Flavour violation in supersymmetric SO(10) unification with a type II seesaw mechanism

We study flavour violation in a supersymmetric SO(10) implementation of the type II seesaw mechanism, which provides a predictive realization of triplet leptogenesis. The experimental upper bounds on lepton flavour violating processes have a significant impact on the leptogenesis dynamics, in particular they exclude the strong washout regime. Requiring successful leptogenesis then constrains the otherwise largely unknown overall size of flavour-violating observables, thus yielding testable predictions. In particular, the branching ratio for mu -> e gamma lies within the reach of the MEG experiment if the superpartner spectrum is accessible at the LHC, and the supersymmetric contribution to epsilon_K can account for a significant part of the experimental value. We show that this scenario can be realized in a consistent SO(10) model achieving gauge symmetry breaking and doublet-triplet splitting in agreement with the proton decay bounds, improving on the MSSM prediction for alpha_3(m_Z), and reproducing the measured quark and lepton masses.Comment: 40 pages, 10 figures. Accepted for publication in JHE

Energy saving policies for a machine tool with warm-up, stochastic arrivals and buffer information

One of the measures for saving energy in manufacturing is the implementation of control strategies that reduces energy consumption during the machine idle periods. Specifically, the paper proposes a framework that integrates different control policies for switching the machine off when the production is not critical, and on either when the part flow has to be resumed or the queue has accumulated to a certain level. A general policy is formalized by modeling explicitly the power consumed in each machine state. A threshold policy is analyzed and the optimal parameter is provided for an M/M/1/K system. Numerical results are based on data acquired with dedicated experimental measurements on a real machining centre, and a comparison with common practices in manufacturing is also reported

Energy efficient control strategy for machine tools with stochastic arrivals and time dependent warm-up

Energy efficiency in manufacturing is becoming a challenging goal due to the demand of this sector in the worldwide scenario. One of the measures for saving energy is the implementation of control strategies that reduce machine energy consumption during the machine idle periods. This paper extends a threshold policy, that switches off the machine during interruptions of part flow, by modelling explicitly the warm-up time as dependent on the time period the machine stays in low power consumption state. The optimal policy parameter is provided numerically for general distributions of the part arrival time and general functions modelling the warm-up time. Numerical results are based on data acquired with dedicated experimental measurements on a real machining center

Energy Saving Opportunities and Value of Information: A Trade-off in a Production Line

A general framework for switching the machine off/on has been recently proposed in literature for single machines. However, the amount of information available along the production system is often limited and it might be not trivial to understand which information provides more benefits. This paper studies the performance of a production line when several control policies are applied at machine level. The amount of information at machine level varies and the trade-off with energy reduction is investigated. The considered performance measures are the energy consumed per part and the system throughput. Numerical results are based on discrete event simulation

A New Learning Factory Experience Exploiting LEGO For Teaching Manufacturing Systems Integration

Involving and stimulating students through intensive work in computer laboratories and simulation projects might be a challenging task, often due to the lack of the real manufacturing system that must be modeled and improved. Indeed, studying a manufacturing system that cannot be observed represents a real obstacle for student effective learning. In this paper, we describe the "LEGO FACTORY" initiative, an extra-curricular experience within the Master Degree Study Program in Mechanical Engineering of Politecnico di Milano. The initiative is open to students from any study course of the university. The goal is to exploit learning-by-playing principles to offer scholars the possibility to understand the most common issues in the design and management of manufacturing systems, with a focus on system integration. A miniaturized production system made with LEGO® MINDSTORMS® is provided to students who are asked to accomplish a project aiming at the improvement of the system performances. The participants work in teams and must introduce design modifications and develop technical solutions to address the requirements. The experience is described with the hope that the approach can be replicated in other environments

DMAW 2010 LEGACY the Presentation Review: Dark Matter in Galaxies with its Explanatory Notes

The Seminar "Dark Matter in Galaxies" was delivered, within the Dark Matter Awareness Week (1-8 December 2010) at 140 institutes in 46 countries and it was followed by 4200 people. A documentation of this worldwide initiative is at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AOBit8a-1Fw. A reference presentation, prepared by a coordinated pool of leading scientists in the field, was available to speakers. In response to feedbacks and suggestions, we upgraded it to a "Presentation Review" of which we provide here the Explanatory Notes, the link to the .pptx file, and some image of the slides. This Presentation Review is an innovative scientific product to meet the request of information about the phenomenology of the DM mystery at galactic scale. This Review concerns the mass discrepancy phenomenon detected in galaxies, usually accounted by postulating the presence of a non luminous non baryonic component. In the theoretical framework of Newtonian Gravity we recall the properties of Dark Matter halos as emerging from the state-of-the-art of numerical simulations performed in the current $\Lambda CDM$ scenario. Then, the simple but much-telling phenomenology of the distribution of dark and luminous matter in Spirals, Ellipticals, and dwarf Spheroidals is reported. We show that a coherent observational framework emerges from reliable data of different large samples of objects and it is obtained by different methods of investigation. We then highlight the impressive evidence that the distribution of dark and luminous matter are closely correlated and that have universal features. Hints on the cosmological role of this phenomenological scenario are then given. Finally, we discuss the constraints on the elusive nature of the dark particle that the actual distribution of DM around galaxies pose on its direct and indirect searches.Comment: 29 pages, 1 Figure, 1 List. The .pptx file of the Presentation can be downloaded at http://www.sissa.it/ap/dmg/dmaw_presentation.htm

A Cardinality-constrained Approach for Robust Machine Loading Problems

The Machine Loading Problem (MLP) refers to the allocation of operative tasks and tools to machines for the production of parts. Since the uncertainty of processing times might affect the quality of the solution, this paper proposes a robust formulation of an MLP, based on the cardinality-constrained approach, to evaluate the optimal solution in the presence of a given number of fluctuations of the actual processing time with respect to the nominal one. The applicability of the model in the practice has been tested on a case study

The loess-paleosol sequence at Monte Netto: a record of climate change in the Upper Pleistocene of the central Po Plain, northern Italy

Purpose At the northern fringe of the Po Plain (northern Italy), several isolated hills exist, corresponding to the top of Late Quaternary anticlines. These hills were thoroughly surveyed for their soils and surficial geology, furnishing detailed archives of the palaeoenvironmental evolution of the area. A new, thick and complex loess-paleosol sequence, resting upon fluvial/fluvioglacial deposits, exposed in a quarry at the top of the Monte Netto hill was studied in detail to elucidate its significance. Materials and methods Highly deformed fluvial and fluvioglacial deposits, probably of Middle Pleistocene age, are exposed in a clay pit at Monte Netto, underneath a 2- to 4-m-thick loess-paleosol sequence. A geopedological, sedimentological and micropedological investigation of the sequence shows a distinctive difference between the B horizons forming the sequence, while luminescence and radiocarbon age determinations and the occurrence of Palaeolithic lithic assemblages elucidate the chronology of the sequence. Results and discussion The pedosedimentary sequence consists of several loess layers showing different degrees of alteration; loess deposition and weathering occurred, according to optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) and AMS-14C dating as well as archaeological materials, during the Upper Pleistocene. The lower part of the section consists of strongly weathered colluvial sediments overlying fluvial and fluvioglacial sediments. A tentative model of the exposed profiles involves the burial of the anticline, which forms the core of the hill, by loess strata since Marine Isotopic Stage (MIS) 4 and their subsequent weathering (and truncation) during subsequent interstadials. The degree of weathering of buried B horizons increases from the top of the sequence toward the bottom, suggesting a progressive decrease in the intensity of pedogenesis. Finally, the highly rubified paleosol at the top of the hill is regarded as a buried polygenetic soil or a vetusol, developed near the surface since the Middle Pleistocene. Conclusions The palaeopedological, geochronological and geoarchaeological analyses permit to define the phases and steps of development of the Monte Netto pedosedimentary sequence; the lower part of the sequence is dated to the Mid-Pleistocene, whereas loess accumulation occurred between MIS 4 and MIS 2. Moreover, analyses help to clarify the climatic and environmental context of alternating glacial and interstadial phases, during which the sediments where deposited, deformed and weathered

Assessing the potential of Ge/SiGe quantum dots as hosts for singlet-triplet qubits

We study double quantum dots in a Ge/SiGe heterostructure and test their maturity towards singlet-triplet ($S-T_0$) qubits. We demonstrate a large range of tunability, from two single quantum dots to a double quantum dot. We measure Pauli spin blockade and study the anisotropy of the $g$-factor. We use an adjacent quantum dot for sensing charge transitions in the double quantum dot at interest. In conclusion, Ge/SiGe possesses all ingredients necessary for building a singlet-triplet qubit