A search for the standard model (SM) Higgs boson (H) produced with transverse momentum (pT) greater than 450 GeV and decaying to a charm quark-antiquark (cc¯) pair is presented. The search is ...performed using proton-proton collision data collected at s=13 TeV by the CMS experiment at the LHC, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 138 fb-1. Boosted H→cc¯ decay products are reconstructed as a single large-radius jet and identified using a deep neural network charm tagging technique. The method is validated by measuring the Z→cc¯ decay process, which is observed in association with jets at high pT for the first time with a signal strength of 1.00-0.14+0.17(syst)±0.08(theo)±0.06(stat), defined as the ratio of the observed process rate to the SM expectation. The observed (expected) upper limit on σ(H)B(H→cc¯) is set at 47 (39) times the SM prediction at 95% confidence level.
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Many in academia believe that higher education leads to an increase in tolerance towards individuals who are different. There are some empirical findings to supportthis premise; however, the impact ...of higher education on acceptance of homosexuality hasnot been adequately explored. Gays and lesbians in society face many negative attitudes.Based upon the survey results of 364 students at a Midwestern university, juniors and seniors had statistically significant more positive attitudes towards gays and lesbians thandid freshmen and sophomores. Even in multi-variate analysis, upper-level students had more positive views on many of the attitudinal measures.
The first search exploiting the vector boson fusion process to probe heavy Majorana neutrinos and the Weinberg operator at the LHC is presented. The search is performed in the same-sign dimuon final ...state using a proton-proton collision dataset recorded at s=13 TeV , collected with the CMS detector and corresponding to a total integrated luminosity of 138 fb−1 . The results are found to agree with the predictions of the standard model. For heavy Majorana neutrinos, constraints on the squared mixing element between the muon and the heavy neutrino are derived in the heavy neutrino mass range 50 GeV–25 TeV; for masses above 650 GeV these are the most stringent constraints from searches at the LHC to date. A first test of the Weinberg operator at colliders provides an observed upper limit at 95% confidence level on the effective μμ Majorana neutrino mass of 10.8 GeV.
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Ce
140
(
n
,
γ
)
is a key reaction for slow neutron-capture (
s
-process) nucleosynthesis due to being a bottleneck in the reaction flow. For this reason, it was measured with high accuracy ...(uncertainty
≈
5
%
) at the n_TOF facility, with an unprecedented combination of a high purity sample and low neutron-sensitivity detectors. The measured Maxwellian averaged cross section is up to 40% higher than previously accepted values. Stellar model calculations indicate a reduction around 20% of the
s
-process contribution to the Galactic cerium abundance and smaller sizeable differences for most of the heavier elements. No variations are found in the nucleosynthesis from massive stars.
Published by the American Physical Society
2024
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A
bstract
A search for long-lived particles decaying in the outer regions of the CMS silicon tracker or in the calorimeters is presented. The search is based on a data sample of proton-proton ...collisions at
s
= 13 TeV recorded with the CMS detector at the LHC in 2016–2018, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 138 fb
−
1
. A novel technique, using nearly trackless and out-of-time jet information combined in a deep neural network discriminator, is employed to identify decays of long-lived particles. The results are interpreted in a simplified model of chargino-neutralino production, where the neutralino is the next-to-lightest supersymmetric particle, is long-lived, and decays to a gravitino and either a Higgs or Z boson. This search is most sensitive to neutralino proper decay lengths of approximately 0.5 m, for which masses up to 1.18 TeV are excluded at 95% confidence level. The current search is the best result to date in the mass range from the kinematic limit imposed by the Higgs boson mass up to 1.8 TeV.
Conventional guide path layouts for automated guided vehicle (AGV) systems are analyzed, and the tandem loop with multiple vehicles (TLMV) configuration is proposed as a new and effective ...alternative. The TLMV configuration is especially useful for a large-scale manufacturing environment because it can easily accommodate expansion or upgrade while still being less sensitive to vehicle failure than the tandem loop (single vehicle) configuration. Simulation results show that the TLMV configuration is a viable option. The management of idle vehicles is an important control issue that affects the performance of an AGV system. For the TLMV layout, polynomial time algorithms to determine optimal idle vehicle dwell points are developed for minimizing the maximum response time and minimizing the mean weighted response time.
Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory disease affecting up to 3% of the general population, associated with discomfort and impaired quality of life. In recent years, the pathogenic cytokine network of ...psoriasis has been extensively studied leading to the development of new treatments that provide greater efficacy. Interleukin 17A (IL-17A) has been recognized as a crucial cytokine that mediates immunopathogenesis of psoriasis. Ixekizumab - indicated for the treatment of adults with moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis - is a subcutaneously administered humanized monoclonal antibody that targets IL-17A. A large percentage of patients affected by psoriasis achieved consistent benefits in terms of disease control and rapid onset of action during clinical trials. Overall, ixekizumab brought clinical improvement and a favorable safety profile in phase III trials. Ixekizumab is characterized by consistent efficacy and rapid onset of response; it is not influenced by previous exposure to biologics and has shown good results in areas that are difficult to treat and in severe clinical variants of psoriasis. Ixekizumab has shown significant improvements in the activity of the disease and in those physical functions that inhibit radiographic progression in patients with concomitant involvement of joints. Our data support ixekizumab as a successful therapeutic option for patients affected by moderate-to-severe plaque-type psoriasis.
Biphenylylacetic acid (BPAA) was linked to the free hydroxyl group of 2,6-di-O-methyl-beta-Cyclodextrin (DM-beta-CyD) through an ester linkage to obtain the site specific release of the drug to the ...colon. The conjugate at 1:1 mole ratio was separated from the reaction mixture by semipreparative reverse-phase HPLC and characterized by 1H-NMR, 13C-NMR, IR spectroscopy, mass spectrometry and elemental analysis. Chemico-physical characteristics, such as water solubility and dissolution rate, were evaluated comparatively to the BPAA-DM-beta-CyD inclusion complex. Hydrolysis rates were investigated in media simulating gastro-intestinal fluids and at pH 7.4 in the presence of porcine liver esterase. A rapid release of the drug was observed at acid pH value. In all cases a first order kinetic was observed, characterized by t1/2 value of 1.19, 19 and 4 h for chemical hydrolysis at pH 1.1, at pH 7.4 and enzymatic hydrolysis, respectively. In vitro permeation studies through caco-2 cells confirmed the ability of DM-beta-CyD to increase the absorption of included BPAA. A slow permeation was observed for the drug conjugate to DM-beta-CyD due to the slow release of BPAA.