Sphenomenology --- An Overview, with a Focus on a Higgsino LSP World, and on Eventual Tests of String Theory

In this talk, as requested, I begin with a overview and with some basic reminders about how evidence for supersymmetry in nature might appear -- in particular, how SUSY signatures are never clear so it is difficult to search for them without major theoretical input. Models can be usefully categorized phenomenologically by naming their LSP -- that is, once the LSP is approximately fixed so is the behavior of the observables, and the resulting behavior is generally very different for different LSPs. Next I compare the three main LSP-models (gravitino, bino, higgsino). Hints from data suggest taking the higgsino-LSP world very seriously, so I focus on it, and describe its successful prediction of reported events from the 1996 LEP runs. SUSY signatures in the $\tilde h$ LSP world are very different from those that are usually studied. Then I briefly discuss how to measure the parameters of the effective Lagrangian from collider and decay data. Finally I turn to how data will test and help extract the implications of string theories.Comment: Uses espcrc2.st

Assessment of agreement between invasive blood pressure measured centrally and peripherally and the influence of different haemodynamic states in anaesthetised horses

Objective To determine the agreement of invasive blood pressure measured in the facial artery, the metatarsal artery and the carotid. Additionally, to evaluate the effects of two haemodynamic conditions on agreement. Study design Prospective, randomized study. Animals Eight horses aged 7 (4 -23) years with a body weight of 493 ± 33 kg. Methods Horses were anaesthetized and positioned in dorsal recumbency. Invasive blood pressure was measured simultaneously via catheters placed in the facial, metatarsal and carotid artery. Cardiovascular function and agreement between arteries was assessed before and during administration of phenylephrine and sodium nitroprusside. These were administered until carotid mean pressure (MAPc) increased or decreased from baseline (65 ± 5 mmHg) to > 90 mmHg or < 50 mmHg, respectively. Data recorded at each sample time included systolic (SAP), mean (MAP) and diastolic (DAP) for carotid (c), facial (f) and metatarsal (m) artery as well as cardiac output (Q̇t) and systemic vascular resistance (SVR). Bland-Altman analysis was used to assess agreement between peripheral and central sites and regression analysis was used to determine influence of Q̇t and SVR. Results The largest difference was observed in SAPc and SAPm with a bias and limits of agreement (LOA) of 2 (-15 to 19) mmHg. The bias (LOA) for MAPc and MAPf was 2 (-4 to 9) mmHg and for MAPc and MAPm was 5 (-4 to 14) mmHg. The best agreement for DAP was seen between DAPc and DAPf with bias (LOA) of 1 (-3 to 5) mmHg. Regression analysis indicated marginal influence on agreement by Q̇t on MAPc and MAPf. Conclusion and clinical relevance The MAP and DAP of the carotid was generally higher compared to the peripheral arteries, which may lead to overzealous treatment of hypotension, albeit maintaining central pressures. Cardiac output and systemic vascular resistance did not largely influence the difference between sites

The Amundsen Sea Polynya International Research Expedition (ASPIRE)

In search of an explanation for some of the greenest waters ever seen in coastal Antarctica and their possible link to some of the fastest melting glaciers and declining summer sea ice, the Amundsen Sea Polynya International Research Expedition (ASPIRE) challenged the capabilities of the US Antarctic Program and RVIB Nathaniel B. Palmer during Austral summer 2010–2011. We were well rewarded by both an extraordinary research platform and a truly remarkable oceanic setting. Here we provide further insights into the key questions that motivated our sampling approach during ASPIRE and present some preliminary findings, while highlighting the value of the Palmer for accomplishing complex, multifaceted oceanographic research in such a challenging environment

Itinerant ferromagnetism in half-metallic CoS_2

We have investigated electronic and magnetic properties of the pyrite-type CoS_2 using the linearized muffin-tin orbital (LMTO) band method. We have obtained the ferromagnetic ground state with nearly half-metallic nature. The half-metallic stability is studied by using the fixed spin moment method. The non-negligible orbital magnetic moment of Co 3d electrons is obtained as $\mu_L = 0.06 \mu_B$ in the local spin density approximation (LSDA). The calculated ratio of the orbital to spin angular momenta / = 0.15 is consistent with experiment. The effect of the Coulomb correlation between Co 3d electrons is also explored with the LSDA + U method. The Coulomb correlation at Co sites is not so large, $U \lesssim 1$ eV, and so CoS_2 is possibly categorized as an itinerant ferromagnet. It is found that the observed electronic and magnetic behaviors of CoS_2 can be described better by the LSDA than by the LSDA + U.Comment: 4 pages, 3 postscript figure

Recognizing Superpartners at LEP

There is a class of supersymmetric models which is well-motivated by hints of evidence for SUSY and consistent with all existing data. It is important to study the predictions of these models. They are characterized by M(N3) > M(C1) > M(snu) > M(N1) (where Ni and Ci are neutralino and chargino mass eigenstates), |mu| ~< M1 ~< M2 ~= M(Z), mu < 0, and tan(beta) near 1. Their LEP signatures are mostly unusual. Most produced superpartners are invisible! A good signature is two photons plus large missing energy. There are also excess events at large recoil mass in the single photon plus nothing channel. We list the main signatures for charginos, stops, etc., which are also likely to be unconventional. This class of models will be definitively tested at LEP194 with 100 pb^{-1} per detector, and almost definitively tested at LEP184.Comment: 15 pages, revtex, 1 figure (included). We include a paragraph on the improved understanding of the SM background for gamma-gamma-Emiss events that has occurred since our original posting. We also emphasize the softness of the leptons from chargino decays in our models. Our conclusions are unchange

A new silicon tracker for proton imaging and dosimetry

For many years, silicon micro-strip detectors have been successfully used as tracking detectors for particle and nuclear physics experiments. A new application of this technology is to the field of particle therapy where radiotherapy is carried out by use of charged particles such as protons or carbon ions. Such a treatment has been shown to have advantages over standard x-ray radiotherapy and as a result of this, many new centres offering particle therapy are currently under construction around the world today. The Proton Radiotherapy, Verification and Dosimetry Applications (PRaVDA) consortium are developing instrumentation for particle therapy based upon technology from high-energy physics. The characteristics of a new silicon micro-strip tracker for particle therapy will be presented. The array uses specifically designed, large area sensors with technology choices that follow closely those taken for the ATLAS experiment at the HL-LHC. These detectors will be arranged into four units each with three layers in an x–u–v configuration to be suitable for fast proton tracking with minimal ambiguities. The sensors will form a tracker capable of tracing the path of ~200 MeV protons entering and exiting a patient allowing a new mode of imaging known as proton computed tomography (pCT). This will aid the accurate delivery of treatment doses and in addition, the tracker will also be used to monitor the beam profile and total dose delivered during the high fluences used for treatment. We present here details of the design, construction and assembly of one of the four units that will make up the complete tracker along with its characterisation using radiation tests carried out using a 90 Sr source in the laboratory and a 60 MeV proton beam at the Clatterbridge Cancer Centre

Soft and hard tissue assessment of immediate implant placement: a case series

Objectives : The aim of this prospective study was to evaluate clinically and radiographically the success and esthetic result of immediate implant placement at the time of extraction. Material and methods : Twelve patients with 14 titanium screw-shaped implants (13–16 mm length and 4.3 or 5 mm diameters) were placed in the extraction sockets. Defects after implant placement were recorded, and then filled up with deproteinized bovine bone mineral, bioabsorbable collagen membrane, and absorbable pins. The defect was again re-evaluated at second-stage surgery. Clinical and radiographic parameters of the peri-implant conditions were assessed at the moment of prosthesis placement and at 1-year follow-up. Results : The cumulative implant survival and success rate was 100% after a 1-year observation period. Analysis of the esthetic result showed that the mean pink esthetic score (PES) was 11.1 (SD 1.35) at 1-year follow-up. At 1 year, 64.3% papillae had a score of 2 and the remaining 35.7% score 3 according to the Jemt (1997) papillary index. Optimal value of width of the keratinized mucosa was recorded in 13 (92.9%) implant cases in both periods of follow-up. At 1-year follow-up, the linear distance between implant-shoulder to the bone peaks remains stable with a mean of 2.62±0.2 mm at the mesial and 2.9±0.58 mm at the distal aspect. Conclusion : Careful evaluation of potential extraction sites before immediate implant installation promotes optimal implant esthetics. To cite this article: Juodzbalys G, Wang H-L. Soft and hard tissue assessment of immediate implant placement: a case series. Clin. Oral Impl. Res. 18 , 2007; 237–243 doi:10.1111/j.1600-0501.2006.01312.xPeer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/74957/1/j.1600-0501.2006.01312.x.pd

Can forest management based on natural disturbances maintain ecological resilience?

Given the increasingly global stresses on forests, many ecologists argue that managers must maintain ecological resilience: the capacity of ecosystems to absorb disturbances without undergoing fundamental change. In this review we ask: Can the emerging paradigm of natural-disturbance-based management (NDBM) maintain ecological resilience in managed forests? Applying resilience theory requires careful articulation of the ecosystem state under consideration, the disturbances and stresses that affect the persistence of possible alternative states, and the spatial and temporal scales of management relevance. Implementing NDBM while maintaining resilience means recognizing that (i) biodiversity is important for long-term ecosystem persistence, (ii) natural disturbances play a critical role as a generator of structural and compositional heterogeneity at multiple scales, and (iii) traditional management tends to produce forests more homogeneous than those disturbed naturally and increases the likelihood of unexpected catastrophic change by constraining variation of key environmental processes. NDBM may maintain resilience if silvicultural strategies retain the structures and processes that perpetuate desired states while reducing those that enhance resilience of undesirable states. Such strategies require an understanding of harvesting impacts on slow ecosystem processes, such as seed-bank or nutrient dynamics, which in the long term can lead to ecological surprises by altering the forest's capacity to reorganize after disturbance