5,466 research outputs found
Frustrated symmetries in multi-Higgs-doublet models
Within multi-Higgs-doublet models, one can impose symmetries on the Higgs
potential, either discrete or continuous, that mix several doublets. In
two-Higgs-doublet model any such symmetry can be conserved or spontaneously
violated after the electroweak symmetry breaking (EWSB), depending on the
coefficients of the potential. With more than two doublets, there exist
symmetries which are always spontaneously violated after EWSB. We discuss the
origin of this phenomenon and show its similarity to geometric frustration in
condensed-matter physics.Comment: 7 pages, no figure
Repository Replication Using NNTP and SMTP
We present the results of a feasibility study using shared, existing,
network-accessible infrastructure for repository replication. We investigate
how dissemination of repository contents can be ``piggybacked'' on top of
existing email and Usenet traffic. Long-term persistence of the replicated
repository may be achieved thanks to current policies and procedures which
ensure that mail messages and news posts are retrievable for evidentiary and
other legal purposes for many years after the creation date. While the
preservation issues of migration and emulation are not addressed with this
approach, it does provide a simple method of refreshing content with unknown
partners.Comment: This revised version has 24 figures and a more detailed discussion of
the experiments conducted by u
CP properties of symmetry-constrained two-Higgs-doublet models
The two-Higgs-doublet model can be constrained by imposing Higgs-family
symmetries and/or generalized CP symmetries. It is known that there are only
six independent classes of such symmetry-constrained models. We study the CP
properties of all cases in the bilinear formalism. An exact symmetry implies CP
conservation. We show that soft breaking of the symmetry can lead to
spontaneous CP violation (CPV) in three of the classes.Comment: 14 pages, 2 tables, revised version adapted to the journal
publicatio
Effective Two Higgs Doublets in Nonminimal Supersymmetric Models
The Higgs sectors of supersymmetric extensions of the Standard Model have two
doublets in the minimal version (MSSM), and two doublets plus a singlet in two
others: with (UMSSM) and without (NMSSM) an extra U(1)'. A very concise
comparison of these three models is possible if we assume that the singlet has
a somewhat larger breaking scale compared to the electroweak scale. In that
case, the UMSSM and the NMSSM become effectively two-Higgs-doublet models
(THDM), like the MSSM. As expected, the mass of the lightest CP-even neutral
Higgs boson has an upper bound in each case. We find that in the NMSSM, this
bound exceeds not very much that of the MSSM, unless tan(beta) is near one.
However, the upper bound in the UMSSM may be substantially enhanced.Comment: 8 pages, 1 table, 3 figure
Minimizing Higgs Potentials via Numerical Polynomial Homotopy Continuation
The study of models with extended Higgs sectors requires to minimize the
corresponding Higgs potentials, which is in general very difficult. Here, we
apply a recently developed method, called numerical polynomial homotopy
continuation (NPHC), which guarantees to find all the stationary points of the
Higgs potentials with polynomial-like nonlinearity. The detection of all
stationary points reveals the structure of the potential with maxima,
metastable minima, saddle points besides the global minimum. We apply the NPHC
method to the most general Higgs potential having two complex Higgs-boson
doublets and up to five real Higgs-boson singlets. Moreover the method is
applicable to even more involved potentials. Hence the NPHC method allows to go
far beyond the limits of the Gr\"obner basis approach.Comment: 9 pages, 4 figure
Exploring the anthelmintic properties of Australian native shrubs with respect to their potential role in livestock grazing systems
We measured in vitro anthelmintic activity in extracts from 85 species of Australian native shrub, with a view to identifying species able to provide a degree of worm control in grazing systems. Approximately 40% of the species showed significant activity in inhibiting development of Haemonchus contortus larvae. The most active extracts showed IC50 values of 60–300 mg/ml. Pre-incubation with polyvinylpolypyrrolidine removed the activity from some extracts, implicating tannins as the bioactive agent, while in other cases the pre-incubation had no effect, indicating the presence of other anthelmintic compounds. Plant reproductive maturity (onset of flowering or fruiting) was associated with increasing anthelmintic activity in some species. Variability was observed between plants of the same species growing in different environments, while variation between individual plants of the same species within a single field suggests the existence of distinct chemotypes. Significant activity against adult H. contortus worms in vitro was also demonstrated in a limited number of extracts tested against this life stage. Our study indicates that there is potential for Australian native shrubs to play an anthelmintic role in grazing systems, and highlights some plant biology factors which will need to be considered in order to maximize any anthelmintic effects.A. C. Kotze, J. O’Grady, J. Emms, A. F. Toovey, S. Hughes, P. Jessop, M. Bennell P. E. Vercoe and D. K. Revel
A candidate-gene association study for berry colour and anthocyanin content in Vitis vinifera L.
Anthocyanin content is a trait of major interest in Vitis vinifera L. These compounds affect grape and wine quality, and have beneficial effects on human health. A candidate-gene approach was used to identify genetic variants associated with anthocyanin content in grape berries. A total of 445 polymorphisms were identified in 5 genes encoding transcription factors and 10 genes involved in either the biosynthetic pathway or transport of anthocyanins. A total of 124 SNPs were selected to examine association with a wide range of phenotypes based on RP-HPLC analysis and visual characterization. The phenotypes were total skin anthocyanin (TSA) concentration but also specific types of anthocyanins and relative abundance. The visual assessment was based on OIV (Organisation Internationale de la Vigne et du Vin) descriptors for berry and skin colour. The genes encoding the transcription factors MYB11, MYBCC and MYC(B) were significantly associated with TSA concentration. UFGT and MRP were associated with several different types of anthocyanins. Skin and pulp colour were associated with nine genes (MYB11, MYBCC, MYC(B), UFGT, MRP, DFR, LDOX, CHI and GST). Pulp colour was associated with a similar group of 11 genes (MYB11, MYBCC, MYC(B), MYC(A), UFGT, MRP, GST, DFR, LDOX, CHI and CHS(A)). Statistical interactions were observed between SNPs within the transcription factors MYB11, MYBCC and MYC(B). SNPs within LDOX interacted with MYB11 and MYC(B), while SNPs within CHI interacted with MYB11 only. Together, these findings suggest the involvement of these genes in anthocyanin content and on the regulation of anthocyanin biosynthesis. This work forms a benchmark for replication and functional studies
Perioperative anaemia management: consensus statement on the role of intravenous iron
A multidisciplinary panel of physicians was convened by Network for Advancement of Transfusion Alternatives to review the evidence on the efficacy and safety of i.v. iron administration to increase haemoglobin levels and reduce blood transfusion in patients undergoing surgery, and to develop a consensus statement on perioperative use of i.v. iron as a transfusion alternative. After conducting a systematic literature search to identify the relevant studies, critical evaluation of the evidence was performed and recommendations formulated using the Grades of Recommendation Assessment, Development and Evaluation Working Group methodology. Two randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and six observational studies in orthopaedic and cardiac surgery were evaluated. Overall, there was little benefit found for the use of i.v. iron. At best, i.v. iron supplementation was found to reduce the proportion of patients requiring transfusions and the number of transfused units in observational studies in orthopaedic surgery but not in cardiac surgery. The two RCTs had serious limitations and the six observational limited by the selection of the control groups. Thus, the quality of the available evidence is considered moderate to very low. For patients undergoing orthopaedic surgery and expected to develop severe postoperative anaemia, the panel suggests i.v. iron administration during the perioperative period (weak recommendation based on moderate/low-quality evidence). For all other types of surgery, no evidence-based recommendation can be made. The panel recommends that large, prospective, RCTs be undertaken to evaluate the efficacy and safety of i.v. iron administration in surgical patients. The implementation of some general good practice points is suggeste
Abelian symmetries in multi-Higgs-doublet models
N-Higgs doublet models (NHDM) are a popular framework to construct
electroweak symmetry breaking mechanisms beyond the Standard model. Usually,
one builds an NHDM scalar sector which is invariant under a certain symmetry
group. Although several such groups have been used, no general analysis of
symmetries possible in the NHDM scalar sector exists. Here, we make the first
step towards this goal by classifying the elementary building blocks, namely
the abelian symmetry groups, with a special emphasis on finite groups. We
describe a strategy that identifies all abelian groups which are realizable as
symmetry groups of the NHDM Higgs potential. We consider both the groups of
Higgs-family transformations only and the groups which also contain generalized
CP transformations. We illustrate this strategy with the examples of 3HDM and
4HDM and prove several statements for arbitrary N.Comment: 33 pages, 2 figures; v2: conjecture 3 is proved and becomes theorem
3, more explanations of the main strategy are added, matches the published
versio
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