8,361 research outputs found
Difficult Scenarios for NMSSM Higgs Discovery at the LHC
We identify scenarios not ruled out by LEP data in which NMSSM Higgs
detection at the LHC will be particularly challenging. We first review the
`no-lose' theorem for Higgs discovery at the LHC that applies if Higgs bosons
do not decay to other Higgs bosons - namely, with L=300 fb^-1, there is always
one or more `standard' Higgs detection channel with at least a 5 sigma signal.
However, we provide examples of no-Higgs-to-Higgs cases for which all the
standard signals are no larger than 7 sigma implying that if the available L is
smaller or the simulations performed by ATLAS and CMS turn out to be overly
optimistic, all standard Higgs signals could fall below 5 sigma even in the
no-Higgs-to-Higgs part of NMSSM parameter space. In the vast bulk of NMSSM
parameter space, there will be Higgs-to-Higgs decays. We show that when such
decays are present it is possible for all the standard detection channels to
have very small significance. In most such cases, the only strongly produced
Higgs boson is one with fairly SM-like couplings that decays to two lighter
Higgs bosons (either a pair of the lightest CP-even Higgs bosons, or, in the
largest part of parameter space, a pair of the lightest CP-odd Higgs bosons). A
number of representative bench-mark scenarios of this type are delineated in
detail and implications for Higgs discovery at various colliders are discussed.Comment: 31 pages, 5 figure
Tree-formed Verification Data for Trusted Platforms
The establishment of trust relationships to a computing platform relies on
validation processes. Validation allows an external entity to build trust in
the expected behaviour of the platform based on provided evidence of the
platform's configuration. In a process like remote attestation, the 'trusted'
platform submits verification data created during a start up process. These
data consist of hardware-protected values of platform configuration registers,
containing nested measurement values, e.g., hash values, of loaded or started
components. Commonly, the register values are created in linear order by a
hardware-secured operation. Fine-grained diagnosis of components, based on the
linear order of verification data and associated measurement logs, is not
optimal. We propose a method to use tree-formed verification data to validate a
platform. Component measurement values represent leaves, and protected
registers represent roots of a hash tree. We describe the basic mechanism of
validating a platform using tree-formed measurement logs and root registers and
show an logarithmic speed-up for the search of faults. Secure creation of a
tree is possible using a limited number of hardware-protected registers and a
single protected operation. In this way, the security of tree-formed
verification data is maintained.Comment: 15 pages, 11 figures, v3: Reference added, v4: Revised, accepted for
publication in Computers and Securit
A birth cohort study
Funding Information: The MINAâBrazil Study has been funded by the Brazilian National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq, grant number 407255/2013â3) and the SĂŁo Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP, grant number 2016/00270â6). Dr Matijasevich, Dr Antunes and Dr Cardoso are recipients of CNPq senior research scholarships. Mrs Maruyama and Mrs Pinheiro received doctoral scholarship from FAPESP (grant 2017/22723â5) and CAPES, respectively. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and interpretation, or the decision to submit the work for publication. Publisher Copyright: © 2022 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.Objectives: Previous cohort studies have found a positive association between prolonged breastfeeding (â„12 months) on dental caries, but few of them analysed the mediated effect of sugar consumption on this association. This study investigated whether prolonged breastfeeding is a risk factor for caries at 2-year follow-up assessment (21â27 months of age) and whether this effect is mediated by sugar consumption. Methods: A birth cohort study was performed in the Brazilian Amazon (n = 800). Dental caries was assessed using the dmf-t index. Prolonged breastfeeding was the main exposure. Data on baseline covariables and sugar consumption at follow-up visits were analysed. We estimated the OR for total causal effect (TCE) and natural indirect effect (NIE) of prolonged breastfeeding on dental caries using the G-formula. Results: The prevalence of caries was 22.8% (95% CI: 19.8%â25.8%). Children who were breastfed for 12â23 months (TCE = 1.13, 95% CI: 1.05â1.20) and for â„24 months (TCE = 1.27, 95% CI: 1.14â1.40) presented a higher risk of caries at age of 2 years than those breastfed <12 months. However, this risk was slightly mediated by a decreased frequency of sugar consumption at age of 2 years only for breastfeeding from 12 to 23 months (NIE; OR = 0.95, 95% CI: 0.91â0.97). Conclusions: In this study, the effect of prolonged breastfeeding on the increased risk of dental caries was slightly mediated by sugar consumption. Early feeding practices for caries prevention and promoting breastfeeding while avoiding sugar consumption should be targeted in the first 2 years of life.publishersversioninpres
CP violation in the secluded U(1)'-extended MSSM
We study the Higgs sector of the secluded -extended MSSM (sMSSM)
focusing on CP violation. Using the one-loop effective potential that includes
contributions from quarks and squarks in the third generation, we search for
the allowed region under theoretical and experimental constraints. It is found
that the possible region for the electroweak vacuum to exist is quite limited,
depending on the parameters in the model. The masses and couplings of the Higgs
bosons are calculated with/without CP violation. Even at the tree level, CP
violation is possible by complex soft SUSY breaking masses. Similar to the CPX
scenario in the MSSM, the scalar-pseudoscalar mixing enables the lightest Higgs
boson mass to become smaller than the boson mass while the coupling with
the boson is sufficiently suppressed to avoid the LEP experimental
constraints. However, unlike the CPX scenario, large and are not
required for the realization of large CP violation. The typical spectrum of the
SUSY particles is thus different. We also investigate the possible upper bound
of the lightest Higgs boson in the case of spontaneous CP violation. The
maximal value of it can reach above 100 GeV with maximal CP-violating phases.Comment: 28 pages, 16 figures, JHEP styl
An origin for small neutrino masses in the NMSSM
We consider the Next to Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model (NMSSM) which
provides a natural solution to the so-called mu problem by introducing a new
gauge-singlet superfield S. We realize that a new mechanism of neutrino mass
suppression, based on the R-parity violating bilinear terms mu_i L_i H_u mixing
neutrinos and higgsinos, arises within the NMSSM, offering thus an original
solution to the neutrino mass problem (connected to the solution for the mu
problem). We generate realistic (Majorana) neutrino mass values without
requiring any strong hierarchy amongst the fundamental parameters, in contrast
with the alternative models. In particular, the ratio |mu_i/mu| can reach about
10^-1, unlike in the MSSM where it has to be much smaller than unity. We check
that the obtained parameters also satisfy the collider constraints and internal
consistencies of the NMSSM. The price to pay for this new cancellation-type
mechanism of neutrino mass reduction is a certain fine tuning, which get
significantly improved in some regions of parameter space. Besides, we discuss
the feasibility of our scenario when the R-parity violating bilinear terms have
a common origin with the mu term, namely when those are generated via a VEV of
the S scalar component from the couplings lambda_i S L_i H_u. Finally, we make
comments on some specific phenomenology of the NMSSM in the presence of
R-parity violating bilinear terms.Comment: 21 pages, 5 figures, Latex fil
Theoretical predictions for the direct detection of neutralino dark matter in the NMSSM
We analyse the direct detection of neutralino dark matter in the framework of
the Next-to-Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model. After performing a detailed
analysis of the parameter space, taking into account all the available
constraints from LEPII, we compute the neutralino-nucleon cross section, and
compare the results with the sensitivity of detectors. We find that sizable
values for the detection cross section, within the reach of dark matter
detectors, are attainable in this framework. For example, neutralino-proton
cross sections compatible with the sensitivity of present experiments can be
obtained due to the exchange of very light Higgses with m_{h_1^0}\lsim 70
GeV. Such Higgses have a significant singlet composition, thus escaping
detection and being in agreement with accelerator data. The lightest neutralino
in these cases exhibits a large singlino-Higgsino composition, and a mass in
the range 50\lsim m_{\tilde\chi_1^0}\lsim 100 GeV.Comment: Final version to appear in JHEP. References added. LaTeX, 53 pages,
23 figure
The safety of double- and triple-drug community mass drug administration for lymphatic filariasis: A multicenter, open-label, cluster-randomized study
The UK Paediatric Familial Hypercholesterolaemia Register: preliminary data
BACKGROUND: The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence 2008 guidelines on the treatment and management of familial hypercholesterolaemia (FH) recommend that children with FH should be considered for statin treatment by the age of 10â
years. The Paediatric FH Register was established in 2012 to collect baseline and long-term follow-up data on all children with FH in the UK. METHODS: Paediatricians and adult lipidologists have been invited to enter baseline data on any child with a clinical diagnosis of FH using an electronic capture record. RESULTS: Baseline data is on 232 children (50% boys, 80% Caucasian), with an untreated mean (SD) total cholesterol of 7.61 (1.48) mmol/L and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) of 5.67 (1.46) mmol/L. Overall 111/232 (47.8%) of the children were on statins. Children over the age of 10â
years at the most recent follow-up were twice as likely to be on statin treatment than those under 10â
years (57.6% (102/177) vs 23.1% (9/39), p=0.00009). In both age groups, those subsequently on statin treatment had significantly higher diagnostic total and LDL-C (overall 6.01 (1.46) mmol/L vs 5.31 (1.37) mmol/L, p=0.00007), and had stronger evidence of a family history of early coronary heart disease (CHD) in parent or first-degree relative (overall 28.4% vs 19.0%, p=0.09). In statin-treated children LDL-C level was reduced by 35% (2.07 (1.38) mmol/L) compared with a reduction of 5.5% (0.29 (0.87) mmol/L), p=0.0001 in those not treated. None of those on statin had measured plasma levels of creatine kinase, alanine aminotransferase and AST indicative of statin toxicity (ie, >2.5 times the upper limit of the normal range). CONCLUSIONS: The data indicates that treatment decisions in children with FH are appropriately based on a stronger family history of CHD and higher LDL-C
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