Gluino Air Showers as a Signal of Split Supersymmetry

It has been proposed recently that, within the framework of split Supersymmetry, long lived gluinos generated in astrophysical sources could be detected using the signatures of the air showers they produce, thus providing a lower bound for their lifetime and for the scale of SUSY breaking. We present the longitudinal profile and lateral spread of $G$-hadron induced extensive air showers and consider the possibility of measuring them with a detector with the characteristics of the Pierre Auger Observatory.Comment: 4 pages, 3 eps figure

The effect of calcium co-ingestion on exogenous glucose oxidation during endurance exercise in healthy men:A pilot study

The benefits of high exogenous glucose availability for endurance exercise performance are well-established. Exogenous glucose oxidation rates are thought to be limited by intestinal glucose transport. Extracellular calcium in rodent intestine increases the translocation of the intestinal glucose transporter GLUT2 which, if translated to humans, could increase the capacity for exogenous glucose availability during exercise. Therefore, this pilot study aimed to explore the effect of calcium co-ingestion during endurance exercise on exogenous glucose oxidation in healthy men. Eight healthy men cycled for 2 h at 50% peak power output, ingesting either 1.2 g min −1 dextrose alone (GLU) or with the addition of 2000 mg calcium (GLU + CAL), in a randomised crossover design. Expired breath samples were collected to determine whole-body and exogenous glucose oxidation. Peak exogenous glucose oxidation during GLU was 0.83 ± 0.15 g min −1, and was not enhanced during GLU + CAL (0.88 ± 0.11 g min −1, p = 0.541). The relative contributions of exogenous carbohydrate (19 ± 3% vs. 20 ± 2%, p = 0.434), endogenous carbohydrate (65 ± 3% vs. 65 ± 3%, p = 0.822) and fat (16 ± 3% vs. 15 ± 3%, p = 0.677) to total substrate utilisation did not differ between trials. These results suggest the addition of calcium to glucose ingestion, at saturating glucose ingestion rates, does not appear to alter exogenous glucose oxidation during endurance exercise in healthy men. </p

Exploring Cognition and Affect during Human-Cobot Interaction

Collaborative robots (Cobots) have recently gained popularity due to their capability to work collaboratively with human operators. This collaborative relationship has been named under the robotics discipline of Human-Robot Collaboration (HRC), in which humans and robots work together to accomplish a common task while also being in the same physical space. An important part of collaboration is the human\u27s decision-making, which is largely affected by their affective and cognitive state. A cobot lacks this fundamental understanding of the human operator. In this research, we utilize a server-client program to communicate the affective states of a human user to a Raspberry Pi installed within the cobot. Furthermore, this research centers on the stress and focus levels of a user to further enhance Human-Robot collaboration within a manufacturing context

OH rotational lines as a diagnostic of the warm neutral gas in galaxies

We present Infrared Space Observatory (ISO) observations of several OH, CH and H2O rotational lines toward the bright infrared galaxies NGC253 and NGC1068. As found in the Galactic clouds in SgrB2 and Orion, the extragalactic far-IR OH lines change from absorption to emission depending on the physical conditions and distribution of gas and dust along the line of sight. As a result, most of the OH rotational lines that appear in absorption toward NGC253 are observed in emission toward NGC1068. We show that the far-IR spectrum of OH can be used as a powerful diagnostic to derive the physical conditions of extragalactic neutral gas. In particular, we find that a warm (Tk~150 K, n(H2)< 5 10^4 cm^-3) component of molecular gas with an OH abundance of 10^{-7} from the inner <15'' can qualitatively reproduce the OH lines toward NGC253. Similar temperatures but higher densities (5 10^5 cm^-3) are required to explain the OH emission in NGC1068.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures, accepted in ApJ Part I (2004, October 6

Breakfast and exercise contingently affect postprandial metabolism and energy balance in physically active males

The present study examined the impact of breakfast and exercise on postprandial metabolism, appetite and macronutrient balance. A sample of twelve (blood variables n 11) physically active males completed four trials in a randomised, crossover design comprising a continued overnight fast followed by: (1) rest without breakfast (FR); (2) exercise without breakfast (FE); (3) breakfast consumption(1859 kJ) followed by rest (BR); (4) breakfast consumption followed by exercise (BE). Exercise was continuous, moderate-intensity running (expending approximately 2·9MJ of energy). The equivalent time was spent sitting during resting trials. A test drink (1500 kJ) was ingested on all trials followed 90 min later by an ad libitum lunch. The difference between the BR and FR trials in blood glucose time-averaged AUC following test drink consumption approached significance (BR: 4·33 (SEM 0·14) v. FR: 4·75 (SEM 0·16) mmol/l; P¼0·08); but it was not different between FR and FE (FE: 4·77 (SEM 0·14) mmol/l; P¼0·65); and was greater in BE (BE: 4·97 (SEM 0·13) mmol/l) v. BR(P¼0·012). Appetite following the test drink was reduced in BR v. FR (P¼0·006) and in BE v. FE (P¼0·029). Following lunch, the most positive energy balance was observed in BR and least positive in FE. Regardless of breakfast, acute exercise produced a less positive energy balance following ad libitum lunch consumption. Energy and fat balance is further reduced with breakfast omission. Breakfast improved the overall appetite responses to foods consumed later in the day, but abrogated the appetite suppressive effect of exercise