Analysis of All Dimensionful Parameters Relevant in Gravitational Dressing of Conformal Theories

Starting from a covariant and background independent definition of normal ordered vertex operators we give an alternative derivation of the KPZ relation between conformal dimensions and their gravitational dressed partners. With our method we are able to study for arbitrary genus the dependence of N-point functions on all dimensionful parameters. Implications for the interpretation of gravitational dressed dimensions are discussed.Comment: 11 page

Screening for type 2 diabetes in a high-risk population: Study design and feasibility of a population-based randomized controlled trial

Background: We describe the design and present the results of the first year of a population-based study of screening for type 2 diabetes in individuals at high risk of developing the disease. High risk is defined as having abdominal obesity. Methods. Between 2006 and 2007, 79,142 inhabitants of two Dutch municipalities aged 40-74 years were approached to participate in screening. Eligible participants had a self-reported waist circumference of 80 cm for women and 94 cm for men, and no known pre-existing diabetes. Of the respondents (n=20,578; response rate 26%), 16,135 were abdominally obese. In total, 10,609 individuals gave written informed consent for participation and were randomized into either the screening (n=5305) or the control arm (n=5304). Participants in the screening arm were invited to have their fasting plasma glucose (FPG) measured and were referred to their general practitioner (GP) if it was 6.1 mmol/L. In addition, blood lipids were determined in the screening arm, because abdominal obesity is often associated with cardiovascular risk factors. Participants in both arms received written healthy lifestyle information. Between-group differences were analyzed with Chi-square tests and logistic regression (categorical variables) and unpaired t-tests (continuous variables). Results: The screening attendance rate was 84.1%. Attending screening was associated with age at randomization (OR=1.03, 95% CI 1.02-1.04), being married (OR=1.57, 95% CI 1.33-1.83) and not-smoking currently (OR=0.52, 95% CI 0.44-0.62). Of the individuals screened, 5.6% had hyperglycemia, and a further 11.6% had an estimated absolute cardiovascular disease risk of 5% or higher, according to the Systematic Coronary Risk Evaluation risk model. These participants were referred to their GP. Conclusions: Self-reported home-assessed waist circumference could feasibly detect persons at high risk of hyperglycemia or cardiovascular disease. Continuation of the large-scale RCT is warranted to test the hypothesis that targeted population-based screening for type 2 diabetes leads to a significant reduction in cardiovascular morbidity and mortality

CuSiO_3 : a quasi - one - dimensional S=1/2 antiferromagnetic chain system

CuSiO_3, isotypic to the spin - Peierls compound CuGeO_3, was discovered recently as a metastable decomposition product of the silicate mineral dioptase, Cu_6Si_6O_{18}\cdot6H_2O. We investigated the physical properties of CuSiO_3 using susceptibility, magnetization and specific heat measurements on powder samples. The magnetic susceptibility \chi(T) is reproduced very well above T = 8 K by theoretical calculations for an S=1/2 antiferromagnetic Heisenberg linear chain without frustration (\alpha = 0) and a nearest - neighbor exchange coupling constant of J/k_{B} = 21 K, much weaker than in CuGeO_3. Below 8 K the susceptibility exhibits a substantial drop. This feature is identified as a second - order phase transition at T_{0} = 7.9 K by specific heat measurements. The influence of magnetic fields on T_{0} is weak, and ac - magnetization measurements give strong evidence for a spin - flop - phase at \mu_0H_{SF} ~ 3 T. The origin of the magnetic phase transition at T_{0} = 7.9 K is discussed in the context of long - range antiferromagnetic order (AF) versus spin - Peierls(SP)order. Susceptibility and specific heat results support the AF ordered ground state. Additional temperature dependent ^{63,65}Cu nuclear quadrupole resonance experiments have been carried out to probe the Cu^{2+} electronic state and the spin dynamics in CuSiO_3

Lead times and overdetection due to prostate-specific antigen screening: estimates from the European Randomized Study of Screening for Prostate Cancer

BACKGROUND: Screening for prostate cancer advances the time of diagnosis (lead time) and detects cancers that would not have been diagnosed in the absence of screening (overdetection). Both consequences have considerable impact on the net benefits of screening. METHODS: We developed simulation models based on results of the Rotterdam section of the European Randomized Study of Screening for Prostate Cancer (ERSPC), which enrolled 42,376 men and in which 1498 cases of prostate cancer were identified, and on baseline prostate cancer incidence and stage distribution data. The models were used to predict mean lead times, overdetection rates, and ranges (corresponding to approximate 95% confidence intervals) associated with different screening programs. RESULTS: Mean lead times and rates of overdetection depended on a man's age at screening. For a single screening test at age 55, the estimated mean lead time was 12.3 years (range = 11.6-14.1 years) and the overdetection rate was 27% (range = 24%-37%); at age 75, the estimates were 6.0 years (range = 5.8-6.3 years) and 56% (range = 53%-61%), respectively. For a screening program with a 4-year screening interval from age 55 to 67, the estimated mean lead time was 11.2 years (range = 10.8-12.1 years), and the overdetection rate was 48% (range = 44%-55%). This screening program raised the lifetime risk of a prostate cancer diagnosis from 6.4% to 10.6%, a relative increase of 65% (range = 56%-87%). In annual screening from age 55 to 67, the estimated overdetection rate was 50% (range = 46%-57%) and the lifetime prostate cancer risk was increased by 80% (range = 69%-116%). Extending annual or quadrennial screening to the age of 75 would result in at least two cases of overdetection for every clinically relevant cancer detected. CONCLUSIONS: These model-based lead-time estimates support a prostate cancer screening interval of more than 1 year

Domain structure of bulk ferromagnetic crystals in applied fields near saturation

We investigate the ground state of a uniaxial ferromagnetic plate with perpendicular easy axis and subject to an applied magnetic field normal to the plate. Our interest is the asymptotic behavior of the energy in macroscopically large samples near the saturation field. We establish the scaling of the critical value of the applied field strength below saturation at which the ground state changes from the uniform to a branched domain magnetization pattern and the leading order scaling behavior of the minimal energy. Furthermore, we derive a reduced sharp-interface energy giving the precise asymptotic behavior of the minimal energy in macroscopically large plates under a physically reasonable assumption of small deviations of the magnetization from the easy axis away from domain walls. On the basis of the reduced energy, and by a formal asymptotic analysis near the transition, we derive the precise asymptotic values of the critical field strength at which non-trivial minimizers (either local or global) emerge. The non-trivial minimal energy scaling is achieved by magnetization patterns consisting of long slender needle-like domains of magnetization opposing the applied fieldComment: 38 pages, 7 figures, submitted to J. Nonlin. Sci

Origin and Properties of the Gap in the Half-Ferromagnetic Heusler Alloys

We study the origin of the gap and the role of chemical composition in the half-ferromagnetic Heusler alloys using the full-potential screened KKR method. In the paramagnetic phase the C1_b compounds, like NiMnSb, present a gap. Systems with 18 valence electrons, Z_t, per unit cell, like CoTiSb, are semiconductors, but when Z_t > 18 antibonding states are also populated, thus the paramagnetic phase becomes unstable and the half-ferromagnetic one is stabilized. The minority occupied bands accommodate a total of nine electrons and the total magnetic moment per unit cell in mu_B is just the difference between Z_t and $2 \times 9$. While the substitution of the transition metal atoms may preserve the half-ferromagnetic character, substituting the $sp$ atom results in a practically rigid shift of the bands and the loss of half-metallicity. Finally we show that expanding or contracting the lattice parameter by 2% preserves the minority-spin gap.Comment: 11 pages, 7 figures New figures, revised tex

Are we SHARP enough? The importance of adequate patient selection in sorafenib treatment for hepatocellular carcinoma

Background: Upon FDA/EMEA registration for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), sorafenib received a broader therapeutic indication than the eligibility criteria of the landmark SHARP trial. This allowed treatment of SHARP non-eligible patients in daily clinical practice. Aim: To assess sorafenib efficacy and safety in SHARP eligible and non-eligible patients, and determine the validity of the current therapeutic indication as described by the FDA/EMEA. Patients and methods: Consecutive patients treated with sorafenib for advanced HCC at two Dutch tertiary referral centers between 2007 and 2016 were analyzed retrospectively. Primary outcome was overall survival (OS). Secondary outcomes were time to progression (TTP), response rate, adverse events and reasons for discontinuation. Outcomes were compared between SHARP eligible and non-eligible patients. Results: One hundred and ninety-three of 257 (75%) patients were SHARP eligible. SHARP eligible patient