Equilibration of a strongly interacting plasma: holographic analysis of local and nonlocal probes

The relaxation of a strongly coupled plasma towards the hydrodynamic regime is studied by analyzing the evolution of local and nonlocal observables in the holographic approach. The system is driven in an initial anisotropic and far-from equilibrium state through an impulsive time-dependent deformation (quench) of the boundary spacetime geometry. Effective temperature and entropy density are related to the position and area of a black hole horizon, which has formed as a consequence of the distortion. The behavior of stress-energy tensor, equal-time correlation functions and Wilson loops of different shapes is examined, and a hierarchy among their thermalization times emerges: probes involving shorter length scales thermalize faster.Comment: 6 pages, 3 figures. Talk presented at "QCD@Work 2016", International Workshop on QCD, Theory and Experiment, Martina Franca (Taranto), Italy, June 27-30, 201

Exotic JPC=1−+J^{PC}=1^{-+} mesons in a holographic model of QCD

Mesons with quantum numbers $J^{PC}=1^{-+}$ cannot be represented as simple quark-antiquark pairs. We explore hybrid configurations in the light meson sector comprising a quark, an antiquark and an excited gluon, studying the properties of such states in a phenomenological model inspired by the gauge/gravity correspondence. The computed mass, compared to the experimental mass of the $1^{-+}$ candidates $\pi_1(1400)$, $\pi_1(1600)$ and $\pi_1(2015)$, favous $\pi_1(1400)$ as the lightest hybrid state. An interesting result concerns the stability of hybrid mesons at finite temperature: they disappear from the spectral function (i.e. they melt) at a lower temperature with respect to other states, light vector and scalar mesons, and scalar glueballs.Comment: 11 pages, 7 figure

Hybrid exotic mesons in soft-wall AdS/QCD

Hybrid mesons with exotic quantum numbers $J^{PC}=1^{-+}$ are examined in soft-wall AdS/QCD. The predicted mass spectrum is compared to the measured values of the candidates $\pi_1(1400)$, $\pi_1(1600)$ and $\pi_1(2015)$. Thermal effects are analysed through the spectral function in the AdS-Black Hole model, and the differences with the Hawking-Page description are discussed.Comment: LaTex, 5 pages, 2 figures. Poster presented at "QCD@Work 2014", International Workshop on QCD, Theory and Experiment, Giovinazzo (Bari), Italy, June 16-19, 2014. One reference adde

Well rounded Postdoctoral Researchers with initiative, who are not always “tied to the bench” are more successful academically

This article reports the development, application and results of a baseline investigation of contract research staff in 2007 in the Medical School at the University of Sheffield which was carried out in order to develop a specifically tailored training and career development programme and allow for future impact evaluation of the scheme. Postdoctoral researchers reported on their perceived skill levels, academic achievements, career motivations and the current research environment. Results indicated that transferable skills related to communication and awareness of the process of research (i.e. the process of acquisition of funding, commercialisation of research outputs) were lacking. Furthermore, these skills were associated with higher publication outputs, and improved with mobility between institutions at postdoctoral level. This paper also describes how the findings from the baseline evaluation were used to develop a programme to address the lower ranking skills and evaluate the impact of the programme

Razionalità limitata e regole contrattuali: promesse e problemi della nuova analisi economica del diritto

Today Behavioral Law and Economics is the most ambitious attempt to overcome one of the main limits of Law and Economics, that is the recourse to a model of rationality which is little supported by empirical evidence. However, such an attempt relies exclusively on the idea of "cognitive bias" developed by cognitive psychologists Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky. From a normative point of view, the implications of that approach are debatable. The paper proposes to look at psychological schools which show stronger links with the original notion of bounded rationality introduced by Herbert Simon. Among these schools, evolutionary psychology rejects the comparison between observed behavior and the axioms of perfect rationality and tries to find out the factors that ease, obstruct or interact with the decision-making process. The differences between the perspective of Behavioral Law and Economics and other psychological approaches are explored in the field of contract law. Moreover, additional considerations are developed on the comparison between the bounded rationality of public and private organizations and its consequences for the allocation of decision-making authority.

Renewables, Investments, and State Aids: Exploring the Legal Side of Polycentricity

The requirement to adopt minimum labour standards is now standard practice in free trade agreements negotiated by major trading powers such as the EU and US. However, such practice has historically been contested by developing countries, who contend that the requirement to increase labour and social protection standards is designed to remove one of the few competitive advantages that developing countries have over developed countries in attracting foreign investment. More recently, the EU and the US have also sought to use so-called ‘mega-regionals’ to promote labour standards. This was a significant development in that their proponents were keen to stress that these agreements would set the benchmark for labour protection provisions in FTAs, readily admitting that one of the central aims pursued by such agreements was to redefine the rules of the global trading system. The paper aims to assess the labour standards provisions included in EU and US FTAs, determine the rationale behind the inclusion of such provisions, and examine the extent to which mega-regionals such as the TTIP and the TPP marked a significant departure from past practice

Diritto europeo dei contratti e regolazione delle public utilities

The article focuses on two parallel developments, the Europeanization of contract law and the regulation of communications markets. Comparing the two sectors allows to test some hypotheses about the interaction between administrative tools e private law rules. Specific attention is paid to the changes that in the near future will be needed to build an optimal mix of regulatory instruments.