Constraining Big Bang lithium production with recent solar neutrino data

The 3He({\alpha},{\gamma})7Be reaction affects not only the production of 7Li in Big Bang nucleosynthesis, but also the fluxes of 7Be and 8B neutrinos from the Sun. This double role is exploited here to constrain the former by the latter. A number of recent experiments on 3He({\alpha},{\gamma})7Be provide precise cross section data at E = 0.5-1.0 MeV center-of-mass energy. However, there is a scarcity of precise data at Big Bang energies, 0.1-0.5 MeV, and below. This problem can be alleviated, based on precisely calibrated 7Be and 8B neutrino fluxes from the Sun that are now available, assuming the neutrino flavour oscillation framework to be correct. These fluxes and the standard solar model are used here to determine the 3He(alpha,gamma)7Be astrophysical S-factor at the solar Gamow peak, S(23+6-5 keV) = 0.548+/-0.054 keVb. This new data point is then included in a re-evaluation of the 3He({\alpha},{\gamma})7Be S-factor at Big Bang energies, following an approach recently developed for this reaction in the context of solar fusion studies. The re-evaluated S-factor curve is then used to re-determine the 3He({\alpha},{\gamma})7Be thermonuclear reaction rate at Big Bang energies. The predicted primordial lithium abundance is 7Li/H = 5.0e-10, far higher than the Spite plateau.Comment: Final accepted version, some typos corrected, in the press at Phys. Rev.

Services within a busy period of an M/M/1 queue and Dyck paths

We analyze the service times of customers in a stable M/M/1 queue in equilibrium depending on their position in a busy period. We give the law of the service of a customer at the beginning, at the end, or in the middle of the busy period. It enables as a by-product to prove that the process of instants of beginning of services is not Poisson. We then proceed to a more precise analysis. We consider a family of polynomial generating series associated with Dyck paths of length 2n and we show that they provide the correlation function of the successive services in a busy period with (n+1) customers

Az „Idegbizottság” szerepe a homoszexualitás magyarországi dekriminalizációjában

Tanulmányunkban a másként „megoldhatatlannak” tűnő társadalmi kérdések medikalizációjának menetét illusztráljuk egy 20. századi magyarországi történeti példán keresztül: a homoszexuális cselekmények 1961-es magyarországi dekriminalizációjának hátterét vizsgáljuk meg 1958-ból származó, korábban ismeretlen levéltári források fényében

Novel Design of a Model Reference Adaptive Controller for Soft Tissue Operations

Model Reference Adaptive Controllers (MRAC) have dual functionality: besides guaranteeing precise trajectory track- ing of the controlled system, they have to provide an “external control loop” with the illusion that it controls a physical system of prescribed dynamic properties, i.e., the “reference system”. The MRACs are designed traditionally by Lyapunov’s 2 nd method that is mathematically complicated, requiring strong skills from the designer. Adaptive controllers alternatively designed by the use of Robust Fixed Point Transformations (RFPT) operate according to Banach’s Fixed Point Theorem , and are normally simple iterative constructions that also have a standard variant for MRAC design. This controller assumes a single actuator that is driven adaptively. Master–Slave Systems form a distinct class of practical applications, in which two arms—the master and the slave—operate simultaneously. The movement of the master must be tracked precisely by the slave in spite of the quite different forces exerted by them. In the present paper, a soft tissue-cutting operation by a master–slave structure is simulated. The master arm has a simple torque–reference friction model, and is driven by the surgeon. The obtained master arm trajectory has to be precisely tracked by the electric DC motor driven slave system, which is in dynamic interaction with the actual tissue under operation. It is shown via simulations that the RFPT-based design can efficiently solve such tasks without considerable mathematical complexity

Cosmic-ray induced background intercomparison with actively shielded HPGe detectors at underground locations

The main background above 3\,MeV for in-beam nuclear astrophysics studies with $\gamma$-ray detectors is caused by cosmic-ray induced secondaries. The two commonly used suppression methods, active and passive shielding, against this kind of background were formerly considered only as alternatives in nuclear astrophysics experiments. In this work the study of the effects of active shielding against cosmic-ray induced events at a medium deep location is performed. Background spectra were recorded with two actively shielded HPGe detectors. The experiment was located at 148\,m below the surface of the Earth in the Reiche Zeche mine in Freiberg, Germany. The results are compared to data with the same detectors at the Earth's surface, and at depths of 45\,m and 1400\,m, respectively.Comment: Minor errors corrected; final versio

A stigmatizáció hatásai HIV-vel élő meleg férfiakra Magyarországon

Jelen tanulmány célja, hogy mélyinterjúk kvalitatív elemzése alapján rávilágítson a – közép-kelet európai régióban és különösen a Magyarországon – HIV-vel élő embereket érintő társadalmi stigmatizációs folyamatok összetevőire és következményeire. Az általunk készített interjúkban (n=28) a HIV-vel élő emberek sajátos igényeire és gondjaira, társadalmi beágyazottságukra és intézményi támogatottságukra, megküzdési stratégiáikra, és társadalmi működésük mintázataira fókuszáltunk, különös tekintettel a társadalmi stigmatizációra. A HIV-vel élő emberek által megélt tapasztalatok elemzése hozzájárulhat a HIV/SzTB (szexuális úton terjedő betegségek) fertőzések kockázati tényezőinek jobb megértéséhez, és egyúttal ahhoz, hogy célzottabb és hatékonyabb üzeneteket tudjunk megfogalmazni mind a megelőzés területén, mind a már HIV-vel élő embereknek szóló programokban a férfiakkal szexelő férfiaknak Közép-Kelet-Európában és elsősorban Magyarországon

Statues of Lady Justice in Hungary: Representation of Justitia in town halls, courthouses, and other public spaces

The representation of the idea of justice through the ancient Roman goddess-figure, recently known as Lady Justice, has constituted an essential part of European culture for centuries. This paper outlines these statues in town halls, courthouses, and public spaces in Hungary, and examines some of them in detail. The aim of the study is to draw a general picture of such statues in a Central and Eastern European country, namely in Hungary, to identify the characteristics of these sculptures, reflecting their social and political context, and in some cases to contrast them with that of those which were characteristic in Western Europe. The nature of this study is multi and interdisciplinary, so it applies several methods in exploring its theme; for example, art and cultural history were mixed with reference to social history and legal history. The paper focuses on the legal and political culture – conceived in the cultural context, institutional prerequisites and behavioral patterns as components of law and politics – and treats statues of Justice as part of this culture. As a way of introduction, the paper gives a brief overview of three murals, and discusses, briefly, the controversy around the authorship of one of them; stating that its attribution to Boticelli is, in all probability, misleading. The paper – after listing the Justitia statue in the town halls and court buildings of Hungary – evaluates in detail the statue of Justice which supplements the highly controversial Ferenc Deák Monument, erected in 1885 in central Budapest. It then analyses another one from1896 made by the finest sculptor of the late 19th century, Alajos Strobl, for the Palace of Justice which was opened in that same year. Finally, the paper gives a general overview of modern sculptures of the past two decades which can be found in Hungarian courthouses. The article illustrates, among other things, the interconnection of artworks and politics, sculpturing and law, and traditional values and modernity. In evaluating the selected representations of Lady Justice, it employs the approaches of political and cultural history as well as legal theory. For the sculptures in question, this study may raise questions from three disciplines: jurisprudence and law, social and cultural history, and the theory of art. The study is interdisciplinary and focuses primarily on the first and second areas mentioned, and, among other things, examines the cultural-historical functions of a law-related symbol. One of its main assertions is that statues of Lady Justice have been part of the legal culture for centuries, but the representation of justice has undergone changes as significant as the changes of legal systems themselves. On this issue, the study argues that representation is interwoven with concepts of law and justice and the relationship between politics and law. The study goes as far as to penetrate into the field of iconology at the level that E. Panofsky referred to as the pre-iconographic description, which is the first of the three possible steps in this field. At the second step, on the level of iconographic analysis, this study turns towards social and legal meanings, since it is interested in not so much about the aesthetic-iconological analysis of the artwork, but about the socio-legal and legal-cultural meanings of certain cultural phenomena. From the point of view of legal theory, of ethics and of general social theory, innumerable questions can be, and usually are, asked about the visualization of justice. The most typical questions include: what objects and tools are used to depict Justitia (Lady Justice), and what do they mean when applied to law? Does she have a sword in her hand which she raises as if she were just about to lower it, or maybe hide it behind her? The answer is telling about Justitia in town halls, courthouses, and other public spaces 12 the punitive or normative nature of the law. And what if she holds a palm branch (its usual meaning is peace) or Roman fasces (its usual meaning is authority) in her hand, and not a sword? What characteristics of law are expressed by the artist, if any, when depicting her sitting and what, if any, when depicting her standing? If she is sitting, what is she sitting on? A stone? (typical in the Middle Age) Or on a throne? (which refers to the ancient times, but is applied only in modern times) What does it mean concerning the characteristics of law if she lifts the hand holding the scales? It means, of course, that the normative nature of the law is more important than its punitive character. Is she blindfolded, and if so, why? It is – as we all know – about impartiality, but impartiality sometimes marks weakness. What does her clothing look like? Is it ancient, medieval, or modern? Is it simple or colorful? Is she depicted alone or with others, and if so, with the virtuous or with the sinner, with humans or with other goddesses? Is she depicted among “cardinal virtues” of ancient origin as one of them, or with scholastic “theological virtues”, or perhaps as one of the four virtues called the “daughters of God”? In our age, it is typical to put this question as well: why the embodiment of justice is a goddess and not one of the gods, namely why is she a female, and in what sense could a goddess be a woman? And if she is really a woman, for of which one of her most important features is beauty, how should the artist portray her female sensuality and womanhood? Is the artist free to depict her as sensually attractive? One of our conclusions of this study is that raising these kinds of questions in connection with the statues of justice illuminates a possible way of thinking about the specific characteristics of law

Commercial Use of WS-PGRADE/gUSE

Although originally an academic and research product, the WS-PGRADE/gUSE framework is increasingly applied by commercial institutions too. Within the SCI-BUS project, several commercial gateways have been developed by various companies. WS-PGRADE/gUSE is also intensively used within another European research project, CloudSME (Cloud-based Simulation Platform for Manufacturing and Engineering). This chapter provides an overview and de-scribes in detail some commercial WS-PGRADE/gUSE based gateway implemen-tations. Two representative case studies from the SCI-BUS project, the Build and Test portal and the eDOX Archiver Gateway are introduced. An overview of WS-PGRADE/gUSE based gateways for running simulation applications in the cloud within the CloudSME project is also provided