QCD Corrections to Vector-Boson Fusion Processes in Warped Higgsless Models

We discuss the signatures of a representative Higgsless model with ideal fermion delocalization in vector-boson fusion processes, focusing on the gold- and silver-plated decay modes of the gauge bosons at the CERN-Large Hadron Collider. For this purpose, we have developed a fully-flexible parton-level Monte-Carlo program, which allows for the calculation of cross sections and kinematic distributions within experimentally feasible selection cuts at NLO-QCD accuracy. We find that Kaluza-Klein resonances give rise to very distinctive distributions of the decay leptons. Similar to the Standard Model case, within the Higgsless scenario the perturbative treatment of the vector-boson scattering processes is under excellent control.Comment: 22 pages, 20 figure

Sublethal injury and Viable but Non-culturable (VBNC) state in microorganisms during preservation of food and biological materials by non-thermal processes

The viable but non-culturable (VBNC) state, as well as sublethal injury of microorganisms pose a distinct threat to food safety, as the use of traditional, culture-based microbiological analyses might lead to an underestimation or a misinterpretation of the product's microbial status and recovery phenomena of microorganisms may occur. For thermal treatments, a large amount of data and experience is available and processes are designed accordingly. In case of innovative inactivation treatments, however, there are still several open points with relevance for the investigation of inactivation mechanisms as well as for the application and validation of the preservation processes. Thus, this paper presents a comprehensive compilation of non-thermal preservation technologies, i.e., high hydrostatic pressure (HHP), pulsed electric fields (PEFs), pulsed light (PL), and ultraviolet (UV) radiation, as well as cold plasma (CP) treatments. The basic technological principles and the cellular and molecular mechanisms of action are described. Based on this, appropriate analytical methods are outlined, i.e., direct viable count, staining, and molecular biological methods, in order to enable the differentiation between viable and dead cells, as well as the possible occurrence of an intermediate state. Finally, further research needs are outlined

Discovery of an Optical Jet in the BL Lac Object 3C 371

We have detected an optical jet in the BL Lac object 3C 371 that coincides with the radio jet in this object in the central few kpc. The most notable feature is a bright optical knot 3 arcsec (4 kpc) from the nucleus that occurs at the location where the jet apparently changes its direction by ~30 degrees. The radio, near-infrared and optical observations of this knot are consistent with a single power-law spectrum with a radio-optical spectral index alpha = -0.81. One possible scenario for the observed turn is that the jet is interacting with the material in the bridge connecting 3C 371 to nearby galaxies and the pressure gradient is deflecting the jet significantly.Comment: 11 pages, LaTeX, 4 figures (1 eps, 3 gifs), accepted for publication in ApJ Letter

Asymptotics of Eigenvalues and Eigenfunctions for the Laplace Operator in a Domain with Oscillating Boundary. Multiple Eigenvalue Case

We study the asymptotic behavior of the solutions of a spectral problem for the Laplacian in a domain with rapidly oscillating boundary. We consider the case where the eigenvalue of the limit problem is multiple. We construct the leading terms of the asymptotic expansions for the eigenelements and verify the asymptotics

Researching the use of force: The background to the international project

This article provides the background to an international project on use of force by the police that was carried out in eight countries. Force is often considered to be the defining characteristic of policing and much research has been conducted on the determinants, prevalence and control of the use of force, particularly in the United States. However, little work has looked at police officers’ own views on the use of force, in particular the way in which they justify it. Using a hypothetical encounter developed for this project, researchers in each country conducted focus groups with police officers in which they were encouraged to talk about the use of force. The results show interesting similarities and differences across countries and demonstrate the value of using this kind of research focus and methodology

MHC I Stabilizing Potential of Computer-Designed Octapeptides

Experimental results are presented for 180 in silico designed octapeptide sequences and their stabilizing effects on the major histocompatibility class I molecule H-2Kb. Peptide sequence design was accomplished by a combination of an ant colony optimization algorithm with artificial neural network classifiers. Experimental tests yielded nine H-2Kb stabilizing and 171 nonstabilizing peptides. 28 among the nonstabilizing octapeptides contain canonical motif residues known to be favorable for MHC I stabilization. For characterization of the area covered by stabilizing and non-stabilizing octapeptides in sequence space, we visualized the distribution of 100,603 octapeptides using a self-organizing map. The experimental results present evidence that the canonical sequence motives of the SYFPEITHI database on their own are insufficient for predicting MHC I protein stabilization

The FORS Deep Field: Field selection, photometric observations and photometric catalog

The FORS Deep Field project is a multi-colour, multi-object spectroscopic investigation of an approx. 7 times 7 region near the south galactic pole based mostly on observations carried out with the FORS instruments attached to the VLT telescopes. It includes the QSO Q 0103-260 (z = 3.36). The goal of this study is to improve our understanding of the formation and evolution of galaxies in the young Universe. In this paper the field selection, the photometric observations, and the data reduction are described. The source detection and photometry of objects in the FORS Deep Field is discussed in detail. A combined B and I selected UBgRIJKs photometric catalog of 8753 objects in the FDF is presented and its properties are briefly discussed. The formal 50% completeness limits for point sources, derived from the co-added images, are 25.64, 27.69, 26.86, 26.68, 26.37, 23.60 and 21.57 in U, B, g, R, I, J and Ks (Vega-system), respectively. A comparison of the number counts in the FORS Deep Field to those derived in other deep field surveys shows very good agreement.Comment: 15 pages, 11 figures (included), accepted for publication in A&