2,090 research outputs found
Recommended from our members
Solar noble gases in Vigarano bulk minerals â First results of the new 'BENGEL' in-vacuo etching facility
Extract from introduction: Regolith breccias are breccias that contain solar-gas-bearing grains [1,2]. It is generally accepted that the exposure to the solar wind took place rather recently on the surface of a parent body. However, it appears possible that grains were exposed early (or obtained their solar gas load by other mechanisms) prior to accretion. Some of the solar gases in chondrites may indeed be 'primordial' [3,4]. In the CI chondrite Orgueil, the presence of solar gases is restricted to magnetite, whereas the silicates appear solar-gas-free [3]. This is difficult to reconcile in a planetary environment. The observation that solar-like gases in the unbrecciated E chondrite St. Mark's were released only upon severe etching provides further evidence for the presence of primordial solar gas [5]
A method to deconvolve stellar rotational velocities
Rotational speed is an important physical parameter of stars and knowing the
distribution of stellar rotational velocities is essential for the
understanding stellar evolution. However, it cannot be measured directly but
the convolution of the rotational speed and the sine of the inclination angle,
. We developed a method to deconvolve this inverse problem and obtain
the cumulative distribution function (CDF) for stellar rotational velocities
extending the work of Chandrasekhar & M\"unch (1950). This method is applied a)
to theoretical synthetic data recovering the original velocity distribution
with very small error; b) to a sample of about 12.000 field main--sequence
stars, corroborating that the velocity distribution function is
non--Maxwellian, but is better described by distributions based on the concept
of maximum entropy, such as Tsallis or Kaniadakis distribution functions. This
is a very robust and novel method that deconvolve the rotational velocity
cumulative distribution function from a sample of data in just one
single step without needing any convergence criteria.Comment: Accepted in A&
Dynamic survival analysis: modelling the hazard function via ordinary differential equations
The hazard function represents one of the main quantities of interest in the
analysis of survival data. We propose a general approach for modelling the
dynamics of the hazard function using systems of autonomous ordinary
differential equations (ODEs). This modelling approach can be used to provide
qualitative and quantitative analyses of the evolution of the hazard function
over time. Our proposal capitalises on the extensive literature of ODEs which,
in particular, allow for establishing basic rules or laws on the dynamics of
the hazard function via the use of autonomous ODEs. We show how to implement
the proposed modelling framework in cases where there is an analytic solution
to the system of ODEs or where an ODE solver is required to obtain a numerical
solution. We focus on the use of a Bayesian modelling approach, but the
proposed methodology can also be coupled with maximum likelihood estimation. A
simulation study is presented to illustrate the performance of these models and
the interplay of sample size and censoring. Two case studies using real data
are presented to illustrate the use of the proposed approach and to highlight
the interpretability of the corresponding models. We conclude with a discussion
on potential extensions of our work and strategies to include covariates into
our framework.Comment: R and Python code available at: https://github.com/FJRubio67/ODESur
On narrowing coated conductor film: emergence of granularity-induced field hysteresis of transport critical current
Critical current density Jc in polycrystalline or granular superconducting
material is known to be hysteretic with applied field H due to the focusing of
field within the boundary between adjacent grains. This is of concern in the
so-called coated conductors wherein superconducting film is grown on a
granular, but textured surface of a metal substrate. While previous work has
mainly been on Jc determined using induced or magnetization currents, the
present work utilizes transport current via an applied potential in strip
geometry. It is observed that the effect is not as pronounced using transport
current, probably due to a large difference in criterion voltage between the
two types of measurements. However, when the films are narrowed by patterning
into 200-, 100-, or 80-micron, the hysteresis is clearly seen, because of the
forcing of percolation across higher-angle grain boundaries. This effect is
compared for films grown on ion-beam-assisted-deposited (IBAD) YSZ substrate
and those grown on rolling-assisted-biaxially-textures substrates (RABiTS)
which have grains that are about ten times larger. The hysteresis is more
pronounced for the latter, which is more likely to have a weak grain boundary
spanning the width of the microbridge. This is also of concern to applications
in which coated conductors will be striated in order to reduce of AC losses.Comment: text-only: 10 pages, plus 5 figures on 5 page
Charge injection instability in perfect insulators
We show that in a macroscopic perfect insulator, charge injection at a
field-enhancing defect is associated with an instability of the insulating
state or with bistability of the insulating and the charged state. The effect
of a nonlinear carrier mobility is emphasized. The formation of the charged
state is governed by two different processes with clearly separated time
scales. First, due to a fast growth of a charge-injection mode, a localized
charge cloud forms near the injecting defect (or contact). Charge injection
stops when the field enhancement is screened below criticality. Secondly, the
charge slowly redistributes in the bulk. The linear instability mechanism and
the final charged steady state are discussed for a simple model and for
cylindrical and spherical geometries. The theory explains an experimentally
observed increase of the critical electric field with decreasing size of the
injecting contact. Numerical results are presented for dc and ac biased
insulators.Comment: Revtex, 7pages, 4 ps figure
Suppressed dependence of polarization on epitaxial strain in highly polar ferroelectrics
A combined experimental and computational investigation of coupling between
polarization and epitaxial strain in highly polar ferroelectric
PbZr_0.2Ti_0.8O_3 (PZT) thin films is reported. A comparison of the properties
of relaxed (tetragonality c/a = 1.05) and highly-strained (c/a = 1.09)
epitaxial films shows that polarization, while being amongst the highest
reported for PZT or PbTiO_3 in either film or bulk forms (P_r = 82
microC/cm^2), is almost independent of the epitaxial strain. We attribute this
behavior to a suppressed sensitivity of the A-site cations to epitaxial strain
in these Pb-based perovskites, where the ferroelectric displacements are
already large, contrary to the case of less polar perovskites, such as BaTiO_3.
In the latter case, the A-site cation (Ba) and equatorial oxygen displacements
can lead to substantial polarization increases.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure
Detection of a flow induced magnetic field eigenmode in the Riga dynamo facility
In an experiment at the Riga sodium dynamo facility, a slowly growing
magnetic field eigenmode has been detected over a period of about 15 seconds.
For a slightly decreased propeller rotation rate, additional measurements
showed a slow decay of this mode. The measured results correspond satisfactory
with numerical predictions for the growth rates and frequencies
Allosteric control of cyclic di-GMP signaling
Cyclic di-guanosine monophosphate is a bacterial second messenger that has been implicated in biofilm formation, antibiotic resistance, and persistence of pathogenic bacteria in their animal host. Although the enzymes responsible for the regulation of cellular levels of c-di-GMP, diguanylate cyclases (DGC) and phosphodiesterases, have been identified recently, little information is available on the molecular mechanisms involved in controlling the activity of these key enzymes or on the specific interactions of c-di-GMP with effector proteins. By using a combination of genetic, biochemical, and modeling techniques we demonstrate that an allosteric binding site for c-di-GMP (I-site) is responsible for non-competitive product inhibition of DGCs. The I-site was mapped in both multi- and single domain DGC proteins and is fully contained within the GGDEF domain itself. In vivo selection experiments and kinetic analysis of the evolved I-site mutants led to the definition of an RXXD motif as the core c-di-GMP binding site. Based on these results and based on the observation that the I-site is conserved in a majority of known and potential DGC proteins, we propose that product inhibition of DGCs is of fundamental importance for c-di-GMP signaling and cellular homeostasis. The definition of the I-site binding pocket provides an entry point into unraveling the molecular mechanisms of ligand-protein interactions involved in c-di-GMP signaling and makes DGCs a valuable target for drug design to develop new strategies against biofilm-related diseases
Postpartum Quiet Time Effects on Breastfeeding, Satisfaction, & Interruptions to Couplets
https://digitalcommons.psjhealth.org/summit_all/1061/thumbnail.jp
New supersymmetric quartet of nuclei in the A=190 mass region
We present evidence for a new supersymmetric quartet in the A=190 region of
the nuclear mass table. New experimental information on transfer and neutron
capture reactions to the odd-odd nucleaus 194 Ir strongly suggests the
existence of a new supersymmetric quartet, consisting of the 192,193 Os and
193,194 Ir nuclei. We make explicit predictions for the odd-neutron nucleus 193
Os, and suggest that its spectroscopic properties be measured in dedicated
experiments.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures, updated figures and revised text, Physical Review
C, Rapid Communication, in pres
- âŠ