Modulation of the local density of states within the dd-density wave theory in the underdoped cuprates

The low temperature scanning tunneling microscopy spectra in the underdoped regime is analyzed from the perspective of coexisting $d$-density wave and d-wave superconducting states. The calculations are carried out in the presence of a low concentration of unitary impurities and within the framework of the fully self-consistent Bogoliubov-de Gennes theory, which allows local modulations of the magnitude of the order parameters in response to the impurities. Our theory captures the essential aspects of the experiments in the underdoped BSCCO at very low temperatures.Comment: 4 pages, 4 eps figures, RevTex4. New added material as well as reference

Synthesis, x-ray structure and anion binding properties of a cryptand-like hybrid calixpyrrole

The novel cryptand in/out-3, containing two tripyrrolemethane units briged by three 1,3- diisopropylidenbenzene arms was readily synthesized by a convergent three-step synthesis. It binds fluoride by inclusion with excellent selectivity with respect to a number of other tested anions. The structure of the free receptor and that of its fluoride complex were investigated in solution by NMR spectroscopy. The solid state X-ray structure of the free cryptand 3 was also determined

Absorption of the ω and ϕ Mesons in Nuclei

Because of their long lifetimes, the ω and ϕ mesons are the ideal candidates for the study of possible modifications of the in-medium meson-nucleon interaction through their absorption inside the nucleus. During the E01-112 experiment at the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility, the mesons were photoproduced from 2H, C, Ti, Fe, and Pb targets. This Letter reports the first measurement of the ratio of nuclear transparencies for the e+e− channel. The ratios indicate larger in-medium widths compared with what have been reported in other reaction channels. The absorption of the ω meson is stronger than that reported by the CBELSA-TAPS experiment and cannot be explained by recent theoretical models

Monotherapy with major antihypertensive drug classes and risk of hospital admissions for mood disorders

Major depressive and bipolar disorders predispose to atherosclerosis, and there is accruing data from animal model, epidemiological, and genomic studies that commonly used antihypertensive drugs may have a role in the pathogenesis or course of mood disorders. In this study, we propose to determine whether antihypertensive drugs have an impact on mood disorders through the analysis of patients on monotherapy with different classes of antihypertensive drugs from a large hospital database of 525 046 patients with follow-up for 5 years. There were 144 066 eligible patients fulfilling the inclusion criteria: age 40 to 80 years old at time of antihypertensive prescription and medication exposure >90 days. The burden of comorbidity assessed by Charlson and Elixhauser scores showed an independent linear association with mood disorder diagnosis. The median time to hospital admission with mood disorder was 847 days for the 299 admissions (641 685 person-years of follow-up). Patients on angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors or angiotensin receptor blockers had the lowest risk for mood disorder admissions, and compared with this group, those on β-blockers (hazard ratio=2.11; [95% confidence interval, 1.12–3.98]; P=0.02) and calcium antagonists (2.28 [95% confidence interval, 1.13–4.58]; P=0.02) showed higher risk, whereas those on no antihypertensives (1.63 [95% confidence interval, 0.94–2.82]; P=0.08) and thiazide diuretics (1.56 [95% confidence interval, 0.65–3.73]; P=0.32) showed no significant difference. Overall, our exploratory findings suggest possible differential effects of antihypertensive medications on mood that merits further study: calcium antagonists and β-blockers may be associated with increased risk, whereas angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors and angiotensin receptor blockers may be associated with a decreased risk of mood disorders

Light Vector Mesons in the Nuclear Medium

The light vector mesons (ρ,ω, and ϕ) were produced in deuterium, carbon, titanium, and iron targets in a search for possible in-medium modifications to the properties of the ρ meson at normal nuclear densities and zero temperature. The vector mesons were detected with the CEBAF Large Acceptance Spectrometer (CLAS) via their decays to e+e−. The rare leptonic decay was chosen to reduce final-state interactions. A combinatorial background was subtracted from the invariant mass spectra using a well-established event-mixing technique. The ρ-meson mass spectrum was extracted after the ω and ϕ signals were removed in a nearly model-independent way. Comparisons were made between the ρ mass spectra from the heavy targets (A\u3e2) with the mass spectrum extracted from the deuterium target. With respect to the ρ-meson mass, we obtain a small shift compatible with zero. Also, we measure widths consistent with standard nuclear many-body effects such as collisional broadening and Fermi motion

Screen time is associated with adiposity and insulin resistance in children

Higher screen time is associated with type 2 diabetes (T2D) risk in adults, but the association with T2D risk markers in children is unclear. We examined associations between self-reported screen time and T2D risk markers in children. Survey of 4495 children aged 9-10 years who had fasting cardiometabolic risk marker assessments, anthropometry measurements and reported daily screen time; objective physical activity was measured in a subset of 2031 children. Compared with an hour or less screen time daily, those reporting screen time over 3 hours had higher ponderal index (1.9%, 95% CI 0.5% to 3.4%), skinfold thickness (4.5%, 0.2% to 8.8%), fat mass index (3.3%, 0.0% to 6.7%), leptin (9.2%, 1.1% to 18.0%) and insulin resistance (10.5%, 4.9% to 16.4%); associations with glucose, HbA1c, physical activity and cardiovascular risk markers were weak or absent. Associations with insulin resistance remained after adjustment for adiposity, socioeconomic markers and physical activity. Strong graded associations between screen time, adiposity and insulin resistance suggest that reducing screen time could facilitate early T2D prevention. While these observations are of considerable public health interest, evidence from randomised controlled trials is needed to suggest causality. [Abstract copyright: Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/.