Relativistic mean field formulation of clustering in heavy nuclei

Very little is known about clustering in heavy nuclei and in particular the interaction between the correlated cluster nucleons and remaining core nucleons. Currently the phenomenological Saxon-Woods plus cubic Saxon-Woods core-cluster potential successfully predicts the alpha decay half-life and energy band spectra of a number of heavy nuclei. This model, however, lacks a microscopic understanding of clustering phenomenon in these heavy nuclear systems. A fully relativistic microscopic formalism is presented, which generates the core-cluster potential by means of the McNeil, Ray and Wallace based double folding procedure. The core and cluster baryon densities are calculated by using a relativistic mean field approach. The Lorentz covariant IA1 representation of the nucleon-nucleon interaction is folded with the core and cluster densities. Theoretical predictions of the ground-state decay half-life and positive parity energy band of 212Po are obtained with the relativistic mean field formalism and which are compared to the results from the phenomenological Saxon-Woods plus cubic Saxon-Wood core-cluster potential and microscopic M3Y interaction

Bound state solutions of the Manning-Rosen potential

Using the asymptotic iteration method (AIM), we have obtained analytical approximations to the $\ell$-wave solutions of the Schr\"{o}dinger equation with the Manning-Rosen potential. The equation of energy eigenvalues equation and the corresponding wavefunctions have been obtained explicitly. Three different Pekeris-type approximation schemes have been used to deal with the centrifugal term. To show the accuracy of our results, we have calculated the eigenvalues numerically for arbitrary quantum numbers $n$ and $\ell$ for some diatomic molecules (HCl, CH, LiH and CO). It is found that the results are in good agreement with other results found in the literature. A straightforward extension to the s-wave case and Hulth$\acute{e}$n potential case are also presented.Comment: 14 pages, 6 table

Dyonic Kerr-Newman black holes, complex scalar field and Cosmic Censorship

We construct a gedanken experiment, in which a weak wave packet of the complex massive scalar field interacts with a four-parameter (mass, angular momentum, electric and magnetic charges) Kerr-Newman black hole. We show that this interaction cannot convert an extreme the black hole into a naked sigularity for any black hole parameters and any generic wave packet configuration. The analysis therefore provides support for the weak cosmic censorship conjecture.Comment: Refined emphasis on the weak cosmic censorship conjecture, conclusions otherwise unchanged. Also, two sections merged, literature review updated, references added, a few typos correcte

The remodelling index risk stratifies patients with hypertensive left ventricular hypertrophy

Aims Hypertensive left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) is associated with increased cardiovascular events. We previously developed the remodelling index (RI) that incorporated left ventricular (LV) volume and wall-thickness in a single measure of advanced hypertrophy in hypertensive patients. This study examined the prognostic potential of the RI in reference to contemporary LVH classifications.Methods and results Cardiovascular magnetic resonance was performed in 400 asymptomatic hypertensive patients. The newly derived RI ((3)root EDV/t, where EDV is LV end-diastolic volume and t is the maximal wall thickness across 16 myocardial segments) stratified hypertensive patients: no LVH, LVH with normal RI (LVHNormal-RI), and LVH with low RI (LVHLow-RI). The primary outcome was a composite of all-cause mortality, acute coronary syndromes, strokes, and decompensated heart failure. LVHLow-RI was associated with increased LV mass index, fibrosis burden, impaired myocardial function and elevated biochemical markers of myocardial injury (high-sensitive cardiac troponin I), and wall stress. Over 18.3 +/- 7.0 months (601.3 patient-years), 14 adverse events occurred (2.2 events/100 patient-years). Patients with LVHLow-RI had more than a five-fold increase in adverse events compared to those with LVHNormal-RI (11.6 events/100 patient-years vs. 2.0 events/100 patient-years, respectively; log-rank P < 0.001). The RI provided incremental prognostic value over and above a model consisting of clinical variables, LVH and concentricity; and predicted adverse events independent of clinical variables, LVH, and other prognostic markers. Concentric and eccentric LVH were associated with adverse prognosis (log-rank P = 0.62) that was similar to the natural history of hypertensive LVH (5.1 events/100 patient-years).Conclusion The RI provides prognostic value that improves risk stratification of hypertensive LVH.Cardiolog

Fermion Masses and Mixing in Intersecting Branes Scenarios

We study the structure of Yukawa couplings in intersecting D6-branes wrapping a factorizable 6-torus compact space T^6. Models with MSSM-like spectrum are analyzed and found to fail in predicting the quark mass spectrum because of the way in which the family structure for the left-handed, right-handed quarks and, eventually, the Higgses is `factorized' among the different tori. In order to circumvent this, we present a model with three supersymmetric Higgs doublets which satisfies the anomaly cancellation condition in a more natural way than the previous models, where quarks were not treated universally regarding their branes assignments, or some particular branes were singled out being invariant under orientifold projection. In our model, the family structures for the left, right quarks, left leptons and the Higgses arise from one of the tori and can naturally lead to universal strength Yukawa couplings which accommodate the quark mass hierarchy and the mixing angles.Comment: 21 pages, latex, matches the Phys. Rev. D versio

Measurements of differential production cross sections for a Z boson in association with jets in pp collisions at root s=8 TeV

Peer reviewe

Global, regional, and national comparative risk assessment of 79 behavioural, environmental and occupational, and metabolic risks or clusters of risks, 1990-2015: A systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2015

Background: The Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study 2015 provides an up-to-date synthesis of the evidence for risk factor exposure and the attributable burden of disease. By providing national and subnational assessments spanning the past 25 years, this study can inform debates on the importance of addressing risks in context. Methods: We used the comparative risk assessment framework developed for previous iterations of the Global Burden of Disease Study to estimate attributable deaths, disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs), and trends in exposure by age group, sex, year, and geography for 79 behavioural, environmental and occupational, and metabolic risks or clusters of risks from 1990 to 2015. This study included 388 risk-outcome pairs that met World Cancer Research Fund-defined criteria for convincing or probable evidence. We extracted relative risk and exposure estimates from randomised controlled trials, cohorts, pooled cohorts, household surveys, census data, satellite data, and other sources. We used statistical models to pool data, adjust for bias, and incorporate covariates. We developed a metric that allows comparisons of exposure across risk factors—the summary exposure value. Using the counterfactual scenario of theoretical minimum risk level, we estimated the portion of deaths and DALYs that could be attributed to a given risk. We decomposed trends in attributable burden into contributions from population growth, population age structure, risk exposure, and risk-deleted cause-specific DALY rates. We characterised risk exposure in relation to a Socio-demographic Index (SDI). Findings: Between 1990 and 2015, global exposure to unsafe sanitation, household air pollution, childhood underweight, childhood stunting, and smoking each decreased by more than 25%. Global exposure for several occupational risks, high body-mass index (BMI), and drug use increased by more than 25% over the same period. All risks jointly evaluated in 2015 accounted for 57·8% (95% CI 56·6–58·8) of global deaths and 41·2% (39·8–42·8) of DALYs. In 2015, the ten largest contributors to global DALYs among Level 3 risks were high systolic blood pressure (211·8 million [192·7 million to 231·1 million] global DALYs), smoking (148·6 million [134·2 million to 163·1 million]), high fasting plasma glucose (143·1 million [125·1 million to 163·5 million]), high BMI (120·1 million [83·8 million to 158·4 million]), childhood undernutrition (113·3 million [103·9 million to 123·4 million]), ambient particulate matter (103·1 million [90·8 million to 115·1 million]), high total cholesterol (88·7 million [74·6 million to 105·7 million]), household air pollution (85·6 million [66·7 million to 106·1 million]), alcohol use (85·0 million [77·2 million to 93·0 million]), and diets high in sodium (83·0 million [49·3 million to 127·5 million]). From 1990 to 2015, attributable DALYs declined for micronutrient deficiencies, childhood undernutrition, unsafe sanitation and water, and household air pollution; reductions in risk-deleted DALY rates rather than reductions in exposure drove these declines. Rising exposure contributed to notable increases in attributable DALYs from high BMI, high fasting plasma glucose, occupational carcinogens, and drug use. Environmental risks and childhood undernutrition declined steadily with SDI; low physical activity, high BMI, and high fasting plasma glucose increased with SDI. In 119 countries, metabolic risks, such as high BMI and fasting plasma glucose, contributed the most attributable DALYs in 2015. Regionally, smoking still ranked among the leading five risk factors for attributable DALYs in 109 countries; childhood underweight and unsafe sex remained primary drivers of early death and disability in much of sub-Saharan Africa. Interpretation: Declines in some key environmental risks have contributed to declines in critical infectious diseases. Some risks appear to be invariant to SDI. Increasing risks, including high BMI, high fasting plasma glucose, drug use, and some occupational exposures, contribute to rising burden from some conditions, but also provide opportunities for intervention. Some highly preventable risks, such as smoking, remain major causes of attributable DALYs, even as exposure is declining. Public policy makers need to pay attention to the risks that are increasingly major contributors to global burden. Funding: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Risk profiles and one-year outcomes of patients with newly diagnosed atrial fibrillation in India: Insights from the GARFIELD-AF Registry.

BACKGROUND: The Global Anticoagulant Registry in the FIELD-Atrial Fibrillation (GARFIELD-AF) is an ongoing prospective noninterventional registry, which is providing important information on the baseline characteristics, treatment patterns, and 1-year outcomes in patients with newly diagnosed non-valvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF). This report describes data from Indian patients recruited in this registry. METHODS AND RESULTS: A total of 52,014 patients with newly diagnosed AF were enrolled globally; of these, 1388 patients were recruited from 26 sites within India (2012-2016). In India, the mean age was 65.8 years at diagnosis of NVAF. Hypertension was the most prevalent risk factor for AF, present in 68.5% of patients from India and in 76.3% of patients globally (P < 0.001). Diabetes and coronary artery disease (CAD) were prevalent in 36.2% and 28.1% of patients as compared with global prevalence of 22.2% and 21.6%, respectively (P < 0.001 for both). Antiplatelet therapy was the most common antithrombotic treatment in India. With increasing stroke risk, however, patients were more likely to receive oral anticoagulant therapy [mainly vitamin K antagonist (VKA)], but average international normalized ratio (INR) was lower among Indian patients [median INR value 1.6 (interquartile range {IQR}: 1.3-2.3) versus 2.3 (IQR 1.8-2.8) (P < 0.001)]. Compared with other countries, patients from India had markedly higher rates of all-cause mortality [7.68 per 100 person-years (95% confidence interval 6.32-9.35) vs 4.34 (4.16-4.53), P < 0.0001], while rates of stroke/systemic embolism and major bleeding were lower after 1 year of follow-up. CONCLUSION: Compared to previously published registries from India, the GARFIELD-AF registry describes clinical profiles and outcomes in Indian patients with AF of a different etiology. The registry data show that compared to the rest of the world, Indian AF patients are younger in age and have more diabetes and CAD. Patients with a higher stroke risk are more likely to receive anticoagulation therapy with VKA but are underdosed compared with the global average in the GARFIELD-AF. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION-URL: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT01090362