Metronidazole in the Prophylaxis and treatment of Anaerobic Infection

The influence of prophylactic metronidazole on vaginal carriage rates of anaerobes and the development of postoperative anaerobic infection was studied in 104 women who underwent abdominal hysterectomy. Metronidazole prophylaxis in 54 patients led to a decrease in the anaerobe vaginal carriage rate from 65% pre-operatively to 17% and 28% on the 3rd and 7th postoperative days respectively. In the control group (50 patients) no significant decrease in anaerobe yield was noted, corresponding percentages being 72%, 64%, and 74%. Postoperative infection occurred in 36 patients (28 controls; 8 on prophylactic metronidazole). Wound swabs from all 8 patients in the latter group yielded aerobes, and in 1 patient mixed infection (aerobes/anaerobes) occurred. In 7 of these patients (including the patient with mixed infection), the infection resolved spontaneously, while the 8th patient responded to therapy with metronidazole, kanamycin and ampicillin. In the control patients, 21 cases of postoperative wound infection and 4 of vault infection were seen; wound swabs from patients in the former group yielded aerobes in only 6 cases, and mixed growth of aerobes/ anaerobes in 10 cases. Postoperative wound/vault infections in control patients cleared spontaneously in 18 cases and responded to imidazole therapy, with or without ampicillin and kanamycin, in 7 cases.Web of Scienc

Practical Identification of Narmax Models Using Radial Basis Functions.

A wide class of discrete time non-linear systems can be represented by the non-linear autoregressive moving average model with exogenous inputs or NARMAX model. This paper develops a practical algorithm for identifying NARMAX models based on radial basis functions from noise corrupted data. The algorithm consists of an iterative orthogonal-forward-regression routine coupled with model validity tests. The orthogonal-forward-regression routine selects parsimonious radial-basis-function models while the model validity tests measure the quality of fit. The modelling of a liquid level system and an automotive diesel engine are included to demonstrate the effectiveness of the identification procedure

Non-Linear Systems Identification Using Radial Basis Functions

This paper investigates the identification of discrete-time non-linear systems using radial basis functions. A forward regression algorithm based on an orthogonal decomposition of the regression matrix is employed to select a suitable set of radial-basis-function centres from a large number of possible candidates and this provides, for the first time, a fully automatic selection procedure for identifying parsimonious radial-basis-function models of structure-unknown non-linear systems. The relationship between neural networks and radial basis functions is discussed and the application of the algorithms to real data is included to demonstrate the effectiveness of this approach

A Parallel Recursive Prediction Error Algorithm for Training Layered Neural Networks

A new recursive prediction error algorithm is derived for the training of feedforward layered neural networks. The algorithm enables the weights in each neuron of the network to be updated in an efficient parallel manner and has better convergence properties than the classical back-propagation algorithm. The relationship between this new parallel algorithm and other existing learning algorithms is discussed. Examples taken from the fields of communication channel equalisation and non-linear systems modelling are used to demonstrate the superior performance of the new algorithm compared with the back propagation routine

First Observation and Measurement of the Decay K+- -> pi+- e+ e- gamma

Using the full data set of the NA48/2 experiment, the decay K+- -> pi+- e+ e- gamma is observed for the first time, selecting 120 candidates with 7.3 +- 1.7 estimated background events. With K+- -> pi+- pi0D as normalisation channel, the branching ratio is determined in a model-independent way to be Br(K+- -> pi+- e+ e- gamma, m_eegamma > 260 MeV/c^2) = (1.19 +- 0.12_stat +- 0.04_syst) x 10^-8. This measured value and the spectrum of the e+ e- gamma invariant mass allow a comparison with predictions of Chiral Perturbation Theory.Comment: 13 pages, 3 figures. Accepted for publication in Phys.Lett.

Measurement of the Bs0→J/ψKS0B_s^0\to J/\psi K_S^0 branching fraction

The $B_s^0\to J/\psi K_S^0$ branching fraction is measured in a data sample corresponding to 0.41$fb^{-1}$ of integrated luminosity collected with the LHCb detector at the LHC. This channel is sensitive to the penguin contributions affecting the sin2$\beta$ measurement from $B^0\to J/\psi K_S^0$ The time-integrated branching fraction is measured to be $BF(B_s^0\to J/\psi K_S^0)=(1.83\pm0.28)\times10^{-5}$. This is the most precise measurement to date

Model-independent search for CP violation in D0→K−K+π−π+ and D0→π−π+π+π− decays

A search for CP violation in the phase-space structures of D0 and View the MathML source decays to the final states K−K+π−π+ and π−π+π+π− is presented. The search is carried out with a data set corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 1.0 fb−1 collected in 2011 by the LHCb experiment in pp collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 7 TeV. For the K−K+π−π+ final state, the four-body phase space is divided into 32 bins, each bin with approximately 1800 decays. The p-value under the hypothesis of no CP violation is 9.1%, and in no bin is a CP asymmetry greater than 6.5% observed. The phase space of the π−π+π+π− final state is partitioned into 128 bins, each bin with approximately 2500 decays. The p-value under the hypothesis of no CP violation is 41%, and in no bin is a CP asymmetry greater than 5.5% observed. All results are consistent with the hypothesis of no CP violation at the current sensitivity

Absolute luminosity measurements with the LHCb detector at the LHC

Absolute luminosity measurements are of general interest for colliding-beam experiments at storage rings. These measurements are necessary to determine the absolute cross-sections of reaction processes and are valuable to quantify the performance of the accelerator. Using data taken in 2010, LHCb has applied two methods to determine the absolute scale of its luminosity measurements for proton-proton collisions at the LHC with a centre-of-mass energy of 7 TeV. In addition to the classic "van der Meer scan" method a novel technique has been developed which makes use of direct imaging of the individual beams using beam-gas and beam-beam interactions. This beam imaging method is made possible by the high resolution of the LHCb vertex detector and the close proximity of the detector to the beams, and allows beam parameters such as positions, angles and widths to be determined. The results of the two methods have comparable precision and are in good agreement. Combining the two methods, an overall precision of 3.5% in the absolute luminosity determination is reached. The techniques used to transport the absolute luminosity calibration to the full 2010 data-taking period are presented.Comment: 48 pages, 19 figures. Results unchanged, improved clarity of Table 6, 9 and 10 and corresponding explanation in the tex

Measurement of the ratio of branching fractions BR(B0 -> K*0 gamma)/BR(Bs0 -> phi gamma) and the direct CP asymmetry in B0 -> K*0 gamma

The ratio of branching fractions of the radiative B decays B0 -> K*0 gamma and Bs0 phi gamma has been measured using an integrated luminosity of 1.0 fb-1 of pp collision data collected by the LHCb experiment at a centre-of-mass energy of sqrt(s)=7 TeV. The value obtained is BR(B0 -> K*0 gamma)/BR(Bs0 -> phi gamma) = 1.23 +/- 0.06(stat.) +/- 0.04(syst.) +/- 0.10(fs/fd), where the first uncertainty is statistical, the second is the experimental systematic uncertainty and the third is associated with the ratio of fragmentation fractions fs/fd. Using the world average value for BR(B0 -> K*0 gamma), the branching fraction BR(Bs0 -> phi gamma) is measured to be (3.5 +/- 0.4) x 10^{-5}. The direct CP asymmetry in B0 -> K*0 gamma decays has also been measured with the same data and found to be A(CP)(B0 -> K*0 gamma) = (0.8 +/- 1.7(stat.) +/- 0.9(syst.))%. Both measurements are the most precise to date and are in agreement with the previous experimental results and theoretical expectations.Comment: 21 pages, 3 figues, 4 table

Search for the lepton-flavor-violating decays Bs0→e±μ∓ and B0→e±μ∓

A search for the lepton-flavor-violating decays Bs0→e±μ∓ and B0→e±μ∓ is performed with a data sample, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 1.0  fb-1 of pp collisions at √s=7  TeV, collected by the LHCb experiment. The observed number of Bs0→e±μ∓ and B0→e±μ∓ candidates is consistent with background expectations. Upper limits on the branching fractions of both decays are determined to be B(Bs0→e±μ∓)101  TeV/c2 and MLQ(B0→e±μ∓)>126  TeV/c2 at 95% C.L., and are a factor of 2 higher than the previous bounds