The mass of the Higgs boson in the trinification subgroup of E6

The extension of the standard model to SU(3)_L x SU(3)_R x SU(3)_C is considered. Spontaneous symmetry breaking requires two Higgs field multiplets with a strong hierarchical structure of vacuum expectation values. These vacuum expectation values, some of them known from experiment, are used to construct invariant potentials in form of a sum of individual potentials relevant at the weak scale. As in a previous suggestion one may normalize the most important individual potentials such that their mass eigenvalues agree with their very large vacuum expectation values. In this case (for a wide class of parameters) the scalar field corresponding to the standard model Higgs turns out to have the precise mass value m_Higgs = v/sqrt(2) = 123 GeV at the weak scale. The physical mass (pole mass) is larger and found to be 125 +/- 1.4 GeV.Comment: 5 pages, version appearing in Phys. Rev.

Measurement of dimensional stability

A technique was developed for measuring, with a precision of one part 10 to the 9th power, changes in physical dimensions delta L/L. Measurements have commenced on five materials: Heraeus-Schott Homosil (vitreous silica), Corning 7940 (vitreous silica), Corning ULE 7971 (titanium silicate), Schott Zero-Dur, and Owens-Illinois Cer-Vit C-101. The study was extended to include Universal Cyclops Invar LR-35 and Simonds-Saw Superinvar

On mechanisms that enforce complementarity

In a recent publication Luis and Sanchez-Soto arrive at the conclusion that complementarity is universally enforced by random classical phase kicks. We disagree. One could just as well argue that quantum entanglement is the universal mechanism. Both claims of universality are unjustified, however.Comment: 4 page

Real world experience reflecting current guidelines

Background: In case of suspected acute coronary syndrome (ACS), international guidelines recommend to obtain a 12-lead ECG as soon as possible after first medical contact, to administrate platelet aggregation inhibitors and antithrombins, and to transfer the patient as quickly as possible to an emergency department. Methods: A German emergency care service database was retrospectively analysed from 2014 to 2016. Data were tested for normal distribution and the Mann-Whitney test was used for statistical analysis. Results are presented as medians (IQR). Results: A total of 1424 patients with suspected ACS were included in the present analysis. A 12-lead ECG was documented in 96% of patients (n = 1369). The prehospital incidence of ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) was 18% (n = 250). In 981 patients (69%), acetylsalicylic acid (ASA), unfractionated heparin (UFH), or ASA and UFH was given. Time in prehospital care differed significantly between non-STEMI (NSTEMI) ACS (37 [IQR 30, 44] min) and STEMI patients (33 [IQR 26, 40] min, n = 1395, p < 0.0001). Most of NSTEMI ACS and STEMI patients were brought to the emergency care unit, while 30% of STEMI patients were directly handed over to a cardiac catheterization laboratory. Conclusions: Prehospital ECG helps to identify patients with STEMI, which occurs in 18% of suspected ACS. Patients without ST-elevations suffered from longer prehospital care times. Thus, it is tempting to speculate that ST-elevations in patients prompt prehospital medical teams to act more efficiently while the absence of ST-elevations even in patients with suspected ACS might cause unintended delays. Moreover, this analysis suggests the need for further efforts to make the cardiac catheterization laboratory the standard hand-over location for all STEMI patients.Einführung: Internationale Leitlinien empfehlen die umgehende Ableitung eines 12-Kanal-Elektrokardiogramms bei Patienten mit akuter Angina-pectoris-Symptomatik. Ebenfalls wird die präklinische Gabe von Azetylsalizylsäure, Heparin sowie der sofortige Transport in ein Krankenhaus mit der Möglichkeit einer koronarinvasiven Diagnostik empfohlen. Methoden: Es wurden die Einsatzprotokolle einer Rettungsstellendatenbank retrospektiv für den Zeitraum von 2014–2016 auf diese Merkmale untersucht. Die Daten wurden auf Normalverteilung getestet und für die statistische Analyse wurde ein Mann-Whitney-Test verwendet. Die Ergebnisse sind als Mediane (Interquartilsabstand, IQR) dargestellt. Ergebnisse: Es wurden 1424 Patienten mit Angina-pectoris-Symptomatik eingeschlossen. In 96 % (n = 1369) der Fälle wurde ein 12-Kanal-Elektrokardiogramm aufgezeichnet. Präklinisch wurden 250 Patienten (18 %) mit ST-Strecken-Hebungs-Infarkt (STEMI) diagnostiziert. Insgesamt 981 Patienten (69 %) erhielten Azetylsalizylsäure bzw. Heparin oder Azetylsalizylsäure und Heparin. Die präklinischen Zeiten unterschieden sich signifikant zwischen Patienten mit akutem Koronarsyndrom ohne Ischämiezeichen im Elektrokardiogramm (NSTEMI ACS; 37 min [IQR 30,44]) und Patienten mit ST-Hebungen (STEMI; 33 min [IQR 26,40]). Der Großteil der Patienten wurde in der Notaufnahme übergeben, während 30 % der STEMI-Patienten direkt in das Herzkatheterlabor transferiert wurden. Schlussfolgerung: Die Inzidenz von ST-Hebungen liegt im präklinischen Bereich bei Patienten mit Angina-pectoris bei 18 %. Patienten ohne Ischämiezeichen wurden langsamer einem Krankenhaus zugeführt als Patienten mit STEMI. Dieses Ergebnis kann auf die geltenden Leitlinien zurückzuführen sein, da bei STEMI-Patienten die Zeit von Diagnosestellung bis zur koronarinvasiven Diagnostik <120 min betragen soll

Working With Refugees in the U.S.: Trauma-Informed and Structurally Competent Social Work Approaches

Social workers, government, and non-governmental organizations in the United States have been inadequately prepared to address the impact of trauma faced by refugees fleeing persecution. Compounding their initial trauma experiences, refugees often undergo further traumatic migration experiences and challenges after resettlement that can have long-lasting effects on their health and mental health. Micro and macro social work practitioners must understand the impact of these experiences in order to promote policies, social work training, and clinical practice that further the health and well-being of refugees and society. Social workers are in a unique position to provide multi-dimensional, structurally competent care and advocacy for diverse refugee populations. The experiences of Cambodian refugees will be used to examine these issues. We will explore the benefits of an ecological perspective in guiding interventions that support refugees, and will apply the framework of structural competence to highlight multidimensional implications for social work with refugee populations

Effects of Lipid-Lowering Drugs on Irisin in Human Subjects In Vivo and in Human Skeletal Muscle Cells Ex Vivo

Context and Objective The myokine irisin has been proposed to regulate energy homeostasis. Little is known about its association with metabolic parameters and especially with parameters influencing pathways of lipid metabolism. In the context of a clinical trial, an exploratory post hoc analysis has been performed in healthy subjects to determine whether simvastatin and/or ezetimibe influence serum irisin levels. The direct effects of simvastatin on irisin were also examined in primary human skeletal muscle cells (HSKMCs). Design and Participants A randomized, parallel 3-group study was performed in 72 men with mild hypercholesterolemia and without apparent cardiovascular disease. Each group of 24 subjects received a 14-day treatment with either simvastatin 40 mg, ezetimibe 10 mg, or their combination. Results: Baseline irisin concentrations were not significantly correlated with age, BMI, estimated GFR, thyroid parameters, glucose, insulin, lipoproteins, non-cholesterol sterols, adipokines, inflammation markers and various molecular markers of cholesterol metabolism. Circulating irisin increased significantly in simvastatin-treated but not in ezetimibe-treated subjects. The changes were independent of changes in LDL-cholesterol and were not correlated with changes in creatine kinase levels. In HSKMCs, simvastatin significantly increased irisin secretion as well as mRNA expression of its parent peptide hormone FNDC5. Simvastatin significantly induced cellular reactive oxygen species levels along with expression of pro- and anti-oxidative genes such as Nox2, and MnSOD and catalase, respectively. Markers of cellular stress such as atrogin-1 mRNA and Bax protein expression were also induced by simvastatin. Decreased cell viability and increased irisin secretion by simvastatin was reversed by antioxidant mito-TEMPO, implying in part that irisin is secreted as a result of increased mitochondrial oxidative stress and subsequent myocyte damage. Conclusions: Simvastatin increases irisin concentrations in vivo and in vitro. It remains to be determined whether this increase is a result of muscle damage or a protective mechanism against simvastatin-induced cellular stress. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT00317993 NCT00317993

Protocol: precision engineering of plant gene loci by homologous recombination cloning in Escherichia coli.

Plant genome sequence data now provide opportunities to conduct molecular genetic studies at the level of the whole gene locus and above. Such studies will be greatly facilitated by adopting and developing further the new generation of genetic engineering tools, based on homologous recombination cloning in Escherichia coli, which are free from the constraints imposed by the availability of suitably positioned restriction sites. Here we describe the basis for homologous recombination cloning in E. coli, the available tools and resources, together with a protocol for long range cloning and manipulation of an Arabidopsis thaliana gene locus, to create constructs co-ordinately driven by locus-specific regulatory elements.RIGHTS : This article is licensed under the BioMed Central licence at http://www.biomedcentral.com/about/license which is similar to the 'Creative Commons Attribution Licence'. In brief you may : copy, distribute, and display the work; make derivative works; or make commercial use of the work - under the following conditions: the original author must be given credit; for any reuse or distribution, it must be made clear to others what the license terms of this work are

J004457+4123 (Sharov 21): not a remarkable nova in M31 but a background quasar with a spectacular UV flare

We announce the discovery of a quasar behind the disk of M31, which was previously classified as a remarkable nova in our neighbour galaxy. The paper is primarily aimed at the outburst of J004457+4123 (Sharov 21), with the first part focussed on the optical spectroscopy and the improvement in the photometric database. Both the optical spectrum and the broad band spectral energy distribution of Sharov 21 are shown to be very similar to that of normal, radio-quiet type 1 quasars. We present photometric data covering more than a century and resulting in a long-term light curve that is densely sampled over the past five decades. The variability of the quasar is characterized by a ground state with typical fluctuation amplitudes of ~0.2 mag around B~20.5, superimposed by a singular flare of ~2 yr duration (observer frame) with the maximum at 1992.81 where the UV flux has increased by a factor of ~20. The total energy in the flare is at least three orders of magnitudes higher than the radiated energy of the most luminous supernovae, provided that it comes from an intrinsic process and the energy is radiated isotropically. The profile of the flare light curve appears to be in agreement with the standard predictions for a stellar tidal disruption event where a ~10 M_sun giant star was shredded in the tidal field of a ~2...5 10^8 M_sun black hole. The short fallback time derived from the light curve requires an ultra-close encounter where the pericentre of the stellar orbit is deep within the tidal disruption radius. Gravitational microlensing provides an alternative explanation, though the probability of such a high amplification event is very low.Comment: Accepted for publication in Astronomy and Astrophysics, 14 pages, 11 figure

Information theoretic approach to single-particle and two-particle interference in multi-path interferometers

We propose entropic measures for the strength of single-particle and two-particle interference in interferometric experiments where each particle of a pair traverses a multi-path interferometer. Optimal single-particle interference excludes any two-particle interference, and vice versa. We report an inequality that states the compromises allowed by quantum mechanics in intermediate situations, and identify a class of two-particle states for which the upper bound is reached. Our approach is applicable to symmetric two-partite systems of any finite dimension.Comment: RevTex 4, 4 pages, 2 figure