QCD corrections to e+ e- --> 4 jets

We report on the next-to-leading order QCD calculation for e+ e- --> 4 jets. We explain some modern techniques which have been used to calculate the one-loop amplitudes efficiently. We further report on the general purpose numerical program ``Mercutio'', which can be used to calculate any infrared safe four-jet quantity in electron-positron annihilation at next-to-leading order.Comment: 4 pages, talk given at the UK Phenomenology Workshop on Collider Physics, Durham, 19-24 September 199

A causal statistical family of dissipative divergence type fluids

In this paper we investigate some properties, including causality, of a particular class of relativistic dissipative fluid theories of divergence type. This set is defined as those theories coming from a statistical description of matter, in the sense that the three tensor fields appearing in the theory can be expressed as the three first momenta of a suitable distribution function. In this set of theories the causality condition for the resulting system of hyperbolic partial differential equations is very simple and allow to identify a subclass of manifestly causal theories, which are so for all states outside equilibrium for which the theory preserves this statistical interpretation condition. This subclass includes the usual equilibrium distributions, namely Boltzmann, Bose or Fermi distributions, according to the statistics used, suitably generalized outside equilibrium. Therefore this gives a simple proof that they are causal in a neighborhood of equilibrium. We also find a bigger set of dissipative divergence type theories which are only pseudo-statistical, in the sense that the third rank tensor of the fluid theory has the symmetry and trace properties of a third momentum of an statistical distribution, but the energy-momentum tensor, while having the form of a second momentum distribution, it is so for a different distribution function. This set also contains a subclass (including the one already mentioned) of manifestly causal theories.Comment: LaTex, documentstyle{article

The psychometric properties of ADCS - activities of daily living inventory and comparison of different ADL scores

Several multi-item activities of daily living (ADL) scales have been developed for assessment of functional status of patients with Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) in the last few decades. A disadvantage of the large number of scales is that scores of different ADL scales cannot be compared directly with each other. ADL scales which are used by McNamee’s (Townsend's disability scale) and Hill’s (Medicare Beneficiary definitions and Katz index of ADL) provide suitable tools for modelling the cost-effectiveness of different treatments in patients with Alzheimer’s disease, since they report empirical results about the relationship between the degree of functional impairment (healthcare costs) and the prevalence of institutionalisation. The IDEAL trial examines the efficacy of Exelon Patch with the ADCS - Activities of Daily Living Inventory (ADCS-ADL). This ADL instrument is not directly comparable to the ADL scales used by McNamee and Hill. However, the use of the ADL scale from the IDEAL study to predict the prevalence of institutionalisation with scales by Hill and McNamee would be desirable. Because of the generic nature of the ADL construct, and considering the fact that these well validated ADL instruments identify the main physical impairments and functional disabilities in Alzheimer's disease, we should expect high overlap in item content between different ADL instruments. The high overlap in item content between instruments, and the similar wording and scoring criteria, makes it possible to pair each impairment with another. The intention of this study was to establish the link between these ADL scales in order to provide appropriate conditions for further economic analyses on the dataset provided by the IDEAL study

Nonlinear screening and stopping power in two-dimensional electron gases

We have used density functional theory to study the nonlinear screening properties of a two-dimensional (2D) electron gas. In particular, we consider the screening of an external static point charge of magnitude Z as a function of the distance of the charge from the plane of the gas. The self-consistent screening potentials are then used to determine the 2D stopping power in the low velocity limit based on the momentum transfer cross-section. Calculations as a function of Z establish the limits of validity of linear and quadratic response theory calculations, and show that nonlinear screening theory already provides significant corrections in the case of protons. In contrast to the 3D situation, we find that the nonlinearly screened potential supports a bound state even in the high density limit. This behaviour is elucidated with the derivation of a high density screening theorem which proves that the screening charge can be calculated perturbatively in the high density limit for arbitrary dimensions. However, the theorem has particularly interesting implications in 2D where, contrary to expectations, we find that perturbation theory remains valid even when the perturbing potential supports bound states.Comment: 23 pages, 15 figures in RevTeX

Report from upper atmospheric science

Most of the understanding of the thermosphere resulted from the analysis of data accrued through the Atmosphere Explorer satellites, the Dynamics Explorer 2 satellite, and observations from rockets, balloons, and ground based instruments. However, new questions were posed by the data that have not yet been answered. The mesosphere and lower thermosphere have been less thoroughly studied because of the difficulty of accessibility on a global scale, and many rather fundamental characteristics of these regions are not well understood. A wide variety of measurement platforms can be used to implement various parts of a measurement strategy, but the major thrusts of the International Solar Terrestrial Physics Program would require Explorer-class missions. A remote sensing mission to explore the mesosphere and lower thermosphere and one and two Explorer-type spacecraft to enable a mission into the thermosphere itself would provide the essential components of a productive program of exploration of this important region of the upper atomsphere. Theoretical mission options are explored

Effect of the ηη\eta\eta channel and interference phenomena in the two-pion transitions of charmonia and bottomonia

The basic shape of di-pion mass spectra in the two-pion transitions of both charmonia and bottomonia states is explained by an unified mechanism based on contributions of the $\pi\pi$, $K\overline{K}$ and $\eta\eta$ coupled channels including their interference. The role of the individual $f_0$ resonances in shaping the di-pion mass distributions in the charmonia and bottomonia decays is considered.Comment: 8 pages, 4 figures, Talk at the XXIII International Baldin Seminar on High Energy Physics Problems "Relativistic Nuclear Physics \& Quantum Chromodynamics" (Dubna, Russia, 19--24 September 2016). arXiv admin note: text overlap with arXiv:1610.0789

The interference effects of multi-channel pion-pion scattering contributions to the final states of Ψ\Psi- and Υ\Upsilon-meson family decays

It is shown that the basic shape of dipion mass distributions in the two-pion transitions of both charmonia and bottomonia states are explained by an unified mechanism based on the contribution of the $\pi\pi$, $K\overline{K}$ and $\eta\eta$ coupled channels including their interference.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures, talk at the14th International Workshop on Meson Production, Properties and Interaction (Krakow, Poland, 2nd - 7th June 2016