Gauged Flavor Group with Left-Right Symmetry

We construct an anomaly-free extension of the left-right symmetric model, where the maximal flavor group is gauged and anomaly cancellation is guaranteed by adding new vectorlike fermion states. We address the question of the lowest allowed flavor symmetry scale consistent with data. Because of the mechanism recently pointed out by Grinstein et al. tree-level flavor changing neutral currents turn out to play a very weak constraining role. The same occurs, in our model, for electroweak precision observables. The main constraint turns out to come from WR-mediated flavor changing neutral current box diagrams, primarily K - Kbar mixing. In the case where discrete parity symmetry is present at the TeV scale, this constraint implies lower bounds on the mass of vectorlike fermions and flavor bosons of 5 and 10 TeV respectively. However, these limits are weakened under the condition that only SU(2)_R x U(1)_{B-L} is restored at the TeV scale, but not parity. For example, assuming the SU(2) gauge couplings in the ratio gR/gL approx 0.7 allows the above limits to go down by half for both vectorlike fermions and flavor bosons. Our model provides a framework for accommodating neutrino masses and, in the parity symmetric case, provides a solution to the strong CP problem. The bound on the lepton flavor gauging scale is somewhat stronger, because of Big Bang Nucleosynthesis constraints. We argue, however, that the applicability of these constraints depends on the mechanism at work for the generation of neutrino masses.Comment: 1+23 pages, 1 table, 5 figures. v3: some more textual fixes (main change: discussion of Lepton Flavor Violating observables rephrased). Matches journal versio

Children at danger: injury fatalities among children in San Diego County

External causes of death are important in the pediatric population worldwide. We performed an analysis of all injury-fatalities in children between ages zero and 17 years, between January 2000 and December 2006, in San Diego County, California, United States of America. Information was obtained from the County of San Diego Medical Examiner’s database. External causes were selected and grouped by intent and mechanism. Demographics, location of death and relation between the injury mechanism and time of death were described. There were 884 medico-legal examinations, of which 480 deaths were due to external causes. There majority were males (328, 68.3%) and whites (190, 39.6%). The most prevalent mechanism of injury leading to death was road traffic accidents (40.2%), followed by asphyxia (22.7%) and penetrating trauma (17.7%). Unintentional injuries occurred in 65.8% and intentional injuries, including homicide and suicide, occurred in 24.2 and 9.4%, respectively. Death occurred at the scene in 196 cases (40.9%). Most deaths occurred in highways (35.3%) and at home (28%). One hundred forty-six patients (30.4%) died in the first 24 h. Seven percent died 1 week after the initial injury. Among the cases that died at the scene, 48.3% were motor vehicle accidents, 20.9% were victims of firearms, 6.5% died from poisoning, 5% from hanging, and 4% from drowning. External causes remain an important cause of death in children in San Diego County. Specific strategies to decrease road-traffic accidents and homicides must be developed and implemented to reduce the burden of injury-related deaths in children

Search for new phenomena in final states with an energetic jet and large missing transverse momentum in pp collisions at √ s = 8 TeV with the ATLAS detector

Results of a search for new phenomena in final states with an energetic jet and large missing transverse momentum are reported. The search uses 20.3 fb−1 of √ s = 8 TeV data collected in 2012 with the ATLAS detector at the LHC. Events are required to have at least one jet with pT > 120 GeV and no leptons. Nine signal regions are considered with increasing missing transverse momentum requirements between Emiss T > 150 GeV and Emiss T > 700 GeV. Good agreement is observed between the number of events in data and Standard Model expectations. The results are translated into exclusion limits on models with either large extra spatial dimensions, pair production of weakly interacting dark matter candidates, or production of very light gravitinos in a gauge-mediated supersymmetric model. In addition, limits on the production of an invisibly decaying Higgs-like boson leading to similar topologies in the final state are presente

Understanding the retinal basis of vision across species

The vertebrate retina first evolved some 500 million years ago in ancestral marine chordates. Since then, the eyes of different species have been tuned to best support their unique visuoecological lifestyles. Visual specializations in eye designs, large-scale inhomogeneities across the retinal surface and local circuit motifs mean that all species' retinas are unique. Computational theories, such as the efficient coding hypothesis, have come a long way towards an explanation of the basic features of retinal organization and function; however, they cannot explain the full extent of retinal diversity within and across species. To build a truly general understanding of vertebrate vision and the retina's computational purpose, it is therefore important to more quantitatively relate different species' retinal functions to their specific natural environments and behavioural requirements. Ultimately, the goal of such efforts should be to build up to a more general theory of vision

Enhanced Hsp70 Expression Protects against Acute Lung Injury by Modulating Apoptotic Pathways

The Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is a highly lethal inflammatory lung disorder. Apoptosis plays a key role in its pathogenesis. We showed that an adenovirus expressing the 70 kDa heat shock protein Hsp70 (AdHSP) protected against sepsis-induced lung injury. In this study we tested the hypothesis that AdHSP attenuates apoptosis in sepsis-induced lung injury

Immunolocalization of cell wall polymers in grapevine (Vitis vinifera) internodes under nitrogen, phosphorus or sulfur deficiency

Abstract The impact on cell wall (CW) of the deficiency in nitrogen (–N), phosphorus (–P) or sulphur (–S), known to impair essential metabolic pathways, was investigated in the economically important fruit species Vitis vinifera L. Using cuttings as an experimental model a reduction in total internode number and altered xylem shape was observed. Under –N an increased internode length was also seen. CW composition, visualised after staining with calcofluor white, Toluidine blue and ruthenium red, showed decreased cellulose in all stresses and increased pectin content in recently formed internodes under –N compared to the control. Using CW-epitope specific monoclonal antibodies (mAbs), lower amounts of extensins incorporated in the wall were also observed under –N and –P conditions. Conversely, increased pectins with a low degree of methyl-esterification and richer in long linear 1,5-arabinan rhamnogalacturonan-I (RG-I) side chains were observed under –N and –P in mature internodes which, in the former condition, were able to form dimeric association through calcium ions. –N was the only condition in which 1,5-arabinan branched RG- content was not altered, as –P and –S older internodes showed, respectively, lower and higher amounts of this polymer. Higher xyloglucan content in older internodes was also observed under –N. The results suggest that impairments of specific CW components led to changes in the deposition of other polymers to promote stiffening of the CW. The unchanged extensin amount observed under –S may contribute to attenuating the effects on the CW integrity caused by this stress. Our work showed that, in organized V. vinifera tissues, modifications in a given CW component can be compensated by synthesis of different polymers and/or alternative linking between polymers. The results also pinpoint different strategies at the CW level to overcome mineral stress depending on how essential they are to cell growth and plant development

Ibudilast, a Pharmacologic Phosphodiesterase Inhibitor, Prevents Human Immunodeficiency Virus-1 Tat-Mediated Activation of Microglial Cells

Human Immunodeficiency Virus-1 (HIV-1)-associated neurocognitive disorders (HAND) occur, in part, due to the inflammatory response to viral proteins, such as the HIV-1 transactivator of transcription (Tat), in the central nervous system (CNS). Given the need for novel adjunctive therapies for HAND, we hypothesized that ibudilast would inhibit Tat-induced excess production of pro-inflammatory cytokines, such as tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNFα) in microglial cells. Ibudilast is a non-selective cyclic AMP phosphodiesterase inhibitor that has recently shown promise as a treatment for neuropathic pain via its ability to attenuate glial cell activation. Accordingly, here we demonstrate that pre-treatment of both human and mouse microglial cells with increasing doses of ibudilast inhibited Tat-induced synthesis of TNFα by microglial cells in a manner dependent on serine/threonine protein phosphatase activity. Ibudilast had no effect on Tat-induced p38 MAP kinase activation, and blockade of adenosine A2A receptor activation did not reverse ibudilast's inhibition of Tat-induced TNFα production. Interestingly, ibudilast reduced Tat-mediated transcription of TNFα, via modulation of nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) signaling, as shown by transcriptional activity of NF-κB and analysis of inhibitor of kappa B alpha (IκBα) stability. Together, our findings shed light on the mechanism of ibudilast's inhibition of Tat-induced TNFα production in microglial cells and may implicate ibudilast as a potential novel adjunctive therapy for the management of HAND

Pelvic trauma : WSES classification and guidelines

Complex pelvic injuries are among the most dangerous and deadly trauma related lesions. Different classification systems exist, some are based on the mechanism of injury, some on anatomic patterns and some are focusing on the resulting instability requiring operative fixation. The optimal treatment strategy, however, should keep into consideration the hemodynamic status, the anatomic impairment of pelvic ring function and the associated injuries. The management of pelvic trauma patients aims definitively to restore the homeostasis and the normal physiopathology associated to the mechanical stability of the pelvic ring. Thus the management of pelvic trauma must be multidisciplinary and should be ultimately based on the physiology of the patient and the anatomy of the injury. This paper presents the World Society of Emergency Surgery (WSES) classification of pelvic trauma and the management Guidelines.Peer reviewe