The large-charge expansion for Schr\"odinger systems

In this note, we perform the large-charge expansion for non-relativistic systems with a global $U(1)$ symmetry in $3+1$ and $2+1$ space-time dimensions, motivated by applications to the unitary Fermi gas and anyons. These systems do not have full conformal invariance, but are invariant under the Schr\"odinger group. Also here, the low-energy physics is encoded by a Goldstone boson which is due to the breaking of the global symmetry when fixing the charge. We find that in $2+1$ dimensions and higher, there is a large-charge expansion in which quantum corrections are suppressed with respect to the next-to-leading order terms in the Lagrangian. We give the next-to-leading-order expressions for the ground state energy and the speed of sound.Comment: 15 pages. References added. JHEP versio

French Translation and Validation of Three Scales Evaluating Stigma in Mental Health

Objective: The concept of stigma refers to problems of knowledge (ignorance), attitudes (prejudice) and behavior (discrimination). Stigma may hinder access to care, housing and work. In the context of implementation of programs such as “housing first” or “individual placement and support” in French speaking regions, validated instruments measuring stigma are necessary. “Attitudes to Mental Illness 2011” is a questionnaire that includes three scales measuring stigma through these three dimensions. This study aimed to translate, adapt and validate these three scales in French. Methods: The “Attitudes to Mental Illness 2011” questionnaire was translated into French and back-translated into English by an expert. Two hundred and sixty-eight nursing students completed the questionnaire. Content validity, face validity, internal validity and convergent validity were assessed. Long-term reliability was also estimated over a three-month period. Results: Experts and participants found that the questionnaire’s content validity and face validity were appropriate. The internal validities of the three scales were also considered adequate. Convergent validity indicated that the scales did indeed measure what they were supposed to. Long-term stability estimates were moderate; this pattern of results suggested that the construct targeted by the three scales is adequately measured but does not necessarily represent stable and enduring traits. Conclusions: Because of their good psychometric properties, these three scales can be used in French, either separately, to measure one specific dimension of stigma, or together, to assess stigma in its three dimensions. This would seem of paramount importance in evaluating campaigns against stigma since it allows measures to be adapted according to campaign goals and the target population

QCD anatomy of photon isolation

Energetic photons are a short-distance probe to search for new physics and test the standard model at colliders. In order to differentiate photons from different origins at hadron colliders, it is necessary to impose isolation requirements. These requirements restrict the hadronic radiation inside a cone around the photon. In this thesis, we present a factorization theorem for the QCD effects associated with photon isolation. We show that for small cone radius R, photon isolation effects can be captured by a fragmentation function describing the decay of a parton into a photon accompanied by hadronic radiation. We compute this fragmentation function for different isolation criteria. For small isolation energy, the cone fragmentation function factorizes further into jet and soft functions. Using renormalization-group methods, we resum the leading logarithms of R and the non-global logarithms of the ratio εγ of the isolation energy and the photon energy, so that we control all logarithmically enhanced terms in the cross section. Finally, in the limit of small R and small εγ, we provide a simple formula to convert NNLO cross-section results from smooth-cone isolation to fixed-cone isolation

Confirmatory factor analysis of the French version of the Anticipatory and Consummatory Interpersonal Pleasure Scale

The Anticipatory and Consummatory Interpersonal Pleasure Scale (ACIPS), a measure specifically designed to assess hedonic capacity for social and interpersonal pleasure, was used to evaluate the presence of social anhedonia in patients as well as the general population. The first goal of this study was to validate the structure of the French version of the ACIPS. The second objective was to verify whether a one, two or three factor solution is most appropriate for the ACIPS scale. The French version of the ACIPS was tested on 263 French-speaking pre-graduate students or professional volunteers. For the confirmatory factor analysis, data were treated as categorical ordinal and all the models were estimated using a robust weighted least squares estimator with adjustments for the mean and variance. Three models were estimated. A one-factor model representing a general undifferentiated “pleasure” latent construct was first tested on the 17 ACIPS items. A two-factor model distinguishing anticipatory-pleasure and consummatory-pleasure was tested next. Finally, a three-factor model including intimate social interactions, group social interactions and social bonding was tested. The one and two-factor models showed a somewhat poor fit to the data. However, the goodness of fit of the three factor model was adequate. These results suggest that individuals who enjoyed interaction in one of these three sub domains were more likely to enjoy doing so in the two other domains. However, on the basis of the comparison between the one and three factor models, these three types interactions may not be considered as indistinguishable. Rather, they represent distinct and theoretically meaningful dimensions. These results show the French version of the ACIPS is a useful and valid scale to measure the capacity of savoring different kinds of social relationships

QCD anatomy of photon isolation

To separate the energetic photons produced in hard scattering processes from those from other sources, measurements impose isolation requirements which restrict the hadronic radiation inside a cone around the photon. In this paper, we perform a detailed factorization analysis of the QCD effects associated with photon isolation. We show that for small cone radius $R$, photon isolation effects can be captured by a fragmentation function describing the decay of a parton into a photon accompanied by hadronic radiation. We compute this fragmentation function for different isolation criteria and solve the associated renormalization group equations to resum logarithms of $R$. For small isolation energy, the cone fragmentation function factorizes further, into collinear functions describing energetic quarks and gluons near the cone boundary and functions encoding their soft radiation emitted into the cone. Based on this factorization we also resum the non-global logarithms of the ratio of the photon energy and the isolation energy, so that we control all logarithmically enhanced terms in the cross section. Finally, we provide a simple formula to convert NNLO cross section results from smooth-cone isolation to fixed-cone isolation.Comment: 38 pages, 13 figure

A first step toward cognitive remediation of voices: a case study.

Several studies have shown that source-monitoring errors are related to verbal hallucinations in schizophrenia. An exploratory pilot study has been carried out to investigate the possibility of training patients in how to avoid errors in source-monitoring. One patient with paranoid schizophrenia and persistent thought insertions was trained for 6 hours to use mnemonic techniques to compensate specific deficits in source-monitoring. Results show that the patient was able to improve his performance and maintain the acquired progress at a 1-month follow-up assessment. These preliminary results are interesting for developing a larger controlled study of cognitive remediation of source-monitoring deficits

What Can Animal Memory Study Bring to the Assessment of Memory and Cognitive Skills for Intellectual Disability?

Three case studies are presented to investigate the possibility of evaluating memory and cognitive capacities of severe intellectual disability with attention given to the ecological environment. Two 22-year-old male patients and a 27-year-old male patient, all three with severe intellectual disability with no verbal communication skills, were evaluated with a new and original paradigm adapted to study cognition in humans from experimental paradigms. We developed a test based on animal models to complement the "home” scale of the Adolescent and Adult Psychoeducational Profile (AAPEP), an assessment instrument designed for adolescents and adults with severe developmental disabilities. Results show that the new instrument is helpful, not only to staff members who can better understand the poor performances of their patients in daily life activities but also in the elaboration of individual acquisition plans. These preliminary results demonstrate the interest in developing a larger controlled study and in publishing our procedur