A short proof that the Coulomb-gauge potentials yield the retarded fields

A short demonstration that the potentials in the Coulomb gauge yield the retarded electric and magnetic fields is presented. This demonstration is relatively simple and can be presented in an advanced undergraduate curse of electromagnetic theory

Demixing and orientational ordering in mixtures of rectangular particles

Using scaled-particle theory for binary mixtures of two-dimensional hard particles with rotational freedom, we analyse the stability of nematic phases and the demixing phase behaviour of a variety of mixtures, focussing on cases where at least one of the components consists of hard rectangles or hard squares. A pure fluid of hard rectangles may exhibit, aside from the usual uniaxial nematic phase, an additional (tetratic) oriented phase, possessing two directors, which is the analogue of the biaxial or cubatic phases in three- dimensional fluids. There is computer simulation evidence that the tetratic phase might be stable with respect to phases with spatial order for rectangles with low aspect ratios. As hard rectangles are mixed with other particles not possessing stable tetratic order by themselves, the tetratic phase is destabilised, via a first- or second-order phase transition, to uniaxial nematic or isotropic phases; for hard rectangles of low aspect ratio tetratic order persists in a relatively large range of volume fractions. The order of these transitions depends on the particle geometry, dimensions and thermodynamic conditions of the mixture. The second component of the mixture has been chosen to be hard discs or disco-rectangles, the geometry of which is different from that of rectangles, leading to packing frustration and demixing behaviour, or simply rectangles of different aspect ratio. These mixtures may be good candidates for observing thermodynamically stable tetratic phases in monolayers of hard particles. Finally, demixing between fluid (isotropic--tetratic or tetratic--tetratic) phases is seen to occur in mixtures of hard squares of different sizes when the size ratio is sufficiently large.Comment: 27 pages, 9 figure

An Ontological-based Knowledge-Representation Formalism for Case-Based Argumentation

The final publication is available at Springer via http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10796-014-9524-3[EN] In open multi-agent systems, agents can enter or leave the system, interact, form societies, and have dependency relations with each other. In these systems, when agents have to collaborate or coordinate their activities to achieve their objectives, their different interests and preferences can come into conflict. Argumentation is a powerful technique to harmonise these conflicts. However, in many situations the social context of agents determines the way in which agents can argue to reach agreements. In this paper, we advance research in the computational representation of argumentation frameworks by proposing a new ontologicalbased, knowledge-representation formalism for the design of open MAS in which the participating software agents are able to manage and exchange arguments with each other taking into account the agents’ social context. This formalism is the core of a case-based argumentation framework for agent societies. In addition, we present an example of the performance of the formalism in a real domain that manages the requests received by the technicians of a call centre.This work is supported by the Spanish government grants [CONSOLIDER-INGENIO 2010 CSD2007-00022, TIN2011-27652-C03-01, and TIN2012-36586-C03-01] and by the GVA project [PROMETEO II/2013/019].Heras Barberá, SM.; Botti, V.; Julian Inglada, VJ. (2014). An Ontological-based Knowledge-Representation Formalism for Case-Based Argumentation. Information Systems Frontiers. 1-20. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10796-014-9524-3S120Amgoud, L. (2005). An argumentation-based model for reasoning about coalition structures. In 2nd international workshop on argumentation in multi-agent systems, argmas-05(pp. 1–12). Springer.Amgoud, L., Dimopolous, Y., Moraitis, P. (2007). A unified and general framework for argumentation-based negotiation. In 6th international joint conference on autonomous agents and multiagent systems, AAMAS-07. IFAAMAS.Atkinson, K., & Bench-Capon, T. (2008). Abstract argumentation scheme frameworks. In Proceedings of the 13th international conference on artificial intelligence: methodology, systems and applications, AIMSA-08, lecture notes in artificial intelligence (Vol. 5253, pp. 220–234). Springer.Aulinas, M., Tolchinsky, P., Turon, C., Poch, M., Cortés, U. (2012). Argumentation-based framework for industrial wastewater discharges management. Engineering Applications of Artificial Intelligence, 25(2), 317–325.Bench-Capon, T., & Atkinson, K. (2009). Argumentation in artificial intelligence, chap. abstract argumentation and values (pp. 45–64). Springer.Bench-Capon, T., & Sartor, G. (2003). A model of legal reasoning with cases incorporating theories and values. Artificial Intelligence, 150(1-2), 97–143.Bulling, N., Dix, J., Chesñevar, C.I. (2008). Modelling coalitions: ATL + argumentation. In Proceedings of the 7th international joint conference on autonomous agents and multiagent systems, AAMAS-08 (Vol. 2, pp. 681–688). ACM Press.Chesñevar, C., McGinnis, J., Modgil, S., Rahwan, I., Reed, C., Simari, G., South, M., Vreeswijk, G., Willmott, S. (2006). Towards an argument interchange format. The Knowledge Engineering Review, 21(4), 293–316.Diaz-Agudo, B., & Gonzalez-Calero, P.A. (2007). Ontologies: A handbook of principles, concepts and applications in information systems, integrated series in information systems, chap. an ontological approach to develop knowledge intensive cbr systems (Vol. 14, pp. 173–214). Springer.Dung, P.M. (1995). On the acceptability of arguments and its fundamental role in nonmonotonic reasoning, logic programming, and N -person games. Artificial Intelligence, 77, 321–357.Ferber, J., Gutknecht, O., Michel, F. (2004). From agents to organizations: An organizational view of multi-agent systems. In Agent-oriented software engineering VI, LNCS (Vol. 2935, pp. 214–230.) Springer-Verlag.Hadidi, N., Dimopolous, Y., Moraitis, P. (2010). Argumentative alternating offers. In 9th international conference on autonomous agents and multiagent systems, AAMAS-10 (pp. 441–448). IFAAMAS.Heras, S., Atkinson, K., Botti, V., Grasso, F., Julián, V., McBurney, P. (2010). How argumentation can enhance dialogues in social networks. In Proceedings of the 3rd international conference on computational models of argument, COMMA-10, frontiers in artificial intelligence and applications (Vol. 216, pp. 267–274). IOS Press.Heras, S., Botti, V., Julián, V. (2011). On a computational argumentation framework for agent societies. In Argumentation in multi-agent systems (pp. 123–140). Springer.Heras, S., Botti, V., Julián, V. (2012). Argument-based agreements in agent societies. Neurocomputing, 75(1), 156–162.Heras, S., Jordán, J., Botti, V., Julián, V. (2013). Argue to agree: A case-based argumentation approach. International Journal of Approximate Reasoning, 54(1), 82–108.Jordán, J., Heras, S., Julián, V. (2011). A customer support application using argumentation in multi-agent systems. In 14th international conference on information fusion (FUSION-11) (pp. 772– 778).Karunatillake, N.C. (2006). Argumentation-based negotiation in a social context. Ph.D. thesis, School of Electronics and Computer Science, University of Southampton, UK.Karunatillake, N.C., Jennings, N.R., Rahwan, I., McBurney, P. (2009). Dialogue games that agents play within a society. Artificial Intelligence, 173(9-10), 935–981.Kraus, S., Sycara, K., Evenchik, A. (1998). Reaching agreements through argumentation: a logical model and implementation. Artificial Intelligence, 104, 1–69.López de Mántaras, R., McSherry, D., Bridge, D., Leake, D., Smyth, B., Craw, S., Faltings, B., Maher, M.L., Cox, M., Forbus, K., Keane, M., Watson, I. (2006). Retrieval, reuse, revision, and retention in CBR. The Knowledge Engineering Review, 20(3), 215–240.Luck, M., & McBurney, P. (2008). Computing as interaction: Agent and agreement technologies. In IEEE international conference on distributed human-machine systems. IEEE Press.Oliva, E., McBurney, P., Omicini, A. (2008). Co-argumentation artifact for agent societies. In 5th international workshop on argumentation in multi-agent systems, Argmas-08 (pp. 31–46). Springer.Ontañón, S., & Plaza, E. (2007). Learning and joint deliberation through argumentation in multi-agent systems. In 7th international conference on agents and multi-agent systems, AAMAS-07. ACM Press.Ontañón, S., & Plaza, E. (2009). Argumentation-based information exchange in prediction markets. In Argumentation in multi-agent systems, LNAI (vol. 5384, pp. 181–196). Springer.Parsons, S., Sierra, C., Jennings, N.R. (1998). Agents that reason and negotiate by arguing. Journal of Logic and Computation, 8(3), 261–292.Prakken, H. (2010). An abstract framework for argumentation with structured arguments. Argument and Computation, 1, 93–124.Prakken, H., Reed, C., Walton, D. (2005). Dialogues about the burden of proof. In Proceedings of the 10th international conference on artificial intelligence and law, ICAIL-05 (pp. 115–124). ACM Press.Sierra, C., Botti, V., Ossowski, S. (2011). Agreement computing. KI - Künstliche Intelligenz 10.1007/s13218-010-0070-y .Soh, L.K., & Tsatsoulis, C. (2005). A real-time negotiation model and a multi-agent sensor network implementation. Autonomous Agents and Multi-Agent Systems, 11(3), 215–271.Walton, D., Reed, C., Macagno, F. (2008). Argumentation schemes. Cambridge University Press.Wardeh, M., Bench-Capon, T., Coenen, F.P. (2008). PISA - pooling information from several agents: Multiplayer argumentation from experience. In Proceedings of the 28th SGAI international conference on artificial intelligence, AI-2008 (pp. 133–146). Springer.Wardeh, M., Bench-Capon, T., Coenen, F.P. (2009). PADUA: A protocol for argumentation dialogue using association rules. AI and Law, 17(3), 183–215.Wardeh, M., Coenen, F., Bench-Capon, T. (2010). Arguing in groups. In 3rd international conference on computational models of argument, COMMA-10 (pp. 475–486). IOS Press.Willmott, S., Vreeswijk, G., Chesñevar, C., South, M., McGinnis, J., Modgil, S., Rahwan, I., Reed, C., Simari, G. (2006). Towards an argument interchange format for multi-agent systems. In 3rd international workshop on argumentation in multi-agent systems, ArgMAS-06 (pp. 17–34). Springer.Wyner, A., & Schneider, J. (2012). Arguing from a point of view. In Proceedings of the first international conference on agreement technologies

Impact of two yeast strains on tempranillo red wine aroma profiles throughout accelerated ageing

This study aimed at determining the changes induced by two S. cerevisiae strains, (IONYS wf™ and Lalvin ICV D254™) on the sensory and chemical aroma profiles of Tempranillo wine, after fermentation and after ageing. The 64 aroma molecules determined were grouped attending to sensory and chemical similarity into 17 aroma vectors. Sensory studies included a sorting task and a descriptive analysis by flash profile with a trained panel. Results revealed that, even if ageing is the dominant factor, the strain of yeast introduces significant and consistent differences, both in sensory and aroma vector profiles (11 out 17 affected). Wines made with D254 contained higher levels of ethyl esters, acetic acid, cinnamates and ethyl acetate and lower levels of linear fatty acids, ß-damascenone, acetaldehyde, higher alcohols and lactones than those made with IONYS. The first profile was related to black and fresh fruit notes, while the second to white and compote fruits. © 2021 International Viticulture and Enology Society-IVES

Bidimensional chronoabsorptometric study of electropolymerisation of 4,4 '-bis(2-methylbutylthio)-2,2 '-bithiophene

Bidimensional chronoabsorptometry is a novel spectroelectrochemical technique that monitors simultaneously three different signals: current and absorbance both normal to the electrode plane and parallel to this plane during a time in which a fixed potential is imposed. This technique is applied in the visible range to the study of the electropolymerisation of 4,4'-bis(2-methylbutylthio)2,2'-bithiophene (MBTBT). Experiments are performed in a spectroelectrochemical cell under finite diffusion conditions (thin layer cell) with the aim of interpreting the processes taking place both at the electrode surface and in the adjacent solution during the potentiostatic electrogeneration and deposition of the polymer. Correlations are drawn out among the trends of the oligomers concentration in solution, the polymer electrodeposition and charging, and the current flow, on the time scales of the different steps of the process. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved

Transit analysis of the CoRoT-5, CoRoT-8, CoRoT-12, CoRoT-18, CoRoT-20, and CoRoT-27 systems with combined ground- and space-based photometry

We have initiated a dedicated project to follow-up with ground-based photometry the transiting planets discovered by CoRoT in order to refine the orbital elements, constrain their physical parameters and search for additional bodies in the system. From 2012 September to 2016 December we carried out 16 transit observations of six CoRoT planets (CoRoT-5b, CoRoT-8b, CoRoT-12b, CoRoT-18b, CoRoT-20b, and CoRoT-27b) at three observatories located in Germany and Spain. These observations took place between 5 and 9 yr after the planet's discovery, which has allowed us to place stringent constraints on the planetary ephemeris. In five cases we obtained light curves with a deviation of the mid-transit time of up to ~115min from the predictions. We refined the ephemeris in all these cases and reduced the uncertainties of the orbital periods by factors between 1.2 and 33. In most cases our determined physical properties for individual systems are in agreement with values reported in previous studies. In one case, CoRoT-27b, we could not detect any transit event in the predicted transit window.Comment: 17 pages, 23 figures, 15 tables, accepted by MNRA

Rethinking preventive conservation: recent examples

The past few decades have seen an increasing awareness of the potential socioeconomical and environmental impact of investment in Cultural Heritage (CH). Preserving CH is not only an obligation to sustain and transmit it to the future generation but is also a driver of sustainable growth. Here, recently concluded projects are taken in consideration for a reflective thinking on preventive conservation, as the only viable strategy towards a sustainable and cost-effective management of CH, to face unprecedented challenges posed by increasing natural and man-made threats. Here, the main open issues for a widespread implementation of preventive conservation are identified, moreover, standardised, integrated good practices, validated over significant case studies, are presented within a multi-level replicable framework.This work was financed by ERDF funds through the V Interreg Sudoe program within the framework of the project “HeritageCare - Monitoring and preventive conservation of historic and cultural heritage” (Ref. SOE1/P5/P0258). The Heritage Within research project was co-funded by the Creative Europe Programme of the European Union, under the Cross-sectorial subprogramme, Bridging culture and audiovisual content through digital action (Project 614719-CREA-1-2019-1-PT-CROSS-SECT-INNOVLAB). Moreover, this work was partly financed by FCT/MCTES through national funds (PIDDAC) under the R&D Unit Institute for Sustainability and Innovation in Structural Engineering (ISISE), under reference UIDB/04029/2020

In-flight calibration of the INTEGRAL/IBIS mask

Since the release of the INTEGRAL Offline Scientific Analysis (OSA) software version 9.0, the ghost busters module has been introduced in the INTEGRAL/IBIS imaging procedure, leading to an improvement of the sensitivity around bright sources up to a factor of 7. This module excludes in the deconvolution process the IBIS/ISGRI detector pixels corresponding to the projection of a bright source through mask elements affected by some defects. These defects are most likely associated with screws and glue fixing the IBIS mask to its support. Following these major improvements introduced in OSA 9, a second order correction is still required to further remove the residual noise, now at a level of 0.2-1% of the brightest source in the field of view. In order to improve our knowledge of the IBIS mask transparency, a calibration campaign has been carried out during 2010-2012. We present here the analysis of these data, together with archival observations of the Crab and Cyg X-1, that allowed us to build a composite image of the mask defects and to investigate the origin of the residual noise in the IBIS/ISGRI images. Thanks to this study, we were able to point out a simple modification of the ISGRI analysis software that allows to significantly improve the quality of the images in which bright sources are detected at the edge of the field of view. Moreover, a refinement of the area excluded by the ghost busters module is considered, and preliminary results show improvements to be further tested. Finally, this study indicates further directions to be investigated for improving the ISGRI sensitivity, such as taking into account the thickness of the screws in the mask model or studying the possible discrepancy between the modeled and actual mask element bridges.Comment: accepted for publication in the proceedings of "An INTEGRAL view of the high-energy sky (the first 10 years)" 9th INTEGRAL Workshop, October 15-19, 2012, Paris, France, in Proceedings of Science (INTEGRAL 2012), Eds. A. Goldwurm, F. Lebrun and C. Winkler, (http://pos.sissa.it/cgi-bin/reader/conf.cgi?confid=176), id 154; 6 pages, 4 figures, see the PoS website for the full resolution versio

Ingested insecticide to control Aedes aegypti: developing a novel dried attractive toxic sugar bait device for intra-domiciliary control

© 2020 The Author(s). Background: Illnesses transmitted by Aedes aegypti (Linnaeus, 1762) such as dengue, chikungunya and Zika comprise a considerable global burden; mosquito control is the primary public health tool to reduce disease transmission. Current interventions are inadequate and insecticide resistance threatens the effectiveness of these options. Dried attractive bait stations (DABS) are a novel mechanism to deliver insecticide to Ae. aegypti. The DABS are a high-contrast 28 inch2 surface coated with dried sugar-boric acid solution. Aedes aegypti are attracted to DABS by visual cues only, and the dried sugar solution elicits an ingestion response from Ae. aegypti landing on the surface. The study presents the development of the DABS and tests of their impact on Ae. aegypti mortality in the laboratory and a series of semi-field trials. Methods: We conducted multiple series of laboratory and semi-field trials to assess the survivability of Ae. aegypti mosquitoes exposed to the DABS. In the laboratory experiments, we assessed the lethality, the killing mechanism, and the shelf life of the device through controlled experiments. In the semi-field trials, we released laboratory-reared female Ae. aegypti into experimental houses typical of peri-urban tropical communities in South America in three trial series with six replicates each. Laboratory experiments were conducted in Quito, Ecuador, and semi-field experiments were conducted in Machala, Ecuador, an area with abundant wild populations of Ae. aegypti and endemic arboviral transmission. Results: In the laboratory, complete lethality was observed after 48 hours regardless of physiological status of the mosquito. The killing mechanism was determined to be through ingestion, as the boric acid disrupted the gut of the mosquito. In experimental houses, total mosquito mortality was greater in the treatment house for all series of experiments (P \u3c 0.0001). Conclusions: The DABS devices were effective at killing female Ae. aegypti under a variety of laboratory and semi-field conditions. DABS are a promising intervention for interdomiciliary control of Ae. aegypti and arboviral disease prevention.[Figure not available: see fulltext.

Argument-based agreements in agent societies

In this paper, we present an abstract argumentation framework for the support of agreement processes in agent societies. It takes into account arguments, attacks among them, and the social context of the agents that put forward arguments. Then, we de¿ne the semantics of the framework, providing a mechanism to evaluate arguments in view of other arguments posed in the argumentation process. We also provide a translation of the framework into a neural network that computes the set of acceptable arguments and can be tuned to give more or less importance to argument attacks. Finally, the framework is illustrated with an example in a real domain of a water-rights transfer market. & 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reservedThis work is supported by the Spanish government Grants CONSOLIDER INGENIO 2010 CSD2007-00022, TIN2008-04446 and TIN2009-13839-C03-01 and by the GVA project PROMETEO 2008/051.Heras Barberá, SM.; Botti Navarro, VJ.; Julian Inglada, VJ. (2012). Argument-based agreements in agent societies. Neurocomputing. 75(1):156-162. doi:10.1016/j.neucom.2011.02.022S15616275