10,197 research outputs found
An alternative construction of the positive inner product for pseudo-Hermitian Hamiltonians: Examples
This paper builds on our earlier proposal for construction of a positive
inner product for pseudo-Hermitian Hamiltonians and we give several examples to
clarify our method. We show through the example of the harmonic oscillator how
our construction applies equally well to Hermitian Hamiltonians which form a
subset of pseudo-Hermitian systems. For finite dimensional pseudo-Hermitian
matrix Hamiltonians we construct the positive inner product (in the case of
matrices for both real as well as complex eigenvalues). When the
quantum mechanical system cannot be diagonalized exactly, our construction can
be carried out perturbatively and we develop the general formalism for such a
perturbative calculation systematically (for real eigenvalues). We illustrate
how this general formalism works out in practice by calculating the inner
product for a couple of symmetric quantum mechanical theories.Comment: 9 pages, revte
Importance of the Doppler Effect to the Determination of the Deuteron Binding Energy
The deuteron binding energy extracted from the reaction
is reviewed with the exact relativistic formula, where
the initial kinetic energy and the Doppler effect are taken into account. We
find that the negligible initial kinetic energy of the neutron could cause a
significant uncertainty which is beyond the errors available up to now.
Therefore, we suggest an experiment which should include the detailed
informations about the initial kinetic energy and the detection angle. It could
reduce discrepancies among the recently reported values about the deuteron
binding energy and pin down the uncertainty due to the Doppler broadening of
ray.Comment: 5 page
Adhesive Contact to a Coated Elastic Substrate
We show how the quasi-analytic method developed to solve linear elastic
contacts to coated substrates (Perriot A. and Barthel E. {\em J. Mat. Res.},
{\bf 2004}, {\em 19}, 600) may be extended to adhesive contacts. Substrate
inhomogeneity lifts accidental degeneracies and highlights the general
structure of the adhesive contact theory. We explicit the variation of the
contact variables due to substrate inhomogeneity. The relation to other
approaches based on Finite Element analysis is discussed
Reaching millennium development goal 4 - the Gambia.
UNLABELLED: To describe how, through a DSS in a rural area of The Gambia, it has been possible to measure substantial reductions in child mortality rates and how we investigated whether the decline paralleled the registered fall in malaria incidence in the country. METHODS: Demographic surveillance data spanning 19.5 years (1 April 1989-30 September 2008) from 42 villages around the town of Farafenni, The Gambia, were used to estimate childhood mortality rates for neonatal, infant, child (1-4 years) and under-5 age groups. Data were presented in five a priori defined time periods, and annual rates per 1000 live births were derived from Kaplan-Meier survival probabilities. RESULTS: From 1989-1992 to 2004-2008, under-5 mortality declined by 56% (95% CI: 48-63%), from 165 (95% CI: 151-181) per 1000 live births to 74 (95% CI: 65-84) per 1000 live births. In 1- to 4-year-olds, mortality during the period 2004-2008 was 69% (95% CI: 60-76%) less than in 1989-1992. The corresponding mortality decline in infants was 39% (95% CI: 23-52%); in neonates, it was 38% (95% CI: 13-66%). The derived annual under-5 mortality rates declined from 159 per 1000 live births in 1990 to 45 per 1000 live births in 2008, thus implying an attainment of MDG4 seven years in advance of the target year of 2015. CONCLUSION: Achieving MDG4 is possible in poor, rural areas of Africa through widespread deployment of relatively simple measures that improve child survival, such as immunisation and effective malaria control
Seabed corrugations beneath an Antarctic ice shelf revealed by autonomous underwater vehicle survey: Origin and implications for the history of Pine Island Glacier
Ice shelves are critical features in the debate about West Antarctic ice sheet change and sea level rise, both because they limit ice discharge and because they are sensitive to change in the surrounding ocean. The Pine Island Glacier ice shelf has been thinning rapidly since at least the early 1990s, which has caused its trunk to accelerate and retreat. Although the ice shelf front has remained stable for the past six decades, past periods of ice shelf collapse have been inferred from relict seabed "corrugations" (corrugated ridges), preserved 340 km from the glacier in Pine Island Trough. Here we present high-resolution bathymetry gathered by an autonomous underwater vehicle operating beneath an Antarctic ice shelf, which provides evidence of long-term change in Pine Island Glacier. Corrugations and ploughmarks on a sub-ice shelf ridge that was a former grounding line closely resemble those observed offshore, interpreted previously as the result of iceberg grounding. The same interpretation here would indicate a significantly reduced ice shelf extent within the last 11 kyr, implying Holocene glacier retreat beyond present limits, or a past tidewater glacier regime different from today. The alternative, that corrugations were not formed in open water, would question ice shelf collapse events interpreted from the geological record, revealing detail of another bed-shaping process occurring at glacier margins. We assess hypotheses for corrugation formation and suggest periodic grounding of ice shelf keels during glacier unpinning as a viable origin. This interpretation requires neither loss of the ice shelf nor glacier retreat and is consistent with a "stable" grounding-line configuration throughout the Holocene
Powertrain modelling for engine stop-start dynamics and control of micro/mild hybrid construction machines
Engine stop-start control is considered as the key technology for micro/mild hybridisation of vehicles and machines. To utilize this concept, especially for construction machines, the engine is desired to be started in such a way that the operator discomfort can be minimized. To address this issue, this paper aims to develop a simple powertrain modelling approach for engine stop-start dynamic analysis and an advanced engine start control scheme newly applicable for micro/mild hybrid construction machines. First, a powertrain model of a generic construction machine is mathematically developed in a general form which allows to investigate the transient responses of the system during the engine cranking process. Second, a simple parameterisation procedure with a minimum set of data required to characterise the dynamic model is presented. Third, a model- based adaptive controller is designed for the starter to crank the engine quickly and smoothly without the need of fuel injection while the critical problems of machine noise, vibration and harshness can be eliminated. Finally, the advantages and effectiveness of the proposed modelling and control approaches have been validated through numerical simulations. The results imply that with the limited data set for training, the developed model works better than a high fidelity model built in AMESim while the adaptive controller can guarantee the desired cranking performance
Adhesive contact of elastomers: effective adhesion energy and creep function
For the adhesive contact of elastomers, we propose expressions to quantify
the impact of viscoelastic response on effective adhesion energy as a function
of contact edge velocity. The expressions we propose are simple analytical
functionals of the creep response and should be suitable for experimental data
analysis in terms of measured rheologies. We also emphasize the role of the
coupling between local stress field at the contact edge and the macroscopic
remote loading (far field). We show that the contrast between growing and
receding contact originates from the impact of viscoelastic response on
coupling, while the separation process at the contact edge is similarly
affected by viscoelasticity in both cases.Comment: 17 pages, 7 Figures, 45 references, regular pape
Challenges of micro/mild hybridisation for construction machinery and applicability in UK
In recent years, micro/mild hybridisation (MMH) is known as a feasible solution for powertrain development with high fuel efficiency, less energy use and emission and, especially, low cost and simple installation. This paper focuses on the challenges of MMH for construction machines and then, pays attention to its applicability to UK construction machinery.
First, hybrid electric configurations are briefly reviewed; and technological challenges towards MMH in construction sector are clearly stated. Second, the current development of construction machinery in UK is analysed to point out the potential for MMH implementation. Thousands of machines manufactured in UK have been sampled for the further study. Third, a methodology for big data capturing, compression and mining is provided for a capable of managing and analysing effectively performances of various construction machine types. By using this method, 96% of data memory can be reduced to store the huge machine data without lacking the necessary information. Forth, an advanced decision tool is built using a fuzzy cognitive map based on the big data mining and knowledge from experts to enables users to define a target machine for MMH utilization. The numerical study with this tool on the sampled machines has been done and finally realized that one class of heavy excavators is the most suitable to apply MMH technology
Contact and Friction of Nano-Asperities: Effects of Adsorbed Monolayers
Molecular dynamics simulations are used to study contact between a rigid,
nonadhesive, spherical tip with radius of order 30nm and a flat elastic
substrate covered with a fluid monolayer of adsorbed chain molecules. Previous
studies of bare surfaces showed that the atomic scale deviations from a sphere
that are present on any tip constructed from discrete atoms lead to significant
deviations from continuum theory and dramatic variability in friction forces.
Introducing an adsorbed monolayer leads to larger deviations from continuum
theory, but decreases the variations between tips with different atomic
structure. Although the film is fluid, it remains in the contact and behaves
qualitatively like a thin elastic coating except for certain tips at high
loads. Measures of the contact area based on the moments or outer limits of the
pressure distribution and on counting contacting atoms are compared. The number
of tip atoms making contact in a time interval grows as a power of the interval
when the film is present and logarithmically with the interval for bare
surfaces. Friction is measured by displacing the tip at a constant velocity or
pulling the tip with a spring. Both static and kinetic friction rise linearly
with load at small loads. Transitions in the state of the film lead to
nonlinear behavior at large loads. The friction is less clearly correlated with
contact area than load.Comment: RevTex4, 17 pages, 13 figure
The Active Traveling Wave in the Cochlea
A sound stimulus entering the inner ear excites a deformation of the basilar
membrane which travels along the cochlea towards the apex. It is well
established that this wave-like disturbance is amplified by an active system.
Recently, it has been proposed that the active system consists of a set of
self-tuned critical oscillators which automatically operate at an oscillatory
instability. Here, we show how the concepts of a traveling wave and of
self-tuned critical oscillators can be combined to describe the nonlinear wave
in the cochlea.Comment: 5 pages, 2 figure
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