Gamow-Teller strength distributions in Xe isotopes

The energy distributions of the Gamow-Teller strength are studied for even-even Xe isotopes with mass numbers from 124 to 142. A self-consistent microscopic formalism is used to generate the single particle basis, using a deformed Skyrme Hartree-Fock mean field with pairing correlations in BCS approximation. The Gamow-Teller transitions are obtained within a quasiparticle random phase approximation (QRPA) approach using a residual spin-isospin interaction in the particle-hole and particle-particle channels. We then discuss the pairing BCS treatment and the determination of the ph and pp residual interaction coupling constants. We study the GT+ and GT- strength distributions for the equilibrium nuclear shapes, which are an essential information for studies of charge-exchange reactions and double-beta processes involving these isotopes.Comment: 15 pages, 5 figures. To appear in Phys Rev

Variation in assignment of the COPD patients into a GOLD group according to symptoms severity

Introduction: The Global Organization of Lung Disease (GOLD) classifies patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) taking into account the symptoms. The modified Medical Research Council’s dyspnea scale (mMRC) and the COPD assessment test (CAT) are used to assess these symptoms. In this study, we analyze the concordance of GOLD classification using mMRC and CAT. Patients and Methods: This is an observational study of a cohort of 169 patients with COPD, who were classified following the GOLD 2017 recommendations, using both mMRC and CAT. A concordance analysis was applied, and a ROC curve was generated to identify the CAT score that best concorded with the mMRC scale. Results: The concordance for the GOLD groups classified by CAT and mMRC was moderate (kappa 0.492). For mMRC score of 1 and 2, a CAT score of =9 and =16 showed the maximum value of the Youden index, respectively. By reclassifying the patients with the new cut-off points obtained, the best concordance was obtained between the cut-off point for CAT of 16 and for mMRC of 2, followed by CAT of 9 and mMRC of 1. Conclusion: Because of the deficient concordance between CAT and mMRC, we propose the use of new cut-off points in future updates of the GOLD strategy

Crucial Role of the Co Cations on the Destabilization of the Ferrimagnetic Alignment in Co-Ferrite Nanoparticles with Tunable Structural Defects

The key role of the structural defects on the magnetic properties of cobalt ferrite nanoparticles (NPs) is investigated by complementary local probes: element- and site-specific X-ray magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD) combined with high-resolution transmission electron microscopy of individual NPs. A series of monodisperse samples of 8 nm NPs with a tunable amount of structural defects were prepared by thermal decomposition of Fe(III) and Co(II) acetylacetonates in the presence of a variable concentration of 1,2-hexadecanediol. The particles show a partial inverse spinel structure, and their stoichiometry and cation distribution are comparable along the series. Element-specific XMCD hysteresis loops at all the cationic sites show a decrease in squareness and an increase in both the closure field and the high-field susceptibility as the NPs become more structurally defective, suggesting the progressive loss of the collinear ferrimagnetism. However, the Co2+ cations in octahedral sites are significantly more affected by the structural defects than the rest of the cations. This is because structural defects cause local distortions of the crystal field acting on the orbital component of the cations, yielding effective local anisotropy axes that cause a prevalent Co2+ spin canting through the spin–orbit coupling, owing to the relatively large value of the partially unquenched moment of these cations, as found by XMCD. All in all, our results emphasize the crucial role of the Co2+ cations on the destabilization of the collinear ferrimagnetism with the inclusion of structural defects in cobalt ferrite NPs

Quantum gravity phenomenology at the dawn of the multi-messenger era-A review.

The exploration of the universe has recently entered a new era thanks to the multi-messenger paradigm, characterized by a continuous increase in the quantity and quality of experimental data that is obtained by the detection of the various cosmic messengers (photons, neutrinos, cosmic rays and gravitational waves) from numerous origins. They give us information about their sources in the universe and the properties of the intergalactic medium. Moreover, multi-messenger astronomy opens up the possibility to search for phenomenological signatures of quantum gravity. On the one hand, the most energetic events allow us to test our physical theories at energy regimes which are not directly accessible in accelerators; on the other hand, tiny effects in the propagation of very high energy particles could be amplified by cosmological distances. After decades of merely theoretical investigations, the possibility of obtaining phenomenological indications of Planck-scale effects is a revolutionary step in the quest for a quantum theory of gravity, but it requires cooperation between different communities of physicists (both theoretical and experimental). This review, prepared within the COST Action CA18108 "Quantum gravity phenomenology in the multi-messenger approach", is aimed at promoting this cooperation by giving a state-of-the art account of the interdisciplinary expertise that is needed in the effective search of quantum gravity footprints in the production, propagation and detection of cosmic messengers. (C) 2022 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V

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

Declaración de Cancún: declaración internacional de Cancún sobre el derecho a la nutrición en los hospitales

La declaración de Cancún por el derecho humano de los enfermos a recibir una terapia nutricional oportuna y óptima en cualquier lugar donde se encuentren ha sido emitida por los Presidentes de las Sociedades y Asociaciones de Nutrición Clínica y Terapia Nutricional de América Latina y el Caribe, en el marco del XI Congreso de FELANPE/XV Congreso de AMAEE, en la Ciudad de Cancún Quintana Roo, México, el día 20 de mayo de 2008

Role of age and comorbidities in mortality of patients with infective endocarditis

Purpose: The aim of this study was to analyse the characteristics of patients with IE in three groups of age and to assess the ability of age and the Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) to predict mortality. Methods: Prospective cohort study of all patients with IE included in the GAMES Spanish database between 2008 and 2015. Patients were stratified into three age groups:<65 years, 65 to 80 years, and = 80 years.The area under the receiver-operating characteristic (AUROC) curve was calculated to quantify the diagnostic accuracy of the CCI to predict mortality risk. Results: A total of 3120 patients with IE (1327 < 65 years;1291 65-80 years;502 = 80 years) were enrolled.Fever and heart failure were the most common presentations of IE, with no differences among age groups.Patients =80 years who underwent surgery were significantly lower compared with other age groups (14.3%, 65 years; 20.5%, 65-79 years; 31.3%, =80 years). In-hospital mortality was lower in the <65-year group (20.3%, <65 years;30.1%, 65-79 years;34.7%, =80 years;p < 0.001) as well as 1-year mortality (3.2%, <65 years; 5.5%, 65-80 years;7.6%, =80 years; p = 0.003).Independent predictors of mortality were age = 80 years (hazard ratio [HR]:2.78;95% confidence interval [CI]:2.32–3.34), CCI = 3 (HR:1.62; 95% CI:1.39–1.88), and non-performed surgery (HR:1.64;95% CI:11.16–1.58).When the three age groups were compared, the AUROC curve for CCI was significantly larger for patients aged <65 years(p < 0.001) for both in-hospital and 1-year mortality. Conclusion: There were no differences in the clinical presentation of IE between the groups. Age = 80 years, high comorbidity (measured by CCI), and non-performance of surgery were independent predictors of mortality in patients with IE.CCI could help to identify those patients with IE and surgical indication who present a lower risk of in-hospital and 1-year mortality after surgery, especially in the <65-year group

NEXT-CRAB-0: A High Pressure Gaseous Xenon Time Projection Chamber with a Direct VUV Camera Based Readout

The search for neutrinoless double beta decay ($0\nu\beta\beta$) remains one of the most compelling experimental avenues for the discovery in the neutrino sector. Electroluminescent gas-phase time projection chambers are well suited to $0\nu\beta\beta$ searches due to their intrinsically precise energy resolution and topological event identification capabilities. Scalability to ton- and multi-ton masses requires readout of large-area electroluminescent regions with fine spatial resolution, low radiogenic backgrounds, and a scalable data acquisition system. This paper presents a detector prototype that records event topology in an electroluminescent xenon gas TPC via VUV image-intensified cameras. This enables an extendable readout of large tracking planes with commercial devices that reside almost entirely outside of the active medium.Following further development in intermediate scale demonstrators, this technique may represent a novel and enlargeable method for topological event imaging in $0\nu\beta\beta$.Comment: 32 Pages, 22 figure