1,196 research outputs found
A Survey of Lepton Number Violation Via Effective Operators
We survey 129 lepton number violating effective operators, consistent with
the minimal Standard Model gauge group and particle content, of mass dimension
up to and including eleven. Upon requiring that each one radiatively generates
the observed neutrino masses, we extract an associated characteristic cutoff
energy scale which we use to calculate other observable manifestations of these
operators for a number of current and future experimental probes, concentrating
on lepton number violating phenomena. These include searches for neutrinoless
double-beta decay and rare meson, lepton, and gauge boson decays. We also
consider searches at hadron/lepton collider facilities in anticipation of the
LHC and the future ILC. We find that some operators are already disfavored by
current data, while more are ripe to be probed by next-generation experiments.
We also find that our current understanding of lepton mixing disfavors a subset
of higher dimensional operators. While neutrinoless double-beta decay is the
most promising signature of lepton number violation for the majority of
operators, a handful is best probed by other means. We argue that a combination
of constraints from various independent experimental sources will help to
pinpoint the ``correct'' model of neutrino mass, or at least aid in narrowing
down the set of possibilities.Comment: 34 pages, 10 eps figures, 1 tabl
Proposal of a new Hcal geometry avoiding cracks in the calorimeter
The classical geometry of a calorimeter consists most of the time in several modules, whose edges are pointing on the beam axis. Thus, detection discontinuities between two consecutive modules induce cracks in the calorimeter, and consequently a loss of precious information. This paper describes two new possible Hcal geometries avoiding such cracks in the detection. Then it deals with the internal layout and assembly procedure
Detection of myocardial injury during transvenous implantation of automatic cardioverter-defibrillators
AbstractOBJECTIVESThe present study was designed to assess the extent of myocardial injury in patients undergoing transvenous implantation of an automatic implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) using cardiac troponin I (cTNI), which is a highly specific marker of structural cardiac injury.BACKGROUNDDuring ICD implantation, repetitive induction and termination of ventricular fibrillation (VF) via endocardial direct current shocks is required to demonstrate the correct function of the device. Transthoracic electrical shocks can cause myocardial cell injury.METHODSMeasurements of total creatine kinase (CK), CK-MB, myoglobin, cardiac troponin T (cTNT) and cTNI were obtained before and after ICD implantation in 49 consecutive patients. Blood samples were drawn before and 2, 4, 8, and 24 h after implantation.RESULTSElevations of CK, CK-MB, myoglobin, cTNT and cTNI above cut-off level were found in 25%, 6%, 76%, 37% and 14% of patients, respectively, with peak cTNI concentrations ranging from 1.7 to 5.5 ng/ml. Cumulative defibrillation energy (DFE), mean DFE, cumulative VF time, number of shocks as well as prior myocardial infarction (MI) were found to be significantly related to a rise of cTNI. Mean DFE ≥ 18 J and a recent MI were identified as strong risk factors for cTNI rise.CONCLUSIONSDuring transvenous ICD implantation myocardial injury as assessed by cTNI rise occurs in about 14% of the patients. Peak cTNI concentrations are only minimally elevated reflecting subtle myocardial cell damage. Patients with a recent MI and a mean DFE ≥ 18 J seem to be prone to cTNI rise
Students' mental prototypes for functions and graphs
This research study investigates the concept of function developed by students studying English A-level mathematics. It shows that, while students may be able to use functions in their practical mathematics, their grasp of the theoretical nature of the function concept may be tenuous and inconsistent. The hypothesis is that students develop prototypes for the function concept in much the same way as they develop prototypes for concepts in everyday life. The definition of the function concept, though given in the curriculum, is not stressed and proves to be inoperative, with their understanding of the concept reliant on properties of familiar prototype examples: those having regular shaped graphs, such as x2 or sin*, those often encountered (possibly erroneously), such as a circle, those in which y is defined as an explicit formula in x, and so on. Investigations reveal significant misconceptions. For example, threequarters of a sample of students starting a university mathematics course considered that a constant function was not a function in either its graphical or algebraic forms, and threequarters thought that a circle is a function. This reveals a wide gulf between the concepts as perceived to be taught and as actually learned by the students
Recommended from our members
SLC-2000: A luminosity upgrade for the SLC
The authors discuss a possible upgrade to the Stanford Linear Collider (SLC), whose objective is to increase the SLC luminosity by at least a factor 7, to an average Z production rate of more than 35,000 per week. The centerpiece of the upgrade is the installation of a new superconducting final doublet with a field gradient of 240 T/m, which will be placed at a distance of only 70 cm from the interaction point. In addition, several bending magnet in each final focus will be lengthened and two octupole correctors are added. A complementary upgrade of damping rings and bunch compressors will allow optimum use of the modified final focus and can deliver, or exceed, the targeted luminosity. The proposed upgrade will place the SLC physics program in a very competitive position, and will also enable it to pursue its pioneering role as the first and only linear collider
Development of Readout Interconnections for the Si-W Calorimeter of SiD
The SiD collaboration is developing a Si-W sampling electromagnetic
calorimeter, with anticipated application for the International Linear
Collider. Assembling the modules for such a detector will involve special
bonding technologies for the interconnections, especially for attaching a
silicon detector wafer to a flex cable readout bus. We review the interconnect
technologies involved, including oxidation removal processes, pad surface
preparation, solder ball selection and placement, and bond quality assurance.
Our results show that solder ball bonding is a promising technique for the Si-W
ECAL, and unresolved issues are being addressed.Comment: 8 pages + title, 6 figure
The Two Roads to "Intrinsic Charm" in B Decays
We describe two complementary ways to show the presence of higher order
effects in the 1/m_Q expansion for inclusive B decays that have been dubbed
"Intrinsic Charm". Apart from the lessons they can teach us about QCD's
nonperturbative dynamics their consideration is relevant for precise
extractions of |V_{cb}|: for they complement the estimate of the potential
impact of 1/m_Q^4 contributions. We draw semiquantitative conclusions for the
expected scale of Weak Annihilation in semileptonic B decays, both for its
valence and non-valence components.Comment: 17 pages, 3 figure
Peculiarities of the function of cardiomyocytes in patients with ischemic heart disease associated with diabetes mellitus type 2
The functional activity of myocardium in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus(T2DM) and coronary heart disease (CAD) was studied. The study included patients with CAD with T2DM as representatives of the main group, the comparison group consisted of patients with univariant course of ischemic heart disease without violation of carbohydrate metabolism. Contractile activity of the myocardium was evaluated by the inotroic reaction of isolated trabeculae of patients according to the Protocol tests "Post-rest" and "Ekstrasistoliei test". As a result, it was found that rhythm-inotropic myocardial response in patients with comorbid pathology persists to a greater extent than in the one-dimensional flow of CAD
- …