A new approach to modeling drop-pair collisions : predicting the outcome through a fluidic-mechanical system analogy

textA theoretical study of the approach and collision of liquid-drop pairs is performed with results obtained numerically. The collision process is modeled by a squeeze-flow problem involving both planar and non-planar geometry, with attention given to the deformation of the interacting interfaces. Based on the nature of the collision process, an analogy is made between the fluidic systems of colliding liquid bodies and a mechanical mass- spring-damper system. Examination of the analogous mechanical system yields the derivation of an effective damping ratio, ζ*, which is used to predict the outcome of the drop-drop collisions. Predictions made by utilizing the effective damping ratio are then compared to experimental results presented in literature.Mechanical Engineerin

Online Territorial Consultation Tool

Spatial planning plays an important role in shaping places and cities in which people live and work. As planning affects the lives of people, it is obvious that people should be involved in the planning process. Based on a complex planning process in the Northern Fringe of Brussels, this paper discusses firstly the data exchange on projects between two Belgian regions: the Project Monitor. Within this initiative a visual overview is given on all the running projects in this cross-border area. Secondly, it discusses the use and the results of an online public consultation tool. This online territorial consultation tool has been developed in order to let inhabitants and users of the Northern Fringe of Brussels express their opinion on the area. The goal of this initiative is to gather local (territorial) knowledge and to involve and get people enthusiastic about the TOP project. An online consultation has been started where people can indicate on a map which areas within the Northern Fringe of Brussels they like, and which ones they think need a little work. This paper will discuss the results of the online consultation which has been open from the 6th of November 2014 until the 15th of January 2015. Finally, it investigates how an interactive tool can enhance the collaboration between stakeholders

A domain-general perspective on medial frontal brain activity during performance monitoring

Activity of the medial frontal cortex (MFC) has been implicated in attention regulation and performance monitoring. The MFC is thought to generate several event-related potential (ERPs) components, known as medial frontal negativities (MFNs), that are elicited when a behavioural response becomes difficult to control (e.g., following an error or shifting from a frequently executed response). The functional significance of MFNs has traditionally been interpreted in the context of the paradigm used to elicit a specific response, such as errors. In a series of studies, we consider the functional similarity of multiple MFC brain responses by designing novel performance monitoring tasks and exploiting advanced methods for electroencephalography (EEG) signal processing and robust estimation statistics for hypothesis testing. In study 1, we designed a response cueing task and used Independent Component Analysis (ICA) to show that the latent factors describing a MFN to stimuli that cued the potential need to inhibit a response on upcoming trials also accounted for medial frontal brain responses that occurred when individuals made a mistake or inhibited an incorrect response. It was also found that increases in theta occurred to each of these task events, and that the effects were evident at the group level and in single cases. In study 2, we replicated our method of classifying MFC activity to cues in our response task and showed again, using additional tasks, that error commission, response inhibition, and, to a lesser extent, the processing of performance feedback all elicited similar changes across MFNs and theta power. In the final study, we converted our response cueing paradigm into a saccade cueing task in order to examine the oscillatory dynamics of response preparation. We found that, compared to easy pro-saccades, successfully preparing a difficult anti-saccadic response was characterized by an increase in MFC theta and the suppression of posterior alpha power prior to executing the eye movement. These findings align with a large body of literature on performance monitoring and ERPs, and indicate that MFNs, along with their signature in theta power, reflects the general process of controlling attention and adapting behaviour without the need to induce error commission, the inhibition of responses, or the presentation of negative feedback

AI Watch - Artificial Intelligence in public services: Overview of the use and impact of AI in public services in the EU

This report is published in the context of AI Watch, the European Commission knowledge service to monitor the development, uptake and impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) for Europe, launched in December 2018 as part of the Coordinated Plan on the Development and Use of AI Made in Europe. The report presents the results of the mapping of the use of AI in support of public services in the EU. The analysis serves to contribute landscaping the current state of the art in the field, and provide a preliminary overview of Member States efforts to integrate AI in their government operations and adopt AI-enabled innovations in the public sector. From the analysis it emerges that the interest on the use of AI within governments to support redesigning governance processes and policy-making mechanisms, as well as to improve public services delivery and engagement with citizens is growing. Governments across the EU are exploring the potential of AI use to improve policy design and evaluation, while reorganising the internal management of public administrations at all levels. Indeed, when used in a responsible way, the combination of new, large data sources with advanced machine learning algorithms could radically improve the operating methods of the public sector, thus paving the way to pro-active public service delivery models and relieving resource constrained organisations from mundane and repetitive tasks.JRC.B.6-Digital Econom

Hot cognition and activation of the medial prefrontal cortex: Self-regulating in contexts involving motivational pressures

The medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) is involved in performance-monitoring and has been implicated in the generation of several electrocortical responses associated with self-regulation. The error-related negativity (ERN), the inhibitory Nogo N2 (N2), and the feedback-related negativity (FRN) are event-related potential (ERP) components which reflect mPFC activity associated with feedback to behavioural (ERN, N2) and environmental (FRN) consequences. Our main goal was to determine whether or not rnPFC activation varies as a function of motivational context (e.g., those involving performance-related incentives) or the use of internally versus externally generated feedback signals (i.e., errors). Additionally, we assessed medial prefrontal activity in relation to individual differences in personality and temperament. Participants completed a combination of tasks in which performance-related incentives were associated with task performance and feedback generated from internal versus external responses. MPFC activity was indexed using both ERP scalp voltage peaks and intracerebral current source density (CSD) of dorsal and ventral regions. Additionally, participants completed several questionnaires assessing personality and temperament styles. Given previous studies have shown that enhanced mPFC activity to loss (or negative) feedback, we expected that activity in the mPFC would generally be greater during the Loss condition relative to the Win condition for both the ERN and N2. Also, due to the evidence that the (vmPFC) is engaged in arousing contexts, we hypothesized that activity in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) would be greater than activity in the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (dmPFC), especially in the Loss condition of the GoNogo task (ERN). Similarly, loss feedback in the BART (FRN) was expected to engage the vmPFC more than the dmPFC. Finally, we predicted that persons rating themselves as more willing to engage in approach-related behaviours or to exhibit rigid cognitive styles would show reduced activity of the mPFC. Overall, our results emphasize the role of affective evaluations of behavioural and environmental consequences when self-regulating. Although there were no effects of context on brain activity, our data indicate that, during the time of the ERN and N2 on the MW Go-Nogo task and the FRN on the BART, the vrnPFC was more active compared to the dmPFC. Moreover, regional recruitment in the mPFC was similar across internally (ERN) and externally (FRN) generated errors signals associated with loss feedback, as reflected by relatively greater activity in the vmPFC than the dmPFC. Our data also suggest that greater activity in the mPFC is associated with better inhibitory control, as reflected by both scalp and CSD measures. Additionally, deactivation of the subgenual anterior cingulate cortex (sgACC) and lower levels of self-reported positive affect were both related to increased voluntary risk-taking on the BART. Finally, persons reporting higher levels of approach-related behaviour or cognitive rigidity showed reduced activity of the mPFC. These results are in line with previous research emphasizing that affect/motivation is central to the processes reflected by mediofrontal negativities (MFNs), that the vmPFC is involved in regulating demands on motivational/affective systems, and that the underlying mechanisms driving these functions vary across both individuals and contexts