Searches for MSSM Higgs at the Tevatron

This proceeding reports the latest results of the experimental searches for Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model (MSSM) Higgs bosons at the Tevatron pp collider of Fermilab. Analyses have been performed on samples corresponding to an integrated luminosity of up to 2.2 fb −1, collected by the CDF and D0 detectors. No significant excess of events above the Standard Model (SM) background is observed, so the measurements are used to set exclusion limits on production cross-sections and theory parameters

The Systems Analysis and Design Course: An Educators’ Assessment of the Importance and Coverage of Topics

This study examines instructors\u27 perceptions regarding the skills and topics that are most important in the teaching of a Systems Analysis and Design (“SAD”) course and the class time devoted to each. A large number of Information Systems (“IS”) educators at AACSB accredited schools across the United States were surveyed. Shannon‟s entropy is used to analyze the opinions and measure the agreement or disagreement among survey respondents. Findings suggest that object-oriented analysis and structured analysis are topics on which instructors spend the most time, and are also the topics for which there is the greatest disagreement regarding importance. Conversely, the greatest agreement among survey respondents occurs with topics that, on the whole, were perceived as less important and to which less class time is devoted. This analysis provides a basis for comparison to practitioner perceptions

a transverse and longitudinal mr imaging voxel based morphometry study in patients with primary cervical dystonia

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Findings of standard MR imaging examinations are usually normal in primary CD. These findings are now increasingly challenged by studies using advanced neuroimaging techniques detecting abnormalities in brain areas that may be functionally involved in the pathophysiology of CD. Our purpose was to evaluate GM volumes in patients with CD at baseline and 5 years later. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We enrolled 19 patients (F/M = 15:4, mean age = 53.2 + 11.2 years), 12 of whom were studied at baseline and again approximately 5 years later. Twenty-eight healthy volunteers acted as controls (F/M = 17:11, mean age = 47.5 + 15.6 years). The subjects were imaged with a 1.5T scanner by using a 3D T1-weighted sequence on 150 contiguous axial 1-mm-thick sections to apply VBM. RESULTS: At entry, VBM analysis disclosed significantly lower GM volumes in the left caudate head and putamen and in the premotor and primary sensorimotor cortices bilaterally in patients than in controls. No correlation was found between decreased GM volumes and patient age, severity of dystonia, or disease duration. At the 5-year follow-up, GM volumes in the left primary sensorimotor cortex in patients had decreased significantly from baseline. CONCLUSIONS: The findings obtained at entry and after a 5-year follow-up consistently showed decreased caudate, putamen, and sensorimotor cortex GM volumes in patients with CD, and they probably play a pathophysiologic role in CD

The Relationship between Gut Microbiota and Respiratory Tract Infections in Childhood: A Narrative Review

Respiratory tract infections (RTIs) are common in childhood and represent one of the main causes of hospitalization in this population. In recent years, many studies have described the association between gut microbiota (GM) composition and RTIs in animal models. In particular, the “inter-talk” between GM and the immune system has recently been unveiled. However, the role of GM in human, and especially infantile, RTIs has not yet been fully established. In this narrative review we provide an up-to-date overview of the physiological pathways that explain how the GM shapes the immune system, potentially influencing the response to common childhood respiratory viral infections and compare studies analysing the relationship between GM composition and RTIs in children. Most studies provide evidence of GM dysbiosis, but it is not yet possible to identify a distinct bacterial signature associated with RTI predisposition. A better understanding of GM involvement in RTIs could lead to innovative integrated GM-based strategies for the prevention and treatment of RTIs in the paediatric population

Stringy K-theory and the Chern character

For a finite group G acting on a smooth projective variety X, we construct two new G-equivariant rings: first the stringy K-theory of X, and second the stringy cohomology of X. For a smooth Deligne-Mumford stack Y we also construct a new ring called the full orbifold K-theory of Y. For a global quotient Y=[X/G], the ring of G-invariants of the stringy K-theory of X is a subalgebra of the full orbifold K-theory of the the stack Y and is linearly isomorphic to the ``orbifold K-theory'' of Adem-Ruan (and hence Atiyah-Segal), but carries a different, ``quantum,'' product, which respects the natural group grading. We prove there is a ring isomorphism, the stringy Chern character, from stringy K-theory to stringy cohomology, and a ring homomorphism from full orbifold K-theory to Chen-Ruan orbifold cohomology. These Chern characters satisfy Grothendieck-Riemann-Roch for etale maps. We prove that stringy cohomology is isomorphic to Fantechi and Goettsche's construction. Since our constructions do not use complex curves, stable maps, admissible covers, or moduli spaces, our results simplify the definitions of Fantechi-Goettsche's ring, of Chen-Ruan's orbifold cohomology, and of Abramovich-Graber-Vistoli's orbifold Chow. We conclude by showing that a K-theoretic version of Ruan's Hyper-Kaehler Resolution Conjecture holds for symmetric products. Our results hold both in the algebro-geometric category and in the topological category for equivariant almost complex manifolds.Comment: Exposition improved and additional details provided. To appear in Inventiones Mathematica

Impact of comprehensive pulmonary rehabilitation on anxiety and depression in hospitalized COPD patients.

To prospectively evaluate the effect of inpatient pulmonary rehabilitation (iPR) on anxiety and depression as outcome measures in patients with COPD, we studied 149 consecutive adults COPD referred to our iPR after an exacerbation. Patients were divided according to the GOLD staging into: Group 1 (stage 2a, n = 48, FEV1 63 +/- 9% pred.), Group 2 (stage 2b, n = 53, FEV1 42 +/- 6% pred.) and Group 3 (stage 3, n = 48, FEV1 25 +/- 7% pred.). The iPR consisted of twelve 3-hours daily sessions. Hospital Anxiety Depression (HAD) Scale as well as 6-minute walk (6MWD) with evaluation of dyspnea (D) and leg fatigue (F) at rest and end of effort, and health related quality of life by means of St. George Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ) were assessed before (T0) and after (T1) the iPR. 6MWD, D and F at end of effort and SGRQ total score similarly improved (p < 0.001) in all groups after iPR. The mean level of HAD-anxiety (from 9.1 +/- 4.0 to 7.7 +/- 3.5, from 9.0 +/- 4.6 to 7.2 +/- 4.6 and from 8.1 +/- 4.1 to 6.7 +/- 4.3 in group 1,2 and 3 respectively) and HAD-depression (from 9.4 +/- 3.5 to 8.2 +/- 3.5, from 9.1 +/- 4.2 to 8.2 +/- 4.5 and from 9.0 +/- 4.0 to 7.4 +/- 4.5 respectively) similarly changed (p < 0.0001) over time in all groups. The total percentage of patients with abnormal score (> 10) of HAD-anxiety (from 31% to 21%) and HAD-depression (from 30% to 22%) significantly decreased (p < 0.05) after the iPR. Inpatient pulmonary rehabilitation may improve levels of anxiety and depression as well as symptoms, exercise capacity and health related quality of life in moderate to severe COPD patients after an acute exacerbation

Silicone Based Capacitive E-Skin Sensor for Soft Surgical Robots

In this extended abstract, we present a soft stretchable multi-modal capacitive skin sensor that can be used for exteroception and proprioception in soft surgical manipulators. A soft skin prototype was made using Ecoflex, embedding three conductive carbon grease terminal layers. This soft skin is capable of measuring stretch and touch simultaneously. The soft skin measures uniaxial stretches from 1 to 1.2475 within an error range of 2.6% and can also quantify as well as localize local indentation. An algorithm is developed that decouples local change, i.e., due to indentation, from global strain, due to stretch. An experimental study was conducted; results are presented

Cohomology of bundles on homological Hopf manifold

We discuss the properties of complex manifolds having rational homology of $S^1 \times S^{2n-1}$ including those constructed by Hopf, Kodaira and Brieskorn-van de Ven. We extend certain previously known vanishing properties of cohomology of bundles on such manifolds.As an application we consider degeneration of Hodge-deRham spectral sequence in this non Kahler setting.Comment: To appear in Proceedings of 2007 conference on Several complex variables and Complex Geometry. Xiamen. Chin

Evaluation of microbial adhesion and biofilm formation on nano-structured and nano-coated ortho-prosthetic materials by a dynamic model

The bio-engineering technologies of medical devices through nano-structuring and coating was recently proposed to improve biocompatibility and to reduce microbial adhesion in the prevention of implantable device-related infections. Our aim was to evaluate the ability of new nano-structured and coated materials to prevent the adhesion and biofilm formation, according to the American Standard Test Method ASTM-E2647-13. The materials composition was determined by X-ray Fluorescence and Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy. Silver release was evaluated by Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry analysis. The gene expression levels of the Quorum Sensing Las and Rhl system were evaluated by the ΔΔCt method. The Log bacterial density (Log CFU/cm2) on TiAl6V4 was 4.41 ± 0.76 and 4.63 ± 1.01 on TiAl6V4-AgNPs compared to 2.57 ± 0.70 on CoCr and 2.73 ± 0.61 on CoCr-AgNPs (P < 0.0001, A.N.O.V.A.- one way test). The silver release was found to be equal to 17.8 ± 0.2 μg/L after the batch phase and 1.3 ± 0.1 μg/L during continuous flow. The rhlR gene resulted in a 2.70-fold increased expression in biofilm growth on the silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) coating. In conclusion, CoCr showed a greater ability to reduce microbial adhesion, independently of the AgNPs coating. The silver release resulted in promoting the up-regulation of the Rhl system. Further investigation should be conducted to optimize the effectiveness of the coating