Searches for vector-like quarks at future colliders and implications for composite Higgs models with dark matter

Many composite Higgs models predict the existence of vector-like quarks with masses outside the reach of the LHC, e.g. mQ 73 2 TeV, in particular if these models contain a dark matter candidate. In such models the mass of the new resonances is bounded from above to satisfy the constraint from the observed relic density. We therefore develop new strategies to search for vector-like quarks at a future 100 TeV collider and evaluate what masses and interactions can be probed. We find that masses as large as 3c 6.4 ( 3c9) TeV can be tested if the fermionic resonances decay into Standard Model (dark matter) particles. We also discuss the complementarity of dark matter searches, showing that most of the parameter space can be closed. On balance, this study motivates further the consideration of a higher-energy hadron collider for a next generation of facilities

Upper Pliocene to Lower Pleistocene volcanic complexes and Upper Neogene deformation in the south-central Andes (36°30′-38°S)

The Agrio (37º51´S-70º26´W), Vilú Mallín (37º28´S-70º45´W), Trohunco (37º18´S-71º01´W), Domuyo (36º38´S-70º26´W) and Los Cardos-Centinela (37º06´S-70º52´W) volcanic complexes in Argentina are the principal Upper Pliocene to Lower Pleistocene volcanic complexes that occur in the Main Andean Cordillera east of the modern volcanic front in Chile, in the Southern Volcanic zone.Volcanic rocks from these centers along with their stratigraphic relations with nearby Neogene volcanic units provide constraints on the age and style of Neogene deformation in the modern backarc of the Southern Volcanic Zone between 36°30´ and 38°S. New and published radiometric ages and stratigraphic and structural relations show that the region was affected by a latest Miocene compressional deformation that took place between 9 and 6.8 Ma.A heterogeneous picture emerges for the younger deformation of the region which lies along the Quaternary orogenic front.The most important structures include a NNW-trending fault system that joins the Trohunco and Los Cardos-Centinela complexes and is characterized by compressive deformation, and a NE-trending extensional fault system along which the Agrio caldera, Vilú Mallín and Domuyo volcanic complexes are aligned. Overall, the backarc in this region was affected by compressional deformation in the late Miocene and subjected to tectonic collapse and transpressional deformation during the late Pliocene to Quaternary.Fil: Miranda, Fernando. Secretaría de Industria y Minería. Servicio Geológico Minero Argentino; ArgentinaFil: Folguera Telichevsky, Andres. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Departamento de Geología. Laboratorio de Tectónica Andina; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Leal, Pablo Rodrigo. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Departamento de Geología; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Naranjo, José Antonio. Servicio Nacional de Geología y Minería; ChileFil: Pesce, Abel. Secretaría de Industria y Minería. Servicio Geológico Minero Argentino; Argentin

Opinion dynamics: models, extensions and external effects

Recently, social phenomena have received a lot of attention not only from social scientists, but also from physicists, mathematicians and computer scientists, in the emerging interdisciplinary field of complex system science. Opinion dynamics is one of the processes studied, since opinions are the drivers of human behaviour, and play a crucial role in many global challenges that our complex world and societies are facing: global financial crises, global pandemics, growth of cities, urbanisation and migration patterns, and last but not least important, climate change and environmental sustainability and protection. Opinion formation is a complex process affected by the interplay of different elements, including the individual predisposition, the influence of positive and negative peer interaction (social networks playing a crucial role in this respect), the information each individual is exposed to, and many others. Several models inspired from those in use in physics have been developed to encompass many of these elements, and to allow for the identification of the mechanisms involved in the opinion formation process and the understanding of their role, with the practical aim of simulating opinion formation and spreading under various conditions. These modelling schemes range from binary simple models such as the voter model, to multi-dimensional continuous approaches. Here, we provide a review of recent methods, focusing on models employing both peer interaction and external information, and emphasising the role that less studied mechanisms, such as disagreement, has in driving the opinion dynamics. [...]Comment: 42 pages, 6 figure

A two-component pre-seeded dermal-epidermal scaffold

We have developed a bilayered dermal-epidermal scaffold for application in the treatment of full-thickness skin defects. The dermal component gels in situ and adapts to the lesion shape, delivering human dermal fibroblasts in a matrix of fibrin and cross-linked hyaluronic acid modified with a cell adhesion-promoting peptide. Fibroblasts were able to form a tridimensional matrix due to material features such as tailored mechanical properties, presence of protease-degradable elements and cell-binding ligands. The epidermal component is a robust membrane containing cross-linked hyaluronic acid and poly-l-lysine, on which keratinocytes were able to attach and to form a monolayer. Amine-aldehyde bonding at the interface between the two components allows the formation of a tightly bound composite scaffold. Both parts of the scaffold were designed to provide cell-type-specific cues to allow for cell proliferation and form a construct that mimics the skin environment.D.S.K. acknowledges funding from the Biotechnology Research Endowment from the Department of Anesthesiology at Boston Children's Hospital. I.P.M. acknowledges the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology for the grant BD/39396/2007 and the MIT-Portugal Program. D.G. acknowledges the Swiss National Science Foundation for a post-doctoral fellowship (PBGEP3-129111). B.P.T. acknowledges an NIR Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (F32GM096546)

Muon Collider Physics Summary

The perspective of designing muon colliders with high energy and luminosity,which is being investigated by the International Muon Collider Collaboration,has triggered a growing interest in their physics reach. We present a concisesummary of the muon colliders potential to explore new physics, leveraging onthe unique possibility of combining high available energy with very precisemeasurements.<br