The Utility of Naturalness, and how its Application to Quantum Electrodynamics envisages the Standard Model and Higgs Boson

With the Higgs boson discovery and no new physics found at the LHC, confidence in Naturalness as a guiding principle for particle physics is under increased pressure. We wait to see if it proves its mettle in the LHC upgrades ahead, and beyond. In the meantime, in a series of "realistic intellectual leaps" I present a justification {\it a posteriori} of the Naturalness criterion by suggesting that uncompromising application of the principle to quantum electrodynamics leads toward the Standard Model and Higgs boson without additional experimental input. Potential lessons for today and future theory building are commented upon.Comment: 7 pages, no figure

Improving translational studies: lessons from rare neuromuscular diseases

Animal models play a key role in the development of novel treatments for human disease. This is particularly true for rare diseases – defined as disorders that affect less than 1 in 2000 people in the human population – for which, very often, there are no effective methods of treatment. Pharmaceutical companies are increasingly focussing on the development of therapies for the more than 7000 rare diseases. Because the majority of these are the result of single gene disorders, the exceptional ability to manipulate the mouse genome means that many such studies will take place in the laboratory mouse. But how good are the mouse models and how useful are they in assessing the potential for translational medicine? In this Editorial, I will discuss current difficulties in translational research as well as examples of good laboratory practice and guidelines that are being implemented to improve the translational potential of animal studies in the field of neuromuscular rare diseases. This could represent a potentially useful approach for adoption by other disease fields to achieve a greater success rate in translational studies

Effective Field Theories and the Role of Consistency in Theory Choice

Promoting a theory with a finite number of terms into an effective field theory with an infinite number of terms worsens simplicity, predictability, falsifiability, and other attributes often favored in theory choice. However, the importance of these attributes pales in comparison with consistency, both observational and mathematical consistency, which propels the effective theory to be superior to its simpler truncated version of finite terms, whether that theory be renormalizable (e.g., Standard Model of particle physics) or nonrenormalizable (e.g., gravity). Some implications for the Large Hadron Collider and beyond are discussed, including comments on how directly acknowledging the preeminence of consistency can affect future theory work.Comment: 17 pages, Lecture delivered at physics and philosophy conference "The Epistemology of the Large Hadron Collider", Wuppertal University, January 201

Creating a Father-Friendly Library: An Examination of the Importance of Fatherhood Support in Today\u27s Library Service Model

Research shows the importance of fathers being present in the lives of children.The absence of support for fathers, perpetuates a long standing generational decline in the viability of men as a whole. This work seeks to introduce librarians to the possibilities of libraries offering support for dads. With library use among males being very low, this is also an opportunity for libraries to serve those who are often forgotten. This paper illustrates how the National Fatherhood Initiative (NFI) offers a path to help dads and explains how the NFI and libraries can partner through the creation of programs