The M-theory origin of global properties of gauge theories

We show that global properties of gauge groups can be understood as geometric properties in M-theory. Different wrappings of a system of N M5-branes on a torus reduce to four-dimensional theories with AN−1 gauge algebra and different unitary groups. The classical properties of the wrappings determine the global properties of the gauge theories without the need to impose any quantum conditions. We count the inequivalent wrappings as they fall into orbits of the modular group of the torus, which correspond to the S-duality orbits of the gauge theories.

A Proof-Theoretic Analysis of Theories for Stratified Inductive Definitions

In this article we study subsystems SIDᵥ of the theory ID₁ in which fixed point induction is restricted to properly stratified formulas.

The Reference Interview: Theories and Practice

The reference librarian's task is to translate the patron's question into one that can be answered with the library's resources. The first element of that task is to know what the patron wants; the second is to know what resources the library has and how to use them. Reference librarians must learn continuously throughout their careers, both because new resources become available, but also because patrons present questions requiring new resources. This article will focus on how to determine what kind of information the patron needs through the reference interview.

Behavioral journalism newsletters to increase employee participation in a free worksite wellness center

Background. Providing an worksite fitness center for employees is an effective setting to increase an adult’s levels of physical activity, demonstrably reducing health care costs and elevating employee productivity. Increasing compliance and adherence among employees to consistently utilize an onsite facility remains a challenge.^ Purpose. To illustrate if two electronic behavioral journalism newsletters can increase employee participation in a free worksite wellness center.^ Design. A randomized control trial was implemented. ^ Setting. A large petroleum-producing corporation located in Houston, Texas Subjects.70 full or part time employees that had checked into visited the wellness center during September, October, and November 2009. ^ Intervention. Two behavioral journalism newsletters were created based on authentic community member role model interviews. Newsletters were distributed to intervention group participants via company email. Intervention and control group participant’s visits to the wellness center were monitored via a key card check in system at the facility for two weeks following the newsletter intervention.^ Analysis. Count variable statistics were used to identify rate differences between the intervention and control group wellness center visits. A binomial test for equality of proportions was used to identify differences between participants that had at least one visit to the wellness center compared with those with none.^ Results. Both intervention and control groups had a baseline of zero wellness center visits. The control group had a mean visit rate 0.441 and the intervention group had 0.857. A 0.416, almost one half more visits were found among the intervention group.^ Conclusion. This study indicates that behavioral journalism newsletters featuring a role model from within the worksite population can be a cost effective communication method to improve participation in an onsite wellness center. ^

Stausberg, M. Contemporary Theories of Religion. A Critical Companion, New York, Routledge, Nueva York, 2009, 309 pp. ISBN: 978-0415463478

Fil: Bogdan, Guillermina. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Humanidades y Ciencias de la Educación; Argentina.

Stausberg, M. Contemporary Theories of Religion. A Critical Companion, New York, Routledge, Nueva York, 2009, 309 pp. ISBN: 978-0415463478

Fil: Bogdan, Guillermina. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Humanidades y Ciencias de la Educación; Argentina.

Stausberg, M. Contemporary Theories of Religion. A Critical Companion, New York, Routledge, Nueva York, 2009, 309 pp. ISBN: 978-0415463478

Fil: Bogdan, Guillermina. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Humanidades y Ciencias de la Educación; Argentina.

Chapter 1 Economic Integration and Industry Location: Theories, Empirical Results, and Implications for CLMV

Trade affects the internal location of industry in two ways: it induces firms to specialize and it expands the set of markets that firms serve. If there are industry-specific external economies, firms in related industries will spatially agglomerate (Hanson 1996a). In the context of economic integration, diminished barriers to trade affect industry location particularly in less developed countries. As described below, regional agreements in North America and Europe have caused frontier regions to expand. These regions, which include border regions and port cities, have advantages over internal regions in terms of access to foreign markets. Since trade liberalization induces many firms in developing countries to participate in production networks and to specialize in labor-intensive activities such as assembling and processing of foreign-made components, their inputs as well as final products need to be carried across borders. Therefore, the best industry location, one that minimizes transport costs, is likely to shift to frontier regions. In East Asia, China has developed rapidly since it opened up to international trade. Simultaneously, a large amount of foreign direct investment (FDI) has been attracted and industry agglomerations have been formed in coastal regions, that is, frontier regions linked to the global market by sea, leaving many internal regions behind. Similarly, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, and Vietnam (CLMV) have joined AFTA and/or the WTO and liberalized international trade since the 1990s. Moreover, transport infrastructures such as the East-West Economic Corridor, the Southern Economic Corridor, and the North-South Economic Corridor have been built and narrowed economic distances in the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS). As a result, frontier regions are likely to increase their location advantages and lure labor-intensive operations from neighboring countries. It is expected that, as has happened in North America and Europe, economic integration in East Asia will significantly affect internal geography in CLMV. In this study, I first review theories relevant to economic integration and industry location within a country. In particular, emphasis is placed on the new economic geography (NEG). Secondly, empirical results for North America and Europe are surveyed since they have preceded East Asia in regional integration and a substantial number of studies have been conducted on these regions. The final section summarizes and discusses implications for internal geography in CLMV.

Wedges and plate-bandes: mechanical theories after De la Hire

Plate-bandes are straight masonry arches (they are called, also, flat arches or lintel arches). Ideally they have the surfaces of extrados and intrados plane and horizontal. The stones or bricks have radial joints converging usually in one centre. The voussoirs have the form of wedges and in French they are called "claveaux". A plate-bande is, in fact, a lintel made of several stones and the proportions of lintels and plate-bandes are similar. Proportions of plate-bandes, that is the relationship between the thickness t and the span s (t/s)varies, typically between 1/4–1/3 in thick plate-bandes, and is less than 1/20 in the most slender ones. A ratio of circa 1/8 was usual in the 18th Century and follows a simple geometrical rule: the centre form with the intrados an equilateral triangle and the plate-bande should contain an arc of circle. The joints are usually plane, but in some cases present a «rebated» or «stepped» form. Plate-bandes exert an inclined thrust as any masonry arch. This thrust is usually very high and it requires either massive buttresses, or to be built in the middle of thick walls. Master builders and architects have tried since antiquity to calculate the abutment necessary for any arch. A modern architect or engineer will measure the arch thrust in units of force, kN or tons. Traditionally, the thrust has been measured as the size of the buttresses to resist it safely. Old structural rules, then, addressed the design problem establishing a relationship between the span and the depth of the buttress. These were empirical rules, particular for every type of arch or structure in every epoch. Thus, the typical gothic buttress is 1/4 of the vault span, but a Renaissance or baroque barrel vault will need more than 1/3 of the span. A plate-bande would require more than one half of the span; this is precisely the rule cited by the French engineer Gautier, who tried unsuccessfully to justify it by static reasons. They were used, typically, to form the lintels of windows or doors (1-2 m, typically); in Antiquity they were used, also, though rarely, at the gates of city walls or in niches (ca. 2 m, reaching 5.2 m). Plate-bandes may show particular problems: it is not unusual that some sliding of the voussoirs can be observed, particularly in thick plate-bandes. The stepped joints on Fig. 1, left, were used to avoid this problem. There are other «hidden» methods, like iron cramps or the use of stone wedges, etc. In seismic zones these devices were usual. Another problem relates to the deformation; a slight yielding of the abutments, or even the compression of the mortar joints, may lead to some cracking and the descent of the central keystone. Even a tiny descent will convert the original straight line of the intrados in a broken line with a visible «kink» or angle in the middle. Of course, both problems should be avoided. Finally, the wedge form of the voussoirs lead to acute angles in the stones and this can produce partial fractures; this occurs usually at the inferior border of the springers at the abutments. It follows, that to build a successful plate-bande is not an easy matter. Also, the structural study of plate-bandes is far from simple, and mechanics and geometry are related in a particular way. In the present paper we will concentrate on the structural aspects and their constructive consequences, with a historical approach. We will outline the development of structural analysis of plate-bandes from ca. 1700 until today. This brief history has a more than purely academic interest. Different approaches and theories pointed to particular problem, and though the solution given may have been incorrect, the question posed was often pertinent. The paper ends with the application of modern Limit Analysis of Masonry Structures, developed mainly by professor Heyman in the last fifty years. The work aims, also, to give some clues for the actual architect and engineer involved in the analysis or restoration of masonry buildings.

Simulating Data Journalism to Communicate Hydrological Information from Sensor Networks

Presenting relevant information via web-based user friendly interfac- es makes the information more accessible to the general public. This is especial- ly useful for sensor networks that monitor natural environments. Adequately communicating this type of information helps increase awareness about the limited availability of natural resources and promotes their better use with sus- tainable practices. In this paper, I suggest an approach to communicating this information to wide audiences based on simulating data journalism using artifi- cial intelligence techniques. I analyze this approach by describing a pioneer knowledge-based system called VSAIH, which looks for news in hydrological data from a national sensor network in Spain and creates news stories that gen- eral users can understand. VSAIH integrates artificial intelligence techniques, including a model-based data analyzer and a presentation planner. In the paper, I also describe characteristics of the hydrological national sensor network and the technical solutions applied by VSAIH to simulate data journalism.