Algebraic Quantum Theory on Manifolds: A Haag-Kastler Setting for Quantum Geometry

Motivated by the invariance of current representations of quantum gravity under diffeomorphisms much more general than isometries, the Haag-Kastler setting is extended to manifolds without metric background structure. First, the causal structure on a differentiable manifold M of arbitrary dimension (d+1>2) can be defined in purely topological terms, via cones (C-causality). Then, the general structure of a net of C*-algebras on a manifold M and its causal properties required for an algebraic quantum field theory can be described as an extension of the Haag-Kastler axiomatic framework. An important application is given with quantum geometry on a spatial slice within the causally exterior region of a topological horizon H, resulting in a net of Weyl algebras for states with an infinite number of intersection points of edges and transversal (d-1)-faces within any neighbourhood of the spatial boundary S^2.Comment: 15 pages, Latex; v2: several corrections, in particular in def. 1 and in sec.

Basel II, External Ratings and Adverse Selection

This paper will describe and analyse the development of Basel II Capital Accord and will focus on the use of external ratings in the Standardized Approach in Basel II. Furthermore it will examine the problem of adverse selection which appears in Basel II as a result from the proposal for the use of external ratings in determining the risk weights in the standardized approach. The paper will also attempt to find possible solutions to the adverse selection problem by discussing two similar models, and derive implications from them.Basel II, external ratings, adverse selection, rating agencies, standardized approach

Modeling of work envelope requirements in the piping and steel trades and the influence of global anthropomorphic characteristics

Limited and unavailable workspace for crews on the jobsite results in losses of productivity. With the increased usage of Building Information Modeling (BIM) in the construction industry, four dimensional animation that brings together the three dimensional model of a building and its construction schedule to visualize construction process is emerging. To support space planning in the preconstruction management, this research provides a framework to integrate the knowledge of work envelope requirements among piping and steel trades. Typical work envelope requirements were defined through in-depth interviews with superintendents on U.S. industrial projects. Therefore, the rules and semantic information extracted from the interviews were summarized in seven decision trees, describing the geometric parameters relative to the body parts (e.g. chest and eye height). To compare the level of work envelope overlaps among global populations, anthropomorphic data was used to assess the absolute dimensions of the work envelopes. The results show that some work envelope requirements have a limited tolerance and are more sensitive to different body dimensions across global populations. It was found that in such situations the population anthropomorphic characteristics significantly impact the work envelope requirements. Therefore, this paper presents a decision supporting tool of work envelope requirements in compliment to space planning, which can improve the productivity, accuracy and efficiency of workspace management in the piping and steel trades

Effect of the initial particle size distribution on the properties of suspension plasma sprayed Al2O3-TiO2 coatings

“NOTICE: this is the author’s version of a work that was accepted for publication in Surface & Coatings Technology. Changes resulting from the publishing process, such as peer review, editing, corrections, structural formatting, and other quality control mechanisms may not be reflected in this document. Changes may have been made to this work since it was submitted for publication. A definitive version was subsequently published in Surface & Coatings Technology, [268 (2015) 209-215] DOI 10.1016/j.surfcoat.2014.12.010¨Al2O3-TiO2 coatings have been deposited by atmospheric plasma spraying from agglomerated, nanostructured powders showing better properties than those of their conventional (microstructured) counterparts. These nanostructured coatings can be also obtained by suspension plasma spraying however the research on suspension plasma sprayed Al2O3-TiO2 is still scarce. Consequently, it is crucial to study the effect of the suspension characteristics on the coating properties and to optimize the deposition process. In this work, Al2O3-13 wt.% TiO2 tribological coatings were successfully deposited by suspension plasma spraying from three different feedstocks: a nanometric suspension and two bimodal suspensions with different solid contents made up of titania nanoparticles and alumina submicron-sized particles. The coating microstructure and phase composition were characterized using scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction analysis. Moreover, nanoindentation technique was used to determine the nanomechanical properties of coatings. The influence of the feed suspension characteristics on the final coating quality was analyzed. Findings showed that similar microstructures and phases were developed after depositing the different feedstocks. In addition suspension feedstock made up of nanoparticles resulted in a coating with better mechanical properties. However the use of submicron-sized particles in the suspension feedstocks gives rise to some technical and economic advantages in the process which should be taken into account when a suspension plasma spraying process is to be setup. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.This work has been supported by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (project MAT2012-38364-C03) and it has been co-funded by ERDF (European Regional Development Funds).Vicent, M.; Bannier, E.; Carpio, P.; Rayón Encinas, E.; Benavente Martínez, R.; Salvador Moya, MD.; Sánchez, E. (2015). Effect of the initial particle size distribution on the properties of suspension plasma sprayed Al2O3-TiO2 coatings. Surface and Coatings Technology. 268:209-215. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.surfcoat.2014.12.010S20921526

Basel II, External Ratings and Adverse Selection

This paper will describe and analyse the development of Basel II Capital Accord and will focus on the use of external ratings in the Standardized Approach in Basel II. Furthermore it will examine the problem of adverse selection which appears in Basel II as a result from the proposal for the use of external ratings in determining the risk weights in the standardized approach. The paper will also attempt to find possible solutions to the adverse selection problem by discussing two similar models, and derive implications from them

Basel II, External Ratings and Adverse Selection

This paper will describe and analyse the development of Basel II Capital Accord and will focus on the use of external ratings in the Standardized Approach in Basel II. Furthermore it will examine the problem of adverse selection which appears in Basel II as a result from the proposal for the use of external ratings in determining the risk weights in the standardized approach. The paper will also attempt to find possible solutions to the adverse selection problem by discussing two similar models, and derive implications from them