Recent experiments aiming to measure phenomena predicted by strong-field quantum electrodynamics (SFQED) have done so by colliding relativistic electron beams and high-power lasers. In such experiments, measurements of collision parameters are not always feasible. However, precise knowledge of these parameters is required to accurately test SFQED.

Here, we present a novel Bayesian inference procedure that infers collision parameters that could not be measured on-shot. This procedure is applicable to all-optical non-linear Compton scattering experiments investigating radiation reaction. The framework allows multiple diagnostics to be combined self-consistently and facilitates the inclusion of known information pertaining to the collision parameters. Using this Bayesian analysis, the relative validity of the classical, quantum-continuous and quantum-stochastic models of radiation reaction was compared for several test cases, which demonstrates the accuracy and model selection capability of the framework and highlight its robustness if the experimental values of fixed parameters differ from their values in the models.

This article provides a retrospective on the formation of the Engaged Humanities Lab at Royal Holloway, University of London. It sets the lab’s development within the broader history of labs in the humanities, setting out how the Engaged Humanities Lab aligns closely with Pawlicka-Deger’s description of “infrastructure of engagement” rather than the physical spaces that characterise science laboratories. We also explain why the sub-category of “engaged” humanities was selected over the broader and more established “public” humanities. The second half of the article provides reflections on the activities and achievements of the Engaged Humanities Lab, focusing on how intra-institution collaboration between an academic school and the Research and Innovation Department supported the formation and governance of the lab, allowing for ongoing dialogue and co-creation between subject area experts and research management professionals with expertise in research funding, policy, and knowledge exchange. This article also illuminates what is needed from university leaders to ensure the success and longevity of infrastructures of engagement like the Engaged Humanities Lab.

Objectives/Goals: The Standards for Reporting Implementation Studies (StaRI) are the Enhancing the Quality and Transparency of Health Research (EQUATOR) Network 27-item checklist for Implementation Science. This study quantifies StaRI adherence among self-defined Implementation Science studies in published Learning Health Systems (LHS) research. Methods/Study Population: A medical librarian-designed a search strategy identified original Implementation Science research published in one of the top 20 Implementation Science journals between 2017 and 2021. Inclusion criteria included studies or protocols describing the implementation of any intervention in healthcare settings. Exclusion criteria included concept papers, non-implementation research, or editorials. Full-text documents were reviewed by two investigators to abstract and judge StaRI implementation and intervention adherence, partial adherence, or non-adherence. Results/Anticipated Results: A total of 330 documents were screened, 97 met inclusion criteria, and 47 were abstracted including 30 research studies and 17 protocols. Adherence to individual StaRI reporting items ranged from 13% to 100%. Most StaRI items were reported in >60% of manuscripts and protocols. The lowest adherence in research studies was noted around economic evaluation reporting for implementation (16%) or intervention (13%) strategies, harms (13%), contextual changes (30%), or fidelity of either the intervention (34%) or implementation (53%) approach. Subgroup analyses were infrequently contemplated or reported (43%). In protocols, the implications of the implementation strategy (41%) or intervention approach (47%) were not commonly reported. Discussion/Significance of Impact: When leveraging implementation science to report reproducible and sustainable practice change initiatives, LHS researchers will need to include assessments of economics, harms, context, and fidelity in order to attain higher levels of adherence to EQUATOR’s StaRI checklist.

Diamonds are found occasionally in the United States of America. Diamonds from the Prairie Creek lamproite in Arkansas, USA occur within a north to south corridor of Neoproterozoic-to-mid-Cretaceous magmatism that extends across North America. These diamond-bearing lamproites are unusual because they intrude adjacent to sutured and strongly thinned lithosphere rather than stable within-plate settings and the diamonds themselves provide physical evidence of processes related to diamond formation at the cratonic margin. Indeed, A review of previously published geophysical data, isotopic compositions, inclusion suites and inclusion geochemistry suggest most diamonds were formed in subducted and eclogitic rocks within a highly localised diamondiferous lithosphere beneath the cratonic margin.

The morphology and spectroscopic character of 155 diamonds from the Prairie Creek lamproite suggest typical diamond formation conditions in an otherwise thinned continental lithosphere. Most diamonds examined during this investigation have spectroscopic features indicating strong nitrogen aggregation, a history of thermal perturbation and plastic deformation. Nitrogen contents range up to 1882 ppm and the diamonds preserve ∼70% aggregated nitrogen in the B aggregation state. Furthermore, inclusion elastic barometry and time-averaged mantle residence temperatures suggest most Arkansas diamonds formed at 5.2±0.2 GPa and 1205±63°C (1σ). However, a subpopulation of ∼4% of relatively large and inclusion free, colourless, flattened-to-irregular habit Arkansas diamonds are Type IIa with <5 at.ppm nitrogen. Those stones size, morphology, colour and N content might warrant their inclusion in the class of Cullinan-like, Large, Inclusion-Poor, Pure, Irregular and Resorbed or ‘CLIPPIR’ diamonds. Other diamonds examined commonly exhibit physical evidence of plastic deformation, including brown body colour and deformation lamellae.

Given as the Pusey House Recollections Lecture 2023.

Accelerating COVID-19 Treatment Interventions and Vaccines (ACTIV) was initiated by the US government to rapidly develop and test vaccines and therapeutics against COVID-19 in 2020. The ACTIV Therapeutics-Clinical Working Group selected ACTIV trial teams and clinical networks to expeditiously develop and launch master protocols based on therapeutic targets and patient populations. The suite of clinical trials was designed to collectively inform therapeutic care for COVID-19 outpatient, inpatient, and intensive care populations globally. In this report, we highlight challenges, strategies, and solutions around clinical protocol development and regulatory approval to document our experience and propose plans for future similar healthcare emergencies.

The Accelerating COVID-19 Therapeutic Interventions and Vaccines (ACTIV) Cross-Trial Statistics Group gathered lessons learned from statisticians responsible for the design and analysis of the 11 ACTIV therapeutic master protocols to inform contemporary trial design as well as preparation for a future pandemic. The ACTIV master protocols were designed to rapidly assess what treatments might save lives, keep people out of the hospital, and help them feel better faster. Study teams initially worked without knowledge of the natural history of disease and thus without key information for design decisions. Moreover, the science of platform trial design was in its infancy. Here, we discuss the statistical design choices made and the adaptations forced by the changing pandemic context. Lessons around critical aspects of trial design are summarized, and recommendations are made for the organization of master protocols in the future.

Germline gene editing (GGE) is a controversial procedure, prohibited by most intergovernmental and scientific bodies and is not currently medically utilized. However, given circumstances where GGE would be essential for human survival, it is possible that GGE could be ideal, ethical and even necessary. One such possible instance of this circumstance could be long-term presence of humans on other planets. In our paper, we point out that there is a strong case for genetically modifying humans, including through GGE, for a future settlement in space directed at preserving human (and other) species. To avoid unnecessarily suffering and death from such difficult missions and environments, GGE enhancements should be considered, although only if shown to be safe, well-regulated and efficacious. We also examine and detail how major ethical frameworks can be shown to support, rather than prohibit, such procedures.

Background: Identification and timely reporting of multi-drug resistant organisms (MDROs) drives efficacy of infection prevention efforts. Data on MDRO reporting timeliness and inter-facility variability are limited. Facility-dependent variability in MDRO reporting across Tennessee was examined to identify opportunities for MDRO surveillance improvement. Methods: Data for reported Tennessee MDROs including carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales (CRE), carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (CRAB), Carbapenem-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa (CRPA) and Candida auris, were obtained from the southeast regional Antibiotic Resistance Laboratory Network (ARLN) from 2018-2022, excluding screening and colonization specimens. Variance in days accrued from specimen collection to ARLN receipt was analyzed using one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) with Tukey’s test (SAS 9.4). Facilities were categorized as fast (1-10 days), slow (11-20 days), or delayed (21-100 days) reporters. Results: There were 9,569 MDRO isolates reported. CRPA was reported faster than other MDROs (p < 0.001), while specimens from West Tennessee compared to other regions (p < 0.001) (Figure) and blood cultures compared to other specimens were reported more slowly (p < 0.001) (Table). There was no difference in reporting times for facilities using on-site microbiology laboratories versus reference laboratories (P = 0.062). Conclusion: MDRO reporting times varied across Tennessee by region, specimen, and organism. Future work to elucidate drivers of variability will consist of surveys and focused interviews with laboratory personnel to identify shared and unique barriers and opportunities for improvement.

Background: CAP is often inappropriately treated with agents active against multidrug-resistant organisms (MDRO; methicillin-resistant S. aureus [MRSA] and P. aeruginosa [PSA]) and for prolonged duration. We assessed the relationship between antibiotic use with ATS/IDSA guideline-unjustified empiric and definitive MDRO therapy and prolonged duration in non-ICU inpatients with CAP at 105 VA Medical Centers. Methods: From VA Corporate Data Warehouse data, we identified patients with discharge ICD-10-CM codes consistent with CAP from 1/2022-3/2023, excluding cases with 14 days of antibiotic therapy, ICU admission, concurrent infections, or severe immunocompromise. We considered as jultified empiric (≤third day of hospitalization) therapy: anti-MRSA therapy for patients with prior positive MRSA cultures, anti-PSA therapy for patients with prior positive PSA cultures, and both anti-MRSA & anti-PSA therapy in patients with severe pneumonia and intravenous antibiotics in the prior 3 months. Definitive (>third day of hospitalization) anti-MDRO therapy was considered unjustified in patients who had achieved clinical stability and whose cultures did not grow MRSA or PSA. Prolonged duration (>6 days of therapy) was unjustified if patients were clinically stable or discharged by day 5. Results: The median age of the 29,260 patients was 75 (IQR 69,81); 4.6% were women. While 33% and 22% of patients received empiric or definitive MDRO therapy, such therapy was jultified in 12% and 0.5%, respectively. Median facility use of empiric and definitive MDRO therapy was 31% (IQR 25%,38%) and 20% (15%,23%), respectively (Figure 1); this use was unjustified in 89% (85%,93%) and 100% (100%,100%), respectively. Pearson’s correlation coefficient between MDRO therapy and rates of unjustified empiric and definitive MDRO therapy for CAP was 0.54 and 0.61, respectively (Figure 2). Although 99% of patients were discharged or stable by day 5, 42% received prolonged therapy. The median frequency of prolonged therapy was 39% (33%,48%); facility rates of prolonged therapy had a correlation of 0.56 with total antibiotic use and 0.46 with MDRO therapy (Figure 3). Discussion: Based on electronic documentation, we identified 1) substantial opportunities to reduce unjustified anti-MDRO therapy and the duration of therapy in hospitalized non-ICU patients with CAP; 2) a moderate correlation of unjustified anti-MDRO therapy with increased MDRO antibiotic use and of prolonged duration of therapy with increased total and MDRO antibiotic use. The correlation of lower quality prescribing with increased antibiotic use provides further impetus for tools such as dashboards (Figure 4) to assist antibiotic stewards in designing and monitoring interventions to reduce unjustified therapy.