683 research outputs found
The price of being SM-like in SUSY
We compute the tuning in supersymmetric models associated with the
constraints from collider measurements of the Higgs couplings to fermions and
gauge bosons. In supersymmetric models, a CP-even state with SM Higgs couplings
mixes with additional, heavier CP-even states, causing deviations in the Higgs
couplings from SM values. These deviations are reduced as the heavy states are
decoupled with large soft masses, thereby exacerbating the tuning associated
with the electroweak scale. This new source of tuning is different from that
derived from collider limits on stops, gluinos and Higgsinos. It can be offset
with large tan beta in the MSSM, however this compensating effect is limited in
the NMSSM with a large Higgs-singlet coupling due to restrictions on large tan
beta from electroweak precision tests. We derive a lower bound on this tuning
and show that the level of precision of Higgs coupling measurements at the LHC
will probe naturalness in the NMSSM at the few-percent level. This is
comparable to the tuning derived from superpartner limits in models with a low
messenger scale and split families. Instead the significant improvement in
sensitivity of Higgs coupling measurements at the ILC will allow naturalness in
these models to be constrained at the per-mille level, beyond any tuning
derived from direct superpartner limits.Comment: 29 pages, 6 figure
The Integration of the Workable Range Model into a Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Course: a Practice-Based Case Study
Didactic teaching about stress is part of the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) curriculum. The content and methods of integrating conceptual teaching within the experiential pedagogy are rarely explored. Workable range is a model of stress and emotion regulation that illustrates patterns of physical, emotional and cognitive reactivity in relation to mindful presence. This is a qualitative case study of the inclusion of the workable range model into an MBSR course as a refinement of the didactic teaching about stress. The focus is to illuminate how the inclusion worked in practice. Ten staff, on a MBSR course in a higher educational setting, were recruited as participant researchers with an overlap between their own first-person investigation during the course and the research data. Adapted diagrams and written answers to two question schedules, completed as reflective exercises within the course, were analysed thematically using template analysis. This revealed how participant researchers engaged with and intuitively used the model to notice and describe their own patterns of feeling balanced or stressed and explore how they related to those experiences. How learning the model integrated with MBSR and the applicability of workable ranges as a teaching resource in MBSR is discussed. The study highlights questions about how conceptual and experiential teaching and learning interrelate in mindfulness-based interventions. There is scope for further research using mindfulness practice as a first-person methodology to investigate the processes within mindfulness-based programs
Political trials and the suppression of popular radicalism in England, 1799-1820
This chapter examines the decision-making process between the Home Office and the governmentâs law officers in prosecuting individuals for sedition and treason in the period 1799â1820. The term state trial suggests a more centralised and government-led repression of popular radicalism than the process was in practice. Provincial reformers also faced the complex layers of their local justice system, which was more loyalist, committed to stamping out political radicalism. The trial of the âThirty Eightâ Manchester radicals in June 1812 demonstrates the mutable definitions of treason, sedition and processes of justice in the theatre of the court.Peer reviewe
Studi Perencanaan Pembangunan Pltmh di Kampung Sasnek Distrik Sawiat Kabupaten Sorong Selatan Provinsi Papua Barat
Listrik sangat dibutuhkan oleh seluruh lapisan masyarakat. Kampung Sasnek merupakan salah satu kampung yang terletak di Distrik Sawiat Kabupaten Sorong Selatan Provinsi Papua Barat. Kampung sasnek letaknya sangat terpencil dan dihuni sekitar 100KK. Kampung ini belum terlayani listrik oleh PLN hingga saat ini. Pembangkit listrik mikro hidro adalah pembangkit listrik skala kecil yang kapasitasnya berkisar antara 100 W sampai dengan 100 kW. Studi perencanaan ini bertujuan merencanakan dan nantinya akan ke tahap implementasi Pembangkit Listrik mikro hidro dengan kapasitas daya 12 Volt DC, karena merupakan salah satu cara pembangkit listrik yang paling ekonomis, muda dan aman. pengukuran debit air, didapat debit sebesar 2 liter/detik dari luas area pengukuran 5 m2 dan kecepatan air rata-rata 00.65 m/d. Namun karena kondisi air sungai yang mengalir sepanjang tahun dalam arti tidak pernah kering, maka digunakan faktor koreksi 0.75. Dengan demikian debit yang bisa dimanfaatkan adalah sebesar 0.65 m3/d. Berdasarkan hasil analisa terhadap potensi PLTMH yang terdapat di Sasnek, maka dapat dikalkulasikan Distribusi Jaringan Listrik yang bersumber dari PLTMH Sasnek adalah 10 KW. Dengan adanya perencanaan yang matang sehingga hasil implementasinya akan memberikan dampak yang postif akan pemenuhan kebutuhan listrik di kampung sasnek dan juga kampung sekitarnya
Insects collected from an alpine-subalpine region in SE British Columbia
Insects were caught in a subalpine area of southeastern British Columbia. The list consists of 23 spp. and 37 genera, in families of five orders. The insects were collected during July and August, 1975 as part of a larger study of the ecology of mountain caribou in the Poplar Creek area, north of Nelson, B.C
The progestin receptor interactome in the female mouse hypothalamus: Interactions with synaptic proteins are isoform specific and ligand dependent
Progestins bind to the progestin receptor (PR) isoforms, PR-A and PR-B, in brain to influence development, female reproduction, anxiety, and stress. Hormone-activated PRs associate with multiple proteins to form functional complexes. In the present study, proteins from female mouse hypothalamus that associate with PR were isolated using affinity pull-down assays with glutathione S-transferaseâtagged mouse PR-A and PR-B. Using complementary proteomics approaches, reverse phase protein array (RPPA) and mass spectrometry, we identified hypothalamic proteins that interact with PR in a ligand-dependent and isoform-specific manner and were confirmed by Western blot. Synaptic proteins, including synapsin-I and synapsin-II, interacted with agonist-bound PR isoforms, suggesting that both isoforms function in synaptic plasticity. In further support, synaptogyrin-III and synapsin-III associated with PR-A and PR-B, respectively. PR also interacted with kinases, including c-Src, mTOR, and MAPK1, confirming phosphorylation as an integral process in rapid effects of PR in the brain. Consistent with a role in transcriptional regulation, PR associated with transcription factors and coactivators in a ligand-specific and isoform-dependent manner. Interestingly, both PR isoforms associated with a key regulator of energy homeostasis, FoxO1, suggesting a novel role for PR in energy metabolism. Because many identified proteins in this PR interactome are synaptic proteins, we tested the hypothesis that progestins function in synaptic plasticity. Indeed, progesterone enhanced synaptic density, by increasing synapsin-Iâpositive synapses, in rat primary cortical neuronal cultures. This novel combination of RPPA and mass spectrometry allowed identification of PR action in synaptic remodeling and energy homeostasis and reveals unique roles for progestins in brain function and disease
HIV seroconcordance among heterosexual couples in rural KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa: a population-based analysis
Introduction
High levels of HIV seroconcordance at the population level reduce the potential for effective HIV transmission. However, the level of HIV seroconcordance is largely unknown among heterosexual couples in subâSaharan Africa. We aimed to quantify the population level HIV seroconcordance in stable heterosexual couples in rural South Africa.
Methods
We followed adults (â„15 years old) using a populationâbased, longitudinal and open surveillance system in KwaZuluâNatal, South Africa, from 2003 to 2016. Sexual partnerships and HIV status were confirmed via household surveys and annual HIV surveillance. We calculated the proportions of HIV seroconcordance and serodiscordance in stable sexual partnerships and compared them to the expected proportions under the assumption of random mixing using individualâbased microsimulation models. Among unpartnered individuals, we estimated the incidence rates and hazard of sexual partnership formation with HIVâpositive or HIVânegative partners by participants' own timeâvarying HIV status. Competing risks survival regressions were fitted adjusting for sociodemographic and clinical factors. We also calculated Newman's assortativity coefficients.
Results
A total of 18,341 HIVânegative and 11,361 HIVâpositive individuals contributed 154,469 personâyears (PY) of followâup. Overall, 28% of the participants were in stable sexual partnerships. Of the 677 newly formed stable sexual partnerships, 7.7% (95% CI: 5.8 to 10.0) were HIVâpositive seroconcordant (i.e. both individuals in the partnership were HIVâpositive), which was three times higher than the expected proportion (2.3%) in microsimulation models based on random mixing. The incidence rates of sexual partnership formation were 0.54/1000PY with HIVâpositive, 1.12/1000PY with HIVânegative and 2.65/1000PY with unknown serostatus partners. HIVâpositive individuals had 2.39 (95% CI: 1.43 to 3.99) times higher hazard of forming a sexual partnership with an HIVâpositive partner than did HIVânegative individuals after adjusting for age, oppositeâsex HIV prevalence (by 5âyears age groups), HIV prevalence in the surrounding community, ART coverage and other sociodemographic factors. Similarly, forming a sexual partnership with an HIVânegative partner was 1.47 (95% CI: 1.01 to 2.14) times higher in HIVânegative individuals in the adjusted model. Newman's coefficient also showed that assortativity by participant and partner HIV status was moderate (r = 0.35).
Conclusions
A high degree of population level HIV seroconcordance (both positive and negative) was observed at the time of forming new sexual partnerships. Understanding factors driving these patterns may help the development of strategies to bring the HIV epidemic under control
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