A wealth of human knowledge is acquired by attending to information provided by other people – but some people are more credible sources than others. In two experiments, we explored whether young ...children spontaneously keep track of an individual’s history of being accurate or inaccurate and use this information to facilitate subsequent learning. We found that 3- and 4-year-olds favor a previously accurate individual when learning new words and learning new object functions and applied the principle of mutual exclusivity to the newly learned words but not the newly learned functions. These findings expand upon previous research in a number of ways, most importantly by showing that (a) children spontaneously keep track of an individual’s history and use it to guide subsequent learning without any prompting, and (b) children’s sensitivity to others’ prior accuracy is not specific to the domain of language.
The measurements of photons and neutral mesons, such as φ0 and φ, allow to explore the QCD matter created in heavy-ions collisions. In pp collisions, observables such as differential particle ...production cross sections can be used to test perturbative QCD calculations and constrain PDFs. In Pb-Pb collisions, neutral meson spectra address the medium induced suppression, whereas low transverse momentum direct photons allow to obtain information on the QCD medium temperature or anisotropic flow. We present an overview of photon and neutral meson measurements, employing three different methods which use both ALICE calorimeters, as well as the central tracking system via the photon conversion method. These experimental results are compared with theoretical predictions.
Abstract
Background
Infliximab (IFX) is a humanized monoclonal anti-TNF antibody widely used for the treatment of Inflammatory Bowel Diseases (IBD). Hypersensitivity reactions (HSR) to the ...administration of the drug are not rare. Their occurrence usually leads to permanent drug discontinuation. We report data on safety and effectiveness of desensitization to IFX in patients with previous HSR.
Methods
We conducted a retrospective monocentric observational study. Patients for whom a desensitization protocol to IFX was realized after a previous HSR were included. Clinical data on IBD were collected. Anti-drug antibodies (ADA) and IFX trough levels at both inclusion and six months after were collected. Clinical outcome and recurrence of HSR were evaluated.
Results
From 2005, 27 patients (Female: 18 (66%), Median age at IBD diagnosis: 18.1 (15.6-28.2)) were included. Among these 27 patients, 26 (96%) had Crohn’s Disease, 17 (62%) a history of surgery, 14 (52%) an ileal disease location and 7 (26%) were smokers. It was an immediate HSR in most patients, classified as severe (n=13) or moderate (n=12), and a delayed HSR in only 2 patients. Eleven (41%) patients were treated with immunosuppressants as combination therapy at time of HSR. In most cases (n=18, 66%), HSR occurred at IFX reintroduction after a drug interruption, and in most of these cases after one or two infusions. For 9 (33%) patients, HSR occurred during a maintenance treatment with IFX after a median time of 38 months with 5 moderate and 4 severe reactions.
Desensitization was performed after a median time of 10.4 months (2.9-33.1). Nineteen (70%) patients received immunosuppressants as combination therapy.
IFX was well tolerated, without recurrence of HSR in 19 (70%) patients, and 12 had a clinical response at 6 months. Eight were still treated with IFX (30%) at 1 year. Eight (30%) patients presented a HSR at first (n=2), second (n=4) or third (n=2) IFX perfusion. Five were moderate with only cutaneous manifestations and 3 were severe. None led to intensive care unit transfer or death. All led to definitive drug discontinuation.
Female gender and young age at desensitization were significantly associated with long term continuation of IFX (p=0.05 and p=0.03 respectively).
ADA and IFX trough levels were available for 14 patients at time of desensitization. All except 2 had ADA. Among patients who were treated with IFX for a long-term period, 7 had drug levels available at desensitization and 6 months later. All had ADA at baseline. At 6 months, four reduced their level of ADA, 2 had no ADA and a significant trough level of IFX.
Conclusion
IFX desensitization in patients with IBD is a safe therapeutic alternative and represents a potential option for patients refractory to multiple biologics.
The measurement of two-particle angular correlations is a powerful tool to study jet quenching in a $p_{\mathrm{T}}$ region inaccessible by direct jet identification. In these measurements ...pseudorapidity ($\Delta\eta$) and azimuthal ($\Delta\varphi$) differences are used to extract the shape of the near-side peak formed by particles associated to a higher $p_{\mathrm{T}}$ trigger particle ($1 < p_{\mathrm{T, trig}} <$ 8 GeV/c). A combined fit of the near-side peak and long-range correlations is applied to the data allowing the extraction of the centrality evolution of the peak shape in Pb-Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\mathrm{NN}}}$ = 2.76 TeV. A significant broadening of the peak in the $\Delta\eta$ direction at low $p_{\mathrm{T}}$ is found from peripheral to central collisions, which vanishes above 4 GeV/c, while in the $\Delta\varphi$ direction the peak is almost independent of centrality. For the 10% most central collisions and $1 < p_{\mathrm{T, assoc}} <$ 2 GeV/c, $1 < p_{\mathrm{T, trig}} <$ 3 GeV/c a novel feature is observed: a depletion develops around the centre of the peak. The results are compared to pp collisions at the same centre of mass energy and to AMPT model simulations. The comparison to the investigated models suggests that the broadening and the development of the depletion is connected to the strength of radial and longitudinal flow.
The production of muons from heavy-flavour hadron decays in p-Pb collisions at $\sqrt{{\textit s}_{\rm NN}}=5.02$ TeV was studied for $2 < p_{\rm T} < 16$ GeV/$c$ with the ALICE detector at the CERN ...LHC. The measurement was performed at forward (p-going direction) and backward (Pb-going direction) rapidity, in the ranges of rapidity in the center-of-mass system (cms) $2.03<y_{\rm cms}<3.53$ and $-4.46<y_{\rm cms}<-2.96$, respectively. The production cross sections and nuclear modification factors are presented as a function of transverse momentum ($p_{\rm T}$). At forward rapidity, the nuclear modification factor is compatible with unity while at backward rapidity, in the interval $2.5<p_{\rm T}<3.5$ GeV/$c$, it is above unity by more than 2$\sigma$. The ratio of the forward-to-backward production cross sections is also measured in the overlapping interval $2.96 < \vert y_{\rm cms} \vert < 3.53$ and is smaller than unity by 3.7$\sigma$ in $2.5<p_{\rm T}<3.5$ GeV/$c$. The data are described by model calculations including cold nuclear matter effects.
In two-particle angular correlation measurements, jets give rise to a near-side peak, formed by particles associated to a higher $p_{\mathrm{T}}$ trigger particle. Measurements of these correlations ...as a function of pseudorapidity ($\Delta\eta$) and azimuthal ($\Delta\varphi$) differences are used to extract the centrality and $p_{\mathrm{T}}$ dependence of the shape of the near-side peak in the $p_{\mathrm{T}}$ range $1 < p_{\mathrm{T}} <$ 8 GeV/c in Pb-Pb and pp collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\mathrm{NN}}}$ = 2.76 TeV. A combined fit of the near-side peak and long-range correlations is applied to the data and the peak shape is quantified by the variance of the distributions. While the width of the peak in the $\Delta\varphi$ direction is almost independent of centrality, a significant broadening in the $\Delta\eta$ direction is found from peripheral to central collisions. This feature is prominent for the low $p_{\mathrm{T}}$ region and vanishes above 4 GeV/c. The widths measured in peripheral collisions are equal to those in pp in the $\Delta\varphi$ direction and above 3 GeV/c in the $\Delta\eta$ direction. Furthermore, for the 10\% most central collisions and $1 < p_{\mathrm{T, assoc}} <$ 2 GeV/c, $1 < p_{\mathrm{T, trig}} <$ 3 GeV/c a departure from a Gaussian shape is found: a depletion develops around the centre of the peak. The results are compared to AMPT model simulations as well as other theoretical calculations indicating that the broadening and the development of the depletion is connected to the strength of radial and longitudinal flow.
The inclusive J/$\psi$ production has been studied in Pn-Pb and pp collisions at the centre-of-mass energy per nucleon pair $\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}}=5.02$ TeV, using the ALICE detector at the CERN LHC. The ...J/$\psi$ meson is reconstructed, in the centre-of-mass rapidity interval $2.5<y<4$ and in the transverse-momentum range $p_{\rm T}<12$ GeV/$c$, via its decay to a muon pair. In this Letter, we present results on the inclusive J/$\psi$ cross section in pp collisions at $\sqrt{s}=5.02$ TeV and on the nuclear modification factor $R_{\rm AA}$. The latter is presented as a function of the centrality of the collision and, for central collisions, as a function of the transverse momentum $p_{\rm T}$ of the J/$\psi$. The measured $R_{\rm AA}$ values indicate a suppression of the J/$\psi$ in nuclear collisions and are then compared to our previous results obtained in Pb-Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}}=2.76$ TeV. The ratio of the $R_{\rm AA}$ values at the two energies is also computed and compared to calculations of statistical and dynamical models. The numerical value of the ratio for central events (0-10\% centrality) is $1.17 \pm 0.04 {\rm{(stat)}}\pm 0.20 {\rm{(syst)}}$. In central events, as a function of $p_{\rm T}$, a slight increase of $R_{\rm AA}$ with collision energy is visible in the region $2<p_{\rm T}<6$ GeV/$c$. Theoretical calculations provide a good description of the measurements, within uncertainties.
The production of beauty hadrons was measured via semi-leptonic decays at mid-rapidity with the ALICE detector at the LHC in the transverse momentum interval $1<p_{\rm T}<8$ GeV/$c$ in minimum-bias ...p-Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}}=5.02$ TeV and in $1.3<p_{\rm T}<8$ GeV/$c$ in the 20% most central Pb-Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}}=2.76$ TeV. The pp reference spectra at $\sqrt{s}=5.02$ TeV and $\sqrt{s}=2.76$ TeV, needed for the calculation of the nuclear modification factors $R_{\rm pPb}$ and $R_{\rm PbPb}$, were obtained by a pQCD-driven scaling of the cross section of electrons from beauty-hadron decays measured at $\sqrt{s}=7$ TeV. The $R_{\rm PbPb}$ is about 0.7 with an uncertainty of about 30% in the interval $3<p_{\rm T}<6$ GeV/$c$ and 0.47 with an uncertainty of 25% in $6<p_{\rm T}<8$ GeV/$c$ in Pb-Pb collisions. Below $p_{\rm T}=3$ GeV/$c$, the $R_{\rm PbPb}$ values increase with decreasing transverse momentum with systematic uncertainties of 30-45%. The $R_{\rm pPb}$ is consistent with unity within systematic uncertainties of about 20% at high $p_{\rm T}$, increasing at low $p_{\rm T}$, and is well described by theoretical calculations that include cold nuclear matter effects in p-Pb collisions. The measured $R_{\rm pPb}$ and these calculations indicate that cold nuclear matter effects are small at high transverse momentum also in Pb-Pb collisions. Therefore, the observed reduction of $R_{\rm PbPb}$ below unity for high $p_{\rm T}$ can be ascribed to an effect of the hot and dense medium formed in Pb-Pb collisions.
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