Breaking Electroweak Symmetry Strongly

The problem of electroweak symmetry breaking is reviewed with discussion of future relevant experimentation at LHC and $e^+e^-$ linear colliders. The possibility of strong electroweak symmetry breaking is examined in more detail, using the BESS (Breaking Electroweak Symmetry Strongly) model as a basis for the discussion. The formal constructions are briefly presented and the possible expectations at future colliders are summarized.Comment: 20 pages, LaTeX, UGVA-DPT 1994/04-846. To appear in the Memorial Volume for Professor Robert Marshak, edited by E.C.G. Sudarshan, World Scientific Publishing Compan

Effective Lagrangian for Heavy and Light Mesons: Semileptonic Decays

We introduce an effective lagrangian including negative and positive parity heavy mesons containing a heavy quark, light pseudoscalars, and light vector resonances, with their allowed interactions, using heavy quark spin-flavour symmetry, chiral symmetry, and the hidden symmetry approach for light vector resonances. On the basis of such a lagrangian, by considering the allowed weak currents and by including the contributions from the nearest unitarity poles we calculate the form factors for semileptonic decays of $B$ and $D$ mesons into light pseudoscalars and light vector resonances. The available data, together with some additional assumptions, allow for a set of predictions in the different semileptonic channels, which can be compared with those following {}from different approaches. A discussion of non-dominant terms in our approach, which attempts at including a rather complete dynamics, will however have to wait till more abundant data become available.Comment: LaTeX (style article), 19 pages, UGVA-DPT 1992/11-790, BARI-TH/92-12

Model-independent limits on four-fermion contact interactions at LC with polarization

Fermion compositeness, and other types of new physics that can be described by the exchange of very massive particles, can manifest themselves as the result of an effective four-fermion contact interaction. In the case of the processes $e^+e^-\to \mu^+\mu^-,\tau^+\tau^-,\bar{b}b$ and $\bar{c}c$ at future $e^+e^-$ colliders with $\sqrt{s}=0.5-1$ TeV, we examine the sensitivity to four-fermion contact interactions of two new integrated observables, $\sigma_+$ and $\sigma_-$, conveniently defined for such kind of analysis. We find that, if longitudinal polarization of the electron beam were available, these observables would offer the opportunity to separate the helicity cross sections and, in this way, to derive model-independent bounds on the relevant parameters.Comment: 13 pages, LaTe

Blocking CD248 molecules in perivascular stromal cells of patients with systemic sclerosis strongly inhibits their differentiation toward myofibroblasts and proliferation: A new potential target for antifibrotic therapy

Background: Fibrosis may be considered the hallmark of systemic sclerosis (SSc), the end stage triggered by different pathological events. Transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) and platelet-derived growth factor BB (PDGF-BB) are profibrotic molecules modulating myofibroblast differentiation and proliferation, respectively. There is evidence linking CD248 with these two molecules, both highly expressed in patients with SSc, and suggesting that CD248 may be a therapeutic target for several diseases. The aim of this work was to evaluate the expression of CD248 in SSc skin and its ability to modulate SSc fibrotic process. Methods: After ethical approval was obtained, skin biopsies were collected from 20 patients with SSc and 10 healthy control subjects (HC). CD248 expression was investigated in the skin, as well as in bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) treated with TGF-β or PDGF-BB, by immunofluorescence, qRT-PCR, and Western blotting. Finally, in SSc-MSCs, the CD248 gene was silenced by siRNA. Results: Increased expression of CD248 was found in endothelial cells and perivascular stromal cells of SSc skin. In SSc-MSCs, the levels of CD248 and α-smooth muscle actin expression were significantly higher than in HC-MSCs. In both SSc- and HC-MSCs, PDGF-BB induced increased expression of Ki-67 when compared with untreated cells but was unable to modulate CD248 levels. After CD248 silencing, both TGF-β and PDGF-BB signaling were inhibited in SSc-MSCs. Conclusions: CD248 overexpression may play an important role in the fibrotic process by modulating the molecular target, leading to perivascular cells differentiation toward myofibroblasts and interfering with its expression, and thus might open a new therapeutic strategy to inhibit myofibroblast generation during SSc

Yttrium doped Barium cerate and Zirconate heterostructures: deposition and electrochemical characterization

Epitaxial heterostructures consisting of an yttrium doped barium cerate (BCY) layer sandwiched between two yttrium doped barium zirconate (BZY) thin layers have been deposited on insulating (001) MgO substrates by pulsed laser deposition. The first BZY layer was aimed at improving the lattice match with the MgO substrate, the second at protecting the BCY layer. Ionic conductivity has been studied in the 300 – 600°C temperature range as a function of the BCY thickness. Due to the absence of blocking grain boundaries, heterostructures showed a conductivity larger than that of BCY pellets sintered under optimized conditions

La0.8Sr0.2Ga0.8Mg0.2O3-δ thin films for IT-SOFCs: Microstructure and transport properties correlation.

Highly textured La0.8Sr0.2Ga0.8Mg0.2O3 (LSGM) films with columnar structure were grown by pulsed laser deposition on (001) NdGaO3 and SrTiO3 buffered (001) MgO substrates. Combined analysis of the films structure and morphology and EIS measurements showed that the transport properties are mainly limited by perpendicular grain boundaries effects. Increasing the film thickness, columnar nanosized grains tend to coalesce leading to a decrease of grain boundary concentration, hence to enhanced conductivity

Fotemustine plus etoposide, cytarabine and melphalan (FEAM) as a new conditioning regimen for lymphoma patients undergoing auto-SCT: A multicenter feasibility study

BEAM is a widely used conditioning regimen for relapsed/refractory lymphoma patients undergoing auto-SCT. We conducted a multicenter study with an alternative regimen (fotemustine plus etoposide, cytarabine and melphalan (FEAM)) in which BCNU was substituted by the chloroethylnitrosourea fotemustine (FTM). Eighty-four patients with relapsed/refractory Hodgkin's (n20) and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (n64) were conditioned with a FEAM regimen (FTM 150 mg/m 2 on days -7, -6, etoposide 200 mg/m 2 and cytarabine 400 mg/m 2 on days -5, -4, -3, -2 and melphalan 140 mg/m 2 on day -1). Patients were evaluated for toxicity and engraftment parameters. Median times to neutrophil (500 × 10 9 /l) and plt (20 000 × 10 9 /l) engraftment were 11 and 13 days, respectively. Grade 3 mucositis occurred in 19 patients (23%), while G3 nausea/vomiting and G3 diarrhea were observed in 13 (15%) and 6 (7%) patients, respectively. No severe hepatic, renal or pulmonary toxicity was detected. Seven patients (7%) experienced G4 mucositis, while no other G4 toxicities or unexpected adverse events of any grade were recorded. Transplant-related mortality was 2.4%. We conclude that a FEAM regimen is feasible and safe. Although toxicity and engraftment times compared favorably with BEAM, longer follow-up is needed to evaluate fully its efficacy and long-term safety. © 2010 Macmillan Publishers Limited All rights reserved

Vacuum gauge from ultrathin MoS2 transistor

We fabricate monolayer MoS2 field effect transistors and study their electric characteristics from 10^-6 Torr to atmospheric air pressure. We show that the threshold voltage of the transistor increases with the growing pressure. Hence, we propose the device as an air pressure sensor, showing that it is particularly suitable as a low power consumption vacuum gauge. The device functions on pressure-dependent O2, N2 and H2O molecule adsorption that affect the n-doping of the MoS2 channel.Comment: 10 pages, 4 figure - conference pape