Electric-Magnetic duality and the "Loop Representation" in Abelian Gauge Theories

Abelian Gauge Theories are quantized in a geometric representation that generalizes the Loop Representation and treates electric and magnetic operators on the same footing. The usual canonical algebra is turned into a topological algebra of non local operators that resembles the order-disorder dual algebra of 't Hooft. These dual operators provide a complete description of the physical phase space of the theories.Comment: 13 pages, LaTex (run twice

The EU and Brazil: Trading Partners in Different Fora. Jean Monnet/Robert Schuman Paper Series Vol. 8, No. 11 June 2008

[From the Introduction] This paper aims at understanding the potential of partnership of the European Union (EU) with Brazil, focusing on international trade law and policy. Although the power base of Brazil is its respective region, there may be specific policy areas in which its influence might be global. (1) With this in mind, the paper raises interesting questions: is the EU an attractive partner for Brazil? Does the EU want cooperation with Brazil? What are the characteristics of Brazil? What are the EU’s priorities in its foreign trade policy? With which instruments can the EU engage Brazil and how can the EU internal coordination be ensured

Comparing HIV risk-related behaviors between 2 RDS national samples of MSM in Brazil, 2009 and 2016

Periodic monitoring of sociobehavior characteristics at a national level is an essential component of understanding the dynamics the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) epidemic worldwide, including Brazil. We compare descriptive sociobehavior characteristics in 2 national cross-sectional HIV biological behavioral surveillance surveys (BBSS) conducted in 2009 and 2016 among men who have sex with men (MSM) in Brazil. Respondent driven sampling (RDS) was used for recruitment in both years. Overall proportions were weighted according to Gile's estimator using RDS Analyst Software and 95% confidence intervals were calculated for comparisons between the 2 periods. Further comparisons were stratified by age groups (<25 and 25+). Overall, 3749 and 4176 MSM were recruited in 2009 and 2016, respectively. In 2016, participants were younger than 25 years old (58.3%), with 12 or more years of education (70.4%), with higher socioeconomic status (40.7%), and had a higher proportion of whites (31.8%), as compared to 2009. Also, participants in 2016 reported less alcohol use and binge drinking, but used illicit drugs more frequently. There was an increase among MSM who self-reported their HIV risk as low and had low HIV knowledge while the proportion of those who were never tested for HIV dropped from 49.8% in 2009 to 33.8% in 2016. Although more than three-quarters received free condoms in both years, STD counseling remained low (32% and 38% for 2009 and 2016, respectively). Sexual risk behavior remained at high levels, especially unprotected anal receptive sex and sex with multiple partners. Younger MSM showed riskier sexual practices than those 25+ years old, when comparing 2016 to 2009. Results indicate a worrisome risk behavior trend among Brazilian MSM, especially younger ones. These results can contribute for a better understanding of the HIV epidemics in Brazil, with timely shift in strategies so improved effectiveness in public health prevention efforts can be achieved

Attraction of Culex mosquitoes to aldehydes from human emanations.

Anecdotes related to preferential mosquito bites are very common, but to date there is no complete explanation as to why one out of two people systematically receives more mosquito bites than the other when both are equally accessible. Here we tested the hypothesis that two constituents of skin emanations, 6-methyl-5-heptan-2-one (6-MHO) and geranylacetone (GA), are natural repellents and may account for differential attraction in different ratios. We studied skin emanations from two human subjects, confirmed in behavioral assays that female southern house mosquitoes are significantly more attracted to subject A (attractant) than to subject N (non-attractant), and tested their 6-MHO/GA ratios in a dual-choice olfactometer. Although repelling at high doses, 6-MHO/GA mixtures were not active at the levels emitted by human skin. We found, however, differential attraction elicited by the aldehydes in the ratios produced by subjects A and N. When tested in a dose commensurate with the level released from human skin and in the ratio produced by subject A, the aldehyde mixture significantly attracted mosquitoes. By contrast, an aldehyde mixture at the same ratio released by subject N did not attract mosquitoes. We, therefore, hypothesized that aldehydes may play a role in the commonly observed differential attraction

Adapting the propensity for angry driving scale for use in Australian research

Road rage is a topic that receives consistent attention in both the road safety literature and media. Before Australian research can address the underlying factors associated with road rage, there is a need for a valid instrument appropriate for use in this context. The present program of research consisted of two studies. Study 1 used a university sample to adjust the scoring technique and response options of a 19-item American measure of the propensity for angry driving with acceptable reliability and validity. In Study 2, Factor Analysis confirmed a one-factor solution and resulted in a 15-item scale, the Australian Propensity for Angry Driving Scale (Aus-PADS), with a coefficient alpha of .82 (N = 433). The Aus-PADS may be used in future research to broaden the Australian road rage literature and to improve our understanding of the underlying processes associated with road rage in order to prevent the problem. Future research should also confirm the factor structure and generate normative data with a more representative sample

Knowledge Management and the Effectiveness of Innovation Outcomes: The Role of Cultural Barriers

In this paper we propose a conceptual model to test the moderating effect of cultural barriers on the link between knowledge strategies and innovation using healthcare organizations. In order to study the tie (knowledge-innovation) and the effects of the moderating variable (cultural barriers), the resource-based view is followed. It has been generally accepted that both explicit and tacit knowledge play a basic role in organizational innovation. However, there are few research works that study the relationship between knowledge management strategy and the effectiveness of the innovation process. On the other hand, the extant research on this relationship has yielded inconclusive results. Our paper revisits this research topic based on data of knowledge management strategy, Knowledge base, cultural barriers and innovation outcomes from a sample of Spanish hospitals