Soft SUSY Breaking Terms for Chiral Matter in IIB String Compactifications

This paper develops the computation of soft supersymmetry breaking terms for chiral D7 matter fields in IIB Calabi-Yau flux compactifications with stabilised moduli. We determine explicit expressions for soft terms for the single-modulus KKLT scenario and the multiple-moduli large volume scenario. In particular we use the chiral matter metrics for Calabi-Yau backgrounds recently computed in hep-th/0609180. These differ from the better understood metrics for non-chiral matter and therefore give a different structure of soft terms. The soft terms take a simple form depending explicitly on the modular weights of the corresponding matter fields. For the large-volume case we find that in the simplest D7 brane configuration, scalar masses, gaugino masses and A-terms are very similar to the dilaton-dominated scenario. Although all soft masses are suppressed by ln(M_P/m_{3/2}) compared to the gravitino mass, the anomaly-mediated contributions do not compete, being doubly suppressed and thus subdominant to the gravity-mediated tree-level terms. Soft terms are flavour-universal to leading order in an expansion in inverse Kahler moduli. They also do not introduce extra CP violating phases to the effective action. We argue that soft term flavour universality should be a property of the large-volume compactifications, and more generally IIB flux models, in which flavour is determined by the complex structure moduli while supersymmetry is broken by the Kahler moduli. For the simplest large-volume case we run the soft terms to low energies and present some sample spectra and a basic phenomenological analysis.Comment: 40 pages, 9 figures, JHEP style; v2. sentence rephrase

A comparison of the Bering Sea, Gulf of Alaska, and Aleutian Islands large marine ecosystems through food web modeling / by K. Aydin ... [et al.]

Detailed mass balance food web models were constructed to compare ecosystem characteristics for three Alaska regions: the eastern Bering Sea (EBS), the Gulf of Alaska (GOA), and the Aleutian Islands (AI). This paper documents the methods and data used to construct the models and compares ecosystem structure and indicators across models. The common modeling framework, including biomass pool and fishery definitions, resulted in comparable food webs for the three ecosystems which showed that they all have the same apex predator—the Pacific halibut longline fishery. However, despite the similar methods used to construct the models, the data from each system included in the analysis clearly define differences in food web structure which may be important considerations for fishery management in Alaska ecosystems. The results showed that the EBS ecosystem has a much larger benthic influence in its food web than either the GOA or the AI. Conversely, the AI ecosystem has the strongest pelagic influence in its food web relative to the other two systems. The GOA ecosystem appears balanced between benthic and pelagic pathways, but is notable in having a smaller fisheries catch relative to the other two systems, and a high biomass of fish predators above trophic level (TL) 4, arrowtooth flounder and halibut. The patterns visible in aggregated food webs were confirmed in additional more detailed analyses of biomass and consumption in each ecosystem, using both the single species and whole ecosystem indicators developed here

The analysis of bubbles and crashes on financial markets for emerging economies: Evidenced From BRICS

Abstract. The study was conducted to analyze the bubbles, and crashes on the financial market in emerging economies; (BRICS) stock prices were employed to detect the existence of the bursting bubble. The Right-tailed Augment Dickey-Fuller Unit Root Test used to complete the study of analyzing bubbles and crashes. The study consists of four primary tests; ADF, RADF, SADF, and GSADF Moreover, the study used the first three criteria. The survey covered the period from 2000 to 2016, to absorb the nuclear currently financial crisis in the BRICS and analyze its impacts. Also, this period coincides with both economic reforms in some countries like China and early indications of an impending US crisis. The findings in all countries rejected the null hypothesis of no bursting bubbles in the stock market in favor of the alternative theory. The findings suggest that such an explosive behavior may be attributable to differences in stock prices of traded goods. The result has economic policy importance and implications on the economy. Keywords. BRICS, Emerging economies, Financial bubble and crashes, Right-tailed ADF, Stock price.JEL. F60, G70, O15

Rolled vaginal wall flap for the treatment of stress urinary incontinence

Objectives: Anterior vaginal wall slings (AVWS) have been used for decades in the treatment of female stress urinary incontinence (SUI). The main drawback of using the vaginal wall as a sling is its tendency to weaken and stretch over the course of years. The use of synthetic tapes for the treatment of SUI is effective but costly. For patients who cannot afford synthetic tapes, we describe the preliminary results of a modified AVWS technique for the treatment of SUI types II and III.Patients and Methods: In this series, a modification of the AVWS was applied in 35 female patients with SUI. A fortified and rolled flap is used to provide compression and support of the urethra. The vaginal mucosal surface of the flap is cauterized and two diagonal sutures are placedacross it. The flap is then rolled on itself with a running 2/0 vicryl suture. Two sutures attached to both ends are passed retropubically to the anterior abdominal wall and tied over the rectus sheath.Results: All 35 female patients had type II/III SUI. After a median follow up of 43 months, 91% of the patients were dry or used 0-1 pad per day. Only one patient suffered from transient retention for one week post-operatively.Conclusion: This is a simple method to reinforce vaginal wall flaps. It could offer a durable and effective option for the treatment of SUI in patients who can not afford synthetic tapes. Long-term follow up is required to evaluate the durability of the procedur

Rectus Fascia Sling for the Treatment of Total Urethral Incontinence in Males

Objectives: Urinary incontinence in patients with neurological disease is a major health problem. A modified rectus fascial sling has been assessed in incontinent male patients.Patients and Methods: Fourteen adult male patients with total incontinence due to neurogenic or post-traumatic and etiology were included in this study. A rectangular rectus sheath flap was harvested and defatted.The flap was placed around the bulbar urethra and sutures were passed both in front of and behindthe pubic bone. Both sutures on each sidewere tied to each other over the pubic bone.Results: Of the 14 patients, 9 (64.3%) were completely dry, 3 (21.4%) reported improved continence, while 2 (14.3 %) were a failure. In total, 71.4% of the patients showed significant improvement using the Incontinence Quality of Life (IQoL) questionnaire. A significantdecrease in the number of pads used per day of 61.3 % (

Region of Interest Extraction in 3D Face Using Local Shape Descriptor

Recently, numerous efforts were focused on 3D face models due to its geometrical information and its reliability against pose estimation and identification problems. The major objective of this work is to reduce the massive amount of information contained the entire 3D face image into a distinctive and informative subset interested regions based 3D face analysis systems. The interested regions are represented by nose and eyes regions of frontal and profile 3D images. These regions are detected based on distance to local plan descriptor only which is copes well with profile views of 3D images. The statistical distribution of distance to local plane descriptor is predicted using Gaussian distribution. The framework of the proposed approach involves two modes: training mode and testing mode. In the training mode, a learning process for local shape descriptor related to the interested regions is carried out. The interested regions (nose and eyes) are extracted automatically in the testing mode. The performance evaluation of the proposed approach has been conducted using 3D images taken from GAVADB 3D face database which consists of both frontal and profile views. The proposed approach achieved high detection rate of interested regions for both frontal and profile views

A New Method of Probing the Phonon Mechanism in Superconductors including MgB2_{2}

Weak localization has a strong influence on both the normal and superconducting properties of metals. In particular, since weak localization leads to the decoupling of electrons and phonons, the temperature dependence of resistance (i.e., $\lambda_{tr}$) is decreasing with increasing disorder, as manifested by Mooij's empirical rule. In addition, Testardi's universal correlation of $T_{c}$ (i.e., $\lambda$) and the resistance ratio (i.e., $\lambda_{tr}$) follows. This understanding provides a new means to probe the phonon mechanism in superconductors including MgB$_{2}$. The merits of this method are its applicability to any superconductors and its reliability because the McMillan's electron-phonon coupling constant $\lambda$ and $\lambda_{tr}$ change in a broad range, from finite values to zero, due to weak localization. Karkin et al's preliminary data of irradiated MgB$_{2}$ show the Testardi correlation, indicating that the dominant pairing mechanism in MgB$_{2}$ is the phonon-mediated interaction.Comment: 9 pages, latex, 3 figure

Themed project case study: Quadruple tanks control with PLCs^†

A themed project based on the control of a quadruple tank rig using PLCs has been successfully carried out as part of the MSc in Advanced Control and Systems Engineering at the University of Manchester. The themed project involves ten students who address a single multivariable control challenge under the supervision of two academics and four PhD students. As every student is required to write their own MSc dissertation, the key point is the possibility of using different control techniques to be implemented on different hardware platforms. </jats:p

Polarization and relaxation of radon

Investigations of the polarization and relaxation of $^{209}$Rn by spin exchange with laser optically pumped rubidium are reported. On the order of one million atoms per shot were collected in coated and uncoated glass cells. Gamma-ray anisotropies were measured as a signal of the alignment (second order moment of the polarization) resulting from the combination of polarization and quadrupole relaxation at the cell walls. The temperature dependence over the range 130$^\circ$C to 220$^\circ$C shows the anisotropies increasing with increasing temperature as the ratio of the spin exchange polarization rate to the wall relaxation rate increases faster than the rubidium polarization decreases. Polarization relaxation rates for coated and uncoated cells are presented. In addition, improved limits on the multipole mixing ratios of some of the main gamma-ray transitions have been extracted. These results are promising for electric dipole moment measurements of octupole-deformed $^{223}$Rn and other isotopes, provided sufficient quantities of the rare isotopes can be produced.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure