Lepton polarization correlations in B→K∗τ−τ+B \to K^* \tau^- \tau^+

In this work we will study the polarizations of both leptons ($\tau$) in the decay channel $B\to K^* \tau^- \tau^+$. In the case of the dileptonic inclusive decay $B\to K^* \ell^- \ell^+$, where apart from the polarization asymmetries of single lepton $\ell$, one can also observe the polarization asymmetries of both leptons simultaneously. If this sort of measurement is possible then we can have, apart from decay rate, FB asymmetry and the six single lepton polarization asymmetries (three each for $\ell^-$ and $\ell^+$), nine more double polarization asymmetries. This will give us a very useful tool in more strict testing of SM and the physics beyond. We discuss the double polarization asymmetries of $\tau$ leptons in the decay mode $B\to K^* \tau^- \tau^+$ within the SM and the Minimal Supersymmetric extensions of it.Comment: 21 pages, 21 figures; version to match paper to appear in PR

Teneur du muscle en glycogène et identification des viandes falsifiées

Une épreuve chimique permettant de déterminer la teneur totale en glycogène des muscles de différents animaux domestiques est décrite. La différenciation dépend de la variation de l'intensité de la couleur mesurée au colorimètre. L'épreuve peut être utilisée pour la diagnose de la viande foetale (non comestible) et de toutes les autres variétés de viande. Elle peut également permettre de différencier très bien la viande de buffle de celle du boeuf, et cette dernière de celle du chameau. La différenciation entre la viande de chameau et de buffle devra être confirmée par d'autres méthodes. Les résultats obtenus avec la viande de mouton et celle de chèvre sont presque semblables et se superposent à ceux obtenus avec la viande de veau. L'analyse statistique des valeurs obtenues à la suite des mesures effectuées sur différentes régions du corps et chez différents animaux est enregistré

A review of ground heat exchangers for cooling application in the malaysian climate

The ground heat exchanger (GHE) is one of the energy sources that has been identified since the 1970s which is able to produce sustainable energy for cooling which is in passive side. GHEs are widely implemented around the world, especially in European countries and a few Asian countries. In Malaysia, application of GHE is still considered as a new passive cooling approach in building energy reduction. Therefore, this paper reviews several important ways of implementing GHE in order to supply passive cooling for any application. The review covers general implementation of the GHE for thermal comfort and agricultural greenhouse cooling. The ground temperature variation used in different researches is also reviewed in this paper as an important part of identifying potential GHE implementations. Design and performance aspects of the GHE are also reviewed. Finally, this paper summarizes the potential and benefit of GHE implementation in the Malaysian climate for cooling applications to reduce the energy used in buildings and greenhouse gas emission

Evaluation of angiotensin II receptor blockers for drug formulary using objective scoring analytical tool

Drug selection methods with scores have been developed and used worldwide for formulary purposes. These tools focus on the way in which the products are differentiated from each other within the same therapeutic class. Scoring Analytical Tool (SAT) is designed based on the same principle with score and is able to assist formulary committee members in evaluating drugs either to add or delete in a more structured, consistent and reproducible manner. Objective: To develop an objective SAT to facilitate evaluation of drug selection for formulary listing purposes. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was carried out. The proposed SAT was developed to evaluate the drugs according to pre-set criteria and sub-criteria that were matched to the diseases concerned and scores were then assigned based on their relative importance. The main criteria under consideration were safety, quality, cost and efficacy. All these were converted to questionnaires format. Data and information were collected through self-administered questionnaires that were distributed to medical doctors and specialists from the established public hospitals. A convenient sample of 167 doctors (specialists and non-specialists) were taken from various disciplines in the outpatient clinics such as Medical, Nephrology and Cardiology units who prescribed ARBs hypertensive drugs to patients. They were given a duration of 4 weeks to answer the questionnaires at their convenience. One way ANOVA, Kruskal Wallis and post hoc comparison tests were carried out at alpha level 0.05. Results: Statistical analysis showed that the descending order of ARBs preference was Telmisartan or Irbesartan or Losartan, Valsartan or Candesartan, Olmesartan and lastly Eprosartan. The most cost saving ARBs for hypertension in public hospitals was Irbesartan. Conclusion: SAT is a tool which can be used to reduce the number of drugs and retained the most therapeutically appropriate drugs in the formulary, to determine most cost saving drugs and has the potential to complement the conventional method of drug selection as it is effective in aiding decision making process through the pre-established criteria and increasing scientific ground of decisions and transparency.Scopu

Evaluative study between calculated and measured DVHs for advance techniques of radiotherapy for Prostate Cancer Patients

This study aims to use 3DVH software (Sun Nuclear Corporation, Melbourne, FL, USA) to compare the dose that was predicted by treatment planning system (TPS) with the measured dose obtained by ArcCHECK dosimetric device using two advance treatment techniques: Volumetric Modulated Arc Therapy (VMAT) and Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT). Thirty prostate cancer patients who were treated with VMAT and re- planned with IMRT using Eclipse planning system were studied. The percentage dose differences (%DDs) were calculated using 3DVH software for planning target volume (PTV) and risk organ (OARs). The correlations between %DD and the gamma pass rate (GPR) (3%/3mm, 2%/2mm and 1%/1mm) criterion were examined. Both the DVHs calculated by 3DVH and the one projected by TPS were compared using the different parameters for PTV and OAR. In VMAT technique, the %DD was less than 3% for PTV and 4% for OAR while the IMRT technique recorded %DD less than 2% for PTV and 4% for OAR. 3DVH was somewhat more consistent with the planned VMAT verification data compared to ArcCHECK, with a mean gamma pass rate of 99.34% for the 3%/3 mm criterion Based on our results, VMAT is especially beneficial for prostate most cancers treatment

Supersymmetric effects on Forward Backward asymmetries of B→Kℓ+ℓ−B \to K \ell^+ \ell^-

Leptonic and semi-leptonic rare decays of B-mesons are very clean (both theoretically and experimentally) signatures of any new physics beyond the Standard Model (SM). More specifically the decay \btokll has been theoretically observed to be very sensitive to new physics as the Forward Backward (FB) asymmetry in this decay mode vanishes in the SM. Supersymmetry, however, predicts a non-vanishing value of this asymmetry. In this work we will study the polarized lepton pair FB asymmetry, i.e. the FB asymmetry of the lepton when one (or both) final state lepton(s) are polarized. We will study these asymmetries both within the SM and for Supersymmetric corrections to the SM.Comment: 18 pages, RevTeX file including 21 eps figures; version accepted for publication in Phys. Rev. D. Some references adde

The Forward Backward asymmetries of B→Xsτ+τ−B \to X_s \tau^+ \tau^- in the MSSM

The relatively clean theoretical probes of the Standard Model (SM), and the various theories beyond the SM, provided by radiative, semi-leptonic and (purely) leptonic decays of B-mesons have become increasingly important. Due to the large number of possible distributions in the semi-leptonic decays based on the quark level transition $b \to s \ell^+ \ell^-$ (not just the branching ratio), these transitions have become very useful. A study of the Forward-Backward asymmetries for the inclusive decay ($B \to X_s \ell^+ \ell^-$) is carried out in this paper. This study shall be performed in the SM and a minimal supersymmetric extensions of the SM, namely the mSUGRA model.Comment: 14 pages, 4 figures (5 eps files); modified to JHEP format, accepted in JHEP, references adde

Refinement of screening for familial pancreatic cancer

Conclusions It appears safe to start screening for PDAC in IAR of non-CDKN2a FPC families at the age of 50 years. MRI-based screening supplemented by EUS at baseline and every 3rd year or when changes in MRI occur appears to be efficient.Surgical oncolog

Mapping geographical inequalities in access to drinking water and sanitation facilities in low-income and middle-income countries, 2000-17

Background: Universal access to safe drinking water and sanitation facilities is an essential human right, recognised in the Sustainable Development Goals as crucial for preventing disease and improving human wellbeing. Comprehensive, high-resolution estimates are important to inform progress towards achieving this goal. We aimed to produce high-resolution geospatial estimates of access to drinking water and sanitation facilities. Methods: We used a Bayesian geostatistical model and data from 600 sources across more than 88 low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs) to estimate access to drinking water and sanitation facilities on continuous continent-wide surfaces from 2000 to 2017, and aggregated results to policy-relevant administrative units. We estimated mutually exclusive and collectively exhaustive subcategories of facilities for drinking water (piped water on or off premises, other improved facilities, unimproved, and surface water) and sanitation facilities (septic or sewer sanitation, other improved, unimproved, and open defecation) with use of ordinal regression. We also estimated the number of diarrhoeal deaths in children younger than 5 years attributed to unsafe facilities and estimated deaths that were averted by increased access to safe facilities in 2017, and analysed geographical inequality in access within LMICs. Findings: Across LMICs, access to both piped water and improved water overall increased between 2000 and 2017, with progress varying spatially. For piped water, the safest water facility type, access increased from 40·0% (95% uncertainty interval [UI] 39·4–40·7) to 50·3% (50·0–50·5), but was lowest in sub-Saharan Africa, where access to piped water was mostly concentrated in urban centres. Access to both sewer or septic sanitation and improved sanitation overall also increased across all LMICs during the study period. For sewer or septic sanitation, access was 46·3% (95% UI 46·1–46·5) in 2017, compared with 28·7% (28·5–29·0) in 2000. Although some units improved access to the safest drinking water or sanitation facilities since 2000, a large absolute number of people continued to not have access in several units with high access to such facilities (>80%) in 2017. More than 253 000 people did not have access to sewer or septic sanitation facilities in the city of Harare, Zimbabwe, despite 88·6% (95% UI 87·2–89·7) access overall. Many units were able to transition from the least safe facilities in 2000 to safe facilities by 2017; for units in which populations primarily practised open defecation in 2000, 686 (95% UI 664–711) of the 1830 (1797–1863) units transitioned to the use of improved sanitation. Geographical disparities in access to improved water across units decreased in 76·1% (95% UI 71·6–80·7) of countries from 2000 to 2017, and in 53·9% (50·6–59·6) of countries for access to improved sanitation, but remained evident subnationally in most countries in 2017. Interpretation: Our estimates, combined with geospatial trends in diarrhoeal burden, identify where efforts to increase access to safe drinking water and sanitation facilities are most needed. By highlighting areas with successful approaches or in need of targeted interventions, our estimates can enable precision public health to effectively progress towards universal access to safe water and sanitation

Risk profiles and one-year outcomes of patients with newly diagnosed atrial fibrillation in India: Insights from the GARFIELD-AF Registry.

BACKGROUND: The Global Anticoagulant Registry in the FIELD-Atrial Fibrillation (GARFIELD-AF) is an ongoing prospective noninterventional registry, which is providing important information on the baseline characteristics, treatment patterns, and 1-year outcomes in patients with newly diagnosed non-valvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF). This report describes data from Indian patients recruited in this registry. METHODS AND RESULTS: A total of 52,014 patients with newly diagnosed AF were enrolled globally; of these, 1388 patients were recruited from 26 sites within India (2012-2016). In India, the mean age was 65.8 years at diagnosis of NVAF. Hypertension was the most prevalent risk factor for AF, present in 68.5% of patients from India and in 76.3% of patients globally (P < 0.001). Diabetes and coronary artery disease (CAD) were prevalent in 36.2% and 28.1% of patients as compared with global prevalence of 22.2% and 21.6%, respectively (P < 0.001 for both). Antiplatelet therapy was the most common antithrombotic treatment in India. With increasing stroke risk, however, patients were more likely to receive oral anticoagulant therapy [mainly vitamin K antagonist (VKA)], but average international normalized ratio (INR) was lower among Indian patients [median INR value 1.6 (interquartile range {IQR}: 1.3-2.3) versus 2.3 (IQR 1.8-2.8) (P < 0.001)]. Compared with other countries, patients from India had markedly higher rates of all-cause mortality [7.68 per 100 person-years (95% confidence interval 6.32-9.35) vs 4.34 (4.16-4.53), P < 0.0001], while rates of stroke/systemic embolism and major bleeding were lower after 1 year of follow-up. CONCLUSION: Compared to previously published registries from India, the GARFIELD-AF registry describes clinical profiles and outcomes in Indian patients with AF of a different etiology. The registry data show that compared to the rest of the world, Indian AF patients are younger in age and have more diabetes and CAD. Patients with a higher stroke risk are more likely to receive anticoagulation therapy with VKA but are underdosed compared with the global average in the GARFIELD-AF. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION-URL: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT01090362