Current and future constraints on Higgs couplings in the nonlinear Effective Theory

We perform a Bayesian statistical analysis of the constraints on the nonlinear Effective Theory given by the Higgs electroweak chiral Lagrangian. We obtain bounds on the effective coefficients entering in Higgs observables at the leading order, using all available Higgs-boson signal strengths from the LHC runs 1 and 2. Using a prior dependence study of the solutions, we discuss the results within the context of natural-sized Wilson coefficients. We further study the expected sensitivities to the different Wilson coefficients at various possible future colliders. Finally, we interpret our results in terms of some minimal composite Higgs models.Comment: 45 pages, 9 figures, 8 tables; v2: updated references, experimental input now includes data of Moriond 2018, extended discussion of projection to future colliders; v3: added Appendix, matches Journal versio

A Raman spectroscopic study of the interaction between nucleotides and the DNA binding protein gp32 of bacteriophage T4

Raman spectra of the bacteriophage T4 denaturing protein gp32, its complex with the polynucleotides poly(rA), poly(dA), poly(dT), poly(rU), and poly(rC), and with the oligonucleotides (dA)8 and (dA)2, were recorded and interpreted. According to an analysis of the gp32 spectra with the reference intensity profiles of Alix and co-workers [M. Berjot, L. Marx, and A.J.P. Alix (1985) J. Ramanspectrosc., submitted; A.J.P. Alix, M. Berjot, and J. Marx (1985) in Spectroscopy of Biological Molecules, A. J. P. Alix, L. Bernard, and M. Manfait, Eds., pp. 149-154], 1 gp32 contains ≈ 45% helix, ≈ 40% β-sheet, and 15% undefined structure. Aggregation of gp32 at concentrations higher than 40 mg/mL leads to a coordination of the phenolic OH groups of 4-6 tyrosines and of all the sulfhydryl (SH) groups present in the protein with the COO- groups of protein. The latter coordination persists even at concentrations as low as 1 mg/mL. In polynucleotide-protein complexes the nucleotide shields the 4-6 tyrosine residues from coordination by the COO- groups even at high protein concentration. The presence of the nucleotide causes no shielding of the SH groups. With Raman difference spectroscopy it is shown that binding of the protein to a single-stranded nucleotide involves both tyrosine and trytophan residues. A change in the secondary structure of the protein upon binding is observed. In the complex, gp32 contains more -sheet structure than when uncomplexed. A comparison of the spectra of complexed poly(rA) and poly(dA) with the spectra of their solution conformations at 15°C reveals that in both polynucleotides the phosphodiester vibration changes upon complex formation in the same way as upon a transition from a regular to a more disordered conformation. Distortion of the phosphate-sugar-base conformation occurs upon complex formation, so that the spectra of poly(rA) and poly(dA) are more alike in the complex than they are in the free polynucleotides. The decrease in intensity of the Raman bands at 1304 cm-1 in poly(rA), at 1230 cm-1 in poly(rU), and at 1240 and 1378 cm-1 of poly(dT) may be indicative of increased stacking interactions in the complex. No influence of the nucleotide chain length upon the Raman spectrum of gp322 in the complex was detected. Both the nucleotide lines and the protein lines in the spectrum of a complex are identical in poly(dA) and (dA)8

Dynamic portfolio and mortgage choice for homeowners

We investigate the impact of owner-occupied housing on financial portfolio and mortgage choice under stochastic inflation and real interest rates. To this end we develop a dynamic framework in which investors can invest in stocks and bonds with different maturities. We use a continuous-time model with CRRA preferences and calibrate the model parameters using data on inflation rates and equity, bond, and house prices. For the case of no short-sale constraints, we derive an implicit solution and identify the main channels through which the housing to total wealth ratio and the horizon affect financial portfolio choice. This solution is used to interpret numerical results that we provide when the investor has short-sale constraints. We also use our framework to investigate optimal mortgage size and type. A moderately risk-averse investor prefers an adjustable-rate mortgage (ARM), while a more risk-averse investor prefers a fixedrate mortgage (FRM). A combination of an ARM and an FRM further improves welfare. Choosing a suboptimal mortgage leads to utility losses up to 6%

The conformation of conducting polymer chains: Hubbard polymers

The conformational and electronic properties of conducting flexible random and self-avoiding walk polymer chains are under investigation. A Hamiltonian for conjugated flexible polymers is introduced and its physical consequences are presented. One important result is that the electronic degrees of freedom greatly affect the conformational statistics of the walks and vice versa. The electronic degrees of freedom extend the size of the chain. The end-to-end distance behaves as $R\propto L^{\nu}$ with $\nu=(d+1)/(d+2)$, where $d$ is the spatial dimension.Comment: 11 pages of Latex + uuencoded postscript figur

The MCGA (multiple cubic gradient approximation) method for the analysis of Raman spectra

An easily accessible interactive method for the analysis of Raman spectra consisting of many overlapping peaks is presented. A combination of a three- or four-dimensional grid and gradient searching is applied. The method can handle spectra with up to about 50 lines, based on a broad background. Analytical and user-defined or tabulated basic functions can be included. The merits of the method are discussed with both artificial and real spectra

Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy of DNA bases

A Raman microprobe has been used to measure the surface-enhanced Raman spectra of adenine, guanine, cytosine and thymine. Comparison of the SERS spectrum with solution spectra shows that some line positions are not influenced by the adsorption process while others show large shifts. In the SERS spectrum new lines, not visible in the solution spectrum, appear while some lines visible in the solution spectrum are not enhanced to a detectable level and are therefore not seen in SERS. The relative intensities are changed owing to an apparently vibration-dependent enhancement factor. A line-broadening effect occurs for most lines except carbonyl stretching vibrations in cytosine and thymine. All SERS spectra show increased contributions of bending vibrations and side-chain groups. In particular, amino group vibrations in adenine and cytosine are clearly visible. Comparison of the shape and intensity of the carbonyl stretching vibrations in cytosine, thymine and guanine show important differences. It is hypothesized that these differences indicate differences in the orientation of these groups with respect to the surface

Resonance polarization and phase-mismatched CARS of pheophytin b excited in the Qy band

Resonance polarization and phase-mismatched coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering (CARS) measurements were performed on pheophytin b dissolved in acetone excited in the Qy absorption band, where strong broad fluorescence makes spontaneous Raman spectroscopy impossible. The phase-mismatching technique was applied to suppress solvent background and used in combination with the polarization-sensitive CARS technique to measure directly the x1111(3) and x1221(3) components to estimate depolarization ratios. The spectra were fitted by a non-linear least-squares procedure yielding vibrational band parameters. Some CARS dispersion information on the vibrational amplitudes was obtained by varying the pump wavelength. CARS excitation profiles based on transform theory were calculated and partly explain the observed amplitude dispersion. The application of the combined phase-mismatched polarization CARS technique may be useful in many other cases of highly fluorescing molecules when resonantly excited