Copper cable theft: revisiting the price–theft hypothesis

Objectives: To test the commonly espoused but little examined hypothesis that fluctuations in the price of metal are associated with changes in the volume of metal theft. Specifically, we analyze the relationship between the price of copper and the number of police recorded 'live’ copper cable thefts from the British railway network (2006 to 2012)

Pion Production from Baked-Alaska Disoriented Chiral Condensate

We study the various stages of the evolution of chiral condensates disoriented via the ``baked-alaska'' mechanism, in which the condensates are described as the products of external sources localized on the light cone. Our analysis is based on the classical equations of motion of either the linear or the nonlinear sigma model. We use the associated framework of coherent states and, especially, their source functions to make the connection to the distribution functions for the produced particles. We also compare our classical approach with a mean-field calculation which includes a certain class of quantum corrections.Comment: replaced to correct misspelling of author's nam

Supersymmetric Electroweak Corrections to the Higgs Boson Decays into Chargino or Neutralino Pair

We investigate the supersymmetric electroweak corrections to the decay widths of the CP-odd and the heavy CP-even Higgs bosons into chargino or neutralino pair in the framework of the Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model. The corrections involve the contributions of the order $O(\alpha_{ew} m_{t(b)}^3/m_W^3)$, $O(\alpha_{ew} m_{t(b)}^2/m_W^2)$ and $O(\alpha_{ew} m_{t(b)}/m_W)$. The detailed calculations of the electroweak corrections to the following decay processes: $A^0/H^0 \to \tilde{\chi}^+_1 \tilde{\chi}^-_1$ and $A^0/H^0 \to \tilde{\chi}^0_2 \tilde{\chi}^0_2$ are presented in this paper. We find that these relative corrections maybe rather large quantitatively, and can exceed 10% in some regions of parameter space. The corrections to the decay $A^0/H^0 \to \tilde{\chi}^0_1 \tilde{\chi}^0_2$ can be obtained analogously, but our results show that they are very small and can be neglected.Comment: 25 pages, 9 figures,accepted by Physical Review

The SUSY EW-like corrections to top pair production in photon-photon collisions

We studied the one-loop contributions of the gaugino-Higgsino-sector to the process of top-pair production via $\gamma \gamma$ fusion at NLC in frame of the Minimal Supersymmetric Model(MSSM). We find that the corrections to $\gamma \gamma \to t\bar{t}$ and $e^+ e^- \to \gamma \gamma \to t\bar{t}$ are found to be significant and can approach to a few percent and one percent, respectively. Furthermore, the dependences of the corrections on the supersymmetric parameters are also investigated. The corrections are not sensitive to $M_{SU(2)}$ (or $|\mu|$) when $M_{SU(2)}~>>~|\mu|$ (or $|\mu|~>>~M_{SU(2)}$) and are weakly dependent on the $\tan{\beta}$ with $M_Q$ (or $|\mu|$) being large enough. But they are sensitive to the c.m.s. energy of the incoming photons.Comment: LaTex, 33 pages, 8 Eps figuer

Prediction of obstructive sleep apnea:comparative performance of three screening instruments on the apnea-hypopnea index and the oxygen desaturation index

PURPOSE: To evaluate the performance of the NoSAS (neck, obesity, snoring, age, sex) score, the STOP-Bang (snoring, tiredness, observed apneas, blood pressure, body mass index, age, neck circumference, gender) questionnaire, and the Epworth sleepiness score (ESS) as a screening tool for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) severity based on the apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) and the oxygen desaturation index (ODI). METHODS: Data from 235 patients who were monitored by ambulant polysomnography (PSG) were retrospectively analyzed. OSA severity was classified based on the AHI; similar classification categories were made based on the ODI. Discrimination was assessed by the area under the curve (AUC), while predictive parameters were calculated by four-grid contingency tables. RESULTS: The NoSAS score and the STOP-Bang questionnaire were both equally adequate screening tools for the AHI and the ODI with AUC ranging from 0.695 to 0.767 and 0.684 to 0.767, respectively. Both questionnaires perform better when used as a continuous variable. The ESS did not show adequate discrimination for screening for OSA (AUC ranging from 0.450 to 0.525). Male gender, age, and BMI proved to be the strongest individual predictors in this cohort. CONCLUSION: This is the first study to evaluate the predictive performance of three different screening instruments with respect to both the AHI and the ODI. This is important, due to increasing evidence that the ODI may have a higher reproducibility in the clinical setting. The NoSAS score and the STOP-Bang questionnaire proved to be equally adequate to predict OSA severity based on both the AHI and the ODI. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (10.1007/s11325-020-02219-6) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users

Electroweak Corrections to the Charged Higgs Boson Decay into Chargino and Neutralino

The electroweak corrections to the partial widths of the $H^+ \to \tilde{\chi}^+_i \tilde{\chi}_j^0 (i=1,j=1,2)$ decays including one-loop diagrams of the third generation quarks and squarks, are investigated within the Supersymmetric Standard Model. The relative corrections can reach the values about 10%, therefore they should be taken into account for the precise experimental measurement at future colliders.Comment: 21 pages, 6 eps figures, 1 Latex fil

Preliminary sensory and chemical profiling of Cypriot wines made from indigenous grape varieties Xynisteri, Maratheftiko and Giannoudhi and acceptability to Australian consumers

21st GIESCO International Meeting, June 23-28 2019, Thessaloniki, GreeceAim: The aims of this study were to (1) generate sensory and chemical profiles of commercial Cypriot wines made from the white grape Xynisteri and the red grapes Maratheftiko and Giannoudhi and (2) assess the Australian consumers’ response to these wines. Methods and Results: A Rate-All-That-Apply (RATA) method was used for sensory profiling of the wines (n=56 panellists on Xynisteri and n=60 on Maratheftiko and Giannoudhi) and to guide chemical analysis of flavour compounds. Chemical analysis involved quantitative analysis of aroma compounds by gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and non-targeted profiling of phenolic compounds (non-volatile secondary metabolites) using liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (LC-MS). Australian wine consumer’s hedonic responses towards wines made from Cypriot grape varieties were also investigated. Consumers completed a questionnaire exploring their demographics, wine consumption habits, environmental/sustainability opinions and neophobic tendencies prior to the tasting. The first tasting (n consisted of six commercial Xynisteri, one Australian Pinot Gris and one Australian unwooded Chardonnay wines. The second (n=114) consisted of three Maratheftiko, one Giannoudhi and one Australian Shiraz wines. Conclusions: Principal Component Analysis (PCA) of the RATA study identified the following sensory characteristics for Xynisteri wine: stone fruit, dried fruit, citrus, herbaceous, grassy, apple/pear, confectionary, vanilla, creamy, buttery, wood, and toasty. Maratheftiko wines were described as woody, dried fruit, chocolate, herbaceous, confectionary, jammy, sweet and full bodied. Giannoudhi wine was described as woody, dried fruit, chocolate and full bodied. Chemical analysis identified 15 phenolic compounds in the white wine samples and 17 in the red wine samples, as well as 21 volatile/aroma compounds in the white wine samples and 26 in the red wine samples. These chemical compounds were then correlated with sensory data from the RATA and consumer hedonic responses using Agglomerative Hierarchical Clustering (AHC) and PCA to determine consumer liking drivers for the wines. Three clusters of consumers were identified for the white and red wines. The overall consumer means for liking indicated that Cypriot wines were liked similarly to Australian wines. Significance and impact of the study: Australia’s changing climate is placing great pressure on the resources for sustainable viticulture. Many vineyards and wineries base their businesses on European grape varieties traditionally grown in regions with abundant water resources. It is therefore necessary for the Australian wine industry to investigate grape varieties that are indigenous to hot climates similar to Australia. The eastern Mediterranean island of Cyprus is one such place with indigenous grape varieties that grow well in a hot climate without irrigation. These popular Cypriot wines have the potential to be popular with Australian consumers, thus offering new grape varieties to the Australian market that are better suited to the changing climate.Alexander Willem Copper, Trent E. Johnson, Lukas Danner, Susan E.P. Bastian and Cassandra Collin

Hadronic observables from SIS to SPS energies - anything strange with strangeness ?

We calculate $p, \pi^\pm, K^\pm$ and $\Lambda$(+$\Sigma^0$) rapidity distributions and compare to experimental data from SIS to SPS energies within the UrQMD and HSD transport approaches that are both based on string, quark, diquark ($q, \bar{q}, qq, \bar{q}\bar{q}$) and hadronic degrees of freedom. The two transport models do not include any explicit phase transition to a quark-gluon plasma (QGP). It is found that both approaches agree rather well with each other and with the experimental rapidity distributions for protons, $\Lambda$'s, $\pi^\pm$ and $K^\pm$. Inspite of this apparent agreement both transport models fail to reproduce the maximum in the excitation function for the ratio $K^+/\pi^+$ found experimentally between 11 and 40 A$\cdot$GeV. A comparison to the various experimental data shows that this 'failure' is dominantly due to an insufficient description of pion rapidity distributions rather than missing 'strangeness'. The modest differences in the transport model results -- on the other hand -- can be attributed to different implementations of string formation and fragmentation, that are not sufficiently controlled by experimental data for the 'elementary' reactions in vacuum.Comment: 46 pages, including 15 eps figures, to be published in Phys. Rev.

Sedimentary context and palaeoecology of Gigantoproductus shell beds in the Mississippian Eyam Limestone Formation, Derbyshire carbonate platform, central England

A sedimentological study was conducted at two localities exposing the Mississippian Eyam Limestone Formation of the Derbyshire carbonate platform, UK. Ricklow Quarry comprises seven facies with diverse skeletal assemblages, representing deposition on the inner to middle ramp within open marine waters. Once-a-Week Quarry comprises four facies, dominated by crinoidal debris representing deposition on the inner ramp. Both localities expose Gigantoproductus shell beds. Palaeoecological analysis of a single shell bed from each locality enabled investigation of the rapid colonization and success of this taxon on the platform. At Ricklow Quarry, on the eastern side of a localized mud mound, both life (>72% of thin and thick-shelled brachiopods in life position) and neighbourhood assemblages are present. A low-moderate diversity community (<1.37 and <0.8 Shannon diversity index) rapidly established over relict Brigantian mud mounds. Shell beds are preluded by intervals of decreased energy that allowed larvae to settle. Once established, the dominance of thick-shelled individuals enabled baffling, potentially providing localized shelter for larvae and nearby individuals. At Once-a-Week Quarry, where no mud mound is present, only thick-shelled Gigantoproductus species and a low diversity community (<1.07 Shannon diversity index) exclusively comprising neighbourhood assemblages (37% in life position) is present. The presence of inactive mud mounds at Ricklow Quarry appears to have been the key to the success of Gigantoproductus species enabling the onset of stable communities in the shelter provided by the relict mound. Once the first palaeocommunities were established, larvae dispersed and colonized higher energy settings, such as at Once-a-Week Quarry

Photodynamic therapy of early stage oral cavity and oropharynx neoplasms: an outcome analysis of 170 patients

The indications of photodynamic therapy (PDT) of oral cavity and oropharynx neoplasms are not well defined. The main reason is that the success rates are not well established. The current paper analyzes our institutional experience of early stage oral cavity and oropharynx neoplasms (Tis-T2) to identify the success rates for each subgroup according to T stage, primary or non-primary treatment and subsites. In total, 170 patients with 226 lesions are treated with PDT. From these lesions, 95 are primary neoplasms, 131 were non-primaries (recurrences and multiple primaries). The overall response rate is 90.7% with a complete response rate of 70.8%. Subgroup analysis identified oral tongue, floor of mouth sites with more favorable outcome. PDT has more favorable results with certain subsites and with previously untreated lesions. However, PDT can find its place for treating lesions in previously treated areas with acceptable results