31,008 research outputs found
Techniques for studying gravity waves and turbulence: Horizontal, vertical and temporal resolution needed
One of the most important atmospheric measurements that is needed is a measure of the gravity-wave spectrum. The MST radar has been investigated as means to measure the temporal resolution required to determine gravity-wave oscillations. The required vertical and horizontal resolution is dependent on the particular part of the gravity wave spectrum that is analyzed. Horizontal spacing is also discussed
Evidence for a planetary mass third body orbiting the binary star KIC 5095269
In this paper, we report the evidence for a planetary mass body orbiting the
close binary star KIC 5095269. This detection arose from a search for eclipse
timing variations among the more than 2,000 eclipsing binaries observed by
Kepler. Light curve and periodic eclipse time variations have been analysed
using Systemic and a custom Binary Eclipse Timings code based on the Transit
Analysis Package which indicates a object orbiting every
around a primary and secondary in an
18.6d orbit. A dynamical integration over years suggests a stable
orbital configuration. Radial velocity observations are recommended to confirm
the properties of the binary star components and the planetary mass of the
companion.Comment: 8 pages, 7 figures, Accepted for publication in MNRA
Altered brainstem responses to modafinil in schizophrenia: implications for adjunctive treatment of cognition.
Candidate pro-cognitive drugs for schizophrenia targeting several neurochemical systems have consistently failed to demonstrate robust efficacy. It remains untested whether concurrent antipsychotic medications exert pharmacodynamic interactions that mitigate pro-cognitive action in patients. We used functional MRI (fMRI) in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled within-subject crossover test of single-dose modafinil effects in 27 medicated schizophrenia patients, interrogating brainstem regions where catecholamine systems arise to innervate the cortex, to link cellular and systems-level models of cognitive control. Modafinil effects were evaluated both within this patient group and compared to a healthy subject group. Modafinil modulated activity in the locus coeruleus (LC) and ventral tegmental area (VTA) in the patient group. However, compared to the healthy comparison group, these effects were altered as a function of task demands: the control-independent drug effect on deactivation was relatively attenuated (shallower) in the LC and exaggerated (deeper) in the VTA; in contrast, again compared to the comparison group, the control-related drug effects on positive activation were attenuated in LC, VTA and the cortical cognitive control network. These altered effects in the LC and VTA were significantly and specifically associated with the degree of antagonism of alpha-2 adrenergic and dopamine-2 receptors, respectively, by concurrently prescribed antipsychotics. These sources of evidence suggest interacting effects on catecholamine neurons of chronic antipsychotic treatment, which respectively increase and decrease sustained neuronal activity in LC and VTA. This is the first direct evidence in a clinical population to suggest that antipsychotic medications alter catecholamine neuronal activity to mitigate pro-cognitive drug action on cortical circuits
Quantum Algorithm for the Collision Problem
In this note, we give a quantum algorithm that finds collisions in arbitrary
r-to-one functions after only O((N/r)^(1/3)) expected evaluations of the
function. Assuming the function is given by a black box, this is more efficient
than the best possible classical algorithm, even allowing probabilism. We also
give a similar algorithm for finding claws in pairs of functions. Furthermore,
we exhibit a space-time tradeoff for our technique. Our approach uses Grover's
quantum searching algorithm in a novel way.Comment: 8 pages, LaTeX2
A smart environment for biometric capture
The development of large scale biometric systems require experiments to be performed on large amounts of data. Existing capture systems are designed for fixed experiments and are not easily scalable. In this scenario even the addition of extra data is difficult. We developed a prototype biometric tunnel for the capture of non-contact biometrics. It is self contained and autonomous. Such a configuration is ideal for building access or deployment in secure environments. The tunnel captures cropped images of the subject's face and performs a 3D reconstruction of the person's motion which is used to extract gait information. Interaction between the various parts of the system is performed via the use of an agent framework. The design of this system is a trade-off between parallel and serial processing due to various hardware bottlenecks. When tested on a small population the extracted features have been shown to be potent for recognition. We currently achieve a moderate throughput of approximate 15 subjects an hour and hope to improve this in the future as the prototype becomes more complete
Relativistic models of magnetars: structure and deformations
We find numerical solutions of the coupled system of Einstein-Maxwell's
equations with a linear approach, in which the magnetic field acts as a
perturbation of a spherical neutron star. In our study, magnetic fields having
both poloidal and toroidal components are considered, and higher order
multipoles are also included. We evaluate the deformations induced by different
field configurations, paying special attention to those for which the star has
a prolate shape. We also explore the dependence of the stellar deformation on
the particular choice of the equation of state and on the mass of the star. Our
results show that, for neutron stars with mass M = 1.4 Msun and surface
magnetic fields of the order of 10^15 G, a quadrupole ellipticity of the order
of 10^(-6) - 10^(-5) should be expected. Low mass neutron stars are in
principle subject to larger deformations (quadrupole ellipticities up to
10^(-3) in the most extreme case). The effect of quadrupolar magnetic fields is
comparable to that of dipolar components. A magnetic field permeating the whole
star is normally needed to obtain negative quadrupole ellipticities, while
fields confined to the crust typically produce positive quadrupole
ellipticities.Comment: 25 pages, 9 figures, submitted to MNRA
Symplectic structure for elastic and chiral conducting cosmic string models
This article is based on the covariant canonical formalism and corresponding
symplectic structure on phase space developed by Witten, Zuckerman and others
in the context of field theory. After recalling the basic principles of this
procedure, we construct the conserved bilinear symplectic current for generic
elastic string models. These models describe current carrying cosmic strings
evolving in an arbitrary curved background spacetime. Particular attention is
paid to the special case of the chiral string for which the worldsheet current
is null. Different formulations of the chiral string action are discussed in
detail, and as a result the integrability property of the chiral string is
clarified.Comment: 18 page
Reusable Agena study. Volume 2: Technical
The application of the existing Agena vehicle as a reusable upper stage for the space shuttle is discussed. The primary objective of the study is to define those changes to the Agena required for it to function in the reusable mode in the 100 percent capture of the NASA-DOD mission model. This 100 percent capture is achieved without use of kick motors or stages by simply increasing the Agena propellant load by using optional strap-on-tanks. The required shuttle support equipment, launch and flight operations techniques, development program, and cost package are also defined
Curvature Corrections to Dynamics of Domain Walls
The most usual procedure for deriving curvature corrections to effective
actions for topological defects is subjected to a critical reappraisal. A
logically unjustified step (leading to overdetermination) is identified and
rectified, taking the standard domain wall case as an illustrative example.
Using the appropriately corrected procedure, we obtain a new exact (analytic)
expression for the corresponding effective action contribution of quadratic
order in the wall width, in terms of the intrinsic Ricci scalar and the
extrinsic curvature scalar . The result is proportional to with the
coefficient given by . The resulting form of the ensuing dynamical
equations is obtained in terms of the second fundamental form and the
Dalembertian of its trace, K. It is argued that this does not invalidate the
physical conclusions obtained from the "zero rigidity" ansatz used in
previous work.Comment: 19 pages plain TeX, 2 figures include
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