Evaluating power-law properties from data using a wavelet transform correlation method with applications to foreign exchange rates

Numerous studies in the literature have shown that the dynamics of many time series including observations in foreign exchange markets exhibit scaling behaviours. A novel statistical method, derived from the concept of the continuous wavelet transform correlation function (WTCF), is proposed for the evaluation of power-law properties from observed data. The new method reveals that foreign exchange rates obey power-laws and thus belong to the class of self-similarity processes

Colloidal Gels: Equilibrium and Non-Equilibrium Routes

We attempt a classification of different colloidal gels based on colloid-colloid interactions. We discriminate primarily between non-equilibrium and equilibrium routes to gelation, the former case being slaved to thermodynamic phase separation while the latter is individuated in the framework of competing interactions and of patchy colloids. Emphasis is put on recent numerical simulations of colloidal gelation and their connection to experiments. Finally we underline typical signatures of different gel types, to be looked in more details in experiments.Comment: topical review, accepted in J. Phys. Condens. Matte

Digital Signal Processing Research Program

Contains table of contents for Section 2, an introduction, reports on twenty research projects and a list of publications.Lockheed Sanders, Inc. Contract BZ4962U.S. Army Research Laboratory Grant QK-8819U.S. Navy - Office of Naval Research Grant N00014-93-1-0686National Science Foundation Grant MIP 95-02885U.S. Navy - Office of Naval Research Grant N00014-95-1-0834U.S. Navy - Office of Naval Research Grant N00014-96-1-0930U.S. Navy - Office of Naval Research Grant N00014-95-1-0362National Defense Science and Engineering FellowshipU.S. Air Force - Office of Scientific Research Grant F49620-96-1-0072National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Grant MIP 95-02885Lockheed Sanders, Inc. Grant N00014-93-1-0686National Science Foundation Graduate FellowshipU.S. Army Research Laboratory/ARL Advanced Sensors Federated Lab Program Contract DAAL01-96-2-000

SciTech News Volume 71, No. 1 (2017)

Columns and Reports From the Editor 3 Division News Science-Technology Division 5 Chemistry Division 8 Engineering Division Aerospace Section of the Engineering Division 9 Architecture, Building Engineering, Construction and Design Section of the Engineering Division 11 Reviews Sci-Tech Book News Reviews 12 Advertisements IEEE

Three Dimensional Visualization and Fractal Analysis of Mosaic Patches in Rat Chimeras: Cell Assortment in Liver, Adrenal Cortex and Cornea

The production of organ parenchyma in a rapid and reproducible manner is critical to normal development. In chimeras produced by the combination of genetically distinguishable tissues, mosaic patterns of cells derived from the combined genotypes can be visualized. These patterns comprise patches of contiguously similar genotypes and are different in different organs but similar in a given organ from individual to individual. Thus, the processes that produce the patterns are regulated and conserved. We have previously established that mosaic patches in multiple tissues are fractal, consistent with an iterative, recursive growth model with simple stereotypical division rules. Fractal dimensions of various tissues are consistent with algorithmic models in which changing a single variable (e.g. daughter cell placement after division) switches the mosaic pattern from islands to stripes of cells. Here we show that the spiral pattern previously observed in mouse cornea can also be visualized in rat chimeras. While it is generally held that the pattern is induced by stem cell division dynamics, there is an unexplained discrepancy in the speed of cellular migration and the emergence of the pattern. We demonstrate in chimeric rat corneas both island and striped patterns exist depending on the age of the animal. The patches that comprise the pattern are fractal, and the fractal dimension changes with the age of the animal and indicates the constraint in patch complexity as the spiral pattern emerges. The spiral patterns are consistent with a loxodrome. Such data are likely to be relevant to growth and cell division in organ systems and will help in understanding how organ parenchyma are generated and maintained from multipotent stem cell populations located in specific topographical locations within the organ. Ultimately, understanding algorithmic growth is likely to be essential in achieving organ regeneration in vivo or in vitro from stem cell populations

Synthesis of Pure and Fe-Doped TiO2_2 Nanoparticles via Electrospray-Assisted Flame Spray Pyrolysis for Antimicrobial Applications

We report a straightforward aerosol-based approach to synthesizing pure and Fe-doped TiO$_2$ nanoparticles by continuous electrospray-assisted flame spray pyrolysis (EAFSP). Initially, pure TiO$_2$ nanoparticles were prepared by electrospraying titanium diisopropoxide bis(acetylacetonate) (TDIP) at varying concentrations onto a grounded flame. In this regard, various in situ (phase Doppler anemometry, high-speed camera, and scanning mobility particle sizer) and ex situ (small-angle X-ray scattering, transmission electron microscopy, and BET adsorption isotherms) diagnostics were applied for the analysis of the in-flight droplet characteristics in the spray, such as droplet μ-explosions, as well as primary and agglomerate nanoparticle evolution within the process and the particulate product. Moreover, single-particle ICP-MS (inductively coupled plasma–mass spectrometry) in situ measurements have been conducted to get insight into the process that causes various particle morphologies and to open up the option of an in situ determination of the particle formation route. Subsequently, the EAFSP method was utilized to produce Fe-doped TiO$_2$ nanoparticles. The influences of the Fe$^{3+}$ dopant concentration on the particle size, crystal structure, crystallite sizes, phase formation, oxygen vacancy defects, and optical gaps were systematically investigated. The presented EAFSP synthesis, in contrast to conventional flame spray pyrolysis (FSP) with gas atomization of the solvent/precursor, eliminates the need for dispersion gas and complex solvents, making it a more efficient and environmentally friendly method for nanoparticle synthesis. Finally, we studied the application potential of EAFSP-synthesized pure and Fe-doped TiO$_2$ nanoparticles for fighting bacteria resistant to an antibiotic, here spectinomycin-resistant Escherichia coli. A clear inhibitory effect of the Fe-doped TiO$_2$ nanoparticles could be observed during the growth of bacteria in the liquid medium, up to 99.4%. These results point out the high potential of the designed Fe-doped TiO$_2$ nanoparticles to act as antimicrobial agents and treatments against infections

Hardware/software co-design of fractal features based fall detection system

Falls are a leading cause of death in older adults and result in high levels of mortality, morbidity and immobility. Fall Detection Systems (FDS) are imperative for timely medical aid and have been known to reduce death rate by 80%. We propose a novel wearable sensor FDS which exploits fractal dynamics of fall accelerometer signals. Fractal dynamics can be used as an irregularity measure of signals and our work shows that it is a key discriminant for classification of falls from other activities of life. We design, implement and evaluate a hardware feature accelerator for computation of fractal features through multi-level wavelet transform on a reconfigurable embedded System on Chip, Zynq device for evaluating wearable accelerometer sensors. The proposed FDS utilises a hardware/software co-design approach with hardware accelerator for fractal features and software implementation of Linear Discriminant Analysis on an embedded ARM core for high accuracy and energy efficiency. The proposed system achieves 99.38% fall detection accuracy, 7.3× speed-up and 6.53× improvements in power consumption, compared to the software only execution with an overall performance per Watt advantage of 47.6×, while consuming low reconfigurable resources at 28.67%

Insights into the development of strategy from a complexity perspective

This paper provides an account of an ongoing project with an independent school in the UK. The project focuses on a strategy development intervention which, from the start, was systemic in orientation. The intention was to integrate simple systems concepts and approaches into the strategy development process to: address power relations in actively engaging a wide range of stakeholders with the school’s strategy-making process; generate a range of good ideas; and make the strategy-making process transparent in order to inspire stakeholder confidence in, and commitment to, it and its outcomes. This paper describes how seeking to meet these aims entailed a series of workshops during the course of which an awareness of the relevance, in our interpretation, of Complex Adaptive Systems concepts grew