Anomalous top-quark coupling effects in rare B and K decays

The Large Hadron Collider at CERN is performing direct searches for top-quark anomalous flavor-changing neutral current （FCNC） processes. However, these processes may be correlated closely with the low-energy rare B and K meson decays. In this paper, we review the anomalous top-quark coupling effects in these low-energy flavor transitions, summarize the flavor constraints and discuss their implications for direct detection of top-FCNC processes at the Large Hadron Collider.     

4 K high frequency pulse tube cryocooler used for terahertz space application

Terahertz(THz) frequency region, defined from0.1 to 10 THz, is an important frequency band for radio astronomy and atmospheric science. As NbN Superconductor-Insulator-Superconductor(SIS) mixers used for terahertz detection, which are studied by the Purple Mountain Observatory(PMO), Chinese Academy of Sciences(CAS), work at 8–10 K, and require condition of micro vibrations, its astronomical observation in aerospace is limited by suitable refrigeration method. 4 K high frequency pulse tube cryocooler developed by Key Laboratory of Space Energy Conversion Technologies(SECT), Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry(TIPC), CAS, offers an opportunity for the application of SIS mixers. This article introduces the progress of the two-stage high frequency pulse tube cryocooler researched by TIPC. The cryocooler has reached a no load temperature of 4.5 K which is the lowest temperature for this kind of cryocooler reported so far. The successful coupling between the THz component and the high frequency pulse tube cryocooler lays a solid foundation for space detection in the terahertz band.     

Research and design of the main equipments and structure of Xiangjiaba shiplift

The type of pinion and rack vertical shiplifts has been developed in recent a couple of years in the construction of dams. But the design methods and methodologies have rarely been discussed in literature. The Xiangjiaba shiplift is the second shiplift of this type following the Three Gorges shiplift. Being aimed at the technological rationality of the design in synthetically considering security, economy and applicability, this paper presents the research results of some vital issues relating the design of the Xiangjiaba shiplift, including the determination of design water depth of ship chamber based on fluid numeral computation and physical model test, the optimum design of general layout of main equipments and the civil structure of the Xiangjiaba shiplift, the finite element method （FEM） analysis of stress, vibration modes and the buckling of ship chamber, antiseismic research and the design of structures and mechanisms of the shiplift and the optimum design of driving mechanisms. This research provides the theoretical basis for the design of the Xiangjiaba shiplift. The design principles and research methods are valuable for the design of the same type of shiplifts.     

Effect of strain rate on the compressive deformation behaviors of lotus-type porous copper

Lotus-type porous copper was fabricated by unidirectional solidification, and compressive experiments were subsequently conducted in the strain rate range of 10-3–2400 s-1 with the compressive direction parallel to the pores. A GLEEBLE-1500 thermal-mechanical simulation system and a split Hopkinson pressure bar (SHPB) were used to investigate the effect of strain rate on the compressive deformation behaviors of lotus-type porous copper. The influence mechanism of strain rate was also analyzed by the strain-controlling method and by high-speed photography. The results indicated that the stress-strain curves of lotus-typed porous copper consist of a linear elastic stage, a plateau stage, and a densification stage at various strain rates. At low strain rate (< 1.0 s-1), the strain rate had little influence on the stress-strain curves; but when the strain rate exceeded 1.0 s-1, it was observed to strongly affect the plateau stage, showing obvious strain-rate-hardening characteristics. Strain rate also influenced the densification initial strain. The densification initial strain at high strain rate was less than that at low strain rate. No visible inhomogeneous deformation caused by shockwaves was observed in lotus-type porous copper during high-strain-rate deformation. However, at high strain rate, the bending deformation characteristics of the pore walls obviously differed from those at low strain rate, which was the main mechanism by which the plateau stress exhibited strain-rate sensitivity when the strain rate exceeded a certain value and exhibited less densification initial strain at high strain rate.     

Observations of thermospheric vector wind over Yellow River Station during auroral substorm events

Strong disturbances associated with auroral substorms originate from the ionosphere-magnetosphere owing to the effects of the solar wind, and the wind field in the ionosphere is related to such substorm activity. Here, we describe the analysis of four auroral substorm events, for which we employed an all-sky Fabry-Perot interferometer to observe the two-dimensional horizontal wind field and combined the results with data from an all-sky charge-coupled device imager, a fluxgate magnetometer installed at Yellow River Station, and the Super Dual Auroral Radar Network. The results demonstrate that, during auroral substorms, the vector wind field is related closely to variations in the ion drift and geomagnetic field. Moreover, we observed a changing wind field of approximately 300 rn/s in response to variations in the electric and magnetic fields （likely caused by ion drag） and a disturbance of about 200 m/s that we attribute to the interaction of Joule heating and ion drag.     

Evaluation on Gambiered Guangdong Silk＇s Ecological Properties

To evaluate gambiered Guangdong silk＇s ecology properties, the raw materials ecology, production ecology and use ecology are analyzed; and the safety to human is tested according to GB/T18885 - 2002. Gambiered Guangdong silk is a kind of natural product. All its raw materials are reproducible and degradable natural resources, and it can decompose completely when being discarded. R is comfortable to wear, and easy to clean and dry. It is mainly manufactured by dip-dyeing in dye yam solution, and insolating under the burning sun. The production energy is solar, a kind of clean and reproducible energy. The production process is clean and environmental friendly. There is neither the utilization of synthetic dyestuff and chemical auxiliary, nor the discharge of environment pollutant, and even the dreg of dye yam is used as fuel. The safety test results show that pH value of water extract, heavy metal content （except for Pb content）, color fastness and odor meet the requirements of GB/T18885 - 2002 and Okeo-tex standard 100.     

Key technologies of precision demolition blasting of ultra-long urban viaduct in complicated surroundings

The key technologies of precision blasting were put forward based on the characteristics of urban via- duct blasting demolition in complicated surroundings. Initial bending instability mechanics model of reinforcing steel bar frame of blasting fragmented pier and sequenced collapsed dynamic model were established for quanti- tative blasting design. Technologies of water pressure blasting were applied in multi-cell box girder fragmenta- tion. The detonating network of non-electric duplication crossover was adopted for the safety and reliability of ultra-long delay. The rationality of blasting scheme and parameters were validated by physical model test. Harm- ful effects were forecasted and controlled by integrated protective technologies. Specialization, cooperation, pre- cision, execution （SCPE） project management method was put forward for precision management. The key tech- nologies of precision demolition blasting can provide reference for similar proiects.     

Microblogging Reposting Mechanism: An Information Adoption Perspective

This study uses the Elaboration Likelihood Model(ELM)and social presence theory to examine the microblogging reposting mechanism.Subjective and objective data were collected from 216 respondents in a field experiment.The results indicate that information quality and source credibility of microblogging messages affect users’reposting intention by affecting their perceptions of the usefulness and enjoyment of the information.Perceived enjoyment has a greater impact on reposting intention than perceived usefulness.Furthermore,users are able to perceive social presence when interacting with microblogging messages.Social presence plays a full mediating role between information quality and perceived enjoyment,and a partial mediating role between information quality and perceived usefulness.     

An observational study of snow aging and the seasonal variation of snow albedo by using data from Col de Porte,France

An 18-year long （1993-2011） comprehensive dataset of snow and meteorological variables from Col de Porte, France is used to analyze the variation of shortwave broadband albedo with elapsed time after snowfalls （snow aging） during each snow season. The effects of air temperature, snow surface temperature and snow depth on snow albedo are investigated. An index based on the accumulation of air temperature over several consecutive days with daily mean higher than 2.5 ℃ is proposed to divide each snow-covered period into a dry and the following wet snow season when this index reaches 18 ℃. The results indicate that snow surface albedo decreases exponentially with time in both dry and wet snow seasons. Snow albedo reduction with snow aging is small at low surface temperature and the reduction rate increases with the rise of surface temperature. However, the reduction rate is widely scattered within the observed range of temperature, implying a loose relationship between snow albedo and snow surface temperature. Snow albedo in wet snow season is generally smaller and decreases faster than in dry snow season. For Col de Porte site, snow depths to effectively mask the underlying surface are 21 and 33 cm in dry and wet snow season respectively.     

On the Functions of Euphemism in Social Communication

In the process of social linguistic communication, due to the different circumstances and conditions, people can not express certain things clearly in a direct way when they come across something painful, unpleasant, disgusted and even embarrassing. Instead, they have to use some vague, implicit, mild and euphemistic expressions, so as to achieve the purpose of expressing feelings and exchanging ideas and thoughts in an appropriate and light atmosphere. This paper tries to deal with the application of euphemisms in various fields, thereby reveal some main functions of euphemism, i.e. avoidance function, politeness function, gloss-over function and disguise function.     

Challenges and Innovations in the Sutong Bridge Foundation Project

This article introduces three outstanding innovations, i.e. utilization of the steel casing for the piles to estab- lish a construction platform for Sutong Bridge＇ s large and deep-pile groups; 5000 ton steel cofferdam lowered as a whole and used as a protective structure against impact from ship collision; Permanent scour protection. This article also pres- ents economical and reasonable design method for large bridge foundation and explains the significance of innovation and technical integration to large and complicated project construction based on the above theory.     

Fabrication and Properties of Microencapsulated n-octadecane and Paraffin

Microencapsulated n-alkanes as energy- storage materials have promising application prospects. The ndcrocapsules containing 100 - 50 wt% of n - octadecane, 0 -20 wt% of paraffin and 0 - 30 wt% of cyclohexane were synthesized by in-situ polymerization using melamine- formaldehyde polymer as shell. Cyclohexane was removed after heat-treated the microcapsules at 100℃. The morphologies, cell parameters, phase change properties, thermal stable temperatures of these microcapsules were examined. The diameters of these microcapsules are lower than 5 μm. The effect of paraffin in the microcapsules on the cell parameters of n-octadecane is negligible. The paraff＇m is effectively used as a nucleating agent to decrease the degree of supercooling. The melting enthalpy is decreased from 132 J/g to 111 J/g due to the increase of the cyclohexane contents. The thermal stable temperature is enhanced 6 - 16℃ after heat-treated the microcapsules at 160℃ for 30 min.     

Distribution and origin of high magnetic anomalies at Luobusa Ophiolite in Southern Tibet

The Luobusa Ophiolite,Southern Tibet,lies in the eastern portion of Indus–Yarlung Zangbo suture zone that separates Eurasia from the Indian continent.An aeromagnetic reconnaissance survey has revealed an EWtrending Yarlung Zangbo River aeromagnetic anomaly zone,and it is considered to be caused mainly by the Indus–Yarlung Zangbo Ophiolite.The Luobusa Ophiolite reflects the eastern portion of the Yarlung Zangbo River aeromagnetic anomaly zone.Conventionally,the ultramafic rock in the Luobusa Ophiolite is considered as the origin of the high magnetic anomalies.However,results from the surface magnetic survey and the magnetic susceptibility measurements from drill cores indicate that the high magnetic anomalies are distributed inhomogeneously in the Luobusa Ophiolite.In some cases,the susceptibility exhibits more than 30 times difference between two sides of the same sample.A fact emerged that the susceptibility of dunite with serpentinization is higher than that of fresh dunite,harzburgite and chromite when we analyzed the measurement results.In order to understand the origin of the high magnetic anomalies,we measured the density and susceptibility of 17 samples,microscopic and electron probe analyses have been performed as well.The result indicates the presence of dunite with serpentinization containing an abundant of micro-fissures filled with magnetite.Olivine has a susceptibility of about 2.7–351(910-5SI),pyroxene about 16–320,and chromite about200–800.All these units feature relatively low susceptibility in ultramafic rock,and only the magnetite is characterized by a high susceptibility of about 200,000(910-5SI).Based on these observations,we conclude that the precipitation of magnetite in the process of serpentinization of the olivine caused by the geological process in the Luobusa Ophiolite is the origin of high magnetic anomalies.     

Thermoelectric properties of Al substituted misfit cobaltite Ca3（Co1-xAlx）4O9 at low temperature

Thermoelectric properties of Al substituted compounds Ca3（Co1-xAlx）4O9 （x=0, 0.03, 0.05）, prepared by a sol-gel process, have been investigated in the temperature range 305-20 K. The results indicate that after Al substitution for Co in Ca3（Co1-xAlx）4O9, the direct current electrical resistivity and thermopower increase due to the reduction of carrier concentration. Experiments show that Al substitution results in decreased lattice thermal conductivity. The figure of merit of temperature behavior suggests that Ca3（Co0.97Al0.03）4O9 would be a promising candidate thermoelectric material for high-temperature thermoelectric application.     

Equilibrium between titanium ions and high-purity titanium electrorefining in a NaCl-KCl melt

TiCl_x (x = 2.17) was prepared by using titanium sponge to reduce the concentration of TiCl₄ in a NaCl-KCl melt under negative pressure. The as-prepared NaCl-KCl-TiCl_x melt was employed as the electrolyte, and two parallel crude titanium plates and one high-purity titanium plate were used as the anode and cathode, respectively. A series of electrochemical tests were performed to investigate the influence of electrolytic parameters on the current efficiency and quality of cathodic products. The results indicated that the quality of cathodic products was related to the current efficiency, which is significantly dependent on the current density and the initial concentration of titanium ions. The significance of this study is the attainment of high-purity titanium with a low oxygen content of 30×10-6.     

A 14.5Gb/s word alignment circuit in 0.18μm CMOS technology for high-speed SerDes

This paper presents a word alignment circuit for high speed SerDes system.By using pipeline structure and circuit optimization techniques,the speed of the aligner is increased,and its performance is improved further through adopting the full custom design method.The proposed word aligner has fabricated in 0.18μm CMOS technology with total area of 1.075 ×0.775mm~2￣ including I/O pad.Measurement results show that this circuit achieves the maximum data rate of 14.5Gb/s,while consuming a total power of 34.9mW from a 1.8V supply.     

Research and Practice of Dynamic Network Security Architecture for IaaS Platforms

Network security requirements based on virtual network technologies in IaaS platforms and corresponding solutions were reviewed.A dynamic network security architecture was proposed,which was built on the technologies of software defined networking,Virtual Machine(VM)traffic redirection,network policy unified management,software defined isolation networks,vulnerability scanning,and software updates.The proposed architecture was able to obtain the capacity for detection and access control for VM traffic by redirecting it to configurable security appliances,and ensured the effectiveness of network policies in the total life cycle of the VM by configuring the policies to the right place at the appropriate time,according to the impacts of VM state transitions.The virtual isolation domains for tenants’VMs could be built flexibly based on VLAN policies or Netfilter/Iptables firewall appliances,and vulnerability scanning as a service and software update as a service were both provided as security supports.Through cooperation with IDS appliances and automatic alarm mechanisms,the proposed architecture could dynamically mitigate a wide range of network-based attacks.The experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed architecture.     

Thermodynamic analysis of the compositional control of inclusions in cutting-wire steel

Data from a thermodynamic database and the calculation software FactSage were used to investigate the phase diagrams of the MnO-CaO-SiO₂-Al₂O₃ system in cutting-wire steel and the effects of oxide components on the low-melting-point (LMP) zone in the corresponding phase diagrams. Furthermore, the activities of oxide components in the quaternary system at an Al₂O₃ content of 25wt% were calculated. The contents of dissolved [Al] and [O] in liquid steel in equilibrium with LMP inclusions in the MnO-CaO-SiO₂-Al₂O₃ system were optimized. The results show that the MnO-CaO-SiO₂-Al₂O₃ system possesses the largest LMP zone (below 1400°C) at an Al₂O₃ content of 25wt% and that the CaO content should be simultaneously controlled in the range of 40wt% to 45wt%. The activities of the oxide components CaO, MnO, and SiO₂ should be restricted in the ranges of 0 to 0.05, 0.01 to 0.6, and 0.001 to 0.8, respectively. To obtain LMP inclusions, the [Al] and [O] contents in cutting-wire steel must be controlled within the ranges of 0.5×10-6 to 1.0×10-5 and 3.0×10-6 to 5.0×10-5, respectively.     

Impact of gamma radiation and salinity on growth and K^＋/Na^＋ balance in two populations of Medicago sativa （L.） cultivar Gabbs

The perennial Medicago sativa cv. Gabes is widely grown on saline soils in Tunisian oases. Morphological and physiological analyses of two populations （Mareth and Gannouch） were conducted in order to study the effect of salinity and gamma radiation （350 Gy） interaction on two populations of this species. It has been shown that the two irradiated populations of Medicago sativa are fairly tolerant to salt at growth phase compared to the non-irradiated. Exposure to gamma irradiation （350 Gy）, alone or in combination with salt stress, increased significantly （p 〈 0.001） shoot number, stem height and chlorophyll b pigment especially for the Gannouch population, while no change occurred for the Mareth population. The presence of salt to 9 g/1 affected significantly the root biomass and induced a reduction of shoot development of both control and irradiated alfalfa populations. For all treatments, plants of two populations remained able to produce and to allocate dry matter to the different organs. The survey of Na^＋/K^＋ ratio showed that the growth of the aerial organs of two non-irradiated populations was at least determined by a selectivity in favour of the K^＋ ions （r^2 = 0.97 and r^2 = 0.59 for Mareth and Gannouch non-irradiated populations, respectively）. However, the rather weak correlation detected for the irradiated populations, particularly for the irradiated Gannouch, seems to be the consequence of the effect of irradiation that improved potassium availability, essential element for growth and development. Results also showed that the two irradiated populations, especially the Mareth, accumulated Na^＋ ions in its photosynthetic organs. This accumulation was associated with an improvement of foliar water content at a level of salinity around 5 g/1. Such a mechanism reflects probably an inclusive behaviour of the plants and a good aptitude to use the dominant ions （Na^＋） for the osmotic adjustment. However, the non-irradiated populations are unable to adjust their internal os     

Effects of elevation on spring phenological sensitivity to temperature in Tibetan Plateau grasslands

Vegetation phenology is an important indicator of climate change impacts on the seasonal dynamics of the biosphere. However, little is known about the influence of elevation on spring phenological sensitivity to temperature in an alpine ecosystem. Based on remotely sensed land surface phenology and temperature data from 2001 to 2010, this study investigated the rate of spring phenological change of the Tibetan Plateau （TP） grasslands in response to interannual temperature variations at different elevations. Results suggest that spring phenology in the TP grasslands exhibits a stronger response to changes in temperature at higher elevations than at lower ones. In particular, spring phenology advanced by 1-2 days in response to a 1 ℃ increase in May average temperature at elevations from 3,000 to 3,500 m, while the rate was up to 8-9 days/℃ at 5,000-5,500 m. Analysis using accumulated growing degree days （AGDD） from January 1 through May 31 showed the same general trend with increased elevation associated with increased sensitivity （as measured by phenological change per unit of AGDD change）. Such temperature sensitivity gradients in the TP grasslands could be partly explained by the growth efficiency hypothesis which suggests that vegetation adapted to colder climates likely requires less heat energy for the onset of growing season and vice versa in warmer climates. Furthermore, accumulated growing degree days from January 1 to the greenup date were found to decrease with increasing elevations, which provided evidence to support the applicability of the growth efficiency hypothesis in an alpine grassland ecosystem.