Charged di-boson production at the LHC in a 4-site model with a composite Higgs boson

We investigate the scope of the LHC in probing the parameter space of a 4-site model supplemented by one composite Higgs state, assuming all past, current and future energy and luminosity stages of the CERN machine. We concentrate on the yield of charged di-boson production giving two opposite-charge different-flavour leptons and missing (transverse) energy, i.e., events induced via the subprocess $q\bar q\to e^+\nu_e \mu^-\bar\nu_\mu$ + ${\rm{c.c.}}$, which enables the production in the intermediate step of all additional neutral and charged gauge bosons belonging to the spectrum of this model, some of which in resonant topologies. We find this channel accessible over the background at all LHC configurations after a dedicated cut-based analysis. We finally compare the yield of the di-boson mode to that of Drell-Yan processes and establish that they have complementary strengths, one covering regions of parameter space precluded to the others and vice versa.Comment: 36 pages, 13 figures, 13 table

Improved analysis of the bounds from the electroweak precision tests on the 4-site model

We present a new complete analysis of the electroweak precision observables within the recently proposed 4-site Higgsless model, which is based on the SU(2)_L x SU(2)_1 x SU(2)_2 x U(1)_Y gauge symmetry and predicts six extra gauge bosons, W_{1,2} and Z_{1,2}. Within the epsilon_i (i=1,2,3,b) parametrization, we compute for the first time the EWPT bounds via a complete numerical algorithm going beyond commonly used approximations. Both epsilon_{1,3} impose strong constraints. Hence, it is mandatory to consider them jointly when extracting EWPT bounds and to fully take in to account the correlations among the electroweak precison measurements. The phenomenological consequence is that the extra gauge bosons must be heavier than 250 GeV. Their couplings to SM fermions, even if bounded, might be of the same order of magnitude than the SM ones. In contrast to other Higgsless models, the 4-site model is not fermiophobic. The new gauge bosons could thus be discovered in the favoured Drell-Yan channel already during the present run of the LHC experiment.Comment: Latex file, 35 pages, 10 figures, corrected typos, published versio

Physical-chemical aspects of the frying process

Frying is a very elaborate cooking procedure where the heat is distributed to the food by a medium, the oil or fat that intervenes in the process, interacting with the food itself. The interactions are depending on the quality of the oil or fat, the technology utilized and the nature of the substrate. In effect that last is a mixture of various chemical entities that behave differently toward the heat, between them and with the cooking fat. One of the most important component of the food is water and the hydration conditions are of great importance in determining the various step of the cooking operation and the type of interactions between the food itself and the oily phase. Chemical nature of the substrate is important in determining the type of secondary processes that develop during frying and in effect transformations of the lipidic medium are notably influenced. Main chemical reactions that occur during the frying process are of oxydative nature but their importance must not be overestimated and still frying conditions as well as chemical and physical nature of the food is important in determining the extent at which it occurs. Hydrolysis is another of the reactions that develop during frying. Interchange of fats occurs between the substrate and the lipidic phase, sometime bringing to healthier foods, provided a proper choice in the quality of the frying media has been done. Exchanges of many components, usually minor components occur and are of interest in the repeated frying because they have influence on the behaviour of the cooking operation. In general terms frying must be evaluated as a beneficial operation directed to enhance the nutritional value of a food, provided that the fundamental rules governing the process are observed

A Short-Range FMCW Radar-Based Approach for Multi-Target Human-Vehicle Detection

In this article, a new microwave-radar-based technique for short-range detection and classification of multiple human and vehicle targets crossing a monitored area is proposed. This approach, which can find applications in both security and infrastructure surveillance, relies upon the processing of the scattered-field data acquired by low-cost off-The-shelf components, i.e., a 24 GHz frequency-modulated continuous wave (FMCW) radar module and a Raspberry Pi mini-PC. The developed method is based on an ad hoc processing chain to accomplish the automatic target recognition (ATR) task, which consists of blocks performing clutter and leakage removal with an infinite impulse response (IIR) filter, clustering with a density-based spatial clustering of applications with noise (DBSCAN) approach, tracking using a Benedict-Bordner $alpha$-$eta$ filter, features extraction, and finally classification of targets by means of a $k$-nearest neighbor ( $k$-NN) algorithm. The approach is validated in real experimental scenarios, showing its capabilities in correctly detecting multiple targets belonging to different classes (i.e., pedestrians, cars, motorcycles, and trucks)

Uno studio qualitativo transnazionale US-Italia sulle prospettive dei docenti che insegnano in corsi internazionali. Le voci dei docenti sullo sviluppo professionale

This paper describes a component of a larger cross-national qualitative study on faculty development for teaching international students. Here we describe the study and reportfindings that offer analyses of the informal and formal means by which Italian and U.S. university instructors enhance the knowledge and skills they find necessary to teach international students successfully in this era of educational globalization. We also offer insights and challenges of conducting cross-national adult higher educational research and explain why such studies areessential in understanding how the world of academe is learning to adapt to globalization and international student mobility.Il presente contributo presenta una ricerca qualitativa transnazionale sulle azioni di faculty development per potenziare la didattica con studenti internazionali. Lo studio offre un’analisi delle strategie formali e informali con le quali i docenti delle università italiane e statunitensi migliorano le conoscenze e competenze ritenute necessarie per insegnare con successo agli studenti internazionali in quest’epoca di globalizzazione dell’istruzione superiore. Lo studio si sofferma, inoltre, sulle sfide e le potenzialità della ricerca transnazionale sulla didattica in higher education al fine di comprendere come il mondo universitario stia cominciando a far fronte alla globalizzazione e alla mobilità degli studenti

Photonics and electronics integration in the HELIOS project

The objective of the European project HELIOS is to combine a photonic layer with a CMOS circuit by different innovative means, using microelectronics processes. Bonding of AWG + Ge Photodiodes on CMOS wafer is achieved