Electroweak Symmetry Breaking without Higgs Boson

The mechanism of the Electroweak Chiral Langrangian and how this is implemented in the Vector Boson Scattering is presented. By this way and by applying different unitarisation protocols, different type of resonances can be predicted, at high energies. These resonances can be responsible for the EW Symmetry breaking, in the absence of a light Higgs Boson. The performance studies are presented, using the Fast Simulation Package (ATLFAST) for the ATLAS Detector

Using HSPA to improve the telemedical links on a moving ambulance

As the demand for faster and more effective health care increases, there is a growing need to establish mobile, high-speed communications between a moving ambulance and a consultation point (usually a hospital). The recent addition of HSPA (HSDPA and HSUPA) into the UMTS suite provides higher bandwidth and reduced delays, making this choice ideal for real-time telemedical applications. In this paper, we will describe a set of scenarios that took place in a typical large city area, along with their equivalent results: a moving ambulance was linked with a consultation station using HSPA and several videoconferencing sessions were initiated. Best-case, worst-case and average scenarios were recorded. Furthermore, in areas where the UMTS reception was marginal, a repeater was placed on top of the vehicle to boost up the signal power and thus maintain the higher bandwidth. Finally, treating doctors were asked to evaluate the effectiveness of this system’s outputs, based on a variety of objective and subjective criteria

Study of the WW scattering in the absence of light Higgs boson using the ATLAS detector at LHC

The Thesis investigates the possible case that the Electroweak Symmetry Breaking is not due to a light, weakly interacting Higgs boson, but instead the Symmetry is broken by strongly interacting heavy resonances. In that case, the formalism of the Electroweak Chiral Lagrangian can be used as a model-independent way to construct a low-energy effective theory for the electroweak interactions and using the Pade unitarisation protocol, certain resonances can be predicted. The scattering of longitudinally polarized W bosons, one of which decays leptonically and the other hadronically, is used as a channel to probe the mechanism of the Electroweak Symmetry Breaking in the mass range of 600 GeV up to 2.4 TeV and for different resonance scenarios, including the case that there is no resonance in the spectrum. The reconstruction of the vector bosons is described and it is demonstrated that, by exploiting key features of the hadronic environment, the contribution from the background processes can be reduced in such a way that the ATLAS detector will be able to see interesting WW scattering events within the above mass range with 30 fb x of data and it will be also possible to distinguish among the different resonance scenarios. A key study of the present research is the measurement of the WW scattering cross-section and it has been calculated that a significant measurement will be achieved, for the most pessimistic scenario, with 80 fb l of data. Regarding the performance of the ATLAS detector, the Thesis focuses on the Level-2 Trigger for selecting interesting physics events. After a short introduction to the Trigger system of the detector, the concept of the Region of Interest is explained and a method for reducing its geometrical size is presented. The method is based on the information from the Electromagnetic Calorimeter and it will be demonstrated that the reduced size can improve the performance of the Level-2 Trigger in terms of execution time (58% faster) but also for track reconstruction (6% more efficient) in the Inner Detector, especially during the high luminosity phase of the LHC

Higgsless electroweak symmetry breaking at the LHC

While the Higgs model is the best studied scenario of electroweak symmetry breaking, a number strongly-coupled models exist, predicting new signatures. Recent studies of WW and WZ final states at the ATLAS and CMS experiments are summarized and expected sensitivities are presented within the frameworks of the technicolor straw-man model and the electroweak chiral Lagrangian.Comment: Proceedings for the EPS HEP 2007 conference, Manchester, U.K., on behalf of the ATLAS and CMS Collaboration

Surgeons see anatomical structures faster and more accurately compared to novices: Development of a pattern recognition skill assessment platform

Background This study aimed to identify differences in pattern recognition skill among individuals with varying surgical experience. Methods Participants reviewed laparoscopic cholecystectomy videos of various difficulty, and paused them when the cystic duct or artery was identified to outline each structure on the monitor. Time taken to identify each structure, accuracy and work load, which was assessed using the NASA-Task Load Index (TLX), were compared among the three groups. Results Ten students, ten residents and eight attendings participated in the study. Attendings identified the cystic duct and artery significantly faster and more accurately than students, and identified the cystic artery faster than residents. The NASA-TLX score of attendings was significantly lower than that of students and residents. Conclusions Attendings identified anatomical structures faster, more accurately, and with less effort than students or residents. This platform may be valuable for the assessment and teaching of pattern recognition skill to novice surgeons. Short summary Accurate anatomical recognition is paramount to proceeding safely in surgery. The assessment platform used in this study differentiated recognition skill among individuals with varing surgical experience

Engineering the Catalytic Properties of HZSM5 by Cobalt Modification and Post-synthetic Hierarchical Porosity Development

Hierarchical zeolites have been identified as special catalytic materials with improved catalytic properties. In this study, hierarchical bifunctional ZSM5 based catalysts were prepared by desilication for controlled mesoporosity development and have been modified by Co doping. Their performance in the catalytic pyrolysis of oak in a lab scale reactor was evaluated. Desilicated counterparts were proven more active in deoxygenation of bio oil, while carbon deposition on the catalysts reduced compared to non-desilicated counterparts. Increased Lewis acidity favors decarboxylation reactions, while higher olefins as well as PAH content indicate easier diffusion within and from the porous network and interactions in the mesopores. The conversion of bulky lignin molecules (alkoxy phenols) is enhanced by the mesopores, while acidity is of secondary importance. Coke deposition inside the pores is more profound in the desilicated catalysts due to larger pore size. Carbon deposition on the catalysts is reduced in the following order: HZSM5 > Co/HZSM5 > Ds-HZSM5 > Co/Ds-HZSM5. GC–MS characterization of the CH2Cl2 soluble coke indicated that for the desilicated counterparts the main coke precursors are the bulky lignin molecules which are partially deoxygenated

Effects of a long term water level reduction on the ecology and water quality in an eastern Mediterranean lake

Water level fluctuations play a significant role in the lake nutrient dynamics, and consequently may have a strong influence on the biological communities and productivity. In this article we investigated the effects of a long term water level reduction on key chemistry parameters and major biological communities in an eastern Mediterranean lake. Our approach is based on temporal data regarding water quality, fish, zooplankton and aquatic vegetation that are representative of different water level periods. The results revealed significant correlations between water level, conductivity and chloride concentration suggesting a clear effect of the water level reduction on the water quality. Among the key findings of this study is the significant increase of zoobenthivorous fish (roach and carp) from 1973 to 1999 that correlates with the water level reduction. A decline of charophytes is also noted whereas the reed beds appear to have expanded at the shallower parts of the lake. The zooplankton composition of the lake is mostly dominated by nauplii, rotifer and small-sized crustaceans indicating a possible effect of fish predation. Overall, this article has ascertained an alarming shift of water quality and composition of biological communities that can be attributed to the combined effects of eutrophication and the extreme water level decrease

Application of Mental Skills Training in Surgery: A Review of Its Effectiveness and Proposed Next Steps

Introduction: Mental skills training, which refers to the teaching of performance enhancement and stress management psychological strategies, may benefit surgeons. Our objective was to review the application of mental skills training in surgery and contrast it to other domains, examine the effectiveness of this approach in enhancing surgical performance and reducing stress, and provide future directions for mental skills training in surgery. Materials and Methods: A systematic literature search of MEDLINE, PubMed, PsycINFO, and ClinicalKey was performed between 1996 and 2016. Keywords included were mental readiness, mental competency, mental skill, mental practice, imagery, mental imagery, mental rehearsal, stress management training, stress coping, mental training, performance enhancement, and surgery. Reviews of mental skills interventions in sport and well-regarded sport psychology textbooks were also reviewed. Primary outcome of interest was the effect of mental skills on surgical performance in the simulated or clinical environment. Results: Of 490 identified abstracts, 28 articles met inclusion criteria and were reviewed. The majority of the literature provides evidence that mental imagery and stress management training programs are effective at enhancing surgical performance and reducing stress. Studies from other disciplines suggest that comprehensive mental skills programs may be more effective than imagery and stress management techniques alone. Conclusions: Given the demonstrated efficacy of mental imagery and stress management training in surgery and the incremental value of comprehensive mental skills curricula used in other domains, a concerted effort should be made to apply comprehensive mental skills curricula during surgical training

Recycling of spent solid CO2 adsorbents via catalytic pyrolysis for the recovery of mesoporous silica and valuable heteroaromatic chemicals

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Effectiveness of a comprehensive mental skills curriculum in enhancing surgical performance: Results of a randomized controlled trial

INTRODUCTION: We hypothesized that the implementation of a novel mental skills curriculum (MSC) during laparoscopic simulator training would improve mental skills and performance, and decrease stress. METHODS: Sixty volunteer novices were randomized into intervention and control groups. All participants received FLS training while the intervention group also participated in the MSC. Skill transfer and retention were assessed on a live porcine model after training and 2 months later, respectively. Performance was assessed using the Test of Performance Strategies-2 (TOPS-2) for mental skills, FLS metrics for laparoscopic performance, and the State Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI-6) and heart rate (HR) for stress. RESULTS: Fifty-five participants (92%) completed training and the transfer test, and 46 (77%) the retention test. There were no significant differences between groups at baseline. Compared to controls the intervention group significantly improved their mental skill use, demonstrated higher laparoscopic skill improvement during retention, and reported less stress during the transfer test. CONCLUSIONS: The MSC implemented in this study effectively enhanced participants' mental skill use, reduced cognitive stress in the operating room with a small impact on laparoscopic performance