Lepton Asymmetries in FCNC Decays of {\Lambda}b

Lepton polarization asymmetries for the flavor-changing neutral current (FCNC) dileptonic decays of {\Lambda}b baryons are calculated using single-component analytic (SCA) and multicomponent numerical (MCN) form factors. We show that these polarization asymmetries are insensitive to the transition form factors and, thus, the effects of QCD in the nonperturbative regime. Therefore, these observables can provide somewhat model independent ways of extracting the Wilson coefficients.Comment: 3 pages, 2 tables, 1 figure, To appear in the proceedings for the Eleventh Conference on the Intersections of Particle and Nuclear Physics (CIPANP 2012

Towards first-principles understanding of the metal-insulator transition in fluid alkali metals

By treating the electron-ion interaction as perturbation in the first-principles Hamiltonian, we have calculated the density response functions of a fluid alkali metal to find an interesting charge instability due to anomalous electronic density fluctuations occurring at some finite wave vector {\bi Q} in a dilute fluid phase above the liquid-gas critical point. Since |{\bi Q}| is smaller than the diameter of the Fermi surface, this instability necessarily impedes the electric conduction, implying its close relevance to the metal-insulator transition in fluid alkali metals.Comment: 11 pages, 5 figure

Are universities preventing violence against women?

Sexual harassment of women students is rife and violence against women in universities is commonplace. Are universities reflecting cultural norms of violence against women instead of shaping new norms

The Current Debate on Juror Questions: To Ask or Not to Ask, That Is the Question

This Article addresses the concerns as well as the advantages when courts allow jurors to submit questions to the court and/or witnesses. Based on reviewing the content of 2,271 juror questions submitted in 164 cases, the author categorizes what jurors typically ask and to whom jurors direct their questions. Most juror questions were directed to witnesses and experts. In both criminal and civil cases, jurors typically asked facts about the case, motives of both the witness and the defendant/party, and common practices of professions often unfamiliar to laypersons. In criminal cases, jurors were more likely to question specific eyewitness evidence or facts. More fitting to civil cases, jurors frequently asked financial questions. Most juror questions aimed to clarify testimony, not to introduce new evidence or interrogate witnesses. Jurors utilize the question-asking procedure to enhance their role as a neutral fact finder, not to the detriment of the adversary system. Based on empirical evaluations, and with appropriate judicial discretion and court management of questioning, the concerns of critics appear unfounded

MicroRNAs involved in tumor suppressor and oncogene pathways: implications for hepatobiliary neoplasia.

MicroRNAs are a class of small regulatory RNAs that function to modulate protein expression. This control allows for fine-tuning of the cellular phenotype, including regulation of proliferation, cell signaling, and apoptosis; not surprisingly, microRNAs contribute to liver cancer biology. Recent investigations in human liver cancers and tumor-derived cell lines have demonstrated decreased or increased expression of particular microRNAs in hepatobiliary cancer cells. Based on predicted and validated protein targets as well as functional consequences of altered expression, microRNAs with decreased expression in liver tumor cells may normally aid in limiting neoplastic transformation. Conversely, selected microRNAs that are up-regulated in liver tumor cells can promote malignant features, contributing to carcinogenesis. In addition, microRNAs themselves are subject to regulated expression, including regulation by tumor suppressor and oncogene pathways. This review will focus on the expression and function of cancer-related microRNAs, including their intimate involvement in tumor suppressor and oncogene signaling networks relevant to hepatobiliary neoplasia

Wave functions in the neighborhood of a toroidal surface; hard vs. soft constraint

The curvature potential arising from confining a particle initially in three-dimensional space onto a curved surface is normally derived in the hard constraint $q \to 0$ limit, with $q$ the degree of freedom normal to the surface. In this work the hard constraint is relaxed, and eigenvalues and wave functions are numerically determined for a particle confined to a thin layer in the neighborhood of a toroidal surface. The hard constraint and finite layer (or soft constraint) quantities are comparable, but both differ markedly from those of the corresponding two dimensional system, indicating that the curvature potential continues to influence the dynamics when the particle is confined to a finite layer. This effect is potentially of consequence to the modelling of curved nanostructures.Comment: 4 pages, no fig