Bacterial nitrate assimilation: gene distribution and regulation

In the context of the global nitrogen cycle, the importance of inorganic nitrate for the nutrition and growth of marine and freshwater autotrophic phytoplankton has long been recognized. In contrast, the utilization of nitrate by heterotrophic bacteria has historically received less attention because the primary role of these organisms has classically been considered to be the decomposition and mineralization of dissolved and particulate organic nitrogen. In the pre-genome sequence era, it was known that some, but not all, heterotrophic bacteria were capable of growth on nitrate as a sole nitrogen source. However, examination of currently available prokaryotic genome sequences suggests that assimilatory nitrate reductase (Nas) systems are widespread phylogenetically in bacterial and archaeal heterotrophs. Until now, regulation of nitrate assimilation has been mainly studied in cyanobacteria. In contrast, in heterotrophic bacterial strains, the study of nitrate assimilation regulation has been limited to Rhodobacter capsulatus, Klebsiella oxytoca, Azotobacter vinelandii and Bacillus subtilis. In Gram-negative bacteria, the nas genes are subjected to dual control: ammonia repression by the general nitrogen regulatory (Ntr) system and specific nitrate or nitrite induction. The Ntr system is widely distributed in bacteria, whereas the nitrate/nitrite-specific control is variable depending on the organism

Measurement of isolated-photon plus two-jet production in pp collisions at √s = 13 TeV with the ATLAS detector

The dynamics of isolated-photon plus two-jet production in pp collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 13 TeV are studied with the ATLAS detector at the LHC using a dataset corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 36.1 fb. Cross sections are measured as functions of a variety of observables, including angular correlations and invariant masses of the objects in the final state, γ + jet + jet. Measurements are also performed in phase-space regions enriched in each of the two underlying physical mechanisms, namely direct and fragmentation processes. The measurements cover the range of photon (jet) transverse momenta from 150 GeV (100 GeV) to 2 TeV. The tree-level plus parton-shower predictions from Sherpa and Pythia as well as the next-to-leading-order QCD predictions from Sherpa are compared with the measurements. The next-to-leading-order QCD predictions describe the data adequately in shape and normalisation except for regions of phase space such as those with high values of the invariant mass or rapidity separation of the two jets, where the predictions overestimate the data. [Figure not available: see fulltext.

Search for resonances decaying into a weak vector boson and a Higgs boson in the fully hadronic final state produced in proton-proton collisions at s =13 TeV with the ATLAS detector

A search for heavy resonances decaying into a W or Z boson and a Higgs boson produced in proton-proton collisions at the Large Hadron Collider at s=13 TeV is presented. The analysis utilizes the dominant W→qq¯′ or Z→qq¯ and H→bb¯ decays with substructure techniques applied to large-radius jets. A sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 139 fb-1 collected with the ATLAS detector is analyzed and no significant excess of data is observed over the background prediction. The results are interpreted in the context of the heavy vector triplet model with spin-1 W′ and Z′ bosons. Upper limits on the cross section are set for resonances with mass between 1.5 and 5.0 TeV, ranging from 6.8 to 0.53 fb for W′→WH and from 8.7 to 0.53 fb for Z′→ZH at the 95% confidence level

Measurement of the production of a W boson in association with a charmed hadron in pp collisions at √s=13 TeV with the ATLAS detector

Álvarez Piqueras, D.; Amos, K.R. ; Aparisi, Pozo, J.A.; Bailey, A.J.; Barranco, Laura; Bouchhar, Naseem; Cabrera, Susana; Cantero, Josu; Cardillo, Fabio Castillo, F.L.; Castillo Mª Victoria; Chitishvili, Mariam Cerda Alberich, L.; Costa, María José; Didenko, Mariia , Escobar, Carlos; Estrada, Oscar; Ferrer, Antonio; Fiorini, L.; Fullana, Esteban; Fuster, Juan; García García, Carmen; García Navarro, José Enrique; Gomez Delegido, A.J.; González de la Hoz, Santiago; Gonzalvo Rodríguez, Galo Rafael; Guerrero Rojas, J.G.R.; Higón, Emilio; Jimenez Pena, Javier; Lacasta Llácer, Carlos; Lozano Bahilo, José J.; Madaffari, Daniele; Mamuzic, Judita; Martí García, Salvador; Martinez Agullo, Pablo;; Melini, Davide; Miñano Moya, M.; Mitsou, Vasiliki A.; Miralles López, Marcos; Monsonis Romero, Luis; Moreno Llácer, María; Muñoz Perez, David; Navarro Gonzalez, Josep; Poveda, Joaquín; Prades Ibañez, Alberto; Rodriguez Bosca, S.; Rodriguez Rodriguez, D.; Rubio Jiménez, Adrián ; Ruiz Martínez, Arantxa; Sabatini, Paolo , Salt, José; Sanchez Sebastian, Victoria Santra, A.; Sánchez Martínez, Javier; Sayago Galvan, Ivan; Senthilkumar, Varsha ; Soldevila, Urmila; Torró Pastor, Emma; Valero, Alberto; Valls Ferrer, Juan Antonio; Valiente Moreno, Enrique ; Villaplana Pérez, Miguel , Varriale, Lorenzo; Vos, Marcel; ATLAS CollaborationThe production of a W boson in association with a single charm quark is studied using 140 fb - 1 of s = 13 TeV proton-proton collision data collected with the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider. The charm quark is tagged by the presence of a charmed hadron reconstructed with a secondary-vertex fit. The W boson is reconstructed from the decay to either an electron or a muon and the missing transverse momentum present in the event. The charmed mesons reconstructed are D + → K - π + π + and D * + → D 0 π + → ( K - π + ) π + and the charge conjugate decays in the fiducial regions where p T ( e , μ ) > 30 GeV , | η ( e , μ ) | 8 GeV , and | η ( D ( * ) ) | < 2.2 . The integrated and normalized differential cross sections as a function of the pseudorapidity of the lepton from the W boson decay, and of the transverse momentum of the charmed hadron, are extracted from the data using a profile likelihood fit. The measured total fiducial cross sections are σ fid OS - SS ( W - + D + ) = 50.2 ± 0.2 ( stat ) - 2.3 + 2.4 ( syst ) pb , σ fid OS - SS ( W + + D - ) = 48.5 ± 0.2 ( stat ) - 2.2 + 2.3 ( syst ) pb , σ fid OS - SS ( W - + D * + ) = 51.1 ± 0.4 ( stat ) - 1.8 + 1.9 ( syst ) pb , and σ fid OS - SS ( W + + D * - ) = 50.0 ± 0.4 ( stat ) - 1.8 + 1.9 ( syst ) pb . Results are compared with the predictions of next-to-leading-order quantum chromodynamics calculations performed using state-of-the-art parton distribution functions. Additionally, the ratio of charm to anticharm production cross sections is studied to probe the s - s ¯ quark asymmetry. The ratio is found to be R c ± = 0.971 ± 0.006 ( stat ) ± 0.011 ( syst ) . The ratio and cross-section measurements are consistent with the predictions obtained with parton distribution function sets that have a symmetric s - s ¯ sea, indicating that any s - s ¯ asymmetry in the Bjorken- x region relevant for this measurement is small

Single hadron response measurement and calorimeter jet energy scale uncertainty with the ATLAS detector at the LHC

The uncertainty on the calorimeter energy response to jets of particles is derived for the ATLAS experiment at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). First, the calorimeter response to single isolated charged hadrons is measured and compared to the Monte Carlo simulation using proton-proton collisions at centre-of-mass energies of sqrt(s) = 900 GeV and 7 TeV collected during 2009 and 2010. Then, using the decay of K_s and Lambda particles, the calorimeter response to specific types of particles (positively and negatively charged pions, protons, and anti-protons) is measured and compared to the Monte Carlo predictions. Finally, the jet energy scale uncertainty is determined by propagating the response uncertainty for single charged and neutral particles to jets. The response uncertainty is 2-5% for central isolated hadrons and 1-3% for the final calorimeter jet energy scale.Comment: 24 pages plus author list (36 pages total), 23 figures, 1 table, submitted to European Physical Journal

Integrated and differential fiducial cross-section measurements for the vector boson fusion production of the Higgs boson in the H →WW∗→eνμν decay channel at 13 TeV with the ATLAS detector

The vector-boson production cross section for the Higgs boson decay in the Formula Presented channel is measured as a function of kinematic observables sensitive to the Higgs boson production and decay properties as well as integrated in a fiducial phase space. The analysis is performed using the proton-proton collision data collected by the ATLAS detector in Run 2 of the LHC at Formula Presented center-of-mass energy, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of Formula Presented. The different flavor final state is studied by selecting an electron and a muon originating from a pair of Formula Presented bosons and compatible with the Higgs boson decay. The data are corrected for the effects of detector inefficiency and resolution, and the measurements are compared with different state-of-the-art theoretical predictions. The differential cross sections are used to constrain anomalous interactions described by dimension-six operators in an effective field theory

Measurement of the cross-section and charge asymmetry of WW bosons produced in proton-proton collisions at s=8\sqrt{s}=8 TeV with the ATLAS detector

This paper presents measurements of the $W^+ \rightarrow \mu^+\nu$ and $W^- \rightarrow \mu^-\nu$ cross-sections and the associated charge asymmetry as a function of the absolute pseudorapidity of the decay muon. The data were collected in proton--proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 8 TeV with the ATLAS experiment at the LHC and correspond to a total integrated luminosity of 20.2~\mbox{fb^{-1}}. The precision of the cross-section measurements varies between 0.8% to 1.5% as a function of the pseudorapidity, excluding the 1.9% uncertainty on the integrated luminosity. The charge asymmetry is measured with an uncertainty between 0.002 and 0.003. The results are compared with predictions based on next-to-next-to-leading-order calculations with various parton distribution functions and have the sensitivity to discriminate between them.Comment: 38 pages in total, author list starting page 22, 5 figures, 4 tables, submitted to EPJC. All figures including auxiliary figures are available at https://atlas.web.cern.ch/Atlas/GROUPS/PHYSICS/PAPERS/STDM-2017-13

Search for heavy neutral Higgs bosons produced in association with b-quarks and decaying into b-quarks at s =13 TeV with the ATLAS detector

A search for heavy neutral Higgs bosons produced in association with one or two b-quarks and decaying to b-quark pairs is presented using 27.8 fb-1 of s=13 TeV proton-proton collision data recorded by the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider during 2015 and 2016. No evidence of a signal is found. Upper limits on the heavy neutral Higgs boson production cross section times its branching ratio to bb¯ are set, ranging from 4.0 to 0.6 pb at 95% confidence level over a Higgs boson mass range of 450 to 1400 GeV. Results are interpreted within the two-Higgs-doublet model and the minimal supersymmetric Standard Model

Search in diphoton and dielectron final states for displaced production of Higgs or Z bosons with the ATLAS detector in Formula Presented pp collisions

A search is presented for displaced production of Higgs bosons or Z bosons, originating from the decay of a neutral long-lived particle (LLP) and reconstructed in the decay modes H → γ γ and Z → e e . The analysis uses the full Run 2 dataset of proton-proton collisions delivered by the LHC at an energy of s = 13 TeV between 2015 and 2018 and recorded by the ATLAS detector, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 139 fb - 1 . Exploiting the capabilities of the ATLAS liquid argon calorimeter to precisely measure the arrival times and trajectories of electromagnetic objects, the analysis searches for the signature of pairs of photons or electrons which arise from a common displaced vertex and which arrive after some delay at the calorimeter. The results are interpreted in a gauge-mediated supersymmetry breaking model with pair-produced Higgsinos that decay to LLPs, and each LLP subsequently decays into either a Higgs boson or a Z boson. The final state includes at least two particles that escape direct detection, giving rise to missing transverse momentum. No significant excess is observed above the background expectation. The results are used to set upper limits on the cross section for Higgsino pair production, up to a χ ˜ 1 0 mass of 369 (704) GeV for decays with 100% branching ratio of χ ˜ 1 0 to Higgs ( Z ) bosons for a χ ˜ 1 0 lifetime of 2 ns. A model-independent limit is also set on the production of pairs of photons or electrons with a significant delay in arrival at the calorimeter

Measurements of fiducial and differential cross sections for Higgs boson production in the diphoton decay channel at s√=8 TeV with ATLAS

Measurements of fiducial and differential cross sections are presented for Higgs boson production in proton-proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of s√=8 TeV. The analysis is performed in the H → γγ decay channel using 20.3 fb−1 of data recorded by the ATLAS experiment at the CERN Large Hadron Collider. The signal is extracted using a fit to the diphoton invariant mass spectrum assuming that the width of the resonance is much smaller than the experimental resolution. The signal yields are corrected for the effects of detector inefficiency and resolution. The pp → H → γγ fiducial cross section is measured to be 43.2 ±9.4(stat.) − 2.9 + 3.2 (syst.) ±1.2(lumi)fb for a Higgs boson of mass 125.4GeV decaying to two isolated photons that have transverse momentum greater than 35% and 25% of the diphoton invariant mass and each with absolute pseudorapidity less than 2.37. Four additional fiducial cross sections and two cross-section limits are presented in phase space regions that test the theoretical modelling of different Higgs boson production mechanisms, or are sensitive to physics beyond the Standard Model. Differential cross sections are also presented, as a function of variables related to the diphoton kinematics and the jet activity produced in the Higgs boson events. The observed spectra are statistically limited but broadly in line with the theoretical expectations