Higgs bundles over elliptic curves

In this paper we study $G$-Higgs bundles over an elliptic curve when the structure group $G$ is a classical complex reductive Lie group. Modifying the notion of family, we define a new moduli problem for the classification of semistable $G$-Higgs bundles of a given topological type over an elliptic curve and we give an explicit description of the associated moduli space as a finite quotient of a product of copies of the cotangent bundle of the elliptic curve. We construct a bijective morphism from this new moduli space to the usual moduli space of semistable $G$-Higgs bundles, proving that the former is the normalization of the latter. We also obtain an explicit description of the Hitchin fibration for our (new) moduli space of $G$-Higgs bundles and we study the generic and non-generic fibres

Development and characterization of bioactive alginate microcapsules with cedarwood essential oil

In this work, sodium alginate microcapsules containing cedarwood essential oil (CWO) for uses in anti-acne tonic were prepared by ionic gelification of alginate with calcium chloride (CaCl2) and subsequent addition of glutaraldehyde to improve the crosslinking degree. Alginate microcapsules with cedarwood essential oil were obtained in an encapsulator with a 600 μm nozzle using different alginate concentrations (1, 3 and 4% w/v) , and different compositions of the coagulation solution with CaCl2 concentrations of 0.1, 0.25 and 0.5 M, and addition of glutaraldehyde at two concentrations: 12.5% and 50% (0.1 g L−1 and 10 g L−1, respectively). The effect of alginate concentration was followed by viscosimetry and the influence of the CaCl2 concentration and presence of glutaraldehyde on the microcapsules' shape as well as the total content on encapsulated cedarwood essential oil were evaluated by means of stereoscopic magnifying glass, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and UV vis spectrophotometry. Results show that proper shape formation is obtained for an alginate concentration of 3% w/v. With regard to the total encapsulated cedarwood oil, as the CaCl2 concentration in the gelifying-coagulating solution increases the efficiency of the encapsulated oil. Best results in terms of micro-bead shape and total amount of encapsulated oil were obtained for a CaCl2 concentration of 0.5 M without glutaraldehyde with a maximum encapsulation of 177.2 mg per gram of microcapsule.Ferrandiz, M.; Lopez, A.; Franco, E.; Garcia-Garcia, D.; Fenollar, D.; Balart, R. (2017). Development and characterization of bioactive alginate microcapsules with cedarwood essential oil. Flavour and Fragrance Journal. 32(3):184-190. doi:10.1002/ffj.3373S18419032

Anomalies and O-plane charges in orientifolded brane tilings

We investigate orientifold of brane tilings. We clarify how the cancellations of gauge anomaly and Witten's anomaly are guaranteed by the conservation of the D5-brane charge. We also discuss the relation between brane tilings and the dual Calabi-Yau cones realized as the moduli spaces of gauge theories. Two types of flavor D5-branes in brane tilings and corresponding superpotentials of fundamental quark fields are proposed, and it is shown that the massless loci of these quarks in the moduli space correctly reproduce the worldvolume of flavor D7-branes in the Calabi-Yau cone dual to the fivebrane system.Comment: 46 pages, 19 figure

Social and Environmental Life Cycle Assessment (SELCA) Method for Sustainability Analysis:The Jeans Global Value Chain as a Showcase

In this chapter the concepts of social life cycle assessment and combined social and environmental LCA were explored through the application of existing LCA methods to the global value chain of jeans. The social and environmental life cycle assessment (SELCA) method resulted from this explorative research that aims to contribute to the battery of impact assessment tools of products whose value chain scope is multinational (global). From a broader perspective, SELCA has a double-folded purpose to (i) identify opportunities for environmental and social improvement at any of the value chain phases of products, for remediation goals, and (ii) predict the environmental and social performance of different ways (scenarios) to produce the same product, using it as a product design tool. To simplify SELCA development, it was decided to use a single product (jeans) as a showcase from the global textile sector. In this showcase, four scenarios for jeans assembly were compared; three of them were defined under the circular economy principles by including recycled materials (cotton, PET and nylon 6) during the yarn production. During the application of the SELCA method, some new challenges were encountered related to inventory analysis, in particular during data acquisition for social inventories. This is later mainly due to the extensive list of key stakeholders for the showcase and the qualitative nature of social metrics. This list starts with cotton cultivators from different countries where regulations and codes of conduct seem to have contextualised interpretations and consequently different levels of implementation. In this regard, governmental intervention to instrument the transition towards suitable social/environmental performance along the global jeans value chain was also discussed in this chapter

Printing in three dimensions with graphene

Responsive graphene oxide sheets form non‐covalent networks with optimum rheological properties for 3D printing. These networks have shear thinning behavior and sufficiently high elastic shear modulus (G′) to build self‐supporting 3D structures by direct write assembly. Drying and thermal reduction leads to ultra‐light graphene‐only structures with restored conductivity and elastomeric behavior

The Octagon and the non-supersymmetric string landscape

We present an orientifold of a toric singularity allowing for a configuration of fractional branes which corresponds to a gauge theory that dynamically breaks supersymmetry in a stable vacuum. This model represents the first such instance within the gauge/gravity duality

Selective oxidation of aromatic alcohols in the presence of C3N4 photocatalysts derived from the polycondensation of melamine, cyanuric and barbituric acids

A set of C3N4 samples has been prepared by using melamine, cyanuric acid and barbituric acid as the precursors. The materials were subjected both to physical and chemical characterization and were used as photocatalysts for the selective oxidation of aromatic alcohols in water suspension under UV and visible irradiation. The photoactivity of the materials versus the partial oxidation of four substituted benzyl alcohols was investigated. The type and position of the substituents in the aromatic molecule influenced conversion and selectivity to the corresponding aldehyde. The presence of barbituric and cyanuric acids in the preparation method has changed the graphitic-C3N4 structure, and therefore both the characteristics of the material and the ability of light to activate the surface of the photocatalyst. The most active material prepared in the presence of melamine and cyanuric acid showed a remarkable selectivity towards the aldehyde even under visible irradiation