16 research outputs found
A New Dark Matter Candidate: Non-thermal Sterile Neutrinos
We propose a new and unique dark matter candidate: eV to
keV sterile neutrinos produced via lepton number-driven resonant MSW
(Mikheyev-Smirnov-Wolfenstein) conversion of active neutrinos. The requisite
lepton number asymmetries in any of the active neutrino flavors range from
10 to 10 of the photon number - well within primordial
nucleosynthesis bounds. The unique feature here is that the adiabaticity
condition of the resonance strongly favors the production of lower energy
sterile neutrinos. The resulting non-thermal (cold) energy spectrum can cause
these sterile neutrinos to revert to non-relativistic kinematics at an early
epoch, so that free-streaming lengths at or below the dwarf galaxy scale are
possible. Therefore, the main problem associated with light neutrino dark
matter candidates can be circumvented in our model.Comment: Latex 11 pages + 1 figur
Radiative Decay of a Long-Lived Particle and Big-Bang Nucleosynthesis
The effects of radiatively decaying, long-lived particles on big-bang
nucleosynthesis (BBN) are discussed. If high-energy photons are emitted after
BBN, they may change the abundances of the light elements through
photodissociation processes, which may result in a significant discrepancy
between the BBN theory and observation. We calculate the abundances of the
light elements, including the effects of photodissociation induced by a
radiatively decaying particle, but neglecting the hadronic branching ratio.
Using these calculated abundances, we derive a constraint on such particles by
comparing our theoretical results with observations. Taking into account the
recent controversies regarding the observations of the light-element
abundances, we derive constraints for various combinations of the measurements.
We also discuss several models which predict such radiatively decaying
particles, and we derive constraints on such models.Comment: Published version in Phys. Rev. D. Typos in figure captions correcte
Primordial Nucleosynthesis with a Decaying Tau Neutrino
A comprehensive study of the effect of an unstable tau neutrino on primordial
nucleosynthesis is presented. The standard code for nucleosynthesis is modified
to allow for a massive decaying tau neutrino whose daughter products include
neutrinos, photons, pairs, and/or noninteracting (sterile) daughter
products. Tau-neutrino decays influence primordial nucleosynthesis in three
distinct ways: (i) the energy density of the decaying tau neutrino and its
daughter products affect the expansion rate tending to increase He, D, and
He production; (ii) electromagnetic (EM) decay products heat the EM plasma
and dilute the baryon-to-photon ratio tending to decrease He production and
increase D and He production; and (iii) electron neutrinos and
antineutrinos produced by tau-neutrino decays increase the weak rates that
govern the neutron-to-proton ratio, leading to decreased He production for
short lifetimes (\la 30\sec) and masses less than about 10\MeV and
increased He production for long lifetimes or large masses. The precise
effect of a decaying tau neutrino on the yields of primordial nucleosynthesis
and the mass-lifetime limits that follow depend crucially upon decay mode. We
identify four generic decay modes that serve to bracket the wider range of
possibilities:Comment: 27 pages, Latex, 12 Figures avaiable on request, FNAL--Pub--93/236-
It is time to reconsider the classification of dens fractures: an anatomical approach
A clinical study was performed to evaluate a new classification for
odontoid process fractures. The external and internal anatomy of the
axis has been studied. The files of 97 patients with a fracture of the
odontoid process admitted to our institution were reviewed and
classified according to the proposed new classification. The method was
tested for reliability and validity. The patients were followed for a
mean period of 14 years, in order to evaluate the outcome of these
fractures and to correlate it to the fracture type. Intraobserver and
interobserver agreement was excellent with intraclass correlation
coefficients at levels of 0.98 and 0.85, respectively. Four types of
odontoid process fractures are distinguished. Type B fractures are
associated with high risk of pseudarthrosis. Existing classifications
are inadequate and misleading since they do not include all types of
odontoid process fractures, nor they consider the internal anatomy of
the odontoid process. Classification of the odontoid process fractures
has to be reconsidered as novel-imaging technology has shown new
patterns of fractures. The analysis of the imaging data in the present
study justifies the new classification
Type D fractures of the odontoid process
Type D fractures of the odontoid process are rare and usually occur in
the elderly. The mechanism of fracture is unclear. Non-operative
treatment is indicated provided that adequate immobilization using skull
traction followed by either a collar or a halo vest can be achieved. The
prognosis is usually favorable for this type of fractures. We present
six patients with complex (type D) fractures of the odontoid process
admitted and treated at our institution since 1970. There were five men
and one woman with a mean age of 57.7 years (range, 16-81 years).
Although there were concomitant injuries, no neurological deficits due
to the odontoid process fracture was detected. All patients were treated
non-operatively using skull traction or a halo vest for 8-12 weeks. One
patient deceased 2 days after the injury. At the latest examination, all
the remaining five patients had complete union of the odontoid process
fracture; three of them had excellent range of motion and two had
painful or restricted range of motion of the upper cervical spine
Translocation t(12;13)(p13;q14) in a patient with imatinib-sensitive MDS/MPD associated with resistance to treatment: Review of the literature
The category of myelodysplastic syndromes/myeloproliferative diseases (MDS/MPD) is a relatively new group of malignant hematologic diseases developed by the World Health Organization. These hematologic disorders lack the BCR/ABL fusion gene, although they can be associated with chromosomal translocations that involve genes encoding other protein kinases. Imatinib mesylate was recognized as a potent inhibitor of some of those kinases. We present a patient with a previously treated acute myeloid leukemia, who, after a 9-year-long remission, developed an MDS/MPD with normal karyotype, which initially responded to imatinib mesylate. Translocation t(12;13)(p12;q14) was detected after loss of response to imatinib treatment. Translocation t(12;13) is rare. It has been described in several hematologic malignancies including chronic myelomonocytic leukemia but not in MDS/MPD, previously described as Philadelphia-negative chronic myelogenous leukemia. Moreover, the correlation of this molecular abnormality with loss of efficacy of imatinib is unique in the literature. © 2011 Wolters Kluwer Health | Lippincott Williams & Wilkins