620 research outputs found
Canadian Space Station program
Information on the Canadian Space Station Program is given in viewgraph form. Topics covered include the Mobile Servicing Center (MSC), Space Station Freedom assembly milestones, the MB-3 launch configuration, a new workstation configuration, strategic technology development, the User Development Program, the Space Station Program budget, and Canada's future space activities
The role of the real-time simulation facility, SIMFAC, in the design, development and performance verification of the Shuttle Remote Manipulator System (SRMS) with man-in-the-loop
The SIMFAC has played a vital role in the design, development, and performance verification of the shuttle remote manipulator system (SRMS) to be installed in the space shuttle orbiter. The facility provides for realistic man-in-the-loop operation of the SRMS by an operator in the operator complex, a flightlike crew station patterned after the orbiter aft flight deck with all necessary man machine interface elements, including SRMS displays and controls and simulated out-of-the-window and CCTV scenes. The characteristics of the manipulator system, including arm and joint servo dynamics and control algorithms, are simulated by a comprehensive mathematical model within the simulation subsystem of the facility. Major studies carried out using SIMFAC include: SRMS parameter sensitivity evaluations; the development, evaluation, and verification of operating procedures; and malfunction simulation and analysis of malfunction performance. Among the most important and comprehensive man-in-the-loop simulations carried out to date on SIMFAC are those which support SRMS performance verification and certification when the SRMS is part of the integrated orbiter-manipulator system
Decoherence in an exactly solvable qubit model with initial qubit-environment correlations
We study a model of dephasing (decoherence) in a two-state quantum system
(qubit) coupled to a bath of harmonic oscillators. An exact analytic solution
for the reduced dynamics of a two-state system in this model has been obtained
previously for factorizing initial states of the combined system. We show that
the model admits exact solutions for a large class of correlated initial states
which are typical in the theory of quantum measurements. We derive exact
expressions for the off-diagonal elements of the qubit density matrix, which
hold for an arbitrary strength of coupling between the qubit and the bath. The
influence of initial correlations on decoherence is considered for different
bath spectral densities. Time behavior of the qubit entropy in the decoherence
process is discussed.Comment: 10 pages, 5 figure
Stem Cells in the Nervous System
Given their capacity to regenerate cells lost through injury or disease, stem cells offer new vistas into possible treatments for degenerative diseases and their underlying causes. As such, stem cell biology is emerging as a driving force behind many studies in regenerative medicine. This review focuses on the current understanding of the applications of stem cells in treating ailments of the human brain, with an emphasis on neurodegenerative diseases. Two types of neural stem cells are discussed: endogenous neural stem cells residing within the adult brain and pluripotent stem cells capable of forming neural cells in culture. Endogenous neural stem cells give rise to neurons throughout life, but they are restricted to specialized regions in the brain. Elucidating the molecular mechanisms regulating these cells is key in determining their therapeutic potential as well as finding mechanisms to activate dormant stem cells outside these specialized microdomains. In parallel, patient-derived stem cells can be used to generate neural cells in culture, providing new tools for disease modeling, drug testing, and cell-based therapies. Turning these technologies into viable treatments will require the integration of basic science with clinical skills in rehabilitation
Lattice Kinetics of Diffusion-Limited Coalescence and Annihilation with Sources
We study the 1D kinetics of diffusion-limited coalescence and annihilation
with back reactions and different kinds of particle input. By considering the
changes in occupation and parity of a given interval, we derive sets of
hierarchical equations from which exact expressions for the lattice coverage
and the particle concentration can be obtained. We compare the mean-field
approximation and the continuum approximation to the exact solutions and we
discuss their regime of validity.Comment: 24 pages and 3 eps figures, Revtex, accepted for publication in J.
Phys.
Analysis of Fourier transform valuation formulas and applications
The aim of this article is to provide a systematic analysis of the conditions
such that Fourier transform valuation formulas are valid in a general
framework; i.e. when the option has an arbitrary payoff function and depends on
the path of the asset price process. An interplay between the conditions on the
payoff function and the process arises naturally. We also extend these results
to the multi-dimensional case, and discuss the calculation of Greeks by Fourier
transform methods. As an application, we price options on the minimum of two
assets in L\'evy and stochastic volatility models.Comment: 26 pages, 3 figures, to appear in Appl. Math. Financ
Reaction-diffusion systems and nonlinear waves
The authors investigate the solution of a nonlinear reaction-diffusion
equation connected with nonlinear waves. The equation discussed is more general
than the one discussed recently by Manne, Hurd, and Kenkre (2000). The results
are presented in a compact and elegant form in terms of Mittag-Leffler
functions and generalized Mittag-Leffler functions, which are suitable for
numerical computation. The importance of the derived results lies in the fact
that numerous results on fractional reaction, fractional diffusion, anomalous
diffusion problems, and fractional telegraph equations scattered in the
literature can be derived, as special cases, of the results investigated in
this article.Comment: LaTeX, 16 pages, corrected typo
A Grassmann integral equation
The present study introduces and investigates a new type of equation which is
called Grassmann integral equation in analogy to integral equations studied in
real analysis. A Grassmann integral equation is an equation which involves
Grassmann integrations and which is to be obeyed by an unknown function over a
(finite-dimensional) Grassmann algebra G_m. A particular type of Grassmann
integral equations is explicitly studied for certain low-dimensional Grassmann
algebras. The choice of the equation under investigation is motivated by the
effective action formalism of (lattice) quantum field theory. In a very general
setting, for the Grassmann algebras G_2n, n = 2,3,4, the finite-dimensional
analogues of the generating functionals of the Green functions are worked out
explicitly by solving a coupled system of nonlinear matrix equations. Finally,
by imposing the condition G[{\bar\Psi},{\Psi}] = G_0[{\lambda\bar\Psi},
{\lambda\Psi}] + const., 0<\lambda\in R (\bar\Psi_k, \Psi_k, k=1,...,n, are the
generators of the Grassmann algebra G_2n), between the finite-dimensional
analogues G_0 and G of the (``classical'') action and effective action
functionals, respectively, a special Grassmann integral equation is being
established and solved which also is equivalent to a coupled system of
nonlinear matrix equations. If \lambda \not= 1, solutions to this Grassmann
integral equation exist for n=2 (and consequently, also for any even value of
n, specifically, for n=4) but not for n=3. If \lambda=1, the considered
Grassmann integral equation has always a solution which corresponds to a
Gaussian integral, but remarkably in the case n=4 a further solution is found
which corresponds to a non-Gaussian integral. The investigation sheds light on
the structures to be met for Grassmann algebras G_2n with arbitrarily chosen n.Comment: 58 pages LaTeX (v2: mainly, minor updates and corrections to the
reference section; v3: references [4], [17]-[21], [39], [46], [49]-[54],
[61], [64], [139] added
Randomly Crosslinked Macromolecular Systems: Vulcanisation Transition to and Properties of the Amorphous Solid State
As Charles Goodyear discovered in 1839, when he first vulcanised rubber, a
macromolecular liquid is transformed into a solid when a sufficient density of
permanent crosslinks is introduced at random. At this continuous equi- librium
phase transition, the liquid state, in which all macromolecules are
delocalised, is transformed into a solid state, in which a nonzero fraction of
macromolecules have spontaneously become localised. This solid state is a most
unusual one: localisation occurs about mean positions that are distributed
homogeneously and randomly, and to an extent that varies randomly from monomer
to monomer. Thus, the solid state emerging at the vulcanisation transition is
an equilibrium amorphous solid state: it is properly viewed as a solid state
that bears the same relationship to the liquid and crystalline states as the
spin glass state of certain magnetic systems bears to the paramagnetic and
ferromagnetic states, in the sense that, like the spin glass state, it is
diagnosed by a subtle order parameter.
In this review we give a detailed exposition of a theoretical approach to the
physical properties of systems of randomly, permanently crosslinked
macromolecules. Our primary focus is on the equilibrium properties of such
systems, especially in the regime of Goodyear's vulcanisation transition.Comment: Review Article, REVTEX, 58 pages, 3 PostScript figure
Fractional Langevin Equation: Over-Damped, Under-Damped and Critical Behaviors
The dynamical phase diagram of the fractional Langevin equation is
investigated for harmonically bound particle. It is shown that critical
exponents mark dynamical transitions in the behavior of the system. Four
different critical exponents are found. (i) marks a
transition to a non-monotonic under-damped phase, (ii)
marks a transition to a resonance phase when an external oscillating field
drives the system, (iii) and (iv)
marks transition to a double peak phase of the
"loss" when such an oscillating field present. As a physical explanation we
present a cage effect, where the medium induces an elastic type of friction.
Phase diagrams describing over-damped, under-damped regimes, motion and
resonances, show behaviors different from normal.Comment: 18 pages, 15 figure
- …