Conformal Barrier and Hidden Local Symmetry Constraints: Walking Technirhos in LHC Diboson Channels

We expand the previous analyses of the conformal barrier on the walking technirho for the 2 TeV diboson excesses reported by the ATLAS collaboration, with a special emphasis on the hidden local symmetry (HLS) constraints. We first show that the Standard Model (SM) Higgs Lagrangian is equivalent to the scale-invariant nonlinear chiral Lagrangian, which is further gauge equivalent to the scale-invariant HLS model, with the scale symmetry realized nonlinearly via SM Higgs as a (pseudo-) dilaton. The scale symmetry forbids the new vector boson decay to the 125 GeV Higgs plus W/Z boson, in sharp contrast to the conventional "equivalence theorem" which is invalidated by the conformality. The HLS forbids mixing between the iso-triplet technirho's, rho_{Pi} and rho_{P}, of the one-family walking technicolor (with four doublets N_D=N_F/2=4), which, without the HLS, would be generated when switching on the standard model gauging. We also present updated analyses of the walking technrho's for the diboson excesses by fully incorporating the constraints from the conformal barrier and the HLS as well as possible higher order effects: still characteristic of the one-family walking technirho is its smallness of the decay width, roughly of order Gamma/M_rho ~ [3/N_C x 1/N_D] x [Gamma/M_rho]_{QCD} ~ 70 GeV/2TeV (N_D= N_C=4), in perfect agreement with the expected diboson resonance with Gamma<100 GeV. The model is so sharply distinguishable from other massive spin 1 models without the conformality and HLS that it is clearly testable at the LHC Run II. If the 2 TeV boson decay to WH/ZH is not observed in the ongoing Run II, then the conformality is operative on the 125 GeV Higgs, strongly suggesting that the 2 TeV excess events are responsible for the walking technirhos and the 125 GeV Higgs is the technidilaton.Comment: latex, 12 eps figures, 36 pages; minor corrections made in theory part, version published in NP

2 TeV Walking Technirho at LHC?

The ATLAS collaboration has recently reported an excess of about 2.5 $\sigma$ global significance at around 2 TeV in the diboson channel with the boson-tagged fat dijets, which may imply a new resonance beyond the standard model. We provide a possible explanation of the excess as the isospin-triplet technivector mesons (technirhos, denoted as $\rho_\Pi^{\pm,3}$) of the walking technicolor in the case of the one-family model as a benchmark. As the effective theory for the walking technicolor at the scales relevant to the LHC experiment, we take a scale-invariant version of the hidden local symmetry model so constructed as to accommodate technipions, technivector mesons, and the technidilaton in such a way that the model respects spontaneously broken chiral and scale symmetries of the underlying walking technicolor. In particular, the technidilaton, a (pseudo) Nambu-Goldstone boson of the (approximate) scale symmetry predicted in the walking technicolor, has been shown to be successfully identified with the 125 GeV Higgs. Currently available LHC limits on those technihadrons are used to fix the couplings of technivector mesons to the standard-model fermions and weak gauge bosons. We find that the technirho's are mainly produced through the Drell-Yan process and predominantly decay to the dibosons, which accounts for the currently reported excess at around 2 TeV. The consistency with the electroweak precision test and other possible discovery channels of the 2 TeV technirhos are also addressed.Comment: 8 pages, 4 eps figures, latex; version to appear in PL

A New Method to Determine Natural Killer Cell Activity Without Target Cells

Natural killer (NK) cell activity is a conventional parameter used to determine the performance lytic activity against tumor as well as virus-infected cells in innate immunity. However, use of this parameter has several problems related to bioassay measurements. To measure NK cell activity, target cells and cell culture equipment are required and adequate pre-culture of target cells is needed to maintain constant sensitivity for NK cells. NK cell-activating receptors play an important role in the recognition of targets, which transduce the signals necessary for cellular machinery to induce target injury and cytokine production. We statistically examined the parameters related to the NK cell activity of human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) by multiple regression analysis, and obtained a formula with NK cell % and RNA levels of two genes in isolated NK cells. The score calculated using this formula with the three measured values showed significant correlation with NK cell activity. This prediction score, named the non-incubating natural killer (NINK) score, which is independent of target cells, is not affected by inappropriate preparation of those targets, and allows us to accurately compare the performance of NK cell activity among specimens

Alteration of Various Lymphocytes by Particulate and Fibrous Substances

Various occupational and environmental substances alter the cellular and molecular function of the human lymphoid system. For example, silicosis patients who have been chronically exposed to silica particles often complicate with autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and systemic sclerosis. From our investigations, silica particles affect CD4+ responder T cells and regulatory T cells (Tregs), which results in the disruption of autoimmunity. Asbestos fibers are a type of mineral silicate, and patients exposed to asbestos fibers revealed cancers such as mesothelioma and lung cancer. In these cases, asbestos fibers may reduce antitumor immunity. Our results investigating the effect of asbestos on cytotoxic T lymphocyte, natural killer (NK) cells, CD4+ cells, and Tregs revealed a reduction in antitumor immunity. To date, the effects of silica and asbestos on Th17 cells and antigen-presenting cells such as dendritic cells and macrophages remain unclear. Based on these findings, it will be possible to generate earlier detection methods to identify the occurrence of immune alterations in silicosis as well as the appearance of a decreased antitumor immunity in asbestos-exposed populations. Additionally, research efforts should also be directed at discovering and identifying physiological substances from foods, plants, and other sources that can restore the immune status in people exposed to particulate and fibrous substances

Toxicity of Titanate Nanosheets on Human Immune Cells

Titanium oxide is regarded as a bio-inert material, but studies concerning the toxic effects of titanium dioxide (TiO2), particularly nano-scaled TiO2 particles, have been accumulating that indicate nano-scaled TiO2 particles show more harm and cause greater alteration of immune functions compared with large particles. Inorganic nanosheets have been the focus of increasing interest because of their ultrathin structure, as well as diversity of compounds and structures leading to various functions. Oxide nanosheets are included in the group comprising inorganic nanosheets, and titanate nanosheets (TiNSs) represent a form of oxide nanosheets. We therefore examined the toxicity of nano-scaled 2D materials of TiNSs on human immune cells. Our study revealed that TiNSs have the potential to cause harm through caspase-dependent apoptosis of human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) to the same degree as asbestos. Furthermore, isolated monocytes developed marked vacuoles prior to cell death upon exposure to TiNSs, which were found in the vacuoles and indicated engulfment of TiNSs. A consideration of these findings with the co-localization of vacuoles with endocytosed fluorescence-labeled dextran indicates that TiNSs entered the endosomal pathway, leading to the formation of vacuoles in monocytes and subsequent cell death. TiNSs might therefore affect immune functions through interference of endo-lysosomal functions

Biological Effects of Negatively Charged Particle-Dominant Indoor Air Conditions

To identify health-promoting indoor air conditions, we developed negatively charged particle-dominant indoor air conditions (NCPDIAC). Experiments assessing the biological effects of NCPDIAC comprised (1) 2.5-h stays in NCPDIAC or control rooms, (2) 2-week nightly stays in control followed by NCPDIAC rooms, (3) 3-month OFF to ON and ON to OFF trials in individual living homes equipped with NPCDIAC in their sleeping or living rooms, and (4) in vitro assays comparing the immune effects between negatively charged particle-dominant and control cell culture incubators. The most significant difference examined between NCPDIAC and control rooms in the 2.5-h stays was an increase in interleukin (IL)-2 with occupancy of the NCPDIAC room. For the 2-week nightly stay experiments, natural killer (NK) cell activity increased with occupancy of the NCPDIAC room. The 3-month OFF to ON trial showed an increase in NK cell activity, while the ON to OFF trial yielded a decrease in NK cell activity. Additionally, the in vitro assays also showed an increase in NK cell activity. The use of NCPDIAC resulted in increased NK cell activity, which has the effect of enhancing immune surveillance for the occurrence of cancer and improving symptoms associated with viral infections