Chiral Perturbation Theory, the 1/Nc{1/N_c} expansion and Regge behaviour determine the structure of the lightest scalar meson

The leading $1/N_c$ behaviour of Unitarised Chiral Perturbation Theory distinguishes the nature of the $\rho$ and the $\sigma$. At one loop order the $\rho$ is a ${\bar q}q$ meson, while the $\sigma$ is not. However, semi-local duality between resonances and Regge behaviour cannot be satisfied for larger $N_c$, if such a distinction holds. While the $\sigma$ at $N_c=3$ is inevitably dominated by its di-pion component, Unitarised Chiral Perturbation Theory beyond one loop order reveals that as $N_c$ increases above 6-8, the $\sigma$ has a sub-dominant ${\bar q}q$ fraction up at 1.2 GeV. Remarkably this ensures semi-local duality is fulfilled for the range of $N_c \lesssim 15$, where the unitarisation procedure adopted applies.Comment: 22 pages, 8 figures. Version to be published in Physical Review

Note on the definitions of branching ratios of overlapping resonances

Branching ratios for the decay of hadrons with large width or near thresholds depend on their definition. We test different definitions and show that rather different branching ratios can be obtained. For wide resonances and for sequential decays with wide intermediate resonances, integration over the spectral functions is mandatory. The tests are performed exploiting the latest solution of the Bonn-Gatchina multi-channel analysis and published values for residues of light scalar mesons. For a resonance overlapping with a threshold, in case its pole lies in a non-adjacent sheet, we show how the total width, needed for the branching ratios, does not correspond to the imaginary part of the pole position. We use the Madrid-Krakow dispersive parameterizations to illustrate this situation with the $f_0(980)$.Comment: Report, 9 pages (extended to light scalar mesons

Epidemiology of injuries in elite male and female futsal: a systematic review and meta-analysis

The main purpose of this study was to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis quantifying the incidence of injuries in futsal players. A systematic search was conducted using MEDLINE, PubMed, Web of Science and Scopus databases and subsequently six studies (14 cohorts) were selected. Two reviewers independently extracted data and assessed trial quality and risk of bias using the Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology statement and Newcastle Ottawa Scale, respectively. Quality of evidence was also determined using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) approach. Separate meta-analyses for male and female players were conducted using a Poisson random-effect regression model approach. The overall and match incidence rates in elite male futsal players were 6.8 (95% CI = 0.0 – 15.2) and 44.9 (95% CI = 17.2 – 72.6) injuries/1000 hours of exposure. Pooled training injury rate in male players was not calculated due to the lack of studies reporting training injuries in this cohort. For females, an overall, training and match incidence rates of 5.3 (95% CI = 3.5 - 7), 5.1 (95% CI = 2.7 - 7.6) and 10.3 (95% CI = 0.6 - 20.1) injuries/1000 hours of exposure were reported. In males, match incidence rate in International tournaments was 8.5 times higher than in national leagues (77.2 [95% CI = 60.0 - 94.5] vs 9.1 [95% CI = 0.0 – 19.3] for international tournaments and national leagues, respectively). Elite male and female futsal players are exposed to a substantial risk of sustaining injuries, especially during matches

A Bayesian Network approach to study the relationships between several neuromuscular performance measures and dynamic postural control in futsal players

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to analyse the relationship between several parameters of neuromuscular performance with dynamic postural control using a Bayesian Network Classifiers (BN) based analysis. Methods: The y-balance test (measure of dynamic postural control), isokinetic (concentric and eccentric) knee flexion and extension strength, isometric hip abduction and adduction strength, lower extremity joint range of motion (ROM) and core stability were assessed in 44 elite male futsal players. A feature selection process was carried out before building a BN (using the Tabu search algorithm) for each leg. The BN models built were used to make belief updating processes to study the individual and concurrent contributions of the selected parameters of neuromuscular performance on dynamic postural control. Results: The BNs generated using the selected features by the algorithms correlation attribute evaluator and chi squared reported the highest evaluation criteria (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve [AUC]) for the dominant (AUC = 0.899) and non-dominant (AUC = 0.879) legs, respectively. Conclusions: The BNs demonstrated that performance achieved in the y-balance test appears to be widely influenced by hip and knee flexion and ankle dorsiflexion ROM measures in the sagittal plane, as well as by measures of static but mainly dynamic core stability in the frontal plane. Therefore, training interventions aimed at improving or maintaining dynamic postural control in elite male futsal players should include, among other things, exercises that produce ROM scores equal or higher than 127º of hip flexion, 132.5º of knee flexion as well as 34º and 30.5º of ankle dorsiflexion with the knee flexed and extended, respectively. Likewise, these training interventions should also include exercises to maintain or improve both the static and dynamic (medial-lateral plane) core stability so that futsal players can achieve medial radial error values lower than 6.69 and 8.79 mm, respectively

Appliying inmersive worlds for solving real problems of Agronomic and Forest Engineering and Enology

El Plan de Innovación Docente 2016-2017 de la Universidad de Córdoba planteaba en sus líneas prioritarias de proyectos el trabajo por competencias, las actividades académicamente dirigidas y la transferencia del conocimiento teórico a la práctica. En este contexto, se planteó desarrollar una serie de casos prácticos en un espacio virtual adaptado a las características de los mismos donde, a través de juegos de rol (en los que participaran no sólo los estudiantes sino profesionales del sector) los estudiantes organizados en grupos tendrían que resolver problemas y/o plantear y analizar sus posibles soluciones. Se presenta en el siguiente trabajo un proyecto colectivo donde diferentes escenarios prácticos y agentes involucrados en los temarios de asignaturas como Proyectos y Comercialización y Regulación de Mercados Agrarios comunes al Grado de Ingeniería Agroalimentaria y del Medio Rural, Ingeniería. Forestal y Enología fueron representados. En el primer caso, se propuso la elaboración y presentación de una licitación pública y en el segundo caso, la simulación de los actores de una subasta pública en una lonja. Entre los resultados del proyecto, se destacan los vídeos protagonizados por los alumnos reproduciendo las entrevistas reales y negociaciones de los agentes de la lonja o en el caso de la licitación, la preparación de los pliegos de una licitación por parte de los técnicos de un ayuntamiento, la elaboración de las plicas por parte de empresas licitadoras y la evaluación de las mismas por parte de la mesa de contratación. Además, los resultados de las encuestas a los estudiantes pusieron de manifiesto la importancia de este tipo de proyectos para mejorar la adquisición de conocimiento práctico de las asignaturas así como competencias de comportamiento y particularmente de tipo creativo.The Teaching Innovation Plan 2016-2017 of the University of Cordoba proposed in its priority lines of projects the work by competences, the academically directed activities and the transfer of theoretical knowledge to the practice. In this context, the development of a series of practical cases in a virtual space or role plays were proposed in which not only students but professionals of the sector participated. The students, organized in groups, had to solve problems and / or raise and analyze their possible solutions. We presented in the following work a collective project where different practical scenarios and agents involved in the subjects “Projects” and “Marketing and Regulation of Agrarian Markets” of the Degrees of Agri-food Engineering and Rural Environment, Forest Engineering and Oenology were represented. The first case was the preparation and the presentation of a public contract whereas in the second case, the simulation of the actors of a public auction was played. Among the results of the project, it is worth highlighting the videos played by the students reproducing the actual interviews and negotiations of the agents of the auction or in the case of the tender, the preparation of the bidding documents by the technicians of a town hall, the offers of the bidding companies and the evaluation of the same by the contracting table. In addition, the results of the student surveys showed the importance of this type of projects to improve the acquisition of practical knowledge of the subjects as well as behavioural competences and, particularly, of a creative type

Markers of endothelial damage in patients with chronic kidney disease on hemodialysis

Patients with Stage 5 chronic kidney disease who are on hemodialysis (HD) remain in a chronic inflammatory state, characterized by the accumulation of uremic toxins that induce endothelial damage and cardiovascular disease (CVD). Our aim was to examine microvesicles (MVs), monocyte subpopulations, and angiopoietins (Ang) to identify prognostic markers in HD patients with or without diabetes mellitus (DM). A total of 160 prevalent HD patients from 10 centers across Spain were obtained from the Biobank of the Nephrology Renal Network (Madrid, Spain): 80 patients with DM and 80 patients without DM who were matched for clinical and demographic criteria. MVs from plasma and several monocyte subpopulations (CD142+/CD16+, CD14+/CD162+) were analyzed by flow cytometry, and the plasma concentrations of Ang1 and Ang2 were quantified by ELISA. Data on CVD were gathered over the 5.5 yr after these samples were obtained. MV level, monocyte subpopulations (CD14+/CD162+ and CD142+/CD16+), and Ang2-to-Ang1 ratios increased in HD patients with DM compared with non-DM patients. Moreover, MV level above the median (264 MVs/µl) was associated independently with greater mortality. MVs, monocyte subpopulations, and Ang2-to-Ang1 ratio can be used as predictors for CVD. In addition, MV level has a potential predictive value in the prevention of CVD in HD patients. These parameters undergo more extensive changes in patients with DM.Support for this work was provided by Plan Nacional de IDi Proyectos de Investigación en Salud of Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII)–Subdirección General de Evaluación, Fondos de desarrollo regional (FEDER; PI11/01536, PI12/01489, PI14/00806, PI15/01785); Junta de Andalucía grants (P010-CTS-6337, P11-CTS-7352); and Fundación Nefrológica. P. Buendía, A. Carmona, and C. Luna-Ruiz are fellows from Consejería de Innovacion, Ciencia y Empresa, Junta de Andalucía

Management and outcomes of patients with left atrial appendage thrombus prior to percutaneous closure

Altres ajuts: Fundación Interhospitalaria para la Investigación Cardiovascular (FIC Foundation); Abbott.Objective: Left atrial appendage (LAA) thrombus has heretofore been considered a contraindication to percutaneous LAA closure (LAAC). Data regarding its management are very limited. The aim of this study was to analyse the medical and invasive treatment of patients referred for LAAC in the presence of LAA thrombus. Methods: This multicentre observational registry included 126 consecutive patients referred for LAAC with LAA thrombus on preprocedural imaging. Treatment strategies included intensification of antithrombotic therapy (IAT) or direct LAAC. The primary and secondary endpoints were a composite of bleeding, stroke and death at 18 months, and procedural success, respectively. Results: IAT was the preferred strategy in 57.9% of patients, with total thrombus resolution observed in 60.3% and 75.3% after initial and subsequent IAT, respectively. Bleeding complications and stroke during IAT occurred in 9.6% and 2.9%, respectively, compared with 3.8% bleeding and no embolic events in the direct LAAC group before the procedure. Procedural success was 90.5% (96.2% vs 86.3% in direct LAAC and IAT group, respectively, p=0.072), without cases of in-hospital thromboembolic complications. The primary endpoint occurred in 29.3% and device-related thrombosis was found in 12.8%, without significant difference according to treatment strategy. Bleeding complications at 18 months occurred in 22.5% vs 10.5% in the IAT and direct LAAC group, respectively (p=0.102). Conclusion: In the presence of LAA thrombus, IAT was the initial management strategy in half of our cohort, with initial thrombus resolution in 60% of these, but with a relatively high bleeding rate (∼10%). Direct LAAC was feasible, with high procedural success and absence of periprocedural embolic complications. However, a high rate of device-related thrombosis was detected during follow-up

Search for the standard model Higgs boson in the H to ZZ to 2l 2nu channel in pp collisions at sqrt(s) = 7 TeV

A search for the standard model Higgs boson in the H to ZZ to 2l 2nu decay channel, where l = e or mu, in pp collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 7 TeV is presented. The data were collected at the LHC, with the CMS detector, and correspond to an integrated luminosity of 4.6 inverse femtobarns. No significant excess is observed above the background expectation, and upper limits are set on the Higgs boson production cross section. The presence of the standard model Higgs boson with a mass in the 270-440 GeV range is excluded at 95% confidence level.Comment: Submitted to JHE