335 research outputs found
Change of Diurnal Heart Rate Patterns During Pregnancy and Lactation in Dogs (Canis familiaris)
Pregnancy and lactation involve great demands on the cardiovascular system. The purpose of this study was to investigate how the heart rate and diurnal heart rate pattern change when dogs become pregnant or lactate. Five clinically healthy female beagle dogs were mated, and delivered three to seven healthy puppies. The heart rate was investigated with 24-h ECG (Holter) once during anoestrus, at 3, 5, 7 and 9 weeks of pregnancy, and at week 4 postpartum (lactation). However, at 9 weeks, the ECG could not be recorded for the fully 24 h in 4 of 5 dogs, because labour started and the dogs then appeared disturbed by the recordings. The results at this date are not included in the statistical comparison. The heart rate increased progressively during pregnancy and was still elevated at 4 weeks of lactation. During late pregnancy the difference in heart rates between daytime and nighttime became smaller, but the heart rate was significantly higher in daytime in all periods. In conclusion, the increased heart rates during pregnancy and lactation reflect increased demands on the cardiovascular system and may be important to consider in clinical practice
Critical phenomena in exponential random graphs
The exponential family of random graphs is one of the most promising class of
network models. Dependence between the random edges is defined through certain
finite subgraphs, analogous to the use of potential energy to provide
dependence between particle states in a grand canonical ensemble of statistical
physics. By adjusting the specific values of these subgraph densities, one can
analyze the influence of various local features on the global structure of the
network. Loosely put, a phase transition occurs when a singularity arises in
the limiting free energy density, as it is the generating function for the
limiting expectations of all thermodynamic observables. We derive the full
phase diagram for a large family of 3-parameter exponential random graph models
with attraction and show that they all consist of a first order surface phase
transition bordered by a second order critical curve.Comment: 14 pages, 8 figure
The dynamical background of polar mesosphere winter echoes from simultaneous EISCAT and ESRAD observations
On 30 October 2004 during a strong solar proton event, layers of enhanced backscatter from altitudes between 55 and 75km have been observed by both ESRAD (52MHz) and the EISCAT VHF (224MHz) radars. These echoes have earlier been termed Polar Mesosphere Winter Echoes, PMWE. After considering the morphology of the layers and their relation to observed atmospheric waves, we conclude that the radars have likely seen the same phenomenon even though the radars' scattering volumes are located about 220km apart and that the most long-lasting layer is likely associated with wind-shear in an inertio-gravity wave. An ion-chemistry model is used to determine parameters necessary to relate wind-shear induced turbulent energy dissipation rates to radar backscatter. The model is verified by comparison with electron density profiles measured by the EISCAT VHF radar. Observed radar signal strengths are found to be 2-3 orders of magnitude stronger than the maximum which can be expected from neutral turbulence alone, assuming that previously published results relating radar signal scatter to turbulence parameters, and turbulence parameters to wind shear, are correct. The possibility remains that some additional or alternative mechanism may be involved in producing PMWE, such as layers of charged dust/smoke particles or large cluster ions
Percolation on the average and spontaneous magnetization for q-states Potts model on graph
We prove that the q-states Potts model on graph is spontaneously magnetized
at finite temperature if and only if the graph presents percolation on the
average. Percolation on the average is a combinatorial problem defined by
averaging over all the sites of the graph the probability of belonging to a
cluster of a given size. In the paper we obtain an inequality between this
average probability and the average magnetization, which is a typical extensive
function describing the thermodynamic behaviour of the model
Temperature and pressure evolution of the crystal structure of Ax(Fe1-ySe)2 (A = Cs, Rb, K) studied by synchrotron powder diffraction
Temperature-dependent synchrotron powder diffraction on Cs0.83(Fe0.86Se)2
revealed first order I4/m to I4/mmm structural transformation around 216{\deg}C
associated with the disorder of the Fe vacancies. Irreversibility observed
during the transition is likely associated with a mobility of intercalated
Alkali atoms. Pressure-dependent synchrotron powder diffraction on
Cs0.83(Fe1-ySe)2, Rb0.85(Fe1-ySe)2 and K0.8(Fe1-ySe)2 (y ~ 0.14) indicated that
the I4/m superstructure reflections are present up to pressures of 120 kbar.
This may indicate that the ordering of the Fe vacancies is present in both
superconducting and non-superconductive states.Comment: 11 pages, 5 figures, 1 tabl
Moisture-Driven Degradation Pathways in Prussian White Cathode Material for Sodium-Ion Batteries
The high-theoretical-capacity (âŒ170 mAh/g) Prussian white (PW), NaFe[Fe(CN)]·nHO, is one of the most promising candidates for Na-ion batteries on the cusp of commercialization. However, it has limitations such as high variability of reported stable practical capacity and cycling stability. A key factor that has been identified to affect the performance of PW is water content in the structure. However, the impact of airborne moisture exposure on the electrochemical performance of PW and the chemical mechanisms leading to performance decay have not yet been explored. Herein, we for the first time systematically studied the influence of humidity on the structural and electrochemical properties of monoclinic hydrated (M-PW) and rhombohedral dehydrated (R-PW) Prussian white. It is identified that moisture-driven capacity fading proceeds via two steps, first by sodium from the bulk material reacting with moisture at the surface to form sodium hydroxide and partial oxidation of Fe to Fe. The sodium hydroxide creates a basic environment at the surface of the PW particles, leading to decomposition to Na[Fe(CN)] and iron oxides. Although the first process leads to loss of capacity, which can be reversed, the second stage of degradation is irreversible. Over time, both processes lead to the formation of a passivating surface layer, which prevents both reversible and irreversible capacity losses. This study thus presents a significant step toward understanding the large performance variations presented in the literature for PW. From this study, strategies aimed at limiting moisture-driven degradation can be designed and their efficacy assessed
Dynamical percolation on general trees
H\"aggstr\"om, Peres, and Steif (1997) have introduced a dynamical version of
percolation on a graph . When is a tree they derived a necessary and
sufficient condition for percolation to exist at some time . In the case
that is a spherically symmetric tree, H\"aggstr\"om, Peres, and Steif
(1997) derived a necessary and sufficient condition for percolation to exist at
some time in a given target set . The main result of the present paper
is a necessary and sufficient condition for the existence of percolation, at
some time , in the case that the underlying tree is not necessary
spherically symmetric. This answers a question of Yuval Peres (personal
communication). We present also a formula for the Hausdorff dimension of the
set of exceptional times of percolation.Comment: 24 pages; to appear in Probability Theory and Related Field
Exact sampling from non-attractive distributions using summary states
Propp and Wilson's method of coupling from the past allows one to efficiently
generate exact samples from attractive statistical distributions (e.g., the
ferromagnetic Ising model). This method may be generalized to non-attractive
distributions by the use of summary states, as first described by Huber. Using
this method, we present exact samples from a frustrated antiferromagnetic
triangular Ising model and the antiferromagnetic q=3 Potts model. We discuss
the advantages and limitations of the method of summary states for practical
sampling, paying particular attention to the slowing down of the algorithm at
low temperature. In particular, we show that such a slowing down can occur in
the absence of a physical phase transition.Comment: 5 pages, 6 EPS figures, REVTeX; additional information at
http://wol.ra.phy.cam.ac.uk/mackay/exac
Ion-dispersion and rapid electron fluctuations in the cusp: a case study
We present results from co-ordinated measurements with the low altitude REIMEI satellite and the ESR (EISCAT Svalbard Radar), together with other ground-based instruments carried out in February 2006. The results mainly relate to the dayside cusp where clear signatures of so-called ion-dispersion are seen in the satellite data. The cusp ion-dispersion is important for helping to understand the temporal and spatial structure of magnetopause reconnection. Whenever a satellite crosses boundaries of flux tubes or convection cells, cusp structures such as ion-dispersion will always be encountered. In our case we observed 3 distinct steps in the ion energy, but it includes at least 2 more steps as well, which we interpret as temporal features in relation to pulsed reconnection at the magnetopause. In addition, fast variations of the electron flux and energy occurring during these events have been studied in detail. The variations of the electron population, if interpreted as structures crossed by the REIMEI satellite, would map near the magnetopause to similar features as observed previously with the Cluster satellites. These were explained as Alfvén waves originating from an X-line of magnetic reconnection
- âŠ