Multi-Boson Interactions at the LHC

This review covers results on the production of all possible electroweak boson pairs and 2-to-1 vector boson fusion at the CERN Large Hadron Collider (LHC) in proton-proton collisions at a center of mass energy of 7 and 8 TeV. The data were taken between 2010 and 2012. Limits on anomalous triple gauge couplings (aTGCs) then follow. In addition, data on electroweak triple gauge boson production and 2-to-2 vector boson scattering yield limits on anomalous quartic gauge boson couplings (aQGCs). The LHC hosts two general purpose experiments, ATLAS and CMS, which have both reported limits on aTGCs and aQGCs which are herein summarized. The interpretation of these limits in terms of an effective field theory is reviewed, and recommendations are made for testing other types of new physics using multi-gauge boson production.Comment: 53 pages, 48 figures, 4 table

Report of the Integrated Stroke Care Workshop

The Stroke Project has been underway since October 2000. This workshop represented the first mechanism where by issues surrounding the project have been addressed by the multi- disciplinary stroke team and the Darent Valley Hospital Staff. Approximately 35 members of staff attended the workshop, demonstrating the high level of interest and ownership. Currently, the hospital receives an average eight or nine new stroke admissions a week. The turnover is such that patients suffering from stroke account for around 22-23 occupied beds in the acute hospital at any point in time. In the past the Acute Trust had had a lead Stroke Physician responsible for 20 designated stroke beds within a stroke unit. In that system many (but not all) cases of acute stroke admitted under the General Physicians would have been referred to the stroke unit and had their acute care and acute rehabilitation provided on site in that unit. At that time the overall number of beds occupied by cases of stroke was around 28- 29

The effects of solar particle events on the middle atmosphere

Solar particle events (SPEs) have been investigated since the late 1960's for possible effects on the middle atmosphere. Solar protons from SPEs produce ionizations, dissociations, dissociative ionizations, and excitations in the middle atmosphere. The production of HO(x) and NO(x) and their subsequent effects on ozone can also be computed using energy deposition and photochemical models. The effects of SPE-produced HO(x) species on the odd nitrogen abundance of the middle atmosphere as well as the SPE-produced long term effects on ozone. Model computations indicate fairly good agreement with ozone data for the SPE-induced ozone depletion caused by NO(y) species connected with the August 1972 SPE. The model computations indicate that NO(y) will not be substantially changed over a solar cycle by SPEs. The changes are mainly at high latitudes and are on time scales of several months, after which the NO(y) drifts back to its ambient levels

Fluctuation and localization of acoustic waves in bubbly water

Here the fluctuation properties of acoustic localization in bubbly water is explored. We show that the strong localization can occur in such a system for a certain frequency range and sufficient filling fractions of air-bubbles. Two fluctuating quantities are considered, that is, the fluctuation of transmission and the fluctuation of the phase of acoustic wave fields. When localization occurs, these fluctuations tend to vanish, a feature able to uniquely identify the phenomenon of wave localization.Comment: 10 pages, 4 figure

Development of the technology for the fabrication of reliable laminar from control panels

Materials were assessed and fabrication techniques were developed for use in the manufacture of wing surface materials compatible with the application of both aluminum alloys and nonmetallic composites. The concepts investigated included perforations and slots in the metallic test panels and microporosity and perforations in the composite test panels. Perforations were produced in the metallic test panels by the electron beam process and slots were developed by controlled gaps between the metal sheets. Microporosity was produced in the composite test panels by the resin bleed process, and perforations were produced by the fugitive fiber technique. Each of these concepts was fabricated into test panels, and air flow tests were conducted on the panels

Study of the application of advanced technologies to laminar-flow control systems for subsonic transports. Volume 2: Analyses

For abstract, see N76-24144

Comparison of Long-Term Contracts and Vertical Integration in Decentralised Electricity Markets

Decentralised electricity systems require effective price and quantity risk management mechanisms but the nature of such systems poses particular problems for satisfying those requirements. Among these problems are investment hold-up risks rooted in the competition facing both electricity retailers and large industrial firms. Additional problems include those of load profile information and bargaining mismatches between generators and customers. Significantly hold-up risks exist not only between retailers and generators but also affect (e.g. fuel) suppliers upstream of generators. Contracts are one means of addressing such problems and represent a particular improvement on spot market trading alone. However we argue that market contracting in electricity systems is a costly approach to addressing hold-up and related problems and that internal organisation (i.e. vertical integration) is a more efficient alternative minimising the overall costs of market contracting and ownership. Not only does integration internalise wholesale market risks and market power costs to the integrated firm thereby reducing their importance it also reduces the need for and efficacy of regulation to constrain generator market power. It furthermore thins contract markets reducing the threat of generator hold-up from competitive retail entry and otherwise supports generation investment and hence supply security. While the reinstatement or retention of retail franchise areas is one possible solution to the problems of contracting it is arguably unnecessary if there are other system features (such as transmission constraints) impeding retail entry. This is particularly so in systems involving vertical integration although even then policy makers are confronted with a trade-off between promoting retail competition and facilitating generation investment and supply security requiring judgement as to the optimal degree of retail market power. While vertical integration is a more natural and self-sustaining solution to electricity sector problems it too is only a partial solution leaving complementary roles for spot and long-term contract markets

Efficient CRISPR-rAAV engineering of endogenous genes to study protein function by allele-specific RNAi.

Gene knockout strategies, RNAi and rescue experiments are all employed to study mammalian gene function. However, the disadvantages of these approaches include: loss of function adaptation, reduced viability and gene overexpression that rarely matches endogenous levels. Here, we developed an endogenous gene knockdown/rescue strategy that combines RNAi selectivity with a highly efficient CRISPR directed recombinant Adeno-Associated Virus (rAAV) mediated gene targeting approach to introduce allele-specific mutations plus an allele-selective siRNA Sensitive (siSN) site that allows for studying gene mutations while maintaining endogenous expression and regulation of the gene of interest. CRISPR/Cas9 plus rAAV targeted gene-replacement and introduction of allele-specific RNAi sensitivity mutations in the CDK2 and CDK1 genes resulted in a >85% site-specific recombination of Neo-resistant clones versus ∼8% for rAAV alone. RNAi knockdown of wild type (WT) Cdk2 with siWT in heterozygotic knockin cells resulted in the mutant Cdk2 phenotype cell cycle arrest, whereas allele specific knockdown of mutant CDK2 with siSN resulted in a wild type phenotype. Together, these observations demonstrate the ability of CRISPR plus rAAV to efficiently recombine a genomic locus and tag it with a selective siRNA sequence that allows for allele-selective phenotypic assays of the gene of interest while it remains expressed and regulated under endogenous control mechanisms

Washburn extraction and width of the IUE point spread function

The Washburn Extraction Routine for low dispersion IUE spectra was reviewed. The shape of the point spread function (PSF) in low dispersion spectra is sufficiently well described by a gaussian function. The PSF is in large and small aperture essentially identical and values of sigma are presented. Several advantages of the extraction routine are mentioned