Digital Commons Network^™

Nanocomposites For Novel Holographic Applications, Izabela Naydenova, Svetlana Mintova, Suzanne Martin, Vincent Toal

Articles

Nanozeolites incorporated into photopolymerizable holographic recording materials can be used for holographic sensing, data storage, and optical systems design.

Liberal Mccartyism And The Origins Of Critical Race Theory Critical Race Theory Speaker Series - Crt 20: Honoring Our Past, Charting Our Future, Richard Delgado

Articles

No abstract provided.

Genes As Tags: The Tax Implications Of Widely Available Genetic Information, Kyle D. Logue, Joel Slemrod

Articles

Advances in genetic research promise to loosen the tradeoff between progressivity and effi ciency by allowing tax liability (or transfer eligibility) to be based in part on immutable characteristics of individuals (“tags”) that are correlated with their expected lot in life. Use of genetic tags would reduce reliance on tax bases (such as income) that are subject to individual choices and, therefore, subject to ineffi cient distortion to those choices. If genetic information can be used by private employers and insurers, the case for basing tax in part on it becomes more compelling, as genetic inequalities would be exacerbated by …

Establishing Relations Between Law And Other Forms Of Thought And Language, James Boyd White

Articles

The law does not, and could not, exist in an intellectual or linguistic vacuum. No one believes that the law is or should be impervious to other languages, other bodies of knowledge. In this sense the argument about the 'autonomy' of law is an empty one: law cannot be, should not be, perfectly autonomous, unconnected with any other system of thought and expression; yet it plainly has it own identity as a discourse, it own intellectual and linguistic habits, which it is our task as lawyers to understand and develop. It follows that an essential topic of legal thought is …

Of Truth, In Science And In Law, Susan Haack

Articles

No abstract provided.

Improved High-Temperature Stability And Sun-Light-Driven Photocatalytic Activity Of Sulfur-Doped Anatase Tio2, Suresh Pillai, Declan Mccormack, Pradeepan Periyat, John Colreavy, Steve Hinder

Articles

No abstract provided.

Natural Laws And Inevitable Infringement, Alan L. Durham

Articles

According to wellestablished principles one cannot patent natural laws or phenomena per se but one can patent new and useful applications of those laws and phenomena Justice Breyers opinion in Laboratory Corp v Metabolite Labs Inc applies this distinction to inventions exploiting natural relationships such as a method of diagnosing a vitamin deficiency by observing elevated levels of an amino acid in a patients blood Justice Breyer concludes that patenting a method based on observation and reasoning amounts to patenting the natural relationship itself a result contrary to policy because it denies others a basic tool of research In fact …

Efficient Mining Of Heterogeneous Star-Structured Data, Manjeet Rege, Qi Yu

Articles

Many of the real world clustering problems arising in data mining applications are heterogeneous in nature. Heterogeneous co-clustering involves simultaneous clustering of objects of two or more data types. While pairwise co-clustering of two data types has been well studied in the literature, research on high-order heterogeneous co-clustering is still limited. In this paper, we propose a graph theoretical framework for addressing star- structured co-clustering problems in which a central data type is connected to all the other data types. Partitioning this graph leads to co-clustering of all the data types under the constraints of the star-structure. Although, graph partitioning …

Teaching Contradiction: A Case Study, Michael Townsend

Articles

One of the most difficult realities confronting first-year law students is that American legal education is simultaneously theoretical and metatheoretical. At one moment students are at the "theoretical" level, by which I mean that they work "within" or "inside" the "black letter" in the context of various factual settings. In the next instant, students move to the "meta-theoretical" level, talking "about" the black letter from a number of "perspectives." That is, they slide between "learning law" and "learning about law." Many students find such transitions to be problematic, bewildering, and even stressful.

One response, for students and teachers alike, is …

Transitioning The Family Business, Dwight Drake

Articles

By any measure, family-dominated businesses are the backbone of the American economy. Although a large majority of family businesses are managed by senior family members who are older than age 55 and more than 80 percent of such senior family members claim that they want the business to remain in the family, less than 30 percent of such businesses have tackled the challenge of developing a plan for transitioning the business to the next generation.

For over 90 percent of such families, this planning challenge is aggravated by the fact that they have no diversified wealth: the family’s wealth is …

On An Integrable Two-Component Camassa-Holm Shallow Water System, Adrian Constantin, Rossen Ivanov

Articles

The interest in the Camassa-Holm equation inspired the search for various generalizations of this equation with interesting properties and applications. In this letter we deal with such a twocomponent integrable system of coupled equations. First we derive the system in the context of shallow water theory. Then we show that while small initial data develop into global solutions, for some initial data wave breaking occurs. We also discuss the solitary wave solutions. Finally, we present an explicit construction for the peakon solutions in the short wave limit of system.

Algebraic Discretization Of The Camassa-Holm And Hunter-Saxton Equations, Rossen Ivanov

Articles

The Camassa-Holm (CH) and Hunter-Saxton (HS) equations have an interpretation as geodesic flow equations on the group of diffeomorphisms, preserving the H1 and H.1 right-invariant metrics correspondingly. There is an analogy to the Euler equations in hydrodynamics, which describe geodesic flow for a right-invariant metric on the infinitedimensional group of diffeomorphisms preserving the volume element of the domain of fluid flow and to the Euler equations of rigid body whith a fixed point, describing geodesics for a left-invariant metric on SO(3). The CH and HS equations are integrable bi-hamiltonian equations and one of their Hamiltonian structures is associated to the …

Non-Existence Of A Minimizer To The Hartree-Fock Functional, Michael Melgaard, Mattias Enstedt

Articles

In the presence of an external magnetic field, we prove absence of a ground state within the Hartree-Fock theory of atoms and molecules. The result is established for a wide class of magnetic fields when the number of electrons is greater than or equal to 2Z + K, where Z is the total charge of K nuclei. Positivity properties are instrumental in the proof of this bound for the maximal ionization

Existence Of A Solution To Hartree-Fock Equations With Decreasing Magnetic Field, Mattias Enstedt, Michael Melgaard

Articles

In the presence of an external magnetic field, we prove existence of a ground state within the Hartree–Fock theory of atoms and molecules. The ground state exists provided the magnetic field decreases at infinity and the total charge of nuclei exceeds , where is the number of electrons. In the opposite direction, no ground state exists if .

Covert Encryption And Document Authentication Using Texture Coding, Jonathan Blackledge, Mary Hallot

Articles

With the improvements in the quality of Commercial-Off-The-Shelf (COTS) printing and scanning devices, the ability to counterfeit documents has become a widespread problem. Consequently, there has been an increasing demand to develop digital watermarking techniques which can be applied to both electronic and printed images (and documents) that can be authenticated, prevent unauthorized copying and withstand abuse and degradation. In this paper , a new approach to digital watermarking is presented and a range of possible applications are considered. The process is defined by using concepts and techniques borrowed from Cryptography. It is based on computing a 'scramble image' by …

Multi-Algorithmic Cryptography Using Deterministic Chaos With Applications To Mobile Communications, Jonathan Blackledge

Articles

In this extended paper, we present an overview of the principal issues associated with cryptography, providing historically significant examples for illustrative purposes as part of a short tutorial for readers that are not familiar with the subject matter. This is used to introduce the role that nonlinear dynamics and chaos play in the design of encryption engines which utilize different types of Iteration Function Systems (IFS). The design of such encryption engines requires that they conform to the principles associated with diffusion and confusion for generating ciphers that are of a maximum entropy type. For this reason, the role of …

A Surface Inspection Machine Vision System That Includes Fractal Texture Analysis, Jonathan Blackledge, Dmitry Dubovitskiy

Articles

The detection, recognition and classification of features in a digital image is an important component of quality control systems in production and process engineering and industrial systems monitoring, in general. In this paper, a new pattern recognition system is presented that has been designed for the specific task of monitoring the quality of sheet-steel production in a rolling mill. The system is based on using both the Euclidean and Fractal geometric properties of an imaged object to develop training data that is used in conjunction with a supervised learning procedure based on the application of a fuzzy inference engine. Thus, …

Audio Data Verification And Authentication Using Frequency Modulation Based Watermarking, Jonathan Blackledge, Omar Farooq

Articles

An approach to watermarking digital signals using frequency modulation - ‘Chirp Coding’ - is considered. The principles underlying this approach are based on the use of a matched filter to reconstruct a ‘chirp stream’ code that is uniquely robust. The method is generic in the sense that it can, in principle, be used for a variety of different signal (the authentication of speech and biomedical signals, for example). Further, by generating a bit stream that is signal dependent, chirp coding provides a method of self-authentication, which has a wide range of applications including copyright protection and digital rights management. However, …

Object Detection And Classification With Applications To Skin Cancer Screening, Jonathan Blackledge, Dmitryi Dubovitskiy

Articles

This paper discusses a new approach to the processes of object detection, recognition and classification in a digital image. The classification method is based on the application of a set of features which include fractal parameters such as the Lacunarity and Fractal Dimension. Thus, the approach used, incorporates the characterisation of an object in terms of its texture.

The principal issues associated with object recognition are presented which includes two novel fast segmentation algorithms for which C++ code is provided. The self-learning procedure for designing a decision making engine using fuzzy logic and membership function theory is also presented and …

V-Shaped Electro-Optic Response Observed In A Chiral Ferroelectric Smectic Liquid Crystal, V. Manjuladevi, Yuri Panarin, Jang-Kun Song, B. K. Sadashiva

Articles

We report on the observation of V-shaped switching in a ferroelectric liquid crystal cell over a wide range of temperatures. Results of the optical transmittance in the visible region give us the helical pitch for various temperatures of the ferroelectric liquid crystalline compound used. We show that the helical pitch, in addition to the spontaneous polarization (PS) and thickness of the alignment layer of the cell, is an important factor in giving V-shaped switching. A longer or helical compensated mixture gives a better V-shaped switching. © 2008 American Institute of Physics.

Analysis Of Financial Data Using Non-Negative Matrix Factorization, Ruairí De Fréin, Konstantinos Drakakis, Scott Rickard, Andrzej Cichocki

Articles

We apply Non-negative Matrix Factorization (NMF) to the prob-lem of identifying underlying trends in stock market data. NMF is arecent and very successful tool for data analysis including image andaudio processing; we use it here to decompose a mixture a data, thedaily closing prices of the 30 stocks which make up the Dow Jones In-dustrial Average, into its constitute parts, the underlying trends which govern the financial marketplace. We demonstrate how to impose ap-propriate sparsity and smoothness constraints on the components of thedecomposition. Also, we describe how the method clusters stocks to-gether in performance-based groupings which can be used for …

Effects Of Cold Weather On Mortality: Results From 15 European Cities Within The Phewe Project, Antonis Analitis, Klea Katsouyanni, Annibale Biggeri, Michela Baccini, Bertil Forsberg Bertil Forsberg, Luigi Bisanti, Ursula Kirchmayer, Ferran Ballester, Ennio Cadum, Patrick J. Goodman, Ana Hojs, J. Sunyer, Pekka Tiittanen, Paola Michelozzi

Articles

Weather-related health effects have attracted renewed interest because of the observed and predicted climate change. The authors studied the short-term effects of cold weather on mortality in 15 European cities. The effects of minimum apparent temperature on cause- and age-specific daily mortality were assessed for the cold season (October-March) by using data from 1990-2000. For city-specific analysis, the authors used Poisson regression and distributed lag models, controlling for potential confounders. Meta-regression models summarized the results and explored heterogeneity. A 1 degrees C decrease in temperature was associated with a 1.35% (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.16, 1.53) increase in the daily …

A Visual Indication Of Environmental Humidity Using A Color Changing Hologram Recorded In A Self-Developing Photopolymer, Izabela Naydenova, Raghavendra Jallapuram, Vincent Toal, Suzanne Martin

Articles

A reflection hologram for visual indication of environmental humidity has been studied. The hologram is recorded in a self-developing photopolymer and changes color when exposed to a change in humidity and is fully reversible. The range of color change, reversibility, and the response time of the hologram have been studied in a controlled humidity environment. Fully reversible holograms with response times from few seconds to tens of minutes have been designed. Extremely sensitive bright visual humidity indicators, capable of dramatic color change within a few seconds of breathing on them are demonstrated

Method For Characterization Of Diffusion Properties Of Photopolymerisable Systems, Tzvetanka Babeva, Izabela Naydenova, Suzanne Martin, Vincent Toal

Articles

A novel approach for measuring the diffusion coefficients in photopolymerisable materials is proposed. The method is based on studying the evolution of the surface relief profile in a single illuminated spot using an interferometric surface profiler. It is shown that the observed post-exposure swelling in the illuminated spot is due to mass-transport of monomer from the unexposed to the exposed area driven by a monomer concentration gradient set up by the monomer polymerization in the exposed area. Appropriate choice of the thickness of the studied layers ensures both lateral movement of monomer and negligible contribution from the depth. The diffusion …

Implementation Of Phase-Only Modulation Utilizing A Twisted Nematic Liquid Crystal Spatial Light Modulator, Mohammad Mahmud, Izabela Naydenova, Vincent Toal

Articles

Twisted nematic liquid crystal spatial light modulators, (SLM) are widely used for amplitude modulation of light. The technique for measuring phase and amplitude modulation introduced by a twisted nematic cell is not new but the novelty here is that after characterisation of a Holoeye LC2002 TNLC device we were able to identify specific conditions that allow for its use as a pure 180 degree or more, phase modulator with little or no amplitude modulation at 514.5 nm laser wavelength. The phase shift introduced by the SLM was measured using a Mach-Zehnder interferometer. The experimentally measured and the theoretically predicted intensity …

Fabrication Of Switchable Liquid Crystal Devices Using Surface Relief Gratings In Photopolymer, Pavani Kotakonda, Izabela Naydenova, Robert Howard, Suzanne Martin, Vincent Toal

Articles

Holographically recorded surface relief gratings in dry, self-developing acrylamide based photopolymer were used to fabricate two types of switchable liquid crystal (LC) device. One is an electrically switchable LC diffraction grating and the other is an electrically switchable polarization rotator. The electrically switchable diffraction grating was characterized by measuring the dependence of the intensity in the first diffracted order on the applied electric field. The polarization rotator was characterized by studying the influence of the applied electric field on the twist angle and the variation of intensity in the zero and the first orders of diffraction.

Long-Term Evolution Of Massive Black Hole Binaries. Iii. Binary Evolution In Collisional Nuclei, David Merritt, Seppo Mikkola, Andras Szell

Articles

In galactic nuclei with sufficiently short relaxation times, binary supermassive black holes can evolve beyond their stalling radii via continued interaction with stars. We study this “collisional” evolutionary regime using both fully self-consistent N-body integrations and approximate Fokker-Planck models. The N-body integrations employ particle numbers up to 0.26×106 and a direct-summation potential solver; close interactions involving the binary are treated using a new implementation of the Mikkola-Aarseth chain regularization algorithm. Even at these large values of N, two-body scattering occurs at high enough rates in the N-body simulations that the binary is never fully in the diffusively-repopulated (i.e. large-N) loss …

Prevention Of Staphylococcus Epidermidis Biofilm Formation Using A Low-Temperature Processed Silver-Doped Phenyltriethoxysilane Sol–Gel Coating, Niall Stobie, Brendan Duffy, Declan Mccormack, John Colreavy, Martha Hidalgo, Patrick Mchale, Steven Hinder

Articles

Sol–gel coatings which elute bioactive silver ions are presented as a potential solution to the problem of biofilm formation on indwelling surfaces. There is evidence that high-temperature processing of such materials can lead to diffusion of silver away from the coating surface, reducing the amount of available silver. In this study, we report the biofilm inhibition of a Staphylococcus epidermidis biofilm using a low-temperature processed silver-doped phenyltriethoxysilane sol–gel coating. The incorporation of a silver salt into a sol–gel matrix resulted in an initial high release of silver in de-ionised water and physiological buffered saline (PBS), followed by a lower sustained …

Practical Sensor For Measurement Of Nitrogen, Dusan Popovic, Vladimir Milosavljevic, Steven Daniels

Articles

This paper presents a method for precise measurement of atomic and molecular nitrogen in an oxygen-nitrogen dc plasma. This is achieved by monitoring the intensities of the atomic nitrogen spectral line at 821.6 nm and the molecular nitrogen bandhead at 337.1 nm, relative to the atomic oxygen spectral line at 844.7 nm. Oxygen is one of the most frequently used gases for surface chemical treatment, including deposition and etching, therefore the ability to measure and control the process and chemical composition of the process is essential. To validate this oxygen actimometry method for N2-xO2 (where x varies from 0 to …

A Cosmic Ray Current-Driven Instability In Partially Ionised Media, Brian Reville, John Kirk, Peter Duffy, Stephen O'Sullivan

Articles

We investigate the growth of hydromagnetic waves driven by streaming cosmic rays in the precursor environment of a supernova remnant shock. It is known that transverse waves propagating parallel to the mean magnetic field are unstable to anisotropies in the cosmic ray distribution, and may provide a mechanism to substantially amplify the ambient magnetic field. We quantify the extent to which temperature and ionisation fractions modify this picture. Using a kinetic description of the plasma we derive the dispersion relation for a collisionless thermal plasma with a streaming cosmic ray current. Fluid equations are then used to discuss the effects …