Pair Production of Fourth Family Charged Sleptons at e+e−e^{+}e^{-} Colliders

We study the pair production of $\tilde{l}_{4}$, which is the supersymmetric partner of the fourth family charged lepton, at the $e^{+}e^{-}$ colliders. It is shown that the investigation of this process at ILC/CLIC will give opportunity to differentiate the MSSM with three and four families.Comment: 6 pages, 2 figure

An analog of glibenclamide selectively enhances autophagic degradation of misfolded α1-antitrypsin Z

The classical form of α1-antitrypsin deficiency (ATD) is characterized by intracellular accumulation of the misfolded variant α1-antitrypsin Z (ATZ) and severe liver disease in some of the affected individuals. In this study, we investigated the possibility of discovering novel therapeutic agents that would reduce ATZ accumulation by interrogating a C. elegans model of ATD with high-content genome-wide RNAi screening and computational systems pharmacology strategies. The RNAi screening was utilized to identify genes that modify the intracellular accumulation of ATZ and a novel computational pipeline was developed to make high confidence predictions on repurposable drugs. This approach identified glibenclamide (GLB), a sulfonylurea drug that has been used broadly in clinical medicine as an oral hypoglycemic agent. Here we show that GLB promotes autophagic degradation of misfolded ATZ in mammalian cell line models of ATD. Furthermore, an analog of GLB reduces hepatic ATZ accumulation and hepatic fibrosis in a mouse model in vivo without affecting blood glucose or insulin levels. These results provide support for a drug discovery strategy using simple organisms as human disease models combined with genetic and computational screening methods. They also show that GLB and/or at least one of its analogs can be immediately tested to arrest the progression of human ATD liver disease.</div

A full custom front-end ASIC prototype "CMAD" for COMPASS-RICH-1 particle detector system

An 8 channel, full-custom ASIC prototype, named "CMAD", designed for the readout of the RICH-I detector system of the COMPASS experiment at CERN is presented. The task of the chip is amplifying the signals coming from fast multianode photomultipliers and comparing them against a threshold adjustable on-chip on a channel by channel basis. CMAD, developed using a 350 nm commercial CMOS technology, occupies an area of 4.7 x 3.2 mm2 and consumes 26 mW/Ch power from a 3.3 V single source

The GBT Project

The GigaBit Transceiver (GBT) architecture and transmission protocol has been proposed for data transmission in the physics experiments of the future upgrade of the LHC accelerator, the SLHC. Due to the high beam luminosity planned for the SLHC, the experiments will require high data rate links and electronic components capable of sustaining high radiation doses. The GBT ASICs address this issue implementing a radiation-hard bi-directional 4.8 Gb/s optical fibre link between the counting room and the experiments. The paper describes in detail the GBT-SERDES architecture and presents an overview of the various components that constitute the GBT chipset

Effect of pathologic fractures on survival in multiple myeloma patients: a case control study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Multiple Myeloma (MM) is a B cell neoplasm characterized by the clonal proliferation of plasma cells. Skeletal complications are found in up to 80% of myeloma patients at presentation and are major cause of morbidity.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>49 patients were enrolled with MM admitted to Black Sea Technical University Hospital between 2002–2005. Pathologic fractures (PFs) were determined and the patients with or without PF were followed up minumum 3 years for survival analysis.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>PF was observed in 24 patients (49%) and not observed in 25 patients (51%). The risk of death was increased in the patients with PF compared with patients who had no fractures. While overall survival was 17.6 months in the patients with PFs, it was 57.3 months in the patients with no PFs.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>These findings suggest that PFs may induce reduced survival and increased mortality in the MM patients, however, larger sample size is essential to draw clearer conclusions added to these data.</p

Giant cervicothoracic extradural arachnoid cyst: case report

The pathogenesis, etiology, and treatment of the spinal arachnoid cyst have not been well established because of its rarity. A 57-year-old male was presented with spastic quadriparesis predominantly on the left side. His radiological examination showed widening of the cervical spinal canal and left neural foramina due to a cerebrospinal fluid - filled extradural cyst that extended from C2 to T2 level. The cyst was located left anterolaterally, compressing the spinal cord. Through a C4–T2 laminotomy, the cyst was excised totally and the dural defect was repaired. Several features of the reported case, such as cyst size, location, and clinical features make it extremely unusual. The case is discussed in light of the relevant literature

Tetralogy of Fallot

Tetralogy of Fallot is a congenital cardiac malformation that consists of an interventricular communication, also known as a ventricular septal defect, obstruction of the right ventricular outflow tract, override of the ventricular septum by the aortic root, and right ventricular hypertrophy

Closing in on a perturbative fourth generation

A perturbative new family of fermions is now severely constrained, though not excluded yet. We reconsider the current bounds (i.e., direct and from Higgs searches, R_b, oblique parameters) on the fourth generation parameter space assuming the case of a small CKM mixing with the third generation. We identify viable scenarios featuring either a light or a heavy Higgs boson. A set of representative benchmark points targeted for LHC searches is proposed with a normal (inverted) quark mass hierarchy where t' -> b'W (b' -> tW) decays are sizable. In the case where the fourth generation couplings to the lighter quark families are small, we suggest that search strategies at the LHC should include both pair (strong) and single (weak) production with bb+nW (n=2,...,6) final state signatures.Comment: 23 pages, 6 figures, v2: some issues clarified and references added. To appear in JHE