Political theory and theoretical physics

This paper argues, somewhat along a Simmelian line, that political theory may produce practical and universal theories like those developed in theoretical physics. The reasoning behind this paper is to show that the theory of ‘basic democracy’ may be true by way of comparing it to Einstein’s Special Relativity – specifically concerning the parameters of symmetry, unification, simplicity, and utility. These parameters are what make a theory in physics as meeting them not only fits with current knowledge, but also produces paths towards testing (application). As the theory of ‘basic democracy’ may meet these same parameters, it could settle the debate concerning the definition of democracy. This will be argued firstly by discussing what the theory of ‘basic democracy’ is and why it differs from previous work; secondly by explaining the parameters chosen (as in why these and not others confirm or scuttle theories); and thirdly by comparing how Special Relativity and the theory of ‘basic democracy’ may match the parameters.

Higgs physics at the Large Hadron Collider

In this talk I shall begin by summarizing the importance of the Higgs physics studies at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). I shall then give a short description of the pre-LHC constraints on the Higgs mass and the theoretical predictions for the LHC along with a discussion of the current experimental results, ending with prospects in the near future at the LHC. I have added to the writeup, recent experimental results from the LHC which have become available since the time of the workshop.

变截面圆轴扭转问题用非正交曲线坐标的新解法

本文是在飞机发动机涡轮轴应力分析的基础上提高为变截面圆轴扭转问题的一个新解法.利用向量的散度和旋度对不同坐标系是不变量的特点,通过张量分析推导出在任意非正交曲线坐标系中变截面圆轴扭转问题的平衡和协调方程,包括用应力函数表达的协调方程和应力函数与应力分量的关系式.用任意非正交曲线坐标和差分法求解应力函数.本文计算得到了全轴的等应力函数线和剪应力分布,并得到沿小凹槽边任意点的应力,计算结果和光弹试验结果接近.本文还计算了有解析解的空心锥轴,误差小于百分之一.通过计算说明本文提出的新解法收敛性很好,并且所需计算机容量少(可在容量32k的TQ-16机上同时计算800多个节点),应用方便,便于编排通用程序,计算量较有限元法少;另一方面,由于采用了任意非正交曲线坐标,因此,适用于解决复杂曲线边界的问题,提高了通常用的差分法的适应性和灵活性;此外,本方法用应力函数作为未知量,从所得的等应力函数线和等位移函数线图可以看出全轴应力分布的概况,对于改进设计很有帮助.

Nos hemos quedado sin energía : Les Alqueries, solidaridad y energías alternativas.

A través de un juego de simulación, 28 alumnos de 1õ de ESO desarrollan un proyecto en el que proponen soluciones de emergencia ante una situación en la que el pueblo se ha quedado totalmente aislado del exterior, sin energía ni agua corriente. Tras plantear salidas viables para superar la crisis, la experiecia concluye con la estancia durante una semana en uno de los centros rurales en materia de energías alternativas, el Mas de Noguera. Se concluye que es necesario hacer un uso correcto de la energía, sustituyendo hábitos consumistas..

Does more detailed information mean better performance? An experiment in information explicitness

Purpose – Investors are now able to analyse more noise-free news to inform their trading decisions than ever before. Their expectation that more information means better performance is not supported by previous psychological experiments which argue that too much information actually impairs performance. The purpose of this paper is to examine whether the degree of information explicitness improves stock market performance. Design/methodology/approach – An experiment is conducted in a computer laboratory to examine a trading simulation manipulated from a real market-shock. Participants’ performance efficiency and effectiveness are measured separately. Findings – The results indicate that the explicitness of information neither improves nor impairs participants’ performance effectiveness from the perspectives of returns, share and cash positions, and trading volumes. However, participants’ performance efficiency is significantly affected by information explicitness. Originality/value – The novel approach and findings of this research add to the knowledge of the impact of information explicitness on the quality of decision making in a financial market environment.

Structure of weakly bonded PPG-silica nanocomposites

The structure of silica-polypropyleneglycol (PPG) nanocomposites with weak physical bonds between the organic (PPG) and inorganic (silica) phase, prepared by the sol-gel process, was investigated by small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS). These nanocomposite materials are transparent, flexible, have good chemical stability and exhibit high ionic conductivity when doped with lithium salt. Their structure was studied as a function of silica weight fraction x (0.06 less than or equal to x less than or equal to 0.29) and [O]/[Li] ratio (oxygens being of ether-type). The shape of the experimental SAXS curves agrees with that expected for scattering intensity produced by fractal aggregates sized between 30 and 90 Angstrom. This result suggests that the structure of the studied hybrids consists of silica fractal aggregates embedded in a matrix of PPG. The correlation length of the fractal aggregates decreases and the fractal dimension increases for increasing silica content. The variations in structural parameters for increasing Li+ doping indicate that lithium ions favor the growth of fractal silica aggregates without modifying their internal structure and promote the densification of the oligomeric PPG matrix.

Sustentabilidade nas organizações: a internalização dos gastos com o descarte do produto e/ou embalagem aos custos de produção

Neste estudo, tem-se como objetivo analisar e discutir crenças, valores e aspectos práticos, considerando que a internalização dos gastos decorrentes do descarte do produto e/ou embalagens deve nortear a gestão de custos de produção de uma empresa. Por tratar-se de área do conhecimento ainda carente de estudos e sem solução consensual por parte de agentes do mercado, realizou-se um ensaio teórico em que são apresentados e discutidos posicionamentos, práticas e ações com potencial para mitigar os efeitos da degradação ambiental decorrentes de descartes inapropriados. Para isso são propostas ações por parte de empresas e de iniciativas voluntárias em negociações de títulos financeiros de compensação das externalidades, os quais foram denominados de créditos de internalização de custos privados (CICPs). Considera-se que o desenvolvimento com sustentabilidade é um processo que envolve negociações entre empresas, governos e sociedade civil, pois as políticas e metas não devem ser apenas economicamente viáveis, mas socialmente justas, ambientalmente corretas e culturalmente compartilhadas.

A complementary radiographic projection of the equine temporomandibular joint

The complexity of the equine skull makes the temporomandibular joint a difficult area to evaluate radiographically. The goal of this study was to determine the optimal angle for a complementary radiographic projection of the equine temporomandibular joint based on a computed tomography (CT) cadaver study. CT was performed on six equine cadaver heads of horses that were euthanized for other reasons than temporomandibular joint disease. After the CT examination, 3D reconstruction of the equine skull was performed to subjectively determine the angle for a complementary radiographic projection of the temporomandibular joint. The angle was measured on the left and right temporomandibular joint of each head. Based on the measurements obtained from the CT images, a radiographic projection of the temporomandibular joint in a rostra-145 degrees ventral-caudodorsal oblique (R45 degrees V-CdDO) direction was developed by placing the X-ray unit 30 degrees laterally, maintaining at the same time the R45 degrees V-CdDO angle (R45 degrees V30 degrees L-CdDLO). This radiographic projection was applied to all cadaver heads and on six live horses. In three of the live horses abnormal findings associated with the temporomandibular joint were detected. We conclude that this new radiographic projection of the temporomandibular joint provides superior visualization of the temporomandibular joint space and the articular surface of the mandibular condyle.

NDT to identify biological damage in wood

Nondestructive techniques are widely used to assess existing timber structures. The models proposed for these methods are usually performed in the laboratory using small clear wood specimens. But in real situations many anomalies, defects and biological damage are found in wood. In these cases the existing models only indicate that the values are outside normality without providing any other information. To solve this problem, a study of non-destructive probing methods for wood was performed, testing the behaviour of four different techniques (penetration resistance, pullout resistance, drill resistance and chip drill extraction) on wood samples with different biological damage, simulating an in-situ test. The wood samples were obtained from existing Spanish timber structures with biotic damage caused by borer insects, termites, brown rot and white rot. The study concludes that all of the methods offer more or less detailed information about the degree of deterioration of wood, but that the first two methods (penetration and pullout resistance) cannot distinguish between pathologies. On the other hand, drill resistance and chip drill extraction make it possible to differentiate pathologies and even to identify species or damage location. Finally, the techniques used were compared to characterize their advantages and disadvantages.

Análisis de datos de periódicos digitales

En este proyecto se ha desarrollado una aplicación Web cuya finalidad es ofrecer al usuario datos provenientes del análisis de texto de las noticias que se encuentran en periódicos online. La aplicación permite al usuario realizar búsquedas personalizadas sobre temáticas específicas y configurar algunos tipos de análisis sobre la información recuperada. Entre los análisis que son llevados a cabo destaca el análisis del sentimiento. Para ello se ofrece la posibilidad de que el usuario utilice sus propios diccionarios de pares palabra-valor, utilizados para realizar este tipo de análisis. Para la codificación de la herramienta, se ha utilizado el lenguaje de programación Python y la framework web Django. El almacenamiento de la información de la aplicación se ha realizado sobre una base de datos NoSQL de tipo MongoDB.