A lattice estimate of the g_{D^* D pi} coupling

We present the results of the first direct determination of the g_{D^* D pi} coupling using lattice QCD. From our simulations in the quenched approximation, we obtain g_{D^* D pi} = 18.8 +/- 2.3^{+1.1}_{-2.0} and hat(g) = 0.67 +/- 0.08^{+0.04}_{-0.06}. It is in agreement with a recent experimental result from CLEO.Comment: Lattice2002(heavyquark), 3 pages, 3 figure

Pericranial and scalp rotation flaps for occipitocervical hardware exposure with CSF leak in rheumatoid arthritis patient: A case report and review of the literature

Background: There are several etiologies of craniocervical junction instability (CCJI); trauma, rheumatoid arthritis (RA), infections, tumors, congenital deformity, and degenerative processes. These conditions often require surgery and craniocervical fixation. In rare cases, breakdown of such CCJI fusions (i.e., due to cerebrospinal fluid [CSF] leaks, infection, and wound necrosis) may warrant the utilization of occipital periosteal rescue flaps and scalp rotation flaps to achieve adequate closure. Case Description: A 33-year-old female with RA, cranial settling, and high cervical cord compression underwent an occipitocervical instrumented C0-C3/C4 fusion. Two months later, revision surgery was required due to articular screws pull out, CSF leakage, and infection. At the second surgery, the patient required screws removal, the application of laminar clamps, and sealing the leak with fibrin glue. However, the CSF leak persisted, and the skin edges necrosed leaving the hardware exposed. The third surgery was performed in conjunction with a plastic surgeon. It included operative debridement and covering the instrumentation with a pericranial flap. The resulting cutaneous defect was then additionally reconstructed with a scalp rotation flap. Postoperatively, the patient adequately recovered without sequelae. Conclusion: A 33-year-old female undergoing an occipitocervical fusion developed a postoperative persistent CSF leak, infection, and wound necrosis. This complication warranted the assistance of plastic surgery to attain closure. This required an occipital periosteal rescue flap with an added scalp rotation flap

Consistent OPE Description of Gluon Two- and Three-point Green Function?

We perform an OPE analysis of the flavorless non-perturbative gluon propagator and the symmetric three-gluon vertex in the Landau gauge. The first subdominant operator is $A_\mu A^\mu$ which can condensate in the Landau gauge ``vacuum'' although being a non-gauge invariant operator. We neglect all higher dimension operators. Then the gluon propagator and the symmetric three gluon vertex only depend on one common unknown condensate. We propose a consistency check from lattice data. At two loops for the leading coefficient and with $1/p^2$ corrections at tree-level order the two fitted values for the condensate do not agree. At three loops we argue that the today unknown $\beta_2^{\rm MOM}$ should be equal to $1.5(3)\times \beta_2^{\widetilde{\rm MOM}}=7400(1500)$ to fulfill the OPE relation. Inclusion of the power corrections' anomalous dimensions should improve further the agreement. We show that these techniques cannot be applied to the asymmetric three gluon vertex with one vanishing momentum.Comment: latex-file,10 figs.,13 pg

Brief review on semileptonic B decays

We concisely review semileptonic B decays, focussing on recent progress on both theoretical and experimental sides.Comment: 18 pages, 2 figures; version to be published in Mod. Phys. Lett.

Unparticle effects on top quark rare decays

In this work we study the flavor changing neutral current(FCNC) decays of the top quark, $t\to c\gamma$ and $t\to c g$. The Standard Model, predictions for the branching ratios of these decays are about $\sim 5\times 10^{-14}$, and $\sim 1\times 10^{-12}$, respectively. The recent study presented by the ATLAS Collaboration gives a sensitivity on these branching ratios about $\sim 10^{-5}$ at $$ C.L. The parameter space of $\lambda$, $\Lambda$, and $d$ where the branching ratios of $t\to c\gamma$ and $t\to c g$ decays exceed these predictions is obtained

First lattice QCD estimate of the g_{D^* D pi} coupling

We present the results of the first lattice QCD study of the strong coupling g_{D^* D pi}. From our simulations in the quenched approximation, we obtain g_{D^* D pi} = 18.8 +/- 2.3^{+1.1}_{-2.0} and hat(g)_c = 0.67 +/- 0.08^{+0.04}_{-0.06}. Whereas previous theoretical studies gave different predictions, our result favours a large value for hat(g)_c. It agrees very well with the recent experimental value by CLEO. hat(g) varies very little with the heavy mass and we find in the infinite mass limit hat(g)_infinity = 0.69(18).Comment: 24 pages, 7 figures; references added, corrected typos, Comments added about the continuum limi

Asymptotic behaviour of the gluon propagator from lattice QCD

We study the flavorless gluon propagator in the Landau gauge from high statistics lattice calculations. Hypercubic artifacts are efficiently eliminated by taking the $\sum p_\mu^4 \to 0$ limit. The propagator is fitted to the three-loops perturbative formula in an energy window ranging form $\sim$ 2.5 GeV up to $\sim$ 5.5 GeV. $\alpha_s$ is extracted from the best fit in a continuous set of renormalisation schemes. The fits are very good, with a $\chi^2$ per d.o.f smaller than 1. We propose a more stringent test of asymptotic scaling based on scheme independence of the resulting $\Lambda_{\bar MS}$. This method shows that asymptotic scaling at three loops is not reached by the gluon propagator although we use rather large energies. We are only able to obtain an effective flavorless three-loops estimate $\Lambda_{\bar MS}^{(3)}= 353 \pm 2 ^{+25}_{-10}$ MeV. We argue that the real asymptotic value for $\Lambda_{\bar MS}$ should plausibly be smaller.Comment: 16 pages, 9 figures, revTe

Flavor changing t -> c l_1^- l_2^+ decay in the general two Higgs doublet model

We study the flavor changing t-> c l_1^- l_2^+ decay in the framework of the general two Higgs doublet model, the so called model III. We predict the branching ratio for l_1=\tau, l_2=\mu at the order of magnitude of BR \sim 10^{-8}.Comment: 12 Pages, 5 Figure

Assessment of left ventricular diastolic function in children after successful repair of aortic coarctation

The purpose of the study was an assessment of left ventricular diastolic function in children after the successful repair of aortic coarctation (CoA). The prospective study concerned 32 pediatric patients after the CoA surgery. Tissue Doppler imaging parameters including strain and strain rate and the conventional echocardiographic indexes were analyzed in patients and healthy controls. Analysis of mitral annulus velocities, E–E′ ratio, strain, and strain rate of left ventricular mid-cavity segments and conventional indexes of mitral inflow showed the worsening of left ventricular diastolic mechanics in the study group compared to healthy controls. The E/E′ ratio was significantly higher in the study group compared to the control group (8.30 ± 3.24 vs. 6.95 ± 1.36; p < 0.05). The early diastolic strain rate to late diastolic strain rate ratio as well as early to late diastolic strain ratio of the left ventricular mid-cavity segments were significantly lower in the study group compared to healthy controls (1.81 ± 0.63 vs. 3.74 ± 1.53; p < 0.001 and 1.20 ± 0.49 vs. 3.41 ± 1.26; p < 0.001). No differences of the pulmonary venous flow parameters between those two groups were observed. The left ventricular diastolic mechanics in hypertensive patients after CoA repair did not differ from normotensive subjects. Hypertensive and normotensive children after surgical repair of CoA are found to have worsening of the left ventricular diastolic mechanics suggesting the impairment of the active myocardial relaxation

Covariant Description of Flavor Conversion in the LHC Era

A simple covariant formalism to describe flavor and CP violation in the left-handed quark sector in a model independent way is provided. The introduction of a covariant basis, which makes the standard model approximate symmetry structure manifest, leads to a physical and transparent picture of flavor conversion processes. Our method is particularly useful to derive robust bounds on models with arbitrary mechanisms of alignment. Known constraints on flavor violation in the K and D systems are reproduced in a straightforward manner. Assumptions-free limits, based on top flavor violation at the LHC, are then obtained. In the absence of signal, with 100 fb^{-1} of data, the LHC will exclude weakly coupled (strongly coupled) new physics up to a scale of 0.6 TeV (7.6 TeV), while at present no general constraint can be set related to Delta t=1 processes. LHC data will constrain Delta F=2 contributions via same-sign tops signal, with a model independent exclusion region of 0.08 TeV (1.0 TeV). However, in this case, stronger bounds are found from the study of CP violation in D-bar D mixing with a scale of 0.57 TeV (7.2 TeV). In addition, we apply our analysis to models of supersymmetry and warped extra dimension. The minimal flavor violation framework is also discussed, where the formalism allows to distinguish between the linear and generic non-linear limits within this class of models.Comment: 24 pages, 6 figures. Some corrections and clarifications; references added. Matches published versio