5,610 research outputs found
Nonequilibrium chiral perturbation theory and pion decay functions
We extend chiral perturbation theory to study a meson gas out of thermal equilibrium. Assuming that the system is initially in equilibrium at T-i < T-c and working within the Schwinger-Keldysh contour technique, we define consistently the time-dependent temporal and spatial pion decay functions, the counterparts of the pion decay constants, and calculate them to next to leading order. The link with curved space-time QFT allows to establish nonequilibrium renormalisation. The short-time behaviour and the applicability of our model to a heavy-ion collision plasma are also discussed in this work
Quasi-exact solvability beyond the SL(2) algebraization
We present evidence to suggest that the study of one dimensional
quasi-exactly solvable (QES) models in quantum mechanics should be extended
beyond the usual \sla(2) approach. The motivation is twofold: We first show
that certain quasi-exactly solvable potentials constructed with the \sla(2)
Lie algebraic method allow for a new larger portion of the spectrum to be
obtained algebraically. This is done via another algebraization in which the
algebraic hamiltonian cannot be expressed as a polynomial in the generators of
\sla(2). We then show an example of a new quasi-exactly solvable potential
which cannot be obtained within the Lie-algebraic approach.Comment: Submitted to the proceedings of the 2005 Dubna workshop on
superintegrabilit
Polinización y sistema reproductivo en Adesmia bijuga Phil. (Fabaceae), una especie en peligro crítico en Chile central
Adesmia bijuga Phil. is an endemic shrub in central Chile, classified as a critically endangered species of plant. After more than 100 years since its original description by R. A. Philippi (1884), the species was rediscovered exclusively in two locations of the Maule Region. One of them, Fundo San Pedro-Las Cañas, is close to extinction with a low number of shrubs, occurring in a disturbed habitat due to plantations of Pinus radiata. This study examined the pollination biology and breeding system of A. bijuga in order to explain their small number of shrubs. We estimated composition of pollinator species attracted to flowers and visitation rates. In order to describe its breeding system in A. bijuga we used manipulated treatments to estimate autonomous self-pollination, level of reproductive assurance and pollen limitation. The results of this study indicate that only pollinators from the order Hymenoptera visit A. bijuga. The pollinator assemblage did not show temporary variation during the flowering season, with Bombus dahlbomii as its most frequent visitor. A. bijuga showed a mixed mating system that involves both cross- and self- pollination. The fruit set ranges from 20% to 60% in the absence or presence of pollinators, respectively. This selfing ability would provide reproductive assurance when pollinators fail. The taxon showed ability of asexual formation of seeds without the occurrence of fertilization by agamospermy. Supplemental outcross pollen did not increase female reproductive success, suggesting that the species is not pollen limited. All these factors may help to explain how this species has been able to survive over time in a small and isolated population. Finally, this work discusses how the results of our study can be applied to future A. bijuga conservation measures.Adesmia bijuga Phil. es una especie arbustiva endémica de Chile central, clasificada como especie en peligro crítico. Después de más de 100 años desde su descripción original por R.A. Philippi (1884), la especie fue redescubierta exclusivamente en dos localidades de la Región del Maule. Una de ellas, en el Fundo San Pedro-Las Cañas, se encuentra cercana a la extinción, en un hábitat perturbado debido a plantaciones de Pinus radiata. Este estudio examinó la biología de la polinización y el sistema reproductivo de A.bijuga, que podrían explicar su restringido número de plantas. Se estimó la composición de polinizadores atraídos por las flores y la tasa de visita. Con el objetivo de caracterizar el sistema reproductivo en A. bijuga se realizaron tratamientos manipulativos para cuantificar la capacidad de autofertilización, el nivel de aseguramiento reproductivo y la limitación de polen. Los resultados de este estudio indican que A. bijuga es visitada solamente por polinizadores que pertenecen al orden himenóptera. El ensamble de polinizadores no varió temporalmente durante el periodo de floración, siendo Bombus dahlbomii el visitador más frecuente. A. bijuga presentó un sistema reproductivo mixto, con polinización cruzada y autopolinización. El rango de fructificación varió entre 20% a 60% en ausencia y presencia de polinizadores, respectivamente. Esta capacidad de autopolinización podría proveer de aseguramiento reproductivo cuando los polinizadores fallan. Tratamientos con suplemento de polen no incrementaron el éxito reproductivo, sugiriendo que la especie no se encuentra limitada de polen. El taxon mostró capacidad de formar semillas asexualmente sin la ocurrencia de fertilización (agamospermia). Todos estos factores podrían ayudar a explicar cómo esta especie es capaz de persistir en el tiempo en una población pequeña y aislada. Finalmente, este trabajo discute cómo los resultados de este estudio pueden ser aplicados en futuras medidas para la conservación de A. bijuga
Influence of Feeding Enzymatically Hydrolyzed Yeast Cell Wall on Growth Performance and Digestive Function of Feedlot Cattle during Periods of Elevated Ambient Temperature.
In experiment 1, eighty crossbred steers (239±15 kg) were used in a 229-d experiment to evaluate the effects of increasing levels of enzymatically hydrolyzed yeast (EHY) cell wall in diets on growth performance feedlot cattle during periods of elevated ambient temperature. Treatments consisted of steam-flaked corn-based diets supplemented to provide 0, 1, 2, or 3 g EHY/hd/d. There were no effects on growth performance during the initial 139-d period. However, from d 139 to harvest, when 24-h temperature humidity index averaged 80, EHY increased dry matter intake (DMI) (linear effect, p<0.01) and average daily gain (ADG) (linear effect, p = 0.01). There were no treatment effects (p>0.10) on carcass characteristics. In experiment 2, four Holstein steers (292±5 kg) with cannulas in the rumen and proximal duodenum were used in a 4×4 Latin Square design experiment to evaluate treatments effects on characteristics of ruminal and total tract digestion in steers. There were no treatment effects (p>0.10) on ruminal pH, total volatile fatty acid, molar proportions of acetate, butyrate, or estimated methane production. Supplemental EHY decreased ruminal molar proportion of acetate (p = 0.08), increased molar proportion of propionate (p = 0.09), and decreased acetate:propionate molar ratio (p = 0.07) and estimated ruminal methane production (p = 0.09). It is concluded that supplemental EHY may enhance DMI and ADG of feedlot steers during periods of high ambient temperature. Supplemental EHY may also enhance ruminal fiber digestion and decrease ruminal acetate:propionate molar ratios in feedlot steers fed steam-flaked corn-based finishing diets
Electrical conductivity of metal (hydr)oxide–activated carbon composites under compression. A comparison study
[EN]From a granular commercial activated carbon (AC) and six metal (hydr)oxide precursors, including
Al(NO3)3, Fe(NO3)3, SnCl2, TiO2, Na2WO4 and Zn(NO3)2, a broadly varied series of metal (hydr)oxideeAC
composites were prepared by wet impregnation and subsequent oven-drying at 120 C. Here, the
electrical conductivity of the resulting products was studied under moderate compression. The influence
of the applied pressure, sample volume, mechanical work, and density of the hybrid materials was
thoroughly investigated. The dc electrical conductivity of the compressed samples was measured at room
temperature by the four-probe method. Compaction assays show that the mechanical properties of the
composites are largely determined by the carbon matrix. Both the decrease in volume and the increase in
density under compression were very small and only significant at pressures lower than 100 kPa for AC
and most composites. By contrast, the bulk electrical conductivity of the hybrid materials was strongly
influenced by the nature, content and intrinsic conductivity of the supported metal phases, which act as
insulating thin layers thereby hindering the effective electron transport between AC cores of neighbouring
sample particles in contact under compression. Conductivity values for the composites were
lower than for the raw AC, all of them falling in the range of typical semiconductor materials. The
patterns of variation of the electrical conductivity with pressure and mechanical work were slightly
similar, thus suggesting the predominance of the pressure effects rather than the volume one
New Algebraic Quantum Many-body Problems
We develop a systematic procedure for constructing quantum many-body problems
whose spectrum can be partially or totally computed by purely algebraic means.
The exactly-solvable models include rational and hyperbolic potentials related
to root systems, in some cases with an additional external field. The
quasi-exactly solvable models can be considered as deformations of the previous
ones which share their algebraic character.Comment: LaTeX 2e with amstex package, 36 page
Star formation history of the post-collisional Cartwheel galaxy using Astrosat/UVIT FUV images
We present the results obtained by analysing new Astrosat/UVIT far
ultraviolet (FUV) image of the collisional-ring galaxy Cartwheel. The FUV
emission is principally associated with the star-forming outer ring, with no UV
detection from the nucleus and inner ring. A few sources are detected in the
region between the inner and the outer rings, all of which lie along the
spokes. The FUV fluxes from the detected sources are combined with
aperture-matched multi-band photometric data from archival images to explore
the post-collision star formation history of the Cartwheel. The data were
corrected for extinction using Av derived from the Balmer decrement ratios and
commonly used extinction curves. We find that the ring regions contain stellar
populations of wide range of ages, with the bulk of the FUV emission coming
from non-ionizing stars, formed over the last 20 to 150 Myr, that are ~25 times
more massive than the ionizing populations. On the other hand, regions
belonging to the spokes have negligible current star formation, with the age of
the dominant older population systematically increasing as its distance from
the outer ring increases. The presence of populations of a wide range of ages
in the ring suggests that the stars formed in the wave in the past were dragged
along it to the current position of the ring. We derive an average steady star
formation rate, SFR=5 Msun/yr, over the past 150 Myr, with an increase to ~18
Msun/yr in the recent 10 Myr.Comment: 16 pages, to appear in MNRA
Using synchronization to improve earthquake forecasting in a cellular automaton model
A new forecasting strategy for stochastic systems is introduced. It is
inspired by the concept of anticipated synchronization between pairs of chaotic
oscillators, recently developed in the area of Dynamical Systems, and by the
earthquake forecasting algorithms in which different pattern recognition
functions are used for identifying seismic premonitory phenomena. In the new
strategy, copies (clones) of the original system (the master) are defined, and
they are driven using rules that tend to synchronize them with the master
dynamics. The observation of definite patterns in the state of the clones is
the signal for connecting an alarm in the original system that efficiently
marks the impending occurrence of a catastrophic event. The power of this
method is quantitatively illustrated by forecasting the occurrence of
characteristic earthquakes in the so-called Minimalist Model.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure
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