Motivated by the high muon momentum resolution and identification efficiency achievable with the ATLAS detector, currently being installed at CERN, we explore the observability of the supersymmetric ...h/A/H decays to two muons. The high experimental resolution in this decay mode compensates to some extent for the suppression of the branching ratio, with respect to the h/A/H → τ τ decays. The search is performed in a wide Higgs mass range, starting from 110 GeV/c2. In the case of gg → bb(h/H/A) production mode, the additional b-jets produced in association with the h/H/A bosons are used to suppress the background. Using fully simulated signal and background event samples, we study the performance of the reconstruction algorithms relevant to the analysis, such as the muon reconstruction, b-tagging and the measurement of the missing energy. The influence of the detector misalignment on the reconstruction performance is also taken into consideration. Emphasis is given on the optimization of the event selection procedure and the corresponding selection criteria, taking into account the different background composition depending on the mass range in which the Higgs search is performed.
Material from three years of experience with a real time contact ophthalmic scanner is presented. Routine screening of patients with cataracts revealed unsuspected retinal detachments and advanced ...vitreous hemorrhage in a significant percentage. Foreign bodies near the posterior ocular wall were optimally evaluated by both radiographic and ultrasonic localization methods to avoid the inherent error of the x-ray triangulation system. The traumatized eye may be effectively studied for internal damage by using a thick layer of methyl cellulose without putting pressure on the globe. Many types of vitreous and retinal pathology may be confirmed or better evaluated by this simple, noninvasive technique.
The modeling of neutrino-nucleus interactions constitutes a challenging source of systematic uncertainty for the extraction of precise values of neutrino oscillation parameters in long-baseline ...accelerator neutrino experiments. To improve such modeling and minimize the corresponding uncertainties, a new generation of detectors is being developed, which aim to measure the complete final state of particles resulting from neutrino interactions. In order to fully benefit from the improved detector capabilities, precise simulations of the nuclear effects on the final-state nucleons are needed. This article presents the study of the in-medium propagation of knocked-out protons, i.e., final-state interactions (FSI), comparing the NuWro and INCL cascade models. The INCL model is used here for the first time to predict exclusive final states of neutrino interactions. This study of INCL in the framework of neutrino interactions features various novelties, including the production of nuclear clusters (e.g., deuterons, \(\alpha\) particles) in the final state. The paper includes a complete characterization of the final state after FSI, comparisons to available measurements of single transverse variables, and an assessment of the observability of nuclear clusters.
Objective. Adiponectin, an anti-inflammatory and anti-diabetogenic adipokine, has an important regulatory effect on both the innate and adaptive limbs of the immune response. The objective of this ...study was to determine whether adiponectin is present in amniotic fluid (AF) and if its concentration changes with gestational age, in the presence of labor, and in the presence of intra-amniotic infection (IAI) in patients with spontaneous preterm labor (PTL) and intact membranes.
Study design. This cross-sectional study included 468 patients in the following groups: (1) women in the mid-trimester of pregnancy (14-18 weeks) who underwent amniocentesis for genetic indications and delivered a normal neonate at term (n = 52); (2) normal pregnant women at term with (n = 49) and without (n = 41) spontaneous labor; (3) patients with an episode of PTL and intact membranes who were classified into: (a) PTL who delivered at term (n = 149); (b) PTL who delivered preterm (<37 weeks gestation) without IAI (n = 108); and (c) PTL with IAI (n = 69). Adiponectin concentration in AF was determined by ELISA.
Results. (1) The median AF adiponectin concentration at term was significantly higher than in the mid-trimester (35.6 ng/ml, interquartile range IQR 26.4-52.7 vs. 29.9 ng/ml, IQR 19.9-35.2; p = 0.01); (2) among women with PTL and intact membranes, the median AF adiponectin concentration was significantly higher in patients with IAI than in those without IAI who delivered either at term (54.3 ng/ml, 39.0-91.8 vs. 50.1 ng/ml, 33.2-72.8; p = 0.02) or preterm (47.6 ng/ml, 32.6-74.6; p = 0.01); and (3) among women at term, there was no significant difference in the median AF adiponectin concentration between those with and without labor (33.7 ng/ml, IQR 21.7-53.9 vs. 35.6 ng/ml, IQR 26.4-52.7; respectively p = 0.5).
Conclusions. (1) Adiponectin is a physiologic constituent of AF; and (2) adiponectin concentrations in AF are increased significantly with advancing gestation and in the presence of IAI. Collectively, these findings suggest that adiponectin plays a dynamic role in normal gestation and in the presence of IAI.
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