7,760 research outputs found
Satellite-map position estimation for the Mars rover
A method for locating the Mars rover using an elevation map generated from satellite data is described. In exploring its environment, the rover is assumed to generate a local rover-centered elevation map that can be used to extract information about the relative position and orientation of landmarks corresponding to local maxima. These landmarks are integrated into a stochastic map which is then matched with the satellite map to obtain an estimate of the robot's current location. The landmarks are not explicitly represented in the satellite map. The results of the matching algorithm correspond to a probabilistic assessment of whether or not the robot is located within a given region of the satellite map. By assigning a probabilistic interpretation to the information stored in the satellite map, researchers are able to provide a precise characterization of the results computed by the matching algorithm
Interplay of the Chiral and Large N_c Limits in pi N Scattering
Light-quark hadronic physics admits two useful systematic expansions, the
chiral and 1/N_c expansions. Their respective limits do not commute, making
such cases where both expansions may be considered to be especially
interesting. We first study pi N scattering lengths, showing that (as expected
for such soft-pion quantities) the chiral expansion converges more rapidly than
the 1/N_c expansion, although the latter nevertheless continues to hold. We
also study the Adler-Weisberger and Goldberger-Miyazawa-Oehme sum rules of pi N
scattering, finding that both fail if the large N_c limit is taken prior to the
chiral limit.Comment: 10 pages, ReVTe
The Phonology of the Miyako Dialects : Phonological Systems and Comparisons
French National Centre for Scientific ResearchKyoto UniversityFirst Published: August 1, 2012 (in Japanese
New Relations for Excited Baryons in Large N_c QCD
We show that excited baryons in large N_c QCD form multiplets, within which
masses are first split at O(1/N_c). The dominant couplings of resonances to
various mesons are highly constrained: The N(1535) decays at leading 1/N_c
order exclusively to eta-N rather than pi-N, and vice versa for the N(1650).
This multiplet structure is reproduced by a simple large N_c quark model, well
studied in the literature, that describes resonances as single-quark
excitations.Comment: 4 pages, no figures, ReVTeX 4. Includes new discussion of previous
work on excited baryon tower
Dramatic expansion of the black widow toxin arsenal uncovered by multi-tissue transcriptomics and venom proteomics.
BackgroundAnimal venoms attract enormous interest given their potential for pharmacological discovery and understanding the evolution of natural chemistries. Next-generation transcriptomics and proteomics provide unparalleled, but underexploited, capabilities for venom characterization. We combined multi-tissue RNA-Seq with mass spectrometry and bioinformatic analyses to determine venom gland specific transcripts and venom proteins from the Western black widow spider (Latrodectus hesperus) and investigated their evolution.ResultsWe estimated expression of 97,217 L. hesperus transcripts in venom glands relative to silk and cephalothorax tissues. We identified 695 venom gland specific transcripts (VSTs), many of which BLAST and GO term analyses indicate may function as toxins or their delivery agents. ~38% of VSTs had BLAST hits, including latrotoxins, inhibitor cystine knot toxins, CRISPs, hyaluronidases, chitinase, and proteases, and 59% of VSTs had predicted protein domains. Latrotoxins are venom toxins that cause massive neurotransmitter release from vertebrate or invertebrate neurons. We discovered ≥ 20 divergent latrotoxin paralogs expressed in L. hesperus venom glands, significantly increasing this biomedically important family. Mass spectrometry of L. hesperus venom identified 49 proteins from VSTs, 24 of which BLAST to toxins. Phylogenetic analyses showed venom gland specific gene family expansions and shifts in tissue expression.ConclusionsQuantitative expression analyses comparing multiple tissues are necessary to identify venom gland specific transcripts. We present a black widow venom specific exome that uncovers a trove of diverse toxins and associated proteins, suggesting a dynamic evolutionary history. This justifies a reevaluation of the functional activities of black widow venom in light of its emerging complexity
The HAMMER: High altitude multiple mission environmental researcher
At the equator, the ozone layer ranges from 65,000 to 130,000+ feet which is beyond the capabilities of the ER-2, NASA's current high altitude reconnaissance aircraft. The Universities Space Research Association, in cooperation with NASA, is sponsoring an undergraduate program which is geared to designing an aircraft that can study the ozone layer at the equator. This aircraft must be able to satisfy four mission profiles. Mission one is a polar mission which ranges from Chile to the South Pole and back to Chile, a total range of 6000 n. mi. at 100,000 feet with a 2500 lb. payload. The second mission is also a polar mission with a decreased altitude of 70,000 feet and an increased payload of 4000 lb. For the third mission, the aircraft will take-off at NASA Ames, cruise at 100,000 feet carrying a 2500 lb. payload, and land in Puerto Montt, Chile. The final mission requires the aircraft to take-off at NASA Ames, cruise at 100,000 feet with a 1000 lb. payload, make an excursion to 120,000 feet, and land at Howard AFB, Panama. All three missions require that a subsonic Mach number is maintained due to constraints imposed by the air sampling equipment. The aircraft need not be manned for all four missions. Three aircraft configurations were determined to be the most suitable for meeting the above requirements. The performance of each configuration is analyzed to investigate the feasibility of the project requirements. In the event that a requirement can not be obtained within the given constraints, recommendations for proposal modifications are given
Dispersion Relations for Thermally Excited Waves in Plasma Crystals
Thermally excited waves in a Plasma crystal were numerically simulated using
a Box_Tree code. The code is a Barnes_Hut tree code proven effective in
modeling systems composed of large numbers of particles. Interaction between
individual particles was assumed to conform to a Yukawa potential. Particle
charge, mass, density, Debye length and output data intervals are all
adjustable parameters in the code. Employing a Fourier transform on the output
data, dispersion relations for both longitudinal and transverse wave modes were
determined. These were compared with the dispersion relations obtained from
experiment as well as a theory based on a harmonic approximation to the
potential. They were found to agree over a range of 0.9<k<5, where k is the
shielding parameter, defined by the ratio between interparticle distance a and
dust Debye length lD. This is an improvement over experimental data as current
experiments can only verify the theory up to k = 1.5.Comment: 8 pages, Presented at COSPAR '0
Analysis on reflection spectra in strained ZnO thin films
Thin films of laser molecular-beam epitaxy grown ZnO films were studied with
respect to their optical properties. 4-K reflectivity was used to analyze
various samples grown at different biaxial in-plane strain. The spectra show
two structures at 3.37 eV corresponding to the A-free exciton transition and at
3.38 eV corresponding to the B-free exciton transition. Theoretical
reflectivity spectra were calculated using the spatial dispersion model. Thus,
the transverse energies, the longitudinal transversal splitting (ELT,), the
oscillator strengths, and the damping parameters were determined for both the
A- and B-free excitons of ZnO. As a rough trend, the strain dependence of the
energy E_LT for the A-excitons is characterized by a negatively-peaking
behavior with a minimum around the zero strain, while ELT for the B-excitons is
an increasing function of the strain field values.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures, 1 table, conference: ICMAT2005 (Singapore), to
appear in an issue of J. Cryst. Growt
Ds0*(2317) and Ds1(2460) mesons in two-body B-meson decays
We analyze the branching ratios of B to D(*) + Ds0*(Ds1) decays using the
factorization hypothesis. The B to D(*) transition form factors are taken from
a model-independent analysis done by Caprini, Lellouch and Neubert based on
heavy quark spin symmetry and dispersive constraints, including short-distance
and power corrections. The leptonic decay constants fDs0* and fDs1 are
calculated assuming a molecular structure for the Ds0* and Ds1 mesons. The
calculated branching ratios of B-meson two-body decays are compared with
experimental data and other theoretical results.Comment: 12 pages, 2 figure
- …