Carbapenem-resistant Citrobacter spp. isolated in Spain from 2013 to 2015 produced a variety of carbapenemases including VIM-1, OXA-48, KPC-2, NDM-1 and VIM-2

Objectives: There is little information about carbapenemase-producing (CP) Citrobacter spp.We studied the molecular epidemiology and microbiological features of CP Citrobacter spp. isolates collected in Spain (2013-15). Methods: In total, 119 isolates suspected of being CP by the EUCAST screening cut-off values were analysed. Carbapenemases and ESBLs were characterized using PCR and sequencing. The genetic relationship among Citrobacter freundii isolates was studied by PFGE. Results: Of the 119 isolates, 63 (52.9%) produced carbapenemases, of which 37 (58.7%) produced VIM-1, 20 (31.7%) produced OXA-48, 12 (19%) produced KPC-2, 2 (3.2%) produced NDM-1 and 1 (1.6%) produced VIM- 2; 9 C. freundii isolates co-produced VIM-1 plus OXA-48. Fourteen isolates (22.2%) also carried ESBLs: 8 CTX-M-9 plus SHV-12, 2 CTX-M-9, 2 SHV-12 and 2 CTX-M-15. Fifty-seven isolates (90.5%) were C. freundii, 4 (6.3%) were Citrobacter koseri, 1 (1.6%) was Citrobacter amalonaticus and 1 (1.6%) was Citrobacter braakii. By EUCAST breakpoints, eight (12.7%) of the CP isolates were susceptible to the four carbapenems tested. In the 53 CP C. freundii analysed by PFGE, a total of 44 different band patterns were observed. Four PFGE clusters were identified: cluster 1 included eight isolates co-producing VIM-1 and OXA-48; blaVIM-1 was carried in a class 1 integron (intI-blaVIM-1 - aacA4-dfrB1-aadA1-catB2-qacE¿1/sul1) and blaOXA-48 was carried in a Tn1999.2 transposon. Conclusions: We observed the clonal and polyclonal spread of CP Citrobacter spp. across several Spanish geographical areas. Four species of Citrobacter spp. produced up to five carbapenemase types, including coproduction of VIM-1 plus OXA-48. Some CP Citrobacter spp. isolates were susceptible to the four carbapenems tested, a finding with potential clinical implications

Inteligencia intercultural para los negocios

El PAP de “Inteligencia cultural y comercial para los negocios internacionales” del periodo otoño 2022 (del 15 de agosto al 5 de diciembre) tiene como propósito general, lograr la participación exitosa de una empresa (en este caso artistas) en una misión internacional, feria o exposición, dotándola de todos los elementos necesarios para lograrlo. Entre los principales objetivos y alcances del PAP están: ayudar a dos artistas a poder participar en una feria internacional, fortalecer su posicionamiento en mercados internacionales y desarrollar capacidades empresariales incorporando el análisis cultural como parte del valor agregado. La metodología con la que se realizó este proyecto consistió en que al tener a dos artistas con el interés de participar en una feria internacional (cada artista tenía una feria diferente) se dividió al grupo en dos equipos con el propósito de que cada equipo elaborará un documento o guía estructurada mediante una rúbrica sobre los aspectos importantes de cubrir y que cuyo contenido brindara las herramientas y la información necesaria a los artistas para que pudieran participar en las ferias de su interés. Los resultados o productos más relevantes de la elaboración de este proyecto son dos guías con información mportante sobre la logística, operativa, financiera, cultural, de ocio, apoyos a los artistas e información de las ferias en las que los artistas desean participar. A partir de este análisis los artistas podrán evaluar y tomar mejores decisiones con respecto a su participación en la feria internacional.ITESO, A.C

Determination of ππ\pi\pi scattering lengths from measurement of π+π−\pi^+\pi^- atom lifetime

The DIRAC experiment at CERN has achieved a sizeable production of $\pi^+\pi^-$ atoms and has significantly improved the precision on its lifetime determination. From a sample of 21227 atomic pairs, a 4% measurement of the S-wave $\pi\pi$ scattering length difference $|a_0-a_2| = (.0.2533^{+0.0080}_{-0.0078}|_\mathrm{stat}.{}^{+0.0078}_{-0.0073}|_\mathrm{syst})M_{\pi^+}^{-1}$ has been attained, providing an important test of Chiral Perturbation Theory.Comment: 6 pages, 6 figure

Combined search for the quarks of a sequential fourth generation

Results are presented from a search for a fourth generation of quarks produced singly or in pairs in a data set corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 5 inverse femtobarns recorded by the CMS experiment at the LHC in 2011. A novel strategy has been developed for a combined search for quarks of the up and down type in decay channels with at least one isolated muon or electron. Limits on the mass of the fourth-generation quarks and the relevant Cabibbo-Kobayashi-Maskawa matrix elements are derived in the context of a simple extension of the standard model with a sequential fourth generation of fermions. The existence of mass-degenerate fourth-generation quarks with masses below 685 GeV is excluded at 95% confidence level for minimal off-diagonal mixing between the third- and the fourth-generation quarks. With a mass difference of 25 GeV between the quark masses, the obtained limit on the masses of the fourth-generation quarks shifts by about +/- 20 GeV. These results significantly reduce the allowed parameter space for a fourth generation of fermions.Comment: Replaced with published version. Added journal reference and DO

Measurement of the t t-bar production cross section in the dilepton channel in pp collisions at sqrt(s) = 7 TeV

The t t-bar production cross section (sigma[t t-bar]) is measured in proton-proton collisions at sqrt(s) = 7 TeV in data collected by the CMS experiment, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 2.3 inverse femtobarns. The measurement is performed in events with two leptons (electrons or muons) in the final state, at least two jets identified as jets originating from b quarks, and the presence of an imbalance in transverse momentum. The measured value of sigma[t t-bar] for a top-quark mass of 172.5 GeV is 161.9 +/- 2.5 (stat.) +5.1/-5.0 (syst.) +/- 3.6(lumi.) pb, consistent with the prediction of the standard model.Comment: Replaced with published version. Included journal reference and DO

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

Search for anomalous t t-bar production in the highly-boosted all-hadronic final state

A search is presented for a massive particle, generically referred to as a Z', decaying into a t t-bar pair. The search focuses on Z' resonances that are sufficiently massive to produce highly Lorentz-boosted top quarks, which yield collimated decay products that are partially or fully merged into single jets. The analysis uses new methods to analyze jet substructure, providing suppression of the non-top multijet backgrounds. The analysis is based on a data sample of proton-proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 7 TeV, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 5 inverse femtobarns. Upper limits in the range of 1 pb are set on the product of the production cross section and branching fraction for a topcolor Z' modeled for several widths, as well as for a Randall--Sundrum Kaluza--Klein gluon. In addition, the results constrain any enhancement in t t-bar production beyond expectations of the standard model for t t-bar invariant masses larger than 1 TeV.Comment: Submitted to the Journal of High Energy Physics; this version includes a minor typo correction that will be submitted as an erratu

Search for New Physics with Jets and Missing Transverse Momentum in pp collisions at sqrt(s) = 7 TeV

A search for new physics is presented based on an event signature of at least three jets accompanied by large missing transverse momentum, using a data sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 36 inverse picobarns collected in proton--proton collisions at sqrt(s)=7 TeV with the CMS detector at the LHC. No excess of events is observed above the expected standard model backgrounds, which are all estimated from the data. Exclusion limits are presented for the constrained minimal supersymmetric extension of the standard model. Cross section limits are also presented using simplified models with new particles decaying to an undetected particle and one or two jets

Search for a W' boson decaying to a bottom quark and a top quark in pp collisions at sqrt(s) = 7 TeV

Results are presented from a search for a W' boson using a dataset corresponding to 5.0 inverse femtobarns of integrated luminosity collected during 2011 by the CMS experiment at the LHC in pp collisions at sqrt(s)=7 TeV. The W' boson is modeled as a heavy W boson, but different scenarios for the couplings to fermions are considered, involving both left-handed and right-handed chiral projections of the fermions, as well as an arbitrary mixture of the two. The search is performed in the decay channel W' to t b, leading to a final state signature with a single lepton (e, mu), missing transverse energy, and jets, at least one of which is tagged as a b-jet. A W' boson that couples to fermions with the same coupling constant as the W, but to the right-handed rather than left-handed chiral projections, is excluded for masses below 1.85 TeV at the 95% confidence level. For the first time using LHC data, constraints on the W' gauge coupling for a set of left- and right-handed coupling combinations have been placed. These results represent a significant improvement over previously published limits.Comment: Submitted to Physics Letters B. Replaced with version publishe

Study of B0(s)→K0Sh+h′− decays with first observation of B0s→K0SK±π∓ and B0s→K0Sπ+π−

A search for charmless three-body decays of B 0 and B0s mesons with a K0S meson in the final state is performed using the pp collision data, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 1.0 fb−1, collected at a centre-of-mass energy of 7 TeV recorded by the LHCb experiment. Branching fractions of the B0(s)→K0Sh+h′− decay modes (h (′) = π, K), relative to the well measured B0→K0Sπ+π− decay, are obtained. First observation of the decay modes B0s→K0SK±π∓ and B0s→K0Sπ+π− and confirmation of the decay B0→K0SK±π∓ are reported. The following relative branching fraction measurements or limits are obtained B(B0→K0SK±π∓)B(B0→K0Sπ+π−)=0.128±0.017(stat.)±0.009(syst.), B(B0→K0SK+K−)B(B0→K0Sπ+π−)=0.385±0.031(stat.)±0.023(syst.), B(B0s→K0Sπ+π−)B(B0→K0Sπ+π−)=0.29±0.06(stat.)±0.03(syst.)±0.02(fs/fd), B(B0s→K0SK±π∓)B(B0→K0Sπ+π−)=1.48±0.12(stat.)±0.08(syst.)±0.12(fs/fd)B(B0s→K0SK+K−)B(B0→K0Sπ+π−)∈[0.004;0.068]at90%CL