Beyond "Complacency and Panic": Will the NIS Directive Improve the Cybersecurity of Critical National Infrastructure?

This is a pre-copyedited, author-produced version of an article accepted for publication in European Law Review following peer review. The definitive published version Michels, J. and I. Walden. “Beyond “Complacency and Panic”: Will the NIS Directive Improve the Cybersecurity of Critical National Infrastructure?” European Law Review (2020): 25-47. is available online on Westlaw UK

Decision Support System Mine -The Management Model

The Decision Support System MINE has been developed for the analysis of regional water policies in open-pit lignite mining areas. It is based on a two-level model approach. The first-level planning model is used for the estimation of rational strategies of long-term development applying dynamic multi-criteria analysis. Therefor simplified submodels are used for a rough time discretization (yearly time steps and larger). The second-level management model considers managerial/operational aspects for shorter time steps (monthly and yearly) employing more comprehensive submodels. It is a classic simulation model. For selected submodels stochastic simulation (Monte Carlo method) is used in order to consider random inputs (e.g. hydrological inflow and water demand). This model serves for the verification of strategies obtained in the planning model, for the verification of simplified submodels used in the first-level model, and for the specification of strategies. Starting with the description of the position of the management model within the DSS MINE the structure of the management model is given. The used submodels for surface water/groundwater interaction and water quality are described. In the Appendix computer subroutines of some submodels are given being suitable for a more general application

Ageing effects around the glass and melting transitions in poly(dimethylsiloxane) visualized by resistance measurements

The process of ageing in rubbers requires monitoring over long periods (days to years). To do so in non-conducting rubbers, small amounts of carbon-black particles were dispersed in a fractal network through the rubber matrix, to make the rubber conducting without modifying its properties. Continuous monitoring of the resistance reveals the structural changes around the glass and melting transitions and especially details about the hysteresis and ageing processes. We illustrate the method for the semicrystalline polymer poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS).Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure

On the General Analytical Solution of the Kinematic Cosserat Equations

Based on a Lie symmetry analysis, we construct a closed form solution to the kinematic part of the (partial differential) Cosserat equations describing the mechanical behavior of elastic rods. The solution depends on two arbitrary analytical vector functions and is analytical everywhere except a certain domain of the independent variables in which one of the arbitrary vector functions satisfies a simple explicitly given algebraic relation. As our main theoretical result, in addition to the construction of the solution, we proof its generality. Based on this observation, a hybrid semi-analytical solver for highly viscous two-way coupled fluid-rod problems is developed which allows for the interactive high-fidelity simulations of flagellated microswimmers as a result of a substantial reduction of the numerical stiffness.Comment: 14 pages, 3 figure

Structure of hard-hypersphere fluids in odd dimensions

The structural properties of single component fluids of hard hyperspheres in odd space dimensionalities $d$ are studied with an analytical approximation method that generalizes the Rational Function Approximation earlier introduced in the study of hard-sphere fluids [S. B. Yuste and A. Santos, Phys. Rev. A {\bf 43}, 5418 (1991)]. The theory makes use of the exact form of the radial distribution function to first order in density and extends it to finite density by assuming a rational form for a function defined in Laplace space, the coefficients being determined by simple physical requirements. Fourier transform in terms of reverse Bessel polynomials constitute the mathematical framework of this approximation, from which an analytical expression for the static structure factor is obtained. In its most elementary form, the method recovers the solution of the Percus-Yevick closure to the Ornstein-Zernike equation for hyperspheres at odd dimension. The present formalism allows one to go beyond by yielding solutions with thermodynamic consistency between the virial and compressibility routes to any desired equation of state. Excellent agreement with available computer simulation data at $d=5$ and $d=7$ is obtained. As a byproduct of this study, an exact and explicit polynomial expression for the intersection volume of two identical hyperspheres in arbitrary odd dimensions is given.Comment: 18 pages, 7 figures; v2: new references added plus minor changes; to be published in PR

Life-long tailoring of management for patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is the most common genetic heart disease, characterised by complex pathophysiology and extensive genetic and clinical heterogeneity. In most patients, HCM is caused by mutations in cardiac sarcomere protein genes and inherited as an autosomal dominant trait. The clinical phenotype ranges from severe presentations at a young age to lack of left ventricular hypertrophy in genotype-positive individuals. No preventative treatment is available as the sequence and causality of the pathomechanisms that initiate and exacerbate HCM are unknown. Sudden cardiac death and end-stage heart failure are devastating expressions of this disease. Contemporary management including surgical myectomy and implantable cardiac defibrillators has shown significant impact on long-term prognosis. However, timely recognition of specific scenarios – including transition to the end-stage phase – may be challenging due to limited awareness of the progression patterns of HCM. This in turn may lead to missed therapeutic opportunities. To illustrate these difficulties, we describe two HCM patients who progressed from the typical hyperdynamic stage of asymmetric septal thickening to end-stage heart failure with severely reduced ejection fraction. We highlight the different stages of this complex inherited cardiomyopathy based on the clinical staging pro-posed by Olivotto and colleagues. In this way, we aim to provide a practical guide for clinicians and hope to increase awareness for this common form of cardiac disease

USING THE CUMULATIVE-SIZE MECHANISTIC MODEL FOR ANALYZING INSECT DATA

Two data sets of aphid abundance are analyzed using a new cumulative-size based mechanistic model. The first data set pertains to the cotton aphid, and its analysis demonstrates the power of the mechanistic model-based approach. The second data set pertains to greenbug populations, and its analysis shows the key role that birth and death rate coefficients may play in predicting the peak and the cumulative population sizes

Lost photon enhances superresolution

Quantum imaging can beat classical resolution limits, imposed by diffraction of light. In particular, it is known that one can reduce the image blurring and increase the achievable resolution by illuminating an object by entangled light and measuring coincidences of photons. If an $n$-photon entangled state is used and the $n$th-order correlation function is measured, the point-spread function (PSF) effectively becomes $\sqrt n$ times narrower relatively to classical coherent imaging. Quite surprisingly, measuring $n$-photon correlations is not the best choice if an $n$-photon entangled state is available. We show that for measuring $(n-1)$-photon coincidences (thus, ignoring one of the available photons), PSF can be made even narrower. This observation paves a way for a strong conditional resolution enhancement by registering one of the photons outside the imaging area. We analyze the conditions necessary for the resolution increase and propose a practical scheme, suitable for observation and exploitation of the effect