Using a Logic Programming Framework to Control Database Query Dialogues in Natural Language

We present a natural language question/answering system to interface the University of Évora databases that uses clarification dialogs in order to clarify user questions. It was developed in an integrated logic programming framework, based on constraint logic programming using the GnuProlog(-cx) language [2,11] and the ISCO framework [1]. The use of this LP framework allows the integration of Prolog-like inference mechanisms with classes and inheritance, constraint solving algorithms and provides the connection with relational databases, such as PostgreSQL. This system focus on the questions’ pragmatic analysis, to handle ambiguity, and on an efficient dialogue mechanism, which is able to place relevant questions to clarify the user intentions in a straightforward manner. Proper Nouns resolution and the pp-attachment problem are also handled. This paper briefly presents this innovative system focusing on its ability to correctly determine the user intention through its dialogue capability

Supersymmetry and the positron excess in cosmic rays

Recently the HEAT balloon experiment has confirmed an excess of high-energy positrons in cosmic rays. They could come from annihilation of dark matter in the galactic halo. We discuss expectations for the positron signal in cosmic rays from the lightest superpartner. The simplest interpretations are incompatible with the size and shape of the excess if the relic LSPs evolved from thermal equilbrium. Non-thermal histories can describe a sufficient positron rate. Reproducing the energy spectrum is more challenging, but perhaps possible. The resulting light superpartner spectrum is compatible with collider physics, the muon anomalous magnetic moment, Z-pole electroweak data, and other dark matter searches.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures, references added, minor wording change

On the Observability of "Invisible" / "Nearly Invisible" Charginos

It is shown that if the charginos decay into very soft leptons or hadrons + $\not{E}$ due to degeneracy/ near- degeneracy with the LSP or the sneutrino, the observability of the recently proposed signal via the single photon (+ soft particles) + $\not{E}$ channel crucially depends on the magnitude of the \SNU mass due to destructive interferences in the matrix element squared. If the \SNU's and, consequently, left-sleptons are relatively light, the size of the signal, previously computed in the limit \MSNU \to \infty only, is drastically reduced. We present the formula for the signal cross section in a model independent way and discuss the observability of the signal at LEP 192 and NLC energies.Comment: 27 pages, Late

The reaction Δ+N→N+N+ϕ\Delta+N\to N+N+\phi in ion-ion collisions

We study the threshold $\phi$-meson production in the process $\Delta+N\to N+N+\phi$, which appears as a possible important mechanism in high energy nuclei-nuclei collisions. The isotopic invariance of the strong interaction and the selection rules due to P-parity and total angular momentum result in a general and model independent parametrization of the spin structure of the matrix element in terms of three partial amplitudes. In the framework of one-pion exchange model these amplitudes can be derived in terms of the two threshold partial amplitudes for the process $\pi+N\to N+\phi$. We predict the ratio of cross sections for $\phi-$meson production in $pp$- and $\Delta N$-collisions and the polarization properties of the $\phi$-meson, in $\Delta+N\to N+N+\phi$, as a function of a single parameter, which characterizes the relative role of transversal and longitudinal $\phi$-meson polarizations in the process $\pi+N\to N+\phi$.Comment: 10 pages 3 figure

Pair production of neutralinos via gluon-gluon collisions

The production of a neutralino pair via gluon-gluon fusion is studied in the minimal supersymmetric model(MSSM) at proton-proton colliders. The numerical analysis of their production rates are carried out in the mSUGRA scenario. The results show that this cross section may reach about 80 femto barn for $\tilde{\chi}^{0}_{1}\tilde{\chi}^{0}_{2}$ pair production and 23 femto barn for $\tilde{\chi}^{0}_{2}\tilde{\chi}^{0}_{2}$ pair production with suitable input parameters at the future LHC collider. It shows that this loop mediated process can be competitive with the quark-antiquark annihilation process at the LHC.Comment: LaTex file, l4 pages, 5 EPS figure

Measurement of the tt¯ production cross-section using eμ events with b-tagged jets in pp collisions at √s=13TeV with the ATLAS detector

This paper describes a measurement of the inclusive top quark pair production cross-section (σtt¯) with a data sample of 3.2fb−1 of proton–proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of s=13TeV, collected in 2015 by the ATLAS detector at the LHC. This measurement uses events with an opposite-charge electron–muon pair in the final state. Jets containing b-quarks are tagged using an algorithm based on track impact parameters and reconstructed secondary vertices. The numbers of events with exactly one and exactly two b-tagged jets are counted and used to determine simultaneously σtt¯ and the efficiency to reconstruct and b-tag a jet from a top quark decay, thereby minimising the associated systematic uncertainties. The cross-section is measured to be:σtt¯=818±8(stat)±27(syst)±19(lumi)±12(beam) pb, where the four uncertainties arise from data statistics, experimental and theoretical systematic effects, the integrated luminosity and the LHC beam energy, giving a total relative uncertainty of 4.4%. The result is consistent with theoretical QCD calculations at next-to-next-to-leading order. A fiducial measurement corresponding to the experimental acceptance of the leptons is also presented

Cumulant to Factorial Moment Ratio and Multiplicity Data

The ratio of cumulant to factorial moments of experimental multiplicity distributions has been calculated for $e^{+}e^{-}$ and $hh$ interactions in a wide range of energies. As a function of the rank it exhibits an initial steep decrease and a series of oscillations around zero. Those features cannot be reproduced by the Negative Binomial Distribution. A comparable behaviour is instead predicted in high-energy perturbative QCD. The presence of a qualitatively similar behaviour for different processes and in wide energy intervals suggests speaking of an approximate scaling of the cumulant to factorial moment ratio.Comment: Submitted to Phys.Lett.B; Latex document, 11 pages, 4 PostScript figures appended. Preprint number FIAN/TD-15/93 also FNT/AE 93-2

Bottom-Tau Unification in SUSY SU(5) GUT and Constraints from b to s gamma and Muon g-2

An analysis is made on bottom-tau Yukawa unification in supersymmetric (SUSY) SU(5) grand unified theory (GUT) in the framework of minimal supergravity, in which the parameter space is restricted by some experimental constraints including Br(b to s gamma) and muon g-2. The bottom-tau unification can be accommodated to the measured branching ratio Br(b to s gamma) if superparticle masses are relatively heavy and higgsino mass parameter \mu is negative. On the other hand, if we take the latest muon g-2 data to require positive SUSY contributions, then wrong-sign threshold corrections at SUSY scale upset the Yukawa unification with more than 20 percent discrepancy. It has to be compensated by superheavy threshold corrections around the GUT scale, which constrains models of flavor in SUSY GUT. A pattern of the superparticle masses preferred by the three requirements is also commented.Comment: 21pages, 6figure

Virtual LSPs at e+ e- Colliders

Currently popular search strategies for supersymmetric particles may be significantly affected due to relatively light sneutrinos which decay dominantly into invisible channels. In certain cases the second lightest neutralino may also decay invisibly leading to two extra carriers of missing energy (in addition to the lightest supersymmetric particle (LSP)) -- the virtual LSPs (VLSPs). It is shown that if the sneutrino masses happen to be in the small but experimentally allowed range ~ 45 - 55 GeV, these particles together with neutralino pairs may contribute significantly to the missing energy in the process e+ e- ---> \gamma + missing energy at LEP-2 energies as an enhancement over the Standard Model or the conventional MSSM predictions. It is further shown that a much larger region of the parameter space can be scanned at a high luminosity e+ e- collider at 500 GeV like the proposed NLC machine. Moreover this process can play a complementary role to direct chargino searches at LEP-2 and NLC which may fail due to a near mass degeneracy of the chargino and the sneutrino. Formulae for the cross sections taking into account full mixings of the charginos and the neutralinos are derived. The signal remains observable even in the context of more restricted models based on N=1 SUGRA with common scalar and gaugino masses. The effect of soft photon brehmsstrahlung on the signal is also discussed briefly.Comment: 51 pages, LaTeX plus 13 postscript figures included using epsfig in uuencoded and compressed form, minor comments adde