Interpretations of the NuTeV sin⁡2θW\sin^2 \theta_W

We summarize theoretical explanations of the three $\sigma$ discrepancy between $\sin^2 \theta_W$ measured by NuTeV and predicted by the Standard Model global fit. Possible new physics explanations ({\it e.g.} an unmized $Z'$) are not compelling. The discrepancy would be reduced by a positive momentum asymmetry $s^-$ in the strange sea; present experimental estimates of $s^-$ are unreliable or incomplete. Upgrading the NuTeV analysis to NLO would alleviate concerns that the discrepancy is a QCD effect.Comment: (proceedings for the NuFact'02 Workshop); reference and footnote added, following the NuTeV proceeding

Finding Strong Gravitational Lenses in the Kilo Degree Survey with Convolutional Neural Networks

The volume of data that will be produced by new-generation surveys requires automatic classification methods to select and analyze sources. Indeed, this is the case for the search for strong gravitational lenses, where the population of the detectable lensed sources is only a very small fraction of the full source population. We apply for the first time a morphological classification method based on a Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) for recognizing strong gravitational lenses in $255$ square degrees of the Kilo Degree Survey (KiDS), one of the current-generation optical wide surveys. The CNN is currently optimized to recognize lenses with Einstein radii $\gtrsim 1.4$ arcsec, about twice the $r$-band seeing in KiDS. In a sample of $21789$ colour-magnitude selected Luminous Red Galaxies (LRG), of which three are known lenses, the CNN retrieves 761 strong-lens candidates and correctly classifies two out of three of the known lenses. The misclassified lens has an Einstein radius below the range on which the algorithm is trained. We down-select the most reliable 56 candidates by a joint visual inspection. This final sample is presented and discussed. A conservative estimate based on our results shows that with our proposed method it should be possible to find $\sim100$ massive LRG-galaxy lenses at z\lsim 0.4 in KiDS when completed. In the most optimistic scenario this number can grow considerably (to maximally $\sim$2400 lenses), when widening the colour-magnitude selection and training the CNN to recognize smaller image-separation lens systems.Comment: 24 pages, 17 figures. Published in MNRA

The role of network density and betweenness centrality in diffusing new venture legitimacy: an epidemiological approach

To survive and grow, new ventures must establish initial legitimacy, and subsequently diffuse this legitimacy through a given population. While the notion of initial legitimacy has received substantial attention in the recent literature, diffusion has not. This work endeavors to outline the legitimacy diffusion process via drawing parallels with the field of epidemiology. Ultimately, to effectively diffuse legitimacy (and grow) a firm must gain positive judgments of appropriateness from members of a given network. Importantly, as with diseases, the characteristics of the network are critical to the diffusion process. A relatively dense network is posited to invoke a normative evaluation process by its members, and can be difficult for new ventures to access, but subsequent diffusion of new venture legitimacy can be rapid. A less dense network, on the other hand, is posited to invoke a pragmatic evaluation process by its members, and is likely easier for new ventures to access initially, but may result in lower levels of new venture legitimacy diffusion in the long run. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed

Extending land footprints towards characterizing sustainability of land use

The global trade of biomass-based products leads to an increasing regional decoupling of the area of production and consumption. Area-based land footprint calculations attribute the extents of land use required to prevailing national consumption patterns. Another report (Fischer et al., 2016) of the present study describes the methodology for the calculation of area-based footprints and presents results for Germany and the EU. Beyond area extents, additional information is needed to assess the sustainability of land use, requiring further analyses regarding environmental impacts and preservation of land quality and ecosystem services. This report discusses extensions of area-based land footprints with meaningful impact-oriented indicators for the assessment of the effects of different consumption patterns on the ecosystems and sustainability of land use. First, existing indicators for representing the environmental impacts of land use are introduced in the context of their linkages and complementarity to area-based land footprints. The report discusses the following key indicators, which were identified as particularly relevant during an export workshop: System indicators, which qualify the area-based footprints across globally very different potential land productivities,deforestation footprint, energy use in agriculture, and irrigation water use in agriculture classified by degree of water scarcity. We introduce the methods developed for the quantification of system indicators for cropland and grassland footprints and for the deforestation footprint, and present results for Germany and the EU

Strong field ionization to multiple electronic states in water

High harmonic spectra show that laser-induced strong field ionization of water has a significant contribution from an inner-valence orbital. Our experiment uses the ratio of H2O and D2O high harmonic yields to isolate the characteristic nuclear motion of the molecular ionic states. The nuclear motion initiated via ionization of the highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) is small and is expected to lead to similar harmonic yields for the two isotopes. In contrast, ionization of the second least bound orbital (HOMO-1) exhibits itself via a strong bending motion which creates a significant isotope effect. We elaborate on this interpretation by simulating strong field ionization and high harmonic generation from the water isotopes using the time-dependent Schr\"odinger equation. We expect that this isotope marking scheme for probing excited ionic states in strong field processes can be generalized to other molecules

Exploring the components, asymmetry and distribution of relationship quality in wild Barbary macaques (Macaca sylvanus)

Social relationships between group members are a key feature of many animal societies. The quality of social relationships has been described by three main components: value, compatibility and security, based on the benefits, tenure and stability of social exchanges. We aimed to analyse whether this three component structure could be used to describe the quality of social relationships in wild Barbary macaques (Macaca sylvanus). Moreover, we examined whether relationship quality was affected by the sex, age and rank differences between social partners, and investigated the asymmetric nature of social relationships. We collected over 1,900 hours of focal data on seven behavioural variables measuring relationship quality, and used principal component analysis to investigate how these variables clustered together. We found that relationship quality in wild Barbary macaques can be described by a three component structure that represents the value, compatibility and security of a relationship. Female-female dyads had more valuable relationships and same-age dyads more compatible relationships than any other dyad. Rank difference had no effect on the quality of a social relationship. Finally, we found a high degree of asymmetry in how members of a dyad exchange social behaviour. We argue that the asymmetry of social relationships should be taken into account when exploring the pattern and function of social behaviour in animal societies

Electron-nucleus scattering in the NEUT event generator

The NEUT event generator is a widely-used tool to simulate neutrino interactions for energies between 10s of MeV and a few TeV. NEUT plays a crucial role in neutrino oscillation analyses for the T2K and Hyper-K experiments, providing the primary simulation of the neutrino interactions whose final-state products are measured to infer the oscillation parameters. NEUT is also capable of simulating nucleon decay and hadron scattering. These proceedings present an expansion of NEUT to simulate electron scattering before showing comparisons to experimental measurements and using discrepancies to derive an empirical correction to NEUT's treatment of nuclear removal energy.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures. NuFact2022 proceedings submissio