An AI formalism for competing claims of identification: capturing the "Smemorato di Collegno" amnesia case

A formal representation is given of the situational structure, and the agents' beliefs about personal identity, in the Smemorato di Collegno amnesia case tried in 1927, in Pollenza, Italy. Another section discusses and formalizes a sample heuristic rule for conjecturing whether an individual identity other than personal, being conveyed by a toponym, was used literally or fictitiously in a given historical corpus of legal casenotes. For example, a landlocked city being named and referred to as though it was a sea port is a fairly good cue for assuming that the toponym is a disguise. Yet, the interpretation is governed by other conventions, when in a play by Shakeaspeare it is stated that a given scene is set on the sea coast of Bohemia. Further discussion of a situational casuistry for identification (especially individual and personal) along with more formal representations will appear in a companion paper "nissanidentifpirandello", also at the disciplinary meet of AI formalisms and legal applications.

Predicting toxic gas concentrations resulting from enclosure fires using local equivalence ratio concept linked to fire field models

A practical CFD method is presented in this study to predict the generation of toxic gases in enclosure fires. The model makes use of local combustion conditions to determine the yield of carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, hydrocarbon, soot and oxygen. The local conditions used in the determination of these species are the local equivalence ratio (LER) and the local temperature. The heat released from combustion is calculated using the volumetric heat source model or the eddy dissipation model (EDM). The model is then used to simulate a range of reduced-scale and full-scale fire experiments. The model predictions for most of the predicted species are then shown to be in good agreement with the test results

Vibrational spectroscopy and DFT calculations of the di-amino acid peptide L-aspartyl-L-glutamic acid in the zwitterionic state

Solid state IR and Raman as well as aqueous solution state Raman spectra are reported for the linear di-amino acid peptide L-aspartyl-L-glutamic acid (L-Asp-L-Glu); the solution state Raman spectrum has also been obtained for the N,O-deuterated derivative. SCF-DFT calculations at the B3-LYP/cc-pVDZ level established that the structure and vibrational spectra of L-Asp-L-Glu can be interpreted using a model of the peptide with ten hydrogen-bonded water molecules, in conjunction with the conductor-like polarizable continuum solvation method. The DFT calculations resulted in the computation of a stable zwitterionic structure, which displays trans-amide conformation. The vibrational spectra were computed at the optimised molecular geometry, enabling normal coordinate analysis, which yielded satisfactory agreement with the experimental IR and Raman data. Computed potential energy distributions of the normal modes provided detailed vibrational assignments.

Vibrational spectra and crystal structure of the di-amino acid peptide cyclo(L-Met-L-Met): Comparison of experimental data and DFT calculations

Experimental Raman and FT-IR spectra of solid-state non-deuterated and N-deuterated samples of cyclo(L-Met-L-Met) are reported and discussed. The Raman and FT-IR results show characteristic amide I vibrations (Raman: 1649 cm-1, infrared: 1675 cm-1) for molecules exhibiting a cis amide conformation. A Raman band, assigned to the cis amide II vibrational mode, is observed at sim1493 cm-1 but no IR band is observed in this region. Cyclo(L-Met-L-Met) crystallises in the triclinic space group P1 with one molecule per unit cell. The overall shape of the diketopiperazine (DKP) ring displays a (slightly distorted) boat conformation. The crystal packing employs two strong hydrogen bonds, which traverse the entire crystal via translational repeats. B3-LYP/cc-pVDZ calculations of the structure of the molecule predict a boat conformation for the DKP ring, in agreement with the experimentally determined X-ray structure. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Vibrational spectroscopy and crystal structure analysis of two polymorphs of the di-amino acid peptide cyclo(L-Glu-L-Glu)

Cyclo(L-Glu-L-Glu) has been crystallised in two different polymorphic forms. Both polymorphs are monoclinic, but form 1 is in space group P21 and form 2 is in space group C2. Raman scattering and FT-IR spectroscopic studies have been conducted for the N,O-protonated and deuterated derivatives. Raman spectra of orientated single crystals, solid-state and aqueous solution samples have also been recorded. The different hydrogen-bonding patterns for the two polymorphs have the greatest effect on vibrational modes with N&bond;H and C&dbond;O stretching character. DFT (B3-LYP/cc-pVDZ) calculations of the isolated cyclo(L-Glu-L-Glu) molecule predict that the minimum energy structure, assuming C2 symmetry, has a boat conformation for the diketopiperazine ring with the two L-Glu side chains being folded above the ring. The calculated geometry is in good agreement with the X-ray crystallographic structures for both polymorphs. Normal coordinate analysis has facilitated the band assignments for the experimental vibrational spectra. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Cyclic voltammetry and spectroelectrochemical study of nickel and cobalt diphenyltetraazaannulene complexes

The absorption spectra. cyclic voltammetry and spectroelectrochemistry of [Ni(II)DPTAA] and [Co(II)DPTAA] (DPTAA = 6,13-diphenyldibenzo[b,i][1,4,8,11] tetraaza[14]annulene) complexes in DMF are reported in detail. The ligand oxidation is observed for [Ni(II)DPTAA] at +0.70 V vs. SCE whereas Ni2(+/+) occurs at - 1.60 V. For [Co(II)DPTAA], a ligand oxidation redox couple is seen at +0.56 V while the Co2+/+ and Co2+/3+ redox couples appear at -1.21 and +0.24 V, respectively. All observed redox couples are assigned to reversible one-electron processes on account of peak separations and scan-rate dependency. These processes were further investigated by spectroelectrochemistry for [Co(II)DPTAA]. For [Co(II)DPTAA], axial ligation of pyridine was found to shift the Co2+/3+ redox couple more negative. while the ligand oxidation was shifted to more positive potentials. From a spectrophotometric titration of [Co(II)DPTAA] with pyridine an equilibrium constant, K-f, was determined for the binding of pyridine to [Co(II)DPTAA]. This was found to be 10.2 dm(3) mol(-1), slightly lower than that of [Co(II)TAA], indicating the influence of the phenyl groups. From this value and shifts in the Co2+/3+ redox couple upon ligation, an equilibrium constant for the binding of pyridine to [Co(III)DPTAA], K'(f), was found to be 5.06 x 10(6) dm(3) mol(-1). (c) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Pulses in the eastern margin current and warmer water off the north west European shelf linked to North Sea ecosystem changes

The North Sea ecosystem has recently undergone dramatic changes, observed as altered biomass of individual species spanning a range of life forms from algae to birds, with evidence for an approximate doubling in the abundance of both phytoplankton and benthos as part of a regime shift after 1987. Remarkably, these changes, in part recorded in the Phytoplankton Colour Index of the Continuous Plankton Recorder (CPR) survey, are notable as episodic shifts occurring in 1988/89 and 1998 imposed on a gradual decadal trend. These biological events are shown to be a response to coincident changes in oceanic input and water temperature. Geostrophic transports have been calculated from a hydrographic section across the Rockall Trough, and a time series of seasurface temperature derived from satellite observations. The 2 pulses of oceanic incursion into the North Sea in circa 1988 and 1998 coincided with strong northward advection of anomalously warm water at the edge of the continental shelf.

A regime shift in the North Sea circa 1988 linked to changes in the North Sea horse mackerel fishery

After 1987, Phytoplankton Colour (a visual estimate of chlorophyll) measured on samples taken by the continuous plankton recorder (CPR) in the North Sea increased substantially, both in level and seasonal extent, compared to earlier years since 1946. Many species of phytoplankton and zooplankton showed marked changes in abundance at about the same time. These events coincided with a large increase in catches of the western stock of the horse mackerel (Trachurus trachurus L.) in the northern North Sea reflecting a northerly expansion of the stock along the shelf edge from the Bay of Biscay to the North Sea after 1987. Using a 3D hydrodynamic model, with input from measured wind parameters, monthly transport of oceanic water into the North Sea has been calculated for the period 1976–1994, integrated for a section from Orkney to Shetland to Norway. A substantial increase in oceanic inflow occurred in the winter months, December to March, from 1988. Higher sea surface temperatures were also measured after 1987 especially in spring and summer months. These biological and physical events may be a response to observed changes in pressure distribution over the North Atlantic. From 1988 onwards, the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) index, the pressure difference between Iceland and the Azores, increased to the highest positive level observed in this century. Positive NAO anomalies are associated with stronger and more southerly tracks of the westerly winds and higher temperatures in western Europe. These changing wind distributions may have led to an increase in the northerly advection of water along the western edge of the European shelf and may have assisted the migration of the horse mackerel. This study is possibly a unique demonstration of a correlation between three different trophic levels of a marine ecosystem and hydrographic and atmospheric events at decadal and regional scales. The results emphasise the importance of maintaining into the future long term programmes such as the CPR.

Physiological Adaptation Of Mytilus-Edulis To Cyclic Temperatures

Mytilus edulis adapted to cyclic temperatures by reducing the amplitude of response of oxygen consumption and filtration rate over a period of approximately two weeks, and thereby increasing their independence of temperature within the range of the fluctuating regime. When acclimated to cyclic temperature regimes within the range from 6 to 20°C, the metabolic and feeding rates, measured at different temperatures in the cycle, were not significantly different from the adapted response to equivalent constant temperatures. Physiological adaptation ofMytilus edulis to different thermal environments was reflected in their metabolic and feeding rate-temperature curves. Animals subjected to marked diel fluctuations in environmental temperature showed an appropriate region of temperature-independence, whereas animals from a population not experiencing large diel temperature fluctuations showed no region of temperature-independence. In a fluctuating thermal environment which extended above the normal environmental maxima, respiratory adaptation occurred at higher temperatures than was possible in a constant thermal environment. The feeding rate was also maintained at higher temperatures in a cyclic regime than was possible under constant thermal conditions. This represented a shortterm extension of the zone of activity in a fluctuating thermal environment. The net result of these physiological responses to high cyclic and constant temperatures has been assessed in terms of ‘scope for growth’. Animals acclimated to cyclic temperatures between 21 and 29°C had a higher scope for growth at 29°C and were less severely stressed than those maintained at the constant temperature of 29°C.