Noncommutative Black Holes and the Singularity Problem

A phase-space noncommutativity in the context of a Kantowski-Sachs cosmological model is considered to study the interior of a Schwarzschild black hole. Due to the divergence of the probability of finding the black hole at the singularity from a canonical noncommutativity, one considers a non-canonical noncommutativity. It is shown that this more involved type of noncommutativity removes the problem of the singularity in a Schwarzschild black hole.Comment: Based on a talk by CB at ERE2010, Granada, Spain, 6th-10th September 201

The Impact of Heavy Load Carrying on Musculoskeletal Pain and Disability Among Women in Shinyanga Region, Tanzania.

BackgroundHeavy load carrying has been associated with musculoskeletal discomfort (MSD) and disability. However, there is a lack of research investigating this association in resource-constrained settings where heavy load carrying by women is common.ObjectivesWe assessed the impact of heavy load carrying on musculoskeletal pain and disability among women in Shinyanga Region, Tanzania, in an exploratory cross-sectional study.MethodsEligible participants were a convenience sample of women, at least 18 years of age, who passed a study recruitment site carrying a load. We collected information on load-carrying practices, including frequency and time spent carrying water, wood, agricultural products, coal, sand, or rocks, and measured the weight of the load carried at the time. Outcomes included self-reported MSDs, defined as experiencing pain lasting >3 days in the neck, head, back, knees, feet and/or ankles within the last 1 year, and related disability. Using multivariable logistic regression we assessed for associations between load carrying exposures and MSDs and disability.FindingsResults showed a high prevalence of MSDs across the body regions assessed and evidence to suggest a relationship of back pain and related disability with several measures of load-carrying, including duration, frequency, and weight. Multivariable analyses revealed associations of increased load carrying exposures with low back pain (LBP) and related disability, including statistically significant increases in odds of LBP with increasing weight, total duration of load carrying/week and cumulative loads/week.ConclusionsFindings indicate a substantial burden of MSDs and disability in this population of women who carry heavy loads daily. The extent of discomfort and disability increased with increasing exposure to various load-carrying measures, especially for LBP. Larger epidemiologic studies that definitively assess relationships of load carrying with MSDs and disability are warranted

Satellite detection of volcanic ash from Eyjafjallajökull and the threat to aviation

Earth orbiting satellites provide an excellent means for monitoring and measuring emissions from volcanic eruptions. The recent eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland on 14 April, 2010 and the subsequent movement of the ash clouds were tracked using a variety of satellite instruments as they moved over Europe. Data from the rapid sampling (every 15 minutes) SEVIRI on Meteosat Second Generation were especially useful during this event as the thermal channels between 10–12 micron could be used to detect the ash signal and perform quantitative ash retrievals of mass loadings, optical depths and effective particle size. Higher-spatial resolution ( 1 km2) information from the MODIS sensors on NASA’s Terra and Aqua platforms were also analysed to determine ash microphysics and also to provide ash cloud top height. High-spectral resolution data from the IASI and AIRS sensors showed that initially quantities of ice, potentially with ash cores, were present, and that multi-species retrievals could be performed by exploiting the spectral content of the data. Vertically resolved ash layers were detected using the Caliop lidar on board the Calipso platform. Ash was clearly detected over Europe using the infra-red sensors with mass loadings typically in the range 0.1–5 gm-2, which for layers of 500–1000 m thickness, suggests ash concentrations in the range 0.1–10 mg m-3, and therefore represent a potential hazard to aviation.Little SO2 was detected at the start of the eruption, although both OMI and AIRS detected upper-level SO2 on 15 April. By late April and early May, 0.1–0.3 Tg (SO2) could be detected using these sensors. The wealth of satellite data available, some in near real-time, and the ability of infrared and ultra-violet sensors to detect volcanic ash and SO2 are emphasised in this presentation. The ash/aviation problem can be addressed using remote sensing measurements, validated with ground-based and air-borne, and combined with dispersion modelling. The volcanic ash threat to aviation can be ameliorated by utilising these space-based resources

WARP: a WIMP double phase Argon detector

The WARP programme for dark matter search with a double phase argon detector is presented. In such a detector both excitation and ionization produced by an impinging particle are evaluated by the contemporary measurement of primary scintillation and secondary (proportional) light signal, this latter being produced by extracting and accelerating ionization electrons in the gas phase. The proposed technique, verified on a 2.3 liters prototype, could be used to efficiently discriminate nuclear recoils, induced by WIMP's interactions, and measure their energy spectrum. An overview of the 2.3 liters results and of the proposed 100 liters detector is shown.Comment: Proceeding for IDM200

Pattern of mtDNA Variation in Three Populations from São Tomé e Príncipe

We have analysed the matrilineal genetic composition of three self-reported ethnic groups from São Tomé e Príncipe (Gulf of Guinea), an African archipelago whose settlement begun in the late fifteenth century. Sequence data from the hypervariable segments I (HVS-I) and II (HVS-II) were obtained for 30 Angolares, 35 Forros and 38 Tongas. The repertory of mtDNA lineages in São Tomé e Príncipe denoted a fully African maternal pool, primarily arisen from a Central/Southwestern substratum. The absence of any lineages of putative European descent means that the European impact at the mitochondrial pool was virtually nil. Angolares showed a clear reduction of mtDNA diversity and a slight genetic differentiation relative to Tongas or Forros, whereas the latter two groups did not present any signs of genetic boundaries between each other. The data obtained here reinforce the depiction of genetic substructuring in São Tomé e Príncipe previously derived from Y-chromosome STRs. In addition, the crossing of mtDNA and Y-STR information led to the inference that the female mediated gene flow within the archipelago was less restricted than the male, a pattern that could be framed in the cultural traditions and socio-historical interactions among the groups