381 research outputs found
The Universal Real Projective Plane: LHC phenomenology at one Loop
The Real Projective Plane is the lowest dimensional orbifold which, when
combined with the usual Minkowski space-time, gives rise to a unique model in
six flat dimensions possessing an exact Kaluza Klein (KK) parity as a relic
symmetry of the broken six dimensional Lorentz group. As a consequence of this
property, any model formulated on this background will include a stable Dark
Matter candidate. Loop corrections play a crucial role because they remove mass
degeneracy in the tiers of KK modes and induce new couplings which mediate
decays. We study the full one loop structure of the corrections by means of
counter-terms localised on the two singular points. As an application, the
phenomenology of the (2,0) and (0,2) tiers is discussed at the LHC. We identify
promising signatures with single and di-lepton, top antitop and 4 tops: in the
dilepton channel, present data from CMS and ATLAS may already exclude KK masses
up to 250 GeV, while by next year they may cover the whole mass range preferred
by WMAP data.Comment: 45 pages, 3 figure
Gravitino Dark Matter in Tree Level Gauge Mediation with and without R-parity
We investigate the cosmological aspects of Tree Level Gauge Mediation, a
recently proposed mechanism in which the breaking of supersymmetry is
communicated to the soft scalar masses by extra gauge interactions at the tree
level. Embedding the mechanism in a Grand Unified Theory and requiring the
observability of sfermion masses at the Large Hadron Collider, it follows that
the Lightest Supersymmetric Particle is a gravitino with a mass of the order of
10 GeV. The analysis in the presence of R-parity shows that a typical Tree
Level Gauge Mediation spectrum leads to an overabundance of the Dark Matter
relic density and a tension with the constraints from Big Bang Nucleosynthesis.
This suggests to relax the exact conservation of the R-parity. The underlying
SO(10) Grand Unified Theory together with the bounds from proton decay provide
a rationale for considering only bilinear R-parity violating operators. We
finally analyze the cosmological implications of this setup by identifying the
phenomenologically viable regions of the parameter space.Comment: 28 pages, 5 figures. References added. To appear in JHE
Colored Resonant Signals at the LHC: Largest Rate and Simplest Topology
We study the colored resonance production at the LHC in a most general
approach. We classify the possible colored resonances based on group theory
decomposition, and construct their effective interactions with light partons.
The production cross section from annihilation of valence quarks or gluons may
be on the order of 400 - 1000 pb at LHC energies for a mass of 1 TeV with
nominal couplings, leading to the largest production rates for new physics at
the TeV scale, and simplest event topology with dijet final states. We apply
the new dijet data from the LHC experiments to put bounds on various possible
colored resonant states. The current bounds range from 0.9 to 2.7 TeV. The
formulation is readily applicable for future searches including other decay
modes.Comment: 29 pages, 9 figures. References updated and additional K-factors
include
SUSY, the Third Generation and the LHC
We develop a bottom-up approach to studying SUSY with light stops and
sbottoms, but with other squarks and sleptons heavy and beyond reach of the
LHC. We discuss the range of squark, gaugino and Higgsino masses for which the
electroweak scale is radiatively stable over the "little hierarchy" below ~ 10
TeV. We review and expand on indirect constraints on this scenario, in
particular from flavor and CP tests. We emphasize that in this context,
R-parity violation is very well motivated. The phenomenological differences
between Majorana and Dirac gauginos are also discussed. Finally, we focus on
the light subsystem of stops, sbottom and neutralino with R-parity, in order to
probe the current collider bounds. We find that 1/fb LHC bounds are mild and
large parts of the motivated parameter space remain open, while the 10/fb data
can be much more decisive.Comment: 42 pages, 8 figures, 1 table. V2: minor corrections, references adde
Disappearance of myocardial perfusion defects on prone SPECT imaging: Comparison with cardiac magnetic resonance imaging in patients without established coronary artery disease
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>It is of great clinical importance to exclude myocardial infarction in patients with suspected coronary artery disease who do not have stress-induced ischemia. The diagnostic use of myocardial perfusion single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) in this situation is sometimes complicated by attenuation artifacts that mimic myocardial infarction. Imaging in the prone position has been suggested as a method to overcome this problem.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>In this study, 52 patients without known prior infarction and no stress-induced ischemia on SPECT imaging were examined in both supine and prone position. The results were compared with cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMR) with delayed-enhancement technique to confirm or exclude myocardial infarction.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>There were 63 defects in supine-position images, 37 of which disappeared in the prone position. None of the 37 defects were associated with myocardial infarction by CMR, indicating that all of them represented attenuation artifacts. Of the remaining 26 defects that did not disappear on prone imaging, myocardial infarction was confirmed by CMR in 2; the remaining 24 had no sign of ischemic infarction but 2 had other kinds of myocardial injuries. In 3 patients, SPECT failed to detect small scars identified by CMR.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Perfusion defects in the supine position that disappeared in the prone position were caused by attenuation, not myocardial infarction. Hence, imaging in the prone position can help to rule out ischemic heart disease for some patients admitted for SPECT with suspected but not documented ischemic heart disease. This would indicate a better prognosis and prevent unnecessary further investigations and treatment.</p
Velocity and Drag Evolution From the Leading Edge of a Model Mangrove Forest
An experimental study of unidirectional flow through a model mangrove forest measured both velocity and forces on individual trees. The individual trees were 1/12th scale models of mature Rhizophora, including 24 prop roots distributed in a three-dimensional layout. Thirty-two model trees were distributed in a staggered array producing a 2.5 m long forest. The velocity evolved from a boundary layer profile at the forest leading edge to a vertical profile determined by the vertical distribution of frontal area, with significantly higher velocity above the prop roots. Fully developed conditions were reached at the fifth tree row from the leading edge. Within the root zone the velocity was reduced by up to 50% and the TKE was increased by as much as fivefold, relative to the upstream conditions. TKE in the root zone was mainly produced by root and trunk wakes, and it agreed in magnitude with the estimation obtained using the Tanino and Nepf (2008) formulation. Maximum TKE occurred at the top of the roots, where a strong shear region was associated with the change in frontal area. The drag measured on individual trees decreased from the leading edge and reached a constant value at the fifth row and beyond, i.e., in the fully developed region. The drag exhibited a quadratic dependence on velocity, which justified the definition of a quadratic drag coefficient. Once the correct drag length-scale was defined, the measured drag coefficients collapsed to a single function of Reynolds number
Relation of tricuspid annular displacement and tissue Doppler imaging velocities with duration of weaning in mechanically ventilated patients with acute pulmonary edema
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Liberation from the ventilator is a difficult task, whereas early echocardiographic indices of weaning readiness are still lacking. The aim of this study was to test whether tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion (TAPSE) and right ventricular (RV) systolic (Sm) and diastolic (Em & Am) tissue Doppler imaging (TDI) velocities are related with duration of weaning in mechanically ventilated patients with acute respiratory failure due to acute pulmonary edema (APE).</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Detailed quantification of left and right ventricular systolic and diastolic function was performed at admission to the Intensive Care Unit by Doppler echocardiography, in a cohort of 32 mechanically ventilated patients with APE. TAPSE and RV TDI velocities were compared between patients with and without prolonged weaning (≥ or < 7 days from the first weaning trial respectively), whereas their association with duration of ventilation and left ventricular (LV) echo-derived indices was tested with multivariate linear and logistic regression analysis.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Patients with prolonged weaning (n = 12) had decreased TAPSE (14.59 ± 1.56 vs 19.13 ± 2.59 mm), Sm (8.68 ± 0.94 vs 11.62 ± 1.77 cm/sec) and Em/Am ratio (0.98 ± 0.80 vs 2.62 ± 0.67, p <0.001 for all comparisons) and increased Ε/e' (11.31 ± 1.02 vs 8.98 ± 1.70, p <0.001) compared with subjects without prolonged weaning (n = 20). Logistic regression analysis revealed that TAPSE (R<sup>2 </sup>= 0.53, beta slope = 0.76, p < 0.001), Sm (R<sup>2 </sup>= 0.52, beta = 0.75, p < 0.001) and Em/Am (R<sup>2 </sup>= 0.57, beta = 0.32, p < 0.001) can predict length of weaning ≥ 7 days. The above measures were also proven to correlate significantly with Ε/e' (r = -0.83 for TAPSE, r = -0.87 for Sm and r = -0.79 for Em/Am, p < 0.001 for all comparisons).</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>We suggest that in mechanically ventilated patients with APE, low TAPSE and RV TDI velocities upon admission are associated with delayed liberation from mechanical ventilation, probably due to more severe LV heart failure.</p
- …