Exact beta function from the holographic loop equation of large-N QCD_4

We construct and study a previously defined quantum holographic effective action whose critical equation implies the holographic loop equation of large-N QCD_4 for planar self-avoiding loops in a certain regularization scheme. We extract from the effective action the exact beta function in the given scheme. For the Wilsonean coupling constant the beta function is exacly one loop and the first coefficient agrees with its value in perturbation theory. For the canonical coupling constant the exact beta function has a NSVZ form and the first two coefficients agree with their value in perturbation theory.Comment: 42 pages, latex. The exponent of the Vandermonde determinant in the quantum effective action has been changed, because it has been employed a holomorphic rather than a hermitean resolution of identity in the functional integral. Beta function unchanged. New explanations and references added, typos correcte

Finite Temperature Phase Diagramm of QCD with improved Wilson fermions

We present first results of a study of two flavour QCD with Wilson fermions at finite temperature. We have used tree level Symanzik improvement in both the gauge and fermion part of the action. In a first step we explore the phase diagramm on an $8^3 \times 4$ lattice, with particular emphasis on checking Aoki's conjecture with an improved action.Comment: Talk presented at LATTICE97(finite temperature), 3 pages, 3 Postscript figure

Gender Felt Pressure, Affective Domains, and Mental Health Outcomes among Transgender and Gender Diverse (TGD) Children and Adolescents: A Systematic Review with Developmental and Clinical Implications

Although capable of mobilizing significant resilience factors to face stigma and discrimination, transgender and gender diverse (TGD) children and adolescents tend to suffer from more adverse mental health outcomes compared to their cisgender counterparts. The minority stressors that this population faces are mainly due to the gender-based pressure to conform to their assigned gender. This systematic review was aimed at assessing the potential mental health issues that affect the TGD population. The literature search was conducted in three databases; namely, Scopus, PubMed, and Web of Science, based on the PRISMA guidelines. The 33 articles included in the systematic review pointed out how TGD children and adolescents experience high levels of anxiety and depression, as well as other emotional and behavioral problems, such as eating disorders and substance use. Resilience factors have been also pointed out, which aid this population in facing these negative mental health outcomes. The literature review highlighted that, on the one hand, TGD individuals appear to exhibit high levels of resilience; nonetheless, health disparities exist for TGD individuals compared with the general population, which are mainly attributable to the societal gender pressure to conform to their assigned gender. Considerations for research and clinical practice are provided

Heavy-light baryonic mass splittings from the lattice

We present lattice estimates of the mass of the heavy-light baryons $\Lambda_b$ and $\Xi_b$ obtained using propagating heavy quarks. For $\Lambda_b$ our result is $M_{\Lambda_b}=5.728 \pm 0.144 \pm 0.018$ GeV, after extrapolation to the continuum limit and in the quenched approximation.Comment: 3 pages postscript, Contribution to Lattice'9

La salute degli anziani LGBT dalla prospettiva del minority stress. Rassegna della letteratura e raccomandazioni di ricerca

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) older adults have not received proper attention by the scientific literature and gerontology research, especially in Italy. This lack represents only an aspect of a more general condition of social invisibility that weighs on this population. The present contribution aims to provide researchers and clinicians with a review of scientific works which, especially in the USA, have casted light on experiences of stigmatization, discrimination, and victimization experienced and perceived by this population. The theoretical framework is represented by the minority stress perspective which provides an overview of risk and protective factors related to physical and mental health of minority groups. In the current review, authors considered studies conducted through quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods, starting from 2000. Following the above described perspective, results are presented in two sections: the first one is focused on the different forms of stigma which weigh on LGBT older adults and the second one on the mental and physical health outcomes and on protective factors. The application of the minority stress perspective on LGBT older adults provides researchers and social and health care system providers with a psychosocial and clinical framework through which reading the phenomenon. Finally, main research recommendations are discussed

Radon concentration in self-bottled mineral spring waters as a possible public health issue

Since 2013, the Council Directive 2013/51/Euratom has been regulating the content of radioactive substances in water intended for human consumption. However, mineral waters are exempted from this regulation, including self-bottled springs waters, where higher radon concentration are expected. Therefore, a systematic survey has been conducted on all the 33 mineral spring waters of Lazio (a region of Central Italy) in order to assess if such waters, when self-bottled, may be of concern for public health. Waters have been sampled in two different ways to evaluate the impact of bottling on radon concentration. Water sampling was possible for 20 different spring waters, with 6 samples for each one. The results show that 2 (10%) of measured mineral spring waters returned radon concentrations higher than 100 Bq L−1, i.e., the parametric value established by the Council Directive. These results, if confirmed by other surveys involving a higher number of mineral spring waters, would suggest regulating also these waters, especially in countries like Italy for which: (i) mineral water consumption is significant; (ii) mineral concession owners generally allow the consumers to fill bottles and containers, intended for transport and subsequent consumption, directly from public fountains or from fountains within the plant; (iii) the consumers’ habit of drinking self-bottled mineral water is widespread

Development of an electrostatic precipitator prototype to reduce exposure to radon progeny in poorly ventilated workplaces

Electrostatic precipitation is a well-known technology to reduce public exposure to radon daughters. A custom electrostatic precipitator (ESP) prototype has been designed and built to study the effectiveness of such a removal technique in specific workplaces having low-to-zero air exchange rates with external environments. An appropriate mathematical model has been set up in order to simulate the behavior of environmental and nuclear data throughout the ESP operation, to optimize the design for the prototype to be built, to estimate its effectiveness in terms of effective dose reduction. Reference detectors have been used to measure both the radon concentration and the potential alpha energy concentration of its decay products. After a full calibration procedure, two main experiments have been performed in a room satisfying the requirements of very low ventilation rate and high radon concentration. The effective dose rate after an ESP continuous working period of either 3 h or 5 h turned out to be 50% lower than the value measured before ESP switching ON. The main contribution to dose reduction was found to be given by the first 2 hours of operation

Thermal characterization of intumescent fire retardant paints

Intumescent coatings are now the dominant passive fire protection materials used in industrial and commercial buildings. The coatings, which usually are composed of inorganic components contained in a polymer matrix, are inert at low temperatures and at higher temperatures, they expand and degrade to provide a charred layer of low conductivity materials. The charred layer, which acts as thermal barrier, will prevent heat transfer to underlying substrate. The thermal properties of intumescent paints are often unknown and difficult to be estimated since they vary significantly during the expansion process; for this reason the fire resistance validation of a commercial coatings is based on expensive, large-scale methods where each commercial coating-beam configuration has to be tested one by one. Adopting, instead, approaches based on a thermal modelling of the intumescent paint coating could provide an helpful tool to make easier the test procedure and to support the design of fire resistant structures as well. The present investigation is focused on the assessment of a methodology intended to the restoration of the equivalent thermal conductivity of the intumescent layer produced under the action of a cone calorimetric apparatus. The estimation procedure is based on the inverse heat conduction problem approach, where the temperature values measured at some locations inside the layer during the expansion process are used as input known data. The results point out that the equivalent thermal conductivity reached by the intumescent material at the end of the expansion process significantly depends on the temperature while the initial thickness of the paint does not seem to have much effect

Health of Non-binary and Genderqueer People: A Systematic Review

Background: Non-binary and genderqueer (NBGQ) people are those who do not identify within the gender binary system (male vs. female), not falling exclusively in man/male or woman/female normative categories. A higher proportion of NBGQ people is usually found within young persons. This population is marginalized and, as such, is at risk of stigmatization and of developing negative health outcomes. As literature on the health of NBGQ people is sparse, this study aims at systematically review the limited studies on this field. Methods: The research questions which guided the systematic review were: (1) What are the differences in the health levels between NBGQ and binary transgender (BT) individuals? (2) What are the differences in the health levels between NBGQ and cisgender individuals? (3) Which medical and psychological interventions are most suitable for improving NBGQ health? According to PRISMA guidelines, a systematic search was conducted in PubMed, PsycInfo, Web of Science, and Google Scholar. Results: Eleven studies met the inclusion criteria for the current systematic review. Among them, 9 were focused on the health differences between NBGQ and BT individuals, 4 of the latter and 1 individually were focused on the health differences between NBGQ and cisgender individuals, and 1 was focused on the evaluation of health outcomes related to medical procedures. No studies assessed psychological interventions aimed at improving health in NBGQ individuals. All studies were cross-sectional, did not generally recruit a large sample of NBGQ individuals, and used non-probability sample design. Results related to the difference in health between NBGQ and BT were mixed; indeed, some found a better health status while others a worse one. Results related to the differences in health between NBGQ and cisgender highlighted higher health needs in NBGQ than in BT individuals. The only study analyzing the effects of medical interventions on health found that NBGQ female-assigned at birth individuals improved their quality of life after chest surgery. Conclusions: Although scholars are starting to pay attention to the NBGQ health, research needs to be expanded both in terms of methodology and research contents. Clinical, health-related social policies, and research recommendations in this field are reported

Finite-Temperature Phase Structure of Lattice QCD with Wilson Quark Action

The long-standing issue of the nature of the critical line of lattice QCD with the Wilson quark action at finite-temperatures, defined to be the line of vanishing pion screening mass, and its relation to the line of finite-temperature chiral tansition is examined. Analytical and numerical evidence are presented that the critical line forms a cusp at a finite gauge coupling, and the line of chiral transition runs past the tip of the cusp without touching the critical line. Implications on the continuum limit and the flavor dependence of chiral transition are discussed.Comment: 13 pages(4 figures), latex (epsf style-file needed), one sentence in abstract missed in transmission supplied and a few minor modifications in the text mad