Unparticle Searches Through Compton Scattering

We investigate the effects of unparticles on Compton scattering, e gamma -> e gamma based on a future e^+e^- linear collider such as the CLIC. For different polarization configurations, we calculate the lower limits of the unparticle energy scale Lambda_U for a discovery reach at the center of mass energies sqrt(s)=0.5 TeV- 3 TeV. It is shown that, especially, for smaller values of the mass dimension d, (1 <d <1.3), and for high energies and luminosities of the collider these bounds are very significant. As a stringent limit, we find Lambda_U>80 TeV for d<1.3 at sqrt(s)=3 TeV, and 1 ab^(-1) integrated luminosity per year, which is comparable with the limits calculated from other low and high energy physics implications.Comment: Table 1 and 2 have been combined as Table 1, references updated, minor typos have been correcte

An Investigation of Hadronization Mechanism at Z0Z^{0} Factory

We briefly review the hadronization pictures adopted in the LUND String Fragmentation Model(LSFM), Webber Cluster Fragmentation Model(WCFM) and Quark Combination Model(QCM), respectively. Predictions of hadron multiplicity, baryon to meson ratios and baryon-antibaryon flavor correlations, especially related to heavy hadrons at $Z^0$ factory obtained by LSFM and QCM are reported.Comment: 18 pages, 6 figures. accepted by Sci China Phys Mech Astro

Unparticle Physics in Single Top Signals

We study the single production of top quarks in $e^+e^-, ep$ and $pp$ collisions in the context of unparticle physics through the Flavor Violating (FV) unparticle vertices and compute the total cross sections for single top production as functions of scale dimension d_{\U}. We find that among all, LHC is the most promising facility to probe the unparticle physics via single top quark production processes.Comment: 14 pages, 10 figure

\tau\to \mu \bar{\nu_i} \nu_i decay in the general two Higgs doublet model

We study \tau\to \mu \bar{\nu_i} \nu_i, i=e,\mu,\tau decay in the model III version of the two Higgs doublet model. We calculated the BR at the order of the magnitude of 10^{-6}-10^{-4} for the intermediate values of the Yukawa couplings. Furthermore, we predict the upper limit of the coupling for the \tau-h^0 (A^0)-\tau transition as \sim 0.3 in the case that the BR is \sim 10^{-6}. We observe that the experimental result of the process under consideration can give comprehensive information about the physics beyond the standard model and the free parameters existing.Comment: 9 pages, 5 figure

Unparticle physics in top pair signals at the LHC and ILC

We study the effects of unparticle physics in the pair productions of top quarks at the LHC and ILC. By considering vector, tensor and scalar unparticle operators, as appropriate, we compute the total cross sections for pair production processes depending on scale dimension d_{\U}. We find that the existence of unparticles would lead to measurable enhancements on the SM predictions at the LHC. In the case of ILC this may become two orders of magnitude larger than that of SM, for smaller values of d_\U, a very striking signal for unparticles.Comment: 19 pages, 9 figures, analysis for ILC has been adde

Canagliflozin for primary and secondary prevention of cardiovascular events: results from the CANVAS Program (Canagliflozin Cardiovascular Assessment Study)

BACKGROUND : Canagliflozin is a sodium glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitor that significantly reduces the composite of cardiovascular death, nonfatal myocardial infarction, or nonfatal stroke in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and elevated cardiovascular risk. The comparative effects among participants with and without a history of cardiovascular disease (secondary versus primary prevention) were prespecified for evaluation. METHODS : The CANVAS Program (Canagliflozin Cardiovascular Assessment Study) randomly assigned 10 142 participants with type 2 diabetes mellitus to canagliflozin or placebo. The primary prevention cohort comprised individuals ≥50 years of age with ≥2 risk factors for cardiovascular events but with no prior cardiovascular event, and the secondary prevention cohort comprised individuals ≥30 years of age with a prior cardiovascular event. The primary end point was a composite of cardiovascular death, nonfatal myocardial infarction, or nonfatal stroke. Secondary outcomes included heart failure hospitalization and a renal composite (40% reduction in estimated glomerular filtration rate, renal replacement therapy, or renal death). RESULTS : Primary prevention participants (N=3486; 34%) were younger (63 versus 64 years of age), were more often female (45% versus 31%), and had a longer duration of diabetes mellitus (14 versus 13 years) compared with secondary prevention participants (N=6656; 66%). The primary end point event rate was higher in the secondary prevention group compared with the primary prevention group (36.9 versus 15.7/1000 patient-years, P<0.001). In the total cohort, the primary end point was reduced with canagliflozin compared with placebo (26.9 versus 31.5/1000 patient-years; hazard ratio [HR], 0.86; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.75-0.97; P<0.001 for noninferiority, P=0.02 for superiority) with no statistical evidence of heterogeneity (interaction P value=0.18) between the primary (HR, 0.98; 95% CI, 0.74-1.30) and secondary prevention (HR, 0.82; 95% CI, 0.72-0.95) cohorts. Renal outcomes (HR, 0.59; 95% CI, 0.44-0.79 versus HR, 0.63; 95% CI, 0.39-1.02; interaction P value=0.73) and heart failure hospitalization (HR, 0.68; 95% CI, 0.51-0.90 versus HR, 0.64; 95% CI, 0.35-1.15; interaction P value=0.91) were similarly reduced in the secondary and primary prevention cohorts, respectively. Lower extremity amputations were similarly increased in the secondary and primary prevention cohorts (HR, 2.07; 95% CI, 1.43-3.00 versus HR, 1.52; 95% CI, 0.70-3.29; interaction P value=0.63). CONCLUSIONS : Patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and prior cardiovascular events had higher rates of cardiovascular outcomes compared with the primary prevention patients. Canagliflozin reduced cardiovascular and renal outcomes with no statistical evidence of heterogeneity of the treatment effect across the primary and secondary prevention groups. Additional studies will provide further insights into the effects of canagliflozin in these patient populations. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION : URL: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifiers: NCT01032629 and NCT01989754

Influence of FK 506 (tacrolimus) on circulating CD4 ⁺ t cells expressing cd25 and cd45ra antigens in 19 patients with chronic progressive multiple sclerosis participating in an open label drug safety trial

We have taken the opportunity of a clinical trial of the potential efficacy and safety of FK 506 (tacrolimus) in chronic progressive multiple sclerosis (MS) to examine the influence of this potent new immunosuppressant on circulating T-lymphocytes in an otherwise healthy non-transplant population. Peripheral blood levels of subsets of CD4+ T lymphocytes expressing the activation molecule interleukin-2 receptor (p55 α chain; CD25) or the CD45RA isoform were determined sequentially in 19 patients that were treated continuously with oral FK 506 (starting dose 0.15 mg/kg/day) for 12 months. No significant change in the proportion of circulating CD25 + CD4+ cells was observed over the study period in which the mean trough plasma FK 506 level rose from 0.3 ±0.2 to 0.5 ±0.4 ng/ml. There was also no significant effect of FK 506 on the percentage of CD45RA + CD4 + cells in the peripheral blood at 12 months compared with pretreatment values. Analysis of a subgroup of 7 patients, who showed a sustained reduction in CD25 + CD4+ cells and a reciprocal increase in CD45RA* CD4 * cells for at least 6 months after start of treatment, did not reveal any difference in disability at one year compared with the treatment group as a whole. The side effects of FK 506 were mild and the overall degree of disability estimated by the mean Kurtzke expanded disability status scale (EDSS) score or the ambulation index did not deteriorate significantly in the 19 patients studied over the 12 months of FK 506 administration. © 1994 Informa UK Ltd All rights reserved: reproduction in whole or part not permitted

Non-Medical Financial Burden in Tuberculosis Care: a Cross-Sectional Survey in Rural China

Background: Treatment of tuberculosis (TB) in China is partially covered by national programs and health insurance schemes, though TB patients often face considerable medical expenditures. For some, especially those from poorer households, non-medical costs, such as transport, accommodation, and nutritional supplementation may be a substantial additional burden. In this article we aim to evaluate these non-medical costs induced by seeking TB care using data from a large scale cross-sectional survey. Methods: A total of 797 TB cases from three cities were randomly selected using a stratified cluster sampling design. Inpatient medical costs, outpatient medical costs, and direct non-medical costs related to TB treatment were collected using in-person interviews by trained interviewers. Mean and median non-medical costs for different sub-groups were calculated and compared using Kruskal-Wallis and Mann–Whitney U tests. Regression analysis was conducted to assess the influence of different patient characteristics on total non-medical cost. Results: The median non-medical cost was RMB 1429, with interquartile range RMB 424–2793. The median non-medical costs relating to inpatient treatment, outpatient treatment, and additional nutrition supplementation were RMB 540, 91, and 900, respectively. Of the 797 cases, 20 % reported catastrophic expenditure on non-medical costs. Statistically significant differences were detected between different cities, age groups, geographical locations, inpatient/outpatient care, education levels and family income groups. Conclusions: Non-medical costs relating to TB treatment are a serious financial burden for many TB patients. Financial assistance that can limit this burden is urgently needed during the treatment period, especially for the poor

Orthogonal methods based ant colony search for solving continuous optimization problems

Research into ant colony algorithms for solving continuous optimization problems forms one of the most significant and promising areas in swarm computation. Although traditional ant algorithms are designed for combinatorial optimization, they have shown great potential in solving a wide range of optimization problems, including continuous optimization. Aimed at solving continuous problems effectively, this paper develops a novel ant algorithm termed "continuous orthogonal ant colony" (COAC), whose pheromone deposit mechanisms would enable ants to search for solutions collaboratively and effectively. By using the orthogonal design method, ants in the feasible domain can explore their chosen regions rapidly and e±ciently. By implementing an "adaptive regional radius" method, the proposed algorithm can reduce the probability of being trapped in local optima and therefore enhance the global search capability and accuracy. An elitist strategy is also employed to reserve the most valuable points. The performance of the COAC is compared with two other ant algorithms for continuous optimization of API and CACO by testing seventeen functions in the continuous domain. The results demonstrate that the proposed COAC algorithm outperforms the others