Position-dependent noncommutativity in quantum mechanics

The model of the position-dependent noncommutativety in quantum mechanics is proposed. We start with a given commutation relations between the operators of coordinates [x^{i},x^{j}]=\omega^{ij}(x), and construct the complete algebra of commutation relations, including the operators of momenta. The constructed algebra is a deformation of a standard Heisenberg algebra and obey the Jacobi identity. The key point of our construction is a proposed first-order Lagrangian, which after quantization reproduces the desired commutation relations. Also we study the possibility to localize the noncommutativety.Comment: published version, references adde

Plastic Deformation of 2D Crumpled Wires

When a single long piece of elastic wire is injected trough channels into a confining two-dimensional cavity, a complex structure of hierarchical loops is formed. In the limit of maximum packing density, these structures are described by several scaling laws. In this paper it is investigated this packing process but using plastic wires which give origin to completely irreversible structures of different morphology. In particular, it is studied experimentally the plastic deformation from circular to oblate configurations of crumpled wires, obtained by the application of an axial strain. Among other things, it is shown that in spite of plasticity, irreversibility, and very large deformations, scaling is still observed.Comment: 5 pages, 6 figure

Dynamics and control of measles in Portugal: Accessing the impact of anticipating the age for the first dose of MMR from 15 to 12 months of age

The all-time low incidence of measles in Portugal in the recent years, raises questions regarding whether the disease has been eliminated, the role of recent control measures, and the epidemiological consequences of the rise in the proportion of newborns to vaccinated mothers, as opposed to those born to mothers who acquired immunity by natural infection. We estimate the vaccination coverage against measles in Portugal. on a cohort-by-cohort basis, and incorporate this information into an age-structured seasonally-driven mathematical model aimed at reproducing measles dynamics in the past decades. The model reproduces documented trends in disease notifications and the serological profile of the Portuguese population, as estimated by a recent National Serological, Survey. We provide evidence that the effective reproduction number (R-e) of measles has been driven below 1 in Portugal, and that sustained measles elimination is crucially dependent upon the maintenance of a high (>95%) coverage with the MMR I vaccine in the future. If the vaccination coverage decreases to levels around 90% the anticipation of the first dose of the MMR I from 15 to 12 months of age, will. ensure that R-e remains below 1. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All. rights reserve

The reinfection threshold promotes variability in tuberculosis epidemiology and vaccine efficacy

Population patterns of infection are determined largely by susceptibility to infection. Infection and vaccination induce an immune response that, typically, reduces susceptibility to subsequent infections. With a general epidemic model, we detect a 'reinfection threshold', above which reinfection is the principal type of transmission and, consequently, infection levels are much higher and vaccination fails. The model is further developed to address human tuberculosis (TB) and the impact of vaccination. The bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG) is the only vaccine in current use against TB, and there is no consensus about its usefulness. Estimates of protection range from 0 to 80%, and this variability is aggravated by an association between low vaccine efficacy and high prevalence of the disease. We propose an explanation based on three postulates: (i) the potential for transmission varies between populations, owing to differences in socio-economic and environmental factors; (ii) exposure to mycobacteria induces an immune response that is partially protective against reinfection; and (iii) this protection is not significantly improved by BCG vaccination. These postulates combine to reproduce the observed trends, and this is attributed to a reinfection threshold intrinsic to the transmission dynamics. Finally, we demonstrate how reinfection thresholds can be manipulated by vaccination programmes, suggesting that they have a potentially powerful role in global contro

Axial Vector Duality in Affine NA Toda Models

A general and systematic construction of Non Abelian affine Toda models and its symmetries is proposed in terms of its underlying Lie algebraic structure. It is also shown that such class of two dimensional integrable models naturally leads to the construction of a pair of actions related by T-duality transformationsComment: 9 pages, to appear in JHEP Proc. of the Workshop on Integrable Theories, Solitons and Duality, IFT-Unesp, Sao Paulo, Brasil, one reference adde

Noncommutativity due to spin

Using the Berezin-Marinov pseudoclassical formulation of spin particle we propose a classical model of spin noncommutativity. In the nonrelativistic case, the Poisson brackets between the coordinates are proportional to the spin angular momentum. The quantization of the model leads to the noncommutativity with mixed spacial and spin degrees of freedom. A modified Pauli equation, describing a spin half particle in an external e.m. field is obtained. We show that nonlocality caused by the spin noncommutativity depends on the spin of the particle; for spin zero, nonlocality does not appear, for spin half, $\Delta x\Delta y\geq\theta^{2}/2$, etc. In the relativistic case the noncommutative Dirac equation was derived. For that we introduce a new star product. The advantage of our model is that in spite of the presence of noncommutativity and nonlocality, it is Lorentz invariant. Also, in the quasiclassical approximation it gives noncommutativity with a nilpotent parameter.Comment: 11 pages, references adda

T-Duality in Affine NA Toda Models

The construction of Non Abelian affine Toda models is discussed in terms of its underlying Lie algebraic structure. It is shown that a subclass of such non conformal two dimensional integrable models naturally leads to the construction of a pair of actions which share the same spectra and are related by canonical transformations.Comment: 6 pages, Presented at the 13th International Colloquium on Integrable Systems and Quantum Groups, Prague, June, 200