15,476 research outputs found
Local statistics for random domino tilings of the Aztec diamond
We prove an asymptotic formula for the probability that, if one chooses a
domino tiling of a large Aztec diamond at random according to the uniform
distribution on such tilings, the tiling will contain a domino covering a given
pair of adjacent lattice squares. This formula quantifies the effect of the
diamond's boundary conditions on the behavior of typical tilings; in addition,
it yields a new proof of the arctic circle theorem of Jockusch, Propp, and
Shor. Our approach is to use the saddle point method to estimate certain
weighted sums of squares of Krawtchouk polynomials (whose relevance to domino
tilings is demonstrated elsewhere), and to combine these estimates with some
exponential sum bounds to deduce our final result. This approach generalizes
straightforwardly to the case in which the probability distribution on the set
of tilings incorporates bias favoring horizontal over vertical tiles or vice
versa. We also prove a fairly general large deviation estimate for domino
tilings of simply-connected planar regions that implies that some of our
results on Aztec diamonds apply to many other similar regions as well.Comment: 42 pages, 7 figure
Control of macrophytes by grass carp (ctenopharyngodon idella) in a Waikato drain, New Zealand
Hornwort (Ceratophyllum demersum L.) and other aquatic macrophytes have historically been mechanically removed from the Rangiriri drain and Churchill East drain to maintain drain efficiency. As an alternative control method for the high plant biomass that accumulates at the end of summer, the effect of stocking diploid grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella L.) on the aquatic vegetation was evaluated in these Waikato drainage systems. At the start of the trial, both drains had a low diversity of aquatic macrophytes, and of the nine species (including the emergents), seven were exotic. Two months after grass carp were released to Churchill East drain (the treated drain) the four submerged and floating macrophyte species became scarce in the main drain. Over the same period, these species increased in biomass in Rangiriri drain (the untreated drain), where hornwort became dense and surface-reaching and remained so for the duration of the trial. However, grass carp did not control submerged vegetation in smaller side drains or the shallow, upper parts of the main drain, or the marginal sprawling species and emergent species. The cost of leasing the grass carp was similar to the cost of clearing the drains mechanically, but grass carp provided continuous weed control. However, subsequent to this trial, 62 dead grass carp were found in Churchill East drain in February 2001, and weed cover subsequently increased. This illustrates that grass carp management in New Zealand agricultural drains can be problematic due to periodic fish kills
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