7,312 research outputs found
Scaling up from greenhouse resistance to fitness in the field for a host of an emerging forest disease.
Forest systems are increasingly threatened by emergent, exotic diseases, yet management strategies for forest trees may be hindered by long generation times and scant background knowledge. We tested whether nursery disease resistance and growth traits have predictive value for the conservation of Notholithocarpus densiflorus, the host most susceptible to sudden oak death. We established three experimental populations to assess nursery growth and resistance to Phytophthora ramorum, and correlations between nursery-derived breeding values with seedling survival in a field disease trial. Estimates of nursery traits' heritability were low to moderate, with lowest estimates for resistance traits. Within the field trial, survival likelihood was increased in larger seedlings and decreased with the development of disease symptoms. The seed-parent family wide likelihood of survival was likewise correlated with family predictors for size and resistance to disease in 2nd year laboratory assays, though not resistance in 1st year leaf assays. We identified traits and seedling families with increased survivorship in planted tanoaks, and a framework to further identify seed parents favored for restoration. The additive genetic variation and seedling disease dynamics we describe hold promise to refine current disease models and expand the understanding of evolutionary dynamics of emergent infectious diseases in highly susceptible hosts
How to protect a wind turbine from lightning
Techniques for reducing the chances of lightning damage to wind turbines are discussed. The methods of providing a ground for a lightning strike are discussed. Then details are given on ways to protect electronic systems, generating and power equipment, blades, and mechanical components from direct and nearby lightning strikes
Effects of temperature upon the collapse of a Bose-Einstein condensate in a gas with attractive interactions
We present a study of the effects of temperature upon the excitation
frequencies of a Bose-Einstein condensate formed within a dilute gas with a
weak attractive effective interaction between the atoms. We use the
self-consistent Hartree-Fock Bogoliubov treatment within the Popov
approximation and compare our results to previous zero temperature and
Hartree-Fock calculations The metastability of the condensate is monitored by
means of the excitation frequency. As the number of atoms in the
condensate is increased, with held constant, this frequency goes to zero,
signalling a phase transition to a dense collapsed state. The critical number
for collapse is found to decrease as a function of temperature, the rate of
decrease being greater than that obtained in previous Hartree-Fock
calculations.Comment: 4 pages LaTeX, 3 eps figures. To appear as a letter in J. Phys.
Collective excitations of atomic Bose-Einstein condensates
We apply linear-response analysis of the Gross-Pitaevskii equation to obtain
the excitation frequencies of a Bose-Einstein condensate confined in a
time-averaged orbiting potential trap. Our calculated values are in excellent
agreement with those observed in a recent experiment.Comment: 11 pages, 2 Postscript figures, uses psbox.tex for automatic figure
inclusion. More info at http://amo.phy.gasou.edu/bec.htm
Vortices in attractive Bose-Einstein condensates in two dimensions
The form and stability of quantum vortices in Bose-Einstein condensates with
attractive atomic interactions is elucidated. They appear as ring bright
solitons, and are a generalization of the Townes soliton to nonzero winding
number . An infinite sequence of radially excited stationary states appear
for each value of , which are characterized by concentric matter-wave rings
separated by nodes, in contrast to repulsive condensates, where no such set of
states exists. It is shown that robustly stable as well as unstable regimes may
be achieved in confined geometries, thereby suggesting that vortices and their
radial excited states can be observed in experiments on attractive condensates
in two dimensions.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure
Two point correlations of a trapped interacting Bose gas at finite temperature
We develop a computationally tractable method for calculating correlation
functions of the finite temperature trapped Bose gas that includes the effects
of s-wave interactions. Our approach uses a classical field method to model the
low energy modes and treats the high energy modes using a Hartree-Fock
description. We present results of first and second order correlation
functions, in position and momentum space, for an experimentally realistic
system in the temperature range of to . We also characterize
the spatial coherence length of the system. Our theory should be applicable in
the critical region where experiments are now able to measure first and second
order correlations.Comment: 9 pages, 4 figure
Cognitive function in COPD
In order to characterise the overall clinical picture of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) a better understanding of all relevant comorbidities is required. It is increasingly recognised that COPD is a multi-component disease, but little attention has been paid to its effects on cognitive function. Cognitive dysfunction is associated with increased mortality and disability; however, it remains poorly understood in COPD. This review examines mechanisms of injury and dysfunction to the brain and considers the methods used to evaluate cognition, and assembles evidence concerning the nature and level of cognitive impairment in COPD. Our main findings are: 1) there may be a pattern of cognitive dysfunction specific to COPD; 2) cognitive function is only mildly impaired in patients without hypoxaemia; 3) the incidence of cognitive dysfunction is higher in hypoxaemia; 4) hypoxaemia, hypercapnia, smoking and comorbidities (such as vascular disease) are unlikely to account for all of the cognitive dysfunction seen in COPD; 5) there is weak or no association between cognitive function and mood, fatigue or health status; 6) cognitive dysfunction may be associated with increased mortality and disability; and 7) there is limited evidence for a significant effect of treatment on cognitive function
Gapless finite- theory of collective modes of a trapped gas
We present predictions for the frequencies of collective modes of trapped
Bose-condensed Rb atoms at finite temperature. Our treatment includes a
self-consistent treatment of the mean-field from finite- excitations and the
anomolous average. This is the first gapless calculation of this type for a
trapped Bose-Einstein condensed gas. The corrections quantitatively account for
the downward shift in the excitation frequencies observed in recent
experiments as the critical temperature is approached.Comment: 4 pages Latex and 2 postscript figure
Gas Purity effect on GEM Performance in He and Ne at Low Temperatures
The performance of Gas Electron Multipliers (GEMs) in gaseous He, Ne, He+H2
and Ne+H2 was studied at temperatures in the range of 3-293 K. This paper
reports on previously published measurements and additional studies on the
effects of the purity of the gases in which the GEM performance is evaluated.
In He, at temperatures between 77 and 293 K, triple-GEM structures operate at
rather high gains, exceeding 1000. There is an indication that this high gain
is achieved through the Penning effect as a result of impurities in the gas. At
lower temperatures the gain-voltage characteristics are significantly modified
probably due to the freeze-out of these impurities. Double-GEM and single-GEM
structures can operate down to 3 K at gains reaching only several tens at a gas
density of about 0.5 g/l; at higher densities the maximum gain drops further.
In Ne, the maximum gain also drops at cryogenic temperatures. The gain drop in
Ne at low temperatures can be re-established in Penning mixtures of Ne+H2: very
high gains, exceeding 104, have been obtained in these mixtures at 30-77 K, at
a density of 9.2 g/l which corresponds to saturated Ne vapor density at 27 K.
The addition of small amounts of H2 in He also re-establishes large GEM gains
above 30 K but no gain was observed in He+H2 at 4 K and a density of 1.7 g/l
(corresponding to roughly one-tenth of the saturated vapor density). These
studies are, in part, being pursued in the development of two-phase He and Ne
detectors for solar neutrino detection.Comment: 4 pages, 7 figure
User needs, benefits and integration of robotic systems in a space station laboratory
The methodology, results and conclusions of the User Needs, Benefits, and Integration Study (UNBIS) of Robotic Systems in the Space Station Microgravity and Materials Processing Facility are summarized. Study goals include the determination of user requirements for robotics within the Space Station, United States Laboratory. Three experiments were selected to determine user needs and to allow detailed investigation of microgravity requirements. A NASTRAN analysis of Space Station response to robotic disturbances, and acceleration measurement of a standard industrial robot (Intelledex Model 660) resulted in selection of two ranges of low gravity manipulation: Level 1 (10-3 to 10-5 G at greater than 1 Hz.) and Level 2 (less than = 10-6 G at 0.1 Hz). This included an evaluation of microstepping methods for controlling stepper motors and concluded that an industrial robot actuator can perform milli-G motion without modification. Relative merits of end-effectors and manipulators were studied in order to determine their ability to perform a range of tasks related to the three low gravity experiments. An Effectivity Rating was established for evaluating these robotic system capabilities. Preliminary interface requirements were determined such that definition of requirements for an orbital flight demonstration experiment may be established
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