Natural Suppression of Higgsino-Mediated Proton Decay in Supersymmetric SO(10)

In supersymmetric Grand Unified Theories, proton decay mediated by the color--triplet higgsino is generally problematic and requires some fine--tuning of parameters. We present a mechanism which naturally suppresses such dimension 5 operators in the context of SUSY $SO(10)$. The mechanism, which implements natural doublet--triplet splitting using the adjoint higgs, converts these dimension 5 operators effectively into dimension 6. By explicitly computing the higgs spectrum and the resulting threshold uncertainties we show that the successful prediction of $\sin^2\theta_W$ is maintained {\it as a prediction} in this scheme. It is argued that only a weak suppression of the higgsino mediated proton decay is achievable within SUSY $SU(5)$ without fine--tuning, in contrast to a strong suppression in SUSY $SO(10)$.Comment: 39 pages (3 Feynman graphs not included), in Plain LaTeX, BA-93-2

Chua mem-components for adaptive RF metamaterials

Chua's mem-components are ideal for creating adaptive metasurfaces for manipulating EM waves given that they hold their state without external biases. In this paper, we propose a generic adaptive reactive element that is in fact a memcapacitor/meminductor. This element makes use of a polymer that demonstrates reversible trans-cis photochemical isomerization, thus making it possible to change the distance between two conductive plates by up to 25%. Furthermore, a design methodology for utilizing these devices is presented

An Optically-Programmable Absorbing Metasurface

A tunable metasurface absorber is presented in this work using an optically-programmable capacitor as the tuning element. The tuning element does not employ conventional semiconductor technologies to operate but rather a bases its tuning by changing the optomechanical properties of its dielectric, poly disperse red 1 acrylate (PDR1A). Doing so there are no conventional semiconductor devices in the RF signal path. The metasurface operates at a design frequency of 5.5 GHz and it achieves an optically-tuned bandwidth of 150 MHz, from 5.50 GHz to 5.65 GHz

Neural Circuitry of Novelty Salience Processing in Psychosis Risk: Association With Clinical Outcome

Psychosis has been proposed to develop from dysfunction in a hippocampal-striatal-midbrain circuit, leading to aberrant salience processing. Here, we used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) during novelty salience processing to investigate this model in people at clinical high risk (CHR) for psychosis according to their subsequent clinical outcomes. Seventy-six CHR participants as defined using the Comprehensive Assessment of At-Risk Mental States (CAARMS) and 31 healthy controls (HC) were studied while performing a novelty salience fMRI task that engaged an a priori hippocampal-striatal-midbrain circuit of interest. The CHR sample was then followed clinically for a mean of 59.7 months (~5 y), when clinical outcomes were assessed in terms of transition (CHR-T) or non-transition (CHR-NT) to psychosis (CAARMS criteria): during this period, 13 individuals (17%) developed a psychotic disorder (CHR-T) and 63 did not. Functional activation and effective connectivity within a hippocampal-striatal-midbrain circuit were compared between groups. In CHR individuals compared to HC, hippocampal response to novel stimuli was significantly attenuated (P = .041 family-wise error corrected). Dynamic Causal Modelling revealed that stimulus novelty modulated effective connectivity from the hippocampus to the striatum, and from the midbrain to the hippocampus, significantly more in CHR participants than in HC. Conversely, stimulus novelty modulated connectivity from the midbrain to the striatum significantly less in CHR participants than in HC, and less in CHR participants who subsequently developed psychosis than in CHR individuals who did not become psychotic. Our findings are consistent with preclinical evidence implicating hippocampal-striatal-midbrain circuit dysfunction in altered salience processing and the onset of psychosis

Rapid deglaciation during the Bølling-Allerød Interstadial in the Central Pyrenees and associated glacial and periglacial landforms

The Central Pyrenees hosted a large ice cap during the Late Pleistocene. The cirques under relatively low-altitude peaks (2200-2800 m) include the greatest variety of glacial landforms (moraines, fossil debris-covered glaciers and rock glaciers), but their age and formation process are poorly known. Here, we focus on the headwaters of the Garonne River, namely on the low-altitude Bacivèr Cirque (highest peaks at ~2600 m), with widespread erosive and depositional glacial and periglacial landforms. We reconstruct the pattern of deglaciation from geomorphological observations and a 17-sample dataset of 10Be Cosmic-Ray Exposure (CRE) ages. Ice thickness in the Bacivèr Cirque must have reached ~200 m during the maximum ice extent of the last glacial cycle, when it flowed down towards the Garonne paleoglacier. However, by ~15 ka, during the Bølling-Allerød (B-A) Interstadial, the mouth of the cirque was deglaciated as the tributary glacier shrank and disconnected from the Garonne paleoglacier. Glacial retreat was rapid, and the whole cirque was likely to have been deglaciated in only a few centuries, while paraglacial processes accelerated, leading to the transformation of debris-free glaciers into debriscovered and rock glaciers in their final stages. Climate conditions prevailing at the transition between the B-A and the Younger Dryas (YD) favored glacial growth and the likely development of small moraines within the slopes of the cirque walls by ~12.9 ka, but the dating uncertainties make it impossible to state whether these moraines formed during the B-A or the YD. The melting of these glaciers favored paraglacial dynamics, which promoted the development of rock glaciers as well as debris-covered glaciers. These remained active throughout the Early Holocene until at least ~7 ka. Since then, the landscape of the Bacivèr Cirque has seen a period of relative stability. A similar chronological sequence of deglaciation has been also detected in other cirques of the Pyrenees below 3000 m. As in other mid-latitude mountain regions, the B-A triggered the complete deglaciation of the Garonne paleoglacier and promoted the development of the wide variety of glacial and periglacial landforms existing in the Bacivèr cirque

A POF model for short fiber segments in avionics applications

Plastic Optical Fibres (POF) have now been a well-established media for transporting high-speed at low cost in short distance communications systems, and avionics is the latest segment where these fibers are becoming an important factor. In fact, the POF''s flexibility and ease of installation make this fiber a great option for the replacement by fiber of some of the existing aircraft data links. We propose a new model for short fiber links that are suitable for plane''s systems that involve a lot of connectors; the model is built around two important properties, namely, power transfer among modes and attenuation. The model expands on our previous work on the subject and is based on detailed experimental measurements for various fiber types and lengths

Relational Solidarity and Conflicting Ethics in Dementia Care in Urban India.

OBJECTIVES: Using the concept of relational solidarity, we examine how autonomy, equality, dignity, and personhood are practiced in the care of people living with dementia at home in urban India. METHODS: Video interviews with 19 family carers and 25 health providers conducted in English, Hindi, and Kannada in Bengaluru between March and July 2022. Data were translated into English and thematically analyzed. RESULTS: Family carers and providers unanimously agreed that people with dementia should be respected and cared for. Concurrently, they perceived people with dementia as being "like a kid" and used the analogy of a parent-child relationship to understand their care responsibilities. This analogy informed how ethical principles such as personhood and equality were reframed in the relationships between family carers and people with dementia, as well as how carers and providers maintained the safety but undermined the autonomy of people with dementia through restricting their movements inside and outside the home. DISCUSSION: There can be relational solidarity in dementia care at home in urban India but also contradictions in the interpretations and applications of the ethical principles of autonomy, equality, dignity, and personhood. As such, a more organic, grassroots model of ethical practice is needed to frame care and provide material support to families in India

Wave Energy Amplification in a Metamaterial based Traveling Wave Structure

We consider the interaction between a particle beam and a propagating electromagnetic wave in the presence of a metamaterial. We show that the introduction of a metamaterial gives rise to a novel dispersion curve which determines a unique wave particle relationship, via the frequency dependence of the metamaterial and the novel ability of metamaterials to exhibit simultaneous negative permittivity and permeability. Using a modified form of Madey's theorem we find that the novel dispersion of the metamaterial leads to a amplification of the EM wave power