316 research outputs found
Natural Supersymmetry at the LHC
If the minimal supersymmetric standard model is the solution to the hierarchy
problem, the scalar top quark (stop) and the Higgsino should weigh around the
electroweak scale such as 200 GeV. A low messenger scale, which results in a
light gravitino, is also suggested to suppress the quantum corrections to the
Higgs mass parameters. Therefore the minimal model for natural supersymmetry is
a system with stop/Higgsino/gravitino whereas other superparticles are heavy.
We study the LHC signatures of the minimal system and discuss the discovery
potential and methods for the mass measurements.Comment: 19 pages, 6 figures, 1 tabl
Electroweak Baryogenesis and Dark Matter with an approximate R-symmetry
It is well known that R-symmetric models dramatically alleviate the SUSY
flavor and CP problems. We study particular modifications of existing
R-symmetric models which share the solution to the above problems, and have
interesting consequences for electroweak baryogenesis and the Dark Matter (DM)
content of the universe. In particular, we find that it is naturally possible
to have a strongly first-order electroweak phase transition while
simultaneously relaxing the tension with EDM experiments. The R-symmetry (and
its small breaking) implies that the gauginos (and the neutralino LSP) are
pseudo-Dirac fermions, which is relevant for both baryogenesis and DM. The
singlet superpartner of the U(1)_Y pseudo-Dirac gaugino plays a prominent role
in making the electroweak phase transition strongly first-order. The
pseudo-Dirac nature of the LSP allows it to behave similarly to a Dirac
particle during freeze-out, but like a Majorana particle for annihilation today
and in scattering against nuclei, thus being consistent with current
constraints. Assuming a standard cosmology, it is possible to simultaneously
have a strongly first-order phase transition conducive to baryogenesis and have
the LSP provide the full DM relic abundance, in part of the allowed parameter
space. However, other possibilities for DM also exist, which are discussed. It
is expected that upcoming direct DM searches as well as neutrino signals from
DM annihilation in the Sun will be sensitive to this class of models.
Interesting collider and Gravity-wave signals are also briefly discussed.Comment: 50 pages, 10 figure
An A4 flavor model for quarks and leptons in warped geometry
We propose a spontaneous A4 flavor symmetry breaking scheme implemented in a
warped extra dimensional setup to explain the observed pattern of quark and
lepton masses and mixings. The main advantages of this choice are the
explanation of fermion mass hierarchies by wave function overlaps, the
emergence of tribimaximal neutrino mixing and zero quark mixing at the leading
order and the absence of tree-level gauge mediated flavor violations. Quark
mixing is induced by the presence of bulk flavons, which allow for cross-brane
interactions and a cross-talk between the quark and neutrino sectors, realizing
the spontaneous symmetry breaking pattern A4 --> nothing first proposed in
[X.G.\,He, Y.Y.\,Keum, R.R.\,Volkas, JHEP{0604}, 039 (2006)]. We show that the
observed quark mixing pattern can be explained in a rather economical way,
including the CP violating phase, with leading order cross-interactions, while
the observed difference between the smallest CKM entries V_{ub} and V_{td} must
arise from higher order corrections. We briefly discuss bounds on the
Kaluza-Klein scale implied by flavor changing neutral current processes in our
model and show that the residual little CP problem is milder than in flavor
anarchic models.Comment: 34 pages, 2 figures; version published in JHE
Networked buffering: a basic mechanism for distributed robustness in complex adaptive systems
A generic mechanism - networked buffering - is proposed for the generation of robust traits in complex systems. It requires two basic conditions to be satisfied: 1) agents are versatile enough to perform more than one single functional role within a system and 2) agents are degenerate, i.e. there exists partial overlap in the functional capabilities of agents. Given these prerequisites, degenerate systems can readily produce a distributed systemic response to local perturbations. Reciprocally, excess resources related to a single function can indirectly support multiple unrelated functions within a degenerate system. In models of genome:proteome mappings for which localized decision-making and modularity of genetic functions are assumed, we verify that such distributed compensatory effects cause enhanced robustness of system traits. The conditions needed for networked buffering to occur are neither demanding nor rare, supporting the conjecture that degeneracy may fundamentally underpin distributed robustness within several biotic and abiotic systems. For instance, networked buffering offers new insights into systems engineering and planning activities that occur under high uncertainty. It may also help explain recent developments in understanding the origins of resilience within complex ecosystems. \ud
\u
Degeneracy: a link between evolvability, robustness and complexity in biological systems
A full accounting of biological robustness remains elusive; both in terms of the mechanisms by which robustness is achieved and the forces that have caused robustness to grow over evolutionary time. Although its importance to topics such as ecosystem services and resilience is well recognized, the broader relationship between robustness and evolution is only starting to be fully appreciated. A renewed interest in this relationship has been prompted by evidence that mutational robustness can play a positive role in the discovery of adaptive innovations (evolvability) and evidence of an intimate relationship between robustness and complexity in biology.
This paper offers a new perspective on the mechanics of evolution and the origins of complexity, robustness, and evolvability. Here we explore the hypothesis that degeneracy, a partial overlap in the functioning of multi-functional components, plays a central role in the evolution and robustness of complex forms. In support of this hypothesis, we present evidence that degeneracy is a fundamental source of robustness, it is intimately tied to multi-scaled complexity, and it establishes conditions that are necessary for system evolvability
Endoscopic Ultrasound in the Diagnosis and Staging of Pancreatic Cancer
Pancreatic cancer is one of the digestive cancers with the poorest prognosis, so an early and correct diagnosis is of utmost importance. With the development of new therapeutic options an accurate staging is essential. Endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS) has a major role in all stages of the management of these patients. EUS has a high accuracy in the diagnosis of pancreatic adenocarcinoma and the possibility to perform fine-needle aspiration/biopsy (FNA/FNB) increases the diagnostic yield of EUS. There is still no consensus on the several technical aspects of FNA, namely on the rapid on-site evaluation (ROSE), the diameter and type of needle, the number of passes and the use of stylet and suction. Contrast-enhanced EUS (CE-EUS) and EUS elastography (EUS-E) have been used in recent years as an adjunct to EUS-FNA. Given the higher sensitivity of these techniques a negative cytology by EUS-FNA should not exclude malignancy when CE-EUS and/or EUS-E are suggestive of pancreatic neoplasia. EUS remains one of the main methods in the staging of pancreatic adenocarcinoma, namely to further evaluate patients with non-metastatic disease that appears resectable on initial imaging. EUS is crucial for an accurate preoperative evaluation of pancreatic cancer which is essential to choose the correct management strategy. The possibility to obtain samples from suspicious lesions or lymph nodes, by means of EUS-guided fine-needle aspiration as well as the use of contrast-enhanced and elastography, makes EUS an ideal modality for the diagnosis and staging of pancreatic cancer.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
Yukawa-unified natural supersymmetry
Previous work on t-b-\tau Yukawa-unified supersymmetry, as expected from SUSY
GUT theories based on the gauge group SO(10), tended to have exceedingly large
electroweak fine-tuning (EWFT). Here, we examine supersymmetric models where we
simultaneously require low EWFT ("natural SUSY") and a high degree of Yukawa
coupling unification, along with a light Higgs scalar with m_h\sim125 GeV. As
Yukawa unification requires large tan\beta\sim50, while EWFT requires rather
light third generation squarks and low \mu\sim100-250 GeV, B-physics
constraints from BR(B\to X_s\gamma) and BR(B_s\to \mu+\mu-) can be severe. We
are able to find models with EWFT \Delta\lesssim 50-100 (better than 1-2% EWFT)
and with Yukawa unification as low as R_yuk\sim1.3 (30% unification) if
B-physics constraints are imposed. This may be improved to R_yuk\sim1.2 if
additional small flavor violating terms conspire to improve accord with
B-constraints. We present several Yukawa-unified natural SUSY (YUNS) benchmark
points. LHC searches will be able to access gluinos in the lower 1-2 TeV
portion of their predicted mass range although much of YUNS parameter space may
lie beyond LHC14 reach. If heavy Higgs bosons can be accessed at a high rate,
then the rare H, A\to \mu+\mu- decay might allow a determination of
tan\beta\sim50 as predicted by YUNS models. Finally, the predicted light
higgsinos should be accessible to a linear e+e- collider with \sqrt{s}\sim0.5
TeV.Comment: 18 pages, 7 figures, pdflatex; 3 references adde
Fine Tuning in General Gauge Mediation
We study the fine-tuning problem in the context of general gauge mediation.
Numerical analyses toward for relaxing fine-tuning are presented. We analyse
the problem in typical three cases of the messenger scale, that is, GUT
( GeV), intermediate ( GeV), and relatively low energy
( GeV) scales. In each messenger scale, the parameter space reducing the
degree of tuning as around 10% is found. Certain ratios among gluino mass, wino
mass and soft scalar masses are favorable. It is shown that the favorable
region becomes narrow as the messenger scale becomes lower, and tachyonic
initial conditions of stop masses at the messenger scale are favored to relax
the fine-tuning problem for the relatively low energy messenger scale. Our
spectra would also be important from the viewpoint of the problem.Comment: 22 pages, 16 figures, comment adde
Probing natural SUSY from stop pair production at the LHC
We consider the natural supersymmetry scenario in the framework of the
R-parity conserving minimal supersymmetric standard model (called natural MSSM)
and examine the observability of stop pair production at the LHC. We first scan
the parameters of this scenario under various experimental constraints,
including the SM-like Higgs boson mass, the indirect limits from precision
electroweak data and B-decays. Then in the allowed parameter space we study the
stop pair production at the LHC followed by the stop decay into a top quark
plus a lightest neutralino or into a bottom quark plus a chargino. From
detailed Monte Carlo simulations of the signals and backgrounds, we find the
two decay modes are complementary to each other in probing the stop pair
production, and the LHC with TeV and 100 luminosity is
capable of discovering the stop predicted in natural MSSM up to 450 GeV. If no
excess events were observed at the LHC, the 95% C.L. exclusion limits of the
stop masses can reach around 537 GeV.Comment: 19 pages, 10 figures, version accepted by JHE
An integrated network visualization framework towards metabolic engineering applications
Background
Over the last years, several methods for the phenotype simulation of microorganisms, under specified genetic and environmental conditions have been proposed, in the context of Metabolic Engineering (ME). These methods provided insight on the functioning of microbial metabolism and played a key role in the design of genetic modifications that can lead to strains of industrial interest. On the other hand, in the context of Systems Biology research, biological network visualization has reinforced its role as a core tool in understanding biological processes. However, it has been scarcely used to foster ME related methods, in spite of the acknowledged potential.
Results
In this work, an open-source software that aims to fill the gap between ME and metabolic network visualization is proposed, in the form of a plugin to the OptFlux ME platform. The framework is based on an abstract layer, where the network is represented as a bipartite graph containing minimal information about the underlying entities and their desired relative placement. The framework provides input/output support for networks specified in standard formats, such as XGMML, SBGN or SBML, providing a connection to genome-scale metabolic models. An user-interface makes it possible to edit, manipulate and query nodes in the network, providing tools to visualize diverse effects, including visual filters and aspect changing (e.g. colors, shapes and sizes). These tools are particularly interesting for ME, since they allow overlaying phenotype simulation results or elementary flux modes over the networks.
Conclusions
The framework and its source code are freely available, together with documentation and other resources, being illustrated with well documented case studies.This work is partially funded by ERDF - European Regional Development Fund through the COMPETE Programme (operational programme for competitiveness) and by National Funds through the FCT (Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology) within project ref. COMPETE FCOMP-01-0124-FEDER-015079 and the FCT Strategic Project PEst-OE/EQB/LA0023/2013. The work of PV is funded by PhD grant ref. SFRH/BDE/51442/2011
- …