Supersymmetry and neutrinoless double beta decay

Neutrinoless double beta decay (0 nu beta beta) induced by superparticle exchange is investigated. Such a supersymmetric (SUSY) mechanism of 0 nu beta beta decay arises within SUSY theories with R-parity nonconservation (R(p)). We consider the minimal supersymmetric standard model (MSSM) with explicit R(p) terms in the superpotential (R(p) MSSM). The decay rate for the SUSY mechanism of 0 nu beta beta decay is calculated. Numerical values for nuclear matrix elements for the experimentally most interesting isotopes are calculated within the proton-neutron quasiparticle random phase approximation. Constraints on the R(p) MSSM parameter space are extracted from current experimental half-life limits. The most stringent limits are derived from data on Ge-76. It is shown that these constraints are more stringent than those from other low-energy processes and are competitive with or even more stringent than constraints expected from accelerator searches

Vampires in the village Žrnovo on the island of Korčula: following an archival document from the 18th century

Središnja tema rada usmjerena je na raščlambu spisa pohranjenog u Državnom arhivu u Mlecima (fond: Capi del Consiglio de’ Dieci: Lettere di Rettori e di altre cariche) koji se odnosi na događaj iz 1748. godine u korčulanskom selu Žrnovo, kada su mještani – vjerujući da su se pojavili vampiri – oskvrnuli nekoliko mjesnih grobova. U radu se podrobno iznose osnovni podaci iz spisa te rečeni događaj analizira u širem društvenom kontekstu i prate se lokalna vjerovanja.The main interest of this essay is the analysis of the document from the State Archive in Venice (file: Capi del Consiglio de’ Dieci: Lettere di Rettori e di altre cariche) which is connected with the episode from 1748 when the inhabitants of the village Žrnove on the island of Korčula in Croatia opened tombs on the local cemetery in the fear of the vampires treating. This essay try to show some social circumstances connected with this event as well as a local vernacular tradition concerning superstitions

An overview of the safety of sucralose

a b s t r a c t Sucralose is a non-nutritive sweetener used in a broad range of foods and beverages and is the non-nutritive sweetener in retail SPLENDA Ò Sweetening Products, composed of sucralose and common food ingredients. A review of the extensive body of evidence that supports the safety of sucralose is provided. The results of an independent review of a new study investigating the safety of a sucralose-mixture retail product, Granulated SPLENDA Ò No Calorie Sweetener, are also discussed. The collective evidence supports the conclusion that the ingredient, sucralose, is safe for use in food and that the sucralose-mixture product, Granulated SPLENDA Ò No Calorie Sweetener, is also safe for its intended use