Exploiting timescale separation in micro and nano flows

This paper was presented at the 3rd Micro and Nano Flows Conference (MNF2011), which was held at the Makedonia Palace Hotel, Thessaloniki in Greece. The conference was organised by Brunel University and supported by the Italian Union of Thermofluiddynamics, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, University of Thessaly, IPEM, the Process Intensification Network, the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, the Heat Transfer Society, HEXAG - the Heat Exchange Action Group, and the Energy Institute.In this paper we describe how timescale separation in micro/nano flows can be exploited for computational acceleration. A modified version of the seamless heterogenous multiscale method (SHMM) is proposed: a multi-step SHMM. This maintains the main advantages of SHMM (e.g., re-initialisation of micro data is not required; temporal gearing (computational speed-up) is easily controlled; and it is applicable to full and intermediate degrees of timescale separation) while improving on accuracy and greatly reducing the number of macroscopic computations and micro/macro coupling instances required. The improved accuracy of the multi-step SHMM is demonstrated for two canonical one-dimensional transient flows (oscillatory Poiseuille and oscillatory Couette flow) and for rarefied-gas oscillatory Poiseuille flow.This research is financially supported by the EPSRC Programme Grant EP/I011927/1

Carta que el R.P.M. Fray Bautista Abad, Vicario provincial del Reyno de Valencia, del Orden de San Agustin escriuio al ... Duque de Veraguas ... : [Texto impreso] [setiembre à 18 de 1680]

Según Medina, Biblioteca Hispanoamericana, VI, 6152, podría estar impresa en Madrid, 1680Tit. tomado de comienzo de textoSegún Medina, Biblioteca Hispanoamericana, VI, 6152, podría estar impresa en Madrid, 1680Texto fechado en: "Setiembre à 18 de 1680"Sign.: A

Rarity of monodominance in hyperdiverse Amazonian forests.

Tropical forests are known for their high diversity. Yet, forest patches do occur in the tropics where a single tree species is dominant. Such "monodominant" forests are known from all of the main tropical regions. For Amazonia, we sampled the occurrence of monodominance in a massive, basin-wide database of forest-inventory plots from the Amazon Tree Diversity Network (ATDN). Utilizing a simple defining metric of at least half of the trees ≥ 10 cm diameter belonging to one species, we found only a few occurrences of monodominance in Amazonia, and the phenomenon was not significantly linked to previously hypothesized life history traits such wood density, seed mass, ectomycorrhizal associations, or Rhizobium nodulation. In our analysis, coppicing (the formation of sprouts at the base of the tree or on roots) was the only trait significantly linked to monodominance. While at specific locales coppicing or ectomycorrhizal associations may confer a considerable advantage to a tree species and lead to its monodominance, very few species have these traits. Mining of the ATDN dataset suggests that monodominance is quite rare in Amazonia, and may be linked primarily to edaphic factors

Effects of crossed electric and magnetic fields on the electronic and excitonic states in bulk GaAs and GaAs/Ga1-xAlxAs quantum wells

The variational procedure in the effective-mass and parabolic-band approximations is used in order to investigate the effects of crossed electric and in-plane magnetic fields on the electronic and exciton properties in semiconductor heterostructures. Calculations are performed for bulk GaAs and GaAs/Ga1-xAlxAs quantum wells, for applied magnetic fields parallel to the layers and electric fields in the growth direction, and it is shown that the combined effects on the heterostructure properties of the applied crossed electric and magnetic fields and the direct coupling between the center-of-mass and internal exciton motions may be dealt with via a simple parameter representing the spatial distance between the centers of the electron and hole magnetic parabolas. Exciton properties are analyzed by using a simple hydrogenlike envelope excitonic wave function and present theoretical results are found in fair agreement with available experimental measurements on the diamagnetic shift of the photoluminescence peak position of GaAs/Ga1-xAlxAs quantum wells under in-plane magnetic fields.75

Meta-analysis of GWAS of over 16,000 individuals with autism spectrum disorder highlights a novel locus at 10q24.32 and a significant overlap with schizophrenia.

To access publisher's full text version of this article, please click on the hyperlink in Additional Links field or click on the hyperlink at the top of the page marked FilesOver the past decade genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have been applied to aid in the understanding of the biology of traits. The success of this approach is governed by the underlying effect sizes carried by the true risk variants and the corresponding statistical power to observe such effects given the study design and sample size under investigation. Previous ASD GWAS have identified genome-wide significant (GWS) risk loci; however, these studies were of only of low statistical power to identify GWS loci at the lower effect sizes (odds ratio (OR) <1.15).We conducted a large-scale coordinated international collaboration to combine independent genotyping data to improve the statistical power and aid in robust discovery of GWS loci. This study uses genome-wide genotyping data from a discovery sample (7387 ASD cases and 8567 controls) followed by meta-analysis of summary statistics from two replication sets (7783 ASD cases and 11359 controls; and 1369 ASD cases and 137308 controls).We observe a GWS locus at 10q24.32 that overlaps several genes including PITX3, which encodes a transcription factor identified as playing a role in neuronal differentiation and CUEDC2 previously reported to be associated with social skills in an independent population cohort. We also observe overlap with regions previously implicated in schizophrenia which was further supported by a strong genetic correlation between these disorders (Rg = 0.23; P = 9 × 10(-6)). We further combined these Psychiatric Genomics Consortium (PGC) ASD GWAS data with the recent PGC schizophrenia GWAS to identify additional regions which may be important in a common neurodevelopmental phenotype and identified 12 novel GWS loci. These include loci previously implicated in ASD such as FOXP1 at 3p13, ATP2B2 at 3p25.3, and a 'neurodevelopmental hub' on chromosome 8p11.23.This study is an important step in the ongoing endeavour to identify the loci which underpin the common variant signal in ASD. In addition to novel GWS loci, we have identified a significant genetic correlation with schizophrenia and association of ASD with several neurodevelopmental-related genes such as EXT1, ASTN2, MACROD2, and HDAC4.National Institutes of Mental Health (NIMH, USA) ACE Network Autism Genetic Resource Exchange (AGRE) is a program of Autism Speaks (USA) The Autism Genome Project (AGP) from Autism Speaks (USA) Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), Genome Canada Health Research Board (Ireland) Hilibrand Foundation (USA) Medical Research Council (UK) National Institutes of Health (USA) Ontario Genomics Institute University of Toronto McLaughlin Centre Simons Foundation Johns Hopkins Autism Consortium of Boston NLM Family foundation National Institute of Health grants National Health Medical Research Council Scottish Rite Spunk Fund, Inc. Rebecca and Solomon Baker Fund APEX Foundation National Alliance for Research in Schizophrenia and Affective Disorders (NARSAD) endowment fund of the Nancy Pritzker Laboratory (Stanford) Autism Society of America Janet M. Grace Pervasive Developmental Disorders Fund The Lundbeck Foundation universities and university hospitals of Aarhus and Copenhagen Stanley Foundation Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Netherlands Scientific Organization Dutch Brain Foundation VU University Amsterdam Trinity Centre for High Performance Computing through Science Foundation Ireland Autism Genome Project (AGP) from Autism Speak

Seasonal drought limits tree species across the Neotropics

AcceptedArticle in Press© 2016 Nordic Society Oikos.Within the tropics, the species richness of tree communities is strongly and positively associated with precipitation. Previous research has suggested that this macroecological pattern is driven by the negative effect of water-stress on the physiological processes of most tree species. This implies that the range limits of taxa are defined by their ability to occur under dry conditions, and thus in terms of species distributions predicts a nested pattern of taxa distribution from wet to dry areas. However, this 'dry-tolerance' hypothesis has yet to be adequately tested at large spatial and taxonomic scales. Here, using a dataset of 531 inventory plots of closed canopy forest distributed across the western Neotropics we investigated how precipitation, evaluated both as mean annual precipitation and as the maximum climatological water deficit, influences the distribution of tropical tree species, genera and families. We find that the distributions of tree taxa are indeed nested along precipitation gradients in the western Neotropics. Taxa tolerant to seasonal drought are disproportionally widespread across the precipitation gradient, with most reaching even the wettest climates sampled; however, most taxa analysed are restricted to wet areas. Our results suggest that the 'dry tolerance' hypothesis has broad applicability in the world's most species-rich forests. In addition, the large number of species restricted to wetter conditions strongly indicates that an increased frequency of drought could severely threaten biodiversity in this region. Overall, this study establishes a baseline for exploring how tropical forest tree composition may change in response to current and future environmental changes in this region.This paper is a product of the RAINFOR and ATDN networks and of ForestPlots.net researchers (http://www.forestplots.net). RAINFOR and ForestPlots have been supported by a Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation grant, the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme (283080, ‘GEOCARBON’; 282664, ‘AMAZALERT’); European Research Council (ERC) grant ‘Tropical Forests in the Changing Earth System’ (T-FORCES), and Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) Urgency Grant and NERC Consortium Grants ‘AMAZONICA’ (NE/F005806/1) and ‘TROBIT’ (NE/D005590/1). Additional funding for fieldwork was provided by Tropical Ecology Assessment and Monitoring (TEAM) Network, a collaboration among Conservation International, the Missouri Botanical Garden, the Smithsonian Institution, and the Wildlife Conservation Society. A.E.M. receives a PhD scholarship from the T-FORCES ERC grant. O.L.P. is supported by an ERC Advanced Grant and a Royal Society Wolfson Research Merit Award. We thank Jon J. Lloyd, Chronis Tzedakis, David Galbraith, and two anonymous reviewers for helpful comments and Dylan Young for helping with the analyses. This study would not be possible without the extensive contributions of numerous field assistants and rural communities in the Neotropical forests. Alfredo Alarcón, Patricia Alvarez Loayza, Plínio Barbosa Camargo, Juan Carlos Licona, Alvaro Cogollo, Massiel Corrales Medina, Jose Daniel Soto, Gloria Gutierrez, Nestor Jaramillo Jarama, Laura Jessica Viscarra, Irina Mendoza Polo, Alexander Parada Gutierrez, Guido Pardo, Lourens Poorter, Adriana Prieto, Freddy Ramirez Arevalo, Agustín Rudas, Rebeca Sibler and Javier Silva Espejo additionally contributed data to this study though their RAINFOR participations. We further thank those colleagues no longer with us, Jean Pierre Veillon, Samuel Almeida, Sandra Patiño and Raimundo Saraiva. Many data come from Alwyn Gentry, whose example has inspired new generations to investigate the diversity of the Neotropics

Polygenic transmission disequilibrium confirms that common and rare variation act additively to create risk for autism spectrum disorders

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) risk is influenced by common polygenic and de novo variation. We aimed to clarify the influence of polygenic risk for ASD and to identify subgroups of ASD cases, including those with strongly acting de novo variants, in which polygenic risk is relevant. Using a novel approach called the polygenic transmission disequilibrium test and data from 6,454 families with a child with ASD, we show that polygenic risk for ASD, schizophrenia, and greater educational attainment is over-transmitted to children with ASD. These findings hold independent of proband IQ. We find that polygenic variation contributes additively to risk in ASD cases who carry a strongly acting de novo variant. Lastly, we show that elements of polygenic risk are independent and differ in their relationship with phenotype. These results confirm that the genetic influences on ASD are additive and suggest that they create risk through at least partially distinct etiologic pathways

Collaborative and Inclusive Process with the Autism Community: A Case Study in Colombia About Social Robot Design

One of the most promising areas in which social assistive robotics has been introduced is therapeutic intervention for children with autism spectrum disorders (CwASD). Even though there are promising results in therapeutic contexts, there is a lack of guidelines on how to select the appropriate robot and how to design and implement the child–robot interaction. The use of participatory design (PD) methods in the design of technology-based processes for CwASD is a recognition of the stakeholders as “experts” in their fields. This work explores the benefits brought by the use of PD methods in the design of a social robot, with a specific focus on their use in autism spectrum disorders therapies on the Colombian autism community. Based on what proved to be effective in our previous research, we implemented participatory methods for both the CwASD and the stakeholders. The process leverages the active role of participants using a focus group approach with parents and specialists, and scene cards, narrative and handmade generative methods with the children. To overcome some challenges of traditional PD processes, where not all community actors are considered, we included a Colombian community consisting of therapists, nurses, caregivers and parents. The proposed PD process provides an opportunity to learn from several community actors (and thus different cultural and social aspects of developing countries), improving traditional robot design methods. In this way, the findings are summarized through a set of guidelines regarding the design of a social robot-device suitable to be implemented for robot-assisted therapy for CwASD

Exploring Recent Advances in Lignocellulosic Biomass Waste Delignification Through the Combined Use of Eutectic Solvents and Intensification Techniques

Growing awareness of resource sustainability and waste management has driven the search for circular-economy solutions. Lignocellulosic biomass waste, the most abundant renewable carbon resource, offers green potential as an alternative to declining non-renewable fuels. However, due to its recalcitrant nature, it requires pre-processing to convert it into valuable products like energy and chemicals. Biorefineries play a key role in this process by promoting the integral use of biomass, by finding ways to utilize lignin, previously treated as waste. Common pretreatment methods are unsustainable, prompting research into eco-friendly solvents and advanced techniques like ultrasound- and microwave-assisted methods. Recent approaches have also explored the use of eutectic solvents, which, when combined with these intensification techniques, offer promising results. These green technologies improve delignification efficiency, which in turn improves the saccharification process, reduces solvent use, and minimizes environmental impact. Despite progress, challenges remain in making these methods economically viable and adaptable to diverse biomass types. This review article highlights recent advances in sustainable treatment technologies, including the combined use of eutectic solvents and process-intensification techniques, and the potential of the obtained lignin in various industrial applications. It also discusses future prospects for more environmentally friendly processes in biomass utilization