892 research outputs found
Homochirality and the need of energy
The mechanisms for explaining how a stable asymmetric chemical system can be
formed from a symmetric chemical system, in the absence of any asymmetric
influence other than statistical fluctuations, have been developed during the
last decades, focusing on the non-linear kinetic aspects. Besides the absolute
necessity of self-amplification processes, the importance of energetic aspects
is often underestimated. Going down to the most fundamental aspects, the
distinction between a single object -- that can be intrinsically asymmetric --
and a collection of objects -- whose racemic state is the more stable one --
must be emphasized. A system of strongly interacting objects can be described
as one single object retaining its individuality and a single asymmetry; weakly
or non-interacting objects keep their own individuality, and are prone to
racemize towards the equilibrium state. In the presence of energy fluxes,
systems can be maintained in an asymmetric non-equilibrium steady-state. Such
dynamical systems can retain their asymmetry for times longer than their
racemization time.Comment: 8 pages, 7 figures, submitted to Origins of Life and Evolution of
Biosphere
Stau Kinks at the LHC
The kink signature of charged tracks is predicted in some SUSY models, and it
is very characteristic signal at collider experiments. We study the kink
signature at LHC using two models, SUSY models with a gravitino LSP and a stau
NLSP, and R-parity violating SUSY models with a stau (N)LSP. We find that a
large number of kink events can be discovered in a wide range of the SUSY
parameters, when the decay length is O(10-10^5)mm. Model discrimination by
identifying the daughter particles of the kink tracks is also discussed.Comment: 19 pages, 4 figures; Version published in JHEP; abstract refined,
reference added and several minor corrections in tex
Goldstini
Supersymmetric phenomenology has been largely bound to the hypothesis that
supersymmetry breaking originates from a single source. In this paper, we relax
this underlying assumption and consider a multiplicity of sectors which
independently break supersymmetry, thus yielding a corresponding multiplicity
of goldstini. While one linear combination of goldstini is eaten via the
super-Higgs mechanism, the orthogonal combinations remain in the spectrum as
physical degrees of freedom. Interestingly, supergravity effects induce a
universal tree-level mass for the goldstini which is exactly twice the
gravitino mass. Since visible sector fields can couple dominantly to the
goldstini rather than the gravitino, this framework allows for substantial
departures from conventional supersymmetric phenomenology. In fact, this even
occurs when a conventional mediation scheme is augmented by additional
supersymmetry breaking sectors which are fully sequestered. We discuss a number
of striking collider signatures, including various novel decay modes for the
lightest observable-sector supersymmetric particle, gravitinoless
gauge-mediated spectra, and events with multiple displaced vertices. We also
describe goldstini cosmology and the possibility of goldstini dark matter.Comment: 14 pages, 7 figures; references adde
Gravitino dark matter in the constrained next-to-minimal supersymmetric standard model with neutralino next-to-lightest superpartner
The viability of a possible cosmological scenario is investigated. The
theoretical framework is the constrained next-to-minimal supersymmetric
standard model (cNMSSM), with a gravitino playing the role of the lightest
supersymmetric particle (LSP) and a neutralino acting as the next-to-lightest
supersymmetric particle (NLSP). All the necessary constraints from colliders
and cosmology have been taken into account. For gravitino we have considered
the two usual production mechanisms, namely out-of equillibrium decay from the
NLSP, and scattering processes from the thermal bath. The maximum allowed
reheating temperature after inflation, as well as the maximum allowed gravitino
mass are determined.Comment: 20 pages, 5 figure
Cross-protection against European swine influenza viruses in the context of infection immunity against the 2009 pandemic H1N1 virus : studies in the pig model of influenza
Pigs are natural hosts for the same influenza virus subtypes as humans and are a valuable model for cross-protection studies with influenza. In this study, we have used the pig model to examine the extent of virological protection between a) the 2009 pandemic H1N1 (pH1N1) virus and three different European H1 swine influenza virus (SIV) lineages, and b) these H1 viruses and a European H3N2 SIV. Pigs were inoculated intranasally with representative strains of each virus lineage with 6- and 17-week intervals between H1 inoculations and between H1 and H3 inoculations, respectively. Virus titers in nasal swabs and/or tissues of the respiratory tract were determined after each inoculation. There was substantial though differing cross-protection between pH1N1 and other H1 viruses, which was directly correlated with the relatedness in the viral hemagglutinin (HA) and neuraminidase (NA) proteins. Cross-protection against H3N2 was almost complete in pigs with immunity against H1N2, but was weak in H1N1/pH1N1-immune pigs. In conclusion, infection with a live, wild type influenza virus may offer substantial cross-lineage protection against viruses of the same HA and/or NA subtype. True heterosubtypic protection, in contrast, appears to be minimal in natural influenza virus hosts. We discuss our findings in the light of the zoonotic and pandemic risks of SIVs
Neutralino versus axion/axino cold dark matter in the 19 parameter SUGRA model
We calculate the relic abundance of thermally produced neutralino cold dark
matter in the general 19 parameter supergravity (SUGRA-19) model. A scan over
GUT scale parameters reveals that models with a bino-like neutralino typically
give rise to a dark matter density \Omega_{\tz_1}h^2\sim 1-1000, i.e. between 1
and 4 orders of magnitude higher than the measured value. Models with higgsino
or wino cold dark matter can yield the correct relic density, but mainly for
neutralino masses around 700-1300 GeV. Models with mixed bino-wino or
bino-higgsino CDM, or models with dominant co-annihilation or A-resonance
annihilation can yield the correct abundance, but such cases are extremely hard
to generate using a general scan over GUT scale parameters; this is indicative
of high fine-tuning of the relic abundance in these cases. Requiring that
m_{\tz_1}\alt 500 GeV (as a rough naturalness requirement) gives rise to a
minimal probably dip in parameter space at the measured CDM abundance. For
comparison, we also scan over mSUGRA space with four free parameters. Finally,
we investigate the Peccei-Quinn augmented MSSM with mixed axion/axino cold dark
matter. In this case, the relic abundance agrees more naturally with the
measured value. In light of our cumulative results, we conclude that future
axion searches should probe much more broadly in axion mass, and deeper into
the axion coupling.Comment: 23 pages including 17 .eps figure
The prevalence of anemia and its association with 90-day mortality in hospitalized community-acquired pneumonia
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The prevalence of anemia in the intensive care unit is well-described. Less is known, however, of the prevalence of anemia in hospitalized patients with lesser illness severity or without organ dysfunction. Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) is one of the most frequent reasons for hospitalization in the United States (US), affecting both healthy patients and those with comorbid illness, and is typically not associated with acute blood loss. Our objective was to examine the development and progression of anemia and its association with 90d mortality in 1893 subjects with CAP presenting to the emergency departments of 28 US academic and community hospitals.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We utilized hemoglobin values obtained for clinical purposes, classifying subjects into categories consisting of no anemia (hemoglobin >13 g/dL), at least borderline (†13 g/dL), at least mild (†12 g/dL), at least moderate (†10 g/dL), and severe (†8 g/dL) anemia. We stratified our results by gender, comorbidity, ICU admission, and development of severe sepsis. We used multivariable logistic regression to determine factors independently associated with the development of moderate to severe anemia and to examine the relationship between anemia and 90d mortality.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>A total of 8240 daily hemoglobin values were measured in 1893 subjects. Mean (SD) number of hemoglobin values per patient was 4.4 (4.0). One in three subjects (33.9%) had at least mild anemia at presentation, 3 in 5 (62.1%) were anemic at some point during their hospital stay, and 1 in 2 (54.5%) survivors were discharged from the hospital anemic. Anemia increased with illness severity and was more common in those with comorbid illnesses, female gender, and poor outcomes. Yet, even among men and in those with no comorbidity or only mild illness, anemia during hospitalization was common (~55% of subjects). When anemia was moderate to severe (†10 g/dL), its development was independently associated with increased 90d mortality, even among hospital survivors.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Anemia was common in hospitalized CAP and independently associated with 90d mortality when hemoglobin values were 10 g/dL or less. Whether prevention or treatment of CAP-associated anemia would improve clinical outcomes remains to be seen.</p
Supersymmetric Monojets at the Large Hadron Collider
Supersymmetric monojets may be produced at the Large Hadron Collider by the
process qg -> squark neutralino_1 -> q neutralino_1 neutralino_1, leading to a
jet recoiling against missing transverse momentum. We discuss the feasibility
and utility of the supersymmetric monojet signal. In particular, we examine the
possible precision with which one can ascertain the neutralino_1-squark-quark
coupling via the rate for monojet events. Such a coupling contains information
on the composition of the neutralino_1 and helps bound dark matter direct
detection cross-sections and the dark matter relic density of the neutralino_1.
It also provides a check of the supersymmetric relation between gauge couplings
and gaugino-quark-squark couplings.Comment: 46 pages, 10 figures. The appendix has been rewritten to correct an
error that appears in all previous versions of the appendix. This error has
no effect on the results in the main body of the pape
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Measurements of the transverse-momentum-dependent cross sections of J /Ï production at mid-rapidity in proton+proton collisions at s =510 and 500 GeV with the STAR detector
We present measurements of the differential cross sections of inclusive J/Ï meson production as a function of transverse momentum (pTJ/Ï) using the ÎŒ+ÎŒ- and e+e- decay channels in proton+proton collisions at center-of-mass energies of 510 and 500 GeV, respectively, recorded by the STAR detector at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider. The measurement from the ÎŒ+ÎŒ- channel is for
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Bulk properties of the system formed in Au+Au collisions at sNN =14.5 GeV at the BNL STAR detector
We report systematic measurements of bulk properties of the system created in Au+Au collisions at sNN=14.5 GeV recorded by the STAR detector at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC). The transverse momentum spectra of ϱ, K±, and p(p) are studied at midrapidity (|y|<0.1) for nine centrality intervals. The centrality, transverse momentum (pT), and pseudorapidity (η) dependence of inclusive charged particle elliptic flow (v2), and rapidity-odd charged particles directed flow (v1) results near midrapidity are also presented. These measurements are compared with the published results from Au+Au collisions at other energies, and from Pb+Pb collisions at sNN=2.76 TeV. The results at sNN=14.5 GeV show similar behavior as established at other energies and fit well in the energy dependence trend. These results are important as the 14.5-GeV energy fills the gap in ÎŒB, which is of the order of 100 MeV, between sNN=11.5 and 19.6 GeV. Comparisons of the data with UrQMD and AMPT models show poor agreement in general
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