2,604 research outputs found
First contact distributions for spatial patterns: regularity and estimation
For applications in spatial statistics an important property of a random set X in Rk is its rst contact distribution This is the distribution of the distance from a xed point to the nearest point of X where distance is measured using scalar dilations of a xed test set B We show that if B is convex and contains a neighbourhood of the rst contact distribution function FB is absolutely continuous We give two explicit representations of FB and additional regularity conditions under which FB is continuously dierentiable A KaplanMeier estimator of FB is introduced and its basic properties examine
Development of low and high birefringence optical fibres
The polarization properties of single-mode optical fibers are easily modified by environmental factors, While this can be exploited in a number of fiber sensor devices. it can be troublesome in applications where a stable output polarization-state is required. Fibers with both low and high birefringence have been developed to enhance or diminish their environmental sensitivity, and recent progress in each area is reviewed. Low-birefringence fibers are described which are made by spinning the preform during the draw. In addition. developments in high-birefringence fibers which maintain a polarization state over long lengths are summarized. The effect on performance of external factors such as bends, transverse pressure, and twists is analyzed. Consideration is also given to polarization mode-dispersion as a potential limiting factor in ultrahigh bandwidth systems
Dynamical density functional theory for the evaporation of droplets of nanoparticle suspension
We develop a lattice gas model for the drying of droplets of a nanoparticle
suspension on a planar surface, using dynamical density functional theory
(DDFT) to describe the time evolution of the solvent and nanoparticle density
profiles. The DDFT assumes a diffusive dynamics but does not include the
advective hydrodynamics of the solvent, so the model is relevant to highly
viscous or near to equilibrium systems. Nonetheless, we see an equivalent of
the coffee-ring stain effect, but in the present model it occurs for
thermodynamic rather the fluid-mechanical reasons. The model incorporates the
effect of phase separation and vertical density variations within the droplet
and the consequence of these on the nanoparticle deposition pattern on the
surface. We show how to include the effect of slip or no-slip at the surface
and how this is related to the receding contact angle. We also determine how
the equilibrium contact angle depends on the microscopic interaction
parameters.Comment: 35 pages, 10 figure
Generation of defects and disorder from deeply quenching a liquid to form a solid
We show how deeply quenching a liquid to temperatures where it is linearly
unstable and the crystal is the equilibrium phase often produces crystalline
structures with defects and disorder. As the solid phase advances into the
liquid phase, the modulations in the density distribution created behind the
advancing solidification front do not necessarily have a wavelength that is the
same as the equilibrium crystal lattice spacing. This is because in a deep
enough quench the front propagation is governed by linear processes, but the
crystal lattice spacing is determined by nonlinear terms. The wavelength
mismatch can result in significant disorder behind the front that may or may
not persist in the latter stage dynamics. We support these observations by
presenting results from dynamical density functional theory calculations for
simple one- and two-component two-dimensional systems of soft core particles.Comment: 25 pages, 11 figure
Resonant Absorption as Mode Conversion?
Resonant absorption and mode conversion are both extensively studied
mechanisms for wave "absorption" in solar magnetohydrodynamics (MHD). But are
they really distinct? We re-examine a well-known simple resonant absorption
model in a cold MHD plasma that places the resonance inside an evanescent
region. The normal mode solutions display the standard singular resonant
features. However, these same normal modes may be used to construct a ray
bundle which very clearly undergoes mode conversion to an Alfv\'en wave with no
singularities. We therefore conclude that resonant absorption and mode
conversion are in fact the same thing, at least for this model problem. The
prime distinguishing characteristic that determines which of the two
descriptions is most natural in a given circumstance is whether the converted
wave can provide a net escape of energy from the conversion/absorption region
of physical space. If it cannot, it is forced to run away in wavenumber space
instead, thereby generating the arbitrarily small scales in situ that we
recognize as fundamental to resonant absorption and phase mixing. On the other
hand, if the converted wave takes net energy way, singularities do not develop,
though phase mixing may still develop with distance as the wave recedes.Comment: 23 pages, 8 figures, 2 tables; accepted by Solar Phys (July 9 2010
The extended empirical process test for non-Gaussianity in the CMB, with an application to non-Gaussian inflationary models
In (Hansen et al. 2002) we presented a new approach for measuring
non-Gaussianity of the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) anisotropy pattern,
based on the multivariate empirical distribution function of the spherical
harmonics a_lm of a CMB map. The present paper builds upon the same ideas and
proposes several improvements and extensions. More precisely, we exploit the
additional information on the random phases of the a_lm to provide further
tests based on the empirical distribution function. Also we take advantage of
the effect of rotations in improving the power of our procedures. The suggested
tests are implemented on physically motivated models of non-Gaussian fields;
Monte-Carlo simulations suggest that this approach may be very promising in the
analysis of non-Gaussianity generated by non-standard models of inflation. We
address also some experimentally meaningful situations, such as the presence of
instrumental noise and a galactic cut in the map.Comment: 15 pages, 6 figures, submitted to Phys. Rev.
Possible Localized Modes in the Uniform Quantum Heisenberg Chains of Sr2CuO3
A model of mobile-bond defects is tentatively proposed to analyze the
"anomalies" observed on the NMR spectrum of the quantum Heisenberg chains of
Sr2CuO3. A bond-defect is a local change in the exchange coupling. It results
in a local alternating magnetization (LAM), which when the defect moves,
creates a flipping process of the local field seen by each nuclear spin. At low
temperature, when the overlap of the LAM becomes large, the defects form a
periodic structure, which extends over almost all the chains. In that regime,
the density of bond-defects decreases linearly with T.Comment: 4 pages + 3 figures. To appear in Physical Review
Dynamic scaling and aging phenomena in short-range Ising spin glass: CuCoCl-FeCl graphite bi-intercalation compound
Static and dynamic behavior of short-range Ising-spin glass
CuCoCl-FeCl graphite bi-intercalation compounds
(GBIC) has been studied with SQUID DC and AC magnetic susceptibility. The
dependence of the zero-field relaxation time above a spin-freezing
temperature (= 3.92 0.11 K) is well described by critical slowing
down. The absorption below decreases with
increasing angular frequency , which is in contrast to the case of 3D
Ising spin glass. The dynamic freezing temperature at which
dd, is determined as a function of
frequency (0.01 Hz 1 kHz) and magnetic field (0 5 kOe). The dynamic scaling analysis of the relaxation time
defined as at suggests the absence of
SG phase in the presence of (at least above 100 Oe). Dynamic scaling
analysis of and near
leads to the critical exponents ( = 0.36 0.03, = 3.5
0.4, = 1.4 0.2, = 6.6 1.2, = 0.24
0.02, and = 0.13 0.02). The aging phenomenon is studied through
the absorption below . It obeys a
power-law decay with an exponent . The rejuvenation effect is also observed under
sufficiently large (temperature and magnetic-field) perturbations.Comment: 14 pages, 19 figures; to be published in Phys. Rev. B (September 1,
2003
The lower airway microbiome in paediatric health and chronic disease
The advent of next generation sequencing has rapidly challenged the paediatric respiratory physician’s understanding of lung microbiology and the role of the lung microbiome in host health and disease. In particular, the role of “microbial key players” in paediatric respiratory disease is yet to be fully explained. Accurate profiling of the lung microbiome in children is challenging since the ability to obtain lower airway samples coupled with processing “low-biomass specimens” are both technically difficult. Many studies provide conflicting results.
Early microbiota-host relationships may be predictive of the development of chronic respiratory disease but attempts to correlate lower airway microbiota in premature infants and risk of developing bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) have produced mixed results. There are differences in lung microbiota in asthma and cystic fibrosis (CF). The increased abundance of oral taxa in the lungs may (or may not) promote disease processes in asthma and CF. In CF, correlation between microbiota diversity and respiratory decline is commonly observed. When one considers other pathogens beyond the bacterial kingdom, the contribution and interplay of fungi and viruses within the lung microbiome further increase complexity. Similarly, the interaction between microbial communities in different body sites, such as the gut-lung axis, and the influence of environmental factors, including diet, make the co-existence of host and microbes ever more complicated. Future, multi-omics approaches may help uncover novel microbiome-based biomarkers and therapeutic targets in respiratory disease and explain how we can live in harmony with our microbial companions
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