Efficacy of cognitive behaviour therapy versus anxiety management for body dysmorphic disorder: a randomised controlled trial

Background: The evidence base for the effectiveness of cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) for treating Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD) is weak. Aims: To determine if CBT is more effective than anxiety management (AM) in an out-patient setting. Method: A single blind, stratified parallel-group randomized controlled trial. The primary endpoint was at 12 weeks, and the Yale Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale for BDD (BDD-YBOCS) was the primary outcome measure. Secondary measures for BDD included the Brown Assessment of Beliefs (BABS), the Appearance Anxiety Inventory (AAI) and the Body Image Quality of Life Inventory (BIQLI). The outcome measures were collected at baseline and week 12. The CBT group, unlike the AM group, had 4 further weekly sessions that were analysed for their added value. Both groups then completed measures at their 1-month follow-up. Forty-six participants, with DSM-IV diagnosis of BDD including those with a delusional BDD were randomly allocated to either CBT or AM. Results: At 12 weeks, CBT was found to be significantly superior to AM on the BDD-YBOCS ( = -7.19, S.E. () = 2.61, p < .01, C.I. = -12.31, -2.07, d 0.99) as well as the secondary outcome measures of the BABS, AAI and BIQL. Further benefits occurred by Week 16 within the CBT group. There were no differences in outcome for those with delusional BDD or depression. Conclusions: CBT is an effective intervention for people with BDD even with delusional beliefs or depression and is more effective than anxiety management over 12 weeks

A microscopic theory of gauge mediation

We construct models of indirect gauge mediation where the dynamics responsible for breaking supersymmetry simultaneously generates a weakly coupled subsector of messengers. This provides a microscopic realization of messenger gauge mediation where the messenger and hidden sector fields are unified into a single sector. The UV theory is SQCD with massless and massive quarks plus singlets, and at low energies it flows to a weakly coupled quiver gauge theory. One node provides the primary source of supersymmetry breaking, which is then transmitted to the node giving rise to the messenger fields. These models break R-symmetry spontaneously, produce realistic gaugino and sfermion masses, and give a heavy gravitino.Comment: 24 pages, 2 figures, accepted to JHEP for publicatio

Collective Quartics from Simple Groups

This article classifies Little Higgs models that have collective quartic couplings. There are two classes of collective quartics: Special Cosets and Special Quartics. After taking into account dangerous singlets, the smallest Special Coset models are SU(5)/SO(5) and SU(6)/Sp(6). The smallest Special Quartic model is SU(5)/SU(3) x SU(2) x U(1) and has not previously been considered as a candidate Little Higgs model.Comment: 22 pages, 2 figure

Isolation of Flow and Nonflow Correlations by Two and Four Particle Cumulant Measurements of Azimuthal Harmonics in √Sɴɴ = GeV Au+Au Collisions

A data-driven method was applied to Au+Au collisions at √Sɴɴ = 200 GeV made with the STAR detector at RHIC to isolate pseudorapidity distance Δ η-dependent and Δ η-independent correlations by using two- and four-particle azimuthal cumulant measurements. We identified a Δ η-independent component of the correlation, which is dominated by anisotropic flow and flow fluctuations. It was also found to be independent of η within the measured range of pseudorapidity | η | \u3c 1. In 20-30% central Au+Au collisions, the relative flow fluctuation was found to be 34% ± 2%(stat.) ± 3%(sys.) for particles with transverse momentum pT less than 2 GeV/c. The Δ η-dependent part, attributed to nonflow correlations, is found to be 5% ± 2%(sys.) relative to the flow of the measured second harmonic cumulant at | Δ η | \u3e 0.7

Isolation of Flow and Nonflow Correlations by Two- and Four-Particle Cumulant Measurements of Azimuthal Harmonics in √\u3csup\u3es\u3c/sup\u3eNN=200 GeV Au+Au collisions

A data-driven method was applied to Au+Au collisions at √sNN = 200 GeV made with the STAR detector at RHIC to isolate pseudorapidity distance Δη-dependent and Δη-independent correlations by using two- and four-particle azimuthal cumulant measurements. We identified a Δη-independent component of the correlation, which is dominated by anisotropic flow and flow fluctuations. It was also found to be independent of η within the measured range of pseudorapidity |η| \u3c 1. In 20–30% central Au+Au colli- sions, the relative flow fluctuation was found to be 34% ± 2%(stat.) ± 3%(sys.) for particles with transverse momentum PT less than 2 GeV/c. The Δη-dependent part, attributed to nonflow correlations, is found to be 5% ± 2%(sys.) relative to the flow of the measured second harmonic cumulant at |Δη| \u3e 0.7

A Bast-like valve in the pigeon?

The first description of the presence of a utriculo-endolymphatic valve in human fetuses was given by Bast in 1928. Since then this valve-like structure is called Bast’s valve. Its exact function has not yet been established. The general opinion is that it has a protective function by having the possibility to separate the superior endolymphatic compartments of the labyrinth from the inferior compartment. Phylogenetically seen birds are the first vertebrates with a cochlear duct and a distinct inferior and superior part of the labyrinth. A structure in the pigeon inner ear, resembling Bast’s valve in mammals, is described

Measurement of charged jet cross section in pp collisions at s =5.02 TeV

The cross section of jets reconstructed from charged particles is measured in the transverse momentum range of

Measurement of electrons from heavy-flavour hadron decays as a function of multiplicity in p-Pb collisions at √sNN = 5.02 TeV

The multiplicity dependence of electron production from heavy-flavour hadron decays as a function of transverse momentum was measured in p-Pb collisions at sNN = 5.02 TeV using the ALICE detector at the LHC. The measurement was performed in the centre-of-mass rapidity interval −1.07 &lt; ycms&lt; 0.14 and transverse momentum interval 2 &lt; pT&lt; 16 GeV/c. The multiplicity dependence of the production of electrons from heavy-flavour hadron decays was studied by comparing the pT spectra measured for different multiplicity classes with those measured in pp collisions (QpPb) and in peripheral p-Pb collisions (Qcp). The QpPb results obtained are consistent with unity within uncertainties in the measured pT interval and event classes. This indicates that heavy-flavour decay electron production is consistent with binary scaling and independent of the geometry of the collision system. Additionally, the results suggest that cold nuclear matter effects are negligible within uncertainties, in the production of heavy-flavour decay electrons at midrapidity in p-Pb collisions. [Figure not available: see fulltext.