938 research outputs found
Boundary Effects on Dynamic Behavior of Josephson-Junction Arrays
The boundary effects on the current-voltage characteristics in
two-dimensional arrays of resistively shunted Josephson junctions are examined.
In particular, we consider both the conventional boundary conditions (CBC) and
the fluctuating twist boundary conditions (FTBC), and make comparison of the
obtained results. It is observed that the CBC, which have been widely adopted
in existing simulations, may give a problem in scaling, arising from rather
large boundary effects; the FTBC in general turn out to be effective in
reducing the finite-size effects, yielding results with good scaling behavior.
To resolve the discrepancy between the two boundary conditions, we propose that
the proper scaling in the CBC should be performed with the boundary data
discarded: This is shown to give results which indeed scale well and are the
same as those from the FTBC.Comment: RevTex, Final version to appear in Phys. Rev.
Further support for thermal ecosystem engineering by wandering albatross
On sub-Antarctic Marion Island, wandering albatross (Diomedea exulans) nests support high abundances of tineid moth, Pringleophaga marioni, caterpillars. Previous work proposed that the birds serve as thermal ecosystem engineers by elevating nest temperatures relative to ambient, thereby promoting growth and survival of the caterpillars. However, only 17 days of temperature data were presented previously, despite year-long nest occupation by birds. Previous sampling was also restricted to old and recently failed nests, though nests from which chicks have recently fledged are key to
understanding how the engineering effect is realized. Here we build on previous work by providing nest temperature data for a full year and by sampling all three nest types. For the full duration of nest occupancy, temperatures within occupied nests are significantly higher, consistently by c. 7°C, than those in surrounding soils and abandoned nests, declining noticeably when chicks fledge. Caterpillar abundance is significantly higher in new nests compared to nests from which chicks have fledged, which in turn have higher caterpillar abundances than old nests. Combined with recent information on the life history of P. marioni, our data suggest that caterpillars are incidentally added to the nests during nest construction, and subsequently benefit from an engineering effect
Flux-noise spectra around the Kosterlitz-Thouless transition for two-dimensional superconductors
The flux-noise spectra around the Kosterlitz-Thouless transition are obtained
from simulations of the two-dimensional resistively shunted junction model. In
particular the dependence on the distance between the pick-up coil and the
sample is investigated. The typical experimental situation corresponds to the
large- limit and a simple relation valid in this limit between the complex
impedance and the noise spectra is clarified. Features, which distinguish
between the large- and small- limit, are identified and the possibility of
observing these features in experiments is discussed.Comment: 12 pages including 8 figures, submitted to Phys. Rev.
Transport properties of dense fluid argon
We calculate using molecular dynamics simulations the transport properties of
realistically modeled fluid argon at pressures up to and
temperatures up to . In this context we provide a critique of some newer
theoretical predictions for the diffusion coefficients of liquids and a
discussion of the Enskog theory relevance under two different adaptations:
modified Enskog theory (MET) and effective diameter Enskog theory. We also
analyze a number of experimental data for the thermal conductivity of
monoatomic and small diatomic dense fluids.Comment: 8 pages, 6 figure
Spatiotemporal Stochastic Resonance in Fully Frustrated Josephson Ladders
We consider a Josephson-junction ladder in an external magnetic field with
half flux quantum per plaquette. When driven by external currents, periodic in
time and staggered in space, such a fully frustrated system is found to display
spatiotemporal stochastic resonance under the influence of thermal noise. Such
resonance behavior is investigated both numerically and analytically, which
reveals significant effects of anisotropy and yields rich physics.Comment: 8 pages in two columns, 8 figures, to appear in Phys. Rev.
Edge effects in a frustrated Josephson junction array with modulated couplings
A square array of Josephson junctions with modulated strength in a magnetic
field with half a flux quantum per plaquette is studied by analytic arguments
and dynamical simulations. The modulation is such that alternate columns of
junctions are of different strength to the rest. Previous work has shown that
this system undergoes an XY followed by an Ising-like vortex lattice
disordering transition at a lower temperature. We argue that resistance
measurements are a possible probe of the vortex lattice disordering transition
as the linear resistance with
at intermediate temperatures due to dissipation at the array
edges for a particular geometry and vanishes for other geometries. Extensive
dynamical simulations are performed which support the qualitative physical
arguments.Comment: 8 pages with figs, RevTeX, to appear in Phys. Rev.
COMET deliverable (D-N°5.4). Radioecological data evaluated from recent international meetings in Japan: the 13th International Conference on the Biogeochemistry of Trace Elements 12-16 July 2015 and the Fukushima COMET Workshop 18-19 July 2015
Controversies and priorities in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
Two decades after the discovery that 20% of familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) cases were linked to mutations in the superoxide dismutase-1 (SOD1) gene, a substantial proportion of the remainder of cases of familial ALS have now been traced to an expansion of the intronic hexanucleotide repeat sequence in C9orf72. This breakthrough provides an opportunity to re-evaluate longstanding concepts regarding the cause and natural history of ALS, coming soon after the pathological unification of ALS with frontotemporal dementia through a shared pathological signature of cytoplasmic inclusions of the ubiquitinated protein TDP-43. However, with profound clinical, prognostic, neuropathological, and now genetic heterogeneity, the concept of ALS as one disease appears increasingly untenable. This background calls for the development of a more sophisticated taxonomy, and an appreciation of ALS as the breakdown of a wider network rather than a discrete vulnerable population of specialised motor neurons. Identification of C9orf72 repeat expansions in patients without a family history of ALS challenges the traditional division between familial and sporadic disease. By contrast, the 90% of apparently sporadic cases and incomplete penetrance of several genes linked to familial cases suggest that at least some forms of ALS arise from the interplay of multiple genes, poorly understood developmental, environmental, and age-related factors, as well as stochastic events
Spatial competition and agglomeration in the visitor attraction sector
This paper provides a theoretical and empirical contribution to understanding spatial competition by examining visitor attractions in two contrasting clusters of lower and higher levels of agglomeration of businesses in Cornwall, the UK. The study found that competition is mainly for customers and labour and is related differently to the levels of agglomeration, spatial proximity and thematic product similarity between visitor attractions at the local compared to the regional scale. Location can be used differently for employing ‘weak’ and ‘strong’ competitive strategies. The study contributes to the knowledge on the spatiality of competition and the locational strategies of service businesses
The Milky Way Bulge: Observed properties and a comparison to external galaxies
The Milky Way bulge offers a unique opportunity to investigate in detail the
role that different processes such as dynamical instabilities, hierarchical
merging, and dissipational collapse may have played in the history of the
Galaxy formation and evolution based on its resolved stellar population
properties. Large observation programmes and surveys of the bulge are providing
for the first time a look into the global view of the Milky Way bulge that can
be compared with the bulges of other galaxies, and be used as a template for
detailed comparison with models. The Milky Way has been shown to have a
box/peanut (B/P) bulge and recent evidence seems to suggest the presence of an
additional spheroidal component. In this review we summarise the global
chemical abundances, kinematics and structural properties that allow us to
disentangle these multiple components and provide constraints to understand
their origin. The investigation of both detailed and global properties of the
bulge now provide us with the opportunity to characterise the bulge as observed
in models, and to place the mixed component bulge scenario in the general
context of external galaxies. When writing this review, we considered the
perspectives of researchers working with the Milky Way and researchers working
with external galaxies. It is an attempt to approach both communities for a
fruitful exchange of ideas.Comment: Review article to appear in "Galactic Bulges", Editors: Laurikainen
E., Peletier R., Gadotti D., Springer Publishing. 36 pages, 10 figure
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