51 research outputs found
A chiral model for bar{q}q and bar{q}bar{q}qq$ mesons
We point out that the spectrum of pseudoscalar and scalar mesons exhibits a
cuasi-degenerate chiral nonet in the energy region around 1.4 GeV whose scalar
component has a slightly inverted spectrum. Based on the empirical linear
rising of the mass of a hadron with the number of constituent quarks which
yields a mass around GeV for tetraquarks, we conjecture that this
cuasi-chiral nonet arises from the mixing of a chiral nonet composed of
tetraquarks with conventional bar{q}q states. We explore this possibility in
the framework of a chiral model assuming a tetraquark chiral nonet around 1.4
GeV with chiral symmetry realized directly. We stress that U_{A}(1)
transformations can distinguish bar{q}q from tetraquark states, although it
cannot distinguish specific dynamics in the later case. We find that the
measured spectrum is consistent with this picture. In general, pseudoscalar
states arise as mainly bar{q}q states but scalar states turn out to be strong
admixtures of bar{q}q and tetraquark states. We work out also the model
predictions for the most relevant couplings and calculate explicitly the strong
decays of the a_{0}(1450) and K_{0}^*(1430) mesons. From the comparison of some
of the predicted couplings with the experimental ones we conclude that
observable for the isovector and isospinor sectors are consistently described
within the model. The proper description of couplings in the isoscalar sectors
would require the introduction of glueball fields which is an important missing
piece in the present model.Comment: 20 pages, 3 figure
Exploring the randomness of Directed Acyclic Networks
The feed-forward relationship naturally observed in time-dependent processes
and in a diverse number of real systems -such as some food-webs and electronic
and neural wiring- can be described in terms of so-called directed acyclic
graphs (DAGs). An important ingredient of the analysis of such networks is a
proper comparison of their observed architecture against an ensemble of
randomized graphs, thereby quantifying the {\em randomness} of the real systems
with respect to suitable null models. This approximation is particularly
relevant when the finite size and/or large connectivity of real systems make
inadequate a comparison with the predictions obtained from the so-called {\em
configuration model}. In this paper we analyze four methods of DAG
randomization as defined by the desired combination of topological invariants
(directed and undirected degree sequence and component distributions) aimed to
be preserved. A highly ordered DAG, called \textit{snake}-graph and a
Erd\:os-R\'enyi DAG were used to validate the performance of the algorithms.
Finally, three real case studies, namely, the \textit{C. elegans} cell lineage
network, a PhD student-advisor network and the Milgram's citation network were
analyzed using each randomization method. Results show how the interpretation
of degree-degree relations in DAGs respect to their randomized ensembles depend
on the topological invariants imposed. In general, real DAGs provide disordered
values, lower than the expected by chance when the directedness of the links is
not preserved in the randomization process. Conversely, if the direction of the
links is conserved throughout the randomization process, disorder indicators
are close to the obtained from the null-model ensemble, although some
deviations are observed.Comment: 13 pages, 5 figures and 5 table
The breaking of the flavour permutational symmetry: Mass textures and the CKM matrix
Different ansaetze for the breaking of the flavour permutational symmetry
according to S(3)L X S(3)R in S(2)L X S(2) give different Hermitian mass
matrices of the same modified Fritzsch type, which differ in the symmetry
breaking pattern. In this work we obtain a clear and precise indication on the
preferred symmetry breaking scheme from a fit of the predicted theoretical Vckm
to the experimentally determined absolute values of the elements of the CKM
matrix. The preferred scheme leads to simple mass textures and allows us to
compute the CKM mixing matrix, the Jarlskog invariant J, and the three inner
angles of the unitarity triangle in terms of four quark mass ratios and only
one free parameter: the CP violating phase Phi. Excellent agreement with the
experimentally determined absolute values of the entries in the CKM matrix is
obtained for Phi = 90 deg. The corresponding computed values of the Jarlskog
invariant and the inner angles are J = 3.00 X 10^-5, alpha= 84 deg, beta= 24
deg and gamma =72 deg in very good agreement with current data on CP violation
in the neutral kaon-antikaon system and oscillations in the B-Bbar system.Comment: 21 pages, 1 fig. Content enlarged, references added and typos
corrected. To be published in Phys Rev
Topological reversibility and causality in feed-forward networks
Systems whose organization displays causal asymmetry constraints, from
evolutionary trees to river basins or transport networks, can be often
described in terms of directed paths (causal flows) on a discrete state space.
Such a set of paths defines a feed-forward, acyclic network. A key problem
associated with these systems involves characterizing their intrinsic degree of
path reversibility: given an end node in the graph, what is the uncertainty of
recovering the process backwards until the origin? Here we propose a novel
concept, \textit{topological reversibility}, which rigorously weigths such
uncertainty in path dependency quantified as the minimum amount of information
required to successfully revert a causal path. Within the proposed framework we
also analytically characterize limit cases for both topologically reversible
and maximally entropic structures. The relevance of these measures within the
context of evolutionary dynamics is highlighted.Comment: 9 pages, 3 figure
Gut microbiota, innate immune pathways, and inflammatory control mechanisms in patients with major depressive disorder
Although alterations in the gut microbiota have been linked to the pathophysiology of major depressive disorder (MDD), including through effects on the immune response, our understanding is deficient about the straight connection patterns among microbiota and MDD in patients. Male and female MDD patients were recruited: 46 patients with a current active MDD (a-MDD) and 22 in remission or with only mild symptoms (r-MDD). Forty-five healthy controls (HC) were also recruited. Psychopathological states were assessed, and fecal and blood samples were collected. Results indicated that the inducible nitric oxide synthase expression was higher in MDD patients compared with HC and the oxidative stress levels were greater in the a-MDD group. Furthermore, the lipopolysaccharide (an indirect marker of bacterial translocation) was higher in a-MDD patients compared with the other groups. Fecal samples did not cluster according to the presence or the absence of MDD. There were bacterial genera whose relative abundance was altered in MDD: Bilophila (2-fold) and Alistipes (1.5-fold) were higher, while Anaerostipes (1.5-fold) and Dialister (15-fold) were lower in MDD patients compared with HC. Patients with a-MDD presented higher relative abundance of Alistipes and Anaerostipes (1.5-fold) and a complete depletion of Dialister compared with HC. Patients with r-MDD presented higher abundance of Bilophila (2.5-fold) compared with HC. Thus, the abundance of bacterial genera and some immune pathways, both with potential implications in the pathophysiology of depression, appear to be altered in MDD, with the most noticeable changes occurring in patients with the worse clinical condition, the a-MDD group. © 2021, The Author(s)
Complications of Peripherally Inserted Central Venous Catheters: A Retrospective Cohort Study
Background and Aim
The use of venous catheters is a widespread practice, especially in oncological and oncohematological units. The objective of this study was to evaluate the complications associated with peripherally inserted central catheters (PICCs) in a cohort of patients.
Materials and Methods
In this retrospective cohort study, we included all patient carrying PICCs (n = 603) inserted at our institute between October 2010 and December 2013. The main variables collected were medical diagnosis, catheter care, location, duration of catheterization, reasons for catheter removal, complications, and nursing care. Complications were classified as infection, thrombosis, phlebitis, migration, edema, and/or ecchymosis.
Results
All patients were treated according to the same “nursing care” protocol. The incidence rate of complications was two cases per 1000 days of catheter duration. The most relevant complications were infection and thrombosis, both with an incidence of 0.17 cases per 1000 days of the total catheterization period. The total average duration of catheterization was 170 days [SD 6.06]. Additionally to “end of treatment” (48.42%) and “exitus”, (22.53%) the most frequent cause of removal was migration (displacement towards the exterior) of the catheter (5.80%).
Conclusions
PICCs are safe devices that allow the administration of long-term treatment and preserve the integrity of the venous system of the patient. Proper care of the catheter is very important to improve the quality life of patients with oncologic and hematologic conditions. Therefore, correct training of professionals and patients as well as following the latest scientific recommendations are particularly relevant
The CP violating phase \delta_{13} and the quark mixing angles \theta_{13}, \theta_{23} and \theta_{12} from flavour permutational symmetry breaking
The phase equivalence of the theoretical mixing matrix derived
from the breaking of the flavour permutational symmetry and the standard
parametrization advocated by the Particle Data Group is
explicitly exhibited. From here, we derive exact explicit expressions for the
three mixing angles , , , and the CP
violating phase in terms of the quark mass ratios and the parameters and
characterizing the preferred symmetry breaking pattern. The computed
values for the CP violating phase and the mixing angles are:
, ,
, and , which coincide
almost exactly with the central values of the experimentally determined
quantities.Comment: 25 pages, we added an estimation of a reasonable range of values for
the quark mass ratios and the corresponding quark mixing matrix elements.
Accepted in Phys. Rev. D, 01 April 200
RICORS2040 : The need for collaborative research in chronic kidney disease
Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a silent and poorly known killer. The current concept of CKD is relatively young and uptake by the public, physicians and health authorities is not widespread. Physicians still confuse CKD with chronic kidney insufficiency or failure. For the wider public and health authorities, CKD evokes kidney replacement therapy (KRT). In Spain, the prevalence of KRT is 0.13%. Thus health authorities may consider CKD a non-issue: very few persons eventually need KRT and, for those in whom kidneys fail, the problem is 'solved' by dialysis or kidney transplantation. However, KRT is the tip of the iceberg in the burden of CKD. The main burden of CKD is accelerated ageing and premature death. The cut-off points for kidney function and kidney damage indexes that define CKD also mark an increased risk for all-cause premature death. CKD is the most prevalent risk factor for lethal coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and the factor that most increases the risk of death in COVID-19, after old age. Men and women undergoing KRT still have an annual mortality that is 10- to 100-fold higher than similar-age peers, and life expectancy is shortened by ~40 years for young persons on dialysis and by 15 years for young persons with a functioning kidney graft. CKD is expected to become the fifth greatest global cause of death by 2040 and the second greatest cause of death in Spain before the end of the century, a time when one in four Spaniards will have CKD. However, by 2022, CKD will become the only top-15 global predicted cause of death that is not supported by a dedicated well-funded Centres for Biomedical Research (CIBER) network structure in Spain. Realizing the underestimation of the CKD burden of disease by health authorities, the Decade of the Kidney initiative for 2020-2030 was launched by the American Association of Kidney Patients and the European Kidney Health Alliance. Leading Spanish kidney researchers grouped in the kidney collaborative research network Red de Investigación Renal have now applied for the Redes de Investigación Cooperativa Orientadas a Resultados en Salud (RICORS) call for collaborative research in Spain with the support of the Spanish Society of Nephrology, Federación Nacional de Asociaciones para la Lucha Contra las Enfermedades del Riñón and ONT: RICORS2040 aims to prevent the dire predictions for the global 2040 burden of CKD from becoming true
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