Capture of Solar and Higher-Energy Neutrinos by Iodine 127

We discuss and improve a recent treatment of the absorption of solar neutrinos by ${}^{127}$I, in connection with a proposed solar neutrino detector. With standard-solar-model fluxes and an in-medium value of -1.0 for the axial-vector coupling constant $g_A$, we obtain a ${}^8$B-neutrino cross section of 3.3$\times 10^{-42}$, about 50\% larger than in our previous work, and a ${}^7$Be cross section that is less certain but nevertheless also larger than before. We then apply the improved techniques to higher incoming energies that obtain at the LAMPF beam dump, where an experiment is underway to finalize a calibration of the ${}^{127}$I with electron neutrinos from muon decay. We find that forbidden operators, which play no role in solar-neutrino absorption, contribute nonnegligibly to the LAMPF cross section, and that the preliminary LAMPF mean value is significantly larger than our prediction.Comment: 13 pages + 3 postscript figures (attached), in RevTex 3 , submitted to Phys. Rev.

Predictors of Lumbar Spine Degeneration and Low Back Pain in the Community: The Johnston County Osteoarthritis Project

Objective: To determine the incidence and worsening of lumbar spine structure and low back pain (LBP) and whether they are predicted by demographic characteristics or clinical characteristics or appendicular joint osteoarthritis (OA). Methods: Paired baseline (2003–2004) and follow-up (2006–2010) lumbar spine radiographs from the Johnston County Osteoarthritis Project were graded for osteophytes (OST), disc space narrowing (DSN), spondylolisthesis, and presence of facet joint OA (FOA). Spine OA was defined as at least mild OST and mild DSN at the same level for any level of the lumbar spine. LBP, comorbidities, and back injury were self-reported. Weibull models were used to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) of spine phenotypes accounting for potential predictors including demographic characteristics, clinical characteristics, comorbidities, obesity, and appendicular OA. Results: Obesity was a consistent and strong predictor of incidence of DSN (HR 1.80 [95% CI 1.09–2.98]), spine OA (HR 1.56 [95% CI 1.01–2.41]), FOA (HR 4.99 [95% CI 1.46–17.10]), spondylolisthesis (HR 1.87 [95% CI 1.02–3.43]), and LBP (HR 1.75 [95% CI 1.19–2.56]), and worsening of DSN (HR 1.51 [95% CI 1.09–2.09]) and LBP (HR 1.51 [95% CI 1.12–2.06]). Knee OA was a predictor of incident FOA (HR 4.18 [95% CI 1.44–12.2]). Spine OA (HR 1.80 [95% CI 1.24–2.63]) and OST (HR 1.85 [95% CI 1.02–3.36]) were predictors of incidence of LBP. Hip OA (HR 1.39 [95% CI 1.04–1.85]) and OST (HR 1.58 [95% CI 1.00–2.49]) were predictors of LBP worsening. Conclusion: Among the multiple predictors of spine phenotypes, obesity was a common predictor for both incidence and worsening of lumbar spine degeneration and LBP

Stringent Constraints on Cosmological Neutrino-Antineutrino Asymmetries from Synchronized Flavor Transformation

We assess a mechanism which can transform neutrino-antineutrino asymmetries between flavors in the early universe, and confirm that such transformation is unavoidable in the near bi-maximal framework emerging for the neutrino mixing matrix. We show that the process is a standard Mikheyev-Smirnov-Wolfenstein flavor transformation dictated by a synchronization of momentum states. We also show that flavor ``equilibration'' is a special feature of maximal mixing, and carefully examine new constraints placed on neutrino asymmetries. In particular, the big bang nucleosynthesis limit on electron neutrino degeneracy xi_e < 0.04 does not apply directly to all flavors, yet confirmation of the large-mixing-angle solution to the solar neutrino problem will eliminate the possibility of degenerate big bang nucleosynthesis.Comment: 11 pages, 6 figures; minor changes to match PRD versio

The Sudbury Neutrino Observatory

The Sudbury Neutrino Observatory is a second generation water Cherenkov detector designed to determine whether the currently observed solar neutrino deficit is a result of neutrino oscillations. The detector is unique in its use of D2O as a detection medium, permitting it to make a solar model-independent test of the neutrino oscillation hypothesis by comparison of the charged- and neutral-current interaction rates. In this paper the physical properties, construction, and preliminary operation of the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory are described. Data and predicted operating parameters are provided whenever possible.Comment: 58 pages, 12 figures, submitted to Nucl. Inst. Meth. Uses elsart and epsf style files. For additional information about SNO see http://www.sno.phy.queensu.ca . This version has some new reference

Risk profiles and one-year outcomes of patients with newly diagnosed atrial fibrillation in India: Insights from the GARFIELD-AF Registry.

BACKGROUND: The Global Anticoagulant Registry in the FIELD-Atrial Fibrillation (GARFIELD-AF) is an ongoing prospective noninterventional registry, which is providing important information on the baseline characteristics, treatment patterns, and 1-year outcomes in patients with newly diagnosed non-valvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF). This report describes data from Indian patients recruited in this registry. METHODS AND RESULTS: A total of 52,014 patients with newly diagnosed AF were enrolled globally; of these, 1388 patients were recruited from 26 sites within India (2012-2016). In India, the mean age was 65.8 years at diagnosis of NVAF. Hypertension was the most prevalent risk factor for AF, present in 68.5% of patients from India and in 76.3% of patients globally (P < 0.001). Diabetes and coronary artery disease (CAD) were prevalent in 36.2% and 28.1% of patients as compared with global prevalence of 22.2% and 21.6%, respectively (P < 0.001 for both). Antiplatelet therapy was the most common antithrombotic treatment in India. With increasing stroke risk, however, patients were more likely to receive oral anticoagulant therapy [mainly vitamin K antagonist (VKA)], but average international normalized ratio (INR) was lower among Indian patients [median INR value 1.6 (interquartile range {IQR}: 1.3-2.3) versus 2.3 (IQR 1.8-2.8) (P < 0.001)]. Compared with other countries, patients from India had markedly higher rates of all-cause mortality [7.68 per 100 person-years (95% confidence interval 6.32-9.35) vs 4.34 (4.16-4.53), P < 0.0001], while rates of stroke/systemic embolism and major bleeding were lower after 1 year of follow-up. CONCLUSION: Compared to previously published registries from India, the GARFIELD-AF registry describes clinical profiles and outcomes in Indian patients with AF of a different etiology. The registry data show that compared to the rest of the world, Indian AF patients are younger in age and have more diabetes and CAD. Patients with a higher stroke risk are more likely to receive anticoagulation therapy with VKA but are underdosed compared with the global average in the GARFIELD-AF. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION-URL: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT01090362