1,134 research outputs found
Stable scalable control of soliton propagation in broadband nonlinear optical waveguides
We develop a method for achieving scalable transmission stabilization and
switching of colliding soliton sequences in optical waveguides with
broadband delayed Raman response and narrowband nonlinear gain-loss. We show
that dynamics of soliton amplitudes in -sequence transmission is described
by a generalized -dimensional predator-prey model. Stability and bifurcation
analysis for the predator-prey model are used to obtain simple conditions on
the physical parameters for robust transmission stabilization as well as on-off
and off-on switching of out of soliton sequences. Numerical simulations
for single-waveguide transmission with a system of coupled nonlinear
Schr\"odinger equations with show excellent agreement with the
predator-prey model's predictions and stable propagation over significantly
larger distances compared with other broadband nonlinear single-waveguide
systems. Moreover, stable on-off and off-on switching of multiple soliton
sequences and stable multiple transmission switching events are demonstrated by
the simulations. We discuss the reasons for the robustness and scalability of
transmission stabilization and switching in waveguides with broadband delayed
Raman response and narrowband nonlinear gain-loss, and explain their advantages
compared with other broadband nonlinear waveguides.Comment: 37 pages, 7 figures, Eur. Phys. J. D (accepted
Strong effects of fast collisions between pulsed optical beams in a linear medium with weak cubic loss
We investigate fast collisions between pulsed optical beams in a linear
medium with weak cubic loss that arises due to nondegenerate two-photon
absorption. We introduce a perturbation method with two small parameters and
use it to obtain general formulas for the collision-induced changes in the
pulsed-beam's shape and amplitude. Moreover, we use the method to design and
characterize collision setups that lead to strong localized and nonlocalized
intensity reduction effects. The values of the collision-induced changes in the
pulsed-beam's shape in both setups are larger by one to two orders of magnitude
compared with the values obtained in previous studies of fast two-pulse
collisions. Furthermore, we show that for nonlocalized setups, the graph of the
collision-induced amplitude shift vs the difference between the first-order
dispersion coefficients for the two pulsed-beams has two local minima. This
finding represents the first observation of a deviation of the graph from the
common funnel shape that was obtained in all previous studies of fast two-pulse
collisions in the presence of weak nonlinear loss. The predictions of our
perturbation theory are in good agreement with results of numerical simulations
with the perturbed linear propagation model, despite the strong
collision-induced effects. Our results can be useful for multisequence optical
communication links and for reshaping of pulsed optical beams.Comment: 44 pages, 12 figures. The paper contains a brief description of a
generalization of the perturbation approach that was introduced in
arXiv:2102.07438 for fast collisions between time independent optical beams.
The paper is devoted to an investigation of strong effects in fast collisions
between pulsed optical beams, whereas in arXiv:2102.07438, only weak
collision-induced effects for time-independent beams were considered
Fast two-pulse collisions in linear diffusion-advection systems with weak quadratic loss in spatial dimension 2
We investigate the dynamics of fast two-pulse collisions in linear
diffusion-advection systems with weak quadratic loss in spatial dimension 2. We
introduce a two-dimensional perturbation method, which generalizes the
perturbation method used for studying two-pulse collisions in spatial dimension
1. We then use the generalized perturbation method to show that a fast
collision in spatial dimension 2 leads to a change in the pulse shape in the
direction transverse to the advection velocity vector. Moreover, we show that
in the important case of a separable initial condition, the longitudinal part
in the expression for the amplitude shift has a simple universal form, while
the transverse part does not. Additionally, we show that anisotropy in the
initial condition leads to a complex dependence of the amplitude shift on the
orientation angle between the pulses. Our perturbation theory predictions are
in very good agreement with results of extensive numerical simulations with the
weakly perturbed diffusion-advection model. Thus, our study significantly
enhances and generalizes the results of previous works on fast collisions in
diffusion-advection systems, which were limited to spatial dimension 1.Comment: The paper presents a perturbation method for fast two-pulse
collisions in diffusion-advection systems with weak nonlinear loss in
dimension higher than 1. It generalizes the method that was used in
arXiv:1702.05583 and arXiv:1808.04323 for the 1-dimensional problem. It
complements the method that was presented in arXiv:2102.07438 for the
high-dimensional problem in weakly nonlinear optical medi
Area-preserving dynamics of a long slender finger by curvature: a test case for the globally conserved phase ordering
A long and slender finger can serve as a simple ``test bed'' for different
phase ordering models. In this work, the globally-conserved,
interface-controlled dynamics of a long finger is investigated, analytically
and numerically, in two dimensions. An important limit is considered when the
finger dynamics are reducible to the area-preserving motion by curvature. A
free boundary problem for the finger shape is formulated. An asymptotic
perturbation theory is developed that uses the finger aspect ratio as a small
parameter. The leading-order approximation is a modification of ``the Mullins
finger" (a well-known analytic solution) which width is allowed to slowly vary
with time. This time dependence is described, in the leading order, by an
exponential law with the characteristic time proportional to the (constant)
finger area. The subleading terms of the asymptotic theory are also calculated.
Finally, the finger dynamics is investigated numerically, employing the
Ginzburg-Landau equation with a global conservation law. The theory is in a
very good agreement with the numerical solution.Comment: 8 pages, 4 figures, Latex; corrected typo
Normal scaling in globally conserved interface-controlled coarsening of fractal clusters
Globally conserved interface-controlled coarsening of fractal clusters
exhibits dynamic scale invariance and normal scaling. This is demonstrated by a
numerical solution of the Ginzburg-Landau equation with a global conservation
law. The sharp-interface limit of this equation is volume preserving motion by
mean curvature. The scaled form of the correlation function has a power-law
tail accommodating the fractal initial condition. The coarsening length
exhibits normal scaling with time. Finally, shrinking of the fractal clusters
with time is observed. The difference between global and local conservation is
discussed.Comment: 4 pages, 3 eps figure
Occurrence and sources of radium in groundwater associated with oil fields in the southern San Joaquin Valley, California
Author Posting. © American Chemical Society, 2019. This is an open access article published under an ACS AuthorChoice License. The definitive version was published in Environmental Science and Technology 53(16), (2019): 9398-9406, doi:10.1021/acs.est.9b02395.Geochemical data from 40 water wells were used to examine the occurrence and sources of radium (Ra) in groundwater associated with three oil fields in California (Fruitvale, Lost Hills, South Belridge). 226Ra+228Ra activities (range = 0.010–0.51 Bq/L) exceeded the 0.185 Bq/L drinking-water standard in 18% of the wells (not drinking-water wells). Radium activities were correlated with TDS concentrations (p < 0.001, ρ = 0.90, range = 145–15,900 mg/L), Mn + Fe concentrations (p < 0.001, ρ = 0.82, range = <0.005–18.5 mg/L), and pH (p < 0.001, ρ = −0.67, range = 6.2–9.2), indicating Ra in groundwater was influenced by salinity, redox, and pH. Ra-rich groundwater was mixed with up to 45% oil-field water at some locations, primarily infiltrating through unlined disposal ponds, based on Cl, Li, noble-gas, and other data. Yet 228Ra/226Ra ratios in pond-impacted groundwater (median = 3.1) differed from those in oil-field water (median = 0.51). PHREEQC mixing calculations and spatial geochemical variations suggest that the Ra in the oil-field water was removed by coprecipitation with secondary barite and adsorption on Mn–Fe precipitates in the near-pond environment. The saline, organic-rich oil-field water subsequently mobilized Ra from downgradient aquifer sediments via Ra-desorption and Mn/Fe-reduction processes. This study demonstrates that infiltration of oil-field water may leach Ra into groundwater by changing salinity and redox conditions in the subsurface rather than by mixing with a high-Ra source.This article was improved by the reviews of John Izbicki and anonymous reviewers for the journal. This work was funded by the California State Water Resources Control Board’s Regional Groundwater Monitoring in Areas of Oil and Gas Production Program and the USGS Cooperative Water Program. A.V., A.J.K., and Z.W were supported by USDA-NIFA grant (#2017-68007-26308). Any use of trade, firm, or product names is for description purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government
Different paths to the modern state in Europe: the interaction between domestic political economy and interstate competition
Theoretical work on state formation and capacity has focused mostly on early modern Europe and on the experience of western European states during this period. While a number of European states monopolized domestic tax collection and achieved gains in state capacity during the early modern era, for others revenues stagnated or even declined, and these variations motivated alternative hypotheses for determinants of fiscal and state capacity. In this study we test the basic hypotheses in the existing literature making use of the large date set we have compiled for all of the leading states across the continent. We find strong empirical support for two prevailing threads in the literature, arguing respectively that interstate wars and changes in economic structure towards an urbanized economy had positive fiscal impact. Regarding the main point of contention in the theoretical literature, whether it was representative or authoritarian political regimes that facilitated the gains in fiscal capacity, we do not find conclusive evidence that one performed better than the other. Instead, the empirical evidence we have gathered lends supports to the hypothesis that when under pressure of war, the fiscal performance of representative regimes was better in the more urbanized-commercial economies and the fiscal performance of authoritarian regimes was better in rural-agrarian economie
Are proton pump inhibitors the first choice for acute treatment of gastric ulcers? A meta analysis of randomized clinical trials
BACKGROUND: Gastric ulcers are a frequent problem in the United States. Proton pump inhibitors have been shown to increase healing rates and improve clinical symptoms. The objective of this study is to compare gastric ulcer healing rates for patients treated with a proton pump inhibitor (PPI) (omeprazole, rabeprazole, pantoprazole, or lansoprazole), an histamine 2- receptor antagonist (ranitidine) or placebo. METHODS: A literature search was conducted to identify randomized, controlled clinical trials that included a PPI in at least one treatment arm and assessed the gastric ulcer healing rates endoscopically. The healing rates were estimated for each treatment at specific time points, and Rate Ratios (RR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were estimated for each trial. RESULTS: Sixteen trials met the inclusion criteria: four compared a PPI versus placebo, nine compared a PPI versus ranitidine (no trials of rabeprazole versus ranitidine met the inclusion criteria), and three compared a newer PPI (lansoprazole, pantoprazole or rabeprazole) versus omeprazole. In relation to ranitidine, the pooled RR of PPIs (lansoprazole, omeprazole and pantoprazole) was 1.33 (95% CI 1.24 to 1.42) at four weeks. In each trial, greater improvement in the studied clinical symptoms was found with the newer PPIs (rabeprazole, pantoprazole and lansoprazole) when compared to omeprazole. CONCLUSION: In this study treatment with PPIs resulted in higher healing rates than ranitidine or placebo. This evidence suggests that the first choice for gastric ulcer treatment for the greater relief of symptoms is one of the newer PPIs
GATE : a simulation toolkit for PET and SPECT
Monte Carlo simulation is an essential tool in emission tomography that can
assist in the design of new medical imaging devices, the optimization of
acquisition protocols, and the development or assessment of image
reconstruction algorithms and correction techniques. GATE, the Geant4
Application for Tomographic Emission, encapsulates the Geant4 libraries to
achieve a modular, versatile, scripted simulation toolkit adapted to the field
of nuclear medicine. In particular, GATE allows the description of
time-dependent phenomena such as source or detector movement, and source decay
kinetics. This feature makes it possible to simulate time curves under
realistic acquisition conditions and to test dynamic reconstruction algorithms.
A public release of GATE licensed under the GNU Lesser General Public License
can be downloaded at the address http://www-lphe.epfl.ch/GATE/
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