Phase-separation phenomena in solutions of poly(2,6-dimethyl-1,4-phenylene oxide). III. Pulse-induced critical scattering of solutions in toluene

For the polymer-solvent system poly(phenylene oxide) in toluene the mechanism and kinetics of crystallization have been studied with the Pulse Induced Critical Scattering technique. It was found that after a delay-time the growth mechanism was diffusion controlled. The delay-time is thought to be connected with the nucleation of the crystallites and it disappeared in the seeded crystallizations studied. After incomplete melting of crystallites the first stages of growth resemble a condensation reaction

Evolution of virulence: triggering host inflammation allows invading pathogens to exclude competitors.

Virulence is generally considered to benefit parasites by enhancing resource-transfer from host to pathogen. Here, we offer an alternative framework where virulent immune-provoking behaviours and enhanced immune resistance are joint tactics of invading pathogens to eliminate resident competitors (transferring resources from resident to invading pathogen). The pathogen wins by creating a novel immunological challenge to which it is already adapted. We analyse a general ecological model of 'proactive invasion' where invaders not adapted to a local environment can succeed by changing it to one where they are better adapted than residents. However, the two-trait nature of the 'proactive' strategy (provocation of, and adaptation to environmental change) presents an evolutionary conundrum, as neither trait alone is favoured in a homogenous host population. We show that this conundrum can be resolved by allowing for host heterogeneity. We relate our model to emerging empirical findings on immunological mediation of parasite competition

USE OF MAILBOX APPROACH, VIDEO SURVEILLANCE, AND SHORT-NOTICE RANDOM INSPECTIONS TO ENHANCE DETECTION OF UNDECLARED LEU PRODUCTION AT GAS CENTRIFUGE ENRICHMENT PLANTS.

Current safeguards approaches used by the IAEA at gas centrifuge enrichment plants (GCEPs) need enhancement in order to detect undeclared LEU production with adequate detection probability. ''Mailbox'' declarations have been used in the last two decades to verify receipts, production, and shipments at some bulk-handling facilities (e.g., fuel-fabrication plants). The operator declares the status of his plant to the IAEA on a daily basis using a secure ''Mailbox'' system such as a secure tamper-resistant computer. The operator agrees to hold receipts and shipments for a specified period of time, along with a specified number of annual inspections, to enable inspector access to a statistically large enough population of UF{sub 6} cylinders and fuel assemblies to achieve the desired detection probability. The inspectors can access the ''Mailbox'' during randomly timed inspections and then verify the operator's declarations for that day. Previously, this type of inspection regime was considered mainly for verifying the material balance at fuel-fabrication, enrichment, and conversion plants. Brookhaven National Laboratory has expanded the ''Mailbox'' concept with short-notice random inspections (SNRIs), coupled with enhanced video surveillance, to include declaration and verification of UF{sub 6} cylinder operational data to detect activities associated with undeclared LEU production at GCEPs. Since the ''Mailbox'' declarations would also include data relevant to material-balance verification, these randomized inspections would replace the scheduled monthly interim inspections for material-balance purposes; in addition, the inspectors could simultaneously perform the required number of Limited-Frequency Unannounced Access (LFUA) inspections used for HEU detection. This approach would provide improved detection capabilities for a wider range of diversion activities with not much more inspection effort than at present

Toward an integrated approach to perception and action: conference report and future directions

This article was motivated by the conference entitled “Perception & Action – An Interdisciplinary Approach to Cognitive Systems Theory,” which took place September 14–16, 2010 at the Santa Fe Institute, NM, USA. The goal of the conference was to bring together an interdisciplinary group of neuroscientists, roboticists, and theorists to discuss the extent and implications of action–perception integration in the brain. The motivation for the conference was the realization that it is a widespread approach in biological, theoretical, and computational neuroscience to investigate sensory and motor function of the brain in isolation from one another, while at the same time, it is generally appreciated that sensory and motor processing cannot be fully separated. Our article summarizes the key findings of the conference, provides a hypothetical model that integrates the major themes and concepts presented at the conference, and concludes with a perspective on future challenges in the field

New minimal weight representations for left-to-right window methods

Abstract. For an integer w ≥ 2, a radix 2 representation is called a width-w nonadjacent form (w-NAF, for short) if each nonzero digit is an odd integer with absolute value less than 2 w−1, and of any w consecutive digits, at most one is nonzero. In elliptic curve cryptography, the w-NAF window method is used to efficiently compute nP where n is an integer and P is an elliptic curve point. We introduce a new family of radix 2 representations which use the same digits as the w-NAF but have the advantage that they result in a window method which uses less memory. This memory savings results from the fact that these new representations can be deduced using a very simple left-to-right algorithm. Further, we show that like the w-NAF, these new representations have a minimal number of nonzero digits. 1 Window Methods An operation fundamental to elliptic curve cryptography is scalar multiplication; that is, computing nP for an integer, n, and an elliptic curve point, P. A number of different algorithms have been proposed to perform this operation efficiently (see Ch. 3 of [4] for a recent survey). A variety of these algorithms, known as window methods, use the approach described in Algorithm 1.1. For example, suppose D = {0, 1, 3, 5, 7}. Using this digit set, Algorithm 1.1 first computes and stores P, 3P, 5P and 7P. After a D-radix 2 representation of n is computed its digits are read from left to right by the “for ” loop and nP is computed using doubling and addition operations (and no subtractions). One way to compute a D-radix 2 representation of n is to slide a 3-digit window from right to left across the {0, 1}-radix 2 representation of n (see Section 4). Using negative digits takes advantage of the fact that subtracting an elliptic curve point can be done just as efficiently as adding it. Suppose now that D

Decoherence in Bose-Einstein Condensates: towards Bigger and Better Schroedinger Cats

We consider a quantum superposition of Bose-Einstein condensates in two immiscible internal states. A decoherence rate for the resulting Schroedinger cat is calculated and shown to be a significant threat to this macroscopic quantum superposition of BEC's. An experimental scenario is outlined where the decoherence rate due to the thermal cloud is dramatically reduced thanks to trap engineering and "symmetrization" of the environment which allow for the Schroedinger cat to be an approximate pointer states.Comment: 12 pages in RevTex; improved presentation; a new comment on decoherence-free pointer subspaces in BEC; accepted in Phys.Rev.

Discrimination, labour markets and the Labour Market Prospects of Older Workers: What Can a Legal Case Teach us?

As governments become increasingly concerned about the fiscal implications of the ageing population, labour market policies have sought to encourage mature workers to remain in the labour force. The ‘human capital’ discourses motivating these policies rest on the assumption that older workers armed with motivation and vocational skills will be able to return to fulfilling work. This paper uses the post-redundancy recruitment experiences of former Ansett Airlines flight attendants to develop a critique of these expectations. It suggests that policies to increase older workers’ labour market participation will not succeed while persistent socially constructed age- and gender- typing shape labour demand. The conclusion argues for policies sensitive to the institutional structures that shape employer preferences, the competitive rationality of discriminatory practices, and the irresolvable tension between workers’ human rights and employers’ property rights