A quantum dynamical comparison of the electronic couplings derived from quantum electrodynamics and Förster theory:Application to 2D molecular aggregates

The objective of this study is to investigate under what circumstances Förster theory of electronic (resonance) energy transfer breaks down in molecular aggregates. This is achieved by simulating the dynamics of exciton diffusion, on the femtosecond timescale, in molecular aggregates using the Liouville–von Neumann equation of motion. Specifically the focus of this work is the investigation of both spatial and temporal deviations between exciton dynamics driven by electronic couplings calculated from Förster theory and those calculated from quantum electrodynamics. The quantum electrodynamics (QED) derived couplings contain medium- and far-zone terms that do not exist in Förster theory. The results of the simulations indicate that Förster coupling is valid when the dipole centres are within a few nanometres of one another. However, as the distance between the dipole centres increases from 2 nm to 10 nm, the intermediate- and far-zone coupling terms play non-negligible roles and Förster theory begins to break down. Interestingly, the simulations illustrate how contributions to the exciton dynamics from the intermediate- and far-zone coupling terms of QED are quickly washed-out by the near-zone mechanism of Förster theory for lattices comprising closely packed molecules. On the other hand, in the case of sparsely packed arrays, the exciton dynamics resulting from the different theories diverge within the 100 fs lifetime of the trajectories. These results could have implications for the application of spectroscopic ruler techniques as well as design principles relating to energy harvesting materials

A systematic study of how molecular structure influences combustion and pyrolysis of novel renewable fuels in a diesel engine and high temperature reactor

Internal combustion technology has been employed as the primary mode of propulsion for transportation since the early 1900s, with continual improvements in efficiency ever since. Despite this, issues associated with the fuels combusted have caused a shift towards electrification, but this is not suitable for all applications and geographies. It is therefore necessary to seek sustainable fuels, in conventional engines, for the short to medium-term alleviation of CO2 emissions, fossil fuel usage and toxic pollution detrimental to air quality. The work presented uses a compression ignition (CI) engine to test a range of novel fuels, with proven sustainable sources, to detect their impact on exhaust emissions and combustion. Initially, a range of 2nd generation furanic biofuels were tested, in order to understand the effect of molecular structure on combustion. Saturated cyclic molecules with carbonyl side chains possessed strong ignitability, while alleviating particulate mass (PM); these molecular attributes are indicative of lactones. Lactones were therefore tested within the CI engine, with a subsequent investigation utilising a pyrolytic reactor to help understand soot formation from these fuels, since soot is initially formed from gaseous precursors. Gas Chromatography- Flame Ionisation Detection (GC-FID) analysis was used to detect soot-precursor concentrations in the breakdown of a lactone compared to other C10 fuels. It was determined that, despite minor differences in species present and differing precursor abundance, the pattern of pyrolysis products was similar for all fuels; ethylene was most prevalent, with lower levels of C3s (propene) and C4 (1,3-butadiene) gases. Preliminary investigations were undertaken to detect molecular breakdown of fuels in the engine itself, employing in-cylinder sampling to collect cylinder contents. Minor differences were noted between engine and reactor, likely due to air-derived oxygen in the engine. Finally, an investigation was conducted to gauge the impact of a hydrogen fuel carrier (ammonium hydroxide) on diesel combustion. This is less hazardous than ammonia itself, but the presence of water was shown to be detrimental to combustion efficiency at lower engine loads, while the fuel- bound nitrogen appeared to contribute to greater NOx emissions at comparable engine loads

An Investigation of Plagiarism and Electronic Agents to Assist in Detecting Plagiarism

The importance of integrity in business is echoed in the recent disclosures involving Enron, Worldcom, and several other major companies. Academically, the professor must always be aware of the potential for academic dishonesty from students. Academic dishonesty includes plagiarism. This paper reviews the motivations for plagiarism, the methods of detecting and preventing plagiarism, and two electronic agents that assist in plagiarism detection

I\u27m Going to Bring a Wedding Ring : To You In Sping

https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/mmb-vp/4974/thumbnail.jp

Ransomware - A Strategic Threat to Organizations

Ransomware is a strategic threat to government, business, and academic organizations. It has both short term and long term consequences, requiring strategic planning to create defenses, assess options, and create policies. The purpose of the study is to answer three questions: What is the strategic risk of cyberattack to organizations? What are the current attitudes and practices of executives who are vulnerable to such threats? What are specific options that organizations should consider to prevent and deal with possible incidents in the future? The article is thus comprised of the following components: A) a history of the development and complexity of ransomware; B) a survey of IT professionals in government, business and education; and C) recommended strategic options for organizations to defend against cyber threats. We conducted a survey of ninety-two cybersecurity professionals in government, education, and business. Attitudinal divergence occurred in the areas of cyber-defense, perpetrator negotiations, ransom payment, and involvement of law enforcement. The authors recommend thirteen specific solutions to assist organizations when dealing with ransomware

Boosting Higgs pair production in the bbˉbbˉb\bar{b}b\bar{b} final state with multivariate techniques

The measurement of Higgs pair production will be a cornerstone of the LHC program in the coming years. Double Higgs production provides a crucial window upon the mechanism of electroweak symmetry breaking and has a unique sensitivity to the Higgs trilinear coupling. We study the feasibility of a measurement of Higgs pair production in the $b\bar{b}b\bar{b}$ final state at the LHC. Our analysis is based on a combination of traditional cut-based methods with state-of-the-art multivariate techniques. We account for all relevant backgrounds, including the contributions from light and charm jet mis-identification, which are ultimately comparable in size to the irreducible $4b$ QCD background. We demonstrate the robustness of our analysis strategy in a high pileup environment. For an integrated luminosity of $\mathcal{L}=3$ ab$^{-1}$, a signal significance of $S/\sqrt{B}\simeq 3$ is obtained, indicating that the $b\bar{b}b\bar{b}$ final state alone could allow for the observation of double Higgs production at the High-Luminosity LHC.Comment: 47 pages, 22 figures. v2: updated references, added comparison of post-MVA kinematic distributions. v3: matches published version in EPJ

Does growth in private schooling contribute to Education for All? Evidence from a longitudinal, two cohort study in Andhra Pradesh, India

This paper informs debates about the potential role for low-fee private schooling in achieving Education for All goals in India. It reports ‘Young Lives’ longitudinal data for two cohorts (2,906 children) in the state of Andhra Pradesh. Eight year olds uptake of private schooling increased from 24 per cent (children born in 1994-5) to 44 per cent (children born in 2001-2). Children from rural areas, lower socioeconomic backgrounds and girls continue to be under represented. While some access gaps decreased, the gender gap seems to be widening. Evidence on risks to equity strengthen the case for an effectively regulated private sector, along with reforms to government sector schools

Integrating Experiential Learning Into Business Courses: Using Learning Journals To Create Living Case Studies

Research demonstrates that the capacity to implement strategy and to execute plans drives business success (Hrebiniak, 2007) and that businesses’ inability to succeed by executing effectively arises from the ubiquitous incapacity of business professionals to overcome the gap between what they know and what they are actually able to do, whether personally or professionally (Pfeffer & Sutton, 2000). Research and experience also demonstrates that the capacity to execute is not primarily about operational or tactical skills.  Rather, it is more a “discipline to learn” (Bossidy, Charan & Burck, 2002; i.e., the capacity to execute is primarily a discipline of continuously learning to acquire, to interpret, and especially to apply information (Garvin, 2000) in a never-ending spiral of improvement. Business professionals must possess this capacity in order to succeed over the long-term. The purpose of business education is to prepare professionals for successful performance in businesses.  However, unlike the preparation of medical doctors and many other professionals, the education in most business schools remains more theoretical than experiential in the andragogy employed. Even the typical case study, like many instructional techniques used in business schools, is still relatively “theoretical” in that it is not a business experience in which the student is personally involved. This paper introduces an instructional method, the journal entry assignment, to help address the challenge of creating a more experiential education and preparation for business. This assignment enables students to “learn by doing” and, in effect, it creates a “living case study” experience for students