4,172 research outputs found
Translation-Rotation Coupling in Transient Grating Experiments : Theoretical and Experimental Evidences
The results of a Transient Grating experiment in a supercooled molecular
liquid of anisotropic molecules and its theoretical interpretation are
presented. These results show the existence of two distinct dynamical
contributions in the response function of this experiment, density and
orientation dynamics. These dynamics can be experimentally disentangled by
varying the polarisation of the probe and diffracted beams and they have been
identified and measured in a Heterodyne Detected experiment performed on
m-toluidine. The results of the theory show a good qualitative agreement with
the measurements at all temperatures.Comment: PDF format, 14 pages including 4 figures, accepted for publication in
EPL. minor modification
Characterizing Pixel and Point Patterns with a Hyperuniformity Disorder Length
We introduce the concept of a hyperuniformity disorder length that controls
the variance of volume fraction fluctuations for randomly placed windows of
fixed size. In particular, fluctuations are determined by the average number of
particles within a distance from the boundary of the window. We first
compute special expectations and bounds in dimensions, and then illustrate
the range of behavior of versus window size by analyzing three
different types of simulated two-dimensional pixel pattern - where particle
positions are stored as a binary digital image in which pixels have value
zero/one if empty/contain a particle. The first are random binomial patterns,
where pixels are randomly flipped from zero to one with probability equal to
area fraction. These have long-ranged density fluctuations, and simulations
confirm the exact result . Next we consider vacancy patterns, where a
fraction of particles on a lattice are randomly removed. These also display
long-range density fluctuations, but with for small . For a
hyperuniform system with no long-range density fluctuations, we consider
Einstein patterns where each particle is independently displaced from a lattice
site by a Gaussian-distributed amount. For these, at large , approaches
a constant equal to about half the root-mean-square displacement in each
dimension. Then we turn to grayscale pixel patterns that represent simulated
arrangements of polydisperse particles, where the volume of a particle is
encoded in the value of its central pixel. And we discuss the continuum limit
of point patterns, where pixel size vanishes. In general, we thus propose to
quantify particle configurations not just by the scaling of the density
fluctuation spectrum but rather by the real-space spectrum of versus
. We call this approach Hyperuniformity Disorder Length Spectroscopy
Unexpected Effect of Internal Degrees of Freedom on Transverse Phonons in Supercooled Liquids
We show experimentally that in a supercooled liquid composed of molecules
with internal degrees of freedom the internal modes contribute to the frequency
dependent shear viscosity and damping of transverse phonons, which results in
an additional broadening of the transverse Brillouin lines. Earlier, only the
effect of internal modes on the frequency dependent bulk viscosity and damping
of longitudinal phonons was observed and explained theoretically in the limit
of weak coupling of internal degrees of freedom to translational motion. A new
theory is needed to describe this new effect. We also demonstrate, that the
contributions of structural relaxation and internal processes to the width of
the Brillouin lines can be separated by measurements under high pressure
Use of recombinant ApxIV in serodiagnosis of Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae infections and development of an ApxIV ELISA
Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae (App) is the etiological agent of porcine pleuropneumonia. The virulence of the fifteen serotypes of App is mainly determined by the three major RTX toxins ApxI, ApxII and ApxIII, which are secreted by the different serotypes in various combinations. A fourth RTX toxin, ApxIV, is produced by all 15 serotypes specifically during infection of pigs, but not under in vitro conditions. Pigs infected with App show specific antibodies directed against ApxIV. The analysis of sera of experimentally infected pigs revealed that ApxIV-immunoblots detected App infections in the second to third week post infection. We developed an indirect ELISA based on purified recombinant N’-terminal moiety of ApxIV that showed a specificity of 100% and a sensitivity of 93.8%
Considering the role of cognitive control in expert performance
© 2014, Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht. Dreyfus and Dreyfus’ (1986) influential phenomenological analysis of skill acquisition proposes that expert performance is guided by non-cognitive responses which are fast, effortless and apparently intuitive in nature. Although this model has been criticised (e.g., by Breivik Journal of Philosophy of Sport, 34, 116–134 2007, Journal of the Philosophy of Sport, 40, 85–106 2013; Eriksen 2010; Montero Inquiry:An interdisciplinary Journal of Philosophy, 53, 105–122 2010; Montero and Evans 2011) for over-emphasising the role that intuition plays in facilitating skilled performance, it does recognise that on occasions (e.g., when performance goes awry for some reason) a form of ‘detached deliberative rationality’ may be used by experts to improve their performance. However, Dreyfus and Dreyfus (1986) see no role for calculative problem solving or deliberation (i.e., drawing on rules or mental representations) when performance is going well. In the current paper, we draw on empirical evidence, insights from athletes, and phenomenological description to argue that ‘continuous improvement’ (i.e., the phenomenon whereby certain skilled performers appear to be capable of increasing their proficiency even though they are already experts; Toner and Moran 2014) among experts is mediated by cognitive (or executive) control in three distinct sporting situations (i.e., in training, during pre-performance routines, and while engaged in on-line skill execution). We conclude by arguing that Sutton et al. Journal of the British Society for Phenomenology, 42, 78–103 (2011) ‘applying intelligence to the reflexes’ (AIR) approach may help to elucidate the process by which expert performers achieve continuous improvement through analytical/mindful behaviour during training and competition
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