172 research outputs found
Neutrinos on Earth and in the Heavens
Recent data lead us to a simple and intriguing form of the neutrino mass
matrix. In particular, we find solar neutrino oscillations to be nearly maximal
(and rule out the small-angle MSW explanation of solar neutrino observations)
if relic neutrinos comprise at least one~percent of the critical mass density
of the universe.Comment: 7 pages, harvmac, minor changes and new references in revised versio
A texture of neutrino mass matrix in view of recent neutrino experimental results
In view of recent neutrino experimental results such as SNO, Super-Kamiokande
(SK), CHOOZ and neutrinoless double beta decay , we
consider a texture of neutrino mass matrix which contains three parameters in
order to explain those neutrino experimental results. We have first fitted
parameters in a model independent way with solar and atmospheric neutrino mass
squared differences and solar neutrino mixing angle which satisfy LMA solution.
The maximal value of atmospheric neutrino mixing angle comes out naturally in
the present texture. Most interestingly, fitted parameters of the neutrino mass
matrix considered here also marginally satisfy recent limit on effective
Majorana neutrino mass obtained from neutrinoless double beta decay experiment.
We further demonstrate an explicit model which gives rise to the texture
investigated by considering an gauge group with two
extra real scalar singlets and discrete symmetry. Majorana
neutrino masses are generated through higher dimensional operators at the scale
. We have estimated the scales at which singlets get VEV's and M by
comparing with the best fitted results obtained in the present work.Comment: Journal Ref.: Phys. Rev. D66, 053004 (2002
An model for atmospheric and solar neutrino deficits
Motivated by the recent Super-Kamiokande experiment on atmospheric and solar
neutrino oscillation we propose a see-saw model of three generations of
neutrinos based on the gauge group with discrete
symmetries and three right handed singlet neutrinos so that
this model can accommodate the recent Super-Kamiokande data on atmospheric and
solar neutrino oscillations. The model predicts maximal mixing between
and with = 1 as required
by the atmospheric neutrino data and small mixing between and
with as a possible
explanation of the solar neutrino deficit through the MSW mechanism. The model
admits two mass scales of which one breaks the electroweak symmetry and the
other is responsible for the breaking of the lepton number symmetry at GUT
scale leading to small Majorana mass of the left handed doublet neutrinos
The impact of COVID-19 quarantine on patients with dementia and family caregivers: a nation-wide survey.
Quarantine for COVID-19 is associated with an acute worsening of clinical symptoms in patients with dementia as well as increase of
caregivers’ burden. These findings emphasize the importance to implement new strategies to mitigate the effects of quarantine in patients with dementia
Neutrino masses: From fantasy to facts
Theory suggests the existence of neutrino masses, but little more. Facts are
coming close to reveal our fantasy: solar and atmospheric neutrino data
strongly indicate the need for neutrino conversions, while LSND provides an
intriguing hint. The simplest ways to reconcile these data in terms of neutrino
oscillations invoke a light sterile neutrino in addition to the three active
ones. Out of the four neutrinos, two are maximally-mixed and lie at the LSND
scale, while the others are at the solar mass scale. These schemes can be
distinguished at neutral-current-sensitive solar & atmospheric neutrino
experiments. I discuss the simplest theoretical scenarios, where the lightness
of the sterile neutrino, the nearly maximal atmospheric neutrino mixing, and
the generation of & all follow
naturally from the assumed lepton-number symmetry and its breaking. Although
the most likely interpretation of the present data is in terms of
neutrino-mass-induced oscillations, one still has room for alternative
explanations, such as flavour changing neutrino interactions, with no need for
neutrino mass or mixing. Such flavour violating transitions arise in theories
with strictly massless neutrinos, and may lead to other sizeable flavour
non-conservation effects, such as , conversion in
nuclei, unaccompanied by neutrino-less double beta decay.Comment: 33 pages, latex, 16 figures. Invited Talk at Ioannina Conference,
Symmetries in Intermediate High Energy Physics and its Applications, Oct.
1998, to be published by Springer Tracts in Modern Physics. Festschrift in
Honour of John Vergados' 60th Birthda
Choosing between measures: comparison of EQ-5D, HUI2 and HUI3 in persons with hearing complaints
OBJECTIVES: To generate insight into the differences between utility measures EuroQol 5D (EQ-5D), Health Utilities Index Mark II (HUI2) and Mark III (HUI3) and their impact on the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) for hearing aid fitting METHODS: Persons with hearing complaints completed EQ-5D, HUI2 and HUI3 at baseline and, when applicable, after hearing aid fitting. Practicality, construct validity, agreement, responsiveness and impact on the ICER were examined. RESULTS: All measures had high completion rates. HUI3 was capable of discriminating between clinically distinctive groups. Utility scores (n = 315) for EQ-5D UK and Dutch tariff (0.83; 0.86), HUI2 (0.77) and HUI3 (0.61) were significantly different, agreement was low to moderate. Change after hearing aid fitting (n = 70) for HUI2 (0.07) and HUI3 (0.12) was statistically significant, unlike the EQ-5D UK (0.01) and Dutch (0.00) tariff. ICERs varied from 647,209 euros/QALY for the EQ-5D Dutch tariff to 15,811 euros/QALY for HUI3. CONCLUSION: Utility scores, utility gain and ICERs heavily depend on the measure that is used to elicit them. This study indicates HUI3 as the instrument of first choice when measuring utility in a population with hearing complaints, but emphasizes the importance of a clear notion of what constitutes utility with regard to economic analyse
Gender-specific associations of vision and hearing impairments with adverse health outcomes in older Japanese: a population-based cohort study
BACKGROUND: Several epidemiological studies have shown that self-reported vision and hearing impairments are associated with adverse health outcomes (AHOs) in older populations; however, few studies have used objective sensory measurements or investigated the role of gender in this association. Therefore, we examined the association of vision and hearing impairments (as measured by objective methods) with AHOs (dependence in activities of daily living or death), and whether this association differed by gender. METHODS: From 2005 to 2006, a total of 801 residents (337 men and 464 women) aged 65 years or older of Kurabuchi Town, Gunma, Japan, participated in a baseline examination that included vision and hearing assessments; they were followed up through September 2008. Vision impairment was defined as a corrected visual acuity of worse than 0.5 (logMAR = 0.3) in the better eye, and hearing impairment was defined as a failure to hear a 30 dB hearing level signal at 1 kHz in the better ear. Information on outcomes was obtained from the town hall and through face-to-face home visit interviews. We calculated the risk ratios (RRs) of AHOs for vision and hearing impairments according to gender. RESULTS: During a mean follow-up period of 3 years, 34 men (10.1%) and 52 women (11.3%) had AHOs. In both genders, vision impairment was related to an elevated risk of AHOs (multi-adjusted RR for men and women together = 1.60, 95% CI = 1.05-2.44), with no statistically significant interaction between the genders. In contrast, a significant association between hearing impairment and AHOs (multi-adjusted RR = 3.10, 95% CI = 1.43-6.72) was found only in the men. CONCLUSION: In this older Japanese population, sensory impairments were clearly associated with AHOs, and the association appeared to vary according to gender. Gender-specific associations between sensory impairments and AHOs warrant further investigation
Dopamine Transporter SPECT Imaging in Corticobasal Syndrome
evidence of preserved nigral neuronal density. imaging evidence of preserved nigral terminals have been recently described.In this multicenter study, we investigated presynaptic nigrostriatal function in 36 outpatients fulfilling clinical criteria for “probable corticobasal degeneration” (age 71±7.3 years; disease duration 3.9±1.6 years), 37 PD and 24 healthy control subjects using FP-CIT single photon emission computed tomography. Clinical, neuropsychological, and magnetic resonance imaging assessment was performed to characterize CBS patients. Linear discriminant analysis was used to categorize normal vs. pathological scans.FP-CIT binding reduction in patients with CBS was characterized by larger variability, more uniform reduction throughout the striatum and greater hemispheric asymmetry compared to PD. Moreover, there was no significant correlation between tracer uptake values and clinical features such as disease duration and severity. Despite all CBS subjects showed obvious bilateral extrapyramidal signs, FP-CIT uptake was found to be normal bilaterally in four CBS patients and only unilaterally in other four cases. Extensive clinical, neuropsychological and imaging assessment did not reveal remarkable differences between CBS subjects with normal vs. pathological FP-CIT uptake.Our findings support the hypothesis that extrapyramidal motor symptoms in CBS are not invariably associated with SNc neuronal degeneration and that supranigral factors may play a major role in several cases. CBS individuals with normal FP-CIT uptake do not show any clinical or cognitive feature suggesting a different pathology than CBD
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