Invariant measures for Cartesian powers of Chacon infinite transformation

We describe all boundedly finite measures which are invariant by Cartesian powers of an infinite measure preserving version of Chacon transformation. All such ergodic measures are products of so-called diagonal measures, which are measures generalizing in some way the measures supported on a graph. Unlike what happens in the finite-measure case, this class of diagonal measures is not reduced to measures supported on a graph arising from powers of the transformation: it also contains some weird invariant measures, whose marginals are singular with respect to the measure invariant by the transformation. We derive from these results that the infinite Chacon transformation has trivial centralizer, and has no nontrivial factor. At the end of the paper, we prove a result of independent interest, providing sufficient conditions for an infinite measure preserving dynamical system defined on a Cartesian product to decompose into a direct product of two dynamical systems

Poisson suspensions and entropy for infinite transformations

The Poisson entropy of an infinite-measure-preserving transformation is defined as the Kolmogorov entropy of its Poisson suspension. In this article, we relate Poisson entropy with other definitions of entropy for infinite transformations: For quasi-finite transformations we prove that Poisson entropy coincides with Krengel's and Parry's entropy. In particular, this implies that for null-recurrent Markov chains, the usual formula for the entropy $-\sum q_i p_{i,j}\log p_{i,j}$ holds in any of the definitions for entropy. Poisson entropy dominates Parry's entropy in any conservative transformation. We also prove that relative entropy (in the sense of Danilenko and Rudolph) coincides with the relative Poisson entropy. Thus, for any factor of a conservative transformation, difference of the Krengel's entropy is equal to the difference of the Poisson entropies. In case there exists a factor with zero Poisson entropy, we prove the existence of a maximum (Pinsker) factor with zero Poisson entropy. Together with the preceding results, this answers affirmatively the question raised in arXiv:0705.2148v3 about existence of a Pinsker factor in the sense of Krengel for quasi-finite transformations.Comment: 25 pages, a final section with some more results and questions adde

Strategies for Low Carbon Growth In India: Industry and Non Residential Sectors

This report analyzed the potential for increasing energy efficiency and reducing greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) in the non-residential building and the industrial sectors in India. The first two sections describe the research and analysis supporting the establishment of baseline energy consumption using a bottom up approach for the non residential sector and for the industry sector respectively. The third section covers the explanation of a modeling framework where GHG emissions are projected according to a baseline scenario and alternative scenarios that account for the implementation of cleaner technology

WONCA Europe 2009: reflections and personal highlights.

WHY THIS MATTERS TO US: In April 2009 we launched the RCGP Junior International Committee, the UK representative body to the Vasco da Gama Movement. Since then we have worked hard to establish a network of UK trainees and junior GPs with an interest in international primary care, as well as promote international exchange and research. This year's WONCA Europe conference was a great success for the group with the presence of a strong UK contingent. We hope to repeat this success next year and inspire an even greater number of trainees and junior GPs to take part in international conferences and clinical exchange

Fermions and Loops on Graphs. I. Loop Calculus for Determinant

This paper is the first in the series devoted to evaluation of the partition function in statistical models on graphs with loops in terms of the Berezin/fermion integrals. The paper focuses on a representation of the determinant of a square matrix in terms of a finite series, where each term corresponds to a loop on the graph. The representation is based on a fermion version of the Loop Calculus, previously introduced by the authors for graphical models with finite alphabets. Our construction contains two levels. First, we represent the determinant in terms of an integral over anti-commuting Grassman variables, with some reparametrization/gauge freedom hidden in the formulation. Second, we show that a special choice of the gauge, called BP (Bethe-Peierls or Belief Propagation) gauge, yields the desired loop representation. The set of gauge-fixing BP conditions is equivalent to the Gaussian BP equations, discussed in the past as efficient (linear scaling) heuristics for estimating the covariance of a sparse positive matrix.Comment: 11 pages, 1 figure; misprints correcte

Energy efficiency: what has research delivered in the last 40 years?

This article presents a critical assessment of 40 years of research that may be brought under the umbrella of energy efficiency, spanning different aggregations and domains-from individual producing and consuming agents to economy-wide effects to the role of innovation to the influence of policy. After 40 years of research, energy efficiency initiatives are generally perceived as highly effective. Innovation has contributed to lowering energy technology costs and increasing energy productivity. Energy efficiency programs in many cases have reduced energy use per unit of economic output and have been associated with net improvements in welfare, emission reductions, or both. Rebound effects at the macro level still warrant careful policy attention, as they may be nontrivial. Complexity of energy efficiency dynamics calls for further methodological and empirical advances, multidisciplinary approaches, and granular data at the service level for research in this field to be of greatest societal benefit

Industry

This chapter addresses past, ongoing, and short (to 2010) and medium-term (to 2030) future actions that can be taken to mitigate GHG emissions from the manufacturing and process industries. Globally, and in most countries, CO{sub 2} accounts for more than 90% of CO{sub 2}-eq GHG emissions from the industrial sector (Price et al., 2006; US EPA, 2006b). These CO{sub 2} emissions arise from three sources: (1) the use of fossil fuels for energy, either directly by industry for heat and power generation or indirectly in the generation of purchased electricity and steam; (2) non-energy uses of fossil fuels in chemical processing and metal smelting; and (3) non-fossil fuel sources, for example cement and lime manufacture. Industrial processes also emit other GHGs, e.g.: (1) Nitrous oxide (N{sub 2}O) is emitted as a byproduct of adipic acid, nitric acid and caprolactam production; (2) HFC-23 is emitted as a byproduct of HCFC-22 production, a refrigerant, and also used in fluoroplastics manufacture; (3) Perfluorocarbons (PFCs) are emitted as byproducts of aluminium smelting and in semiconductor manufacture; (4) Sulphur hexafluoride (SF{sub 6}) is emitted in the manufacture, use and, decommissioning of gas insulated electrical switchgear, during the production of flat screen panels and semiconductors, from magnesium die casting and other industrial applications; (5) Methane (CH{sub 4}) is emitted as a byproduct of some chemical processes; and (6) CH{sub 4} and N{sub 2}O can be emitted by food industry waste streams. Many GHG emission mitigation options have been developed for the industrial sector. They fall into three categories: operating procedures, sector-wide technologies and process-specific technologies. A sampling of these options is discussed in Sections 7.2-7.4. The short- and medium-term potential for and cost of all classes of options are discussed in Section 7.5, barriers to the application of these options are addressed in Section 7.6 and the implication of industrial mitigation for sustainable development is discussed in Section 7.7. Section 7.8 discusses the sector's vulnerability to climate change and options for adaptation. A number of policies have been designed either to encourage voluntary GHG emission reductions from the industrial sector or to mandate such reductions. Section 7.9 describes these policies and the experience gained to date. Co-benefits of reducing GHG emissions from the industrial sector are discussed in Section 7.10. Development of new technology is key to the cost-effective control of industrial GHG emissions. Section 7.11 discusses research, development, deployment and diffusion in the industrial sector and Section 7.12, the long-term (post-2030) technologies for GHG emissions reduction from the industrial sector. Section 7.13 summarizes gaps in knowledge

De Novo Truncating Mutations in WASF1 Cause Intellectual Disability with Seizures.

Next-generation sequencing has been invaluable in the elucidation of the genetic etiology of many subtypes of intellectual disability in recent years. Here, using exome sequencing and whole-genome sequencing, we identified three de novo truncating mutations in WAS protein family member 1 (WASF1) in five unrelated individuals with moderate to profound intellectual disability with autistic features and seizures. WASF1, also known as WAVE1, is part of the WAVE complex and acts as a mediator between Rac-GTPase and actin to induce actin polymerization. The three mutations connected by Matchmaker Exchange were c.1516C>T (p.Arg506Ter), which occurs in three unrelated individuals, c.1558C>T (p.Gln520Ter), and c.1482delinsGCCAGG (p.Ile494MetfsTer23). All three variants are predicted to partially or fully disrupt the C-terminal actin-binding WCA domain. Functional studies using fibroblast cells from two affected individuals with the c.1516C>T mutation showed a truncated WASF1 and a defect in actin remodeling. This study provides evidence that de novo heterozygous mutations in WASF1 cause a rare form of intellectual disability