783 research outputs found
Non-Markovian reservoir-dependent squeezing
The squeezing dynamics of a damped harmonic oscillator are studied for
different types of environment without making the Markovian approximation. The
squeezing dynamics of a coherent state depend on the reservoir spectrum in a
unique way that can, in the weak coupling approximation, be analyzed
analytically. Comparison of squeezing dynamics for Ohmic, sub-Ohmic and
super-Ohmic environments is done showing a clear connection between the
squeezing--non-squeezing oscillations and reservoir structure. Understanding
the effects occurring due to structured reservoirs is important both from a
purely theoretical point of view and in connection with evolving experimental
techniques and future quantum computing applications.Comment: 8 pages, 2 figures, submitted to Proceedings of CEWQO200
Adaptation planning and the use of climate change projections in local government in England and Germany
Planning for adaptation to climate change is often regarded to be a local imperative and considered to be more effective if grounded on a solid evidence base and recognisant of relevant climate projections. Research has already documented some of the challenges of making climate information usable in decision-making but has not yet sufficiently reflected on the role of the wider institutional and regulatory context. This article examines the impact of the external institutional context on the use and usability of climate projections in local government through an analysis of 44 planning and climate change (adaptation) documents and 54 semi-structured interviews with planners in England and Germany conducted between July 2013 and May 2014. We show that there is little demand for climate projections in local adaptation planning in either country due to existing policy, legal and regulatory frameworks. Local government in England has not only experienced a decline in use of climate projections, but also the waning of the climate change adaptation agenda more widely, amidst changes in the planning and regulatory framework and severe budget cuts. In Germany, spatial planning makes substantial use of past and present climate data, but the strictly regulated nature of planning prevents the use of climate projections, due to their inherent uncertainties. Findings from the two countries highlight that if we are to better understand the usability of climate projections, we need to be more aware of the institutional context within which planning decisions are made. Otherwise we run the risk of continuing to provide tools and information that are of limited use within their intended context
Information system support in construction industry with semantic web technologies and/or autonomous reasoning agents
Information technology support is hard to find for the early design phases of the architectural design process. Many of the existing issues in such design decision support tools appear to be caused by a mismatch between the ways in which designers think and the ways in which information systems aim to give support. We therefore started an investigation of existing theories of design thinking, compared to the way in which design decision support systems provide information to the designer. We identify two main strategies towards information system support in the early design phase: (1) applications for making design try-outs, and (2) applications as autonomous reasoning agents. We outline preview implementations for both approaches and indicate to what extent these strategies can be used to improve information system support for the architectural designer
Finite-time quantum-to-classical transition for a Schroedinger-cat state
The transition from quantum to classical, in the case of a quantum harmonic
oscillator, is typically identified with the transition from a quantum
superposition of macroscopically distinguishable states, such as the
Schr\"odinger cat state, into the corresponding statistical mixture. This
transition is commonly characterized by the asymptotic loss of the interference
term in the Wigner representation of the cat state. In this paper we show that
the quantum to classical transition has different dynamical features depending
on the measure for nonclassicality used. Measures based on an operatorial
definition have well defined physical meaning and allow a deeper understanding
of the quantum to classical transition. Our analysis shows that, for most
nonclassicality measures, the Schr\"odinger cat dies after a finite time.
Moreover, our results challenge the prevailing idea that more macroscopic
states are more susceptible to decoherence in the sense that the transition
from quantum to classical occurs faster. Since nonclassicality is prerequisite
for entanglement generation our results also bridge the gap between
decoherence, which appears to be only asymptotic, and entanglement, which may
show a sudden death. In fact, whereas the loss of coherences still remains
asymptotic, we have shown that the transition from quantum to classical can
indeed occur at a finite time.Comment: 9+epsilon pages, 4 figures, published version. Originally submitted
as "Sudden death of the Schroedinger cat", a bit too cool for APS policy :-
Environment-dependent dissipation in quantum Brownian motion
The dissipative dynamics of a quantum Brownian particle is studied for
different types of environment. We derive analytic results for the time
evolution of the mean energy of the system for Ohmic, sub-Ohmic and super-Ohmic
environments, without performing the Markovian approximation. Our results allow
to establish a direct link between the form of the environmental spectrum and
the thermalization dynamics. This in turn leads to a natural explanation of the
microscopic physical processes ruling the system time evolution both in the
short-time non-Markovian region and in the long-time Markovian one. Our
comparative study of thermalization for different environments sheds light on
the physical contexts in which non-Markovian dissipation effects are dominant.Comment: 10 pages, 6 figures, v2: added new references and paragraph
Deeper understanding of the barriers to national climate adaptation policy: the case of South Korea
As climate change adaptation has become essential for the sustainable development of nations, national adaptation policies have increasingly been adopted and implemented over the past decade. However, an adaptation gap is observable and getting wider. We investigate the barriers to national adaptation policy and their origins, influence as well as relationships between them in South Korea. We also analyse used and suggested solutions to overcome the barriers. Based on interviews with core stakeholders, we find 49 factors (16 barriers, 14 origins, 19 influences) related to barriers to national adaptation policy and draw a barrier map that shows all factors and relationships between them. We also explain how the barriers occur and how they affect national adaptation policy by mapping the relationships between barriers, origins, and influences. Key barriers to Korea’s national adaptation policy are related to institutions, fragmentation, and resources. With an analysis of used/suggested solutions, we conclude by suggesting a procedure for diagnosing problems of national adaptation policy, understanding related barriers and origins, and devising practical solutions for national policymakers and stakeholders
Laccase activity from the fungus trametes hirsuta using an air-lift bioreactor
Aim: To produce high laccase activities from the white-rot fungus Trametes hirsuta in an in-house air-lift bioreactor (ALB).
Methods and Results: Trametes hirsuta was grown in a 6-l ALB. A fed-batch strategy with glycerol as an addition resulted in maximum laccase activity of 19 400 U l)1, which was the highest reported from the fungus.
Conclusion: The ALB configuration with additional glycerol resulted in high
laccase activities.
Significance and Impact of the Study: This study provides useful information on how to produce high concentrations of laccase.Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT)University of Vigo (SpainDepartment of Biological Engineering of the University of Minho, Portuga
A practical approach to addressing barriers to national climate adaptation policy in the UK
Climate adaptation policy in the UK is ineffective and fails to address the many barriers to implementing adaptation in practice. As climate change impacts are increasing, there is an urgent need to address these barriers. Focusing on England, this policy brief provides a practical approach to systematically understand and address these barriers for policymakers and practitioners who operationalise national adaptation policy
Community of inquiry and inquiry-based learning
Peer reviewe
Experiences of host communities with carbon market projects: towards multi-level climate justice
The literature on equity and justice in climate change mitigation has largely focused on North–South relations and equity between states. However, some initiatives (e.g. the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), the Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation programme (REDD), and voluntary carbon markets (VCMs)) are already establishing multi-level governance structures that involve communities from developing countries in global mitigation efforts. This poses new equity and justice dilemmas: how the burdens and benefits of mitigation are shared across various levels and how host communities are positioned in multi-level governance structures. A review of the existing literature is used to distill a framework for distinguishing between four axes of climate justice from the perspective of communities. Empirical evidence from African and Asian carbon market projects is used to assess the distributive and procedural justice implications for host communities. The evidence suggests that host communities often benefit little from carbon market projects and find it difficult to protect their interests. Capacity building, attention to local power relations, supervision of business practices, promotion of projects with primarily development aims and an active involvement of non-state actors as bridges between local communities and the national/international levels could potentially contribute towards addressing some of the key justice concerns.Policy relevance International negotiations on the institutional frameworks that are envisaged to govern carbon markets are proceeding at a rather slow pace. As a consequence, host countries and private-sector actors are making their own arrangements to safeguard the interests of local communities. While several standards have emerged to guide carbon market activity on the ground, distributive as well as procedural justice concerns nevertheless remain salient. Four empirical case studies across Asia and Africa show that within the multi-scale and multi-actor carbon market governance, local-level actors often lack sufficient agency to advance their claims and protect their interests. This evidence suggests that ameliorating policy reforms are needed to enhance the positioning of local communities. Doing so is important to ensure future acceptability of carbon market activity in potential host communities as well as for ensuring their broader legitimacy
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