Fast Track Algorithm: How To Differentiate A “Scleroderma Pattern” From A “Non-Scleroderma Pattern”

Objectives: This study was designed to propose a simple “Fast Track algorithm” for capillaroscopists of any level of experience to differentiate “scleroderma patterns” from “non-scleroderma patterns” on capillaroscopy and to assess its inter-rater reliability. Methods: Based on existing definitions to categorise capillaroscopic images as “scleroderma patterns” and taking into account the real life variability of capillaroscopic images described standardly according to the European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) Study Group on Microcirculation in Rheumatic Diseases, a fast track decision tree, the “Fast Track algorithm” was created by the principal expert (VS) to facilitate swift categorisation of an image as “non-scleroderma pattern (category 1)” or “scleroderma pattern (category 2)”. Mean inter-rater reliability between all raters (experts/attendees) of the 8th EULAR course on capillaroscopy in Rheumatic Diseases (Genoa, 2018) and, as external validation, of the 8th European Scleroderma Trials and Research group (EUSTAR) course on systemic sclerosis (SSc) (Nijmegen, 2019) versus the principal expert, as well as reliability between the rater pairs themselves was assessed by mean Cohen's and Light's kappa coefficients. Results: Mean Cohen's kappa was 1/0.96 (95% CI 0.95-0.98) for the 6 experts/135 attendees of the 8th EULAR capillaroscopy course and 1/0.94 (95% CI 0.92-0.96) for the 3 experts/85 attendees of the 8th EUSTAR SSc course. Light's kappa was 1/0.92 at the 8th EULAR capillaroscopy course, and 1/0.87 at the 8th EUSTAR SSc course. C Conclusion: For the first time, a clinical expert based fast track decision algorithm has been developed to differentiate a “non-scleroderma” from a “scleroderma pattern” on capillaroscopic images, demonstrating excellent reliability when applied by capillaroscopists with varying levels of expertise versus the principal expert and corroborated with external validation.Wo

Search for supersymmetry with Higgs boson to diphoton decays using the razor variables at s=\sqrt{s}= 13 TeV

An inclusive search for anomalous Higgs boson production in the diphoton decay channel and in association with at least one jet is presented, using LHC proton-proton collision data collected by the CMS experiment at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV and corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 35.9 fb$^{-1}$. The razor variables $M_\mathrm{R}$ and $\mathrm{R}^2$, as well as the momentum and mass resolution of the diphoton system, are used to categorize events into different search regions. The search result is interpreted in the context of strong and electroweak production of supersymmetric particles. We exclude bottom squark pair-production with masses below 450 GeV for bottom squarks decaying to a bottom quark, a Higgs boson, and the lightest supersymmetric particle (LSP) for LSP masses below 250 GeV. For wino-like chargino-neutralino production, we exclude charginos with mass below 170 GeV for LSP masses below 25 GeV. In the GMSB scenario, we exclude charginos with mass below 205 GeV for neutralinos decaying to a Higgs boson and a goldstino LSP with 100% branching fraction

Search for single production of a vector-like T quark decaying to a Z boson and a top quark in proton-proton collisions at s\sqrt s = 13 TeV

A search is presented for single production of a vector-like quark (T) decaying to a Z boson and a top quark, with the Z boson decaying leptonically and the top quark decaying hadronically. The search uses data collected by the CMS experiment in proton-proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV in 2016, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 35.9 fb$^{-1}$. The presence of forward jets is a particular characteristic of single production of vector-like quarks that is used in the analysis. Different T quark width hypotheses are studied, from negligibly small to 30% of the new particle mass. At the 95% confidence level, the product of cross section and branching fraction is excluded above values in the range 0.27-0.04 pb for T quark masses in the range 0.7-1.7 TeV, assuming a negligible width. A similar sensitivity is observed for widths of up to 30% of the T quark mass. The production of a heavy Z' boson decaying to Tt, with T $\to$ tZ, is also searched for, and limits on the product of cross section and branching fractions for this process are set between 0.13 and 0.06 pb for Z' boson masses in the range from 1.5 to 2.5 TeV. These are the best limits to date on the single production of heavy vector-like T quarks, the first to set limits for a variety of resonance widths, and the best limits for the production of a Z' boson decaying to Tt

Principal-component analysis of two-particle azimuthal correlations in PbPb and pPb collisions at CMS

For the first time a principle-component analysis is used to separate out different orthogonal modes of the two-particle correlation matrix from heavy ion collisions. The analysis uses data from $\sqrt{s}_{NN}$ = 2.76 TeV PbPb and $\sqrt{s}_{NN}$ = 5.02 TeV pPb collisions collected by the CMS experiment at the LHC. Two-particle azimuthal correlations have been extensively used to study hydrodynamic flow in heavy ion collisions. Recently it has been shown that the expected factorization of two-particle results into a product of the constituent single-particle anisotropies is broken. The new information provided by these modes may shed light on the breakdown of flow factorization in heavy ion collisions. The first two modes ('leading' and 'subleading') of two-particle correlations are presented for elliptical and triangular anisotropies in PbPb and pPb collisions as a function of $p_t$ over a wide range of event activity. The leading mode is found to be essentially equivalent to the anisotropy harmonic previously extracted from two-particle correlation methods. The subleading mode represents a new experimental observable and is shown to account for a large fraction of the factorization breaking recently observed at high transverse momentum. The principle-component analysis technique has also been applied to multiplicity fluctuations. These also show a subleading mode. The connection of these new results to previous studies of factorization is discussed

Search for low mass vector resonances decaying into quark-antiquark pairs in proton-proton collisions at s=\sqrt{s} = 13 TeV

A search for narrow vector resonances decaying into quark-antiquark pairs is presented. The analysis is based on data collected in proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s} =$ 13 TeV with the CMS detector at the LHC, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 35.9 fb$^{-1}$. The hypothetical resonance is produced with sufficiently high transverse momentum that its decay products are merged into a single jet with two-prong substructure. A signal would be identified as a peak over a smoothly falling background in the distribution of the invariant mass of the jet, using novel jet substructure techniques. No evidence for such a resonance is observed within the mass range of 50-300 GeV. Upper limits at 95% confidence level are set on the production cross section, and presented in a mass-coupling parameter space. The limits further constrain simplified models of dark matter production involving a mediator interacting between quarks and dark matter particles through a vector or axial-vector current. In the framework of these models, the results are the most sensitive to date, extending for the first time the search region to masses below 100 GeV

Search for supersymmetry with Higgs boson to diphoton decays using the razor variables at s=\sqrt{s}= 13 TeV

An inclusive search for anomalous Higgs boson production in the diphoton decay channel and in association with at least one jet is presented, using LHC proton-proton collision data collected by the CMS experiment at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV and corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 35.9 fb$^{-1}$. The razor variables $M_\mathrm{R}$ and $\mathrm{R}^2$, as well as the momentum and mass resolution of the diphoton system, are used to categorize events into different search regions. The search result is interpreted in the context of strong and electroweak production of supersymmetric particles. We exclude bottom squark pair-production with masses below 450 GeV for bottom squarks decaying to a bottom quark, a Higgs boson, and the lightest supersymmetric particle (LSP) for LSP masses below 250 GeV. For wino-like chargino-neutralino production, we exclude charginos with mass below 170 GeV for LSP masses below 25 GeV. In the GMSB scenario, we exclude charginos with mass below 205 GeV for neutralinos decaying to a Higgs boson and a goldstino LSP with 100% branching fraction