270 research outputs found
Simultaneous improvement of heating efficiency and mechanical strength of a self-healing thermoplastic polymer by hybridizing magnetic particles with conductive fibres
Radio-Frequency (RF) induction heating is a versatile in-situ method for contactless heating of structures by utilizing either magnetic hysteresis loss or eddy-current loss mechanism. Achieving high heating efficiency without degrading mechanical properties is a major challenge. Herein, a RF induction compatible self-healing composite was developed by hybridizing iron oxides (Fe3O4) nanoparticles with carbon fibre veils (CFVs) in poly(ethylene-co-methacrylic acid) (EMAA), which could possess both high magnetic and electrical properties. Owing to the multiscale conductive networks built by Fe3O4 nanoparticles and CFVs, the electrical conductivity of the nanocomposite was found to be higher than the linear combination of the individual contributions, thus creating a synergistic improvement in electrical conductivity and heating efficiency. Furthermore, single lap shear test results demonstrated that the combination of Fe3O4 nanoparticles and CFVs could significantly improve the bonding strength of EMAA polymer. Therefore, the hybridization of magnetic particles with conductive fibres offers a promising technology for a wide range of applications, such as self-healing, reversable bonding, and multiple use bonded composites
Searching for the light dark gauge boson in GeV-scale experiments
We study current constraints and search prospects for a GeV scale vector
boson at a range of low energy experiments. It couples to the Standard Model
charged particles with a strength <= 10^-3 to 10^-4 of that of the photon. The
possibility of such a particle mediating dark matter self-interactions has
received much attention recently. We consider searches at low energy high
luminosity colliders, meson decays, and fixed target experiments. Based on
available data, searches both at colliders and in meson decays can discover or
exclude such a scenario if the coupling strength is on the larger side. We
emphasize that a dedicated fixed target experiment has a much better potential
in searching for such a gauge boson, and outline the desired properties of such
an experiment. Two different optimal designs should be implemented to cover the
range of coupling strength 10^-3 to 10^-5, and < 10^-5 of the photon,
respectively. We also briefly comment on other possible ways of searching for
such a gauge boson.Comment: 33 pages, 5 figures; v2: corrected discussion of Upsilon decays,
updates to discussion of fixed-target experiments and QED constraints,
numerous minor changes, references added; v3: typo corrected relative to the
JHEP published versio
In-situ aligning magnetic nanoparticles in thermoplastic adhesives for contactless rapid joining of composite structures
Magnetic nanoparticles of high magnetic susceptibility, such as magnetite (Fe3O4), have been used for wireless heating of adhesives and composites through the magnetic hysteresis loss mechanism, but the high concentrations of nanoparticles needed to meet heating performance targets can degrade mechanical properties. Herein, we present an in-situ aligning method to enhance the heating efficiency of magnetite nanoparticles in a nylon thermoplastic matrix without adversely affecting its mechanical strength. A composite adhesive was made by dispersing Fe3O4 nanoparticles in a nylon matrix followed by hot melting. Experimental results show that by subjecting the adhesive to an alternating magnetic field during the hot-melt process, its heating rate can be improved by 200% compared to that without applying the magnetic field. The improvement in the heating performance has been identified to stem from the alignment of the ease axis of the magnetic nanoparticles. This in-situ aligning technique enables better induction heating performance with the same amount of Fe3O4 nanoparticles, avoiding the agglomeration problem of high nanoparticle concentrations. Moreover, this technique makes it possible to develop high-performance self-heating thermoplastic adhesive for reversible bonding and self-healing solution with a wide range of applications, such as bonding and debonding of composites, temporary attachment of systems, and recyclable bonded structures
SO(10) unified models and soft leptogenesis
Motivated by the fact that, in some realistic models combining SO(10) GUTs
and flavour symmetries, it is not possible to achieve the required baryon
asymmetry through the CP asymmetry generated in the decay of right-handed
neutrinos, we take a fresh look on how deep this connection is in SO(10). The
common characteristics of these models are that they use the see-saw with
right-handed neutrinos, predict a normal hierarchy of masses for the neutrinos
observed in oscillating experiments and in the basis where the right-handed
Majorana mass is diagonal, the charged lepton mixings are tiny.
In addition these models link the up-quark Yukawa matrix to the neutrino
Yukawa matrix Y^\nu with the special feature of Y^\nu_{11}-> 0 Using this
condition, we find that the required baryon asymmetry of the Universe can be
explained by the soft leptogenesis using the soft B parameter of the second
lightest right-handed neutrino whose mass turns out to be around 10^8 GeV. It
is pointed out that a natural way to do so is to use no-scale supergravity
where the value of B ~1 GeV is set through gauge-loop corrections.Comment: 26 pages, 2 figures. Added references, new appendix of a relevant fit
and improved comment
Asia-Pacific working group consensus on non-variceal upper gastrointestinal bleeding: An update 2018
Non-variceal upper gastrointestinal bleeding remains an important emergency condition, leading to significant morbidity and mortality. As endoscopic therapy is the 'gold standard' of management, treatment of these patients can be considered in three stages: pre-endoscopic treatment, endoscopic haemostasis and post-endoscopic management. Since publication of the Asia-Pacific consensus on non-variceal upper gastrointestinal bleeding (NVUGIB) 7 years ago, there have been significant advancements in the clinical management of patients in all three stages. These include pre-endoscopy risk stratification scores, blood and platelet transfusion, use of proton pump inhibitors; during endoscopy new haemostasis techniques (haemostatic powder spray and over-the-scope clips); and post-endoscopy management by second-look endoscopy and medication strategies. Emerging techniques, including capsule endoscopy and Doppler endoscopic probe in assessing adequacy of endoscopic therapy, and the pre-emptive use of angiographic embolisation, are attracting new attention. An emerging problem is the increasing use of dual antiplatelet agents and direct oral anticoagulants in patients with cardiac and cerebrovascular diseases. Guidelines on the discontinuation and then resumption of these agents in patients presenting with NVUGIB are very much needed. The Asia-Pacific Working Group examined recent evidence and recommends practical management guidelines in this updated consensus statement
Higgs Scalars in the Minimal Non-minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model
We consider the simplest and most economic version among the proposed
non-minimal supersymmetric models, in which the -parameter is promoted to
a singlet superfield, whose all self-couplings are absent from the
renormalizable superpotential. Such a particularly simple form of the
renormalizable superpotential may be enforced by discrete -symmetries which
are extended to the gravity-induced non-renormalizable operators as well. We
show explicitly that within the supergravity-mediated supersymmetry-breaking
scenario, the potentially dangerous divergent tadpoles associated with the
presence of the gauge singlet first appear at loop levels higher than 5 and
therefore do not destabilize the gauge hierarchy. The model provides a natural
explanation for the origin of the -term, without suffering from the
visible axion or the cosmological domain-wall problem. Focusing on the Higgs
sector of this minimal non-minimal supersymmetric standard model, we calculate
its effective Higgs potential by integrating out the dominant quantum effects
due to stop squarks. We then discuss the phenomenological implications of the
Higgs scalars predicted by the theory for the present and future high-energy
colliders. In particular, we find that our new minimal non-minimal
supersymmetric model can naturally accommodate a relatively light charged Higgs
boson, with a mass close to the present experimental lower bound.Comment: 63 pages (12 figures), extended versio
Phenomenology of flavor-mediated supersymmetry breaking
The phenomenology of a new economical SUSY model that utilizes dynamical SUSY
breaking and gauge-mediation (GM) for the generation of the sparticle spectrum
and the hierarchy of fermion masses is discussed. Similarities between the
communication of SUSY breaking through a messenger sector, and the generation
of flavor using the Froggatt-Nielsen (FN) mechanism are exploited, leading to
the identification of vector-like messenger fields with FN fields, and the
messenger U(1) as a flavor symmetry. An immediate consequence is that the first
and second generation scalars acquire flavor-dependent masses, but do not
violate FCNC bounds since their mass scale, consistent with effective SUSY, is
of order 10 TeV. We define and advocate a minimal flavor-mediated model (MFMM),
recently introduced in the literature, that successfully accommodates the small
flavor-breaking parameters of the standard model using order one couplings and
ratios of flavon field vevs. The mediation of SUSY breaking occurs via two-loop
log-enhanced GM contributions, as well as several one-loop and two-loop
Yukawa-mediated contributions for which we provide analytical expressions. The
MFMM is parameterized by a small set of masses and couplings, with values
restricted by several model constraints and experimental data. The
next-to-lightest sparticle (NLSP) always has a decay length that is larger than
the scale of a detector, and is either the lightest stau or the lightest
neutralino. Similar to ordinary GM models, the best collider search strategies
are, respectively, inclusive production of at least one highly ionizing track,
or events with many taus plus missing energy. In addition, D^0 - \bar{D}^0
mixing is also a generic low energy signal. Finally, the dynamical generation
of the neutrino masses is briefly discussed.Comment: 54 pages, LaTeX, 8 figure
Nuclear effects on J/{\psi} production in proton-nucleus collisions
The study of nuclear effects for J/{\psi} production in proton-nucleus
collisions is crucial for a correct interpretation of the J/{\psi} suppression
patterns experimentally observed in heavy-ion collisions. By means of three
representative sets of nuclear parton distribution, the energy loss effect in
the initial state and the nuclear absorption effect in the final state are
taken into account in the uniform framework of the Glauber model. A leading
order phenomenological analysis is performed on J/{\psi} production
cross-section ratios RW/Be(xF) for the E866 experimental data. The J/{\psi}
suppression is investigated quantitatively due to the different nuclear
effects. It is shown that the energy loss effect with resulting in the
suppression on RW/Be(xF) is more important than the nuclear effects on parton
distributions in high xF region. The E866 data in the small xF keep out the
nuclear gluon distribution with a large anti-shadowing effect. However, the new
HERA-B measurement is not in support of the anti-shadowing effect in the
nuclear gluon distribution. It is found that the J/{\psi}-nucleon inelastic
cross section {\sigma} J/{\psi} abs depends on the kinematical variable xF, and
increases as xF in the region xF > 0.2. 1 Introductio
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