New Constraints on General Slepton Flavor Mixing

We explore the phenomenological implications on charged lepton flavor violating (LFV) processes from slepton flavor mixing within the Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model. We work under the model-independent hypothesis of general flavor mixing in the slepton sector, being parametrized by a complete set of dimensionless delta^AB_ij (A,B = L,R; i,j = 1, 2, 3) parameters. The present upper bounds on the most relevant LFV processes, together with the requirement of compatibility in the choice of the MSSM parameters with the recent LHC and (g-2) data, lead to updated constraints on all slepton flavor mixing parameters. A comparative discussion of the most effective LFV processes to constrain the various generation mixings is included.Comment: 42 pages, 19 figures. Minor changes, version to appear in PR

Updated Constraints on General Squark Flavor Mixing

We explore the phenomenological implications on non-minimal flavor violating (NMFV) processes from squark flavor mixing within the Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model. We work under the model-independent hypothesis of general flavor mixing in the squark sector, being parametrized by a complete set of dimensionless delta^AB_ij (A,B = L, R; i,j = u, c, t or d, s, b) parameters. The present upper bounds on the most relevant NMFV processes, together with the requirement of compatibility in the choice of the MSSM parameters with the recent LHC and g-2 data, lead to updated constraints on all squark flavor mixing parameters.Comment: 30 pages, 7 figures. arXiv admin note: text overlap with arXiv:1304.2783, arXiv:1109.623

¿Puede la libertad ser suplantada por conceptos sucedáneos?

This paper examines one aspect of the problem of the relation between nature and freedom. The expression “surrogate concept of freedom” is usually employed to refer to any notion which, whether accepting or rejecting the concept of freedom, explains both human being and human agency as a natural mechanism. After testing the viability of this view, this paper will reject it

Temas centrales del diálogo ciencia-fe en la actualidad.

El trabajo quiere presentar los retos actuates en el diálogo entre la fe y la ciencia. Los retos no se encuentran en el descubrir temas comunes donde establecer el dialogo, sino en la actitud que deben adoptar el cientifico y el teólogo ante las cuestiones que se les plantean desde la otra parte. El teologo que escucha las conclusiones del conocimiento cientifico esta en mejores condiciones de dar razón de su fe, hoy. El cientifico cristiano que conoce la articulación de la fe tiene los horizontes de conocimiento mucho mas despejados. La cuesti6n se aplica a varios aspectos actuates en este dialogo: el cuerpo y el alma, la relacion de Dios con el mundo, el conocimiento de Dios a partir de lo creado, etc

Being tested but not educated - Patients' perceptions of diabetic dietary advice.

Background Diet is a key component of the management of diabetes. Several studies suggest that patients receive insufficient and inadequate information. As a first step for developing an intervention for improving dietary advice in primary care, we aimed to explore patients’ experience of receiving dietary advice; their attitudes towards that advice; their perceived dietary advice needs, and any barriers faced in adopting a diet that supports the management of their diabetes. Methods A qualitative study with three focus groups (20 purposively sampled participants) was conducted with adult primary care patients with Type 2 diabetes in 2016. A semi-structured topic guide was developed from the literature. The focus groups were audio recorded and transcribed. The data were analysed by emergent themes analysis. Data saturation was achieved in the third focus group. Results The majority of participants were given dietary advice in the form of a generic healthy eating leaflet from a Practice Nurse. Participants had their Haemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) reviewed regularly, but the results seemed not to be linked with review of dietary habits. The test was perceived as being a “pass or fail”, judgmental experience. Participants felt tested but not educated. Conclusion Individuals with type 2 diabetes seem not to receive dietary advice according to their expectations. Information collected as part of the study can be used to inform the development of interventions aimed at improving dietary advice in this population

Photo-excited semiconductor superlattices as constrained excitable media: Motion of dipole domains and current self-oscillations

A model for charge transport in undoped, photo-excited semiconductor superlattices, which includes the dependence of the electron-hole recombination on the electric field and on the photo-excitation intensity through the field-dependent recombination coefficient, is proposed and analyzed. Under dc voltage bias and high photo-excitation intensities, there appear self-sustained oscillations of the current due to a repeated homogeneous nucleation of a number of charge dipole waves inside the superlattice. In contrast to the case of a constant recombination coefficient, nucleated dipole waves can split for a field-dependent recombination coefficient in two oppositely moving dipoles. The key for understanding these unusual properties is that these superlattices have a unique static electric-field domain. At the same time, their dynamical behavior is akin to the one of an extended excitable system: an appropriate finite disturbance of the unique stable fixed point may cause a large excursion in phase space before returning to the stable state and trigger pulses and wave trains. The voltage bias constraint causes new waves to be nucleated when old ones reach the contact.Comment: 19 pages, 8 figures, to appear in Phys. Rev.