130 research outputs found
Gauge Singlet Scalars as Cold Dark Matter
In light of recent interest in minimal extensions of the Standard Model and
gauge singlet scalar cold dark matter, we provide an arXiv preprint of the
paper, published as Phys.Rev. D50 (1994) 3637, which presented the first
detailed analysis of gauge singlet scalar cold dark matter.Comment: 37 pages, 11 figures, LaTe
Quetiapine augmentation of SRIs in treatment refractory obsessive-compulsive disorder: a double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled study [ISRCTN83050762]
BACKGROUND: Although serotonin reuptake inhibitors are effective in the treatment of OCD, many patients fail to respond to these agents. Growing evidence from open-label and placebo-controlled trials suggests a role for augmentation of SRIs with atypical antipsychotics in OCD. Quetiapine is generally well tolerated and previous open-label data has produced mixed results in OCD and additional controlled data is needed. METHODS: We undertook a double-blind, randomised, parallel-group, flexible-dose, placebo-controlled study of quetiapine augmentation in subjects who had responded inadequately to open-label treatment with an SRI for 12 weeks. Following informed consent and screening, forty-two subjects were randomised to either placebo or quetiapine for six weeks. RESULTS: There was significant improvement from baseline to endpoint on the Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale in both the quetiapine and placebo groups (quetiapine, n = 20, p < 0.0001; placebo, n = 21, p = 0.001) with 40% (n = 8) of quetiapine and 47.6% (n = 10) of placebo treated subjects being classified as responders. Quetiapine did not demonstrate a significant benefit over placebo at the end of the six-week treatment period (p = .636). Similarly quetiapine failed to separate from placebo in the subgroup of subjects (n = 10) with co-morbid tics. Quetiapine was generally well tolerated. CONCLUSIONS: In this study, quetiapine augmentation was no more effective than placebo augmentation of SRIs. A number of limitations in study design make comparisons with previous studies in this area difficult and probably contributed to our negative findings. Future work in this important clinical area should address these limitations
Predictions of Neutralino Dark Matter Event Rates in Minimal Supergravity Unification
A detailed analysis of dark matter event rates in minimal supergravity models
(MSGM) is given. It is shown analytically that the lightest neutralino the
is the LSP over almost all of the parameter space, and
hence the natural candidate for cold dark matter (CDM). The radiative breaking
of constraints are shown to be crucial in determining the
expected event rates. Approximate analytic formulae are obtained to determine
the gaugino-higgsino content of the particle.From this one
can deduce the behavior of the event rates as one varies the SUSY soft breaking
parameters and tan . The constraint on the event rates due to the
recently measured decay is calculated. It is seen that
this data eliminates most of the parameter space where (the Higgs mixing
parameter) and (the t-quark cubic soft breaking parameter) have the same
sign. Since the t-quark is close to its Landau pole, is restricted to be
mostly positive, and so most of the part of the parameter space is
eliminated...Comment: Revised version for easier TeXing, with some typos corrected. 25
pages + 12 figs.The figs can be faxed on request
Non-Universal Soft SUSY Breaking and Dark Matter
An analysis is given of the effects of non-universal soft SUSY breaking
masses in the Higgs sector and in the third generation squark sector, and it is
shown that they are highly coupled. Analytic expressions are obtained for their
effects on the parameters and on the third generation squark masses.
Non-universality effects on dark matter event rates in neutralino-nucleus
scattering are analysed. It is found that the effects are maximal in the range
~GeV where the relic density is governed by the Z and
Higgs poles. In this range the minimum event rates can be increased or
decreased by factors of O(10) depending on the sign of non-universality. Above
this range Landau pole effects arising from the heavy top mass tend to suppress
the non-universality effects. The effect of more precise measurements of
cosmological parameters on event rates, which is expected to occur in the next
round of COBE like sattelite experiments, is also investigated. Implications
for the analysis for dark matter searches are discussed.Comment: 28 pages, latex, and 7 fig
Gaugino Mass Nonuniversality and Dark Matter in SUGRA, Strings and D Brane Models
The effects of nonuniversality of gaugino masses on dark matter are examined
within supersymmetric grand unification, and in string and D brane models with
R parity invariance. In SU(5) unified models nonuniversality in the gaugino
sector can be generated via the gauge kinetic energy function which may depend
on the 24, 75 and 200 dimensional Higgs representations. We also consider
string models which allow for nonuniversality of gaugino masses and D brane
models where nonuniversality arises from embeddings of the Standard Model gauge
group on five branes and nine branes. It is found that with gaugino mass
nonuniversality the range of the LSP mass can be extended much beyond the range
allowed in the universal SUGRA case, up to about 600 GeV even without
coannihilation effects in some regions of the parameter space. The effects of
coannihilation are not considered and inclusion of these effects may further
increase the allowed neutralino mass range. Similarly with the inclusion of
gaugino mass nonuniversality, the neutralino-proton () cross-section
can increase by as much as a factor of 10 in some of regions of the parameter
space. An analysis of the uncertainties in the quark density content of the
nucleon is given and their effects on cross-section are discussed.
The predictions of our analysis including nonuniversality is compared with the
current limits from dark matter detectors and implications for future dark
matter searches are discussed.Comment: Revised version, 23 pages, Latex, and 7 figure
Twenty Years of SUGRA
A brief review is given of the developments of mSUGRA and its extensions
since the formulation of these models in 1982. Future directions and prospects
are also discussed.Comment: Invited talk at the International Conference BEYOND-2003, Schloss
Ringberg, Germany, June 10-14, 2003; 21 pages, Late
Internet-based cognitive behavior therapy for obsessive compulsive disorder: A pilot study
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) is widely regarded as an effective treatment for obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), but access to CBT therapists is limited. Internet-based CBT (ICBT) with therapist support is a way to increase access to CBT but has not been developed or tested for OCD. The aim of this study was to evaluate ICBT for OCD.</p> <p>Method</p> <p>An open trial where patients (N = 23) received a 15-week ICBT program with therapist support consisting of psychoeducation, cognitive restructuring and exposure with response prevention. The primary outcome was the Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS), which was assessed by a psychiatrist before and immediately after treatment. Secondary outcomes were self-rated measures of OCD symptoms, depressive symptoms, general functioning, anxiety and quality of life. All assessments were made at baseline and post-treatment.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>All participants completed the primary outcome measure at all assessment points. There were reductions in OCD symptoms with a large within-group effect size (Cohen's <it>d </it>= 1.56). At post-treatment, 61% of participants had a clinically significant improvement and 43% no longer fulfilled the diagnostic criteria of OCD. The treatment also resulted in statistically significant improvements in self-rated OCD symptoms, general functioning and depression.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>ICBT with therapist support reduces OCD symptoms, depressive symptoms and improves general functioning. Randomized trials are needed to confirm the effectiveness of this new treatment format.</p> <p>Trial Registration</p> <p>ClinicalTrials.gov: <a href="http://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01348529">NCT01348529</a></p
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