On the electromagnetic force on a polarizable body

The force on a macroscopic polarizable body in an inhomogenous electromagnetic field is calculated for three simple exactly solvable situations. Comparing different approaches we pinpoint possible pitfalls and resolve recent confusion about the force density in ferrofluids.Comment: 8 pages, 3 figures, submitted to Am. J. Phy

Metastability-Containing Circuits

In digital circuits, metastability can cause deteriorated signals that neither are logical 0 or logical 1, breaking the abstraction of Boolean logic. Unfortunately, any way of reading a signal from an unsynchronized clock domain or performing an analog-to-digital conversion incurs the risk of a metastable upset; no digital circuit can deterministically avoid, resolve, or detect metastability (Marino, 1981). Synchronizers, the only traditional countermeasure, exponentially decrease the odds of maintained metastability over time. Trading synchronization delay for an increased probability to resolve metastability to logical 0 or 1, they do not guarantee success. We propose a fundamentally different approach: It is possible to contain metastability by fine-grained logical masking so that it cannot infect the entire circuit. This technique guarantees a limited degree of metastability in---and uncertainty about---the output. At the heart of our approach lies a time- and value-discrete model for metastability in synchronous clocked digital circuits. Metastability is propagated in a worst-case fashion, allowing to derive deterministic guarantees, without and unlike synchronizers. The proposed model permits positive results and passes the test of reproducing Marino's impossibility results. We fully classify which functions can be computed by circuits with standard registers. Regarding masking registers, we show that they become computationally strictly more powerful with each clock cycle, resulting in a non-trivial hierarchy of computable functions

Complexity of the General Chromatic Art Gallery Problem

In the original Art Gallery Problem (AGP), one seeks the minimum number of guards required to cover a polygon $P$. We consider the Chromatic AGP (CAGP), where the guards are colored. As long as $P$ is completely covered, the number of guards does not matter, but guards with overlapping visibility regions must have different colors. This problem has applications in landmark-based mobile robot navigation: Guards are landmarks, which have to be distinguishable (hence the colors), and are used to encode motion primitives, \eg, "move towards the red landmark". Let $\chi_G(P)$, the chromatic number of $P$, denote the minimum number of colors required to color any guard cover of $P$. We show that determining, whether $\chi_G(P) \leq k$ is \NP-hard for all $k \geq 2$. Keeping the number of colors minimal is of great interest for robot navigation, because less types of landmarks lead to cheaper and more reliable recognition

Meeting Radical Change and Regional Transition: Regional Closedowns and the Role of Entrepreneurship

The aim of this paper is to describe and analyze the effects of radical changes within regions by providing an empirical base from 12 Swedish municipalities from different regions. The specific focus of the paper is the role of entrepreneurship, both as an opportunity-seeking activity in order to find and develop new business undertakings, as well as entrepreneurship as a perspective for supporting activities in the public or private spheres. The results are based on interviews and surveys, secondary data, information from regional governments, municipal websites and also from other public information channels. Two questions were raised in analysing the case: (1) What types of contextual factors are of strategic importance when regions are challenged by radical change, and what role do these factors have in a regional restructuring and development process? (2) What types of policy and support measures are productive for entrepreneurial activities in regions when adaptation to radical change is required? The results presented by the study provide insight into how the development of local economies is affected when conditions change in a region due to the closure of a major public workplace. The paper also tries to present opportunities through which municipalities are able to prepare for and take action to help entrepreneurial activity face ongoing structural change and a globalized local economy.radical change, regional transition, entrepreneurship, restructure, strategies, closedowns

Deficiency of immunity to poliovirus type 3: a lurking danger?

Background: Europe was certified to be polio-free in 2002 by the WHO. However, wild polioviruses remain endemic in India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Nigeria, occasionally causing polio outbreaks, as in Tajikistan in 2010. Therefore, effective surveillance measures and vaccination campaigns remain important. To determine the poliovirus immune status of a German study population, we retrospectively evaluated the seroprevalence of neutralizing antibodies (NA) to the poliovirus types 1, 2 and 3 (PV1, 2, 3) in serum samples collected from 1,632 patients admitted the University Hospital of Frankfurt am Main, Germany, in 2001, 2005 and 2010. Methods: Testing was done by using a standardized microneutralization assay. Results: Level of immunity to PV1 ranged between 84.2% (95%CI: 80.3-87.5), 90.4% (88.3-92.3) and 87.5% (85.4-88.8) in 2001, 2005 and 2010. For PV2, we found 90.8% (87.5-90.6), 91.3% (89.3-93.1) and 89.8% (88.7-90.9), in the same period. Seroprevalence to PV3 was 76.6% (72.2-80.6), 69.8% (66.6-72.8) and 72.9% (67.8-77.5) in 2001 and 2005 and 2010, respectively. In 2005 and 2010 significant lower levels of immunity to PV3 in comparison to PV1 and 2 were observed. Since 2001, immunity to PV3 is gradually, but not significantly decreasing. Conclusion: Immunity to PV3 is insufficient in our cohort. Due to increasing globalization and worldwide tourism, the danger of polio-outbreaks is not averted - even not in developed countries, such as Germany. Therefore, vaccination remains necessary

Role of Li_2B_(12)H_(12) for the Formation and Decomposition of LiBH_4

By in situ X-ray diffraction (XRD) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, the role of Li_2B_(12)H_(12) for the sorption of LiBH_4 is analyzed. We demonstrate that Li_2B_(12)H_(12) and an amorphous Li_2B_(10)H_(10) phase are formed by the reaction of LiBH_4 with diborane (B_2H_6) at 200 °C. Based on our present results, we propose that the Li -2B - (12)H_(12) formation in the desorption of LiBH_4 can be explained as a result of reaction of diborane and LiBH_4. This reaction of the borohydride with diborane may also be observed for other borohydrides, where B_(12)H_(12) phases are found during decomposition