Bose-Einstein condensates in `giant' toroidal magnetic traps

The experimental realisation of gaseous Bose-Einstein condensation (BEC) in 1995 sparked considerable interest in this intriguing quantum fluid. Here we report on progress towards the development of an 87Rb BEC experiment in a large (~10cm diameter) toroidal storage ring. A BEC will be formed at a localised region within the toroidal magnetic trap, from whence it can be launched around the torus. The benefits of the system are many-fold, as it should readily enable detailed investigations of persistent currents, Josephson effects, phase fluctuations and high-precision Sagnac or gravitational interferometry.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures (Figs. 1 and 2 now work

Agriculture in the Clermont Silt Loam Area

Exact date of bulletin unknown.PDF pages: 2

On examples of difference operators for {0,1}\{0,1\}-valued functions over finite sets

Recently V.I.Arnold have formulated a geometrical concept of monads and apply it to the study of difference operators on the sets of $\{0,1\}$-valued sequences of length $n$. In the present note we show particular examples of these monads and indicate one question arising here

Cumulative Step-size Adaptation on Linear Functions

The CSA-ES is an Evolution Strategy with Cumulative Step size Adaptation, where the step size is adapted measuring the length of a so-called cumulative path. The cumulative path is a combination of the previous steps realized by the algorithm, where the importance of each step decreases with time. This article studies the CSA-ES on composites of strictly increasing functions with affine linear functions through the investigation of its underlying Markov chains. Rigorous results on the change and the variation of the step size are derived with and without cumulation. The step-size diverges geometrically fast in most cases. Furthermore, the influence of the cumulation parameter is studied.Comment: arXiv admin note: substantial text overlap with arXiv:1206.120

Finite Temperature Reduction of the SU(2) Higgs-Model with Complete Static Background

Direct evaluation of the 1-loop fluctuation determinant of non-static degrees of freedom in a complete static background is advocated to be more efficient for the determination of the effective three-dimensional model of the electroweak phase transition than the one-by-one evaluation of Feynman diagrams. The relation of the couplings and fields of the effective model to those of the four-dimensional finite temperature system is determined in the general 't Hooft gauge with full implementation of renormalisation effects. Only field renormalisation constants display dependence on the gauge fixing parameter. Characteristics of the electroweak transition are computed from the effective theory in Lorentz-gauge. The dependence of various physical observables on the three-dimensional gauge fixing parameter is investigated.Comment: 12 pages (LATEX) + 1 table (TEX) appende

Error analysis of a space-time finite element method for solving PDEs on evolving surfaces

In this paper we present an error analysis of an Eulerian finite element method for solving parabolic partial differential equations posed on evolving hypersurfaces in $\mathbb{R}^d$, $d=2,3$. The method employs discontinuous piecewise linear in time -- continuous piecewise linear in space finite elements and is based on a space-time weak formulation of a surface PDE problem. Trial and test surface finite element spaces consist of traces of standard volumetric elements on a space-time manifold resulting from the evolution of a surface. We prove first order convergence in space and time of the method in an energy norm and second order convergence in a weaker norm. Furthermore, we derive regularity results for solutions of parabolic PDEs on an evolving surface, which we need in a duality argument used in the proof of the second order convergence estimate

Trace Finite Element Methods for PDEs on Surfaces

In this paper we consider a class of unfitted finite element methods for discretization of partial differential equations on surfaces. In this class of methods known as the Trace Finite Element Method (TraceFEM), restrictions or traces of background surface-independent finite element functions are used to approximate the solution of a PDE on a surface. We treat equations on steady and time-dependent (evolving) surfaces. Higher order TraceFEM is explained in detail. We review the error analysis and algebraic properties of the method. The paper navigates through the known variants of the TraceFEM and the literature on the subject

Exploring accuracy and impact of concurrent and retrospective self-talk among golfers

The current study aimed to provide insight into the types and frequency of self-talk of skilled golfers (n = 6) by considering and comparing concurrent verbalization and retrospective reports. Each participant wore a microphone to record his thoughts while verbalizing them for the duration of nine holes of golf on three separate occasions. The researchers transcribed and coded this verbalized self-talk. Participants also completed a retrospective self-talk questionnaire at the conclusion of each round. Results suggest that participants’ concurrent verbalization and retrospective reports were inconsistent, specifically with regard to function (i.e., motivational versus instructional) and valence (i.e., positive, negative, and neutral), and that participants felt their concurrent verbalization more accurately reflected their experiences. The results support previous research that indicates that retrospective reports of self-talk may not provide accurate insight into what athletes actually say to themselves as they perform in their sports, while asserting that concurrent verbalization may be a more accurate representation of their self-talk experiences

Cumulative Step-size Adaptation on Linear Functions: Technical Report

The CSA-ES is an Evolution Strategy with Cumulative Step size Adaptation, where the step size is adapted measuring the length of a so-called cumulative path. The cumulative path is a combination of the previous steps realized by the algorithm, where the importance of each step decreases with time. This article studies the CSA-ES on composites of strictly increasing with affine linear functions through the investigation of its underlying Markov chains. Rigorous results on the change and the variation of the step size are derived with and without cumulation. The step-size diverges geometrically fast in most cases. Furthermore, the influence of the cumulation parameter is studied.Comment: Parallel Problem Solving From Nature (2012

Directed enzyme evolution: climbing fitness peaks one amino acid at a time

Directed evolution can generate a remarkable range of new enzyme properties. Alternate substrate specificities and reaction selectivities are readily accessible in enzymes from families that are naturally functionally diverse. Activities on new substrates can be obtained by improving variants with broadened specificities or by step-wise evolution through a sequence of more and more challenging substrates. Evolution of highly specific enzymes has been demonstrated, even with positive selection alone. It is apparent that many solutions exist for any given problem, and there are often many paths that lead uphill, one step at a time