Simulation of Chua's Circuit by Means of Interval Analysis

The Chua's circuit is a paradigm for nonlinear scientific studies. It is usually simulated by means of numerical methods under IEEE 754-2008 standard. Although the error propagation problem is well known, little attention has been given to the relationship between this error and inequalities presented in Chua's circuit model. Taking the average of round mode towards $+\infty$ and $-\infty$, we showed a qualitative change on the dynamics of Chua's circuit.Comment: 6th International Conference on Nonlinear Science and Complexity - S\~ao Jos\'e dos Campos, 2016, p. 1-

Vacuum fluctuations of a scalar field near a reflecting boundary and their effects on the motion of a test particle

The contribution from quantum vacuum fluctuations of a real massless scalar field to the motion of a test particle that interacts with the field in the presence of a perfectly reflecting flat boundary is here investigated. There is no quantum induced dispersions on the motion of the particle when it is alone in the empty space. However, when a reflecting wall is introduced, dispersions occur with magnitude dependent on how fast the system evolves between the two scenarios. A possible way of implementing this process would be by means of an idealized sudden switching, for which the transition occurs instantaneously. Although the sudden process is a simple and mathematically convenient idealization it brings some divergences to the results, particularly at a time corresponding to a round trip of a light signal between the particle and the wall. It is shown that the use of smooth switching functions, besides regularizing such divergences, enables us to better understand the behavior of the quantum dispersions induced on the motion of the particle. Furthermore, the action of modifying the vacuum state of the system leads to a change in the particle energy that depends on how fast the transition between these states is implemented. Possible implications of these results to the similar case of an electric charge near a perfectly conducting wall are discussed.Comment: 17 pages, 8 figure

What if the Masses of the First Two Quark Families are not Generated by the Standard Higgs?

We point out that, in the context of the SM, $|V^2_{13}| + | V^2_{23}|$ is expected to be large, of order one. The fact that $|V^2_{13}| + |V^2_{23}| \approx 1.6 \times 10^{-3}$ motivates the introduction of a symmetry S which leads to $V_{CKM} ={1\>\!\!\!\mathrm{I}}$, with only the third generation of quarks acquiring mass. We consider two scenarios for generating the mass of the first two quark generations and full quark mixing. One consists of the introduction of a second Higgs doublet which is neutral under S. The second scenario consists of assuming New Physics at a high energy scale , contributing to the masses of light quark generations, in an effective field theory approach. This last scenario leads to couplings of the Higgs particle to $s\overline s$ and $c \overline c$ which are significantly enhanced with respect to those of the SM. In both schemes, one has scalar-mediated flavour- changing neutral currents which are naturally suppressed. Flavour violating top decays are predicted in the second scenario at the level \mbox{Br} (t \rightarrow h c ) \geq 5\times 10^{-5}.Comment: 11 pages, 1 figur

Gender differences in the workplace: the case of pharmaceutical industry in China

Gender’s equality is still an allusive phenomenon in twenty-first century workplaces. Previous studies have suggested that gendered assumptions and organizational factors may contribute to gender’s inequality. However, little research has investigated how individuals make sense of their roles in the workplace in the Chinese context. Drawing on cultural constructions of gender’s roles in organizations, we address three research questions: What are the meanings different actors ascribed to the sales occupation? To what extent are different actors able to (re)construct the dominant culture in the sales context? What are the implications of existing reproduction processes of the dominant culture for the way people experience their lives at the workplace? Through a discourse analysis this article examines the transcripts of thirty narratives on women in sale roles to critically analyse people attitudes to transform the dominant culture in working life. We argue that initiatives sponsored at different organizational ladders, and by both genders, are (un)consciously reproducing sales occupation’s masculine cultures in the pharmaceutical sales industry. The study reveals that while there is a discursive space within the salesforce for gender’s equality, in practice men and women at the workplace engage in masculine status quo, contributing to legitimize unequal relations between the genders in the sales industry in China.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio