In this paper we show how to relate a form of high-dimensional complexity to chaotic and other types of dynamical systems. The derivation shows how "near-chaotic" complexity can arise without the presence of homoclinic tangles or positive Lyapunov exponents. The relationship we derive follows from the observation that the elements of invariant finite integer lattices of high-dimensional dynamical systems can, themselves, be viewed as single integers rather than coordinates of a point in n-space. From this observation it is possible to construct high-dimensional dynamical systems which have properties of shifts but for which there is no conventional topological conjugacy to a shift. The particular manner in which the shift appears in high-dimensional dynamical systems suggests that some forms of complexity arise from the presence of chaotic dynamics which are obscured by the large dimensionality of the system domain.
Abstract The reaction with the phenanthroline‐ligated perfluoroalkyl copper reagents is applied to a wide range of heteroaromatic bromides.
The real missing link in Ebola control efforts to date may lie in the failure to apply core principles of health promotion: the early, active and sustained engagement of affected communities, their trusted leaders, networks and lay knowledge, to help inform what local control teams do, and how they may better do it, in partnership with communities. The predominant focus on viral transmission has inadvertently stigmatized and created fear-driven responses among affected individuals, families and communities. While rigorous adherence to standard infection prevention and control (IPC) precautions and safety standards for Ebola is critical, we may be more successful if we validate and combine local community knowledge and experiences with that of IPC medical teams. In an environment of trust, community partners can help us learn of modest adjustments that would not compromise safety but could improve community understanding of, and responses to, disease control protocol, so that it better reflects their 'community protocol' (local customs, beliefs, knowledge and practices) and concerns. Drawing on the experience of local experts in several African nations and of community-engaged health promotion leaders in the USA, Canada and WHO, we present an eight step model, from entering communities with cultural humility, though reciprocal learning and trust, multi-method communication, development of the joint protocol, to assessing progress and outcomes and building for sustainability. Using examples of changes that are culturally relevant yet maintain safety, we illustrate how often minor adjustments can help prevent and treat the most serious emerging infectious disease since HIV/AIDS.
Abstract The response of linear elastic and non‐linear hysteretic systems having a single degree of freedom to recorded and simulated ground motions is studied. The objective is to evaluate whether the commonly used simulated motions are appropriate for predicting inelastic response of structures and elastic response of long period structures. Eight simulated motions were generated to model properties of horizontal ground motions recorded during four earthquakes. The simulated motions are sample functions of a stationary, Gaussian white noise process, multiplied by a temporal intensity function and passed through a linear single‐degree‐of‐freedom filter. Two versions, corresponding to parabolic and ‘standard’ base line corrections (BLC), of each of the simulated and recorded accelerograms were considered. The following general conclusions are deduced. Simulated ground motions should be subjected to the standard BLC, because it results in more reliable ground velocities and displacements, which in turn would lead to more reliable predictions of response of long period structures. Furthermore, the spectral density of the underlying random process, from which the simulated motions are obtained, should be modified to be more representative of the frequency content of recorded motions, especially in the low frequency range. Such an improved model can be expected to lead to better agreement, over a broad range of periods, in the average response spectra of simulated and recorded motions, for elastic as well as inelastic systems.
Abstract We report the chemo‐ and regioselective hydrogenolysis of the C−O bonds in di‐ ortho ‐substituted diaryl ethers under the catalysis of a supported nickel catalyst. The catalyst comprises heterogeneous nickel particles supported on activated carbon and furnishes arenes and phenols in high yields without hydrogenation. The high thermal stability of the embedded metal particles allows C−O bond cleavage to occur in highly substituted diaryl ether units akin to those in lignin. Preliminary mechanistic experiments show that this catalyst undergoes sintering less readily than previously reported catalyst particles that form from a solution of [Ni(cod) 2 ].
Abstract An enzymatic reactor with lipase immobilized on a monolithic polymer support has been prepared and used to catalyze the transesterification of triacylglycerides into the fatty acid methyl esters commonly used for biodiesel. A design of experiments procedure was used to optimize the monolithic reactor with variables including control of the surface polarity of the monolith via variations in the length of the hydrocarbon chain in alkyl methacrylate monomer, time of grafting of 1‐vinyl‐4,4‐dimethylazlactone used to activate the monolith, and time used for the immobilization of porcine lipase. Optimal conditions involved the use of a poly(stearyl methacrylate‐ co ‐ethylene dimethacrylate) monolith, grafted first with vinylazlactone, then treated with lipase for 2 h to carry out the immobilization of the enzyme. Best conditions for the transesterification of glyceryl tributyrate included a temperature of 37°C and a 10 min residence time of the substrate in the bioreactor. The reactor did not lose its activity even after pumping through it a solution of substrate equaling 1,000 reactor volumes. This enzymatic reactor was also used for the transesterification of triacylglycerides from soybean oil to fatty acid methyl esters thus demonstrating the ability of the reactor to produce biodiesel. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2012; 109:371–380. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Suspension feeders concentrate organic material from the water column and enhance deposition to the surrounding benthos. On the South Fork of the Eel River (Mendocino, California) two suspension feeders, the freshwater mussel Margaritifera falcata and Pacific lamprey larvae Lampetra tridentata , co‐occur in areas with low flow velocities and boundary sheer stresses. We investigated mussel/lamprey larvae interactions, and their impacts on nutrient and organic matter cycling, in flow‐through enclosures placed where lamprey larvae and mussels naturally occurred. Over the 80‐day study, lamprey larvae grew faster in the presence of mussels and in food addition treatments. Our results suggest that lamprey larvae benefit from native mussels, and that lamprey populations and organic matter retention in rivers may decrease with the rapid decline of native freshwater mussels.
This paper reports on the development of a visualization system for architectural lighting designers. It starts by motivating the problem as both complex in its physics and social organization. Three iterations of prototypes for displaying time and space varying phenomena are discussed. Fieldwork is presented to identify where in practice they will be most effective. A set of user studies, one of which is analyzed in fine-grained detail, show how building designers incorporate visualization on hypothetical design problems. This has positive implications for both energy efficiency and lighting quality in buildings.
Two events share the stage as main drivers of the Cretaceous-Paleogene mass extinction—Deccan Traps volcanism, and an asteroid impact recorded by the Chicxulub crater. We contribute to refining knowledge of the volcanic stressor by providing sulfur and fluorine budgets of Deccan lavas from the Western Ghats (India), which straddle the Cretaceous-Paleogene boundary. Volcanic fluorine budgets were variable (400 to 3000 parts per million) and probably sufficient to affect the environment, albeit only regionally. The highest sulfur budgets (up to 1800 parts per million) are recorded in Deccan lavas emplaced just prior (within 0.1 million years) to the extinction interval, whereas later basalts are generally sulfur-poor (up to 750 parts per million). Independent evidence suggests the Deccan flood basalts erupted in high-flux pulses. Our data suggest that volcanic sulfur degassing from such activity could have caused repeated short-lived global drops in temperature, stressing the ecosystems long before the bolide impact delivered its final blow at the end of the Cretaceous.