276 research outputs found
Partial wave treatment of Supersymmetric Dark Matter in the presence of CP - violation
We present an improved partial wave analysis of the dominant LSP annihilation
channel to a fermion-antifermion pair which avoids the non-relativistic
expansion being therefore applicable near thresholds and poles. The method we
develop allows of contributions of any partial wave in the total angular
momentum J in contrast to partial wave analyses in terms of the orbital angular
momentum L of the initial state, which is usually truncated to p-waves, and
yields very accurate results. The method is formulated in such a way as to
allow easy handling of CP-violating phases residing in supersymmetric
parameters. We apply this refined partial wave technique in order to calculate
the neutralino relic density in the constrained MSSM (CMSSM) in the presence of
CP-violating terms occurring in the Higgs - mixing parameter \mu and trilinear
A coupling for large tanb. The inclusion of CP-violating phases in mu and A
does not upset significantly the picture and the annihilation of the LSP's to a
b b_bar, through Higgs exchange, is still the dominant mechanism in obtaining
cosmologically acceptable neutralino relic densities in regions far from the
stau-coannihilation and the `focus point'. Significant changes can occur if we
allow for phases in the gaugino masses and in particular the gluino mass.Comment: 23 pages LaTeX, 10 eps figures, version to appear in PR
Accelerator Testing of the General Antiparticle Spectrometer, a Novel Approach to Indirect Dark Matter Detection
We report on recent accelerator testing of a prototype general antiparticle
spectrometer (GAPS). GAPS is a novel approach for indirect dark matter searches
that exploits the antideuterons produced in neutralino-neutralino
annihilations. GAPS captures these antideuterons into a target with the
subsequent formation of exotic atoms. These exotic atoms decay with the
emission of X-rays of precisely defined energy and a correlated pion signature
from nuclear annihilation. This signature uniquely characterizes the
antideuterons. Preliminary analysis of data from a prototype GAPS in an
antiproton beam at the KEK accelerator in Japan has confirmed the
multi-X-ray/pion star topology and indicated X-ray yields consistent with prior
expectations. Moreover our success in utilizing solid rather than gas targets
represents a significant simplification over our original approach and offers
potential gains in sensitivity through reduced dead mass in the target area.Comment: 18 pages, 9 figures, submitted to JCA
Neutralino relic density in a Universe with a non-vanishing cosmological constant
We discuss the relic density of the lightest of the supersymmetric particles
in view of new cosmological data, which favour the concept of an accelerating
Universe with a non-vanishing cosmological constant. Recent astrophysical
observations provide us with very precise values of the relevant cosmological
parameters. Certain of these parameters have direct implications on particle
physics, e.g., the value of matter density, which in conjunction with
electroweak precision data put severe constraints on the supersymmetry breaking
scale. In the context of the Constrained Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model
(CMSSM) such limits read as: M_{1/2} \simeq 300 \GeV - 340 \GeV, m_0 \simeq
80 \GeV - 130 \GeV. Within the context of the CMSSM a way to avoid these
constraints is either to go to the large and region, or
make , the next to lightest supersymmetric particle (LSP), be
almost degenerate in mass with LSP.Comment: REVTeX, 50 pages, 35 eps figures; Minor changes, references and a
figure added; Better quality figures can be obtained upon request from
[email protected]
Towards Machine Wald
The past century has seen a steady increase in the need of estimating and
predicting complex systems and making (possibly critical) decisions with
limited information. Although computers have made possible the numerical
evaluation of sophisticated statistical models, these models are still designed
\emph{by humans} because there is currently no known recipe or algorithm for
dividing the design of a statistical model into a sequence of arithmetic
operations. Indeed enabling computers to \emph{think} as \emph{humans} have the
ability to do when faced with uncertainty is challenging in several major ways:
(1) Finding optimal statistical models remains to be formulated as a well posed
problem when information on the system of interest is incomplete and comes in
the form of a complex combination of sample data, partial knowledge of
constitutive relations and a limited description of the distribution of input
random variables. (2) The space of admissible scenarios along with the space of
relevant information, assumptions, and/or beliefs, tend to be infinite
dimensional, whereas calculus on a computer is necessarily discrete and finite.
With this purpose, this paper explores the foundations of a rigorous framework
for the scientific computation of optimal statistical estimators/models and
reviews their connections with Decision Theory, Machine Learning, Bayesian
Inference, Stochastic Optimization, Robust Optimization, Optimal Uncertainty
Quantification and Information Based Complexity.Comment: 37 page
Myths and misconceptions about hypnosis and suggestion: Separating fact and fiction
We present 21 prominent myths and misconceptions about hypnosis in order to promulgate accurate information and to highlight questions for future research. We argue that these myths and misconceptions have (a) fostered a skewed and stereotyped view of hypnosis among the lay public, (b) discouraged participant involvement in potentially helpful hypnotic interventions, and (c) impeded the exploration and application of hypnosis in scientific and practitioner communities. Myths reviewed span the view that hypnosis produces a trance or special state of consciousness and allied myths on topics related to hypnotic interventions; hypnotic responsiveness and the modification of hypnotic suggestibility; inducing hypnosis; and hypnosis and memory, awareness, and the experience of nonvolition. By demarcating myth from mystery and fact from fiction, and by highlighting what is known as well as what remains to be discovered, the science and practice of hypnosis can be advanced and grounded on a firmer empirical footing
Domesticating Fears and Fantasies of ‘the East’: integrating the Ottoman legacy within European heritage
'Europe' has no fixed geographical, historical, religious or cultural boundaries. Claims for the existence of European civilization as a discrete construct are continually made yet dissolve on close scrutiny. Here, we examine these claims at one of the grandest points of existential crisis and belonging for Europe, the relationship with the 'Other within': Turkey, the Balkans and Ottoman heritage in Europe. Through a hybrid semiotic and Foucauldian analysis of catalogues of eight high-profile exhibitions in the United Kingdom, Turkey, Belgium and Portugal we argue that an unsettled discursive struggle is at play, in which one 'Europe' articulates 'reconciliation' of profound civilizational difference while another, Ottoman, 'Europe' stakes a claim of right as an intrinsic component of what it means to be European in a contemporary context. We attempt to trace the role of museum marketing in the perennial accommodation/exclusion of the Ottoman Empire as an intrinsic component in the diversity of Europe’s cultural heritage
Crowdfunding in Africa: Opportunities and Challenges
publishedVersio
Out of the Panopticon and into Exile:Visibility and Control in Distributed New Culture Organizations
This paper builds a theoretical argument for exile as an alternative metaphor to the panopticon, for conceptualizing visibility and control in the context of distributed “new culture” organizations. Such organizations emphasize team relationships between employees who use digital technologies to stay connected with each other and the organization. I propose that in this context, a fear of exile – that is a fear of being left out, overlooked, ignored or banished – can act as a regulating force that inverts the radial spatial dynamic of the panopticon and shifts the responsibility for visibility, understood both in terms of competitive exposure and existential recognition, onto workers. As a consequence these workers enlist digital technologies to become visible at the real or imagined organizational centre. A conceptual appreciation of exile, as discussed in existential philosophy and postcolonial theory, is shown to offer productive grounds for future research on how a need for visibility in distributed, digitised, and increasingly precarious work environments regulates employee subjectivity, in a manner that is not captured under traditional theories of ICT-enabled surveillance in organizations
Proteomic identification and characterization of hepatic glyoxalase 1 dysregulation in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease
Background: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most common liver disease worldwide. However, its
molecular pathogenesis is incompletely characterized and clinical biomarkers remain scarce. The aims of these
experiments were to identify and characterize liver protein alterations in an animal model of early, diet-related,
liver injury and to assess novel candidate biomarkers in NAFLD patients.
Methods: Liver membrane and cytosolic protein fractions from high fat fed apolipoprotein E knockout (ApoE−/−)
animals were analyzed by quantitative proteomics, utilizing isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantitation
(iTRAQ) combined with nano-liquid chromatography and tandem mass spectrometry (nLC-MS/MS). Differential
protein expression was confirmed independently by immunoblotting and immunohistochemistry in both murine
tissue and biopsies from paediatric NAFLD patients. Candidate biomarkers were analyzed by enzyme-linked
immunosorbent assay in serum from adult NAFLD patients.
Results: Through proteomic profiling, we identified decreased expression of hepatic glyoxalase 1 (GLO1) in a
murine model. GLO1 protein expression was also found altered in tissue biopsies from paediatric NAFLD patients. In
vitro experiments demonstrated that, in response to lipid loading in hepatocytes, GLO1 is first hyperacetylated then
ubiquitinated and degraded, leading to an increase in reactive methylglyoxal. In a cohort of 59 biopsy-confirmed adult
NAFLD patients, increased serum levels of the primary methylglyoxal-derived advanced glycation endproduct,
hydroimidazolone (MG-H1) were significantly correlated with body mass index (r = 0.520, p < 0.0001).
Conclusion: Collectively these results demonstrate the dysregulation of GLO1 in NAFLD and implicate the
acetylation-ubquitination degradation pathway as the functional mechanism. Further investigation of the role
of GLO1 in the molecular pathogenesis of NAFLD is warranted.
Keywords: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, Glyoxalase, Methylglyoxal, Proteomics, iTRA
Desperately Seeking Supersymmetry [SUSY]
In this article we try to clarify why supersymmetry [SUSY] and supersymmetric
grand unified theories [SUSY GUTs] are the new standard model of particle
physics, i.e. the standard by which all other theories and experiments are
measured.Comment: 69 pages, 15 figures, new references adde
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