508 research outputs found
Economic and microbiologic evaluation of single-dose vial extension for hazardous drugs
Purpose: The update of US Pharmacopeia Chapter ă797ă in 2008 included guidelines stating that single-dose vials (SDVs) opened and maintained in an International Organization for Standardization Class 5 environment can be used for up to 6 hours after initial puncture. A study was conducted to evaluate the cost of discarding vials after 6 hours and to further test sterility of vials beyond this time point, subsequently defined as the beyond-use date (BUD). Methods: Financial determination of SDV waste included 2 months of retrospective review of all doses prescribed. Additionally, actual waste log data were collected. Active and control vials (prepared using sterilized trypticase soy broth) were recovered, instead of discarded, at the defined 6-hour BUD. Results: The institution-specific waste of 19 selected SDV medications discarded at 6 hours was calculated at 770,000 annually. Microbiologic testing of vial extension beyond 6 hours showed that 11 (1.86%) of 592 samples had one colony-forming unit on one of two plates. Positive plates were negative at subsequent time points, and all positives were single isolates most likely introduced during the plating process. Conclusion: The cost of discarding vials at 6 hours was significant for hazardous medications in a large academic medical center. On the basis of microbiologic data, vial BUD extension demonstrated a contamination frequency of 1.86%, which likely represented exogenous contamination; vial BUD extension for the tested drugs showed no growth at subsequent time points and could provide an annual cost savings of more than $600,000
Affleck-Dine dynamics and the dark sector of pangenesis
Pangenesis is the mechanism for jointly producing the visible and dark matter
asymmetries via Affleck-Dine dynamics in a baryon-symmetric universe. The
baryon-symmetric feature means that the dark asymmetry cancels the visible
baryon asymmetry and thus enforces a tight relationship between the visible and
dark matter number densities. The purpose of this paper is to analyse the
general dynamics of this scenario in more detail and to construct specific
models. After reviewing the simple symmetry structure that underpins all
baryon-symmetric models, we turn to a detailed analysis of the required
Affleck-Dine dynamics. Both gravity-mediated and gauge-mediated supersymmetry
breaking are considered, with the messenger scale left arbitrary in the latter,
and the viable regions of parameter space are determined. In the gauge-mediated
case where gravitinos are light and stable, the regime where they constitute a
small fraction of the dark matter density is identified. We discuss the
formation of Q-balls, and delineate various regimes in the parameter space of
the Affleck-Dine potential with respect to their stability or lifetime and
their decay modes. We outline the regions in which Q-ball formation and decay
is consistent with successful pangenesis. Examples of viable dark sectors are
presented, and constraints are derived from big bang nucleosynthesis, large
scale structure formation and the Bullet cluster. Collider signatures and
implications for direct dark matter detection experiments are briefly
discussed. The following would constitute evidence for pangenesis:
supersymmetry, GeV-scale dark matter mass(es) and a Z' boson with a significant
invisible width into the dark sector.Comment: 51 pages, 7 figures; v2: minor modifications, comments and references
added; v3: minor changes, matches published versio
Visible and dark matter from a first-order phase transition in a baryon-symmetric universe
The similar cosmological abundances observed for visible and dark matter
suggest a common origin for both. By viewing the dark matter density as a
dark-sector asymmetry, mirroring the situation in the visible sector, we show
that the visible and dark matter asymmetries may have arisen simultaneously
through a first-order phase transition in the early universe. The dark
asymmetry can then be equal and opposite to the usual visible matter asymmetry,
leading to a universe that is symmetric with respect to a generalised baryon
number. We present both a general structure, and a precisely defined example of
a viable model of this type. In that example, the dark matter is atomic as well
as asymmetric, and various cosmological and astrophysical constraints are
derived. Testable consequences for colliders include a Z' boson that couples
through the B-L charge to the visible sector, but also decays invisibly to dark
sector particles. The additional scalar particles in the theory can mix with
the standard Higgs boson and provide other striking signatures.Comment: 26 pages, comments and references added, JCAP versio
Limits on anomalous trilinear gauge boson couplings from WW, WZ and Wgamma production in pp-bar collisions at sqrt{s}=1.96 TeV
We present final searches of the anomalous gammaWW and ZWW trilinear gauge
boson couplings from WW and WZ production using lepton plus dijet final states
and a combination with results from Wgamma, WW, and WZ production with leptonic
final states. The analyzed data correspond to up to 8.6/fb of integrated
luminosity collected by the D0 detector in pp-bar collisions at sqrt{s}=1.96
TeV. We set the most stringent limits at a hadron collider to date assuming two
different relations between the anomalous coupling parameters
Delta\kappa_\gamma, lambda, and Delta g_1^Z for a cutoff energy scale Lambda=2
TeV. The combined 68% C.L. limits are -0.057<Delta\kappa_\gamma<0.154,
-0.015<lambda<0.028, and -0.008<Delta g_1^Z<0.054 for the LEP parameterization,
and -0.007<Delta\kappa<0.081 and -0.017<lambda<0.028 for the equal couplings
parameterization. We also present the most stringent limits of the W boson
magnetic dipole and electric quadrupole moments.Comment: 10 pages, 5 figures, submitted to PL
Measurement of the photon-jet production differential cross section in collisions at \sqrt{s}=1.96~\TeV
We present measurements of the differential cross section dsigma/dpT_gamma
for the inclusive production of a photon in association with a b-quark jet for
photons with rapidities |y_gamma|< 1.0 and 30<pT_gamma <300 GeV, as well as for
photons with 1.5<|y_gamma|< 2.5 and 30< pT_gamma <200 GeV, where pT_gamma is
the photon transverse momentum. The b-quark jets are required to have pT>15 GeV
and rapidity |y_jet| < 1.5. The results are based on data corresponding to an
integrated luminosity of 8.7 fb^-1, recorded with the D0 detector at the
Fermilab Tevatron Collider at sqrt(s)=1.96 TeV. The measured cross
sections are compared with next-to-leading order perturbative QCD calculations
using different sets of parton distribution functions as well as to predictions
based on the kT-factorization QCD approach, and those from the Sherpa and
Pythia Monte Carlo event generators.Comment: 10 pages, 9 figures, submitted to Phys. Lett.
Search for Higgs bosons decaying to tautau pairs in ppbar collisions at sqrt(s) = 1.96 TeV
We present a search for the production of neutral Higgs bosons decaying into
tautau pairs in ppbar collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 1.96 TeV. The
data, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 5.4 fb-1, were collected by
the D0 experiment at the Fermilab Tevatron Collider. We set upper limits at the
95% C.L. on the product of production cross section and branching ratio for a
scalar resonance decaying into tautau pairs, and we then interpret these limits
as limits on the production of Higgs bosons in the minimal supersymmetric
standard model (MSSM) and as constraints in the MSSM parameter space.Comment: 7 pages, 5 figures, submitted to PL
Search for pair production of the scalar top quark in muon+tau final states
We present a search for the pair production of scalar top quarks
(), the lightest supersymmetric partners of the top quarks, in
collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 1.96 TeV, using data
corresponding to an integrated luminosity of {7.3 } collected with the
\dzero experiment at the Fermilab Tevatron Collider. Each scalar top quark is
assumed to decay into a quark, a charged lepton, and a scalar neutrino
(). We investigate final states arising from and
. With no significant excess of events observed above the
background expected from the standard model, we set exclusion limits on this
production process in the (,) plane.Comment: Submitted to Phys. Lett.
Measurement of three-jet differential cross sections d sigma-3jet / d M-3jet in p anti-p collisions at sqrt(s)=1.96 TeV
We present the first measurement of the inclusive three-jet differential
cross section as a function of the invariant mass of the three jets with the
largest transverse momenta in an event in p anti-p collisions at sqrt(s) = 1.96
TeV. The measurement is made in different rapidity regions and for different
jet transverse momentum requirements and is based on a data set corresponding
to an integrated luminosity of 0.7 fb^{-1} collected with the D0 detector at
the Fermilab Tevatron Collider. The results are used to test the three-jet
matrix elements in perturbative QCD calculations at next-to-leading order in
the strong coupling constant. The data allow discrimination between
parametrizations of the parton distribution functions of the proton.Comment: 10 pages, 4 figures, 2 tables, submitted to Phys. Lett. B, corrected
chi2 values for NNPD
Measurements of inclusive W+jets production rates as a function of jet transverse momentum in ppbar collisions at sqrt{s}=1.96 TeV
This Letter describes measurements of inclusive W (--> e nu) + n jet cross
sections (n = 1-4), presented as total inclusive cross sections and
differentially in the nth jet transverse momentum. The measurements are made
using data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 4.2 fb-1 collected by
the D0 detector at the Fermilab Tevatron Collider, and achieve considerably
smaller uncertainties on W +jets production cross sections than previous
measurements. The measurements are compared to next-to-leading order
perturbative QCD (pQCD) calculations in the n =1-3 jet multiplicity bins and to
leading order pQCD calculations in the 4-jet bin. The measurements are
generally in agreement with pQCD predictions, although certain regions of phase
space are identified where the calculations could be improved
Measurement of the ttbar production cross section using dilepton events in ppbar collisions
We present a measurement of the ttbar production cross section sigma(ttbar)
in ppbar collisions at sqrt{s} = 1.96 TeV using 5.4 fb-1 of integrated
luminosity collected with the D0 detector. We consider final states with at
least two jets and two leptons (ee, emu, mumu), and events with one jet for the
the emu final state as well. The measured cross section is sigma(ttbar)= 7.36
+0.90-0.79 (stat + syst) pb. This result combined with the cross section
measurement in the lepton + jets final state yields sigma(ttbar)=7.56
+0.63-0.56 (stat + syst) pb, which agrees with the standard model expectation.
The relative precision of 8% of this measurement is comparable to the latest
theoretical calculations.Comment: 9 pages, published in Phys. Lett.
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