Higher-order constraints on the Higgs production rate from fixed-target DIS data

The constraints of fixed-target DIS data in fits of parton distributions including QCD corrections to next-to-next-to leading order are studied. We point out a potential problem in the analysis of the NMC data which can lead to inconsistencies in the extracted value for α _s (M _Z ) and the gluon distribution at higher orders in QCD. The implications for predictions of rates for Standard Model Higgs boson production at hadron colliders are investigated. We conclude that the current range of excluded Higgs boson masses at the Tevatron appears to be much too large.     

Hubble parameter data constraints on dark energy

We use Hubble parameter versus redshift data from Stern et al. (2010) [1] and Gaztañaga et al. (2009) [2] to place constraints on model parameters of constant and time-evolving dark energy cosmological models. These constraints are consistent with (through not as restrictive as) those derived from supernova Type Ia magnitude-redshift data. However, they are more restrictive than those derived from galaxy cluster angular diameter distance, and comparable with those from gamma-ray burst and lookback time data. A joint analysis of the Hubble parameter data with more restrictive baryon acoustic oscillation peak length scale and supernova Type Ia apparent magnitude data favors a spatially-flat cosmological model currently dominated by a time-independent cosmological constant but does not exclude time-varying dark energy.     

A statistical dynamics approach to the study of human health data: Resolving population scale diurnal variation in laboratory data

Statistical physics and information theory is applied to the clinical chemistry measurements present in a patient database containing 2.5 million patients' data over a 20-year period. Despite the seemingly naive approach of aggregating all patients over all times (with respect to particular clinical chemistry measurements), both a diurnal signal in the decay of the time-delayed mutual information and the presence of two sub-populations with differing health are detected. This provides a proof in principle that the highly fragmented data in electronic health records has potential for being useful in defining disease and human phenotypes.     

New constraints on neutrino physics from BOOMERANG data

We have performed a likelihood analysis of the recent data on the cosmic microwave background radiation anisotropy from the BOOMERANG experiment. These data place a strong upper bound on the radiation density present at recombination. Expressed in terms of the equivalent number of neutrino species the 2sigma bound is N(nu)相似文献   

Update of the global electroweak fit and constraints on two-Higgs-doublet models

We present an update of the global fit of the Standard Model electroweak sector to latest experimental results. We include new kinematic top quark and W boson mass measurements from the LHC, a \(\sin \!^2\theta ^{\ell }_{\mathrm{eff}}\) result from the Tevatron, and a new evaluation of the hadronic contribution to \(\alpha (M_Z^2)\). We present tests of the internal consistency of the electroweak Standard Model and updated numerical predictions of key observables. The electroweak data combined with measurements of the Higgs boson coupling strengths and flavour physics observables are used to constrain parameters of two-Higgs-doublet models.     

Galaxy cluster number count data constraints on cosmological parameters

We use data on massive galaxy clusters (M _cluster>8×10¹⁴ h ^?1 M _?? within a comoving radius of R _cluster=1.5h ^?1?Mpc) in the redshift range 0.05?z?0.83 to place constraints, simultaneously, on the nonrelativistic matter density parameter ?? _m , on the amplitude of mass fluctuations ?? ₈, on the index n of the power-law spectrum of the density perturbations, and on the Hubble constant H ₀, as well as on the equation-of-state parameters (w ₀,w _a ) of a smooth dark energy component. For the first time, we properly take into account the dependence on redshift and cosmology of the quantities related to cluster physics: the critical density contrast, the growth factor, the mass conversion factor, the virial overdensity, the virial radius and, most importantly, the cluster number count derived from the observational temperature data. We show that, contrary to previous analyses, cluster data alone prefer low values of the amplitude of mass fluctuations, ?? ₈??0.69 (1?? C.L.), and large amounts of nonrelativistic matter, ?? _m ??0.38 (1?? C.L.), in slight tension with the ??CDM concordance cosmological model, though the results are compatible with ??CDM at 2??. In addition, we derive a ?? ₈ normalization relation, $\sigma_{8} \varOmega_{m}^{1/3} = 0.49 \pm 0.06$ (2?? C.L.). Combining cluster data with ?? ₈-independent baryon acoustic oscillation observations, cosmic microwave background data, Hubble constant measurements, Hubble parameter determination from passively evolving red galaxies, and magnitude?Credshift data of type Ia supernovae, we find $\varOmega_{m} = 0.28^{+0.03}_{-0.02}$ and $\sigma_{8} = 0.73^{+0.03}_{-0.03}$ , the former in agreement and the latter being slightly lower than the corresponding values in the concordance cosmological model. We also find $H_{0} = 69.1^{+1.3}_{-1.5}~\mbox {km}/\mbox {s}/\mbox {Mpc}$ , the fit to the data being almost independent on n in the adopted range [0.90,1.05]. Concerning the dark energy equation-of-state parameters, we show that the present data on massive clusters weakly constrain (w ₀,w _a ) around the values corresponding to a cosmological constant, i.e. (w ₀,w _a )=(?1,0). The global analysis gives $w_{0} = -1.14^{+0.14}_{-0.16}$ and $w_{a} = 0.85^{+0.42}_{-0.60}$ (1?? C.L. errors). Very similar results are found in the case of time-evolving dark energy with a constant equation-of-state parameter w=const (the XCDM parametrization). Finally, we show that the impact of bounds on (w ₀,w _a ) is to favor top-down phantom models of evolving dark energy.     

Updated status of the global electroweak fit and constraints on new physics

We present an update of the Standard Model fit to electroweak precision data. We include newest experimental results on the top-quark mass, the W mass and width, and the Higgs-boson mass bounds from LEP, Tevatron and the LHC. We also include a new determination of the electromagnetic coupling strength at the Z pole. We find for the Higgs-boson mass $91^{+30}_{-23}~\mbox{GeV}$ and $120^{+12}_{-5}~\mbox{GeV}$ when not including and including the direct Higgs searches, respectively. From the latter fit we indirectly determine the W mass to be $(80.360^{+0.014}_{-0.013})~\mbox{GeV}$ . We exploit the data to determine experimental constraints on the oblique vacuum polarisation parameters, and confront these with predictions from the Standard Model (SM) and selected SM extensions. By fitting the oblique parameters to the electroweak data we derive allowed regions in the BSM parameter spaces. We revisit and consistently update these constraints for a fourth fermion generation, two Higgs doublet, inert Higgs and littlest Higgs models, models with large, universal or warped extra dimensions and technicolour. In most of the models studied a heavy Higgs boson can be made compatible with the electroweak precision data.     

Particle physics on ice: constraints on neutrino interactions far above the weak scale

Ultrahigh energy cosmic rays and neutrinos probe energies far above the weak scale. Their usefulness might appear to be limited by astrophysical uncertainties; however, by simultaneously considering up- and down-going events, one may disentangle particle physics from astrophysics. We show that present data from the AMANDA experiment in the South Pole ice already imply an upper bound on neutrino cross sections at energy scales that will likely never be probed at man-made accelerators. The existing data also place an upper limit on the neutrino flux valid for any neutrino cross section. In the future, similar analyses of IceCube data will constrain neutrino properties and fluxes at the theta(10%) level.     

Critical scale invariance in a healthy human heart rate

We demonstrate the robust scale-invariance in the probability density function (PDF) of detrended healthy human heart rate increments, which is preserved not only in a quiescent condition, but also in a dynamic state where the mean level of the heart rate is dramatically changing. This scale-independent and fractal structure is markedly different from the scale-dependent PDF evolution observed in a turbulentlike, cascade heart rate model. These results strongly support the view that a healthy human heart rate is controlled to converge continually to a critical state.     

A data post-processing protocol for dynamic MRI data to discriminate brain activity from global physiological effects

All fMRI techniques measure stimulus induced focal metabolic and physiological changes in activated brain areas. During the entire fMRI experiment it is necessary to maintain the general physiological condition of the subject as stable as possible. This is not always an easy task. The typical block design in standard fMRI experiments minimizes most of the problems related with these general physiological changes. However in some fMRI experiments, like pharmacological MRI, the experimental setup makes the use of a blocked design impossible. Therefore signal correction algorithms have been developed to correct for these physiological signal instabilities. These algorithms often require elaborate calculation efforts and the data interpretation is often very difficult if no prior knowledge on the nature of the changes exists.In this work we present an algorithm, which has the advantage of being low in calculation effort and the resulting data after correction are easy to interpret. It makes use of a datafit between the general physiological and focal activation related signal changes to eliminate the generalized effects. This algorithm has been tested on simulated and experimentally obtained signal traces suffering both from substantial general signal changes overwhelming the smaller focal activation induced signal changes.     

The effect of the subprime crisis on the credit risk in global scale

Credit default swap (CDS) has become one of the most actively traded credit derivatives, and its importance in finance markets has increased after the subprime crisis. In this study, we analyzed the correlation structure of credit risks embedded in CDS and the influence of the subprime crisis on this topological space. We found that the correlation was stronger in the cluster constructed according to the location of the CDS reference companies than in the one constructed according to their industries. The correlation both within a given cluster and between different clusters became significantly stronger after the subprime crisis. The causality test shows that the lead lag effect between the portfolios (into which reference companies are grouped by the continent where each of them is located) is reversed in direction because the portion of non-investable and investable reference companies in each portfolio has changed since then. The effect of a single impulse has increased and the response time relaxation has become prolonged after the crisis as well.     

Analysis of multiparticle production data on proton-nucleus collisions using a new variable

Multiparticle production data on proton-nucleus collisions have been analyzed taking the number of ‘created’ charged particles instead of the observed number of shower particles as the variable. The mean normalized multiplicity,R _A , has been found to be independent of energy in the energy range (7–8000) GeV and its mass number dependence has been obtained. The modified analysis introduces some more regularities in the experimental results onp-nucleus collisions like the invariance with respect to energy of the relationshipR _A = α + βN _h and the KNO-like scaling of the multiplicity distributions of the created charged particles. The functional form of the scaling function has been calculated.     

Can HERA data improve the LEP constraints on the WWV vertex?

The combined results from ep → νWX, ep → eWX, and ep → νγX processes at HERA are used to constrain anomalous three-boson couplings. The effective model for anomalous couplings where there is no light Higgs boson and where interactions responsible for the breakdown of electroweak symmetry are strongly coupled is considered. Bounds on the couplings L _9L and L _9R , which parametrize contributions from the anomalous WWγ (WWZ) vertices, attainable from an analysis of the distributions for the processes in question are presented. The results are compared with the bounds resulting from the LEP I and LEP II data. It is shown that the bounds coming from HERA significantly reduce the parameter region allowed by the analysis of the LEP I and LEP II data.     

Model independent constraints on a heavy neutral vector boson from present and future LEP and SLC data

We review the information that is already provided and will be soon provided on the parameters of a new neutral boson of general nature from LEP and SLC experiments. We develop a strategy that associates the general independent lepton and quarkZ couplings to precisely defined experiments. For the specific case of particular popular models (E ₆, left-right symmetry, compositeZ) that we have analyzed, we predict, in case of negative searches, bounds of typical order one percent for theZ mixing angle and one TeV for theZ mass, at the end of the various experimental phases.Unité associée au CNRS n^oURA 768, PM/90-18