Double Higgs Production at the Linear Colliders and the Probing of the Higgs Self-Coupling

We study double Higgs production in the $e^+ e^-$ and $\gamma \gamma$ modes of the linear collider. It is also shown how one can probe the scalar potential in these reactions. We discuss the effective longitudinal $W$ approximation in $\gamma \gamma$ processes and the $W_L W_L$ luminosities in the two modes of a high-energy linear collider. A generalised non-linear gauge-fixing condition, which is particularly useful for tree-level calculations of electroweak processes for the laser induced collider, is presented. Its connection with the background-field approach to gauge fixing is given.Comment: 60 pages, LateX, uses epsf, needs FEYNMAN.tex, 26 figs. (eqs. 4.1 and 4.10 changed), full paper (including figs) is also available via www at http://lapphp0.in2p3.fr/preplapp/psth/doublehiggs.ps.gz or via anonymous ftp at ftp://lapphp0.in2p3.fr/pub/preprints-theorie/doublehiggsf.u

New Physics with three-photon events at LEP

The effect of the most general \z3gt vertex in the reaction e^+e^- \ra 3\gamma is studied with a particular attention to LEP searches. We give exact analytical expressions including realistic cuts for the signal and present a detailed analysis based on a Monte Carlo that includes the effect of the irreducible $3\gamma$ QED cross section. As special applications we discuss the effect of heavy scalars, fermions and gauge bosons and comment on the ``monopole" connection.Comment: No changes made from previous version, 34 pages, LateX, uses epsf, 11 .eps figs., full paper (including figs) is also available via WWW at http://lapphp0.in2p3.fr/preplapp/psth/lastee3g.ps.gz or via anonymous ftp at ftp:///lapphp0.in2p3.fr/pub/preprints-theorie/ftpee3g.u

Reclaiming human machine nature

Extending and modifying his domain of life by artifact production is one of the main characteristics of humankind. From the first hominid, who used a wood stick or a stone for extending his upper limbs and augmenting his gesture strength, to current systems engineers who used technologies for augmenting human cognition, perception and action, extending human body capabilities remains a big issue. From more than fifty years cybernetics, computer and cognitive sciences have imposed only one reductionist model of human machine systems: cognitive systems. Inspired by philosophy, behaviorist psychology and the information treatment metaphor, the cognitive system paradigm requires a function view and a functional analysis in human systems design process. According that design approach, human have been reduced to his metaphysical and functional properties in a new dualism. Human body requirements have been left to physical ergonomics or "physiology". With multidisciplinary convergence, the issues of "human-machine" systems and "human artifacts" evolve. The loss of biological and social boundaries between human organisms and interactive and informational physical artifact questions the current engineering methods and ergonomic design of cognitive systems. New developpment of human machine systems for intensive care, human space activities or bio-engineering sytems requires grounding human systems design on a renewed epistemological framework for future human systems model and evidence based "bio-engineering". In that context, reclaiming human factors, augmented human and human machine nature is a necessityComment: Published in HCI International 2014, Heraklion : Greece (2014

EPSAT-SG: a satellite method for precipitation estimation; its concepts and implementation for the AMMA experiment

International audienceThis paper presents a new rainfall estimation method, EPSAT-SG which is a frame for method design. The first implementation has been carried out to meet the requirement of the AMMA database on a West African domain. The rainfall estimation relies on two intermediate products: a rainfall probability and a rainfall potential intensity. The first one is computed from MSG/SEVIRI by a feed forward neural network. First evaluation results show better properties than direct precipitation intensity assessment by geostationary satellite infra-red sensors. The second product can be interpreted as a conditional rainfall intensity and, in the described implementation, it is extracted from GPCP-1dd. Various implementation options are discussed and comparison of this embedded product with 3B42 estimates demonstrates the importance of properly managing the temporal discontinuity. The resulting accumulated rainfall field can be presented as a GPCP downscaling. A validation based on ground data supplied by AGRHYMET (Niamey) indicates that the estimation error has been reduced in this process. The described method could be easily adapted to other geographical area and operational environment

Quantum Gravity and Inflation

Using the Ashtekar-Sen variables of loop quantum gravity, a new class of exact solutions to the equations of quantum cosmology is found for gravity coupled to a scalar field, that corresponds to inflating universes. The scalar field, which has an arbitrary potential, is treated as a time variable, reducing the hamiltonian constraint to a time-dependent Schroedinger equation. When reduced to the homogeneous and isotropic case, this is solved exactly by a set of solutions that extend the Kodama state, taking into account the time dependence of the vacuum energy. Each quantum state corresponds to a classical solution of the Hamiltonian-Jacobi equation. The study of the latter shows evidence for an attractor, suggesting a universality in the phenomena of inflation. Finally, wavepackets can be constructed by superposing solutions with different ratios of kinetic to potential scalar field energy, resolving, at least in this case, the issue of normalizability of the Kodama state.Comment: 18 Pages, 2 Figures; major corrections to equations but prior results still hold, updated reference

Council of Europe annual penal statistics SPACE II: Survey 2015. Persons serving non-custodial sanctions and measures in 2015.

Key points of SPACE II 2015 • The participation rate in the 2015 SPACE II Survey was very satisfying: 47 out of the 52 probation services of the 47 Council of Europe Member States answered the questionnaire. • About 80% of the probation services of the responding countries are placed under the authority of the national Ministry of Justice. This authority is shared with the Prison Administration in around 34% of these cases. • During the year 2015, 1,173,278 persons entered into supervision by the probation services, and 1,130,444 left that supervision. For countries with at least one million inhabitants, this represents an average rate of 227.7 entries and 167.3 exits per 100,000 inhabitants. As a comparison, in 2014, there 220.9 entries per 100,000 inhabitants (+3.07% in 2015) and 165.6 exits per 100,000 inhabitants (+1.02% in 2015). Between 2010 and 2015, the entries into supervision per 100,000 population decreased by 9.3% and the exits decreased by 10.4%. • On 31st December 2015, there were 1,239,426 persons under the supervision or care of the probation services of the responding countries. For countries with at least one million inhabitants, this represents an average rate of 195 per 100,000 inhabitants. As a comparison, on 31st December 2014, the average rate of persons under the supervision or care of the probation services was 196.5 per 100,000 inhabitants (-0.7% in 2015). Between 2010 and 2015, the decrease reached 9.7%. • Non-custodial sanctions and measures are seldom used as an alternative to pre-trial detention: Roughly, only 7.5% of the probation population corresponds to persons placed under supervision before trial. • On average, on 31st December 2015, female probation clients represented 9.8% of the total probation population. The proportion of minors and foreigners was 4.9% and 15.1% respectively. • On average, there are 5.6 probation staff members per 100,000 inhabitants, with great individual variation among the responding countries. • On average, each probation staff member across Europe is in charge of 10.8 pre-sentence reports. • In 24 countries, probation is used for all kind of criminal offences. • The average length of probation for persons sentenced for violence against persons and robbery are 17.5 months and 20.1 months respectively. • The longer length of probation is, on average, 22.8 months, and corresponds to persons sentenced for sexual offences

Les données de police permettent-elles la détection des agresseurs sexuels sériels? Une analyse de la validité concourante de VICLAS

Cette recherche s’intéresse à la capacité du Violent Crime Linkage Analysis System (ViCLAS) à identifier les auteurs sexuels sériels. Pour ce faire, l’étude se focalise sur l’analyse de la validité concourante de l’outil en comparant le pourcentage d’agresseurs sexuels sériels identifié par cet instrument et celui mis en avant par des recherches basées sur des sondages de délinquance autoreportée. Les données utilisées dans cette étude proviennent de la base de données ViCLAS utilisée par les forces de police française. Ces données concernent 3901 cas d’agressions sexuelles extrafamiliales commises entre 1979 et 2013 ainsi que 3500 agresseurs. Les résultats montrent que, parmi les agresseurs de victimes de 15 ans et plus, ViCLAS identifie 5.75 % d’auteurs sériels et que ce pourcentage augmente à 13.5 % pour les agresseurs de victimes de moins de 15 ans. Ces pourcentages sont nettement inférieurs à ceux trouvés par les recherches basées sur des sondages de délinquance autoreportée, ce qui soulève des questionnements sur la validité de ViCLAS

Parameterized Inapproximability of Target Set Selection and Generalizations

In this paper, we consider the Target Set Selection problem: given a graph and a threshold value $thr(v)$ for any vertex $v$ of the graph, find a minimum size vertex-subset to "activate" s.t. all the vertices of the graph are activated at the end of the propagation process. A vertex $v$ is activated during the propagation process if at least $thr(v)$ of its neighbors are activated. This problem models several practical issues like faults in distributed networks or word-to-mouth recommendations in social networks. We show that for any functions $f$ and $\rho$ this problem cannot be approximated within a factor of $\rho(k)$ in $f(k) \cdot n^{O(1)}$ time, unless FPT = W[P], even for restricted thresholds (namely constant and majority thresholds). We also study the cardinality constraint maximization and minimization versions of the problem for which we prove similar hardness results