Assessing the EU pressure for rules change: perception by southern Mediterranean energy regulators

This paper analyses the perception of the EU as rules promoter of energy regulatory agencies in four southern Mediterranean countries: Algeria, Egypt, Turkey and Jordan. The restructuring of the energy sector, as promoted by the EU in the southern Mediterranean region, is considered as the main criteria to evaluate the EU modes of external governance. EU modes of governance are assessed in a comparative way through a perception survey. The case studies have been selected due to their relevance in terms of energy sector restructuring and energy exchanges, Among the modes of governance considered, the top-down approach appears as the most promising mode of rules diffusio

Scale invariant correlations and the distribution of prime numbers

Negative correlations in the distribution of prime numbers are found to display a scale invariance. This occurs in conjunction with a nonstationary behavior. We compare the prime number series to a type of fractional Brownian motion which incorporates both the scale invariance and the nonstationary behavior. Interesting discrepancies remain. The scale invariance also appears to imply the Riemann hypothesis and we study the use of the former as a test of the latter.Comment: 13 pages, 8 figures, version to appear in J. Phys.

Noise and thermal stability of vibrating micro-gyrometers preamplifiers

The preamplifier is a critical component of gyrometer's electronics. Indeed the resolution of the sensor is limited by its signal to noise ratio, and the gyrometer's thermal stability is limited by its gain drift. In this paper, five different kinds of preamplifiers are presented and compared. Finally, the design of an integrated preamplifier is shown in order to increase the gain stability while reducing its noise and size.Comment: Submitted on behalf of EDA Publishing Association (http://irevues.inist.fr/EDA-Publishing

Hysteresis Switching Loops in Ag-manganite memristive interfaces

Multilevel resistance states in silver-manganite interfaces are studied both experimentally and through a realistic model that includes as a main ingredient the oxygen vacancies diffusion under applied electric fields. The switching threshold and amplitude studied through Hysteresis Switching Loops are found to depend critically on the initial state. The associated vacancy profiles further unveil the prominent role of the effective electric field acting at the interfaces. While experimental results validate main assumptions of the model, the simulations allow to disentangle the microscopic mechanisms behind the resistive switching in metal-transition metal oxide interfaces.Comment: 14 pages, 3 figures, to be published in Jour. of Appl. Phy

An experimental and computational investigation of the flow field about a transonic airfoil in supercritical flow with turbulent boundary-layer separation

A combined experimental and computational research program is described for testing and guiding turbulence modeling within regions of separation induced by shock waves incident in turbulent boundary layers. Specifically, studies are made of the separated flow the rear portion of an 18%-thick circular-arc airfoil at zero angle of attack in high Reynolds number supercritical flow. The measurements include distributions of surface static pressure and local skin friction. The instruments employed include highfrequency response pressure cells and a large array of surface hot-wire skin-friction gages. Computations at the experimental flow conditions are made using time-dependent solutions of ensemble-averaged Navier-Stokes equations, plus additional equations for the turbulence modeling

Phonons in the multiferroic langasite Ba_3\_3NbFe_3\_3Si_2\_2O_14\_{14} : evidences for symmetry breaking

The chiral langasite Ba$\_3$NbFe$\_3$Si$\_2$O$\_{14}$ is a multiferroic compound. While its magnetic order below T$\_N$=27 K is now well characterised, its polar order is still controversial. We thus looked at the phonon spectrum and its temperature dependence to unravel possible crystal symmetry breaking. We combined optical measurements (both infrared and Raman spectroscopy) with ab initio calculations and show that signatures of a polar state are clearly present in the phonon spectrum even at room temperature. An additional symmetry lowering occurs below 120~K as seen from emergence of softer phonon modes in the THz range. These results confirm the multiferroic nature of this langasite and open new routes to understand the origin of the polar state

Magnetization plateaux in an extended Shastry-Sutherland model

We study an extended two-dimensional Shastry-Sutherland model in a magnetic field where besides the usual Heisenberg exchanges of the Shastry-Sutherland model two additional SU(2) invariant couplings are included. Perturbative continous unitary transformations are used to determine the leading order effects of the additional couplings on the pure hopping and on the long-range interactions between the triplons which are the most relevant terms for small magnetization. We then compare the energy of various magnetization plateaux in the classical limit and we discuss the implications for the two-dimensional quantum magnet SrCu$_2$(BO$_3$)$_2$.Comment: 8 pages, Proceedings of the HFM2008 Conferenc

Activities of Daily Living

The activities of daily living (ADLs) is a term used to collectively describe fundamental skills that are required to independently care for oneself such as eating, bathing, and mobility. The term activities of daily living was first coined by Sidney Katz in 1950. ADL is used as an indicator of a person’s functional status. The inability to perform ADLs results in the dependence of other individuals and/or mechanical devices. The inability to accomplish essential activities of daily living may lead to unsafe conditions and poor quality of life. Measurement of an individual’s ADL is important as these are predictors of admission to nursing homes, need for alternative living arrangements, hospitalization and use of paid home care. The outcome of a treatment program can also be assessed by reviewing a patient’s ADLs. Nurses are often the first to note when patients\u27 functionality declines during hospitalization; therefore, routine screening of ADLs is imperative and nursing assessment of ADL\u27s is performed on all hospitalized patients. Hospitalization for an acute or chronic illness may influence a person’s ability to meet personal goals and sustain independent living. Chronic illnesses progress over time, resulting in a physical decline that may lead to a loss of ability to perform ADL\u27s. In 2011, the United States National Health Interview Survey determined that 20.7% of adults aged 85 or older, 7% of those aged 75 to 84 and 3.4% of those aged 65 to 74 needed help with ADLs