Pino, F., Roe, N., Orero, A., Falcon, C., Rojas, S., Benlloch, J. M., et al. (2011). Development of a variable-radius pinhole SPECT system with a portable gamma camera. Rev. Esp. Med. Nucl., 30(5), 286–291.
Abstract: Objective: To develop a small-animal SPECT system using a low cost commercial portable gamma camera equipped with a pinhole collimator, a continuous scintillation crystal and a position-sensitive photomultiplier tube. Material and methods: The gamma camera was attached to a variable radius system, which enabled us to optimize sensitivity and resolution by adjusting the radius of rotation to the size of the object. To investigate the capability of the SPECT system for small animal imaging, the dependence of resolution and calibration parameters on radius was assessed and acquisitions of small phantoms and mice were carried out. Results: Resolution values, ranging from 1.0 mm for a radius of 21.4 mm and 1.4 mm for a radius of 37.2 mm were obtained, thereby justifying the interest of a variable radius SPECT system. Conclusions: The image quality of phantoms and animals were satisfactory, thus confirming the usefulness of the system for small animal SPECT imaging.
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Gunion, J. F., Lopez-Fogliani, D. E., Roszkowski, L., Ruiz de Austri, R., & Varley, T. A. (2011). Next-to-minimal supersymmetric model Higgs scenarios for partially universal GUT scale boundary conditions. Phys. Rev. D, 84(5), 055026–17pp.
Abstract: We examine the extent to which it is possible to realize the NMSSM “ideal Higgs” models espoused in several papers by Gunion et al. in the context of partially universal GUT scale boundary conditions. To this end we use the powerful methodology of nested sampling. We pay particular attention to whether ideal-Higgs-like points not only pass LEP constraints but are also acceptable in terms of the numerous constraints now available, including those from the Tevatron and B-factory data, (g – 2)(mu) and the relic density Omega h(2). In general for this particular methodology and range of parameters chosen, very few points corresponding to said previous studies were found, and those that were found were at best 2 sigma away from the preferred relic density value. Instead, there exist a class of points, which combine a mostly singlet-like Higgs with a mostly singlino-like neutralino coannihilating with the lightest stau, that are able to effectively pass all implemented constraints in the region 80 < m(h) < 100. It seems that the spin-independent direct detection cross section acts as a key discriminator between ideal Higgs points and the hard to detect singlino-like points.
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Hernandez, E., & Nieves, J. (2011). Study of the strong Sigma(b) -> Lambda(b)pi and Sigma*(b) -> Lambda(b)pi in a nonrelativistic quark model. Phys. Rev. D, 84(5), 057902–5pp.
Abstract: We present results for the strong widths corresponding to the Sigma(b) -> Lambda(b)pi and Sigma*(b) -> Lambda(b)pi decays. We apply our model from Phys. Rev. D 72, 094022 (2005), where we previously studied the corresponding transitions in the charmed sector. Our nonrelativistic constituent quark model uses wave functions that take advantage of the constraints imposed by heavy quark symmetry. The partial conservation of axial current hypothesis allows us to determine the strong vertices from an analysis of the axial current matrix elements.
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De Romeri, V., Hirsch, M., & Malinsky, M. (2011). Soft masses in supersymmetric SO(10) GUTs with low intermediate scales. Phys. Rev. D, 84(5), 053012–15pp.
Abstract: The specific shape of the squark, slepton and gaugino mass spectra, if measured with sufficient accuracy, can provide invaluable information not only about the dynamics underpinning their origin at some very high scale such as the unification scale M(G), but also about the intermediate scale physics encountered throughout their renormalization group equations evolution down to the energy scale accessible for the LHC. In this work, we study general features of the TeV scale soft supersymmetry breaking parameters stemming from a generic mSugra configuration within certain classes of supersymmetry SO(10) GUTs with different intermediate symmetries below M(G). We show that particular combinations of soft masses show characteristic deviations from the mSugra limit in different models and thus, potentially, allow to distinguish between these, even if the new intermediate scales are outside the energy range probed at accelerators. We also compare our results to those obtained for the three minimal seesaw models with mSugra boundary conditions and discuss the main differences between those and our SO(10) based models.
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Nieves, J., & Valderrama, M. P. (2011). Deriving the existence of B(B)over-bar* bound states from the X(3872) and heavy quark symmetry. Phys. Rev. D, 84(5), 056015–21pp.
Abstract: We discuss the possibility and the description of bound states between B and (B) over bar* mesons. We argue that the existence of such a bound state can be deduced from (i) the weakly bound X(3872) state, (ii) certain assumptions about the short-range dynamics of the D (D) over bar* system and (iii) heavy quark symmetry. From these assumptions the binding energy of the possible B (B) over bar* bound states is determined, first in a theory containing only contact interactions which serves as a straightforward illustration of the method, and then the effects of including the one-pion exchange potential are discussed. In this latter case three isoscalar states are predicted: a positive and negative C-parity (3)S(1) – (3)D(1) state with a binding energy of 20 MeV and 6 MeV below threshold, respectively, and a positive C-parity (3)P(0) shallow state located almost at the B (B) over bar* threshold. However, large uncertainties are generated as a consequence of the 1/m(Q) corrections from heavy quark symmetry. Finally, the newly discovered isovector Z(b)(10610) state can be easily accommodated within the present framework by a minor modification of the short-range dynamics.
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