Geometry of good sets in n-fold Cartesian product

We propose here a multidimensional generalisation of the notion of link introduced in our previous papers and we discuss some consequences for simplicial measures and sums of function algebras.Comment: 17 pages, no figures, no table

Mathematics of risk taking

A simple mathematical model for an investor's gains and losses over time shows that, in the long run, those with large sums to invest have an excellent chance of reaching their goal while the marginal investors have a high probability of going bankrupt. A greedy investor, rich or poor, will hit the bottom in the long run, with probability one. Consequences for the population at large are discussed

3d SU(N) + adjoint Higgs theory and finite temperature QCD

We study to what extent the three-dimensional SU(N)+adjoint Higgs theory can be used as an effective theory for finite temperature SU(N) gauge theory, with N=2,3. The parameters of the 3d theory are computed in 2-loop perturbation theory in terms of T/Lambda_MSbar,N,N_f. The perturbative effective potential of the 3d theory is computed to two loops for N=2. While the Z(N) symmetry probably driving the 4d confinement-deconfinement phase transition (for N_f=0) is not explicit in the effective Lagrangian, it is partly reinstated by radiative effects in the 3d theory. Lattice simulations in the 3d theory are carried out for N=2, and the static screening masses relevant for the high-temperature phase of the 4d theory are measured. In particular, we measure non-perturbatively the O(g^2 T) correction to the Debye screening mass. We find that non-perturbative effects are much larger in the SU(2) + adjoint Higgs theory than in the SU(2) + fundamental Higgs theory.Comment: 30 pages, 9 figure

A Case Of Invasive Aspergillosis in a Patient with No Identifiable Immunodeficiencies

Invasive fungal infections usually affect patients with immunodeficiencies and very rarely patients with no known or identifiable risk factors. Diagnosis could be delayed in patients without previously known immunodeficiencies due to a low index of suspicion, leading to a delay in treatment and a potential poor outcome. We report a case of a postpartum woman with no history of immuno-compromised disease who developed left hemiparesis with evidence of invasive aspergollosis affecting the nervous system, and leading to fatal outcome. The patient had a mass-like lesion in the neuroimaging with soft tissue shadowing in the chest x-ray leading to initial diagnosis of tuberculosis. The brain biopsy showed changes consistent with a diagnosis of aspergillosis. The source of the aspergillus infection was not clear. Aspergillus infection should be considered in patients with no identifiable immunodeficiencies who have abnormal brain imaging and chest x-ray, as early treatment may alter the outcome

Intravascular Polarimetry: Clinical Translation and Future Applications of Catheter-Based Polarization Sensitive Optical Frequency Domain Imaging

Optical coherence tomography (OCT) and optical frequency domain imaging (OFDI) visualize the coronary artery wall and plaque morphology in great detail. The advent of these high-resolution intracoronary imaging modalities has propelled our understanding of coronary atherosclerosis and provided enhanced guidance for percutaneous coronary intervention. Yet, the lack of contrast between distinct tissue types and plaque compositions impedes further elucidation of the complex mechanisms that contribute to acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and hinders the prospective identification of plaques susceptible to rupture. Intravascular polarimetry with polarization-sensitive OFDI measures polarization properties of the coronary arterial wall using conventional intravascular imaging catheters. The quantitative polarization metrics display notable image contrast between several relevant coronary plaque microstructures that are difficult to identify with conventional OCT and OFDI. Tissues rich in collagen and smooth muscle cells exhibit birefringence, while lipid and macrophages cause depolarization. In this review, we describe the basic principles of intravascular polarimetry, discuss the interpretation of the polarization signatures, and outline promising avenues for future research and clinical implications

A Lattice Monte Carlo Study of the Hot Electroweak Phase Transition

We study the finite temperature electroweak phase transition with lattice perturbation theory and Monte Carlo techniques. Dimensional reduction is used to approximate the full four-dimensional SU(2) + a fundamental doublet Higgs theory by an effective three-dimensional SU(2) + adjoint Higgs + fundamental Higgs theory with coefficients depending on temperature via screening masses and mass counterterms. Fermions contribute to the effective theory only via the $N_F$ and $m_{\rm top}$ dependence of the coefficients. For sufficiently small lattices ($N^3 < 30^3$ for $m_H$ = 35 GeV) the study of the one-loop lattice effective potential shows the existence of the {\em second} order phase transition even for the small Higgs masses. At the same time, a clear signal of a {\em first order} phase transition is seen on the lattice simulations with a transition temperature close to but less than the value determined from the perturbative calculations. This indicates that the dynamics of the first order electroweak phase transition depends strongly on non-perturbative effects and is not exclusively related to the so-called $\phi^3$ term in the effective potential.Comment: 15 pages, use latex+epsfig, includes 6 ps-figures, CERN-TH.6901/9

Some aspects of heavy ion fusion-fission dynamics

Study of heavy ion induced fusion-fission reactions at near and below barrier energies has attracted a great deal of attention in recent years, due to the observations of anomalous features in the fragment angular distributions for many target-projectile systems. Additionally there are also measurements of the fragment spin distributions and time-scales of the fusion-fission reactions, which have provided important information on the dynamics of these processes. In the present paper, the emphasis would be to highlight some of the recent experimental findings and their implications on the dynamics of the fusion-fission reactions in heavy ion collisions at near and above barrier energies

Gauge Dependence of the High-Temperature 2-Loop Effective Potential for the Higgs Field

The high-temperature limit of the 2-loop effective potential for the Higgs field is calculated from an effective 3d theory, in a general covariant gauge. It is shown explicitly that a gauge-independent result can be extracted for the equation of state from the gauge-dependent effective potential. The convergence of perturbation theory is estimated in the broken phase, utilizing the gauge dependence of the effective potential.Comment: 13 LaTeX-pages + 2 ps-figure (Instructions added to uudecode the ps-file.