2,449 research outputs found
Peccei-Quinn Relaxion
The relaxation mechanism, which solves the electroweak hierarchy problem
without relying on TeV scale new physics, crucially depends on how a
Higgs-dependent back-reaction potential is generated. In this paper, we suggest
a new scenario in which the scalar potential induced by the QCD anomaly is
responsible both for the relaxation mechanism and the Peccei-Quinn mechanism to
solve the strong CP problem. The key idea is to introduce the relaxion and the
QCD axion whose cosmic evolutions become quite different depending on an
inflaton-dependent scalar potential. Our scheme raises the cutoff scale of the
Higgs mass up to 10^7 GeV, and allows reheating temperature higher than the
electroweak scale as would be required for viable cosmology. In addition, the
QCD axion can account for the observed dark matter of the universe as produced
by the conventional misalignment mechanism. We also consider the possibility
that the couplings of the Standard Model depend on the inflaton and become
stronger during inflation. In this case, the relaxation can be implemented with
a sub-Planckian field excursion of the relaxion for a cutoff scale below 10
TeV.Comment: 14 pages, 1 figure; minor changes, accepted for publication in JHE
Adiabatic Electroweak Baryogenesis Driven by an Axion-like Particle
An axion-like particle (ALP) offers a new direction in electroweak
baryogenesis because the periodic nature enables it to trigger a strong
first-order phase transition insensitively to the decay constant . For
much above TeV, the ALP-induced electroweak phase transition is approximately
described by adiabatic processes, distinguishing our scenario for electroweak
baryogenesis from the conventional ones. We show that, coupled to the
electroweak anomaly, the ALP can naturally realize spontaneous electroweak
baryogenesis to solve the matter-antimatter asymmetry problem for in the
range between about GeV and GeV. In such an ALP window, the
violation for baryogenesis is totally free from the experimental constraints,
especially from the recently improved limit on the electron electric dipole
moment. Future searches for ALPs could probe our scenario while revealing the
connection between electroweak symmetry breaking and baryogenesis.Comment: 12 pages, 5 figures, appendices added, published versio
Mental health policy making in South Korea: structural and cultural influences
This study focuses on the way in which rapid structural changes (such as economic development, urbanisation and other demographic factors, and the economic crisis of 1997) have raised issues that are seen to require a social policy response in the mental health care arena under Confucian governance in South Korea. These structural changes happened over a couple of hundred years in Western Europe but have taken place over only the past 40 years in Korea. The main thrust of the study is on the extent to which the decisions about policy responses to perceived social problems, especially the increasing number of people with mental health problems, are structurally driven or the extent to which they are informed and shaped by Korean politics and culture.
The industrial and economic base of Korea grew dramatically until the late 1990s. This facilitated the development of social policies - particularly in areas such as education, health and housing, which support economic growth. However, although the structure of the family changed to be closer to its structure in the West, it could be argued that evidence pointing to a broader ‘Westernisation’ of Korean society was premature. Confucianism may have been a factor in Korea's development, but it may yet prove a hindrance to any further moves to modernity and equalisation of life chances amongst its citizens.
Since the economic crisis of 1997, Korea has experienced a rapid expansion of social welfare provision following a series of reforms. These reforms have gone beyond the functional minima necessary to deal with social problems caused by the economic crisis. However, the government has tended to stress the greater role played by family members, particularly women, in providing care to their elderly relatives, and the desirability of multigenerational households over nuclear families. A similar emphasis on the caring roles of the family and community is also seen in the Korean state's renewed public emphasis on the country's Confucian cultural tradition.
As a result of this, there has been a tension between the increased emphasis given to the role of the informal carer within mental health policy as the Korean government has introduced a community-based scheme which assumes that families want to care and those with mental health problems want to be cared for by their families. Accordingly, the main burden of care falls upon women. This still tends to be ignored by policy makers.
Despite the country's rapid demographic, economic and social changes, there has been a widening gap between the population's expectations and needs and health and social service provision in the mental health arena. Neither long-term care services nor personal social services are well developed for those with long-term mental health problems. In addition there is a marked disparity between the acute services, which are predominantly provided by private sector organisations in a highly competitive market and broadly achieve high standards, and public primary care and rudimentary residential services in the mental health arena. In this context, it could be argued that Korean mental health policy is concerned with maintaining social order rather than care and treatment of those with mental health problems
Mental health policy making in South Korea: structural and cultural influences
This study focuses on the way in which rapid structural changes (such as economic development, urbanisation and other demographic factors, and the economic crisis of 1997) have raised issues that are seen to require a social policy response in the mental health care arena under Confucian governance in South Korea. These structural changes happened over a couple of hundred years in Western Europe but have taken place over only the past 40 years in Korea. The main thrust of the study is on the extent to which the decisions about policy responses to perceived social problems, especially the increasing number of people with mental health problems, are structurally driven or the extent to which they are informed and shaped by Korean politics and culture.
The industrial and economic base of Korea grew dramatically until the late 1990s. This facilitated the development of social policies - particularly in areas such as education, health and housing, which support economic growth. However, although the structure of the family changed to be closer to its structure in the West, it could be argued that evidence pointing to a broader ‘Westernisation’ of Korean society was premature. Confucianism may have been a factor in Korea's development, but it may yet prove a hindrance to any further moves to modernity and equalisation of life chances amongst its citizens.
Since the economic crisis of 1997, Korea has experienced a rapid expansion of social welfare provision following a series of reforms. These reforms have gone beyond the functional minima necessary to deal with social problems caused by the economic crisis. However, the government has tended to stress the greater role played by family members, particularly women, in providing care to their elderly relatives, and the desirability of multigenerational households over nuclear families. A similar emphasis on the caring roles of the family and community is also seen in the Korean state's renewed public emphasis on the country's Confucian cultural tradition.
As a result of this, there has been a tension between the increased emphasis given to the role of the informal carer within mental health policy as the Korean government has introduced a community-based scheme which assumes that families want to care and those with mental health problems want to be cared for by their families. Accordingly, the main burden of care falls upon women. This still tends to be ignored by policy makers.
Despite the country's rapid demographic, economic and social changes, there has been a widening gap between the population's expectations and needs and health and social service provision in the mental health arena. Neither long-term care services nor personal social services are well developed for those with long-term mental health problems. In addition there is a marked disparity between the acute services, which are predominantly provided by private sector organisations in a highly competitive market and broadly achieve high standards, and public primary care and rudimentary residential services in the mental health arena. In this context, it could be argued that Korean mental health policy is concerned with maintaining social order rather than care and treatment of those with mental health problems
Dynamical Generation of the Baryon Asymmetry from a Scale Hierarchy
We propose a novel baryogenesis scenario where the baryon asymmetry
originates directly from a hierarchy between two fundamental mass scales: the
electroweak scale and the Planck scale. Our model is based on the
neutrino-portal Affleck-Dine (AD) mechanism, which generates the asymmetry of
the AD sector during the radiation-dominated era and subsequently transfers it
to the baryon number before the electroweak phase transition. The observed
baryon asymmetry is then a natural outcome of this scenario. The model is
testable as it predicts the existence of a Majoron with a keV mass and an
electroweak scale decay constant. The impact of the relic Majoron on can be measured through near-future CMB observations.Comment: 5+5 pages, 2+1 figures. v2:references added, discussion extende
Review of pyronaridine anti-malarial properties and product characteristics.
Pyronaridine was synthesized in 1970 at the Institute of Chinese Parasitic Disease and has been used in China for over 30 years for the treatment of malaria. Pyronaridine has high potency against Plasmodium falciparum, including chloroquine-resistant strains. Studies in various animal models have shown pyronaridine to be effective against strains resistant to other anti-malarials, including chloroquine. Resistance to pyronaridine appears to emerge slowly and is further retarded when pyronaridine is used in combination with other anti-malarials, in particular, artesunate. Pyronaridine toxicity is generally less than that of chloroquine, though evidence of embryotoxicity in rodents suggests use with caution in pregnancy. Clinical pharmacokinetic data for pyronaridine indicates an elimination T1/2 of 13.2 and 9.6 days, respectively, in adults and children with acute uncomplicated falciparum and vivax malaria in artemisinin-combination therapy. Clinical data for mono or combined pyronaridine therapy show excellent anti-malarial effects against P. falciparum and studies of combination therapy also show promise against Plasmodium vivax. Pyronaridine has been developed as a fixed dose combination therapy, in a 3:1 ratio, with artesunate for the treatment of acute uncomplicated P. falciparum malaria and blood stage P. vivax malaria with the name of Pyramax® and has received Positive Opinion by European Medicines Agency under the Article 58 procedure
Effects of Platycodon grandiflorum methanolic extract on testosterone-induced benign prostatic hyperplasia in Wistar rats
Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is highly prevalent in the male population over the age of 60 years, manifesting as prostatic enlargement and distinctive changes in tissue histomorphology. In this study, we investigated whether a Platycodon grandiflorum methanolic extract (PGME) improved BPH in a testosterone propionate (TP)-induced model of BPH in rats. Castration was performed via the scrotal route under sodium pentobarbital anesthesia, and BPH was induced in the rats with a subcutaneous injection of TP (3 mg/kg) given every consecutive day for 4 weeks after castration. The control group of castrated rats received subcutaneous injections of corn oil. Experimentally, induced rat model of BPH, PGME led to significant reductions in prostate weight and dihydrotestosterone levels in the serum and prostate. Histologically, BPH was evident in the ventral lobe of the prostate, and PGME treatment significantly reduced the severity of the lesion. Therefore, PGME was effective in reducing TP-induced BPH in a rat model, and may be useful for the clinical treatment of patients with BPH.Keywords: Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), dihydrotestosterone, testosterone, Platycodon grandifloru
Review of the clinical pharmacokinetics of artesunate and its active metabolite dihydroartemisinin following intravenous, intramuscular, oral or rectal administration
Artesunate (AS) is a clinically versatile artemisinin derivative utilized for the treatment of mild to severe malaria infection. Given the therapeutic significance of AS and the necessity of appropriate AS dosing, substantial research has been performed investigating the pharmacokinetics of AS and its active metabolite dihydroartemisinin (DHA). In this article, a comprehensive review is presented of AS clinical pharmacokinetics following administration of AS by the intravenous (IV), intramuscular (IM), oral or rectal routes. Intravenous AS is associated with high initial AS concentrations which subsequently decline rapidly, with typical AS half-life estimates of less than 15 minutes. AS clearance and volume estimates average 2 - 3 L/kg/hr and 0.1 - 0.3 L/kg, respectively. DHA concentrations peak within 25 minutes post-dose, and DHA is eliminated with a half-life of 30 - 60 minutes. DHA clearance and volume average between 0.5 - 1.5 L/kg/hr and 0.5 - 1.0 L/kg, respectively. Compared to IV administration, IM administration produces lower peaks, longer half-life values, and higher volumes of distribution for AS, as well as delayed peaks for DHA; other parameters are generally similar due to the high bioavailability, assessed by exposure to DHA, associated with IM AS administration (> 86%). Similarly high bioavailability of DHA (> 80%) is associated with oral administration. Following oral AS, peak AS concentrations (Cmax) are achieved within one hour, and AS is eliminated with a half-life of 20 - 45 minutes. DHA Cmax values are observed within two hours post-dose; DHA half-life values average 0.5 - 1.5 hours. AUC values reported for AS are often substantially lower than those reported for DHA following oral AS administration. Rectal AS administration yields pharmacokinetic results similar to those obtained from oral administration, with the exceptions of delayed AS Cmax and longer AS half-life. Drug interaction studies conducted with oral AS suggest that AS does not appreciably alter the pharmacokinetics of atovaquone/proguanil, chlorproguanil/dapsone, or sulphadoxine/pyrimethamine, and mefloquine and pyronaridine do not alter the pharmacokinetics of DHA. Finally, there is evidence suggesting that the pharmacokinetics of AS and/or DHA following AS administration may be altered by pregnancy and by acute malaria infection, but further investigation would be required to define those alterations precisely
- …