Resummation prediction on the jet mass spectrum in one-jet inclusive production at the LHC

We study the factorization and resummation prediction on the jet mass spectrum in one-jet inclusive production at the LHC based on soft-collinear effective theory. The soft function with anti-$k_T$ algorithm is calculated at next-to-leading order and its validity is demonstrated by checking the agreement between the expanded leading singular terms with the exact fixed-order result. The large logarithms $\ln^{n} (m_J^2/p_T^2)$ and the global logarithms $\ln^{n} (s_4/p_T^2)$ in the process are resummed to all order at next-to-leading logarithmic and next-to-next-to-leading logarithmic level, respectively. The cross section is enhanced by about 23% from the next-to-leading logarithmic level to next-to-next-to-leading logarithmic level. Comparing our resummation predictions with those from Monte Carlo tool PYTHIA and ATLAS data at the 7 TeV LHC, we find that the peak positions of the jet mass spectra agree with those from PYTHIA at parton level, and the predictions of the jet mass spectra with non-perturbative effects are in coincidence with the ATLAS data. We also show the predictions at the future 13 TeV LHC.Comment: 43 pages, 10 figure

Schisandra chinensis polysaccharides attenuate the growth of tuberculosis bacilli in rats via immunity enhancement

Purpose: To evaluate the effect of Schisandrachinensis polysaccharides (SCPP11) on the growth of tuberculosis (TB) bacilli in a rat model.Methods: Tuberculosis (TB) was induced by administration of colonies of tubercle bacilli via the inhalation route. SCPP11 was administered at separate doses of 25, 50 and 100 mg/kg to different rat groups, p.o., for 4 weeks. Untreated rats served as TB control. At the end of treatment, assessments were made on the effect of SCPP11 on colony forming unit (CFU), cytokine levels, and population of immune cells present in lung tissue homogenates of the TB-infected rats.Results: The CFU of TB bacilli was significantly reduced in the lung tissues of SCPP11-treated group, when compared to untreated TB control group. Moreover, SCPP11 attenuated lung tissue levels of inflammatory cytokines, and significantly enhanced immunity, relative to the TB control group.Conclusion: These results indicate that SCPP11 ameliorates TB by suppressing the growth of tuberculosis bacilli.Keywords: Schisandra chinensis, Polysaccharides, Immune cells, Tuberculosis bacilli, Cytokine

Topological Wannier cycles for the bulk and edges

Topological materials are often characterized by unique edge states which are in turn used to detect different topological phases in experiments. Recently, with the discovery of various higher-order topological insulators, such spectral topological characteristics are extended from edge states to corner states. However, the chiral symmetry protecting the corner states is often broken in genuine materials, leading to vulnerable corner states even when the higher-order topological numbers remain quantized and invariant. Here, we show that a local artificial gauge flux can serve as a robust probe of the Wannier type higher-order topological insulators which is effective even when the chiral symmetry is broken. The resultant observable signature is the emergence of the cyclic spectral flows traversing one or multiple band gaps. These spectral flows are associated with the local modes bound to the artificial gauge flux. This phenomenon is essentially due to the cyclic transformation of the Wannier orbitals when the local gauge flux acts on them. We extend topological Wannier cycles to systems with C2 and C3 symmetries and show that they can probe both the bulk and the edge Wannier centers, yielding rich topological phenomena

Critical Success Factors Of Malaysian Contractors In International Construction Projects Using The Analytic Hierarchy Process (Ahp)

The international construction industry offers huge opportunities for potential Malaysian contractors to expand their services due to the globalization and liberalization of world markets. Other markets are growing and provide new opportunities. Hence, contractors have to consider operating overseas at some time or another. However, differences in the domestic market compared to the international market necessitate the need for contractors to examine certain critical factors that can increase the likelihood of project success. Contractors will have to evaluate their decisions based on these factors before venturing into foreign markets. Although there are some contractors who have managed to achieve success in the international market, their success factors are largely unknown. The purpose of this study is to determine the critical success factors of Malaysian contractors in international construction projects. The identification of the key success factors will enable contractors to allocate limited project resources. Malaysian international contractors which have gone overseas were the subject matter of this study. The Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) method is adopted to distinguish the relative importance of success-related factors. A questionnaire interview was developed to facilitate systematic data collection in this study. The findings indicate that organizational, competitive and project manager related factors were the most critical project success factors. In essence, this study provides a valuable reference of factors for interested Malaysian contractors to consider in order for them to make appropriate preparations before expanding internationally

The effect of motivation and positive affect on ego depletion: Replenishment versus release mechanism

In this study, 2 experiments were conducted to investigate whether motivation and positive affect can alleviate ego depletion and to elucidate their possible mechanisms. In Experiment 1, a crossing-out-letter task was adapted to reach an ego depletion state for Chinese participants. Participants were then randomly assigned to the extrinsic motivation group, the positive affect group or the depletion control group. After the experimental treatment, a dumbbell task was used to measure participants\u27 remaining self-regulatory resources. The results showed that participants in the motivation and positive affect groups performed better on the dumbbell task than participants in the depletion control group. Experiment 2 was similar to Experiment 1 except that participants were asked to perform an additional unexpected dumbbell task after a neutral video following the above procedure. The results of Experiment 1 were replicated; however, participants\u27 performance on the additional dumbbell task differed. The positive affect group performed better than the depletion control group, indicating an increase in self-regulatory resources and thus supporting the replenishment effect of positive affect. No significant difference was found between the motivation group and the depletion control group