5,350 research outputs found
A quantitative assessment of the ecological value of sycamore maple habitats in the French Alps
La naturalité est un critère important pour l'évaluation de mesures conservatoires des écosystèmes. Au niveau local, une telle évaluation doit être basée sur des indicateurs objectifs et quantifiables sur le terrain. Dans cette étude, nous avons utilisé une méthode multicritères basée sur la différence entre Valeur Naturelle (NV) et Valeur Conservatoire (CV) pour quantifier la valeur écologique des érablaies de versant à érable sycomore (Acer pseudoplatanus L.) par comparaison avec les peuplements mixtes de hêtraie-sapinière-pessière avoisinants. En effet, les naturalistes ainsi que l'Union Européenne considèrent que les érablaies de versant ont une valeur de conservation et de naturalité élevée. Nos résultats montrent que les valeurs naturelle et de conservation sont significativement plus élevées pour l'érablaie que pour la forêt mixte avoisinante et que cette évaluation ne dépend pas de facteurs abiotiques tels que l'altitude ou l'exposition. En fait, la naturalité de structure et de composition des érablaies de versant sont plus fortes que celles des forêts mixtes et permettent de différencier les deux habitats en termes de valeur écologique. Les gestionnaires peuvent facilement utiliser cette méthode pour évaluer la valeur écologique de petits habitats en zone de montagne, ce qui permet d'établir des orientations sylvicoles pour une gestion conservatoire et proche de la nature. / Naturalness is an important criterion in nature conservation assessment. At the stand-level, such assessment must be based on objective and quantifiable indicators measurable in the field. In this study, we used a multi-criterion method based on the difference between a Natural Value(NV) and a Conservation Value (CV) to quantify the ecological value of sycamore maple patches compared to the surrounding mixed forests. Indeed, sycamore habitats are considered of high natural and conservation value both by naturalists and by European institutions. Our results showed that the natural and conservation values were significantly higher for the sycamore forests than for the surrounding mixed forests and that this assessment did not depend on abiotic factors such as elevation or aspect. Actually, naturalness of structure and composition in the sycamore habitats was higher than for mixed forests and allowed us to differentiate between the two habitats. Managers could easily use this method in order to assess the ecological value of small habitats in mountainous regions and to provide guidelines for close-to-nature and conservation-related silviculture.FORET DE MONTAGNE;ECOLOGIE FORESTIERE;EVALUATION;PROTECTION DE LA NATURE;ACER PSEUDOPLATANUS;METHODOLOGIE;HABITAT;VALEUR ECOLOGIQUE;NATURALITE;ALPES FRANCAISES;CHARTREUSE MASSIF;ACER PSEUDOPLATANUS;CHARTREUSE;INDICATORS;NATURALNESS;ECOLOGICAL VALUE
Quantum Walks driven by many coins
Quantum random walks have been much studied recently, largely due to their
highly nonclassical behavior. In this paper, we study one possible route to
classical behavior for the discrete quantum random walk on the line: the use of
multiple quantum ``coins'' in order to diminish the effects of interference
between paths. We find solutions to this system in terms of the single coin
random walk, and compare the asymptotic limit of these solutions to numerical
simulations. We find exact analytical expressions for the time-dependence of
the first two moments, and show that in the long time limit the ``quantum
mechanical'' behavior of the one-coin walk persists. We further show that this
is generic for a very broad class of possible walks, and that this behavior
disappears only in the limit of a new coin for every step of the walk.Comment: 36 pages RevTeX 4.0 + 5 figures (encapsulated Postscript). Submitted
to Physical Review
The Low Redshift Lyman Alpha Forest in Cold Dark Matter Cosmologies
We study the physical origin of the low-redshift Lyman alpha forest in
hydrodynamic simulations of four CDM cosmologies. Our main conclusions are
insensitive to the cosmological model but depend on our assumption that the UV
background declines at low redshift. We find that the expansion of the universe
drives rapid evolution of dN/dz (the number of absorbers per unit z) at z >
1.7, but that at lower redshift the fading of the UV background counters the
influence of expansion, leading to slow evolution. At every redshift, weaker
lines come primarily from moderate fluctuations of the diffuse, unshocked IGM,
and stronger lines originate in shocked or radiatively cooled gas of higher
overdensity. However, the neutral hydrogen column density associated with
structures of fixed overdensity drops as the universe expands, so an absorber
at z = 0 is dynamically analogous to an absorber with neutral hydrogen column
density 10 to 50 times higher at z = 2-3. We find no clear distinction between
lines arising in "galaxy halos" and lines arising in larger scale structures;
however, galaxies tend to lie near the dense regions of the IGM that produce
strong Lyman alpha lines. The simulations provide a unified physical picture
that accounts for the most distinctive observed properties of the low redshift
Lyman alpha forest: (1) a sharp transition in the evolution of dN/dz at z ~
1.7, (2) stronger evolution for absorbers of higher equivalent width, (3) a
correlation of increasing Lyman alpha equivalent width with decreasing galaxy
impact parameter, and (4) a tendency for stronger lines to arise in close
proximity to galaxies while weaker lines trace more diffuse large scale
structure. (Abridged)Comment: 57 pages, 18 figures, submitted to Ap
On ionisation effects and abundance ratios in damped Lyman-alpha systems
The similarity between observed velocity structures of Al III and singly
ionised species in damped Lyman-alpha systems (DLAs) suggests the presence of
ionised gas in the regions where most metal absorption lines are formed.
To explore the possible implications of ionisation effects we construct a
simplified two-region model for DLAs consisting of an ionisation bounded region
with an internal radiation field and a neutral region with a lower metal
content. Within this framework we find that ionisation effects are important.
If taken into account, the element abundance ratios in DLAs are quite
consistent with those observed in Milky Way stars and in metal-poor H II
regions in blue compact dwarf galaxies. In particular we cannot exclude the
same primary N origin in both DLAs and metal-poor galaxies. From our models no
dust depletion of heavy elements needs to be invoked; little depletion is
however not excluded.Comment: to appear in "Evolution of Galaxies. I. Observational clues", Eds.
J.M. Vilchez, G. Stasinska, Astrophysics and Space Science, in press. 5
pages, including 3 figure
The Angular Momentum Evolution of 0.1-10 Msun Stars From the Birthline to the Main Sequence
(Abridged) Projected rotational velocities (vsini) have been measured for a
sample of 145 stars with masses between 0.4 and >10 Msun (median mass 2.1 Msun)
located in the Orion star-forming complex. These measurements have been
supplemented with data from the literature for Orion stars with masses as low
as 0.1 Msun. The primary finding from analysis of these data is that the upper
envelope of the observed values of angular momentum per unit mass (J/M) varies
as M^0.25 for stars on convective tracks having masses in the range ~0.1 to ~3
Msun. This power law extends smoothly into the domain of more massive stars (3
to 10 Msun), which in Orion are already on the ZAMS. This result stands in
sharp contrast to the properties of main sequence stars, which show a break in
the power law and a sharp decline in J/M with decreasing mass for stars with M
<2 Msun. A second result of our study is that this break is seen already among
the PMS stars in our Orion sample that are on radiative tracks, even though
these stars are only a few million years old. A comparison of rotation rates
seen for stars on either side of the convective-radiative boundary shows that
stars do not rotate as solid bodies during the transition from convective to
radiative tracks.Comment: to appear in Ap
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A temperature compensated fibre Bragg grating (FBG)-based sensor system for condition monitoring of electrified railway pantograph
This paper presents the results obtained from fibre Bragg grating (FBG) sensors integrated into a railway current-collecting pantograph for accurate measurement of contact force and contact location when it is infjected to various temperature conditions. The temperature change of the pantograph is simulated, at the industrial laboratory of Brecknell Willis in the UK, by changing the DC current applied to pantograph from 0 to 1500 A. This test is primarily designed to verify the effectiveness of the temperature compensation mechanism built in the FBG sensor design. For this verification, 3 thermocouples co-located with the FBG sensor packages are used to measure the temperature change seen from 25 °C to 55 °C. The tests were repeated several times and the sensor system has shown its temperatureindependence, confirming that the intrinsic cross-sensitivity of FBGs to temperature variation for strain measurement has been fully compensated through the use of this innovative sensor design and data processing
MCG+00-32-16: An Irregular Galaxy Close to the Lowest Redshift Absorber on the 3C 273 Line of Sight
MCG+00-32-16 is the galaxy closest in position-velocity space to the lowest
redshift Ly absorber along the line-of-sight to the quasar 3C 273. Its
projected separation is 204 (d/19 Mpc) kpc, where d is the distance from the
Milky Way to the galaxy, and the redshift difference is only 94 km/s; HI
1225+01 is slightly closer in projected separation to the absorber, but has a
greater redshift difference. We present HI synthesis array mapping and CCD
photometry in B and R for MCG+00-32-16. The HI disk is rotating in such a way
that the side of the galaxy closer to the sight-line to the quasar has the
larger velocity difference from the absorber. The absorber may be a ``failed
dwarf'' member of a poor galaxy group of which MCG+00-32-16 and HI 1225+01 are
the only members to have formed stars.Comment: 14 pages, 9 figures, accepted by Astrophysical Journa
Discrete-time quantum walks on one-dimensional lattices
In this paper, we study discrete-time quantum walks on one-dimensional
lattices. We find that the coherent dynamics depends on the initial states and
coin parameters. For infinite size of lattice, we derive an explicit expression
for the return probability, which shows scaling behavior
and does not depends on the initial states of the walk. In the long-time limit,
the probability distribution shows various patterns, depending on the initial
states, coin parameters and the lattice size. The average mixing time
closes to the limiting probability in linear (size of the
lattice) for large values of thresholds . Finally, we introduce
another kind of quantum walk on infinite or even-numbered size of lattices, and
show that the walk is equivalent to the traditional quantum walk with
symmetrical initial state and coin parameter.Comment: 17 pages research not
Three-qubit pure-state canonical forms
In this paper we analyze the canonical forms into which any pure three-qubit
state can be cast. The minimal forms, i.e. the ones with the minimal number of
product states built from local bases, are also presented and lead to a
complete classification of pure three-qubit states. This classification is
related to the values of the polynomial invariants under local unitary
transformations by a one-to-one correspondence.Comment: REVTEX, 9 pages, 1 figur
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Optical fibre sensing: A solution for industry
Optical fibres have been explored widely for their sensing capability to meet increasing industrial needs, building on their success in telecommunications. This paper provides a review of research activities at City University of London in response to industrial challenges through the development of a range of fibre Bragg grating (FBG)-based sensors for transportation structural monitoring. For marine propellers, arrays of FBGs mapped onto the surface of propeller blades allow for capturing vibrational modes, with reference to simulation data. The research funded by EU Cleansky programme enables the development of self-sensing electric motor drives to support 'More Electric Aircraft' concept. The partnership with Faiveley Brecknell Willis in the UK enables the integration of FBG sensors into the railway current-collecting pantographs for real-time condition monitoring when they are operating under 25kV conditions
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