Using e-Learning to Aid Technical Uptake of Goat-Based Technologies by Small Livestock Producers in the Philippines

The improvement of goat raising in the Philippines by achieving a stable supply of good quality breeders and highly uniform slaughter goats by 2020 is the aim of an Industry Strategic Plan. While a number of ways of promoting science-based technology have been offered to farmers, countless small to medium-scale farmers are almost impossible to reach. Online FLS or e-learning courses on goats have been developed where learners can take the courses from any place, at their own pace, and in their own convenient time. Internet cafes are available throughout the Philippines, where goat raisers are able to access the e-learning, as well as many homes and offices are equipped with wifi, facilitating access. Although no formal impact evaluation of the effect of the courses on the lives of these learners has been done to date, the emails and messages of the graduates to the development team can attest to the fit of the topics and their satisfaction over the courses

Classical integrability in the BTZ black hole

Using the fact the BTZ black hole is a quotient of AdS_3 we show that classical string propagation in the BTZ background is integrable. We construct the flat connection and its monodromy matrix which generates the non-local charges. From examining the general behaviour of the eigen values of the monodromy matrix we determine the set of integral equations which constrain them. These equations imply that each classical solution is characterized by a density function in the complex plane. For classical solutions which correspond to geodesics and winding strings we solve for the eigen values of the monodromy matrix explicitly and show that geodesics correspond to zero density in the complex plane. We solve the integral equations for BMN and magnon like solutions and obtain their dispersion relation. Finally we show that the set of integral equations which constrain the eigen values of the monodromy matrix can be identified with the continuum limit of the Bethe equations of a twisted SL(2, R) spin chain at one loop.Comment: 45 pages, Reference added, typos corrected, discussion on geodesics improved to include all geodesic

Two-dimensional quantum-corrected black hole in a finite size cavity

We consider the gravitation-dilaton theory (not necessarily exactly solvable), whose potentials represent a generic linear combination of an exponential and linear functions of the dilaton. A black hole, arising in such theories, is supposed to be enclosed in a cavity, where it attains thermal equilibrium, whereas outside the cavity the field is in the Boulware state. We calculate quantum corrections to the Hawking temperature $T_{H}$, with the contribution from the boundary taken into account. Vacuum polarization outside the shell tend to cool the system. We find that, for the shell to be in the thermal equilibrium, it cannot be placed too close to the horizon. The quantum corrections to the mass due to vacuum polarization vanish in spite of non-zero quantum stresses. We discuss also the canonical boundary conditions and show that accounting for the finiteness of the system plays a crucial role in some theories (e.g., CGHS), where it enables to define the stable canonical ensemble, whereas consideration in an infinite space would predict instability.Comment: 21 pages. In v.2 misprints corrected. To appear in Phys. Rev.

Exclusion of Class III malocclusion candidate loci in Brazilian families

The role played by genetic components in the etiology of the Class III phenotype, a class of dental malocclusion, is not yet understood. Regions that may be related to the development of Class III malocclusion have been suggested previously. The aim of this study was to search for genetic linkage with 6 microsatellite markers (D1S234, D4S3038, D6S1689, D7S503, D10S1483, and D19S566), near previously proposed candidate regions for Class III. We performed a two-point parametric linkage analysis for 42 affected individuals from 10 Brazilian families with a positive Class III malocclusion segregation. Analysis of our data indicated that there was no evidence for linkage of any of the 6 microsatellite markers to a Class III locus at = zero, with data supporting exclusion for 5 of the 6 markers evaluated. The present work reinforces that Class III is likely to demonstrate locus heterogeneity, and there is a dependency of the genetic background of the population in linkage studies

Realistic Standard Model Fermion Mass Relations in Generalized Minimal Supergravity (GmSUGRA)

Grand Unified Theories (GUTs) usually predict wrong Standard Model (SM) fermion mass relation m_e/m_{\mu} = m_d/m_s toward low energies. To solve this problem, we consider the Generalized Minimal Supergravity (GmSUGRA) models, which are GUTs with gravity mediated supersymmetry breaking and higher dimensional operators. Introducing non-renormalizable terms in the super- and K\"ahler potentials, we can obtain the correct SM fermion mass relations in the SU(5) model with GUT Higgs fields in the {\bf 24} and {\bf 75} representations, and in the SO(10) model. In the latter case the gauge symmetry is broken down to SU(3)_C X SU(2)_L X SU(2)_R X U(1)_{B-L}, to flipped SU(5)X U(1)_X, or to SU(3)_C X SU(2)_L X U(1)_1 X U(1)_2. Especially, for the first time we generate the realistic SM fermion mass relation in GUTs by considering the high-dimensional operators in the K\"ahler potential.Comment: JHEP style, 29 pages, no figure,references adde

Hmong Adults Self-Rated Oral Health: A Pilot Study

Since 1975, the Hmong refugee population in the U.S. has increased over 200%. However, little is known about their dental needs or self-rated oral health (SROH). The study aims were to: (1) describe the SROH, self-rated general health (SRGH), and use of dental/physician services; and (2) identify the factors associated with SROH among Hmong adults. A cross-sectional study design with locating sampling methodology was used. Oral health questionnaire was administered to assess SROH and SRGH, past dental and physician visits, and language preference. One hundred twenty adults aged 18–50+ were recruited and 118 had useable information. Of these, 49% rated their oral health as poor/fair and 30% rated their general health as poor/fair. Thirty-nine percent reported that they did not have a regular source of dental care, 46% rated their access to dental care as poor/fair, 43% visited a dentist and 66% visited a physician within the past 12 months. Bivariate analyses demonstrated that access to dental care, past dental visits, age and SRGH were significantly associated with SROH (P \u3c 0.05). Multivariate analyses demonstrated a strong association between access to dental care and good/excellent SROH. About half of Hmong adults rated their oral health and access to dental care as poor. Dental insurance, access to dental care, past preventive dental/physician visits and SRGH were associated with SROH

On two superintegrable nonlinear oscillators in N dimensions

We consider the classical superintegrable Hamiltonian system given by $H=T+U={p^2}/{2(1+\lambda q^2)}+{{\omega}^2 q^2}/{2(1+\lambda q^2)}$, where U is known to be the "intrinsic" oscillator potential on the Darboux spaces of nonconstant curvature determined by the kinetic energy term T and parametrized by {\lambda}. We show that H is Stackel equivalent to the free Euclidean motion, a fact that directly provides a curved Fradkin tensor of constants of motion for H. Furthermore, we analyze in terms of {\lambda} the three different underlying manifolds whose geodesic motion is provided by T. As a consequence, we find that H comprises three different nonlinear physical models that, by constructing their radial effective potentials, are shown to be two different nonlinear oscillators and an infinite barrier potential. The quantization of these two oscillators and its connection with spherical confinement models is briefly discussed.Comment: 11 pages; based on the contribution to the Manolo Gadella Fest-60 years-in-pucelandia, "Recent advances in time-asymmetric quantum mechanics, quantization and related topics" hold in Valladolid (Spain), 14-16th july 201

Semiconductor Noise

Contains reports on two research projects

Flavor Violating Higgs Decays

We study a class of nonstandard interactions of the newly discovered 125 GeV Higgs-like resonance that are especially interesting probes of new physics: flavor violating Higgs couplings to leptons and quarks. These interaction can arise in many frameworks of new physics at the electroweak scale such as two Higgs doublet models, extra dimensions, or models of compositeness. We rederive constraints on flavor violating Higgs couplings using data on rare decays, electric and magnetic dipole moments, and meson oscillations. We confirm that flavor violating Higgs boson decays to leptons can be sizeable with, e.g., h -> tau mu and h -> tau e branching ratios of order 10% perfectly allowed by low energy constraints. We estimate the current LHC limits on h -> tau mu and h -> tau e decays by recasting existing searches for the SM Higgs in the tau-tau channel and find that these bounds are already stronger than those from rare tau decays. We also show that these limits can be improved significantly with dedicated searches and we outline a possible search strategy. Flavor violating Higgs decays therefore present an opportunity for discovery of new physics which in some cases may be easier to access experimentally than flavor conserving deviations from the Standard Model Higgs framework.Comment: 39 pages, 12 figures, 3 tables; v2: Improved referencing, updated mu -> 3e bounds to include large loop contributions, corrected single top constraints; conclusions unchanged; matches version to be published in JHEP; v3: included 2-loop contributions in mu -> e conversion, improved discussion of tau -> 3 mu and of EDM constraints on FV top-Higgs couplings; conclusions unchange