Constraints on anomalous quartic gauge couplings via WγjjW\gamma jj production at the LHC

The vector boson scattering at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) is sensitive to anomalous quartic gauge couplings (aQGCs). In this paper, we investigate the aQGC contribution to $W \gamma jj$ production at the LHC with $\sqrt{s}=13$ TeV in the context of an effective field theory (EFT). The unitarity bound is applied as a cut on the energy scale of this production process, which is found to have significant suppressive effects on the signals. To enhance the statistical significance, we analyse the kinematic and polarization features of the aQGC signals in detail. We find that the polarization effects induced by the aQGCs are unique and can discriminate the signals from the SM backgrounds well. With the proposed event selection strategy, we obtain the constraints on the coefficients of dimension-8 operators with current luminosity. The results indicate that the process $pp \to W \gamma jj$ is powerful for searching for the $O_{M_{2,3,4,5}}$ and $O_{T_{5,6,7}}$ operators.Comment: 29 pages, 11 figures, 7 tables, to be published in Chinese Physics

Kinematic Basis of Emergent Energetics of Complex Dynamics

Stochastic kinematic description of a complex dynamics is shown to dictate an energetic and thermodynamic structure. An energy function $\varphi(x)$ emerges as the limit of the generalized, nonequilibrium free energy of a Markovian dynamics with vanishing fluctuations. In terms of the $\nabla\varphi$ and its orthogonal field $\gamma(x)\perp\nabla\varphi$, a general vector field $b(x)$ can be decomposed into $-D(x)\nabla\varphi+\gamma$, where $\nabla\cdot\big(\omega(x)\gamma(x)\big)=$ $-\nabla\omega D(x)\nabla\varphi$. The matrix $D(x)$ and scalar $\omega(x)$, two additional characteristics to the $b(x)$ alone, represent the local geometry and density of states intrinsic to the statistical motion in the state space at $x$. $\varphi(x)$ and $\omega(x)$ are interpreted as the emergent energy and degeneracy of the motion, with an energy balance equation $d\varphi(x(t))/dt=\gamma D^{-1}\gamma-bD^{-1}b$, reflecting the geometrical $\|D\nabla\varphi\|^2+\|\gamma\|^2=\|b\|^2$. The partition function employed in statistical mechanics and J. W. Gibbs' method of ensemble change naturally arise; a fluctuation-dissipation theorem is established via the two leading-order asymptotics of entropy production as $\epsilon\to 0$. The present theory provides a mathematical basis for P. W. Anderson's emergent behavior in the hierarchical structure of complexity science.Comment: 7 page

Experiences of Single-Session Improvisational Group Music Therapy: Therapist and Patient Reflections from Inpatient Psychiatry

The purpose of this study was to explore therapists’ and patients’ experiences in order to draw a composite picture of single-session improvisational group music therapy. This phenomenological study included ten therapist participants and nine patient participants. Each participant engaged with a single-session group musical improvisation and verbal discussion in a pre-designed protocol. The data analysis was conducted in three stages. In the first analysis stage, participants’ verbal feedback and discussion were analyzed using Moustakas’s (1994) method, yielding key words with quotations. In the second stage, Moustakas’s (1994) method of analysis was also adapted for an analysis of the music, yielding key words with music excerpts of significant moments. In the third stage, the researcher conducted a composite review of keywords and significant quotations as well as significant musical moments. The data were comprehensively reviewed, reflected on, clustered, and thematized (Moustakas, 1994), yielding the following five themes: (a) the therapist’s experience of work in inpatient psychiatric care, (b) the patient’s experience of hospitalization in inpatient psychiatry, (c) participants’ experiences of group musical improvisation in single session, (d) participants’ challenges in single-session improvisation, and (e) therapeutic components in single-session group improvisational music therapy. This study found that, given the reality of short stays and rapid turnover in this setting, unplanned single-session groups occur. This study demonstrated how, through this single-session group musical improvisation, participants in this setting were able to find the sense of safety and structure they needed to amplify and process their emotions, thoughts, and issues. Nonetheless, this study also noted the difficulties and challenges that participants experienced with this treatment modality, meaning that a range of creative arts therapies or conventional verbal interventions ought to be integrally and comprehensively considered

Experimental Warming Effects on Growth, Yield, and Biotic Pressure of Wild Blueberries in Maine

As the global temperature rises, a need exists for understanding the potential impacts of warming on the wild blueberry industry in Maine. Warming can change the physiology, growth, and pest pressure of crops, and also accelerates the evapotranspiration rate, resulting in decreased soil moisture. The objectives of this study were: (1) To characterize the response of phenological, morphological, and physiological traits of the wild blueberries to warming; (2) To quantify the impacts of different temperature levels on yield and berry quality; (3) To determine the abiotic and biotic factors that may influence yield, such as winter damages, freezing temperatures, the severity of weeds, insect pests and diseases under warming environment as they all contribute to production. Six genotypes of wild blueberries (Vaccinium angustifolium) were randomly selected from a commercially managed two-year cropping cycle wild blueberry field in Jonesboro, Maine, USA to simulate the global warming trend. A randomized block design was used consistently for this study in 2019 and 2020. For simulation, the open-top-chambers (OTCs) were with three treatment levels, namely active-heating OTCs with the chambers and heating tapes, passive-heating OTCs with the chambers but without heating tapes, and control sites without chambers and heating tapes. The results illustrated that elevated temperatures affected the morphology, phenology, and physiological performance of wild blueberries. Warming resulted in thinner leaves, lower leaf mass per area (LMA), lower stomatal density, and longer stem length in wild blueberries. Additionally, warming lengthened the senescence of the leaves; wild blueberries under warming treatments preserved chlorophyll concentration for a longer period and accumulated higher anthocyanin concentration during the fall. In the following season, vegetative growth, flowering, and fruiting of wild blueberries occurred earlier under the warming treatments. Despite lower leaf water potentials and soil moisture at midday under the warming treatments, wild blueberries showed higher stomatal conductance and transpiration rate. In the 2020 crop year, the wild blueberries produced a larger number of berries under warming than that at ambient temperatures (controls), where stems retained better fruit integrity with a larger berry cluster height per stem and generated larger berries. There was no significant difference in berry soluble solids content, pH, and acidity among different temperature treatments. In summary, wild blueberries responded to a warmer growing environment through alternation in morphology, physiology, and phenology. The responses of wild blueberries to warming include delayed defoliation in the fall, reduced leaf thickness, changes in stomatal density, altered stomatal regulation, earlier spring development, and increased fruit production. Based on the assumption about the consistency of the warmer temperature, our results suggest that although warming reduced the amount of water in the soil, it did not threaten the production of wild blueberries. Instead, reduced risk of frost exposure, a longer growing season, and the synchronization of flowering and emergence of pollinators may benefit berry production. The warming treatment also resulted in a lower incidence of leaf spot diseases at the end of the crop year compared to the control. The mechanisms explaining the higher yield of blueberries despite enhanced water deficits under warming need to be investigated further. For wild blueberries growers, the results of this study can facilitate and improve the management of farms impacted by global warming. Firstly, the extended growing season of wild blueberries means that growers need to modify the schedule of pollinator management, fertilization, and pesticide application to match the plant growth. For example, growers may need to rent beehives earlier for advanced spring-flowering events and plan for an earlier harvesting season. Secondly, wild blueberries altered their structure and physiological performance to cope with the moderate drought caused by increased temperatures. Therefore, building additional irrigation systems that could further improve production under climate change should be investigated

Peak-Dip-Hump from Holographic Superconductivity

We study the fermionic spectral function in a holographic superconductor model. At zero temperature, the black hole has zero horizon and hence the entropy of the system is zero after the back reaction of the condensate is taken into account. We find the system exhibits the famous peak-dip-hump lineshape with a sharp low-energy peak followed by a dip then a hump at higher energies. This feature is widely observed in the spectrum of several high-T_c superconductors. We also find a linear relation between the gap in the fermionic spectrum and the condensate, indicating the condensate is formed by fermion pairing.Comment: 4 pages, revtex

Direct Formation of Structural Components Using a Martian Soil Simulant.

Martian habitats are ideally constructed using only locally available soils; extant attempts to process structural materials on Mars, however, generally require additives or calcination. In this work we demonstrate that Martian soil simulant Mars-1a can be directly compressed at ambient into a strong solid without additives, highlighting a possible aspect of complete Martian in-situ resource utilization. Flexural strength of the compact is not only determined by the compaction pressure but also significantly influenced by the lateral boundary condition of processing loading. The compression loading can be applied either quasi-statically or through impact. Nanoparticulate iron oxide (npOx), commonly detected in Martian regolith, is identified as the bonding agent. Gas permeability of compacted samples was measured to be on the order of 10-16 m2, close to that of solid rocks. The compaction procedure is adaptive to additive manufacturing

Patterned growth of carbon nanotubes on Si substrates without predeposition of metal catalysts

Aligned carbon nanotubes (CNTs) can be readily synthesized on quartz or silicon-oxide-coated Si substrates using a chemical vapor deposition method, but it is difficult to grow them on pure Si substrates without predeposition of metal catalysts. We report that aligned CNTs were grown by pyrolysis of iron phthalocyanine at 1000 &deg;C on the templates created on Si substrates with simple mechanical scratching. Scanning electron microscopy and x-ray energy spectroscopy analysis revealed that the trenches and patterns created on the surface of Si substrates were preferred nucleation sites for nanotube growth due to a high surface energy, metastable surface structure, and possible capillarity effect. A two-step pyrolysis process maintained Fe as an active catalyst.<br /