610 research outputs found
Enstrophy dissipation in two-dimensional turbulence
Insight into the problem of two-dimensional turbulence can be obtained by an
analogy with a heat conduction network. It allows the identification of an
entropy function associated to the enstrophy dissipation and that fluctuates
around a positive (mean) value. While the corresponding enstrophy network is
highly nonlocal, the direction of the enstrophy current follows from the Second
Law of Thermodynamics. An essential parameter is the ratio of the intensity of driving as a function of
wavenumber , to the dissipation strength , where is the
viscosity. The enstrophy current flows from higher to lower values of ,
similar to a heat current from higher to lower temperature. Our probabilistic
analysis of the enstrophy dissipation and the analogy with heat conduction thus
complements and visualizes the more traditional spectral arguments for the
direct enstrophy cascade. We also show a fluctuation symmetry in the
distribution of the total entropy production which relates the probabilities of
direct and inverse enstrophy cascades.Comment: 8 pages, revtex
Theoretical development and empirical examination of a three-roles model of responsible leadership
This article develops theory on responsible leadership based on a model involving three leadership roles: an expert who displays organizational expertise, a facilitator who cares for and motivates employees and a citizen who considers the consequences of her or his decisions for society. It draws on previous responsible leadership research, stakeholder theory and theories of behavioral complexity to conceptualize the roles model of responsible leadership. Responsible leadership is positioned as a concept that requires leaders to show behavioral complexity in addressing all three roles. In three studies, we provide a first empirical test of antecedents and outcomes of the roles model of responsible leadership. The results of the studies indicate that responsible leadership is positively related to the leader’s perceived effectiveness, favorable stakeholder evaluations and employee engagement with the organization and society. Responsible leadership behavior, in turn, seems to be facilitated by leader empathy, positive affect and universal value orientation
The Lagrangian frequency spectrum as a diagnostic for magnetohydrodynamic turbulence dynamics
For the phenomenological description of magnetohydrodynamic turbulence
competing models exist, e.g. Boldyrev [Phys.Rev.Lett. \textbf{96}, 115002,
2006] and Gogoberidze [Phys.Plas. \textbf{14}, 022304, 2007], which predict the
same Eulerian inertial-range scaling of the turbulent energy spectrum although
they employ fundamentally different basic interaction mechanisms. {A relation
is found that links} the Lagrangian frequency spectrum {with} the
autocorrelation timescale of the turbulent fluctuations, ,
and the associated cascade timescale, . Thus, the
Lagrangian energy spectrum can serve to identify weak
() and strong
() interaction mechanisms providing
insight into the turbulent energy cascade. The new approach is illustrated by
results from direct numerical simulations of two- and three-dimensional
incompressible MHD turbulence.Comment: accepted for publication in PR
Impact of Catalysis-Relevant Oxidation and Annealing Treatments on Nanostructured GaRh Alloys
In this study, we examine the surface-derived electronic and chemical structures of nanostructured GaRh alloys as a model system for supported catalytically active liquid metal solutions (SCALMS), a novel catalyst candidate for dehydrogenation reactions that are important for the petrochemical and hydrogen energy industry. It is reported that under ambient conditions, SCALMS tends to form a gallium oxide shell, which can be removed by an activation treatment at elevated temperatures and hydrogen flow to enhance the catalytic reactivity. We prepared a 7 at. % Rh containing the GaRh sample and interrogated the evolution of the surface chemical and electronic structure by photoelectron spectroscopy (complemented by scanning electron microscopy) upon performing surface oxidation and (activation treatment mimicking) annealing treatments in ultrahigh vacuum conditions. The initially pronounced Rh 4d and Fermi level-derived states in the valence band spectra disappear upon oxidation (due to formation of a GaOx shell) but reemerge upon annealing, especially for temperatures of 600 °C and above, i.e., when the GaOx shell is efficiently being removed and the Ga matrix is expected to be liquid. At the same temperature, new spectroscopic features at both the high and low binding energy sides of the Rh 3d5/2 spectra are observed, which we attribute to new GaRh species with depleted and enriched Rh contents, respectively. A liquefied and GaOx-free surface is also expected for GaRh SCALMS at reaction conditions, and thus the revealed high-temperature properties of the GaRh alloy provide insights about respective catalysts at work
Microwave soft x-ray microscopy for nanoscale magnetization dynamics in the 5-10 GHz frequency range
We present a scanning transmission x-ray microscopy setup combined with a
novel microwave synchronization scheme in order to study high frequency
magnetization dynamics at synchrotron light sources. The sensitivity necessary
to detect small changes of the magnetization on short time scales and nanometer
spatial dimensions is achieved by combination of the developed excitation
mechanism with a single photon counting electronics that is locked to the
synchrotron operation frequency. The required mechanical stability is achieved
by a compact design of the microscope. Our instrument is capable of creating
direct images of dynamical phenomena in the 5-10 GHz range, with 35 nm
resolution. When used together with circularly polarized x-rays, the above
capabilities can be combined to study magnetic phenomena at microwave
frequencies, such as ferromagnetic resonance (FMR) and spin waves. We
demonstrate the capabilities of our technique by presenting phase resolved
images of a 6 GHz nanoscale spin wave generated by a spin torque oscillator, as
well as the uniform ferromagnetic precession with ~0.1 deg amplitude at 9 GHz
in a micrometer-sized cobalt strip.Comment: 9 pages, 7 figure
Generalized statistical mechanics and fully developed turbulence
The statistical properties of fully developed hydrodynamic turbulence can be
successfully described using methods from nonextensive statistical mechanics.
The predicted probability densities and scaling exponents precisely coincide
with what is measured in various turbulence experiments. As a dynamical basis
for nonextensive behaviour we consider nonlinear Langevin equations with
fluctuating friction forces, where Tsallis statistics can be rigorously proved.Comment: 10 pages, 4 figures. To appear in Physica A (Proceedings of Statphys
21
A randomized controlled trial on the efficacy of carbohydrate-reduced or fat-reduced diets in patients attending a telemedically guided weight loss program
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>We investigated whether macronutrient composition of energy-restricted diets influences the efficacy of a telemedically guided weight loss program.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Two hundred overweight subjects were randomly assigned to a conventional low-fat diet and a low-carbohydrate diet group (target carbohydrate content: >55% energy and <40% energy, respectively). Both groups attended a weekly nutrition education program and dietary counselling by telephone, and had to transfer actual body weight data to our clinic weekly with added Bluetooth<sup>® </sup>technology by mobile phone. Various fatness and fat distribution parameters, energy and macronutrient intake, and various biochemical risk markers were measured at baseline and after 6, and 12 months.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>In both groups, energy intake decreased by 400 kcal/d compared to baseline values within the first 6 months and slightly increased again within the second 6 months. Macronutrient composition differed significantly between the groups from the beginning to month 12. At study termination, weight loss was 5.8 kg (SD: 6.1 kg) in the low-carbohydrate group and 4.3 kg (SD: 5.1 kg) in the low-fat group (p = 0.065). In the low-carbohydrate group, triglyceride and HDL-cholesterol levels were lower at month 6 and waist circumference and systolic blood pressure were lower at month 12 compared with the low-fat group (P = 0.005–0.037). Other risk markers improved to a similar extent in both groups.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Despite favourable effects of both diets on weight loss, the carbohydrate-reduced diet was more beneficial with respect to cardiovascular risk factors compared to the fat-reduced diet. Nevertheless, compliance with a weight loss program appears to be even a more important factor for success in prevention and treatment of obesity than the composition of the diet.</p> <p>Trial registration</p> <p>Clinicaltrials.gov as NCT00868387</p
Affinity maturation by targeted diversification of the CDR-H2 loop of a monoclonal Fab derived from a synthetic naïve human antibody library and directed against the internal trimeric coiled-coil of gp41 yields a set of Fabs with improved HIV-1 neutralization potency and breadth
AbstractPreviously we reported a broadly HIV-1 neutralizing mini-antibody (Fab 3674) of modest potency that was derived from a human non-immune phage library by panning against the chimeric gp41-derived construct NCCG-gp41. This construct presents the N-heptad repeat of the gp41 ectodomain as a stable, helical, disulfide-linked trimer that extends in helical phase from the six-helix bundle of gp41. In this paper, Fab 3674 was subjected to affinity maturation against the NCCG-gp41 antigen by targeted diversification of the CDR-H2 loop to generate a panel of Fabs with diverse neutralization activity. Three affinity-matured Fabs selected for further study, Fabs 8060, 8066 and 8068, showed significant increases in both potency and breadth of neutralization against HIV-1 pseudotyped with envelopes of primary isolates from the standard subtype B and C HIV-1 reference panels. The parental Fab 3674 is 10–20-fold less potent in monovalent than bivalent format over the entire B and C panels of HIV-1 pseudotypes. Of note is that the improved neutralization activity of the affinity-matured Fabs relative to the parental Fab 3674 was, on average, significantly greater for the Fabs in monovalent than bivalent format. This suggests that the increased avidity of the Fabs for the target antigen in bivalent format can be partially offset by kinetic and/or steric advantages afforded by the smaller monovalent Fabs. Indeed, the best affinity-matured Fab (8066) in monovalent format (∼50 kDa) was comparable in HIV-1 neutralization potency to the parental Fab 3674 in bivalent format (∼120 kDa) across the subtype B and C reference panels
Case Study for Energy Efficiency Measures of Buildings on an Urban Scale
The energy efficiency of existing buildings is one of the challenges launched by the EPBD recast. The RWTH Aachen University accepted this challenge and started the project EnEff: Campus - Roadmap aiming at reducing the specific primary energy consumption of the university campus building stock (about 300 buildings) by 50 % until 2025. For the estimation of refurbishments for this kind of big data, data mining techniques can be used like the CART method (Classification and Regression Tree). In this investigation, the method applied on the RWTH Aachen buildings stock and the estimated results will be compared to results from a simple data mining technique, called visual method. The comparison is performed by using low-order dynamic building model (LOM) performance simulation through the Modelica AixLib. The determined results of the recommendation of the CART method will be discussed and evaluated in this paper
- …