SUSY Before the Next Lepton Collider

After a brief review of the Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model (MSSM) and specifically the Minimal Supergravity Model (SUGRA), the prospects for discovering and studying SUSY at the CERN Large Hadron Collider are reviewed. The possible role for a future Lepton Collider --- whether $\mu^+\mu^-$ or $e^+e^-$ --- is also discussed.Comment: LaTeX with included aipproc.sty, 17 pages, 12 figures. To appear in Workshop on Physics at the First Muon Collide

Search for SUSY at LHC: Precision Measurements

Methods to make precision measurements of SUSY masses and parameters at the CERN Large Hadron Collider are described.Comment: 7 pages, Latex using included prhep97.sty, 9 figures; To appear in the Proceedings of the International Europhysics Conference on High Energy Physics (Jerusalem, 1997

Sleptons at a First Muon Collider

Signatures for sleptons, which have been extensively studied for the Next Linear Collider, are reexamined taking into account some of the different features of a First Muon Collider.Comment: LaTeX with included aipproc.sty, 7 pages, 5 figures, to appear in Workshop on Physics at the First Muon Collide

Toward an Improved Conceptual Understanding of North American Tree Species Distributions

Species distributions have often been assumed to represent climatic limitations, yet recent evidence has challenged these assumptions and emphasized the potential importance of biotic interactions, dispersal limitation, and disturbance. Despite significant investigation into these factors, an integrated understanding of where and when they may be important is lacking. Here, we review evidence for the factors underlying the historical and contemporary distributions of North American tree species and argue that a cohesive conceptual framework must be informed by an understanding of species ecological and evolutionary history. We further demonstrate that available evidence offers little indication of a significant, independent influence of biotic interactions or dispersal limitation on species distributions. Disturbance may provide important constraints on distributions in limited contexts. Overall, historic and contemporary evidence suggests that species distributions are strongly influenced by climate, yet examples of disequilibrium with climate abound. We propose that differences among life stages and the impacts of human land use may contribute to explain these inconsistencies and are deserving of greater research attention

Appropriateness of Antibiotic Prescriptions for Urinary Tract Infections

Introduction: Urinary tract infections (UTI) are a common indication for antibiotic use in the emergency department (ED). With antibiotic resistance on the rise, it is essential that antibiotics be prescribed appropriately for UTIs. Our objective was to evaluate the appropriateness of antibiotic prescriptions by ED providers for uncomplicated cystitis and pyelonephritis.Methods: We conducted a retrospective study of females ages 2-50 years seen in an academic ED from January 2017 to April 2018 diagnosed with UTI. We assessed the appropriateness of discharge antibiotic prescriptions, as determined by adherence to clinical practice guidelines, best evidence for the particular indication (cystitis vs pyelonephritis for children and adults), and the local antibiogram.Results: A total of 421 patients were included in this study. Of these, 60 children and 198 adults were diagnosed with cystitis, and 47 children and 116 adults were diagnosed with pyelonephritis. Treatment in the absence of true infection was common, with culture-confirmed UTI occurring in only 17/50 (34%) of children and 60/129 (47%) of adults diagnosed with cystitis, and 23/40 (58%) of children and 58/87 (67%) of adults diagnosed with pyelonephritis, among patients who had urine cultures. The type of antibiotic prescribed was appropriate in 53/60 (88%) of children and 135/198 (68%) of adults with cystitis, and 38/47 (81%) of children and 53/116 (46%) of adults with pyelonephritis. The most common inappropriate antibiotic types were beta-lactams in adults (n = 92), nitrofurantoin for pyelonephritis (n = 16), and amoxicillin (n = 15). Dosing and duration errors were also common, occurring in 122/279 (44%) of prescriptions of an appropriate antibiotic type. The frequency of errors in the type of antibiotic prescribed was similar among provider types (attending physician, resident physician, and advanced practice clinician; p = 0.926).Conclusion: This study reveals room for improvement in antibiotic prescription practices across provider cohorts in the ED for the management of uncomplicated cystitis and pyelonephritis in females

High-Mass Supersymmetry with High Energy Hadron Colliders

While it is natural for supersymmetric particles to be well within the mass range of the large hadron collider, it is possible that the sparticle masses could be very heavy. Signatures are examined at a very high energy hadron collider and an very high luminosity option for the Large Hadron Collider in such scenarios