Tan(beta) enhanced Yukawa couplings for supersymmetric Higgs singlets at one loop

Extensions of the MSSM generically feature gauge singlet Higgs bosons. These singlet Higgs bosons have tan(beta)-enhanced Yukawa couplings to down-type quarks and leptons at the one-loop level. We present an effective Lagrangian incorporating these Yukawa couplings and use it to study their effect on singlet Higgs boson phenomenology within both the mnSSM and NMSSM. It is found that the loop-induced couplings represent an appreciable effect for the singlet pseudoscalar in particular, and may dominate its decay modes in some regions of parameter space.Comment: Submitted for the SUSY07 proceedings, 4 pages, 5 figure

All night analysis of time interval between snores in subjects with sleep apnea hypopnea syndrome

Sleep apnea–hypopnea syndrome (SAHS) is a serious sleep disorder, and snoring is one of its earliest and most consistent symptoms. We propose a new methodology for identifying two distinct types of snores: the so-called non-regular and regular snores. Respiratory sound signals from 34 subjects with different ranges of Apnea-Hypopnea Index (AHI = 3.7–109.9 h−1) were acquired. A total number of 74,439 snores were examined. The time interval between regular snores in short segments of the all night recordings was analyzed. Severe SAHS subjects show a shorter time interval between regular snores (p = 0.0036, AHI cp: 30 h−1) and less dispersion on the time interval features during all sleep. Conversely, lower intra-segment variability (p = 0.006, AHI cp: 30 h−1) is seen for less severe SAHS subjects. Features derived from the analysis of time interval between regular snores achieved classification accuracies of 88.2 % (with 90 % sensitivity, 75 % specificity) and 94.1 % (with 94.4 % sensitivity, 93.8 % specificity) for AHI cut-points of severity of 5 and 30 h−1, respectively. The features proved to be reliable predictors of the subjects’ SAHS severity. Our proposed method, the analysis of time interval between snores, provides promising results and puts forward a valuable aid for the early screening of subjects suspected of having SAHS

Emotional Eating, Self-Esteem, and Resilience in Young Adults

Research suggests that unhealthy eating behaviors occur for various reasons, most notably by perceiving external cues of food, but also from excessive stress. Research also suggests that people cope by either overeating or undereating in response to stress. There are two possible contributing factors to the presence of emotional undereating and emotional overeating: resilience to stress and self-esteem. The purpose of this study was to examine whether self-esteem and resilience limit emotional undereating (EUE) or emotional over-eating (EOE). Here [GU1] we show that resilience has more of an impact on both EOE and EUE than self-esteem. In a sample of 183 adults, correlational analyses found that self-esteem and resilience are inversely associated with undereating but not overeating. In exploring these associations further, a multiple regression analysis was conducted by entering both resilience and self-esteem as predictors of undereating. It was found that resilience is the primary buffer in limiting undereating. In other words, those with resilience tend to exhibit healthier eating habits beyond that of one\u27s self-esteem. This is in opposition to the commonly held belief that self-esteem is the main contributing factor to unhealthy eating patterns. It is reasonable to suggest that resilience, defined as an ability to adapt to stress, serves as a mechanism to limit unhealthy eating behaviors when stressed. Self-esteem, on the other hand, does not seem to serve this unique purpose. These results are important in understanding and preventing unhealthy emotional eating behaviors. In particular, building resilience instead of self-esteem, might help curb unhealthy eating

Association between Air Pollution and Hemoptysis

Altres ajuts: The authors would like to thank the Service of Air Surveillance and Control (Servei de Vigilància i Control de l'Aire) of the Department of Environment of the Catalan Autonomous Government for the data provided.Background. The relationship between air pollution and exacerbation of respiratory diseases is well established. Nevertheless, its association with hemoptysis has been poorly investigated. This paper describes the relationship of air pollutants with severe hemoptysis. Methods. All consecutive subjects with severe hemoptysis during a 5-year period were included. The relationship between the contamination measurements and the frequency of embolizations was analyzed using Poisson regressions. In these regressions, the dependent variable was the monthly number of embolizations in a given month and the independent variable was either the concentration of an air contaminant during the same month, the concentration of the air contaminant during the previous month, or the difference between the two. Results. A higher total number of embolizations per month were observed over the months with increases in the concentration of NO. The number of embolizations was 2.0 in the 33 months with no increases in the concentration of NO, 2.1 in the 12 months with small increases, 2.2 in the 5 months with moderate increases, 2.5 in the 4 months with large increases, and 4.0 in the 5 months with very large increases. Conclusion. There is association between hemoptysis and increases in the concentration of atmospheric NO in Badalona (Spain)

Vivaldi 1991 - A study of the formation, circulation and ventilation of Eastern North Atlantic Central Water

31 páginas, 10 figuras, 1 tablaA synoptic, hydrographic data set comprising 32 full depth CTD casts and 2500 CTD/SeaSoar profiles to 500 m is used to describe the 0/S properties and circulation of Central Water east of the mid-Atlantic Ridge and between 39°N and 54°N. Eastward transport of 20 x 10 ~ m 3 s l in the North Atlantic Current turns entirely northwards to the west of 54°N, 20°W. This transport consists in the upper layers of Western North Atlantic Water freshened at temperatures below 10°C by mixing with SubArctic Intermediate Water. Northern and Southern branches of the North Atlantic Current are well defined and both turn northwards west of 20°W. A further l0 x l0 s m 3 s "1 of Eastern North Atlantic Water forms and recirculates anticyclonicaily to the west of Spain south of the North Atlantic Current and north of 40°N. Eastern North Atlantic Water is most weakly stratified east of 20°W and there is clear correlation between weakly stratified pycnostads and positive salinity anomalies relative to Western North Atlantic Water. Thus Eastern North Atlantic Water is a winter Mode Water in which strong winter cooling has increased the density and hence also the salinity anomaly at a given temperature. Near the southern entrance to the Rockall Trough there is evidence that salinities are also increased by Mediterranean Water influence. Circulation south of the North Atlantic Current is complex. There is no evidence for direct ventilation southwards across 40°N where water properties (0/S, potential vorticity and CFC-113) and historical data all indicate westward ventilation east of 24°W, with weak southward ventilation occurring further west, in the vicinity of the Azores. The circulation pattern suggested is remarkably similar to that proposed by Helland-Hansen and Nansen in 1926 (The eastern North Atlantic, Geophysiske Publicajoner, 4, 1-76), with anticyclonic circulation of colder Eastern North Atlantic Water north of 40°N meeting warmer water from south of 40°N circulating cyclonically north of the Azores Current. The distribution of pycnostads and 0IS properties between 20°W and 35°W north of the Azores indicates alternate bands of Western and Eastern North Atlantic Water moving eastward and westward respectively, including evidence for westward motion immediately south of the Southern branch of the North Atlantic Current, possibly by westward propagation of anticyclonic eddies containing deep pycnostadsPeer reviewe

A Shift in Porcine Circovirus 3 (PCV-3) History Paradigm: Phylodynamic Analyses Reveal an Ancient Origin and Prolonged Undetected Circulation in the Worldwide Swine Population

The identification of a new circovirus (Porcine circovirus 3, PCV-3) has raised a remarkable concern because of some analogies with Porcine circovirus 2 (PCV-2). Preliminary results suggest an extremely recent PCV-3 emergence and high mutation rate. Retrospective studies prove its circulation at least since the early 1990s, revealing that PCV-3 could have been infecting pigs for an even longer period. Therefore, a new evaluation, based on an updated collection of PCV-3 sequences spanning more than 20 years, is performed using a phylodynamic approach. The obtained results overrule the previous PCV-3 history concept, indicating an ancient origin. These evidences are associated with an evolutionary rate far lower (10-10 substitution/site/year) than the PCV-2 one. Accordingly, the action of selective pressures on PCV-3 open reading frames (ORFs) seems to be remarkably lower compared to those acting on PCV-2, suggesting either a reduced PCV-3 plasticity or a less efficient host-induced natural selection. A complex and not-directional viral flow network is evidenced through phylogeographic analysis, indicating a long lasting circulation rather than a recent emergence followed by spreading. Being recent emergence has been ruled out, efforts should be devoted to understand whether its recent discovery is simply due to improved detection capabilities or to the breaking of a previous equilibrium

Non-Invasive monitoring of diaphragmatic timing by means of surface contact sensors: An experimental study in dogs

BACKGROUND: Non-invasive monitoring of respiratory muscle function is an area of increasing research interest, resulting in the appearance of new monitoring devices, one of these being piezoelectric contact sensors. The present study was designed to test whether the use of piezoelectric contact (non-invasive) sensors could be useful in respiratory monitoring, in particular in measuring the timing of diaphragmatic contraction. METHODS: Experiments were performed in an animal model: three pentobarbital anesthetized mongrel dogs. The motion of the thoracic cage was acquired by means of a piezoelectric contact sensor placed on the costal wall. This signal is compared with direct measurements of the diaphragmatic muscle length, made by sonomicrometry. Furthermore, to assess the diaphragmatic function other respiratory signals were acquired: respiratory airflow and transdiaphragmatic pressure. Diaphragm contraction time was estimated with these four signals. Using diaphragm length signal as reference, contraction times estimated with the other three signals were compared with the contraction time estimated with diaphragm length signal. RESULTS: The contraction time estimated with the TM signal tends to give a reading 0.06 seconds lower than the measure made with the DL signal (-0.21 and 0.00 for FL and DP signals, respectively), with a standard deviation of 0.05 seconds (0.08 and 0.06 for FL and DP signals, respectively). Correlation coefficients indicated a close link between time contraction estimated with TM signal and contraction time estimated with DL signal (a Pearson correlation coefficient of 0.98, a reliability coefficient of 0.95, a slope of 1.01 and a Spearman's rank-order coefficient of 0.98). In general, correlation coefficients and mean and standard deviation of the difference were better in the inspiratory load respiratory test than in spontaneous ventilation tests. CONCLUSION: The technique presented in this work provides a non-invasive method to assess the timing of diaphragmatic contraction in canines, using a piezoelectric contact sensor placed on the costal wall

Surface waters of the NW Iberian margin: upwelling on the shelf versus outwelling of upwelled waters from the Rías Baixas

A set of hydrographic surveys were carried out in the Ría of Vigo (NW Spain) at 2–4 d intervals during four 2–3 week periods in 1997, covering contrasting seasons. Residual exchange fluxes with the adjacent shelf were estimated with a 2-D, non-steady-state, salinity–temperature weighted box model. Exchange fluxes consist of a steady-state term (dependent on the variability of continental runoff) and a non-steady-state term (dependent on the time changes of density gradients in the embayment). More than 95% of the short-time-scale variability of the exchange fluxes in the middle and outer ría can be explained by the non-steady-state term that, in turns, is correlated (R2>75%) with the offshore Ekman transport. Conversely, 96% of the variability of exchange fluxes in the inner ría rely on the steady-state term. The outer and middle ría are under the direct influence of coastal upwelling, which enhances the positive residual circulation pattern by an order of magnitude: from 10 2 to 10 3 m3s−1. On the contrary, downwelling provokes a reversal of the circulation in the outer ría. The position of the downwelling front along the embayment depends on the relative importance of Ekman transport (Qx, m3s−1km−1) and continental runoff (R, m3s−1). When Qx/ R>7±2 the reversal of the circulation affects the middle ría. Our results are representative for the ‘Rías Baixas’, four large coastal indentations in NW Spain. During the upwelling season (spring and summer), 60% of shelf surface waters off the ‘Rías Baixas’ consist of fresh Eastern North Atlantic Central Water (ENACW) upwelled in situ. The remaining 40% consists of upwelled ENACW that previously enters the rías and it is subsequently outwelled after thermohaline modification. During the downwelling season (autumn and winter), 40% of the warm and salty oceanic subtropic surface water, which piled on the shelf by the predominant southerly winds, enters the rias

Retrospective detection of Porcine circovirus 3 (PCV-3) in pig serum samples from Spain

Porcine circovirus 3 (PCV‐3) is an emerging circovirus species that has recently been reported in different countries around the world, suggesting a widespread circulation. In this study, sera samples originating from 654 pigs of different production phases and clinical/pathological conditions, submitted for diagnostic purposes between 1996 and 2017, were randomly selected. Detection of PCV‐3 genome in such samples was attempted with a previously described PCR method, and the partial genome sequence was obtained from selected PCV‐3‐positive samples from different years. Compiled data confirmed that PCV‐3 has been circulating in the Spanish pig population since 1996. The overall frequency of PCV‐3 PCR‐positive samples in the study period was 11.47% (75 of 654). Phylogenetic analysis of twelve PCV‐3 partial sequences obtained showed a high nucleotide identity with the already known PCV‐3 sequences, with minor variations among years. No significant correlation was found between the detection of PCV‐3 and any production phase nor clinical/pathological condition. These results confirm PCV‐3 circulation at least since 1996 in the Spanish pig population with a low/moderate frequency. Although the information obtained was limited, PCV‐3 did not appear to be linked to any specific pathological condition or age group.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio