Diffusive Evolution of Stable and Metastable Phases II: Theory of Non-Equilibrium Behaviour in Colloid-Polymer Mixtures

By analytically solving some simple models of phase-ordering kinetics, we suggest a mechanism for the onset of non-equilibrium behaviour in colloid-polymer mixtures. These mixtures can function as models of atomic systems; their physics therefore impinges on many areas of thermodynamics and phase-ordering. An exact solution is found for the motion of a single, planar interface separating a growing phase of uniform high density from a supersaturated low density phase, whose diffusive depletion drives the interfacial motion. In addition, an approximate solution is found for the one-dimensional evolution of two interfaces, separated by a slab of a metastable phase at intermediate density. The theory predicts a critical supersaturation of the low-density phase, above which the two interfaces become unbound and the metastable phase grows ad infinitum. The growth of the stable phase is suppressed in this regime.Comment: 27 pages, Latex, eps

CP violation in sbottom decays

We study CP asymmetries in two-body decays of bottom squarks into charginos and tops. These asymmetries probe the SUSY CP phases of the sbottom and the chargino sector in the Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model. We identify the MSSM parameter space where the CP asymmetries are sizeable, and analyze the feasibility of their observation at the LHC. As a result, potentially detectable CP asymmetries in sbottom decays are found, which motivates further detailed experimental studies for probing the SUSY CP phases.Comment: 29 pages, 7 figure

Modelling Future Coronary Heart Disease Mortality to 2030 in the British Isles.

OBJECTIVE: Despite rapid declines over the last two decades, coronary heart disease (CHD) mortality rates in the British Isles are still amongst the highest in Europe. This study uses a modelling approach to compare the potential impact of future risk factor scenarios relating to smoking and physical activity levels, dietary salt and saturated fat intakes on future CHD mortality in three countries: Northern Ireland (NI), Republic of Ireland (RoI) and Scotland. METHODS: CHD mortality models previously developed and validated in each country were extended to predict potential reductions in CHD mortality from 2010 (baseline year) to 2030. Risk factor trends data from recent surveys at baseline were used to model alternative future risk factor scenarios: Absolute decreases in (i) smoking prevalence and (ii) physical inactivity rates of up to 15% by 2030; relative decreases in (iii) dietary salt intake of up to 30% by 2030 and (iv) dietary saturated fat of up to 6% by 2030. Probabilistic sensitivity analyses were then conducted. RESULTS: Projected populations in 2030 were 1.3, 3.4 and 3.9 million in NI, RoI and Scotland respectively (adults aged 25-84). In 2030: assuming recent declining mortality trends continue: 15% absolute reductions in smoking could decrease CHD deaths by 5.8-7.2%. 15% absolute reductions in physical inactivity levels could decrease CHD deaths by 3.1-3.6%. Relative reductions in salt intake of 30% could decrease CHD deaths by 5.2-5.6% and a 6% reduction in saturated fat intake might decrease CHD deaths by some 7.8-9.0%. These projections remained stable under a wide range of sensitivity analyses. CONCLUSIONS: Feasible reductions in four cardiovascular risk factors (already achieved elsewhere) could substantially reduce future coronary deaths. More aggressive polices are therefore needed in the British Isles to control tobacco, promote healthy food and increase physical activity

Off Mass Shell Effects in Hadron Electric Dipole Moments

We note that off the quark mass shell the operators $(p_i+p_f)_\mu\gamma_5$ and $i\sigma_{\mu\nu}(p_i -p_f)^\nu\gamma_5$, both of which reduce to $-\vec{\sigma}\cdot\vec{E}$ in the non-relativistic limit, are no longer identical. In this paper we explore the effects of this difference in the contribution of these quark electric moments to hadronic electric moments.Comment: 21 pages, 1 figure, Revtex, uses psfi

Two Simple W' Models for the Early LHC

W' gauge bosons are good candidates for early LHC discovery. We define two reference models, one containing a W'_R and one containing a W'_L, which may serve as ``simplified models'' for presenting experimental results of W' searches at the LHC. We present the Tevatron bounds on each model and compute the constraints from precision electroweak observables. We find that indirect low-energy constraints on the W'_L are quite strong. However, for a W'_R coupling to right-handed fermions there exists a sizeable region in parameter space beyond the bounds from the Tevatron and low-energy precision measurements where even 50 inverse picobarns of integrated LHC luminosity are sufficient to discover the W'_R. The most promising final states are two leptons and two jets, or one lepton recoiling against a ``neutrino jet''. A neutrino jet is a collimated object consisting of a hard lepton and two jets arising from the decay of a highly boosted massive neutrino.Comment: 20 pages, 8 figures. v2: references adde

The Interplay Between GUT and Flavour Symmetries in a Pati-Salam x S4 Model

Both Grand Unified symmetries and discrete flavour symmetries are appealing ways to describe apparent structures in the gauge and flavour sectors of the Standard Model. Both symmetries put constraints on the high energy behaviour of the theory. This can give rise to unexpected interplay when building models that possess both symmetries. We investigate on the possibility to combine a Pati-Salam model with the discrete flavour symmetry $S_4$ that gives rise to quark-lepton complementarity. Under appropriate assumptions at the GUT scale, the model reproduces fermion masses and mixings both in the quark and in the lepton sectors. We show that in particular the Higgs sector and the running Yukawa couplings are strongly affected by the combined constraints of the Grand Unified and family symmetries. This in turn reduces the phenomenologically viable parameter space, with high energy mass scales confined to a small region and some parameters in the neutrino sector slightly unnatural. In the allowed regions, we can reproduce the quark masses and the CKM matrix. In the lepton sector, we reproduce the charged lepton masses, including bottom-tau unification and the Georgi-Jarlskog relation as well as the two known angles of the PMNS matrix. The neutrino mass spectrum can present a normal or an inverse hierarchy, and only allowing the neutrino parameters to spread into a range of values between $\lambda^{-2}$ and $\lambda^2$, with $\lambda\simeq0.2$. Finally, our model suggests that the reactor mixing angle is close to its current experimental bound.Comment: 62 pages, 4 figures; references added, version accepted for publication in JHE

CLT in Functional Linear Regression Models

International audienceWe propose in this work to derive a CLT in the functional linear regression model to get confidence sets for prediction based on functional linear regression. The main difficulty is due to the fact that estimation of the functional parameter leads to a kind of ill-posed inverse problem. We consider estimators that belong to a large class of regularizing methods and we first show that, contrary to the multivariate case, it is not possible to state a CLT in the topology of the considered functional space. However, we show that we can get a CLT for the weak topology under mild hypotheses and in particular without assuming any strong assumptions on the decay of the eigenvalues of the covariance operator. Rates of convergence depend on the smoothness of the functional coefficient and on the point in which the prediction is made

Disparities and risks of sexually transmissible infections among men who have sex with men in China: a meta-analysis and data synthesis.

BACKGROUND: Sexually transmitted infections (STIs), including Hepatitis B and C virus, are emerging public health risks in China, especially among men who have sex with men (MSM). This study aims to assess the magnitude and risks of STIs among Chinese MSM. METHODS: Chinese and English peer-reviewed articles were searched in five electronic databases from January 2000 to February 2013. Pooled prevalence estimates for each STI infection were calculated using meta-analysis. Infection risks of STIs in MSM, HIV-positive MSM and male sex workers (MSW) were obtained. This review followed the PRISMA guidelines and was registered in PROSPERO. RESULTS: Eighty-eight articles (11 in English and 77 in Chinese) investigating 35,203 MSM in 28 provinces were included in this review. The prevalence levels of STIs among MSM were 6.3% (95% CI: 3.5-11.0%) for chlamydia, 1.5% (0.7-2.9%) for genital wart, 1.9% (1.3-2.7%) for gonorrhoea, 8.9% (7.8-10.2%) for hepatitis B (HBV), 1.2% (1.0-1.6%) for hepatitis C (HCV), 66.3% (57.4-74.1%) for human papillomavirus (HPV), 10.6% (6.2-17.6%) for herpes simplex virus (HSV-2) and 4.3% (3.2-5.8%) for Ureaplasma urealyticum. HIV-positive MSM have consistently higher odds of all these infections than the broader MSM population. As a subgroup of MSM, MSW were 2.5 (1.4-4.7), 5.7 (2.7-12.3), and 2.2 (1.4-3.7) times more likely to be infected with chlamydia, gonorrhoea and HCV than the broader MSM population, respectively. CONCLUSION: Prevalence levels of STIs among MSW were significantly higher than the broader MSM population. Co-infection of HIV and STIs were prevalent among Chinese MSM. Integration of HIV and STIs healthcare and surveillance systems is essential in providing effective HIV/STIs preventive measures and treatments. TRIAL REGISTRATION: PROSPERO NO: CRD42013003721

Amplitude Analysis of the Decays η′→π+π−π0\eta^\prime \rightarrow \pi^+\pi^-\pi^0 and η′→π0π0π0\eta^\prime \rightarrow \pi^0\pi^0\pi^0

Based on a sample of $1.31 \times 10^9$ $J/\psi$ events collected with the BESIII detector, an amplitude analysis of the isospin-violating decays $\eta^\prime \rightarrow \pi^+\pi^-\pi^0$ and $\eta^\prime \rightarrow \pi^0\pi^0\pi^0$ is performed. A significant $P$-wave contribution from $\eta^\prime \rightarrow \rho^{\pm} \pi^{\mp}$ is observed for the first time in $\eta^\prime \rightarrow \pi^+\pi^-\pi^0$. The branching fraction is determined to be ${\mathcal B}(\eta^\prime \rightarrow \rho^{\pm}\pi^{\mp})=(7.44\pm0.60\pm1.26\pm1.84)\times 10^{-4}$, where the first uncertainty is statistical, the second systematic, and the third model dependent. In addition to the nonresonant $S$-wave component, there is a significant $\sigma$ meson component. The branching fractions of the combined $S$-wave components are determined to be ${\mathcal B}(\eta^\prime \rightarrow \pi^+\pi^-\pi^0)_S=(37.63\pm0.77\pm2.22\pm4.48)\times 10^{-4}$ and ${\mathcal B}(\eta^\prime \rightarrow \pi^0\pi^0\pi^0)=(35.22\pm0.82\pm2.54)\times 10^{-4}$, respectively. The latter one is consistent with previous BESIII measurements.Comment: 7 pages, 3 figure

Microbial ligand costimulation drives neutrophilic steroid-refractory asthma

Funding: The authors thank the Wellcome Trust (102705) and the Universities of Aberdeen and Cape Town for funding. This research was also supported, in part, by National Institutes of Health GM53522 and GM083016 to DLW. KF and BNL are funded by the Fonds Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek, BNL is the recipient of an European Research Commission consolidator grant and participates in the European Union FP7 programs EUBIOPRED and MedALL. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.Peer reviewedPublisher PD