2,210 research outputs found
Computational science and re-discovery: open-source implementations of ellipsoidal harmonics for problems in potential theory
We present two open-source (BSD) implementations of ellipsoidal harmonic
expansions for solving problems of potential theory using separation of
variables. Ellipsoidal harmonics are used surprisingly infrequently,
considering their substantial value for problems ranging in scale from
molecules to the entire solar system. In this article, we suggest two possible
reasons for the paucity relative to spherical harmonics. The first is
essentially historical---ellipsoidal harmonics developed during the late 19th
century and early 20th, when it was found that only the lowest-order harmonics
are expressible in closed form. Each higher-order term requires the solution of
an eigenvalue problem, and tedious manual computation seems to have discouraged
applications and theoretical studies. The second explanation is practical: even
with modern computers and accurate eigenvalue algorithms, expansions in
ellipsoidal harmonics are significantly more challenging to compute than those
in Cartesian or spherical coordinates. The present implementations reduce the
"barrier to entry" by providing an easy and free way for the community to begin
using ellipsoidal harmonics in actual research. We demonstrate our
implementation using the specific and physiologically crucial problem of how
charged proteins interact with their environment, and ask: what other
analytical tools await re-discovery in an era of inexpensive computation?Comment: 25 pages, 3 figure
Stationary Regime of Random Resistor Networks Under Biased Percolation
The state of a 2-D random resistor network, resulting from the simultaneous
evolutions of two competing biased percolations, is studied in a wide range of
bias values. Monte Carlo simulations show that when the external current is
below the threshold value for electrical breakdown, the network reaches a
steady state with a nonlinear current-voltage characteristic. The properties of
this nonlinear regime are investigated as a function of different model
parameters. A scaling relation is found between and , where
is the average resistance, the linear regime resistance and
the threshold value for the onset of nonlinearity. The scaling exponent is
found to be independent of the model parameters. A similar scaling behavior is
also found for the relative variance of resistance fluctuations. These results
compare well with resistance measurements in composite materials performed in
the Joule regime up to breakdown.Comment: 9 pages, revtex, proceedings of the Merida Satellite Conference
STATPHYS2
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Low-income housing layouts under socio-architectural complexities: A parametric study for sustainable slum rehabilitation
Lack of sustainable slum redevelopment guidelines in India is a policy gap that needs immediate attention. A rational design and planning route is necessary to ensure sustainability of the upcoming low-income (LIG) housing stocks. In this study, we performed a cross-sectional evaluation of LIG housing layouts through a socio-architectural and site-based wind-flow analysis route. We hypothesise that a better indoor environment in the LIG housing can be achieved through a better wind driven natural-ventilation in the living spaces, which is a function of the housing layout. Specific objectives of this study were: i) to investigate the influence of socio-architectural and geometric parameters on the LIG housing layouts; ii) to examine the effect of site-wind flow on LIG housing layouts using CFD simulations. BDD chawls of Mumbai were adopted as the case study. Results show that the current form of the LIG houses had a poor indoor environment and social interaction spaces, while the hypothesised iterated layout ‘Form A’ performed better in all the socio-architectural and wind-flow metrics that can promote relatively better quality of life. This study is a first-step approach for the development of regulatory guidelines in LIG housing design that is coherent to the context of the space.Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India
Commonwealth Scholarship Commission
Cambridge Trus
An agent-based model to rural-urban migration analysis
In this paper we analyze the rural-urban migration phenomena as it is usually
observed in economies which are in the early stages of industrialization. The
analysis is conducted by means of a statistical mechanics approach which builds
a computational agent-based model. Agents are placed on a lattice and the
connections among them are described via an Ising like model. Simulations on
this computational model show some emergent properties that are common in
developing economies, such as a transitional dynamics characterized by
continuous growth of urban population, followed by the equalization of expected
wages between rural and urban sectors (Harris-Todaro equilibrium condition),
urban concentration and increasing of per capita income.Comment: 16 pages, 9 figure
The detection of patients at risk of gastrointestinal toxicity during pelvic radiotherapy by electronic nose and FAIMS : a pilot study
It is well known that the electronic nose can be used to identify differences between human health and disease for a range of disorders. We present a pilot study to investigate if the electronic nose and a newer technology, FAIMS (Field Asymmetric Ion Mobility Spectrometry), can be used to identify and help inform the treatment pathway for patients receiving pelvic radiotherapy, which frequently causes gastrointestinal side-effects, severe in some. From a larger group, 23 radiotherapy patients were selected where half had the highest levels of toxicity and the others the lowest. Stool samples were obtained before and four weeks after radiotherapy and the volatiles and gases emitted analysed by both methods; these chemicals are products of fermentation caused by gut microflora. Principal component analysis of the electronic nose data and wavelet transform followed by Fisher discriminant analysis of FAIMS data indicated that it was possible to separate patients after treatment by their toxicity levels. More interestingly, differences were also identified in their pre-treatment samples. We believe these patterns arise from differences in gut microflora where some combinations of bacteria result to give this olfactory signature. In the future our approach may result in a technique that will help identify patients at “high risk” even before radiation treatment is started
Mathematical Analysis of the BIBEE Approximation for Molecular Solvation: Exact Results for Spherical Inclusions
We analyze the mathematically rigorous BIBEE (boundary-integral based
electrostatics estimation) approximation of the mixed-dielectric continuum
model of molecular electrostatics, using the analytically solvable case of a
spherical solute containing an arbitrary charge distribution. Our analysis,
which builds on Kirkwood's solution using spherical harmonics, clarifies
important aspects of the approximation and its relationship to Generalized Born
models. First, our results suggest a new perspective for analyzing fast
electrostatic models: the separation of variables between material properties
(the dielectric constants) and geometry (the solute dielectric boundary and
charge distribution). Second, we find that the eigenfunctions of the
reaction-potential operator are exactly preserved in the BIBEE model for the
sphere, which supports the use of this approximation for analyzing
charge-charge interactions in molecular binding. Third, a comparison of BIBEE
to the recent GB theory suggests a modified BIBEE model capable of
predicting electrostatic solvation free energies to within 4% of a full
numerical Poisson calculation. This modified model leads to a
projection-framework understanding of BIBEE and suggests opportunities for
future improvements.Comment: 33 pages, 5 figure
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Films as source of everyday life and energy use: a case of Indian cinema
Drawing from film studies, this paper introduces a new, experimental method to understand domestic practices and energy use at home at the exploratory research phase. The paper adopts the methodology of the AHRC CineMuseSpace project and applies it in the context of energy studies. A detailed keyword ontology was developed in order to identify practices, technologies and energy use at home (854 keywords). 19 Indian films, based in chawl housing in Mumbai, were analysed to illustrate the method. The keyword ontology was were applied to the extracted film fragments in the database. This allowed to map the presence and use of technologies in film, and where and how practices were performed. The analysis was followed by site observations guided by the film analysis, and re-watching the films using the embodied knowledge from site. The analysis Coding allowed us to make the choice of fragments transparent, quantify frequences and locations of practices, household dynamics and the use of appliances, to identify key scenes for further analaysis and create a database that can be resampled. The paper argues that even fictional films are firmly grounded in everyday life and routines and especially fragments that are used to portray ‘normalised’ being at home can be used as an unused source to study everyday life at home, transitions in material culture and the adoption of new technologies. The novelty of the research lies in its’ methodological approach to use film data as a reflective tool to understand energy consumption patterns and help to formulate exciting, relevant research questions for fieldwork. It highlights the importance of arts and humanities research in mediating and humanising often highly technical approach of energy studies.Research England GCRF QR Funding 2018-1
Quantitative relations between corruption and economic factors
We report quantitative relations between corruption level and economic
factors, such as country wealth and foreign investment per capita, which are
characterized by a power law spanning multiple scales of wealth and investments
per capita. These relations hold for diverse countries, and also remain stable
over different time periods. We also observe a negative correlation between
level of corruption and long-term economic growth. We find similar results for
two independent indices of corruption, suggesting that the relation between
corruption and wealth does not depend on the specific measure of corruption.
The functional relations we report have implications when assessing the
relative level of corruption for two countries with comparable wealth, and for
quantifying the impact of corruption on economic growth and foreign
investments.Comment: 10 pages, 9 figure
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