B-meson signatures of a Supersymmetric U(2) flavor model

We discuss B-meson signatures of a Supersymmetric U(2) flavor model, with relatively light (electroweak scale masses) third generation right-handed scalars. We impose current B and K meson experimental constraints on such a theory, and obtain expectations for B->X_s gamma, B->X_s glue, B->X_s l+ l-, B->phi K_s, B_s-B_sbar mixing, and the dilepton asymmetry in B_s. We show that such a theory is compatible with all current data, and furthermore, could reconcile the apparent deviations from Standard Model predictions that have been found in some experiments.Comment: 37 pages, 21 figures, RevTeX4; v.2 - minor modifications to improve readability. Published versio

Survey of vector-like fermion extensions of the Standard Model and their phenomenological implications

With the renewed interest in vector-like fermion extensions of the Standard Model, we present here a study of multiple vector-like theories and their phenomenological implications. Our focus is mostly on minimal flavor conserving theories that couple the vector-like fermions to the SM gauge fields and mix only weakly with SM fermions so as to avoid flavor problems. We present calculations for precision electroweak and vector-like state decays, which are needed to investigate compatibility with currently known data. We investigate the impact of vector-like fermions on Higgs boson production and decay, including loop contributions, in a wide variety of vector-like extensions and their parameter spaces.Comment: 43 pages, 17 figures; v2: text modified to improve readability, references added, journal versio

Faecal streptococci in fresh frozen shrimp

Present limit of faecal streptococci as 100/g in fresh frozen shrimp was found to be too strict a standard commercially prepared products. Statistical analysis of the data collected indicates that fixing the maximum permissible limit as 1000/g will be a more workable proposition

Right-handed Sneutrinos as Nonthermal Dark Matter

When the minimal supersymmetric standard model is augmented by three right-handed neutrino superfields, one generically predicts that the neutrinos acquire Majorana masses. We postulate that all supersymmetry (SUSY) breaking masses as well as the Majorana masses of the right-handed neutrinos are around the electroweak scale and, motivated by the smallness of neutrino masses, assume that the lightest supersymmetric particle (LSP) is an almost-pure right-handed sneutrino. We discuss the conditions under which this LSP is a successful dark matter candidate. In general, such an LSP has to be nonthermal in order not to overclose the universe, and we find the conditions under which this is indeed the case by comparing the Hubble expansion rate with the rates of the relevant thermalizing processes, including self-annihilation and co-annihilation with other SUSY and standard model particles.Comment: 17 pages v.2: References adde

Safety Recommendations for Evaluation and Surgery of the Head and Neck During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Importance The rapidly expanding novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, has challenged the medical community to an unprecedented degree. Physicians and health care workers are at added risk of exposure and infection during the course of patient care. Because of the rapid spread of this disease through respiratory droplets, health care workers who come in close contact with the upper aerodigestive tract during diagnostic and therapeutic procedures, such as otolaryngologists–head and neck surgeons, are particularly at risk. A set of safety recommendations was created based on a review of the literature and communications with physicians with firsthand knowledge of safety procedures during the COVID-19 pandemic. Observations A high number of health care workers were infected during the first phase of the pandemic in the city of Wuhan, China. Subsequently, by adopting strict safety precautions, other regions were able to achieve high levels of safety for health care workers without jeopardizing the care of patients. The most common procedures related to the examination and treatment of upper aerodigestive tract diseases were reviewed. Each category was reviewed based on the potential risk imposed to health care workers. Specific recommendations were made based on the literature, when available, or consensus best practices. Specific safety recommendations were made for performing tracheostomy in patients with COVID-19. Conclusions and Relevance Preserving a highly skilled health care workforce is a top priority for any community and health care system. Based on the experience of health care systems in Asia and Europe, by following strict safety guidelines, the risk of exposure and infection of health care workers could be greatly reduced while providing high levels of care. The provided recommendations, which may evolve over time, could be used as broad guidance for all health care workers who are involved in the care of patients with COVID-19

Sfermion masses in the supersymmetric economical 3-3-1 model

Sfermion masses and eigenstates in the supersymmetric economical 3-3-1 model are studied. By lepton number conservation, the exotic squarks and superpartners of ordinary quarks are decoupled. Due to the fact that in the 3-3-1 models, one generation of quarks behaves differently from other two, by R-parity conservation, the mass mixing matrix of the squarks in this model are smaller than that in the Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model (MSSM). Assuming substantial mixing in pairs of highest flavours, we are able to get mass spectrum and eigenstates of all the sfermions. In the effective approximation, the slepton mass splittings in the first two generations, are consistent with those in the MSSM, namely: m^2_{\tilde{l}_L} - m^2_{\tilde{\nu}_{l L}} = m_W^2 \cos 2\ga $(l=e, \mu)$. In addition, within the above effective limit, there exists degeneracy among sneutrinos in each multiplet: $m^2_{\tilde{\nu}_{l L}} = m^2_{\tilde{\nu}_{l R}}$. In contradiction to the MSSM, the squark mass splittings are different for each generation and not to be m_W^2 \cos 2\ga.Comment: 34 pages, 2 figures, Revised version in which D-term and F-term contributions are slightly change

Matter-gravity interaction in a multiply warped braneworld,

The role of a bulk graviton in predicting the signature of extra dimensions through collider-based experiments is explored in the context of a multiply warped spacetime. In particular it is shown that in a doubly warped braneworld model, the presence of the sixth dimension, results in enhanced concentration of graviton Kaluza Klein (KK) modes compared to that obtained in the usual 5-dimensional Randall-Sundrum model. Also, the couplings of these massive graviton KK modes with the matter fields on the visible brane turn out to be appreciably larger than that in the corresponding 5- dimensional model. The significance of these results are discussed in the context of KK graviton search at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC).Comment: 13 pages, 2 table

Methods for studying leadership

Leadership scholars have made many inroads in understanding leadership. However, making sense of thousands of studies and hundreds of books is a difficult endeavour, which is why many still incorrectly think that leadership is an elusive phenomenon. The Nature of Leadership is the first concise and integrated volume that addresses current issues in leadership research, including emerging topics such as gender, culture, and ethics. More than ever before, leadership is seen as critical for the proper functioning of societies and social institutions. Written by a team of leading experts, this book will provide compelling answers to the most vexing questions surrounding leadership

Top Partner Discovery in the T→tZT\to tZ channel at the LHC

In this paper we study the discovery potential of the LHC run II for heavy vector-like top quarks in the decay channel to a top and a $Z$ boson. Despite the usually smaller branching ratio compared to charged-current decays, this channel is rather clean and allows for a complete mass reconstruction of the heavy top. The latter is achieved in the leptonic decay channel of the $Z$ boson and in the fully hadronic top channel using boosted jet and jet substructure techniques. To be as model-independent as possible, a simplified model approach with only two free parameters has been applied. The results are presented in terms of parameter space regions for $3\sigma$ evidence or $5\sigma$ discovery for such new states in that channel.Comment: 24 pages, 8 figures, version 2 updated to JHEP 01 (2015) 08