1,731 research outputs found
The Perturbed Static Path Approximation at Finite Temperature: Observables and Strength Functions
We present an approximation scheme for calculating observables and strength
functions of finite fermionic systems at finite temperature such as hot nuclei.
The approach is formulated within the framework of the Hubbard-Stratonovich
transformation and goes beyond the static path approximation and the RPA by
taking into account small amplitude time-dependent fluctuations around each
static value of the auxiliary fields. We show that this perturbed static path
approach can be used systematically to obtain good approximations for
observable expectation values and for low moments of the strength function. The
approximation for the strength function itself, extracted by an analytic
continuation from the imaginary-time response function, is not always reliable,
and we discuss the origin of the discrepancies and possible improvements. Our
results are tested in a solvable many-body model.Comment: 37 pages, 8 postscript figures included, RevTe
Practical Bayesian Modeling and Inference for Massive Spatial Datasets On Modest Computing Environments
With continued advances in Geographic Information Systems and related
computational technologies, statisticians are often required to analyze very
large spatial datasets. This has generated substantial interest over the last
decade, already too vast to be summarized here, in scalable methodologies for
analyzing large spatial datasets. Scalable spatial process models have been
found especially attractive due to their richness and flexibility and,
particularly so in the Bayesian paradigm, due to their presence in hierarchical
model settings. However, the vast majority of research articles present in this
domain have been geared toward innovative theory or more complex model
development. Very limited attention has been accorded to approaches for easily
implementable scalable hierarchical models for the practicing scientist or
spatial analyst. This article is submitted to the Practice section of the
journal with the aim of developing massively scalable Bayesian approaches that
can rapidly deliver Bayesian inference on spatial process that are practically
indistinguishable from inference obtained using more expensive alternatives. A
key emphasis is on implementation within very standard (modest) computing
environments (e.g., a standard desktop or laptop) using easily available
statistical software packages without requiring message-parsing interfaces or
parallel programming paradigms. Key insights are offered regarding assumptions
and approximations concerning practical efficiency.Comment: 20 pages, 4 figures, 2 table
An Activating Mutation in sos-1 Identifies Its Dbl Domain as a Critical Inhibitor of the Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor Pathway during Caenorhabditis elegans Vulval Development
Proper regulation of receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK)-Ras-mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathways is critical for normal development and the prevention of cancer. SOS is a dual-function guanine nucleotide exchange factor (GEF) that catalyzes exchange on Ras and Rac. Although the physiologic role of SOS and its CDC25 domain in RTK-mediated Ras activation is well established, the in vivo function of its Dbl Rac GEF domain is less clear. We have identified a novel gain-of-function missense mutation in the Dbl domain of Caenorhabditis elegans SOS-1 that promotes epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) signaling in vivo. Our data indicate that a major developmental function of the Dbl domain is to inhibit EGF-dependent MAPK activation. The amount of inhibition conferred by the Dbl domain is equal to that of established trans-acting inhibitors of the EGFR pathway, including c-Cbl and RasGAP, and more than that of MAPK phosphatase. In conjunction with molecular modeling, our data suggest that the C. elegans mutation, as well as an equivalent mutation in human SOS1, activates the MAPK pathway by disrupting an autoinhibitory function of the Dbl domain on Ras activation. Our work suggests that functionally similar point mutations in humans could directly contribute to disease
Restoration of Isospin Symmetry in Highly Excited Nuclei
Explicit relations between the isospin mixing probability, the spreading
width of the Isobaric Analog State (IAS) and the
statistical decay width of the compound nucleus at finite excitation
energy, are derived by using the Feshbach projection formalism. The temperature
dependence of the isospin mixing probability is discussed quantitatively for
the first time by using the values of and of
calculated by means of microscopic models. It is shown that the
mixing probability remains essentially constant up to a temperature of the
order of 1 MeV and then decreases to about 1/4 of its zero temperature value,
at higher temperature than 3 MeV, due to the short decay time of the
compound system.Comment: 13 pages, 1 figure (PostScript file included). To appear in Phys.
Lett.
Challenges for Efficient Query Evaluation on Structured Probabilistic Data
Query answering over probabilistic data is an important task but is generally
intractable. However, a new approach for this problem has recently been
proposed, based on structural decompositions of input databases, following,
e.g., tree decompositions. This paper presents a vision for a database
management system for probabilistic data built following this structural
approach. We review our existing and ongoing work on this topic and highlight
many theoretical and practical challenges that remain to be addressed.Comment: 9 pages, 1 figure, 23 references. Accepted for publication at SUM
201
Numerical impacts on tracer transport: A proposed intercomparison test of Atmospheric General Circulation Models
The transport of trace gases by the atmospheric circulation plays an important role in the climate system and its response to external forcing. Transport presents a challenge for Atmospheric General Circulation Models (AGCMs), as errors in both the resolved circulation and the numerical representation of transport processes can bias their abundance. In this study, two tests are proposed to assess transport by the dynamical core of an AGCM. To separate transport from chemistry, the tests focus on the age‐of‐air, an estimate of the mean transport time by the circulation. The tests assess the coupled stratosphere–troposphere system, focusing on transport by the overturning circulation and isentropic mixing in the stratosphere, or Brewer–Dobson Circulation, where transport time‐scales on the order of months to years provide a challenging test of model numerics. Four dynamical cores employing different numerical schemes (finite‐volume, pseudo‐spectral, and spectral‐element) and discretizations (cubed sphere versus latitude–longitude) are compared across a range of resolutions. The subtle momentum balance of the tropical stratosphere is sensitive to model numerics, and the first intercomparison reveals stark differences in tropical stratospheric winds, particularly at high vertical resolution: some cores develop westerly jets and others easterly jets. This leads to substantial spread in transport, biasing the age‐of‐air by up to 25% relative to its climatological mean, making it difficult to assess the impact of the numerical representation of transport processes. This uncertainty is removed by constraining the tropical winds in the second intercomparison test, in a manner akin to specifying the Quasi‐Biennial Oscillation in an AGCM. The dynamical cores exhibit qualitative agreement on the structure of atmospheric transport in the second test, with evidence of convergence as the horizontal and vertical resolution is increased in a given model. Significant quantitative differences remain, however, particularly between models employing spectral versus finite‐volume numerics, even in state‐of‐the‐art cores
Equilibration through local information exchange in networks
We study the equilibrium states of energy functions involving a large set of
real variables, defined on the links of sparsely connected networks, and
interacting at the network nodes, using the cavity and replica methods. When
applied to the representative problem of network resource allocation, an
efficient distributed algorithm is devised, with simulations showing full
agreement with theory. Scaling properties with the network connectivity and the
resource availability are found.Comment: v1: 7 pages, 1 figure, v2: 4 pages, 2 figures, simplified analysis
and more organized results, v3: minor change
A standard test case suite for two-dimensional linear transport on the sphere
It is the purpose of this paper to propose a standard test case suite for two-dimensional transport schemes on the sphere intended to be used for model development and facilitating scheme intercomparison. The test cases are designed to assess important aspects of accuracy in geophysical fluid dynamics such as numerical order of convergence, "minimal" resolution, the ability of the transport scheme to preserve filaments, transport "rough" distributions, and to preserve pre-existing functional relations between species/tracers under challenging flow conditions. <br><br> The experiments are designed to be easy to set up. They are specified in terms of two analytical wind fields (one non-divergent and one divergent) and four analytical initial conditions (varying from smooth to discontinuous). Both conventional error norms as well as novel mixing and filament preservation diagnostics are used that are easy to implement. The experiments pose different challenges for the range of transport approaches from Lagrangian to Eulerian. The mixing and filament preservation diagnostics do not require an analytical/reference solution, which is in contrast to standard error norms where a "true" solution is needed. Results using the CSLAM (Conservative Semi-Lagrangian Multi-tracer) scheme on the cubed-sphere are presented for reference and illustrative purposes
Stable isotope records for the last 10 000 years from Okshola cave (Fauske, northern Norway) and regional comparisons
The sensitivity of terrestrial environments to past changes in heat transport is expected to be manifested in Holocene climate proxy records on millennial to seasonal timescales. Stalagmite formation in the Okshola cave near Fauske (northern Norway) began at about 10.4 ka, soon after the valley was deglaciated. Past monitoring of the cave and surface has revealed stable modern conditions with uniform drip rates, relative humidity and temperature. Stable isotope records from two stalagmites provide time-series spanning from c. 10 380 yr to AD 1997; a banded, multi-coloured stalagmite (Oks82) was formed between 10 380 yr and 5050 yr, whereas a pristine, white stalagmite (FM3) covers the period from ~7500 yr to the present. The stable oxygen isotope (&delta;<sup>18</sup>O<sub>c</sub>), stable carbon isotope (&delta;<sup>13</sup>C<sub>c</sub>), and growth rate records are interpreted as showing i) a negative correlation between cave/surface temperature and &delta;<sup>18</sup>O<sub>c</sub>, ii) a positive correlation between wetness and &delta;<sup>13</sup>C<sub>c</sub>, and iii) a positive correlation between temperature and growth rate. Following this, the data from Okshola show that the Holocene was characterised by high-variability climate in the early part, low-variability climate in the middle part, and high-variability climate and shifts between two distinct modes in the late part. <br><br> A total of nine Scandinavian stalagmite &delta;<sup>18</sup>O<sub>c</sub> records of comparable dating precision are now available for parts or most of the Holocene. None of them show a clear Holocene thermal optimum, suggesting that they are influenced by annual mean temperature (cave temperature) rather than seasonal temperature. For the last 1000 years, &delta;<sup>18</sup>O<sub>c</sub> values display a depletion-enrichment-depletion pattern commonly interpreted as reflecting the conventional view on climate development for the last millennium. Although the &delta;<sup>18</sup>O<sub>c</sub> records show similar patterns and amplitudes of change, the main challenges for utilising high-latitude stalagmites as palaeoclimate archives are i) the accuracy of the age models, ii) the ambiguity of the proxy signals, and iii) calibration with monitoring data
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