Disentangling Scaling Properties in Anisotropic and Inhomogeneous Turbulence

We address scaling in inhomogeneous and anisotropic turbulent flows by decomposing structure functions into their irreducible representation of the SO(3) symmetry group which are designated by $j,m$ indices. Employing simulations of channel flows with Re$_\lambda\approx 70$ we demonstrate that different components characterized by different $j$ display different scaling exponents, but for a given $j$ these remain the same at different distances from the wall. The $j=0$ exponent agrees extremely well with high Re measurements of the scaling exponents, demonstrating the vitality of the SO(3) decomposition.Comment: 4 page

El desafío de las drogas, el crimen organizado y el terrorismo en África Occidental y Central

África Occidental se ha convertido en un destino atractivo para las redes de delincuencia internacional. En asociación con redes locales, está surgiendo progresivamente un nuevo modelo específico de criminalidad que está comenzando a exportarse. Existen numerosos factores que explican la creciente importancia de África Occidental y Central en el mapa mundial del crimen organizado y las organizaciones criminales transnacionales. La concurrencia de factores externos como el rápido crecimiento demográfico, el urbanismo descontrolado, gobiernos ineficaces y dinámicas diásporas regionales y mundiales amplifican los efectos de las dificultades políticas, económicas y sociales. Ante esta situación, las redes extranjeras de delincuencia transnacional bien asentadas y en busca de bases operativas seguras para llevar a cabo sus operaciones ilícitas (tráfico de narcóticos, trata de seres humanos, mercancías pirateadas, migración ilegal y recursos naturales) cooperan y cohabitan con las recientes y exitosas redes de delincuencia propias de África Occidental. Los esfuerzos realizados por los gobiernos nacionales para atajar la situación se han limitado hasta ahora a la redacción de marcos legales. Si no se ataja esta situación de forma oportuna y enérgica, cualquier progreso encaminado hacia la consecución de sociedades democráticas liberales quedará ralentizado, por no decir secuestrado

Hartree approximation in curved spacetimes revisited II: The semiclassical Einstein equations and de Sitter self-consistent solutions

We consider the semiclassical Einstein equations (SEE) in the presence of a quantum scalar field with self-interaction $\lambda\phi^4$. Working in the Hartree truncation of the two-particle irreducible (2PI) effective action, we compute the vacuum expectation value of the energy-momentum tensor of the scalar field, which act as a source of the SEE. We obtain the renormalized SEE by implementing a consistent renormalization procedure. We apply our results to find self-consistent de Sitter solutions to the SEE in situations with or without spontaneous breaking of the $Z_2$-symmetry.Comment: 32 pages, 4 figure

Quantum dissipative effects in graphene-like mirrors

We study quantum dissipative effects due to the accelerated motion of a single, imperfect, zero-width mirror. It is assumed that the microscopic degrees of freedom on the mirror are confined to it, like in plasma or graphene sheets. Therefore, the mirror is described by a vacuum polarization tensor $\Pi_{\alpha\beta}$ concentrated on a time-dependent surface. Under certain assumptions about the microscopic model for the mirror, we obtain a rather general expression for the Euclidean effective action, a functional of the time-dependent mirror's position, in terms of two invariants that characterize the tensor $\Pi_{\alpha\beta}$. The final result can be written in terms of the TE and TM reflection coefficients of the mirror, with qualitatively different contributions coming from them. We apply that general expression to derive the imaginary part of the `in-out' effective action, which measures dissipative effects induced by the mirror's motion, in different models, in particular for an accelerated graphene sheet.Comment: 8 pages, 2 figures. Minor changes, version to be published in Phys. Rev.

Casimir interaction between two concentric cylinders at nonzero temperature

We study the finite temperature Casimir interaction between two concentric cylinders. When the separation between the cylinders is much smaller than the radii of the cylinders, the asymptotic expansions of the Casimir interaction are derived. Both the low temperature and the high temperature regions are considered. The leading terms are found to agree with the proximity force approximations. The low temperature leading term of the temperature correction is also computed and it is found to be independent of the boundary conditions imposed on the larger cylinder.Comment: 6 pages, 1 figur

Quantum dissipative effects in moving mirrors: a functional approach

We use a functional approach to study various aspects of the quantum effective dynamics of moving, planar, dispersive mirrors, coupled to scalar or Dirac fields, in different numbers of dimensions. We first compute the Euclidean effective action, and use it to derive the imaginary part of the `in-out' effective action. We also obtain, for the case of the real scalar field in 1+1 dimensions, the Schwinger-Keldysh effective action and a semiclassical Langevin equation that describes the motion of the mirror including noise and dissipative effects due to its coupling to the quantum fields.Comment: References added. Version to appear in Phys. Rev.

The New Transatlantic Bonanza: Cocaine on Highway 10.

The 10th Parallel marine and aerial routes linking South America and West Africa harbor a long history of trade between the two continents. More recently, these routes have become one of the preferred routes used by Latin American traffickers for shipping multi-tons of cocaine destined for the growing European market. The Parallel’s growing importance in cocaine trafficking has made it known as cocaine “Highway 10” among law enforcement. Latin American cocaine trafficking organizations, particularly the Colombian ones, have established stable bases in West Africa, controlling and developing the route. West African facilitators, Nigerians as well as an increasing number of nationals from all countries where shipments are stocked, have developed a stronger capacity for taking over more ambitious and lucrative role in the business as transporters, partners, and final buyers. In one case (Guinea), the West African partner had already started developing his own trafficking and manufacturing capacity, reproducing the patterns that made Colombia the business model of the drug industry. In this reshaped context, of particular concern is the role played by the Colombian FARC (Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia) as provider of cocaine shipments to West African cocaine entrepreneurs, as well as the impact of drug trafficking money on the financing of terrorist and rebel groups operating in the Sahel-Saharan belt