217 research outputs found
Quark and Lepton Mass Matrices in the SO(10) Grand Unified Theory with Generation Flipping
We investigate the SO(10) grand unified model with generation flipping. The
model contains one extra matter multiplet and it mixes with the
usual matter multiplets when the SO(10) is broken down to SU(5).
We find the parameter region of the model in which the observed quark masses
and mixings are well reproduced. The resulting parameter region is consistent
with the observation that only have a source of hierarchies and
indicates that the mixing between second and third generations tends to be
large in the lepton sector, which is consistent with the observed maximal
mixing of the atmospheric neutrino oscillation. We also show that the model can
accommodate MSW and vacuum oscillation solutions to the solar neutrino deficit
depending on the form of the Majorana mass matrix for the right-handed
neutrinos.Comment: 28 pages, Late
Cost-effectiveness of a hybrid emergency room system for severe trauma: a health technology assessment from the perspective of the third-party payer in Japan
Background: Hybrid emergency room (ER) systems, consisting of an angiography-computed tomography (CT) machine in a trauma resuscitation room, are reported to be effective for reducing death from exsanguination in trauma patients. We aimed to investigate the cost-effectiveness of a hybrid ER system in severe trauma patients without severe traumatic brain injury (TBI). Methods: We conducted a cost-utility analysis comparing the hybrid ER system to the conventional ER system from the perspective of the third-party healthcare payer in Japan. A short-term decision tree and a long-term Markov model using a lifetime time horizon were constructed to estimate quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) and associated lifetime healthcare costs. Short-term mortality and healthcare costs were derived from medical records and claims data in a tertiary care hospital with a hybrid ER. Long-term mortality and utilities were extrapolated from the literature. The willingness-to-pay threshold was set at 33,591 lifetime costs compared to the conventional ER system, resulting in an ICER of $32,522 per QALY gained. The ICER was lower than the willingness-to-pay threshold if the odds ratio of 28-day mortality was < 0.66. Probabilistic sensitivity analysis indicated that the hybrid ER system was cost-effective with a 79.3% probability. Conclusion: The present study suggested that the hybri
X-ray harmonic comb from relativistic electron spikes
X-ray devices are far superior to optical ones for providing nanometre
spatial and attosecond temporal resolutions. Such resolution is indispensable
in biology, medicine, physics, material sciences, and their applications. A
bright ultrafast coherent X-ray source is highly desirable, for example, for
the diffractive imaging of individual large molecules, viruses, or cells. Here
we demonstrate experimentally a new compact X-ray source involving high-order
harmonics produced by a relativistic-irradiance femtosecond laser in a gas
target. In our first implementation using a 9 Terawatt laser, coherent soft
X-rays are emitted with a comb-like spectrum reaching the 'water window' range.
The generation mechanism is robust being based on phenomena inherent in
relativistic laser plasmas: self-focusing, nonlinear wave generation
accompanied by electron density singularities, and collective radiation by a
compact electric charge. The formation of singularities (electron density
spikes) is described by the elegant mathematical catastrophe theory, which
explains sudden changes in various complex systems, from physics to social
sciences. The new X-ray source has advantageous scalings, as the maximum
harmonic order is proportional to the cube of the laser amplitude enhanced by
relativistic self-focusing in plasma. This allows straightforward extension of
the coherent X-ray generation to the keV and tens of keV spectral regions. The
implemented X-ray source is remarkably easily accessible: the requirements for
the laser can be met in a university-scale laboratory, the gas jet is a
replenishable debris-free target, and the harmonics emanate directly from the
gas jet without additional devices. Our results open the way to a compact
coherent ultrashort brilliant X-ray source with single shot and high-repetition
rate capabilities, suitable for numerous applications and diagnostics in many
research fields
Phenomenology of Higgs bosons in the Zee-Model
To generate small neutrino masses radiatively, the Zee-model introduces two
Higgs doublets and one weak-singlet charged Higgs boson to its Higgs sector.
From analyzing the renormalization group equations, we determine the
possibile range of the lightest CP-even Higgs boson () mass and the Higgs
boson self-couplings as a function of the cut-off scale beyond which either
some of the coupling constants are strong enough to invalidate the perturbative
analysis or the stability of the electroweak vacuum is no longer guaranteed.
Using the results obtained from the above analysis, we find that the singlet
charged Higgs boson can significantly modify the partial decay width of via radiative corrections, and its collider phenomenology can
also be drastically different from that of the charged Higgs bosons in the
usual two-Higgs-doublet models.Comment: Added a paragraph and a figure in Section V, corrected typos, added
references. (RevTeX, 45 pages, 16 figures included.) To appear in Physical
Review
Naturalness Bounds on Dipole Moments from New Physics
Assuming naturalness that the quantum corrections to the mass should not
exceed the order of the observed mass, we derive and apply model-independent
bounds on the anomalous magnetic moments and electric dipole moments of leptons
and quarks due to new physics.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figure
Cigarette smoking and tooth loss experience among young adults: a national record linkage study
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Various factors affect tooth loss in older age including cigarette smoking; however, evidence regarding the association between smoking and tooth loss during young adulthood is limited. The present study examined the association between cigarette smoking and tooth loss experience among adults aged 20–39 years using linked data from two national databases in Japan.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Two databases of the National Nutrition Survey (NNS) and the Survey of Dental Diseases (SDD), which were conducted in 1999, were obtained from the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare with permission for analytical use. In the NNS, participants received physical examinations and were interviewed regarding dietary intake and health practices including cigarette smoking, whereas in the SDD, participants were asked about their frequency of daily brushing, and received oral examinations by certified dentists. Among 6,805 records electronically linked via household identification code, 1314 records of individuals aged 20 to 39 years were analyzed. The prevalence of 1+ tooth loss was compared among non-, former, and current smokers. Multiple logistic regression models were constructed including confounders: frequency of tooth brushing, body mass index, alcohol consumption, and intake of vitamins C and E.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Smoking rates differed greatly in men (53.3%) and women (15.5%). The overall prevalence of tooth loss was 31.4% (31.8% men and 31.1% women). Tooth loss occurred more frequently among current smokers (40.6%) than former (23.1%) and non-smokers (27.9%). Current smoking showed a significant association with 1+ tooth loss in men (adjusted OR = 2.21 [1.40–3.50], P = 0.0007) and women (1.70 [1.13–2.55], P = 0.0111). A significant positive exposure-related relationship between cigarette smoking status and tooth loss was observed (P for trend < 0.0001 and 0.0004 in men and women, respectively). Current smoking was also associated with the prevalence of decayed teeth (1.67 [1.28–2.20], P = 0.0002).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>An association between cigarette smoking and tooth loss was evident among young adults throughout Japan. Due to limitations of the available variables in the present databases, further studies including caries experience and its confounders should be conducted to examine whether smoking is a true risk of premature tooth loss in young adults.</p
Acquired transmissibility of sheep-passaged L-type bovine spongiform encephalopathy prion to wild-type mice
Constitutive Phosphorylation of Aurora-A on Ser51 Induces Its Stabilization and Consequent Overexpression in Cancer
The serine/threonine kinase Aurora-A (Aur-A) is a proto-oncoprotein overexpressed in a wide range of human cancers. Overexpression of Aur-A is thought to be caused by gene amplification or mRNA overexpression. However, recent evidence revealed that the discrepancies between amplification of Aur-A and overexpression rates of Aur-A mRNA were observed in breast cancer, gastric cancer, hepatocellular carcinoma, and ovarian cancer. We found that aggressive head and neck cancers exhibited overexpression and stabilization of Aur-A protein without gene amplification or mRNA overexpression. Here we tested the hypothesis that aberration of the protein destruction system induces accumulation and consequently overexpression of Aur-A in cancer.Aur-A protein was ubiquitinylated by APC(Cdh1) and consequently degraded when cells exited mitosis, and phosphorylation of Aur-A on Ser51 was observed during mitosis. Phosphorylation of Aur-A on Ser51 inhibited its APC(Cdh1)-mediated ubiquitylation and consequent degradation. Interestingly, constitutive phosphorylation on Ser51 was observed in head and neck cancer cells with protein overexpression and stabilization. Indeed, phosphorylation on Ser51 was observed in head and neck cancer tissues with Aur-A protein overexpression. Moreover, an Aur-A Ser51 phospho-mimetic mutant displayed stabilization of protein during cell cycle progression and enhanced ability to cell transformation.Broadly, this study identifies a new mode of Aur-A overexpression in cancer through phosphorylation-dependent inhibition of its proteolysis in addition to gene amplification and mRNA overexpression. We suggest that the inhibition of Aur-A phosphorylation can represent a novel way to decrease Aur-A levels in cancer therapy
Perturbation of DNA repair pathways by proteasome inhibitors corresponds to enhanced chemosensitivity of cells to DNA damage-inducing agents
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