40 research outputs found
CH 3 GHz Observations of the Galactic Center
A 3 3 map of the Galactic Center was made at 9\arcmin resolution
and 10\arcmin spacing in the CH , J=1/2, F=1-1 transition at
3335 MHz. The CH emission shows a velocity extent that is nearly that of the
CO(1-0) line, but the CH line profiles differ markedly from the CO. The 3335
MHz CH transition primarily traces low-density molecular gas and our
observations indicate that the mass of this component within 30 pc of
the Galactic Center is 9 10 M. The CO-H
conversion factor obtained for the low-density gas in the mapped region is
greater than that thought to apply to the dense molecular gas at the Galactic
Center. In addition to tracing the low-density molecular gas at the Galactic
Center, the CH spectra show evidence of emission from molecular clouds along
the line of sight both in the foreground and background. The scale height of
these clouds ranges from 27 - 109 pc, consistent with previous work based on
observations of molecular clouds in the inner Galaxy.Comment: 29 pages, 12 figure
Gutenberg Richter and Characteristic Earthquake Behavior in Simple Mean-Field Models of Heterogeneous Faults
The statistics of earthquakes in a heterogeneous fault zone is studied
analytically and numerically in the mean field version of a model for a
segmented fault system in a three-dimensional elastic solid. The studies focus
on the interplay between the roles of disorder, dynamical effects, and driving
mechanisms. A two-parameter phase diagram is found, spanned by the amplitude of
dynamical weakening (or ``overshoot'') effects (epsilon) and the normal
distance (L) of the driving forces from the fault. In general, small epsilon
and small L are found to produce Gutenberg-Richter type power law statistics
with an exponential cutoff, while large epsilon and large L lead to a
distribution of small events combined with characteristic system-size events.
In a certain parameter regime the behavior is bistable, with transitions back
and forth from one phase to the other on time scales determined by the fault
size and other model parameters. The implications for realistic earthquake
statistics are discussed.Comment: 21 pages, RevTex, 6 figures (ps, eps
EQUIVALENCES BETWEEN STOCHASTIC SYSTEMS
Time-dependent correlation functions of (unstable) particles undergoing
biased or unbiased diffusion, coagulation and annihilation are calculated. This
is achieved by similarity transformations between different stochastic models
and between stochastic and soluble {\em non-stochastic} models. The results
agree with experiments on one-dimensional annihilation-coagulation processes.Comment: 15 pages, Latex. Some corrections made and an appendix adde
A way to synchronize models with seismic faults for earthquake forecasting: Insights from a simple stochastic model
Numerical models are starting to be used for determining the future behaviour
of seismic faults and fault networks. Their final goal would be to forecast
future large earthquakes. In order to use them for this task, it is necessary
to synchronize each model with the current status of the actual fault or fault
network it simulates (just as, for example, meteorologists synchronize their
models with the atmosphere by incorporating current atmospheric data in them).
However, lithospheric dynamics is largely unobservable: important parameters
cannot (or can rarely) be measured in Nature. Earthquakes, though, provide
indirect but measurable clues of the stress and strain status in the
lithosphere, which should be helpful for the synchronization of the models. The
rupture area is one of the measurable parameters of earthquakes. Here we
explore how it can be used to at least synchronize fault models between
themselves and forecast synthetic earthquakes. Our purpose here is to forecast
synthetic earthquakes in a simple but stochastic (random) fault model. By
imposing the rupture area of the synthetic earthquakes of this model on other
models, the latter become partially synchronized with the first one. We use
these partially synchronized models to successfully forecast most of the
largest earthquakes generated by the first model. This forecasting strategy
outperforms others that only take into account the earthquake series. Our
results suggest that probably a good way to synchronize more detailed models
with real faults is to force them to reproduce the sequence of previous
earthquake ruptures on the faults. This hypothesis could be tested in the
future with more detailed models and actual seismic data.Comment: Revised version. Recommended for publication in Tectonophysic
Crackling Noise
Crackling noise arises when a system responds to changing external conditions
through discrete, impulsive events spanning a broad range of sizes. A wide
variety of physical systems exhibiting crackling noise have been studied, from
earthquakes on faults to paper crumpling. Because these systems exhibit regular
behavior over many decades of sizes, their behavior is likely independent of
microscopic and macroscopic details, and progress can be made by the use of
very simple models. The fact that simple models and real systems can share the
same behavior on a wide range of scales is called universality. We illustrate
these ideas using results for our model of crackling noise in magnets,
explaining the use of the renormalization group and scaling collapses. This
field is still developing: we describe a number of continuing challenges
Dissecting the Shared Genetic Architecture of Suicide Attempt, Psychiatric Disorders, and Known Risk Factors
Background Suicide is a leading cause of death worldwide, and nonfatal suicide attempts, which occur far more frequently, are a major source of disability and social and economic burden. Both have substantial genetic etiology, which is partially shared and partially distinct from that of related psychiatric disorders. Methods We conducted a genome-wide association study (GWAS) of 29,782 suicide attempt (SA) cases and 519,961 controls in the International Suicide Genetics Consortium (ISGC). The GWAS of SA was conditioned on psychiatric disorders using GWAS summary statistics via multitrait-based conditional and joint analysis, to remove genetic effects on SA mediated by psychiatric disorders. We investigated the shared and divergent genetic architectures of SA, psychiatric disorders, and other known risk factors. Results Two loci reached genome-wide significance for SA: the major histocompatibility complex and an intergenic locus on chromosome 7, the latter of which remained associated with SA after conditioning on psychiatric disorders and replicated in an independent cohort from the Million Veteran Program. This locus has been implicated in risk-taking behavior, smoking, and insomnia. SA showed strong genetic correlation with psychiatric disorders, particularly major depression, and also with smoking, pain, risk-taking behavior, sleep disturbances, lower educational attainment, reproductive traits, lower socioeconomic status, and poorer general health. After conditioning on psychiatric disorders, the genetic correlations between SA and psychiatric disorders decreased, whereas those with nonpsychiatric traits remained largely unchanged. Conclusions Our results identify a risk locus that contributes more strongly to SA than other phenotypes and suggest a shared underlying biology between SA and known risk factors that is not mediated by psychiatric disorders.Peer reviewe
Modelling human choices: MADeM and decision‑making
Research supported by FAPESP 2015/50122-0 and DFG-GRTK 1740/2. RP and AR are also part of the Research, Innovation and Dissemination Center for Neuromathematics FAPESP grant (2013/07699-0). RP is supported by a FAPESP scholarship (2013/25667-8). ACR is partially supported by a CNPq fellowship (grant 306251/2014-0)