, Musanze, Northern Province, Rwanda; 6Department of Internal Medicine, Ruhengeri Provincial Hospital, Musanze, Northern Province, Rwanda; 7Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Kigali University Teaching Hospital, Kigali, Rwanda; 8Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology School of Medicine and Pharmacy, College of Medicine and Health Science, University of Rwanda, Kigali, Rwanda; 9Department of Internal Medicine, Kigali University Teaching Hospital, Kigali, Rwanda; 10Department of Drugs Assessment and Registration, Division of Human Medicine and Device Registration, Rwanda Food and Drugs Authority, Kigali, Rwanda; 11Department of Physiotherapy School of Health Sciences, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Rwanda, Kigali, Rwanda&ast;These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: James Gafirita, Email jgafirita@gmail.comBackground: The prevalence of cardiometabolic diseases is escalating in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) alongside the prevailing high burden of communicable diseases. Although many countries in SSA, including Rwanda, have existing data on the prevalence of individual components of the MetS, many SSA countries have insufficient data to guide policy makers on the magnitude of MetS. This study sought to determine the magnitude of MetS and its associated risk factors by sex at a referral teaching hospital in Rwanda.Methods: A cross-sectional, study was conducted among adults aged 35 to 65 years presenting at Ruhengeri Referral Teaching Hospital, Rwanda. We collected socio-clinicodemographic data using the World Health Organization (WHO) STEPwise tool for non-communicable diseases. We used the National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III criteria for MetS.Results: Overall, 99 (23.5%) males and 322 (76.5%) female participants with mean ± SD age 47.5 ± 8.2 years were enrolled. The overall frequency of MetS was 51.9% (95% CI: 47.0– 56.8) and was significantly higher (p < 0.001) in females 193 (59.4%) compared to males 26 (26.3%). Significant differences by sex were also noted in the proportions of visceral obesity; 70.4% vs 7.1% (p < 0.001), hypoalphalipoproteinaemia 36.1% vs 69.7% (p < 0.0001), type 2 diabetes mellitus; 18.4% vs 31.6% (p = 0.020) and body mass index 25.9 ± 15.6 vs 28.2 ± 6.4 (p = 0.032). On multivariate logistic regression, older age (odds ratio (OR) 1.05; 95% confidence interval ((CI) 1.01– 1.10)), higher body weight (OR 1.06; 95% CI 1.04– 1.08) and higher total cholesterol (1.25; 95% CI 1.05 − 1.74) were significantly associated with MetS in females; whereas only higher body weight (OR1.10; 95% CI 1.04– 1.18) was significantly associated with MetS in males.Conclusion: A high frequency of MetS was observed in the present study, which was higher among females. Our findings emphasize the need for tailored prevention and intervention strategies to mitigate the long-term impact of MetS.Keywords: frequency, metabolic syndrome, non-communicable diseases, Rwanda

Dennis K Ledford,1 Warner W Carr,2 Wendy C Moore,3 Njira L Lugogo,4 Arjun Mohan,4 Bradley Chipps,5 Alexander R Mackie,6 Andrew W Lindsley,7 Joseph Spahn,6 Christopher S Ambrose8 1Division of Allergy and Immunology, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, USA; 2Allergy & Asthma Associates of Southern California, Mission Viejo, CA, USA; 3Department of Internal Medicine, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, USA; 4Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA; 5Capital Allergy & Respiratory Disease Center, Sacramento, CA, USA; 6BioPharmaceuticals Medical, AstraZeneca, Wilmington, DE, USA; 7US Medical Affairs, Amgen, Thousand Oaks, CA, USA; 8BioPharmaceuticals Medical, AstraZeneca, Gaithersburg, MD, USACorrespondence: Christopher S Ambrose, AstraZeneca, One MedImmune Way, Gaithersburg, MD, 20878, USA, Tel +1 301-398-4454, Email chris.ambrose@astrazeneca.comPurpose: Younger age of asthma onset (AAO) has been associated with an allergic phenotype, whereas eosinophilic phenotypes have been associated with older AAO. In randomized trials, biologic efficacy among adults with severe asthma (SA) has varied by age at asthma onset. To determine whether these associations observed in trials apply to real-world outcomes, this study examined biologic effectiveness by AAO and biologic class in a large, real-world cohort.Patients and methods: CHRONICLE is an ongoing, real-world study of US adults with subspecialist-treated SA receiving biologics, maintenance corticosteroids, or who are uncontrolled on high-dosage inhaled corticosteroids with additional controllers. Patients enrolled between February 2018 and February 2022 who initiated a biologic for SA and had complete data for analysis were included. A locally estimated scatterplot smoothing (LOESS) analysis was used to plot the relationship between percentage exacerbation rate reduction and AAO by biologic class.Results: Of 578 patients with complete data, 198, 149, and 231 were diagnosed with asthma at age < 18, 18– 39, and ≥ 40 years, respectively. Across subgroups, patients were predominantly White (72– 78%), female (67– 73%), and commercially insured (54– 71%). In the LOESS analysis, exacerbation rate reductions were similar for anti-IgE and anti–IL-5/5R and anti–IL-4R subgroups with younger AAO, but the exacerbation rate reduction diminished for patients with older AAO receiving anti-IgE therapy, particularly with asthma onset age ≥ 40 years.Conclusion: Clinicians should consider age of onset in biologic treatment decisions, given reduced effectiveness of omalizumab in patients with asthma onset at age ≥ 40 years.Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT03373045.Keywords: Biologics, severe asthma, anti-interleukin therapy, anti-immunoglobulin E therapy, effectiveness, age of asthma onset

Yudisia Ausi,1 Vycke Yunivita,2 Prayudi Santoso,3,4 Deni Kurniadi Sunjaya,5 Melisa Intan Barliana,1,6 Rovina Ruslami2 1Department of Biological Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Universitas Padjadjaran, Sumedang, West Java, Indonesia; 2Division of Pharmacology and Therapy, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Padjadjaran, Bandung, West Java, Indonesia; 3Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care, Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Padjadjaran, Bandung, West Java, Indonesia; 4Hasan Sadikin General Hospital, Bandung, West Java, Indonesia; 5Department of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Padjadjaran, Bandung, West Java, Indonesia; 6Center of Excellence for Pharmaceutical Care Innovation, Universitas Padjadjaran, Bandung, West Java, IndonesiaCorrespondence: Melisa Intan Barliana, Department of Biological Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Universitas Padjadjaran, Jl. Raya Bandung Sumedang KM 21, Sumedang, West Java, 45363, Indonesia, Email melisa.barliana@unpad.ac.idBackground: Multidrug-resistant tuberculosis presents a challenging obstacle in global TB control. It necessitates complex and long-term therapy, which can potentially lead to medication-related burdens that may ultimately reduce therapy adherence and quality of life.Purpose: This study aimed to gain a deep understanding of the medication-related burdens experienced by multidrug-resistant tuberculosis patients.Methods: The study was conducted using a convergent mixed-method approach involving MDR-TB patients and their caregivers. Qualitative data were collected through semi-structured in-depth interviews, while quantitative data were gathered using the validated Living with Medicine Questionnaire 3. In the quantitative part, associations between patients’ characteristics and burden levels were analysed using bivariate and multivariate analyses.Results: Seventy-four participants were involved in the study, with 71 of them completing the questionnaire and 36 participating in interviews. The qualitative results revealed the subjectivity of medication-related burden perception, which could not be fully captured by the quantitative method. Four themes of medication-related burdens emerged: personal beliefs, regimen burdens, socioeconomic burdens, and healthcare burdens. The quantitative results provided a generalized representation of the population. Age and side effects were found to be significantly associated with higher burden levels, with those aged 18– 30 having an odds ratio (OR) of 7.303 (95% CI: 1.045– 51.034), and those aged 31– 40 having an OR of 6.53 (95% CI: 1.077– 39.607). Additionally, experiencing side effects had a substantial impact, with an OR of 46.602 (95% CI: 2.825– 768.894). Both sets of results are valuable for designing patient-centered care.Conclusion: MDR-TB therapy imposes a significant burden, particularly regarding the characteristics of regimen. By understanding this burden, healthcare professionals can help improve the quality of life for these patients.Keywords: mixed method, in-depth interview, living with medicine questionnaire

Andrej Jen&ccaron;a,1,&ast; David K Mills,2,&ast; Hadis Ghasemi,3,&ast; Elham Saberian,4,&ast; Andrej Jen&ccaron;a,1 Amir Mohammad Karimi Forood,5 Adriána Petrášová,1 Janka Jen&ccaron;ová,1 Zeinab Jabbari Velisdeh,2 Hadi Zare-Zardini,6 Meysam Ebrahimifar7 1Klinika of Stomatology and Maxillofacial Surgery Akadémia Košice Bacikova, UPJS LF, Kosice, Slovakia; 2Molecular Science and Nanotechnology, College of Engineering and Science, Louisiana Tech University, Ruston, LA, 71272, USA; 3Department of Chemistry, College of Art and Science, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, Edwardsville, IL, USA; 4Pavol Jozef Šafárik University, Klinika and Akadémia Košice Bacikova, Kosice, Slovakia; 5Biomedical Engineering Department, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA; 6Department of Biomedical Engineering, Meybod University, Meybod, Iran; 7Department of Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Islamic Azad University, Shahreza Branch, Shahreza&ast;These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Hadi Zare-Zardini; Meysam Ebrahimifar, Email hzare@meybod.ac.ir; ebrahimifar67@gmail.comAbstract: Natural products have proven to be promising anti-cancer agents due to their diverse chemical structures and bioactivity. This review examines their central role in cancer treatment, focusing on their mechanisms of action and therapeutic benefits. Medicinal plants contain bioactive compounds, such as flavonoids, alkaloids, terpenoids and polyphenols, which exhibit various anticancer properties. These compounds induce apoptosis, inhibit cell proliferation and cell cycle progression, interfere with microtubule formation, act on topoisomerase targets, inhibit angiogenesis, modulate key signaling pathways, improve the tumor microenvironment, reverse drug resistance and activate immune cells. Herbal anti-cancer drugs offer therapeutic advantages, particularly selective toxicity against cancer cells, reducing the adverse side effects associated with conventional chemotherapy. Recent studies and clinical trials highlight the benefits of herbal medicines in alleviating side effects, improving tolerance to chemotherapy and the occurrence of synergistic effects with conventional treatments. For example, the herbal medicine SH003 was found to be safe and potentially effective in the treatment of solid cancers, while Fucoidan showed anti-inflammatory properties that are beneficial for patients with advanced cancer. The current research landscape on herbal anticancer agents is extensive. Numerous studies and clinical trials are investigating their efficacy, safety and mechanisms of action in various cancers such as lung, prostate, breast and hepatocellular carcinoma. Promising developments include the polypharmacological approach, combination therapies, immunomodulation and the improvement of quality of life. However, there are still challenges in the development and use of natural products as anti-cancer drugs, such as the need for further research into their mechanisms of action, possible drug interactions and optimal dosage. Standardizing herbal extracts, improving bioavailability and delivery, and overcoming regulatory and acceptance hurdles are critical issues that need to be addressed. Nonetheless, the promising anticancer effects and therapeutic benefits of natural products warrant further investigation and development. Multidisciplinary collaboration is essential to advance herbal cancer therapy and integrate these agents into mainstream cancer treatment.Keywords: herbal, anti-cancer, chemotherapy, cancer therapy, drug resistance

Dina Keumala Sari,1 Nurhadi Ibrahim,2 Nina Herlina,3,4 Nurfida Khairina Arrasyid,5 Ridha Dharmajaya,6 Meike Rachmawati,7 Noorzaid Muhammad,8 Ivan Salazar-Chang9 1Nutrition Department, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Sumatera Utara, Medan, North Sumatra, Indonesia; 2Physiology and Biophysics Department, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Indonesia, Jakarta, Center Java, Indonesia; 3Pharmacy Department, Faculty of Pharmacy, Universitas Pakuan, Bogor, West Java,Indonesia; 4Program Study of Pharmacy, Faculty of Math and Science, Pakuan University, Bogor, West Java, Indonesia; 5Parasitology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Sumatera Utara, Medan, North Sumatra, Indonesia; 6Neurosurgery Department, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Sumatera Utara, Medan, North Sumatra, Indonesia; 7Anatomical Pathology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Bandung Islamic University, Bandung, Indonesia; 8Cluster of Integrative Physiology and Molecular Medicine, Universiti Kuala Lumpur, Royal College of Medicine Perak, Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia; 9International Relation Department, Universitat Politècnica de València, Valencia, SpainCorrespondence: Dina Keumala Sari, Nutrition Department, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Sumatera Utara, Jl. Dr. Mansur, No. 5, Kampus USU, Padang Bulan, Medan, North Sumatra, Indonesia, Tel +62 81397177693, Email dina@usu.ac.idBackground: Local wisdom food ingredients in North Sumatra, Indonesia, are a source of phenolics which have antioxidant, antihyperlipidemia, neuronal survival, and growth. Administering products with antioxidant properties can provide a supporting effect in preventing inflammation and neurodegenerative process.Objective: The main objective of this study was to analyze the formulation of red palm oil (Elaeis guineensis Jacq), koja bay leaves (Murraya koenigii L Spreng), and passion fruit seeds (Passiflora edulis Sims) to improve lipid profile, antioxidant activity, Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF), and lipase enzyme activity of Sprague-Dawley rats.Methods: This study was an in vivo and pre-post experimental study, starting with analyzing flavonoid of the three extract ingredients, then tested by giving it to rats for 14 days and ending with induction administration of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) for two days. This pre-post study on animals involved 36 rats divided into 6 groups. At the end of the study, termination and examination of malondialdehyde, lipid profile, glucose, BDNF, lipase enzyme activity and histopathological examination were carried out.Results: The study results showed that there were significant values in several parameters, which were body weight, LDL, LDL/HDL ratio, BDNF, and lipase enzyme activity especially in the group of rats given LPS and the group with high calories-fat-protein. This study showed that there were significant differences in body weight, LDL levels, and LDL/HDL ratio in each group of rats, especially in the group given the formulation of the three extract ingredients, the significant dose showed in 300mg/kg body weight (p < 0.001).Conclusion: The formulation of red palm oil, koja bay leaves, and passion fruit seeds showed significant reduction in LDL levels, LDL/HDL ratio, BDNF, and lipase enzyme activity.Keywords: atheromatic, leaves, plaque analysis, preventive, oxidized, LDL, nutrition, oil, seed

The Am 5d-5f resonant inelastic x-ray scattering (RIXS) data of americium sesquioxide were measured at incident photon energies throughout the Am O4,5 edges. The experiment was supported by calculations using several model approaches. While the experimental Am O4,5 x-ray absorption spectrum of Am2O3 is compared with the spectra calculated in the framework of atomic multiplet and crystal-field multiplet theories and Anderson impurity model (AIM) for the Am(III) system, the recorded Am 5d-5f RIXS data are essentially reproduced by the crystal-field multiplet calculations. A combination of the experimental scattering geometry and theoretical analysis of the character of the electronic states probed during the RIXS process confirms that the ground state of Am2O3 is singlet Γ1. An appearance of the low-intense charge-transfer satellite in the Am 5d-5f RIXS spectra at an energy loss of ∼5.5eV suggests weak Am 5f-O 2p hybridization which is in agreement with AIM estimations of the 5f occupancy from spectroscopic data in Am2O3 as being 6.05 electrons.

Fracture injection/shut-in tests are commonly used to measure the state of stress in the subsurface. Injection creates a hydraulic fracture (or in some cases, opens a preexisting fracture), and then the pressure after shut-in is monitored to identify fracture closure. Different interpretation procedures have been proposed for estimating closure, and the procedures sometimes yield significantly different results. In this study, direct, in-situ strain measurements are used to observe fracture reopening and closure. The tests were performed as part of the EGS Collab project, a mesoscale project performed at 1.25 and 1.5 km depth at the Sanford Underground Research Facility. The tests were instrumented with the SIMFIP tool, a double-packer probe with a high-resolution three-dimensional borehole displacement sensor. The measurements provide a direct observation of the fracture closure signature, enabling a high-fidelity estimate of the fracture closure stress (ie, the normal stress on the fracture). In two of the four tests, injection created an opening mode fracture, and so the closure stress can be interpreted as the minimum principal stress. In the other two tests, injection probably opened preexisting natural fractures, and so the closure stress can be interpreted as the normal stress on the fractures. The strain measurements are compared against different proposed methods for estimating closure stress from pressure transients. The shut-in transients are analyzed with two techniques that are widely used in the field of petroleum engineering – the ‘tangent’ method and the ‘compliance’ method. In three of the four tests, the tangent method significantly underestimates the closure stress. The compliance method is reasonably accurate in all four tests. Closure stress is also interpreted using two other commonly-used methods – ‘first deviation from linearity’ and the method of (Hayashi and Haimson, 1991). In comparison with the SIMFIP data, these methods tend to overestimate the closure stress, evidently because they identify closure from early-time transient effects, such as near-wellbore tortuosity. In two of the tests, microseismic imaging provides an independent estimate of the size of the fracture created by injection. When combined with a simple mass balance calculation, the SIMFIP stress measurements yield predictions of fracture size that are reasonably consistent with the estimates from microseismic. The calculations imply an apparent fracture toughness 2-3x higher than typical laboratory-derived values.

Kenneth Ssekatawa,1,2 Ibrahim Ntulume,3 Denis Karuhize Byarugaba,3 Slawomir Michniewski,4 Eleanor Jameson,5 Eddie M Wampande,6 Jesca Nakavuma3 1Department of Science Technical and Vocational Education, Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda; 2Africa Center of Excellence in Materials, Product Development and Nanotechnology (MAPRONANO ACE), Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda; 3Department of Biotechnical and Diagnostic Sciences, Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda; 4Centre for Phage Research, University of Leicester, England, UK; 5School of Environmental and Natural Sciences, Bangor University, Gwynedd, UK; 6Department of Veterinary Pharmacy, Clinical and Comparative Medicine, Makerere University, Kampala, UgandaCorrespondence: Kenneth Ssekatawa; Jesca Nakavuma, Email kssekatee@gmail.com; kenneth.ssekatawa@mak.ac.ug; jesca.nakavuma@gmail.comBackground: The evolution of antimicrobial resistance has dramatically reduced the efficacy of the first-choice and last-resort antibiotics used to treat E. coli infections. Thus, searching for novel therapeutics to treat and control the emergence of antibiotic resistance is urgent. Therefore, this study aimed to illustrate the lytic effect of phages against carbapenem-resistant pathogenic E. coli.Methods: Phages were isolated from hospital effluents by the enrichment assay. This was followed by the evaluation of the host range of the phages by the spot assay. The time taken by phages to bind to the host bacterial cells was determined by the adsorption assay. The phage latent period and burst size were determined using a one-step growth experiment. Phage morphology was determined by the Transmission Electron Microscopy. Molecular characterization of phages was done by whole genome sequencing.Results: Two phages named UGKSEcP1 and UGKSEcP2 were isolated from hospital effluents. The phages were professionally lytic with a broad host range. The two phages recorded an average adsorption time of 11.25 minutes, an adsorption rate of 99.3%, a latency period of 20 minutes, and a burst size of approximately 528 phages/infected cell. Phages UGKSEcP1 and UGKSEcP2 had genome lengths of 167433bp, and 167221bp with 277 and 276 predicted genes, respectively, and no undesirable genes were detected. Phylogenetic analysis revealed the two phages belonged genus Tequatrovirus. TEM micrograph showed that the two phages had a similar morphotype with icosahedral heads and contractile tails; thus, classified as members of the Myoviridae phage family.Conclusion: The findings demonstrate that the study isolated two novel professionally lytic phages with a broad host range and thus, are candidates for phage-mediated biocontrol.Keywords: antibiotic resistance, carbapenem resistance, bacteriophages

Background: Childhood asthma is affected by events and conditions of the school environment. Teachers as de-facto caregivers of children with asthma have a major role to play in ensuring good asthma control in school. This study set out to determine the level of knowledge of school teacher about childhood asthma and factors influencing this knowledge. Methods: Four secondary schools (two private and two public) in Ilesa, South West Nigeria were selected by multistage sampling method. All the teachers in these schools were required to fill a self -administered questionnaire incorporating a validated 40-item asthma knowledge questions. Factors associated with the level of knowledge were determined appropriately. Results: A total of 132 teacher (M: F = 1:2) participated in the study with 85 (64.4%) from private school. The mean (SD) age of the teachers was 38.0 (9.1) years and median (IQR) years in teaching service was 7.0 (5.0 to 15.0) years. Majority (56.1%) of the teachers had university education while only 7 (5.3%) had a post graduate degree. The mean (SD) score of the 40 item questions was 21.5 (7.2) and majority (51.5%) had poor asthma knowledge (score < 22). Poorer knowledge was observed in questions related to the nature and management of childhood asthma than triggers and manifestations. No significant correlation was found between knowledge and age, teaching experience and qualifications (p > 0.05). However, teachers with previous training about childhood asthma had relatively good knowledge about the condition. (p

Dewi Kartika Turbawaty, Andy Sudjadi, Leni Lismayanti, Tiene Rostini, Verina Logito Department of Clinical Pathology, Faculty of Medicine Padjadjaran University/ Dr. Hasan Sadikin General Hospital, Bandung, West Java, IndonesiaCorrespondence: Dewi Kartika Turbawaty, Email dewi.kartika@unpad.ac.idIntroduction: Corona Virus Disease-19 (COVID-19) is a disease caused by Severe-Acute-Respiratory-Syndrome-Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2). The most reliable and widely accepted method for diagnosing this infection, despite facing various challenges, is the Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) method, which utilizes nasopharyngeal swab sample. Reverse-transcription loop mediated isothermal amplification (RT-LAMP) is a simpler nucleic acid amplification method compared to the RT-PCR method. This method has several advantages, including: of amplification at constant temperature, faster results, and potentially greater examination capacity.Purpose: This study aimed to compare the validity of the RT-LAMP method using saliva specimens with that of the RT-PCR method using nasopharyngeal smears.Methods: This was an analytical observational study with a cross-sectional design. The participants were inpatients in the COVID-19 special isolation building of Hasan Sadikin General Hospital, Indonesia with a probable (clinical symptoms of covid, but not confirm NAAT examination) or confirmed diagnosis of COVID-19 from September 2021 to February 2022. The inclusion criteria are COVID-19 patients with symptoms, adult subjects, and composite mentions. Patients who were unable to secrete saliva were also excluded.Results: In total, 118 specimens were collected. The validity test results of the saliva specimens using the RT-LAMP method showed sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV) and negative predictive value (NPV), of 65.5%, 100%, 100%, and 75%, respectively. The results increased in subjects treated between 3 and 7 days after symptom onset ie 73.2%, 100%, 100%, and 82.3%, respectively.Conclusion: The very strong specificity accompanied by good sensitivity and NPV in the group of subjects treated 3– 7 days after the onset of symptoms indicates that the RT-LAMP method using saliva specimens can be an efficient and reliable alternative tool in detecting the SARS-CoV-2 virus.Keywords: COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2, RT-LAMP, RT-PCR, saliva

In order to solve the problem that the existing art style transfer methods can not maintain high-quality image content and transform style patterns at the same time, a novel style-transition attention network (STANet) was introduced, which consists of two key parts: one is the asymmetric attention module used to determine the style features of the reference image, and the other is the circular structure used to save the content of the image. Firstly, the two-stream architecture was adopted to encode the style and content images.Secondly, the attention module was seamlessly integrated into the encoder to generate the style attention representation. Finally, the module was put into different convolution stages, making the encoder interleaved, and facilitating the flow of hierarchical information from style to content. In addition, a circular consistency loss was proposed to force the network to retain the content structure and style patterns in a holistic manner. The results show that the encoder is superior to the traditional Shuangliu District architecture, and STANet can be used to exchange the style patterns of two images with any style, resulting in higher quality stylized images, while better preserving their own content. The proposed style conversion loop network with attention to style conversion makes the model stylized images more detailed and achieves good performance in generalization to any styles.

In this paper, a way that using Al2[DK](SO4)3 catalyst to esterify those labile components (such as acids and sugars) in pyrolysis oil into fuel compounds was proposed considering that their presences were the main factor restricting pyrolysis oil's direct use as biofuel. Firstly, various metal sulfates catalysts were screened for producing ethyl levulinate from model compound levoglucosan or for producing ethyl acetate from model compound acetic acid. Secondly, the optimal reaction conditions were investigated for producing esters from the model mixture of levoglucosan and acetic acid over Al2[DK](SO4)3 catalyst. Thirdly, the feasibility of producing esters from the real pyrolysis oil over Al2[DK](SO4)3 catalyst under the optimum reaction conditions was validated. The results showed the formation of significant amounts of esters and acetals accompanying the loss of labile acids, sugars and aldehydes. The esters and acetals accounted for 39.5% of the total GC-MS chromatographic area of the esterified pyrolysis oil. This indicated that Al2[DK](SO4)3 could effectively catalyse the esterification of those labile components in pyrolysis oil to fuel compounds, which could provide reference for producing biofuels from pyrolysis oil..

Study Design Retrospective cohort study. Purpose To investigate the long-term clinical and radiological outcomes of selective fusion for rotatory olisthesis (RO) in degenerative lumbar scoliosis (DLS). Overview of Literature DLS is often associated with RO, and selective fusion of RO is a common surgical treatment option. However, the clinical and radiological outcomes remain controversial. Methods A cohort of 54 consecutive patients with DLS and RO was included in the study. All the included patients underwent selective RO fusion and at least 2 years of follow-up. They were divided into two groups: group 1 with a curve 30° because of a higher complication rate and a worse clinical outcome at the final follow-up.

This study aims to address the problem of porosity preservation in the Mangahewa Formation of five main hydrocarbon fields covering onshore and offshore of the Taranaki Basin. An integrated reservoir characterization of the Middle to Late Eocene Mangahewa Formation is achieved through petrophysical evaluation, sedimentological and petrographical descriptions, and well log analysis methods. Petrophysical parameters (porosity and permeability) were acquired from the available core analysis and using mathematical equations to obtain other petrophysical matrices such as normalized porosity index (NPI) and reservoir quality index (RQI). Factors that affected Mangahewa reservoir were studied through thin-section microscopy and well-log analysis helped to measure the reservoir and hydrocarbon potentiality in the Mangahewa Formation. The Mangahewa Formation is dominated by sandstone and a range of marginal to shallow marine facies with varying hydraulic flow units (HFU). The Mangahewa Formation has a high positive correlation in porosity-permeability relationship and has a maximum of 4.67 μm RQI and 20.08 μm FZI (Well Kapuni-14) which reflect potential reservoir. The Mangahewa Formation observed from Wells Kapuni-14, Maui-A1G, McKee-16A, and Mokau-1 are dominated with 59.6%, 56.4%, 79.3%, and 68% of macro- and megapores, respectively. The presence of authigenic clay and calcite cement has greatly reduced the reservoir quality; however, primary and secondary pores are still observed within the Mangahewa sands. Moreover, well log analysis was carried out on four wells in Taranaki Basin, to run a qualitative and quantitative analysis of the Mangahewa reservoir. Eight potential reservoir zones were examined, revealing that the Mangahewa Formation has a very low shale volume of less than 6%, good effective porosity ranging between 11.0% and 13.3%, up to 36.2% of average water saturation and maximum of 69.8% average hydrocarbon saturation. In conclusion, from this comprehensive study, it can be deduced that the Mangahewa Formation possesses fair to good reservoir quality and hydrocarbon potentiality.

Shubham Kanaujiya,1,&ast; Dilip Kumar Arya,1,&ast; Prashant Pandey,1 Sneha Singh,2 Giriraj Pandey,1 Shabnam Anjum,3 Md Meraj Anjum,1 Daoud Ali,4 Saud Alarifi,4 Vijayakumar MR,1 Sri Sivakumar,2 Saurabh Srivastava,5 PS Rajinikanth1 1Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University, Lucknow, India; 2Department of Chemical Engineering, IIT Kanpur, Kanpur, India; 3Department of Tissue Engineering, School of Intelligent Medicine, China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning, 110122, People’s Republic of China; 4Department of Zoology, College of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; 5Department of Pharmaceutics, National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research, Hyderabad, Telangana, India&ast;These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: PS Rajinikanth, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University, Lucknow, India, Email psrajinikanth222@gmail.comBackground: The healing of burn wounds is a complicated physiological process that involves several stages, including haemostasis, inflammation, proliferation, and remodelling to rebuild the skin and subcutaneous tissue integrity. Recent advancements in nanomaterials, especially nanofibers, have opened a new way for efficient healing of wounds due to burning or other injuries.Methods: This study aims to develop and characterize collagen-decorated, bilayered electrospun nanofibrous mats composed of PVP and PVA loaded with Resveratrol (RSV) and Ampicillin (AMP) to accelerate burn wound healing and tissue repair.Results: Nanofibers with smooth surfaces and web-like structures with diameters ranging from 200 to 400 nm were successfully produced by electrospinning. These fibres exhibited excellent in vitro properties, including the ability to absorb wound exudates and undergo biodegradation over a two-week period. Additionally, these nanofibers demonstrated sustained and controlled release of encapsulated Resveratrol (RSV) and Ampicillin (AMP) through in vitro release studies. The zone of inhibition (ZOI) of PVP-PVA-RSV-AMP nanofibers against Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) and Escherichia coli (E. coli) was found 31± 0.09 mm and 12± 0.03, respectively, which was significantly higher as compared to positive control. Similarly, the biofilm study confirmed the significant reduction in the formation of biofilms in nanofiber-treated group against both S. aureus and E. coli. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis proved the encapsulation of RSV and AMP successfully into nanofibers and their compatibility. Haemolysis assay (%) showed no significant haemolysis (less than 5%) in nanofiber-treated groups, confirmed their cytocompatibility with red blood cells (RBCs). Cell viability assay and cell adhesion on HaCaT cells showed increased cell proliferation, indicating its biocompatibility as well as non-toxic properties. Results of the in-vivo experiments on a burn wound model demonstrated potential burn wound healing in rats confirmed by H&E-stained images and also improved the collagen synthesis in nanofibers-treated groups evidenced by Masson-trichrome staining. The ELISA assay clearly indicated the efficient downregulation of TNF-alpha and IL-6 inflammatory biomarkers after treatment with nanofibers on day 10.Conclusion: The RSV and AMP-loaded nanofiber mats, developed in this study, expedite burn wound healing through their multifaceted approach. Keywords: electrospinning, nanofiber, resveratrol, ampicillin, burn wound healing, collagen

A search for a long-lived, heavy neutral lepton (N) in 139  fb^{-1} of sqrt[s]=13  TeV pp collision data collected by the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider is reported. The N is produced via W→Nμ or W→Ne and decays into two charged leptons and a neutrino, forming a displaced vertex. The N mass is used to discriminate between signal and background. No signal is observed, and limits are set on the squared mixing parameters of the N with the left-handed neutrino states for the N mass range 3  GeV

A search for the pair-production of vector-like quarks optimized for decays into a Z boson and a third-generation Standard Model quark is presented, using the full Run 2 dataset corresponding to 139fb−1 of pp collisions at s=13TeV, collected in 2015–2018 with the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider. The targeted final state is characterized by the presence of a Z boson with high transverse momentum, reconstructed from a pair of same-flavour leptons with opposite-sign charges, as well as by the presence of b-tagged jets and high-transverse-momentum large-radius jets reconstructed from calibrated smaller-radius jets. Events with exactly two or at least three leptons are used, which are further categorized by the presence of boosted W, Z, and Higgs bosons and top quarks. The categorization is performed using a neural-network-based boosted object tagger to enhance the sensitivity to signal relative to the background. No significant excess above the background expectation is observed and exclusion limits at 95% confidence level are set on the masses of the vector-like partners T and B of the top and bottom quarks, respectively. The limits depend on the branching ratio configurations and, in the case of 100% branching ratio for T→Zt and 100% branching ratio for B→Zb, this search sets the most stringent limits to date, allowing mT>1.60TeV and mB>1.42TeV, respectively.

A search for flavor-changing neutral-current couplings between a top quark, an up or charm quark, and a Formula Presented boson is presented, using proton-proton collision data at Formula Presented collected by the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider. The analyzed data set corresponds to an integrated luminosity of Formula Presented. The search targets both single-top-quark events produced as Formula Presented (with Formula Presented, Formula Presented) and top-quark-pair events, with one top quark decaying through the Formula Presented channel. The analysis considers events with three leptons (electrons or muons), a Formula Presented-tagged jet, possible additional jets, and missing transverse momentum. The data are found to be consistent with the background-only hypothesis and 95% confidence-level limits on the Formula Presented branching ratios, assuming only tensor operators of the Standard Model effective field theory framework contribute to the Formula Presented vertices. These are Formula Presented (Formula Presented) for Formula Presented (Formula Presented) for a left-handed Formula Presented coupling, and Formula Presented (Formula Presented) in the case of a right-handed coupling. These results are interpreted as 95% CL upper limits on the strength of the corresponding couplings, yielding limits for Formula Presented and Formula Presented (Formula Presented and Formula Presented) of 0.15 (0.16), and limits for Formula Presented and Formula Presented (Formula Presented and Formula Presented) of 0.22 (0.21), assuming a new-physics energy scale Formula Presented of 1 TeV.

A search for the charged-lepton-flavor-violating process Formula Presented is presented, using Formula Presented of Formula Presented Formula Presented collision data collected by the ATLAS experiment at the LHC. An excess in the Formula Presented invariant mass spectrum near the Formula Presented boson mass would be a striking signature of new physics. No excess is observed, and an upper limit Formula Presented is placed on the branching fraction at 95% confidence level, which is the most stringent limit to date.

A measurement of the top quark pair-production cross section in the lepton + jets decay channel is presented. It is based on 4.6 fb - 1 of s = 7 TeV p p collision data collected during 2011 by the ATLAS experiment at the CERN Large Hadron Collider. A three-class, multidimensional event classifier based on support vector machines is used to differentiate t t ¯ events from backgrounds. The t t ¯ production cross section is found to be σ t t ¯ = 168.5 ± 0.7 ( stat ) - 5.9 + 6.2 ( syst ) - 3.2 + 3.4 ( lumi ) pb . The result is consistent with the Standard Model prediction based on QCD calculations at next-to-next-to-leading order.

We present measurements of cross sections for production of a leptonically decaying Z boson in association with a large-radius jet in 13 TeV proton-proton collisions at the LHC, using 36 fb - 1 of data from the ATLAS detector. Integrated and differential cross sections are measured at particle level in both a flavor inclusive and a doubly b -tagged fiducial phase space. The large-radius jet mass and transverse momentum, its kinematic relationship to the Z boson, and the angular separation of b -tagged small-radius track jets within the large-radius jet are measured. This measurement constitutes an important test of perturbative quantum chromodynamics in kinematic and flavor configurations relevant to several Higgs boson and beyond-Standard-Model physics analyses. The results highlight issues with modeling of additional hadronic activity in the flavor-inclusive selection, and a distinction between flavor-number schemes in the b -tagged phase space.

Searches for new phenomena inspired by supersymmetry in final states containing an e+e- or μ+μ- pair, jets, and missing transverse momentum are presented. These searches make use of proton–proton collision data with an integrated luminosity of 139fb-1 , collected during 2015–2018 at a centre-of-mass energy s=13 TeV by the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider. Two searches target the pair production of charginos and neutralinos. One uses the recursive-jigsaw reconstruction technique to follow up on excesses observed in 36.1fb-1 of data, and the other uses conventional event variables. The third search targets pair production of coloured supersymmetric particles (squarks or gluinos) decaying through the next-to-lightest neutralino (χ~20) via a slepton (ℓ~) or Z boson into ℓ+ℓ-χ~10 , resulting in a kinematic endpoint or peak in the dilepton invariant mass spectrum. The data are found to be consistent with the Standard Model expectations. Results are interpreted using simplified models and exclude masses up to 900 GeV for electroweakinos, 1550 GeV for squarks, and 2250 GeV for gluinos.

Introduction/Objective: PEG-Asparaginase (PEG-ASNase) is critical in treating pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). However, hypersensitivity reactions and inactivations associated with ASNase are major patient challenges. The detection of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), which recognize, in advance, patients who will develop hypersensitivity to ASNase, would help to optimize treatment. To describe pharmacogenetic variations influencing hypersensitivity to PEG-ASNase and their correlation with our patient population. Material and methods: We conducted a prospective multicenter study involving ALL patients under 18 years old receiving PEG-ASNase. Genotyping was carried out for 6 SNPs, which are more frequently related to hypersensitivity in other populations, including GRIA1 rs4958351, NFACT2 rs6021191, MYBBP1A rs3809849, CNOT3 rs73062673, GR1A1 rs6890057 and HLA-DQB1 rs1694129. The tests were performed using custom TaqMan® SNP genotyping assays. Results: A total of 305 patients were included, with 10.8% experiencing clinical allergic reactions and (14.1%) patients with inactivation (ASNase activity < 0.1 IU/mL). Genotypic distribution and Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium (HWE) for studied SNPs were as follows: GRIA1 rs4958351 (GG 59.1%, GA 32.6%, AA 8.3%, HWE = 0.06); NFACT2 rs6021191 (AA 89.8%, AT 9.8%, TT 4%, HWE = 0.74); MYBBP1A rs3809849 (GG 60.7%, GC 35.3%, CC 4%, HWE = 0.55); CNOT3 rs73062673 (TT 69.8%, TC 26.4%, CC 3.7%, HWE = 0.34); GR1A1 rs6890057 (CC 70.6%, CT 25.5%, TT 3.9%, HWE = 0.22); HLA-DQB1 rs1694129 (GG 83%, GT 16.5%, TT 4%, HWE = 0.55). No correlation was found between clinical allergic reactions and inactivation with SNPs (p > 0.01). Discussion: Our analysis characterized the pharmacogenetic polymorphisms in our population, reflecting diversity similar to the general population. Despite the lack of correlation between the studied SNPs and allergic reactions observed in our sample, we encourage further exploration to identify additional SNPs associated with hypersensitivity. Conclusion: These findings lay the groundwork for future research to uncover new genetic predictors of hypersensitivity, which could contribute to the development of personalized treatment approaches and the prevention of allergic reactions.

Introduction: PEG asparaginase (PEG-ASNase) is an essential drug in the treatment of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). However, asparaginase-related hypersensitivity and silent inactivation continue to represent clinical challenges. Objective: Describe the incidence of hypersensitivity reactions and inactivations associated with PEG-ASNase in Brazilian children undergoing first-line treatment for ALL. Material and methods: Prospective, multicenter and randomized trial. Patients younger than 18 years with ALL who received PEG-ASNase between February 2021 and February 2024 in eigth differents hospitals were included. ASNase activity was monitored in all patients 7 days and 14 days after each PEG-ASNase. Results: 305 patients were included. 33 (10.8%) patients had clinical allergic reactions and 43 (14.1%) patients had inactivation (asparaginase activity < 0.1 IU/mL). Among those who had allergic reactions, 45.5% also inactivated the drug. There was a significant association between clinical allergic reaction and inactivation (p < 0.001). However, among those who inactivated, 65% did not have an allergic reaction. The silent inactivation rate was 9.2% (n = 28). Conclusions: Our findings are consistent with the literature, underscoring the importance of therapeutic monitoring of asparaginase for all patients. We aim to further contribute to the treatment of children with ALL by investigating the influence of pre-medication on inactivation and hypersensitivity reactions.

Measures of physical growth, such as weight and height have long been the predominant outcomes for monitoring child health and evaluating interventional outcomes in public health studies, including those that may impact neurodevelopment. While physical growth generally reflects overall health and nutritional status, it lacks sensitivity and specificity to brain growth and developing cognitive skills and abilities. Psychometric tools, e.g., the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development, may afford more direct assessment of cognitive development but they require language translation, cultural adaptation, and population norming. Further, they are not always reliable predictors of future outcomes when assessed within the first 12–18 months of a child’s life. Neuroimaging may provide more objective, sensitive, and predictive measures of neurodevelopment but tools such as magnetic resonance (MR) imaging are not readily available in many low and middle-income countries (LMICs). MRI systems that operate at lower magnetic fields (< 100mT) may offer increased accessibility, but their use for global health studies remains nascent. The UNITY project is envisaged as a global partnership to advance neuroimaging in global health studies. Here we describe the UNITY project, its goals, methods, operating procedures, and expected outcomes in characterizing neurodevelopment in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.

Shock experiments give a unique insight into the behavior of matter subjected to extremely high pressures and temperatures. Understanding the behavior of materials under such extreme conditions is key to modeling material failure and deformation dynamics under impact. While studies on pure silica are extensive, the shock behavior of other commercial silicates that contain additional oxides has not been systematically investigated. To better understand the role of composition in the dynamic behavior of silicates, we performed laser-driven dynamic compression experiments on soda-lime glass (SLG) up to 315 GPa. Using the accurate pulse shaping offered by the long pulse laser system at the Matter in Extreme Conditions end-station at the Linac Coherent Light Source, SLG was shock compressed along the Hugoniot to multiple pressure-temperature points. Velocity Interferometer System for Any Reflector was used to measure the velocity and determine the pressure inside the SLG. The U s -u p relationship obtained agrees well with the previous parallel plate impact studies. Within the error bars, no transformation to the crystalline phase was observed up to 70 GPa, which is in contrast to the behavior of pure silica under shock compression. Our studies show that the glass composition strongly influences the shock compression behavior of the silicate glasses.

This White Paper presents the community inputs and scientific conclusionsfrom the Hot and Cold QCD Town Meeting that took place September 23-25, 2022 atMIT, as part of the Nuclear Science Advisory Committee (NSAC) 2023 Long RangePlanning process. A total of 424 physicists registered for the meeting. Themeeting highlighted progress in Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD) nuclear physicssince the 2015 LRP (LRP15) and identified key questions and plausible paths toobtaining answers to those questions, defining priorities for our research overthe coming decade. In defining the priority of outstanding physicsopportunities for the future, both prospects for the short (~ 5 years) andlonger term (5-10 years and beyond) are identified together with thefacilities, personnel and other resources needed to maximize the discoverypotential and maintain United States leadership in QCD physics worldwide. ThisWhite Paper is organized as follows: In the Executive Summary, we detail theRecommendations and Initiatives that were presented and discussed at the TownMeeting, and their supporting rationales. Section 2 highlights major progressand accomplishments of the past seven years. It is followed, in Section 3, byan overview of the physics opportunities for the immediate future, and inrelation with the next QCD frontier: the EIC. Section 4 provides an overview ofthe physics motivations and goals associated with the EIC. Section 5 is devotedto the workforce development and support of diversity, equity and inclusion.This is followed by a dedicated section on computing in Section 6. Section 7describes the national need for nuclear data science and the relevance to QCDresearch.

Fathia Meirina,1 Dina Keumala Sari,2 Inke Nadia Diniyanti Lubis,1 Rini Savitri Daulay,1 Finny Fitry Yani,3 Bugis Mardina Lubis,1 Rosita Juwita Sembiring,4 Pandiaman Pandia,5 Muhammad Rusda,6 Mustafa Mahmud Amin7 1Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Sumatera Utara, Medan, Indonesia; 2Department of Nutrition, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Sumatera Utara, Medan, Indonesia; 3Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Andalas, Padang, Indonesia; 4Department of Clinical Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Sumatera Utara, Medan, Indonesia; 5Department of Pulmonology and Respiratory, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Sumatera Utara, Medan, Indonesia; 6Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Sumatera Utara, Medan, Indonesia; 7Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Sumatera Utara, Medan, IndonesiaCorrespondence: Fathia Meirina, Email fathia.meirina@usu.ac.idBackground: Pregnant women with latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) may develop active tuberculosis infection and could infect their neonates, which could impair the child’s immune system due to infection-mediated immunological responses. In order to develop a preventative TB program in this study, we desired to understand the impact of calcitriol in LTBI pregnant women and immunological responses in neonates.Patients and Methods: In three hospitals in Medan, North Sumatra, we implemented a case-control design with 84 pregnant women in their third trimester and their newborns. We determined the levels of calcitriol, cathelicidin, and interferon gamma (IFN-γ) in women between December 2021 and July 2022. These measurements were then compared to the newborns’ levels of calcitriol, cathelicidin, IFN-γ, and Toll-Like Receptor (TLR) 2. Analyses were performed using the Chi-squared and Fisher’s tests, while Spearman correlations were employed to assess for correlations.Results: 42 pregnant women with LTBI (interferon gamma release assay (IGRA) positive) and 42 pregnant women without LTBI (IGRA negative) participated in the study. The findings demonstrated that pregnant women with LTBI were at increased risk for calcitriol deficiency (Odds Ratio (OR) = 3.667, p = 0.006), which had an impact on the calcitriol levels of their unborn children (p = 0.038). TLR2 levels and calcitriol levels were substantially associated with LTBI pregnant women and their healthy neonates (p = 0.048; p = 0.005). Cathelicidin levels in the newborns of non-LTBI pregnant women were influenced by their higher calcitriol levels (p = 0.043). Pregnant women with LTBI had higher levels of cathelicidin and IFN-γ than those without it (p = 0.03; p = 0.001).Conclusion: Pregnant LTBI women’s calcitriol levels had an impact on the calcitriol levels of their newborns. Mother’s immunological responses and babies’ calcitriol levels affected the levels of cathelicidin, IFN-γ, and TLR2 in newborns.keywords: pregnancy, newborns, latent tb, calcitriol, immunity

Introduction: Serum cystatin C has been proposed as a sensitive marker for detecting renal impairment. Renal impairment can often co-exist with liver cirrhosis, as decreased blood flow through the cirrhotic liver can lead to kidney dysfunction. However, its role in patients with liver cirrhosis has not been extensively studied, especially in the detection of early renal impairment. Aim: To investigate whether serum cystatin C could serve as a potential marker for detecting early renal dysfunction in patients with liver cirrhosis. Materials and Methods: This hospital-based cross-sectional study was conducted on 60 patients with liver cirrhosis at Assam Medical College and Hospital, Dibrugarh, Assam, India, from June 2019 to May 2020. All patients were assessed for clinical symptoms and laboratory parameters, focusing on renal function tests, measurement of serum cystatin C levels, and Glomerular Filtration Rate (GFR). A two-tailed p-value

Electroweak symmetry breaking explains the origin of the masses of elementary particles through their interactions with the Higgs field. Besides the measurements of the Higgs boson properties, the study of the scattering of massive vector bosons with spin 1 allows the nature of electroweak symmetry breaking to be probed. Among all processes related to vector-boson scattering, the electroweak production of two jets and a Z-boson pair is a rare and important one. Here we report the observation of this process from proton–proton collision data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 139 fb−1 recorded at a centre-of-mass energy of 13 TeV with the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider. We consider two different final states originating from the decays of the Z-boson pair: one containing four charged leptons and another containing two charged leptons and two neutrinos. The hypothesis of no electroweak production is rejected with a statistical significance of 5.7σ, and the measured cross-section for electroweak production is consistent with the Standard Model prediction. In addition, we report cross-sections for inclusive production of a Z-boson pair and two jets for the two final states.

A search is presented for single production of a vector-like B quark decaying into a Standard Model b-quark and a Standard Model Higgs boson, which decays into a (Formula presented.) pair. The search is carried out in 139 fb−1 of (Formula presented.) TeV proton-proton collision data collected by the ATLAS detector at the LHC between 2015 and 2018. No significant deviation from the Standard Model background prediction is observed, and mass-dependent exclusion limits at the 95% confidence level are set on the resonance production cross-section in several theoretical scenarios determined by the couplings cW, cZ and cH between the B quark and the Standard Model W, Z and Higgs bosons, respectively. For a vector-like B occurring as an isospin singlet, the search excludes values of cW greater than 0.45 for a B resonance mass (mB) between 1.0 and 1.2 TeV. For 1.2 TeV < mB< 2.0 TeV, cW values larger than 0.50–0.65 are excluded. If the B occurs as part of a (B, Y) doublet, the smallest excluded cZ coupling values range between 0.3 and 0.5 across the investigated resonance mass range 1.0 TeV < mB< 2.0 TeV.

A search for new phenomena has been performed in final states with at least one isolated high-momentum photon, jets and missing transverse momentum in proton–proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of s = 13 TeV. The data, collected by the ATLAS experiment at the CERN LHC, correspond to an integrated luminosity of 139 fb−1. The experimental results are interpreted in a supersymmetric model in which pair-produced gluinos decay into neutralinos, which in turn decay into a gravitino, at least one photon, and jets. No significant deviations from the predictions of the Standard Model are observed. Upper limits are set on the visible cross section due to physics beyond the Standard Model, and lower limits are set on the masses of the gluinos and neutralinos, all at 95% confidence level. Visible cross sections greater than 0.022 fb are excluded and pair-produced gluinos with masses up to 2200 GeV are excluded for most of the NLSP masses investigated. [Figure not available: see fulltext.].

Measurements of single-, double-, and triple-differential cross-sections are presented for boosted top-quark pair-production in 13 TeV proton–proton collisions recorded by the ATLAS detector at the LHC. The top quarks are observed through their hadronic decay and reconstructed as large-radius jets with the leading jet having transverse momentum (pT) greater than 500 GeV. The observed data are unfolded to remove detector effects. The particle-level cross-section, multiplied by the tt¯ → WWbb¯ branching fraction and measured in a fiducial phase space defined by requiring the leading and second-leading jets to have pT> 500 GeV and pT> 350 GeV, respectively, is 331 ± 3(stat.) ± 39(syst.) fb. This is approximately 20% lower than the prediction of 398−49+48 fb by Powheg+Pythia 8 with next-to-leading-order (NLO) accuracy but consistent within the theoretical uncertainties. Results are also presented at the parton level, where the effects of top-quark decay, parton showering, and hadronization are removed such that they can be compared with fixed-order next-to-next-to-leading-order (NNLO) calculations. The parton-level cross-section, measured in a fiducial phase space similar to that at particle level, is 1.94 ± 0.02(stat.) ± 0.25(syst.) pb. This agrees with the NNLO prediction of 1.96−0.17+0.02 pb. Reasonable agreement with the differential cross-sections is found for most NLO models, while the NNLO calculations are generally in better agreement with the data. The differential cross-sections are interpreted using a Standard Model effective field-theory formalism and limits are set on Wilson coefficients of several four-fermion operators. [Figure not available: see fulltext.].

A measurement of the top-quark mass (mt) in the tt¯ → lepton + jets channel is presented, with an experimental technique which exploits semileptonic decays of b-hadrons produced in the top-quark decay chain. The distribution of the invariant mass mℓμ of the lepton, ℓ (with ℓ = e, μ), from the W-boson decay and the muon, μ, originating from the b-hadron decay is reconstructed, and a binned-template profile likelihood fit is performed to extract mt. The measurement is based on data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 36.1 fb−1 of s = 13 TeV pp collisions provided by the Large Hadron Collider and recorded by the ATLAS detector. The measured value of the top-quark mass is mt = 174.41 ± 0.39 (stat.) ± 0.66 (syst.) ± 0.25 (recoil) GeV, where the third uncertainty arises from changing the Pythia8 parton shower gluon-recoil scheme, used in top-quark decays, to a recently developed setup. [Figure not available: see fulltext.].

A search for light long-lived neutral particles with masses in the O(MeV–GeV) range is presented. The analysis targets the production of long-lived dark photons in the decay of a Higgs boson produced via gluon–gluon fusion or in association with a W boson. Events that contain displaced collimated Standard Model fermions reconstructed in the calorimeter or muon spectrometer are selected in 139 fb−1 of s = 13 TeV pp collision data collected by the ATLAS detector at the LHC. Background estimates for contributions from Standard Model processes and instrumental effects are extracted from data. The observed event yields are consistent with the expected background. Exclusion limits are reported on the production cross-section times branching fraction as a function of the mean proper decay length cτ of the dark photon, or as a function of the dark-photon mass and kinetic mixing parameter that quantifies the coupling between the Standard Model and potential hidden (dark) sectors. A Higgs boson branching fraction above 1% is excluded at 95% CL for a Higgs boson decaying into two dark photons for dark-photon mean proper decay lengths between 10 mm and 250 mm and dark photons with masses between 0.4 GeV and 2 GeV. [Figure not available: see fulltext.].

A search for Higgs boson pair production in events with two b-jets and two τ-leptons is presented, using a proton–proton collision dataset with an integrated luminosity of 139 fb −1 collected at s = 13 TeV by the ATLAS experiment at the LHC. Higgs boson pairs produced non-resonantly or in the decay of a narrow scalar resonance in the mass range from 251 to 1600 GeV are targeted. Events in which at least one τ-lepton decays hadronically are considered, and multivariate discriminants are used to reject the backgrounds. No significant excess of events above the expected background is observed in the non-resonant search. The largest excess in the resonant search is observed at a resonance mass of 1 TeV, with a local (global) significance of 3.1σ (2.0σ). Observed (expected) 95% confidence-level upper limits are set on the non-resonant Higgs boson pair-production cross-section at 4.7 (3.9) times the Standard Model prediction, assuming Standard Model kinematics, and on the resonant Higgs boson pair-production cross-section at between 21 and 900 fb (12 and 840 fb), depending on the mass of the narrow scalar resonance. [Figure not available: see fulltext.]

A search for high-mass charged and neutral bosons decaying to Wγ and Zγ final states is presented in this paper. The analysis uses a data sample of s = 13 TeV proton-proton collisions with an integrated luminosity of 139 fb −1 collected by the ATLAS detector during LHC Run 2 operation. The sensitivity of the search is determined using models of the production and decay of spin-1 charged bosons and spin-0/2 neutral bosons. The range of resonance masses explored extends from 1.0 TeV to 6.8 TeV. At these high resonance masses, it is beneficial to target the hadronic decays of the W and Z bosons because of their large branching fractions. The decay products of the high-momentum W/Z bosons are strongly collimated and boosted-boson tagging techniques are employed to improve the sensitivity. No evidence of a signal above the Standard Model backgrounds is observed, and upper limits on the production cross-sections of these bosons times their branching fractions to Wγ and Zγ are derived for various boson production models. [Figure not available: see fulltext.].

A search for a charged Higgs boson, H ±, produced in top-quark decays, t → H ± b, is presented. The search targets H ± decays into a bottom and a charm quark, H ± → cb. The analysis focuses on a selection enriched in top-quark pair production, where one top quark decays into a leptonically decaying W boson and a bottom quark, and the other top quark decays into a charged Higgs boson and a bottom quark. This topology leads to a lepton-plus-jets final state, characterised by an isolated electron or muon and at least four jets. The search exploits the high multiplicity of jets containing b-hadrons, and deploys a neural network classifier that uses the kinematic differences between the signal and the background. The search uses a dataset of proton-proton collisions collected at a centre-of-mass energy s = 13 TeV between 2015 and 2018 with the ATLAS detector at CERN’s Large Hadron Collider, amounting to an integrated luminosity of 139 fb −1. Observed (expected) 95% confidence-level upper limits between 0.15% (0.09%) and 0.42% (0.25%) are derived for the product of branching fractions B (t → H ± b) × B(H ± → cb) for charged Higgs boson masses between 60 and 160 GeV, assuming the SM production of the top-quark pairs. [Figure not available: see fulltext.].

The accurate simulation of additional interactions at the ATLAS experiment for the analysis of proton–proton collisions delivered by the Large Hadron Collider presents a significant challenge to the computing resources. During the LHC Run 2 (2015–2018), there were up to 70 inelastic interactions per bunch crossing, which need to be accounted for in Monte Carlo (MC) production. In this document, a new method to account for these additional interactions in the simulation chain is described. Instead of sampling the inelastic interactions and adding their energy deposits to a hard-scatter interaction one-by-one, the inelastic interactions are presampled, independent of the hard scatter, and stored as combined events. Consequently, for each hard-scatter interaction, only one such presampled event needs to be added as part of the simulation chain. For the Run 2 simulation chain, with an average of 35 interactions per bunch crossing, this new method provides a substantial reduction in MC production CPU needs of around 20%, while reproducing the properties of the reconstructed quantities relevant for physics analyses with good accuracy.

The ATLAS experiment at the Large Hadron Collider has a broad physics programme ranging from precision measurements to direct searches for new particles and new interactions, requiring ever larger and ever more accurate datasets of simulated Monte Carlo events. Detector simulation with Geant4 is accurate but requires significant CPU resources. Over the past decade, ATLAS has developed and utilized tools that replace the most CPU-intensive component of the simulation—the calorimeter shower simulation—with faster simulation methods. Here, AtlFast3, the next generation of high-accuracy fast simulation in ATLAS, is introduced. AtlFast3 combines parameterized approaches with machine-learning techniques and is deployed to meet current and future computing challenges, and simulation needs of the ATLAS experiment. With highly accurate performance and significantly improved modelling of substructure within jets, AtlFast3 can simulate large numbers of events for a wide range of physics processes.