Quantum states to brane geometries via fuzzy moduli spaces of giant gravitons

Eighth-BPS local operators in N=4 SYM are dual to quantum states arising from the quantization of a moduli space of giant gravitons in AdS5xS5. Earlier results on the quantization of this moduli space give a Hilbert space of multiple harmonic oscillators in 3 dimensions. We use these results, along with techniques from fuzzy geometry, to develop a map between quantum states and brane geometries. In particular there is a map between the oscillator states and points in a discretization of the base space in the toric fibration of the moduli space. We obtain a geometrical decomposition of the space of BPS states with labels consisting of U(3) representations along with U(N) Young diagrams and associated group theoretic multiplicities. Factorization properties in the counting of BPS states lead to predictions for BPS world-volume excitations of specific brane geometries. Some of our results suggest an intriguing complementarity between localisation in the moduli space of branes and localisation in space-time.Comment: 69 pages, 6 figures. v2: references adde

Team reasoning and a measure of mutual advantage in games

The game theoretic notion of best-response reasoning is sometimes criticized when its application produces multiple solutions of games, some of which seem less compelling than others. The recent development of the theory of team reasoning addresses this by suggesting that interacting players in games may sometimes reason as members of a team – a group of individuals who act together in the attainment of some common goal. A number of properties have been suggested for team-reasoning decision-makers’ goals to satisfy, but a few formal representations have been discussed. In this paper we suggest a possible representation of these goals based on the notion of mutual advantage. We propose a method for measuring extents of individual and mutual advantage to the interacting decision-makers, and define team interests as the attainment of outcomes associated with maximum mutual advantage in the games they play

Environmental Process Control: Strategies and Implementation

The structure and mathematical presentation of the optimal strategy for environmental process control is presented. This approach covers a wide variety of control systems, which have been constructed and analysed at the Institute of Environmental Engineering during the last fifteen years. Special attention is paid to the preventive environmental control and its tools: pollution prevention, life cycle assessment. The implementation results of preventive environmental control from more than 150 companies are presented in the paper.The investigations on water quality control issues are evaluated from the point of view of the interface between physico-ecological and socio-economical systems and decision support system based on river water quality model is suggested

Knowledge exchange in hybrid communities: a social capital-based approach. Evidence from Latvia

The role of ICT accessibility in enhancing regional innovation through knowledge and information exchange is a recently popular and controversial topic in regional science. Opposing views exist, related to the bigger or lesser importance of geographical proximity in knowledge exchange in an age dominated by virtual global channels. Existing studies primarily focus on regions (macro level) as units of analysis, without investigating socio-cognitive dynamics in detail, and rely on doubtful epistemological assumptions (i.e. the equation of information with knowledge). It may be hypothesized that the debate would benefit from: a) analyses focused on the micro (individual) level; b) a more complex formalization of social dynamics, by means of adequate sociological frameworks; and c) a deeper reflection on the nature of cognitive factors at stake. The present paper is aimed at investigating the effectiveness of physical (geographical) and virtual communities on information and knowledge sharing and enrichment in the republic of Latvia. Which kind of links – physical or virtual ones – are more efficient and psychologically real and important is additionally analyzed. The theoretical framework draws on social and cognitive science, combining social capital theory and cognitively oriented semantics. The theoretical model to be tested empirically relies on a complex taxonomy of social capital and a complex epistemology of shareable knowledge. The former takes into account both physical / virtual structural (network) assets and social resources which are embedded in such networks; the latter encompasses relevant dichotomies in applied epistemology history (description / experience; information / belief). Causal links between social capital dimensions (related to physical / virtual channels) and forms of knowledge are hypothesized. The empirical analysis is based on a methodological approach relying on advanced econometrics (structural equation modelling), able to encompass both measurement problems related to the intangible nature of variables under exam, and an assessment of complex cause-effect dynamics. The analysis, which is carried out at the individual level, helps to compare the effect of physical vs virtual networks in enhancing social resources and hence knowledge exchange and enrichment. The obtained results are tested against control variables accounting for social and cultural differences within the national community, in order to verify the sensitivity of results according to intra-society gaps. Such clusters are identified on the basis of considerations related to community and identity views among the citizenship

Institutions, Civil Society, Trust and Quality of Life: A Social Capital- And Social Identity-Based Approach. Evidence from the Russian Federation

Many scholars, since the early 2000s, advocate for the integration of institutionalist and communitarian views of social capital generation in order to explain civil society dynamics, in particular in countries ? such as former communist states - characterized by transitional processes, with a relevant impact on the structure of societies, and by peculiar features of social networking. According to such a view, the civil society is the resultant of a combination of factors related to the social structure of the social community and the institutional environment, and the ways in which such levels interact. This view is, in a broader sense, an attempt at investigating in a more effective way the way in which social assets in society are generated, and their relation with socio-economic and sustainable development. However, attempted empirical analysis on the basis of such an approach have been mainly carried out at macro level, this way overlooking, to a large extent, the individual determinants of social capital and civic engagement, and the interplay of perceptions of community and institutions and social attitudes. The present paper is an attempt at conciliating the institutionalist and communitarian frameworks through a micro level-focused model, able to investigate the linkage between institutional climate and civic engagement and trust with the support of social psychology theories (in particular, social identity theory). In detail, the proposed approach emphasizes the linkages existing between perceptions of institutional behaviour and civil society empowerment on the one hand, and individual engagement and trust in the society and civil identity on the other; it also focuses on the way in which perceptions and attitudes are related to quality of life (measured in terms of well-being and job-related satisfaction). The analysis is based on over 2000 observations from two macrodistricts of the Russian Federation (Central and North Caucasus okrugs) and over 1000 from the Republic of Latvia. The proposed model investigates the possible causal chain existing between perceptions of civil society empowerment, trust towards institutions, civic engagement, trust and tolerance in the society, and quality of life perception, through a structural equation modelling-based quantitative approach for ordinal variables. Socio-demographic and socio-cultural features (e.g. ethno-religious self-identification, level of education, political affiliation, profession) are accounted for as control variables