Higher spin BRS cohomology of supersymmetric chiral matter inD=4

We examine the BRS cohomology of chiral matter inN=1,D=4 supersymmetry to determine a general form of composite superfield operators which can suffer from supersymmetry anomalies. Composite superfield operators _{(a, b)} are products of the elementary chiral superfieldsS and and the derivative operatorsD , and . Such superfields _{(a, b)} can be chosen to have a symmetrized undotted indices _i and b symmetrized dotted indices . The result derived here is that each composite superfield _(a,b) is subject to potential supersymmetry anomalies ifa–b is an odd number, which means that _(a,b) is a fermionic superfield.     

Structural properties of ultra-small thorium and uranium dioxide nanoparticles embedded in a covalent organic framework

We report the structural properties of ultra-small ThO₂ and UO₂ nanoparticles (NPs), which were synthesized without strong binding surface ligands by employing a covalent organic framework (COF-5) as an inert template. The resultant NPs were used to observe how structural properties are affected by decreasing grain size within bulk actinide oxides, which has implications for understanding the behavior of nuclear fuel materials. Through a comprehensive characterization strategy, we gain insight regarding how structure at the NP surface differs from the interior. Characterization using electron microscopy and small-angle X-ray scattering indicates that growth of the ThO₂ and UO₂ NPs was confined by the pores of the COF template, resulting in sub-3 nm particles. X-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy results indicate that the NPs are best described as ThO₂ and UO₂ materials with unpassivated surfaces. The surface layers of these particles compensate for high surface energy by exhibiting a broader distribution of Th–O and U–O bond distances despite retaining average bond lengths that are characteristic of bulk ThO₂ and UO₂. The combined synthesis and physical characterization efforts provide a detailed picture of actinide oxide structure at the nanoscale, which remains highly underexplored compared to transition metal counterparts.

ThO₂ and UO₂ nanoparticles synthesized using a COF-5 template exhibit unpassivated surfaces and provide insight into nanoscale properties of actinides.     

DYNGA: a general purpose QM-MM-MD program. I. Application to water

We present a general purpose QM-MM-MD engine (DYNGA) designed to test alternative hybrid Hamiltonians geared towards the treatment of problems of interest in structural biology including the use of experimental data constraints. In this first presentation we use DYNGA to explore the behaviour of a traditional QM-MM approach in the treatment of the water—water interaction. We find the potential energy hypersurface for the water dimer computed with the HF 4–31G*/TIP3P hybrid Hamiltonian tends to be too flat. We also explore the effect of using traditional QM-MM techniques on proton wires and conclude there is a need for improvement, possibly addressed by using polarizable force fields.     

A novel high-order FIR photonic signal processor

A new topology for realizing a high-order FIR RF photonic filter is presented. It is based on a novel structure that uses wavelength conversion and a routing technique to enable a multiple-pass transmission of the signal to be obtained through a single photonic sub-filter. The sub-filter can be of low order, however the routing of the output of the sub-filter back to itself several times together with some additional coefficients, realizes a high-order filter. Experimental results are presented which demonstrate a high-order FIR photonic filter realization comprising 39 taps.     

U-branes and T fibrations

We describe eight-dimensional vacuum configurations with varying moduli consistent with the U-duality group . Focusing on the latter less-well understood properties, we construct a class of fivebrane solutions living on lines on a three-dimensional base space. The resulting U-manifolds, with five scalars transforming under SL(3), admit a Ricci-flat Kähler metric. Based on the connection with special Lagrangian T³ fibered Calabi-Yau three-folds, this construction provides a simple framework for the investigation of Calabi-Yau mirrors.     

Multiple-bipolar-tap tunable spectrum sliced microwave photonic filter

A spectrum sliced microwave photonic signal processor structure, which is all-fiber based and features simplicity, together with the ability to realize tunability, reconfigurability, bipolar taps, and multiple-tap rf filtering, is presented. It is based on thermally controlled optical slicing filters induced into two linearly chirped fiber Bragg gratings. Experimental results demonstrate the realization of versatile microwave photonic filters with frequency tunable, reconfiguration, and bipolar-tap generation capabilities.     

PAST AND FUTURE MANAGEMENT OF A COLLAPSED FISHERY: THE BAY OF BISCAY ANCHOVY

Abstract We analyze the efficiency of the international management of the Bay of Biscay anchovy. While a sharing agreement between France and Spain has been in place since 1992, the fish stock collapsed in 2005 and the fishery closed from 2005 to spring 2010. We consider differences in production technologies between both countries and calibrate our model using data from 1987 to 2009. Our results suggest two sources of rent dissipation under the existing sharing agreement: inefficient quota allocation and production inefficiencies due to inflexible national regulations. We discuss several alternatives to improve management.     

ConFlo III - an interface for high precision delta(13)C and delta(15)N analysis with an extended dynamic range

A newly developed interface coupling a CHN combustion device (elemental analyser 'EA') to an isotope ratio mass spectrometer is described and evaluated. The purpose of the device is to extend the dynamic range of delta(13)C and delta(15)N analysis from less than 2 orders of magnitude to more than 3 orders of magnitude. Carbon isotope ratio measurements of atropine as a model compound have been performed analysing between 1 μg to 5 mg C with acceptable to excellent precision (0.6 to 0.06 per thousand, delta-notation). The correction due to the blank signal is critical for sample amounts smaller than 4 μg C. The maximum sample weight is determined by the combustion capacity of the EA. Larger sample amounts are measured using dilution of a small part of the EA effluent with helium. The dilution mechanism works virtually free of isotope fractionation. Copyright 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.