Model-Independent Bounds on a Light Higgs

We present up-to-date constraints on a generic Higgs parameter space. An accurate assessment of these exclusions must take into account statistical, and potentially signal, fluctuations in the data currently taken at the LHC. For this, we have constructed a straightforward statistical method for making full use of the data that is publicly available. We show that, using the expected and observed exclusions which are quoted for each search channel, we can fully reconstruct likelihood profiles under very reasonable and simple assumptions. Even working with this somewhat limited information, we show that our method is sufficiently accurate to warrant its study and advocate its use over more naive prescriptions. Using this method, we can begin to narrow in on the remaining viable parameter space for a Higgs-like scalar state, and to ascertain the nature of any hints of new physics---Higgs or otherwise---appearing in the data.Comment: 32 pages, 10 figures; v3: correction made to basis of four-derivative operators in the effective Lagrangian, references adde

Free Wave Propagation in Plates of General Anisotropic Media

The propagation of Lamb waves in plates has been the subject of numerous investigations since their postulation by Lamb in 1916 [1,2]. Most of the work in existence deals with various aspects of these guided waves in plates of isotropic materials. Comparatively speaking a limited number of results has appeared in which Lamb or horizontaly polarized SH wave propagation in anisotropic plates has been considered in any detail. For Lamb waves, theoretical analyses have been reported in plates of cubic [3,4], transversely isotropic [5,6], and orthotropic [7,9] media

New Higgs Production Mechanism in Composite Higgs Models

Composite Higgs models are only now starting to be probed at the Large Hadron Collider by Higgs searches. We point out that new resonances, abundant in these models, can mediate new production mechanisms for the composite Higgs. The new channels involve the exchange of a massive color octet and single production of new fermion resonances with subsequent decays into the Higgs and a Standard Model quark. The sizable cross section and very distinctive kinematics allow for a very clean extraction of the signal over the background with high statistical significance. Heavy gluon masses up to 2.8 TeV can be probed with data collected during 2012 and up to 5 TeV after the energy upgrade to $\sqrt{s}=14$ TeV.Comment: 27 pages, 22 figures. V2: typos corrected, matches published versio

Search for the Elusive Higgs Boson Using Jet Structure at LHC

We consider the production of a light non-standard model Higgs boson of order 100~\GEV with an associated $W$ boson at CERN Large Hadron Collider. We focus on an interesting scenario that, the Higgs boson decays predominately into two light scalars $\chi$ with mass of few GeV which sequently decay into four gluons, i.e. $h\to 2\chi \to 4g$. Since $\chi$ is much lighter than the Higgs boson, it will be highly boosted and its decay products, the two gluons, will move close to each other, resulting in a single jet for $\chi$ decay in the detector. By using electromagnetic calorimeter-based and jet substructure analyses, we show in two cases of different $\chi$ masses that it is quite promising to extract the signal of Higgs boson out of large QCD background.Comment: 20 pages, 7 figure

Theoretical Constraints on the Higgs Effective Couplings

We derive constraints on the sign of couplings in an effective Higgs Lagrangian using prime principles such as the naturalness principle, global symmetries, and unitarity. Specifically, we study four dimension-six operators, O_H, O_y, O_g, and O_gamma, which contribute to the production and decay of the Higgs boson at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), among other things. Assuming the Higgs is a fundamental scalar, we find: 1) the coefficient of O_H is positive except when there are triplet scalars, resulting in a reduction in the Higgs on-shell coupling from their standard model (SM) expectations if no other operators contribute, 2) the linear combination of O_H and O_y controlling the overall Higgs coupling to fermion is always reduced, 3) the sign of O_g induced by a new colored fermion is such that it interferes destructively with the SM top contribution in the gluon fusion production of the Higgs, if the new fermion cancels the top quadratic divergence in the Higgs mass, and 4) the correlation between naturalness and the sign of O_gamma is similar to that of O_g, when there is a new set of heavy electroweak gauge bosons. Next considering a composite scalar for the Higgs, we find the reduction in the on-shell Higgs couplings persists. If further assuming a collective breaking mechanism as in little Higgs theories, the coefficient of O_H remains positive even in the presence of triplet scalars. In the end, we conclude that the gluon fusion production of the Higgs boson is reduced from the SM rate in all composite Higgs models. Our study suggests a wealth of information could be revealed by precise measurements of the Higgs couplings, providing strong motivations for both improving on measurements at the LHC and building a precision machine such as the linear collider.Comment: 37 pages, one figure; v2: improved discussion on dispersion relation and other minor modifications; version accepted for publication

Gastro-enteritis outbreak among Nordic patients with psoriasis in a health centre in Gran Canaria, Spain: a cohort study

BACKGROUND: Between November 2 and 10, 2002 several patients with psoriasis and personnel staying in the health centre in Gran Canaria, Spain fell ill with diarrhoea, vomiting or both. Patient original came from Norway, Sweden and Finland. The patient group was scheduled to stay until 8 November. A new group of patients were due to arrive from 7 November. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study was conducted to assess the extent of the outbreak, to identify the source and mode of transmission and to prevent similar problems in the following group. RESULTS: Altogether 41% (48/116) of persons staying at the centre fell ill. Norovirus infection was suspected based on clinical presentations and the fact that no bacteria were identified. Kaplan criteria were met. Five persons in this outbreak were hospitalised and the mean duration of diarrhoea was 3 days. The consequences of the illness were more severe compared to many other norovirus outbreaks, possibly because many of the cases suffered from chronic diseases and were treated with drugs reported to affect the immunity (methotrexate or steroids). During the two first days of the outbreak, the attack rate was higher in residents who had consumed dried fruit (adjusted RR = 3.1; 95% CI: 1.4–7.1) and strawberry jam (adjusted RR = 1.9; 95% CI: 0.9–4.1) than those who did not. In the following days, no association was found. The investigation suggests two modes of transmission: a common source for those who fell ill during the two first days of the outbreak and thereafter mainly person to person transmission. This is supported by a lower risk associated with the two food items at the end of the outbreak. CONCLUSIONS: We believe that the food items were contaminated by foodhandlers who reported sick before the outbreak started. Control measures were successfully implemented; food buffets were banned, strict hygiene measures were implemented and sick personnel stayed at home >48 hours after last symptoms

Practical mammography

‘Digital health’ is an overarching concept that currently lacks theoretical definition and common terminology. For instance, this broad and emerging field includes all of the following terms within its lexicon: mHealth, Wireless Health, Health 2.0, eHealth, e-Patient(s), Healthcare IT/Health IT, Big Data, Health Data, Cloud Computing, Quantified Self, Wearable Computing, Gamification, and Telehealth/Telemedicine [1]. However, whilst a definition is difficult to provide, in this overview it is considered that digital health is the use of digital media to transform the way healthcare provision is conceived and delivered. We consider it does this through three basic features

Quality of life in Type 1 (insulin-dependent) diabetic patients prior to and after pancreas and kidney transplantation in relation to organ function

Improvement of the quality of life in Type 1 (insulin-dependent) diabetic patients with severe late complications is one of the main goals of pancreas and/or kidney grafting. To assess the influences of these treatment modalities on the different aspects of the quality of life a cross-sectional study in 157 patients was conducted. They were categorized into patients pre-transplant without dialysis (n=29; Group A), pre-transplant under dialysis (n=44; Group B), post-transplant with pancreas and kidney functioning (n=31; Group C), post-transplant with functioning kidney, but insulin therapy (n=29; Group D), post-transplant under dialysis and insulin therapy again (n=15; Group E) and patients after single pancreas transplantation and rejection, with good renal function, but insulin therapy (n=9; Group F). All patients answered a mailed, self-administered questionnaire (217 questions) consisting of a broad spectrum of rehabilitation criteria. The results indicate a better quality of life in Groups C and D as compared to the other groups. In general the scores are highest in C, but without any significant difference to D. Impressive significant differences between C or D and the other groups were found especially in their satisfaction with physical capacity, leisure-time activities or the overall quality of life. The satisfaction with the latter is highest in C (mean±SEM: 4.0±0.2 on a 1 to 5-rating scale; significantly different from A: 3.1±0.1, B: 2.7±0.2 and E: 2.6±0.3; p<0.01), followed by D (3.8±0.2; significantly different from B and E; p<0.01). Group F shows a mean of 3.1±0.4, which is not significantly different from C. The percentages of patients in each group, who are not working: A: 38 %, B: 64 %, C: 74 %, D: 66 %, E: 87 % and F: 78 % indicate that there is no marked improvement in the vocational situation after successful grafting

The Cosmology of Composite Inelastic Dark Matter

Composite dark matter is a natural setting for implementing inelastic dark matter - the O(100 keV) mass splitting arises from spin-spin interactions of constituent fermions. In models where the constituents are charged under an axial U(1) gauge symmetry that also couples to the Standard Model quarks, dark matter scatters inelastically off Standard Model nuclei and can explain the DAMA/LIBRA annual modulation signal. This article describes the early Universe cosmology of a minimal implementation of a composite inelastic dark matter model where the dark matter is a meson composed of a light and a heavy quark. The synthesis of the constituent quarks into dark mesons and baryons results in several qualitatively different configurations of the resulting dark matter hadrons depending on the relative mass scales in the system.Comment: 31 pages, 4 figures; references added, typos correcte

Separation of Oligosaccharides from Lotus Seeds via Medium-pressure Liquid Chromatography Coupled with ELSD and DAD

peer-reviewedLotus seeds were identified by the Ministry of Public Health of China as both food and medicine. One general function of lotus seeds is to improve intestinal health. However, to date, studies evaluating the relationship between bioactive compounds in lotus seeds and the physiological activity of the intestine are limited. In the present study, by using medium pressure liquid chromatography coupled with evaporative light-scattering detector and diode-array detector, five oligosaccharides were isolated and their structures were further characterized by electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. In vitro testing determined that LOS3-1 and LOS4 elicited relatively good proliferative effects on Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus. These results indicated a structure-function relationship between the physiological activity of oligosaccharides in lotus seeds and the number of probiotics applied, thus providing room for improvement of this particular feature. Intestinal probiotics may potentially become a new effective drug target for the regulation of immunity