1,151 research outputs found
Appraising proposals for water supply investments
The main objective of this paper is to discuss the feasibility
and utility of economic appraisal of community water investments. In the
first section the scope of current investments are detailed. In the second
section we discuss the special problems associated with the proliferation of
self-help water schemes. Public and private water investments together
constitute an important commitment, and we explore the problem of judging
whether this investment is at an appropriate level given national goals
and available resources. It is evident that this difficult question cannot
be satisfactorily answered until we have a more coherent understanding of the
cost-effectiveness of individual schemes.
Finally a set of criteria is suggested which may be used to obtain
information about individual schemes. Application of these appraisal
procedures will sharpen the judgement of decision makers making allocations
within the sector. In aggregate this information will also be valuable to
those concerned with resource allocations to the sector
Integral correlation measures for multiparticle physics
We report on a considerable improvement in the technique of measuring
multiparticle correlations via integrals over correlation functions. A
modification of measures used in the characterization of chaotic dynamical
sytems permits fast and flexible calculation of factorial moments and cumulants
as well as their differential versions. Higher order correlation integral
measurements even of large multiplicity events such as encountered in heavy ion
collisons are now feasible. The change from ``ordinary'' to ``factorial''
powers may have important consequences in other fields such as the study of
galaxy correlations and Bose-Einstein interferometry.Comment: 23 pages, 6 tar-compressed uuencoded PostScript figures appended,
preprint TPR-92-4
The [4+2]âCycloaddition of αâNitrosoalkenes with Thiochalcones as a Prototype of Periselective HeteroâDielsâAlder ReactionsâExperimental and Computational Studies
The [4+2]âcycloadditions of αânitrosoalkenes with thiochalcones occur with high selectivity at the thioketone moiety of the dienophile providing styrylâsubstituted 4Hâ1,5,2âoxathiazines in moderate to good yields. Of the eight conceivable heteroâDielsâAlder adducts only this isomer was observed, thus a prototype of a highly periselective and regioselective cycloaddition has been identified. Analysis of crude product mixtures revealed that the αânitrosoalkene also adds competitively to the thioketone moiety of the thiochalcone dimer affording bisâheterocyclic [4+2]âcycloadducts. The experiments are supported by highâlevel DFT calculations that were also extended to related heteroâDielsâAlder reactions of other nitroso compounds and thioketones. These calculations reveal that the title cycloadditions are kinetically controlled processes confirming the role of thioketones as superdienophiles. The computational study was also applied to the experimentally studied thiochalcone dimerization, and showed that the 1,2âdithiin and 2Hâthiopyran isomers are in equilibrium with the monomer. Again, the DFT calculations indicate kinetic control of this process
Characterization of the chloroquine resistance transporter homologue in Toxoplasma gondii
Mutations in the Plasmodium falciparum chloroquine resistance transporter (PfCRT) protein confer resistance to the antima-larial drug chloroquine. PfCRT localizes to the parasite digestive vacuole, the site of chloroquine action, where it mediates resistance by transporting chloroquine out of the digestive vacuole. PfCRT belongs to a family of transporter proteins called the chlo-roquine resistance transporter family. CRT family proteins are found throughout the Apicomplexa, in some protists, and in plants. Despite the importance of PfCRT in drug resistance, little is known about the evolution or native function of CRT proteins. The apicomplexan parasite Toxoplasma gondii contains one CRT family protein. We demonstrate that T. gondii CRT (TgCRT) colocalizes with markers for the vacuolar (VAC) compartment in these parasites. The TgCRT-containing VAC is a highly dynamic organelle, changing its morphology and protein composition between intracellular and extracellular forms of the parasite. Regulated knockdown of TgCRT expression resulted in modest reduction in parasite fitness and swelling of the VAC, indicating that TgCRT contributes to parasite growth and VAC physiology. Together, our findings provide new information on the role of CRT family proteins in apicomplexan parasites
Representational ethical model calibration
Equity is widely held to be fundamental to the ethics of healthcare. In the context of clinical decision-making, it rests on the comparative fidelity of the intelligence â evidence-based or intuitive â guiding the management of each individual patient. Though brought to recent attention by the individuating power of contemporary machine learning, such epistemic equity arises in the context of any decision guidance, whether traditional or innovative. Yet no general framework for its quantification, let alone assurance, currently exists. Here we formulate epistemic equity in terms of model fidelity evaluated over learnt multidimensional representations of identity crafted to maximise the captured diversity of the population, introducing a comprehensive framework for Representational Ethical Model Calibration. We demonstrate the use of the framework on large-scale multimodal data from UK Biobank to derive diverse representations of the population, quantify model performance, and institute responsive remediation. We offer our approach as a principled solution to quantifying and assuring epistemic equity in healthcare, with applications across the research, clinical, and regulatory domains
Studies of multiplicity in relativistic heavy-ion collisions
In this talk I'll review the present status of charged particle multiplicity
measurements from heavy-ion collisions. The characteristic features of
multiplicity distributions obtained in Au+Au collisions will be discussed in
terms of collision centrality and energy and compared to those of p+p
collisions. Multiplicity measurements of d+Au collisions at 200 GeV
nucleon-nucleon center-of-mass energy will also be discussed. The results will
be compared to various theoretical models and simple scaling properties of the
data will be identified.Comment: "Focus on Multiplicity" Internationsl Workshop on Particle
Multiplicity in Relativistic Heavy Ion Collisions, Bari, Italy, June 17-19,
2003, 16 pages, 15 figure
Multiplicity Distributions of Squeezed Isospin States
Multiplicity distributions of neutral and charged particles arising from
squeezed coherent states are investigated. Projections onto global isospin
states are considered. We show how a small amount of squeezing can
significantly change the multiplicity distributions. The formalism is proposed
to describe the phenomenological properties of neutral and charged particles
anomalously produced in hadronic and nuclear collisions at very high energies.Comment: 17 pages, 6 figures sent upon request ([email protected]
Drift-diffusion model for spin-polarized transport in a non-degenerate 2DEG controlled by a spin-orbit interaction
We apply the Wigner function formalism to derive drift-diffusion transport
equations for spin-polarized electrons in a III-V semiconductor single quantum
well. Electron spin dynamics is controlled by the linear in momentum spin-orbit
interaction. In a studied transport regime an electron momentum scattering rate
is appreciably faster than spin dynamics. A set of transport equations is
defined in terms of a particle density, spin density, and respective fluxes.
The developed model allows studying of coherent dynamics of a non-equilibrium
spin polarization. As an example, we consider a stationary transport regime for
a heterostructure grown along the (0, 0, 1) crystallographic direction. Due to
the interplay of the Rashba and Dresselhaus spin-orbit terms spin dynamics
strongly depends on a transport direction. The model is consistent with results
of pulse-probe measurement of spin coherence in strained semiconductor layers.
It can be useful for studying properties of spin-polarized transport and
modeling of spintronic devices operating in the diffusive transport regime.Comment: 16 pages, 3 figure
Multiplicity Distributions and Rapidity Gaps
I examine the phenomenology of particle multiplicity distributions, with
special emphasis on the low multiplicities that are a background in the study
of rapidity gaps. In particular, I analyze the multiplicity distribution in a
rapidity interval between two jets, using the HERWIG QCD simulation with some
necessary modifications. The distribution is not of the negative binomial form,
and displays an anomalous enhancement at zero multiplicity. Some useful
mathematical tools for working with multiplicity distributions are presented.
It is demonstrated that ignoring particles with pt<0.2 has theoretical
advantages, in addition to being convenient experimentally.Comment: 24 pages, LaTeX, MSUHEP/94071
Criticality, Fractality and Intermittency in Strong Interactions
Assuming a second-order phase transition for the hadronization process, we
attempt to associate intermittency patterns in high-energy hadronic collisions
to fractal structures in configuration space and corresponding intermittency
indices to the isothermal critical exponent at the transition temperature. In
this approach, the most general multidimensional intermittency pattern,
associated to a second-order phase transition of the strongly interacting
system, is determined, and its relevance to present and future experiments is
discussed.Comment: 15 pages + 2 figures (available on request), CERN-TH.6990/93,
UA/NPPS-5-9
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