707 research outputs found
Intermittent random walks for an optimal search strategy: One-dimensional case
We study the search kinetics of an immobile target by a concentration of
randomly moving searchers. The object of the study is to optimize the
probability of detection within the constraints of our model. The target is
hidden on a one-dimensional lattice in the sense that searchers have no a
priori information about where it is, and may detect it only upon encounter.
The searchers perform random walks in discrete time n=0,1,2, ..., N, where N is
the maximal time the search process is allowed to run. With probability \alpha
the searchers step on a nearest-neighbour, and with probability (1-\alpha) they
leave the lattice and stay off until they land back on the lattice at a fixed
distance L away from the departure point. The random walk is thus intermittent.
We calculate the probability P_N that the target remains undetected up to the
maximal search time N, and seek to minimize this probability. We find that P_N
is a non-monotonic function of \alpha, and show that there is an optimal choice
\alpha_{opt}(N) of \alpha well within the intermittent regime, 0 <
\alpha_{opt}(N) < 1, whereby P_N can be orders of magnitude smaller compared to
the "pure" random walk cases \alpha =0 and \alpha = 1.Comment: 19 pages, 5 figures; submitted to Journal of Physics: Condensed
Matter; special issue on Chemical Kinetics Beyond the Textbook: Fluctuations,
Many-Particle Effects and Anomalous Dynamics, eds. K.Lindenberg, G.Oshanin
and M.Tachiy
Guidance on Design and Construction of the Built Environment Against Wildland Urban Interface Fire Hazard: A Review
Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI) fires, a worldwide problem, are gaining more importance over time due to climate change and increased urbanization in WUI areas. Some jurisdictions have provided standards, codes and guidelines, which may greatly help planning, prevention and protection against wildfires. This work presents a wide systematic review of standards, codes and guidelines for the design and construction of the built environment against WUI fire hazard from North American, European, Oceanic countries, alongside with trans-national codes. The main information reviewed includes: the definition of WUI hazards, risk areas and related severity classes, the influence of land and environmental factors, the requirements for building materials, constructions, utilities, fire protection measures and road access. Some common threads among the documents reviewed have been highlighted. They include similar attempts at: (a) defining WUI risk areas and severity classes, (b) considering land factors including the defensible space (also known as ignition zones), (c) prescribing requirements for buildings and access. The main gaps highlighted in the existing standards/guidelines include lacks of detailed and widespread requirements for resources, fire protection measures, and lacks of taking into account environmental factors in detail. The main design and construction principles contained in the reviewed documents are largely based on previous research and/or good practices. Hence, the main contributions of this paper consist in: (a) systematically disseminate these guidance concepts, (b) setting a potential basis for the development of standards/guidelines in other jurisdictions lacking dedicated WUI fire design guidance, (c) highlighting gaps in existing standards/guidelines to be addressed by current and future research
Is loss in femorotibial cartilage thickness related to severity of contra-lateral radiographic knee osteoarthritis? â Longitudinal data from the Osteoarthritis Initiative
SummaryObjectiveAnti-catabolic disease modifying drugs (DMOADs) aim to reduce cartilage loss in knee osteoarthritis (KOA). Testing such drugs in clinical trials requires sufficient rates of loss in the study participants to occur, preferably at a mild disease stage where cartilage can be preserved. Here we analyze a âprogressionâ model in mild radiographic KOA (RKOA), based on contra-lateral radiographic status.MethodsWe studied 837 participants (62.4 ± 9 yrs; 30 ± 4.9 kg/mÂČ; 61.8% women) from the Osteoarthritis Initiative (OAI) with mild to moderate RKOA (Kellgren Lawrence grade [KLG] 2â3) and with/without Osteoarthritis Research Society International (OARSI) atlas radiographic joint space narrowing (JSN). These had quantitative measurements of subregional femorotibial cartilage thickness from magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) at baseline and 1-year follow-up. They were stratified by contra-lateral knee status: no (KLG 0/1), definite (KLG2) and moderate RKOA (KLG 3/4).ResultsKLG2 knees with JSN and moderate contra-lateral RKOA had (P = 0.008) greater maximum subregional cartilage loss â220 Όm [95% confidence interval (CI) â255, â184 Όm] than those without contra-lateral RKOA â164 Όm [â187, â140 Όm]. Their rate of subregional cartilage loss was similar and not significantly different (P = 0.61) to that in KLG 3 knees without contra-lateral RKOA (â232 Όm; [â266; â198 Όm]). The effect of contra-lateral RKOA status was less in KLG2 knees without JSN, and in KLG3 knees.ConclusionKLG2 knees with JSN and moderate contra-lateral RKOA, display relatively high rates of subregional femorotibial cartilage loss, despite being at a relatively mild stage of RKOA. They may therefore provide a unique opportunity for recruitment in clinical trials that explore the efficacy of anti-catabolic DMOADs on structural progression
Massless particles on supergroups and AdS3 x S3 supergravity
Firstly, we study the state space of a massless particle on a supergroup with
a reparameterization invariant action. After gauge fixing the
reparameterization invariance, we compute the physical state space through the
BRST cohomology and show that the quadratic Casimir Hamiltonian becomes
diagonalizable in cohomology. We illustrate the general mechanism in detail in
the example of a supergroup target GL(1|1). The space of physical states
remains an indecomposable infinite dimensional representation of the space-time
supersymmetry algebra. Secondly, we show how the full string BRST cohomology in
the particle limit of string theory on AdS3 x S3 renders the quadratic Casimir
diagonalizable, and reduces the Hilbert space to finite dimensional
representations of the space-time supersymmetry algebra (after analytic
continuation). Our analysis provides an efficient way to calculate the
Kaluza-Klein spectrum for supergravity on AdS3 x S3. It may also be a step
towards the identification of an interesting and simpler subsector of
logarithmic supergroup conformal field theories, relevant to string theory.Comment: 16 pages, 10 figure
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