Status of the 98-125 GeV Higgs bosons scenario with updated LHC-8 data

In the context of the minimal supersymmetric standard model (MSSM), we discuss the possibility of the lightest Higgs boson with mass M-h = 98 GeV to be consistent with the 2.3 sigma excess observed at the LEP in the decay mode e(+)e(-) -> Zh, with h -> b (b) over bar. In the same region of the MSSM parameter space, the heavier Higgs boson (H) with mass M-H similar to 125 GeV is required to be consistent with the latest data on Higgs coupling measurements at the end of the 7 + 8 TeV LHC run with 25 fb(-1) of data. While scanning the MSSM parameter space, we impose constraints coming from flavor physics, relic density of the cold dark matter as well as direct dark matter searches. We study the possibility of observing this light Higgs boson in vector boson fusion process and associated production with W/Z-boson at the high luminosity (3000 fb(-1)) run of the 14 TeV LHC. Our analysis shows that this scenario can hardly be ruled out even at the high luminosity run of the LHC. However, the precise measurement of the Higgs signal strength ratios can play a major role to distinguish this scenario from the canonical MSSM one.

Experimental Studies of the Material Properties of the Forewing of Cicada (Homoptera, Cicadidae)

Detailed investigations on the structural and mechanical properties of the forewing of the cicada were carried out. Measurement of the structures of the wings showed that the thickness of the membrane of each cell and the diameter of each vein were non-uniform in both the longitudinal and transverse directions, and their means were approximately 12.2 and 133.3 mum, respectively. However, the aspect ratios of the wings and the bodies were quite uniform and were approximately equal to 2.98 and 2.13, respectively. Based on the measured thickness, mass and area of the membranes of the cells, the mean density and the mean area density of the wing were approximately 2.3 g cm(-3) and 2.8 x 10(-3) g cm(-2), respectively. In addition, the diameters of the veins of the wings, including the diameters of the holes in the vein of the leading edge, were examined. The mechanical properties of the wing were investigated separately by nanoindentation and tensile testing. The results indicated that the mean Young's modulus, hardness and yield stress of the membranes of the wings were approximately 3.7 Gpa, 0.2 Gpa and 29 Mpa, respectively, and the mean Young's modulus and strength of the veins along the direction of the venation of wings were approximately 1.9 Gpa and 52 Mpa, respectively. Finally, the relevant results were briefly analyzed and discussed, providing a guideline to the biomimetic design of the aerofoil materials of micro air vehicles.

Some aspects of the age and growth of the anchoveta, Cetengraulis mysticetus, in the Gulf of Panama

ENGLISH: Length-frequency samples of anchovetas were collected from January 1956 to March 1963. The findings for the most part corroborate those of previous studies in regard to the general pattern of age and growth. Recent tag returns demonstrate that some of the fish survive at least to the beginning of their fourth year of life. In 1961 and 1962 the fish were considerably larger than in any previous year for which data are available. The annual variation in the size of the young of the year is apparently related to the amount of upwelling and the density of the population during the early months of the year. SPANISH: De enero de 1956 a marzo de 1963 se recolectaron muestras de las frecuencias de longitud de las anchovetas. Las investigaciones, en su mayor parte, corraboran los resultados de los estudios anteriores referentes a los patrones generales de la edad y el crecimiento. Recobros recientes de mareas demuestran que algunos de los peces sobreviven por lo menos hasta el comienzo de su cuarto año de vida. En 1961 y 1962 los peces fueron considerablemente más grandes que en cualquiera de los años anteriores de los que se tienen datos disponibles. La variación anual en el tamaño de los peces jóvenes del año está aparentemente relacionada con el volumen del afloramiento y la densidad de la población durante los primeros meses del año. (PDF contains 51 pages)

Studies of the equation of state and elasticity of mantle minerals

Because the Earth’s upper mantle is inaccessible to us, in order to understand the chemical and physical processes that occur in the Earth’s interior we must rely on both experimental work and computational modeling. This thesis addresses both of these geochemical methods. In the first chapter, I develop an internally consistent comprehensive molar volume model for spinels in the oxide system FeO-MgO-Fe₂O₃-Cr₂O₃-Al₂O₃-TiO₂. The model is compared to the current MELTS spinel model with a demonstration of the impact of the model difference on the estimated spinel-garnet lherzolite transition pressure. In the second chapter, I calibrate a molar volume model for cubic garnets in the system SiO₂-Al₂O₃-TiO₂-Fe₂O₃-Cr₂O₃-FeO-MnO-MgO-CaO-Na₂O. I use the method of singular value analysis to calibrate excess volume of mixing parameters for the garnet model. The implications the model has for the density of the lithospheric mantle are explored. In the third chapter, I discuss the nuclear inelastic X-ray scattering (NRIXS) method, and present analysis of three orthopyroxene samples with different Fe contents. Longitudinal and shear wave velocities, elastic parameters, and other thermodynamic information are extracted from the raw NRIXS data.

Generalizations and extensions of the Fokker-Planck-Kolmogorov equations

The problem of determining probability density functions of general transformations of random processes is considered in this thesis. A method of solution is developed in which partial differential equations satisfied by the unknown density function are derived. These partial differential equations are interpreted as generalized forms of the classical Fokker-Planck-Kolmogorov equations and are shown to imply the classical equations for certain classes of Markov processes. Extensions of the generalized equations which overcome degeneracy occurring in the steady-state case are also obtained.

The equations of Darling and Siegert are derived as special cases of the generalized equations thereby providing unity to two previously existing theories. A technique for treating non-Markov processes by studying closely related Markov processes is proposed and is seen to yield the Darling and Siegert equations directly from the classical Fokker-Planck-Kolmogorov equations.

As illustrations of their applicability, the generalized Fokker-Planck-Kolmogorov equations are presented for certain joint probability density functions associated with the linear filter. These equations are solved for the density of the output of an arbitrary linear filter excited by Markov Gaussian noise and for the density of the output of an RC filter excited by the Poisson square wave. This latter density is also found by using the extensions of the generalized equations mentioned above. Finally, some new approaches for finding the output probability density function of an RC filter-limiter-RC filter system driven by white Gaussian noise are included. The results in this case exhibit the data required for complete solution and clearly illustrate some of the mathematical difficulties inherent to the use of the generalized equations.

A Multiwavelength Study of the Intracluster Medium and the Characterization of the Multiwavelength Sub/millimeter Inductance Camera

The first part of this thesis combines Bolocam observations of the thermal Sunyaev-Zel’dovich (SZ) effect at 140 GHz with X-ray observations from Chandra, strong lensing data from the Hubble Space Telescope (HST), and weak lensing data from HST and Subaru to constrain parametric models for the distribution of dark and baryonic matter in a sample of six massive, dynamically relaxed galaxy clusters. For five of the six clusters, the full multiwavelength dataset is well described by a relatively simple model that assumes spherical symmetry, hydrostatic equilibrium, and entirely thermal pressure support. The multiwavelength analysis yields considerably better constraints on the total mass and concentration compared to analysis of any one dataset individually. The subsample of five galaxy clusters is used to place an upper limit on the fraction of pressure support in the intracluster medium (ICM) due to nonthermal processes, such as turbulent and bulk flow of the gas. We constrain the nonthermal pressure fraction at r500c to be less than 0.11 at 95% confidence, where r500c refers to radius at which the average enclosed density is 500 times the critical density of the Universe. This is in tension with state-of-the-art hydrodynamical simulations, which predict a nonthermal pressure fraction of approximately 0.25 at r500c for the clusters in this sample.

The second part of this thesis focuses on the characterization of the Multiwavelength Sub/millimeter Inductance Camera (MUSIC), a photometric imaging camera that was commissioned at the Caltech Submillimeter Observatory (CSO) in 2012. MUSIC is designed to have a 14 arcminute, diffraction-limited field of view populated with 576 spatial pixels that are simultaneously sensitive to four bands at 150, 220, 290, and 350 GHz. It is well-suited for studies of dusty star forming galaxies, galaxy clusters via the SZ Effect, and galactic star formation. MUSIC employs a number of novel detector technologies: broadband phased-arrays of slot dipole antennas for beam formation, on-chip lumped element filters for band definition, and Microwave Kinetic Inductance Detectors (MKIDs) for transduction of incoming light to electric signal. MKIDs are superconducting micro-resonators coupled to a feedline. Incoming light breaks apart Cooper pairs in the superconductor, causing a change in the quality factor and frequency of the resonator. This is read out as amplitude and phase modulation of a microwave probe signal centered on the resonant frequency. By tuning each resonator to a slightly different frequency and sending out a superposition of probe signals, hundreds of detectors can be read out on a single feedline. This natural capability for large scale, frequency domain multiplexing combined with relatively simple fabrication makes MKIDs a promising low temperature detector for future kilopixel sub/millimeter instruments. There is also considerable interest in using MKIDs for optical through near-infrared spectrophotometry due to their fast microsecond response time and modest energy resolution. In order to optimize the MKID design to obtain suitable performance for any particular application, it is critical to have a well-understood physical model for the detectors and the sources of noise to which they are susceptible. MUSIC has collected many hours of on-sky data with over 1000 MKIDs. This work studies the performance of the detectors in the context of one such physical model. Chapter 2 describes the theoretical model for the responsivity and noise of MKIDs. Chapter 3 outlines the set of measurements used to calibrate this model for the MUSIC detectors. Chapter 4 presents the resulting estimates of the spectral response, optical efficiency, and on-sky loading. The measured detector response to Uranus is compared to the calibrated model prediction in order to determine how well the model describes the propagation of signal through the full instrument. Chapter 5 examines the noise present in the detector timestreams during recent science observations. Noise due to fluctuations in atmospheric emission dominate at long timescales (less than 0.5 Hz). Fluctuations in the amplitude and phase of the microwave probe signal due to the readout electronics contribute significant 1/f and drift-type noise at shorter timescales. The atmospheric noise is removed by creating a template for the fluctuations in atmospheric emission from weighted averages of the detector timestreams. The electronics noise is removed by using probe signals centered off-resonance to construct templates for the amplitude and phase fluctuations. The algorithms that perform the atmospheric and electronic noise removal are described. After removal, we find good agreement between the observed residual noise and our expectation for intrinsic detector noise over a significant fraction of the signal bandwidth.

Discrete element calculations of the impact of a sand column against rigid structures

Discrete particle simulations of column of an aggregate of identical particles impacting a rigid, fixed target and a rigid, movable target are presented with the aim to understand the interaction of an aggregate of particles upon a structure. In most cases the column of particles is constrained against lateral expansion. The pressure exerted by the particles upon the fixed target (and the momentum transferred) is independent of the co-efficient of restitution and friction co-efficient between the particles but are strongly dependent upon the relative density of the particles in the column. There is a mild dependence on the contact stiffness between the particles which controls the elastic deformation of the densified aggregate of particles. In contrast, the momentum transfer to a movable target is strongly sensitive to the mass ratio of column to target. The impact event can be viewed as an inelastic collision between the sand column and the target with an effective co-efficient of restitution between 0 and 0.35 depending upon the relative density of the column. We present a foam analogy where impact of the aggregate of particles can be modelled by the impact of an equivalent foam projectile. The calculations on the equivalent projectile are significantly less intensive computationally and yet give predictions to within 5% of the full discrete particle calculations. They also suggest that "model" materials can be used to simulate the loading by an aggregate of particles within a laboratory setting. © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Allelopathic effects of the submerged macrophyte Potamogeton malaianus on Scenedesmus obliquus

Allelopathic effects of the submerged macrophyte Potamogeton malaianus on Scenedesmus obliquus were assessed using a twophase approach under controlled laboratory conditions. In the co- culture experiment ( phase I), the growth of S. obliquus at two different initial cell densities was significantly inhibited by P. malaianus. Moreover, the growth inhibition was dependent on the biomass density of P. malaianus. Antioxidant enzymes ( SOD, CAT and POD), MDA, APA, total soluble protein, protein electrophoretic pattern and morphology of S. obliquus were determined after the coculture experiment was terminated. The activities of SOD, CAT, POD and APA at the low initial cell density were stimulated, the contents of MDA and total soluble protein were increased, and some special protein bands disappeared in P. malaianus treatments. The macrophyte had no effect on the activities of SOD and APA at the high initial cell density, but significantly influenced other physiological parameters of S. obliquus with the increase of biomass density. The morphology of S. obliquus showed no difference in the macrophyte treatments and the controls, and the cultures were dominated by 4- celled coenobia. The results indicated P. malaianus had significant allelopathic effects on the growth and physiological processes of S. obliquus. Moreover, the allelopathic effects depended on initial algal cell density, biomass density of the macrophyte, and their interaction. In the experiment of P. malaianus culture filtrates ( phase II), filtrates from combined culture of plant and S. obliquus at the low initial cell density exhibited no apparent growth inhibitory effect on S. obliquus. The result showed that initial addition of growth- inhibiting plant filtrates had no allelopathic effect on S. obliquus. We concluded that the allelopathic effects on S. obliquus were found in the presence of P. malaianus, but not in P. malaianus filtrates. However, the absence of allelopathic effect on S. obliquus might be due to the very low concentrations of allelochemicals in the filtrates.

Effects of the technology of implanting nitrogen into buried oxide layer on the characteristics of partially depleted SOI nMOSFET

The effects, caused by the process of the implantation of nitrogen in the buried oxide layer of SIMOX wafer, on the characteristics of partially depleted silicon-on-insulator nMOSFET have been studied. The experimental results show that the channel electron mobilities of the devices fabricated on the SIMON (separation by implanted oxygen and nitrogen) wafers are lower than those of the devices made on the SIMOX (separation by implanted oxygen) wafers. The devices corresponding to the lowest implantation dose have the lowest mobility within the range of the implantation dose given in this paper. The value of the channel electron mobility rises slightly and tends to a limit when the implantation dose becomes greater. This is explained in terms of the rough Si/SiO2 interface due to the process of implantation of nitrogen. The increasing negative shifts of the threshold voltages for the devices fabricated on the SIMON wafers are also observed with the increase of implanting dose of nitrogen. However, for the devices fabricated on the SIMON wafers with the lowest dose of implanted nitrogen in this paper, their threshold voltages are slightly larger on the average than those prepared on the SIMOX wafers. The shifts are considered to be due to the increment of the fixed oxide charge in SiO2 layer and the change of the density of the interface-trapped charge with the value and distribution included. In particular, the devices fabricated on the SIMON wafers show a weakened kink effect, compared to the ones made on the SIMOX wafers.

Fermi-Level Pinning at Metal/High-k Interface Influenced by Electron State Density of Metal Gate

The Fermi-level pinning (FLP) at the metal/high-k interface and its dependence on the electron state density of the metal gate are investigated. It is found that the FLP is largely determined by the distortion of the vacuum level of the metal which is quantitatively ruled by the electron state density of the metal. The physical origin of the vacuum level distortion of the metal is attributed to an image charge of the interface charge in the metal. Such results indicate that the effective work function of the metal/high-k stack is also governed by the electron state density of the metal.

Quartz crystal microbalance study of the kinetics of surface initiated polymerization

Surface initiated polymerization (SIP) is a valuable tool in synthesizing functional polymer brushes, yet the kinetic understanding of SIP lags behind the development of its application. We apply quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) to address two issues that are not fully addressed yet play a central role in the rational design of functional polymer brushes, namely quantitative determination of the kinetics and the initiator efficiency (IE) of SIP. SIP are monitored online using QCM. Two quantitative frequency-thickness (f-T) relations make the direct determination and comparison of the rate of polymerization possible even for different monomers. Based on the bi-termination model, the kinetics of SIP is simply described by two variables, which are related to two polymerization constants, namely a = 1/(k (p,s,app)-[M][R center dot](0)) and b = k (t,s,app)/(k (p,s,app)[M]). Factors that could alter the kinetics of SIP are studied, including (i) the molecular weight of monomers, (ii) the solvent used, (iii) the initial density of the initiator, (iv) the concentration of monomer, [M], and (v) the catalyst system (ratio among the ingredients, metal, ligands, and additives). The dynamic nature of IE is also described by these two variables, IE = a/(a + bt). Instead of the molecular weight and the polydispersity, we suggest that film thickness, the two kinetic parameters (a and b), and the initial density of the initiator and IE be the parameters that characterize ultra-thin polymer brushes. Besides the kinetics study of SIP, the reported method has many other applications, for example, in the fast screening of catalyst system for SIP and other polymerization systems.

Entrance channel dependence of the correlation function of IMFs in Ar-36+Sn-112,Sn-124 at 35MeV/u

The reduced velocity correlation functions of the Intermediate Mass Fragments (IMFs) were measured in the reactions of Ar-36+ Sn-112,Sn-124 at 35MeV/u. The anti-correlation at small reduced velocities is more pronounced in Ar-36+ Sn-124 system than that in Ar-36+ Sn-112 system. The difference of the correlation functions between the two reactions is mainly contributed by the particle pairs with high momenta. A three-body Coulomb repulsive trajectory code (MENEKA) is employed to calculate the emission time scale of IMFs for-the both systems. The time scale is 150fm/c in the Ar-36+ Sn-112 system and 120fm/c in the Ar-36+ Sn-124 system, respectively. A calculation based on an Isospin dependence Quantum Molecular Dynamics code (IQMD) reveals that the emission time spectrum of IMFs is shifted slightly leftwards in Ar-36+ Sn-124 compared with that in the Ar-16+ Sn-112 system, indicating a shorter emission time scale. Correspondingly, the central density of the hot nuclei decreases faster in Ar-36+ Sn-124 than in Ar-36+ Sn-112

GENETIC MAPPING OF THE LAMINARIA JAPONICA (LAMINARALES, PHAEOPHYTA) USING AMPLIFIED FRAGMENT LENGTH POLYMORPHISM MARKERS

To establish a molecular-marker-assisted system of breeding and genetic study for Laminaria japonica Aresch., amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) was used to construct a genetic linkage map of L. japonica featuring 230 progeny of F-2 cross population. Eighteen primer combinations produced 370 polymorphic loci and 215 polymorphic loci segregated in a 3:1 Mendelian segregation ratio (P <= 0.05). Of the 215 segregated loci, 142 were ordered into 27 linkage groups. The length of the linkage groups ranged from 6.7 to 90.3 centimorgans (cM) with an average length of 49.6 cM, and the total length was 1,085.8 cM, which covered 68.4% of the estimated 1,586.9 cM genome. The number of mapped markers on each linkage group ranged from 2 to 12, averaging 5.3 markers per group. The average density of the markers was 1 per 9.4 cM. Based on the marker density and the resolution of the map, the constructed linkage map can satisfy the need for quantitative trait locus (QTL) location and molecular-marker-assisted breeding for Laminaria.

The influence of the cation of quaternized chitosans on antioxidant activity

Various quaternized chitosans (QCSs) were synthesized according to previous method. Their reducing power and antioxidant potency against hydroxyl radicals ((OH)-O-center dot) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) were explored by the established systems in vitro. The QCSs exhibited markedly antioxidant activity, especially TCEDMCS, whose IC50 on hydroxyl radicals was 0.235 mg/mL. They showed 65-80% scavenging effect on hydrogen peroxide at a dose of 0.5 mg/mL. Generally, the antioxidant activity decreased in the order TCEDMCS > TBEDMCS > EDMCS > PDMCS > IBDMCS > Chitosan. Furthermore, the order of their (OH)-O-center dot and H2O2 scavenging activity was consistent with the electronegativity of different substituted groups in the QCSs. The QCSs showed much stronger antioxidant activity than that of chitosan may be due to the positive charge density of the nitrogen atoms in QCSs strengthened by the substituted groups. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Influence of the earth rotation on the interfacial wave solutions and wave-induced tangential stress in a two-layer fluid system

Interfacial waves and wave-induced tangential stress are studied for geostrophic small amplitude waves of two-layer fluid with a top free surface and a flat bottom. The solutions were deduced from the general form of linear fluid dynamic equations of two-layer fluid under the f-plane approximation, and wave-induced tangential stress were estimated based on the solutions obtained. As expected; the solutions derived from the present work include as special cases those obtained by Sun et al. (2004. Science in China, Set. D, 47(12): 1147-1154) for geostrophic small amplitude surface wave solutions and wave-induced tangential stress if tire density of the upper layer is much smaller than that of the lower layer. The results show that the interface and the surface will oscillate synchronously, and the influence of the earth's rotation both on the surface wave solutions and the interfacial wave solutions should be considered.