The Algebra of Non-Local Charges in Non-Linear Sigma Models

We obtain the exact Dirac algebra obeyed by the conserved non-local charges in bosonic non-linear sigma models. Part of the computation is specialized for a symmetry group $O(N)$. As it turns out the algebra corresponds to a cubic deformation of the Kac-Moody algebra. The non-linear terms are computed in closed form. In each Dirac bracket we only find highest order terms (as explained in the paper), defining a saturated algebra. We generalize the results for the presence of a Wess-Zumino term. The algebra is very similar to the previous one, containing now a calculable correction of order one unit lower.Comment: 27 pages + figures available via ftp, Plain TeX, IFUSP/P-106

A Nonliearly Dispersive Fifth Order Integrable Equation and its Hierarchy

In this paper, we study the properties of a nonlinearly dispersive integrable system of fifth order and its associated hierarchy. We describe a Lax representation for such a system which leads to two infinite series of conserved charges and two hierarchies of equations that share the same conserved charges. We construct two compatible Hamiltonian structures as well as their Casimir functionals. One of the structures has a single Casimir functional while the other has two. This allows us to extend the flows into negative order and clarifies the meaning of two different hierarchies of positive flows. We study the behavior of these systems under a hodograph transformation and show that they are related to the Kaup-Kupershmidt and the Sawada-Kotera equations under appropriate Miura transformations. We also discuss briefly some properties associated with the generalization of second, third and fourth order Lax operators.Comment: 11 pages, LaTex, version to be published in Journal of Nonlinear Mathematical Physics, has expanded discussio

Infections of the upper respiratory tract and counting of leukocytes in volleyball athletes

Submaximal and regular exercise tends to improve the immune response. On the other hand, athletes have a higher incidence of infection of the upper respiratory tract (URTI). The objective of the present study was to correlate the total episodes of URTI with the relative count of circulating neutrophils and lymphocytes in volleyball female athletes, aged 18.92±0.76 years (n=12), within the periods of training. The blood was collected at the end of the periods: Pre-competitive (M1), Competitive-I (M2) and Competitive-II (M3) and the URTI weekly. The athletes participated of 30 weeks of training and competitions. The Pearson correlation coefficient was used, p≤0.05. The results showed moderate to high correlations with 0.8 (p=0.001) and -0.76 (p=0.004) in M1; 0.68 (p=0.014) and -0.59 (p=0.042) in M2; followed by no significant correlations of 0.35 and -0.62 in M3, respectively for neutrophils and lymphocytes when coupled with URTI. The increased number of neutrophils and decreased number of lymphocytes were correlated to URTI and may be useful tools during long time training periods to prevent overload induced immunesuppression

Low-cost wearable multichannel surface EMG acquisition for prosthetic hand control

Prosthetic hand control based on the acquisition and processing of surface electromyography signals (sEMG) is a well-established method that makes use of the electric potentials evoked by the physiological contraction processes of one or more muscles. Furthermore intelligent mobile medical devices are on the brink of introducing safe and highly sophisticated systems to help a broad patient community to regain a considerable amount of life quality. The major challenges which are inherent in such integrated system’s design are mainly to be found in obtaining a compact system with a long mobile autonomy, capable of delivering the required signal requirements for EMG based prosthetic control with up to 32 simultaneous acquisition channels and – with an eye on a possible future exploitation as a medical device – a proper perspective on a low priced system. Therefore, according to these requirements we present a wireless, mobile platform for acquisition and communication of sEMG signals embedded into a complete mobile control system structure. This environment further includes a portable device such as a laptop providing the necessary computational power for the control and a commercially available robotic handprosthesis. Means of communication among those devices are based on the Bluetooth standard. We show, that the developed low cost mobile device can be used for proper prosthesis control and that the device can rely on a continuous operation for the usual daily life usage of a patient

Micro-scale investigation of carbonation process in partially serpentinized peridotites

The carbonation of ultramafic rocks is, theoretically, the most efficient reaction to trap CO2 irreversibly in the form of solid carbonates, as predicted by equilibrium thermodynamic calculations. However, the success of industrial or natural carbonation in large ultramafic aquifers or oceanic ultramafic exposures does not only rely on the thermodynamic conditions of chemical reactions, but also on their feedback effects on the reactive surface area and on the local porosity and permeability. In addition, side processes like serpentinization, redox reactions, abiotic catalytic effects, and biological activity, can be expected in such complex natural system. Their occurrence and implications on carbon speciation and carbon transfers during hydrothermal alteration of oceanic peridotites have not been explored yet and requires detailed study of natural and/or experimental carbonation zones. We have combined petrographic and electron microscopy with SIMS, Raman and FTIR microspectroscopy on partially serpentinized peridotites drilled during the IODP leg 304 (30 N, MAR) in order to characterize the mechanisms of peridotite carbonation at the fluid-mineral interface and identify the associated speciation of carbon (inorganic and organic carbon occurrences). We present first results on zones located close to talc-tremolite sheared veins in holes 1309B and D. Associations of carbonates, porous phyllosilicates and oxides are observed in close vicinity of relict olivines that underwent a previous stage of serpentinization. The olivine-carbonate interface is nanoporous which facilitates mass transfer between fluid and mineral. The phyllosilicate identified as saponite results from the metasomatic replacement, during the carbonation stage, of previously formed serpentine. These observations do not favour reaction-induced cracking but rather a transfer-controlled process in an open system. Among the submicrometric dark clusters widely-distributed in saponite and in serpentine, vibrational microspectroscopy reveals the presence of various types of organic compounds that tend to be located close to micrometric sulphides grains. Those results underline the microscale variability of carbon speciation within hydrothermally altered peridotites. The association of reduced carbon phases with the carbonation texture suggests that CO2 conversion may not be limited to solid carbonate formation in natural systems and that biological activity and/or abiotic CO2 reduction, possibly catalyzed by Ni-rich sulphides, can occur contemporaneously. This complex association of reactions has to be unravelled further to determine the respective contribution of abiotic versus biological processes and integrate them in carbon transfers modelling through the oceanic lithosphere

Monodromy Matrix in the PP-Wave Limit

We construct the monodromy matrix for a class of gauged WZWN models in the plane wave limit and discuss various properties of such systems.Comment: 16 page

Local structural studies of Ba1−x_{1-x}Kx_xFe2_2As2_2 using atomic pair distribution function analysis

Systematic local structural studies of Ba$_{1-x}$K$_x$Fe$_2$As$_2$ system are undertaken at room temperature using atomic pair distribution function (PDF) analysis. The local structure of the Ba$_{1-x}$K$_x$Fe$_2$As$_2$ is found to be well described by the long-range structure extracted from the diffraction experiments, but with anisotropic atomic vibrations of the constituent atoms ($U_{11}$ = $U_{22} \ne U_{33}$). The crystal unit cell parameters, the FeAs$_4$ tetrahedral angle and the pnictogen height above the Fe-plane are seen to show systematic evolution with K doping, underlining the importance of the structural changes, in addition to the charge doping, in determining the properties of Ba$_{1-x}$K$_x$Fe$_2$As$_2$

Topology-Induced Critical Current Enhancement in Josephson Networks

We investigate the properties of Josephson junction networks with inhomogeneous architecture. The networks are shaped as "quare comb" planar lattices on which Josephson junctions link superconducting islands arranged in the plane to generate the pertinent topology. Compared to the behavior of reference linear arrays, the temperature dependencies of the Josephson currents of the branches of the network exhibit relevant differences. The observed phenomena evidence new and surprising behavior of superconducting Josephson arrays as well as remarkable similarities with bosonic junction arrays.Comment: improved figures (added magnetic pattern and single junction switching) some changes in the text and in the titl

Non polynomial conservation law densities generated by the symmetry operators in some hydrodynamical models

New extra series of conserved densities for the polytropic gas model and nonlinear elasticity equation are obtained without any references to the recursion operator or to the Lax operator formalism. Our method based on the utilization of the symmetry operators and allows us to obtain the densities of arbitrary homogenuity dimensions. The nonpolynomial densities with logarithmics behaviour are presented as an example. The special attention is paid for the singular case $(\gamma=1)$ for which we found new non homogenious solutions expressed in terms of the elementary functions.Comment: 11 pages, 1 figur

Verification of Anderson superexchange in MnO via magnetic pair distribution function analysis and ab initio theory

We present a temperature-dependent atomic and magnetic pair distribution function (PDF) analysis of neutron total scattering measurements of antiferromagnetic MnO, an archetypal strongly correlated transition-metal oxide. The known antiferromagnetic ground-state structure fits the low-temperature data closely with refined parameters that agree with conventional techniques, confirming the reliability of the newly developed magnetic PDF method. The measurements performed in the paramagnetic phase reveal significant short-range magnetic correlations on a ∼1  nm length scale that differ substantially from the low-temperature long-range spin arrangement. Ab initio calculations using a self-interaction-corrected local spin density approximation of density functional theory predict magnetic interactions dominated by Anderson superexchange and reproduce the measured short-range magnetic correlations to a high degree of accuracy. Further calculations simulating an additional contribution from a direct exchange interaction show much worse agreement with the data. The Anderson superexchange model for MnO is thus verified by experimentation and confirmed by ab initio theory