Feynman loops and three-dimensional quantum gravity

This paper explores the idea that within the framework of three-dimensional quantum gravity one can extend the notion of Feynman diagram to include the coupling of the particles in the diagram with quantum gravity. The paper concentrates on the non-trivial part of the gravitational response, which is to the large momenta propagating around a closed loop. By taking a limiting case one can give a simple geometric description of this gravitational response. This is calculated in detail for the example of a closed Feynman loop in the form of a trefoil knot. The results show that when the magnitude of the momentum passes a certain threshold value, non-trivial gravitational configurations of the knot play an important role. The calculations also provide some new information about a limit of the coloured Jones polynomial which may be of independent mathematical interest.Comment: approx 14 pages. v2: minor descriptive changes and added refs. v3: minor correction

A study of jet impingment on curved surfaces followed by oblique introduction into a freestream flow

Technology of thrust reversers with particular application to STOL aircraf

The Ohio Individual Farrowing House

Exact date of bulletin unknown.PDF pages:

Characterisation of porous solids using small-angle scattering and NMR cryoporometry

The characteristics of several porous systems have been studied by the use of small-angle neutron scattering [SANS] and nuclear magnetic resonance [NMR] techniques. The measurements reveal different characteristics for sol-gel silicas, activated carbons and ordered mesoporous silicas of the MCM and SBA type. Good agreement is obtained between gas adsorption measurements and the NMR and SANS results for pore sizes above 10 nm. Recent measurements of the water/ice phase transformation in SBA silicas by neutron diffraction are also presented and indicate a complex relationship that will require more detailed treatment in terms of the possible effects of microporosity in the silica substrate. The complementarity of the different methods is emphasised and there is brief discussion of issues related to possible future developments

Prediction of bond dissociation energies and transition state barriers by a modified complete basis set model chemistry

The complete basis set model chemistries CBS-4 and CBS-q were modified using density functional theory for the geometry optimization step of these methods. The accuracy of predicted bond dissociation energies and transition state barrier heights was investigated based on geometry optimizations using the B3LYP functional with basis set sizes ranging from 3-21G(d,p) to 6-311G(d,p). Transition state barrier heights can be obtained at CBS-q with B3LYP/6-31G(d,p) geometries with rms error of 1.7 kcal/mol within a test set of ten transition state species. The method should be applicable to molecules with up to eight or more heavy atoms. Use of B3LYP/6-311G(d,p) for geometry optimizations leads to further improvement of CBS-q barrier heights with a rms error of 1.4 kcal/mol. For reference, the CBS-QCI/APNO model chemistry was evaluated and is shown to provide very reliable predictions of barrier heights (rms error=1.0 kcal/mol)

Proceedings of a workshop on Lunar Volcanic Glasses: Scientific and Resource Potential

This workshop on lunar mare volcanism was the first since 1975 to deal with the major scientific advances that have occurred in this general subject, and the first ever to deal specifically with volcanic glasses. Lunar volcanic glasses are increasingly being recognized as the best geochemical and petrologic probes into the lunar mantle. Lunar volcanic glasses, of which 25 compositional varieties are presently known, appear to represent primary magmas that were produced by partial melting of differentiated mantle source regions at depths of perhaps 400 to 500 km. These high-magnesian picritic magmas were erupted onto the lunar surface in fire fountains associated with the release of indigenous lunar volatiles. The cosmic significance of this volatile component, in an otherwise depleted Moon, remains a lingering puzzle. The resource potential, if any, of the surface-correlated volatile sublimates on the volcanic glass spherules had not been systematically addressed prior to this workshop

A Three-Term Conjugate Gradient Method with Sufficient Descent Property for Unconstrained Optimization

Conjugate gradient methods are widely used for solving large-scale unconstrained optimization problems, because they do not need the storage of matrices. In this paper, we propose a general form of three-term conjugate gradient methods which always generate a sufficient descent direction. We give a sufficient condition for the global convergence of the proposed general method. Moreover, we present a specific three-term conjugate gradient method based on the multi-step quasi-Newton method. Finally, some numerical results of the proposed method are given