878 research outputs found
The Nusselt numbers of horizontal convection
We consider the problem of horizontal convection in which non-uniform
buoyancy, , is imposed on the top surface of a container and
all other surfaces are insulating. Horizontal convection produces a net
horizontal flux of buoyancy, , defined by vertically and temporally
averaging the interior horizontal flux of buoyancy. We show that
; overbar denotes a
space-time average over the top surface, angle brackets denote a volume-time
average and is the molecular diffusivity of buoyancy . This
connection between and
justifies the definition of the
horizontal-convective Nusselt number, , as the ratio of to the corresponding quantity produced
by molecular diffusion alone. We discuss the advantages of this definition of
over other definitions of horizontal-convective Nusselt number currently
in use. We investigate transient effects and show that equilibrates more rapidly than other
global averages, such as the domain averaged kinetic energy and bottom
buoyancy. We show that is
essentially the volume-averaged rate of Boussinesq entropy production within
the enclosure. In statistical steady state, the interior entropy production is
balanced by a flux of entropy through the top surface. This leads to an
equivalent "surface Nusselt number", defined as the surface average of vertical
buoyancy flux through the top surface times the imposed surface buoyancy
. In experiments it is likely easier to evaluate the surface
entropy flux, rather than the volume integral of
demanded by .Comment: 16 pages, 7 figure
Men who have sex with men who do not access sexual health clinics nor disclose sexual orientation are unlikely to receive the HPV vaccine in the UK
Background: Men who have sex with men (MSM) are recommended the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination due to their higher risk of genital warts and anal cancer. Purpose: To examine HPV vaccine acceptability amongst MSM in the UK. Methods: Using advertisements via Facebook, MSM were recruited to an online survey measuring motivations for HPV vaccination. Logistic regression was performed to identify predictors of HPV vaccine acceptability. Results: Out of 1508 MSM (median age = 22, range: 14–63 years) only 19% had good knowledge of HPV. Overall, 55% of MSM were willing to ask for the HPV vaccine and 89% would accept it if offered by a healthcare professional (HCP). Access to sexual health clinics (SHCs) [OR = 1.82, 95% CI 1.29–2.89], the disclosure of sexual orientation to a HCP [OR = 2.02, CI 1.39–3.14] and HIV-positive status [OR = 1.96, CI 1.09–3.53] positively predicted HPV vaccine acceptability. After receiving information about HPV, perceptions of HPV risk [OR = 1.31, CI 1.05–1.63], HPV infection severity [OR = 1.89, CI 1.16–3.01), HPV vaccination benefits [OR = 1.61, CI 1.14–3.01], HPV vaccine effectiveness [OR = 1.54, CI 1.14–2.08], and the lack of perceived barriers to HPV vaccination [OR = 4.46, CI 2.95–6.73] were also associated with acceptability. Conclusions: Although nearly half of MSM would not actively pursue HPV vaccination, the vast majority would accept the vaccine if recommended by HCPs. In order to achieve optimal uptake, vaccine promotion campaigns should focus on MSM who do not access SHCs and those unwilling to disclose their sexual orientation
Cancellation of the Chiral Anomaly in a Model with Spontaneous Symmetry Breaking
A perturbatively renormalized Abelian Higgs-Kibble model with a chirally
coupled fermion is considered. The Slavnov identity is fulfilled to all orders
of perturbation theory, which is crucial for renormalizability in models with
vector bosons. BRS invariance, i.e. the validity of the identity, forces the
chiral anomaly to be cancelled by Wess-Zumino counterterms. This procedure
preserves the renormalizability in the one-loop approximation but it violates
the Froissart bounds for partial wave amplitudes above some energy and destroys
renormalizability from the second order in h bar onwards due to the
counterterms. (The paper has 3 figs. in postscript which are not included; send
request to the author's e-mailbox with subject: figures . The author is willing
to mail hard copies of the paper.)Comment: 13 pages, plain TeX, SI 92-1
Lepton Polarization in Neutrino-Nucleon Interactions
We derive generic formulas for the polarization density matrix of leptons
produced in neutrino and antineutrino collisions and briefly consider some
important particular cases. Next we employ the general formalism in order to
include the final lepton mass and spin into the popular model by Rein and
Sehgal for single pion neutrinoproduction.Comment: Talk given at 10th International Workshop on High-Energy Spin Physics
(SPIN 03), Dubna, Russia, 16-20 Sep 2003. 12 pages; extended version, typos
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Genetic and environmental influences on food preferences in adolescence
Background: Food preferences vary substantially among adults and children. Twin studies have established that genes and aspects of the shared family environment both play important roles in shaping children's food preferences. The transition from childhood to adulthood is characterized by large gains in independence, but the relative influences of genes and the environment on food preferences in late adolescence are unknown. Objective: The aim of this study was to quantify the contribution of genetic and environmental influences on food preferences in older adolescents. Design: Participants were 2865 twins aged 18-19 y from the TEDS (Twins Early Development Study), a large population-based cohort of British twins born during 1994-1996. Food preferences were measured by using a self-report questionnaire of 62 individual foods. Food items were categorized into 6 food groups (fruit, vegetables, meat or fish, dairy, starch foods, and snacks) by using factor analysis. Maximum likelihood structural equation modeling established genetic and environmental contributions to variations in preferences for each food group. Results: Genetic factors influenced a significant and substantial proportion of the variation in preference scores of all 6 food groups: vegetables (0.54; 95% CI: 0.47, 0.59), fruit (0.49; 95% CI: 0.43, 0.55), starchy foods (0.32; 95% CI: 0.24, 0.39), meat or fish (0.44; 95% CI: 0.38, 0.51), dairy (0.44; 95% CI: 0.37, 0.50), and snacks (0.43; 95% CI: 0.36, 0.49). Aspects of the environment that are not shared by 2 twins in a family explained all of the remaining variance in food preferences. Conclusions: Food preferences had a moderate genetic basis in late adolescence, in keeping with findings in children. However, by this older age, the influence of the shared family environment had disappeared, and only aspects of the environment unique to each individual twin influenced food preferences. This finding suggests that shared environmental experiences that influence food preferences in childhood may not have effects that persist into adulthood
Polarization of Tau Leptons Produced in Quasielastic Neutrino--Nucleon Scattering
A numerical analysis of the polarization vector of tau leptons produced
through quasielastic neutrino and antineutrino interactions with free nucleons
is given with two models for vector electromagnetic form factors of proton and
neutron. The impact of G parity violating axial and vector second-class
currents is investigated by applying a simple heuristic model for the induced
scalar and tensor form factors.Comment: Thesis of a talk given at the 8th Scientific Conference (SCYSS-04),
Dubna, Russia, 2 - 6 Feb 2004. 11 pages, 6 figures; added references, figures
and discussion; conclusions unchange
Tree Unitarity and Partial Wave Expansion in Noncommutative Quantum Field Theory
The validity of the tree-unitarity criterion for scattering amplitudes on the
noncommutative space-time is considered, as a condition that can be used to
shed light on the problem of unitarity violation in noncommutative quantum
field theories when time is noncommutative. The unitarity constraints on the
partial wave amplitudes in the noncommutative space-time are also derived.Comment: 15 pages, 1 figur
The Role of Eating Behaviours in Genetic Susceptibility to Obesity
Purpose of Review
Eating behaviours are hypothesised to be the behavioural expression of genetic risk of obesity. In this review, we summarise findings from behavioural genetic research on the association between genetic risk for obesity and validated psychometrics measures of eating behaviours in children and adults (published in the past 10 years).
Recent Findings
Twin studies have produced some evidence for a shared genetic aetiology underlying body mass index and eating behaviours. Studies using measured genetic susceptibility to obesity have suggested that increased genetic liability for obesity is associated with variation in obesogenic eating behaviours such as emotional and uncontrolled eating.
Summary
More research on this topic is needed. Especially longitudinal studies using genetically sensitive designs to investigate the direction of genetic pathways between genetic liability of eating behaviours to weight and vice versa, as well as the potential subsequent link to eating disorders
The acceptability and feasibility of using a 3D body size scale to initiate conversations about weight in toddlerhood: a mixed-methods study
Background: Health Care Professionals struggle to initiate conversations about overweight in toddlerhood. A novel 3D body size scale (3D BSS) may facilitate engagement with this topic during pediatric appointments.
Objectives: To explore barriers and facilitators to using the 3D BSS through a mixedmethods design.
Methods: For the qualitative phase, parents of toddlers (n = 38) participated in semistructured interviews introducing the 3D BSS of 4–5-year-old children. For the quantitative phase, pre- and post-interview questionnaires were administered to ascertain
the acceptability of the 3D BSS.
Results: Parents rated the 3D BSS as “very” (n = 20, 52.6%) to “moderately” (n = 12,
31.6%) acceptable. Thematic analysis revealed four barriers to acceptability: i) the
sensitive nature of child weight, ii) the belief that weight does not determine health,
iii) the visual normalisation of overweight and iv) the need to account for individual
variation in growth patterns. However, these barriers could be overcome through
three facilitators: i) the provision of expert guidance ii) the value of simple tools, and
iii) tailoring conversations to familial needs.
Conclusions: Parents considered the 3D BSS an acceptable visual resource to discuss
child weight during routine appointments. However, the acceptability of the tool was
conditional on a sensitive, collaborative, and tailored delivery approach
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