Neutrino masses, leptogenesis and dark matter in hybrid seesaw

We suggest a hybrid seesaw model where relatively ``light''right-handed neutrinos give no contribution to the neutrino mass matrix due to a special symmetry. This allows their Yukawa couplings to the standard model particles to be relatively strong, so that the standard model Higgs boson can decay dominantly to a left and a right-handed neutrino, leaving another stable right-handed neutrino as cold dark matter. In our model neutrino masses arise via the type-II seesaw mechanism, the Higgs triplet scalars being also responsible for the generation of the matter-antimatter asymmetry via the leptogenesis mechanism.Comment: 4 page

An advanced meshless method for time fractional diffusion equation

Recently, because of the new developments in sustainable engineering and renewable energy, which are usually governed by a series of fractional partial differential equations (FPDEs), the numerical modelling and simulation for fractional calculus are attracting more and more attention from researchers. The current dominant numerical method for modeling FPDE is Finite Difference Method (FDM), which is based on a pre-defined grid leading to inherited issues or shortcomings including difficulty in simulation of problems with the complex problem domain and in using irregularly distributed nodes. Because of its distinguished advantages, the meshless method has good potential in simulation of FPDEs. This paper aims to develop an implicit meshless collocation technique for FPDE. The discrete system of FPDEs is obtained by using the meshless shape functions and the meshless collocation formulation. The stability and convergence of this meshless approach are investigated theoretically and numerically. The numerical examples with regular and irregular nodal distributions are used to validate and investigate accuracy and efficiency of the newly developed meshless formulation. It is concluded that the present meshless formulation is very effective for the modeling and simulation of fractional partial differential equations

Effective generation of Ising interaction and cluster states in coupled microcavities

We propose a scheme for realizing the Ising spin-spin interaction and atomic cluster states utilizing trapped atoms in coupled microcavities. It is shown that the atoms can interact with each other via the exchange of virtual photons of the cavities. Through suitably tuning the parameters, an effective Ising spin-spin interaction can be generated in this optical system, which is used to produce the cluster states. This scheme does not need the preparation of initial states of atoms and cavity modes, and is insensitive to cavity decay.Comment: 11pages, 2 figures, Revtex

Glassy Dynamics in a Frustrated Spin System: Role of Defects

In an effort to understand the glass transition, the kinetics of a spin model with frustration but no quenched randomness has been analyzed. The phenomenology of the spin model is remarkably similiar to that of structural glasses. Analysis of the model suggests that defects play a major role in dictating the dynamics as the glass transition is approached.Comment: 9 pages, 5 figures, accepted in J. Phys.: Condensed Matter, proceedings of the Trieste workshop on "Unifying Concepts in Glass Physics

Graphene-polyelectrolyte multilayer membranes with tunable structure and internal charge

One great advantage of graphene-polyelectrolyte multilayer (GPM) membranes is their tunable structure and internal charge for improved separation performance. In this study, we synthesized GO-dominant GPM membrane with internal negatively-charged domains, polyethyleneimine (PEI)-dominant GPM membrane with internal positively-charged domains and charge-balanced dense/loose GPM membranes by simply adjusting the ionic strength and pH of the GO and PEI solutions used in layer-by-layer membrane synthesis. A combined system of quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation (QCM-D) and ellipsometry was used to analyze the mass deposition, film thickness, and layer density of the GPM membranes. The performance of the GPM membranes were compared in terms of both permeability and selectivity to determine the optimal membrane structure and synthesis strategy. One effective strategy to improve the GPM membrane permeability-selectivity tradeoff is to assemble charge-balanced dense membranes under weak electrostatic interactions. This balanced membrane exhibits the highest MgCl2 selectivity (∼86%). Another effective strategy for improved cation removal is to create PEI-dominant membranes that provide internal positively-charged barrier to enhance cation selectivity without sacrificing water permeability. These findings shine lights on the development of a systematic approach to push the boundary of permeability-selectivity tradeoff for GPM membranes

On Mitigation of Side-Channel Attacks in 3D ICs: Decorrelating Thermal Patterns from Power and Activity

Various side-channel attacks (SCAs) on ICs have been successfully demonstrated and also mitigated to some degree. In the context of 3D ICs, however, prior art has mainly focused on efficient implementations of classical SCA countermeasures. That is, SCAs tailored for up-and-coming 3D ICs have been overlooked so far. In this paper, we conduct such a novel study and focus on one of the most accessible and critical side channels: thermal leakage of activity and power patterns. We address the thermal leakage in 3D ICs early on during floorplanning, along with tailored extensions for power and thermal management. Our key idea is to carefully exploit the specifics of material and structural properties in 3D ICs, thereby decorrelating the thermal behaviour from underlying power and activity patterns. Most importantly, we discuss powerful SCAs and demonstrate how our open-source tool helps to mitigate them.Comment: Published in Proc. Design Automation Conference, 201

Six-dimensional weak-strong simulations of head-on beam-beam compensation in RHIC

To compensate the large beam-beam tune spread and beam-beam resonance driving terms in the polarized proton operation in the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC), we will introduce a low-energy DC electron beam into each ring to collide head-on with the opposing proton beam. The device to provide the electron beam is called an electron lens. In this article, using a 6-D weak-strong-beam-beam interaction simulation model, we investigate the effects of head-on beam-beam compensation with electron lenses on the proton beam dynamics in the RHIC 250 GeV polarized proton operation. This article is abridged from the published article [1].Comment: 5 pages, contribution to the ICFA Mini-Workshop on Beam-Beam Effects in Hadron Colliders, CERN, Geneva, Switzerland, 18-22 Mar 201

活性污泥中細菌對鄰苯二甲酸酯的降解及其途徑

Microbial degradation of phthalic acid (PA) and ortho-dimethyl phthalate ester (DMPE) under aerobic conditions was investigated using enrichment consortia of bacteria isolated from sewage sludge. Five morphologically distinctive microorganisms were isolated, purified and identified, and tested for the ability in degrading PA and DMPE. Comamonas acidovorans strain Fy-1 showed ability in degrading high concentration of PA (2 600 mg/L) within 48 h. Two reconstituted consortia of microorganisms, one composing of Pseudomonas fluorescens, P. aureofacien and Sphingomonas paucimobilis, and the other of S. paucimobilis and Xanthomonas maltophilia, showed ability in completely degradation of DMPE in 48～120 h. The degradation of DMPE by both consortia proceeded through formation of mono-methyl phthalate (MMP) and then PA before mineralization. This study suggests that high concentration of endocrine-disrupting chemicals PA and DMPE can be mineralized by consortia of indigenous microorganisms