Color superconductivity in weak coupling

We derive perturbatively the gap equations for a color-superconducting condensate with total spin J=0 in dense QCD. At zero temperature, we confirm the results of Son for the dependence of the condensate on the coupling constant, and compute the prefactor to leading logarithmic accuracy. At nonzero temperature, we find that to leading order in weak coupling, the temperature dependence of the condensate is identical to that in BCS-like theories. The condensates for total spin J=1 are classified; to leading logarithmic accuracy these condensates are of the same order as those of spin J=0.Comment: 30 pages, 3 figures, RevTeX, epsf and psfig style files require

The HST Key Project on the Extragalactic Distance Scale XXV. A Recalibration of Cepheid Distances to Type Ia Supernovae and the Value of the Hubble Constant

Cepheid-based distances to seven Type Ia supernovae (SNe)-host galaxies have been derived using the standard HST Key Project on the Extragalactic Distance Scale pipeline. For the first time, this allows for a transparent comparison of data accumulated as part of three different HST projects, the Key Project, the Sandage et al. Type Ia SNe program, and the Tanvir et al. Leo I Group study. Re-analyzing the Tanvir et al. galaxy and six Sandage et al. galaxies we find a mean (weighted) offset in true distance moduli of 0.12+/-0.07 mag -- i.e., 6% in linear distance -- in the sense of reducing the distance scale, or increasing H0. Adopting the reddening-corrected Hubble relations of Suntzeff et al. (1999), tied to a zero point based upon SNe~1990N, 1981B, 1998bu, 1989B, 1972E and 1960F and the photometric calibration of Hill et al. (1998), leads to a Hubble constant of H0=68+/-2(random)+/-5(systematic) km/s/Mpc. Adopting the Kennicutt et al. (1998) Cepheid period-luminosity-metallicity dependency decreases the inferred H0 by 4%. The H0 result from Type Ia SNe is now in good agreement, to within their respective uncertainties, with that from the Tully-Fisher and surface brightness fluctuation relations.Comment: Accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journal. 62 pages, LaTeX, 9 Postscript figures. Also available at http://casa.colorado.edu/~bgibson/publications.htm

The HST Key Project on the Extragalactic Distance Scale. XXVIII. Combining the Constraints on the Hubble Constant

Since the launch of the Hubble Space Telescope nine years ago, Cepheid distances to 25 galaxies have been determined for the purpose of calibrating secondary distance indicators. A variety of these can now be calibrated, and the accompanying papers by Sakai, Kelson, Ferrarese, and Gibson employ the full set of 25 galaxies to consider the Tully-Fisher relation, the fundamental plane of elliptical galaxies, Type Ia supernovae, and surface brightness fluctuations. When calibrated with Cepheid distances, each of these methods yields a measurement of the Hubble constant and a corresponding measurement uncertainty. We combine these measurements in this paper, together with a model of the velocity field, to yield the best available estimate of the value of H_0 within the range of these secondary distance indicators and its uncertainty. The result is H_0 = 71 +/- 6 km/sec/Mpc. The largest contributor to the uncertainty of this 67% confidence level result is the distance of the Large Magellanic Cloud, which has been assumed to be 50 +/- 3 kpc

Gender Difference or Parallel Publics? The Dynamics of Defense Spending Opinions in the United States, 1965-2007

Gender is now recognized as an important dividing line in American political life, and scholars have accumulated evidence that national security issues are an important reason for gender differences in policy preferences. We therefore expect that the dynamics of support for defense spending among men and women will differ. In contrast, several scholars have shown that population subgroups exhibit a ‘‘parallel’’ dynamic in which the evolution of their preferences over time is very similar, despite differences in the average level of support. Unfortunately, there is little time series evidence on gendered reactions to policy, including defense spending, that would allow one to arbitrate between these competing perspectives. In this research note, we assemble a time series of support for defense spending among men and women and model the determinants of that support for the period 1967–2007. We find that women are on average less supportive of defense spending than are men. However, we also find that the over time variation of support for defense spending among men and women is very similar—each is conditioned principally by the past year’s change in defense spending and occasionally by war casualties and a trade-off between defense and civilian spending

The Hubble Space Telescope Extragalactic Distance Scale Key Project. X. The Cepheid Distance to NGC 7331

The distance to NGC 7331 has been derived from Cepheid variables observed with HST/WFPC2, as part of the Extragalactic Distance Scale Key Project. Multi-epoch exposures in F555W (V) and F814W (I), with photometry derived independently from DoPHOT and DAOPHOT/ALLFRAME programs, were used to detect a total of 13 reliable Cepheids, with periods between 11 and 42 days. The relative distance moduli between NGC 7331 and the LMC, imply an extinction to NGC 7331 of A_V = 0.47+-0.15 mag, and an extinction-corrected distance modulus to NGC 7331 of 30.89+-0.14(random) mag, equivalent to a distance of 15.1 Mpc. There are additional systematic uncertainties in the distance modulus of +-0.12 mag due to the calibration of the Cepheid Period-Luminosity relation, and a systematic offset of +0.05+-0.04 mag if we applied the metallicity correction inferred from the M101 results of Kennicutt et al 1998.Comment: To be published in The Astrophysical Journal, 1998 July 1, v501 note: Figs 1 and 2 (JPEG files) and Fig 7 (multipage .eps file) need to be viewed/printed separatel

On renormalization group flows and the a-theorem in 6d

We study the extension of the approach to the a-theorem of Komargodski and Schwimmer to quantum field theories in d=6 spacetime dimensions. The dilaton effective action is obtained up to 6th order in derivatives. The anomaly flow a_UV - a_IR is the coefficient of the 6-derivative Euler anomaly term in this action. It then appears at order p^6 in the low energy limit of n-point scattering amplitudes of the dilaton for n > 3. The detailed structure with the correct anomaly coefficient is confirmed by direct calculation in two examples: (i) the case of explicitly broken conformal symmetry is illustrated by the free massive scalar field, and (ii) the case of spontaneously broken conformal symmetry is demonstrated by the (2,0) theory on the Coulomb branch. In the latter example, the dilaton is a dynamical field so 4-derivative terms in the action also affect n-point amplitudes at order p^6. The calculation in the (2,0) theory is done by analyzing an M5-brane probe in AdS_7 x S^4. Given the confirmation in two distinct models, we attempt to use dispersion relations to prove that the anomaly flow is positive in general. Unfortunately the 4-point matrix element of the Euler anomaly is proportional to stu and vanishes for forward scattering. Thus the optical theorem cannot be applied to show positivity. Instead the anomaly flow is given by a dispersion sum rule in which the integrand does not have definite sign. It may be possible to base a proof of the a-theorem on the analyticity and unitarity properties of the 6-point function, but our preliminary study reveals some difficulties.Comment: 41 pages, 5 figure

The Extragalactic Distance Scale Key Project XXVII. A Derivation of the Hubble Constant Using the Fundamental Plane and Dn-Sigma Relations in Leo I, Virgo, and Fornax

Using published photometry and spectroscopy, we construct the fundamental plane and D_n-Sigma relations in Leo I, Virgo and Fornax. The published Cepheid P-L relations to spirals in these clusters fixes the relation between angular size and metric distance for both the fundamental plane and D_n-Sigma relations. Using the locally calibrated fundamental plane, we infer distances to a sample of clusters with a mean redshift of cz \approx 6000 \kms, and derive a value of H_0=78+- 5+- 9 km/s/Mpc (random, systematic) for the local expansion rate. This value includes a correction for depth effects in the Cepheid distances to the nearby clusters, which decreased the deduced value of the expansion rate by 5% +- 5%. If one further adopts the metallicity correction to the Cepheid PL relation, as derived by the Key Project, the value of the Hubble constant would decrease by a further 6%+- 4%. These two sources of systematic error, when combined with a +- 6% error due to the uncertainty in the distance to the Large Magellanic Cloud, a +- 4% error due to uncertainties in the WFPC2 calibration, and several small sources of uncertainty in the fundamental plane analysis, combine to yield a total systematic uncertainty of +- 11%. We find that the values obtained using either the CMB, or a flow-field model, for the reference frame of the distant clusters, agree to within 1%. The Dn-Sigma relation also produces similar results, as expected from the correlated nature of the two scaling relations. A complete discussion of the sources of random and systematic error in this determination of the Hubble constant is also given, in order to facilitate comparison with the other secondary indicators being used by the Key Project.Comment: 21 pages, 3 figures, Accepted for publication in Ap

Molecular Pathways Underlying Adaptive Repair of the Injured Kidney: Novel Donation After Cardiac Death and Acute Kidney Injury Platforms

International audienceObjective: To test the hypothesis that gene expression profiling in peripheral blood from patients who have undergone kidney transplantation (KT) will provide mechanistic insights regarding graft repair and regeneration.Background: Renal grafts obtained from living donors (LD) typically function immediately, whereas organs from donation after cardiac death (DCD) or acute kidney injury (AKI) donors may experience delayed function with eventual recovery. Thus, recipients of LD, DCD, and AKI kidneys were studied to provide a more complete understanding of the molecular basis for renal recovery.Methods: Peripheral blood was collected from LD and DCD/AKI recipients before transplant and throughout the first 30 days thereafter. Total RNA was isolated and assayed on whole genome microarrays.Results: Comparison of longitudinal gene expression between LD and AKI/DCD revealed 2 clusters, representing 141 differentially expressed transcripts. A subset of 11 transcripts was found to be differentially expressed in AKI/DCD versus LD. In all recipients, the most robust gene expression changes were observed in the first day after transplantation. After day 1, gene expression profiles differed depending upon the source of the graft. In patients receiving LD grafts, the expression of most genes did not remain markedly elevated beyond the first day post-KT. In the AKI/DCD groups, elevations in gene expression were maintained for at least 5 days post-KT. In all recipients, the pattern of coordinate gene overexpression subsided by 28 to 30 days.Conclusions: Gene expression in peripheral blood of AKI/DCD recipients offers a novel platform to understand the potential mechanisms and timing of kidney repair and regeneration after transplantation

The Collective Field Theory of a Singular Supersymmetric Matrix Model

The supersymmetric collective field theory with the potential $v'(x)=\omega x-{\eta\over x}$ is studied, motivated by the matrix model proposed by Jevicki and Yoneya to describe two dimensional string theory in a black hole background. Consistency with supersymmetry enforces a two band solution. A supersymmetric classical configuration is found, and interpreted in terms of the density of zeros of certain Laguerre polynomials. The spectrum of the model is then studied and is seen to correspond to a massless scalar and a majorana fermion. The $x$ space eigenfunctions are constructed and expressed in terms of Chebyshev polynomials. Higher order interactions are also discussed.Comment: Revtex 8 pages, Submitted to Phys. Rev. D. References and preprint numbers have been adde

Randomised Controlled Trial of Lactobacillus Rhamnosus (LGG) Versus Placebo in Children Presenting to the Emergency Department with Acute Gastroenteritis: the PECARN Probiotic Study Protocol.

INTRODUCTION: Acute gastroenteritis (AGE) is a common and burdensome condition that affects millions of children worldwide each year. Currently available strategies are limited to symptomatic management, treatment and prevention of dehydration and infection control; no disease-modifying interventions exist. Probiotics, defined as live microorganisms beneficial to the host, have shown promise in improving AGE outcomes, but existing studies have sufficient limitations such that the use of probiotics cannot currently be recommended with confidence. Here we present the methods of a large, rigorous, randomised, double-blind placebo-controlled study to assess the effectiveness and side effect profile of Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG (LGG) (ATCC 53103) in children with AGE. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: The study is being conducted in 10 US paediatric emergency departments (EDs) within the federally funded Pediatric Emergency Care Applied Research Network, in accordance with current SPIRIT and CONSORT statement recommendations. We will randomise 970 children presenting to participating EDs with AGE to either 5 days of treatment with LGG (10(10)colony-forming unit twice a day) or placebo between July 2014 to December 2017. The main outcome is the occurrence of moderate-to-severe disease over time, as defined by the Modified Vesikari Scale. We also record adverse events and side effects related to the intervention. We will conduct intention-to-treat analyses and use an enrichment design to restore the statistical power in case the presence of a subpopulation with a substantially low treatment effect is identified. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Institutional review board approval has been obtained at all sites, and data and material use agreements have been established between the participating sites. The results of the trial will be published in peer-reviewed journals. A deidentified public data set will be made available after the completion of all study procedures. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT01773967