An exact evaluation of the Casimir energy in two planar models

The method of images is used to calculate the Casimir energy in Euclidean space with Dirichlet boundary conditions for two planar models, namely: i. the non-relativistic Landau problem for a charged particle of mass m for which - irrespective of the sign of the charge - the energy is negative, and ii. the model of a real, massive, noninteracting relativistic scalar field theory in 2 + 1 dimensions, for which the Casimir energy density is non-negative and is expressed in terms of the Lerch transcendent xxx and the polylogarithm xxx with 0 < xxx < 1 and n = 2, 3.Comment: 5 pages, 2 figures,IMFP2009 conference,to appear in forthcoming AIP Conf.Proc.1150 Request:There are three mathematical symbols denoted by xxx in the abstract below which are otherwise present in the abstract of the submission.Could you please include them so that the abstract below is complet

Ignition and Front Propagation in Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cells

Water produced in a Polymer Electrolyte Membrane (PEM) fuel cell enhances membrane proton conductivity; this positive feedback loop can lead to current ignition. Using a segmented anode fuel cell we study the effect of gas phase convection and membrane diffusion of water on the spatiotemporal nonlinear dynamics - localized ignition and front propagation - in the cell. Co-current gas flow causes ignition at the cell outlet, and membrane diffusion causes the front to slowly propagate to the inlet; counter-current flow causes ignition in the interior of the cell, with the fronts subsequently spreading towards both inlets. These instabilities critically affect fuel cell performance

Efficient, designable, and broad-bandwidth optical extinction via aspect-ratio-tailored silver nanodisks

Subwavelength resonators, ranging from single atoms to metallic nanoparticles, typically exhibit a narrow-bandwidth response to optical excitations. We computationally design and experimentally synthesize tailored distributions of silver nanodisks to extinguish light over broad and varied frequency windows. We show that metallic nanodisks are two-to-ten-times more efficient in absorbing and scattering light than common structures, and can approach fundamental limits to broadband scattering for subwavelength particles. We measure broadband extinction per volume that closely approaches theoretical predictions over three representative visible-range wavelength windows, confirming the high efficiency of nanodisks and demonstrating the collective power of computational design and experimental precision for developing new photonics technologies

Unsupervised Diverse Colorization via Generative Adversarial Networks

Colorization of grayscale images has been a hot topic in computer vision. Previous research mainly focuses on producing a colored image to match the original one. However, since many colors share the same gray value, an input grayscale image could be diversely colored while maintaining its reality. In this paper, we design a novel solution for unsupervised diverse colorization. Specifically, we leverage conditional generative adversarial networks to model the distribution of real-world item colors, in which we develop a fully convolutional generator with multi-layer noise to enhance diversity, with multi-layer condition concatenation to maintain reality, and with stride 1 to keep spatial information. With such a novel network architecture, the model yields highly competitive performance on the open LSUN bedroom dataset. The Turing test of 80 humans further indicates our generated color schemes are highly convincible

Storm‐time configuration of the inner magnetosphere: Lyon‐Fedder‐Mobarry MHD code, Tsyganenko model, and GOES observations

[1] We compare global magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) simulation results with an empirical model and observations to understand the magnetic field configuration and plasma distribution in the inner magnetosphere, especially during geomagnetic storms. The physics-based Lyon-Fedder-Mobarry (LFM) code simulates Earth\u27s magnetospheric topology and dynamics by solving the equations of ideal MHD. Quantitative comparisons of simulated events with observations reveal strengths and possible limitations and suggest ways to improve the LFM code. Here we present a case study that compares the LFM code to both a semiempirical magnetic field model and to geosynchronous measurements from GOES satellites. During a magnetic cloud event, the simulation and model predictions compare well qualitatively with observations, except during storm main phase. Quantitative statistical studies of the MHD simulation shows that MHD field lines are consistently under-stretched, especially during storm time (Dst \u3c −20 nT) on the nightside, a likely consequence of an insufficient representation of the inner magnetosphere current systems in ideal MHD. We discuss two approaches for improving the LFM result: increasing the simulation spatial resolution and coupling LFM with a ring current model based on drift physics (i.e., the Rice Convection Model (RCM)). We show that a higher spatial resolution LFM code better predicts geosynchronous magnetic fields (not only the average Bz component but also higher-frequency fluctuations driven by the solar wind). An early version of the LFM/RCM coupled code, which runs so far only for idealized events, yields a much-improved ring current, quantifiable by decreased field strengths at all local times compared to the LFM-only code

Lambda-prophage induction modeled as a cooperative failure mode of lytic repression

We analyze a system-level model for lytic repression of lambda-phage in E. coli using reliability theory, showing that the repressor circuit comprises 4 redundant components whose failure mode is prophage induction. Our model reflects the specific biochemical mechanisms involved in regulation, including long-range cooperative binding, and its detailed predictions for prophage induction in E. coli under ultra-violet radiation are in good agreement with experimental data.Comment: added referenc

Continuum Superpartners

In an exact conformal theory there is no particle. The excitations have continuum spectra and are called "unparticles" by Georgi. We consider supersymmetric extensions of the Standard Model with approximate conformal sectors. The conformal symmetry is softly broken in the infrared which generates a gap. However, the spectrum can still have a continuum above the gap if there is no confinement. Using the AdS/CFT correspondence this can be achieved with a soft wall in the warped extra dimension. When supersymmetry is broken the superpartners of the Standard Model particles may simply be a continuum above gap. The collider signals can be quite different from the standard supersymmetric scenarios and the experimental searches for the continuum superpartners can be very challenging.Comment: 15 pages, 5 figures, talk at SCGT09 Workshop, Nagoya, Japan, 8-11 Dec, 200

Predicting magnetopause crossings at geosynchronous orbit during the Halloween storms

[1] In late October and early November of 2003, the Sun unleashed a powerful series of events known as the Halloween storms. The coronal mass ejections launched by the Sun produced several severe compressions of the magnetosphere that moved the magnetopause inside of geosynchronous orbit. Such events are of interest to satellite operators, and the ability to predict magnetopause crossings along a given orbit is an important space weather capability. In this paper we compare geosynchronous observations of magnetopause crossings during the Halloween storms to crossings determined from the Lyon-Fedder-Mobarry global magnetohydrodynamic simulation of the magnetosphere as well to predictions of several empirical models of the magnetopause position. We calculate basic statistical information about the predictions as well as several standard skill scores. We find that the current Lyon-Fedder-Mobarry simulation of the storm provides a slightly better prediction of the magnetopause position than the empirical models we examined for the extreme conditions present in this study. While this is not surprising, given that conditions during the Halloween storms were well outside the parameter space of the empirical models, it does point out the need for physics-based models that can predict the effects of the most extreme events that are of significant interest to users of space weather forecasts

Enterococcal biofilm formation and virulence in an optimized murine model of foreign body-associated urinary tract infections

Catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTIs) constitute the majority of nosocomial UTIs and pose significant clinical challenges. Enterococcal species are among the predominant causative agents of CAUTIs. However, very little is known about the pathophysiology of Enterococcus-mediated UTIs. We optimized a murine model of foreign body-associated UTI in order to mimic conditions of indwelling catheters in patients. In this model, the presence of a foreign body elicits major histological changes and induces the expression of several proinflammatory cytokines in the bladder. In addition, in contrast to naïve mice, infection of catheter-implanted mice with Enterococcus faecalis induced the specific expression of interleukin 1β (IL-1β) and macrophage inflammatory protein 1α (MIP-1α) in the bladder. These responses resulted in a favorable niche for the development of persistent E. faecalis infections in the murine bladders and kidneys. Furthermore, biofilm formation on the catheter implant in vivo correlated with persistent infections. However, the enterococcal autolytic factors GelE and Atn (also known as AtlA), which are important in biofilm formation in vitro, are dispensable in vivo. In contrast, the housekeeping sortase A (SrtA) is critical for biofilm formation and virulence in CAUTIs. Overall, this murine model represents a significant advance in the understanding of CAUTIs and underscores the importance of urinary catheterization during E. faecalis uropathogenesis. This model is also a valuable tool for the identification of virulence determinants that can serve as potential antimicrobial targets for the treatment of enterococcal infections