471 research outputs found
Structural model optimization using statistical evaluation
The results of research in applying statistical methods to the problem of structural dynamic system identification are presented. The study is in three parts: a review of previous approaches by other researchers, a development of various linear estimators which might find application, and the design and development of a computer program which uses a Bayesian estimator. The method is tried on two models and is successful where the predicted stiffness matrix is a proper model, e.g., a bending beam is represented by a bending model. Difficulties are encountered when the model concept varies. There is also evidence that nonlinearity must be handled properly to speed the convergence
Ertragsentwicklung von Erbsen sowie Sommergerste in Reinsaat und in Mischung mit Leindotter oder Koriander im Ökologischen Landbau
Mischkulturen können unterschiedliche Wachstumsbedingungen besser ausschöpfen als Monokulturen. Im Gemenge mit Leguminosen können Nicht-Leguminosen überschüssigen Stickstoff aus der Bodenlösung aufnehmen. Ein ökonomischer Zusatzertrag wird bei einer Beimengung von Leindotter zu Erbsen oder Sommergerste diskutiert. Erbsenreinsaaten erreichten im Vergleich zu beiden Leindotter-Varianten gesichert höhere Erträge; Erbsen mit resp. ohne Koriander unterschieden sich nicht. Sommergerste – Reinsaaten waren bezüglich dem Ertrag den Mischungen mit Leindotter überlegen; Koriander wurde von der Sommergerste vollständig unterdrückt. Abschließend kann festgehalten werden, dass unter limitierenden Niederschlägen im pannonischen Klimaraum dem Mischkulturanbau enge Grenzen gesetzt sind
Magneto-elastic torsional oscillations of magnetars
We extend a general-relativistic ideal magneto-hydrodynamical code to include
the effects of elasticity. Using this numerical tool we analyse the
magneto-elastic oscillations of highly magnetised neutron stars (magnetars). In
simulations without magnetic field we are able to recover the purely crustal
shear oscillations within an accuracy of about a few per cent. For dipole
magnetic fields between 5 x 10^13 and 10^15 G the Alfv\'en oscillations become
modified substantially by the presence of the crust. Those quasi-periodic
oscillations (QPOs) split into three families: Lower QPOs near the equator,
Edge QPOs related to the last open field line and Upper QPOs at larger distance
from the equator. Edge QPOs are called so because they are related to an edge
in the corresponding Alfv\'en continuum. The Upper QPOs are of the same kind,
while the Lower QPOs are turning-point QPOs, related to a turning point in the
continuous spectrum.Comment: 6 pages, 1 figure, 1 table, Proceedings of NEB14, to appear in J.
Phys.: Conf. Se
Constraining relativistic models through heavy ion collisions
Relativistic models can be successfully applied to the description of compact
star properties in nuclear astrophysics as well as to nuclear matter and finite
nuclei properties, these studies taking place at low and moderate temperatures.
Nevertheless, all results are model dependent and so far it is unclear whether
some of them should be discarded. Moreover, in the regime of hot hadronic
matter very few calculations exist using these relativistic models, in
particular when applied to particle yields in heavy ion collisions.
In the present work we comment on the known constraints that can help the
selection of adequate models in this regime and investigate the main
differences that arise when the particle production during a Au+Au collision at
RHIC is calculated with different models.Comment: 9 pages, 1 figure, 3 table
Evaluation of osseointegration of titanium alloyed implants modified by plasma polymerization
By means of plasma polymerization, positively charged, nanometre-thin coatings can be applied to implant surfaces. The aim of the present study was to quantify the adhesion of human bone cells in vitro and to evaluate the bone ongrowth in vivo, on titanium surfaces modified by plasma polymer coatings. Different implant surface configurations were examined: titanium alloy (Ti6Al4V) coated with plasma-polymerized allylamine (PPAAm) and plasma-polymerized ethylenediamine (PPEDA) versus uncoated. Shear stress on human osteoblast-like MG-63 cells was investigated in vitro using a spinning disc device. Furthermore, bone-to-implant contact (BIC) was evaluated in vivo. Custom-made conical titanium implants were inserted at the medial tibia of female Sprague-Dawley rats. After a follow-up of six weeks, the BIC was determined by means of histomorphometry. The quantification of cell adhesion showed a significantly higher shear stress for MG-63 cells on PPAAm and PPEDA compared to uncoated Ti6Al4V. Uncoated titanium alloyed implants showed the lowest BIC (40.4%). Implants with PPAAm coating revealed a clear but not significant increase of the BIC (58.5%) and implants with PPEDA a significantly increased BIC (63.7%). In conclusion, plasma polymer coatings demonstrate enhanced cell adhesion and bone ongrowth compared to uncoated titanium surfaces
The reaction and the magnetic dipole moment of the resonance
The reaction has been measured with
the TAPS calorimeter at the Mainz Microtron accelerator facility MAMI for
energies between = 1221--1331 MeV. Cross sections differential in
angle and energy have been determined for all particles in the final state in
three bins of the excitation energy. This reaction channel provides access to
the magnetic dipole moment of the resonance and, for the
first time, a value of has been extracted
In-medium modifications of the interaction in photon-induced reactions
Differential cross sections of the reactions
and have been measured for several
nuclei (H,C, and Pb) at an incident-photon energy of
=400-460 MeV at the tagged-photon facility at MAMI-B using the TAPS
spectrometer. A significant nuclear-mass dependence of the
invariant-mass distribution is found in the channel. This
dependence is not observed in the channel and is
consistent with an in-medium modification of the interaction in the
==0 channel. The data are compared to -induced measurements and to
calculations within a chiral-unitary approach
Climate and plant controls on soil organic matter in coastal wetlands
Coastal wetlands are among the most productive and carbon‐rich ecosystems on Earth. Long‐term carbon storage in coastal wetlands occurs primarily belowground as soil organic matter (SOM). In addition to serving as a carbon sink, SOM influences wetland ecosystem structure, function, and stability. To anticipate and mitigate the effects of climate change, there is a need to advance understanding of environmental controls on wetland SOM. Here, we investigated the influence of four soil formation factors: climate, biota, parent materials, and topography. Along the northern Gulf of Mexico, we collected wetland plant and soil data across elevation and zonation gradients within 10 estuaries that span broad temperature and precipitation gradients. Our results highlight the importance of climate–plant controls and indicate that the influence of elevation is scale and location dependent. Coastal wetland plants are sensitive to climate change; small changes in temperature or precipitation can transform coastal wetland plant communities. Across the region, SOM was greatest in mangrove forests and in salt marshes dominated by graminoid plants. SOM was lower in salt flats that lacked vascular plants and in salt marshes dominated by succulent plants. We quantified strong relationships between precipitation, salinity, plant productivity, and SOM. Low precipitation leads to high salinity, which limits plant productivity and appears to constrain SOM accumulation. Our analyses use data from the Gulf of Mexico, but our results can be related to coastal wetlands across the globe and provide a foundation for predicting the ecological effects of future reductions in precipitation and freshwater availability. Coastal wetlands provide many ecosystem services that are SOM dependent and highly vulnerable to climate change. Collectively, our results indicate that future changes in SOM and plant productivity, regulated by cascading effects of precipitation on freshwater availability and salinity, could impact wetland stability and affect the supply of some wetland ecosystem services
A comprehensive description of multiple observables in heavy-ion collisions at SPS
Combining and expanding on work from previous publications, a model for the
evolution of ultrarelativistic heavy-ion collisions at the CERN SPS for 158
AGeV beam energy is presented. Based on the assumption of thermalization and a
parametrization of the space-time expansion of the produced matter, this model
is able to describe a large set of observables including hadronic momentum
spectra, correlations and abundancies, the emission of real photons, dilepton
radiation and the suppression pattern of charmonia. Each of these obervables
provides unique capabilities to study the reaction dynamics and taken together
they form a strong and consistent picture of the evolving system. Based on the
emission of hard photons, we argue that a strongly interacting, hot and dense
system with temperatures above 250 MeV has to be created early in the reaction.
Such a system is bound to be different from hadronic matter and likely to be a
quark-gluon plasma, and we find that this assumption is in line with the
subsequent evolution of the system that is reflected in other observables.Comment: 21 pages, 10 figures, submitted to J. Phys.
Linear and nonlinear effects of temperature and precipitation on ecosystem properties in tidal saline wetlands
Climate greatly influences the structure and functioning of tidal saline wetland ecosystems. However, there is a need to better quantify the effects of climatic drivers on ecosystem properties, particularly near climate-sensitive ecological transition zones. Here, we used climate- and literature-derived ecological data from tidal saline wetlands to test hypotheses regarding the influence of climatic drivers (i.e., temperature and precipitation regimes) on the following six ecosystem properties: canopy height, biomass, productivity, decomposition, soil carbon density, and soil carbon accumulation. Our analyses quantify and elucidate linear and nonlinear effects of climatic drivers. We quantified positive linear relationships between temperature and above-ground productivity and strong positive nonlinear (sigmoidal) relationships between (1) temperature and above-ground biomass and canopy height and (2) precipitation and canopy height. Near temperature-controlled mangrove range limits, small changes in temperature are expected to trigger comparatively large changes in biomass and canopy height, as mangrove forests grow, expand, and, in some cases, replace salt marshes. However, within these same transition zones, temperature- induced changes in productivity are expected to be comparatively small. Interestingly, despite the significant above-ground height, biomass, and productivity relationships across the tropical–temperate mangrove–marsh transition zone, the relationships between temperature and soil carbon density or soil carbon accumulation were not significant. Our literature review identifies several ecosystem properties and many regions of the world for which there are insufficient data to fully evaluate the influence of climatic drivers, and the identified data gaps can be used by scientists to guide future research. Our analyses indicate that near precipitation-controlled transition zones, small changes in precipitation are expected to trigger comparatively large changes in canopy height. However, there are scant data to evaluate the influence of precipitation on other ecosystem properties. There is a need for more decomposition data across climatic gradients, and to advance understanding of the influence of changes in precipitation and freshwater availability, additional ecological data are needed from tidal saline wetlands in arid climates. Collectively, our results can help scientists and managers better anticipate the linear and nonlinear ecological consequences of climate change for coastal wetlands
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