Configurational order-disorder induced metal-nonmetal transition in B13_{13}C2_{2} studied with first-principles superatom-special quasirandom structure method

Due to a large discrepancy between theory and experiment, the electronic character of crystalline boron carbide B$_{13}$C$_{2}$ has been a controversial topic in the field of icosahedral boron-rich solids. We demonstrate that this discrepancy is removed when configurational disorder is accurately considered in the theoretical calculations. We find that while ordered ground state B$_{13}$C$_{2}$ is metallic, configurationally disordered B$_{13}$C$_{2}$, modeled with a superatom-special quasirandom structure method, goes through a metal to non-metal transition as the degree of disorder is increased with increasing temperature. Specifically, one of the chain-end carbon atoms in the CBC chains substitutes a neighboring equatorial boron atom in a B$_{12}$ icosahedron bonded to it, giving rise to a B$_{11}$C$^{e}$(BBC) unit. The atomic configuration of the substitutionally disordered B$_{13}$C$_{2}$ thus tends to be dominated by a mixture between B$_{12}$(CBC) and B$_{11}$C$^{e}$(BBC). Due to splitting of valence states in B$_{11}$C$^{e}$(BBC), the electron deficiency in B$_{12}$(CBC) is gradually compensated

Investigation of top mass measurements with the ATLAS detector at LHC

Several methods for the determination of the mass of the top quark with the ATLAS detector at the LHC are presented. All dominant decay channels of the top quark can be explored. The measurements are in most cases dominated by systematic uncertainties. New methods have been developed to control those related to the detector. The results indicate that a total error on the top mass at the level of 1 GeV should be achievable.Comment: 47 pages, 40 figure

Climacteric Lowers Plasma Levels of Platelet-Derived Microparticles: A Pilot Study in Pre-versus Postmenopausal Women

Background: Climacteric increases the risk of thrombotic events by alteration of plasmatic coagulation. Up to now, less is known about changes in platelet-(PMP) and endothelial cell-derived microparticles (EMP). Methods: In this prospective study, plasma levels of microparticles (MP) were compared in 21 premenopausal and 19 postmenopausal women. Results: No altered numbers of total MP or EMP were measured within the study groups. However, the plasma values of CD61-exposing MP from platelets/megakaryocytes were higher in premenopausal women (5,364 x 10(6)/l, range 4,384-17,167) as compared to postmenopausal women (3,808 x 10(6)/l, range 2,009-8,850; p = 0.020). This differentiation was also significant for the subgroup of premenopausal women without hormonal contraceptives (5,364 x 10(6)/l, range 4,223-15,916; p = 0.047; n = 15). Furthermore, in premenopausal women, higher plasma levels of PMP exposing CD62P were also present as compared to postmenopausal women (288 x 10(6)/l, range 139-462, vs. 121 x 10(6)/l, range 74-284; p = 0.024). This difference was also true for CD63+ PMP levels (281 x 10(6)/l, range 182-551, vs. 137 x 10(6)/l, range 64-432; p = 0.015). Conclusion: Climacteric lowers the level of PMP but has no impact on the number of EMP in women. These data suggest that PMP and EMP do not play a significant role in enhancing the risk of thrombotic events in healthy, postmenopausal women. Copyright (C) 2012 S. Karger AG, Base

Screened Coulomb interactions in metallic alloys: II Screening beyond the single-site and atomic sphere approximations

A quantitative description of the configurational part of the total energy of metallic alloys with substantial atomic size difference cannot be achieved in the atomic sphere approximation: It needs to be corrected at least for the multipole moment interactions in the Madelung part of the one-electron potential and energy. In the case of a random alloy such interactions can be accounted for only by lifting the atomic sphere and single-site approximations, in order to include the polarization due to local environment effects. Nevertheless a simple parameterization of the screened Coulomb interactions for the ordinary single-site methods, including the generalized perturbation method, is still possible. We obtained such a parameterization for bulk and surface NiPt alloys, which allows one to obtain quantitatively accurate effective interactions in this system.Comment: 24 pages, 2 figure

Event by Event Analysis and Entropy of Multiparticle Systems

The coincidence method of measuring the entropy of a system, proposed some time ago by Ma, is generalized to include systems out of equilibrium. It is suggested that the method can be adapted to analyze multiparticle states produced in high-energy collisions.Comment: 13 pages, 2 figure

A search for the standard model Higgs boson in the missing energy and acoplanar b-jet topology at sqrt(s) = 1.96 TeV

We report a search for the standard model Higgs boson in the missing energy and acoplanar b-jet topology, using an integrated luminosity of 0.93 inverse femtobarn recorded by the D0 detector at the Fermilab Tevatron Collider. The analysis includes signal contributions from pp->ZH->nu nu b b, as well as from WH production in which the charged lepton from the W boson decay is undetected. Neural networks are used to separate signal from background. In the absence of a signal, we set limits on the cross section of pp->VH times the branching ratio of H->bb at the 95% C.L. of 2.6 - 2.3 pb, for Higgs boson masses in the range 105 - 135 GeV, where V=W,Z. The corresponding expected limits range from 2.8 pb - 2.0 pb.Comment: Submitted to Phys. Rev. Letter

Observation of ZZ production in ppbar collisions at sqrt(s) = 1.96 TeV

We present an observation for ZZ -> l+l-l'+l'- (l, l' = e or mu) production in ppbar collisions at a center-of-mass energy of sqrt(s) = 1.96 TeV. Using 1.7 fb-1 of data collected by the D0 experiment at the Fermilab Tevatron Collider, we observe three candidate events with an expected background of 0.14 +0.03 -0.02 events. The significance of this observation is 5.3 standard deviations. The combination of D0 results in this channel, as well as in ZZ -> l+l-nunubar, yields a significance of 5.7 standard deviations and a combined cross section of sigma(ZZ) = 1.60 +/- 0.63 (stat.) +0.16 -0.17 (syst.) pb.Comment: 7 pages, 1 figure, 2 tables Modified slightly following review proces

Measurement of the lifetime of the B_c meson in the semileptonic decay channel

Using approximately 1.3 fb-1 of data collected by the D0 detector between 2002 and 2006, we measure the lifetime of the B_c meson in the B_c -> J/psi mu nu X final state. A simultaneous unbinned likelihood fit to the J/\psi+mu invariant mass and lifetime distributions yields a signal of 881 +/- 80 (stat) candidates and a lifetime measurement of \tau(B_c) = 0.448 +0.038 -0.036 (stat) +/- 0.032 (syst) ps.Comment: 7 pages, 2 figures, submitted to Phys. Rev. Let

Measurement of the electron charge asymmetry in ppbar->W+X->enu+X events at sqrt{s}=1.96 TeV

We present a measurement of the electron charge asymmetry in ppbar->W+X->enu+X events at a center of mass energy of 1.96 TeV using 0.75 fb-1 of data collected with the D0 detector at the Fermilab Tevatron Collider. The asymmetry is measured as a function of the electron transverse momentum and pseudorapidity in the interval (-3.2, 3.2) and is compared with expectations from next-to-leading order calculations in perturbative quantum chromodynamics. These measurements will allow more accurate determinations of the proton parton distribution functions.Comment: 7 pages, 3 figures, Fermilab-Pub-08/249-E, submitted to Phys. Rev. Let