Improved eV-scale sterile-neutrino constraints from the second KATRIN measurement campaign

Artículo escrito por un elevado número de autores, solo se referencian el que aparece en primer lugar, el nombre del grupo de colaboración, si le hubiere, y los autores pertenecientes a la UAMWe present the results of the light sterile neutrino search from the second Karlsruhe Tritium Neutrino (KATRIN) measurement campaign in 2019. Approaching nominal activity, 3.76 × 106 tritium β-electrons are analyzed in an energy window extending down to 40 eV below the tritium end point at E0 = 18.57 keV. We consider the 3ν + 1 framework with three active and one sterile neutrino flavors. The analysis is sensitive to a fourth mass eigenstate m42 ≲ 1600 eV2 and active-to-sterile mixing |Ue4|2 ≳ 6 × 10-3. As no sterile-neutrino signal was observed, we provide improved exclusion contours on m42 and |Ue4|2 at 95% C.L. Our results supersede the limits from the Mainz and Troitsk experiments. Furthermore, we are able to exclude the large Δm412 solutions of the reactor antineutrino and gallium anomalies to a great extent. The latter has recently been reaffirmed by the BEST Collaboration and could be explained by a sterile neutrino with large mixing. While the remaining solutions at small Δm412 are mostly excluded by short-baseline reactor experiments, KATRIN is the only ongoing laboratory experiment to be sensitive to relevant solutions at large Δm412 through a robust spectral shape analysi

Synthesis and antimicrobial activities of gold(I) sulfanylcarboxylates

Reaction of NaAuCl4·H2O and thiodiglycol (1:3 molar ratio) with 3-(aryl)-2-sulfanylpropenoic acids, H2 xspa = [x:p = 3-phenyl-, f = 3-(2-furyl)-, t = 3-(2-thienyl)-, o-py = 3-(2-pyridyl)-, Clp = 3-(2-chlorophenyl)-, -o-mp = 3-(2-methoxyphenyl)-, -p-mp = 3-(4-methoxyphenyl)-, -o-hp = 3-(2-hydroxyphenyl)-, -p-hp = 3-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-, diBr-o-hp = 3-(3,5-dibromo-2-hydroxyphenyl)] and 2-cyclopentylidene-2-sulfanylacetic acid (H2cpa) in a 1:1 metal/ligand molar ratio gave compounds of the type [Au(Hxspa)] or [Au(Hcpa)]. These compounds were reacted with diisopropylamine to afford [HQ][Au(xspa)] or [HQ][Au(cpa)] (HQ = diisopropylammonium) and with NaOH to afford Na[Au(xspa)]·H2O and Na[Au(cpa)]·H2O. All of the new compounds were isolated and characterised by IR and 1H and 13C NMR spectroscopy. The antimicrobial activities of the complexes against Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis, Candida albicans, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and carbapenem-resistant P. aeruginosa were evaluated and compared to those of the equivalent silver(I) complexes. The comparison shows that the gold compounds generally show better activity than the silver analogues against S. aureus and B. subtilis, but low sensitivity against E. coli, P. aeruginosa and C. albicans, suggesting a different mode of antimicrobial action for equivalent silver and gold compoundsWe thank the Dirección Xeral de I+D, Xunta de Galicia, Spain, for the financial support (IN845B-2010/121)S

Correlation Between Anti-TNF Serum Levels and Endoscopic Inflammation in Inflammatory Bowel Disease Patients

Objectives: (a) To evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of anti-TNF trough levels to predict mucosal healing in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD); (b) to determine the best cut-off point to predict mucosal healing in IBD patients treated with anti-TNF. Methods: This is a multicenter, prospective study. IBD patients under anti-TNF treatment for at least 6 months that had to undergo an endoscopy were included. Mucosal healing was defined as: Simple endoscopic score for Crohn’s Disease < 3 for Crohn’s disease (CD), Rutgeerts score < i2 for CD in postoperative setting, or Mayo endoscopic score = 1 for ulcerative colitis (UC). Anti-TNF concentrations were measured using SMART ELISAs at trough. Results: A total of 182 patients were included. Anti-TNF trough levels were significantly higher among patients that had mucosal healing than among those who did not. The area under the curve of infliximab for mucosal healing was 0.63 (best cutoff value 3.4 µg/mL), and for adalimumab 0.60 (best cutoff value 7.2 µg/mL). In the multivariate analysis, having anti-TNF drug levels above the cutoff values [odds ratio (OR) 3.1]) and having UC instead of CD (OR 4) were associated with a higher probability of having mucosal healing. Additionally, the need for an escalated dosage (OR 0.2) and current smoking habit (OR 0.2) were also associated with a lower probability of mucosal healing. Conclusions: There was an association between anti-TNF trough levels and mucosal healing in IBD patients; however, the accuracy of the determination of infliximab and adalimumab concentrations able to predict mucosal healing was suboptimal

An NLO QCD analysis of inclusive cross-section and jet-production data from the ZEUS experiment

The ZEUS inclusive differential cross-section data from HERA, for charged and neutral current processes taken with e+ and e- beams, together with differential cross-section data on inclusive jet production in e+ p scattering and dijet production in \gamma p scattering, have been used in a new NLO QCD analysis to extract the parton distribution functions of the proton. The input of jet data constrains the gluon and allows an accurate extraction of \alpha_s(M_Z) at NLO; \alpha_s(M_Z) = 0.1183 \pm 0.0028(exp.) \pm 0.0008(model) An additional uncertainty from the choice of scales is estimated as \pm 0.005. This is the first extraction of \alpha_s(M_Z) from HERA data alone.Comment: 37 pages, 14 figures, to be submitted to EPJC. PDFs available at http://durpdg.dur.ac.uk/hepdata in LHAPDFv

Teaching precision farming and entrepreneurship for European students: Sparkle online course

Within the framework of the European project named ‘SPARKLE’, an online course was created after studying educational needs on precision agriculture (PA), state of the art of technologies and a prospective study of the commercial sector. Five educational and research institutions, high-tech farms and enterprises specializing in technology transfer created the syllabus of the course and the platform contents. The course was designed to provide 30 h of student dedication, via online presentations, documents and videos for each topic. A free pilot course started in April 2020 and 385 students from Italy, Portugal, Greece & Spain enrolled. To trace performance and acquisition of competences, questionnaires were completed by students for each topic and a final overall test. Students’ opinions about the course were also registered using anonymous polls, and results evaluated, to be able to enhance the Sparkle course for subsequent editions. Students also took part in a business model competition, to solve real challenges proposed by farms, related to the use of these technologies

Incidence, clinical characteristics and management of inflammatory bowel disease in Spain: large-scale epidemiological study

(1) Aims: To assess the incidence of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in Spain, to describe the main epidemiological and clinical characteristics at diagnosis and the evolution of the disease, and to explore the use of drug treatments. (2) Methods: Prospective, population-based nationwide registry. Adult patients diagnosed with IBD—Crohn’s disease (CD), ulcerative colitis (UC) or IBD unclassified (IBD-U)—during 2017 in Spain were included and were followed-up for 1 year. (3) Results: We identified 3611 incident cases of IBD diagnosed during 2017 in 108 hospitals covering over 22 million inhabitants. The overall incidence (cases/100, 000 person-years) was 16 for IBD, 7.5 for CD, 8 for UC, and 0.5 for IBD-U; 53% of patients were male and median age was 43 years (interquartile range = 31–56 years). During a median 12-month follow-up, 34% of patients were treated with systemic steroids, 25% with immunomodulators, 15% with biologics and 5.6% underwent surgery. The percentage of patients under these treatments was significantly higher in CD than UC and IBD-U. Use of systemic steroids and biologics was significantly higher in hospitals with high resources. In total, 28% of patients were hospitalized (35% CD and 22% UC patients, p < 0.01). (4) Conclusion: The incidence of IBD in Spain is rather high and similar to that reported in Northern Europe. IBD patients require substantial therapeutic resources, which are greater in CD and in hospitals with high resources, and much higher than previously reported. One third of patients are hospitalized in the first year after diagnosis and a relevant proportion undergo surgery. © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland

Guidelines for the use and interpretation of assays for monitoring autophagy (4th edition)1.

In 2008, we published the first set of guidelines for standardizing research in autophagy. Since then, this topic has received increasing attention, and many scientists have entered the field. Our knowledge base and relevant new technologies have also been expanding. Thus, it is important to formulate on a regular basis updated guidelines for monitoring autophagy in different organisms. Despite numerous reviews, there continues to be confusion regarding acceptable methods to evaluate autophagy, especially in multicellular eukaryotes. Here, we present a set of guidelines for investigators to select and interpret methods to examine autophagy and related processes, and for reviewers to provide realistic and reasonable critiques of reports that are focused on these processes. These guidelines are not meant to be a dogmatic set of rules, because the appropriateness of any assay largely depends on the question being asked and the system being used. Moreover, no individual assay is perfect for every situation, calling for the use of multiple techniques to properly monitor autophagy in each experimental setting. Finally, several core components of the autophagy machinery have been implicated in distinct autophagic processes (canonical and noncanonical autophagy), implying that genetic approaches to block autophagy should rely on targeting two or more autophagy-related genes that ideally participate in distinct steps of the pathway. Along similar lines, because multiple proteins involved in autophagy also regulate other cellular pathways including apoptosis, not all of them can be used as a specific marker for bona fide autophagic responses. Here, we critically discuss current methods of assessing autophagy and the information they can, or cannot, provide. Our ultimate goal is to encourage intellectual and technical innovation in the field

Fabric Development in a Middle Devonian Intraoceanic Subduction Regime: The Careón Ophiolite (Northwest Spain)

A Middle Devonian suprasubduction zone ophiolite, the Careo´n Unit (northwest Spain), displays amphibolite-facies ductile deformation fabrics related to the onset of the Rheic Ocean closure. Two different fabrics, an early high-T foliation and a subsequent lower-T foliation, each of which characterized by distinct deformation mechanisms, have been identified in two distinct crustal-scale shear zones of the same ophiolitic thrust sheet. Combined quantitative texture analysis by electron backscattered diffraction and time-of-flight neutron diffraction, were carried out on the shear zones and correlated with micro- and macrostructural data. The results indicate that the regional lineation and shear zone kinematics (east-west, top-to-the-east) represent fabrics developed essentially during the intraoceanic subduction of the Rheic Ocean, and their orientation may be considered a reference vector for convergence models in this part of the Variscan belt

Radiofrecuencia pulsada en la neuralgia esencial del trigémino: ¿Es una alternativa válida a la radiofrecuencia convencional?

Objectives. To demónstrate the effectiveness and safety of pulsed radiofrequency in the treatment of the essential trigeminal neuralgia and to compare it with the conventional technique. Matherial and Methods. This is a prospective observational study of 32 patients diagnosed of essential trigeminal neuralgia in which a total of 44 radiofrequencies were applied to the Gasserian ganglion. The radiophrequencies were performed in operating room under X-ray control with a Neurotherm generator, a 22G SMK needles, a sensitive stimulation to 50 Hz up to noticing parestesia with 0,3-0,5 V and motor to 2 Hz without contraction of the masseter muscle finds except if third branch was stimulated. 28 pulsed radiophrequencies (RFP) and 16 conventional (RFC) were carried out. The RFP were carried out at a temperature 40 ºC during 120 seconds whereas the RFC were performed at 80 ºC during 60 seconds. The efficiency of the treatment was based on control of the pain according to the EVA scale at 30, 90, and 180 days and by means of Lattinen's test before and at the end of the study. All the patients were asked regarding the possible side effects of the treatment. Results. 44 procedures were realized. 60% of the patients were males and 40% women. The mean age was 68.32 years. Both groups were comparable as for previous pathology and personal precedents. In 4.5% of the patients, the first branch was affected, in 31.8% the second branch, in 36.4% the third branch, in 13.6% the first and second branch, and finally in 13.6% the second and third branch. The patients received RFP in 63,6% of the cases and RFC in 36.4 %. In the RFP group the evolution of the VAS was as followed: VAS 0: 8; VAS 1: 3.4; VAS 3: 2.5 and VAS 6: 2. and the Lattinen Índex, LO: 16.9 and L6: 6. In the RFC group: VAS 0: 7.9; VAS 1: 3.25; VAS 3: 2 and VAS 6: 2. Lattinen índex: LO: 16.125 and L6: 5. There were no statistically significant differences in the reduction of VAS and Lattinen. In the group of RFP it was necessary repeat the technique in 28,57% of the cases and in the group of RFC in 25% of the same ones. In none of two groups were observed neither complications derived from the technique ñor side effects. Conclusions. The RFP of the Gasser's ganglion appears as an effective and safe alternative treatment to the RFC in the management of the essential trigeminal neuralgia.Objetivos. Demostrar la eficacia y seguridad de la radiofrecuencia pulsada en el tratamiento de la neuralgia esencial del trigémino y compararla con la técnica convencional. Material y métodos. Estudio observacional prospectivo en 32 pacientes diagnosticados de neuralgia esencial del trigémino a los que se les realizó un total de 44 radiofrecuencias del ganglio de Gasser. Las radiofrecuencias fueron realizadas en quirófano, bajo control radioscópico con un generador Neurotherm, agujas SMK 22G, estimulación sensitiva a 50 Hz hasta notar parestesia con 0,3-0,5 V y motora a 2 Hz sin que haya contracción del músculo masetero excepto si se está estimulando la 3ª rama. Se realizaron 28 radiofrecuencias pulsadas (RFP) y 16 convencionales (RFC). La RFP se realizaba a una tª de 40º C durante 120 sg mientras que la RFC se realizaba a una tª de 80º C durante 60 sg. La eficacia del tratamiento se basó en control del dolor según la EVA a los 30, 90, y 180 días y mediante el test de Lattinen antes y al final del estudio. Todos los pacientes fueron preguntados acerca de posibles efectos secundarios. Resultados. Se realizaron un total de 44 procedimientos. El 60% de los pacientes fueron varones y el 40% mujeres. La edad media fue de 68.32 años. Ambos grupos fueron comparables en cuanto a patología previa y antecedentes personales. Entre las ramas afectas el 4.5% de los pacientes tenía afectada la primera rama, el 31.8% la segunda rama, el 36.4% la tercera rama, el 13.6% la primera y segunda rama, y el 13.6% la segunda y tercera rama. Los pacientes recibieron RFP en el 63,6% de los casos y RFC en el 36.4%. En el grupo de RFP la evolución del VAS fue: VAS 0: 8; VAS 1: 3 .4; VAS 3: 2.5 y VAS 6: 2. y del índice de Lattinen, L0: 16.9 y L6: 6. En el grupo de RFC, VAS 0: 7.9; VAS 1: 3.25; VAS 3: 2 y VAS 6: 2. El índice de Lattinen, L0: 16.125 y L6: 5. No hubo diferencias estadísticamente significativas en la reducción del VAS y del Lattinen. En el grupo de RFP se necesitó repetir la técnica en el 28,57 % de los casos y en el grupo de RFC en el 25% de los mismos. En ninguno de los dos grupos se observaron complicaciones derivadas de la técnica ni efectos secundarios. Conclusiones. La RFP del ganglio de Gasser se muestra como una alternativa eficaz y segura a la RFC en el tratamiento de la neuralgia esencial del trigémino