6,627 research outputs found
Light Stop Searches at the LHC in Events with two b-Jets and Missing Energy
We propose a new method to discover light top squarks (stops) in the
co-annihilation region at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). The bino-like
neutralino is the lightest supersymmetric particle (LSP) and the lighter stop
is the next-to-LSP. Such scenarios can be consistent with electroweak
baryogenesis and also with dark matter constraints. We consider the production
of two stops in association with two b-quarks, including pure QCD as well as
mixed electroweak-QCD contributions. The stops decay into a charm quark and the
LSP. For a higgsino-like light chargino the electroweak contributions can
exceed the pure QCD prediction. We show the size of the electroweak
contributions as a function of the stop mass and present the LHC discovery
reach in the stop-neutralino mass plane.Comment: 12 pages, 10 figure
Compact Frontend-Electronics and Bidirectional 3.3 Gbps Optical Datalink for Fast Proportional Chamber Readout
The 9600 channels of the multi-wire proportional chamber of the H1 experiment
at HERA have to be read out within 96 ns and made available to the trigger
system. The tight spatial conditions at the rear end flange require a compact
bidirectional readout electronics with minimal power consumption and dead
material.
A solution using 40 identical optical link modules, each transferring the
trigger information with a physical rate of 4 x 832 Mbps via optical fibers,
has been developed and commisioned. The analog pulses from the chamber can be
monitored and the synchronization to the global HERA clock signal is ensured.Comment: 13 pages, 10 figure
Research Proposal for an Experiment to Search for the Decay {\mu} -> eee
We propose an experiment (Mu3e) to search for the lepton flavour violating
decay mu+ -> e+e-e+. We aim for an ultimate sensitivity of one in 10^16
mu-decays, four orders of magnitude better than previous searches. This
sensitivity is made possible by exploiting modern silicon pixel detectors
providing high spatial resolution and hodoscopes using scintillating fibres and
tiles providing precise timing information at high particle rates.Comment: Research proposal submitted to the Paul Scherrer Institute Research
Committee for Particle Physics at the Ring Cyclotron, 104 page
Differences between <i>Trypanosoma brucei gambiense</i> groups 1 and 2 in their resistance to killing by Trypanolytic factor 1
<p><b>Background:</b> The three sub-species of <i>Trypanosoma brucei</i> are important pathogens of sub-Saharan Africa. <i>T. b. brucei</i> is unable to infect humans due to sensitivity to trypanosome lytic factors (TLF) 1 and 2 found in human serum. <i>T. b. rhodesiense</i> and <i>T. b. gambiense</i> are able to resist lysis by TLF. There are two distinct sub-groups of <i>T. b. gambiense</i> that differ genetically and by human serum resistance phenotypes. Group 1 <i>T. b. gambiense</i> have an invariant phenotype whereas group 2 show variable resistance. Previous data indicated that group 1 <i>T. b. gambiense</i> are resistant to TLF-1 due in-part to reduced uptake of TLF-1 mediated by reduced expression of the TLF-1 receptor (the haptoglobin-hemoglobin receptor (<i>HpHbR</i>)) gene. Here we investigate if this is also true in group 2 parasites.</p>
<p><b>Methodology:</b> Isogenic resistant and sensitive group 2 <i>T. b. gambiense</i> were derived and compared to other T. brucei parasites. Both resistant and sensitive lines express the <i>HpHbR</i> gene at similar levels and internalized fluorescently labeled TLF-1 similar fashion to <i>T. b. brucei</i>. Both resistant and sensitive group 2, as well as group 1 <i>T. b. gambiense</i>, internalize recombinant APOL1, but only sensitive group 2 parasites are lysed.</p>
<p><b>Conclusions:</b> Our data indicate that, despite group 1 <i>T. b. gambiense</i> avoiding TLF-1, it is resistant to the main lytic component, APOL1. Similarly group 2 <i>T. b. gambiense</i> is innately resistant to APOL1, which could be based on the same mechanism. However, group 2 <i>T. b. gambiense</i> variably displays this phenotype and expression does not appear to correlate with a change in expression site or expression of <i>HpHbR</i>. Thus there are differences in the mechanism of human serum resistance between <i>T. b. gambiense</i> groups 1 and 2.</p>
Borrelia recurrentis employs a novel multifunctional surface protein with anti-complement, anti-opsonic and invasive potential to escape innate immunity
Borrelia recurrentis, the etiologic agent of louse-borne relapsing fever in humans, has evolved strategies, including antigenic variation, to evade immune defence, thereby causing severe diseases with high mortality rates. Here we identify for the first time a multifunctional surface lipoprotein of B. recurrentis, termed HcpA, and demonstrate that it binds human complement regulators, Factor H, CFHR-1, and simultaneously, the host protease plasminogen. Cell surface bound factor H was found to retain its activity and to confer resistance to complement attack. Moreover, ectopic expression of HcpA in a B. burgdorferi B313 strain, deficient in Factor H binding proteins, protected the transformed spirochetes from complement-mediated killing. Furthermore, HcpA-bound plasminogen/plasmin endows B. recurrentis with the potential to resist opsonization and to degrade extracellular matrix components. Together, the present study underscores the high virulence potential of B. recurrentis. The elucidation of the molecular basis underlying the versatile strategies of B. recurrentis to escape innate immunity and to persist in human tissues, including the brain, may help to understand the pathological processes underlying louse-borne relapsing fever
Measurements of Transverse Energy Flow in Deep-Inelastic Scattering at HERA
Measurements of transverse energy flow are presented for neutral current
deep-inelastic scattering events produced in positron-proton collisions at
HERA. The kinematic range covers squared momentum transfers Q^2 from 3.2 to
2,200 GeV^2, the Bjorken scaling variable x from 8.10^{-5} to 0.11 and the
hadronic mass W from 66 to 233 GeV. The transverse energy flow is measured in
the hadronic centre of mass frame and is studied as a function of Q^2, x, W and
pseudorapidity. A comparison is made with QCD based models. The behaviour of
the mean transverse energy in the central pseudorapidity region and an interval
corresponding to the photon fragmentation region are analysed as a function of
Q^2 and W.Comment: 26 pages, 8 figures, submitted to Eur. Phys.
Multi-Jet Event Rates in Deep Inelastic Scattering and Determination of the Strong Coupling Constant
Jet event rates in deep inelastic ep scattering at HERA are investigated
applying the modified JADE jet algorithm. The analysis uses data taken with the
H1 detector in 1994 and 1995. The data are corrected for detector and
hadronization effects and then compared with perturbative QCD predictions using
next-to-leading order calculations. The strong coupling constant alpha_S(M_Z^2)
is determined evaluating the jet event rates. Values of alpha_S(Q^2) are
extracted in four different bins of the negative squared momentum
transfer~\qq in the range from 40 GeV2 to 4000 GeV2. A combined fit of the
renormalization group equation to these several alpha_S(Q^2) values results in
alpha_S(M_Z^2) = 0.117+-0.003(stat)+0.009-0.013(syst)+0.006(jet algorithm).Comment: 17 pages, 4 figures, 3 tables, this version to appear in Eur. Phys.
J.; it replaces first posted hep-ex/9807019 which had incorrect figure 4
Searches at HERA for Squarks in R-Parity Violating Supersymmetry
A search for squarks in R-parity violating supersymmetry is performed in e^+p
collisions at HERA at a centre of mass energy of 300 GeV, using H1 data
corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 37 pb^(-1). The direct production
of single squarks of any generation in positron-quark fusion via a Yukawa
coupling lambda' is considered, taking into account R-parity violating and
conserving decays of the squarks. No significant deviation from the Standard
Model expectation is found. The results are interpreted in terms of constraints
within the Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model (MSSM), the constrained MSSM
and the minimal Supergravity model, and their sensitivity to the model
parameters is studied in detail. For a Yukawa coupling of electromagnetic
strength, squark masses below 260 GeV are excluded at 95% confidence level in a
large part of the parameter space. For a 100 times smaller coupling strength
masses up to 182 GeV are excluded.Comment: 32 pages, 14 figures, 3 table
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