Decay of flux vacua to nothing

We construct instanton solutions describing the decay of flux compactifications of a $6d$ gauge theory by generalizing the Kaluza-Klein bubble of nothing. The surface of the bubble is described by a smooth magnetically charged solitonic brane whose asymptotic flux is precisely that responsible for stabilizing the 4d compactification. We describe several instances of bubble geometries for the various vacua occurring in a $6d$ Einstein-Maxwell theory namely, AdS_4 x S^2, R^{1,3} x S^2, and dS_4 x S^2. Unlike conventional solutions, the bubbles of nothing introduced here occur where a {\em two}-sphere compactification manifold homogeneously degenerates.Comment: 31 pages, 15 figure

Kosten voor habitattypen in Natura 2000-gebieden : toepassing van de methode Kosteneffectiviteit natuurbeleid

Deze studie beschrijft de berekening van de kosten voor het natuurbeleid in de Natura 2000-gebieden, gebaseerd op de aanwezige habitattypen. De kosten zijn afgeleid van het benodigde beheer en de milieutekorten rond vermesting en verdroging. De ligging van de habitattypen is bepaald op basis van het koppelingsbestand ´ecotopen en habitattypen´ en op basis van de stikstofdepositie. In totaal gaat het om een areaal van 56.922 ha. De gemiddelde kosten voor het realiseren van de habitattypen liggen bij 800 euro/ha/jaar, variërend van ruim 100 euro/ha/jaar in Groningen tot 3.250 euro/ha/jaar in Utrecht. Door een andere manier van toewijzing van de habitattypen verschillen de in de huidige studie berekende kosten en arealen met milieutekorten van die uit de eerdere studie naar de kosten van de Natura 2000-gebieden

Classtalk: A Classroom Communication System for Active Learning

This pdf file is an article describing the advantages of using Classtalk technology in the classroom to enhance classroom communication. Classtalk technology cab facilitate the presentation of questions for small group work, collec the student answers and then display histograms showing how the class answered. This new communication technology can help instructors create a more interactive, student centered classroom, especially when teaching large courses. The article describes Classtalk as a very useful tool not only for engaging students in active learning, but also for enhancing the overall communication within the classroom. This article is a selection from the electronic Journal for Computing in Higher Education. Educational levels: Graduate or professional

Length Effects on the Reliability of Dual-Damascene Cu Interconnects

The effects of interconnect length on the reliability of dual-damascene Cu metallization have been investigated. As in Al-based interconnects, the lifetimes of Cu lines increase with decreasing length. However, unlike Al-based interconnects, no critical length exists, below which all Cu lines are âimmortal’. Furthermore, we found multi-modal failure statistics for long lines, suggesting multiple failure mechanisms. Some long Cu interconnect segments have very large lifetimes, whereas in Al segments, lifetimes decrease continuously with increasing line length. It is postulated that the large lifetimes observed in long Cu lines result from liner rupture at the bottom of the vias, which allows continuous flow of Cu between the two bond pads. As a consequence, the average lifetimes of short lines and long lines can be higher than those of lines with intermediate lengths.Singapore-MIT Alliance (SMA

Evidence for Shape Co-existence at medium spin in 76Rb

Four previously known rotational bands in 76Rb have been extended to moderate spins using the Gammasphere and Microball gamma ray and charged particle detector arrays and the 40Ca(40Ca,3pn) reaction at a beam energy of 165 MeV. The properties of two of the negative-parity bands can only readily be interpreted in terms of the highly successful Cranked Nilsson-Strutinsky model calculations if they have the same configuration in terms of the number of g9/2 particles, but they result from different nuclear shapes (one near-oblate and the other near-prolate). These data appear to constitute a unique example of shape co-existing structures at medium spins.Comment: Accepted for publication in Physics Letters

On Effective Potential in Tortoise Coordinate

In this paper, we study the field dynamics in Tortoise coordinate where the equation of motion of a scalar can be written as Schrodinger-like form. We obtain a general form for effective potential by finding the Schrodinger equation for scalar and spinor fields and study its global behavior in some black hole backgrounds in three dimension such as BTZ black holes, new type black holes and black holes with no horizon. Especially, we study the asymptotic behavior of potential at infinity, horizons and origin and find that its asymptotic in BTZ and new type solution is completely different from that of vanishing horizon solution. In fact, potential for vanishing horizon goes to a fixed quantity at infinity, while in BTZ and new type black hole we have an infinite barrier.Comment: 18 pages, 9 figure

Determinants of human adipose tissue gene expression: impact of diet, sex, metabolic status, and cis genetic regulation

Weight control diets favorably affect parameters of the metabolic syndrome and delay the onset of diabetic complications. The adaptations occurring in adipose tissue (AT) are likely to have a profound impact on the whole body response as AT is a key target of dietary intervention. Identification of environmental and individual factors controlling AT adaptation is therefore essential. Here, expression of 271 transcripts, selected for regulation according to obesity and weight changes, was determined in 515 individuals before, after 8-week low-calorie diet-induced weight loss, and after 26-week ad libitum weight maintenance diets. For 175 genes, opposite regulation was observed during calorie restriction and weight maintenance phases, independently of variations in body weight. Metabolism and immunity genes showed inverse profiles. During the dietary intervention, network-based analyses revealed strong interconnection between expression of genes involved in de novo lipogenesis and components of the metabolic syndrome. Sex had a marked influence on AT expression of 88 transcripts, which persisted during the entire dietary intervention and after control for fat mass. In women, the influence of body mass index on expression of a subset of genes persisted during the dietary intervention. Twenty-two genes revealed a metabolic syndrome signature common to men and women. Genetic control of AT gene expression by cis signals was observed for 46 genes. Dietary intervention, sex, and cis genetic variants independently controlled AT gene expression. These analyses help understanding the relative importance of environmental and individual factors that control the expression of human AT genes and therefore may foster strategies aimed at improving AT function in metabolic diseases

Analytical studies of Hawking radiation and quasinormal modes in rotating linear dilatonic black hole

The rotating linear dilatonic black hole is an asymptotically non-flat solution to Einstein-Maxwell-Dilaton-Axion gravity theory due to the existence of non-trivial matter fields. We have analytically studied the wave equation of scalar field in this background and shown that the radial wave equation can be solved in terms of hypergeometric function. By determining the ingoing and the outgoing fluxes at the asymptotic infinity, we have found the analytical expressions for reflection coefficient and greybody factor for certain scalar modes. In the high frequency regime, we obtain the Hawking temperature by comparing the blackbody spectrum with the radiation spectrum resulting from reflection coefficient. It is shown that the Hawking temperature, which depends only on the linear dilatonic background parameter, does not agree with the temperature calculated from surface gravity. At last, the quasinormal modes of scalar field perturbation are presented, which shows that the rotating linear dilationic black hole is unstable for certain modes apart from the superradiant modes.Comment: 7 pages, 2 figures Comments are welcom

'To live and die [for] Dixie': Irish civilians and the Confederate States of America

Around 20,000 Irishmen served in the Confederate army in the Civil War. As a result, they left behind, in various Southern towns and cities, large numbers of friends, family, and community leaders. As with native-born Confederates, Irish civilian support was crucial to Irish participation in the Confederate military effort. Also, Irish civilians served in various supporting roles: in factories and hospitals, on railroads and diplomatic missions, and as boosters for the cause. They also, however, suffered in bombardments, sieges, and the blockade. Usually poorer than their native neighbours, they could not afford to become 'refugees' and move away from the centres of conflict. This essay, based on research from manuscript collections, contemporary newspapers, British Consular records, and Federal military records, will examine the role of Irish civilians in the Confederacy, and assess the role this activity had on their integration into Southern communities. It will also look at Irish civilians in the defeat of the Confederacy, particularly when they came under Union occupation. Initial research shows that Irish civilians were not as upset as other whites in the South about Union victory. They welcomed a return to normalcy, and often 'collaborated' with Union authorities. Also, Irish desertion rates in the Confederate army were particularly high, and I will attempt to gauge whether Irish civilians played a role in this. All of the research in this paper will thus be put in the context of the Drew Gilpin Faust/Gary Gallagher debate on the influence of the Confederate homefront on military performance. By studying the Irish civilian experience one can assess how strong the Confederate national experiment was. Was it a nation without a nationalism