Precision Measurements of Higgs Couplings: Implications for New Physics Scales

The measured properties of the recently discovered Higgs boson are in good agreement with predictions from the Standard Model. However, small deviations in the Higgs couplings may manifest themselves once the currently large uncertainties will be improved as part of the LHC program and at a future Higgs factory. We review typical new physics scenarios that lead to observable modifications of the Higgs interactions. They can be divided into two broad categories: mixing effects as in portal models or extended Higgs sectors, and vertex loop effects from new matter or gauge fields. In each model we relate coupling deviations to their effective new physics scale. It turns out that with percent level precision the Higgs couplings will be sensitive to the multi-TeV regime.Comment: Invited review for Journal of Physics G, 33pp; v2: references added and improved discussion of operator basis in section 2.

Report on "Scheduling in a factory"

In order to carry out their orders of shoe soles, this company has a number of tasks T_1, ..., T_n of different lengths to be assigned to groups of machines. Each group is operated by one worker (two in one case), and an operation cycle corresponds to injection, cooling, and removal of the sole. The time taken at each step varies from one order to another, and when starting a new task a machine needs to be tuned, which takes some extra time. Machines are working in parallel. At the moment the assignment is carried out empirically, and the problem proposed is to optimize the procedure

A nonextensive insight to the stellar initial mass function

the present paper, we propose that the stellar initial mass distributions as known as IMF are best fitted by $q$-Weibulls that emerge within nonextensive statistical mechanics. As a result, we show that the Salpeter's slope of $\sim$2.35 is replaced when a $q$-Weibull distribution is used. Our results point out that the nonextensive entropic index $q$ represents a new approach for understanding the process of the star-forming and evolution of massive stars.Comment: 5 pages, 2 figures, Accepted to EP

The compound Poisson limit ruling periodic extreme behaviour of non-uniformly hyperbolic dynamics

We prove that the distributional limit of the normalised number of returns to small neighbourhoods of periodic points of non-uniformly hyperbolic dynamical systems is compound Poisson. The returns to small balls around a fixed point in the phase space correspond to the occurrence of rare events, or exceedances of high thresholds, so that there is a connection between the laws of Return Times Statistics and Extreme Value Laws. The fact that the fixed point in the phase space is a repelling periodic point implies that there is a tendency for the exceedances to appear in clusters whose average sizes is given by the Extremal Index, which depends on the expansion of the system at the periodic point. We recall that for generic points, the exceedances, in the limit, are singular and occur at Poisson times. However, around periodic points, the picture is different: the respective point processes of exceedances converge to a compound Poisson process, so instead of single exceedances, we have entire clusters of exceedances occurring at Poisson times with a geometric distribution ruling its multiplicity. The systems to which our results apply include: general piecewise expanding maps of the interval (Rychlik maps), maps with indifferent fixed points (Manneville-Pomeau maps) and Benedicks-Carleson quadratic maps.Comment: To appear in Communications in Mathematical Physic

Resonance Propagation and Threshold Singularities

We consider the problem of propagation of an unstable particle in the framework of Quantum Field Theory. Using unitarity, we show that a real renormalization constant free of threshold singularities naturally arises.Comment: 5 pages, no figures, revte

Weakly coupled neutral gauge bosons at future linear colliders

A weakly coupled new neutral gauge boson forms a narrow resonance that is hard to discover directly in e+e- collisions. However, if the gauge boson mass is below the center-of-mass energy, it can be produced through processes where the effective energy is reduced due to initial-state radiation and beamstrahlung. It is shown that at a high-luminosity linear collider, such a gauge boson can be searched for with very high sensitivity, leading to a substantial improvement compared to existing limits from the Tevatron and also extending beyond the expected reach of the LHC in most models. If a new vector boson is discovered either at the Tevatron Run II, the LHC or the linear collider, its properties can be determined at the linear collider with high precision, thus helping to reveal origin of the new boson.Comment: 21 p

Acquired-Transient Factor X Deficiency in a Teenager with Extensive Burns

Acquired factor X deficiency is an extremely rare situation. It has shown to be associated with systemic amyloidosis, respiratory mycoplasma infection, factor X inhibitors, antiphospholipid antibodies, vitamin K defi ciency/liver disease as well as the use of certain medications (meropenem, valproic acid). The pathogenesis and transient nature of this deficit remain poorly understood. The authors describe the case of a teenager hospitalised for extensive burns that developed active bleeding after removal of central venous catheter. He was diagnosed with transient factor X deficiency. Normalisation of coagulation status and factor X levels occurred spontaneously 10 days after the bleeding episode

Hoxb7 overexpression leads triple-negative breast cancer cells to a less aggressive phenotype

HOX genes appear to play a role in breast cancer progression in a molecular subtype-dependent way. The altered expression of HOXB7, for example, was reported to promote breast cancer progression in specific subtypes. Here we induced HOXB7 overexpression in MDA-MB-231 cells, a cellular model of the Triple-Negative breast cancer molecular subtype, and evaluated the phenotypic changes in cell viability, morphogenesis, migration, invasion, and colony formation. During the phenotypic characterization of the HOXB7-overexpressing cells, we consistently found less aggressive behavior represented by lower cell viability, inhibition of cell migration, invasion, and attachment-independent colony formation capacities added to the more compact and organized spheroid growth in 3D cultures. We then evaluated the expression of putative downstream targets and their direct binding to HOXB7 comparing ChIP-qPCR data generated from HOXB7-overexpressing cells and controls. In the manipulated cells, we found enriched biding of HOXB7 to CTNNB1, EGFR, FGF2, CDH1, DNMT3B, TGFB2, and COMMD7. Taken together, these results highlight the plasticity of the HOXB7 function in breast cancer, according to the cellular genetic background and expression levels, and provide evidence that in Triple-Negative breast cancer cells, HOXB7 overexpression has the potential to promote less aggressive phenotypes.This research was funded FEDER—Fundo Europeu de Desenvolvimento Regional funds through the COMPETE 2020—Operacional Programme for Competitiveness and Internationalisation (POCI-01-0145-FEDER-030562), Portugal 2020, and Portuguese funds through FCT—Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia/Ministério da Ciência, Tecnologia e Ensino Superior in the framework of the project PTDC/BTM-TEC/30562/2017