Asymptotic wave-splitting in anisotropic linear acoustics

Linear acoustic wave-splitting is an often used tool in describing sound-wave propagation through earth's subsurface. Earth's subsurface is in general anisotropic due to the presence of water-filled porous rocks. Due to the complexity and the implicitness of the wave-splitting solutions in anisotropic media, wave-splitting in seismic experiments is often modeled as isotropic. With the present paper, we have derived a simple wave-splitting procedure for an instantaneously reacting anisotropic media that includes spatial variation in depth, yielding both a traditional (approximate) and a `true amplitude' wave-field decomposition. One of the main advantages of the method presented here is that it gives an explicit asymptotic representation of the linear acoustic-admittance operator to all orders of smoothness for the smooth, positive definite anisotropic material parameters considered here. Once the admittance operator is known we obtain an explicit asymptotic wave-splitting solution.Comment: 20 page

Structural and electronic properties of SrZrO3 and Sr(Ti,Zr) O3 alloys

Using hybrid density functional calculations, we study the electronic and structural properties of SrZrO3 and ordered Sr(Ti,Zr)O3 alloys. Calculations were performed for the ground-state orthorhombic (Pnma) and high-temperature cubic (Pm3m) phases of SrZrO3. The variation of the lattice parameters and band gaps with Ti addition was studied using ordered SrTixZr1-xO3 structures with x=0, 0.25, 0.5, 0.75, and 1. As Ti is added to SrZrO3, the lattice parameter is reduced and closely follows Vegard's law. On the other hand, the band gap shows a large bowing and is highly sensitive to the Ti distribution. For x=0.5, we find that arranging the Ti and Zr atoms into a 1×1SrZrO3/SrTiO3 superlattice along the [001] direction leads to interesting properties, including a highly dispersive single band at the conduction-band minimum (CBM), which is absent in both parent compounds, and a band gap close to that of pure SrTiO3. These features are explained by the splitting of the lowest three conduction-band states due to the reduced symmetry of the superlattice, lowering the band originating from the in-plane Ti 3dxy orbitals. The lifting of the t2g orbital degeneracy around the CBM suppresses scattering due to electron-phonon interactions. Our results demonstrate how short-period SrZrO3/SrTiO3 superlattices could be exploited to engineer the band structure and improve carrier mobility compared to bulk SrTiO3

The Pandora multi-algorithm approach to automated pattern recognition in LAr TPC detectors

The development and operation of Liquid Argon Time Projection Chambers (LAr TPCs) for neutrino physics has created a need for new approaches to pattern recognition, in order to fully exploit the superb imaging capabilities offered by this technology. The Pandora Software Development Kit provides functionality to aid the process of designing, implementing and running pattern recognition algorithms. It promotes the use of a multi-algorithm approach to pattern recognition: individual algorithms each address a specific task in a particular topology; a series of many tens of algorithms then carefully builds-up a picture of the event. The input to the Pandora pattern recognition is a list of 2D Hits. The output from the chain of over 70 algorithms is a hierarchy of reconstructed 3D Particles, each with an identified particle type, vertex and direction

Monitoring practices of training load and biological maturity in UK soccer academies

Purpose: Overuse injury risk increases during periods of accelerated growth, which can subsequently impact development in academy soccer, suggesting a need to quantify training exposure. Nonprescriptive development scheme legislation could lead to inconsistent approaches to monitoring maturity and training load. Therefore, this study aimed to communicate current practices of UK soccer academies toward biological maturity and training load. Methods: Forty-nine respondents completed an online survey representing support staff from male Premier League academies (n = 38) and female Regional Talent Clubs (n = 11). The survey included 16 questions covering maturity and training-load monitoring. Questions were multiple-choice or unipolar scaled (agreement 0-100) with a magnitude-based decision approach used for interpretation. Results: Injury prevention was deemed highest importance for maturity (83.0 [5.3], mean [SD]) and training-load monitoring (80.0 [2.8]). There were large differences in methods adopted for maturity estimation and moderate differences for training-loadmonitoring between academies. Predictions of maturity were deemed comparatively low in importance for bio-banded (biological classification) training (61.0 [3.3]) and low for bio-banded competition (56.0 [1.8]) across academies. Few respondents reported maturity (42%) and training load (16%) to parent/guardians, and only 9% of medical staff were routinely provided this data. Conclusions: Although consistencies between academies exist, disparities in monitoring approaches are likely reflective of environment-specific resource and logistical constraints. Designating consistent and qualified responsibility to staff will help promote fidelity, feedback, and transparency to advise stakeholders of maturity-load relationships. Practitioners should consider biological categorization to manage load prescription to promote maturity-appropriate dose-responses and to help reduce the risk of noncontact injury

Retrofocusing of Acoustic Wave Fields by Iterated Time Reversal

In the present paper an iterative time-reversal algorithm, that retrofocuses an acoustic wave field to its controllable part is established. For a fixed temporal support, i.e., transducer excitation time, the algorithm generates an optimal retrofocusing in the least-squares sense. Thus the iterative time-reversal algorithm reduces the temporal support of the excitation from the requirement of negligible remaining energy to the requirement of controllability. The timereversal retrofocusing is analyzed from a boundary control perspective where time reversal is used to steer the acoustic wave field towards a desired state. The wave field is controlled by transducers located at subsets of the boundary, i.e., the controllable part of the boundary. The time-reversal cavity and time-reversal mirror cases are analyzed. In the cavity case, the transducers generate a locally plane wave in the fundamental mode through a set of ducts. Numerical examples are given to illustrate the convergence of the iterative time-reversal algorithm. In the mirror case, a homogeneous half space is considered. For this case the analytic expression for the retrofocused wave field is given for finite temporal support. It is shown that the mirror case does not have the same degree of steering as the cavity case. It is also shown that the pressure can be perfectly retrofocused for infinite temporal support. Two examples are given that indicate that the influence of the evanescent part of the wave field is small

The cadmium-phosphate relationship in brine: biological versus physical control over micronutrients in sea ice environments

Despite supporting productive ecosystems in the high latitudes, the relationship between macro- and micronutrients in sea ice environments and their impact on surface productivity is poorly documented. In seawater, the macronutrient phosphate and the micronutrient cadmium follow similar distributions, which are controlled by biological processes in surface waters. We investigated cadmium and phosphate in sea ice brine, and the biological and physical processes controlling their distribution. Cadmium concentrations in sea ice brine ranged from 0.092.4 nmol kg-1, and correlated well with salinity. Our results show that micronutrients in sea ice are most probably sourced from the seawater from which it froze rather than external sources such as atmospheric deposition. The weak correlation between sea ice cadmium and phosphate, and the positive relationship between cadmium and biomass, suggests against biological uptake being a principal control over micronutrient distribution even in a highly productive setting. Instead, brine expulsion and dilution play a dominant role in cadmium distribution in sea ice. Nutrient dilution within brine channels during melting, and contrasting sea ice and open water phytoplankton populations, suggests that late spring sea ice is not a significant source of nutrients or biomass to seawater. We suggest that future changes in sea ice seasonality may impact nutrient distribution and Antarctic marine ecosystems. © 2009 Antarctic Science Ltd

Mixing of Ground States in Vertex Models

We consider the analogue of the 6-vertex model constructed from alternating spin n/2 and spin m/2 lines, where $1\leq n<m$. We identify the transfer matrix and the space on which it acts in terms of the representation theory of $U_q(sl_2)$. We diagonalise the transfer matrix and compute the S-matrix. We give a trace formula for local correlation functions. When n=1, the 1-point function of a spin m/2 local variable for the alternating lattice with a particular ground state is given as a linear combination of the 1-point functions of the pure spin m/2 model with different ground states. The mixing ratios are calculated exactly and are expressed in terms of irreducible characters of $U_q(sl_2)$ and the deformed Virasoro algebra.Comment: 12 pages, LaTeX, typos correcte

Design and implementation of a biomolecular concentration tracker

As a field, synthetic biology strives to engineer increasingly complex artificial systems in living cells. Active feedback in closed loop systems offers a dynamic and adaptive way to ensure constant relative activity independent of intrinsic and extrinsic noise. In this work, we use synthetic protein scaffolds as a modular and tunable mechanism for concentration tracking through negative feedback. Input to the circuit initiates scaffold production, leading to colocalization of a two-component system and resulting in the production of an inhibitory antiscaffold protein. Using a combination of modeling and experimental work, we show that the biomolecular concentration tracker circuit achieves dynamic protein concentration tracking in Escherichia coli and that steady state outputs can be tuned