B-L assisted Anomaly Mediation and the radiative B-L symmetry breaking

Anomaly mediated supersymmetry breaking implemented in the minimal supersymmetric standard model (MSSM) is known to suffer from the tachyonic slepton problem leading to breakdown of electric charge conservation. We show however that when MSSM is extended to explain small neutrino masses by gauging the B-L symmetry, the slepton masses can be positive due to the Z' mediation contributions. We obtain various soft supersymmetry breaking mass spectra, which are different from those obtained in the conventional anomaly mediation scenario. Then there would be a distinct signature of this scenario at the LHC.Comment: 20 pages, 7 figures; version to appear in Phys. Lett.

Early-phase changes of extravascular lung water index as a prognostic indicator in acute respiratory distress syndrome patients

Background: The features of early-phase acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) are leakage of fluid into the extravascular space and impairment of its reabsorption, resulting in extravascular lung water (EVLW) accumulation. The current study aimed to identify how the initial EVLW values and their change were associated with mortality. Methods: This was a post hoc analysis of the PiCCO Pulmonary Edema Study, a multicenter prospective cohort study that included 23 institutions. Single-indicator transpulmonary thermodilution-derived EVLW index (EVLWi) and conventional prognostic factors were prospectively collected over 48 h after enrollment. Associations between 28-day mortality and each variable including initial (on day 0), mean, maximum, and Δ (subtracting day 2 from day 0) EVLWi were evaluated. Results: We evaluated 192 ARDS patients (median age, 69 years (quartile, 24 years); Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score on admission, 10 (5); all-cause 28-day mortality, 31%). Although no significant differences were found in initial, mean, or maximum EVLWi, Δ-EVLWi was significantly higher (i.e., more reduction in EVLWi) in survivors than in non-survivors (3.0 vs. ?0.3 mL/kg, p = 0.006). Age, maximum, and Δ-SOFA scores and Δ-EVLW were the independent predictors for survival according to the Cox proportional hazard model. Patients with Δ-EVLWi > 2.8 had a significantly higher incidence of survival than those with Δ-EVLWi ? 2.8 (log-rank test, χ2 = 7.08, p = 0.008). Conclusions: Decrease in EVLWi during the first 48 h of ARDS may be associated with 28-day survival. Serial EVLWi measurements may be useful for understanding the pathophysiologic conditions in ARDS patients. A large multination confirmative trial is required

HPV カンセン ジョウキョウ ト シキュウ ケイガン ケンシン ニオケル サイボウ シン ト HPV ケンサ ヘイヨウ ノ イギ

Human papillomavirus (HPV) 中高リスク型の感染が,子宮頸部の前癌病変や子宮頸癌の発症に関与していることが明らかにされた.HPV 感染の一部は持続感染し,子宮頸癌のリスクとなる.そこでHPV 感染状況と子宮頸癌検診における細胞診とHPV 検査併用の意義について検討した.対象は3 年以上経過観察可能であった細胞診正常81 例と細胞診異常で組織診を施行した80 例である.HPV 検出にはHybrid Capture AssayII®( HC-II®) 法を用いた.細胞診正常11 例,細胞診異常61 例でHPV が検出され,細胞診異常の程度が進むほどHPV 検出率は上昇した.組織診でも病変が進行するほどHPV 検出率は高くなった.細胞診正常ではHPV陽性持続で病変の進行を認めた.組織診別では,慢性子宮頸管炎(Chronic Cervicitis:CC) ではHPV 陽性持続1 例と陽性化1 例に,子宮頸部上皮内病変(Cervical Intraepithelial Neoplasia:CIN) IではHPV 陽性持続2 例に,CIN IIでは陽性持続3 例と陽性化した1 例に,CIN IIIでは陽性持続2 例に病変の進行が認められた.HPV 感染が認められなかった例では病変の進行を認めない結果から,細胞診とHPV 検査を併用することにより,細胞診正常でHPV 検査陰性であれば検診間隔を3 年に延ばすことが可能であると示唆された.またHPV持続感染が病変進行の原因となると考えられ,HPV 検査の導入は子宮頸癌の早期発見,早期治療に有用である.Persistent infection with intermediate or high risk subtypesof human papillomavirus (HPV) is associated withuterine cervical neoplasia and cervical cancer. Over a3-year period, we followed up 161 patients with normal( 81cases) and abnormal (80 cases) results of cytologicalscreening tests to determine the status of persistent HPVinfection and the significance of combined uterine cervicalcancer cytological screenings and HPV tests. The hybridcapture assay II® method was used to test for intermediateor high risk of HPV infection. HPV infection was detectedin 11 patients with normal results and 61 patients with abnormalresults of cytological screening tests. The positiverate of HPV infection was associated with the status of cytologicaland pathological lesion progression. Lesions of 2patients with persistent HPV infection who had normal resultsin cytological screening tests had been diagnosed withprogressive lesions. Lesions of patients in whom HPV infectionwas negative or negative conversion were determinedto be non-progressive. Disease progression was seen in theform of chronic cervicitis in 1 patient with persistent HPVinfection and 1 patient with HPV positive conversion;inthe form of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) I in 2patients with persistent HPV infection;in the form of CINII in 3 patients with persistent HPV infection and 1 patientwith HPV positive conversion;and in the form of CIN IIIin 2 patients with persistent HPV infection. In conclusion,combined cytological screening and HPV tests will increasethe precision of uterine cervical cancer screening and willbe valuable for the early detection and a rapid treatment ofuterine cervical cancer. Moreover, the interval between 2consecutive uterine cervical cancer screenings can be extendedto at least 3 years in patients who have normal resultsof cytology and no HPV infection

Eutectic solidification mode of spheroidal graphite cast iron and graphitization

The shrinkage and chilling tendency of spheroidal graphite (abbreviated SG) cast iron is much greater than that of the flake graphite cast iron in spite of its higher amount of C and Si contents. Why? The main reason should be the difference in their graphitization during the eutectic solidification. In this paper, we discuss the difference in the solidification mechanism of both cast irons for solving these problems using unidirectional solidification and the cooling curves of the spheroidal graphite cast iron. The eutectic solidification rate of the SG cast iron is controlled by the diffusion of carbon through the austenite shell, and the final thickness is 1.4 times the radius of the SG, therefore, the reduction of the SG size, namely, the increase in the number, is the main solution of these problems

Influence of Si, Ce, Sb and Sn on chunky graphite formation

The thirteen mother alloys, C%+1/3Si% = 4.45%, differing in their Si, Ce, Sb and Sn contents, were prepared. Seventy grams of these alloys was remelted in a high purity alumina crucible at 1,450℃ under an Ar atmosphere, and then cooled at 30 K/min for obtaining their cooling curves. Their graphite morphologies were observed using an optical microscope and an SEM. Their three-dimensional graphite shapes were observed by the SEM using the samples whose matrices were etched off with an acid-aqua solution, to confirm the chunky graphite. For discussing the influence of the Si and Ce contents on the chunky graphite formation, two experiments were carried out. In the first one, the Si contents were changed from 0 to 4% in the 0.15%Ce alloys, and for the second one, the 3.5%Si and 4%Si samples that differed in the Ce contents of 0.1 and 0.2% were used. In the third experiment, the influence of Sb and Sn on the chunky graphite formation was investigated by using the 4%Si and 0.1%Ce samples. The results showed that with the increase of the Si content, the volume fraction of the chunky graphite increases, while the volume fraction of the ledeburite decreases, and the chunky graphite volume fraction in the 0.2%Ce samples is higher than that of the 0.1%Ce samples. The effect of the Sb and Sn additions on the prevention of chunky graphite formation cannot be confirmed due to their high Si contents. Therefore, further studies will be needed in this field

Bayesian calibration of simultaneity in audiovisual temporal order judgments

After repeated exposures to two successive audiovisual stimuli presented in one frequent order, participants eventually perceive a pair separated by some lag time in the same order as occurring simultaneously (lag adaptation). In contrast, we previously found that perceptual changes occurred in the opposite direction in response to tactile stimuli, conforming to bayesian integration theory (bayesian calibration). We further showed, in theory, that the effect of bayesian calibration cannot be observed when the lag adaptation was fully operational. This led to the hypothesis that bayesian calibration affects judgments regarding the order of audiovisual stimuli, but that this effect is concealed behind the lag adaptation mechanism. In the present study, we showed that lag adaptation is pitch-insensitive using two sounds at 1046 and 1480 Hz. This enabled us to cancel lag adaptation by associating one pitch with sound-first stimuli and the other with light-first stimuli. When we presented each type of stimulus (high- or low-tone) in a different block, the point of simultaneity shifted to "sound-first" for the pitch associated with sound-first stimuli, and to "light-first" for the pitch associated with light-first stimuli. These results are consistent with lag adaptation. In contrast, when we delivered each type of stimulus in a randomized order, the point of simultaneity shifted to "light-first" for the pitch associated with sound-first stimuli, and to "sound-first" for the pitch associated with light-first stimuli. The results clearly show that bayesian calibration is pitch-specific and is at work behind pitch-insensitive lag adaptation during temporal order judgment of audiovisual stimuli