On the terms violating the custodial symmetry in multi-Higgs-doublet models

We prove that a generic multi-Higgs-doublet model (NHDM) generally must contain terms in the potential that violate the custodial symmetry. This is done by showing that the O(4) violating terms of the NHDM potential cannot be excluded by imposing a symmetry on the NHDM Lagrangian. Hence we expect higher-order corrections to necessarily introduce such terms. We also note, in the case of custodially symmetric Higgs-quark couplings, that vacuum alignment will lead to up-down mass degeneration; this is not true if the vacua are not aligned.Comment: 16 pages, 1 figure. Title and abstract are modified, conclusions remain the same. Section on Yukawa couplings is extended. Published versio

Experimental Facilities Development

This research was sponsored by the National Science Foundation Grant NSF PHY 87-1440

Splanchnic oxygen saturation during reoxygenation with 21% or 100% O-2 in newborn piglets

Background Increasing evidence recognizes the harm of excess oxygen to lungs, eyes, and brain of preterm infants, but not yet to the intestine. We assessed changes in splanchnic oxygenation during reoxygenation with 21% compared to 100% O-2 in a newborn piglet model of perinatal asphyxia. Methods We randomized 25 piglets to control or intervention. Intervention groups underwent global hypoxia until acidosis and hypotension occurred. Piglets were reoxygenated for 30 min with 21% or 100% O-2 and observed for 9 h. We continuously measured regional splanchnic oxygen saturation (r(s)SO(2)) using near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS). We calculated mean r(s)SO(2) and r(s)CoVar (as SD/mean). We measured PaO2 and SaO(2), sampled from the right carotid artery.  Results Reoxygenation after global hypoxia restored r(s)SO(2). Reoxygenation with 100% O-2 increased r(s)SO(2) to values significantly higher than baseline. In intervention groups, r(s)CoVar decreased during observation compared to baseline. We found a correlation between r(s)SO(2) and PaO2 (r = 0.420, P < 0.001) and between r(s)SO(2) and SaO(2) (r = 0.648, P < 0.001) in pooled data from the entire experiment. Conclusion Reoxygenation after global hypoxia improves splanchnic oxygenation, but is associated with reduced variability of r(s)SO(2). Reoxygenation with 100% O-2 exposes the intestine to hyperoxia. Splanchnic NIRS is able to detect intestinal hypoxia and hyperoxia. Impact Splanchnic oxygenation improves during reoxygenation after global hypoxia, though reoxygenation with 100% O2 exposes the intestine to hyperoxia. Decreased variability of splanchnic oxygenation several hours after hypoxia and reoxygenation seems to be independent of the resuscitation strategy, and may indicate intestinal injury. Splanchnic NIRS monitoring was able to detect intestinal hypoxia and exposure to hyperoxia, as evidenced by a strong correlation between splanchnic oxygenation and arterial oxygen content

Enabling the Reuse of Stored Model Transformations Through Annotations

International audienceWith the increasing adoption of MDE, model transformations , one of its core concepts together with metamodeling, stand out as a valuable asset. Therefore, a mechanism to annotate and store existing model transformations appears as a critical need for their efficient exploitation and reuse. Unfortunately, although several reuse mechanisms have been proposed for software artifacts in general and models in particular , none of them is specially tailored to the domain of model transformations. In order to fill this gap, we present here such a mechanism. Our approach is composed by two elements 1) a new DSL specially conceived for describing model transformations in terms of their functional and non-functional properties 2) a semi-automatic process for annotating and querying (repositories of) model transformations using as criteria the properties of our DSL. We validate the feasibility of our approach through a prototype implementation that integrates our approach in a GitHub repository

Recruiting medical groups for research: relationships, reputation, requirements, rewards, reciprocity, resolution, and respect

BACKGROUND: In order to conduct good implementation science research, it will be necessary to recruit and obtain good cooperation and comprehensive information from complete medical practice organizations. The goal of this paper is to report an effective example of such a recruitment effort for a study of the organizational aspects of depression care quality. METHODS: There were 41 medical groups in the Minnesota region that were eligible for participation in the study because they had sufficient numbers of patients with depression. We documented the steps required to both recruit their participation in this study and obtain their completion of two questionnaire surveys and two telephone interviews. RESULTS: All 41 medical groups agreed to participate and consented to our use of confidential data about their care quality. In addition, all 82 medical directors and quality improvement coordinators completed the necessary questionnaires and interviews. The key factors explaining this success can be summarized as the seven R's: Relationships, Reputation, Requirements, Rewards, Reciprocity, Resolution, and Respect. CONCLUSION: While all studies will not have all of these factors in such good alignment, attention to them may be important to other efforts to add to our knowledge of implementation science

Global strategy for the conservation and use of eggplants

Common eggplant (Solanum melongena L.), also known as brinjal eggplant or aubergine, is a vegetable crop grown for its large soft fruits which are used in cooking. There are also two African eggplant species grown locally: scarlet eggplant (Solanum aethiop icum L.) and gboma eggplant (Solanum macrocarpon L.). According to the statistics of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), eggplant is grown on 1.8 million hectares (ha) globally, and 90% of eggplant production takes place in Asia. Breeding and research on eggplant is carried out in many coun tries. Numerous germplasm collections of eggplant and its related species exist to provide plant materials for breeding and related research. In the present study, we overview the current status of eggplant germplasm conservation efforts and the use of eggplant diversity with the aim of providing a forward-looking strategy document. To do this, we surveyed the global databases Genesys and WIEWS (World Information and Early Warning System on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture) to obtain information about existing eggplant ex situ collections. The most often represented species in these databases is brinjal eggplant with 12,715 acces sions conserved in total. This is followed by scarlet eggplant (886 accessions) and gboma eggplant (209 accessions). Wild relatives of eggplant are conserved in some collections, but some species are not well represented. In total, 109 eggplant collection holders were iden tified through the database searches. The collection holders were asked to complete an online survey on the status of their collections and the challenges that they faced. Responses were received from 32 collec tion holders, 27 of which provided sufficient data for further analyses. Most of the collection holders that responded were governmental organizations or publicly funded institutions. Two respondents were non-governmental organizations (NGOs). Several challenges related to the sustainability of eggplant conservation and use were identified. Shortages of funds and staff were reported as major threats to collection viability and security by many of the collec tion holders. Opportunities for improvement included recruiting new and/or young people interested in eggplant conservation, and increased collaborations across national borders and among institutions. Improved documentation of existing plant materials and increased information sharing were also identi fied as areas for improvement.publishedVersio

Would loss to follow-up bias the outcome evaluation of patients operated for degenerative disorders of the lumbar spine?: A study of responding and non-responding cohort participants from a clinical spine surgery registry

Loss to follow-up may bias the outcome assessments of clinical registries. In this study, we wanted to determine whether outcomes were different in responding and non-responding patients who were included in a clinical spine surgery registry, at two years of follow-up. In addition, we wanted to identify risk factors for failure to respond. 633 patients who were operated for degenerative disorders of the lumbar spine were followed for 2 years using a local clinical spine registry. Those who did not attend the clinic and those who did not answer a postal questionnaire—for whom 2 years of outcome data were missing—and who would be lost to follow-up according to the standard procedures of the registry protocols, were defined as non-respondents. They were traced and interviewed by telephone. Outcome measures were: improvement in health-related quality of life (EQ-5D), leg pain, and back pain; and also general state of health, employment status, and perceived benefits of the operation. We found no statistically significant differences in outcome between respondents (78% of the patients) and nonrespondents (22%). Receipt of postal questionnaires (not being summoned for a follow-up visit) was the strongest risk factor for failure to respond. Forgetfulness appeared to be an important cause. Older patients and those who had complications were more likely to respond. Interpretation A loss to follow-up of 22% would not bias conclusions about overall treatment effects and, importantly, there were no indications of worse outcomes in non-respondents

Industriens investeringer og utgifter tilknyttet miljøvern : Pilotundersøkelse 1997

Norsk miljøvernpolitikk og internasjonale forpliktelser har ført til økt satsing på miljøvennlige endringer i industriens produksjonsmetoder. Det har imidlertid ikke eksistert noen systematisert oversikt over satsingen på mer miljøvennlig produksjon eller hvilke resultater dette har gitt. For å overvåke utviklingen og måle effektiviteten av de tiltak som gjennomføres, arbeides det med å etablere et system for rapportering av utviklingen i miljøtilstanden, faktorer som påvirker miljøtilstanden og gjennomførte miljøtiltak. Dette fremgår av St.meld. nr. 8 (1999-2000) "Regjeringens miljøvernpolitikk og rikets miljøtilstand." Som en del av dette arbeidet er det ønskelig å etablere et system for kartlegging av det økonomiske omfanget av ulike miljøverntiltak i industribedrifter, med spesielt fokus på miljøverninvesteringer. Norge er også forpliktet til å rapportere slik informasjon til EU. For å få et første overblikk over situasjonen og teste datagrunnlag og metode, ble det gjennomført en pilotundersøkelse om miljøverntiltak i en gruppe produksjonsbedrifter. I denne rapporten presenteres resultatene av, erfaringene med og en del problemstillinger rundt denne pilotundersøkelsen. Pilotundersøkelsen berører et område Norge i utgangspunktet har lite informasjon om. Pilotundersøkelsen omfatter et utvalg bedrifter innen de seks næringene kjøtt og kjøttvare- (NACE 15.1), drikkevare- (NACE 15.9), tekstil- (NACE 17), papirvare- (NACE 21), kjemisk- (NACE 24) og metallindustri (NACE 27). Bedriftene ble spurt om investeringer og driftskostnader til miljøvern og inntekter og kostnadsbesparelser fra miljøvern aktivitetene. Respondentene ble også bedt om å fordele investeringer og driftskostnadene til miljøvern etter hvilke utslippsområder de er brukt på. Utslippsområdene er luft, vann, avfall, støy og annet