Constrained Supersymmetric Flipped SU(5) GUT Phenomenology

We explore the phenomenology of the minimal supersymmetric flipped SU(5) GUT model (CFSU(5)), whose soft supersymmetry-breaking (SSB) mass parameters are constrained to be universal at some input scale, $M_{in}$, above the GUT scale, $M_{GUT}$. We analyze the parameter space of CFSU(5) assuming that the lightest supersymmetric particle (LSP) provides the cosmological cold dark matter, paying careful attention to the matching of parameters at the GUT scale. We first display some specific examples of the evolutions of the SSB parameters that exhibit some generic features. Specifically, we note that the relationship between the masses of the lightest neutralino and the lighter stau is sensitive to $M_{in}$, as is the relationship between the neutralino mass and the masses of the heavier Higgs bosons. For these reasons, prominent features in generic $(m_{1/2}, m_0)$ planes such as coannihilation strips and rapid-annihilation funnels are also sensitive to $M_{in}$, as we illustrate for several cases with tan(beta)=10 and 55. However, these features do not necessarily disappear at large $M_{in}$, unlike the case in the minimal conventional SU(5) GUT. Our results are relatively insensitive to neutrino masses.Comment: 23 pages, 8 figures; (v2) added explanations and corrected typos, version to appear in EPJ

Associated production of light gravitinos in e^+e^- and e^-\gamma collisions

Light gravitino productions in association with a neutralino (selectron) in e^+e^- (e^-\gamma) collisions are restudied in a scenario that the lightest supersymmetric particle is a gravitino and the produced neutralino (selectron) promptly decays into a photon (electron) and a gravitino. We explicitly give the helicity amplitudes for the production processes by using the effective goldstino interaction Lagrangian, and present the cross sections with different collision energies and mass spectra. We also examine selection efficiencies by kinematical cuts and beam polarizations for the signal and background processes, and show that the energy and angular distributions of the photon (electron) can explore the mass of the t-channel exchange particle as well as the mass of the decaying particle at a future e^+e^- (e^-\gamma) collider.Comment: 12 pages, 12 figures, 4 tables; references added, version to appear in EPJ

Long term evaluation of high tibial valgus osteotomy

We present a long term evaluation of 100 high valgus tibial osteotomies with a mean follow up of 11 years. Knees with slight or moderate osteoarthritis had the best results. Slight overcorrection was beneficial, but gross overcorrection was not. There were few complications and the overall long term results were go

Pre-main-sequence Lithium Depletion

In this review I briefly discuss the theory of pre-main-sequence (PMS) Li depletion in low-mass (0.075<M<1.2 Msun) stars and highlight those uncertain parameters which lead to substantial differences in model predictions. I then summarise observations of PMS stars in very young open clusters, clusters that have just reached the ZAMS and briefly highlight recent developments in the observation of Li in very low-mass PMS stars.Comment: 8 pages, invited review at "Chemical abundances and mixing in stars in the Milky Way and its satellites", eds. L. Pasquini, S. Randich. ESO Astrophysics Symposium (Springer-Verlag

Electromagnetic targeting of guns

This is the final report of a one-year, Laboratory-Directed Research and Development (LDRD) project at the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL). Electromagnetic pulse (EMP) signals produced from explosives being fired have been reported in the literature for fifty years. When a gun is fired it produces an EMP muzzle blast signal. The strength and nature of these signals was first analyzed in the early 1970s, while the results were interesting, no follow-up studies were conducted. With modern detection and signal processing technology, we believe that these signals could be used to instantaneously locate guns of virtually all calibers as they fire. The objective of our one-year project was to establish the basic nature of these signals and their utility in the concept of electromagnetic targeting of guns

The inflammatory potential of diet is related to incident frailty and slow walking in older adults

Background: Certain foods and dietary patterns have been associated with both inflammation and frailty. As chronic inflammation may play a role in frailty and disability, we examined the association of the inflammatory potential of diet with these outcomes. Methods: Data were taken from 1948 community-dwelling individuals =60 years old from the Seniors-ENRICA cohort, who were recruited in 2008–2010 and followed-up through 2012. Baseline diet data, obtained with a validated diet history, was used to calculate Shivappa's Dietary Inflammatory Index (DII), an “a priori” pattern score which is based on known associations of foods and nutrients with inflammation, and Tabung's Empirical Dietary Inflammatory Index (EDII), an “a posteriori” pattern score which was statistically derived from an epidemiological study. At follow-up, incident frailty was assessed with Fried's criteria, and incident limitation in instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) with the Lawton-Brody index. Statistical analyses were performed with logistic regression, and adjusted for the main confounders. Results: Compared with individuals in the lowest tertile of DII, those in the highest tertile showed higher risk of frailty (odds ratio [OR] 2.48; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.42, 4.44, p-trend = 0.001) and IADL disability (OR: 1.96; 95% CI: 1.03, 3.86, p-trend = 0.035). By contrast, EDII did not show an association with these outcomes. The DII score was associated with slow gait speed, both as a low score in the Short Physical Performance Battery test (OR: 1.82; 95% CI: 1.27, 2.62, p-trend = 0.001) and as a positive Fried's criterion (OR: 1.64; 95% CI: 1.08, 2.51, p-trend = 0.021), which use different thresholds. Conclusions: DII predicted frailty and IADL while EDII did not. DII is able to measure diet healthiness in terms of physical decline in addition to avoidance of inflammation

Hemostatic markers in surgery: a different fibrinolytic activity may be of pathophysiological significance in orthopedic versus abdominal surgery

Without prophylaxis, patients subjected to major abdominal surgery have a risk of deep vein thrombosis of approximately 30%, while the rate varies between 40% and 60% in orthopedic surgery. The reasons for this discrepancy are not completely understood. The present study was designed to compare the pre- and postoperative behavior of different coagulation and fibrinolysis parameters in patients undergoing both types of surgery, receiving low molecular weight heparin prophylaxis. Samples were taken before operation and on postoperative days 1, 3, and 7. The following parameters were assessed: prothrombin fragment 1 + 2, thrombin-antithrombin III complexes, fibrinopeptide A, tissue plasminogen activator, plasminogen activator inhibitor, plasmin-alpha 2-antiplasmin complexes, and fibrin degradation products. We found a significant increase in the clotting markers postoperatively compared with preoperative values (P < 0.05), both in abdominal and orthopedic surgery, indicating a marked hemostatic activation which remained until postoperative day 7. A significant increase in plasminogen activator inhibitor (P < 0.01) and a decrease in tissue plasminogen activator and plasmin-alpha 2-antiplasmin complexes was also observed early after operation. The plasminogen activator inhibitor activity decreased, while tissue plasminogen activator and plasmin-alpha 2-antiplasmin levels increased significantly on days 3 and 7 (P < 0.05). Fibrin degradation products significantly increased throughout the postoperative period (P < 0.01). Preoperatively, we found higher plasminogen activator inhibitor activity and lower tissue plasminogen activator and plasmin-alpha 2-antiplasmin complexes (P < 0.05) in patients undergoing hip replacement compared with abdominal surgery. Fibrin degradation products were also significantly lower on postoperative day 3 in patients undergoing hip replacement (P < 0.01). We suggest that the lower preoperative fibrinolytic activation observed in patients undergoing orthopedic surgery compared with abdominal surgery might have pathophysiological consequences. Our results also indicate that the hemostatic activation persists beyond the 7th postoperative day despite prophylaxis

Nonideal parasitic resistance effects in bulk heterojunction organic solar cells

A common assumption in both experimental measurements and device modeling of bulk heterojunction (BHJ) organic solar cells is that parasitic resistances are ideal. In other words, series resistance (Rsr) is near zero while shunt resistance (Rsh) approaches infinity. Relaxation of this assumption affects device performance differently depending on the chosen BHJ material system. Specifically, the impact of nonideal Rsr is controlled by the electric field dependence of the probability of charge transfer (CT) state dissociation (PCT). This is demonstrated by evaluating the experimental current density versus voltage response within the framework of a drift/diffusion model for two BHJ systems that strongly differ in PCT. Second, light intensity measurements of devices with nonideal Rsr and Rsh are shown to convolute the scaling of short-circuit current and open-circuit voltage with light intensity, which is a common technique to study BHJ device physics. Finally, we show the connection between the drift/diffusion and equivalent circuit model with regard to each model's treatment of CT state dissociation. In particular, the equivalent circuit model utilizes a light intensity dependent Rsh to describe this dissociation process and predicts a photocurrent under reverse bias that exceeds the photocurrent permitted by light absorption

Electrophotonic enhancement of bulk heterojunction organic solar cells through photonic crystal photoactive layer

We present one- (1D) and two-dimensional (2D) periodic nanostructured designs for organic photovoltaics where a photonic crystal is formed between blended poly-3-hexylthiophene/[6,6]-phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester (P3HT:PCBM) and nanocrystalline zinc oxide. Absorption enhancements over the full absorption range of P3HT:PCBM of 20% (one polarization) and 14% are shown for the 1D and 2D structures, respectively. These improvements result in part from band edge excitation of quasiguided modes. The geometries are also shown to create excitons 26% (1D) and 11% (2D) closer to P3HT:PCBM exit interfaces indicating further photovoltaic improvement