Universal Constraints on Low-Energy Flavour Models

It is pointed out that in a general class of flavour models one can identify certain universally present FCNC operators, induced by the exchange of heavy flavour messengers. Their coefficients depend on the rotation angles that connect flavour and fermion mass basis. The lower bounds on the messenger scale are derived using updated experimental constraints on the FCNC operators. The obtained bounds are different for different operators and in addition they depend on the chosen set of rotations. Given the sensitivity expected in the forthcoming experiments, the present analysis suggests interesting room for discovering new physics. As the highlights emerge the leptonic processes, $\mu\rightarrow e\gamma$, $\mu\rightarrow eee$ and $\mu\rightarrow e$ conversion in nuclei.Comment: 18 pages, 3 figures; v2 matches published versio

Pearls and Pitfalls in Diagnosing Pediatric Urinary Bladder Masses

Urinary bladder masses are rare in children, and the associated histologic features and prognoses in this population are different from those in adults. Most children with urinary bladder masses present with lower urinary tract symptoms, which may include hematuria, dysuria, frequent urination, and urgency to urinate. However, some of these masses may be identified incidentally or involve generic symptoms such as abdominal distention. In general, pediatric bladder tumors can be divided into those that originate from the bladder epithelium, known as urothelial neoplasms, and mesenchymal bladder neoplasms, which are more prevalent. The most common bladder malignancy in children is a rhabdomyosarcoma, whereas the most common benign bladder lesion in the pediatric population is a papillary urothelial neoplasm of low malignant potential (PUNLMP). The first-line imaging tool for assessing bladder lesions is ultrasonography, which may be followed by a cross-sectional imaging examination such as computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging if the origin of the mass is unclear or if distant spread is suspected. Although imaging may enable the radiologist to suggest a differential diagnosis based on lesion location and patient age, tissue biopsy generally is required to identify the exact pathologic entity. This is usually performed at cystoscopy and may be curative in cases in which the lesion is small and has low recurrence potential. Knowledge of the clinical, histopathologic, and imaging features of common bladder neoplasms is essential, as it can aid in preventing imaging pitfalls. These may include the misinterpretation of either a pelvic mass as arising from the bladder or a bladder mass as arising from the pelvis, and interpreting an inflammatory mass or bladder detritus as a neoplasm

Neuronal circuitry for pain processing in the dorsal horn

Neurons in the spinal dorsal horn process sensory information, which is then transmitted to several brain regions, including those responsible for pain perception. The dorsal horn provides numerous potential targets for the development of novel analgesics and is thought to undergo changes that contribute to the exaggerated pain felt after nerve injury and inflammation. Despite its obvious importance, we still know little about the neuronal circuits that process sensory information, mainly because of the heterogeneity of the various neuronal components that make up these circuits. Recent studies have begun to shed light on the neuronal organization and circuitry of this complex region

Prognostic relevance of a T-type calcium channels gene signature in solid tumours: A correlation ready for clinical validation

BackgroundT-type calcium channels (TTCCs) mediate calcium influx across the cell membrane. TTCCs regulate numerous physiological processes including cardiac pacemaking and neuronal activity. In addition, they have been implicated in the proliferation, migration and differentiation of tumour tissues. Although the signalling events downstream of TTCC-mediated calcium influx are not fully elucidated, it is clear that variations in the expression of TTCCs promote tumour formation and hinder response to treatment.MethodsWe examined the expression of TTCC genes (all three subtypes; CACNA-1G, CACNA-1H and CACNA-1I) and their prognostic value in three major solid tumours (i.e. gastric, lung and ovarian cancers) via a publicly accessible database.ResultsIn gastric cancer, expression of all the CACNA genes was associated with overall survival (OS) among stage I-IV patients (all pConclusionsAlterations in CACNA gene expression are linked to tumour prognosis. Gastric cancer represents the most promising setting for further evaluation

Path loss modeling for vehicular system performance and communicaitons protocols evaluation

Vehicular communications are receiving considerable attention due to the introduction of the intelligent transportation system (ITS) concept, enabling smart and intelligent driving technologies and applications. To design, evaluate and optimize ITS applications and services oriented to improve vehicular safety, but also non-safety applications based on wireless systems, the knowledge of the propagation channel is vital. In particular, the mean path loss is one of the most important parameters used in the link budget, being a measure of the channel quality and limiting the maximum allowed distance between the transmitter (Tx) and the receiver (Rx). From a narrowband vehicular-to-vehicular (V2V) channel measurement campaign carried out at 5.9 GHz in three different urban environments characterized by high traffic density, this paper analyzes the path loss in terms of the Tx-Rx separation distance and fading statistics. Based on a linear slope model, values for the path loss exponent and the standard deviation of shadowing are reported. We have evaluated the packet error rate (PER) and the maximum achievable Tx-Rx separation distance for a PER threshold level of 10% according to the digital short-range communications (DSRC) specifications. The results reported here can be incorporated in an easy way to vehicular networks (VANETs) simulators in order to develop, evaluate and validate new protocols and systems architecture configurations under realistic propagation conditions.Fernández González, HA.; Rubio Arjona, L.; Reig, J.; Rodrigo Peñarrocha, VM.; Valero-Nogueira, A. (2013). Path loss modeling for vehicular system performance and communicaitons protocols evaluation. Mobile Networks and Applications. 18(6):755-765. doi:10.1007/s11036-013-0463-xS755765186Gallager B, Akatsuka H, Suzuki H (2006) Wireless communications for vehicle safety: radio link performance and wireless connectivity. IEEE Veh Technol Mag 1(4):4–24Rubio L, Reig J, Fernández H (2011) Propagation aspects in vehicular networks, Vehicular technologies. Almeida M (ed) InTechWang C-X, Vasilakos A, Murch R, Shen SGX, Chen W, Kosch T (2011) Guest editorial. Vehicular communications and networks – part I. IEEE J Select Areas Commun 29(1):1–6ASTM E2213-03 (2003) Standard specification for telecommunications and information exchange between roadside and vehicle systems – 5 GHz band Dedicated Short Range Communications (DSRC) Medium Access Control (MAC) and Physical Layer (PHY) specifications. American Society for Testing Materials (ASTM), West ConshohockenIEEE 1609 – Family of Standards for Wireless Access in Vehicular Environments (WAVE). [Online]. Available: http://www.standards.its.dot.govETSI TR 102 492–2 Part 2 (2006) Technical characteristics for Pan European Harminized Communications Equipment Operating in the 5 GHz frequency range intended for road safety and traffic management, and for non-safety related ITS applications, European Telecommunications Standard Institute (ETSI), Technical Report, Sophia Antipolis, FranceThe Car-to-Car Communication Comsortium (C2CC): http:/www.car-to-car.orgMecklenbräuker C, Molisch A, Karedal J, Tufvesson F, Paier A, Bernado L, Zemen T, Klemp O, Czink N (2011) Vehicular channel characterization and its implications for wireless system design and performance. IEEE Proc 99(7):1189–1212Ghafoor KZ, Bakar KA, Lloret J, Khokhar RH, Lee KC (2013) Intelligent beaconless geographical routing for urban vehicular environments. Int J Wireless Netw 19(3):345–362Ghafoor KZ, Lloret J, Bakar KA, Sadiq AS, Mussa SAB (2013) Beaconing approaches in vehicular ad hoc networks: a survey. Int J Wirel Pers Commun. Published Online (May 2013)Michelson DG, Ghassemzadeh SS (2009) New directions in wireless communications, Springer Science+Busines Media (Chapter 1)IEEE 802.11p (2010) Wireless LAN Medium Access Control (MAC) and Physical Layer (PHY) Specifications Amendment 6: Wireless Access in Vehicular Environments, Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE), New York, USA.Karedal J, Czink N, Paier A, Tufvesson F, Moisch AF (2011) Path loss modeling for vehicle-to-vehicle communications. IEEE Trans Veh Technol 60(1):323–327Cheng L, Henty B, Stancil D, Bai F, Mudalige P (2007) Mobile vehicle-to-vehicle narrow-band channel measurement and characterization of the 5.9 GHz dedicated short range communication (DSRC) frequency band. IEEE J Select Areas Commun 25(8):1501–1516Cheng L, Henty B, Cooper R, Stancil D, Bai F (2008) Multi-path propagation measurements for vehicular networks at 5.9 GHz. IEEE Wireless Communications and Networking Conference, pp. 1239–1244Tan I, Tang W, Laberteaux K, Bahai N (2008) Measurement and analysis of wireless channel impairments in dsrc vehicular communications. IEEE International Conference on Communications, pp. 4882–4888.Campuzano AJ, Fernández H, Balaguer D, Vila-Jiménez A, Bernardo-Clemente B, Rodrigo-Peñarrocha VM, Reig J, Valero-Nogueira A, Rubio L (2012) Vehicular-to-vehicular channel characterization and measurement results. WAVES 4(1):14–24Kunisch J, Pamp J (2008) Wideband car-to-car radio channel measurements and model at 5.9 GHz. IEEE 68th Vehicular Technology Conference, pp. 1–5Gozalvez J, Sepulcre M (2007) Opportunistic technique for efficient wireless vehicular communications. IEEE Veh Technol Mag 2(4):33–39Zang Y, Stibor L, Orfanos G, Guo S, Reumerman H (2005) An error model for inter-vehicle communications in highway scenarios at 5.9 GHz. Proc. Int. Workshop on performance evaluation of wireless ad hoc, sensor, and ubiquitous networks, pp. 49–5

Covariant Description of Flavor Conversion in the LHC Era

A simple covariant formalism to describe flavor and CP violation in the left-handed quark sector in a model independent way is provided. The introduction of a covariant basis, which makes the standard model approximate symmetry structure manifest, leads to a physical and transparent picture of flavor conversion processes. Our method is particularly useful to derive robust bounds on models with arbitrary mechanisms of alignment. Known constraints on flavor violation in the K and D systems are reproduced in a straightforward manner. Assumptions-free limits, based on top flavor violation at the LHC, are then obtained. In the absence of signal, with 100 fb^{-1} of data, the LHC will exclude weakly coupled (strongly coupled) new physics up to a scale of 0.6 TeV (7.6 TeV), while at present no general constraint can be set related to Delta t=1 processes. LHC data will constrain Delta F=2 contributions via same-sign tops signal, with a model independent exclusion region of 0.08 TeV (1.0 TeV). However, in this case, stronger bounds are found from the study of CP violation in D-bar D mixing with a scale of 0.57 TeV (7.2 TeV). In addition, we apply our analysis to models of supersymmetry and warped extra dimension. The minimal flavor violation framework is also discussed, where the formalism allows to distinguish between the linear and generic non-linear limits within this class of models.Comment: 24 pages, 6 figures. Some corrections and clarifications; references added. Matches published versio

The psychometric characteristics of the revised depression attitude questionnaire (R-DAQ) in Pakistani medical practitioners: a cross-sectional study of doctors in Lahore

BACKGROUND: Depression is common mental health problem and leading contributor to the global burden of disease. The attitudes and beliefs of the public and of health professionals influence social acceptance and affect the esteem and help-seeking of people experiencing mental health problems. The attitudes of clinicians are particularly relevant to their role in accurately recognising and providing appropriate support and management of depression. This study examines the characteristics of the revised depression attitude questionnaire (R-DAQ) with doctors working in healthcare settings in Lahore, Pakistan. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was conducted in 2015 using the revised depression attitude questionnaire (R-DAQ). A convenience sample of 700 medical practitioners based in six hospitals in Lahore was approached to participate in the survey. The R-DAQ structure was examined using Parallel Analysis from polychoric correlations. Unweighted least squares analysis (ULSA) was used for factor extraction. Model fit was estimated using goodness-of-fit indices and the root mean square of standardized residuals (RMSR), and internal consistency reliability for the overall scale and subscales was assessed using reliability estimates based on Mislevy and Bock (BILOG 3 Item analysis and test scoring with binary logistic models. Mooresville: Scientific Software, 55) and the McDonald's Omega statistic. Findings using this approach were compared with principal axis factor analysis based on Pearson correlation matrix. RESULTS: 601 (86%) of the doctors approached consented to participate in the study. Exploratory factor analysis of R-DAQ scale responses demonstrated the same 3-factor structure as in the UK development study, though analyses indicated removal of 7 of the 22 items because of weak loading or poor model fit. The 3 factor solution accounted for 49.8% of the common variance. Scale reliability and internal consistency were adequate: total scale standardised alpha was 0.694; subscale reliability for professional confidence was 0.732, therapeutic optimism/pessimism was 0.638, and generalist perspective was 0.769. CONCLUSIONS: The R-DAQ was developed with a predominantly UK-based sample of health professionals. This study indicates that this scale functions adequately and provides a valid measure of depression attitudes for medical practitioners in Pakistan, with the same factor structure as in the scale development sample. However, optimal scale function necessitated removal of several items, with a 15-item scale enabling the most parsimonious factor solution for this population

Genetic analysis of a major international collection of cultivated apple varieties reveals previously unknown historic heteroploid and inbred relationships

Domesticated apple (Malus x domestica Borkh.) is a major global crop and the genetic diversity held within the pool of cultivated varieties is important for the development of future cultivars. The aim of this study was to investigate the diversity held within the domesticated form, through the analysis of a major international germplasm collection of cultivated varieties, the UK National Fruit Collection, consisting of over 2,000 selections of named cultivars and seedling varieties. We utilised Diversity Array Technology (DArT) markers to assess the genetic diversity within the collection. Clustering attempts, using the software STRUCTURE revealed that the accessions formed a complex and historically admixed group for which clear clustering was challenging. Comparison of accessions using the Jaccard similarity coefficient allowed us to identify clonal and duplicate material as well as revealing pairs and groups that appeared more closely related than a standard parent-offspring or full-sibling relations. From further investigation, we were able to propose a number of new pedigrees, which revealed that some historically important cultivars were more closely related than previously documented and that some of them were partially inbred. We were also able to elucidate a number of parent-offspring relationships that had resulted in a number of important polyploid cultivars. This included reuniting polyploid cultivars that in some cases dated as far back as the 18th century, with diploid parents that potentially date back as far as the 13th century