Proposal for generalised Supersymmetry Les Houches Accord for see-saw models and PDG numbering scheme

The SUSY Les Houches Accord (SLHA) 2 extended the first SLHA to include various generalisations of the Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model (MSSM) as well as its simplest next-to-minimal version. Here, we propose further extensions to it, to include the most general and well-established see-saw descriptions (types I/II/III, inverse, and linear) in both an effective and a simple gauged extension of the MSSM framework. In addition, we generalise the PDG numbering scheme to reflect the properties of the particles.Comment: 44 pages. Changed titl

Enhancing lepton flavour violation in the supersymmetric inverse seesaw beyond the dipole contribution

In minimal supersymmetric models the $Z$-penguin usually provides sub-dominant contributions to charged lepton flavour violating observables. In this study, we consider the supersymmetric inverse seesaw in which the non-minimal particle content allows for dominant contributions of the $Z$-penguin to several lepton flavour violating observables. In particular, and due to the low-scale (TeV) seesaw, the penguin contribution to, for instance, \Br(\mu \to 3e) and $\mu-e$ conversion in nuclei, allows to render some of these observables within future sensitivity reach. Moreover, we show that in this framework, the $Z$-penguin exhibits the same non-decoupling behaviour which had previously been identified in flavour violating Higgs decays in the Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model.Comment: 29 pages, 9 figures, 4 tables; v2: minor corrections, version to appear in JHE

Preliminary report on theNeurology workload ina central hospital in Sudan.

Introduction: Identification of the local pattern of neurological diseases is expected to help setting the priorities for good planning of management and public education.Objectives: To identify the pattern of neurological disorders in a second biggest central hospital in Sudan.Methodology: Review of the diagnosis of 170 patients, seen in the out patients neuro-clinic and the neurology ward from March 2010 to February 2011, was done. Patients who were in follow up by other neuro-clinics were excluded.Results: The male to female ratio was 1:1 Patients who were 20-60 years old comprised 54%.About 50% of patients live in Omdurman city. Motor symptoms were the most common presenting symptoms forming 64.1% followed by cranial nerves symptoms 27.6%. Stroke was the commonestencountered diagnosis seen in 20.7%, followed by epilepsy in 16.6%, headache in 9.6%, movement disorders in 7.7%, peripheral neuropathy in 3.6%, demylination in 1.8%, cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST) 1.8% and tumours in 1.2% patients. Stroke was more common in patients from East Sudan and Epilepsy was more common in patients from West Sudan. Vascular and degenerative changes were the commonest abnormalities seen in imaging studies. Demyelination and neoplasms were more common in females.Conclusion: Stroke, epilepsy and headache were the commonest neurological disorders met in Omdurman Teaching Hospital.Key words: general hospital, neurology department, neurological disorders

Experience with impacted upper ureteral Stones; should we abandon using semirigid ureteroscopes and pneumatic lithoclast?

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Introduction</p> <p>The AUA/EAU Ureteral Stones Guideline Panel reported that the stone free rate for the proximal ureteral stones is around 81% when treated by either SWL or ureteroscopy (URS).</p> <p>Complication rates, most notably ureteral perforation and long-term complications of URS such as stricture formation rates, have been reduced to < 5%. Moreover, impacted ureteral calculi are more difficult to fragment with SWL because of the lack of natural expansion space for stones, this result in a situation that is better managed by ureteroscopy. The aim of this study is to assess the efficacy, safety, and complications of impacted upper ureteral stone disintegration using semirigid ureteroscopes and pneumatic lithotripsy.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We retrospectively analyzed the records of 267 consecutive patients with impacted upper ureteral stones (9–20 mm) who were treated by semirigid ureteroscopes and pneumatic disintegration. The efficacy of treatment was estimated using the stone-free rate and all treatment related complications were analyzed.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Except for 24 cases where the stone migrated to the kidney, the stone was successfully treated ureteroscopically, with a low rate of minimal complications such as mild hematuria (18.4%), short term low grade fever (13.5%). Only 3 patients (1.1%) had high grade fever and none had post operative stricture.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The use of semirigid URS and pneumatic lithotripsy in impacted upper ureteral stones in experienced hands has very satisfactory results with minimal complications. When Holmium laser and flexible URS are not available, semirigid URS and pneumatic lithotripsy is a good alternative that shouldn't, yet, be abandoned.</p

Flexural Strength of Innovative Thin-Walled Composite Cold-Formed Steel/PE-ECC Beams

A detailed experimental investigation on the flexural behaviour of an innovative precast composite element combining cold-formed steel (CFS) and engineered cementitious composites (ECC) is presented in this paper. Bonding ECC to the lightweight thin-walled CFS sections enhanced the buckling, bearing, and torsional properties of the composite sections. The proposed composite system will be used as precast flexural members in framed structures with large spans or as a rehabilitation approach for corroded cold-formed and hot-rolled steel flexural members. Simply supported beams with comparatively long spans with span-to-depth ratios of 6.83 and 13.48 were installed back-to-back and tested under a 4-point loading configuration. The behaviour of composite CFS/ECC beams under bending was investigated and compared with the bare CFS sections. Composite CFS/MOR beams incorporating high-strength mortar (MOR) as an ECC replacement were also investigated. The test specimens were divided into three series with sixteen tests in total. Series A (SC300) included six tests utilising 300-mm height SupaCee sections, Series B (C300) included four tests using 300-mm height lipped-Cee sections, and Series C (SC150) included six tests utilising 150-mm height SupaCee sections. The composite CFS/ECC beams exhibited high load-bearing capacities after reaching their plastic section capacities, while the bare CFS beams failed to reach their yield section capacities due to distortional buckling. Composite CFS/MOR beams could not reach their plastic moment capacities due to debonding between MOR and CFS after MOR crushing. The moment capacities of the composite CFS/ECC beams increased up to 140.0% over their duplicate bare CFS sections, while composite CFS/MOR beams showed only a 72.0% increase over CFS sections. Lastly, design equations to predict the moment capacity of composite CFS/ECC beams are presented, based on the experimental results

Overview on Hepatitis B vaccination

Background: Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is increasing globally, posing a serious public health problem. Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection and mortality are among the leading causes of death worldwide. Concerns for public health are amplified by the fact that about a third of the world's population is afflicted with HBV. HBV infection may result in cirrhosis, hepatocellular cancer, or both (HCC).Immunization is the most cost-effective strategy available worldwide for controlling and preventing hepatitis B in terms of benefit-cost ratio. Objective: This review article discusses the most critical components of the HBV vaccine and the most efficient strategies for increasing HBV vaccinatio

Ni-based bimetallic heterogeneous catalysts for energy and environmental applications

Bimetallic catalysts have attracted extensive attention for a wide range of applications in energy production and environmental remediation due to their tunable chemical/physical properties. These properties are mainly governed by a number of parameters such as compositions of the bimetallic systems, their preparation method, and their morphostructure. In this regard, numerous efforts have been made to develop “designer” bimetallic catalysts with specific nanostructures and surface properties as a result of recent advances in the area of materials chemistry. The present review highlights a detailed overview of the development of nickel-based bimetallic catalysts for energy and environmental applications. Starting from a materials science perspective in order to obtain controlled morphologies and surface properties, with a focus on the fundamental understanding of these bimetallic systems to make a correlation with their catalytic behaviors, a detailed account is provided on the utilization of these systems in the catalytic reactions related to energy production and environmental remediation. We include the entire library of nickel-based bimetallic catalysts for both chemical and electrochemical processes such as catalytic reforming, dehydrogenation, hydrogenation, electrocatalysis and many other reactions

Development of 3-methyl/3-(morpholinomethyl)benzofuran derivatives as novel antitumor agents towards non-small cell lung cancer cells.

As one of the most lethal malignancies, lung cancer is considered to account for approximately one-fifth of all malignant tumours-related deaths worldwide. This study reports the synthesis and in vitro biological assessment of two sets of 3-methylbenzofurans (4a-d, 6a-c, 8a-c and 11) and 3-(morpholinomethyl)benzofurans (15a-c, 16a-b, 17a-b and 18) as potential anticancer agents towards non-small cell lung carcinoma A549 and NCI-H23 cell lines, with VEGFR-2 inhibitory activity. The target benzofuran-based derivatives efficiently inhibited the growth of both A549 and NCI-H23 cell lines with IC50 spanning in ranges 1.48-47.02 and 0.49-68.9 µM, respectively. The three most active benzofurans (4b, 15a and 16a) were further investigated for their effects on the cell cycle progression and apoptosis in A549 (for 4b) and NCI-H23 (for 15a and 16a) cell lines. Furthermore, benzofurans 4b, 15a and 16a displayed good VEGFR-2 inhibitory activity with IC50 equal 77.97, 132.5 and 45.4 nM, respectively

LRRK2 at the interface of autophagosomes, endosomes and lysosomes

Over the past 20 years, substantial progress has been made in identifying the underlying genetics of Parkinson’s disease (PD). Of the known genes, LRRK2 is a major genetic contributor to PD. However, the exact function of LRRK2 remains to be elucidated. In this review, we discuss how familial forms of PD have led us to hypothesize that alterations in endomembrane trafficking play a role in the pathobiology of PD. We will discuss the major observations that have been made to elucidate the role of LRRK2 in particular, including LRRK2 animal models and high-throughput proteomics approaches. Taken together, these studies strongly support a role of LRRK2 in vesicular dynamics. We also propose that targeting these pathways may not only be beneficial for developing therapeutics for LRRK2-driven PD, but also for other familial and sporadic cases

Population‐based cohort study of outcomes following cholecystectomy for benign gallbladder diseases

Background The aim was to describe the management of benign gallbladder disease and identify characteristics associated with all‐cause 30‐day readmissions and complications in a prospective population‐based cohort. Methods Data were collected on consecutive patients undergoing cholecystectomy in acute UK and Irish hospitals between 1 March and 1 May 2014. Potential explanatory variables influencing all‐cause 30‐day readmissions and complications were analysed by means of multilevel, multivariable logistic regression modelling using a two‐level hierarchical structure with patients (level 1) nested within hospitals (level 2). Results Data were collected on 8909 patients undergoing cholecystectomy from 167 hospitals. Some 1451 cholecystectomies (16·3 per cent) were performed as an emergency, 4165 (46·8 per cent) as elective operations, and 3293 patients (37·0 per cent) had had at least one previous emergency admission, but had surgery on a delayed basis. The readmission and complication rates at 30 days were 7·1 per cent (633 of 8909) and 10·8 per cent (962 of 8909) respectively. Both readmissions and complications were independently associated with increasing ASA fitness grade, duration of surgery, and increasing numbers of emergency admissions with gallbladder disease before cholecystectomy. No identifiable hospital characteristics were linked to readmissions and complications. Conclusion Readmissions and complications following cholecystectomy are common and associated with patient and disease characteristics