Probing Exotic Charged Higgs Decays in the Type-II 2HDM through Top Rich Signal at a Future 100 TeV pp Collider

The exotic decay modes of non-Standard Model Higgs bosons are efficient in probing the hierarchical Two Higgs Doublet Models (2HDM). In particular, the decay mode $H^\pm\to HW^\pm$ serves as a powerful channel in searching for charged Higgses. In this paper, we analyzed the reach for $H^\pm\to HW^\pm \to t\bar{t}W$ at a 100 TeV $pp$ collider, and showed that it extends the reach of the previously studied $\tau\tau W$ final states once above the top threshold. Top tagging technique is used, in combination with the boosted decision tree classifier. Almost the entire hierarchical Type-II 2HDM parameter space can be probed via the combination of all channels at low $\tan\beta$ region.Comment: 17 page

Different numerical estimators for main effect global sensitivity indices

The variance-based method of global sensitivity indices based on Sobol sensitivity indices became very popular among practitioners due to its easiness of interpretation. For complex practical problems computation of Sobol indices generally requires a large number of function evaluations to achieve reasonable convergence. Four different direct formulas for computing Sobol main effect sensitivity indices are compared on a set of test problems for which there are analytical results. These formulas are based on high-dimensional integrals which are evaluated using MC and QMC techniques. Direct formulas are also compared with a different approach based on the so-called double loop reordering formula. It is found that the double loop reordering (DLR) approach shows a superior performance among all methods both for models with independent and dependent variables

Light Scalars at FASER

FASER, the ForwArd Search ExpeRiment, is a currently operating experiment at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) that can detect light long-lived particles produced in the forward region of the LHC interacting point. In this paper, we study the prospect of detecting light CP-even and CP-odd scalars at FASER and FASER 2. Considering a model-independent framework describing the most general interactions between a CP-even or CP-odd scalar and SM particles using the notation of coupling modifiers in the effective Lagrangian, we develop the general formalism for the scalar production and decay. We then analyze the FASER and FASER 2 reaches of light scalars in the large $\tan\beta$ region of the Type-I two Higgs double model as a case study, in which light scalars with relatively long lifetime could be accommodated. In the two benchmark scenarios we considered, the light (pseudo)scalar decay length varies in $(10^{-8}, 10^5)$ meters. Both FASER and FASER 2 can probe a large part of the parameter space in the large $\tan\beta$ region up to $10^5$, extending beyond the constraints of the other existing experiments.Comment: 37 pages, 6 figure

Exotic Higgs Decays in Type-II 2HDMs at the LHC and Future 100 TeV Hadron Colliders

The exotic decay modes of non-Standard Model (SM) Higgses in models with extended Higgs sectors have the potential to serve as powerful search channels to explore the space of Two-Higgs Doublet Models (2HDMs) that cannot be studied effectively using conventional decay channels. Once kinematically allowed, heavy Higgses could decay into pairs of light non-SM Higgses, or a non-SM Higgs and a SM gauge boson, with branching fractions that dominate those of the conventional decay modes to SM particles. In this study, we focus on the prospects of probing exotic decay channels at the LHC and a future 100 TeV \emph{pp} collider in the context of Type-II 2HDMs. We study the three prominent exotic decay channels, A -> HZ, A -> H^+ W and H^+ -> HW, and find that a 100-TeV pp collider can probe the entire region of the Type-II 2HDM parameter space that survives current theoretical and experimental constraints with exotic decay branching fraction > 20%

Isolation of Thiobacillus spp. and its application in the removal of heavy metals from activated sludge

Two strains of Thiobacillus isolated from native excess activated sludge were identified as Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans and Acidithiobacillus thiooxidans by 16S rRNA gene sequencing and physiological-biochemical characteristics. Single and mixed cultures of the strains were used to carry out bioleaching for 9 days in order to remove heavy metals from activated sludge. The changes in pH, oxidation-reduction potential, and contents of heavy metals were measured. The results show that the bioleaching effect of the mixed culture was best in all runs, and that the final removals of As, Cr, Cu, Ni, and Zn were 96.09, 93.47, 98.32, 97.88, and 98.60%, respectively, whereas the removals of Cd and Pb decreased rapidly after six days. In addition, we demonstrate for the first time that bioleaching can reduce the pathogenicity of sludge by detecting fecal coliforms before and after bioleaching in order to ensure that the sludge was suitable for agricultural land application.Key words: Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans, Acidithiobacillus thiooxidans, excess activated sludge, removing heavy metals, sludge pathogenicity

Lipid-lowering medications and risk of malignant melanoma: a Mendelian randomization study

BackgroundThe relationship between blood lipids, lipid-modifying medications, and cancer risk has been under investigation for some time. Recent studies suggest that lipid-lowering medications might influence melanoma outcomes, though findings remain controversial. Our study aims to clarify the potential causal relationship between lipid-lowering drugs commonly used and melanoma incidence through a comprehensive Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis.MethodsGenetic variations within an LDL-related drug target gene (LDL-cholesterol from a genome-wide association study) served as proxies for exposure to lipid-lowering drugs. We conducted a two-sample Mendelian randomization analysis using inverse variance weighting (IVW), MR-Egger, and weighted median approaches. The MR-PRESSO test and pleiotropy_test were utilized to identify and adjust for horizontal pleiotropy. Stability and reliability of the Mendelian randomization findings were assessed using the leave-one-out method, Cochran’s Q test, and funnel plot analysis. Odds ratios (OR) were employed to evaluate the causal relationship between genetic proxies of lipid-lowering drugs and melanoma risk.ResultsIVW analysis revealed that HMGCR gene expression is linked to a decreased risk of melanoma [OR: 0.624(0.439–0.888); p = 0.008]. Conversely, PCSK9 gene expression is tied to an elevated risk of melanoma [OR: 1.233(1.026–1.484); p = 0.025]. No significant association was observed between NPC1L1 and melanoma.ConclusionsHMGCR inhibitors (statins) may increase melanoma risk, while PCSK9 inhibitors (evolocumab, alirocumab) could potentially decrease melanoma risk

Interaction of Human Serum Album and C60 Aggregates in Solution

An important property of C60 in aquatic ecotoxicology is that it can form stable aggregates with nanoscale dimensions, namely nC60. Aggregation allows fullerenes to remain suspended for a long time, and the reactivity of individual C60 is substantially altered in this aggregate form. Herein, we investigated the interaction of nC60 and human serum album (HSA) using the methods of fluorescence, fluorescence dynamics, circular dichroism (CD), and site marker competitive experiments. We proposed a binding model consistent with the available experimental results for the interactions of nC60 with HSA. During the interaction process, the structure and conformation of HSA were affected, leading to functional changes of drug binding sites of HSA