Working group report: Neutrino and astroparticle physics

This is the report of neutrino and astroparticle physics working group at WHEPP-7. Discussions and work on CP violation in long baseline neutrino experiments, ultra high energy neutrinos, supernova neutrinos and water Cerenkov detectors are discussed.     

Analysis of a Duopoly Supply Chain and its Application in Electricity Spot Markets

This paper studies a supply chain consisting of two suppliers and one retailer in a spot market, where the retailer uses the newsvendor solution as its purchase policy, and suppliers compete for the retailer’s purchase. Since each supplier’s bidding strategy affects the other’s profit, a game theory approach is used to identify optimal bidding strategies. We prove the existence and uniqueness of a Nash solution. It is also shown that the competition between the supplier leads to a lower market clearing price, and as a result, the retailer benefits from it. Finally, we demonstrate the applicability of the obtained results by deriving optimal bidding strategies for power generator plants in the deregulated California energy market. Supported in part by RGC (Hong Kong) Competitive Earmarked Research Grants (CUHK4167/04E and CUHK4239/03E), a Distinguished Young Investigator Grant from the National Natural Sciences Foundation of China, and a grant from Hundred Talents Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.     

Solution of a class of stochastic linear-convex control problems using deterministic equivalents

In this paper, we identify a new class of stochastic linearconvex optimal control problems, whose solution can be obtained by solving appropriate equivalent deterministic optimal control problems. The term linear-convex is meant to imply that the dynamics is linear and the cost function is convex in the state variables, linear in the control variables, and separable. Moreover, some of the coefficients in the dynamics are allowed to be random and the expectations of the control variables are allowed to be constrained. For any stochastic linear-convex problem, the equivalent deterministic problem is obtained. Furthermore, it is shown that the optimal feedback policy of the stochastic problem is affine in its current state, where the affine transformation depends explicitly on the optimal solution of the equivalent deterministic problem in a simple way. The result is illustrated by its application to a simple stochastic inventory control problem.This research was supported in part by NSERC Grant A4617, by SSHRC Grant 410-83-0888, and by an INRIA Post-Doctoral Fellowship.     

The acoustic spectrophonometer: a novel bioanalytical technique based on multifrequency acoustic devices

A measurement technique similar to optical absorption spectroscopy but based on evanescent acoustic waves is described in this paper. This format employs a planar spiral coil to vibrate a single crystal of quartz from 6 to 400 MHz, in order to measure multifrequency acoustic spectra. Consistency with the defined Sauerbrey and Kanazawa terms K1 and K2 when applied to multiple frequencies was found for these specific operating conditions in terms of a significant fit between the measured and calculated values: For an IgG surface density of 13.5 ng mm(-2) the measured value of K1 is 22.5 x 10(-6) and the calculated value is 20.4 x 10(-6), whilst for glycerol viscous loadings of 5.131 cP the measured value of K2 is 0.47 and the calculated value is 0.54. Thus for these specific surface loadings the multifrequency data fits to the predictions of the Sauerbrey model to within 10% and to Kanazawa model within 13%. However collective frequency shifts for 5.131 cP solutions of sucrose, dextran and glucose were found to exhibit an unanticipated additional variability (R2 < 0.4) with frequency, but retained a square root of frequency dependency within a factor 2 of the interpolated K2 values. The response to the 5.131 cP dextran solution was found to be significantly below the other isoviscous solutions, with a substantially reduced frequency shift and K2 value than would be expected from its bulk viscosity. In comparison with these viscous solutions, IgG protein films consistently produced linear frequency shifts with little scatter (R2 > 0.96) that were proportional to the operating frequency, and fully consistent with the Sauerbrey model under these specific conditions. A t-test value of 14.52 was calculated from the variance and mean of the two groups, and demonstrates that the acoustic spectrophonometer can be used to distinguish between the acoustic impedance characteristics of two chemical systems that are not clearly differentiable at a single operating frequency.     

Euphorbiasteroid Abrogates EGFR and Wnt/β-Catenin Signaling in Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer Cells to Impart Anticancer Activity

EGFR and Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathways play a prominent role in tumor progression in various human cancers including non-small-cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC). Transactivation and crosstalk between the EGFR and Wnt/β-catenin pathways may contribute to the aggressiveness of cancers. Targeting these oncogenic pathways with small molecules is an attractive approach to counteract various types of cancers. In this study, we demonstrate the effect of euphorbiasteroid (EPBS) on the EGFR and Wnt/β-catenin pathways in NSCLC cells. EPBS induced preferential cytotoxicity toward A549 (wildtype EGFR-expressing) cells over PC-9 (mutant EGFR-expressing) cells. EPBS suppressed the expression of EGFR, Wnt3a, β-catenin, and FZD-1, and the reduction in β-catenin levels was found to be mediated through the activation of GSK-3β. EPBS reduced the phosphorylation of GSK-3β^S9 with a parallel increase in β-TrCP and phosphorylation of GSK-3β^Y216. Lithium chloride treatment increased the phosphorylation of GSK-3β^S9 and nuclear localization of β-catenin, whereas EPBS reverted these effects. Forced expression or depletion of EGFR in NSCLC cells increased or decreased the levels of Wnt3a, β-catenin, and FZD-1, respectively. Overall, EPBS abrogates EGFR and Wnt/β-catenin pathways to impart its anticancer activity in NSCLC cells.     

Untersuchungen über die Fluorescenzerscheinung bei Ketosen in Gegenwart von Zirkoniumoxidchlorid

Ketoses, as fructose and sorbose, react with ZrOCl₂ after slight heating. The reaction mixture exhibits strong fluorescence in UV; increased absorption is shown at 220–230 nm and a characteristic maximum at 335 nm. There is also an increase in conductivity. The stoichiometric composition of the fluorescing ketose-Zirconium chelate compound has been determined by a Job diagram. This compound can be used as a sensitive optical test in the microdetermination of ketoses.     

Bichromatically driven double well: parametric perspective of the strong field control landscape reveals the influence of chaotic states

The aim of this work is to understand the influence of chaotic states in control problems involving strong fields. Towards this end, we numerically construct and study the strong field control landscape of a bichromatically driven double well. A novel measure based on correlating the overlap intensities between Floquet states and an initial phase space coherent state with the parametric motion of the quasienergies is used to construct and interpret the landscape features. "Walls" of no control, which are robust under variations of the relative phase between the fields, are seen on the control landscape and associated with multilevel interactions involving chaotic Floquet states.     

Environmental effects on fibre reinforced polymeric composites: Evolving reasons and remarks on interfacial strength and stability

The interface between fibre and matrix of fibrous polymeric composites is most critical and decisive in maintaining sustainability, durability and also reliability of this potential material, but unfortunately a comprehensive conclusion is yet to meet the label of confidence for the engineering viability. Fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) composites are being accepted and also utilized as better and reliable alternative materials for repairing and/or replacing conventional materials, starting from tiny objects to mega structure in various engineering applications. The promise and potential of these materials are sometimes threatened in speedy replacement of conventional materials because of their inhomogeneities and inherent susceptibility to degradation due to moist and thermal environments. Environmental conditioning is traditionally believed to be a physical phenomenon but present literature has revealed that the interdiffusion between fiber and polymer matrix resin comprises of physical, chemical, mechanical, physico-chemical and mechano-chemical phenomena. The failure and fracture behavior at ambient conditions itself is a complex phenomenon till at present. The service conditions which are mostly hygrothermal in nature, along with a variation of applied loads make the mechanical behavior nearly unpredictable, far off from conclusions in evaluating the short term as well as long term durability and reliability of FRPs. It is essential to accurately simulate the initial and subsequent evolution process of this kind of damage phenomena, in order to explore the full potential of the mechanical properties of composite laminates. The present review has emphasized the need of complying scattered as well as limited literature on this front, and has focused on creating the urgency to highlight the importance of judicious uses of these materials with minimum safety factors with an aim to achieving lighter weight in enhancing specific properties.     

Hypersonic evanescent waves generated with a planar spiral coil

A planar spiral coil has been used to induce hypersonic evanescent waves in a quartz substrate with the unique ability to focus the acoustic wave down onto the chemical recognition layer. These special sensing conditions were achieved by investigating the application of a radio frequency current to a coaxial waveguide and spiral coil, so that wideband repeating electrical resonance conditions could be established over the MHz to GHz frequency range. At a selected operating frequency of 1.09 GHz, the evanescent wave depth of a quartz crystal hypersonic resonance is reduced to 17 nm, minimising unwanted coupling to the bulk fluid. Verification of the validity of the hypersonic resonance was carried out by characterising the system electrically and acoustically: Impedance calculations of the combined coil and coaxial waveguide demonstrated an excellent fit to the measured data, although above 400 MHz a transition zone was identified where unwanted impedance is parasitic of the coil influence efficiency, so the signal-to-noise ratio is reduced from 3000 to 300. Acoustic quartz crystal resonances at intervals of precisely 13.2138 MHz spacing, from the 6.6 MHz ultrasonic range and onto the desired hypersonic range above 1 GHz, were incrementally detected. Q factor measurements demonstrated that reductions in energy lost from the resonator to the fluid interface were consistent with the anticipated shrinkage of the evanescent wave with increasing operating frequency. Amplitude and frequency reduction in contact with a glucose solution was demonstrated at 1.09 GHz. The complex physical conditions arising at the solid-liquid interface under hypersonic entrainment are discussed with respect to acceleration induced slippage, rupture, longitudinal and shear radiation and multiphase relaxation affects.