Evaluation of a program for updating recommendations about hand hygiene

Introducción. La higiene de manos (HM) es la medida más importante para prevenir las infecciones nosocomiales. El objetivo es evaluar el programa de actualización de las recomendaciones sobre HM implantado. Material y métodos. Intervenciones: marzo-octubre/2005 se realizaron sesiones de actualización sobre cuándo y cómo realizar la HM y mayo/2006 se repartió un tríptico explicativo a todos los trabajadores informando del grado de cumplimiento de las recomendaciones. Indicadores: nivel conocimientos (NC) medido con un cuestionario de cinco preguntas que se pasaba antes y después de las sesiones y se consideró respuesta inadecuada cuando se fallaban tres o más preguntas; el consumo soluciones alcohólicas (CSA) en ml/estancia agrupado en semestres desde 2004-2006; el grado cumplimiento de recomendaciones (GCR) sobre la HM medida por observación directa en dos momentos (diciembre/2005-febrero/2006 y octubre-noviembre/2006) y la prevalencia de infecciones nosocomiales (PI) y de pacientes con infección nosocomial (PPI) a partir estudios EPINE 2004-2005-2006. Resultados. La frecuencia de respuestas inadecuadas para evaluar NC pasó de un 57,5% antes a 18,9% después (p<0,001). El CSA para HM pasó de 3 ml/estancia en 2º semestre/2004 a 17 ml/estancia en 2º semestre/2006 (p<0,001). El GCR ha pasado del 31,0% al 55,6% (p<0,001). La PI y PPI han pasado del 11,4% y el 9,6% respectivamente en el 2004 al 9,4% y 8,9% en 2006 (N.S.). Conclusión. El programa está consiguiendo de manera progresiva sus objetivos ya que los tres indicadores de proceso (NC, CSA, GC) han mejorado de manera estadísticamente significativa, y los de resultado (PI y PPI) han mejorado aunque sin significación estadística.Background. Hand Hygiene (HH) is the most important measure in the prevention of nosocomial infections. The objective was to evaluate the program for updating recommendations on HH that had been introduced. Methods. Interventions: between March-October/2005 realisation of updating sessions about when and how to realize HH and May/2006 distribution of an explicative three-part document to all healthcare workers reporting on compliance with the recommendations. Indicators: level of knowledge (LK) measured with a questionnaire of five questions that was given to those attending before and after sessions, responses were considered inadequate when three or more questions were not answered; consumption of alcoholic solutions (CAS) on ml/stay grouped into semesters from 2004-2006; compliance (CO) with recommendations on HH was measured by direct observation at two times (December/2005-February/2006 and October-November/2006); and infections prevalence (IP) and patients with infection (IPP) for EPINE studies 2004-2005-2006. Results. The frequency of inadequate answers for evaluating LK has fallen from 57,5% before to 18,9% afterwards (p <0.001). The CAS for HH has passed from 3 ml/stay in 2nd semester/2004 to 17 ml/stay 2nd semester/2006 (p <0.001). The CO with HH has risen from 31,0% to 55,6% (p <0.001). The IP and IPP have risen respectively from 11,4% and 9,6% in 2004 to 9,4% and 8,9% in 2006 (N.S.). Conclusion. The program is progressively achieving its objectives as the three process indicators (LK, CAS, CO) have improved in a statistically significant way, and the indicators of results (IP and IPP) have improved but without achieving statistical significance.Proyecto de investigación financiado por el Fondo de Investigaciones Sanitarias del Ministerio de Sanidad, Nº Expte: PI0542075 y la Dirección General de Calidad de la Conselleria de Sanitat de la Generalitat Valenciana. Nº Expte: 12-2004

The Galaxy Activity, Torus, and Outflow Survey (GATOS): III. Revealing the inner icy structure in local active galactic nuclei

We use JWST/MIRI MRS spectroscopy of a sample of six local obscured type 1.9/2 active galactic nuclei (AGN) to compare their nuclear mid-IR absorption bands with the level of nuclear obscuration traced by X-rays. This study is the first to use subarcsecond angular resolution data of local obscured AGN to investigate the nuclear mid-IR absorption bands with a wide wavelength coverage (4.9–28.1 μm). All the nuclei show the 9.7 μm silicate band in absorption. We compare the strength of the 9.7 and 18 μm silicate features with torus model predictions. The observed silicate features are generally well explained by clumpy and smooth torus models. We report the detection of the 6 μm dirty water ice band (i.e., a mix of water and other molecules such as CO and CO2) at subarcsecond scales (∼0.26″ at 6 μm; inner ∼50 pc) in a sample of local AGN with different levels of nuclear obscuration in the range log NHX-Ray (cm−2)∼22 − 25. We find good correlation between the 6 μm water ice optical depths and NHX-Ray. This result indicates that the water ice absorption might be a reliable tracer of the nuclear intrinsic obscuration in AGN. The weak water ice absorption in less obscured AGN (log NHX-ray (cm−2)≲23.0 cm−2) might be related to the hotter dust temperature (> TsubH2O ∼ 110 K) expected to be reached in the outer layers of the torus due to their more inhomogeneous medium. Our results suggest it might be necessary to include the molecular content, such as H2O, aliphatic hydrocarbons (CH−), and more complex polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) molecules, in torus models to better constrain key parameters such as the torus covering factor (i.e., nuclear obscuration)

Deconvolution of JWST/MIRI Images: Applications to an Active Galactic Nucleus Model and GATOS Observations of NGC 5728

The superb image quality, stability, and sensitivity of JWST permit deconvolution techniques to be pursued with a fidelity unavailable to ground-based observations. We present an assessment of several deconvolution approaches to improve image quality and mitigate the effects of the complex JWST point-spread function (PSF). The optimal deconvolution method is determined by using WebbPSF to simulate JWST’s complex PSF and MIRISim to simulate multiband JWST/Mid-Infrared Imager Module (MIRIM) observations of a toy model of an active galactic nucleus (AGN). Five different deconvolution algorithms are tested: (1) Kraken deconvolution, (2) Richardson–Lucy, (3) the adaptive imaging deconvolution algorithm, (4) sparse regularization with the Condat–Vũ algorithm, and (5) iterative Wiener filtering and thresholding. We find that Kraken affords the greatest FWHM reduction of the nuclear source of our MIRISim observations for the toy AGN model while retaining good photometric integrity across all simulated wave bands. Applying Kraken to Galactic Activity, Torus, and Outflow Survey (GATOS) multiband JWST/MIRIM observations of the Seyfert 2 galaxy NGC 5728, we find that the algorithm reduces the FWHM of the nuclear source by a factor of 1.6–2.2 across all five filters. Kraken images facilitate detection of extended nuclear emission ∼2.″5 (∼470 pc, position angle ≃ 115°) in the SE–NW direction, especially at the longest wavelengths. We demonstrate that Kraken is a powerful tool to enhance faint features otherwise hidden in the complex JWST PSF

Single hadron response measurement and calorimeter jet energy scale uncertainty with the ATLAS detector at the LHC

The uncertainty on the calorimeter energy response to jets of particles is derived for the ATLAS experiment at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). First, the calorimeter response to single isolated charged hadrons is measured and compared to the Monte Carlo simulation using proton-proton collisions at centre-of-mass energies of sqrt(s) = 900 GeV and 7 TeV collected during 2009 and 2010. Then, using the decay of K_s and Lambda particles, the calorimeter response to specific types of particles (positively and negatively charged pions, protons, and anti-protons) is measured and compared to the Monte Carlo predictions. Finally, the jet energy scale uncertainty is determined by propagating the response uncertainty for single charged and neutral particles to jets. The response uncertainty is 2-5% for central isolated hadrons and 1-3% for the final calorimeter jet energy scale.Comment: 24 pages plus author list (36 pages total), 23 figures, 1 table, submitted to European Physical Journal

Search for squarks and gluinos in events with isolated leptons, jets and missing transverse momentum at s√=8 TeV with the ATLAS detector

The results of a search for supersymmetry in final states containing at least one isolated lepton (electron or muon), jets and large missing transverse momentum with the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider are reported. The search is based on proton-proton collision data at a centre-of-mass energy s√=8 TeV collected in 2012, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 20 fb−1. No significant excess above the Standard Model expectation is observed. Limits are set on supersymmetric particle masses for various supersymmetric models. Depending on the model, the search excludes gluino masses up to 1.32 TeV and squark masses up to 840 GeV. Limits are also set on the parameters of a minimal universal extra dimension model, excluding a compactification radius of 1/R c = 950 GeV for a cut-off scale times radius (ΛR c) of approximately 30

Measurements of fiducial and differential cross sections for Higgs boson production in the diphoton decay channel at s√=8 TeV with ATLAS

Measurements of fiducial and differential cross sections are presented for Higgs boson production in proton-proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of s√=8 TeV. The analysis is performed in the H → γγ decay channel using 20.3 fb−1 of data recorded by the ATLAS experiment at the CERN Large Hadron Collider. The signal is extracted using a fit to the diphoton invariant mass spectrum assuming that the width of the resonance is much smaller than the experimental resolution. The signal yields are corrected for the effects of detector inefficiency and resolution. The pp → H → γγ fiducial cross section is measured to be 43.2 ±9.4(stat.) − 2.9 + 3.2 (syst.) ±1.2(lumi)fb for a Higgs boson of mass 125.4GeV decaying to two isolated photons that have transverse momentum greater than 35% and 25% of the diphoton invariant mass and each with absolute pseudorapidity less than 2.37. Four additional fiducial cross sections and two cross-section limits are presented in phase space regions that test the theoretical modelling of different Higgs boson production mechanisms, or are sensitive to physics beyond the Standard Model. Differential cross sections are also presented, as a function of variables related to the diphoton kinematics and the jet activity produced in the Higgs boson events. The observed spectra are statistically limited but broadly in line with the theoretical expectations

Measurement of the cross-section and charge asymmetry of WW bosons produced in proton-proton collisions at s=8\sqrt{s}=8 TeV with the ATLAS detector

This paper presents measurements of the $W^+ \rightarrow \mu^+\nu$ and $W^- \rightarrow \mu^-\nu$ cross-sections and the associated charge asymmetry as a function of the absolute pseudorapidity of the decay muon. The data were collected in proton--proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 8 TeV with the ATLAS experiment at the LHC and correspond to a total integrated luminosity of 20.2~\mbox{fb^{-1}}. The precision of the cross-section measurements varies between 0.8% to 1.5% as a function of the pseudorapidity, excluding the 1.9% uncertainty on the integrated luminosity. The charge asymmetry is measured with an uncertainty between 0.002 and 0.003. The results are compared with predictions based on next-to-next-to-leading-order calculations with various parton distribution functions and have the sensitivity to discriminate between them.Comment: 38 pages in total, author list starting page 22, 5 figures, 4 tables, submitted to EPJC. All figures including auxiliary figures are available at https://atlas.web.cern.ch/Atlas/GROUPS/PHYSICS/PAPERS/STDM-2017-13

Measurement of χ c1 and χ c2 production with s√ = 7 TeV pp collisions at ATLAS

The prompt and non-prompt production cross-sections for the χ c1 and χ c2 charmonium states are measured in pp collisions at s√ = 7 TeV with the ATLAS detector at the LHC using 4.5 fb−1 of integrated luminosity. The χ c states are reconstructed through the radiative decay χ c → J/ψγ (with J/ψ → μ + μ −) where photons are reconstructed from γ → e + e − conversions. The production rate of the χ c2 state relative to the χ c1 state is measured for prompt and non-prompt χ c as a function of J/ψ transverse momentum. The prompt χ c cross-sections are combined with existing measurements of prompt J/ψ production to derive the fraction of prompt J/ψ produced in feed-down from χ c decays. The fractions of χ c1 and χ c2 produced in b-hadron decays are also measured