Recent Progress in Shearlet Theory: Systematic Construction of Shearlet Dilation Groups, Characterization of Wavefront Sets, and New Embeddings

The class of generalized shearlet dilation groups has recently been developed to allow the unified treatment of various shearlet groups and associated shearlet transforms that had previously been studied on a case-by-case basis. We consider several aspects of these groups: First, their systematic construction from associative algebras, secondly, their suitability for the characterization of wavefront sets, and finally, the question of constructing embeddings into the symplectic group in a way that intertwines the quasi-regular representation with the metaplectic one. For all questions, it is possible to treat the full class of generalized shearlet groups in a comprehensive and unified way, thus generalizing known results to an infinity of new cases. Our presentation emphasizes the interplay between the algebraic structure underlying the construction of the shearlet dilation groups, the geometric properties of the dual action, and the analytic properties of the associated shearlet transforms.Comment: 28 page

The ecological diversity of vegetation within Urban Parks in the Dabrowski Basin (southern Poland)

The aim of this work is to present the diversity of flora in terms of ecological requirements. The research was conducted in the area of two urban parks in the area of two cities in southern Poland: Bedzin and Czeladz. These parks were established in different historical periods, and were planned (and are managed) differently. The results of the investigation have shown that the occurrence of 192 vascular species has been observed in the Gora Zamkowa (Castle Hill) Park, while in the Grabek park, 334 such species are known to exist. Such disparity is the result of the occurrence of micro-habitats and of the differences between the ways the two parks are managed. It is also due to these parks’ different functions. In the first case, the park area is protected by law. In the latter case, human activity has created a new ecological niche for organisms with a high degree of ecological tolerance. Based on the ecological values, the following groups of plants were distinguished: saxifrages grasslands, xerothermic grasslands, beech forests, alder forests and artificial planted trees. Analysis has shown that urban parks are potential places for growth various type of vegetation and also for increasing biodiversity, and can constitute particularly important hotspots for biodiversity in the cityscape, even if their primary role is recreational. As the study shows, the environment of a highly urbanized and industrialized region can also have a positive influence on ecological and floristic diversity

Effect of synthesis conditions on formation pathways of metal organic framework (MOF-5) Crystals

Metal Organic Frameworks (MOFs) represent a class of nanoporous crystalline materials with far reaching potential in gas storage, catalysis, and medical devices. We investigated the effects of synthesis process parameters on production of MOF-5 from terephthalic acid and zinc nitrate in diethylformamide. Under favorable synthesis conditions, we systematically mapped a solid formation diagram in terms of time and temperature for both stirred and unstirred conditions. The synthesis of MOF-5 has been previously reported as a straightforward reaction progressing from precursor compounds in solution directly to the final MOF-5 solid phase product. However, we show that the solid phase formation process is far more complex, invariably transferring through metastable intermediate crystalline phases before the final MOF-5 phase is reached, providing new insights into the formation pathways of MOFs. We also identify process parameters suitable for scale-up and continuous manufacturing of high purity MOF-5

Recommended Maximum Temperature For Mars Returned Samples

The Returned Sample Science Board (RSSB) was established in 2015 by NASA to provide expertise from the planetary sample community to the Mars 2020 Project. The RSSB's first task was to address the effect of heating during acquisition and storage of samples on scientific investigations that could be expected to be conducted if the samples are returned to Earth. Sample heating may cause changes that could ad-versely affect scientific investigations. Previous studies of temperature requirements for returned mar-tian samples fall within a wide range (-73 to 50 degrees Centigrade) and, for mission concepts that have a life detection component, the recommended threshold was less than or equal to -20 degrees Centigrade. The RSSB was asked by the Mars 2020 project to determine whether or not a temperature requirement was needed within the range of 30 to 70 degrees Centigrade. There are eight expected temperature regimes to which the samples could be exposed, from the moment that they are drilled until they are placed into a temperature-controlled environment on Earth. Two of those - heating during sample acquisition (drilling) and heating while cached on the Martian surface - potentially subject samples to the highest temperatures. The RSSB focused on the upper temperature limit that Mars samples should be allowed to reach. We considered 11 scientific investigations where thermal excursions may have an adverse effect on the science outcome. Those are: (T-1) organic geochemistry, (T-2) stable isotope geochemistry, (T-3) prevention of mineral hydration/dehydration and phase transformation, (T-4) retention of water, (T-5) characterization of amorphous materials, (T-6) putative Martian organisms, (T-7) oxidation/reduction reactions, (T-8) (sup 4) He thermochronometry, (T-9) radiometric dating using fission, cosmic-ray or solar-flare tracks, (T-10) analyses of trapped gasses, and (T-11) magnetic studies

A striking correspondence between the dynamics generated by the vector fields and by the scalar parabolic equations

The purpose of this paper is to enhance a correspondence between the dynamics of the differential equations $\dot y(t)=g(y(t))$ on $\mathbb{R}^d$ and those of the parabolic equations $\dot u=\Delta u +f(x,u,\nabla u)$ on a bounded domain $\Omega$. We give details on the similarities of these dynamics in the cases $d=1$, $d=2$ and $d\geq 3$ and in the corresponding cases $\Omega=(0,1)$, $\Omega=\mathbb{T}^1$ and dim($\Omega$)$\geq 2$ respectively. In addition to the beauty of such a correspondence, this could serve as a guideline for future research on the dynamics of parabolic equations

A framework to assist in the analysis of risks and rewards of adopting BIM for SMEs in the UK

© 2017 The Author(s) Published by VGTU Press and Informa UK Limited, [trading as Taylor & Francis Group]. Building information modelling (BIM) adoption amongst larger construction firms and innovators seems to be on the increase. However, there is evidence to suggest that small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) are currently lagging behind and are losing out in winning publicly funded projects. Guidance and frameworks to assist SMEs to make an informed decision about BIM adoption are currently lacking. There has been no systematic effort to date to bring together the results of research in SMEs’ BIM adoption. Consequently, this paper seeks to bridge this gap and provide a conceptual framework to give a theoretical foundation to the study of brokering risks and rewards in the adoption of BIM for project delivery. This framework is comprehensive and includes trading off risks and rewards associated with several criteria, such as stage of involvement, project value, funding, and the procurement route chosen. The approach has been validated by a representative sample of BIM users and the findings of the validation are also presented. The findings of the framework validation reveal that early design stage, project size between £5 m and £50 m, private funding, and integrated project delivery procurement are the best opportunities that enable SMEs to maximise the benefits and minimise the risks, when adopting BIM

Strategies for Investigating Early Mars Using Returned Samples

The 2011 Visions & Voyages Planeary Science Decadal Survey identified making significant progress toward the return of samples from Mars as the highest priority goal for flagship missions in next decade. Numerous scientific objectives have been identified that could be advanced through the potential return and analysis of martian rock, regolith, and atmospheric samples. The analysis of returned martian samples would be particularly valuable in in-creasing our understanding of Early Mars. There are many outstanding gaps in our knowledge about Early Mars in areas such as potential astrobiology, geochronology, planetary evolution (including the age, context, and processes of accretion, differentiation, magmatic, and magnetic history), the history of water at the martian surface, and the origin and evolution of the martian atmosphere. Here we will discuss scientific objectives that could be significantly advanced by Mars sample return