Virial theorem for rotating self-gravitating Brownian particles and two-dimensional point vortices

We derive the proper form of Virial theorem for a system of rotating self-gravitating Brownian particles. We show that, in the two-dimensional case, it takes a very simple form that can be used to obtain general results about the dynamics of the system without being required to solve the Smoluchowski-Poisson system explicitly. We also develop the analogy between self-gravitating systems and two-dimensional point vortices and derive a Virial-like relation for the vortex system

Simulation of Urban Energy Flow: A Graph Theory Inspired Approach

Following the increased consciousness regarding global warming and other environmental issues, there is a growing urge in cities for a more rational energy supply and use in buildings. In parallel, the range of possible actions has broaden, from building refurbishment and construction options, through local energy production (solar panels, heat pumps) to the larger scale re-use of waste heat, green electricity production or trading. This evolution has increased the complexity of urban energy management, and more information regarding the energy efficiency of the energy demand and supply is required to evaluate possible improvements. Crude models fail to include all aspects of this complexity, while specialised simulation tools make global assessments and comparisons difficult.There is thus an opportunity for research to provide tools dealing with the increased complexity of urban energy flow to study the numerous options available to decrease the primary energy use of buildings and the related greenhouse gas emissions.Focusing on the scale of a few hundred buildings, we model in this paper the disaggregated energy flow, from the resources through networks and energy conversion system towards the energy use in buildings for distinct services, as an oriented graph. Combining the limited available data with existing simulation tools and energy consumption data, a new graph theory inspired simulation method is formulated. The resulting detailed picture of energy flow can give access to a large amount of information but, most importantly, will provide a unied tool to compare energy effciency scenarios regarding a broad range of technological aspects of energy demand and supply

Fungal model systems and the elucidation of pathogenicity determinants

Copyright © 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

State-of-practice on as-is modelling of industrial facilities

90% of the time needed for the conversion from point clouds to 3D models of industrial facilities is spent on geometric modelling due to the sheer number of Industrial Objects (IOs) of each plant. Hence, cost reduction is only possible by automating modelling. Our previous work has successfully identified the most frequent industrial objects which are in descending order: electrical conduit, straight pipes, circular hollow sections, elbows, channels, solid bars, I-beams, angles, flanges and valves. We modelled those on a state-of-theart software, EdgeWise and then evaluated the performance of this software for pipeline and structural modelling. The modelling of pipelines is summarized in three basic steps: (a) automated extraction of cylinders, (b) their semantic classification and (c) manual extraction and editing of pipes. The results showed that cylinders are modelled with 75 % recall and 62 % precision on average. We discovered that pipes, electrical conduit and circular hollow sections require 80 % of the Total Modelling Hours (TMH) of the 10 most frequent IOs to build the plant model. TMH was then compared to modelling hours in Revit and showed that 67 % of pipe modelling time is saved by EdgeWise. This paper is the first to evaluate state-of-the-art industrial modelling software. These findings help in better understanding the problem and serve as the foundation for researchers who are interested in solving i

VLBA monitoring of Mrk 421 at 15 GHz and 24 GHz during 2011

High-resolution radio observations are ideal for constraining the value of physical parameters in the inner regions of active-galactic-nucleus jets and complement results on multiwavelength (MWL) observations. This study is part of a wider multifrequency campaign targeting the nearby TeV blazar Markarian 421 (z=0.031), with observations in the sub-mm (SMA), optical/IR (GASP), UV/X-ray (Swift, RXTE, MAXI), and gamma rays (Fermi-LAT, MAGIC, VERITAS). We investigate the jet's morphology and any proper motions, and the time evolution of physical parameters such as flux densities and spectral index. The aim of our wider multifrequency campaign is to try to shed light on questions such as the nature of the radiating particles, the connection between the radio and gamma-ray emission, the location of the emitting regions and the origin of the flux variability. We consider data obtained with the Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA) over twelve epochs (one observation per month from January to December 2011) at 15 GHz and 24 GHz. We investigate the inner jet structure on parsec scales through the study of model-fit components for each epoch. The structure of Mrk 421 is dominated by a compact (~0.13 mas) and bright component, with a one-sided jet detected out to ~10 mas. We identify 5-6 components in the jet that are consistent with being stationary during the 12-month period studied here. Measurements of the spectral index agree with those of other works: they are fairly flat in the core region and steepen along the jet length. Significant flux-density variations are detected for the core component. From our results, we draw an overall scenario in which we estimate a viewing angle 2{\deg} < theta < 5{\deg} and a different jet velocity for the radio and the high-energy emission regions, such that the respective Doppler factors are {\delta}r ~3 and {\delta}h.e. ~14.Comment: 9 pages, 4 figure

Amphiphilic core-cross-linked micelles functionalized with bis(4-methoxyphenyl)phenylphosphine as catalytic nanoreactors for biphasic hydroformylation

Core-cross-linked micelles (CCM) functionalized at the core with covalently linked bis(p-methoxyphenyl) phenylphosphine (BMOPPP) ligands have been synthesized by a three-step one-pot radical polymerization in emulsion, using the polymerization-induced self-assembly (PISA) strategy and reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) as the controlling method. The CCM are obtained by chain extending in water poly(methacrylic acid-co-poly(ethylene oxide) methyl ether methacrylate) (P(MAA-co-PEOMA), degree of polymerization of 30, MAA/PEOMA units molar ratio of 50:50) synthesized in a first step by RAFT with a 95:5 M mixture of styrene and 4-[bis(p-methoxyphenyl)phosphino]styrene (BMOPPS) units. The resulting micelles exhibiting a core composed of P(S-co-BMOPPS) segments with a degree of polymerization of 300 are then crosslinked in a third step with a mixture of di(ethylene glycol) dimethacrylate (DEGDMA) and styrene. The resulting BMOPPP@CCM exhibit a narrow size distribution (PDI = 0.16) with an average diameter of 81 nm in water and swell in THF or by addition of toluene to the latex. The addition of [Rh(acac) (CO)2] to the toluene-swollen latex results in metal coordination to the phosphine ligands. 31P{1H} NMR spectroscopy shows that the Rh centers undergo rapid intraparticle phosphine ligand exchange. Application of these nanoreactors to the aqueous biphasic hydroformylation of 1-octene shows excellent activity and moderate catalyst leaching

Older Adults Accessing HIV Care and Treatment and Adherence in the IeDEA Central Africa Cohort

Background. Very little is known about older adults accessing HIV care in sub-Saharan Africa. Materials and Methods. Data were obtained from 18,839 HIV-positive adults at 10 treatment programs in Burundi, Cameroon, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. We compared characteristics of those aged 50+ with those aged 18–49 using chi-square tests. Logistic regression was used to determine if age was associated with medication adherence. Results. 15% of adults were 50+ years. Those aged 50+ were more evenly distributed between women and men (56% versus 44%) as compared to those aged 18–49 (71% versus 29%) and were more likely to be hypertensive (8% versus 3%) (P < 0.05). Those aged 50+ were more likely to be adherent to their medications than those aged 18–49 (P < 0.001). Adults who were not heavy drinkers reported better adherence as compared to those who reported drinking three or more alcoholic beverages per day (P < 0.001). Conclusions. Older adults differed from their younger counterparts in terms of medication adherence, sociodemographic, behavioral, and clinical characteristics

Discovery of Membrane-Bound Pyrophosphatase Inhibitors Derived from an Isoxazole Fragment

Membrane-bound pyrophosphatases (mPPases) regulate energy homeostasis in pathogenic protozoan parasites and lack human homologues, which makes them promising targets in e.g. malaria. Yet only few nonphosphorus inhibitors have been reported so far. Here, we explore an isoxazole fragment hit, leading to the discovery of small mPPase inhibitors with 6-10 mu M IC50 values in the Thermotoga maritima test system. Promisingly, the compounds retained activity against Plasmodium falciparum mPPase in membranes and inhibited parasite growth.Peer reviewe