Higgs Boson Sector of the Next-to-MSSM with CP Violation

We perform a comprehensive study of the Higgs sector in the framework of the next-to-minimal supersymmetric standard model with CP-violating parameters in the superpotential and in the soft-supersymmetry-breaking sector. Since the CP is no longer a good symmetry, the two CP-odd and the three CP-even Higgs bosons of the next-to-minimal supersymmetric standard model in the CP-conserving limit will mix. We show explicitly how the mass spectrum and couplings to gauge bosons of the various Higgs bosons change when the CP-violating phases take on nonzero values. We include full one-loop and the logarithmically enhanced two-loop effects employing the renormalization-group (RG) improved approach. In addition, the LEP limits, the global minimum condition, and the positivity of the square of the Higgs-boson mass have been imposed. We demonstrate the effects on the Higgs-mass spectrum and the couplings to gauge bosons with and without the RG-improved corrections. Substantial modifications to the allowed parameter space happen because of the changes to the Higgs-boson spectrum and their couplings with the RG-improved corrections. Finally, we calculate the mass spectrum and couplings of the few selected scenarios and compare to the previous results in literature where possible; in particular, we illustrate a scenario motivated by electroweak baryogenesis.Comment: 40 pages, 49 figures; v2: typos corrected and references added; v3: some clarification and new figures added, version published in PR

Spin Precession and Time-Reversal Symmetry Breaking in Quantum Transport of Electrons Through Mesoscopic Rings

We consider the motion of electrons through a mesoscopic ring in the presence of spin-orbit interaction, Zeeman coupling, and magnetic flux. The coupling between the spin and the orbital degrees of freedom results in the geometric and the dynamical phases associated with a cyclic evolution of spin state. Using a non-adiabatic Aharonov-Anandan phase approach, we obtain the exact solution of the system and identify the geometric and the dynamical phases for the energy eigenstates. Spin precession of electrons encircling the ring can lead to various interference phenomena such as oscillating persistent current and conductance. We investigate the transport properties of the ring connected to current leads to explore the roles of the time-reversal symmetry and its breaking therein with the spin degree of freedom being fully taken into account. We derive an exact expression for the transmission probability through the ring. We point out that the time-reversal symmetry breaking due to Zeeman coupling can totally invalidate the picture that spin precession results in effective, spin-dependent Aharonov-Bohm flux for interfering electrons. Actually, such a picture is only valid in the Aharonov-Casher effect induced by spin-orbit interaction only. Unfortunately, this point has not been realized in prior works on the transmission probability in the presence of both SO interaction and Zeeman coupling. We carry out numerical computation to illustrate the joint effects of spin-orbit interaction, Zeeman coupling and magnetic flux. By examining the resonant tunneling of electrons in the weak coupling limit, we establish a connection between the observable time-reversal symmetry breaking effects manifested by the persistent current and by the transmission probability. For a ring formed by two-dimensional electron gas, weComment: 20 pages, 5 figure

Persistent Current From the Competition Between Zeeman Coupling and Spin-Orbit Interaction

Applying the non-adiabatic Aharonov-Anandan phase approach to a mesoscopic ring with non-interacting many electrons in the presence of the spin-orbit interaction, Zeeman coupling and magnetic flux, we show that the time-reversal symmetry breaking due to Zeeman coupling is intrinsically different from that due to magnetic flux. We find that the direction of the persistent currents induced by the Zeeman coupling changes periodically with the particle number, while the magnetic flux determines the direction of the induced currents by its sign alone.Comment: 5 pages, ReVTeX, including 3 figures on request,Submitted to Phys.Rev.Let

An economic evaluation of contingency management for completion of hepatitis B vaccination in those on treatment for opiate dependence

Aims: To determine whether the provision of contingency management using financial incentives to improve hepatitis B vaccine completion in people who inject drugs entering community treatment represents a cost-effective use of healthcare resources. Design: A probabilistic cost-effectiveness analysis was conducted, using a decision-tree to estimate the short-term clinical and healthcare cost impact of the vaccination strategies, followed by a Markov process to evaluate the long-term clinical consequences and costs associated with hepatitis B infection. Settings and participants: Data on attendance to vaccination from a UK cluster randomised trial. Intervention: Two contingency management options were examined in the trial: fixed vs. escalating schedule financial incentives. Measurement: Lifetime healthcare costs and quality-adjusted life years discounted at 3.5% annually; incremental cost-effectiveness ratios. Findings: The resulting estimate for the incremental lifetime healthcare cost of the contingency management strategy versus usual care was £22 (95% CI: -£12 to £40) per person offered the incentive. For 1,000 people offered the incentive, the incremental reduction in numbers of hepatitis B infections avoided over their lifetime was estimated at 19 (95% CI: 8 to 30). The probabilistic incremental cost per quality adjusted life year gained of the contingency management programme was estimated to be £6,738 (95% CI: £6,297 to £7,172), with an 89% probability of being considered cost-effective at a threshold of £20,000 per quality-adjusted life years gained (98% at £30,000). Conclusions: Using financial incentives to increase hepatitis B vaccination completion in people who inject drugs could be a cost-effective use of healthcare resources in the UK as long as the incidence remains above 1.2%

Contributions of residential coal combustion to the air qualityin Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei (BTH), China: a case study

In the present study, the WRF-Chem model is used to assess contributions of residential coal combustion (RCC) emissions to the air quality in Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei (BTH) during a persistent air pollution episode from 9 to 25 January 2014. In general, the predicted temporal variations and spatial distributions of the mass concentrations of air pollutants are in good agreement with observations at monitoring sites in BTH. The WRF-Chem model also reasonably reproduces the temporal variations in aerosol species when compared with the aerosol mass spectrometer measurements in Beijing. The RCC emissions play an important role in the haze formation in BTH, contributing about 23.1% of PM2.5 (fine particulate matter) and 42.6% of SO2 during the simulation period on average. Organic aerosols dominate the PM2.5 from the RCC emissions in BTH, with a contribution of 42.8 %, followed by sulfate (17.1 %). The air quality in Beijing is remarkably improved when the RCC emissions in BTH and the surrounding areas are excluded in model simulations, with a 30% decrease in PM2.5 mass concentrations. However, if only the RCC emissions in Beijing are excluded, the local PM2.5 mass concentration is decreased by 18.0% on average. Our results suggest that the implementation of the residential coal replacement by clean energy sources in Beijing is beneficial to the local air quality. Should residential coal replacement be carried out in BTH and its surrounding areas, the air quality in Beijing would be improved remarkably. Further studies would need to consider uncertainties in the emission inventory and meteorological fields

Analysis and quantification of the diversities of aerosol life cycles within AeroCom

Simulation results of global aerosol models have been assembled in the framework of the AeroCom intercomparison exercise. In this paper, we analyze the life cycles of dust, sea salt, sulfate, black carbon and particulate organic matter as simulated by sixteen global aerosol models. The diversities among the models for the sources and sinks, burdens, particle sizes, water uptakes, and spatial dispersals have been established. These diversities have large consequences for the calculated radiative forcing and the aerosol concentrations at the surface. The AeroCom all-models-average emissions are dominated by the mass of sea salt (SS), followed by dust (DU), sulfate (SO_4), particulate organic matter (POM), and finally black carbon (BC). Interactive parameterizations of the emissions and contrasting particles sizes of SS and DU lead generally to higher diversities of these species, and for total aerosol. The lower diversity of the emissions of the fine aerosols, BC, POM, and SO_4, is due to the use of similar emission inventories, and does therefore not necessarily indicate a better understanding of their sources. The diversity of SO_4-sources is mainly caused by the disagreement on depositional loss of precursor gases and on chemical production. The diversities of the emissions are passed on to the burdens, but the latter are also strongly affected by the model-specific treatments of transport and aerosol processes. The burdens of dry masses decrease from largest to smallest: DU, SS, SO_4, POM, and BC. The all-models-average residence time is shortest for SS with about half a day, followed by S_O4 and DU with four days, and POM and BC with six and seven days, respectively. The wet deposition rate is controlled by the solubility and increases from DU, BC, POM to SO_4 and SS. It is the dominant sink for SO_4, BC, and POM, and contributes about one third to the total removal rate coefficients of SS and DU species. For SS and DU we find high diversities for the removal rate coefficients and deposition pathways. Models do neither agree on the split between wet and dry deposition, nor on that between sedimentation and turbulent dry Deposition. We diagnose an extremely high diversity for the uptake of ambient water vapor that influences the particle size and thus the sink rate coefficients. Furthermore, we find little agreement among the model results for the partitioning of wet removal into scavenging by convective and stratiform rain. Large differences exist for aerosol dispersal both in the vertical and in the horizontal direction. In some models, a minimum of total aerosol concentration is simulated at the surface. Aerosol dispersal is most pronounced for SO4 and BC and lowest for SS. Diversities are higher for meridional than for vertical dispersal, they are similar for a given species and highest for SS and DU. For these two components we do not find a correlation between vertical and meridional aerosol dispersal. In addition the degree of dispersals of SS and DU is not related to their residence times. SO_4, BC, and POM, however, show increased meridional dispersal in models with larger vertical dispersal, and dispersal is larger for longer simulated residence times

The characteristics of the spectra of superior venae cavae in patients with right heart failure

BACKGROUND: Aimed to elucidate the characteristics of the spectra of superior venae cavae (SVC) in respiratory cycles in patients with right heart failure. METHODS: The spectra of SVC of 30 patients with right heart failure and 30 paired healthy subjects were recorded through right supraclavicular fossa view. The profiles of spectra of superior venae cavae were observed, and peak velocity and velocity time integral (VTI) of every wave of SVC under spontaneous respiration were measured for statistical analysis. RESULTS: In healthy subjects, the peak velocities and VTI of S wave and D wave increased in inspiratory phase and diminished in expiratory phase, and which of S wave were larger than which of D wave in whole respiratory cycle. In patients with right heart failure, spectral variations of SVC could be classified into three patterns: Pattern I: peak velocities and VTI of S wave were larger than that of D wave in early inspiratory phase, but peak velocities and VTI of D wave were larger than those of S wave in late inspiratory phase and early expiratory phase [Pattern I-1], even in whole respiratory cycle [Pattern I-2]; Pattern II: the S wave disappeared and was substituted by inverse wave with low amplitude in whole respiratory cycle. Pattern III: the profiles of the spectra of SVC in patients were similar to those of healthy subjects. In the whole, the respiratory variation ratios of peak velocities and VTI of S wave and D wave were diminished in patients compared with those in healthy subjects. CONCLUSION: The spectra of superior venae cavae in patients with right heart failure were abnormal, and these characteristics could be used as signs in evaluating right heart failure

Clinical applications of magnetic resonance imaging based functional and structural connectivity

Advances in computational neuroimaging techniques have expanded the armamentarium of imaging tools available for clinical applications in clinical neuroscience. Non-invasive, in vivo brain MRI structural and functional network mapping has been used to identify therapeutic targets, define eloquent brain regions to preserve, and gain insight into pathological processes and treatments as well as prognostic biomarkers. These tools have the real potential to inform patient-specific treatment strategies. Nevertheless, a realistic appraisal of clinical utility is needed that balances the growing excitement and interest in the field with important limitations associated with these techniques. Quality of the raw data, minutiae of the processing methodology, and the statistical models applied can all impact on the results and their interpretation. A lack of standardization in data acquisition and processing has also resulted in issues with reproducibility. This limitation has had a direct impact on the reliability of these tools and ultimately, confidence in their clinical use. Advances in MRI technology and computational power as well as automation and standardization of processing methods, including machine learning approaches, may help address some of these issues and make these tools more reliable in clinical use. In this review, we will highlight the current clinical uses of MRI connectomics in the diagnosis and treatment of neurological disorders; balancing emerging applications and technologies with limitations of connectivity analytic approaches to present an encompassing and appropriate perspective

Electric-field-induced alignment of electrically neutral disk-like particles: modelling and calculation

This work reveals a torque from electric field to electrically neutral flakes that are suspended in a higher electrical conductive matrix. The torque tends to rotate the particles toward an orientation with its long axis parallel to the electric current flow. The alignment enables the anisotropic properties of tiny particles to integrate together and generate desirable macroscale anisotropic properties. The torque was obtained from thermodynamic calculation of electric current free energy at various microstructure configurations. It is significant even when the electrical potential gradient becomes as low as 100 v/m. The changes of electrical, electroplastic and thermal properties during particles alignment were discussed