New Reflections on Gravitational Duality

In general terms duality consists of two descriptions of one physical system by using degrees of freedom of different nature. There are different kinds of dualities and they have been extremely useful to uncover the underlying strong coupling dynamics of gauge theories in various dimensions and those of the diverse string theories. Perhaps the oldest example exhibiting this property is Maxwell theory, which interchanges electric and magnetic fields. An extension of this duality involving the sources is also possible if the magnetic monopole is incorporated. At the present time a lot has been understood about duality in non-Abelian gauge theories as in the case of N=4 supersymmetric gauge theories in four dimensions or in the Seiberg-Witten duality for N=2 theories. Moreover, a duality that relates a gravitational theory (or a string theory) and a conformal gauge theory, as in the case of gauge/gravity correspondence, have been also studied with considerable detail. The case of duality between two gravitational theories is the so called gravitational duality. At the present time, this duality has not been exhaustively studied, however some advances have been reported in the literature. In the present paper we give a general overview of this subject. In particular we will focus on non-Abelian dualities, applied to various theories of gravity as developed by the authors, based in the Rocek-Verlinde duality procedure. Finally, as a new development in this direction, we study the gravitational duality in Hitchin's gravity in seven and six dimensions and their relation is also discussed.Comment: 17 pages, paper to be published in Frontiers in Physic

Los parques biblioteca en Colombia, o las bibliotecas en los parques. Antecedentes de un discurso político y arquitectónico

This paper is the result of research whose objective was to investigate the genesis of Library Parks as an expression of political and architectural discourse in Colombia. For this purpose, a methodology based on a comparative historiography of the phenomenon of libraries and educational buildings built in public parks as a government policy at the beginning of the 20th century, and later, in the interstice between the 20th and 21st centuries, is proposed. The conclusions show that, contrary to the general perception, the library park model is not an ex novo phenomenon of the contemporary world. In this sense, the results evidence not only the identification of a set of antecedent projects of this phenomenon, built between 1932 and 1940, but also a set of existing correlations between political and architectural discourses, as a predetermining reflection of a system of thought that gave rise to the library park model.Este artigo é o resultado de um projeto de pesquisa cujo objetivo era investigar a gênese dos Parques-Biblioteca como expressão de um discurso político e arquitetônico na Colômbia. Para este fim, é proposta uma metodologia baseada em uma historiografia comparativa do fenômeno das bibliotecas e edifícios educacionais construídos em parques públicos como política governamental no início do século XX e, posteriormente, no interstício entre o século XX e o século XXI. Os resultados mostram que, ao contrário da percepção geral, o modelo de parques-bibliotecas não é um fenômeno ex novo próprio do mundo contemporâneo. Neste sentido, os resultados mostram não apenas a identificação de um conjunto de projetos antecedentes deste fenômeno, construídos entre 1932 e 1940, mas também um conjunto de correlações existentes entre discursos políticos e discursos arquitetônicos como reflexão predeterminante de um sistema de pensamento que deu origem ao modelo dos parques-biblioteca.Este artículo es el resultado de una investigación cuyo objetivo fue indagar en la génesis de los Parques Biblioteca, como expresión de un discurso político y arquitectónico en Colombia. Para este efecto, se plantea una metodología sustentada en una historiografía comparada del fenómeno de las bibliotecas y los edificios educativos construidos en parques públicos como política de gobierno, a inicios del siglo XX y, posteriormente, en el intersticio entre el siglo XX y el XXI. Las conclusiones evidencian que, contrario a la percepción general, el modelo de parques bibliotecas no es un fenómeno ex novo, propio del mundo contemporáneo. En este sentido, los resultados muestran no solo la identificación de un conjunto de proyectos antecedentes de este fenómeno, construidos entre 1932 y 1940, sino además un conjunto de correlaciones existentes entre los discursos políticos y los discursos arquitectónicos, como reflexión predeterminante de un sistema de pensamiento, que dio origen al modelo de los parques bibliotecas

Using Facebook Live to Raise Awareness About Abuse and Available Resources

Community Solutions is a non-profit organization that works with victims and survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, and human trafficking. The agency provides programs and support for children, individuals, and families in San Benito and Santa Clara counties. The macro level problem is people lacing education and awareness of the types of abuse which can potentially increase the abuse rates in the community. The micro level problem is cases or incidents of abuse or assault are unreported. The project purpose is to provide the community with an online resource where people can educate themselves and increase their awareness on topics of abuse, trauma, wellness services and other prevention support programs. Using online platforms such as Facebook is one of the few ways to create an outreach effort to help the community with resourceful information and tips on abuse and assault. This capstone project provides information from Community Solutions with resources, outreach programs and support for the community for those who have been victims, and to educate and create awareness within the community. This agency will continue to hold bi-weekly Facebook live segments to educate and support the community

Mental training for endurance sports

The effects of a cognitive behavioral mental training intervention on endurance performance were explored using a time lagged multiple baseline single subject design. Seven local and provincial level endurance athletes were educated on goal setting, imagery, relaxation, and self-talk. The two dependent variables used to explore the effects of the intervention were perceived mental skills, assessed by a questionnaire, and power output at ventilatory threshold, a physiological-based performance measure. Training load, volume, frequency, and intensity were monitored during the length of the study and were kept constant. Results demonstrated that a short-term cognitive behavioral intervention enhanced participants’ self-evaluation in a number of mental skills. Power output at Ventilatory Threshold (VT) did not demonstrate significant changes after the intervention, showing no physiological adaptations as a consequence of the intervention. Two other studies using similar interventions found a consistent field performance enhancement effect on gym triathlon performance and 1600 metres running times (Patrick & Hrycaiko, 1998; Thelwell & Greenless, 2001). Because physiological adaptations were not found in this study, the possible sources of the field performance enhancement effect found in other investigations are discussed. Social validation scales indicated positive effects of the intervention on the participants’ satisfaction, importance, and usefulness of the intervention, and significance of the perceived changes in the performance. Qualitative data also support the participants’ perceived usefulness and satisfaction with the outcome of the study

Influence of Concrete Compressive Strength on Transfer and Development Lengths of Prestressed Concrete

This research examines the relationship between concrete compressive strength and strand bond. The goal of this research was to develop an equation that relates strand bond to concrete compressive strength at strand release (approximately 1 day of age) and at 28 days of age, and those equations are presented in this investigation. Strand bond is assessed by measuring the transfer length and development length for prestressed beams cast in the laboratory. In the U.S., strand bond is predicted using transfer length and development length equations provided by the American Concrete Institute (ACI-318) Building Code and American Association of State and Highway Transportation Official (AASHTO) LRFD Bridge Design Specifications which were developed based on the 1950´s investigations. The equations provided by both ACI and AASHTO do not address concrete strength while equations, developed in this investigation, do account for the compressive strength of concrete at release and testing time. Although there has been much research conducted in this matter, this research provides a reliability data analysis relating to transfer and development lengths of prestressed concrete beams. Unlike many of the previous programs, this research includes strands of a known quality, the largest database of test specimens, and a variety of concrete mixtures and concrete strengths. This research concludes with the development of an analytical model to predict transfer length which includes concrete strength at release with fracture propagation around the strand