N=2 Topological Yang-Mills Theory on Compact K\"{a}hler Surfaces

We study a topological Yang-Mills theory with $N=2$ fermionic symmetry. Our formalism is a field theoretical interpretation of the Donaldson polynomial invariants on compact K\"{a}hler surfaces. We also study an analogous theory on compact oriented Riemann surfaces and briefly discuss a possible application of the Witten's non-Abelian localization formula to the problems in the case of compact K\"{a}hler surfaces.Comment: ESENAT-93-01 & YUMS-93-10, 34pages: [Final Version] to appear in Comm. Math. Phy

Quaternionic Monopoles

We present the simplest non-abelian version of Seiberg-Witten theory: Quaternionic monopoles. These monopoles are associated with Spin^h(4)-structures on 4-manifolds and form finite-dimensional moduli spaces. On a Kahler surface the quaternionic monopole equations decouple and lead to the projective vortex equation for holomorphic pairs. This vortex equation comes from a moment map and gives rise to a new complex-geometric stability concept. The moduli spaces of quaternionic monopoles on Kahler surfaces have two closed subspaces, both naturally isomorphic with moduli spaces of canonically stable holomorphic pairs. These components intersect along Donaldsons instanton space and can be compactified with Seiberg-Witten moduli spaces. This should provide a link between the two corresponding theories. Notes: To appear in CMP The revised version contains more details concerning the Uhlenbeck compactfication of the moduli space of quaternionic monopoles, and possible applications are discussed. Attention ! Due to an ununderstandable mistake, the duke server had replaced all the symbols "=" by "=3D" in the tex-file of the revised version we sent on February, the 2-nd. The command "\def{\ad}" had also been damaged !Comment: LaTeX, 35 page

Instantons and Yang-Mills Flows on Coset Spaces

We consider the Yang-Mills flow equations on a reductive coset space G/H and the Yang-Mills equations on the manifold R x G/H. On nonsymmetric coset spaces G/H one can introduce geometric fluxes identified with the torsion of the spin connection. The condition of G-equivariance imposed on the gauge fields reduces the Yang-Mills equations to phi^4-kink equations on R. Depending on the boundary conditions and torsion, we obtain solutions to the Yang-Mills equations describing instantons, chains of instanton-anti-instanton pairs or modifications of gauge bundles. For Lorentzian signature on R x G/H, dyon-type configurations are constructed as well. We also present explicit solutions to the Yang-Mills flow equations and compare them with the Yang-Mills solutions on R x G/H.Comment: 1+12 page

Systematics of Leading Particle Production

Using a QCD inspired model developed by our group for particle production, the Interacting Gluon Model (IGM), we have made a systematic analysis of all available data on leading particle spectra. These data include diffractive collisions and photoproduction at HERA. With a small number of parameters (essentially only the non-perturbative gluon-gluon cross section and the fraction of diffractive events) good agreement with data is found. We show that the difference between pion and proton leading spectra is due to their different gluon distributions. We predict a universality in the diffractive leading particle spectra in the large momentum region, which turns out to be independent of the incident energy and of the projectile type.Comment: 13 pages, Latex, 4 ps figures. To appear in Phys. Rev.

Infinitesimal Gribov copies in gauge-fixed topological Yang-Mills theories

We study the Gribov problem in four-dimensional topological Yang-Mills theories following the Baulieu-Singer approach in the (anti-)self-dual Landau gauges. This is a gauge-fixed approach that allows to recover the topological spectrum, as first constructed by Witten, by means of an equivariant (or constrained) BRST cohomology. As standard gauge-fixed Yang-Mills theories suffer from the gauge copy (Gribov) ambiguity, one might wonder if and how this has repercussions for this analysis. The resolution of the small (infinitesimal) gauge copies, in general, affects the dynamics of the underlying theory. In particular, treating the Gribov problem for the standard Landau gauge condition in non-topological Yang-Mills theories strongly affects the dynamics of the theory in the infrared. In the current paper, although the theory is investigated with the same gauge condition, the effects of the copies turn out to be completely different. In other words: in both cases, the copies are there, but the effects are very different. As suggested by the tree-level exactness of the topological model in this gauge choice, the Gribov copies are shown to be inoffensive at the quantum level. To be more precise, following Gribov, we discuss the path integral restriction to the Gribov horizon. The associated gap equation, which fixes the so-called Gribov parameter, is however shown to only possess a trivial solution, making the restriction obsolete. We relate this to the absence of radiative corrections in both gauge and ghost sectors. We give further evidence by employing the renormalization group which shows that, for this kind of topological model, the gap equation indeed forbids the introduction of a massive Gribov parameter.Comment: 21 pages. Final version accepted for publication in Physics Letters

Dexamethasone intravitreal implant in previously treated patients with diabetic macular edema : Subgroup analysis of the MEAD study

Background: Dexamethasone intravitreal implant 0.7 mg (DEX 0.7) was approved for treatment of diabetic macular edema (DME) after demonstration of its efficacy and safety in the MEAD registration trials. We performed subgroup analysis of MEAD study results to evaluate the efficacy and safety of DEX 0.7 treatment in patients with previously treated DME. Methods: Three-year, randomized, sham-controlled phase 3 study in patients with DME, best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) of 34.68 Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study letters (20/200.20/50 Snellen equivalent), and central retinal thickness (CRT) 65300 \u3bcm measured by time-domain optical coherence tomography. Patients were randomized to 1 of 2 doses of DEX (0.7 mg or 0.35 mg), or to sham procedure, with retreatment no more than every 6 months. The primary endpoint was 6515-letter gain in BCVA at study end. Average change in BCVA and CRT from baseline during the study (area-under-the-curve approach) and adverse events were also evaluated. The present subgroup analysis evaluated outcomes in patients randomized to DEX 0.7 (marketed dose) or sham based on prior treatment for DME at study entry. Results: Baseline characteristics of previously treated DEX 0.7 (n = 247) and sham (n=261) patients were similar. In the previously treated subgroup, mean number of treatments over 3 years was 4.1 for DEX 0.7 and 3.2 for sham, 21.5 % of DEX 0.7 patients versus 11.1 % of sham had 6515-letter BCVA gain from baseline at study end (P = 0.002), mean average BCVA change from baseline was +3.2 letters with DEX 0.7 versus +1.5 letters with sham (P = 0.024), and mean average CRT change from baseline was -126.1 \u3bcm with DEX 0.7 versus -39.0 \u3bcm with sham(P < 0.001). Cataract-related adverse events were reported in 70.3 % of baseline phakic patients in the previously treated DEX 0.7 subgroup; vision gains were restored following cataract surgery. Conclusions: DEX 0.7 significantly improved visual and anatomic outcomes in patients with DME previously treated with laser, intravitreal anti-vascular endothelial growth factor, intravitreal triamcinolone acetonide, or a combination of these therapies. The safety profile of DEX 0.7 in previously treated patients was similar to its safety profile in the total study population

Deep generative models for fast photon shower simulation in ATLAS

The need for large-scale production of highly accurate simulated event samples for the extensive physics programme of the ATLAS experiment at the Large Hadron Collider motivates the development of new simulation techniques. Building on the recent success of deep learning algorithms, variational autoencoders and generative adversarial networks are investigated for modelling the response of the central region of the ATLAS electromagnetic calorimeter to photons of various energies. The properties of synthesised showers are compared with showers from a full detector simulation using geant4. Both variational autoencoders and generative adversarial networks are capable of quickly simulating electromagnetic showers with correct total energies and stochasticity, though the modelling of some shower shape distributions requires more refinement. This feasibility study demonstrates the potential of using such algorithms for ATLAS fast calorimeter simulation in the future and shows a possible way to complement current simulation techniques

Whole-genome sequencing reveals host factors underlying critical COVID-19

Critical COVID-19 is caused by immune-mediated inflammatory lung injury. Host genetic variation influences the development of illness requiring critical care1 or hospitalization2,3,4 after infection with SARS-CoV-2. The GenOMICC (Genetics of Mortality in Critical Care) study enables the comparison of genomes from individuals who are critically ill with those of population controls to find underlying disease mechanisms. Here we use whole-genome sequencing in 7,491 critically ill individuals compared with 48,400 controls to discover and replicate 23 independent variants that significantly predispose to critical COVID-19. We identify 16 new independent associations, including variants within genes that are involved in interferon signalling (IL10RB and PLSCR1), leucocyte differentiation (BCL11A) and blood-type antigen secretor status (FUT2). Using transcriptome-wide association and colocalization to infer the effect of gene expression on disease severity, we find evidence that implicates multiple genes—including reduced expression of a membrane flippase (ATP11A), and increased expression of a mucin (MUC1)—in critical disease. Mendelian randomization provides evidence in support of causal roles for myeloid cell adhesion molecules (SELE, ICAM5 and CD209) and the coagulation factor F8, all of which are potentially druggable targets. Our results are broadly consistent with a multi-component model of COVID-19 pathophysiology, in which at least two distinct mechanisms can predispose to life-threatening disease: failure to control viral replication; or an enhanced tendency towards pulmonary inflammation and intravascular coagulation. We show that comparison between cases of critical illness and population controls is highly efficient for the detection of therapeutically relevant mechanisms of disease

Search for single vector-like B quark production and decay via B → bH(b¯b) in pp collisions at √s = 13 TeV with the ATLAS detector

A search is presented for single production of a vector-like B quark decaying into a Standard Model b-quark and a Standard Model Higgs boson, which decays into a b¯b pair. The search is carried out in 139 fb−1 of √s = 13 TeV proton-proton collision data collected by the ATLAS detector at the LHC between 2015 and 2018. No significant deviation from the Standard Model background prediction is observed, and mass-dependent exclusion limits at the 95% confidence level are set on the resonance production cross-section in several theoretical scenarios determined by the couplings cW, cZ and cH between the B quark and the Standard Model W, Z and Higgs bosons, respectively. For a vector-like B occurring as an isospin singlet, the search excludes values of cW greater than 0.45 for a B resonance mass (mB) between 1.0 and 1.2 TeV. For 1.2 TeV < mB < 2.0 TeV, cW values larger than 0.50–0.65 are excluded. If the B occurs as part of a (B, Y) doublet, the smallest excluded cZ coupling values range between 0.3 and 0.5 across the investigated resonance mass range 1.0 TeV < mB < 2.0 TeV

Constraints on spin-0 dark matter mediators and invisible Higgs decays using ATLAS 13 TeV pp collision data with two top quarks and missing transverse momentum in the final state

This paper presents a statistical combination of searches targeting final states with two top quarks and invisible particles, characterised by the presence of zero, one or two leptons, at least one jet originating from a b-quark and missing transverse momentum. The analyses are searches for phenomena beyond the Standard Model consistent with the direct production of dark matter in pp collisions at the LHC, using 139 fb−1 of data collected with the ATLAS detector at a centre-of-mass energy of 13 TeV. The results are interpreted in terms of simplified dark matter models with a spin-0 scalar or pseudoscalar mediator particle. In addition, the results are interpreted in terms of upper limits on the Higgs boson invisible branching ratio, where the Higgs boson is produced according to the Standard Model in association with a pair of top quarks. For scalar (pseudoscalar) dark matter models, with all couplings set to unity, the statistical combination extends the mass range excluded by the best of the individual channels by 50 (25) GeV, excluding mediator masses up to 370 GeV. In addition, the statistical combination improves the expected coupling exclusion reach by 14% (24%), assuming a scalar (pseudoscalar) mediator mass of 10 GeV. An upper limit on the Higgs boson invisible branching ratio of 0.38 (0.30+0.13−0.09) is observed (expected) at 95% confidence level