Entropy of Pairs of Dual Attractors in 6D/7D

We study the attractor mechanism of dual pairs of black brane bounds in N=2 supergravity in six and seven dimensions. First, we consider the effective potentials of the 6D and 7D black branes as well as their entropies. The contribution coming from the SO(1,1) factor of the moduli spaces M_{6D} and M_{7D} of these theories is carefully analyzed and it is used to motivate the study of the dual black branes bounds; which in turn allow to fix the critical value of the dilaton at horizon. The attractor eqs of the black branes and the bound pairs are derived by combining the criticality conditions of the corresponding effective potentials and the Lagrange multiplier method capturing constraints eqs on the fields moduli.Comment: 55 pages, 2 figures, To appear in JHE

Effects of sulfonation process on thermal behavior and microstructure of sulfonated polysulfone membranes as a material for Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM)

This paper reports the effect of sulfonation processon thermal behavior and microstrucutre of sulfonated polysulfone membrane. Various degree of sulfonation reactin has been conducted and the sulfonated membranes were characterized by thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), x-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Modifications of the origin polysulfone polymer resulted in an increment value of glass transition temperature (Tg) due to the introduction of sulfonic acid group to the polymer backbone. However, due to some hindrance such as trace amount of organic solvent left during solvent evaporation and high hydrophilicity of the produced sulfonated membranes resulted in decreasing values of Tg. The polymer membrane showed lower degradation temperature as a function of degree of sulfonation. From XRD analysis, it was found that the membrane shows slight crystalline behavior after the sulfonation reaction. Detail discussions and observation of the alteration in microstructure of the sulfonated membrane were supported by SEM micrograph

Non Trivial Extension of the (1+2)-Poincar\'e Algebra and Conformal Invariance on the Boundary of AdS3AdS_3

Using recent results on string on $AdS_{3}\times N^d$, where N is a d-dimensional compact manifold, we re-examine the derivation of the non trivial extension of the (1+2) dimensional-Poincar\'e algebra obtained by Rausch de Traubenberg and Slupinsky, refs [1] and [29]. We show by explicit computation that this new extension is a special kind of fractional supersymmetric algebra which may be derived from the deformation of the conformal structure living on the boundary of $AdS_3$. The two so(1,2) Lorentz modules of spin $\pm{1\over k}$ used in building of the generalisation of the (1+2) Poincar\'e algebra are re-interpreted in our analysis as highest weight representations of the left and right Virasoro symmetries on the boundary of $AdS_3$. We also complete known results on 2d-fractional supersymmetry by using spectral flow of affine Kac-Moody and superconformal symmetries. Finally we make preliminary comments on the trick of introducing Fth-roots of g-modules to generalise the so(1,2) result to higher rank lie algebras g.Comment: Latex, 31 page

Enhancing academic success through the involvement of students in quality assurance and promotion in higher education: A synopsis

One of the hallmarks of the democratisation of higher education is the involvement of students in the entire higher education delivery value chain. Global literature demonstrates a positive causal relationship between the involvement of students in the higher education delivery value chain and academic success. The article contends that, since quality assurance and promotion are acknowledged as integral components of the higher education delivery value chain, the involvement of students in quality assurance and promotion processes at the institutional and national levels can contribute positively towards enhancing academic success for students. The post-apartheid policies on higher education envisioned a transformed, effective and efficient higher education system, characterised by, among others, expanding access and improving student success. Unfortunately, while access has been expanding substantially, academic success of students has not improved significantly. This state of affairs requires that all stakeholders should have their hands on deck to contribute, through their diverse work activities, towards improving academic success of students. It is within this context that the CHE organised a conference on the theme: “Enhancing Academic Success through the Involvement of Students in Quality Assurance and Promotion in Higher Education”. This article provides a synopsis of the contribution of the conference to the discourse on enhancing the academic success through the involvement of students in quality assurance and promotion

Reflections on the conceptualisation and practices of community engagement as a core function of universities

The world saw the “human” side of universities during the Covid-19 pandemic as universities across the globe were at the forefront of efforts to control the spread of the Coronavirus, and to explore means of making the human population acquire immunity against the virulent disease. This article contends that, although this appeared as unusual, the universities were simply fulfilling their obligation to humanity because the raison d’être of universities includes being of service to society. Therefore, if they are unable to prevent crises from setting in, they should at least be at the forefront of efforts to combat the crises, and mitigate their effects on people. The article seeks to set the scene for the collection of articles that follow in this special issue of the South African Journal of Higher Education (SAJHE) on the theme of community engagement as a core function for universities. It argues that universities have social responsibility, and they should therefore serve as anchors of towns and regions; as engines of development in their respective geographical areas; and as champions of social causes. It presents and discusses the concepts and practices of community engagement that are critical to understanding the arguments and counterarguments in the articles that follow. These include the relationship between community engagement, on the one hand, and transformation of higher education as well as decolonisation of knowledge and ways of knowing, on the other. The article also reflects on the state of community engagement in universities in South Africa, and explains that it is mostly regarded as a stepchild because it is not valued, funded or supported in the same way as the other two core functions of teaching and learning, and research and innovation. The article also cautions against the use of rhetoric to romanticise community engagement when the projects on the ground leave much to be desired, and with not potential to make a difference to society