832 research outputs found
Tests of Lorentz violation in muon antineutrino to electron antineutrino oscillations
A recently developed Standard-Model Extension (SME) formalism for neutrino
oscillations that includes Lorentz and CPT violation is used to analyze the
sidereal time variation of the neutrino event excess measured by the Liquid
Scintillator Neutrino Detector (LSND) experiment. The LSND experiment,
performed at Los Alamos National Laboratory, observed an excess, consistent
with neutrino oscillations, of in a beam of . It
is determined that the LSND oscillation signal is consistent with no sidereal
variation. However, there are several combinations of SME coefficients that
describe the LSND data; both with and without sidereal variations. The scale of
Lorentz and CPT violation extracted from the LSND data is of order
GeV for the SME coefficients and . This solution for
Lorentz and CPT violating neutrino oscillations may be tested by other short
baseline neutrino oscillation experiments, such as the MiniBooNE experiment.Comment: 10 pages, 10 figures, 2 tables, uses revtex4 replaced with version to
be published in Physical Review D, 11 pages, 11 figures, 2 tables, uses
revtex
Connected components of spaces of Morse functions with fixed critical points
Let be a smooth closed orientable surface and be the space
of Morse functions on having exactly critical points of local minima,
saddle critical points, and critical points of local maxima,
moreover all the points are fixed. Let be the connected component of a
function in . By means of the winding number introduced by Reinhart
(1960), a surjection is constructed. In
particular, , and the Dehn twist about the boundary of any
disk containing exactly two critical points, exactly one of which is a saddle
point, does not preserve . Let be the group of orientation
preserving diffeomorphisms of leaving fixed the critical points, be the connected component of in , and
the set of diffeomorphisms preserving
. Let be the subgroup of generated by
and all diffeomorphisms which preserve some
functions , and let be its subgroup
generated and the Dehn twists about the components of level
curves of functions . We prove that if , and construct an epimorphism
, by means of
the winding number. A finite polyhedral complex associated to the
space is defined. An epimorphism and finite generating sets for the groups
and in terms of the 2-skeleton of the complex
are constructed.Comment: 12 pages with 2 figures, in Russian, to be published in Vestnik
Moskov. Univ., a typo in theorem 1 is correcte
Search for Decay in LSND
We observe a net beam-excess of (stat) (syst) events,
above 160 MeV, resulting from the charged-current reaction of
and/or on C and H in the LSND detector. No beam related muon
background is expected in this energy regime. Within an analysis framework of
, we set a direct upper limit for this
branching ratio of at 90% confidence level.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure
Evidence for Neutrino Oscillations from Muon Decay at Rest
A search for nu_bar_mu to nu_bar_e oscillations has been conducted at the Los
Alamos Meson Physics Facility using nu_bar_mu from mu+ decay at rest. The
nu_bar_e are detected via the reaction (nu_bar_e,p) -> (e+,n), correlated with
the 2.2 MeV gamma from (n,p) -> (d,gamma). The use of tight cuts to identify e+
events with correlated gamma rays yields 22 events with e+ energy between 36
and 60 MeV and only 4.6 (+/- 0.6) background events. The probability that this
excess is due entirely to a statistical fluctuation is 4.1E-08. A chi^2 fit to
the entire e+ sample results in a total excess of 51.8 (+18.7) (-16.9) (+/-
8.0) events with e+ energy between 20 and 60 MeV. If attributed to nu_bar_mu ->
nu_bar_e oscillations, this corresponds to an oscillation probability (averaged
over the experimental energy and spatial acceptance) of 0.0031 (+0.0011)
(-0.0010) (+/- 0.0005).Comment: 57 pages, 34 figures, revtex, additional information available at
http://nu1.lampf.lanl.gov/~lsnd
Measurements of Charged Current Reactions of on
Charged Current reactions of on have been studied using a
decay-at-rest beam at the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center.
The cross section for the exclusive reaction
was measured to be cm. The observed
energy dependence of the cross section and angular distribution of the outgoing
electron agree well with theoretical expectations. Measurements are also
presented for inclusive transitions to excited states,
and compared with theoretical expectations. The
measured cross section, cm, is somewhat
lower than previous measurements and than a continuum random phase
approximation calculation. It is in better agreement with a recent shell model
calculation.Comment: 34 pages, 18 figures, accepted to PRC, replaced with the accepted on
Measurement of electron-neutrino electron elastic scattering
The cross section for the elastic scattering reaction nu_e+e- -> nu_e+e- was
measured by the Liquid Scintillator Neutrino Detector using a mu+ decay-at-rest
nu_e beam at the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center. The standard model of
electroweak physics predicts a large destructive interference between the
charge current and neutral current channels for this reaction. The measured
cross section, sigma_{nu_e e-}=[10.1 +- 1.1(stat.) +- 1.0(syst.)]x E_{nu_e}
(MeV) x 10^{-45} cm^2, agrees well with standard model expectations. The
measured value of the interference parameter, I=-1.01 +- 0.13(stat.) +-
0.12(syst.), is in good agreement with the standard model expectation of
I^{SM}=-1.09. Limits are placed on neutrino flavor-changing neutral currents.
An upper limit on the muon-neutrino magnetic moment of 6.8 x 10^{-10} mu_{Bohr}
is obtained using the nu_mu and \bar{nu}_mu fluxes from pi+ and mu+ decay.Comment: 22 pages, 11 figure
The discursive construction of childhood and youth in AIDS interventions in Lesotho's education sector: Beyond global-local dichotomies
This is the post-print version of this article. The definitive, peer-reviewed and edited version of this article is published in Environment and Planning D,Society and Space 28(5) 791 – 810, 2010, available from the link below. Copyright @ 2010 Pion.In southern Africa interventions to halt the spread of AIDS and address its social impacts are commonly targeted at young people, in many cases through the education sector. In Lesotho, education-sector responses to AIDS are the product of negotiation between a range of ‘local’ and ‘global’ actors. Although many interventions are put forward as government policy and implemented by teachers in schools, funding is often provided by bilateral and multilateral donors, and the international ‘AIDS industry’—in the form of UN agencies and international NGOs—sets agendas and makes prescriptions. This paper analyses interviews conducted with policy makers and practitioners in Lesotho and a variety of documents, critically examining the discourses of childhood and youth that are mobilised in producing changes in education policy and practice to address AIDS. Focusing on bursary schemes, life-skills education, and rights-based approaches, the paper concludes that, although dominant ‘global’ discourses are readily identified, they are not simply imported wholesale from the West, but rather are transformed through the organisations and personnel involved in designing and implementing interventions. Nonetheless, the connections through which these discourses are made, and children are subjectified, are central to the power dynamics of neoliberal globalisation. Although the representations of childhood and youth produced through the interventions are hybrid products of local and global discourses, the power relations underlying them are such that they, often unintentionally, serve a neoliberal agenda by depicting young people as individuals in need of saving, of developing personal autonomy, or of exercising individual rights.RGS-IB
Evidence for nu_mu -> nu_e Neutrino Oscillations from LSND
A search for nu_mu -> nu_e oscillations has been conducted with the LSND
apparatus at the Los Alamos Meson Physics Facility. Using nu_mu from pi^+ decay
in flight, the nu_e appearance is detected via the charged-current reaction
C(nu_e,e^-)X. Two independent analyses observe a total of 40 beam-on
high-energy electron events (60 < E_e < 200 MeV) consistent with the above
signature. This number is significantly above the 21.9 +- 2.1 events expected
from the nu_e contamination in the beam and the beam-off background. If
interpreted as an oscillation signal, the observed oscillation probability of
(2.6 +- 1.0 +- 0.5) x 10^{-3} is consistent with the previously reported
nu_mu_bar -> nu_e_bar oscillation evidence from LSND.Comment: 10 pages (LaTeX), 3 figures (PostScript), submitted to Phys.Rev.Lett.
Additional information at http://nu1.lampf.lanl.gov/~lsn
Protocol for a cluster randomised control trial evaluating the efficacy and safety of treatment for latent tuberculosis infection in recent migrants within primary care: the CATAPuLT trial.
BACKGROUND: The identification and treatment of LTBI is a key component of the WHO's strategy to eliminate TB. Recent migrants from high TB-incidence countries are recognised to be at risk TB reactivation, and many high-income countries have focused on LTBI screening and treatment programmes for this group. However, migrants are the group least likely to complete the LTBI cascade-of-care. This pragmatic cluster-randomised, parallel group, superiority trial investigates whether a model of care based entirely within a community setting (primary care) will improve treatment completion compared with treatment in specialist TB services (secondary care). METHODS: The CATAPuLT trial (Completion and Acceptability of Treatment Across Primary Care and the community for Latent Tuberculosis) randomised 34 general practices in London, England, to evaluate the efficacy and safety of treatment for LBTI in recent migrants within primary care. GP practices were randomised to either provide management for LTBI entirely within primary care (GPs and community pharmacists) or to refer patients to secondary care. The target recruitment number for individuals is 576. The primary outcome is treatment completion (defined as taking at least 90% of antibiotic doses). The secondary outcomes assess adherence, acceptance of treatment, the incidence of adverse effects including drug-induced liver injury, the rates of active TB, patient satisfaction and cost-effectiveness of LTBI treatment. This protocol adheres to the SPIRIT Checklist. DISCUSSION: The CATAPuLT trial seeks to provide implementation research evidence for a patient-centred intervention to improve treatment completion for LTBI amongst recent migrants to the UK. TRIAL REGISTRATION: NCT03069807, March 2017, registered retrospectively
Dogs with separation-related problems show a “less pessimistic” cognitive bias during treatment with fluoxetine (Reconcile™) and a behaviour modification plan
Background Canine separation-related problems (SRP) (also described as “separation anxiety” or “separation distress”) are among the most common behavioural complaints of dog owners. Treatment with psychoactive medication in parallel with a behaviour modification plan is well documented in the literature, but it is unknown if this is associated with an improvement in underlying affective state (emotion and mood) or simply an inhibition of the behaviour. Cognitive judgement bias tasks have been proposed as a method for assessing underlying affective state and so we used this approach to identify if any change in clinical signs during treatment was associated with a consistent change in cognitive bias (affective state). Five dogs showing signs of SRP (vocalising – e.g. barking, howling-, destruction of property, and toileting – urination or defecation- when alone) were treated with fluoxetine chewable tablets (Reconcile™) and set on a standard behaviour modification plan for two months. Questionnaires and interviews of the owners were used to monitor the clinical progress of the dogs. Subjects were also evaluated using a spatial cognitive bias test to infer changes in underlying affect prior to, and during, treatment. Concurrently, seven other dogs without signs of SRP were tested in the same way to act as controls. Furthermore, possible correlations between cognitive bias and clinical measures were also assessed for dogs with SRP. Results Prior to treatment, the dogs with SRP responded to ambiguous positions in the cognitive bias test negatively (i.e. with slower running speeds) compared to control dogs (p < 0.05). On weeks 2 and 6 of treatment, SRP dogs displayed similar responses in the cognitive bias test to control dogs, consistent with the possible normalization of affect during treatment, with this effect more pronounced at week 6 (p > 0.05). Questionnaire based clinical measures were significantly correlated among themselves and with performance in the cognitive bias test. Conclusion These results demonstrate for the first time that the clinical treatment of a negative affective state and associated behaviours in a non-human species can produce a shift in cognitive bias. These findings demonstrate how the outcome of an intervention on a clinical problem can be evaluated to determine not only that the subject’s behaviour has improved, but also its psychological state (welfare
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