We describe the construction of novel end-to-end jet image classifiers to discriminate quark- versus gluon-initiated jets using the simulated CMS Open Data. These multi-detector images correspond to ...true maps of the low-level energy deposits in the detector, giving the classifiers direct access to the maximum recorded event information about the jet, differing fundamentally from conventional jet images constructed from reconstructed particle-level information. Using this approach, we achieve classification performance competitive with current state-of-the-art jet classifiers that are dominated by particle-based algorithms. We find the performance to be driven by the availability of precise spatial information, highlighting the importance of high-fidelity detector images. We then illustrate how end-to-end jet classification techniques can be incorporated into event classification workflows using Quantum Chromodynamics di-quark versus di-gluon events. We conclude with the end-to-end event classification of full detector images, which we find to be robust against the effects of underlying event and pileup outside the jet regions-of-interest.
We consider the production at the LHC of exotic quarks U+ of charge Q=+(5/3)e and D− of charge Q=−(4/3)e of mass m* arising in a composite fermion scenario characterized by a compositeness scale Λ. ...Such states are predicted in composite models of higher isospin multiplets (IW=1 or IW=3/2). Given their exotic charges (such as 5/3), their decays proceed through the electroweak interactions. We compute decay widths and rates for resonant production of the exotic quarks at the LHC. Partly motivated by the recent observation of an excess by the CMS collaboration in the epTjj final state signature we focus on pp→U+j→W++jj→ℓ+pTjj and then perform a fast simulation of the detector reconstruction based on Delphes. We then scan the parameter space of the model (m*=Λ) and study the statistical significance of the signal against the relevant standard model background (Wjj followed by leptonic decay of the W gauge boson) providing the luminosity curves as function of m* for discovery at 3- and 5−σ level.
Objective
Standard treatment of Indian post‐kala‐azar dermal leishmaniasis (PKDL) is unsatisfactory because to achieve therapeutic effectiveness, heroic courses of parenteral and toxic agents have to ...be administered. Our objective was to evaluate oral miltefosine for its potential to provide effective as well as tolerable treatment for this disease.
Method
Open‐label, randomised, parallel‐group multicentric trial. Miltefosine, 100 mg/day to all but one patient, was administered for 12 weeks or 8 weeks, with a target of 18 patients in each treatment group. Key endpoints were tolerance during treatment and efficacy at 12 months of follow‐up.
Results
The ITT and per‐protocol cure rates after 12 months of follow‐up for patients receiving 12 weeks of therapy were 78% (14 of 18 patients: 95% CI = 61–88%) and 93% (14 of 15 patients: 95% CI = 71–95%), respectively, after 12 months of follow‐up. The ITT and per‐protocol cure rates for patients receiving 8 weeks of therapy were 76% (13 of 17 patients: 95% CI = 53–90%) and 81% (13 of 16 patients: 95% CI = 57–93%), respectively. Gastrointestinal and other adverse events were rare.
Conclusions
This study suggests that oral miltefosine for 2–3 months can be considered a treatment of choice for Indian PKDL.
ObjectifLe traitement standard de la leishmaniose cutanée post kala‐azar (LDPKA) indienne n'est pas satisfaisant car pour obtenir une efficacité thérapeutique, des régimes éprouvants d'agents parentéraux et toxiques doivent être administrés. Notre objectif était d’évaluer la miltefosine par voie orale pour sa capacité à fournir un traitement efficace et tolérable pour cette maladie.MéthodeÉtude ouverte, randomisée, multicentrique, en groupes parallèles. La miltefosine à 100 mg par jour a été administrée à tous les patients sauf un, pendant 12 semaines ou 8 semaines, avec un objectif de 18 patients dans chaque groupe de traitement. Les principaux paramètres étaient la tolérance au cours du traitement et l'efficacité à 12 mois de suivi.RésultatsLes taux de guérison ITT et par protocole après 12 mois de suivi chez les patients recevant 12 semaines de traitement étaient de 14 sur 18 patients (78%; IC95%: 61–88%) et 14 sur 15 patients (93%; IC95%: 71–95%), respectivement. Les taux de guérison ITT et par protocole pour les patients recevant 8 semaines de traitement étaient de 13 sur 17 patients (76%; IC95%: 53–90%) et 13 sur 16 patients (81%; IC95%: 57–93%), respectivement. Les effets indésirables gastro‐intestinaux et autres étaient rares.ConclusionsCette étude suggère que la miltefosine orale pendant 2–3 mois peut être considérée comme un traitement de choix pour la LDPKA indienne.
ObjetivoEl tratamiento estándar de la leishmaniasis cutánea post kala‐azar (LCPK) en la India no es satisfactorio, puesto que para conseguir una eficacia terapéutica, es necesario administrar dosis altas de agentes parenterales y tóxicos. Nuestro objetivo era evaluar el potencial de la miltefosina oral como tratamiento efectivo y tolerable para esta enfermedad.MétodosEnsayo abierto, aleatorizado, de grupos paralelos y multicéntrico. Se suministró 100 mg por día de Miltefosina a todos, excepto un paciente, durante 8 o 12 semanas, con un objetivo de 18 pacientes por cada grupo de tratamiento. Los principales criterios de valoración eran la tolerancia durante el tratamiento y la eficacia a los 12 meses de seguimiento.ResultadosLa intención de tratar (ITT) y las tasas de curación según protocolo tras 12 meses de seguimiento para aquellos pacientes recibiendo 12 semanas de tratamiento eran 14 de 18 pacientes (78%: IC 95% =61‐88%) y 14 de 15 pacientes (93%: IC 95% =71‐95%), respectivamente. La ITT y tasas de curación según protocolo para los pacientes recibiendo 8 semanas de tratamiento eran 13 de 17 pacientes (76%: IC 95% CI=53‐90%) y 13 de 16 pacientes (81%: IC 95% =57‐93%), respectivamente. La presencia de eventos adversos gastrointestinales y de otro tipo fueron raros.ConclusionesEl presente estudio sugiere que la miltefosina oral durante 2–3 meses podría considerarse como una tratamiento alternativo para la LCPK en la India.
•Sub-surface irrigation (SSI) not only combats drought but also removes most organic compounds.•Of 133 targets 89 were retrieved in the field, non-detected have low persistency.•Persistent ...hydrophobic organics significantly build up next to infiltration pipes.•After a drought period the SSI system needs more time to reset concentrations than after a normal year.•First study to assess direct effluent reuse in real-scale SSI system for broad range of compounds.
Globally, the reuse of treated sewage effluent for irrigation purposes is increasingly encouraged as a practical solution against the mismatch between the demand for and availability of freshwater resources. The reuse of sewage effluent for sub-surface irrigation (SSI) in agriculture serves the dual purpose of supplying water to crops and diminishing emissions of contaminants of emerging concern (CoECs) into surface water. To investigate such reuse, in a real scale cropland with SSI using sewage effluent, from September 2017 to March 2019 including the extremely dry year 2018, residues were followed of 133 CoECs as related to their physicochemical properties and quantified by liquid chromatography coupled to high-resolution mass spectrometry. Of the 133 target CoECs, 89 were retrieved in the field, most non-detect CoECs have low persistency. During the growing season with sub-surface irrigation, CoECs spread to the shallow groundwater and rhizosphere. Significantly lower concentrations are found between infiltration pipes as compared to directly next to the pipes in shallow groundwater for all persistency-mobility classes. CoECs belonging to the class pm (low persistency and low mobility) or class PM (high persistency and high mobility) class show no change amongst their removal in the rhizosphere and groundwater in a dry versus normal year. CoECs belonging to the class pM (low persistency and high mobility) show high seasonal dynamics in the rhizosphere and shallow groundwater, indicating that these CoECs break down. CoECs of the class Pm (high persistency and low mobility) only significantly build up in the rhizosphere next to infiltration pipes. Climatic conditions with dry summers and precipitation surplus and drainage in winter strongly affect the fate of CoECs. During the dry summer of 2018 infiltrated effluent is hardly diluted, resulting in significantly higher concentrations for the CoECs belonging to the classes pM and Pm. After the extremely dry year of 2018, cumulative concentrations are still significantly higher, while after a normal year during winter precipitation surplus removes CoECs. For all persistency-mobility classes in the shallow groundwater between the pipes, we find significant removal efficiencies. For the rhizosphere between the pipes, we find the same except for Pm. Next to the pipes however we find no significant removal for all classes in both the rhizosphere and shallow groundwater and even significant accumulation for Pm. For this group of persistent moderately hydrophobic CoECs risk characterization ratio's were calculated for the period of time with the highest normalized concentration. None of the single-chemical RCRs are above one and the ΣRCR is also far below one, implying sufficiently safe ambient exposures. Overall the deeper groundwater (7.0–11.8 m below soil surface) has the lowest response to the sub-surface irrigation for all persistency-mobility. When adopting a SSI STP effluent reuse system care must be taken to monitor the CoECs that are (moderately) hydrophobic as these can build up in the SSI system. For the deeper groundwater and for the discharge to the surface water, we find significant removal for the pM and the PM class but not for other classes. In conclusion, relatively high removal efficiencies are shown benefiting the surface waters that would otherwise receive the STP effluent directly.
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The combination of integrative passive sampling and bioassays is a promising approach for monitoring the toxicity of polar organic contaminants in aquatic environments. However, the design of ...integrative passive samplers can affect the accumulation of compounds and therewith the bioassay responses. The present study aimed to determine the effects of sampler housing and sorbent type on the number of chemical features accumulated in polar passive samplers and the subsequent bioassay responses to extracts of these samplers. To this end, four integrative passive sampler configurations, resulting from the combination of polar organic chemical integrative sampler (POCIS) and Speedisk housings with hydrophilic-lipophilic balance and hydrophilic divinylbenzene sorbents, were simultaneously exposed at reference and contaminated surface water locations. The passive sampler extracts were subjected to chemical non-target screening and a battery of five bioassays. Extracts from POCIS contained a higher number of chemical features and caused higher bioassay responses in 91% of cases, while the two sorbents accumulated similar numbers of features and caused equally frequent but different bioassay responses. Hence, the passive sampler design critically affected the number of accumulated polar organic contaminants as well as their toxicity, highlighting the importance of passive sampler design for effect-based water quality assessment.
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•Four passive sampler housing-sorbent configurations were deployed in the field.•Passive sampler extracts were subjected to non-target screening and bioassays.•The two sorbents caused equally frequent but different bioassay responses.•POCIS housing showed higher compound accumulation and bioassay responses.•Sampler design critically affects the toxicity detection of polar micropollutants.
Tuberculosis of the craniovertebral junction is an uncommon entity and its optimal management remains controversial. In this study, we present the evolution of management protocol of this disease in ...our institute in the past 3 decades.
A total of 51 patients with craniovertebral junction tuberculosis presenting as atlantoaxial dislocation from 1978 through 2004 were reviewed. The disease was rated from Stage I to Stage III, depending on the radiological findings. All patients received antitubercular treatment for 18 months. In the initial period of this study (1978-1986), all patients (n = 10) underwent surgery, usually a posterior fusion. In the second period (1987-1998), patients with less severe disease (Stages I and II, n = 14) were managed with external rigid immobilization, whereas patients with severe disease (Stage III, n = 11) underwent either a transoral decompression with or without posterior fusion or posterior fusion alone. More recently (1999-2004), all patients (n = 16) in all stages (Stages I-III) have been managed without surgery by a rigid external immobilization.
Except for two patients who died (one because of miliary tuberculosis, the other because of acute hydrocephalus), clinical recovery occurred in all. Follow-up imaging demonstrated radiological healing as well, with regrowth of the destroyed bone.
The mainstay of management of tuberculosis of the craniovertebral junction is prolonged antitubercular treatment with a rigid external immobilization. Surgery is not necessary, even in patients with advanced stages of disease. Complete clinical and radiological healing occurs in all patients with conservative treatment.
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