Instanton induced charged fermion and neutrino masses in a minimal Standard Model scenario from intersecting D-branes

String instanton Yukawa corrections from Euclidean D-branes are investigated in an effective Standard Model theory obtained from the minimal U(3)xU(2)xU(1) D-brane configuration. In the case of the minimal chiral and Higgs spectrum, it is found that superpotential contributions are induced by string instantons for the perturbatively forbidden entries of the up and down quark mass matrices. Analogous non-perturbative effects generate heavy Majorana neutrino masses and a Dirac neutrino texture with factorizable Yukawa couplings. For this latter case, a specific example is worked out where it is shown how this texture can reconcile the neutrino data.Comment: 17 pages, 3 figure

Participative social work and urban change: two case studies in Lisbon and Bucharest

Focusing on two initiatives working within disadvantaged urban neighborhoods in Bucharest and Lisbon, we want to discuss the civil society’s capacity to adapt to the changing social opportunities and difficul-ties, and its ability to create equal access to resources and opportunities. We propose to compare some aspects of both initiatives in these two historical and socio-political Southern European urban contexts, trying to better understand these processes: what they manage to do; what they find hard to do; who helps them; their relationships with different state structures (municipality, schools, national agencies etc.); their relationships with different people in the area of work; their future perspective, and so on. Our diverse social activist and academic background in anthropological, sociological, geographical fields allows us to a deeper understanding of the strengths and limits of theoretical and practical dimensions of social research process, witch we would like to discuss, also

THE SEPTEMBER 2013 RAIN AND FLOOD EVENTS IN THE FLAM’S VALLEY BASIN. CAUSES, CHARACTERISTICS AND THEIR IMPACT UPON THE ENVIRONMENT

Between 11.09 and 14.09 2013 the north-eastern part of Tulcea County, especially the areas located around Somova village was affected by heavy, torrential rainfall that totalized over 30 mm/sq m and triggered dangerous hydrological phenomena (important slope, stream and river flows). As a result of these heavy downpours, Flam’s Valley was affected by an exceptional flash-flood which measured a peak discharge that reached a 1% exceeding probability. Another destructive characteristic of the weather phenomena that occurred in September 2013 was that the heavy rain was accompanied by violent gusty winds that resembled tornado-like features, bringing serious threat to houses, households and roads. In this paper we have analyzed the weather features that produced the September 2013 flash flood from both a spatial and a temporal perspective. The hydrological analysis focuses on the peak discharge that was recorded during the flash flood as well as on the characteristics elements of the topographic profiles. The paper ends with a brief presentation of the consequences that the weather and hydrological phenomena had upon the environment and population as well

Stable Isotopic and Geochemical Variability within Shallow Groundwater beneath a Hardwood Hammock and Surface Water in an Adjoining Slough (Everglades National Park, FL)

Data from a ten-month monitoring study during 2007 in south Florida provide insight into the variation of δ18O, δD, and δ13C of DOC in surface water and shallow groundwater of the Everglades ecosystem. Bi-monthly samples were taken from surface water and time-averaged precipitation at Taylor Slough, and shallow groundwater from a well and a small cave within Palma Vista Hammock, an exposure of the Upper Pleistocene Miami Limestone. δ18O and δD values in shallow groundwater from the well and cave remain near the mean of -2.4 ‰ and -12 ‰, respectively (VSMOW scale). 18O and D are enriched in surface water compared to shallow groundwater. δ18O and δD values in surface water fluctuate in sync with, but to a lesser amplitude than, those measured in rainfall. The local meteoric water line (LMWL) for precipitation is in close agreement to the global meteoric water line (GMWL); however, the local evaporation line (LEL) for surface water and shallow groundwater is δD = 5.6 δ18O + 1.5 (R2=0.97), a sign that these waters have experienced evaporation. The intercept of the LMWL and LEL indicates that the primary recharge to the Everglades occurs primarily from tropical or frontal sources. Local convection merely recycles available water. Time-series of deuterium excess (Dex), clearly reveals two moisture sources for precipitation; an evaporation-dominated source with Dex\u3e10 and a source significantly influenced by transpiration with Dex\u3c10. Samples with higher Dex cluster in the fall and winter, and appear to be associated with maritime moisture carried along the Trade Winds. Samples with lower Dex cluster in the late spring and summer, and could reflect continental moisture carried by the Westerlies or local convection. Values of δ13CDOC between -22.6 and -28.0‰ suggest C-3 vegetation as the primary source of DOC at all sample sites. C:N ratios of DOC averaging 20:1 at the cave indicate that organic matter originates from woody material, while an average of 15:1 at the well along with δ13CDOC similar to the cave indicate further decomposition of the organic matter entering the cave. C:N ratios of DOC the slough averaged 15:1, and with δ13CDOC values, suggest sources of organic matter not present at the cave and well

Slump flow of autoclaved aerated concrete slurries

Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (AAC) is already well known in Central Europe for decades. In traditional cement and concrete research a huge increase of knowledge has improved the material behaviour and efficiency. The understanding of the mineral reactions and properties in AAC has also improved, but several relations are still unknown. In this research a closer look is taken on the influence of the water amount and the mixing procedure on the viscosity determined by the slump flow test. Three different cones were evaluated and two possible evaluation methods presented

Gas Turbine Engine Inlet Wall Design

A gas turbine engine has an inlet duct formed to have a shape with a first ellipse in one half and a second ellipse in a second half. The second half has an upstream most end which is smaller than the first ellipse. The inlet duct has a surface defining the second ellipse which curves away from the first ellipse, such that the second ellipse is larger at an intermediate location. The second ellipse is even larger at a downstream end of the inlet duct leading into a fan

Exploratory characterization of volcanic ash sourced from Uganda as a pozzolanic material in portland cement concrete

The need for alternative cementing materials to ordinary Portland cement (OPC) has promoted characterization research on pozzolana as an important ingredient in cement production. In Uganda, natural pozzolana application in cement production is done by only two producers of Portland cement and at a small scale due to capacity constraints. The capacity constraints, together with other technological issues, continue to hinder realization of the cost reduction and improved quality benefits attributed to the use of pozzolana as a mineral admixture in Portland cement concrete. There is high abundance of natural pozzolana in Uganda in the form of volcanic ash/tuffs which, if adequately characterized, can facilitate production of different cementing materials and increase output from the various players in the cement production industry in Uganda. This paper reviews methods of pozzolana characterisation and presents preliminary research findings on application of natural pozzolana sourced from Uganda in development of Portland cement concrete. Samples collected from two different deposits in the western region of Uganda were prepared and subjected to chemical analysis and tests on compressive strength, flexural strength and flow-ability. The preliminary findings are indicative of good quality pozzolanic materials that can be applied as mineral admixture in production of Portland cement concrete

A meta-analysis of the efficacy of vortioxetine in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) and high levels of anxiety symptoms

Background: Comorbid anxiety is common in major depressive disorder (MDD) and more difficult to treat than depression without anxiety. This analysis assessed the efficacy, safety, and tolerability of vortioxetine in MDD patients with high levels of anxiety (baseline Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale [HAM-A] total score ?20).Methods: Efficacy was assessed using an aggregated, study-level meta-analysis of 10 randomized, placebo-controlled, 6/8-week trials of vortioxetine 5-20 mg/day in adults (18-75 years), with a study in elderly patients (?65 years) analyzed separately. Outcome measures included mean differences from placebo in change from baseline to endpoint (?) in the Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS), HAM-A total, and HAM-A subscales. Safety and tolerability were assessed by treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs).Results: A total of 1497 (48.6%) vortioxetine-treated and 860 (49.1%) placebo-treated patients had baseline HAM-A?20. There were significant differences from placebo in MADRS (vortioxetine 5 mg/day, n=415, ??2.68, P=0.005; 10 mg/day, n=373, ??3.59, P<0.001; 20 mg/day, n=207, ??4.30, P=0.005) and HAM-A total (5 mg/day, n=419, ??1.64, P=0.022; 10 mg/day, n=373, ??2.04, P=0.003; 20 mg/day, n=207, ??2.19, P=0.027). There were significantly greater improvements versus placebo on the HAM-A psychic subscale for all doses. The most common TEAEs (?5.0%) were nausea, headache, dizziness, dry mouth, diarrhea, nasopharyngitis, constipation, and vomiting. Incidence of serious TEAEs was 1.3% (placebo) and ?1.3% (vortioxetine, across doses).Limitations: Study heterogeneity limits this analysis. Patients with baseline HAM-A?20 were not directly compared to baseline HAM-A<20 or total MDD population.Conclusions: Vortioxetine was efficacious in reducing depressive and anxiety symptoms in patients with MDD and high levels of anxiety

A Pseudo-logarithmic Image Processing Framework for Edge Detection

Abstract. The paper presents a new [pseudo-] Logarithmic Model for Image Processing (LIP), which allows the computation of gray-level ad-dition, substraction and multiplication with scalars within a fixed gray-level range [0;D] without the use of clipping. The implementation of Laplacian edge detection techniques under the proposed model yields superior performance in biomedical applications as compared with the classical operations (performed either as real axis operations, either as classical LIP models).