The Effects of Prehydration on Cement Performance

This study investigated the effects of cement prehydration on cement’s engineering properties. Anhydrous cement was exposed over a saturated KCl solution to maintain 85% RH, for 7 and 28 days. Mortar and cement pastes were tested for strength, workability and setting time, with sample analysis by XRD and DTA. Results showed a decreased reactivity of the prehydrated cements resulting in reduced strength and increased setting times. We propose that this may be due to an upset of the sulphate balance in the cement upon prehydration

The AdS_5xS^5 superstring worldsheet S-matrix and crossing symmetry

An S-matrix satisying the Yang-Baxter equation with symmetries relevant to the AdS_5xS^5 superstring has recently been determined up to an unknown scalar factor. Such scalar factors are typically fixed using crossing relations, however due to the lack of conventional relativistic invariance, in this case its determination remained an open problem. In this paper we propose an algebraic way to implement crossing relations for the AdS_5xS^5 superstring worldsheet S-matrix. We base our construction on a Hopf-algebraic formulation of crossing in terms of the antipode and introduce generalized rapidities living on the universal cover of the parameter space which is constructed through an auxillary, coupling constant dependent, elliptic curve. We determine the crossing transformation and write functional equations for the scalar factor of the S-matrix in the generalized rapidity plane.Comment: 27 pages, no figures; v2: sign typo fixed in (24), everything else unchange

A slowly rotating perfect fluid body in an ambient vacuum

A global model of a slowly rotating perfect fluid ball in general relativity is presented. To second order in the rotation parameter, the junction surface is an ellipsoidal cylinder. The interior is given by a limiting case of the Wahlquist solution, and the vacuum region is not asymptotically flat. The impossibility of joining an asymptotically flat vacuum region has been shown in a preceding work.Comment: 7 pages, published versio

Family memories in the home: contrasting physical and digital mementos

We carried out fieldwork to characterise and compare physical and digital mementos in the home. Physical mementos are highly valued, heterogeneous and support different types of recollection. Contrary to expectations, we found physical mementos are not purely representational, and can involve appropriating common objects and more idiosyncratic forms. In contrast, digital mementos were initially perceived as less valuable, although participants later reconsidered this. Digital mementos were somewhat limited in function and expression, largely involving representational photos and videos, and infrequently accessed. We explain these digital limitations and conclude with design guidelines for digital mementos, including better techniques for accessing and integrating these into everyday life, allowing them to acquire the symbolic associations and lasting value that characterise their physical counterparts

Boundary conditions associated with the Painlev\'e III' and V evaluations of some random matrix averages

In a previous work a random matrix average for the Laguerre unitary ensemble, generalising the generating function for the probability that an interval $(0,s)$ at the hard edge contains $k$ eigenvalues, was evaluated in terms of a Painlev\'e V transcendent in $\sigma$-form. However the boundary conditions for the corresponding differential equation were not specified for the full parameter space. Here this task is accomplished in general, and the obtained functional form is compared against the most general small $s$ behaviour of the Painlev\'e V equation in $\sigma$-form known from the work of Jimbo. An analogous study is carried out for the the hard edge scaling limit of the random matrix average, which we have previously evaluated in terms of a Painlev\'e \IIId transcendent in $\sigma$-form. An application of the latter result is given to the rapid evaluation of a Hankel determinant appearing in a recent work of Conrey, Rubinstein and Snaith relating to the derivative of the Riemann zeta function

Past and future blurring at fundamental length scale

We obtain the $\kappa$-deformed versions of the retarded and advanced Green functions and show that their causality properties are blurred in a time interval of the order of a length parameter $q=1/(2\kappa)$. The functions also indicate a smearing of the light cone. These results favor the interpretation of $q$ as a fundamental length scale below which the concept of a point in spacetime should be substituted by the concept of a fuzzy region of radius $q$, as proposed long ago by Heisenberg.Comment: Essentially, this is the version published in the Phys. Rev. Lett. 105, 211601 (2010). It has 4 pages and contains 2 figure

Dynamics of Energy Transport in a Toda Ring

We present results on the relationships between persistent currents and the known conservation laws in the classical Toda ring. We also show that perturbing the integrability leads to a decay of the currents at long times, with a time scale that is determined by the perturbing parameter. We summarize several known results concerning the Toda ring in 1-dimension, and present new results relating to the frequency, average kinetic and potential energy, and mean square displacement in the cnoidal waves, as functions of the wave vector and a parameter that determines the non linearity.Comment: 34 pages, 11 figures. Small changes made in response to referee's comment

Some addition formulae for Abelian functions for elliptic and hyperelliptic curves of cyclotomic type

We discuss a family of multi-term addition formulae for Weierstrass functions on specialized curves of genus one and two with many automorphisms. In the genus one case we find new addition formulae for the equianharmonic and lemniscate cases, and in genus two we find some new addition formulae for a number of curves, including the Burnside curve.Comment: 19 pages. We have extended the Introduction, corrected some typos and tidied up some proofs, and inserted extra material on genus 3 curve