Natural Supersymmetry, Muon g−2g-2, and the Last Crevices for the Top Squark

We study the interplay of natural supersymmetry and a supersymmetric solution to the discrepancy observed in measurements of the muon magnetic moment. The strongest constraints on the parameter space currently come from chargino searches in the trilepton channel and slepton searches in the dilepton channel at the LHC, and vast regions are currently allowed, especially at large $\tan{\beta}$. With light top squarks in the spectrum, as required from naturalness arguments, the situation changes dramatically; stop-assisted chargino and neutralino production via $\tilde{t} \rightarrow b \tilde{\chi}_{1}^{\pm}$ and $\tilde{t} \rightarrow t \tilde{\chi}_{1}^0$ are already probing the entire parameter space compatible with the muon magnetic moment at $\tan{\beta} \sim \mathcal{O}(10)$, while upcoming stop searches will probe most of the parameter space at larger $\tan{\beta} \sim 40$. Direct Higgsino searches as well as compressed slepton and stop searches are crucial to close out corners of parameter space. We consider one such example: in the presence of light sleptons and charginos as required to obtain appreciable contributions to the muon magnetic moment, compressed stops can dominantly undergo the following decay $\tilde{t} \, \rightarrow \, b \tilde{\ell} \nu (\tilde{\nu} \ell) \, \rightarrow \, b \ell \nu \tilde{\chi}_{1}^0$, facilitated by off-shell charginos. We find that the enhanced branching to leptons leads to a $5 \sigma$ mass reach (with $3000$ fb$^{-1}$ of data at LHC14) of $m_{\tilde{t}} \, \sim \, 350$ GeV, with the mass difference between stops and the lightest neutralino being $\sim 80$ GeV. This will further close out a significant part of the parameter space compatible with naturalness and the muon magnetic moment.Comment: 13 pages, 14 figures. Matches published versio

Around 1 in 3 Londoners do not have the income needed for a minimum standard of living

New research suggests that, although many of the costs associated with living in London are similar to the rest of the UK, a minimum socially acceptable standard of living is substantially more expensive in the capital. Matt Padley summarises the finding

Acetylcholine in Central Cardiorespiratory Regulation in Health and Depression

Circulation and breathing movements that are essential for life are regulated by neurons in the hypothalamus and lower brainstem. Activity of these neurons is regulated by peripheral afferent and higher order inputs that release a diverse array of amino acids, amines and peptides. In this thesis we investigated the role of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine (ACh) and its receptors in regulation of cardiorespiratory homeostasis. Secondly, we determined whether or not genetic disturbances in regulation of acetylcholine receptor sensitivity affect central control of circulation, body temperature or respiration. The findings presented in Chapter 3 reveal a novel functional role of ACh and G-protein coupled muscarinic receptor (mAChR) activation in the rostral ventrolateral medulla (RVLM). We showed for the first time that some non-C1 RVLM neurons express mRNA for the M2 or M3 receptor; however, both C1 and enkephalinergic RVLM neurons were closely apposed by c holinergic terminals positive for the vesicular acetylcholine transporter (vAChT). Physiological studies demonstrated that activation of mAChR within the RVLM in anaesthetised rats increases arterial pressure and sympathetic nerve activity and has differential effects on major cardiorespiratory reflexes: RVLM mAChR activation resets the sympathetic baroreflex to higher arterial pressures and increases its gain and, concomitantly, attenuates excitatory reflexes evoked by peripheral chemoreceptor or somatic afferent stimulation. Retrograde tracing from the RVLM combined with vAChT immunoreactivity showed that neurons in the pedunculopontine tegmental nucleus (PPT) are the sole source of cholinergic input to the RVLM. The PPT-RVLM pathway appears to be part of a central command circuit concerned with adjusting circulatory function appropriate to increased muscle activity. These data support the notion that activation of specific neurotransmitter receptors in the RVLM encodes fu nctional specificity in control of sympathetic outflow and r! eflex fu nction. The extent to which genetic variations in central mAChR sensitivity influence autonomic function is unknown. Flinders Sensitive Line (FSL) rats were bred from Sprague Dawley (SD) rats for exaggerated behavioural and hypothermic responses to cholinesterase inhibitors and direct-acting mAChR agonists. A control genetic counterpart, the Flinders Resistant Line (FRL), was also bred in parallel for reduced responses to cholinergic agonists. The findings of Chapter 5 showed for the first time that FSL rats exhibit an increase in M2 and reduction in M3 receptor expression in the rostral medulla, suggesting that cholinergic signalling in this region may be altered. However, alterations of mAChR expression specific to FSL rats were restricted to this area and there were no changes in cerebellar expression of mAChR in any strain. Physiological studies showed that conscious or anaesthetised FSL rats were more sensitive to thermoregulatory responses to central mAChR a ctivation (ie hypothermia and increase in cutaneous blood flow); whereas pressor responses were reduced compared to SD and FRL rats. The increase in sympathetic activity and depression of respiration evoked by central mAChR activation was unchanged and attenuated, respectively, in FSL rats compared to control strains. These findings indicate that mAChR involved in control of different autonomic functions are regulated independently at the genetic and / or post-transcriptional level. The findings of Chapters 4 and 6 reveal a novel effect of breeding for cholinergic hypersensitivity in FSL rats on control of vagal and sympathetic outflow. Spectral analysis of blood pressure recordings in conscious FSL rats showed a reduction in total and high frequency power of heart rate variability (HRV), an increase in the LF/HF ratio and reduction in baroreflex sensitivity (BRS) compared to controls. These changes reflect a reduction in reflex vagal input and relative predominan ce of sympathetic input to the sinus node in FSL rats. Under! urethan e anaesthesia, FSL rats had a higher heart rate and exhibited lower gain of baroreflex control of splanchnic sympathetic nerve activity (SNA). Moreover, FSL rats were more susceptible to ventricular arrhythmias during infusion of the cardiac glycoside ouabain under anaesthesia compared to controls. These data indicate that FSL rats exhibit impaired reflex regulation of vagal and sympathetic outflow that could underlie increased vulnerability to arrhythmia seen in this strain. The precise brain regions and neurotransmitters that underlie autonomic disturbances seen in FSL rats are unclear. As well as muscarinic hypersensitivity, FSL rats also exhibit increased sensitivity to nicotine, serotonin and dopamine. Multiple chemical sensitivities in FSL rats may arise from functional interactions with mAChR or changes in common intracellular regulatory or signalling pathways. FSL rats exhibit a number of behavioural and somatic abnormalities consistent with clinical depre ssion, including reduced motivated behaviour and sleep and psychomotor disturbances. These symptoms are also alleviated by treatment with antidepressants, suggesting that similar neurochemical abnormalities may underlie behavioural disturbances seen in FSL rats and human depression. Symptoms of depression are an emerging risk factor in the development of cardiovascular disease and are associated with increased risk of dying from a cardiac-related event. A reduction in HRV and BRS in depressed patients has been widely reported and is considered to be a key substrate predisposing to arrhythmia in this patient group. In this thesis we demonstrate for the first time that FSL rats exhibit similar autonomic abnormalities to those reported in human depression and are more vulnerable to ouabain-induced ventricular arrhythmias. These findings suggest that biological factors predisposing to autonomic dysfunction and arrhythmia in FSL rats could also operate in human depression. This m ay involve altered neurotransmission in cardiovascular brain! regions , or inappropriate regulation of cardiovascular function by arousal or motor control pathways. Overall, this thesis provides novel insights into cholinergic mechanisms that regulate cardiorespiratory homeostasis. ACh is important in physiological regulation of circulation via activation of G-protein coupled mAChR in the RVLM. Selective breeding for cholinergic hypersensitivity in FSL and FRL rats results in region- and subtype-specific changes in mAChR expression in the lower brainstem and differentially influences muscarinic control of circulation and breathing. Variations in central mAChR sensitivity may contribute to impaired reflex control of vagal and sympathetic outflow and could hence predispose to cardiac complications including arrhythmias. Future studies may aim to further understand the relationship between endogenous sensitivity of metabotropic neurotransmitter receptors in the CNS and cardiovascular disturbances associated with depression

From Lineage to Legacy: Charles Garland Verrinder and Victorian Anglo-Jewish Music

The work of Charles Garland Verrinder (1834-1904) provides an unusual insight into the world of Jewish music in Victorian Britain. An Anglican musician trained as a chorister at Salisbury Cathedral and with Royal Organist Sir George Elvey, Verrinder’s forty-five-year career as the first organist of the West London Synagogue (Britain’s first ‘Reform’ synagogue) overlapped with his work for the church as well as with many significant professional and amateur music societies in London. Across his career he composed and arranged numerous Hebrew liturgical settings, some with English translation, and took the opportunity as a respected organist and Doctor of Music to present lectures on Jewish music to the wider Victorian public. This dissertation uses Verrinder’s career as a case study through which to examine the multifaceted nature of Anglo-Jewish music in Victorian Britain. Based within a period of Jewish history rarely examined in detail by musicologists, this area of nineteenth-century musical life has long been associated with standard narratives of Anglo-Jewish political emancipation and religious reform, with a vague and often critical focus on the ‘anglicisation’ of synagogue music for purposes of British assimilation. Providing a new, music-focussed approach to this framework, I examine examples of Verrinder’s liturgical settings to shed light on how such an anglicisation was achieved and on its Jewish and non-Jewish reception. Verrinder’s status as an ‘outsider’ in the Jewish world both complements and complicates accusations of ‘otherness’ which subtly (and unsubtly) pervade Victorian opinion on Jews and Judaism, making him a powerful example of Jewish-Christian musical interaction. To that end, the objective of my dissertation is to loosen the bond between Victorian Anglo-Jewish music and the ‘grand narratives’ of British Jewry, reframing the topic within the context of music-making in Victorian Britain. Exploring Verrinder’s work in comparison with that of other musicians and musical educators, I suggest that the widespread publication and performance of ancient Jewish melodies, contemporary compositions and Jewish-related choral works brought this music into line with the broader opus of Victorian sacred repertoire, blurring the distinction between the synagogue, home, and concert hall.Jewish Historical Society of England; Musica Britannica/Louise Dyer; The Polonsky Foundation; The Spalding Trust; The Reverend John Wates; The Cottenham British School Trust; Jesus College, Cambridge; Faculty of Music, Cambridge

A study of some sulphur-nitrogen compounds

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Delivering localism: the critical role of trust and collaboration

Debate regarding the relationship between individual and state has been prominent throughout the current UK government's term in office and localism has come to occupy a central role in current policy. This article argues that attempts to deliver this localist vision should focus on the critical role of social trust and that this is best developed through collaboration. The actions identified as necessary for delivering decentralisation are considered alongside a review of the view of localism articulated in Coalition policy. The article then explores collaboration and co-production as a means of strengthening social networks and delivering the promises of localism