ROOT is an object-oriented C++ framework conceived in the high-energy physics (HEP) community, designed for storing and analyzing petabytes of data in an efcient way. Any instance of a C++ class can be stored into a ROOT le in a machine-independent compressed binary format. In ROOT the TTree object container is optimized for statistical data analysis over very large data sets by using vertical data storage techniques. These containers can span a large number of les
The possible gamma-ray excess in the inner Galaxy and the Galactic center (GC) suggested by Fermi-LAT observations has triggered a large number of studies. It has been interpreted as a variety of different phenomena such as a signal from WIMP dark matter annihilation, gamma-ray emission from a population of millisecond pulsars, or emission from cosmic rays injected in a sequence of burst-like events or continuously at the GC. We present the first comprehensive study of model systematics coming from the Galactic diffuse emission in the inner part of our Galaxy and their impact on the inferred properties of the excess emission at Galactic latitudes 2° < |b| < 20° and 300 MeV to 500 GeV. We study both theoretical and empirical model systematics, which we deduce from a large range of Galactic diffuse emission models and a principal component analysis of residuals in numerous test regions along the Galactic plane. We show that the hypothesis of an extended spherical excess emission with a uniform energy spectrum is compatible with the Fermi-LAT data in our region of interest at 95% CL. Assuming that this excess is the extended counterpart of the one seen in the inner few degrees of the Galaxy, we derive a lower limit of 10.0° (95% CL) on its extension away from the GC. We show that, in light of the large correlated uncertainties that affect the subtraction of the Galactic diffuse emission in the relevant regions, the energy spectrum of the excess is equally compatible with both a simple broken power-law of break energy Ebreak = 2.1 ± 0.2 GeV, and with spectra predicted by the self-annihilation of dark matter, implying in the case of b̄b final states a dark matter mass of mχ=49+6.4−5.4 GeV.
The region around the Galactic center (GC) is now well established to be brighter at energies of a few GeV than expected from conventional models of diffuse gamma-ray emission and catalogs of known gamma-ray sources. We study the GeV excess using 6.5 years of data from the Fermi Large Area Telescope. We characterize the uncertainty of the GC excess spectrum and morphology due to uncertainties in cosmic-ray source distributions and propagation, uncertainties in the distribution of interstellar gas in the Milky Way, and uncertainties due to a potential contribution from the Fermi bubbles. We also evaluate uncertainties in the excess properties due to resolved point sources of gamma rays. The Galactic center is of particular interest as it would be expected to have the brightest signal from annihilation of weakly interacting massive dark matter particles. However, control regions along the Galactic plane, where a dark-matter signal is not expected, show excesses of similar amplitude relative to the local background. Based on the magnitude of the systematic uncertainties, we conservatively report upper limits for the annihilation cross section as function of particle mass and annihilation channel.
The heart continuously and cyclically communicates with the brain. Beyond homeostatic regulation and sensing, recent neuroscience research has started to shed light on brain-heart interactions in diverse cognitive and emotional processes. In particular, neural responses to heartbeats, as measured with the so-called heartbeat-evoked potential, have been shown to be useful for investigating cortical activity processing cardiac signals. In this review, we first overview and discuss the basic properties of the HEP such as underlying physiological pathways, brain regions, and neural mechanisms. We then provide a systematic review of the mental processes associated with cortical HEP activations, notably heartbeat perception, emotional feelings, perceptual awareness, and self-consciousness, in healthy subjects and clinical populations. Finally, we discuss methodological issues regarding the experimental design and data analysis for separating genuine HEP components from physiological artifacts (e.g., cardiac field artifact, pulse artifact) or other neural activities that are not specifically associated with the heartbeat. Findings from this review suggest that when intrinsic limitations (e.g., artifacts) are carefully controlled, the HEP could provide a reliable neural measure for investigating brain-viscera interactions in diverse mental processes.
Machine learning has been used in high energy physics (HEP) for a long time, primarily at the analysis level with supervised classification. Quantum computing was postulated in the early 1980s as way to perform computations that would not be tractable with a classical computer. With the advent of noisy intermediate-scale quantum computing devices, more quantum algorithms are being developed with the aim at exploiting the capacity of the hardware for machine learning applications. An interesting question is whether there are ways to apply quantum machine learning to HEP. This paper reviews the first generation of ideas that use quantum machine learning on problems in HEP and provide an outlook on future applications.
Abstract A new concept of high-entropy cathode is reported, which can bring about a definite improvement of electrochemical performance for solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs). As a proof-of-concept, a new high-entropy perovskite oxide of La0.2Pr0.2Nd0.2Sm0.2Ba0.1Sr0.1Co0.2Fe0.6Ni0.1Cu0.1O3-δ (HEP) is successfully synthesized by a facile one-pot combustion method and proposed as a potential cathode for SOFC at intermediate temperatures. The high-entropy HEP formed a single phase of cubic perovskite structure and matched well with the adjacent electrolyte of Gd0.2Ce0.8O2-δ (GDC). The high-entropy HEP shows a sufficient electrical conductivity of 635.15 S·cm-1 at 800 °C. The high-entropy cathode of HEP achieved a much lower polarization resistance of 0.3 Ω·cm2 on YSZ electrolyte at 800 °C, which was only half of 0.6 Ω·cm2 for conventional La0.8Sr0.2FeO3-δ (LSF) cathode under same conditions. The YSZ-based SOFC with HEP cathode exhibited an outstanding output performance of 714.5 mW·cm-2 at 800 °C, indicating that the high-entropy perovskite as a new-type SOFC cathode is promising.
F. Petzschner, Lilian A. E. Weber, Katharina V. Wellstein
et al.
Theoretical frameworks such as predictive coding suggest that the perception of the body and world – interoception and exteroception – involve intertwined processes of inference, learning, and prediction. In this framework, attention is thought to gate the influence of sensory information on perception. In contrast to exteroception, there is limited evidence for purely attentional effects on interoception. Here, we empirically tested if attentional focus modulates cortical processing of single heartbeats, using a newly-developed experimental paradigm to probe purely attentional differences between exteroceptive and interoceptive conditions in the heartbeat evoked potential (HEP). We found that the HEP is significantly higher during interoceptive compared to exteroceptive attention, in a time window of 520-580ms after the R-peak. Furthermore, this effect predicted self-report measures of autonomic system reactivity. This study thus provides direct evidence that the HEP is modulated by attention and supports recent interpretations of the HEP as a neural correlate of interoceptive prediction errors.
Introduction: The aim of the current study was to investigate whether consolidative local ablative therapy (LAT) can improve the survival of patients with stage IV EGFR‐mutant NSCLC who have oligometastatic disease treated with first‐line EGFR–tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) therapy. Methods: Patients with stage IV EGFR‐mutant NSCLC and no more than five metastases within 2 months of diagnosis were identified. All patients were treated with first‐line EGFR‐TKIs. Consolidative LAT included radiotherapy, surgery, or both. Overall survival (OS) and progression‐free survival (PFS) were estimated by Kaplan‐Meier curves. Results: From October 2010 to May 2016, 145 patients were enrolled, including 51 (35.2%) who received consolidative LAT to all oligometastatic sites (all‐LAT group), 55 (37.9%) who received consolidative LAT to either primary tumor or oligometastatic sites (part‐LAT group), and 39 (26.9%) who did not receive any consolidative LAT (non‐LAT group). The median PFS in all‐LAT, part‐LAT, and non‐LAT groups were 20.6, 15.6, and 13.9 months, respectively (p < 0.001). The median OS in all‐LAT, part‐LAT, and non‐LAT groups were 40.9, 34.1, and 30.8 months, respectively (p < 0.001). The difference was statistically significant between the all‐LAT group and part‐LAT or non‐LAT group but was not between the part‐LAT and non‐LAT group. The median OS was significantly improved with consolidative LAT for primary tumor (40.5 versus 31.5 months, p < 0.001), brain metastases (38.2 versus 29.2 months, p = 0.002), and adrenal metastases (37.1 versus 29.2 months, p = 0.032). Adverse events (grade ≥ 3) due to radiotherapy included pneumonitis (7.7%) and esophagitis (16.9%). Conclusions: The current study showed that consolidative LAT to all metastatic sites was a feasible option for patients with EGFR‐mutant oligometastatic NSCLC during first‐line EGFR‐TKI treatment, with significantly improved PFS and OS compared with consolidative LAT to partial sites or observation alone.
Background Hepatitis B is one of the most common infectious diseases worldv.ide. Indonesia has moderate-high endemicity for hepatitis B infection. Perinatal transmission increases the risk for chronic hepatitis B. Infants from HBsAg-positive mothers should receive hepatitis B immunoglobulin (HBIG) and vaccination within 12 hours of birth, but this practice is not routinely done in Indonesia due to financial constraints.Objectives To detennine the influence of Hep-B immunization on preventing Hepatitis B vertical transmission. Methods A descriptive cohort study was conducted from May 2009 - January 2010. Subjects were term infants born from HBsAg-positive mothers v.ith no history of HBIG administration. They had received complete hepatitis B immunization and 1 month after the last dose were evaluated for HBsAg and anti-HBs. Cord blood was also taken during labor to measure HBsAg.Results There were 22 infants born from HBsAg-positive mother who met the inclusion criteria. HBsAgwas positive in 6 of22 cord blood specimens. There were 15 infants who completed this study. One of 15 infants had positive HBsAg after completed hepatitis B immunization and 12 of 15 infants had protective level of anti-HBs. Effectiveness of hepatitis B immunization to prevent vertical transmission in this study was 70-90%.Conclusion Hepatitis B immunization can prevent vertical transmission of hepatitis B in infants born to mothers who are HBsAg-positive even without administration of HBIG.