A Note on Unparticle Decays

The coupling of an unparticle operator O_U to Standard Model particles opens up the possibility of unparticle decays into standard model fields. We study this issue by analyzing the pole structure (and spectral function) of the unparticle propagator, corrected to account for one-loop polarization effects from virtual SM particles. We find that the propagator of a scalar unparticle (of scaling dimension 1 < d_U < 2) with a mass gap m_g develops an isolated pole, m_p^2-i m_p Gamma_p, with m_p^2 < m_g^2 below the unparticle continuum that extends above m_g (showing that the theory would be unstable without a mass gap). If that pole lies below the threshold for decay into two standard model particles the pole corresponds to a stable unparticle state (and its width Gamma_p is zero). For m_p^2 above threshold the width is non zero and related to the unparticle decay rate into Standard Model particles. This picture is valid for any value of d_U in the considered range.Comment: 11 pages, 4 figure

On the monitoring of surface displacement in connection with volcano reactivation in Tenerife, Canary Islands, using space techniques

Geodetic volcano monitoring in Tenerife has mainly focused on the Las Cañadas Caldera, where a geodetic micronetwork and a levelling profile are located. A sensitivity test of this geodetic network showed that it should be extended to cover the whole island for volcano monitoring purposes. Furthermore, InSAR allowed detecting two unexpected movements that were beyond the scope of the traditional geodetic network. These two facts prompted us to design and observe a GPS network covering the whole of Tenerife that was monitored in August 2000. The results obtained were accurate to one centimetre, and confirm one of the deformations, although they were not definitive enough to confirm the second one. Furthermore, new cases of possible subsidence have been detected in areas where InSAR could not be used to measure deformation due to low coherence. A first modelling attempt has been made using a very simple model and its results seem to indicate that the deformation observed and the groundwater level variation in the island may be related. Future observations will be necessary for further validation and to study the time evolution of the displacements, carry out interpretation work using different types of data (gravity, gases, etc) and develop models that represent the island more closely. The results obtained are important because they might affect the geodetic volcano monitoring on the island, which will only be really useful if it is capable of distinguishing between displacements that might be linked to volcanic activity and those produced by other causes. One important result in this work is that a new geodetic monitoring system based on two complementary techniques, InSAR and GPS, has been set up on Tenerife island. This the first time that the whole surface of any of the volcanic Canary Islands has been covered with a single network for this purpose. This research has displayed the need for further similar studies in the Canary Islands, at least on the islands which pose a greater risk of volcanic reactivation, such as Lanzarote and La Palma, where InSAR techniques have been used already

Radiales time series: 25 years building monitoring and analytical capacities in the Iberian shelf

The RADIALES program has been monitoring shelf waters in Spain for the last 25 years. This is the oldest field program for multidisciplinary marine research addressing long term variability issues at ecosystem level. Core observations include ship-based hydrographic, biogeochemical and plankton observations at monthly frequency in several oceanographic sections along the Iberian shelf. These observations are complemented with buoy and satellite observations and all these data are used to validate hydrographic and ecological models of plankton at local and regional scales. From the first series initiated in the northwestern shelf other programs extended the observations to the Mediterranean and off shelf waters using the same approach. The success of RADIALES extends beyond pure scientific knowledge, as the expertise gathered with the program has been applied to solve multiple environmental issues, from fisheries and pollution to global change. The program is also instrumental for educational purposes, allowing the specialization of students and technicians. Thanks to a basal funding provided by the Instituto Español de Oceanografía, the program currently obtains more than 60% of its annual budget from competitive calls, as it offers an unique platform for coastal research. Among the results of this program are 400 publications, including peer-review papers, 24 Thesis and 54 scientific reports. The RADIALES data are freely distributed to national and international users as a contribution to the development of cost-effective ocean research and marine servicesIEO (RADIALES

Screening of virulence genes in Staphylococcus aureus isolates from rabbits

Staphylococcus aureus is a versatile pathogen that can survive in diverse host environments and produce a wide range of diseases both in humans and animals. This versatility depends on its ability to modulate gene expression and the synthesis of virulence determinants. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the distribution of bacterial virulence determinants in the most prevalent S. aureus strain types causing lesions in rabbits. Sixty-nine S. aureus strains were isolated from rabbit does with different chronic purulent lesions from 30 Spanish industrial rabbitries. Genotyping characterization of the strains was performed based on the analysis of the polymorphic regions of the coa, spa and clfB genes, as well as Multylocus Sequence Typing (MLST) on one strain of each of the most frequent genotypes. The isolates were also analyzed for the presence of forty virulence genes by PCRs and Southern blot, in order to determine their relationship with the genotype and the type of infection respectively. The great majority of isolates belonging to the same genotype were related to the same virulence factors, even though certain virulence factors were variable inside a genotype. However, the type of infection could not be related to any combination of virulence factors

Unparticles-Higgs Interplay

We show that scalar unparticles coupled to the Standard Model Higgs at the renormalizable level can have a dramatic impact in the breaking of the electroweak symmetry already at tree level. In particular one can get the proper electroweak scale without the need of a Higgs mass term in the Lagrangian. By studying the mixed unparticle-Higgs propagator and spectral function we also show how unparticles can shift the Higgs mass away from its Standard Model value, \lambda v^2, and influence other Higgs boson properties. Conversely, we study in some detail how electroweak symmetry breaking affects the unparticle sector by breaking its conformal symmetry and generating a mass gap. We also show that, for Higgs masses above that gap, unparticles can increase quite significantly the Higgs width.Comment: 14 pages, 7 figures, typos correcte

The International Society for Children's Health and the Environment Commits to Reduce Its Carbon Footprint to Safeguard Children's Health.

The Lancet Countdown and the 2018 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change declared that the worst impacts of climate change are and will continue to be felt disproportionately by children. Children are uniquely vulnerable to the consequences of climate change, including heat stress, food scarcity, increases in pollution and vector-borne diseases, lost family income, displacement, and the trauma of living through a climate-related disaster. These stressors can result in long-lasting physical and mental health sequelae. Based upon these concerns associated with climate change, the International Society for Children's Health and the Environment developed a statement about ways in which the Society could take action to reduce its contribution of greenhouse gas emissions. The objective of this article is to report our Society's plans in hopes that we may stimulate other scientific societies to take action. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP6578

Marine megafauna niche coexistence and hotspot areas in a temperate ecosystem

Versión del editor2,08

Antimicrobial stewardship programs in adult intensive care units in Latin America: Implementation, assessments, and impact on outcomes

OBJECTIVE: To assess the impact of antimicrobial stewardship programs (ASPs) in adult medical-surgical intensive care units (MS-ICUs) in Latin America. DESIGN: Quasi-experimental prospective with continuous time series. SETTING: The study included 77 MS-ICUs in 9 Latin American countries. PATIENTS: Adult patients admitted to an MS-ICU for at least 24 hours were included in the study. METHODS: This multicenter study was conducted over 12 months. To evaluate the ASPs, representatives from all MS-ICUs performed a self-assessment survey (0-100 scale) at the beginning and end of the study. The impact of each ASP was evaluated monthly using the following measures: antimicrobial consumption, appropriateness of antimicrobial treatments, crude mortality, and multidrug-resistant microorganisms in healthcare-associated infections (MDRO-HAIs). Using final stewardship program quality self-assessment scores, MS-ICUs were stratified and compared among 3 groups: ≤25th percentile, \u3e25th to \u3c75th \u3epercentile, and ≥75th percentile. RESULTS: In total, 77 MS-ICU from 9 Latin American countries completed the study. Twenty MS-ICUs reached at least the 75th percentile at the end of the study in comparison with the same number who remain within the 25th percentile (score, 76.1 ± 7.5 vs 28.0 ± 7.3; P \u3c .0001). Several indicators performed better in the MS-ICUs in the 75th versus 25th percentiles: antimicrobial consumption (143.4 vs 159.4 DDD per 100 patient days; P \u3c .0001), adherence to clinical guidelines (92.5% vs 59.3%; P \u3c .0001), validation of prescription by pharmacist (72.0% vs 58.0%; P \u3c .0001), crude mortality (15.9% vs 17.7%; P \u3c .0001), and MDRO-HAIs (9.45 vs 10.96 cases per 1,000 patient days; P = .004). CONCLUSION: MS-ICUs with more comprehensive ASPs showed significant improvement in antimicrobial utilization

Delayed oral LY333013 rescues mice from highly neurotoxic, lethal doses of Papuan Taipan (Oxyuranus scutellatus) venom

There is an unmet need for economical snakebite therapies with long shelf lives that are effective even with delays in treatment. The orally bioavailable, heat-stable, secretory phospholipase A2 (sPLA2) inhibitor, LY333013, demonstrates antidotal characteristics for severe snakebite envenoming in both field and hospital use. A murine model of lethal envenoming by a Papuan taipan (Oxyuranus scutellatus) demonstrates that LY333013, even with delayed oral administration, improves the chances of survival. Furthermore, LY333013 improves the performance of antivenom even after it no longer reverses neurotoxic signs. Our study is the first demonstration that neurotoxicity from presynaptic venom sPLA2S can be treated successfully, even after the window of therapeutic antivenom has closed. These results suggest that sPLA2 inhibitors have the potential to reduce death and disability and should be considered for the initial and adjunct treatment of snakebite envenoming. The scope and capacity of the sPLA2 inhibitors ability to achieve these endpoints requires further investigation and development effortsUCR::Vicerrectoría de Investigación::Unidades de Investigación::Ciencias de la Salud::Instituto Clodomiro Picado (ICP)UCR::Vicerrectoría de Docencia::Salud::Facultad de Microbiologí

International conference on the healthy effect of virgin olive oil

Ageing represents a great concern in developed countries because the number of people involved and the pathologies related with it, like atherosclerosis, morbus Parkinson, Alzheime's disease, vascular dementia, cognitive decline, diabetes and cancer. Epidemiological studies suggest that a Mediterranean diet (which is rich in virgin olive oil) decreases the risk of cardiovascular disease. The Mediterranean diet, rich in virgin olive oil, improves the major risk factors for cardiovascular disease, such as the lipoprotein profile, blood pressure, glucose metabolism and antithrombotic profile. Endothelial function, inflammation and oxidative stress are also positively modulated. Some of these effects are attributed to minor components of virgin olive oil. Therefore, the definition of the Mediterranean diet should include virgin olive oil. Different observational studies conducted in humans have shown that the intake of monounsaturated fat may be protective against age-related cognitive decline and Alzheimer's disease. Microconstituents from virgin olive oil are bioavailable in humans and have shown antioxidant properties and capacity to improve endothelial function. Furthermore they are also able to modify the haemostasis, showing antithrombotic properties. In countries where the populations fulfilled a typical Mediterranean diet, such as Spain, Greece and Italy, where virgin olive oil is the principal source of fat, cancer incidence rates are lower than in northern European countries. The protective effect of virgin olive oil can be most important in the first decades of life, which suggests that the dietetic benefit of virgin olive oil intake should be initiated before puberty, and maintained through life. The more recent studies consistently support that the Mediterranean diet, based in virgin olive oil, is compatible with a healthier ageing and increased longevity. However, despite the significant advances of the recent years, the final proof about the specific mechanisms and contributing role of the different components of virgin olive oil to its beneficial effects requires further investigations. © 2005 Blackwell Publishing Ltd