21,470 research outputs found
Nonequilibrium Response from the dissipative Liouville Equation
The problem of response of nonequilibrium systems is currently under intense
investigation. We propose a general method of solution of the Liouville
Equation for thermostatted particle systems subjected to external forces which
retains only the slow degrees of freedom, by projecting out the majority of
fast variables. Response formulae, extending the Green-Kubo relations to
dissipative dynamics are provided, and comparison with numerical data is
presented
Trends and Variability in Localized Precipitation Around Kibale National Park, Uganda, Africa
Our objective was to understand and describe local spatial and temporal variability in precipitation around Kibale National Park, a tropical forest area of high conservation value. Continental or regional-scale trends are often relied upon to make policy and management decisions, but these analyses are often at too coarse a resolution to capture important variability at a finer scale where management actions operate. Monthly rainfall data derived from ten long-term station records (1941-1975) were used to evaluate local spatiotemporal variability in seasonal and annual rainfall for the area surrounding Kibale National Park. The magnitude, direction and significance of trends in seasonal and annual rainfall within the area surrounding the park were identified using the Mann-Kendall trend test and Senâs slope estimator. The standardized precipitation index was calculated at 3- and 12-month periods to identify areas of relative wetness or dryness. Analysis of annual trends and precipitation indices indicated that patterns in annual time series do not reflect the direction and magnitude of seasonal trends nor the spatial variability in intra-annual rainfall at the local scale. Significant negative trends in the seasonal long rains, following dry season and short rains were identified at stations west of Kibale, while significant positive trends in the seasonal short rains occurred at stations north of the park. Stations along the western park boundary tended to have more years in which the two dry seasons were abnormally dry than those stations located further from the park
A perturbation density functional theory for the competition between inter and intramolecular association
Using the framework of Wertheim's thermodynamic perturbation theory we
develop the first density functional theory which accounts for intramolecular
association in chain molecules. To test the theory new Monte Carlo simulations
are performed at a fluid solid interface for a 4 segment chain which can both
intra and intermolecularly associate. The theory and simulation results are
found to be in excellent agreement. It is shown that the inclusion of
intramolecular association can have profound effects on interfacial properties
such as interfacial tension and the partition coefficient
Photoionization and Photoelectric Loading of Barium Ion Traps
Simple and effective techniques for loading barium ions into linear Paul
traps are demonstrated. Two-step photoionization of neutral barium is achieved
using a weak intercombination line (6s2 1S0 6s6p 3P1, 791 nm) followed by
excitation above the ionization threshold using a nitrogen gas laser (337 nm).
Isotopic selectivity is achieved by using a near Doppler-free geometry for
excitation of the triplet 6s6p 3P1 state. Additionally, we report a
particularly simple and efficient trap loading technique that employs an
in-expensive UV epoxy curing lamp to generate photoelectrons.Comment: 5 pages, Accepted to PRA 3/20/2007 -fixed typo -clarified figure 3
caption -added reference [15
Seasonal abundance of small cladocerans in Lake Mangakaware, Waikato, New Zealand
The seasonal changes in the dynamics and life histories of the Cladocera in Lake Mangakaware, North Island, New Zealand, were studied over 19 months by sampling at weekly or 2-weekly intervals. Lake Mangakaware is a 13.3 ha polymictic lake with high nutrient status, low Secchi disc transparencies, and an unstable thermal regime. The four planktonic cladoceran species (Bosmina longirostris, B. meridionalis, Ceriodaphnia pulchella, and C. dubia) exhibited disjunct population maxima. Only B. longirostris was perennially present. All species exhibited low fecundities and low lipid content, indicating that food resources were limited and that competitive interactions and resistance to starvation were probably important in determining species success. Increases in body size in cooler seasons were unrelated to clutch size, giving further support for the view that available food was limited. These results are consistent with previous experimental findings that subtle differences in life history can determine seasonal success and the outcome of competition between similar species
Macroscopic control parameter for avalanche models for bursty transport
Similarity analysis is used to identify the control parameter RA for the subset of avalanching systems that can exhibit self-organized criticality (SOC). This parameter expresses the ratio of driving to dissipation. The transition to SOC, when the number of excited degrees of freedom is maximal, is found to occur when RA-->0. This is in the opposite sense to (Kolmogorov) turbulence, thus identifying a deep distinction between turbulence and SOC and suggesting an observable property that could distinguish them. A corollary of this similarity analysis is that SOC phenomenology, that is, power law scaling of avalanches, can persist for finite RA with the same RA-->0 exponent if the system supports a sufficiently large range of lengthscales, necessary for SOC to be a candidate for physical (RA finite) systems
Seasonal Herbage Accumulation of Different Dairy Pasture Types in Southern Australia
Perennial ryegrass pastures, which are the mainstay of dairy feeding systems in southern Australia, are characterised by strong spring growth, little summer/autumn growth, and poor persistence. These limitations impose costs to farm businesses through the purchase of additional fodder to fill feed gaps, and regular re-sowing of pastures. The objective of the research reported here was to investigate the potential for alternative pasture types with different seasonal growth characteristics to improve the seasonal distribution of feed supply and overcome some of the limitations associated with perennial ryegrass
Plate-impact loading of cellular structures formed by selective laser melting
Porous materials are of great interest because of improved energy absorption over their solid counterparts. Their properties, however, have been difficult to optimize. Additive manufacturing has emerged as a potential technique to closely define the structure and properties of porous components, i.e. density, strut width and pore size; however, the behaviour of these materials at very high impact energies remains largely unexplored. We describe an initial study of the dynamic compression response of lattice materials fabricated through additive manufacturing. Lattices consisting of an array of intersecting stainless steel rods were fabricated into discs using selective laser melting. The resulting discs were impacted against solid stainless steel targets at velocities ranging from 300 to 700 m s-1 using a gas gun. Continuum CTH simulations were performed to identify key features in the measured wave profiles, while 3D simulations, in which the individual cells were modelled, revealed details of microscale deformation during collapse of the lattice structure. The validated computer models have been used to provide an understanding of the deformation processes in the cellular samples. The study supports the optimization of cellular structures for application as energy absorbers. © 2014 IOP Publishing Ltd
Fact: Many SCUBA galaxies harbour AGNs
Deep SCUBA surveys have uncovered a large population of ultra-luminous
galaxies at z>1. These sources are often assumed to be starburst galaxies, but
there is growing evidence that a substantial fraction host an AGN (i.e., an
accreting super-massive black hole). We present here possibly the strongest
evidence for this viewpoint to date: the combination of ultra-deep X-ray
observations (the 2 Ms Chandra Deep Field-North) and deep optical spectroscopic
data. We argue that upward of 38% of bright (f850um>=5mJy) SCUBA galaxies host
an AGN, a fraction of which are obscured QSOs (i.e., L_X>3x10^{44} erg/s).
However, using evidence from a variety of analyses, we argue that in almost all
cases the AGNs are not bolometrically important (i.e., <20%). Thus, star
formation appears to dominate their bolometric output. A substantial fraction
of bright SCUBA galaxies show evidence for binary AGN activity. Since these
systems appear to be interacting and merging at optical/near-IR wavelengths,
their super-massive black holes will eventually coalesce.Comment: Invited contribution - 10 pages, 4 figures, to appear in the
Proceedings of the ESO/USM/MPE Workshop on "Multiwavelength Mapping of Galaxy
Formation and Evolution", eds. R. Bender and A. Renzin
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