Beyond the simple Proximity Force Approximation: geometrical effects on the non-retarded Casimir interaction

We study the geometrical corrections to the simple Proximity Force Approximation for the non-retarded Casimir force. We present analytical results for the force between objects of various shapes and substrates, and between pairs of objects. We compare the results to those from more exact numerical calculations. We treat spheres, spheroids, cylinders, cubes, cones, and wings; the analytical PFA results together with the geometrical correction factors are summarized in a table.Comment: 18 pages, 19 figures, 1 tabl

INFLUENCE OF GREEN-HOUSE COVER ON POTENTIAL EVAPOTRANSPIRATION AND CUCUMBER WATER REQUIREMENTS

The experiment was conducted through two successive seasons of 2008 and 2009 at El-Bosaily farm, El-Behira governorate at the North Coastal of the Nile Delta, in Egypt. This work aimed to study the effect of three green-house covers (polyethylene sheet, white and black net) and three irrigation levels [80%, 100% and 120% of the potential evapotranspiration estimated according to class A pan equation (ETo)], applied by drip irrigation system, on plant growth and crop yield of Cucumber (Cucumis sativus L. cv. Reda F1). The experimental design was split- plot with three replicates. The results showed that white net green-house cover optimized growth and yield of cucumber plant. White net cover treatment recorded the highest vegetative growth (plant height, number of leaves, total leaves area, total fresh and dry weights), and significantly increased total yield. The highest vegetative growth was obtained by 100% ETo compared to 80 and 120% ETo treatments. The interaction among water treatment and green-house cover indicated the highest vegetative growth and crop yield were obtained under white net cover with 100% ETo

A new framework for warehouse assessment using a Genetic-Algorithm driven analytic network process

A novel way of integrating the genetic algorithm (GA) and the analytic network process (ANP) is presented in this paper in order to develop a new warehouse assessment scheme, which is developed through various stages. First, we define the main criteria that influence a warehouse performance. The proposed algorithm that integrates the GA with the ANP is then utilized to determine the relative importance values of the defined criteria and sub-criteria by considering the interrelationships among them, and assign strength values for such interrelationships. Such an algorithm is also employed to linguistically present the relative importance and the strength of the interrelationships in a way that can circumvent the use of pairwise comparisons. Finally, the audit checklist that consists of questions related to the criteria is integrated with the proposed algorithm for the development of the warehouse assessment scheme. Validated on 45 warehouses, the proposed scheme has been shown to be able to identify the warehouse competitive advantages and the areas where more improvements can be achieved

Determination of QCD condensates from tau-decay data

We have used the latest data from the ALEPH Collaboration to extract values for QCD condensates up to dimension d=12 in the V-A channel and up to dimension d=8 in the V, A and V+A channels. Performing 2- and 3-parameter fits, we obtain new results for the correlations of condensates. The results are consistent among themselves and agree with most of the previous results found in the literature.Comment: 22 page

Search for Charged Higgs Bosons at LEP

A search for pair-produced charged Higgs bosons is performed with the L3 detector at LEP using data collected at centre-of-mass energies between 189 and 209GeV, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 629.4/pb. Decays into a charm and a strange quark or into a tau lepton and its neutrino are considered. No significant excess is observed and lower limits on the mass of the charged Higgs boson are derived at the 95% confidence level. They vary from 76.5 to 82.7GeV, as a function of the H->tv branching ratio

Search for Doubly-Charged Higgs Bosons at LEP

Doubly-charged Higgs bosons are searched for in e^+e^- collision data collected with the L3 detector at LEP at centre-of-mass energies up to 209 GeV. Final states with four leptons are analysed to tag the pair-production of doubly charged Higgs bosons. No significant excess is found and lower limits at 95% confidence level on the doubly-charged Higgs boson mass are derived. They vary from 95.5 GeV to 100.2 GeV, depending on the decay mode. Doubly-charged Higgs bosons which couple to electrons would modify the cross section and forward-backward asymmetry of the e^+e^- -> e^+e^- process. The measurements of these quantities do not deviate from the Standard Model expectations and doubly-charged Higgs bosons with masses up to the order of a TeV are excluded

Flavour Independent Search for Neutral Higgs Bosons at LEP

A flavour independent search for the CP-even and CP-odd neutral Higgs bosons h and A is performed in 624/pb of data collected with the L3 detector at LEP at centre-of-mass energies between 189 and 209GeV. Higgs boson production through the e^+e^- -> Z h and the e^+e^- ->h A processes is considered and decays of the Higgs bosons into hadrons are studied. No significant signal is observed and 95% confidence level limits on the hZZ and hAZ couplings are derived as a function of the Higgs boson masses. Assuming the Standard Model cross section for the Higgs-strahlung process and a 100% branching fraction into hadrons, a 95% confidence level lower limit on the mass of the Higgs boson is set at 110.3GeV

Search for Neutral Higgs Bosons of the Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model in e+e- Interactions at sqrt(s) up to 209 GeV

A search for the lightest neutral CP-even and neutral CP-odd Higgs bosons of the Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model is performed using 216.6 pb-1 of data collected with the L3 detector at LEP at centre-of-mass energies between 203 and 209 GeV. No indication of a signal is found. Including our results from lower centre-of-mass energies, lower limits on the Higgs boson masses are set as a function of tan(beta) for several scenarios. For tan(beta) greater than 0.7 they are mh > 84.5 GeV and mA > 86.3 GeV at 95% confidence level

Study of Tau-pair Production in Photon-Photon Collisions at LEP and Limits on the Anomalous Electromagnetic Moments of the Tau Lepton

Tau-pair production in the process e+e- -> e+e-tau+tau- was studied using data collected by the DELPHI experiment at LEP2 during the years 1997 - 2000. The corresponding integrated luminosity is 650 pb^{-1}. The values of the cross-section obtained are found to be in agreement with QED predictions. Limits on the anomalous magnetic and electric dipole moments of the tau lepton are deduced.Comment: 20 pages, 9 figures, Accepted by Eur. Phys. J.

Evidence for an Excess of Soft Photons in Hadronic Decays of Z^0

Soft photons inside hadronic jets converted in front of the DELPHI main tracker (TPC) in events of qqbar disintegrations of the Z^0 were studied in the kinematic range 0.2 < E_gamma < 1 GeV and transverse momentum with respect to the closest jet direction p_T < 80 MeV/c. A clear excess of photons in the experimental data as compared to the Monte Carlo predictions is observed. This excess (uncorrected for the photon detection efficiency) is (1.17 +/- 0.06 +/- 0.27) x 10^{-3} gamma/jet in the specified kinematic region, while the expected level of the inner hadronic bremsstrahlung (which is not included in the Monte Carlo) is (0.340 +/- 0.001 +/- 0.038) x 10^{-3} gamma/jet. The ratio of the excess to the predicted bremsstrahlung rate is then (3.4 +/- 0.2 +/- 0.8), which is similar in strength to the anomalous soft photon signal observed in fixed target experiments with hadronic beams.Comment: 37 pages, 9 figures, Accepted by Eur. Phys. J.