On the arithmetic sums of Cantor sets

Let C_\la and C_\ga be two affine Cantor sets in $\mathbb{R}$ with similarity dimensions d_\la and d_\ga, respectively. We define an analog of the Bandt-Graf condition for self-similar systems and use it to give necessary and sufficient conditions for having \Ha^{d_\la+d_\ga}(C_\la + C_\ga)>0 where C_\la + C_\ga denotes the arithmetic sum of the sets. We use this result to analyze the orthogonal projection properties of sets of the form C_\la \times C_\ga. We prove that for Lebesgue almost all directions $\theta$ for which the projection is not one-to-one, the projection has zero (d_\la + d_\ga)-dimensional Hausdorff measure. We demonstrate the results on the case when C_\la and C_\ga are the middle-(1-2\la) and middle-(1-2\ga) sets

Determination of plutonium in seawater using co-precipitation and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry with ultrasonic nebulisation1

A flow injection–inductively coupled plasma–mass spectrometric (FI–ICP–MS) procedure, utilising ultrasonic nebulisation with membrane desolvation (USN/MD), has been developed for the determination of plutonium (Pu) in seawater at fg l−1 concentration levels. Seawater samples (1 l), after filtration, were subjected to co-precipitation with NdF3, followed by ion exchange to enrich Pu and to reject seawater matrix ions and co-existing uranium. The seawater concentrate (1.0 ml) was then analysed by FI–ICP–MS. The limit of detection for in seawater based on an enrichment factor of 1000 was 5 fg l−1, and precision at the 0.80 pg l−1 level was 12% RSD. Accuracy was verified via recovery experiments, and by comparing survey data for the Irish Sea with that derived by standard methodology based on co-precipitation and α-spectrometry. Concentrations for dissolved in the Irish Sea were in the range of 0.267–0.941 pg l−1 (0.614–2.164 mBq l−1) and 0.051–0.196 pg l−1 (0.428–1.646 mBq l−1), respectively

Differential effects of age of acquisition and frequency on memory: evidence from free recall of pictures and words in Turkish

The advantage of processing early acquired items over late acquired items in lexical and semantic tasks across a number of languages is well documented. Interestingly contradictory evidence has been reported in recall tasks where participants perform better overall on late acquired items compared to early acquired items in English (Dewhurst, Hitch & Barry, 1998). Moreover, free recall has also been reported to be modulated by frequency as well as list type in that studying pure lists of high frequency words or low frequency words typically leads to a recall advantage for high frequency words (Dewhurst, Brandt & Sharp, 2004). This recall advantage either disappears or is reversed when the same items are presented in mixed lists containing both high and low frequency items (Dewhurst et al, 2004). The current experiment aims to shed further light on this discrepancy by exploring the influence of AoA and frequency on free recall on standardised pictures and their names (words) in Turkish in mixed and pure lists (Raman, Raman & Mertan, 2014). Eighty participants were recruited from Yeditepe University and were assigned to either a picture (N=40) or a word condition (N=40) in which stimuli were presented in either a mixed or a pure list. Following a distracter task, participants were asked to recall as many pictures or words as they could remember from the list they viewed. The findings lend partial support to the previous findings in English and the implications are discussed within the context of current cognitive frameworks

Development of a chemogenetic approach to manipulate intracellular pH

Chemogenetic Operation of iNTRacellular prOton Levels(pH-Control)is a novel substrate-based enzymatic method that enables precise spatiotemporalcontrol of ultralocal acidification in cultured cell lines and primaryneurons. The genetically encoded biosensor SypHer3s showed that pH-Controleffectively acidifies cytosolic, mitochondrial, and nuclear pH exclusivelyin the presence of beta-chloro-d-alanine in living cellsin a concentration-dependent manner. The pH-Control approach is promisingfor investigating the ultralocal pH imbalance associated with manydiseases.CE254SWXHI ; NN254SWPZX ; CP254SWT2

Multistable perception elicits compensatory alpha activity in older adults

Multistable stimuli lead to the perception of two or more alternative perceptual experiences that spontaneously reverse from one to the other. This property allows researchers to study perceptual processes that endogenously generate and integrate perceptual information. These endogenous processes appear to be slowed down around the age of 55 where participants report significantly lower perceptual reversals. This study aimed to identify neural correlates of this aging effect during multistable perception utilizing a multistable version of the stroboscopic alternative motion paradigm (SAM: endogenous task) and a control condition (exogenous task). Specifically, age-related differences in perceptual destabilization and maintenance processes were examined through alpha responses. Electroencephalography (EEG) of 12 older and 12 young adults were recorded during SAM and control tasks. Alpha band activity (8–14 Hz) was obtained by wavelet-transformation of the EEG signal and analyzed for each experimental condition. Endogenous reversals induced gradual decrease in posterior alpha activity in young adults which is a replication of previous studies’ findings. Alpha desynchronization was shifted to anterior areas and prevalent across the cortex except the occipital area for older adults. Alpha responses did not differ between the groups in the control condition. These findings point to recruitment of compensatory alpha networks for maintenance of endogenously generated percepts. Increased number of networks responsible for maintenance might have extended the neural satiation duration and led to decreased reversal rates in older adults

Key factors impacting performance of a salinity gradient solar pond exposed to Mediterranean climate

Solar ponds are low cost pools of brine solutions with integrated storage zones that harvest incident solar energy and store it as thermal energy. The current study examined the performance of a salinity gradient solar pond under the Mediterranean climatic condition for ten consecutive months of operation, from October 8, 2014 to July 31, 2015. The presented results are based on the experimental data of a small-scale circular pond, 61�cm in diameter a height of 55�cm, constructed and operated at Middle East Technical University, Northern Cyprus Campus (METUNCC). The study showed the necessity of regular surface washing and having excess undissolved salt at the lower convective zone (LCZ) to maintain the pond stability. The variations in the temperature of the non-convective (NCZ) and lower convective zones (LCZ) are found to be a function of both ambient temperature and solar irradiation (insolation). The variation of the overall pond's temperature strongly follows the changes in ambient temperature while solar insolation directly affects the increase in temperature gradient by depth. During the period of this study, the pond reached the highest average temperature of 48��C in July 2015 while the average ambient temperature for this month was 30��C. � 2016 Elsevier Lt

2,000 Families: identifying the research potential of an origins-of-migration study

Despite recent advances, critical areas in the analysis of European migration remain underdeveloped. We have only a limited understanding of the consequences of migration for migrants and their descendants, relative to staying behind; and our insights of intergenerational transmission is limited to two generations of those living in the destination countries. These limitations stem from a paucity of studies that incorporate comparison with non-migrants – and return migrants – in countries of origin and which trace processes of intergenerational transmission over multiple generations. This paper outlines the theoretical and methodological discussions in the field, design and data of the 2,000 Families study. The study comprises almost 50,000 members of migrant and non-migrant Turkish families across three family generations, living in Turkey and eight European countries. We provide indicative findings from the study, framed within a theoretical perspective of “dissimilation” from origins, and reflect on its potential for future migration research

Design mining interacting wind turbines

© 2016 by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. An initial study has recently been presented of surrogate-assisted evolutionary algorithms used to design vertical-axis wind turbines wherein candidate prototypes are evaluated under fan-generated wind conditions after being physically instantiated by a 3D printer. Unlike other approaches, such as computational fluid dynamics simulations, no mathematical formulations were used and no model assumptions weremade. This paper extends that work by exploring alternative surrogate modelling and evolutionary techniques. The accuracy of various modelling algorithms used to estimate the fitness of evaluated individuals from the initial experiments is compared. The effect of temporally windowing surrogate model training samples is explored. A surrogateassisted approach based on an enhanced local search is introduced; and alternative coevolution collaboration schemes are examined