N=1 Super QCD and Fractional Branes

We show how to get the one-loop beta function and the chiral anomaly of N=1 Super QCD from a stack of fractional N D3-branes localized inside the world-volume of 2M fractional D7-branes on the orbifold C^3/(Z_2 x Z_2). They are obtained by analyzing the classical supergravity background generated by such a brane configuration, in the spirit of the gauge/gravity correspondence.Comment: 4 pages, LaTeX. Talk given at the IXth International Symposium on Particles, Strings and Cosmology PASCOS '03, Mumbai-India, January 3-8 2003. To appear in a special issue of Praman

Redesigning Gambling Treatment Programs for Success: A Model Based Approach Toward Program Development

Abstract This presentation will describe a program improvement initiative launched by Oregon Problem Gambling Services to assist with the development of its 47 publicly-funded gambling treatment programs. The development approach incorporated best practices as identified by SAMHSA, the gambling disorders literature, and expert review. The resulting Technical Assistance Visit Toolkit & Gambling Treatment Program Capability Index (GTPCI) offer a streamline program improvement protocol for use specifically with gambling treatment programs. The presenters will share their experience in implementing this program development approach, merits of the model, and program results. Implications This presentation will introduce participants to a model and evaluation instrument designed to conceptualize and measure a comprehensive approach toward addressing problem gambling within an agency. Data will demonstrate the tool’s efficacy and the model will aid in developing interventions within behavioral healthcare agencies and increasing gambling treatment enrollments

Godbillon-Vey Invariants of Non-Lorentzian Spacetimes and Aristotelian Hydrodynamics

We study the geometry of foliated non-Lorentzian spacetimes in terms of the Godbillon-Vey class of the foliation. We relate the intrinsic torsion of a foliated Aristotelian manifold to its Godbillon-Vey class, and interpret it as a measure of the local spin of the spatial leaves in the time direction. With this characterisation, the Godbillon-Vey class is an obstruction to integrability of the $\mathsf{G}$-structure defining the Aristotelian spacetime. We use these notions to formulate a new geometric approach to hydrodynamics of fluid flows by endowing them with Aristotelian structures. We establish conditions under which the Godbillon-Vey class represents an obstruction to steady flow of the fluid and prove new conservation laws.Comment: 41 pages; v2: minor corrections, exposition improved, references added; Final version to be published in Journal of Physics

The impact of boron hybridisation on photocatalytic processes

Recently the fruitful merger of organoboron chemistry and photocatalysis has come to the forefront of organic synthesis resulting in the development of new technologies to access complex (non)borylated frameworks. Central to the success of this combination is control of boron hybridisation. Contingent on the photoactivation mode, boron as its neutral planar form or tetrahedral boronate can be used to regulate reactivity. This minireview highlights the current state of the art in photocatalytic processes utilising organoboron compounds paying particular attention to the role of boron hybridisation for the target transformation

Equivalence of Testing Instruments in Canada: Studying Item Bias in a Cross-Cultural Assessment for Preschoolers

Item bias, which occurs when items function differently for different groups ofrespondents, is of particular concern to cross-cultural assessments. It threatens measurement equivalence and causes intergroup comparisons to be invalid. This study assessed item bias among francophone, anglophone, and Aboriginal preschoolers in New Brunswick, Canada. We used data from the Early Years Evaluation-Direct Assessment (EYE-DA), an assessment tool that measures children’s early educational development. The analytical approach used to investigate item bias is called differential item functioning (DIF). This study offers an application of DIF analysis that combines statistical testing and graphical representation of DIF. Analyses yielded consistent results revealing that linguistic and cultural differences between francophone and anglophone children are more challenging to achieve transferability than cultural differences between Aboriginal and anglophone examinees

Posterior cortical atrophy: visuomotor deficits in reaching and grasping

Posterior Cortical Atrophy (PCA) is a rare clinical syndrome characterized by the predominance of higher-order visual disturbances such as optic ataxia, a characteristic of Balint's syndrome. Deficits result from progressive neurodegeneration of occipito-temporal and occipito-parietal cortices. The current study sought to explore the visuomotor functioning of four individuals with PCA by testing their ability to reach out and grasp real objects under various viewing conditions. Experiment 1 had participants reach out and grasp simple, rectangular blocks under visually- and memory-guided conditions. Experiment 2 explored participants' abilities to accurately reach for objects located in their visual periphery. This investigation revealed that PCA patients demonstrate many of the same deficits that have been previously reported in other individuals with optic ataxia, such as “magnetic misreaching”—a pathological reaching bias toward the point of visual fixation when grasping peripheral targets. Unlike many other individuals with optic ataxia, however, the patients in the current study also show symptoms indicative of damage to the more perceptual stream of visual processing, including abolished grip scaling during memory-guided grasping and deficits in face and object identification. These investigations are the first to perform a quantitative analysis of the visuomotor deficits exhibited by patients with PCA. Critically, this study helps characterize common symptoms of PCA, a vital first step for generating effective diagnostic criteria and therapeutic strategies for this understudied neurodegenerative disorder

Means to improve access to justice and legally empower victims of domestic violence: An empirical legal study on legislation and legal offices in Buenos Aires, Argentina

The purpose of this study is to understand how recent legal reforms and the creation of legal offices in Argentina may improve access to justice and legally empower victims of domestic violence. The paper looks into the way the judicial system developed to provide suitable options for victims of domestic violence to gain access to justice and solve their conflicts. It uses a legal empowerment framework composed of three levels: normative, institutional and individual. The paper bases the analysis on the existing regulations, and an empirical study conducted with those working for the public institution, and with victims of domestic violence that accessed to those institutions seeking for assistance. The paper gives a comprehensive approach and provides reflections on what aspects of the laws and institutions are actually being of benefit for victims of domestic violence