Analyticity and the NcN_c counting rule of SS matrix poles

By studying $\pi\pi$ scattering amplitudes in the large $N_c$ limit, we clarify the $N_c$ dependence of the $S$ matrix pole position. It is demonstrated that analyticity and the $N_c$ counting rule exclude the existence of $S$ matrix poles with ${\cal M}, \Gamma\sim O(1)$. Especially the properties of $\sigma$ and $f_0(980)$ with respect to the $1/N_c$ expansion are discussed. We point out that in general tetra-quark resonances do not exist.Comment: This paper replaces hep-ph/0412175. The latter is withdraw

Parent-of-origin-specific allelic associations among 106 genomic loci for age at menarche.

Age at menarche is a marker of timing of puberty in females. It varies widely between individuals, is a heritable trait and is associated with risks for obesity, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, breast cancer and all-cause mortality. Studies of rare human disorders of puberty and animal models point to a complex hypothalamic-pituitary-hormonal regulation, but the mechanisms that determine pubertal timing and underlie its links to disease risk remain unclear. Here, using genome-wide and custom-genotyping arrays in up to 182,416 women of European descent from 57 studies, we found robust evidence (P < 5 × 10(-8)) for 123 signals at 106 genomic loci associated with age at menarche. Many loci were associated with other pubertal traits in both sexes, and there was substantial overlap with genes implicated in body mass index and various diseases, including rare disorders of puberty. Menarche signals were enriched in imprinted regions, with three loci (DLK1-WDR25, MKRN3-MAGEL2 and KCNK9) demonstrating parent-of-origin-specific associations concordant with known parental expression patterns. Pathway analyses implicated nuclear hormone receptors, particularly retinoic acid and γ-aminobutyric acid-B2 receptor signalling, among novel mechanisms that regulate pubertal timing in humans. Our findings suggest a genetic architecture involving at least hundreds of common variants in the coordinated timing of the pubertal transition

Suspension High Velocity Oxy-Fuel (SHVOF)-sprayed alumina coatings: microstructure, nanoindentation and wear

Suspension High Velocity Oxy Fuel Spraying (SHVOF) can be used to produce thermally sprayed coatings from powdered feedstocks too small to be processed by mechanical feeders, allowing formation of nanostructured coatings with improved density and mechanical properties. Here, alumina coatings were produced from sub-micron sized feedstock in aqueous suspension, using two flame combustion parameters yielding contrasting microstructures. Both coatings were tested in dry sliding wear conditions with an alumina counterbody. The coating processed with high combustion power of 101 kW contained 74 wt% amorphous phase and 26 wt% crystalline phase (95 wt% gamma and 3 wt% alpha alumina) while the 72 kW coating contained lower 58 wt% amorphous phase and 42 wt% crystalline phases (73 wt% was alpha and 26 wt % gamma). The 101 kW coating had a dry sliding specific wear rate between 4-4.5 x 10-5 mm3/Nm, 2 orders of magnitude higher than the 72 kW coating wear rate of 2-4.2 x 10-7 mm3/Nm. A severe wear regime dominated by brittle fracture and grain pull out of the coating was responsible for the wear of the 101 kW coating, explained by mean fracture toughness three times lower than the 72 kW coating, owing to the almost complete absence of alpha alumina

Effervescent Water Coagulant from Citrofortunella Microcarpa Scraps for Water Treatment

As the Philippines experiences increasing alerts in water pollution, this study aims to create a Calamansi-based effervescent water coagulant to increase the accessibility of purified water to Filipinos. The study makes use of Citrofortunella microcarpa (Calamansi), a small citrus fruit abundant in the Philippines. Calamansi has a big contribution in the production of agricultural waste as the fruit is mainly utilized for its pulp; therefore, the researchers focused on the usage of Calamansi’s peels and seeds, given their ability to absorb minute particles and to kill bacteria. Disposed Calamansi scraps were powderized and mixed with other components to form an eco-friendly effervescent water coagulant. The researchers assessed the efficacy of the Calamansi coagulant by comparing it to Ferric chloride (FeCl3), an existing chemical water coagulant, and testing ten trials of each sample in a contaminated soil-water mixture. The group’s findings suggest that the effervescent Calamansi coagulant presented a higher efficacy in water treatment than FeCl3, with its pH, electrical conductivity (EC), total dissolved solids (TDS), and salinity readings all within the standard range. The Calamansi coagulant accumulated more residue than the FeCl3 sample. The study demonstrates that Calamansi seed and peel waste offer a great alternative to chemical-based coagulants in water treatment

Constraints on the χ_(c1) versus χ_(c2) polarizations in proton-proton collisions at √s = 8 TeV

The polarizations of promptly produced χ_(c1) and χ_(c2) mesons are studied using data collected by the CMS experiment at the LHC, in proton-proton collisions at √s=8  TeV. The χ_c states are reconstructed via their radiative decays χ_c → J/ψγ, with the photons being measured through conversions to e⁺e⁻, which allows the two states to be well resolved. The polarizations are measured in the helicity frame, through the analysis of the χ_(c2) to χ_(c1) yield ratio as a function of the polar or azimuthal angle of the positive muon emitted in the J/ψ → μ⁺μ⁻ decay, in three bins of J/ψ transverse momentum. While no differences are seen between the two states in terms of azimuthal decay angle distributions, they are observed to have significantly different polar anisotropies. The measurement favors a scenario where at least one of the two states is strongly polarized along the helicity quantization axis, in agreement with nonrelativistic quantum chromodynamics predictions. This is the first measurement of significantly polarized quarkonia produced at high transverse momentum

HPV16 oncogene expression levels during early cervical carcinogenesis are determined by the balance of epigenetic chromatin modifications at the integrated virus genome.

In cervical squamous cell carcinomas, high-risk human papillomavirus (HRHPV) DNA is usually integrated into host chromosomes. Multiple integration events are thought to be present within the cells of a polyclonal premalignant lesion and the features that underpin clonal selection of one particular integrant remain poorly understood. We previously used the W12 model system to generate a panel of cervical keratinocyte clones, derived from cells of a low-grade premalignant lesion naturally infected with the major HRHPV type, HPV16. The cells were isolated regardless of their selective advantage and differed only by the site of HPV16 integration into the host genome. We used this resource to test the hypothesis that levels of HPV16 E6/E7 oncogene expression in premalignant cells are regulated epigenetically. We performed a comprehensive analysis of the epigenetic landscape of the integrated HPV16 DNA in selected clones, in which levels of virus oncogene expression per DNA template varied ~6.6-fold. Across the cells examined, higher levels of virus expression per template were associated with more open chromatin at the HPV16 long control region, together with greater loading of chromatin remodelling enzymes and lower nucleosome occupancy. There were higher levels of histone post-translational modification hallmarks of transcriptionally active chromatin and lower levels of repressive hallmarks. There was greater abundance of the active/elongating form of the RNA polymerase-II enzyme (RNAPII-Ser2P), together with CDK9, the component of positive transcription elongation factor b complex responsible for Ser2 phosphorylation. The changes observed were functionally significant, as cells with higher HPV16 expression per template showed greater sensitivity to depletion and/or inhibition of histone acetyltransferases and CDK9 and less sensitivity to histone deacetylase inhibition. We conclude that virus gene expression per template following HPV16 integration is determined through multiple layers of epigenetic regulation, which are likely to contribute to selection of individual cells during cervical carcinogenesis.This work was supported by Cancer Research UK (Programme Grant A13080); the Medical Research Council; The Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland (E.L.A.K.); and the Agency for Science, Technology and Research, Singapore (Q.Y.A).This is the final version of the article. It first appeared from Nature Publishing Group via http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/onc.2016.

Business ethics and finance in Greater China:Synthesis and future directions in sustainability, CSR, and fraud

Following the financial crisis and recent recession, the center of gravity of global economic growth and competitiveness is shifting toward emerging economies. As a leading and increasingly influential emerging economy, China is currently attracting the attention of academics, practitioners, and policy makers. There is a rise of research interest in and publications on issues relating to China within high-quality international academic journals. We therefore organized a special issue conference in conjunction with the Journal of Business Ethics (JBE) in Lhasa, Tibet, on May 19-20, 2014, on the topic of Business Ethics in Greater China: Past, Present and Future. The papers for the special issue were at the intersection of ethics and finance, and fit within one of three themes: environment and sustainability, corporate social responsibility, and fraud. Within these themes, issues of intellectual capital protection, gender equality, political connections, regional development, investor protection, corporate stewardship, trust and corruption, and corporate transparency each play a significant role. In this paper, we survey these studies and the related literature to provide a comprehensive coverage of business ethics and finance issues that affect China

Further remarks on ππ\pi\pi scattering dispersion relations

The naive use of higher order perturbation theory leads the left--hand cut integrals in $\pi\pi$ dispersion relations~\cite{hjy,Xiao01} divergent. This problem is discussed and solved. Also we point out that the Adler zero condition imposes three constraints on the dispersion relations. The $\sigma$ pole position is determined using the improved method, $M_\sigma= 483\pm 13 {\rm MeV}$,$\Gamma_\sigma= 705 \pm 50{\rm MeV}$. The scattering length parameter is found to be in excellent agreement with the experimental result.Comment: replace with revised version to appear in Chinese Physics Letters. Numerical calculation improved. $M_\sigma\simeq 483 {\rm MeV}$,$\Gamma_\sigma\simeq 705 {\rm MeV}

Hospital Outcomes of Spontaneous Coronary Artery Dissection With Concurrent Ventricular Arrhythmias

Background While patients with spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD) occasionally present with concurrent ventricular arrhythmias (VA), the impact of VA on in-hospital outcomes in the United States (US) is not well-established. This study aims to analyze in-hospital outcomes of patients with SCAD and concurrent VA and to determine the factors associated with VA occurrence in this high-risk population in the US. Methods Using the Nationwide Readmissions Database, our study included patients age 18 years or older who had SCAD between 2017 and 2020. We categorized the cohort into 2 groups depending on the presence of VA during hospitalization. In-hospital outcomes were assessed between SCAD patients with VA and those without. Weighted analysis was performed. We analyzed the independent factors associated with VA occurring among SCAD patients through univariable and multivariable analyses. Results Eight hundred seventy-seven SCAD patients were included in the study: 118 (13.5%) with VA and 759 (86.6%) without. SCAD patients with concurrent VA were associated with higher rates of early mortality (10.2% vs 2.0%; P \u3c .01), prolonged index hospital stay (≥7 days) (33.1% vs 11.7%; P \u3c .01), and non-home discharge (21.2% vs 5.9%; P \u3c .01). The length of hospital stay was longer in the SCAD with concurrent VA group (7.39 days vs 3.58 days; P \u3c .01), and the median cumulative cost of hospitalization was also higher in this group ($31,451 vs$13,802; P \u3c .01). SCAD patients with concurrent VA had increased in-hospital adverse events: acute heart failure, cardiac arrest, cardiogenic shock, cerebral infarction, pulmonary edema, and acute kidney injury. In multivariable analysis, the independent factors associated with VA occurrence among SCAD patients were chronic liver disease (aOR, 3.42; 95% CI, 1.43-8.20; P \u3c .01) and heart failure (aOR, 5.63; 95% CI, 3.36-9.42; P \u3c .01). Conclusions Concurrence of VA among SCAD patients was associated with poorer in-hospital outcomes. Heart failure and chronic liver disease were the independent factors associated with VA occurrence in SCAD patients

Erratum to: 36th International Symposium on Intensive Care and Emergency Medicine

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1186/s13054-016-1208-6.]