Supersymmetric QCD and noncommutative geometry

We derive supersymmetric quantum chromodynamics from a noncommutative manifold, using the spectral action principle of Chamseddine and Connes. After a review of the Einstein-Yang-Mills system in noncommutative geometry, we establish in full detail that it possesses supersymmetry. This noncommutative model is then extended to give a theory of quarks, squarks, gluons and gluinos by constructing a suitable noncommutative spin manifold (i.e. a spectral triple). The particles are found at their natural place in a spectral triple: the quarks and gluinos as fermions in the Hilbert space, the gluons and squarks as bosons as the inner fluctuations of a (generalized) Dirac operator by the algebra of matrix-valued functions on a manifold. The spectral action principle applied to this spectral triple gives the Lagrangian of supersymmetric QCD, including soft supersymmetry breaking mass terms for the squarks. We find that these results are in good agreement with the physics literature

Fundamental analysis of the failure of polymer-based fiber reinforced composites

A mathematical model is described which will permit predictions of the strength of fiber reinforced composites containing known flaws to be made from the basic properties of their constituents. The approach was to embed a local heterogeneous region (LHR) surrounding the crack tip into an anisotropic elastic continuum. The model should (1) permit an explicit analysis of the micromechanical processes involved in the fracture process, and (2) remain simple enough to be useful in practical computations. Computations for arbitrary flaw size and orientation under arbitrary applied load combinations were performed from unidirectional composites with linear elastic-brittle constituent behavior. The mechanical properties were nominally those of graphite epoxy. With the rupture properties arbitrarily varied to test the capability of the model to reflect real fracture modes in fiber composites, it was shown that fiber breakage, matrix crazing, crack bridging, matrix-fiber debonding, and axial splitting can all occur during a period of (gradually) increasing load prior to catastrophic fracture. The computations reveal qualitatively the sequential nature of the stable crack process that precedes fracture

Characterization of hemodialysis membranes by inverse size exclusion chromatography

Inverse size exclusion chromatography (i-SEC) was used to characterize three different cellulosic hollow fiber hemodialysis membranes, i.e. low-flux cuprophan and hemophan and high-flux RC-HP400A. With the i-SEC technique the pore size distribution and porosity of a membrane can be determined and adsorption phenomena can be studied. The membranes showed clear differences in pore size and porosity, the high-flux RC-HP400A membrane has a larger pore size as well as a higher porosity. For all the membranes it was found that the elution curves were best described by a homoporous pore volume distribution. It appeared that the bound or non-freezing water in the membranes was at least partly accessible to solutes. The test molecules creatinine and vitamin B 12 both adsorbed to the cellulosic membranes. The adsorption behavior of creatinine was strongly dependent on the NaCl concentration present. The observations could be explained by assuming that cuprophan and RC-HP400A are negatively charged whereas hemophan is positively charged due to the modification with N,N-diethylaminoethyl ether. The net charge of the hemophan is smaller

Cervical articular process joint osteochondrosis in Warmblood foals

Background: In Warmblood horses, degenerative joint disease is involved in cervical malformation and malarticulation (CVM). The degree of contribution of articular process joint (APJ) osteochondrosis (OC) is not clear. Objectives: (a) To explore the presence of predilection sites for APJ OC in cervical and cranial thoracic vertebral columns of Warmblood foals and (b) to examine the correlation of such a site with the predilection site of CVM. Study design: Case series. Methods: Seven hundred APJ facets of C2 to T2 of 29 foals (11 months gestation to 12 months [median age 7 days; range 365 days; 95% confidence interval [95% CI] 2-47 days]) were examined for OC and prevalence between joints, and the predilection site for CVM and the cranial cervical vertebral column were evaluated. Results: About 20.6% of facets revealed OC. There was no predilection site. Prevalence decreased with age up to 1 year (odds ratio [OR] 0.997; (95% CI 0.975-0.998)) but not up to 5 months. Severity increased with age in all age ranges (up to 1 year OR 1.023; 95% CI 1.005-1.049; >1-5 months, OR 1.203; 95% CI 1.014e+00-1.921; up to 1 month, OR 1.114; 95% CI 1.041-1.228). Highest prevalence was in cranial facets of the cervical and cervical-thoracic joints and in caudal facets of the thoracic joint up to 1 year and up to 1 month (OR 0.364; 95% CI 0.170-0.745, OR 0.434; 95% CI: 0.235-0.782, OR 7.665; 95% CI: 1.615-66.553 and OR 0.400; 95% CI 0.170-0.880, OR 0.351; 95% CI 0.172-0.700, OR 5.317; 95% CI 1.098-44.344 respectively). Main limitations: Two-thirds of the foals were less than 1 month of age. Conclusions: Articular process joint OC in Warmblood foals is common and is not more prevalent at CVM predilection sites, suggesting that abnormalities of enchondral ossification may not be major contributors to CVM

"Песня караульного у тюрмы" Тараса Шевченка та її прототексти

This paper briefly illustrates a method to represent national energy systems and the geographical details of CCS infrastructures in the same technical-economic model. In the MARKAL-TIMES modeling framework a model of Morocco, Portugal and Spain with both spatial and temporal details has been implemented. As a function of assumptions on the development to 2050 of mitigation levels, economic growth and CO2 capture-transport storage characteristics, dozens of scenarios were prepared with the TIMES-COMET model. A few results on optimal levels of CCS contribution to mitigation compared to other energy system options are presented. The results also indicate the least cost lay out of the main capture, transport and storage infrastructures. It is concluded that the availability of CCS after 2020 will reduce the cost of mitigation in the Iberian Peninsula as soon as the EU GHG emissions reduction targets become more stringent than decided so far

Prerequisites for Affective Signal Processing (ASP) - Part V: A response to comments and suggestions

In four papers, a set of eleven prerequisites for affective signal processing (ASP) were identified (van den Broek et al., 2010): validation, triangulation, a physiology-driven approach, contributions of the signal processing community, identification of users, theoretical specification, integration of biosignals, physical characteristics, historical perspective, temporal construction, and real-world baselines. Additionally, a review (in two parts) of affective computing was provided. Initiated by the reactions on these four papers, we now present: i) an extension of the review, ii) a post-hoc analysis based on the eleven prerequisites of Picard et al.(2001), and iii) a more detailed discussion and illustrations of temporal aspects with ASP

Near-Infrared and Star-forming properties of Local Luminous Infrared Galaxies

We use HST NICMOS continuum and Pa-alpha observations to study the near-infrared and star-formation properties of a representative sample of 30 local (d ~ 35-75Mpc) luminous infrared galaxies (LIRGs, infrared 8-1000um luminosities of L_IR=11-11.9[Lsun]). The data provide spatial resolutions of 25-50pc and cover the central ~3.3-7.1kpc regions of these galaxies. About half of the LIRGs show compact (~1-2kpc) Pa-alpha emission with a high surface brightness in the form of nuclear emission, rings, and mini-spirals. The rest of the sample show Pa-alpha emission along the disk and the spiral arms extending over scales of 3-7kpc and larger. About half of the sample contains HII regions with H-alpha luminosities significantly higher than those observed in normal galaxies. There is a linear empirical relationship between the mid-IR 24um and hydrogen recombination (extinction-corrected Pa-alpha) luminosity for these LIRGs, and the HII regions in the central part of M51. This relation holds over more than four decades in luminosity suggesting that the mid-IR emission is a good tracer of the star formation rate (SFR). Analogous to the widely used relation between the SFR and total IR luminosity of Kennicutt (1998), we derive an empirical calibration of the SFR in terms of the monochromatic 24um luminosity that can be used for luminous, dusty galaxies.Comment: Accepted for publication in ApJ. Contact first author for high qualitity version of figure