1,414 research outputs found
Neutron scattering study of ferroelectric Sn2P2S6 under pressure
Ferroelectric phase transition in the semiconductor Sn2P2S6 single crystal
has been studied by means of neutron scattering in the pressure-temperature
range adjacent to the anticipated tricritical Lifshitz point (p=0.18GPa,
T=296K). The observations reveal a direct ferroelectric-paraelectric phase
transition in the whole investigated pressure range (0.18 - 0.6GPa). These
results are in a clear disagreement with phase diagrams assumed in numerous
earlier works, according to which a hypothetical intermediate incommensurate
phase extends over several or even tens of degrees in the 0.5GPa pressure
range. Temperature dependence of the anisotropic quasielastic diffuse
scattering suggests that polarization fluctuations present above TC are
strongly reduced in the ordered phase. Still, the temperature dependence of the
(200) Bragg reflection intensity at p=0.18GPa can be remarkably well modeled
assuming the order-parameter amplitude growth according to the power law with
logarithmic corrections predicted for a uniaxial ferroelectric transition at
the tricritical Lifshitz point
The Cerebral Haemorrhage Anatomical RaTing inStrument (CHARTS): Development and assessment of reliability.
PURPOSE: The causes, risk factors and prognosis of spontaneous intracerebral haemorrhage (ICH) are partly determined by anatomical location (specifically, lobar vs. non-lobar (deep and infratentorial) regions). We systematically developed a rating instrument to reliably classify ICH location. METHODS: We used a two-stage iterative Delphi-style method for instrument development. The resultant Cerebral Haemorrhage Anatomical RaTing inStrument (CHARTS) was validated on CT and MRI scans from a cohort of consecutive patients with acute spontaneous symptomatic ICH by three independent raters. We tested interrater and intrarater reliability using kappa statistics. RESULTS: Our validation cohort included 227 patients (58% male; median age: 72.4 (IQR: 67.1-74.6)). The interrater reliability for the main analyses (i.e. including any lobar ICH; all deep and infratentorial anatomical categories (lentiform, caudate thalamus; brainstem; cerebellum); and uncertain location) was excellent (all kappa values>0.80) both in pair-wise between-rater comparisons and across all raters. The intrarater reliability was substantial to almost perfect (k=0.83; 95%CI: 0.77-0.88 and k=0.95; 95%CI: 0.92-0.96 respectively). All kappa statistics remained consistent for individual cerebral lobar regions. CONCLUSIONS: The CHARTS instrument can be used to reliably and comprehensively map the anatomical location of spontaneous ICH, and may be helpful for studying important questions regarding causes, risk factors, prognosis, and for stratification in clinical trials
Repolarization of ferroelectric superlattices BaZrO3/BaTiO3
The study was supported by Russian Science Foundation, project No. № 17-72-20105
Yin Yang of immunoregulation in organ transplantation and cancer
The ‘Yin Yang of Immunoregulation: Cancer and Organ Transplantation’ meeting took place in Nantes, France on 2–3 December 2010 and was dedicated to the biology of myeloid and lymphoid immune cells in the context of cancer and transplantation. This meeting was organized by the Immunotherapy Research group of the Western France Cancer Network Cancéropole Grand-Ouest and the Immunomonitorage et Biothérapies network (IMBIO) research program, which is supported by the Région Pays de la Loire
Natural Little Hierarchy from a Partially Goldstone Twin Higgs
We construct a simple theory in which the fine-tuning of the standard model
is significantly reduced. Radiative corrections to the quadratic part of the
scalar potential are constrained to be symmetric under a global U(4) x U(4)'
symmetry due to a discrete Z_2 "twin" parity, while the quartic part does not
possess this symmetry. As a consequence, when the global symmetry is broken the
Higgs fields emerge as light pseudo-Goldstone bosons, but with sizable quartic
self-interactions. This structure allows the cutoff scale, \Lambda, to be
raised to the multi-TeV region without significant fine-tuning. In the minimal
version of the theory, the amount of fine-tuning is about 15% for \Lambda = 5
TeV, while it is about 30% in an extended model. This provides a solution to
the little hierarchy problem. In the minimal model, the "visible" particle
content is exactly that of the two Higgs doublet standard model, while the
extended model also contains extra vector-like fermions with masses ~(1-2)TeV.
At the LHC, our minimal model may appear exactly as the two Higgs doublet
standard model, and new physics responsible for cutting off the divergences of
the Higgs mass-squared parameter may not be discovered. Several possible
processes that may be used to discriminate our model from the simple two Higgs
doublet model are discussed for the LHC and for a linear collider.Comment: 22 page
Mechanical homeostasis regulating adipose tissue volume
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The total body adipose tissue volume is regulated by hormonal, nutritional, paracrine, neuronal and genetic control signals, as well as components of cell-cell or cell-matrix interactions. There are no known locally acting homeostatic mechanisms by which growing adipose tissue might adapt its volume.</p> <p>Presentation of the hypothesis</p> <p>Mechanosensitivity has been demonstrated by mesenchymal cells in tissue culture. Adipocyte differentiation has been shown to be inhibited by stretching in vitro, and a pathway for the response has been elucidated. In humans, intermittent stretching of skin for reconstructional purposes leads to thinning of adipose tissue and thickening of epidermis – findings matching those observed in vitro in response to mechanical stimuli. Furthermore, protracted suspension of one leg increases the intermuscular adipose tissue volume of the limb. These findings may indicate a local homeostatic adipose tissue volume-regulating mechanism based on movement-induced reduction of adipocyte differentiation. This function might, during evolution, have been of importance in confined spaces, where overgrowth of adipose tissue could lead to functional disturbance, as for instance in the turtle. In humans, adipose tissue near muscle might in particular be affected, for instance intermuscularly, extraperitoneally and epicardially. Mechanical homeostasis might also contribute to protracted maintainment of soft tissue shape in the face and neck region.</p> <p>Testing of the hypothesis</p> <p>Assessment of messenger RNA-expression of human adipocytes following activity in adjacent muscle is planned, and study of biochemical and volumetric adipose tissue changes in man are proposed.</p> <p>Implications of the hypothesis</p> <p>The interpretation of metabolic disturbances by means of adipose tissue might be influenced. Possible applications in the head and neck were discussed.</p
Low Energy 6-Dimensional N=2 Supersymmertric SU(6) Models on Orbifolds
We propose low energy 6-dimensional N=2 supersymmetric SU(6) models on
and , where the orbifold
model can be embedded on the boundary 4-brane. For the
zero modes, the 6-dimensional N=2 supersymmetry and the SU(6) gauge symmetry
are broken down to the 4-dimensional N=1 supersymmetry and the gauge symmetry by orbifold projections. In
order to cancel the anomalies involving at least one , we add extra
exotic particles. We also study the anomaly free conditions and present some
anomaly free models. The gauge coupling unification can be achieved at TeV if the compactification scale for the fifth dimension is
TeV. The proton decay problem can be avoided by putting the quarks and
leptons/neutrinos on different 3-branes. And we discuss how to break the
gauge symmetry, solve the
problem, and generate the mass hierarchy naturally by using the
geometry. The masses of exotic particles can be at the order of 1 TeV after the
gauge symmetry breaking. We also forbid the dimension-5 operators for the
neutrino masses by gauge symmetry, and the realistic left-handed
neutrino masses can be obtained via non-renormalizable terms.Comment: Latex, 33 pages, discussion and references adde
Big Corrections from a Little Higgs
We calculate the tree-level expressions for the electroweak precision
observables in the SU(5)/SO(5) littlest Higgs model. The source for these
corrections are the exchange of heavy gauge bosons, explicit corrections due to
non-linear sigma-model dynamics and a triplet Higgs VEV. Weak isospin violating
contributions are present because there is no custodial SU(2) global symmetry.
The bulk of these weak isospin violating corrections arise from heavy gauge
boson exchange while a smaller contribution comes from the triplet Higgs VEV. A
global fit is performed to the experimental data and we find that throughout
the parameter space the symmetry breaking scale is bounded by f > 4 TeV at 95%
C.L. Stronger bounds on f are found for generic choices of the high energy
gauge couplings. We find that even in the best case scenario one would need
fine tuning of less than a percent to get a Higgs mass as light as 200 GeV.Comment: 20 pages, 5 figures included, typos fixed, comments on the effects of
extra vector-like heavy fermions adde
Charm and Beauty in Particle Physics
The spectra of states containing charmed and beauty quarks, and their
regularities, are reviewed.Comment: 29 pages, LaTeX, 10 EPSF figures submitted separately. Presented at
CERN in September, 1994 at a symposium in honor of Andre Martin To be
submitted to Comments on Nuclear and Particle Physic
Pseudonatural Inflation
We study how to obtain a sufficiently flat inflaton potential that is natural
from the particle physics point of view. Supersymmetry, which is broken during
inflation, cannot protect the potential against non-renormalizable operators
violating slow-roll. We are therefore led to consider models based on
non-linearly realized symmetries. The basic scenario with a single
four-dimensional pseudo Nambu Goldstone boson requires the spontaneous breaking
scale to be above the Planck scale, which is beyond the range of validity of
the field theory description, so that quantum gravity corrections are not under
control. A nice way to obtain consistent models with large field values is to
consider simple extensions in extra-dimensional setups. We also consider the
minimal structures necessary to obtain purely four-dimensional models with
spontaneous breaking scale below M_P; we show that they require an approximate
symmetry that is supplemented by either the little-Higgs mechanism or
supersymmetry to give trustworthy scenarios.Comment: 30 pages, 2 figures. v2: minor changes, ref. added, accepted for JCA
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