1,890 research outputs found
Measuring Slepton Masses and Mixings at the LHC
Flavor physics may help us understand theories beyond the standard model. In
the context of supersymmetry, if we can measure the masses and mixings of
sleptons and squarks, we may learn something about supersymmetry and
supersymmetry breaking. Here we consider a hybrid gauge-gravity supersymmetric
model in which the observed masses and mixings of the standard model leptons
are explained by a U(1) x U(1) flavor symmetry. In the supersymmetric sector,
the charged sleptons have reasonably large flavor mixings, and the lightest is
metastable. As a result, supersymmetric events are characterized not by missing
energy, but by heavy metastable charged particles. Many supersymmetric events
are therefore fully reconstructible, and we can reconstruct most of the charged
sleptons by working up the long supersymmetric decay chains. We obtain
promising results for both masses and mixings, and conclude that, given a
favorable model, precise measurements at the LHC may help shed light not only
on new physics, but also on the standard model flavor parameters.Comment: 24 pages; v2: fixed a typo in our computer program that led to some
miscalculated branching ratios, various clarifications and minor
improvements, conclusions unchanged, published versio
Flavored Gauge-Mediation
The messengers of Gauge-Mediation Models can couple to standard-model matter
fields through renormalizable superpotential couplings. These matter-messenger
couplings generate generation-dependent sfermion masses and are therefore
usually forbidden by discrete symmetries. However, the non-trivial structure of
the standard-model Yukawa couplings hints at some underlying flavor theory,
which would necessarily control the sizes of the matter-messenger couplings as
well. Thus for example, if the doublet messenger and the Higgs have the same
properties under the flavor theory, the resulting messenger-lepton couplings
are parametrically of the same order as the lepton Yukawas, so that slepton
mass-splittings are similar to those of minimally-flavor-violating models and
therefore satisfy bounds on flavor-violation, with, however, slepton mixings
that are potentially large. Assuming that fermion masses are explained by a
flavor symmetry, we construct viable and natural models with messenger-lepton
couplings controlled by the flavor symmetry. The resulting slepton spectra are
unusual and interesting, with slepton mass-splittings and mixings that may be
probed at the LHC. In particular, since the new contributions are typically
negative, and since they are often larger for the first- and second-generation
sleptons, some of these examples have the selectron or the smuon as the
lightest slepton, with mass splittings of a few to tens of GeV.Comment: 16 pages v2: Explicit expressions (which are not needed in the
analysis) for the pure Yukawa contributions removed. There was an error in
some of these expressions in v1. References adde
The Minimal Solution to the mu/B_mu Problem in Gauge Mediation
We provide a minimal solution to the mu/B_mu problem in the gauge mediated
supersymmetry breaking by introducing a Standard Model singlet filed S with a
mass around the messenger scale which couples to the Higgs and messenger
fields. This singlet is nearly supersymmetric and acquires a relatively small
Vacuum Expectation Value (VEV) from its radiatively generated tadpole term.
Consequently, both mu and B_mu parameters receive the tree-level and one-loop
contributions, which are comparable due to the small S VEV. Because there
exists a proper cancellation in such two kinds of contributions to B_mu, we can
have a viable Higgs sector for electroweak symmetry breaking.Comment: 15 pages, 2 figures, version published on JHE
Accuracy of elastic fusion biopsy in daily practice: results of a multicenter study of 2115 patients
OBJECTIVES:
To assess the accuracy of Koelis fusion biopsy for the detection of prostate cancer and clinically significant prostate cancer in the everyday practice.
METHODS:
We retrospectively enrolled 2115 patients from 15 institutions in four European countries undergoing transrectal Koelis fusion biopsy from 2010 to 2017. A variable number of target (usually 2-4) and random cores (usually 10-14) were carried out, depending on the clinical case and institution habits. The overall and clinically significant prostate cancer detection rates were assessed, evaluating the diagnostic role of additional random biopsies. The cancer detection rate was correlated to multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging features and clinical variables.
RESULTS:
The mean number of targeted and random cores taken were 3.9 (standard deviation 2.1) and 10.5 (standard deviation 5.0), respectively. The cancer detection rate of Koelis biopsies was 58% for all cancers and 43% for clinically significant prostate cancer. The performance of additional, random cores improved the cancer detection rate of 13% for all cancers (P < 0.001) and 9% for clinically significant prostate cancer (P < 0.001). Prostate cancer was detected in 31%, 66% and 89% of patients with lesions scored as Prostate Imaging Reporting and Data System 3, 4 and 5, respectively. Clinical stage and Prostate Imaging Reporting and Data System score were predictors of prostate cancer detection in multivariate analyses. Prostate-specific antigen was associated with prostate cancer detection only for clinically significant prostate cancer.
CONCLUSIONS:
Koelis fusion biopsy offers a good cancer detection rate, which is increased in patients with a high Prostate Imaging Reporting and Data System score and clinical stage. The performance of additional, random cores seems unavoidable for correct sampling. In our experience, the Prostate Imaging Reporting and Data System score and clinical stage are predictors of prostate cancer and clinically significant prostate cancer detection; prostate-specific antigen is associated only with clinically significant prostate cancer detection, and a higher number of biopsy cores are not associated with a higher cancer detection rate
A Complete Model of Low-Scale Gauge Mediation
Recent signs of a Standard Model-like Higgs at 125 GeV point towards large
A-terms in the MSSM. This presents special challenges for gauge mediation,
which by itself predicts vanishing A-terms at the messenger scale. In this
paper, we review the general problems that arise when extending gauge mediation
to achieve large A-terms, and the mechanisms that exist to overcome them. Using
these mechanisms, we construct weakly-coupled models of low-scale gauge
mediation with extended Higgs-messenger couplings that generate large A-terms
at the messenger scale and viable mu/B_mu-terms. Our models are simple,
economical, and complete realizations of supersymmetry at the weak scale.Comment: 33 pages; v2: refs added, minor change
On the accuracy of language trees
Historical linguistics aims at inferring the most likely language
phylogenetic tree starting from information concerning the evolutionary
relatedness of languages. The available information are typically lists of
homologous (lexical, phonological, syntactic) features or characters for many
different languages.
From this perspective the reconstruction of language trees is an example of
inverse problems: starting from present, incomplete and often noisy,
information, one aims at inferring the most likely past evolutionary history. A
fundamental issue in inverse problems is the evaluation of the inference made.
A standard way of dealing with this question is to generate data with
artificial models in order to have full access to the evolutionary process one
is going to infer. This procedure presents an intrinsic limitation: when
dealing with real data sets, one typically does not know which model of
evolution is the most suitable for them. A possible way out is to compare
algorithmic inference with expert classifications. This is the point of view we
take here by conducting a thorough survey of the accuracy of reconstruction
methods as compared with the Ethnologue expert classifications. We focus in
particular on state-of-the-art distance-based methods for phylogeny
reconstruction using worldwide linguistic databases.
In order to assess the accuracy of the inferred trees we introduce and
characterize two generalizations of standard definitions of distances between
trees. Based on these scores we quantify the relative performances of the
distance-based algorithms considered. Further we quantify how the completeness
and the coverage of the available databases affect the accuracy of the
reconstruction. Finally we draw some conclusions about where the accuracy of
the reconstructions in historical linguistics stands and about the leading
directions to improve it.Comment: 36 pages, 14 figure
Gaugino Anomaly Mediated SUSY Breaking: phenomenology and prospects for the LHC
We examine the supersymmetry phenomenology of a novel scenario of
supersymmetry (SUSY) breaking which we call Gaugino Anomaly Mediation, or
inoAMSB. This is suggested by recent work on the phenomenology of flux
compactified type IIB string theory. The essential features of this scenario
are that the gaugino masses are of the anomaly-mediated SUSY breaking (AMSB)
form, while scalar and trilinear soft SUSY breaking terms are highly
suppressed. Renormalization group effects yield an allowable sparticle mass
spectrum, while at the same time avoiding charged LSPs; the latter are common
in models with negligible soft scalar masses, such as no-scale or gaugino
mediation models. Since scalar and trilinear soft terms are highly suppressed,
the SUSY induced flavor and CP-violating processes are also suppressed. The
lightest SUSY particle is the neutral wino, while the heaviest is the gluino.
In this model, there should be a strong multi-jet +etmiss signal from squark
pair production at the LHC. We find a 100 fb^{-1} reach of LHC out to
m_{3/2}\sim 118 TeV, corresponding to a gluino mass of \sim 2.6 TeV. A double
mass edge from the opposite-sign/same flavor dilepton invariant mass
distribution should be visible at LHC; this, along with the presence of short--
but visible-- highly ionizing tracks from quasi-stable charginos, should
provide a smoking gun signature for inoAMSB.Comment: 30 pages including 14 .eps figure
Testing the gaugino AMSB model at the Tevatron via slepton pair production
Gaugino AMSB models-- wherein scalar and trilinear soft SUSY breaking terms
are suppressed at the GUT scale while gaugino masses adopt the AMSB form--
yield a characteristic SUSY particle mass spectrum with light sleptons along
with a nearly degenerate wino-like lightest neutralino and quasi-stable
chargino. The left- sleptons and sneutrinos can be pair produced at
sufficiently high rates to yield observable signals at the Fermilab Tevatron.
We calculate the rate for isolated single and dilepton plus missing energy
signals, along with the presence of one or two highly ionizing chargino tracks.
We find that Tevatron experiments should be able to probe gravitino masses into
the ~55 TeV range for inoAMSB models, which corresponds to a reach in gluino
mass of over 1100 GeV.Comment: 14 pages including 6 .eps figure
Electroweak Baryogenesis and Dark Matter with an approximate R-symmetry
It is well known that R-symmetric models dramatically alleviate the SUSY
flavor and CP problems. We study particular modifications of existing
R-symmetric models which share the solution to the above problems, and have
interesting consequences for electroweak baryogenesis and the Dark Matter (DM)
content of the universe. In particular, we find that it is naturally possible
to have a strongly first-order electroweak phase transition while
simultaneously relaxing the tension with EDM experiments. The R-symmetry (and
its small breaking) implies that the gauginos (and the neutralino LSP) are
pseudo-Dirac fermions, which is relevant for both baryogenesis and DM. The
singlet superpartner of the U(1)_Y pseudo-Dirac gaugino plays a prominent role
in making the electroweak phase transition strongly first-order. The
pseudo-Dirac nature of the LSP allows it to behave similarly to a Dirac
particle during freeze-out, but like a Majorana particle for annihilation today
and in scattering against nuclei, thus being consistent with current
constraints. Assuming a standard cosmology, it is possible to simultaneously
have a strongly first-order phase transition conducive to baryogenesis and have
the LSP provide the full DM relic abundance, in part of the allowed parameter
space. However, other possibilities for DM also exist, which are discussed. It
is expected that upcoming direct DM searches as well as neutrino signals from
DM annihilation in the Sun will be sensitive to this class of models.
Interesting collider and Gravity-wave signals are also briefly discussed.Comment: 50 pages, 10 figure
Infrared (810-nm) low-level laser therapy on rat experimental knee inflammation
Arthritis of the knee is the most common type of joint inflammatory disorder and it is associated with pain and inflammation of the joint capsule. Few studies address the effects of the 810-nm laser in such conditions. Here we investigated the effects of low-level laser therapy (LLLT; infrared, 810-nm) in experimentally induced rat knee inflammation. Thirty male Wistar rats (230–250 g) were anesthetized and injected with carrageenan by an intra-articular route. After 6 and 12 h, all animals were killed by CO2 inhalation and the articular cavity was washed for cellular and biochemical analysis. Articular tissue was carefully removed for real-time PCR analysis in order to evaluate COX-1 and COX-2 expression. LLLT was able to significantly inhibit the total number of leukocytes, as well as the myeloperoxidase activity with 1, 3, and 6 J (Joules) of energy. This result was corroborated by cell counting showing the reduction of polymorphonuclear cells at the inflammatory site. Vascular extravasation was significantly inhibited at the higher dose of energy of 10 J. Both COX-1 and 2 gene expression were significantly enhanced by laser irradiation while PGE2 production was inhibited. Low-level laser therapy operating at 810 nm markedly reduced inflammatory signs of inflammation but increased COX-1 and 2 gene expression. Further studies are necessary to investigate the possible production of antiinflammatory mediators by COX enzymes induced by laser irradiation in knee inflammation
- …