Gravitational waves from first-order phase transitions: Towards model separation by bubble nucleation rate

We study gravitational-wave production from bubble collisions in a cosmic first-order phase transition, focusing on the possibility of model separation by the bubble nucleation rate dependence of the resulting gravitational-wave spectrum. By using the method of relating the spectrum with the two-point correlator of the energy-momentum tensor \left, we first write down analytic expressions for the spectrum with a Gaussian correction to the commonly used nucleation rate, $\Gamma \propto e^{\beta t}\rightarrow e^{\beta t-\gamma^2t^2}$, under the thin-wall and envelope approximations. Then we quantitatively investigate how the spectrum changes with the size of the Gaussian correction. It is found that the spectral shape shows ${\mathcal O}(10)\%$ deviation from $\Gamma \propto e^{\beta t}$ case for some physically motivated scenarios. We also briefly discuss detector sensitivities required to distinguish different spectral shapes.Comment: 36 pages, 13 figures, 1 figure from arXiv:1605.0140

Axion Magnetic Resonance: A Novel Enhancement in Axion-Photon Conversion

We identify a new resonance, axion magnetic resonance (AMR), that can greatly enhance the conversion rate between axions and photons. A series of axion search experiments rely on converting them into photons inside a constant magnetic field background. A common bottleneck of such experiments is the conversion amplitude being suppressed by the axion mass when $m_a \gtrsim 10^{-4}~$eV. We point out that a spatial or temporal variation in the magnetic field can cancel the difference between the photon dispersion relation and that of the axion, hence greatly enhancing the conversion probability. We demonstrate that the enhancement can be achieved by both a helical magnetic field profile and a harmonic oscillation of the magnitude. Our approach can extend the projected ALPS II reach in the axion-photon coupling ($g_{a\gamma}$) by two orders of magnitude at $m_a = 10^{-3}\;\mathrm{eV}$ with moderate assumptions.Comment: 13 pages, 5 figures, numerical code available at https://github.com/ChenSun-Phys/axion-magnetic-resonanc

Axion-photon-dark photon oscillation and its implication for 21 cm observation

We examine the resonant conversion of axion-like particle (ALP) or dark photon to the electromagnetic photon in the early Universe, which takes place due to the ALP-photon-dark photon oscillations in background dark photon gauge fields. It is noted that the corresponding conversion probability can have an unusual spectral feature which allows strong conversion at low frequency domain, but has negligible conversion at high frequencies above certain critical frequency which is determined by the ALP coupling to dark photon and the strength of background dark photon gauge field. We apply this scheme to heat up the 21 cm photons without affecting the Cosmic Microwave Background, which can explain the tentative absorption signal of 21 cm photons detected recently by the EDGES experiment.Comment: 1+21 pages, 5 figure

Gamma-ray spectral modulations induced by photon-ALP-dark photon oscillations

Recently it has been noticed that the Fermi-LAT data of gamma-rays from some galactic pulsars and supernova remnants reveal spectral modulations that might be explained by the conversion of photons to ALPs (axion-like particles) induced by the conventional ALP coupling to photon in the presence of galactic magnetic fields. However the corresponding ALP mass and coupling are in a severe tension with the observational constraints from CAST, SN1987A, and other gamma-ray observations. Motivated by this, we examine an alternative possibility that those spectral modulations are explained by other type of ALP coupling involving both the ordinary photon and a massless dark photon, when nonzero background dark photon gauge fields are assumed. We find that our scheme results in oscillations among the photon, ALP, and dark photon, which can explain the gamma-ray spectral modulations of galactic pulsars or supernova remnants, while satisfying the known observational constraints.Comment: 12 pages, 3 figures. v3: realization of background dark photon gauge fields included; v4: PRD accepted version, figures updated, chi-square analysis presented in Sec. III, observational constraints revisited in Sec. IV C and

The Impact of Korean Medicine Treatment on the Incidence of Parkinson's Disease in Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease: A Nationwide Population-Based Cohort Study in South Korea

We aimed to investigate the association between Korean medicine (KM) treatment and the risk of Parkinson's Disease (PD) in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in South Korea. This study analyzed data from the National Health Insurance Service-Senior cohort in South Korea. The 1816 IBD patients enrolled in the analysis comprised 411 who received only conventional treatment (monotherapy group) and 1405 who received both conventional and KM treatments (integrative therapy group). The risk of PD in patients with IBD was significantly lower in the integrative therapy group than in the monotherapy group after adjusting for confounding variables (adjusted hazard ratio (HR), 0.56; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.34-0.92). In the mild Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) group, the risk of PD in patients with IBD in the integrative therapy group was 0.39 times lower (adjusted HR, 95% CI = 0.20-0.77) than that in the monotherapy group. However, there was no significant difference in the risk of PD in patients with IBD between the integrative therapy and monotherapy groups among individuals with severe CCI (adjusted HR, 0.90; 95% CI = 0.41-1.96). IBD patients are at a decreased risk of PD when they receive integrative therapy. KM treatment may prevent PD in IBD patients.Y

Cost-effectiveness analysis of the implementation of a National Immunization Program for rotavirus vaccination in a country with a low rotavirus gastroenteritis-related mortality: A South Korean study.

Rotavirus is a leading cause of severe gastroenteritis among children younger than 5?years in South Korea. Two rotavirus vaccines (RVs), pentavalent human-bovine reassortant vaccine (Rotateq®; RV5) and attenuated human strain originated monovalent vaccine (Rotarix®; RV1), have been available for voluntary vaccination using out-of-pocket payment since 2007 and 2008, respectively. Yet, RVs are not included in the National Immunization Program (NIP), partly because of the low associated mortality rate. We assessed the cost-effectiveness of RVs to assist the evidence-based decision-making process for NIP implementation in South Korea. Using a transparent age-structured static cohort model, we simulated the experience of ten annual birth cohorts of South Korean children from 2018 to 2027. Model inputs included rotavirus gastroenteritis (RVGE) incidence and mortality rates, RVGE treatment costs, vaccine coverage and timeliness, and vaccine effectiveness and price. The incremental costs of including RVs in the NIP compared to no vaccination were 59,662,738 USD and 152,444,379 USD for RV1 and RV5, respectively. The introduction of RV1 and RV5 can prevent 4799 disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) and 5068 DALYs. From the societal perspective, the incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICERs) for adopting RV into the NIP versus no vaccination were 12,432 USD per DALY averted for RV1 and 30,081 USD per DALY averted for RV 5. The weighted average for the ICERs of the two vaccines computed using the market share of each vaccine in the current voluntary use as a weight, was 21,698 USD per DALY averted. The estimated ICER was below 1?×?gross domestic product per capita (30,000 USD), which has been a commonly used willingness-to-pay threshold for health care technology assessment in South Korea, suggesting that introducing RVs into the NIP would be cost-effective

Precision axion physics with running axion couplings

We study the renormalization group running of axion couplings while taking into account that the Standard Model can be extended to its supersymmetric extension at a certain energy scale below the axion decay constant. We then apply our results to three different classes of axion models, i.e. KSVZ-like, DFSZ-like, and string-theoretic axions, and examine if string-theoretic axions can be distinguished from others by having a different pattern of low energy couplings to the photon, nucleons and electron. We find that the low energy couplings of string-theoretic axions have a similar pattern as those of KSVZ-like axions but yet reveal a sizable difference which might be testable in future axion search experiments. We also note that the coupling of KSVZ-like QCD axions to the electron is dominated by a three-loop contribution involving the exotic heavy quark, gluons, top quark and Higgs field.Comment: 35 pages, 6 figures, v2: references updated, some discussions on RG running scales clarified, matches the published versio

Axion-photon-dark photon oscillation and its implication for 21-cm observation

© 2020 authors. Published by the American Physical Society. We examine the resonant conversion of axionlike particle (ALP) or dark photon to the electromagnetic photon in the early Universe, which takes place due to the ALP-photon-dark photon oscillations in background dark photon gauge fields. It is noted that the corresponding conversion probability can have an unusual spectral feature which allows strong conversion at low frequency domain, but has negligible conversion at high frequencies above certain critical frequency which is determined by the ALP coupling to dark photon and the strength of background dark photon gauge field. We apply this scheme to heat up the 21-cm photons without affecting the cosmic microwave background, which can explain the tentative absorption signal of 21-cm photons detected recently by the EDGES experiment11sciescopu

Axion Magnetic Resonance: A Novel Enhancement in Axion-Photon Conversion

We identify a new resonance, axion magnetic resonance (AMR), that can greatly enhance the conversion rate between axions and photons. A series of axion search experiments rely on converting them into photons inside a constant magnetic field background. A common bottleneck of such experiments is the conversion amplitude being suppressed by the axion mass when $m_a \gtrsim 10^{-4}~$eV. We point out that a spatial or temporal variation in the magnetic field can cancel the difference between the photon dispersion relation and that of the axion, hence greatly enhancing the conversion probability. We demonstrate that the enhancement can be achieved by both a helical magnetic field profile and a harmonic oscillation of the magnitude. Our approach can extend the projected ALPS II reach in the axion-photon coupling ($g_{a\gamma}$) by two orders of magnitude at $m_a = 10^{-3}\;\mathrm{eV}$ with moderate assumptions

A Systematic Review of Herbal Medicine for Chemotherapy Induced Peripheral Neuropathy

Background. Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) is a common adverse effect in cancer patients. The aim of this review was to assess the effectiveness of herbal medicine in preventing and treating CIPN. Methods. Randomised controlled trials were included in this review. Extracting and assessing the data independently, two authors searched 13 databases. Results. Twenty-eight trials involving 2174 patients met the inclusion criteria. Although there were some exceptions, the methodological quality was typically low. Seventeen trials reported the incidence rate of CIPN assessed by various tools and 14 showed a significant difference regarding the decrease of the incidence rate between the two groups. For clinical improvement, 12 trials reported it using various tools and 10 showed a significant difference between two groups. Two cases of adverse events occurred in one trial; the other nine trials reported no adverse events. Conclusions. We found that herbal medicines in combination with and/or without other therapies potentially have preventive or therapeutic effects on CIPN. However, conclusions cannot be drawn because of the generally low quality of the methodology, the clinical heterogeneity, and the small sample size for each single herbal medicine. Trials that are more rigorous and report sufficient methodological data are needed