Sfermion Precision Measurements at a Linear Collider

At future e+- e- linear colliders, the event rates and clean signals of scalar fermion production - in particular for the scalar leptons - allow very precise measurements of their masses and couplings and the determination of their quantum numbers. Various methods are proposed for extracting these parameters from the data at the sfermion thresholds and in the continuum. At the same time, NLO radiative corrections and non-zero width effects have been calculated in order to match the experimental accuracy. The substantial mixing expected for the third generation sfermions opens up additional opportunities. Techniques are presented for determining potential CP-violating phases and for extracting tan(beta) from the stau sector, in particular at high values. The consequences of possible large mass differences in the stop and sbottom system are explored in dedicated analyses.Comment: Expanded version of contributions to the proceedings of ICHEP'02 (Amsterdam) and LCWS 2002 (Jeju Island

Exploiting Music and Dance Notation to Improve Visualization of Data in BIM

Suboptimal information sharing is a key a factor that negatively impacts the construction sector’s massive productivity gap when compared to other sectors of the economy. This is due to management difficulties, supply chain issues and rework. Building Information Modeling has been shown to improve dissemination of information but has not yet been exploited to its full potential. In this paper, we propose a new notation for visualizing project information in a BIM context. It is inspired by music and dance notation, and is designed to overcome current limitations that may cause the technology’s limited use during the construction phase. A proof of concept was implemented and tested in an experiment with stakeholders. The use of the proposed BIM notations appeared to make access to and interpretation of available data more effective and resulted in more correct responses

The anticancer phytochemical rocaglamide inhibits Rho GTPase activity and cancer cell migration

Chemotherapy is one of the pillars of anti-cancer therapy. Although chemotherapeutics cause regression of the primary tumor, many chemotherapeutics are often shown to induce or accelerate metastasis formation. Moreover, metastatic tumors are largely resistant against chemotherapy. As more than 90% of cancer patients die due to metastases and not due to primary tumor formation, novel drugs are needed to overcome these shortcomings. In this study, we identified the anticancer phytochemical Rocaglamide (Roc-A) to be an inhibitor of cancer cell migration, a crucial event in metastasis formation. We show that Roc-A inhibits cellular migration and invasion independently of its anti-proliferative and cytotoxic effects in different types of human cancer cells. Mechanistically, Roc-A treatment induces F-actin-based morphological changes in membrane protrusions. Further investigation of the molecular mechanisms revealed that Roc-A inhibits the activities of the small GTPases RhoA, Rac1 and Cdc42, the master regulators of cellular migration. Taken together, our results provide evidence that Roc-A may be a lead candidate for a new class of anticancer drugs that inhibit metastasis formation

A family case of fertile human 45,X,psu dic(15;Y) males

We report on a familial case including four male probands from three generations with a 45,X,psu dic(15;Y)(p11.2;q12) karyotype. 45,X is usually associated with a female phenotype and only rarely with maleness, due to translocation of small Y chromosomal fragments to autosomes. These male patients are commonly infertile because of missing azoospermia factor regions from the Y long arm. In our familial case we found a pseudodicentric translocation chromosome, that contains almost the entire chromosomes 15 and Y. The translocation took place in an unknown male ancestor of our probands and has no apparent effect on fertility and phenotype of the carrier. FISH analysis demonstrated the deletion of the pseudoautosomal region 2 (PAR2) from the Y chromosome and the loss of the nucleolus organizing region (NOR) from chromosome 15. The formation of the psu dic(15;Y) chromosome is a reciprocal event to the formation of the satellited Y chromosome (Yqs). Statistically, the formation of 45,X,psu dic(15;Y) (p11.2;q12) is as likely as the formation of Yqs. Nevertheless, it has not been described yet. This can be explained by the dicentricity of this translocation chromosome that usually leads to mitotic instability and meiotic imbalances. A second event, a stable inactivation of one of the two centromeres is obligatory to enable the transmission of the translocation chromosome and thus a stably reduced chromosome number from father to every son in this family

Job Crafting via Decreasing Hindrance Demands:The Motivating Role of Interdependence Misfit and the Facilitating Role of Autonomy

Job crafting theory suggests that misalignment between an employee’s preferred and actual amount of job characteristics acts as a motivational trigger for job crafting. We test this unexplored, yet key proposition underlying job crafting theory. To do so, however, we take a more comprehensive misfit perspective than previously applied, evaluating person-job undersupply and oversupply. We propose that task interdependence misfit motivates a reductive form of job crafting, decreasing hindrance demands. We also propose that low autonomy mitigates the misfit to decreasing hindrance demands relationship. To empirically evaluate this direction, we employ moderated polynomial regression and response surface analysis. Study 1 (N = 159 English-speaking respondents) findings suggest that task interdependence misfit (both undersupply and oversupply) is positively related to decreasing hindrance demands. Study 2 (N = 363 Dutch-speaking respondents) findings replicate and support our misfit hypothesis. Further, as expected, low levels of autonomy neutralize the relationship between task interdependence misfit and decreasing hindrance demands. Theoretical and practical implications regarding the misfit-as-motivation hypothesis, and the simultaneous investigation of job crafting facilitators (i.e., autonomy) and motivators (i.e., misfit) are discussed

Dynamics of Excited Electrons in Copper and Ferromagnetic Transition Metals: Theory and Experiment

Both theoretical and experimental results for the dynamics of photoexcited electrons at surfaces of Cu and the ferromagnetic transition metals Fe, Co, and Ni are presented. A model for the dynamics of excited electrons is developed, which is based on the Boltzmann equation and includes effects of photoexcitation, electron-electron scattering, secondary electrons (cascade and Auger electrons), and transport of excited carriers out of the detection region. From this we determine the time-resolved two-photon photoemission (TR-2PPE). Thus a direct comparison of calculated relaxation times with experimental results by means of TR-2PPE becomes possible. The comparison indicates that the magnitudes of the spin-averaged relaxation time \tau and of the ratio \tau_\uparrow/\tau_\downarrow of majority and minority relaxation times for the different ferromagnetic transition metals result not only from density-of-states effects, but also from different Coulomb matrix elements M. Taking M_Fe > M_Cu > M_Ni = M_Co we get reasonable agreement with experiments.Comment: 23 pages, 11 figures, added a figure and an appendix, updated reference

Geometry and material effects in Casimir physics - Scattering theory

We give a comprehensive presentation of methods for calculating the Casimir force to arbitrary accuracy, for any number of objects, arbitrary shapes, susceptibility functions, and separations. The technique is applicable to objects immersed in media other than vacuum, to nonzero temperatures, and to spatial arrangements in which one object is enclosed in another. Our method combines each object's classical electromagnetic scattering amplitude with universal translation matrices, which convert between the bases used to calculate scattering for each object, but are otherwise independent of the details of the individual objects. This approach, which combines methods of statistical physics and scattering theory, is well suited to analyze many diverse phenomena. We illustrate its power and versatility by a number of examples, which show how the interplay of geometry and material properties helps to understand and control Casimir forces. We also examine whether electrodynamic Casimir forces can lead to stable levitation. Neglecting permeabilities, we prove that any equilibrium position of objects subject to such forces is unstable if the permittivities of all objects are higher or lower than that of the enveloping medium; the former being the generic case for ordinary materials in vacuum.Comment: 44 pages, 11 figures, to appear in upcoming Lecture Notes in Physics volume in Casimir physic

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug hypersensitivity syndrome. A multicenter study I. clinical findings and in vitro diagnosis

ackground: We present the results obtained from the largest series of in vitro diagnostic tests ever reported in patients with clinically validated hypersensitivity to acetylsalicylic acid (ASA)/nonsteroidal anti-infl ammatory drugs (NSAID) compared with various categories of controls tolerating ASA/NSAIDs. This multicenter study, which was performed within the framework of the European Network for Drug Allergy (ENDA) group, showed that the basophil activation test (BAT), particularly when used with the 3 NSAIDs aspirin (ASA), diclofenac (DIC), and naproxen (NAP), allows us to confi rm the diagnosis of NSAID hypersensitivity syndrome. The results of the cellular allergen stimulation test (CAST) frequently correlate with those of the BAT, although not always. An unexpected fi nding was that basophil activation by NSAIDs is not an all-or-nothing phenomenon restricted to clinically hypersensitive patients, but that it also occurs in a dose-related manner in some NSAID-tolerant control individuals. Therefore, NSAID hypersensitivity appears as a shift in the normal pharmacological response to NSAIDs. These fi ndings allow us to formulate a new rational hypothesis about the mechanism of NSAID hypersensitivity syndrome, a mechanism that most authors continue to describe as “unknown.” Methods: We enrolled 152 patients with a history of hypersensitivity to NSAIDs and 136 control participants in 11 different centers between spring 2003 and spring 2006. Flowcytometric BAT was performed. Results: The most noteworthy results of our study were that 57% of 140 patients presented very clear-cut positive BAT results to multiple NSAIDs, and 16% were entirely negative. In about 27% of cases, positive results were obtained with 1 or 2 concentrations of a single NSAID. There is clearly a correlation between the results of BAT and CAST. Conclusions: BAT seems particularly indicated in patients with a clinical history of NSAID intolerance, and in whom a provocation test is not advisable for ethical, clinical, or other reasons

Nonlinear thermal instability in a horizontal porous layer with an internal heat source and mass flow

© 2016, Springer-Verlag Wien. Linear and nonlinear stability analyses of Hadley–Prats flow in a horizontal fluid-saturated porous medium with a heat source are performed. The results indicate that, in the linear case, an increase in the horizontal thermal Rayleigh number is stabilizing for both positive and negative values of mass flow. In the nonlinear case, a destabilizing effect is identified at higher mass flow rates. An increase in the heat source has a destabilizing effect. Qualitative changes appear in Rz as the mass flow moves from negative to positive for different internal heat sources