QCD thermodynamics and magnetization in nonzero magnetic field

In nonzero magnetic field, the magnetic properties and thermodynamics of the quantum-chromodynamic (QCD) matter is studied in the hadron resonance gas and the Polyakov linear-sigma models and compared with recent lattice calculations. Both models are fairly suited to describe the degrees of freedom in the hadronic phase. The partonic ones are only accessible by the second model. It is found that the QCD matter has paramagnetic properties, which monotonically depend on the temperature and are not affected by the hadron-quark phase-transition. Furthermore, raising the magnetic field strength increases the thermodynamic quantities, especially in the hadronic phase but reduces the critical temperature, i.e. inverse magnetic catalysis.Comment: 14 pages, 3 figures accepted for publication in AHE

On dynamical net-charge fluctuations within a hadron resonance gas approach

The dynamical net-charge fluctuations (${\nu}_{dyn}$) in different particle ratios $K/{\pi}$, $K/p$, and $p/{\pi}$ are calculated from the hadron resonance gas (HRG) model and compared with STAR central Au+Au collisions at $\sqrt{s_{NN}}=7.7-200~$GeV and NA49 central Pb+Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{NN}}=6.3-17.3~$GeV. The three charged-particle ratios ($K/{\pi}$, $K/p$, and $p/{\pi}$) are determined as total and average of opposite and average of same charges. We find an excellent agreement between the HRG calculations and the experimental measurements, especially from STAR beam energy scan (BES) program, while the strange particles in the NA49 experiment at lower Super Proton Synchrotron (SPS) energies are not reproduced by the HRG approach. We conclude that the utilized HRG version seems to take into consideration various types of correlations including strong interactions through the heavy resonances and their decays especially at BES energies.Comment: 8 pages, 1 figure, accepted for publication in Advances in High Energy Physic

Strangeness Enhancement at LHC Energies using the thermal model and EPOSLHC event-generator

The strangeness enhancement signature of QGP formation at LHC energies is carefully tackled in the present study. Based on HRG, the particle ratios of mainly strange and multi-strange particles are studied at energies from lower $\sqrt{s}\sim$ 0.001 up to 13 TeV. The strangeness enhancement clearly appeared at more higher energies, and the ratios are confronted to the available experimental data. The particle ratios are also studied using the Cosmic Ray Monte Carlo (CRMC) interface model with its two different event generators namely; EPOS $1.99$ and EPOSlhc which show a good agreement with the model calculations at the whole range of the energy. We utilize to produce some ratios. EPOS $1.99$ is used to estimate particle ratios at lower energies from AGS up to the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) while EPOSlhc is used at LHC energies. The production of kaons and lambda particles is studied in terms of the mean multiplicity in p-p collisions at energies ranging from 4 - 26 GeV. We find that both HRG model and the used event generators, EPOS $1.99$ and EPOSlhc, can describe the particle ratios very well. Additionally, the freeze-out parameters are estimated for different collision systems, such as p-p and Pb-Pb, at LHC energies using both models.Comment: 9 page

Particle production and chemical freezeout from the hybrid UrQMD approach at NICA energies

The energy dependence of various particle ratios is calculated within the Ultra-Relativistic Quantum Molecular Dynamics approach and compared with the hadron resonance gas (HRG) model and measurements from various experiments, including RHIC-BES, SPS and AGS. It is found that the UrQMD particle ratios agree well with the experimental results at the RHIC-BES energies. Thus, we have utilized UrQMD in simulating particle ratios at other beam energies down to 3 GeV, which will be accessed at NICA and FAIR future facilities. We observe that the particle ratios for crossover and first-order phase transition, implemented in the hybrid UrQMD v3.4, are nearly indistinguishable, especially at low energies (at large baryon chemical potentials or high density).Comment: 13 pages, 5 figures, 2 tables, one reference is added and one paragraph is rephrased. To appear in EPJ

Surgical site infection after gastrointestinal surgery in high-income, middle-income, and low-income countries: a prospective, international, multicentre cohort study

Background: Surgical site infection (SSI) is one of the most common infections associated with health care, but its importance as a global health priority is not fully understood. We quantified the burden of SSI after gastrointestinal surgery in countries in all parts of the world. Methods: This international, prospective, multicentre cohort study included consecutive patients undergoing elective or emergency gastrointestinal resection within 2-week time periods at any health-care facility in any country. Countries with participating centres were stratified into high-income, middle-income, and low-income groups according to the UN's Human Development Index (HDI). Data variables from the GlobalSurg 1 study and other studies that have been found to affect the likelihood of SSI were entered into risk adjustment models. The primary outcome measure was the 30-day SSI incidence (defined by US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention criteria for superficial and deep incisional SSI). Relationships with explanatory variables were examined using Bayesian multilevel logistic regression models. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT02662231. Findings: Between Jan 4, 2016, and July 31, 2016, 13 265 records were submitted for analysis. 12 539 patients from 343 hospitals in 66 countries were included. 7339 (58·5%) patient were from high-HDI countries (193 hospitals in 30 countries), 3918 (31·2%) patients were from middle-HDI countries (82 hospitals in 18 countries), and 1282 (10·2%) patients were from low-HDI countries (68 hospitals in 18 countries). In total, 1538 (12·3%) patients had SSI within 30 days of surgery. The incidence of SSI varied between countries with high (691 [9·4%] of 7339 patients), middle (549 [14·0%] of 3918 patients), and low (298 [23·2%] of 1282) HDI (p < 0·001). The highest SSI incidence in each HDI group was after dirty surgery (102 [17·8%] of 574 patients in high-HDI countries; 74 [31·4%] of 236 patients in middle-HDI countries; 72 [39·8%] of 181 patients in low-HDI countries). Following risk factor adjustment, patients in low-HDI countries were at greatest risk of SSI (adjusted odds ratio 1·60, 95% credible interval 1·05–2·37; p=0·030). 132 (21·6%) of 610 patients with an SSI and a microbiology culture result had an infection that was resistant to the prophylactic antibiotic used. Resistant infections were detected in 49 (16·6%) of 295 patients in high-HDI countries, in 37 (19·8%) of 187 patients in middle-HDI countries, and in 46 (35·9%) of 128 patients in low-HDI countries (p < 0·001). Interpretation: Countries with a low HDI carry a disproportionately greater burden of SSI than countries with a middle or high HDI and might have higher rates of antibiotic resistance. In view of WHO recommendations on SSI prevention that highlight the absence of high-quality interventional research, urgent, pragmatic, randomised trials based in LMICs are needed to assess measures aiming to reduce this preventable complication

Reducing the environmental impact of surgery on a global scale: systematic review and co-prioritization with healthcare workers in 132 countries

Abstract Background Healthcare cannot achieve net-zero carbon without addressing operating theatres. The aim of this study was to prioritize feasible interventions to reduce the environmental impact of operating theatres. Methods This study adopted a four-phase Delphi consensus co-prioritization methodology. In phase 1, a systematic review of published interventions and global consultation of perioperative healthcare professionals were used to longlist interventions. In phase 2, iterative thematic analysis consolidated comparable interventions into a shortlist. In phase 3, the shortlist was co-prioritized based on patient and clinician views on acceptability, feasibility, and safety. In phase 4, ranked lists of interventions were presented by their relevance to high-income countries and low–middle-income countries. Results In phase 1, 43 interventions were identified, which had low uptake in practice according to 3042 professionals globally. In phase 2, a shortlist of 15 intervention domains was generated. In phase 3, interventions were deemed acceptable for more than 90 per cent of patients except for reducing general anaesthesia (84 per cent) and re-sterilization of ‘single-use’ consumables (86 per cent). In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for high-income countries were: introducing recycling; reducing use of anaesthetic gases; and appropriate clinical waste processing. In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for low–middle-income countries were: introducing reusable surgical devices; reducing use of consumables; and reducing the use of general anaesthesia. Conclusion This is a step toward environmentally sustainable operating environments with actionable interventions applicable to both high– and low–middle–income countries

Balance Function in High-Energy Collisions

Aspects and implications of the balance functions (BF) in high-energy physics are reviewed. The various calculations and measurements depending on different quantities, for example, system size, collisions centrality, and beam energy, are discussed. First, the different definitions including advantages and even short-comings are highlighted. It is found that BF, which are mainly presented in terms of relative rapidity, and relative azimuthal and invariant relative momentum, are sensitive to the interaction centrality but not to the beam energy and can be used in estimating the hadronization time and the hadron-quark phase transition. Furthermore, the quark chemistry can be determined. The chemical evolution of the new-state-of-matter, the quark-gluon plasma, and its temporal-spatial evolution, femtoscopy of two-particle correlations, are accessible. The production time of positive-negative pair of charges can be determined from the widths of BF. Due to the reduction in the diffusion time, narrowed widths refer to delayed hadronization. It is concluded that BF are powerful tools characterizing hadron-quark phase transition and estimating some essential properties