1,207 research outputs found
A Composite Little Higgs Model
We describe a natural UV complete theory with a composite little Higgs. Below
a TeV we have the minimal Standard Model with a light Higgs, and an extra
neutral scalar. At the TeV scale there are additional scalars, gauge bosons,
and vector-like charge 2/3 quarks, whose couplings to the Higgs greatly reduce
the UV sensitivity of the Higgs potential. Stabilization of the Higgs mass
squared parameter, without finetuning, occurs due to a softly broken shift
symmetry--the Higgs is a pseudo Nambu-Goldstone boson. Above the 10 TeV scale
the theory has new strongly coupled interactions. A perturbatively
renormalizable UV completion, with softly broken supersymmetry at 10 TeV is
explicitly worked out. Our theory contains new particles which are odd under an
exact "dark matter parity", (-1)^{(2S+3B+L)}. We argue that such a parity is
likely to be a feature of many theories of new TeV scale physics. The lightest
parity odd particle, or "LPOP", is most likely a neutral fermion, and may make
a good dark matter candidate, with similar experimental signatures to the
neutralino of the MSSM. We give a general effective field theory analysis of
the calculation of corrections to precision electroweak observables.Comment: 28 page
The Intermediate Higgs
Two paradigms for the origin of electroweak superconductivity are a weakly
coupled scalar condensate, and a strongly coupled fermion condensate. The
former suffers from a finetuning problem unless there are cancelations to
radiative corrections, while the latter presents potential discrepancies with
precision electroweak physics. Here we present a framework for electroweak
symmetry breaking which interpolates between these two paradigms, and mitigates
their faults. As in Little Higgs theories, the Higgs is a pseudo-Nambu
Goldstone boson, potentially composite. The cutoff sensitivity of the one loop
top quark contribution to the effective potential is canceled by contributions
from additional vector-like quarks, and the cutoff can naturally be higher than
in the minimal Standard Model. Unlike the Little Higgs models, the cutoff
sensitivity from one loop gauge contributions is not canceled. However, such
gauge contributions are naturally small as long as the cutoff is below 6 TeV.
Precision electroweak corrections are suppressed relative to those of
Technicolor or generic Little Higgs theories. In some versions of the
intermediate scenario, the Higgs mass is computable in terms of the masses of
these additional fermions and the Nambu-Goldstone Boson decay constant. In
addition to the Higgs, new scalar and pseudoscalar particles are typically
present at the weak scale
Superconducting fluctuation corrections to ultrasound attenuation in layered superconductors
We consider the temperature dependence of the sound attenuation and sound
velocity in layered impure metals due to superconducting fluctuations of the
order parameter above the critical temperature. We obtain the dependence on
material properties of these fluctuation corrections in the hydrodynamic limit,
where the electron mean free path is much smaller than the wavelength of sound
and where the electron collision rate is much larger than the sound frequency.
For longitudinal sound propagating perpendicular to the layers, the open Fermi
surface condition leads to a suppression of the divergent contributions to
leading order, in contrast with the case of paraconductivity. The leading
temperature dependent corrections, given by the Aslamazov-Larkin, Maki-Thompson
and density of states terms, remain finite as T->Tc. Nevertheless, the
sensitivity of new ultrasonic experiments on layered organic conductors should
make these fluctuations effects measurable.Comment: 13 pages, 6 figures. Accepted for PRB. Added discussion on incoherent
interlayer tunneling and other small modifications suggested by referee
On the Detection of a Scalar Stochastic Background of Gravitational Waves
In the near future we will witness the coming to a full operational regime of
laser interferometers and resonant mass detectors of spherical shape. In this
work we study the sensitivity of pairs of such gravitational wave detectors to
a scalar stochastic background of gravitational waves. Our computations are
carried out both for minimal and non minimal coupling of the scalar fields.Comment: 25 pages, 3 figure
Leading and higher twists in the proton polarized structure function at large Bjorken x
A phenomenological parameterization of the proton polarized structure
function has been developed for x > 0.02 using deep inelastic data up to ~ 50
(GeV/c)**2 as well as available experimental results on both photo- and
electro-production of proton resonances. According to the new parameterization
the generalized Drell-Hearn-Gerasimov sum rule is predicted to have a
zero-crossing point at Q**2 = 0.16 +/- 0.04 (GeV/c)**2. Then, low-order
polarized Nachtmann moments have been estimated and their Q**2-behavior has
been investigated in terms of leading and higher twists for Q**2 > 1
(GeV/c)**2. The leading twist has been treated at NLO in the strong coupling
constant and the effects of higher orders of the perturbative series have been
estimated using soft-gluon resummation techniques. In case of the first moment
higher-twist effects are found to be quite small for Q**2 > 1 (GeV/c)**2, and
the singlet axial charge has been determined to be a0[10 (GeV/c)**2] = 0.16 +/-
0.09. In case of higher order moments, which are sensitive to the large-x
region, higher-twist effects are significantly reduced by the introduction of
soft gluon contributions, but they are still relevant at Q**2 ~ few (GeV/c)**2
at variance with the case of the unpolarized transverse structure function of
the proton. Our finding suggests that spin-dependent correlations among partons
may have more impact than spin-independent ones. As a byproduct, it is also
shown that the Bloom-Gilman local duality is strongly violated in the region of
polarized electroproduction of the Delta(1232) resonance.Comment: revised version to appear in Phys. Rev. D; extended discussion on the
generalized DHG sum rul
The Refederalization of American Health Care
Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/69090/2/10.1177_107755878704400103.pd
Omnivoria e repartição de recursos em águas pobres em nutrientes da Bacia do Rio Negro
Amazonian biodiversity is notorious, this is also valid for the fauna of the mineral-deficient waters of the Rio Negro System. Some 25 years of research on the benthic fauna of Central Amazonian streams resulted in species-rich foodwebs with a high degree of omnivory within dense animal communities. To exemplify the taxonomic range of omnivorous consumers, the detailed resource spectra of 18 consumer species, including Protozoa (2 species), Platyhelminthes (1 species), insects (2 species), fish (6 species) and shrimps (Decapoda, 7 species), associated primarily with the benthic habitats of Rio Negro tributaries, are presented. Special features of omnivory are characterized, and the importance of litter-decomposing fungi as essential energy input into the foodwebs is documented. It is shown that general omnivory -diverse omnivore consumers sharing most of the resource types- is a prevalent feature. The relevance of this general omnivory for the maintenance of biodiversity is discussed.A biodiversidade do Amazonas é notório e isto também é válido para as águas pobres em nutrientes da bacia do Rio Negro. Uma pesquisa de 25 anos da fauna béntica de igarapés da Amazônia Central resultou em redes alimentares caraterizadas por alta diversidade de espécies, por intensa omnivoria e por alta densidade populacional. Para demonstrar a generalidade taxonômica de omnivoria no bentos dos igarapés, são apresentados as listas de presas / recursos de 18 espécies de consumidores, sendo Protozoa (2 epécies), Platyhelminthes (1 espécie), insetos (2 espécies), peixes (6 espécies) e camarões (Decapoda, 7 espécies). Diferentes categorias de omnivoria são apresentados, e a importância de fungos decompositores da liteira submersa como input básico de energia nas redes alimentares é demonstrada. É prevalente a omnivoria geral, sendo que as diferentes espécies omnívoros estão utilizando os mesmos recursos. Considera- se a relevância desta omnivoria geral para a manutenção da biodiversidade
Interpretation of plasma amino acids in the follow-up of patients: the impact of compartmentation
Results of plasma or urinary amino acids are used for suspicion, confirmation or exclusion of diagnosis, monitoring of treatment, prevention and prognosis in inborn errors of amino acid metabolism. The concentrations in plasma or whole blood do not necessarily reflect the relevant metabolite concentrations in organs such as the brain or in cell compartments; this is especially the case in disorders that are not solely expressed in liver and/or in those which also affect nonessential amino acids. Basic biochemical knowledge has added much to the understanding of zonation and compartmentation of expressed proteins and metabolites in organs, cells and cell organelles. In this paper, selected old and new biochemical findings in PKU, urea cycle disorders and nonketotic hyperglycinaemia are reviewed; the aim is to show that integrating the knowledge gained in the last decades on enzymes and transporters related to amino acid metabolism allows a more extensive interpretation of biochemical results obtained for diagnosis and follow-up of patients and may help to pose new questions and to avoid pitfalls. The analysis and interpretation of amino acid measurements in physiological fluids should not be restricted to a few amino acids but should encompass the whole quantitative profile and include other pathophysiological markers. This is important if the patient appears not to respond as expected to treatment and is needed when investigating new therapies. We suggest that amino acid imbalance in the relevant compartments caused by over-zealous or protocol-driven treatment that is not adjusted to the individual patient's needs may prolong catabolism and must be correcte
The PHENIX Experiment at RHIC
The physics emphases of the PHENIX collaboration and the design and current
status of the PHENIX detector are discussed. The plan of the collaboration for
making the most effective use of the available luminosity in the first years of
RHIC operation is also presented.Comment: 5 pages, 1 figure. Further details of the PHENIX physics program
available at http://www.rhic.bnl.gov/phenix
Toward an internally consistent astronomical distance scale
Accurate astronomical distance determination is crucial for all fields in
astrophysics, from Galactic to cosmological scales. Despite, or perhaps because
of, significant efforts to determine accurate distances, using a wide range of
methods, tracers, and techniques, an internally consistent astronomical
distance framework has not yet been established. We review current efforts to
homogenize the Local Group's distance framework, with particular emphasis on
the potential of RR Lyrae stars as distance indicators, and attempt to extend
this in an internally consistent manner to cosmological distances. Calibration
based on Type Ia supernovae and distance determinations based on gravitational
lensing represent particularly promising approaches. We provide a positive
outlook to improvements to the status quo expected from future surveys,
missions, and facilities. Astronomical distance determination has clearly
reached maturity and near-consistency.Comment: Review article, 59 pages (4 figures); Space Science Reviews, in press
(chapter 8 of a special collection resulting from the May 2016 ISSI-BJ
workshop on Astronomical Distance Determination in the Space Age
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