New Constraints on General Slepton Flavor Mixing

We explore the phenomenological implications on charged lepton flavor violating (LFV) processes from slepton flavor mixing within the Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model. We work under the model-independent hypothesis of general flavor mixing in the slepton sector, being parametrized by a complete set of dimensionless delta^AB_ij (A,B = L,R; i,j = 1, 2, 3) parameters. The present upper bounds on the most relevant LFV processes, together with the requirement of compatibility in the choice of the MSSM parameters with the recent LHC and (g-2) data, lead to updated constraints on all slepton flavor mixing parameters. A comparative discussion of the most effective LFV processes to constrain the various generation mixings is included.Comment: 42 pages, 19 figures. Minor changes, version to appear in PR

Updated Constraints on General Squark Flavor Mixing

We explore the phenomenological implications on non-minimal flavor violating (NMFV) processes from squark flavor mixing within the Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model. We work under the model-independent hypothesis of general flavor mixing in the squark sector, being parametrized by a complete set of dimensionless delta^AB_ij (A,B = L, R; i,j = u, c, t or d, s, b) parameters. The present upper bounds on the most relevant NMFV processes, together with the requirement of compatibility in the choice of the MSSM parameters with the recent LHC and g-2 data, lead to updated constraints on all squark flavor mixing parameters.Comment: 30 pages, 7 figures. arXiv admin note: text overlap with arXiv:1304.2783, arXiv:1109.623

EU external policy-making and the case of Morocco: 'Realistically' dealing with authoritarianism?

The literature on the external relations of the EU often emphasises the normative nature of the Union’s policies. It follows that specific policy initiatives such as the Euro–Mediterranean Partnership (EMP) are then assessed according to normative parameters. This paper challenges this assumption and argues that a realist interpretation of the Union–s external policies contributes to a better understanding of what the EU does abroad. In order to substantiate such theoretical claims, the paper analyses in detail the EU’s relations with the authoritarian state of Morocco and highlights how realist concerns dominate the Union’s preoccupations to the detriment of the normative values it espouses on paper. The paper concludes by arguing that if a different theoretical framework from the mainstream normative one is used to assess the Union’s policies, the outcome of this assessment changes quite radically. In the case of EMP, for instance, we claim that the Union has been rather successful in pursuing its material, realist interests. This has important implications for how the EU will operate when more integration on foreign policy matters occurs

What Matters Most to Patients and Rheumatologists? A Discrete Choice Experiment in Rheumatoid Arthritis

Introduction: To determine patient and rheumatologist preferences for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) treatment attributes in Spain and to evaluate their attitude towards shared decision-making (SDM). Methods: Observational, descriptive, exploratory and cross-sectional study based on a discrete choice experiment (DCE). To identify the attributes and their levels, a literature review and two focus groups (patients [P] = 5; rheumatologists [R] = 4) were undertaken. Seven attributes with 2–4 levels were presented in eight scenarios. Attribute utility and relative importance (RI) were assessed using a conditional logit model. Patient preferences for SDM were assessed using an ad hoc questionnaire. Results: Ninety rheumatologists [52.2% women; mean years of experience 18.1 (SD: 9.0); seeing an average of 24.4 RA patients/week (SD: 15.3)] and 137 RA patients [mean age: 47.5 years (SD: 10.7); 84.0% women; mean time since diagnosis of RA: 14.2 years (SD: 11.8) and time in treatment: 13.2 years (SD: 11.2), mean HAQ score 1.2 (SD: 0.7)] participated in the study. In terms of RI, rheumatologists and RA patients viewed: time with optimal QoL: R: 23.41%/P: 35.05%; substantial symptom improvement: R: 13.15%/P: 3.62%; time to onset of treatment action: R: 16.24%/P: 13.56%; severe adverse events: R: 10.89%/P: 11.20%; mild adverse events: R: 4.16%/P: 0.91%; mode of administration: R: 25.23%/P: 25.00%; and added cost: R: 6.93%/P: 10.66%. Nearly 73% of RA patients were involved in treatment decision-making to a greater or lesser extent; however, 27.4% did not participate at all. Conclusion: Both for rheumatologists and patients, the top three decision-making drivers are time with optimal quality, treatment mode of administration and time to onset of action, although in different ranking order. Patients were willing to be more involved in the treatment decision-making process

Higgs boson masses and B-physics constraints in Non-Minimal Flavor Violating SUSY scenarios

Journal of High Energy Physics 2012.5 (2012): 015 reproduced by permission of Scuola Internazionale Superiore di Studi Avanzati (SISSA)We present one-loop corrections to the Higgs boson masses in the MSSM with Non-Minimal Flavor Violation. The flavor violation is generated from the hypothesis of general flavor mixing in the squark emass matrices, and these are parametrized by a complete set of δ xY ij (X, Y = L,R; i, j = t,c,u or b, s, d). We calculate the corrections to the Higgs masses in terms of these δ xY ij taking into account all relevant restrictions from B-physics data. This includes constraints from BR(B → X sγ), BR(B s → μ +μ -) and ΔM Bs. After taking into account these constraints we find sizable corrections to the Higgs boson masses, in the case of the lightest MSSM Higgs boson mass exceeding tens of GeV. These corrections are found mainly for the low tan β case. In the case of a Higgs boson mass measurement these corrections might be used to set further constraints on δf YThe work of S.H. was supported in part by CICYT (grant FPA 2007-66387), in part by CICYT (grant FPA 2010-22163-C02-01) and by the Spanish MICINN’s Consolider-Ingenio 2010 Program under grant MultiDark CSD2009-00064. The work of M.H. and M.A.-C. was partially supported by CICYT (grant FPA2009-09017) and the Comunidad de Madrid project HEPHACOS, S2009/ESP-1473. The work of S.P. was supported by a Ramón y Cajal contract from MEC (Spain) (PDRYC-2006-000930) and partially by CICYT (grant FPA2009-09638), the Comunidad de Aragón project DCYT-DGA E24/2 and the Generalitat de Catalunya project 2009SGR502. The work is also supported in part by the European Community’s Marie-Curie Research Training Network under contract MRTNCT-2006-035505 ‘Tools and Precision Calculations for Physics Discoveries at Colliders’ and also by the Spanish Consolider-Ingenio 2010 Programme CPAN (CSD2007-00042

Embalse subterráneo, Brasil.

Se tiene conocimiento de la técnica de almacenamiento de agua através del uso de embalses subterráneos en varias partes del mundo; en Arizona, Estados Unidos; en el desierto de Negev, en Israel; en las rcgiones áridas de Africa del Norte y en el desierto del Sahara. en Irán

Ketamine administration in healthy volunteers reproduces aberrant agency experiences associated with schizophrenia

Introduction. Aberrant experience of agency is characteristic of schizophrenia. An understanding of the neurobiological basis of such experience is therefore of considerable importance for developing successful models of the disease. We aimed to characterise the effects of ketamine, a drug model for psychosis, on sense of agency (SoA). SoA is associated with a subjective compression of the temporal interval between an action and its effects: This is known as "intentional binding". This action-effect binding provides an indirect measure of SoA. Previous research has found that the magnitude of binding is exaggerated in patients with schizophrenia. We therefore investigated whether ketamine administration to otherwise healthy adults induced a similar pattern of binding. Methods. 14 right-handed healthy participants (8 female; mean age 22.4 years) were given low-dose ketamine (100 ng/mL plasma) and completed the binding task. They also underwent structured clinical interviews. Results. Ketamine mimicked the performance of schizophrenia patients on the intentional binding task, significantly increasing binding relative to placebo. The size of this effect also correlated with aberrant bodily experiences engendered by the drug. Conclusions. These data suggest that ketamine may be able to mimic certain aberrant agency experiences that characterise schizophrenia. The link to individual changes in bodily experience suggests that the fundamental change produced by the drug has wider consequences in terms of individuals' experiences of their bodies and movements