Kinetic theory of cluster impingement in the framework of statistical mechanics of rigid disks

The paper centres on the evaluation of the function n(theta)=N(theta)/N0, that is the normalized number of islands as a function of coverage 0<theta<1, given N0 initial nucleation centres (dots) having any degree of spatial correlation. A mean field approach has been employed: the islands have the same size at any coverage. In particular, as far as the random distribution of dots is concerned, the problem has been solved by considering the contribution of binary collisions between islands only. With regard to correlated dots, we generalize a method previously applied to the random case only. In passing, we have made use of the exclusion probability reported in [S. Torquato, B. Lu, J. Rubinstein, Phys.Rev.A 41, 2059 (1990)], for determining the kinetics of surface coverage in the case of correlated dots, improving our previous calculation [M. Tomellini, M. Fanfoni, M. Volpe Phys. Rev.B 62, 11300, (2000)].Comment: 10 pages, 3 figure

A Blockchain-Based Approach Towards Overcoming Financial Fraud in Public Sector Services

In financial markets it is common for companies and individuals to invest into foreign companies. To avoid the double taxation of investors on dividend payment - both in the country where the profit is generated as well as the country of residence - most governments have entered into bilateral double taxation treaties, whereby investors can claim a tax refund in the country where the profit is generated. Due to easily forgeable documents and insufficient international exchange of information between tax authorities, investors illegitimately apply for these tax returns causing an estimated damage of 1.8 billion USD, for example, in Denmark alone. This paper assesses the potential of a blockchain database to provide a feasible solution for overcoming this problem against the backdrop of recent advances in the public sector and the unique set of blockchain capacities. Towards this end, we develop and evaluate a blockchain-based prototype system aimed at eliminating this type of tax fraud and increasing transparency regarding the flow of dividends. While the prototype is based on the specific context of the Danish tax authority, we discuss how it can be generalized for tracking international and interorganizational transactions

The biomechanics of amnion rupture: an X-ray diffraction study

Pre-term birth is the leading cause of perinatal and neonatal mortality, 40% of which are attributed to the pre-term premature rupture of amnion. Rupture of amnion is thought to be associated with a corresponding decrease in the extracellular collagen content and/or increase in collagenase activity. However, there is very little information concerning the detailed organisation of fibrillar collagen in amnion and how this might influence rupture. Here we identify a loss of lattice like arrangement in collagen organisation from areas near to the rupture site, and present a 9% increase in fibril spacing and a 50% decrease in fibrillar organisation using quantitative measurements gained by transmission electron microscopy and the novel application of synchrotron X-ray diffraction. These data provide an accurate insight into the biomechanical process of amnion rupture and highlight X-ray diffraction as a new and powerful tool in our understanding of this process

Statistical Quality Control of Highway Construction and Materials

The objective of this report is to review existing local practices used in establishing and enforcing highway specifications and construction processes and to compare these practices. With procedures based on statistical quality control concepts. In order that statistical quality control concepts may be properly used where applicable, the first part of this report considers the general theory underlying the use of statistical control methods and the development of different types. Of acceptance plans which may be used in the highway construction industry. The second portion of the report is concerned with analyzing and comparing Kentucky\u27s current specification requirements with typical quality control requirements established using basic statistical theory. Specifications used by some other agencies which are based on statistical principles are presented to illustrate the use being made of this type of acceptance plan. Historical data compiled for various contract items used in highway construction in Kentucky are also presented as background information useful for establishing statistically derived specifications in the future

Can we continue research in splenectomized dogs? Mycoplasma haemocanis: Old problem - New insight

We report the appearance of a Mycoplasma haemocanis infection in laboratory dogs, which has been reported previously, yet, never before in Europe. Outbreak of the disease was triggered by a splenectomy intended to prepare the dogs for a hemorrhagic shock study. The clinical course of the dogs was dramatic including anorexia and hemolytic anemia. Treatment included allogeneic transfusion, prednisone, and oxytetracycline. Systematic follow-up (n=12, blood smears, antibody testing and specific polymerase chain reaction) gives clear evidence that persistent eradication of M. haemocanis is unlikely. We, therefore, had to abandon the intended shock study. In the absence of effective surveillance and screening for M. haemocanis, the question arises whether it is prudent to continue shock research in splenectomized dogs. Copyright (C) 2004 S. Karger AG, Basel

Water Vapor Measurements by Howard University Raman Lidar during the WAVES 2006 Campaign

Retrieval of water vapor mixing ratio using the Howard University Raman Lidar is presented with emphasis on three aspects: i) performance of the lidar against collocated radiosondes and Raman lidar, ii) investigation of the atmospheric state variables when poor agreement between lidar and radiosondes values occurred and iii) a comparison with satellite-based measurements. The measurements were acquired during the Water Vapor Validation Experiment Sondes/Satellites 2006 field campaign. Ensemble averaging of water vapor mixing ratio data from ten night-time comparisons with Vaisala RS92 radiosondes shows on average an agreement within 10 % up to approx. 8 km. A similar analysis of lidar-to-lidar data of over 700 profiles revealed an agreement to within 20 % over the first 7 km (10 % below 4 km). A grid analysis, defined in the temperature - relative humidity space, was developed to characterize the lidar - radiosonde agreement and quantitatively localizes regions of strong and weak correlations as a function of altitude, temperature or relative humidity. Three main regions of weak correlation emerge: i) regions of low relative humidity and low temperature, ii) moderate relative humidity at low temperatures and iii) low relative humidity at moderate temperatures. Comparison of Atmospheric InfraRed Sounder and Tropospheric Emission Sounder satellites retrievals of moisture with that of Howard University Raman Lidar showed a general agreement in the trend but the formers miss a lot of the details in atmospheric structure due to their low resolution. A relative difference of about 20 % is usually found between lidar and satellites measurements

High-Resolution Structures and Orientations of Antimicrobial Peptides Piscidin 1 and Piscidin 3 in Fluid Bilayers Reveal Tilting, Kinking, and Bilayer Immersion

While antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) have been widely investigated as potential therapeutics, high-resolution structures obtained under biologically relevant conditions are lacking. Here, the high-resolution structures of the homologous 22-residue long AMPs piscidin 1 (p1) and piscidin 3 (p3) are determined in fluid-phase 3:1 phosphatidylcholine/phosphatidylglycerol (PC/PG) and 1:1 phosphatidylethanolamine/phosphatidylglycerol (PE/PG) bilayers to identify molecular features important for membrane destabilization in bacterial cell membrane mimics. Structural refinement of 1H–15N dipolar couplings and 15N chemical shifts measured by oriented sample solid-state NMR and all-atom molecular dynamics (MD) simulations provide structural and orientational information of high precision and accuracy about these interfacially bound α-helical peptides. The tilt of the helical axis, τ, is between 83° and 93° with respect to the bilayer normal for all systems and analysis methods. The average azimuthal rotation, ρ, is 235°, which results in burial of hydrophobic residues in the bilayer. The refined NMR and MD structures reveal a slight kink at G13 that delineates two helical segments characterized by a small difference in their τ angles (<10°) and significant difference in their ρ angles (∼25°). Remarkably, the kink, at the end of a G(X)4G motif highly conserved among members of the piscidin family, allows p1 and p3 to adopt ρ angles that maximize their hydrophobic moments. Two structural features differentiate the more potent p1 from p3: p1 has a larger ρ angle and less N-terminal fraying. The peptides have comparable depths of insertion in PC/PG, but p3 is 1.2 Å more deeply inserted than p1 in PE/PG. In contrast to the ideal α-helical structures typically assumed in mechanistic models of AMPs, p1 and p3 adopt disrupted α-helical backbones that correct for differences in the amphipathicity of their N- and C-ends, and their centers of mass lie ∼1.2–3.6 Å below the plane defined by the C2 atoms of the lipid acyl chains

HCI policy and the smart city

While the idea of the ‘Smart City’ has attracted increasing attention from academia, industry, and government this interest has largely had a technical and technological focus. This paper identifies some of the important political and policy challenges facing the idea, the discourse, of a ‘smart city’ as a means to optimise HCI input into the ‘smart city’ debate. It then addresses that gap by detailing a research project that explored how experts in smart city research and development in the UK context responded to this policy challenge. Experts were asked questions regarding their prior experience with the “smart city”, their understandings of what it means for a city to be smart, and what policy potentials they've recognised in the smart city. The paper analyses and offers a synthesis of the responses collected throughout the research with the current policies concerning various smart city proximity, thereby providing a critical assessment of the values underlying the smart city. The paper aims to explore and present some of the policy possibilities for UK smart cities that are potentially useful for politicians, policy makers, planners, academics, and technology companies. I believe that these perspectives for policy development can be used to inform responsible development, spatially and socially inclusive technologies, and ultimately more resilient and liveable cities

A Preliminary Evaluation of Mounds to Divert Wayward Vehicles Away from Rigid Obstructions

In the summer of 1965, the first fatality report involving an interstate median bridge pier in Kentucky caused concern among state and national officials for the safety of motorists who perchance or otherwise enter upon a collision course toward an unprotected bridge pier. A consensus of opinion seemed to indicate that some form of attenuation or deflection device was necessary. Early innovations employed various short guardrail configurations to deflect wayward vehicles from the piers. The use of small, short sections has since evolved until present methods include surrounding the bridge pier with several hundred feet of guardrail, including ramped-end treatment (see Figure 1). The use of guardrail has not been questioned from the standpoint of safety design, yet some effort has been applied by Kentucky and other states to finding an alternative approach. From these efforts, the use of mounds to decelerate and deflect vehicles originated. It was thought that this design concept was consistent with current safety developments as well as being an economical treatment of the problem, since most of the work involved in constructing the mound can be done during grade and drain construction using natural materials available on location. These mounds have since been constructed on certain interstate projects and on all bridge locations of the Jackson Purchase (51.4 miles) and Pennyrile (56.6 miles) Parkways in Kentucky. Having found no records of accidents involving these mounds in the interim, there has been no substantial means of evaluating the effectiveness of this innovation in preventing or reducing the severity of collisions with bridge piers. Consequently, it was decided that low speed excursions over a mound might provide a basis for evaluation. The Division of Research made a series of driver-controlled traverses at low speeds on a typical site constructed on a 60-foot median. The purpose of this report is to summarize the results obtained from these initial, low-speed tests and, in so doing, attempt to make some determination of the reliability of this particular type of earthwork. It is anticipated that these low-speed tests will be supplemented eventually by testing at higher speeds, using some form of remote guidance system in place of the human driver. Also, it must be emphasized that conclusions drawn from this report apply only to low-speed encroachments. Additional effects which may be encountered during high-speed testing can only be hypothesized at this time

Adipocyte-specific protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B deletion increases lipogenesis, adipocyte cell size and is a minor regulator of glucose homeostasis

Peer reviewedPublisher PD