On the Defect Group of a 6D SCFT

We use the F-theory realization of 6D superconformal field theories (SCFTs) to study the corresponding spectrum of stringlike, i.e. surface defects. On the tensor branch, all of the stringlike excitations pick up a finite tension, and there is a corresponding lattice of string charges, as well as a dual lattice of charges for the surface defects. The defect group is data intrinsic to the SCFT and measures the surface defect charges which are not screened by dynamical strings. When non-trivial, it indicates that the associated theory has a partition vector rather than a partition function. We compute the defect group for all known 6D SCFTs, and find that it is just the abelianization of the discrete subgroup of U(2) which appears in the classification of 6D SCFTs realized in F-theory. We also explain how the defect group specifies defining data in the compactification of a (1,0) SCFT.Comment: 24 page

First records of Gastrotricha from South Africa, with description of a new species of Halichaetonotus (Chaetonotida, Chaetonotidae)

During a survey of the biota of the St. Lucia Estuary in the iSimangaliso Wetland Park, South Africa, a number of Gastrotricha were found among samples of meiofauna. Fresh, marine sediment yielded several specimens belonging to a total of seven species. Of these, two are already known from other regions (i.e., Dactylopodola australiensis and Heteroxenotrichula squamosa), one is described as new to science (Halichaetonotussanctaeluciae sp. n.), while the remaining four (Pseudostomella sp., Halichaetonotus sp.1, Halichaetonotus sp. 2, Xenotrichula sp.) require further collections and analysis, in order to establish the extent of their affiliation to species already described. General appearance, shape of hydrofoil scale and the occurrenceof three long spines on the dorsal side make the new species most closely related to H. australis and H. marivagus. The key differences from these taxa and between Halichaetonotus sanctaeluciae sp. n. and H. aculifer are discussed

Impact of pneumococcal conjugate vaccination: a retrospective study of hospitalization for pneumonia in North-East Italy

Introduction. Pneumonia remains a common reason for hospitalizing infants and the elderly worldwide, and streptococcal infection is often responsible. The aim of this study was to assess the burden of pneumonia in a large general population. Methods. All pneumonia-related hospitalizations from 2004 to 2013 in north-east Italy were identified from the hospital records with a first-listed diagnosis on discharge of bacterial pneumonia, or a first-listed diagnosis on discharge of meningitis, septicemia or empyema associated with a secondary diagnosis of bacterial pneumonia. We identified major comorbidities, calculated agespecific case-fatality rates (CFR), and estimated the related cost to the health care system. Results. Of the 125,722 hospitalizations identified, 96.9% were cases of pneumonia, 2.4% of septicemia, 0.4% of meningitis, and 0.3% of empyema; 75.3% of hospitalizations involved 65 65-yearolds. The overall CFR was 12.4%, and it increased with age, peaking in people over 80 (19.6%). The mean annual pneumonia-associated hospitalization rate was 204.6 per 100,000 population, and it peaked in 0- to 4-year-old children (325.6 per 100,000 in males, 288.9 per 100,000 in females), and adults over 65 (844.9 per 100,000 in males, 605.7 per 100,000 in females). Hospitalization rates dropped over the years for the 0-4 year-olds, and rose for people over 80. The estimated overall annual cost of these pneumonia-related hospitalizations was approximately \u20ac 41 million. Conclusions. This study shows that the burden on resources for pneumonia-related hospitalization is an important public health issue. Prevention remains the most valuable tool for containing pneumonia, and vaccination strategies can help in the primary prevention of infection, possibly reducing the number of cases in all age groups

Higher form symmetries of Argyres-Douglas theories

We determine the structure of 1-form symmetries for all 4d N = 2 theories that have a geometric engineering in terms of type IIB string theory on isolated hypersurface singularities. This is a large class of models, that includes Argyres-Douglas theories and many others. Despite the lack of known gauge theory descriptions for most such theories, we find that the spectrum of 1-form symmetries can be obtained via a careful analysis of the non-commutative behaviour of RR fluxes at infinity in the IIB setup. The final result admits a very compact field theoretical reformulation in terms of the BPS quiver. We illustrate our methods in detail in the case of the (g,g′) Argyres-Douglas theories found by Cecotti-Neitzke-Vafa. In those cases where N = 1 gauge theory descriptions have been proposed for theories within this class, we find agreement between the 1-form symmetries of such N = 1 Lagrangian flows and those of the actual Argyres-Douglas fixed points, thus giving a consistency check for these proposals

Higher form symmetries and M-theory

We discuss the geometric origin of discrete higher form symmetries of quantum field theories in terms of defect groups from geometric engineering in M-theory. The flux non-commutativity in M-theory gives rise to (mixed) ’t Hooft anomalies for the defect group which constrains the corresponding global structures of the associated quantum fields. We analyze the example of 4d N = 1 SYM gauge theory in four dimensions, and we reproduce the well-known classification of global structures from reading between its lines. We extend this analysis to the case of 7d N = 1 SYM theory, where we recover it from a mixed ’t Hooft anomaly among the electric 1-form center symmetry and the magnetic 4-form center symmetry in the defect group. The case of five-dimensional SCFTs from M-theory on toric singularities is discussed in detail. In that context we determine the corresponding 1-form and 2-form defect groups and we explain how to determine the corresponding mixed ’t Hooft anomalies from flux non-commutativity. Several predictions for non-conventional 5d SCFTs are obtained. The matching of discrete higher-form symmetries and their anomalies provides an interesting consistency check for 5d dualities

Infinitely many N=2 SCFT with ADE flavor symmetry

We present evidence that for each ADE Lie group G there is an infinite tower of 4D N = 2 SCFTs, which we label as D(G, s) with s 08 \u2115, having (at least) flavor symmetry G. For G = SU(2), D(SU(2),s) coincides with the Argyres-Douglas model of type D8+1, while for larger flavor groups the models are new (but for a few previously known examples). When its flavor symmetry G is gauged, D(G,s) contributes to the Yang-Mills beta-function as 8/2(+1) adjoint hypermultiplets. The argument is based on a combination of Type IIB geometric engineering and the categorical deconstruction of arXiv: 1203.6743. One first engineers a class of N = 2 models which, trough the analysis of their category of quiver representations, are identified as asymptotically-free gauge theories with gauge group G coupled to some conformal matter system. Taking the limit gYM \u2192 0 one isolates the matter SCFT which is our D(G, s). \ua9 SISSA 2013

First evaluation of neutron induced single event effects on the CMS barrel muon electronics

Neutron irradiation tests of the currently available electronics for the CMS barrel muon detector were performed using Thermal and fast neutrons at E< 11MeV. The Single Event Upset rate on the Static RAM was measured, while upper limits are derived for events having experienced no failure. The results are used to guess the upper limits on the mean time between failures in the whole barrel muon detector

Decoupled Acoustic and Visual Components in the Multimodal Signals of the Common Cuckoo (Cuculus canorus)

Because of its parasitic habits, reproduction costs of the common cuckoo (Cuculus canorus) are mostly spent in pre-laying activities. Female costs are limited to searching host nests and laying eggs, whereas, males spend time in performing intense vocal displays, possibly with territorial purpose. This last aspect, together with a sexual plumage dimorphism, points to both intra- and inter-sexual selections operating within this species. One element triggering sexual selection is a differential fitness accrued by different phenotypes. Before analyzing possible sexual selection mechanisms operating in cuckoos, it is therefore necessary to verify whether there is a variability among male secondary characters by describing and quantifying them. Here we aimed to quantitatively characterize the main two potential candidates of sexual selection traits, i.e., calls and displays, shown by males at perches. During the 2019 breeding season, in a site within the Po Plain, we both audio and video recorded cuckoo males at five different perches. We analyzed acoustic variables as well as display sequences searching for potential correlations. We found a significant variation among calls that could be clustered into four vocal types. We also found that no visual displays were associated with vocal displays; cuckoo males were either vocal and motionless or soundless and active. We discuss our results under the perspective of the potential value of sexual selection in brood parasites and its role in its parasitic habit

The Higgs branch of heterotic ALE instantons

We begin a study of the Higgs branch of six-dimensional (1, 0) little string theories governing the worldvolumes of heterotic ALE instantons. We give a description of this space by constructing the corresponding magnetic quiver. The latter is a three-dimensional N = 4 quiver gauge theory that fows in the infrared to a fxed point whose quantum corrected Coulomb branches is the Higgs branch of the six-dimensional theory of interest. We present results for both types of heterotic strings, and mostly for C 2/Zk ALE spaces. Our analysis is valid both in the absence and in the presence of small instantons. Along the way, we also describe small SO(32) instanton transitions in terms of the corresponding magnetic quiver, which parallels a similar treatment of the small E8 instanton transitions in the context of the E8 × E8 heterotic string

Decoupled Acoustic and Visual Components in the Multimodal Signals of the Common Cuckoo (Cuculus canorus)

Because of its parasitic habits, reproduction costs of the common cuckoo (Cuculus canorus) are mostly spent in pre-laying activities. Female costs are limited to searching host nests and laying eggs, whereas, males spend time in performing intense vocal displays, possibly with territorial purpose. This last aspect, together with a sexual plumage dimorphism, points to both intra- and inter-sexual selections operating within this species. One element triggering sexual selection is a differential fitness accrued by different phenotypes. Before analyzing possible sexual selection mechanisms operating in cuckoos, it is therefore necessary to verify whether there is a variability among male secondary characters by describing and quantifying them. Here we aimed to quantitatively characterize the main two potential candidates of sexual selection traits, i.e., calls and displays, shown by males at perches. During the 2019 breeding season, in a site within the Po Plain, we both audio and video recorded cuckoo males at five different perches. We analyzed acoustic variables as well as display sequences searching for potential correlations. We found a significant variation among calls that could be clustered into four vocal types. We also found that no visual displays were associated with vocal displays; cuckoo males were either vocal and motionless or soundless and active. We discuss our results under the perspective of the potential value of sexual selection in brood parasites and its role in its parasitic habit