Implications of the non-universal Z boson in FCNC mediated rare decays

We analyze the effect of the non-universal $Z$ boson in the rare decays $B_s \to l^+ l^-$, $B_s \to l^+ l^- \gamma$ and $Z \to b \bar s$ decays. These decays involve the FCNC mediated $b \to s$ transitions, and are found to be very small in the standard model. The smallness of these decays in the standard model makes them sensitive probe for new physics. We find an enhancement of at least an order in these branching ratios because of the non-universal $Zbs$ coupling.Comment: 15 pages, 4 figures, minor changes in the text, references added, to appear in PR

Spreadability of two glass ionomer cements used in Atraumatic Restorative Treatment (ART)

KIM'Press finger' in atraumatic restorative treatment (ART) is used to spread a glass ionomer cement (GIC) to seal the restoration margin and adjacent pits and fissures. This study compared the spreadability of Fuji IX and Ketac-Molar to establish which was best suited for this purpose. Twenty equally spaced cavities (35 mm apart) were machine-cut in each of two Perspex slabs 200 x 100 x 20 mm. Each cavity was 3 mm deep with a 4 mm diameter. Two V-shaped grooves 1 mm deep were cut to traverse the cavities: one 0.5 mm wide, the other 0.25 mm wide. Equal amounts (0.25 ml) of GIC were dispensed, 20 cavities for Fuji IX and 20 for Ketac-Molar and condensed under light finger pressure using a 20 mm diameter cork thinly coated with petroleum jelly. This allowed the GIC to be condensed into the cavity and spread into the differently sized grooves. The samples were stored in deionised water for 24 hours whereafter the length to which the GIC had spread along each groove from the cavity edge was measured to the closest 0.01 mm. The data were analysed using ANOVA and the unpaired Student's t-test (P < 0.05). There was a statistically significant difference between the length of spread of the two GICs (t = 2.534; P = 0.013) which was confined to the 0.25 mm width groove (t = 2.83; P = 0.007) with Fuji IX spreading much further along the groove (10.25 +/- 1.17 mm) than Ketac-Molar (7.66 +/- 4.21 mm). Fuji IX appears to be the better sealant material when selecting for spreadability in ART

Guidelines for Avoiding Pitfalls When Drafting Juvenile Curfew Laws: A Legal Analysis

Curfew laws seek to provide general protection to youth and adults by restricting the times that children of certain ages are allowed to occupy public places or streets. These laws often contain exemptions for youth accompanied by an adult, responding to an emergency, or traveling to or from school, work, or a religious service, among others. However, the actual language used and exemptions included vary by locality. As a result, courts have reached different results—several courts upheld curfew laws as constitutional, while others overturned these laws. Although not the original reason behind juvenile curfew enactment, several studies have found that juvenile curfew laws reduce other youth health consequences. For example, studies have shown that the enactment of a juvenile curfew law reduces juvenile traffic injuries and fatalities, pediatric transports and pediatric trauma transports, and the volume of juvenile trauma cases. Given that these laws have public health benefits and continue to be enacted across the country, this article will provide guidance for policymakers on how to propose and draft these laws to avoid problems in other similar statutes that resulted in them being overturned. A four-step framework by Harold Lasswell for understanding the creation of a policy called “The Policy Cycle” is used as structure for this article

CP Asymmetry in B_d --> phi K_S: Standard Model Pollution

The difference in the time dependent CP asymmetries between the modes $B --> psi K_S$ and $B --> phi K_S$ is a clean signal for physics beyond the Standard Model. This interpretation could fail if there is a large enhancement of the matrix element of the $b --> u ubar s$ operator between the $B_d$ initial state and the $phi K_S$ final state. We argue against this possibility and propose some experimental tests that could shed light on the situation.Comment: 9 pages, Revte

Bosonisation Excercise in Three Dimensions: Gauged Massive Thirring Model

Bosonisation of the massive Thirring model, with a non-minimal and non-abelian gauging is studied in 2+1-dimensions. The static abelian model is solved completely in the large fermion mass limit and the spectrum is obtained. The non-abelian model is solved for a restricted class of gauge fields. In both cases explicit expressions for bosonic currents corresponding to the fermion currents are given.Comment: 11 pages, LaTeX, E-mail: [email protected]

The Dynamics of Two Coupled Rigid Bodies

In this paper we derive a Poisson bracket on the phase space so(3)^*x so(3)^*x SO(3) such that the dynamics of two three- dimensional rigid bodies coupled by a ball and socket joint can be written as a Hamiltonian system

Fractal dimensions of the Q-state Potts model for the complete and external hulls

Fortuin-Kastelyn clusters in the critical $Q$-state Potts model are conformally invariant fractals. We obtain simulation results for the fractal dimension of the complete and external (accessible) hulls for Q=1, 2, 3, and 4, on clusters that wrap around a cylindrical system. We find excellent agreement between these results and theoretical predictions. We also obtain the probability distributions of the hull lengths and maximal heights of the clusters in this geometry and provide a conjecture for their form.Comment: 9 pages 4 figure

Laparoscopic partial splenectomy.

BACKGROUND: The immunologic function of the spleen and its important role in immune defense has led to splenic-preserving surgery. This study aimed to evaluate whether laparoscopic partial splenectomy is safe. METHODS: Data on consecutive patients presenting with localized benign or malignant disease of the spleen were included in a prospective database. The surgical technique consisted of six steps: patient positioning and trocar placement, mobilization of the spleen, vascular dissection, parenchymal resection, sealing/tamponading of the transected edge, and removal of the specimen. RESULTS: From 1994 to 2005, 38 patients underwent laparoscopic partial splenectomy. The indications included splenomegaly of unknown origin, splenic cysts, benign tumors (hamartoma), and metastasis from ovarian carcinoma and schwannoma. The median operating time was 110 min (range, 65-148 min). The median length of hospital stay was 5 days (range, 4-7 days). There was no postoperative mortality. Postoperative pleural effusion occurred in two patients. There were no reoperations. Three patients required blood transfusions. CONCLUSION: Laparoscopic partial splenectomy is safe for patients with localized benign or malignant disease of the spleen

A Consistent Resolution of Possible Anomalies in B^0 --> phi K_S and B^+ --> eta' K^+ Decays

In the framework of R-parity violating (\rpv) supersymmetry, we try to find a consistent explanation for both recently measured CP asymmetry in B^0 --> phi K_S decay and the large branching ratio of B^{+/-} --> eta' K^{+/-} decay, which are inconsistent with the Standard Model (SM) prediction. We also investigate other charmless hadronic B --> PP and B --> VP decay modes whose experimental data favor the SM: for instance, recently measured CP asymmetries in B^0 --> eta^{prime} K_S and B^0 --> J / Psi K_S. We find that all the observed data can be accommodated for certain values of \rpv couplings.Comment: 14 pages, 2 figures, Revtex, minor changes, to appear in Phys. Rev. Let

Correlations in a Confined gas of Harmonically Interacting Spin-Polarized Fermions

For a fermion gas with equally spaced energy levels, the density and the pair correlation function are obtained. The derivation is based on the path integral approach for identical particles and the inversion of the generating functions for both static responses. The density and the pair correlation function are evaluated explicitly in the ground state of a confined fermion system with a number of particles ranging from 1 to 220 and filling the Fermi level completely.Comment: 11 REVTEX pages, 3 postscript figures. Accepted for publication in Phys. Rev. E, Vol. 58 (August 1, 1998