367 research outputs found
Geodesic equation in -Minkowski spacetime
In this paper, we derive corrections to the geodesic equation due to the
-deformation of curved space-time, up to the first order in the deformation
parameter a. This is done by generalizing the method from our previous paper
[31], to include curvature effects. We show that the effect of
-noncommutativity can be interpreted as an extra drag that acts on the
particle while moving in this -deformed curved space. We have derived the
Newtonian limit of the geodesic equation and using this, we discuss possible
bounds on the deformation parameter. We also derive the generalized uncertainty
relations valid in the non-relativistic limit of the -space-time.Comment: 11 pages, references adde
Approximate solutions in space mission design
In this paper, we address multi-objective space mission design problems. From a practical point of view, it is often the case that,during the preliminary phase of the design of a space mission, the solutions that are actually considered are not 'optimal' (in the Pareto sense)but belong to the basin of attraction of optimal ones (i.e. they are nearly
optimal). This choice is motivated either by additional requirements that the decision maker has to take into account or, more often, by robustness considerations. For this, we suggest a novel MOEA which is a modification of the well-known NSGA-II algorithm equipped with a recently
proposed archiving strategy which aims at storing the set of approximate solutions of a given MOP. Using this algorithm we will examine some space trajectory design problems and demonstrate the benefit of the novel approach
The Quantum Mechanics of Hyperion
This paper is motivated by the suggestion [W. Zurek, Physica Scripta, T76,
186 (1998)] that the chaotic tumbling of the satellite Hyperion would become
non-classical within 20 years, but for the effects of environmental
decoherence. The dynamics of quantum and classical probability distributions
are compared for a satellite rotating perpendicular to its orbital plane,
driven by the gravitational gradient. The model is studied with and without
environmental decoherence. Without decoherence, the maximum quantum-classical
(QC) differences in its average angular momentum scale as hbar^{2/3} for
chaotic states, and as hbar^2 for non-chaotic states, leading to negligible QC
differences for a macroscopic object like Hyperion. The quantum probability
distributions do not approach their classical limit smoothly, having an
extremely fine oscillatory structure superimposed on the smooth classical
background. For a macroscopic object, this oscillatory structure is too fine to
be resolved by any realistic measurement. Either a small amount of smoothing
(due to the finite resolution of the apparatus) or a very small amount of
environmental decoherence is sufficient ensure the classical limit. Under
decoherence, the QC differences in the probability distributions scale as
(hbar^2/D)^{1/6}, where D is the momentum diffusion parameter. We conclude that
decoherence is not essential to explain the classical behavior of macroscopic
bodies.Comment: 17 pages, 24 figure
Preinfection in vitro chemotaxis, phagocytosis, oxidative burst, and expression of CD11/CD18 receptors and their predictive capacity on the outcome of mastitis induced in dairy cows with Escherichia coli.
Four to 6 wk after parturition, 12 cows in second, fourth, or fifth lactation were experimentally infected in one gland with Escherichia coli. The capacity of chemotaxis, phagocytosis, oxidative burst, and expression of CD11/CD18 receptors to predict the severity of IMI was measured. Bacterial counts in the infected quarter, expressed as area under the curve, and residual milk production in the uninfected quarters were compared to determine severity of the infection. Although these two outcome parameters were highly negatively correlated, regression models with preinfection tests for leukocyte function fitted best with bacterial counts as an outcome parameter. Of the preinfection tests for leukocyte function, chemotaxis best predicted the outcome of the IMI that had been experimentally induced by E. coli.
The number of circulating peripheral leukocytes just prior to inoculation was used to predict 52 and 45% of the severity of IMI for bacterial counts and residual milk production, respectively. As a categorical variable, parity predicted 75 and 56% of the severity of IMI expressed as bacterial counts and residual milk production, respectively. Because of the strong effect of parity on the outcome of the experimentally induced mastitis, analysis was performed to discriminate between second parity cows and older cows. Significant differences were found for the number of circulating peripheral leukocytes and for the expression of CD11b/CDl8 and CD11c/CD18 receptors between younger and older cows
A review of research into business coaching supervision
A systematic search of the coaching literature for original peer-reviewed studies into business coaching supervision yielded seven research reports. Evaluation of these studies showed them to be low in the reporting of methodological rigour. However, as an emerging area of research with great importance for the development of the profession of business coaching these studies provide valuable insights into the functions of supervision and its benefits. Gaps in knowledge and directions for future research are identified. There is a need for future research to be more rigorous in its reporting of methods and analytic procedures, small scale qualitative research that can provide insight into the issues and challenges of coaching supervision in specific contexts, and large scale quantitative research which can provide broader and generalizable understandings into the uses and benefits of supervision
Color Transparency Effects in Electron Deuteron Interactions at Intermediate Q^2
High momentum transfer electrodisintegration of polarized and unpolarized
deuterium targets, is studied. We show that the importance of final
state interactions-FSI, occuring when a knocked out nucleon interacts with the
other nucleon, depends strongly on the momentum of the spectator nucleon. In
particular, these FSI occur when the essential contributions to the scattering
amplitude arise from internucleon distances . But the absorption
of the high momentum may produce a point like configuration, which
evolves with time. In this case, the final state interactions probe the point
like configuration at the early stage of its evolution. The result is that
significant color transparency effects, which can either enhance or suppress
computed cross sections, are predicted to occur for .Comment: 37 pages LaTex, 12 uuencoded PostScript Figures as separate file, to
be published in Z.Phys.
Coupled Maps on Trees
We study coupled maps on a Cayley tree, with local (nearest-neighbor)
interactions, and with a variety of boundary conditions. The homogeneous state
(where every lattice site has the same value) and the node-synchronized state
(where sites of a given generation have the same value) are both shown to occur
for particular values of the parameters and coupling constants. We study the
stability of these states and their domains of attraction. As the number of
sites that become synchronized is much higher compared to that on a regular
lattice, control is easier to effect. A general procedure is given to deduce
the eigenvalue spectrum for these states. Perturbations of the synchronized
state lead to different spatio-temporal structures. We find that a mean-field
like treatment is valid on this (effectively infinite dimensional) lattice.Comment: latex file (25 pages), 4 figures included. To be published in Phys.
Rev.
Cosmological Dynamics of Phantom Field
We study the general features of the dynamics of the phantom field in the
cosmological context. In the case of inverse coshyperbolic potential, we
demonstrate that the phantom field can successfully drive the observed current
accelerated expansion of the universe with the equation of state parameter
. The de-Sitter universe turns out to be the late time attractor
of the model. The main features of the dynamics are independent of the initial
conditions and the parameters of the model. The model fits the supernova data
very well, allowing for at 95 % confidence level.Comment: Typos corrected. Some clarifications and references added. To appear
in Physical Review
Overestimating Outcome Rates: Statistical Estimation When Reliability Is Suboptimal
To demonstrate how failure to account for measurement error in an outcome (dependent) variable can lead to significant estimation errors and to illustrate ways to recognize and avoid these errors. Data Sources . Medical literature and simulation models. Study Design/Data Collection . Systematic review of the published and unpublished epidemiological literature on the rate of preventable hospital deaths and statistical simulation of potential estimation errors based on data from these studies. Principal Findings . Most estimates of the rate of preventable deaths in U.S. hospitals rely upon classifying cases using one to three physician reviewers (implicit review). Because this method has low to moderate reliability, estimates based on statistical methods that do not account for error in the measurement of a “preventable death” can result in significant overestimation. For example, relying on a majority rule rating with three reviewers per case (reliability ∼0.45 for the average of three reviewers) can result in a 50–100 percent overestimation compared with an estimate based upon a reliably measured outcome (e.g., by using 50 reviewers per case). However, there are statistical methods that account for measurement error that can produce much more accurate estimates of outcome rates without requiring a large number of measurements per case. Conclusion . The statistical principles discussed in this case study are critically important whenever one seeks to estimate the proportion of cases belonging to specific categories (such as estimating how many patients have inadequate blood pressure control or identifying high-cost or low-quality physicians). When the true outcome rate is low (<20 percent), using an outcome measure that has low-to-moderate reliability will generally result in substantially overestimating the proportion of the population having the outcome unless statistical methods that adjust for measurement error are used.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/74896/1/j.1475-6773.2006.00661.x.pd
Metagenomic Nanopore sequencing of influenza virus direct from clinical respiratory samples
Influenza is a major global public health threat as a result of its highly pathogenic variants, large zoonotic reservoir, and pandemic potential. Metagenomic viral sequencing offers the potential for a diagnostic test for influenza virus which also provides insights on transmission, evolution, and drug resistance and simultaneously detects other viruses. We therefore set out to apply the Oxford Nanopore Technologies sequencing method to metagenomic sequencing of respiratory samples. We generated influenza virus reads down to a limit of detection of 102 to 103 genome copies/ml in pooled samples, observing a strong relationship between the viral titer and the proportion of influenza virus reads (P = 4.7 × 10−5). Applying our methods to clinical throat swabs, we generated influenza virus reads for 27/27 samples with mid-to-high viral titers (cycle threshold [CT] values, 99% complete sequences for all eight gene segments. We also detected a human coronavirus coinfection in one clinical sample. While further optimization is required to improve sensitivity, this approach shows promise for the Nanopore platform to be used in the diagnosis and genetic analysis of influenza virus and other respiratory viruses
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