A novel experiment searching for the lepton flavour violating decay mu -> eee

Since the discovery of neutrino oscillations it is known that lepton flavour is not conserved. Lepton flavour violating processes in the charged lepton sector have so far however eluded detection; as they are heavily suppressed in the standard model of particle physics, an observation would be a clear signal for new physics and help to understand the source of neutrino masses and CP violation. We propose a novel experiment searching for the decay mu -> eee with the aim of ultimately reaching a sensitivity of 10^-16, an improvement by four orders of magnitude compared to previous experiments. The technologies enabling this step are thin high-voltage monolithic active pixel sensors for precise tracking at high rates with a minimum of material and scintillating fibres for high resolution time measurements.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures, contribution to NUFACT 11, XIIIth International Workshop on Neutrino Factories, Super beams and Beta beams, 1-6 August 2011, CERN and University of Genev

Mood Worlds: A Virtual Environment for Autonomous Emotional Expression

Immersive interactive technologies such as virtual reality (VR) have the potential to foster well-being. While VR applications have been successfully used to evoke positive emotions through the presetting of light, colour and scenery, the experiential potential of allowing users to independently create a virtual environment (VE) has not yet been sufficiently addressed. To that end, we explore how the autonomous design of a VE can affect emotional engagement and well-being. We present Mood Worlds - a VR application allowing users to visualise their emotions by self-creating a VE. In an exploratory evaluation (N=16), we found that Mood Worlds is an effective tool supporting emotional engagement. Additionally, we found that an autonomous creation process in VR increases positive emotions and well-being. Our work shows that VR can be an effective tool to visualise emotions, thereby increasing positive affect. We discuss opportunities and design requirements for VR as positive technology

Letting It Go: Four Design Concepts to Support Emotion Regulation in Virtual Reality

Depicting emotions, both in reality (e.g. art therapy) and in virtual reality (VR), is an established method for emotion regulation (ER), promoting reflection, behaviour change and mental well-being. However, the specific ways in which users engage with and process negative emotions in VR remains unclear. In this study, we conducted expert interviews with psychotherapists and collaboratively identified design requirements for VR interventions that support the processing of negative emotions. Our findings highlight the potential of VR to facilitate the transition from negative to positive experiences. Based on these findings, we propose specific design concepts for using VR as positive technology for emotion regulation

Impedimetrischer DNA Nachweis - Schritte in Richtung sensorischer Anwendung

Diese Studie beschreibt einen labelfreien impedimetrischen Sensor auf der Grundlage von kurzen einzelsträngigen DNA-Erkennungselementen für den Nachweis von Hybridisierungsereignissen. Der Fokus der Arbeit liegt auf der Aufklärung des Einflusses der Ziel-DNA-Länge und der Erkennungssequenzposition auf die sensorische Leistungsfähigkeit. Die impedimetrischen Messungen werden in Anwesenheit des Redoxsystems Kaliumhexacyanoferrat (II/III) durchgeführt und zeigen einen Anstieg des Durchtrittswiderstandes nach der Hybridisierung mit komplementärer Ziel-DNA mit einer Nachweisgrenze im unteren nanomolaren Bereich. Nach der Hybridisierung kann die Regeneration des Sensors mit deionisiertem Wasser durch die Einstellung effektiver Konvektionsbedingungen erreicht werden und ermöglicht somit eine Wiederverwendbarkeit des Sensors. Untersuchungen zu längeren Ziel-DNA-Strängen mit einem zur Lösung exponierten Überhang demonstrieren die Anwendbarkeit des impedimetrischen Nachweises für längere Sequenzen. Allerdings resultiert eine zunehmende Überhanglänge in einer verringerten Durchtrittswiderstandsänderung. Um die Impedanzänderung für längere Ziel-DNA zu erhöhen, wird die Erkennungssequenzposition verändert, sodass ein kleiner Überhang zur Elektrode ausgerichtet ist. Die Ergebnisse legen nahe, dass DNA in direkter Nähe zur Elektrode einen größeren Einfluss auf das impedimetrische Signal besitzt als weiter entfernte DNA.This study describes a label-free impedimetric sensor based on short ssDNA recognition elements for the detection of hybridisation events. We concentrate on the elucidation of the influence of target length and recognition sequence position on the sensorial performance. The impedimetric measurements are performed in the presence of the redox system ferri-/ferrocyanide and show an increase in charge transfer resistance upon hybridisation of complementary ssDNA in the nanomolar range. After hybridisation, a sensor regeneration can be achieved with deionised water by adjustment of effective convection conditions, ensuring sensor reusability. By investigation of longer targets with overhangs exposed to the solution, we can demonstrate applicability of the impedimetric detection for longer ssDNA. However, a decreasing charge transfer resistance change (ΔRct) is found by extending the overhang. As a strategy to increase the impedance change for longer target strands, the position of the recognition sequence can be designed in a way that a small overhang is exposed to the electrode surface. These results suggest that DNA near the electrode possesses a larger impact on the impedimetric signal than DNA further away

"Boring formal methods" or "Sherlock Holmes deduction methods"?

This paper provides an overview of common challenges in teaching of logic and formal methods to Computer Science and IT students. We discuss our experiences from the course IN3050: Applied Logic in Engineering, introduced as a "logic for everybody" elective course at at TU Munich, Germany, to engage pupils studying Computer Science, IT and engineering subjects on Bachelor and Master levels. Our goal was to overcome the bias that logic and formal methods are not only very complicated but also very boring to study and to apply. In this paper, we present the core structure of the course, provide examples of exercises and evaluate the course based on the students' surveys.Comment: Preprint. Accepted to the Software Technologies: Applications and Foundations (STAF 2016). Final version published by Springer International Publishing AG. arXiv admin note: substantial text overlap with arXiv:1602.0517