Supersymmetric QCD and noncommutative geometry

We derive supersymmetric quantum chromodynamics from a noncommutative manifold, using the spectral action principle of Chamseddine and Connes. After a review of the Einstein-Yang-Mills system in noncommutative geometry, we establish in full detail that it possesses supersymmetry. This noncommutative model is then extended to give a theory of quarks, squarks, gluons and gluinos by constructing a suitable noncommutative spin manifold (i.e. a spectral triple). The particles are found at their natural place in a spectral triple: the quarks and gluinos as fermions in the Hilbert space, the gluons and squarks as bosons as the inner fluctuations of a (generalized) Dirac operator by the algebra of matrix-valued functions on a manifold. The spectral action principle applied to this spectral triple gives the Lagrangian of supersymmetric QCD, including soft supersymmetry breaking mass terms for the squarks. We find that these results are in good agreement with the physics literature

Fundamental analysis of the failure of polymer-based fiber reinforced composites

A mathematical model is described which will permit predictions of the strength of fiber reinforced composites containing known flaws to be made from the basic properties of their constituents. The approach was to embed a local heterogeneous region (LHR) surrounding the crack tip into an anisotropic elastic continuum. The model should (1) permit an explicit analysis of the micromechanical processes involved in the fracture process, and (2) remain simple enough to be useful in practical computations. Computations for arbitrary flaw size and orientation under arbitrary applied load combinations were performed from unidirectional composites with linear elastic-brittle constituent behavior. The mechanical properties were nominally those of graphite epoxy. With the rupture properties arbitrarily varied to test the capability of the model to reflect real fracture modes in fiber composites, it was shown that fiber breakage, matrix crazing, crack bridging, matrix-fiber debonding, and axial splitting can all occur during a period of (gradually) increasing load prior to catastrophic fracture. The computations reveal qualitatively the sequential nature of the stable crack process that precedes fracture

Characterization of hemodialysis membranes by inverse size exclusion chromatography

Inverse size exclusion chromatography (i-SEC) was used to characterize three different cellulosic hollow fiber hemodialysis membranes, i.e. low-flux cuprophan and hemophan and high-flux RC-HP400A. With the i-SEC technique the pore size distribution and porosity of a membrane can be determined and adsorption phenomena can be studied. The membranes showed clear differences in pore size and porosity, the high-flux RC-HP400A membrane has a larger pore size as well as a higher porosity. For all the membranes it was found that the elution curves were best described by a homoporous pore volume distribution. It appeared that the bound or non-freezing water in the membranes was at least partly accessible to solutes. The test molecules creatinine and vitamin B 12 both adsorbed to the cellulosic membranes. The adsorption behavior of creatinine was strongly dependent on the NaCl concentration present. The observations could be explained by assuming that cuprophan and RC-HP400A are negatively charged whereas hemophan is positively charged due to the modification with N,N-diethylaminoethyl ether. The net charge of the hemophan is smaller

Intermediaries and destination reputations: Explaining flows of skilled migration

This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Taylor & Francis via the DOI in this record.Governments have increasingly commercialised their migration services, which has fuelled a mushrooming migration industry creating a ripe context for the central role of migration intermediaries . It is therefore timely to explore the new actors responsible for shaping contemporary flows of skilled migration. Drawing on the work of existing studies and a wide variety of secondary data, we argue that the range of intermediaries who have emerged as a result of the commercialisation process, have been poorly understood in the skilled migration and migration industries literatures . Discussion of these actors sheds important theoretical light on how intermediaries, destination reputations and skilled migration flows intersect. Accordingly, we outline six propositions that identify the interconnected relationship between migration intermediaries, reputation and skilled migration flows

A comparative study of techniques used for porous membrane characterization: pore characterization

A range of commerical UF membranes have been characterized by thermoporometry, biliquid permporometry and molecular weight cut-off experiments. A comparison of results from these three independent techniques for the same types of membrane shows an indication of the strength and weakness of the methods. MWCO values determined from actual rejection values using PEG and dextran were significantly lower than the manufacturer supplied data. The data obtained using the biliquid permporometry and solute rejection tests produced contrasting results for Amicon polysulfone (PM30) and regenerated cellulose (YM30) membranes. While MWCO determination resulted in sharper cut-off curves, the biliquid permporometry offered a broader size distribution with the PM30 and vice versa with the YM30. The pore sizes obtained by thermoporometry were significantly larger than those by the biliquid permporometry. The biliquid permporometry and thermoporometry give significantly higher values than the MWCO method. The closest comparison is obtained between the EM values and the MWCO method. This suggests that the controlling pore dimension for separation is the surface skin dimension

Prerequisites for Affective Signal Processing (ASP) - Part III

This is the third part in a series on prerequisites for affective signal processing (ASP). So far, six prerequisites were identified: validation (e.g., mapping of constructs on signals), triangulation, a physiology-driven approach, and contributions of the signal processing community (van den Broek et al., 2009) and identification of users and theoretical specification (van den Broek et al., 2010). Here, two additional prerequisites are identified: integration of biosignals, and physical characteristics