Shell-model description of monopole shift in neutron-rich Cu

Variations in the nuclear mean-field, in neutron-rich nuclei, are investigated within the framework of the nuclear shell model. The change is identified to originate mainly from the monopole part of the effective two-body proton-neutron interaction. Applications for the low-lying states in odd-$A$ Cu nuclei are presented. We compare the results using both schematic and realistic forces. We also compare the monopole shifts with the results obtained from large-scale shell-model calculations, using the same realistic interaction, in order to study two-body correlations beyond the proton mean-field variations.Comment: Phys. Rev. C (in press

Performance issues in optical burst/packet switching

The final publication is available at Springer via http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-01524-3_8This chapter summarises the activities on optical packet switching (OPS) and optical burst switching (OBS) carried out by the COST 291 partners in the last 4 years. It consists of an introduction, five sections with contributions on five different specific topics, and a final section dedicated to the conclusions. Each section contains an introductive state-of-the-art description of the specific topic and at least one contribution on that topic. The conclusions give some points on the current situation of the OPS/OBS paradigms

Expiratory flow rate, breath hold and anatomic dead space influence electronic nose ability to detect lung cancer

BACKGROUND: Electronic noses are composites of nanosensor arrays. Numerous studies showed their potential to detect lung cancer from breath samples by analysing exhaled volatile compound pattern ("breathprint"). Expiratory flow rate, breath hold and inclusion of anatomic dead space may influence the exhaled levels of some volatile compounds; however it has not been fully addressed how these factors affect electronic nose data. Therefore, the aim of the study was to investigate these effects. METHODS: 37 healthy subjects (44 +/- 14 years) and 27 patients with lung cancer (60 +/- 10 years) participated in the study. After deep inhalation through a volatile organic compound filter, subjects exhaled at two different flow rates (50 ml/sec and 75 ml/sec) into Teflon-coated bags. The effect of breath hold was analysed after 10 seconds of deep inhalation. We also studied the effect of anatomic dead space by excluding this fraction and comparing alveolar air to mixed (alveolar + anatomic dead space) air samples. Exhaled air samples were processed with Cyranose 320 electronic nose. RESULTS: Expiratory flow rate, breath hold and the inclusion of anatomic dead space significantly altered "breathprints" in healthy individuals (p 0.05). These factors also influenced the discrimination ability of the electronic nose to detect lung cancer significantly. CONCLUSIONS: We have shown that expiratory flow, breath hold and dead space influence exhaled volatile compound pattern assessed with electronic nose. These findings suggest critical methodological recommendations to standardise sample collections for electronic nose measurements

Conceptualizing and measuring distance in international business research:Recurring questions and best practice guidelines

Distance is a central concept in international business research, yet there is debate about the construct as well as its operationalization. In this editorial, we address three of the most important recurring questions posed by authors, editors, and reviewers by examining the theory, methods, and data of distance research. We discuss (1) how to theorize on distance, and (2) what method and (3) what data to use when constructing a distance index. We develop practical recommendations grounded in theory, illustrating and supporting them by calculating cross-country distance indices for all available country pairs and two of the most used distance indices: cultural and institutional. We show that, whereas a specific method to calculate distance may matter to some extent, the choice for a specific cultural or institutional framework to measure cultural or institutional distance has a major impact on country-pair distances. Overall, this editorial highlights the importance of matching data and method to the theoretical argument.</p

Big Data and Causality

The file attached to this record is the author's final peer reviewed version. The Publisher's final version can be found by following the DOI link.Causality analysis continues to remain one of the fundamental research questions and the ultimate objective for a tremendous amount of scientific studies. In line with the rapid progress of science and technology, the age of big data has significantly influenced the causality analysis on various disciplines especially for the last decade due to the fact that the complexity and difficulty on identifying causality among big data has dramatically increased. Data mining, the process of uncovering hidden information from big data is now an important tool for causality analysis, and has been extensively exploited by scholars around the world. The primary aim of this paper is to provide a concise review of the causality analysis in big data. To this end the paper reviews recent significant applications of data mining techniques in causality analysis covering a substantial quantity of research to date, presented in chronological order with an overview table of data mining applications in causality analysis domain as a reference directory