3,681 research outputs found
Theoretical Constraints on the Vacuum Oscillation Solution to the Solar Neutrino Problem
The vacuum oscillation (VO) solution to the solar anomaly requires an
extremely small neutrino mass splitting, Delta m^2_{sol}\leq 10^{-10} eV^2. We
study under which circumstances this small splitting (whatever its origin) is
or is not spoiled by radiative corrections. The results depend dramatically on
the type of neutrino spectrum. If m_1^2 \sim m_2^2 \geq m_3^2, radiative
corrections always induce too large mass splittings. Moreover, if m_1 and m_2
have equal signs, the solar mixing angle is driven by the renormalization group
evolution to very small values, incompatible with the VO scenario (however, the
results could be consistent with the small-angle MSW scenario). If m_1 and m_2
have opposite signs, the results are analogous, except for some small (though
interesting) windows in which the VO solution may be natural with moderate
fine-tuning. Finally, for a hierarchical spectrum of neutrinos, m_1^2 << m_2^2
<< m_3^2, radiative corrections are not dangerous, and therefore this scenario
is the only plausible one for the VO solution.Comment: 13 pages, LaTeX, 3 ps figures (psfig.sty
Computing with cells: membrane systems - some complexity issues.
Membrane computing is a branch of natural computing which abstracts computing models from the structure and the functioning of the living cell. The main ingredients of membrane systems, called P systems, are (i) the membrane structure, which consists of a hierarchical arrangements of membranes which delimit compartments where (ii) multisets of symbols, called objects, evolve according to (iii) sets of rules which are localised and associated with compartments. By using the rules in a nondeterministic/deterministic maximally parallel manner, transitions between the system configurations can be obtained. A sequence of transitions is a computation of how the system is evolving. Various ways of controlling the transfer of objects from one membrane to another and applying the rules, as well as possibilities to dissolve, divide or create membranes have been studied. Membrane systems have a great potential for implementing massively concurrent systems in an efficient way that would allow us to solve currently intractable problems once future biotechnology gives way to a practical bio-realization. In this paper we survey some interesting and fundamental complexity issues such as universality vs. nonuniversality, determinism vs. nondeterminism, membrane and alphabet size hierarchies, characterizations of context-sensitive languages and other language classes and various notions of parallelism
How far do shocks move across borders?: Examining volatility transmission in major agricultural futures markets
This paper examines the level of interdependence and volatility transmission across major exchanges of maize, wheat, and soybeans in the United States, Europe, and Asia. We follow a multivariate GARCH approach to explore in detail and under different specifications the dynamics and cross-dynamics of volatility in agricultural futures markets. We account for the potential bias that may arise when considering exchanges with different closing times. The period of analysis is 2004â2009 for maize and soybeans and 2005â2009 for wheat. The results indicate that there is a strong correlation among international markets. In particular, we find both own- and cross-volatility spillovers and dependence between most of the exchanges. There is also higher interaction between the United States (Chicago) and both Europe and Asia than within the latter. The results further show the major role Chicago plays in terms of spillover effects over the other markets, particularly for maize and wheat. For soybeans, both China and Japan also exhibit important cross-volatility spillovers. Finally, the level of interdependence between exchanges has not necessarily increased in recent years for all commodities. From a policy perspective, these findings suggest that any potential regulatory scheme to address (excessive) price volatility in agricultural exchanges should be coordinated across markets; localized regulation will have limited effects given the high level of interrelation between markets.volatility transmission, agricultural commodities, futures markets, multivariate GARCH,
Probing the stability of superheavy dark matter particles with high-energy neutrinos
Two of the most fundamental properties of the dark matter particle, the mass
and the lifetime, are only weakly constrained by the astronomical and
cosmological evidence of dark matter. We derive in this paper lower limits on
the lifetime of dark matter particles with masses in the range 10 TeV-10^15 TeV
from the non-observation of ultrahigh energy neutrinos in the AMANDA, IceCube,
Auger and ANITA experiments. For dark matter particles which produce neutrinos
in a two body or a three body decay, we find that the dark matter lifetime must
be longer than O(10^26-10^28) s for masses between 10 TeV and the Grand
Unification scale. Finally, we also calculate, for concrete particle physics
scenarios, the limits on the strength of the interactions that induce the dark
matter decay.Comment: 17 pages, 6 figures; v2: references added, discussion improved,
matches the version published at JCA
How Far Do Shocks Move Across Borders? Examining Volatility Transmission in Major Agricultural Futures Markets
This paper examines the level of interdependence and volatility transmission in global agricultural futures markets. We follow a multivariate GARCH approach to explore the dynamics and cross-dynamics of volatility across major exchanges of corn, wheat, and soybeans between the United States, Europe, and Asia. We account for the potential bias that may arise when considering exchanges with different closing times. The results indicate that agricultural markets are highly interrelated and there are both own- and cross- volatility spillovers and dependence among most of the exchanges. The results also show the major role Chicago plays in terms of spillover effects over the other markets, particularly for corn and wheat. Additionally, the level of interdependence between exchanges has only increased in recent years for some of the commodities.Volatility transmission, agricultural commodities, futures markets, Multivariate GARCH.
Validity of the N\'{e}el-Arrhenius model for highly anisotropic Co_xFe_{3-x}O_4 nanoparticles
We report a systematic study on the structural and magnetic properties of
Co_{x}Fe_{3-x}O_{4} magnetic nanoparticles with sizes between to nm,
prepared by thermal decomposition of Fe(acac)_{3} and Co(acac)_{2}. The large
magneto-crystalline anisotropy of the synthesized particles resulted in high
blocking temperatures ( K \leqq K for d nm ) and large coercive fields ( kA/m for K).
The smallest particles ( nm) revealed the existence of a magnetically
hard, spin-disordered surface. The thermal dependence of static and dynamic
magnetic properties of the whole series of samples could be explained within
the N\'{e}el-Arrhenius relaxation framework without the need of ad-hoc
corrections, by including the thermal dependence of the magnetocrystalline
anisotropy constant through the empirical Br\"{u}khatov-Kirensky
relation. This approach provided values very similar to the bulk
material from either static or dynamic magnetic measurements, as well as
realistic values for the response times ( s).
Deviations from the bulk anisotropy values found for the smallest particles
could be qualitatively explained based on Zener\'{}s relation between
and M(T)
Supergraph Techniques and Two-Loop Beta-Functions for Renormalizable and Non-Renormalizable Operators
We present a construction kit for calculating two-loop beta functions in N=1
supersymmetric theories for the operators of the superpotential using
supergraph techniques. In particular, it allows to compute the beta functions
for every desired, even higher dimensional, operator of the superpotential from
the wavefunction renormalization constants of the theory. We apply this method
to calculate the two-loop beta functions for the lowest-dimensional effective
neutrino mass operator in the Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model (MSSM) and
for the Yukawa couplings in the MSSM extended by singlet superfields and the
mass matrix for the latter. Our method can be applied to any N=1 supersymmetric
theory.Comment: 15 pages, 13 figures; error in two-loop trace terms correcte
Cell bystander effect induced by radiofrequency electromagnetic fields and magnetic nanoparticles
Induced effects by direct exposure to ionizing radiation (IR) are a central
issue in many fields like radiation protection, clinic diagnosis and
oncological therapies. Direct irradiation at certain doses induce cell death,
but similar effects can also occur in cells no directly exposed to IR, a
mechanism known as bystander effect. Non-IR (radiofrequency waves) can induce
the death of cells loaded with MNPs in a focused oncological therapy known as
magnetic hyperthermia. Indirect mechanisms are also able to induce the death of
unloaded MNPs cells. Using in vitro cell models, we found that colocalization
of the MNPs at the lysosomes and the non-increase of the temperature induces
bystander effect under non-IR. Our results provide a landscape in which
bystander effects are a more general mechanism, up to now only observed and
clinically used in the field of radiotherapy.Comment: 16 pages, 4 figures, submitted to International Journal of Radiation
Biolog
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