Parton distributions

I discuss our current understanding of parton distributions. I begin with the underlying theoretical framework, and the way in which different data sets constrain different partons, highlighting recent developments. The methods of examining the uncertainties on the distributions and those physical quantities dependent on them is analyzed. Finally I look at the evidence that additional theoretical corrections beyond NLO perturbative QCD may be necessary, what type of corrections are indicated and the impact these may have on the uncertainties.</jats:p

Prospect for Searches for Gluinos and Squarks at a Tevatron Tripler

We examine the discovery potential for SUSY new physics at a p{\bar p} collider upgrade of Tevatron with \sqrt s = 5.4 TeV and luminosity L ~= 4\times 10^{32} cm^{-2}s^{-1} (the Tripler). We consider the reach for gluinos and squarks using the experimental signatures with large missing transverse energy (\met) of jets + \met and 1l + jets + \met (where l=electron or muon) within the framework of minimal supergravity. The Tripler's strongest reach for the gluino is 1060 GeV for the jets + \met channel and 1140 GeV for the 1l + jets + \met channel for 30 fb^{-1} of integrated luminosity (approximately two years running time). This is to be compared with the Tevatron where the reach is 440(460) GeV in the jets + \met channel for 15(30) fb^{-1} of integrated luminosity.Comment: 17 pages, latex, 7 figure

Charm-sea Contribution to High-p_T \psi Production at the Fermilab Tevatron

The direct production of $J/\psi(\psi')$ at large transverse momentum, $p_T \gg M_{J/\psi}$, at the Fermilab Tevatron is revisited. It is found that the sea-quark initiated processes dominate in the high-$p_T$ region within the framework of color-singlet model, which is not widely realized. We think this finding is enlightening for further investigation on the charmonium production mechanism.Comment: Conclusions not changed, to appear in J. of Phys.

Poloxomer 188 Has a Deleterious Effect on Dystrophic Skeletal Muscle Function

Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is an X-linked, fatal muscle wasting disease for which there is currently no cure and limited palliative treatments. Poloxomer 188 (P188) is a tri-block copolymer that has been proposed as a potential treatment for cardiomyopathy in DMD patients. Despite the reported beneficial effects of P188 on dystrophic cardiac muscle function, the effects of P188 on dystrophic skeletal muscle function are relatively unknown. Mdx mice were injected intraperitoneally with 460 mg/kg or 30 mg/kg P188 dissolved in saline, or saline alone (control). The effect of single-dose and 2-week daily treatment was assessed using a muscle function test on the Tibialis Anterior (TA) muscle in situ in anaesthetised mice. The test comprises a warm up, measurement of the force-frequency relationship and a series of eccentric contractions with a 10% stretch that have previously been shown to cause a drop in maximum force in mdx mice. After 2 weeks of P188 treatment at either 30 or 460 mg/kg/day the drop in maximum force produced following eccentric contractions was significantly greater than that seen in saline treated control mice (P = 0.0001). Two week P188 treatment at either dose did not significantly change the force-frequency relationship or maximum isometric specific force produced by the TA muscle. In conclusion P188 treatment increases susceptibility to contraction-induced injury following eccentric contractions in dystrophic skeletal muscle and hence its suitability as a potential therapeutic for DMD should be reconsidered

Finding of the Low Molecular Weight Inhibitors of Resuscitation Promoting Factor Enzymatic and Resuscitation Activity

Background: Resuscitation promoting factors (RPF) are secreted proteins involved in reactivation of dormant actinobacteria, including Mycobacterium tuberculosis. They have been considered as prospective targets for the development of new antituberculosis drugs preventing reactivation of dormant tubercle bacilli, generally associated with latent tuberculosis. However, no inhibitors of Rpf activity have been reported so far. The goal of this study was to find low molecular weight compounds inhibiting the enzymatic and biological activities of Rpfs. Methodology/Principal Findings: Here we describe a novel class of 2-nitrophenylthiocyanates (NPT) compounds that inhibit muralytic activity of Rpfs with IC50 1–7 mg/ml. Fluorescence studies revealed interaction of active NPTs with the internal regions of the Rpf molecule. Candidate inhibitors of Rpf enzymatic activity showed a bacteriostatic effect on growth of Micrococcus luteus (in which Rpf is essential for growth protein) at concentrations close to IC50. The candidate compounds suppressed resuscitation of dormant (‘‘non-culturable’’) cells of M. smegmatis at 1 mg/ml or delayed resuscitation of dormant M. tuberculosis obtained in laboratory conditions at 10 mg/ml. However, they did not inhibit growth of active mycobacteria under these concentrations. Conclusions/Significance: NPT are the first example of low molecular weight compounds that inhibit the enzymatic an

Physics Beyond the Standard Model

I briefly summarize the prospects for extending our understanding of physics beyond the standard model within the next five years.Comment: 9 pages, 2 figures, LaTeX. Presented at the 1999 UK Phenomenology Workshop, Durham, September 1999. To be published in Journal of Physics

On elliptic solutions of the quintic complex one-dimensional Ginzburg-Landau equation

The Conte-Musette method has been modified for the search of only elliptic solutions to systems of differential equations. A key idea of this a priory restriction is to simplify calculations by means of the use of a few Laurent series solutions instead of one and the use of the residue theorem. The application of our approach to the quintic complex one-dimensional Ginzburg-Landau equation (CGLE5) allows to find elliptic solutions in the wave form. We also find restrictions on coefficients, which are necessary conditions for the existence of elliptic solutions for the CGLE5. Using the investigation of the CGLE5 as an example, we demonstrate that to find elliptic solutions the analysis of a system of differential equations is more preferable than the analysis of the equivalent single differential equation.Comment: LaTeX, 21 page

A Quasi-Model-Independent Search for New Physics at Large Transverse Momentum

We apply a quasi-model-independent strategy ("Sleuth") to search for new high p_T physics in approximately 100 pb^-1 of ppbar collisions at sqrt(s) = 1.8 TeV collected by the DZero experiment during 1992-1996 at the Fermilab Tevatron. Over thirty-two e mu X, W+jets-like, Z+jets-like, and 3(lepton/photon)X exclusive final states are systematically analyzed for hints of physics beyond the standard model. Simultaneous sensitivity to a variety of models predicting new phenomena at the electroweak scale is demonstrated by testing the method on a particular signature in each set of final states. No evidence of new high p_T physics is observed in the course of this search, and we find that 89% of an ensemble of hypothetical similar experimental runs would have produced a final state with a candidate signal more interesting than the most interesting observed in these data.Comment: 28 pages, 17 figures. Submitted to Physical Review

Reconciling Neutralino Relic Density with Yukawa Unified Supersymmetric Models

Supersymmetric grand unified models based on the gauge group SO(10) are especially attractive in light of recent data on neutrino masses. The simplest SO(10) SUSY GUT models predict unification of third generation Yukawa couplings in addition to the usual gauge coupling unification. Recent surveys of Yukawa unified SUSY GUT models predict an inverted scalar mass hierarchy in the spectrum of sparticle masses if the superpotential mu term is positive. In general, such models tend to predict an overabundance of dark matter in the universe. We survey several solutions to the dark matter problem in Yukawa unified supersymmetric models. One solution-- lowering the GUT scale mass value of first and second generation scalars-- leads to u_R and c_R squark masses in the 90-120 GeV regime, which should be accessible to Fermilab Tevatron experiments. We also examine relaxing gaugino mass universality which may solve the relic density problem by having neutralino annihilations via the Z or h resonances, or by having a wino-like LSP.Comment: 21 page file plus 9 figures; updated version to coincide with published versio