Cosmology with a Nonlinear Born-Infeld type Scalar Field

Recent many physicists suggest that the dark energy in the universe might result from the Born-Infeld(B-I) type scalar field of string theory. The universe of B-I type scalar field with potential can undergo a phase of accelerating expansion. The corresponding equation of state parameter lies in the range of $\displaystyle -1<\omega<-{1/3}$. The equation of state parameter of B-I type scalar field without potential lies in the range of $0\leq\omega\leq1$. We find that weak energy condition and strong energy condition are violated for phantom B-I type scalar field. The equation of state parameter lies in the range of $\omega<-1$.Comment: 10 pages without figure

Inhibitory effects of lactic acid and lauricidin on spoilage organisms of chicken breast during storage at chilled temperature.

Different concentrations of lauricidin (LU, containing 1% lactic acid) and lactic acid alone (LA) were evaluated for their effectiveness in reducing naturally occurring microflora of raw chicken breasts. Chicken breasts were dipped in 0 (control), 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, and 2.0% solutions of LU (w/v) or LA (v/v) for 10, 20, and 30 min and stored at 4°C for 14 d. Total Plate Counts (TPC) and populations of Pseudomonas spp. and Enterobacteriaceae were determined before and after dipping and after storing for 1, 3, 7, 10, and 14 d. Additionally, Hunter L, a, and b values and pH of the chicken breast were also determined. From the obtained results, TPC on chicken breast treated with LU was found to be decreased by 0.92 to 1.2 log CFU/g from a mean initial log 5.69 CFU/g, while those dipped in LA decreased by 0.53 to 2.36 log CFU/g. Pseudomonas population on chicken breast dipped in LU decreased by 0.79 to 1.77 log CFU/g from an initial 3.90 log CFU/g, while in LA treated it decreased by 0.39 to 1.82 log CFU/g. Enterobacteriaceae counts were also found to be reduced by 0.14 to 1.14 log CFU/g on chicken breast dipped in LU, while the reduction was from 0.59 to 2.18 log CFU/g in chicken breast dipped in LA. The major bacterial types isolated from LU treated chicken breast belonged to the Enterobacteriaceae group, which included: Enterobacter, E. coli and Citrobacter. Whereas, in the LA treated breast it belonged to: Pseudomonas, E. coli, and Kocuria rhizophila (formerly Micrococcus luteus). Dipping chicken breast in LU and LA caused a significant decrease (p ≤ 0.05) in their pH values. Also, treatment with LU and LA caused a slight darkening in color (decreased Hunter L value), increase in redness (increased Hunter a value), and increase in yellowness (increased Hunter b value). Based on the results obtained in the present study, Lactic acid and Lauricidin showed high potential to be used as a sanitizer in reducing the population of spoilage microorganisms naturally occurring on raw chicken, and can be explored commercially for extension of their shelf life

Ming Lu, piano, November 10, 2018

This is the concert program of the Ming Lu, piano performance on Saturday, November 10, 2018 at 8:00 p.m., at the Concert Hall, 855 Commonwealth Avenue. Works performed were 4 Impromptus Op. 142, D. 935 No. 3 in B-flat major by Franz Schubert, Piano Sonata No. 2 in B-flat minor, Op. 35 by Frédéric Chopin, and Piano Sonata No. 6, Op. 82 by Sergei Prokofiev. Digitization for Boston University Concert Programs was supported by the Boston University Humanities Library Endowed Fund

Multiscale Technicolor and b→sγb \to s \gamma

Correction to the $b\rightarrow s\gamma$ branching ratio in the multiscale walking technicolor model (MWTCM) is examined. For the original MWTCM, the correction is too large to explain the recent CLEO data. We show that if topcolor is further introduced, the branching ratio in the topcolor assisted MWTCM can be in agreement with the CLEO data for a certain range of the parameters.Comment: 11 pages, Latex, no macros, 3 figures, hard copy is available upon request. to appear in Z. Phys.

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Honorable Mention is the official newsletter for the Honors Program of Liberty University. It invites current and past LU Honors students to share their stories in it

LU-HF Age and Isotope Systematics of ALH84001

Allan Hills (ALH) 84001 is an orthopyroxenite that is unique among the Martian meteorites in having the oldest inferred crystallization age (approx..4.5 to 4.0 Gyr) [e.g., 1-6 and references therein 7]. Its ancient origin makes this stone a critical constraint on early history of Mars, in particular the evolution of different planetary crust and mantle reservoirs. However, because there is significant variability in reported crystallization ages, determination of initial isotope compositions is imprecise making assessment of planetary reservoirs difficult. Here we report a new Lu-Hf mineral isochron age, initial Hf-176/Hf-177 isotope composition, and inferred Martian mantle source compositions for ALH84001 that place constraints on longlived source reservoirs for the enriched shergottite suite of Martian meteorites including Shergotty, Zagami, NWA4468, NWA856, RBT04262, LAR06319, and Los Angeles. Sm-Nd isotope analyses are under way for the same mineral aliquots analyzed for Lu-Hf. The Lu-Hf system was utilized because Lu and Hf are both lithophile and refractory and are not easily redistributed during short-lived thermal pulses associated with shock metamorphism. Moreover, chromite has relatively modest Hf concentrations with very low Lu/Hf ratios [9] yielding tight constraints on initial Hf-176/Hf-177 isotope composition

WAWASAN AL-QUR’AN TENTANG ULU AL-ALBAB

ABSTRAK Tesis dengan judul “Wawasan Al-Qur’an tentang U al-Alba>b” ini ditulis oleh Eko Zulfikar dengan dibimbing oleh Dr. H. Abad Badruzzaman, Lc, M.Ag. dan Dr. Salamah Noorhidayati, M.Ag. Kata Kunci: U al-Alba>b, Al-Qur’an dan Tafsir Mawd}u>’i Al-Qur’an merupakan hidayah Allah yang melengkapi segala aspek kehidupan manusia. Salah satu term al-Qur’an yang menunjukan makna orang yang memiliki akal pengetahuan adalah u>lu> al-Alba>b (أُولُو الألْبَابِ). Term u>lu> al-Alba>b ini memiliki lima term yang maknanya hampir serupa. U al-Alba>b merupakan istilah yang disebutkan sebanyak enam belas kali yang terliput dalam sepuluh surah di dalam al-Qur’an. Menurut al-Qur’an, u>lu> al-Alba>b adalah kelompok manusia tertentu yang diberi keistimewaan oleh Allah swt. Adapun rumusan masalah dalam penulisan tesis ini ada dua, yaitu: (1) Bagaimana pemaknaan u>lu> al-Alba>b dalam al-Qur’an?; dan (2) Bagaimana pemaknaan u>lu> al-Alba>b dalam konteks kekinian? Adapun metode yang digunakan penulis dalam menafsirkan ayat-ayat tentang u>lu> al-Alba>b adalah metode tafsir mawd}u>’i> (tematik). Sedangkan pendekatan yang digunakan yaitu pendekatan semantik yang berlaku pada bab dua. Penelitian ini bersifat kajian pustaka (library reaserch) yang dilakukan dengan cara dokumentasi, yaitu mengumpulkan data dengan cara mencari serta menelaah data kualitatif yang sesuai dengan tema dari sumber data primer dan data sekunder. Data primer yang digunakan adalah ayat-ayat al-Qur’an dan kitab-kitab tafsir, serta mengumpulkan data-data lain yang ada kaitanya sebagai sumber data sekunder. Dari hasil penelitian ini, penulis menyimpulkan bahwa: (1) Pemaknaan u>lu> al-Alba>b dalam al-Qur’an adalah seseorang yang memiliki wawasan yang luas dan mempunyai ketajaman dalam menganalisis suatu permasalahan, bahkan ia menggunakan kelebihan yang dimiliki untuk selalu mendekatkan diri kepada Allah dengan cara mengingat (dzikr) dan memikirkan (tafakkur) ciptaan-Nya, sehingga tumbuh rasa takut kepada Allah dan ketakwaan yang kuat dalam dirinya. (2) Pemaknaan u>lu> al-Alba>b dalam konteks kekinian adalah bahwa sosok u>lu> al-Alba>b memiliki karakteristik berkepribadian yang dicirikan oleh adanya spiritualitas, moralitas, intelektualitas dan profesionalitas. Sosok u>lu> al-Alba>b juga memiliki tanggung jawab yang harus diembannya. Tanggung jawab tersebut dapat dibagi menjadi dua, yakni tanggung jawab individu dan sosial. Selanjutnya balasan yang diterima sosok u>lu> al-Alba>b adalah bahwa mereka akan dimasukkan ke dalam surga ‘Adn oleh Allah swt