Inertial Spontaneous Symmetry Breaking and Quantum Scale Invariance

Weyl invariant theories of scalars and gravity can generate all mass scales spontaneously, initiated by a dynamical process of "inertial spontaneous symmetry breaking" that does not involve a potential. This is dictated by the structure of the Weyl current, $K_\mu$, and a cosmological phase during which the universe expands and the Einstein-Hilbert effective action is formed. Maintaining exact Weyl invariance in the renormalised quantum theory is straightforward when renormalisation conditions are referred back to the VEV's of fields in the action of the theory, which implies a conserved Weyl current. We do not require scale invariant regulators. We illustrate the computation of a Weyl invariant Coleman-Weinberg potential

An ultra-weak sector, the strong CP problem and the pseudo-Goldstone dilaton

In the context of a Coleman-Weinberg mechanism for the Higgs boson mass, we address the strong CP problem. We show that a DFSZ-like invisible axion model with a gauge-singlet complex scalar field S, whose couplings to the Standard Model are naturally ultra-weak, can solve the strong CP problem and simultaneously generate acceptable electroweak symmetry breaking. The ultra-weak couplings of the singlet S are associated with underlying approximate shift symmetries that act as custodial symmetries and maintain technical naturalness. The model also contains a very light pseudo-Goldstone dilaton that is consistent with cosmological Polonyi bounds, and the axion can be the dark matter of the universe. We further outline how a SUSY version of this model, which may be required in the context of Grand Unification, can avoid introducing a hierarchy problem.Comment: 9 page

Ultra-weak sector, Higgs boson mass, and the dilaton

The Higgs boson mass may arise from a portal coupling to a singlet field $\sigma$ which has a very large VEV $f \gg m_\text{Higgs}$. This requires a sector of "ultra-weak" couplings $\zeta_i$, where $\zeta_i \lesssim m_\text{Higgs}^2 / f^2$. Ultra-weak couplings are technically naturally small due to a custodial shift symmetry of $\sigma$ in the $\zeta_i \rightarrow 0$ limit. The singlet field $\sigma$ has properties similar to a pseudo-dilaton. We engineer explicit breaking of scale invariance in the ultra-weak sector via a Coleman-Weinberg potential, which requires hierarchies amongst the ultra-weak couplings.Comment: 6 page

Inflation in a scale invariant universe

A scale-invariant universe can have a period of accelerated expansion at early times: inflation. We use a frame-invariant approach to calculate inflationary observables in a scale invariant theory of gravity involving two scalar fields - the spectral indices, the tensor to scalar ratio, the level of isocurvature modes and non-Gaussianity. We show that scale symmetry leads to an exact cancellation of isocurvature modes and that, in the scale-symmetry broken phase, this theory is well described by a single scalar field theory. We find the predictions of this theory strongly compatible with current observations.Comment: 9 pages, 2 figures; v2: minor clarifications added, matches published versio

Increasing Ultrasound-Guided Thyroid Biopsy Yield

Objectives: Conduct Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) performance improvement project to improve thyroid biopsy yield Short Term\u3ereduce unsuccessful biopsies by 50% Long-Term\u3eeliminate unsuccessful biopsieshttps://jdc.jefferson.edu/patientsafetyposters/1064/thumbnail.jp

Consumption of Pork Products: Now and to the Year 2020

Data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s 1994-96 and 1998 Continuing Survey of Food Intakes by Individuals (CSFII) are used to describe pork consumption patterns as well as to estimate a censored demand system for pork cuts. The descriptive analysis fills the void about basic information on who consumes pork, how much, and where. A censored system of four pork cuts is estimated for adults, using a maximum-likelihood procedure. The estimated system is used to predict consumption of pork products by adults through the year 2020.censored dependent variables, CSFII, pork consumption, Tobit system, Consumer/Household Economics, Research Methods/ Statistical Methods,

Consumption of Pork Products: Now and to the Year 2020

Data from the recent USDA's food consumption surveys are used to describe pork consumption patterns, to estimate a censored demand system for pork cuts, and to forecast pork consumption. Results indicate that between 2000 and 2020, pork consumption is predicted to grow for all cuts mainly due to population growth.Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety,

Consumer Knowledge and Meat Consumption in the US

We investigate the roles of consumer knowledge and sociodemographic factors in the consumption of meat products at home and away from home, using data from the Continuing Survey of Food Intakes by Individuals and its companion Diet and Health Knowledge Survey conducted by the US Department of Agriculture. The sample used contains individuals not consuming some of the products. In addition, diet knowledge is potentially endogenous because it is likely to be affected by unobserved factors which also affect meat consumption. It is well known that traditional estimation procedures not accounting for censored dependent variables or simultaneity produce biased estimates. These econometric issues are addressed by developing a simultaneous -equations system, estimated with the maximum simulated likelihood procedure. Results suggest endogeneity of knowledge and support the system approach to the estimation of demand functions for meats. Health knowledge decreases consumption of beef and pork at home and away from home; it increases consumption of poultry at and away from home but does not affect fish consumption in either occasion. Our findings on the effects of sociodemographic factors are in general consistent with a priori expectations: men eat more meat and fish than women, meat and fish consumption generally declines with age among adults, and regional and racial/ethnic differences in meat and fish consumption are observed. The simultaneous-equations model can be extended to one with multiple endogenous variables and can be a useful tool in other analyses of consumer demand with micro survey data, which have become available in many developing countries.Consumer/Household Economics, Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety,

Consumer Demand for Meat Cuts and Seafood

Household at-home consumption of different types and cuts of meat and fish products is investigated by estimating a large censored demand system with a two-step procedure using ACNielsen's Homescan data. We find different price and expenditure elasticities between low-income and high-income households. High income households are less responsive to price changes, and the substitution patterns also differ between the low- and high-income households. Whereas the uncompensated elasticities suggest a mixture of gross substitutes and complements among the products for both low- and high-income households, the compensated elasticities suggest net substitution is the obvious pattern for the low-income households.censored dependent variables, sample selection model, meat, fish, Demand and Price Analysis, Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety, D12, C34,