Recent Results in Scalar QED

In this talk we present some recent and new results on the phase structure and the continuum limit of lattice formulation of pure gauge QED coupled to Higgs fields. We show the presence of second order phase transition lines allowing for a continuum limit. Nevertheless, finite size analysis shows that this theory is logarithmically trivial. The role of magnetic monopoles is also shown.Comment: PS file with figures included, 3 pag., Pre-UAB-FT-330 (to appear in the Lattice93 Proceedings

Evaluation of accuracy of complete-arch multiple-unit abutment-level dental implant impressions using different impression and splinting materials.

Purpose: This in vitro study evaluated the accuracy of multiple-unit dental implant casts obtained from splinted or nonsplinted direct impression techniques using various splinting materials by comparing the casts to the reference models. The effect of two different impression materials on the accuracy of the implant casts was also evaluated for abutment-level impressions. Materials and Methods: A reference model with six internal-connection implant replicas placed in the completely edentulous mandibular arch and connected to multi-base abutments was fabricated from heat-curing acrylic resin. Forty impressions of the reference model were made, 20 each with polyether (PE) and polyvinylsiloxane (PVS) impression materials using the open tray technique. The PE and PVS groups were further subdivided into four subgroups of five each on the bases of splinting type: no splinting, bite registration PE, bite registration addition silicone, or autopolymerizing acrylic resin. The positional accuracy of the implant replica heads was measured on the poured casts using a coordinate measuring machine to assess linear differences in interimplant distances in all three axes. The collected data (linear and three-dimensional [3D] displacement values) were compared with the measurements calculated on the reference resin model and analyzed with nonparametric tests (Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney). Results: No significant differences were found between the various splinting groups for both PE and PVS impression materials in terms of linear and 3D distortions. However, small but significant differences were found between the two impression materials (PVS, 91 mu m; PE, 103 mu m) in terms of 3D discrepancies, irrespective of the splinting technique employed. Conclusions: Casts obtained from both impression materials exhibited differences from the reference model. The impression material influenced impression inaccuracy more than the splinting material for multiple-unit abutment-level impressions.Article Link : http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2427891

Tracheobronchial Foreign Bodies

foreign bodies, the means by which they gain accessand the measures by which accidental aspiration canbe prevented.Methods: Bronchoscopy was performed in 39 patientswho presented with a suspicion of foreign body aspirationduring a three-year period (Jan 2002 – Dec 2004) in theDepartment of ENT, Holy Family Hospital, Rawalpindi.Results: The common symptoms were sudden onset ofdyspnoea and cough. Whistle was commonest objectremoved (46.15%). Majority of patients were above tenyears of age (38.46%). Left main bronchus was thecommonest site of involvement.Conclusion: Foreign body aspiration should besuspected when there is sudden onset of respiratorysymptoms, even in the absence of a history of aspiration.Emergency bronchoscopy facility should be available inall hospitals. Mass awareness should be created throughelectronic media and family physicians, to decrease theincidence of such accidents

Random paths with curvature

We present some results coming from a Monte Carlo simulation of a set of random paths with a curvature dependent action. This model can be considered as a toy model of the theory of random surfaces. The transition from free to rigid random paths has been analyzed and the similitude with the crumpling transition have been pointed out.Comment: 4 pages, 5 Postscript figures, epsf.tex A postscript version is available at ftp://ftp.ifae.es/preprint/ft/uabft396.ps Poster presented in Lattice'96 conferenc

Gene diversity among some endogamous population of Amravati District, Maharashtra, India.

The present work deals with the distribution of ABO, Rh and sickling alleles as markers to study the genetic structure and micro-demarcation among castes and tribal populations from the Amravati district of Maharashtra. Three loci namely, ABO, Rh and sickling were selected to measure the relative frequency of respective alleles in ten (10) endogamous populations inhabiting the Amravati District. The ABO locus was found to be less polymorphic when compared with other loci. On the other hand, Rh and sickling loci were found to be more polymorphic. Construction of a dendrogram using allele frequency data reveals an interesting relationship among the caste and tribe. An analysis shows three major clades comprising A, B and C. Clade A comprises Islamic Dawoodi Bohra and Hindu Gujrati. Clade B comprises the upper castes, Brahmin, Jain, Kashmiris and Kunbis, while Clade C shows Gonds and Katchhi. This study is a first attempt to provide a genetic landscape of castes and tribes inhabiting the Vidarbha region. The findings are discussed in light of the historical, anthropological and genetic data available for the studied group

Appearance of symmetry, beauty, and health in human faces

Symmetry is an important concept in biology, being related to mate selection strategies, health, and survival of species. In human faces, the relevance of left-right symmetry to attractiveness and health is not well understood. We compared the appearance of facial attractiveness, health, and symmetry in three separate experiments. Participants inspected front views of faces on the computer screen and judged them on a 5-point scale according to their attractiveness in Experiment 1, health in Experiment 2, and symmetry in Experiment 3. We found that symmetry and attractiveness were not strongly related in faces of women or men while health and symmetry were related. There was a significant difference between attractiveness and symmetry judgments but not between health and symmetry judgments. Moreover, there was a significant difference between attractiveness and health. Facial symmetry may be critical for the appearance of health but it does not seem to be critical for the appearance of attractiveness, not surprisingly perhaps because human faces together with the human brain have been shaped by adaptive evolution to be naturally asymmetrical

Operating Islamic Jurisprudence in Non-Muslim Jurisdictions: Traditional Islamic Precepts and Contemporary Controversies in the United States

This is the final version of the article. Available from the Chicago-Kent College of Law via the URL in this record.With the recent public furor in the United States regarding “Shari‘a,” studies into the content of Islamic jurisprudence concerning Muslims living under non-Muslim jurisdiction are more pertinent than ever in the U.S. context. As “anti-Shari‘a” rhetoric has increased in fervency, informed input into the debates could go some way in correcting the peddled misconceptions. The paper begins by assessing how Muslim scholars viewed a Muslim’s travel to and residence in non-Muslim lands, and the obligation to abide by the laws of the land. It will focus on the jihad (siyar) section in Islamic jurisprudence and the section on judiciary (qaḍā’/adab al-qāḍī), and overlapping discussions of relevance pertaining to criminal law and financial law. The section on jihad assesses the issue of jurisdiction in terms of whether Islamic law can be applied to crimes committed in non-Muslim lands. A study of the section on judiciary will show how Islamic jurisprudence provides a means for Muslims to adjudicate among themselves in a non-Muslim polity. While much of the focus is on the Ḥanafī School of jurisprudence, comparisons will be made to other schools where possible, discerning areas of convergence and points of departure. Once this has been discovered, the actual intersection of Shari‘a and the American legal system will identify the fallacy of anti-Shari‘a propaganda. In doing so, I argue that a common sense approach is required that recognizes the accommodating principles in both legal traditions

Monopole Percolation in the Compact Abelian Higgs Model

We have studied the monopole-percolation phenomenon in the four dimensional Abelian theory that contains compact U(1) gauge fields coupled to unitary norm Higgs fields. We have determined the location of the percolation transition line in the plane $(\beta_g, \beta_H)$. This line overlaps the confined-Coulomb and the confined-Higgs phase transition lines, originated by a monopole-condensation mechanism, but continues away from the end-point where this phase transition line stops. In addition, we have determined the critical exponents of the monopole percolation transition away from the phase transition lines. We have performed the finite size scaling in terms of the monopole density instead of the coupling, because the density seems to be the natural parameter when dealing with percolation phenomena.Comment: 13 pages. REVTeX. 16 figs. included using eps