The four-loop DRED gauge beta-function and fermion mass anomalous dimension for general gauge groups

We present four-loop results for the gauge beta-function and the fermion mass anomalous dimension for a gauge theory with a general gauge group and a multiplet of fermions transforming according to an arbitrary representation, calculated using the dimensional reduction scheme. In the special case of a supersymmetric theory we confirm previous calculations of both the gauge beta-function and the gaugino mass beta-function.Comment: 44 pages, added references (v2) minor changes (v3

Tissue engineering a fetal membrane

The aim of this study was to construct an artificial fetal membrane (FM) by combination of human amniotic epithelial stem cells (hAESCs) and a mechanically enhanced collagen scaffold containing encapsulated human amniotic stromal fibroblasts (hASFs). Such a tissue-engineered FM may have the potential to plug structural defects in the amniotic sac after antenatal interventions, or to prevent preterm premature rupture of the FM. The hAESCs and hASFs were isolated from human fetal amniotic membrane (AM). Magnetic cell sorting was used to enrich the hAESCs by positive ATP-binding cassette G2 selection. We investigated the use of a laminin/fibronectin (1:1)-coated compressed collagen gel as a novel scaffold to support the growth of hAESCs. A type I collagen gel was dehydrated to form a material mimicking the mechanical properties and ultra-structure of human AM. hAESCs successfully adhered to and formed a monolayer upon the biomimetic collagen scaffold. The resulting artificial membrane shared a high degree of similarity in cell morphology, protein expression profiles, and structure to normal fetal AM. This study provides the first line of evidence that a compacted collagen gel containing hASFs could adequately support hAESCs adhesion and differentiation to a degree that is comparable to the normal human fetal AM in terms of structure and maintenance of cell phenotype

Gravitational Waves from Neutron Stars with Large Toroidal B-fields

We show that NS's with large toroidal B-fields tend naturally to evolve into potent gravitational-wave (gw) emitters. The toroidal field B_t tends to distort the NS into a prolate shape, and this magnetic distortion can easily dominate over the oblateness ``frozen into'' the NS crust. An elastic NS with frozen-in B-field of this magnitude is clearly secularly unstable: the wobble angle between the NS's angular momentum J^i and the star's magnetic axis n_B^i grow on a dissipation timescale until J^i and n_B^i are orthogonal. This final orientation is clearly the optimal one for gravitational-wave (gw) emission. The basic cause of the instability is quite general, so we conjecture that the same final state is reached for a realistic NS. Assuming this, we show that for LMXB's with B_t of order 10^{13}G, the spindown from gw's is sufficient to balance the accretion torque--supporting a suggestion by Bildsten. The spindown rates of most millisecond pulsars can also be attributed to gw emission sourced by toroidal B-fields, and both these sources could be observed by LIGO II. While the first-year spindown of a newborn NS is most likely dominated by em processes, reasonable values of B_t and the (external) dipolar field B_d can lead to detectable levels of gw emission, for a newborn NS in our own galaxy.Comment: 7 pages; submitted to PRD; only minor revision

Changes in UK price disparities between healthy and less healthy foods over 10 years:An updated analysis with insights in the context of inflationary increases in the cost-of-living from 2021

Food prices and affordability play an important role in influencing dietary choices, which in turn have implications for public health. With inflationary increases in the cost-of-living in the UK since 2021, understanding the dynamics of food prices becomes increasingly important. In this longitudinal study, we aimed to examine changes in food prices from 2013 to 2023 by food group and by food healthiness. We established a dataset spanning the years 2013–2023 by combining price data from the UK Consumer Price Index for food and beverage items with nutrient and food data from the UK nutrient databank and UK Department of Health &amp; Social Care's National Diet and Nutrition Survey data. We calculated the price (£/100 kcal) for each food item by year as well as before and during the period of inflationary pressure, and classified items into food groups according to the UK Eatwell Guide and as either “more healthy" or “less healthy" using the UK nutrient profiling score model. In 2023, bread, rice, potatoes and pasta was cheapest (£0.12/100 kcal) and fruit and vegetables most expensive (£1.01/100 kcal). Less healthy food was cheaper than more healthy food (£0.33/100 kcal versus £0.81/100 kcal). Before the inflationary pressure period (from 2013 to late 2021), the price of foods decreased by 3%. After this period, the price of food increased by 22%: relative increases were highest in the food group milk and dairy food (31%) and less healthy category (26%). While healthier foods saw smaller relative price increases since 2021, they remain more expensive, potentially exacerbating dietary inequalities. Policy responses should ensure food affordability and mitigate price disparities via, for example, healthy food subsidies.</div

Investigation of the Neutron Form Factors by Inclusive Quasi-Elastic Scattering of Polarized Electrons off Polarized 3^{3}He: A Theoretical Overview

The theory of quasi-elastic inclusive scattering of polarized leptons off polarized $^3$He is critically reviewed and the origin of different expressions for the polarized nuclear response function appearing in the literature is explained. The sensitivity of the longitudinal asymmetry upon the neutron form factors is thoroughly investigated and the role played by the polarization angle for minimizing the proton contribution is illustrated.Comment: Phys. Rev C in press; 9 figs. (available upon request

Evidence for a three-nucleon-force effect in proton-deuteron elastic scattering

Developments in spin-polarized internal targets for storage rings have permitted measurements of 197 MeV polarized protons scattering from vector polarized deuterons. This work presents measurements of the polarization observables A_y, iT_11, and C_y,y in proton-deuteron elastic scattering. When compared to calculations with and without three-nucleon forces, the measurements indicate that three-nucleon forces make a significant contribution to the observables. This work indicates that three-body forces derived from static nuclear properties appear to be crucial to the description of dynamical properties.Comment: 8 pages 2 figures Latex, submitted to Phys. Rev. Letter

Transverse Fresnel-Fizeau drag effects in strongly dispersive media

A light beam normally incident upon an uniformly moving dielectric medium is in general subject to bendings due to a transverse Fresnel-Fizeau light drag effect. In conventional dielectrics, the magnitude of this bending effect is very small and hard to detect. Yet, it can be dramatically enhanced in strongly dispersive media where slow group velocities in the m/s range have been recently observed taking advantage of the electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) effect. In addition to the usual downstream drag that takes place for positive group velocities, we predict a significant anomalous upstream drag to occur for small and negative group velocities. Furthermore, for sufficiently fast speeds of the medium, higher order dispersion terms are found to play an important role and to be responsible for peculiar effects such as light propagation along curved paths and the restoration of the spatial coherence of an incident noisy beam. The physics underlying this new class of slow-light effects is thoroughly discussed

Micro-evolutionary diversification among Indian Ocean parrots: temporal and spatial changes in phylogenetic diversity as a consequence of extinction and invasion

Almost 90% of global bird extinctions have occurred on islands. The loss of endemic spe- cies from island systems can dramatically alter evolutionary trajectories of insular species biodiversity, resulting in a loss of evolutionary diversity important for species adaptation to changing environments. The Western Indian Ocean islands have been the scene of evolution for a large number of endemic parrots. Since their discovery in the 16th cen- tury, many of these parrots have become extinct or have declined in numbers. Alongside the extinction of species, a number of the Indian Ocean islands have experienced coloni- zation by highly invasive parrots, such as the Ring-necked Parakeet Psittacula krameri. Such extinctions and invasions can, on an evolutionary timescale, drive changes in spe- cies composition, genetic diversity and turnover in phylogenetic diversity, all of which can have important impacts on species potential for adaptation to changing environmen- tal and climatic conditions. Using mtDNA cytochrome b data, we resolve the taxonomic placement of three extinct Indian Ocean parrots: the Rodrigues Psittacula exsul, Sey- chelles Psittacula wardi and Reunion Parakeets Psittacula eques. This case study quantifies how the extinction of these species has resulted in lost historical endemic phylogenetic diversity and reduced levels of species richness, and illustrates how it is being replaced by non-endemic invasive forms such as the Ring-necked Parakeet. Finally, we use our phylogenetic framework to identify and recommend a number of phylogenetically appro- priate ecological replacements for the extinct parrots. Such replacements may be intro- duced once invasive forms have been cleared, to rejuvenate ecosystem function and restore lost phylogenetic diversity