Deviations of exact neutrino textures using radiative neutrino masses

The Weinberg operator allows for the construction of radiative Majorana neutrino masses. In this letter, it will be shown that it is possible to construct a one-loop diagram that will be the principal component of the neutrino mass matrix and that will have an exact mixing matrix with $\theta_{13} =0$. The addition of a two-loop diagram, which is naturally suppressed, allows the creation of the correct perturbations that will give a neutrino mixing matrix with entries inside experimental constrains, including the possibility of large CP Dirac phases.Comment: 9 pages, 4 figure

A Conversation with Dorothy Gilford

In 1946, Public Law 588 of the 79th Congress established the Office of Naval Research (ONR). Its mission was to plan, foster and encourage scientific research in support of Naval problems. The establishment of ONR predates the National Science Foundation and initiated the refocusing of scientific infrastructure in the United States following World War II. At the time, ONR was the only source for federal support of basic research in the United States. Dorothy Gilford was one of the first Heads of the Probability and Statistics program at the Office of Naval Research (1955 to 1962), and she went on to serve as Director of the Mathematical Sciences Division (1962 to 1968). During her time at ONR, Dorothy influenced many areas of statistics and mathematics and was ahead of her time in promoting interdisciplinary projects. Dorothy continued her career at the National Center for Education Statistics (1969 to 1974). She was active in starting international comparisons of education outcomes in different countries, which has influenced educational policy in the United States. Dorothy went on to serve in many capacities at the National Academy of Sciences, including Director of Human Resources Studies (1975 to 1978), Senior Statistician on the Committee on National Statistics (1978 to 1988) and Director of the Board on International Comparative Studies in Education (1988 to 1994). The following is a conversation we had with Dorothy Gilford in March of 2004. We found her to be an interesting person and a remarkable statistician. We hope you agree.Comment: Published in at http://dx.doi.org/10.1214/088342307000000023 the Statistical Science (http://www.imstat.org/sts/) by the Institute of Mathematical Statistics (http://www.imstat.org

Probing Lepton Flavor Triality with Higgs Boson Decay

If neutrino tribimaximal mixing is explained by a non-Abelian discrete symmetry such as $A_4$, $T_7$, $\Delta(27)$, etc., the charged-lepton Higgs sector has a $Z_3$ residual symmetry (lepton flavor triality), which may be observed directly in the decay chain $H^0 \to \psi_2^0 \bar\psi_2^0$, then $\psi_2^0 (\bar\psi_2^0) \to l_i^+ l_j^- ~(i \neq j)$, where $H^0$ is a standard-model-like Higgs boson and $\psi_2^0$ is a scalar particle needed for realizing the original discrete symmetry. If kinematically allowed, this unusual and easily detectable decay is observable at the LHC with 1 fb$^{-1}$ for E_{cm} = 7 TeV.Comment: PRD versio

Joshua 6:15-21: Exploring the Deeper Meaning of the Herem

In lieu of an abstract, below is the essay\u27s first paragraph. In the Old Testament, there are a number of books that contain violent stories that may shock the casual reader. Some of these stories seem to encourage not only the slaughtering of enemy armies, but also the murder of innocent civilians. The book of Joshua, in particular, contains a number of such tales. In chapters six through eleven of this book, God instructs Joshua and his followers to obliterate dozens of enemy armies, and subsequently orders them to lay their towns to waste. Joshua and his followers put to death men, women, children, and livestock by the “edge of the sword.” Biblical scholars refer to this process of systematic destruction, in which all those who oppose the Lord are laid to waste, as the herem. Many readers find this concept to be highly disturbing; some feel it runs counter to Christian and Jewish beliefs. They question why the loving and merciful Lord would command his followers to carry out these gruesome acts

A home for everyone? Property ownership has been about status and wealth since our convict days

Article for The Conversation about the historic impact of status on land ownership in Australia

Book Review

What effect does a road safety measure have on the number of casualties, what are the costs, and are there any side effects to be mentioned? The Norwegian researchers Rune Elvik and Truls Vaa have tried to answer these elementary questions. They have done this in a handbook of more than 1000 pages. The authors themselves have admitted that "handbook" is not really the right name, because in a handbook you expect to find instructions or advices about how to draw up and implement the best road safety measures. The authors admit that an encyclopaedia or catalogue is a more accurate name