Inelastic Quantum Transport

We solve a Schrodinger equation for inelastic quantum transport that retains full quantum coherence, in contrast to previous rate or Boltzmann equation approaches. The model Hamiltonian is the zero temperature 1d Holstein model for an electron coupled to optical phonons (polaron), in a strong electric field. The Hilbert space grows exponentially with electron position, forming a non-standard Bethe lattice. We calculate nonperturbatively the transport current, electron-phonon correlations, and quantum diffusion. This system is a toy model for the constantly branching ``wavefunction of the universe''.Comment: revtex, 13 pages, 4 figure

Phonon-enhanced thermoelectric power of Y-Al-Ni-Co decagonal approximant

We have investigated anisotropic electrical resistivity andthermoelectric power of the ypsilon-phase Al-Ni-Co (Y-Al-Ni-Co)decagonal approximant with composition Al(76)Co(22)Ni(2). Thecrystalline-direction-dependent measurements were performed along threeorthogonal directions a*, b and c of the Y-Al-Ni-Co unit cell, where(a, c) monoclinic atomic planes are stacked along the perpendicular bdirection. Anisotropic electrical resistivity is low in all crystallinedirections, appearing in the order rho(a*) > rho(c) > rho(b) andshowing positive temperature coefficient typical of electron-phononscattering mechanism. Thermopower shows electron-phonon enhancementeffect. Anisotropic bare thermopower (in the absence of electron-phononinteractions) was extracted, appearing in the same order as theresistivity, vertical bar S(a*)(bare)/T vertical bar > vertical barS(c)(bare)/T vertical bar > vertical bar S(b)(bare)/T vertical bar

Comparative Analysis of System Dynamics and Object-Oriented Bayesian Networks Modelling for Water Systems Management

Copyright © 2012 Springer. The final publication is available at link.springer.comThis paper presents a comparative analysis of System Dynamics Modelling (SDM) and Object-Oriented Bayesian Networks (OOBN). Both techniques are extensively used for water resources modelling due to their flexibility, effectiveness in assessing different management options, ease of operation and suitability for encouraging stakeholder involvement. Conversely, both approaches have several important differences that make them complementary. For example, while SDM is more suitable for simulating the feedback dynamics of processes, OOBN modelling is a powerful tool for modelling systems with uncertain inputs (or outputs) characterised by probability distributions. This comparative analysis is applied to the Kairouan aquifer system, Tunisia, where the aquifer plays an essential role for socio-economic development in the region. Both models produced comparable results using baseline data, and show their complementarity through a suite of scenario tests. It is shown that reducing pumping of groundwater to coastal cities may prove the key to reducing the current aquifer deficit, though local demand reduction must be considered to preserve the agricultural economy. It is suggested that water management assessment should be tackled using both approaches to complement each other, adding depth and insight, and giving a more coherent picture of the problem being addressed, allowing for robust policy decisions to be made

Coexpression of Myosin Heavy Chain 2b with Myosin Heavy Chain 1- Fact or Artefact?

In skeletal muscle, pure fibres expressing one myosin heavy chain (MyHC) isoform, and intermediate fibres, expressing two and exceptionally three MyHCs have been described. When skeletal muscle adapts its fibre type profile to changed functional demands MyHC isoform transformation follows the pathway: MyHC-1 ↔ MyHC-2a ↔ MyHC-2x/d ↔ MyHC-2b. Therefore, in hybrid fibres only successive isoforms from the proposed pathway should coexist. However, jump fibres in which MyHC-1 is co-expressed with MyHC-2x/d have been described recently. The present study describes possible coexpression of MyHC-1 with MyHC-2b in transforming as well as in normal control mouse and rat muscle fibres. The study is only descriptive and provides not sufficient proof to exclude the possible artefact resulting from unknown technical reasons. Key words: coexpression, mouse, myosin heavy chains, rat

Genome-wide screening for genetic variants in polyadenylation signal (PAS) sites in mouse selection lines for fatness and leanness

Alternative polyadenylation (APA) determines mRNA stability, localisation, translation and protein function. Several diseases, including obesity, have been linked to APA. Studies have shown that single nucleotide polymorphisms in polyadenylation signals (PAS-SNPs) can influence APA and affect phenotype and disease susceptibility. However, these studies focussed on associations between single PAS-SNP alleles with very large effects and phenotype. Therefore, we performed a genome-wide screening for PAS-SNPs in the polygenic mouse selection lines for fatness and leanness by whole-genome sequencing. The genetic variants identified in the two lines were overlapped with locations of PAS sites obtained from the PolyASite 2.0 database. Expression data for selected genes were extracted from the microarray expression experiment performed on multiple tissue samples. In total, 682 PAS-SNPs were identified within 583 genes involved in various biological processes, including transport, protein modifications and degradation, cell adhesion and immune response. Moreover, 63 of the 583 orthologous genes in human have been previously associated with human diseases, such as nervous system and physical disorders, and immune, endocrine, and metabolic diseases. In both lines, PAS-SNPs have also been identified in genes broadly involved in APA, such as Polr2c, Eif3e and Ints11. Five PAS-SNPs within 5 genes (Car, Col4a1, Itga7, Lat, Nmnat1) were prioritised as potential functional variants and could contribute to the phenotypic disparity between the two selection lines. The developed PAS-SNPs catalogue presents a key resource for planning functional studies to uncover the role of PAS-SNPs in APA, disease susceptibility and fat deposition. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s00335-022-09967-8

Assessment of the effectiveness of a risk-reduction measure on pluvial flooding and economic loss in Eindhoven, the Netherlands

Open Access journalCopyright © 2013 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.12th International Conference on Computing and Control for the Water Industry, CCWI2013Cities are increasingly assessing and reducing pluvial flood risk. Quantitative assessment of the effectiveness of risk-reduction measures is required. We use hydraulic simulation with GIS-based financial analysis to assess the pluvial flood risk for Eindhoven, The Netherlands. Analysis is carried out for four scenarios: two rainfall events, with and without separation of the combined sewer-stormwater network. Flooding statistics show how the risk-reduction measure impacts local flooding. Financial analysis demonstrates the saving resulting from the risk-reduction measure. Expected annual damage is reduced by c.€130,500. City authorities are better equipped in making cost-benefit decisions regarding implementation of pluvial flood risk-reduction measures.EC FP7 project PREPARED: Enabling Chang

Assessing Financial Loss due to Pluvial Flooding and the Efficacy of Risk-Reduction Measures in the Residential Property Sector

The final publication is available at Springer via http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11269-014-0833-6A novel quantitative risk assessment for residential properties at risk of pluvial flooding in Eindhoven, The Netherlands, is presented. A hydraulic model belonging to Eindhoven was forced with low return period rainfall events (2, 5 and 10-year design rainfalls). Three scenarios were analysed for each event: a baseline and two risk-reduction scenarios. GIS analysis identified areas where risk-reduction measures had the greatest impact. Financial loss calculations were carried out using fixed-threshold and probabilistic approaches. Under fixed-threshold assessment, per-event Expected Annual Damage (EAD) reached €38.2 m, with reductions of up to €454,000 resulting from risk-reduction measures. Present costs of flooding reach €1.43bn when calculated over a 50-year period. All net-present value figures for the risk-reduction measures are negative. Probabilistic assessment yielded EAD values up to more than double those of the fixed-threshold analysis which suggested positive net-present value. To the best of our knowledge, the probabilistic method based on the distribution of doorstep heights has never before been introduced for pluvial flood risk assessment. Although this work suggests poor net-present value of risk-reduction measures, indirect impacts of flooding, damage to infrastructure and the potential impacts of climate change were omitted. This work represents a useful first step in helping Eindhoven prepare for future pluvial flooding. The analysis is based on software and tools already available at the municipality, eliminating the need for software upgrading or training. The approach is generally applicable to similar cities.European Commission Seventh Framework Program (EC FP7

The effect of inelastic processes on tunneling

We study an electron that interacts with phonons or other linear or nonlinear excitations as it resonantly tunnels. The method we use is based on mapping a many-body problem in a large variational space exactly onto a one-body problem. The method is conceptually simpler than previous Green's function approaches, and allows the essentially exact numerical solution of much more general problems. We solve tunneling problems with transverse channels, multiple sites coupled to phonons, and multiple phonon degrees of freedom and excitations.Comment: 12 pages, REVTex, 4 figures in compressed tar .ps forma

Double exchange magnets: Spin-dynamics in the paramagnetic phase

The electronic structure of perovskite manganese oxides is investigated in terms of a Kondo lattice model with ferromagnetic Hund coupling and antiferromagnetic exchange between $t_{2g}$-spins using a finite temperature diagonalization technique. Results for the dynamic structure factor are consistent with recent neutron scattering experiments for the bilayer manganite La$_{1.2}$Sr$_{1.8}$Mn$_2$O$_7$ . The susceptibility shows Curie-Weiss behaviour and is used to derive a phase diagram. In the paramagnetic phase carriers are characterized as ferromagnetic polarons in an antiferromagnetic spin liquid.Comment: Revtex, 4 pages with 5 postscript figures include

Operational resilience of reservoirs to climate change, agricultural demand, and tourism: A case study from Sardinia

Copyright © 2015 Elsevier. NOTICE: this is the author’s version of a work that was accepted for publication in Science of the Total Environment. Changes resulting from the publishing process, such as peer review, editing, corrections, structural formatting, and other quality control mechanisms may not be reflected in this document. Changes may have been made to this work since it was submitted for publication. A definitive version was subsequently published in Science of the Total Environment (2015), DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2015.04.066Many (semi-) arid locations globally, and particularly islands, rely heavily on reservoirs for water supply. Some reservoirs are particularly vulnerable to climate and development changes (e.g. population change, tourist growth, hydropower demands). Irregularities and uncertainties in the fluvial regime associated with climate change and the continuous increase in water demand by different sectors will add new challenges to the management and to the resilience of these reservoirs. The resilience of vulnerable reservoirs must be studied in detail to prepare for and mitigate potential impacts of these changes. In this paper, a reservoir balance model is developed and presented for the Pedra e' Othoni reservoir in Sardinia, Italy, to assess resilience to climate and development changes. The model was first calibrated and validated, then forced with extensive ensemble climate data for representative concentration pathways (RCPs) 4.5 and 8.5, agricultural data, and with four socio-economic development scenarios. Future projections show a reduction in annual reservoir inflow and an increase in demand, mainly in the agricultural sector. Under no scenario is reservoir resilience significantly affected, the reservoir always achieves refill. However, this occurs at the partial expenses of hydropower production with implications for the production of renewable energy. There is also the possibility of conflict between the agricultural sector and hydropower sector for diminishing water supply. Pedra e' Othoni reservoir shows good resilience to future change mostly because of the disproportionately large basin feeding it. However this is not the case of other Sardinian reservoirs and hence a detailed resilience assessment of all reservoirs is needed, where development plans should carefully account for the trade-offs and potential conflicts among sectors. For Sardinia, the option of physical connection between reservoirs is available, as are alternative water supply measures. Those reservoirs at risk to future change should be identified, and mitigating measures investigated.European Commission Seventh Framework Project ‘WASSERMed’ (Water Availability and Security in Southern EuRope and the Mediterranean