Functional Approach to Classical Yang-Mills Theories

Sometime ago it was shown that the operatorial approach to classical mechanics, pioneered in the 30's by Koopman and von Neumann, can have a functional version. In this talk we will extend this functional approach to the case of classical field theories and in particular to the Yang-Mills ones. We shall show that the issues of gauge-fixing and Faddeev-Popov determinant arise also in this classical formalism.Comment: 4 pages, Contribution to the Proceedings of the International Meeting "Quantum Gravity and Spectral Geometry" (Naples, July 2-7, 2001

A decision support system for road safety analysis

The aim of this paper is to develop a procedure for supporting public administrations in planning safety interventions on the road network. Road safety conditions depend on several factors, represented by a variety of quantitative and qualitative data, including: number of traffic accidents, traffic flow, lane width, shoulder width, road curvature and grade, access-point density, road markings and road signs (Mooren et al., 2012; OECD, 2002). By analysing a set of given roads or different sections of the same road, each with specific safety conditions, this methodology allows to determine which sections require interventions to improve safe driving conditions. Specifically, the multicriteria analysis technique is used in decision-making processes to support the choice among different alternatives in complex problems (Fadda, 2002). Among the different multicriteria techniques available, the Concordance Analysis will be used here. This paper proposes a unique modelling tool that incorporates the different indicators to calculate safety conditions. The methodology has been applied to a real case study for evaluating road safety on sections of a motorway infrastructur

A decision support system based on Electre III for safety analysis in a suburban road network

The aim of this paper is to develop a method for supporting decision makers in transport planning. When funds are insufficient to cover the interventions required to ensure safe driving conditions, it is necessary to optimize resources for the most critical sections. In this analysis, the multicriteria ranking method based on the ELECTRE III algorithms is applied to a real case, involving different sections of a motorway. This analysis is based on a comparison of different road sections in regard to safety conditions. The rank of more critical sections identifies intervention priorities

Conformal Dynamics of 0-Branes

We investigate the dynamics of dilatonic D-dimensional 0-branes in the near-horizon regime. The theory is given in a twofold form: two-dimensional dilaton gravity and nonlinear sigma model. Using asymptotic symmetries, duality relations, and sigma model techniques we find that the theory has three conformal points which correspond to (a) the asymptotic (Anti-de Sitter) region of the two-dimensional spacetime, (b) the horizon of the black hole, and (c) the infinite limit of the coupling parameter. We show that the conformal symmetry is perturbatively preserved at one-loop, identify the corresponding conformal field theories, and calculate the associated central charges. Finally, we use the conformal field theories to explain the thermodynamical properties of the two-dimensional black holes.Comment: 22 pages, LaTex fil

Surface Heterogeneity Affects Adsorption Selectivity for CO2 Over CH4 in Bare Mesostructured Silica with 2D Hexagonal Symmetry and Different Pore Size

Mesoporous silica-based materials are used as sorbents and supports in many fields. The ordered pore architecture of MCM-41, and the absence of interconnections, make it suitable as a model system. The surface is natively functionalized by many silanol groups, endowing the material with a polar surface to directly interact with the target species or to mount additional functional groups. Either bare or functionalized, surface silanol arrangement is crucial to material performance. In the case of CO2 capture with amine-functionalized silica, silanol groups are responsible for fundamental H-bonds during chemisorption, but they also modulate the effect and weight of humidity on the material performance. In addition, the silanol groups can also tune the weight of physisorption over chemisorption. The relationship between these aspects and the textural features of mesostructured silica has not been addressed in detail. In this study, computer models are employed to investigate the adsorption capacity and selectivity of bare mesostructured silica with three different pore sizes. Results are rationalized in terms of silanol surface density and pore curvature. The importance of the energetic inequivalence between Q3 and Q2 sites on the silica surface is emphasized, as this causes adsorption behavior to deviate from ideality

Chiral Anomalies via Classical and Quantum Functional Methods

In the quantum path integral formulation of a field theory model an anomaly arises when the functional measure is not invariant under a symmetry transformation of the Lagrangian. In this paper, generalizing previous work done on the point particle, we show that even at the classical level we can give a path integral formulation for any field theory model. Since classical mechanics cannot be affected by anomalies, the measure of the classical path integral of a field theory must be invariant under the symmetry. The classical path integral measure contains the fields of the quantum one plus some extra auxiliary ones. So, at the classical level, there must be a sort of "cancellation" of the quantum anomaly between the original fields and the auxiliary ones. In this paper we prove in detail how this occurs for the chiral anomaly.Comment: 26 pages, Latex, misprint fixed, a dedication include

Analysis of Friction Stir Processed Surface Quality of AA2098 Aluminum Alloy for Aeronautical Applications

FSP is a relatively new technique that changes the microstructure on the surface of the material to improve mechanical properties in the desired zone. This study aimed to investigate the surface quality of AA2098 sheets after being subjected to friction stir processing under different conditions of feed rate and rotational speed. A DoE analysis was developed with two factors, feed rate and rotational speed, and three different levels of 75, 100, 125 mm/min and 1000, 1250, 1500 rpm respectively, in order to assess the processed surface quality. The Sa parameter was used to represent the surface quality in different zones of the process, near entrance tool, middle and near exit tool, and ANOVA analysis was conducted. The results indicated that only the position and feed rate have a statistical influence on surface roughness. Additionally, the surface quality is strongly affected by the position relative to the entrance of the tool and the side (retreating or advancing sides). The roughness was found to be significantly lower on the advancing side rather than on the retreating side

Discussion on “Influence of incoming wave conditions on the hysteretic behavior of an oscillating water column system for wave energy conversion” by J. Peng, C. Hu and C. Yang

Recently, Peng, Hu and Yang presented a lumped parameter model to quantify the hysteresis in Oscillating Water Column systems. We noticed that the model they presented is remarkably similar to the one we introduced in some of our previously published works. The similarity extends not only to the assumptions, derivation and methodology used to obtain an analytical solution, but even to the almost totality of the symbols chosen for the many model variables. None of the papers where we introduced the model and its solution were referenced by Peng and his coauthors, who therefore claimed for themselves the credit due to the original authors of the model. Peng and his coauthors have then applied the lumped parameter model to a test case different from the one that we had validated it on. This gives further confirmation of the validity of the model, which we feel the responsibility to reestablish the scientific property of