Immediate versus water-storage performance of Class V flowable composite restoratives

Objectives The aims of this investigation were to clarify the effects of 24 h water-storage and finishing time on mechanical properties and marginal adaptation to a Class V cavity of eight modern flowable resin-composites. Methods Eight flowable composites, plus two controls (one microfilled and one hybrid composite), were investigated with specimen sub-groups (n = 10) for each property measured. The principal series of experiments was conducted in model Class V cavities with interfacial polishing either immediately (3 min) after setting or after 24 h water-storage. After the finishing procedure, each tooth was sectioned in a buccolingual direction through the center of the restoration, and the presence or absence of marginal-gaps was measured (and then summed for each cavity) at 14 points (each 0.5 mm apart) along the cavity restoration interface (n = 10 per group; total points measured = 140). The shear bond-strengths to enamel and to dentin, and flexural strengths and moduli data were also measured at 3 min and after 24 h water-storage. Results For all flowable composites, polished immediately after setting, 14–30 summed gaps were observed (controls: 64 and 42). For specimens polished after 24 h, a significantly (p &#60; 0.05) reduced number of 8–17 summed gaps occurred for only 3 flowable composites; whereas for 5 flowable composites there were non-significantly-different (p &#62; 0.05) numbers (11–17) of summed gaps (controls: 28 and 22). After 24 h storage, shear bond-strengths to enamel and to dentin, flexural strengths and moduli increased highly significantly (p &#60; 0.001) for all materials, except Silux Plus. Significance A post-cure interval of 24 h resulted in enhanced mechanical and adhesive properties of flowable dental composites. In a minority of cases there was also a reduced incidence of marginal-gap formation. However the latter effect may be partly attributed to 24 h delayed polishing, even though such a delay is not usual clinical practice.</p

Tensor mesons produced in tau lepton decays

Light tensor mesons (T = a_2, f_2 and K_2^*) can be produced in decays of tau leptons. In this paper we compute the branching ratios of tau --> T pi nu decays by assuming the dominance of intermediate virtual states to model the form factors involved in the relevant hadronic matrix element. The exclusive f_2(1270) pi^- decay mode turns out to have the largest branching ratio, of O(10^-4) . Our results indicate that the contributions of tensor meson intermediate states to the three-pseudoscalar channels of tau decays are rather small.Comment: 10 pages, 1 figure. Version accepted for publication in PRD, some typos are corrected and comments are added in section 4. Conclusions remain unchange

The Gauge Hierarchy Problem and Higher Dimensional Gauge Theories

We report on an attempt to solve the gauge hierarchy problem in the framework of higher dimensional gauge theories. Both classical Higgs mass and quadratically divergent quantum correction to the mass are argued to vanish. Hence the hierarchy problem in its original sense is solved. The remaining finite mass correction is shown to depend crucially on the choice of boundary condition for matter fields, and a way to fix it dynamically is presented. We also point out that on the simply-connected space $S^2$ even the finite mass correction vanishes.Comment: LaTeX2e. 12 pages, 3 Postscript figures; Added references, some comment

Finite Higgs mass without Supersymmetry

We identify a class of chiral models where the one-loop effective potential for Higgs scalar fields is finite without any requirement of supersymmetry. It corresponds to the case where the Higgs fields are identified with the components of a gauge field along compactified extra dimensions. We present a six dimensional model with gauge group U(3)xU(3) and quarks and leptons accomodated in fundamental and bi-fundamental representations. The model can be embedded in a D-brane configuration of type I string theory and, upon compactification on a T^2/Z_2 orbifold, it gives rise to the standard model with two Higgs doublets.Comment: 28 pages, 4 figures, uses axodraw. Some typos corrected and references rearrange

Asymmetry Parameter of the K1(1270,1400)K_{1} (1270, 1400) by Analyzing the B→K1ννˉB\to K_{1}\nu \bar{\nu} Transition Form Factors within QCD

Separating the mixture of the $K_{1}(1270)$ and $K_{1}(1400)$ states, the $B\to K_{1}(1270, 1400)\nu\bar{\nu}$ transition form factors are calculated in the three-point QCD sum rules approach. The longitudinal, transverse and total decay widths as well as the asymmetry parameter, characterizing the polarization of the axial $K_{1}(1270, 1400)$ and the branching ratio for these decays are evaluated.Comment: 25 pages, 3 figures, 3 table

Measurement of the mass of the τ lepton

The mass of the τ lepton has been measured at the Beijing Electron-Positron Collider using the Beijing Spectrometer. A search near threshold for e^+e^-→τ^+τ^- was performed. Candidate events were identified by requiring that one τ decay via τ→eνν¯, and the other via τ→μνν¯. The mass value, obtained from a fit to the energy dependence of the τ^+τ^- cross section, is m_τ=1776.9_(-0.5)^(+0.4)±0.2 MeV

Enhanced Thermal Stability and Flame-Retardant Properties of Cross-Linked Polymer Nanocomposites

Polymeric materials have wide applications in the home and industry, providing inexpensive, lightweight, and high performance materials. However, due to the fuel-rich chemical composition of polymers, many flame-retardant additives have been developed to mitigate damages in the event of a fire. Unfortunately, some of these flame-retardants are either toxic or pose significant environmental impacts, highlighting the need for new, nontoxic and environmentally benign polymeric flame-retardants. One promising flame-retardant technology to fill this role is the polymeric nanocomposite. Firstly, the work in this dissertation aims to use thermogravimetric analysis to uncover understudied nanofillers and provide insight into new flame-retardant polymer additives. Secondly, this work aims to investigate methods to enhance the char yield and thermal stability of existing polymer nanocomposites. Nanocomposites containing -zirconium phosphate and poly(methyl methacrylate) were produced by solution casting. These high loading materials (0-30wt% nanofiller) retained their optical transparency, while scattering and absorbing significant amounts of UV light. The nanocomposites were largely noncombustible, with significant residuals even at very high temperatures. Lastly, α-zirconium phosphate nanocomposites had enhanced thermal stability, shown as reduced peak mass loss rates and higher activation energy for thermal decomposition. These studies provide insight into the unique properties of α-zirconium phosphate as a polymeric additive. Aside from studying new nanofillers, the work in this dissertation aims to improve the performance of existing flame-retardant polymer nanocomposites. Poly(methyl methacrylate) nanocomposites containing montmorillonite, aluminum oxide, or silica nanofiller were cross-linked with trimethylolpropane triacrylate to study the interaction between polymer cross-linkages and nanofiller content. In all cross-linked nanocomposites observed, there were synergistic enhancements to the thermal stability of poly(methyl methacrylate), observed as an increase to the onset of degradation by nearly 100⁰C and an increase to the activation energy of degradation. In addition, cross-linked nanocomposites showed synergistic enhancements to char yields. Silica specially surface treated with KH570 was also used to directly cross-link poly(methyl methacrylate), but the degree of cross-linking was low and the effects were less pronounced compared to other cross-linked nanocomposites. This work shows that the combination of nanofiller additives and polymer cross-linking agents provides viable improvement to existing nanocomposites

Radiative and Semileptonic B Decays Involving Higher K-Resonances in the Final States

We study the radiative and semileptonic B decays involving a spin-$J$ resonant $K_J^{(*)}$ with parity $(-1)^J$ for $K_J^*$ and $(-1)^{J+1}$ for $K_J$ in the final state. Using the large energy effective theory (LEET) techniques, we formulate $B \to K_J^{(*)}$ transition form factors in the large recoil region in terms of two independent LEET functions $\zeta_\perp^{K_J^{(*)}}$ and $\zeta_\parallel^{K_J^{(*)}}$, the values of which at zero momentum transfer are estimated in the BSW model. According to the QCD counting rules, $\zeta_{\perp,\parallel}^{K_J^{(*)}}$ exhibit a dipole dependence in $q^2$. We predict the decay rates for $B \to K_J^{(*)} \gamma$, $B \to K_J^{(*)} \ell^+ \ell^-$ and $B \to K_J^{(*)}\nu \bar{\nu}$. The branching fractions for these decays with higher $K$-resonances in the final state are suppressed due to the smaller phase spaces and the smaller values of $\zeta^{K_J^{(*)}}_{\perp,\parallel}$. Furthermore, if the spin of $K_J^{(*)}$ becomes larger, the branching fractions will be further suppressed due to the smaller Clebsch-Gordan coefficients defined by the polarization tensors of the $K_J^{(*)}$. We also calculate the forward backward asymmetry of the $B \to K_J^{(*)} \ell^+ \ell^-$ decay, for which the zero is highly insensitive to the $K$-resonances in the LEET parametrization.Comment: 27 pages, 4 figures, 7 tables;contents and figures corrected, title and references revise

A model of CP Violation from Extra Dimension

We construct a realistic model of CP violation in which CP is broken in the process of dimensional reduction and orbifold compactification from a five dimensional theories with $SU(3)\times SU(3) \times SU(3)$ gauge symmetry. CP violation is a result of the Hosotani type gauge configuration in the higher dimension.Comment: 5 page