A fast MPP algorithm for Ising spin exchange simulations

A very efficient massively parallel processor (MPP) algorithm is described for performing one important class of Ising spin simulations. Results and physical significance of MPP calculations using the method described is discussed elsewhere. A few comments, however, are made on the problem under study and results so far are reported. Ted Einstein provided guidance in interpreting the initial results and in suggesting calculations to perform

Trilogy On Trade Policy: Safeguards; Mfn; Multiproduct Firms

This thesis examines the effects of the imposition of trade restriction and promotion policies in a variety of frameworks. The first chapter provides an introduction. The second chapter is theoretical in nature and uses a general equilibrium model to compare the welfare effects of global trade restrictive measures to those of selective measures applied against particular countries. It is the thesis of Chapter 2 that on the grounds of economic efficiency, there is no blanket theoretical support for the MFN application of safeguards. Whether or not a safeguard action undertaken on an MFN basis is better for the world as a whole than that undertaken on a selective basis depends on two overriding factors: the notion of equivalence between the MFN and the selective trade measures, and the distribution of the rents produced by the trade measures.;Chapter 3 tackles the MFN vs. selectivity issue in an empirical framework. Using a computable general equilibrium (CGE) model, this chapter examines the effects on world welfare of the conversion to their global counterparts of selective trade measures which were present in the United States (US) and European Community (EC) in the textiles and clothing, steel, and auto industries in 1986. The effects of the presence of labour adjustment costs on the results are also considered, but they do not appear to dominate the model. This analysis suggests that the simultaneous conversion of all existing safeguards from selective measures to their global counterparts would yield non-negative world welfare changes. However, the conversion of only some to their global counterparts, while others remain as selective measures, may produce negative welfare changes.;Chapter 4 uses a simple three-good, two-country general equilibrium framework to analyze the effects of trade policy on welfare and firm profits when multiproduct firms may be present in one or both countries. Various cases are examined in which both goods are produced by multi- or single product firms at home and/or abroad, and it can be shown that the presence of joint production can have definite effects on the trade policies advocated by home and foreign producers. In particular, domestic firms may not want tariffs on all imports when multiproduct firms are located in the foreign country

Visualization of uncertainty and analysis of geographical data

A team of five worked on this challenge to identify a possible criminal strucutre within the Flitter social network. Initially we worked on the problem individually, deliberately not sharing any data, results or conclusions. This maximised the chances of spotting any blunders, unjustified assumptions or inferences and allowed us to triangulate any common conclusions. After an agreed period we shared our results demonstrating the visualization applications we had built and the reasoning behind our conclusions. This sharing of assumptions encouraged us to incorporate uncertainty in our visualization approaches as it became clear that there was a number of possible interpretations of the rules and assumptions governing the challenge. This summary of the work emphasises one of those applications detailing the geographic analysis and uncertainty handling of the network data. ©2009 IEEE

Updating predictive accident models of modern rural single carriageway A-roads

Reliable predictive accident models (PAMs) are essential to design and maintain safe road networks and yet the models most commonly used in the UK were derived using data collected 20 to 30 years ago. Given that the national personal injury accident total fell by some 30% in the last 25 years, while road traffic increased by over 60%, significant errors in scheme appraisal and evaluation based on the models currently in use seem inevitable. In this paper the temporal transferability of PAMs for modern rural single carriageway A-roads is investigated and their predictive performance is evaluated against a recent data set. Despite the age of these models, the PAMs for predicting the total accidents provide a remarkably good fit to recent data and these are more accurate than models where accidents are disaggregated by type. The performance of the models can be improved by calibrating them against recent data

Circulation near the Newfoundland Ridge

Mesoscale eddies (25 to 150 km diameter) are observed to occur along the crest of the Newfoundland Ridge and have water properties that suggest an origin near the Tail of the Bank. The eddies appear to be important features of the circulation over the Ridge...

Unexpected Effect of Internal Degrees of Freedom on Transverse Phonons in Supercooled Liquids

We show experimentally that in a supercooled liquid composed of molecules with internal degrees of freedom the internal modes contribute to the frequency dependent shear viscosity and damping of transverse phonons, which results in an additional broadening of the transverse Brillouin lines. Earlier, only the effect of internal modes on the frequency dependent bulk viscosity and damping of longitudinal phonons was observed and explained theoretically in the limit of weak coupling of internal degrees of freedom to translational motion. A new theory is needed to describe this new effect. We also demonstrate, that the contributions of structural relaxation and internal processes to the width of the Brillouin lines can be separated by measurements under high pressure

Preventative tele-health supported services for early stage chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: a protocol for a pragmatic randomized controlled trial pilot

Background Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is a prevalent debilitating long term condition. It is the second most common cause of emergency admission to hospital in the UK and remains one of the most costly conditions to treat through acute care. Tele-health monitoring offers potential to reduce the rates of re-hospitalisation and emergency department visits and improve quality of life for people with COPD. However, the current evidence base to support technology adoption and implementation is limited and the resource implications for implementing tele-health in practice can be very high. This trial will employ tele-health monitoring in a preventative capacity for patients diagnosed with early stage COPD following discharge from hospital to determine whether it reduces their need for additional health service support or hospital admission and improves their quality of life. Methods/Design We describe a pilot study for a two arm, one site randomized controlled trial (RCT) to determine the effect of tele-health monitoring on self-management, quality of life and patient satisfaction. Sixty patients who have been discharged from one acute trust with a primary diagnosis of COPD and who have agreed to receive community clinical support following discharge from acute care will be randomly assigned to one of two groups: (a) Tele-health supported Community COPD Service; or (b) Usual Care. The tele-health supported service involves the patient receiving two home visits with a specialist COPD clinician (nurse or physiotherapist) then participating in daily tele-monitoring over an eight week period. Usual care consists of six home visits to the patient by specialist COPD clinicians again over eight successive weeks. Health status and quality of life data for all participants will be measured at baseline, on discharge from the service and at six months post discharge from the service. Discussion The tele-health service under study is a complex service delivered through a collaboration between local authority and health care partners. The implementation of this service demanded significant changes to established working patterns and has been a challenging process requiring considerable planning - a challenge that many providers are likely to face in the future. Trial registration Current Controlled Trials ISRCTN6885601