In-medium effects on chiral condensate through holography

The behavior of chiral condensate in a hot and dense medium is investigated within a phenomenological approach inspired by the AdS/CFT correspondence. We find that it decreases when temperature and/or chemical potential are increased, and it vanishes at some critical values. The locus of such critical points is also drawn and discussed.Comment: Contribution to the conference QCD@Work - International Workshop on QCD - Theory and Experiment, 18-21 June 2012, Lecce - Italy 5 pages, 3 figure

Electron relaxation times and resistivity in metallic nanowires due to tilted grain boundary planes

We calculate the resistivity contribution of tilted grain boundaries with varying parameters in sub-10nm diameter metallic nanowires. The results have been obtained with the Boltzmann transport equation and Fermi's golden rule, retrieving correct state-dependent relaxation times. The standard approximation schemes for the relaxation times are shown to fail when grain boundary tilt is considered. Grain boundaries tilted under the same angle or randomly tilted induce a resistivity decrease.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures in 2015 Joint International EUROSOI Workshop and International Conference on Ultimate Integration on Silicon (EUROSOI-ULIS

Counterflow Extension for the F.A.S.T.-Model

The F.A.S.T. (Floor field and Agent based Simulation Tool) model is a microscopic model of pedestrian dynamics, which is discrete in space and time. It was developed in a number of more or less consecutive steps from a simple CA model. This contribution is a summary of a study on an extension of the F.A.S.T-model for counterflow situations. The extensions will be explained and it will be shown that the extended F.A.S.T.-model is capable of handling various counterflow situations and to reproduce the well known lane formation effect.Comment: Contribution to Crowds and Cellular Automata Workshop 2008. Accepted for publication in "Cellular Automata -- 8th International Conference on Cellular Automata for Research and Industry, ACRI 2008, Yokohama, Japan, September 23-26, Springer 2008, Proceedings

Dynamical equilibration in strongly-interacting parton-hadron matter

We study the kinetic and chemical equilibration in 'infinite' parton-hadron matter within the Parton-Hadron-String Dynamics transport approach, which is based on a dynamical quasiparticle model for partons matched to reproduce lattice-QCD results - including the partonic equation of state - in thermodynamic equilibrium. The 'infinite' matter is simulated within a cubic box with periodic boundary conditions initialized at different baryon density (or chemical potential) and energy density. The transition from initially pure partonic matter to hadronic degrees of freedom (or vice versa) occurs dynamically by interactions. Different thermodynamical distributions of the strongly-interacting quark-gluon plasma (sQGP) are addressed and discussed.Comment: Contribution to the proceedings of the International Workshop on Hot and Cold Baryonic Matter, 15-20 August 2010, Budapest, Hungary, to be published in EPJ Web of Conference

Incentive Systems in Multi-Level Markets for Virtual Goods

As an alternative to rigid DRM measures, ways of marketing virtual goods through multi-level or networked marketing have raised some interest. This report is a first approach to multi-level markets for virtual goods from the viewpoint of theoretical economy. A generic, kinematic model for the monetary flow in multi-level markets, which quantitatively describes the incentives that buyers receive through resales revenues, is devised. Building on it, the competition of goods is examined in a dynamical, utility-theoretic model enabling, in particular, a treatment of the free-rider problem. The most important implications for the design of multi-level market mechanisms for virtual goods, or multi-level incentive management systems, are outlined.Comment: 18 pages, 5 figures; graphics with reduced resolution. Full resolution available on author's homepage. Accepted contribution to the Workshop 'Virtual Goods' at the Conference AXMEDIS 2005, 30. November - 2. December, Florence, Ital

Summary of the First Workshop on Sustainable Software for Science: Practice and Experiences (WSSSPE1)

Challenges related to development, deployment, and maintenance of reusable software for science are becoming a growing concern. Many scientists’ research increasingly depends on the quality and availability of software upon which their works are built. To highlight some of these issues and share experiences, the First Workshop on Sustainable Software for Science: Practice and Experiences (WSSSPE1) was held in November 2013 in conjunction with the SC13 Conference. The workshop featured keynote presentations and a large number (54) of solicited extended abstracts that were grouped into three themes and presented via panels. A set of collaborative notes of the presentations and discussion was taken during the workshop. Unique perspectives were captured about issues such as comprehensive documentation, development and deployment practices, software licenses and career paths for developers. Attribution systems that account for evidence of software contribution and impact were also discussed. These include mechanisms such as Digital Object Identifiers, publication of “software papers”, and the use of online systems, for example source code repositories like GitHub. This paper summarizes the issues and shared experiences that were discussed, including cross-cutting issues and use cases. It joins a nascent literature seeking to understand what drives software work in science, and how it is impacted by the reward systems of science. These incentives can determine the extent to which developers are motivated to build software for the long-term, for the use of others, and whether to work collaboratively or separately. It also explores community building, leadership, and dynamics in relation to successful scientific software

Exploring and enhancing wellbeing through therapeutic photography. [Blog post]

In this contribution to The Polyphony blog, Neil Gibson reflects on therapeutic photography and self-esteem. Photography can be a catalyst for communication. When we engage with our own photographs, we are reminded of times gone by, significant moments, fleeting experiences, or the routine of everyday existence. Drill deeper, and we get a sense of who we are, what is important to us, and we can use the power of creativity to express ourselves. These reflections are based on a workshop delivered at the June 2023 Scottish Medical Humanities Conference