The N=2 supersymmetric unconstrained matrix GNLS hierarchies

The generalization of the N=2 supersymmetric chiral matrix (k|n,m)--GNLS hierarchy (Lett. Math. Phys. 45 (1998) 63, solv-int/9711009) to the case when matrix entries are bosonic and fermionic unconstrained N=2 superfields is proposed. This is done by exhibiting the corresponding matrix Lax--pair representation in terms of N=2 unconstrained superfields. It is demonstrated that when matrix entries are chiral and antichiral N=2 superfields, it reproduces the N=2 chiral matrix (k|n,m)-GNLS hierarchy, while in the scalar case, k=1, it is equivalent to the N=2 supersymmetric multicomponent hierarchy (J. Phys. A29 (1996) 1281, hep-th/9510185). The simplest example --the N=2 unconstrained (1|1,0)--GNLS hierarchy-- and its reduction to the N=2 supersymmetric {\alpha}=1 KdV hierarchy are discussed in more detail, and its rich symmetry structure is uncovered.Comment: 11 pages, LaTex, misprints correcte

On symmetries and cohomological invariants of equations possessing flat representations

We study the equation E_fc of flat connections in a fiber bundle and discover a specific geometric structure on it, which we call a flat representation. We generalize this notion to arbitrary PDE and prove that flat representations of an equation E are in 1-1 correspondence with morphisms f: E\to E_fc, where E and E_fc are treated as submanifolds of infinite jet spaces. We show that flat representations include several known types of zero-curvature formulations of PDE. In particular, the Lax pairs of the self-dual Yang-Mills equations and their reductions are of this type. With each flat representation we associate a complex C_f of vector-valued differential forms such that its first cohomology describes infinitesimal deformations of the flat structure, which are responsible, in particular, for parameters in Backlund transformations. In addition, each higher infinitesimal symmetry S of E defines a 1-cocycle c_S of C_f. Symmetries with exact c_S form a subalgebra reflecting some geometric properties of E and f. We show that the complex corresponding to E_fc itself is 0-acyclic and 1-acyclic (independently of the bundle topology), which means that higher symmetries of E_fc are exhausted by generalized gauge ones, and compute the bracket on 0-cochains induced by commutation of symmetries.Comment: 30 page

Modeling Business Negotiations for Electronic Commerce

E-commerce "localizes global markets" by opening remote markets to retail and to small companies. Newly developed E-commerce tools allow individual and organizational buyers to search for suppliers anywhere and make deals electronically. We propose a software agent that interacts with a buyer and elicits information about the criteria, preferences, and limitations, and that conducts business negotiation on behalf of the buyer. The agent has been implemented and tested in Negoplan, a software system that supports the simulation of decision processes. Results of several negotiation simulations are presented

Development of a Detector Control System for the ATLAS Pixel Detector

The innermost part of the ATLAS experiment will be a pixel detector containing around 1750 individual detector modules. A detector control system (DCS) is required to handle thousands of I/O channels with varying characteristics. The main building blocks of the pixel DCS are the cooling system, the power supplies and the thermal interlock system, responsible for the ultimate safety of the pixel sensors. The ATLAS Embedded Local Monitor Board (ELMB), a multi purpose front end I/O system with a CAN interface, is foreseen for several monitoring and control tasks. The Supervisory, Control And Data Acquisition (SCADA) system will use PVSS, a commercial software product chosen for the CERN LHC experiments. We report on the status of the different building blocks of the ATLAS pixel DCS.Comment: 3 pages, 2 figures, ICALEPCS 200

The effect of inert gases (Xe, Ar, Ne, He) on decomposition reactions of N₂O, CH₄ and CO₂ at high pressures

In a pulsed compression reactor (PCR) experiments were done with N2O (4%mol), CH4 (1%mol) and CO2 (2%mol) diluted in the inert gases Xe, Ar, Ne and He. The mixtures were compressed up to 250 bar, reaching temperatures of up to 4000 K. At equal temperature, pressure and volume, significant differences (up to 20%) were measured in the conversion of the three species in different noble gases. The measurements with N2O decomposition showed that the reaction is the fastest in the most heavy noble gas tested. The conversion decreased as the molar mass of the noble gas decreased. Likewise, methane pyrolysis was measured to be the fastest in xenon and slowed down in accordance with the mass of the inert molecule. A reverse trend was measured for the decomposition of CO2 to CO and O⋅, which is explained by the dominant role of the reverse reaction. As a result, the CO2 data is also explained by conversion rates that are higher in heavier gases. This paper provides a first attempt to understand the observed influence of the molar mass of the inert bathing gas on the reaction rate in the high pressure domain. A theory is proposed based on a Newtonian description of reactant activation by the inert bathing gas.</p

The Effects of Culture in Anonymous Negotiations: A Four Countries Experiment

Experimental research on cross-cultural negotiations typically involves subjects negotiating in a classroom or laboratory setting. Such negotiations are brief, with a strictly imposed deadline and face-to-face. Further, the negotiations typically involve dyads from the same country. The comparisons are done on the basis of experiments replicated in several countries. Internet technologies allow for communication across the cultural frontiers. While the communication is not as rich as in the case of face-to-face discussions, it allows subjects to negotiate in an asynchronous mode and at their own pace. It is also possible to conduct anonymous negotiations for several weeks. This paper explores the implications of culture on anonymous negotiations conducted via the Web with use of INSPIRE, a Web-based negotiation support system. The negotiations involved 166 subjects from Austria, Ecuador, Finland, and Switzerland. A model to study cross-cultural negotiations is proposed and assessed based on the statistical analysis of negotiations

Selective Covalent Conjugation of Phosphorothioate DNA Oligonucleotides with Streptavidin

Protein-DNA conjugates have found numerous applications in the field of diagnostics and nanobiotechnology, however, their intrinsic susceptibility to DNA degradation by nucleases represents a major obstacle for many applications. We here report the selective covalent conjugation of the protein streptavidin (STV) with phosphorothioate oligonucleotides (psDNA) containing a terminal alkylthiolgroup as the chemically addressable linking unit, using a heterobifunctional NHS-/maleimide crosslinker. The psDNA-STV conjugates were synthesized in about 10% isolated yields. We demonstrate that the terminal alkylthiol group selectively reacts with the maleimide while the backbone sulfur atoms are not engaged in chemical conjugation. The novel psDNA-STV conjugates retain their binding capabilities for both biotinylated macromolecules and the complementary nucleic acid. Moreover, the psDNA-STV conjugate retained its binding capacity for complementary oligomers even after a nuclease digestion step, which effectively degrades deoxyribonucleotide oligomers and thus the binding capability of regular DNA-STV conjugates. The psDNA-STV therefore hold particular promise for applications e.g. in proteome research and novel biosensing devices, where interfering endogenous nucleic acids need to be removed from analytes by nuclease digestion