1,183 research outputs found
On the Identification of Agents in the Design of Production Control Systems
This paper describes a methodology that is being developed for designing and building agent-based systems for the domain of production control. In particular, this paper deals with the steps that are involved in identifying the agents and in specifying their responsibilities. The methodology aims to be usable by engineers who have a background in production control but who have no prior experience in agent technology. For this reason, the methodology needs to be very prescriptive with respect to the agent-related aspects of design
Competing interactions of spin and lattice in the Kondo lattice model
The magnetic properties of a system of coexisting localized spins and
conduction electrons are investigated within an extended version of the one
dimensional Kondo lattice model in which effects stemming from the
electron-lattice and on-site Coulomb interactions are explicitly included.
After bosonizing the conduction electrons, is it observed that intrinsic
inhomogeneities with the statistical scaling properties of a Griffiths phase
appear, and determine the spin structure of the localized impurities. The
appearance of the inhomogeneities is enhanced by appropriate phonons and acts
destructively on the spin ordering. The inhomogeneities appear on well defined
length scales, can be compared to the formation of intrinsic mesoscopic
metastable patterns which are found in two-fluid systems.Comment: 9 pages, to appear in Jour. Superconductivit
Landsliding and its multiscale influence on mountainscapes
Landsliding is a complex process that modifies mountainscapes worldwide. Its severe and sometimes long-lasting negative effects contrast with the less-documented positive effects on ecosystems, raising numerous questions about the dual role of landsliding, the feedbacks between biotic and geomorphic processes, and, ultimately, the ecological and evolutionary responses of organisms. We present a conceptual model in which feedbacks between biotic and geomorphic processes, landslides, and ecosystem attributes are hypothesized to drive the dynamics of mountain ecosystems at multiple scales. This model is used to integrate and synthesize a rich, but fragmented, body of literature generated in different disciplines, and to highlight the need for profitable collaborations between biologists and geoscientists. Such efforts should help identify attributes that contribute to the resilience of mountain ecosystems, and also should help in conservation, restoration, and hazard assessment. Given the sensitivity of mountains to land-use and global climate change, these endeavors are both relevant and timel
Oxygen-isotope effect on the superconducting gap in the cuprate superconductor Y_{1-x}Pr_xBa_2Cu_3O_{7-\delta}
The oxygen-isotope (^{16}O/^{18}O) effect (OIE) on the zero-temperature
superconducting energy gap \Delta_0 was studied for a series of
Y_{1-x}Pr_xBa_2Cu_3O_{7-\delta} samples (0.0\leq x\leq0.45). The OIE on
\Delta_0 was found to scale with the one on the superconducting transition
temperature. These experimental results are in quantitative agreement with
predictions from a polaronic model for cuprate high-temperature superconductors
and rule out approaches based on purely electronic mechanisms.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figure
Polaron Coherence as Origin of the Pseudogap Phase in High Temperature Superconducting Cuprates
Within a two component approach to high Tc copper oxides including polaronic
couplings, we identify the pseudogap phase as the onset of polaron ordering.
This ordering persists in the superconducting phase. A huge isotope effect on
the pseudogap onset temperature is predicted and in agreement with experimental
data. The anomalous temperature dependence of the mean square copper oxygen ion
displacement observed above, at and below Tc stems from an s-wave
superconducting component of the order parameter, whereas a pure d-wave order
parameter alone can be excluded.Comment: 7 pages, 2 figure
Lattice and polarizability mediated spin activity in EuTiO_3
EuTiO_3 is shown to exhibit novel strong spin-charge-lattice coupling deep in
the paramagnetic phase. Its existence is evidenced by an, until now, unknown
response of the paramagnetic susceptibility at temperatures exceeding the
structural phase transition temperature T_S = 282K. The "extra" features in the
susceptibility follow the rotational soft zone boundary mode temperature
dependence above and below T_S. The theoretical modeling consistently
reproduces this behavior and provides reasoning for the stabilization of the
soft optic mode other than quantum fluctuations.Comment: 8 pages, 4 figure
The Inextricable Link Between Food and Linguistic Diversity: Wild Food Plants among Diverse Minorities in Northeast Georgia, Caucasus
The Inextricable Link Between Food and Linguistic Diversity: Wild Food Plants Among Diverse Minorities in Northeast Georgia, Caucasus. Divergences in the categorization and use of wild food plants among ethnic and linguistic groups living within the same environment are prototypical for the dual nature of biocultural diversity, which is generally richer on ecological and cultural edges. We interviewed 136 people from seven ethnolinguistic groups living in Georgia documenting the use of wild food plants. The results show the inextricable link between food and linguistic diversity; moreover, we observed a greater number of commonly used plants among Christian communities, as Muslim communities shared just one taxon widely used in all regions. Comparison with other Georgian regions and selected ethnic groups living in Azerbaijan showed lower use of wild food plants. Future investigations in the region should widen the ethnolinguistic research to include other aspects of ethnobiology and to dedicate more in-depth studies to understanding the underlying reasons for homogenization and plant-use erosion
Hybrid paramagnon phonon modes at elevated temperatures in EuTiO3
EuTiO3 (ETO) has recently experienced an enormous revival of interest because
of its possible multiferroic properties which are currently in the focus of
research. Unfortunately ETO is an unlikely candidate for enlarged
multifunctionality since the mode softening - typical for ferroelectrics -
remains incomplete, and the antiferromagnetic properties appear at 5.5K only.
However, a strong coupling between lattice and Eu spins exists and leads to the
appearance of a magnon-phonon-hybrid mode at elevated temperatures as evidenced
by electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR), muon spin rotation ({\mu}SR)
experiments and model predictions based on a coupled spin-polarizability
Hamiltonian. This novel finding supports the notion of strong
magneto-dielectric (MD) effects being realized in ETO and opens new strategies
in material design and technological applications.Comment: 9 pages, 4 figure
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