Neutral scalar Higgs bosons in the USSM at the LHC

We study the possibility of discovering neutral scalar Higgs bosons in the $U(1)'$-extended supersymmetric standard model (USSM) at the CERN Large Hadron Collider (LHC), by examining their productions via the exotic quark loop in the gluon fusion process at leading order. It is possible in some parameter region that the neutral scalar Higgs bosons may have stronger couplings with the exotic quarks than with top quark. In this case, the exotic quarks may contribute more significantly than top quark in productions of the neutral scalar Higgs bosons in the gluon fusion process. We find that there is indeed some parameter region in the USSM that supports our speculations.Comment: 18 pages; changed content; JPhys

Nonfrustrated magnetoelectric with incommensurate magnetic order in magnetic field

We discuss a model nonfrustrated magnetoelectric in which strong enough magnetoelectric coupling produces incommensurate magnetic order leading to ferroelectricity. Properties of the magnetoelectric in magnetic field directed perpendicular to wave vector describing the spin helix are considered in detail. Analysis of classical energy shows that in contrast to naive expectation the onset of ferroelectricity takes place at a field $H_{c1}$ that is lower than the saturation field $H_{c2}$. One has $H_{c1}=H_{c2}$ at strong enough magnetoelectric coupling. We show that at H=0 the ferroelectricity appears at $T=T_{FE}<T_N$. Qualitative discussion of phase diagram in $H-T$ plane is presented within mean field approach.Comment: 12 pages, 3 figures, accepted in JET

Improving Germination and Seedling Establishment of Chicory

Chicory (Cichorium intybus L.) seeds were treated before sowing with polyethylene glycol (PEG 6000) under different PEG concentrations, treatment period and temperatures, and tested for uniformity of germination, establishment and drought tolerance. Suitable seed coating materials were found that improved emergence, establishment and seedling growth when surface sown on established swards. The best primed or coated seeds in germination tests were surface sown in growth cabinet and field.Osmotic priming with PEG accelerated germination of chicory and significantly reduced time taken for germination compared with coated seeds in Petri-dishes, but not in the field. In contrast, coated seeds germinated more slowly in Petri-dishes but showed superior emergence and growth lo those of primed or untreated seeds. Low moisture content of soil depressed chicory growth significantly

Influence of strain and oxygen vacancies on the magnetoelectric properties of multiferroic bismuth ferrite

The dependencies on strain and oxygen vacancies of the ferroelectric polarization and the weak ferromagnetic magnetization in the multiferroic material bismuth ferrite, BiFeO_3, are investigated using first principles density functional theory calculations. The electric polarization is found to be rather independent of strain, in striking contrast to most conventional perovskite ferroelectrics. It is also not significantly affected by oxygen vacancies, or by the combined presence of strain and oxygen vacancies. The magnetization is also unaffected by strain, however the incorporation of oxygen vacancies can alter the magnetization slightly, and also leads to the formation of Fe^{2+}. These results are discussed in light of recent experiments on epitaxial films of BiFeO_3 which reported a strong thickness dependence of both magnetization and polarization.Comment: 9 pages, 3 figure

A Mesoscopic Resonating Valence Bond system on a triple dot

We introduce a mesoscopic pendulum from a triple dot. The pendulum is fastened through a singly-occupied dot (spin qubit). Two other strongly capacitively islands form a double-dot charge qubit with one electron in excess oscillating between the two low-energy charge states (1,0) and (0,1); this embodies the weight of the pendulum. The triple dot is placed between two superconducting leads as shown in Fig. 1. Under well-defined conditions, the main proximity effect stems from the injection of resonating singlet (valence) bonds on the triple dot. This gives rise to a Josephson current that is charge- and spin-dependent. Consequences in a SQUID-geometry are carefully investigated.Comment: final version to appear in PR

Gusts detection in a horizontal wind turbine by monitoring of innovations error of an extended Kalman filter

This paper presents a novel model-based detection scheme capable of detecting and diagnosing gusts. Detection is achieved by monitoring the innovations error (i.e., the difference between the estimated and measured outputs) of an extended discrete Kalman filter. It is designed to trigger a detection/confirmation alarm in the presence of wind anomalies. Simulation results are presented to demonstrate that both operating and coherent extreme wind gusts can successfully be detected. The wind anomaly is identified in magnitude and shape through maximum likelihood ratio and goodness of fit, respectively. The detector is capable of isolating extreme wind gusts before the turbine over speeds

Plasma density measurements using chirped pulse broad-band Raman amplification

Stimulated Raman backscattering is used as a non-destructive method to determine the density of plasma media at localized positions in space and time. By colliding two counter-propagating, ultra-short laser pulses with a spectral bandwidth larger than twice the plasma frequency, amplification occurs at the Stokes wavelengths, which results in regions of gain and loss separated by twice the plasma frequency, from which the plasma density can be deduced. By varying the relative delay between the laser pulses, and therefore the position and timing of the interaction, the spatio-temporal distribution of the plasma density can be mapped out

Radiological Significance of Ligamentum Flavum Hypertrophy in the Occurrence of Redundant Nerve Roots of Central Lumbar Spinal Stenosis

Objective: There were previous reports of redundant nerve roots (RNRs) focused on their clinical significance and pathogenesis. In this study, we investigated the significant radiologic findings that correlate with RNRs occurrence. These relations would provide an advanced clue for clinical significance and pathogenesis of RNRs. Methods: Retrospective research was performed with data from 126 patients who underwent surgery for central lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS). Finally, 106 patients with common denominators (inter-observer accuracy : 84%) were included on this study. We divided the patients into two groups by MRI, patients with RNRs and those with no RNRs (NRNRs). Comparative analyses were performed with clinical and radiologic parameters. Results: RNRs were found in 45 patients (42%) with central LSS. There were no statistically significant differences between the two groups in severity of symptoms. On the other hand, we found statistically significant differences in duration of symptom and number of level included (p<0.05). In the maximal stenotic level, ligamentum flavum (LF) thickness, LF cross-sectional area (CSA), dural sac CSA, and segmental angulation are significantly different in RNRs group compared to NRNRs group (p<0.05). Conclusion: RNRs patients showed clinically longer duration of symptoms and multiple levels included. We also confirmed that wide segmental angulation and LF hypertrophy play a major role of the development of RNRs in central LSS. Together, our results suggest that wide motion in long period contribute to LF hypertrophy, and it might be the key factor of RNRs formation in central LSS