A First Experimental Limit on In-matter Torsion from Neutron Spin Rotation in Liquid He-4

We report the first experimental upper bound to our knowledge on possible in-matter torsion interactions of the neutron from a recent search for parity violation in neutron spin rotation in liquid He-4. Our experiment constrains a coefficient $\zeta$ consisting of a linear combination of parameters involving the time components of the torsion fields $T^\mu$ and $A^\mu$ from the nucleons and electrons in helium which violates parity. We report an upper bound of $|\zeta|<9.1x10^{-23}$ GeV at 68% confidence level and indicate other physical processes that could be analyzed to constrain in-matter torsion.Comment: 12 pages, typo correcte

Mixing of 1/2^- Octets under SU(3) Symmetry

We investigate the J^p=1/2^- baryons in the octets based on flavor SU(3) symmetry. Since baryons with same quantum numbers can mix with each other, we consider the mixing between two octets before their mixing with the singlet. Most predicted decay widths are consistent with the experimental data, and meanwhile we predict two possible $\Xi$ mass ranges of the two octets.Comment: 8 latex page

Notch effects in tensile behavior of AM60 magnesium alloys

The deformation and failure behavior of an AM60 magnesium alloy was investigated using tensile test on circumferentially notched specimens with different notch radii. The strain and stress triaxiality corresponding to the failure point were evaluated using both analytical and finite element analyses. Combining with systematical observations of the fracture surfaces, it is concluded that deformation and failure of AM60 magnesium alloy are notch (constraint) sensitive. The failure mechanisms change from ductile tearing to quasi cleavage with the increase of constraint

The Impact of the 2006 Massachusetts Healthcare Reform on Spine Surgery Patient Payer-Mix and Age

OBJECTIVE Several similarities exist between the Massachusetts health care reform law of 2006 and the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The authors’ prior neurosurgical research showed a decrease in uninsured surgeries without a significant change in surgical volume after the Massachusetts reform. An analysis of the payer-mix status and the age of spine surgery patients, before and after the policy, should provide insight into the future impact of the ACA on spine surgery in the US. METHODS Using the Massachusetts State Inpatient Database and spine ICD-9-CM procedure codes, the authors obtained demographic information on patients undergoing spine surgery between 2001 and 2012. Payer-mix status was assigned as Medicare, Medicaid, private insurance, uninsured, or other, which included government-funded programs and workers’ compensation. A comparison of the payer-mix status and patient age, both before and after the policy, was performed. The New York State data were used as a control. RESULTS The authors analyzed 81,821 spine surgeries performed in Massachusetts and 248,757 in New York. After 2008, there was a decrease in uninsured and private insurance spine surgeries, with a subsequent increase in the Medicare and “other” categories for Massachusetts. Medicaid case numbers did not change. This correlated to an increase in surgeries performed in the age group of patients 65–84 years old, with a decrease in surgeries for those 18–44 years old. New York showed an increase in all insurance categories and all adult age groups. CONCLUSIONS After the Massachusetts reform, spine surgery decreased in private insurance and uninsured categories, with the majority of these surgeries transitioning to Medicare. Moreover, individuals who were younger than 65 years did not show an increase in spine surgeries, despite having greater access to health insurance. In a health care system that requires insurance, the decrease in private insurance is primarily due to an increasing elderly population. The Massachusetts model continues to show that this type of policy is not causing extreme shifts in the payer mix, and suggests that spine surgery will continue to thrive in the current US health care system

A More Precise Extraction of |V_{cb}| in HQEFT of QCD

The more precise extraction for the CKM matrix element |V_{cb}| in the heavy quark effective field theory (HQEFT) of QCD is studied from both exclusive and inclusive semileptonic B decays. The values of relevant nonperturbative parameters up to order 1/m^2_Q are estimated consistently in HQEFT of QCD. Using the most recent experimental data for B decay rates, |V_{cb}| is updated to be |V_{cb}| = 0.0395 \pm 0.0011_{exp} \pm 0.0019_{th} from B\to D^{\ast} l \nu decay and |V_{cb}| = 0.0434 \pm 0.0041_{exp} \pm 0.0020_{th} from B\to D l \nu decay as well as |V_{cb}| = 0.0394 \pm 0.0010_{exp} \pm 0.0014_{th} from inclusive B\to X_c l \nu decay.Comment: 7 pages, revtex, 4 figure