Charged lepton flavour violation from low scale seesaw neutrinos

In the work presented here, we have studied the impact of right handed neutrinos, which are introduced to account for the evidence of neutrino masses, on charged lepton flavour violating observables. In particular, we have focused on the loop induced decays of the Z boson into two leptons of different flavour. We have performed a numerical study of the rates predicted for these processes within the Inverse Seesaw model, specifically considering scenarios where $\mu -e$ transitions are suppressed. Our conclusion, after comparison with the most relevant experimental constraints, is that branching ratios as large as $10^{-7}$ can be predicted in the $\tau -\mu$ or $\tau -e$ channels, together with heavy neutrinos having masses of the TeV order. Such rates could be accessible at next generation colliders.Comment: 13 pages, 5 figures, 3 tables. Proceedings of the Corfu Summer Institute 2016 "School and Workshops on Elementary Particle Physics and Gravity", 31 August - 23 September 2016, Corfu, Greec

Evaluation of the chemical additive effect on asphaltene aggregation in dead oils: a comparative study between ultraviolet–visible and near-infrared-laser light scattering techniques

Asphaltenes flocculate as a consequence of changes in the temperature, pressure, or composition. This flocculation can result in several oil production problems. The application of chemical additives (inhibitors or dispersants) is a well-known way to control asphaltene flocculation. Ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis) spectroscopy is the most common analytical technique that has been applied to study the effectiveness of chemical additives in keeping asphaltene particles dispersed into crude oils. However, this technique requires being performed in diluted solutions, which can interfere significantly in the aggregation phenomena. The objective of this work was to evaluate the effect of three chemical additives, 4-dodecyl benzenesulfonic acid (DBSA) and two commercial products (CO and C1), on the asphaltene aggregation behavior of two Brazilian crude oils, using near-infrared (NIR)-laser (lambda = 1550 nm) scattering measurements. This is a new methodology developed to study the aggregation kinetics and settling of asphaltenes around its n-heptane flocculation onset. The NIR-laser scattering method offers the possibility to work with samples at a higher crude oil concentration, being more representative of real systems. The results obtained were compared to those determined with the traditional UV-vis method (lambda = 850 nm) and showed qualitatively similar trends. Settling measurements suggest that the stabilization provided by the additives can occur by slowing both formation and growing of asphaltene particles and delaying the phase separation process. DBSA was more effective in keeping the asphaltene particles dispersed in solution and prevented them from settling at lower concentrations when compared to commercial products, for both crude oils studied. It was demonstrated that the methodology developed using NIR-laser scattering was more accurate and sensitive.Asphaltenes flocculate as a consequence of changes in the temperature, pressure, or composition. This flocculation can result in several oil production problems. The application of chemical additives (inhibitors or dispersants) is a well-known way to cont29528132822sem informaçãosem informaçãoThe authors acknowledge Petrobras for their financial suppor

Spin-phonon coupling in epitaxial Sr0.6Ba0.4MnO3 thin films

Spin-phonon coupling is investigated in epitaxially strained Sr1-xBaxMnO3 thin films with perovskite structure by means of microwave (MW) and infrared (IR) spectroscopy. In this work we focus on the Sr0.6Ba0.4MnO3 composition grown on (LaAlO3)0.3(Sr2AlTaO6)0.7 substrate. The MW complex electromagnetic response shows a decrease in the real part and a clear anomaly in the imaginary part around 150 K. Moreover, it coincides with a 17% hardening of the lowest-frequency polar phonon seen in IR reflectance spectra. In order to further elucidate this phenomenon, low-energy muon-spin spectroscopy was carried out, signaling the emergence of antiferromagnetic order with Néel temperature (TN) around 150 K. Thus, our results confirm that epitaxial Sr0.6Ba0.4MnO3 thin films display strong spin-phonon coupling below TN, which may stimulate further research on tuning the magnetoelectric coupling by controlling the epitaxial strain and chemical pressure in the Sr1-xBaxMnO3 system

Gestión de la innovatividad universitaria

oai:ojs2.ambientevirtualuea.org:article/3Universities are called to offer answers to the complexities of the contemporary world, with significant contributions to the development of countries in terms of overcoming inequalities, poverty and exclusion; together with the rational use of resources that guarantees human survival in sustainability with the environment. Innovation is one of the central characteristics in the training profiles, with a view to increasing the capacity of universities to generate solutions to local problems, and a feature that enhances the employability of graduates. Within the framework of experiences for the formation of innovative skills in university students, the study presents the results of an investigation under the paradigm of reflexivity, with the aim of representing in a management model the actions carried out by a commission in charge of the promotion of innovation in a university in Venezuela, during 1998 - 2015. From the recovery of documentary sources, interviews and participant observations, the members analyzed, collated and synthesized the historical memory of the commission, elaborating the Management Model of the University innovation. The axes, processes and values that enable the virtuous confluence of articulated capacities and attitudes, of organizations, people and systems, to generate innovations are described. The model provides good practices of high applicability and transfer for the promotion of a culture of innovation in universities.Las universidades están llamadas a ofrecer respuestas a las complejidades del mundo contemporáneo, con aportes significativos para el desarrollo de los países en términos de superación de las desigualdades, pobreza y exclusión; junto con el aprovechamiento racional de los recursos, que garanticen la supervivencia humana en sustentabilidad con el ambiente. La innovación es una de las características centrales en los perfiles de formación, con miras a incrementar la capacidad de las universidades para generar soluciones a problemas locales; es además un rasgo que potencia la empleabilidad de los egresados. En el marco de experiencias para la formación de competencias innovadoras en estudiantes universitarios, este estudio presenta los resultados de una investigación bajo el paradigma de la reflexividad, con el objetivo de representar en un modelo de gestión, las acciones adelantadas por una comisión a cargo de la promoción de la innovación en una universidad de Venezuela, durante 1998 – 2015. A partir de la recuperación de fuentes documentales, entrevistas y observaciones participantes, los miembros analizaron, cotejaron y sintetizaron la memoria histórica de la comisión, elaborando el Modelo de Gestión de la Innovatividad Universitaria. Se describen los ejes, procesos y valores que posibilitan la confluencia virtuosa de capacidades y actitudes articuladas, de organizaciones, personas y sistemas, para generar innovaciones. El modelo aporta buenas prácticas de alta aplicabilidad y transferencia para la promoción de una cultura de la innovación en las universidades

Effects of pressure on the magnetic-structural and Griffiths-like transitions in Dy5Si3Ge

Magnetization studies have been performed on a polycrystalline sample of Dy5Si3Ge as a function of an applied magnetic field (up to 50 kOe) and hydrostatic pressure (up to 10 kbar) in the 5–300 K temperature range. The anomalous behavior of the magnetic susceptibility indicates that a Griffiths-like phase exists at low magnetic fields and pressures up to 10 kbar. We present evidence that the high-temperature second-order ferromagnetic transition can be coupled with the low-temperature first-order crystallographic transformation into a single first-order magnetic-crystallographic transformation using a magnetic field and hydrostatic pressure as tuning parameters. The effect of pressure on the Griffiths-like phase is reported and analyzed in the framework of the complex competition between the interslab and intraslab magnetic interactions

Magnetism and magnetocaloric effect of single-crystal Er5Si4 under pressure

Magnetic and magnetocaloric properties of single-crystalline Er5Si4 have been investigated as a function of the applied magnetic field (up to 50 kOe) and the hydrostatic pressure (up to 10 kbar) in the 5–300 K temperature range along the three main crystallographic directions. The magnetization isotherms show a highly anisotropic behavior with the easy-magnetization direction along the b axis for the low-pressure monoclinic and high-pressure orthorhombic structures, in good agreement with previous neutron scattering experiments. Below TC, the approach to the saturation shows a steplike behavior when the magnetic field is applied along the hard directions. The steps are sharper as the pressure increases. At constant magnetic field change, increasing the pressure induces a highly anisotropic enhancement of the magnetic entropy change. An enhancement of 20% is observed along the easy axis b, where the magnetic entropy change is maximum. The different evolution of the magnitude and temperature dependence of the magnetocaloric effect along the three crystallographic directions with pressure is discussed.Work at the University of Zaragoza was supported by the Spanish Ministry of Science (MAT2008-06567-C02) and Spanish DGA (Grant No. E26). N. Marcano acknowledges Spanish CSIC (JAE-doc program) for financial support. Work at the Ames Laboratory was supported by the Office of Basic Energy Sciences, Materials Sciences and Engineering Division of the Office of Science of the US Department of Energy. Ames Laboratory is operated by Iowa State University of Science and Technology for the US Department of Energy under Contract No. DE-AC02-07CH11358

Direct exfoliation and dispersion of two-dimensional materials in pure water via temperature control

The high-volume synthesis of two-dimensional (2D) materials in the form of platelets is desirable for various applications. While water is considered an ideal dispersion medium, due to its abundance and low cost, the hydrophobicity of platelet surfaces has prohibited its widespread use. Here we exfoliate 2D materials directly in pure water without using any chemicals or surfactants. In order to exfoliate and disperse the materials in water, we elevate the temperature of the sonication bath, and introduce energy via the dissipation of sonic waves. Storage stability greater than one month is achieved through the maintenance of high temperatures, and through atomic and molecular level simulations, we further discover that good solubility in water is maintained due to the presence of platelet surface charges as a result of edge functionalization or intrinsic polarity. Finally, we demonstrate inkjet printing on hard and flexible substrates as a potential application of water-dispersed 2D materials.close1

Geographical ecology of dry forest tree communities in the West Indies

© 2018 The Authors. Journal of Biogeography Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd Aim: Seasonally dry tropical forest (SDTF) of the Caribbean Islands (primarily West Indies) is floristically distinct from Neotropical SDTF in Central and South America. We evaluate whether tree species composition was associated with climatic gradients or geographical distance. Turnover (dissimilarity) in species composition of different islands or among more distant sites would suggest communities structured by speciation and dispersal limitations. A nested pattern would be consistent with a steep resource gradient. Correlation of species composition with climatic variation would suggest communities structured by broad-scale environmental filtering. Location: The West Indies (The Bahamas, Cuba, Hispaniola, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, US Virgin Islands, Guadeloupe, Martinique, St. Lucia), Providencia (Colombia), south Florida (USA) and Florida Keys (USA). Taxon: Seed plants—woody taxa (primarily trees). Methods: We compiled 572 plots from 23 surveys conducted between 1969 and 2016. Hierarchical clustering of species in plots, and indicator species analysis for the resulting groups of sites, identified geographical patterns of turnover in species composition. Nonparametric analysis of variance, applied to principal components of bioclimatic variables, determined the degree of covariation in climate with location. Nestedness versus turnover in species composition was evaluated using beta diversity partitioning. Generalized dissimilarity modelling partitioned the effect of climate versus geographical distance on species composition. Results: Despite a set of commonly occurring species, SDTF tree community composition was distinct among islands and was characterized by spatial turnover on climatic gradients that covaried with geographical gradients. Greater Antillean islands were characterized by endemic indicator species. Northern subtropical areas supported distinct, rather than nested, SDTF communities in spite of low levels of endemism. Main conclusions: The SDTF species composition was correlated with climatic variation. SDTF on large Greater Antillean islands (Hispaniola, Jamaica and Cuba) was characterized by endemic species, consistent with their geological history and the biogeography of plant lineages. These results suggest that both environmental filtering and speciation shape Caribbean SDTF tree communities

Experimental study of the hydrodynamic behaviour of slug flow in a horizontal pipe

This paper investigates the unsteady hydrodynamic behaviour of slug flow occurring within an air–silicone oil mixture, within a horizontal 67 mm internal diameter pipe. A series of slug flow regime experiments were performed for a range of injected air superficial velocities (0.29–1.4 m s−1) and for liquid flows with superficial velocities of between 0.05–0.47 m s−1. A pair of Electrical Capacitance Tomography (ECT) probes was used to determine: the slug translational velocities of the elongated bubbles and liquid slugs, the slug frequencies, the lengths of elongated bubbles and the liquid slugs, the void fractions within the elongated bubbles and liquid slugs. The pressure drop experienced along the pipe was measured using a differential pressure transducer cell (DP cell). A comparative analysis of the current experimental data and that previously published experimental confirms good agreement