Z', new fermions and flavor changing processes, constraints on E6_6 models from μ\mu --> eee

We study a new class of flavor changing interactions, which can arise in models based on extended gauge groups (rank $>$4) when new charged fermions are present together with a new neutral gauge boson. We discuss the cases in which the flavor changing couplings in the new neutral current coupled to the $Z^\prime$ are theoretically expected to be large, implying that the observed suppression of neutral flavor changing transitions must be provided by heavy $Z^\prime$ masses together with small $Z$-$Z^\prime$ mixing angles. Concentrating on E$_6$ models, we show how the tight experimental limit on $\mu \rightarrow eee$ implies serious constraints on the $Z^\prime$ mass and mixing angle. We conclude that if the value of the flavor changing parameters is assumed to lie in a theoretically natural range, in most cases the presence of a $Z^\prime$ much lighter than 1 TeV is unlikely.Comment: plain tex, 22 pages + 2 pages figures in PostScript (appended after `\bye'), UM-TH 92-1

Side Arm Homicide in the Italian Province of Trieste between 1953 and 2002

The authors present a complete overview of the phenomenon of side arm homicide, basing the study on the data collected at the Forensic Pathology Unit of the University Of Trieste School Of Medicine. Side arms are the most frequently used homicidal method in the town and province of Trieste in a considered study period of 50 years from 1953 to 2002. The analysis of the collected data shows that the town and province of Trieste are communities still very well disjoined from a reality in which crimes against life are yet very uncommon occurrences. This conclusion is well supported by the fact that it has not been possible to define a category of potential victims, which is on the contrary quite easy among societies where organized crime is consistent and widespread. The popularity of side arm as homicide method in our province supports the hypothesis that these crimes are often not aforethought murders, perpetrated by subjects often afflicted by recorded mental health problems, acting during an insanity raptus. Knives are not only actually the easiest weapons to obtain in a household, but are very easily used as well, even by the subjects not accustomed to handle weapons

Variations in Function and Vocal Acoustic Characteristics After Orthognathic Surgery: Preliminary Results

Objective: To determine the effects of orthognathic surgery on oral function and vocal quality in order to assess the need for speech therapy after surgery. Material and Methods: Thirty-seven patients scheduled for mono-jaw surgery, specifically maxillary (G1:15 patients), mandibular advancement (G2:10 patients) or mandibular set-back (G3:12 patients), were recruited for this prospective cohort study. Evaluation of oral functions, video recordings of speech articulation and audio recordings of voice were obtained before surgery (T0), and at 1 (T1) and 6 months (T2) after surgery. Spectrographic analysis and self-evaluation questionnaire regarding the vocal performance (VAPP) were performed. Both qualitative and quantitative statistical analysis was performed, mainly using generalized linear models for dichotomous data (p<0.05). Results: The formant frequencies (F1 and F2) of the main vowels vary after orthognathic surgery according to the type of surgery. Before surgery, 84% of patients analyzed showed difficulties in breathing and positioning the tongue both at rest and swallowing. Thanks to surgical correction of the malocclusion, the major part of these issues were resolved within 6 months. In 25% of cases, a change in the voice and/or articulation had occurred. Conclusion: Vocality improves after orthognathic surgery and it changes in relation to the type of surgery. However, vocality did not normalize completely. Speech assessment should be considered after surgery in order to offer adequate speech therapy if necessary

Chapter RoCKIn@Home: Domestic Robots Challenge

Service robots performing complex tasks involving people in houses or public environments are becoming more and more common, and there is a huge interest from both the research and the industrial point of view. The RoCKIn@Home challenge has been designed to compare and evaluate different approaches and solutions to tasks related to the development of domestic and service robots. RoCKIn@Home competitions have been designed and executed according to the benchmarking methodology developed during the project and received very positive feedbacks from the participating teams. Tasks and functionality benchmarks are explained in detail

Events with Isolated Charged Leptons and Large Missing Transverse Momentum at HERA

Striking events with isolated charged leptons, large missing transverse momentum and large transverse momentum of the hadronic final state were observed at the electron proton collider HERA in a data sample corresponding to a luminosity of about 130 pb-1. The H1 collaboration observed 11 events with isolated electrons or muons and with transverse momentum above 25 GeV. Only 3.4+-0.6 events were expected from Standard Model (SM) processes. Six of these events have a transverse momentum of greater than 40 GeV, while 1.3+-0.3 events were expected. The ZEUS collaboration observed good agreement with the SM. However, ZEUS found two events with a similar event topology, but tau leptons instead of electrons or muons in the final state. Only 0.2+-0.05 events were expected from SM processes. For various hypotheses the compatibility of the experimental results was investigated with respect to the SM and with respect to possible explanations beyond the SM. Prospects for the high-luminosity HERA-II data taking period are given

RoCKIn@Home: Domestic Robots Challenge

Service robots performing complex tasks involving people in houses or public environments are becoming more and more common, and there is a huge interest from both the research and the industrial point of view. The RoCKIn@Home challenge has been designed to compare and evaluate different approaches and solutions to tasks related to the development of domestic and service robots. RoCKIn@Home competitions have been designed and executed according to the benchmarking methodology developed during the project and received very positive feedbacks from the participating teams. Tasks and functionality benchmarks are explained in detail

Anatomy of F_D-Term Hybrid Inflation

We analyze the cosmological implications of F-term hybrid inflation with a subdominant Fayet--Iliopoulos D-term whose presence explicitly breaks a D-parity in the inflaton-waterfall sector. This scenario of inflation, which is called F_D-term hybrid model for brevity, can naturally predict lepton number violation at the electroweak scale, by tying the mu-parameter of the MSSM to an SO(3)-symmetric Majorana mass m_N, via the vacuum expectation value of the inflaton field. We show how a negative Hubble-induced mass term in a next-to-minimal extension of supergravity helps to accommodate the present CMB data and considerably weaken the strict constraints on the theoretical parameters, resulting from cosmic string effects on the power spectrum P_R. The usual gravitino overabundance constraint may be significantly relaxed in this model, once the enormous entropy release from the late decays of the ultraheavy waterfall gauge particles is properly considered. As the Universe enters a second thermalization phase involving a very low reheat temperature, which might be as low as about 0.3 TeV, thermal electroweak-scale resonant leptogenesis provides a viable mechanism for successful baryogenesis, while thermal right-handed sneutrinos emerge as new possible candidates for solving the cold dark matter problem. In addition, we discuss grand unified theory realizations of F_D-term hybrid inflation devoid of cosmic strings and monopoles, based on the complete breaking of an SU(2) subgroup. The F_D-term hybrid model offers rich particle-physics phenomenology, which could be probed at high-energy colliders, as well as in low-energy experiments of lepton flavour or number violation.Comment: 73 pages, LaTeX, minor rewordings, references added, to appear in JHE

Leptonic CP violation: zero, maximal or between the two extremes

Discovery of the CP-violation in the lepton sector is one of the challenges of the particle physics. We search for possible principles, symmetries and phenomenological relations that can lead to particular values of the CP-violating Dirac phase, $\delta$. In this connection we discuss two extreme cases: the zero phase, $\delta = 0$, and the maximal CP-violation, $\delta = \pm \pi/2$, and relate them to the peculiar pattern of the neutrino mixing. The maximal CP-violation can be related to the $\nu_\mu - \nu_\tau$ reflection symmetry. We study various aspects of this symmetry and introduce a generalized reflection symmetry that can lead to an arbitrary phase that depends on the parameter of the symmetry transformation. The generalized reflection symmetry predicts a simple relation between the Dirac and Majorana phases. We also consider the possibility of certain relations between the CP-violating phases in the quark and lepton sectors.Comment: 34 pages, no figures; v3: version appeared in JHE

Low-Energy Thermal Leptogenesis in an Extended NMSSM Model

Thermal leptogenesis in the canonical seesaw model in supersymmetry suffers from the incompatibility of a generic lower bound on the mass scale of the lightest right-handed neutrino and the upper bound on the reheating temperature of the Universe after inflation. This is resolved by adding an extra singlet superfield, with a discrete $Z_2$ symmetry, to the NMSSM (Next to Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model). This generic mechanism is applicable to any supersymmetric model for lowering the scale of leptogenesis.Comment: 16 pages, revtex, 9 eps figure