Investigation to enhance sustainable improvements in high speed rail transport

Transport systems are essential for the life of modern societies and economies. A sustainable transport system can shape a sustainable development pattern and socio-economic attributes of urban centres and regions. The use of private cars and trucks is increasing in most countries, creating more congestion, accidents, pollution and energy consumption. Many governments desire to achieve growth in public transport to overcome these adverse trends. A massive shift toward an environmentally sound type of transport is crucial and railways are deemed to be one of the most sustainable modes. All over the world the railway industry is involved in a renewal to reform and up-date rail, prompted largely by environmental concerns. The trend is to develop speed-competitive systems to expand transportation capacity. The focus of the current research, which is at its commencing stages, is to investigate the opportunities to apply an alternative approach to railway operations to overcome the difficulty of high speed transport in servicing larger amounts of demand, while achieving minimum point to point travel time, in a viable and integrated environment for both passenger and freight services. The expected outcome of the research project is to present a framework that may be used to identify and evaluate the most cost-effective transport solution to service not only major cities, but also regional centres along an interregional rail corridor, thus providing greater benefits on local economies and to build a spine for future development

T-Branes and Geometry

T-branes are a non-abelian generalization of intersecting branes in which the matrix of normal deformations is nilpotent along some subspace. In this paper we study the geometric remnant of this open string data for six-dimensional F-theory vacua. We show that in the dual M-theory / IIA compactification on a smooth Calabi-Yau threefold X, the geometric remnant of T-brane data translates to periods of the three-form potential valued in the intermediate Jacobian of X. Starting from a smoothing of a singular Calabi-Yau, we show how to track this data in singular limits using the theory of limiting mixed Hodge structures, which in turn directly points to an emergent Hitchin-like system coupled to defects. We argue that the physical data of an F-theory compactification on a singular threefold involves specifying both a geometry as well as the remnant of three-form potential moduli and flux which is localized on the discriminant. We give examples of T-branes in compact F-theory models with heterotic duals, and comment on the extension of our results to four-dimensional vacua.Comment: v2: 80 pages, 2 figures, clarifications and references added, typos correcte

Exploring Matroid Minors

Matroids are discrete mathematical objects that generalize important concepts of independence arising in other areas of mathematics. There are many different important classes of matroids and a frequent problem in matroid theory is to determine whether or not a given matroid belongs to a certain class of matroids. For special classes of matroids that are minor-closed, this question is commonly answered by determining a complete list of matroids that are not in the class but have the property that each of their proper minors is in the class; that is, minor-minimal matroids that are not in the minor-closed class. These minor-minimal matroids that are not in the minor-closed class are called excluded minors. In this thesis, we construct interesting minor-closed classes of matroids and then characterize them by determining their complete sets of excluded minors

T-Branes at the Limits of Geometry

Singular limits of 6D F-theory compactifications are often captured by T-branes, namely a non-abelian configuration of intersecting 7-branes with a nilpotent matrix of normal deformations. The long distance approximation of such 7-branes is a Hitchin-like system in which simple and irregular poles emerge at marked points of the geometry. When multiple matter fields localize at the same point in the geometry, the associated Higgs field can exhibit irregular behavior, namely poles of order greater than one. This provides a geometric mechanism to engineer wild Higgs bundles. Physical constraints such as anomaly cancellation and consistent coupling to gravity also limit the order of such poles. Using this geometric formulation, we unify seemingly different wild Hitchin systems in a single framework in which orders of poles become adjustable parameters dictated by tuning gauge singlet moduli of the F-theory model.Comment: v2: 65 pages, 6 figures, clarifications adde

Developing Predictive Molecular Maps of Human Disease through Community-based Modeling

The failure of biology to identify the molecular causes of disease has led to disappointment in the rate of development of new medicines. By combining the power of community-based modeling with broad access to large datasets on a platform that promotes reproducible analyses we can work towards more predictive molecular maps that can deliver better therapeutics

Selecting RNA aptamers for synthetic biology: investigating magnesium dependence and predicting binding affinity.

The ability to generate RNA aptamers for synthetic biology using in vitro selection depends on the informational complexity (IC) needed to specify functional structures that bind target ligands with desired affinities in physiological concentrations of magnesium. We investigate how selection for high-affinity aptamers is constrained by chemical properties of the ligand and the need to bind in low magnesium. We select two sets of RNA aptamers that bind planar ligands with dissociation constants (K(d)s) ranging from 65 nM to 100 microM in physiological buffer conditions. Aptamers selected to bind the non-proteinogenic amino acid, p-amino phenylalanine (pAF), are larger and more informationally complex (i.e., rarer in a pool of random sequences) than aptamers selected to bind a larger fluorescent dye, tetramethylrhodamine (TMR). Interestingly, tighter binding aptamers show less dependence on magnesium than weaker-binding aptamers. Thus, selection for high-affinity binding may automatically lead to structures that are functional in physiological conditions (1-2.5 mM Mg(2+)). We hypothesize that selection for high-affinity binding in physiological conditions is primarily constrained by ligand characteristics such as molecular weight (MW) and the number of rotatable bonds. We suggest that it may be possible to estimate aptamer-ligand affinities and predict whether a particular aptamer-based design goal is achievable before performing the selection

A Contracting, Turbulent, Starless Core in the Serpens Cluster

We present combined single-dish and interferometric CS(2--1) and N2H+(1--0) observations of a compact core in the NW region of the Serpens molecular cloud. The core is starless according to observations from optical to millimeter wavelengths and its lines have turbulent widths and ``infall asymmetry''. Line profile modeling indicates supersonic inward motions v_in>0.34 km/s over an extended region L>12000AU. The high infall speed and large extent exceeds the predictions of most thermal ambipolar diffusion models and points to a more dynamical process for core formation. A short (dynamic) timescale, ~1e5 yr=L/v_in, is also suggested by the low N2H+ abundance ~1e-10.Comment: 11 pages including 2 figures. Accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journal Letter

Cranberries for treating urinary tract infections

Background Cranberries (particularly in the form of cranberry juice) have been used widely for several decades for the prevention and treatment of urinary tract infections (UTIs). The aim of this review is to assess the effectiveness of cranberries in treating such infections. Objectives To assess the effectiveness of cranberries for the treatment of UTIs. Search strategy The search strategy developed by the Cochrane Renal Group was used. Also, companies involved with the promotion and distribution of cranberry preparations were contacted; electronic databases and the Internet were searched using English and non English language terms; reference lists of review articles and relevant studies were also searched. Date of last search: December 2007 Selection criteria All randomised controlled trials (RCTs) or quasi-RCTs of cranberry juice or cranberry products for the treatment of UTIs. Studies of men, women or children were included. Data collection and analysis Titles and abstracts of studies that were potentially relevant to the review were screened by one author, RJ, who discarded studies that were clearly ineligible but aimed to be overly inclusive rather than risk losing relevant studies. Authors RJ and LM independently assessed whether the studies met the inclusion criteria. Further information was sought from the authors where papers contained insufficient information to make a decision about eligibility. Main results No studies were found which fulfilled all of the inclusion criteria. Two studies were excluded because they did not have any relevant outcomes and two studies are currently being undertaken. Authors' conclusions After a thorough search, no RCTs which assessed the effectiveness of cranberry juice for the treatment of UTIs were found. Therefore, at the present time, there is no good quality evidence to suggest that it is effective for the treatment of UTIs. Well-designed parallel group, double blind studies comparing cranberry juice and other cranberry products versus placebo to assess the effectiveness of cranberry juice in treating UTIs are needed. Outcomes should include reduction in symptoms, sterilisation of the urine, side effects and adherence to therapy. Dosage (amount and concentration) and duration of therapy should also be assessed. Consumers and clinicians will welcome the evidence from these studies.Output Type: Revie

The Maltese financial services industry’s perception on the regulators : an empirical analysis

In this study, we analyse the perception of players within the financial services industry with regards to the Maltese industry regulators, specifically the Financial Intelligence Analysis Unit (FIAU), the Malta Financial Services Authority (MFSA), the Central Bank of Malta (CBM) and the Information and Data Protection Commission (IDPC). We used the Five Factor Model of personality (FFM), which is a hierarchical organisation of personality traits in terms of five basic dimensions, which are conscientiousness, agreeableness, neuroticism, openness to experience and extraversion. Results show that in general, both the regulated entities and the regulators gave high scores for each of the five traits, indicating that the overall perception of regulators in Malta is positive. From the perspective of the regulated entities, conscientiousness emerged as the key trait, with openness/intellect ranking the lowest. Conversely, regulators rated themselves highest on openness/intellect, with the lowest score given to extraversion. The qualitative results indicate that regulators needed to 1) improve on communication with the regulated entities, which is generally very formal, 2) curb high staff turnover, and 3) strengthen their efficiency in taking timely decisions – resulting from unnecessary bureaucracy. On the positive side, results revealed that the regulators are known to be flexible and ready to listen.peer-reviewe

Normas Internacionales de Información Financiera para Pequeñas y Medianas Empresas (NIIF para Pymes) : Instrumentos financieros: información a revelar de la empresa comercializadora Grijalva periodo 2016

En el transcurso de la elaboración del trabajo investigativo, abordamos los aspectos relacionados con la existencia de varios instrumentos financieros y las condiciones a cumplir para una correcta contabilización. Nos enfocamos en los instrumentos financieros básicos que con frecuencia son aplicados por las pequeñas y medianas entidades. Alcanzamos el objetivo, conociendo la definición de instrumentos financieros básicos, así determinamos el manejo de conocimiento de los estados financieros. Abordamos las condiciones detalladas en la sección 11 de las normas con las cuales se demostró con un caso práctico para un mayor entendimiento. Se usó como base las Normas Internacionales de Información Financiera, donde nos brindó tener un conocimiento más amplio en los temas más relevantes que contiene las normas contables, con las cuales le dimos seguimiento a los parámetros utilizados en las entidades. Se demostró como la Empresa COGRIJA de giro comercial, cuenta con los instrumentos financieros necesarios para realizar una contabilización, con la cual le permite la realización de una valoración de los riesgos recurrentes que mantiene el mercado. El beneficio de la contribución en un régimen homogéneo de la contabilización empresarial