Balancing capacity and epidemic spread in the global airline network

The structure of complex networks has long been understood to play a role in transmission and spreading phenomena on a graph. Such networks form an important part of the structure of society, including transportation networks. As society fights to control the COVID-19 pandemic, an important question is how to choose the optimum balance between the full opening of transport networks and the control of epidemic spread. In this work we investigate the interplay between network dismantling and epidemic spread rate as a proxy for the imposition of travel restrictions to control disease spread. For network dismantling we focus on the weighted and unweighted forms of metrics that capture the topological and informational structure of the network. Our results indicate that there is benefit to a directed approach to imposing travel restrictions, but we identify that more detailed models of the transport network are necessary for definitive results.

THERMAL-DAYLIGHTING BALANCE THROUGH BUILDING SHADING DEVICES: A REVIEW ON FACTORS AND METHODS

Daylighting is interpreted as natural sunlight allowed into an indoor space. Passive lighting strategies are considered fundamental in achieving a high performing sustainable building, which affects the visual and thermal comfort, and energy performance of a building. Many strategies in controlling daylighting are known, however, the wrong implementation can lead to a negative effect. The results obtained need to reach a balance between daylighting and thermal performance. This review is conducted to analyse the concept and factors that affect the balance through different research parameters. The performance factors include energy, comfort and perception or view. The different methods of achieving the balance are categorized into three, which are parameter relation, combination, and multi-objective optimization. Building shading devices are considered as one of the major solutions to reach thermal-daylighting balance. Through a comprehensive review, adjustable shading control is recommended as a better option for building shading device for buildings to achieve the optimum balance.

Enhanced Performance of Fly Ash-Based Supports for Low-Cost Ceramic Membranes with the Addition of Bauxite

Support is a necessary foundation for ceramic membranes to achieve high performance. Finding the optimum balance between high performance and low cost is still a significant challenge in the fabrication of ceramic supports. In this study, low-cost fly ash-based ceramic supports with enhanced performance were prepared by the addition of bauxite. The pore structure, mechanical strength, and shrinkage of fly ash/bauxite supports could be tuned by optimizing the bauxite content and sintering temperature. When the sintering temperature and bauxite content were controlled at 1300 °C and 40 wt%, respectively, the obtained membrane supports exhibited a high pure water permeance of approximately 5.36 m3·m−2·h−1·bar−1 and a high bending strength of approximately 69.6 MPa. At the same time, the optimized ceramic supports presented a typical mullite phase and excellent resistance to acid and alkali. This work provides a potential route for the preparation of ceramic membrane supports with characteristics of low cost and high performance.

New and Improved Single-Aqueous-Phase Retarded Acid SAPRA - Performance, Pore Volume Break through, and Wormhole Characterization

Controlling the reactivity of HCl is the most viable approach to successfully stimulate a high-temperature carbonate reservoir. It is essential to retard the HCl-carbonate rock reaction to achieve the optimum balance between total fluid used and enhancing well production. However, drawbacks intrinsic to the technology architectures have prevented the industry-wide adoption of these inventions. For instance, the conventional emulsified acid is well documented to exhibit high friction pressure, is cumbersome to prepare, and performance is sensitive to a multitude of parameters. The recently developed singleaqueous-phase retarded acid (SAPRA) represents one big step toward the right direction, but there is certainly ample room for improvement. This paper presents the next generation of SAPRA system and its laboratory findings. In this system, the HCl reactivity is regulated and retarded by a single, potent low-dosage additive, which is compatible with selected acid corrosion inhibitors, non-emulsifiers, H2S scavengers, and other commonly used additives, and if necessary, friction reducers as well.

Structuring and financing private equity and venture capital transactions in Luxembourg

Purpose Luxembourg is the jurisdiction of choice for many private equity and venture capital investors/funds. Though the optimum balance of financing instruments in relation to any structure varies according to its particular circumstances, one factor that all Luxembourg domiciled FDI structures have in common is the requirement for an appropriate level of equity investment. This article intends to summarize some of the topics frequently encountered in relation to equity structuring choices. Design/methodology/approach Author details the different steps and choices available to investors and funds. The article offers answers to questions to provide a broad, yet detailed, overview of the process and journey; from selecting the vehicle right through to distributing to investors, governance, and compliance. Findings To avoid an expensive mistake, it is paramount that the private equity or venture capital investors and management team receive detailed advice to ensure: (i) the deal is structured in the most tax efficient manner possible and the commercial deal is suitable for all parties, and (ii) the deal is structured in a manner which is effective under Luxembourg law, for both tax and legal purposes. Practical implications It is important that non-Luxembourg lawyers are able to identify key issues when negotiating the terms of the investment documents, in particular, the articles of association and shareholders' agreement. Originality/value Practical guidance from Luxembourg lawyer specializing in corporate law, mergers and acquisitions, venture capital and private equity transactions.

Multi-elemental isotope and analog tracer application to measure nutrient uptake and distribution in Malus domestica Borkh.

Plant nutrient uptake is critical to maintain an optimum balance between vegetative and reproductive growth and fruit quality. Nutrient imbalances, and more specifically the relationship of potassium, magnesium and nitrogen to calcium, can be critical for fruit quality in apple (Malus x domestica Borkh.). In perennial plants, it is difficult to conduct short-term experiments to measure plant uptake and distribution in response to either cultivar or treatment because of substantial preexisting nutrient pools already present. The use of isotopically labeled nitrogen, and nutrient analogs such as strontium and rubidium allow for the quantification of uptake and distribution that is often not possible with bulk mineral analysis. Here, the objective was to understand how scion genotype influences nutrient uptake and partitioning between aboveground and below ground parts of the tree. In this experiment, 10 atom% 15N, Strontium (Sr), and Rubidium (Rb) were applied to three different potted apple cultivars that were either treated with ABA 250 mg/L or 500 mg/L or an untreated control. After 70 days of growth, overall recovery rates of each tracer reflected the mobility of their nutrient analog. Strontium had an average tracer recovery rate of 3.9%, followed by 15N with 14.6% recovery and finally Rb with 15.1%. Independent of treatment, Gala significantly absorbed more tracer followed by Granny Smith and Honeycrisp for Rb and Sr but not 15N. These results have implications in understanding the association between aboveground factors like transpiration and nutrient uptake and distribution in apple.

Using a Heliospheric Upwinding eXtrapolation Technique to Magnetically Connect Different Regions of the Heliosphere

Understanding how coronal structure propagates and evolves from the Sun and into the heliosphere has been thoroughly explored using sophisticated MHD models. From these, we have a reasonably good working understanding of the dynamical processes that shape the formation and evolution of stream interaction regions and rarefactions, including their locations, orientations, and structure. However, given the technical expertize required to produce, maintain, and run global MHD models, their use has been relatively restricted. In this study, we refine a simple Heliospheric eXtrapolation Technique (HUX) to include not only forward mapping from the Sun to 1 AU (or elsewhere), but backward mapping toward the Sun. We demonstrate that this technique can provide substantially more accurate mappings than the standard, and often applied “ballistic” approximation. We also use machine learning (ML) methods to explore whether the HUX approximation to the momentum equation can be refined without loss of simplicity, finding that it likely provides the optimum balance. We suggest that HUX can be used, in conjunction with coronal models (PFSS or MHD) to more accurately connect measurements made at 1 AU, Stereo-A, Parker Solar Probe, and Solar Orbiter with their solar sources. In particular, the HUX technique: 1) provides a substantial improvement over the “ballistic” approximation for connecting to the source longitude of streams; 2) is almost as accurate, but considerably easier to implement than MHD models; and 3) can be applied as a general tool to magnetically connect different regions of the inner heliosphere together, as well as providing a simple 3-D reconstruction.

The BIM Implementation Journey: Lessons Learned for Developing and Disseminating City Information Modelling (CIM)

This article details the evolution of BIM in the UK, emerging from 2010 onwards, and leading to the mandate for all publicly funded projects to implement BIM Level 2 by April 2016. It draws on the evidence base which has supported the development, in principle, of managing information through the whole lifecycle of buildings and infrastructure – as a vital first step in the progression of the built environment sector towards digital transformation. It reflects on what has happened since then, and the realization that this activity was simply – if fundamentally – the first step on the journey to wider digital transformation. It reflects on how standards can be developed within a rapidly changing context, and the advantages of taking a global rather than purely national stance. It also reflects on how the landscape is now evolving to break down the silos between disciplines and industries to realize the ambition of a federated digital twin, or national information framework – and how this can enable operation of smarter cities and smarter communities. It explores how to move from standards development to engagement and implementation – and how this is being done in the UK, through the collaborative effort of organizations such as UK BIM Alliance, BSI and CDBB – and reflects on what could have been done better. Finally, it reflects on how information could and should be delivered to facilitate smarter decision-making which can realize the opportunities – but also reflects on the pitfalls – of relying and/or interfacing with AI. It draws a picture of what a merging of our virtual and physical worlds could look like to ensure the optimum balance between human and machine intelligence.

An Experimental Investigation on Optimizing Liquid Repellency of Fluorochemical Urethane Finish and Its Effect on the Physical Properties of Polyester/Cotton Blended Fabric

This paper aims to optimize the liquid repellency performance of fluorochemical urethane (FU)—a patented technology with a shorter fluorocarbon chain (C4). FU is free from persistent bioaccumulative toxins such as perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctanesulfonate (PFOS), unlike the long-chain fluorinated chemicals (>C6). Different sets of varied finish concentrations with an extender and a wetting agent were prepared to treat the 65/35% polyester/cotton blended fabric. The finish concentration was optimized based on the liquid repellency (water and oil-repellency) of the treated fabric and its laundering durability. In addition, the effect of the finish concentration on selected physical properties of the treated fabric was studied as well. The liquid repellency, laundering durability, and selected physical properties of the treated and untreated fabrics were analyzed using ASTM and AATCC standard test methods. The results of textile substrates treated with 60 g/L of FU show an optimum balance of desired liquid repellency without affecting the physical properties of the fabric significantly.

National cyber security strategies: management, unification and assessment

Cyber security has become an important issue both on the EU and the national level. Cyber security is now perceived as a part of national security. The newly emerging cyber security policy, comprising national cyber security strategies as an important constituent part, has been recently paid considerable attention. Speaking of national cyber security strategies, a positive thing is that the majority of EU member states have already approved such strategies. However, the approved strategies differ considerably in terms of their content and implementation. The present article aims at identifying reasons for differences in individual national strategies and analyses aspects of their unifications in expectation to find out an optimum balance between the degree of unification and the need to retain differences arising from intrinsic national singularities. To this end, the article analyses the issue of national cyber security on the basis of Lithuania's cyber security strategy as a sample in the context of ENISA good practices for the development of cyber security strategies and by application of ENISA developed KPIs and testing ENISA cyber security strategy evaluation tool. Finally, the article suggests recommendations on further development of national cyber security strategies in terms of their unification and national singularities.