5,071 research outputs found
A dimension-breaking phenomenon for water waves with weak surface tension
It is well known that the water-wave problem with weak surface tension has
small-amplitude line solitary-wave solutions which to leading order are
described by the nonlinear Schr\"odinger equation. The present paper contains
an existence theory for three-dimensional periodically modulated solitary-wave
solutions which have a solitary-wave profile in the direction of propagation
and are periodic in the transverse direction; they emanate from the line
solitary waves in a dimension-breaking bifurcation. In addition, it is shown
that the line solitary waves are linearly unstable to long-wavelength
transverse perturbations. The key to these results is a formulation of the
water wave problem as an evolutionary system in which the transverse horizontal
variable plays the role of time, a careful study of the purely imaginary
spectrum of the operator obtained by linearising the evolutionary system at a
line solitary wave, and an application of an infinite-dimensional version of
the classical Lyapunov centre theorem.Comment: The final publication is available at Springer via
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00205-015-0941-
An In vitro Simulation Method for the Tribological Assessment of Complete Natural Hip Joints
The use of hip joint simulators to evaluate the tribological performance of total hip replacements is widely reported in the literature, however, in vitro simulation studies investigating the tribology of the natural hip joint are limited with heterogeneous methodologies reported. An in vitro simulation system for the complete natural hip joint, enabling the acetabulum and femoral head to be positioned with different orientations whilst maintaining the correct joint centre of rotation, was successfully developed for this study. The efficacy of the simulation system was assessed by testing complete, matched natural porcine hip joints and porcine hip hemiarthroplasty joints in a pendulum friction simulator. The results showed evidence of biphasic lubrication, with a non-linear increase in friction being observed in both groups. Lower overall mean friction factor values in the complete natural joint group that increased at a lower rate over time, suggest that the exudation of fluid and transition to solid phase lubrication occurred more slowly in the complete natural hip joint compared to the hip hemiarthroplasty joint. It is envisaged that this methodology will be used to investigate morphological risk factors for developing hip osteoarthritis, as well as the effectiveness of early interventional treatments for degenerative hip disease
A physically-based model of the ionizing radiation from active galaxies for photoionization modeling
We present a simplified model of Active Galactic Nucleus (AGN) continuum
emission designed for photoionization modeling. The new model {\sc oxaf}
reproduces the diversity of spectral shapes that arise in physically-based
models. We identify and explain degeneracies in the effects of AGN parameters
on model spectral shapes, with a focus on the complete degeneracy between the
black hole mass and AGN luminosity. Our re-parametrized model {\sc oxaf}
removes these degeneracies and accepts three parameters which directly describe
the output spectral shape: the energy of the peak of the accretion disk
emission , the photon power-law index of the non-thermal
emission , and the proportion of the total flux which is emitted in the
non-thermal component . The parameter is
presented as a function of the black hole mass, AGN luminosity, and `coronal
radius' of the {\sc optxagnf} model upon which {\sc oxaf} is based. We show
that the soft X-ray excess does not significantly affect photoionization
modeling predictions of strong emission lines in Seyfert narrow-line regions.
Despite its simplicity, {\sc oxaf} accounts for opacity effects where the
accretion disk is ionized because it inherits the `color correction' of {\sc
optxagnf}. We use a grid of {\sc mappings} photoionization models with {\sc
oxaf} ionizing spectra to demonstrate how predicted emission-line ratios on
standard optical diagnostic diagrams are sensitive to each of the three {\sc
oxaf} parameters. The {\sc oxaf} code is publicly available in the Astrophysics
Source Code Library.Comment: 14 pages, 9 figures, 1 table. Accepted for publication in Ap
The mass-metallicity relation of local active galaxies
We systematically measure the gas-phase metallicities and the
mass-metallicity relation of a large sample of local active galaxies for the
first time. Observed emission-line fluxes from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey
(SDSS) are compared to a four-dimensional grid of photoionization models using
the Bayesian parameter estimation code NebulaBayes. For the first time we take
into account arbitrary mixing between HII region and narrow-line region (NLR)
emission, and the models are also varied with metallicity, ionization parameter
in the NLR, and the gas pressure. The active galactic nucleus (AGN) oxygen
abundance is found to increase by dex as a function
of host galaxy stellar mass over the range .
We also measure the metallicity and ionization parameter of 231000 star-forming
galaxies for comparison with the sample of 7670 Seyfert 2 galaxies. A
systematic offset in oxygen abundance of 0.09 dex is observed between the
mass-metallicity relations of the star-forming and active galaxies. We
investigate potential causes of the offset, including sample selection and the
treatment in the models of diffuse ionized gas, pressure, and ionization
parameter. We cannot identify the major cause(s), but suspect contributions due
to deficiencies in modeling the ionizing spectra and the treatment of dust
physics. Optical diagnostic diagrams are presented with the star-forming and
Seyfert data colored by the inferred oxygen abundance, ionization parameter and
gas pressure, clearly illustrating the trends in these quantities.Comment: 12 pages, 4 figures and 1 table; accepted for publication in Ap
Stress-Energy Tensor for the Massless Spin 1/2 Field in Static Black Hole Spacetimes
The stress-energy tensor for the massless spin 1/2 field is numerically
computed outside and on the event horizons of both charged and uncharged static
non-rotating black holes, corresponding to the Schwarzschild,
Reissner-Nordstrom and extreme Reissner-Nordstr\"om solutions of Einstein's
equations. The field is assumed to be in a thermal state at the black hole
temperature. Comparison is made between the numerical results and previous
analytic approximations for the stress-energy tensor in these spacetimes. For
the Schwarzschild (charge zero) solution, it is shown that the stress-energy
differs even in sign from the analytic approximation. For the
Reissner-Nordstrom and extreme Reissner-Nordstrom solutions, divergences
predicted by the analytic approximations are shown not to exist.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures, additional discussio
Using zoo welfare assessments to identify common issues in developing country zoos
Zoo animal welfare is a high priority for many institutions worldwide, with modern zoos now ensuring that animals are housed and cared for to the highest standards. However, in countries where this knowledge is not as available or understood, standards may be lower. The aim of this research was to investigate if there were common zoo welfare concerns across developing country zoos. Wild Welfare is a charity working globally to improve welfare for zoo animals and has an independent welfare audit that is carried out before any intervention occurs. The Wild Welfare Audit, consisting of 110 questions, covering nine topics, was completed at 11 zoos in seven developing countries (Brazil, Egypt, Libya, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia and Vietnam) following a Likert scale score (1-3). A principal component analysis was also performed to evaluate the audit questions. The results suggest that common areas of concern were animal behaviour, positive animal mental states and human health and safety. These themes were likely due to the lack knowledge and understanding that may be linked to historical and cultural differences. This research has helped to revise the welfare audit as well as inform future intervention strategies for improving developing country zoo animal welfare
Cybersecurity Awareness Platform with Virtual Coach and Automated Challenge Assessment
Over the last years, the number of cyber-attacks on industrial control
systems has been steadily increasing. Among several factors, proper software
development plays a vital role in keeping these systems secure. To achieve
secure software, developers need to be aware of secure coding guidelines and
secure coding best practices. This work presents a platform geared towards
software developers in the industry that aims to increase awareness of secure
software development. The authors also introduce an interactive game component,
a virtual coach, which implements a simple artificial intelligence engine based
on the laddering technique for interviews. Through a survey, a preliminary
evaluation of the implemented artifact with real-world players (from academia
and industry) shows a positive acceptance of the developed platform.
Furthermore, the players agree that the platform is adequate for training their
secure coding skills. The impact of our work is to introduce a new automatic
challenge evaluation method together with a virtual coach to improve existing
cybersecurity awareness training programs. These training workshops can be
easily held remotely or off-line.Comment: Preprint accepted for publication at the 6th Workshop On The Security
Of Industrial Control Systems & Of Cyber-Physical Systems (CyberICPS 2020
Cybersecurity awareness platform with virtual coach and automated challenge assessment
Over the last years, the number of cyber-attacks on industrial control systems has been steadily increasing. Among several factors, proper software development plays a vital role in keeping these systems secure. To achieve secure software, developers need to be aware of secure coding guidelines and secure coding best practices. This work presents a platform geared towards software developers in the industry that aims to increase awareness of secure software development. The authors also introduce an interactive game component, a virtual coach, which implements a simple artificial intelligence engine based on the laddering technique for interviews. Through a survey, a preliminary evaluation of the implemented artifact with real-world players (from academia and industry) shows a positive acceptance of the developed platform. Furthermore, the players agree that the platform is adequate for training their secure coding skills. The impact of our work is to introduce a new automatic challenge evaluation method together with a virtual coach to improve existing cybersecurity awareness training programs. These training workshops can be easily held remotely or off-line.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio
Interrogating Seyferts with NebulaBayes: Spatially probing the narrow-line region radiation fields and chemical abundances
NebulaBayes is a new Bayesian code that implements a general method of
comparing observed emission-line fluxes to photoionization model grids. The
code enables us to extract robust, spatially resolved measurements of
abundances in the extended narrow line regions (ENLRs) produced by Active
Galactic Nuclei (AGN). We observe near-constant ionization parameters but
steeply radially-declining pressures, which together imply that radiation
pressure regulates the ENLR density structure on large scales. Our sample
includes four `pure Seyfert' galaxies from the S7 survey that have extensive
ENLRs. NGC2992 shows steep metallicity gradients from the nucleus into the
ionization cones. An {\it inverse} metallicity gradient is observed in
ESO138-G01, which we attribute to a recent gas inflow or minor merger. A
uniformly high metallicity and hard ionizing continuum are inferred across the
ENLR of Mrk573. Our analysis of IC5063 is likely affected by contamination from
shock excitation, which appears to soften the inferred ionizing spectrum. The
peak of the ionizing continuum E_peak is determined by the nuclear spectrum and
the absorbing column between the nucleus and the ionized nebula. We cannot
separate variation in this intrinsic E_peak from the effects of shock or HII
region contamination, but E_peak measurements nevertheless give insights into
ENLR excitation. We demonstrate the general applicability of NebulaBayes by
analyzing a nuclear spectrum from the non-active galaxy NGC4691 using a HII
region grid. The NLR and HII region model grids are provided with NebulaBayes
for use by the astronomical community.Comment: Accepted for publication in ApJ; 29 pages with 10 figures and 3
table
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