Single top production and decay at next-to-leading order

We present the results of a next-to-leading order analysis of single top production including the decay of the top quark. Radiative effects are included both in the production and decay stages, using a general subtraction method. This calculation gives a good treatment of the jet activity associated with single top production. We perform an analysis of the single top search at the Tevatron, including a consideration of the main backgrounds, many of which are also calculated at next-to-leading order.Comment: 35 pages + 15 figures, revtex

Self-efficacy configurations and wellbeing in the academic context: A person-centred approach

The aim of the present study was to identify self-efficacy configurations in different domains (i.e., emotional, social, and self-regulated learning) in a sample of university students using a person-centred approach. Results from a two-cohort sample (N = 1650) assessed at the beginning of their first year supported a 4-cluster solution: 1) Highly Self-Efficacious students, with high levels of self-efficacy in all domains; 2) Low Self-Efficacious students, with low levels of self-efficacy in all domains; 3) Learning and Socially Self-Efficacious students, with a medium-high level of self-regulated learning, medium level of social, and medium-low level of emotional self-efficacies; and 4) Emotionally Self-Efficacious students, with a medium-high level of emotional, medium-low level of social, and low level of self-regulated learning self-efficacies. The association of these configurations with wellbeing indicators, concurrently and one year later, provides support for the validity of the cluster solution. Specifically, by adopting the informative hypothesis testing approach, results showed that the first and second groups have the best and the worst wellbeing levels, respectively. Furthermore, whereas the other two groups did not differ with respect to depression, Learning and Socially Self-Efficacious students have higher life satisfaction than the last group. These results were confirmed both concurrently and over time

NLO predictions for t-channel production of single top and fourth generation quarks at hadron colliders

We present updated NLO predictions for the electroweak t-channel production of heavy quarks at the Tevatron and at the LHC. We consider production of single top and fourth generation t' starting from both 2 to 2 and 2 to 3 Born processes. Predictions for tb' and t'b' cross sections at NLO are also given for the first time. A thorough study of the theoretical uncertainties coming from parton distribution functions, renormalisation and factorisation scale dependence and heavy quark masses is performed.Comment: 25 pages, 8 figure

GoSam: A program for automated one-loop Calculations

The program package GoSam is presented which aims at the automated calculation of one-loop amplitudes for multi-particle processes. The amplitudes are generated in terms of Feynman diagrams and can be reduced using either D-dimensional integrand-level decomposition or tensor reduction, or a combination of both. GoSam can be used to calculate one-loop corrections to both QCD and electroweak theory, and model files for theories Beyond the Standard Model can be linked as well. A standard interface to programs calculating real radiation is also included. The flexibility of the program is demonstrated by various examples.Comment: 10 pages, Talk given at the International Workshop on Advanced Computing and Analysis Techniques in Physics Research (ACAT), Uxbridge, London, September 201

Ebola virus VP35 blocks stress granule assembly

Stress granules (SGs) are dynamic cytoplasmic aggregates of translationally silenced mRNAs that assemble in response to environmental stress. SGs appear to play an important role in antiviral innate immunity and many viruses have evolved to block or subvert SGs components for their own benefit. Here, we demonstrate that intracellular Ebola virus (EBOV) replication and transcription-competent virus like particles (trVLP) infection does not lead to SG assembly but leads to a blockade to Arsenite-induced SG assembly. Moreover we show that EBOV VP35 represses the assembly of canonical and non-canonical SGs induced by a variety of pharmacological stresses. This SG blockade requires, at least in part, the C-terminal domain of VP35. Furthermore, results from our co-immunoprecipitation studies indicate that VP35 interacts with multiple SG components, including G3BP1, eIF3 and eEF2 through a stress- and RNA-independent mechanism. These data suggest a novel function for EBOV VP35 in the repression of SG assembly

To dd, or not to dd: Recent developments and comparisons of regularization schemes

We give an introduction to several regularization schemes that deal with ultraviolet and infrared singularities appearing in higher-order computations in quantum field theories. Comparing the computation of simple quantities in the various schemes, we point out similarities and differences between them.Comment: 61 pages, 12 figures; version sent to EPJC, references update

Testing quark mass matrices with right-handed mixings

In the standard model, several forms of quark mass matrices which correspond to the choice of weak bases lead to the same left-handed mixings $V_L=V_{CKM}$, while the right-handed mixings $V_R$ are not observable quantities. Instead, in a left-right extension of the standard model, such forms are ansatze and give different right-handed mixings which are now observable quantities. We partially select the reliable forms of quark mass matrices by means of constraints on right-handed mixings in some left-right models, in particular on $V^R_{cb}$. Hermitian matrices are easily excluded.Comment: 12 pages RevTex, no figures. Minor corrections. Comment on SO(10) changed and one reference adde

Hydatid disease of the liver: thirty years of surgical experience.

Hydatid disease of the liver is a relatively frequent disease. Although the natural history is almost completely known, several complications may occur. The aim of this study was to show that radical surgical resection of the hepatic hydatid cyst is a safe and very effective technique, based on our results after 30-year experience. A review of most significant studies was carried out. We retrospectively evaluated our surgical cases. From January 1973 to December 2003 we treated 216 patients, 98 males and 118 females. Survival was compared with the Kaplan-Meier test, using log-rank analysis to compare data. Differences with a p value less than 0.05 were considered significant. A total of 279 cysts were excised. We performed pericystectomy in 122 cases, 73 of which closed. We also performed 19 atypical resections, 10 segmentectomies, 20 lobectomies and 2 percutaneous treatments. In more than 90% of cases, preoperative data collection was completed by preoperative ultrasound. The cumulative morbidity was 13%. The recurrence rate amounted to 4.3% at 5 years and 7% at 10 years: of these, 6 occurred after non-radical surgery and 2 after total pericystectomy or liver resection (p < 0.001). Technical advances and accumulated experience permit safe treatment of hepatic hydatid cysts by radical resection, with an almost zero recurrence rate, making it the treatment of choice over partial resection. The utility of percutaneous treatment remains confined to limited indications, such as laparoscopy

Sex Offenders’ Perceptions of the Police and Courts:Are There Spill-Over Effects?

Individuals convicted of sexual offenses are rarely asked their views of the police and courts. The aims of this study were to examine the impact of feelings of guilt on perceptions of the police and police interview outcomes and spill-over effects from perceptions of the police to perceptions of the courts. Participants were 116 adult males incarcerated for sexual offenses who were invited to report their perceptions of police interviewers, feelings at the time of interview, interview outcomes, and perceptions of the court process. Feelings of guilt were related to perceptions of the police. Both feelings of guilt and perceptions of the police were associated with interview outcomes. Spill-over effects were found as perceptions of the police were directly related to perceptions of the courts. The findings highlight the important role of police officers as gatekeepers to the criminal justice system, with associated implications for police officers’ training and practice