1,004 research outputs found
Duality cascade of softly broken supersymmetric theories
We study the duality cascade of softly broken supersymmetric theories. We
investigate the renormalization group (RG) flow of SUSY breaking terms as well
as supersymmetric couplings. It is found that the magnitudes of SUSY breaking
terms are suppressed in most regimes of the RG flow through the duality
cascade. At one stage of cascading, the gaugino mass of the strongly coupled
sector and scalar masses converge to certain values, which are determined by
the gauge coupling and the gaugino mass of the weakly coupled sector. At the
next stage, the strongly and weakly coupled sectors are interchanged with each
other. We also show the possibility that cascading would be terminated by the
gauge symmetry breaking, which is induced by the so-called B-term.Comment: 25 pages, 5 figure
Japanese version of the family dermatology life quality index: translation and validation
Skin conditions affect the quality of life (QoL) of patients and their family. To assess family members' QoL, a questionnaire uniquely designed for family members is necessary. We translated the Family Dermatology Life Quality Index (FDLQI), originally created and validated by Basra et al., into Japanese, and evaluated its reliability and validity. For psychometric evaluations, 150 dermatology patients and their family members were included. The Japanese version of the FDLQI showed high test–retest reliability (intraclass correlation coefficient = 0.95) and internal consistency reliability (Cronbach's alpha = 0.86). FDLQI scores significantly correlated with DLQI scores (r = 0.58, P < 0.01, Spearman's rho) and global question (GQ) which measured the patient's skin condition on a visual analog scale (r = 0.36, P < 0.01). Family members of patients with inflammatory skin diseases showed higher FDLQI scores than those with isolated lesions, but the difference was not statistically significant (P = 0.062, Mann–Whitney U-test). Responsiveness to change was demonstrated in a group in which the patient's skin condition was assessed as improved (n = 37, r = 0.46, P < 0.01) but not in that in which it became worse. The difference of the change between the two groups was statistically significant (P < 0.01). Additionally, the change in FDLQI scores and GQ were significantly correlated (r = 0.40, P < 0.01). Exploratory factor analysis suggested essential unidimensionality of the instrument. We showed acceptable validity and responsiveness of this Japanese version of FDLQI. Further clinical epidemiological studies are required to confirm this
Dark Radiation and Dark Matter in Large Volume Compactifications
We argue that dark radiation is naturally generated from the decay of the
overall volume modulus in the LARGE volume scenario. We consider both
sequestered and non-sequestered cases, and find that the axionic superpartner
of the modulus is produced by the modulus decay and it can account for the dark
radiation suggested by observations, while the modulus decay through the
Giudice-Masiero term gives the dominant contribution to the total decay rate.
In the sequestered case, the lightest supersymmetric particles produced by the
modulus decay can naturally account for the observed dark matter density. In
the non-sequestered case, on the other hand, the supersymmetric particles are
not produced by the modulus decay, since the soft masses are of order the heavy
gravitino mass. The QCD axion will then be a plausible dark matter candidate.Comment: 27 pages, 4 figures; version 3: version published in JHE
Radionuclide Analysis on Bamboos following the Fukushima Nuclear Accident
In response to contamination from the recent Fukushima nuclear accident, we conducted radionuclide analysis on bamboos sampled from six sites within a 25 to 980 km radius of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. Maximum activity concentrations of radiocesium 134Cs and 137Cs in samples from Fukushima city, 65 km away from the Fukushima Daiichi plant, were in excess of 71 and 79 kBq/kg, dry weight (DW), respectively. In Kashiwa city, 195 km away from the Fukushima Daiichi, the sample concentrations were in excess of 3.4 and 4.3 kBq/kg DW, respectively. In Toyohashi city, 440 km away from the Fukushima Daiichi, the concentrations were below the measurable limits of up to 4.5 Bq/kg DW. In the radiocesium contaminated samples, the radiocesium activity was higher in mature and fallen leaves than in young leaves, branches and culms
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