9,444 research outputs found
Emergence of weight-topology correlations in complex scale-free networks
Different weighted scale-free networks show weights-topology correlations
indicated by the non linear scaling of the node strength with node
connectivity. In this paper we show that networks with and without
weight-topology correlations can emerge from the same simple growth dynamics of
the node connectivities and of the link weights. A weighted fitness network is
introduced in which both nodes and links are assigned intrinsic fitness. This
model can show a local dependence of the weight-topology correlations and can
undergo a phase transition to a state in which the network is dominated by few
links which acquire a finite fraction of the total weight of the network.Comment: (4 pages,3 figures
Industrial building system : does it good for sustainable building? / S. Roshanfekr, N. M Tawil and N. A. Goh
Housing and building construction is an important principle in sustainable development. The industrialization of building systems has been found to be necessary due to several factors: the fast and continuing progress of
today’s world, the industrialization of many aspects of modern living, significant population growth, and the
inadequacy and incompetence of conventional construction methods particularly in dense housing situations. This paper investigates the relevance of these factors as the drivers for changing people’s habits and
perspectives toward building construction and to justify the introduction of industrialized construction approaches to replace the outdated conventional methods as well as the necessity to provide training in order to achieve product quality
Modified-nano-adsorbents for nitrate efficient removal: a review
Excessive nitrate discharge into the aquatic environment from human activities is the main contributor to groundwater and surface water contamination. Its toxicity in water is a serious concern as it gives huge impacts on aquatic life since it damages the ecosystem and water sources around the globe. Recently, the development of nanomaterials as nano-adsorbent makes adsorption the most attractive solution among them. Nano-adsorbents pose high efficiency to remove pollutants from aqueous media. The exclusive chemical and structural properties of the developed nano-adsorbents are the determinative effects of nitrate adsorption performance. In this mini review, the state-of-the-art development of nano-adsorbents and nano-adsorbents-modified membranes for nitrate from water is discussed, and some challenges faced in this field are also highlighted
Nonlocal evolution of weighted scale-free networks
We introduce the notion of globally updating evolution for a class of
weighted networks, in which the weight of a link is characterized by the amount
of data packet transport flowing through it. By noting that the packet
transport over the network is determined nonlocally, this approach can explain
the generic nonlinear scaling between the strength and the degree of a node. We
demonstrate by a simple model that the strength-driven evolution scheme
recently introduced can be generalized to a nonlinear preferential attachment
rule, generating the power-law behaviors in degree and in strength
simultaneously.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures, final version published in PR
Examining risk as guideline in design stage for green retrofits projects: a review
Green buildings have generally been adopted as strategy towards sustainable
development to reduce greenhouse gas. The implementation of green concept recently has widely
spread over the year. However, the positive impact to the environment is still low due to heavily
focus on new construction project as compare with retrofitting the existing building. A retrofit
practice is not only regaining overall existing building appearance, but the improvement towards
energy efficiency is remarkably significant at the expense of huge challenges and risk. As a
consequence, retrofit practitioner is confronting an assortment of risks at the early stage of the
project. Given that, green retrofit concept is emerging research area to Malaysia construction
industry which motivates to determining the risk involve in design stage. This paper aims to
review risk in design stage for green retrofit project for commercial buildings through gathering
comprehensive literature review. As a result, two main category risks in design stage
(technical/quality risk and financial management risk) is determined and extracted to identify
risk. These risks are then quantified through analysis to enhance design performance within costbenefit.
The proposed conceptual framework model is expected to assist retrofit practitioner to
identify risk and obtain feasible retrofit strategy
Effects of chronic exposure to low doses of trichloroethylene on steroid hormone and insulin levels in normal men.
The aim of this study was to examine the serum levels of insulin and some adrenal steroid hormones in men chronically exposed to low doses of trichloroethylene (TCE). A total of 85 workers participated in this study. Each worker had urine collected and analyzed for trichloroacetic acids (UTCA) on the same day that a blood sample was taken for analyses of serum testosterone, sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG), androstenedione, cortisol, aldosterone, and insulin. The mean concentration of environmental TCE was 29.6 ppm and the mean UTCA was 22.4 mg/g creatinine (range 0.8-136.4). TCE exposure did not cause any significant changes to the adrenal steroid hormone productions. The results showed that UTCA was significantly correlated to serum insulin levels. Insulin and SHBG responded in tandem, with the highest levels found in workers exposed to TCE for less than 2 years; levels of both parameters were significantly lowered in those exposed for more than 2 years. A triphasic response in insulin levels to TCE, which depended on the duration of exposure, was noted. Initial exposure caused an acute rise in insulin levels. This was followed by a fall to normal levels in those exposed 2-4 years and then a slight rise in those exposed for more than 6 years. The mechanism for this pattern of response to TCE exposure is yet unknown
Minimal SUSY SO(10), b- unification and large neutrino mixings
We show that the assumption of type II seesaw mechanism for small neutrino
masses coupled with mass unification in a minimal SUSY SO(10) model
leads not only to a natural understanding of large atmospheric mixing angle
() among neutrinos, as recently pointed out, but also to large
solar angle () and a small as required
to fit observations. This is therefore a minimal, completely realistic grand
unified model for all low energy observations that naturally explains the
diverse mixing patterns between the quark and leptons without any additional
inputs such as extra global symmetries. The proposed long baseline neutrino
experiments will provide a crucial test of this model since it predicts
for the allowed range of parameters.Comment: 15 pages, latex, 3 figures, UMD-PP-03-03
Platelet reactivity is independent of left atrial wall deformation in patients with atrial fibrillation
It has been documented recently that left atrial (LA) deformation in AF patients (while in AF) is predictive of subsequent stroke risk. Additionally, diminished LA deformation during AF correlates with the presence of LA blood stasis. Given that endothelial function is dependent on laminar blood flow, the present study sought to investigate the effect of diminished LA deformation (during AF) on platelet reactivity and inflammation in AF patients. Patients (n = 17) hospitalised with AF underwent echocardiography (while in AF) for determination of peak positive LA strain (LASp). Whole blood impedance aggregometry was used to measure extent of ADP-induced aggregation and subsequent inhibitory response to the nitric oxide (NO) donor, sodium nitroprusside. Platelet thioredoxin-interacting protein (Txnip) content was determined by immunohistochemistry. LASp tended (p = 0.078) to vary inversely with CHA2DS2VASc scores. However, mediators of inflammation (C-reactive protein, Txnip) did not correlate significantly with LASp nor did extent of ADP-induced platelet aggregation or platelet NO response. These results suggest that the thrombogenic risk associated with LA stasis is independent of secondary effects on platelet aggregability or inflammation.Nathan Procter, Vincent Goh, Gnanadevan Mahadevan, Simon Stewart, and John Horowit
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