A comparison of analysis techniques for extracting resonance parameters from lattice Monte Carlo data

Different methods for extracting resonance parameters from Euclidean lattice field theory are tested. Monte Carlo simulations of the O(4) non-linear sigma model are used to generate energy spectra in a range of different volumes both below and above the inelastic threshold. The applicability of the analysis methods in the elastic region is compared. Problems which arise in the inelastic region are also emphasised.Comment: 17 pages, 20 figures; clarification and minor corrections added, to appear in PR

Collective Molecular Dynamics of a Floating Water Bridge

When a high voltage is applied to pure water filling two beakers kept close to each other, a connection forms spontaneously, giving the impression of a floating water bridge. This phenomenon is of special interest, since it comprises a number of phenomena currently tackled in modern water science. The formation and the main properties of this floating water bridge are analyzed in the conceptual framework of quantum electrodynamics. The necessary conditions for the formation are investigated as well as the time evolution of the dynamics. The predictions are found in agreement with the observations.Comment: 11 pages, 4 figure

The Strongly-Interacting Light Higgs

We develop a simple description of models where electroweak symmetry breaking is triggered by a light composite Higgs, which emerges from a strongly-interacting sector as a pseudo-Goldstone boson. Two parameters broadly characterize these models: m_rho, the mass scale of the new resonances and g_rho, their coupling. An effective low-energy Lagrangian approach proves to be useful for LHC and ILC phenomenology below the scale m_rho. We identify two classes of operators: those that are genuinely sensitive to the new strong force and those that are sensitive to the spectrum of the resonances only. Phenomenological prospects for the LHC and the ILC include the study of high-energy longitudinal vector boson scattering, strong double-Higgs production and anomalous Higgs couplings. We finally discuss the possibility that the top quark could also be a composite object of the strong sector.Comment: 45 pages, 1 figure. v2: references adde

DNA waves and water

Some bacterial and viral DNA sequences have been found to induce low frequency electromagnetic waves in high aqueous dilutions. This phenomenon appears to be triggered by the ambient electromagnetic background of very low frequency. We discuss this phenomenon in the framework of quantum field theory. A scheme able to account for the observations is proposed. The reported phenomenon could allow to develop highly sensitive detection systems for chronic bacterial and viral infections.Comment: Invited talk at the DICE2010 Conference, Castiglioncello, Italy September 201

Probing Split Supersymmetry with Cosmic Rays

A striking aspect of the recently proposed split supersymmetry is the existence of heavy gluinos which are metastable because of the very heavy squarks which mediate their decay. In this paper we correlate the expected flux of these particles with the accompanying neutrino flux produced in inelastic $pp$ collisions in distant astrophysical sources. We show that an event rate at the Pierre Auger Observatory of approximately 1 yr$^{-1}$ for gluino masses of about 500 GeV is consistent with existing limits on neutrino fluxes. The extremely low inelasticity of the gluino-containing hadrons in their collisions with the air molecules makes possible a distinct characterization of the showers induced in the atmosphere. Should such anomalous events be observed, we show that their cosmogenic origin, in concert with the requirement that they reach the Earth before decay, leads to a lower bound on their proper lifetime of the order of 100 years, and consequently, to a lower bound on the scale of supersymmetry breaking, $\Lambda_{\rm SUSY} >2.6 \times 10^{11}$ GeV. Obtaining such a bound is not possible in collider experiments.Comment: Version to be published in Phys. Rev.

Differential Effects of the Hormonal and Copper Intrauterine Device on the Endometrial Transcriptome.

The contraceptive effectiveness of intrauterine devices (IUDs) has been attributed in part to a foreign body reaction in the endometrium. We performed this study to better understand mechanisms of action of contraceptives of by studying their effects on endometrial and cervical transcriptomes. We collected endometrial and cervical biopsies from women using the levonorgestrel-releasing intrauterine system (LNG-IUS, n = 11), copper intrauterine device (cu-IUD, n = 13) or levonorgestrel-containing combined oral contraceptives (COC, n = 12), and from women not using contraceptives (control group, n = 11). Transcriptional profiling was performed with Affymetrix arrays, Principal Component Analysis and the bioconductor package limma. In endometrial samples from cu-IUD users, there were no genes with statistically significant differential expression compared to controls. In LNG-IUS users, 2509 genes were differentially expressed and mapped predominantly onto immune and inflammatory pathways. The cervical samples showed no statistically significant differential gene expression compared to controls. Hormonal and copper IUDs have significantly different effects on the endometrial transcriptome, with the LNG-IUS transcriptome showing pronounced inflammation and immune activation compared to controls whereas the cu-IUD transcriptome was indistinguishable from luteal phase endometrium. These findings argue against a foreign body reaction as a common mechanism of action of IUDs

Radiative seesaw and degenerate neutrinos

The radiative see-saw mechanism of Witten generates the right-handed neutrino masses in SO(10) with the spinorial 16_H Higgs field. We study here analytically the 2nd and 3rd generations for the minimal Yukawa structure containing 10_H and 120_H Higgs representations. In the approximation of small 2nd generation masses and gauge loop domination we find the following results : (1) b-tau unification, (2) natural coexistence between large theta_l and small theta_q, (3) degenerate neutrinos.Comment: 4 page

Progestins Related to Progesterone and Testosterone Elicit Divergent Human Endometrial Transcriptomes and Biofunctions.

Progestins are widely used for the treatment of gynecologic disorders and alone, or combined with an estrogen, are used as contraceptives. While their potencies, efficacies and side effects vary due to differences in structures, doses and routes of administration, little is known about their effects on the endometrial transcriptome in the presence or absence of estrogen. Herein, we assessed the transcriptome and pathways induced by progesterone (P4) and the three most commonly used synthetic progestins, medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA), levonorgestrel (LNG), and norethindrone acetate (NETA), on human endometrial stromal fibroblasts (eSF), key players in endometrial physiology and reproductive success. While there were similar transcriptional responses, each progestin induced unique genes and biofunctions, consistent with their structural similarities to progesterone (P4 and MPA) or testosterone (LNG and NETA), involving cellular proliferation, migration and invasion. Addition of estradiol (E2) to each progestin influenced the number of differentially expressed genes and biofunctions in P4 and MPA, while LNG and NETA signatures were more independent of E2. Together, these data suggest different mechanisms of action for different progestins, with progestin-specific altered signatures when combined with E2. Further investigation is warranted for a personalized approach in different gynecologic disorders, for contraception, and minimizing side effects associated with their use