Comparison of structured observation and pictorial 24 h recall of household activities to measure the prevalence of handwashing with soap in the community.

This study compared structured observation with a 24 h pictorial recall of household activities ('sticker diary') to measure the prevalence of handwashing with soap (HWWS) in the community. The study was done within a cluster-randomised trial evaluating a handwashing promotion programme in Bihar, India. HWWS at key occasions in mothers and school children was measured by structured observation in 299 households from 32 villages. Sticker diaries recalling common activities, including personal hygiene, were used to measure HWWS in 299 households from a further 20 villages. Sticker diary HWWS prevalence estimates were about 13% points higher than structured observation estimates, but the differences varied by the type of handwashing occasion. This study confirms structured observation as the method of choice for the study of handwashing behaviours. The sticker diary method may be useful in large-scale surveys. Sticker diaries may overestimate HWWS at important occasions, but probably less so than conventional questionnaire tools

Unitarity boomerangs of quark and lepton mixing matrices

The most popular way to present mixing matrices of quarks (CKM) and leptons (PMNS) is the parametrization with three mixing angles and one CP-violating phase. There are two major options in this kind of parametrizations, one is the original Kobayashi-Maskawa (KM) matrix, and the other is the Chau-Keung (CK) matrix. In a new proposal by Frampton and He, a unitarity boomerang is introduced to combine two unitarity triangles, and this new presentation displays all four independent parameters of the KM parametrization in the quark sector simultaneously. In this paper, we study the relations between KM and CK parametrizations, and also consider the quark-lepton complementarity (QLC) in the KM parametrization. The unitarity boomerang is discussed in the situation of the CK parametrization for comparison with that in the KM parametrization in the quark sector. Then we extend the idea of unitarity boomerang to the lepton sector, and check the corresponding unitarity boomerangs in the two cases of parametrizations.Comment: 18 latex pages, 4 figures. Version accepted for publication in PL

An attractor for dark matter structures

Cosmological simulations of dark matter structures have identified a set of universal profiles, and similar characteristics have been seen in non-cosmological simulations. It has therefore been speculated whether these profiles of collisionless systems relate to accretion and merger history, or if there is an attractor for the dark matter systems. Here we identify such a 1-dimensional attractor in the 3-dimensional space spanned by the 2 radial slopes of the density and velocity dispersion, and the velocity anisotropy. This attractor effectively removes one degree of freedom from the Jeans equation. It also allows us to speculate on a new fluid interpretation for the Jeans equation, with an effective polytropic index for the dark matter particles between 1/2 and 3/4. If this attractor solution holds for other collisionless structures, then it may hold the key to break the mass-anisotropy degeneracy, which presently prevents us from measuring the mass profiles in dwarf galaxies uniquely.Comment: 7 pages, 2 figures, comments welcom

CP Test in the W Pair Production via Photon Fusion at NLC

We study the possibility to test CP invariance in the $W^+W^-$ production via photon fusion at NLC. The predictions of the CP violation effects are made within two Higgs doublet extensions of the minimal standard model, where CP violation is introduced by a neutral Higgs exchange in s channel in our case. The width effect in the Higgs propagator on the CP violation effects is studied in detail. The CP violation effects can be measured in some parameter region of the extensions.Comment: 11 pages, Tex, UM-P-93/16, OZ-93/6 One figure not include

Comment on Reparametrization Invariance of Quark-Lepton Complementarity

We study the complementarity between quark and lepton mixing angles (QLC), the sum of an angle in quark mixing and the corresponding angle in lepton mixing is $\pi/4$. Experimentally in the standard PDG parametrization, two such relations exist approximately. These QLC relations are accidental which only manifest themselves in the PDG parametrization. We propose reparametrization invariant expressions for the complementarity relations in terms of the magnitude of the elements in the quark and lepton mixing matrices. In the exact QLC limit, it is found that $|V_{us}/V_{ud}| + |V_{e2}/V_{e1}| + |V_{us}/V_{ud}| |V_{e2}/V_{e1}| =1$ and $|V_{cb}/V_{tb}| + |V_{\mu 3}/V_{\tau 3}| +|V_{cb}/V_{tb}|| {V_{\mu 3}}/V_{\tau 3}| =1$. Expressions with deviations from exact complementarity are obtained. Implications of these relations are also discussed.Comment: 5 pages and 1 figure. Implications for recent Daya-Bay neutrino data on theta_{13} discusse

Influencing the conductance in biphenyl-like molecular junctions with THz radiation

We investigate the torsional vibrations in biphenyl-like molecular junctions and transport properties in the presence of an external THz field. Ab-initio calculations including external electric fields show that the torsional angle {\phi} of a thiolated biphenyl junction exhibits virtually no response. However, if functional groups are added to the molecule, creating a dipole moment in each of the rings, an external field becomes more effective for changing {\phi}. A model based on the cos2{\phi} dependence of the current is proposed for the biphenyl-like molecular junctions in presence of an external THz field including 2,2'-bipyridine, 3,3'-bipyridine and 2,2',4,4'- tetramethyl-3,3'-bipyridine. The current through these molecules is shown to change if the THz frequency gets in resonance to the torsional vibration mode.Comment: 9 pages, 10 figures, submitted to PSS

Altered hippocampal function in major depression despite intact structure and resting perfusion

Background: Hippocampal volume reductions in major depression have been frequently reported. However, evidence for functional abnormalities in the same region in depression has been less clear. We investigated hippocampal function in depression using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and neuropsychological tasks tapping spatial memory function, with complementing measures of hippocampal volume and resting blood flow to aid interpretation. Method: A total of 20 patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) and a matched group of 20 healthy individuals participated. Participants underwent multimodal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI): fMRI during a spatial memory task, and structural MRI and resting blood flow measurements of the hippocampal region using arterial spin labelling. An offline battery of neuropsychological tests, including several measures of spatial memory, was also completed. Results: The fMRI analysis showed significant group differences in bilateral anterior regions of the hippocampus. While control participants showed task-dependent differences in blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) signal, depressed patients did not. No group differences were detected with regard to hippocampal volume or resting blood flow. Patients showed reduced performance in several offline neuropsychological measures. All group differences were independent of differences in hippocampal volume and hippocampal blood flow. Conclusions: Functional abnormalities of the hippocampus can be observed in patients with MDD even when the volume and resting perfusion in the same region appear normal. This suggests that changes in hippocampal function can be observed independently of structural abnormalities of the hippocampus in depression

A Molecular Line Survey of the Highly Evolved Carbon Star CIT 6

We present a spectral line survey of the C-rich envelope CIT 6 in the 2mm and 1.3mm bands carried out with the Arizona Radio Observatory (ARO) 12m telescope and the Heinrich Hertz Submillimeter Telescope (SMT). The observations cover the frequency ranges of 131--160 GHz, 219--244 GHz, and 252--268 GHz with typical sensitivity limit of T_R<10 mK. A total of 74 individual emission features are detected, of which 69 are identified to arise from 21 molecular species and isotopologues, with 5 faint lines remaining unidentified. Two new molecules (C4H and CH3CN) and seven new isotopologues (C17O, 29SiC2, 29SiO, 30SiO, 13CS, C33S, and CS) are detected in this object for the first time. The column densities, excitation temperatures, and fractional abundances of the detected molecules are determined using rotation diagram analysis. Comparison of the spectra of CIT 6 to that of IRC+10216 suggests that the spectral properties of CIT 6 are generally consistent with those of IRC+10216. For most of the molecular species, the intensity ratios of the lines detected in the two objects are in good agreement with each other. Nevertheless, there is evidence suggesting enhanced emission from CN and HC3N and depleted emission from HCN, SiS, and C4H in CIT 6. Based on their far-IR spectra, we find that CIT 6 probably has a lower dust-to-molecular gas ratio than IRC+10216. To investigate the chemical evolution of evolved stars, we compare the molecular abundances in the AGB envelopes CIT 6 and IRC+10216 and those in the bright proto-planetary nebula CRL 618. The implication on the circumstellar chemistry is discussed.Comment: 39 pages, 9 figures, accepted for publication in Ap

Constraints on CP violation in the Higgs sector from the ρ\rho parameter

We discuss the relation between the CP symmetry and the custodial $SU(2)$ symmetry in the Higgs sector. In particular, we show that CP violation in the Higgs-gauge sector is allowed only if the custodial $SU(2)$ symmetry is broken. We exploit these facts to constrain CP violation using the experimental bounds on $\rho-1$. CP nonconservation in the Higgs-fermion interactions can also be constrained in a similar way although a possible exception is pointed out.Comment: 19 pages, 2 figures (not included), SLAC-PUB-619