The anomalous U(1) global symmetry and flavors from an SU(5) x SU(5)′' GUT in Z12−IZ_{12-I} orbifold compactification

In string compactifications, frequently there appears the anomalous U(1) gauge symmetry which belonged to E8$\times$E8 of the heterotic string. This anomalous U(1) gauge boson obtains mass at the compactification scale, just below $10^{18\,}$GeV, by absorbing one pseudoscalar (corresponding to the model-independent axion) from the second rank anti-symmetric tensor field $B_{MN}$. Below the compactification scale, there results a global symmetry U(1)$_{\rm anom}$ whose charge $Q_{\rm anom}$ is the original gauge U(1) charge. This is the most natural global symmetry, realizing the "invisible" axion. This global symmetry U(1)$_{\rm anom}$ is suitable for a flavor symmetry. In the simplest compactification model with the flipped SU(5) grand unification, we calculate all the low energy parameters in terms of the vacuum expectation values of the standard model singlets.Comment: 18 pages, 4 figur

QCD axion and quintessential axion

The axion solution of the strong CP problem is reviewed together with the other strong CP solutions. We also point out the quintessential axion(quintaxion) whose potential can be extremely flat due to the tiny ratio of the hidden sector quark mass and the intermediate hidden sector scale. The quintaxion candidates are supposed to be the string theory axions, the model independent or the model dependent axions.Comment: 15 pages. Talk presented at Castle Ringberg, June 9-14, 200

Ofatumumab and high-dose methylprednisolone for the treatment of patients with relapsed or refractory chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

Ofatumumab is a humanized anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody that has been approved by the FDA for the treatment of patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia. We conducted a phase II single-arm study at a single center. Patients received ofatumumab (300 mg then 1000 mg weekly for 12 weeks) and methylprednisolone (1000 mg/m(2) for 3 days of each 28-day cycle). Twenty-one patients enrolled, including 29% with unfavorable cytogenetics (del17p or del11q). Ninety percent of patients received the full course without dose reductions or delays. The overall response rate was 81% (17/21) with 5% complete response, 10% nodular partial response, 67% partial response, 14% stable disease and 5% progressive disease. After a median follow-up of 31 months, the median progression-free survival was 9.9 months and the median time to next treatment was 12.1 months. The median overall survival has not yet been reached. The combination of high-dose methylprednisolone and ofatumumab is an effective and tolerable treatment regimen. This regimen may be useful for patients who are unable to tolerate more aggressive therapies, or have not responded to other treatments

Becoming a role model: The breastfeeding trajectory of Hong Kong women breastfeeding longer than 6 months

While a substantial proportion of breastfeeding women stop early in the postpartum period, some women are able to breastfeed for longer periods. The aim of this research was to explore the experience of breastfeeding with a subsample of Hong Kong women who have breastfed for longer than 6 months. Participants (n=17) were recruited from a larger infant-feeding study (n=360) conducted in tertiary-care hospitals in Hong Kong. In-depth qualitative interviews were conducted and content analysis was used to analyse the data. Data analysis revealed four themes that encompassed the women's experiences: (1) making the decision, (2) maintaining family harmony, (3) overcoming barriers, and (4) sustaining lactation. Antenatally, participants anticipated that breastfeeding would be very 'difficult' and described how the practice did not fit with the image of a professional woman in Hong Kong. Despite family opposition, frequently from their mother-in-law, and lack of societal acceptance, difficulties were overcome by what the Chinese people call hung-sum or determination. This study highlights unique cultural and social findings affecting breastfeeding women in Hong Kong which may be useful to health-care providers working with Chinese women locally and internationally. © 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.postprin

Superconducting transition of a two-dimensional Josephson junction array in weak magnetic fields

The superconducting transition of a two-dimensional (2D) Josephson junction array exposed to weak magnetic fields has been studied experimentally. Resistance measurements reveal a superconducting-resistive phase boundary in serious disagreement with the theoretical and numerical expectations. Critical scaling analyses of the $IV$ characteristics indicate contrary to the expectations that the superconducting-to-resistive transition in weak magnetic fields is associated with a melting transition of magnetic-field-induced vortices directly from a pinned-solid phase to a liquid phase. The expected depinning transition of vortices from a pinned-solid phase to an intermediate floating-solid phase was not observed. We discuss effects of the disorder-induced random pinning potential on phase transitions of vortices in a 2D Josephson junction array.Comment: 9 pages, 7 figures (EPS+JPG format), RevTeX

Development of a Chaff Dispense Program for Target Tracking Radar Deception

This study aims to develop an appropriate chaff dispensing program to deceive the target tracking radar (TTR) effectively. Chaff is a countermeasure commonly used by fighter aircraft to deceive TTR. However, there has been a lack of methodology for calculating chaff dispense programs that take into account the specific characteristics of the fighter, chaff, and TTR. This study proposes a methodology that considers these variables to calculate chaff dispense programs and addresses this gap. The proposed method is demonstrated through TESS engagement, which shows its effectiveness in various engagement situations