4,627 research outputs found
An experimental study of the temporal statistics of radio signals scattered by rain
A fixed-beam bistatic CW experiment designed to measure the temporal statistics of the volume reflectivity produced by hydrometeors at several selected altitudes, scattering angles, and at two frequencies (3.6 and 7.8 GHz) is described. Surface rain gauge data, local meteorological data, surveillance S-band radar, and great-circle path propagation measurements were also made to describe the general weather and propagation conditions and to distinguish precipitation scatter signals from those caused by ducting and other nonhydrometeor scatter mechanisms. The data analysis procedures were designed to provide an assessment of a one-year sample of data with a time resolution of one minute. The cumulative distributions of the bistatic signals for all of the rainy minutes during this period are presented for the several path geometries
Harmonic superpositions of non-extremal p-branes
The plot of allowed p and D values for p-brane solitons in D-dimensional
supergravity is the same whether the solitons are extremal or non-extremal. One
of the useful tools for relating different points on the plot is vertical
dimensional reduction, which is possible if periodic arrays of p-brane solitons
can be constructed. This is straightforward for extremal p-branes, since the
no-force condition allows arbitrary multi-centre solutions to be constructed in
terms of a general harmonic function on the transverse space. This has also
been shown to be possible in the special case of non-extremal black holes in
D=4 arrayed along an axis. In this paper, we extend previous results to include
multi-scalar black holes, and dyonic black holes. We also consider their
oxidation to higher dimensions, and we discuss general procedures for
constructing the solutions, and studying their symmetries.Comment: Latex, 23 page
Asymmetric Orbifolds, Non-Geometric Fluxes and Non-Commutativity in Closed String Theory
In this paper we consider a class of exactly solvable closed string flux
backgrounds that exhibit non-commutativity in the closed string coordinates.
They are realized in terms of freely-acting asymmetric Z_N-orbifolds, which are
themselves close relatives of twisted torus fibrations with elliptic
Z_N-monodromy (elliptic T-folds). We explicitly construct the modular invariant
partition function of the models and derive the non-commutative algebra in the
string coordinates, which is exact to all orders in {\alpha}'. Finally, we
relate these asymmetric orbifold spaces to inherently stringy Scherk-Schwarz
backgrounds and non-geometric fluxes.Comment: 30 page
Toroidal Orientifolds in IIA with General NS-NS Fluxes
Type IIA toroidal orientifolds offer a promising toolkit for model builders,
especially when one includes not only the usual fluxes from NS-NS and R-R field
strengths, but also fluxes that are T-dual to the NS-NS three-form flux. These
new ingredients are known as metric fluxes and non-geometric fluxes, and can
help stabilize moduli or can lead to other new features. In this paper we study
two approaches to these constructions, by effective field theory or by toroidal
fibers twisted over a toroidal base. Each approach leads us to important
observations, in particular the presence of D-terms in the four-dimensional
effective potential in some cases, and a more subtle treatment of the
quantization of the general NS-NS fluxes. Though our methods are general, we
illustrate each approach on the example of an orientifold of T^6/Z_4.Comment: 59 pages, references adde
Edge dislocations in crystal structures considered as traveling waves of discrete models
The static stress needed to depin a 2D edge dislocation, the lower dynamic
stress needed to keep it moving, its velocity and displacement vector profile
are calculated from first principles. We use a simplified discrete model whose
far field distortion tensor decays algebraically with distance as in the usual
elasticity. An analytical description of dislocation depinning in the strongly
overdamped case (including the effect of fluctuations) is also given. A set of
parallel edge dislocations whose centers are far from each other can depin
a given one provided , where is the average inter-dislocation
distance divided by the Burgers vector of a single dislocation. Then a limiting
dislocation density can be defined and calculated in simple cases.Comment: 10 pages, 3 eps figures, Revtex 4. Final version, corrected minor
error
Defining Integrated Weed Management: A Novel Conceptual Framework for Models
Weed population dynamics models are an important tool for predicting the outcome of alternative Integrated Weed Management (IWM) scenarios. The growing problem of herbicide resistance has increased the urgency for these tools in the design of sustainable IWM solutions. We developed a conceptual framework for defining IWM as a standardised input template to allow output from different models to be compared and to design IWM scenarios. The framework could also be used as a quantitative metric to determine whether more diverse systems are more sustainable and less vulnerable to herbicide resistance using empirical data. Using the logic of object-oriented programming, we defined four classes of weed management options based on the stage in the weed life cycle that they impact and processes that mediate their effects. Objects in the same class share a common set of properties that determine their behaviour in weed population dynamics models. Any weed control “event” in a system is associated with an object, meaning alternative management scenarios can be built by systematically adding events to a model either to compare existing systems or design novel approaches. Our framework is designed to be generic, allowing IWM systems from different cropping systems and countries to be compared
Black hole entropy reveals a 12th "dimension"
The Beckenstein-Hawking black hole entropy in string theory and its
extensions, as expressed in terms of charges that correspond to central
extensions of the supersymmetry algebra, has more symmetries than U-duality. It
is invariant under transformations of the charges, involving a 12th (or 13th)
``dimension''. This is an indication that the secret theory behind string
theory has a superalgebra involving Lorentz non-scalar extensions (that are not
strictly central), as suggested in S-theory, and which could be hidden in M- or
F- theories. It is suggested that the idea of spacetime is broader than usual,
and that a larger ``spacetime" is partially present in black holes.Comment: Latex, 20 pages, minor formatting correction
Antisymmetric tensor coupling and conformal invariance in sigma models corresponding to gauged WZNW theories
String backgrounds associated with gauged WZNW models generically
depend on or . The exact expressions for the corresponding
metric G_{\m\n}, antisymmetric tensor B_{\m\n}, and dilaton can be
obtained by eliminating the gauge field from the local part of the
effective action of the gauged WZNW model. We show that there exists a
manifestly gauge-invariant prescription for the derivation of the antisymmetric
tensor coupling. When the subgroup is one-dimensional and is simple the
antisymmetric tensor is given by the semiclassical (-independent)
expression. We consider in detail the simplest non-trivial example with
non-trivial B_{\m\n} -- the D=3 sigma model corresponding to the gauged WZNW theory (`charged black string') and show that the exact
expressions for G_{\m\n}, B_{\m\n} and solve the Weyl invariance
conditions in the two-loop approximation. Similar conclusion is reached for the
closely related chiral gauged WZNW model. We find that there exists
a scheme in which the semiclassical background is also a solution of the
two-loop conformal invariance equations (but the tachyon equation takes a
non-canonical form). We discuss in detail the role of field redefinitions
(scheme dependence) in establishing a correspondence between the sigma model
and conformal field theory results.Comment: 55 pages, harvmac, CERN-TH.6969/93, THU-93/25, Imperial/TP/92-93/59.
(Another prescription for extracting the exact antisymmetric tensor is
described leading to a purely semiclassical expression for it
The role of interspecific variability and herbicide pre-adaptation in the cinmethylin response of Alopecurus myosuroides
BACKGROUND: Cinmethylin is an inhibitor of plant fatty acid biosynthesis, with in-plant activity caused by its binding to fatty acid thioesterases (FAT). The recent registration of cinmethylin for pre-emergence herbicidal use in the UK represents a new mode of action (MOA) for control of the grassweed blackgrass (Alopecurus myosuroides). To date there is little published information on the extent of blackgrass’ inter-population variability in sensitivity to cinmethylin, nor on any potential effect of existing non-target-site resistance (NTSR) mechanisms on cinmethylin efficacy.
RESULTS: Here we present a study of variability in cinmethylin sensitivity amongst 97 UK blackgrass populations. We demonstrate that under controlled conditions, a UK field-rate dose of 500 g ha-1 provides effective control of the tested populations. Nevertheless, we reveal significant inter-population variability at doses below this rate, with populations previously characterised as strongly NTSR displaying the lowest sensitivity to cinmethylin. Assessment of paired resistant “R” and sensitive “S” lines from standardised genetic backgrounds confirms that selection for NTSR to the acetyl-CoA-carboxylase inhibitor fenoxaprop, and the microtubule assembly inhibitor pendimethalin, simultaneously results in reduced sensitivity to cinmethylin at doses below 500 g ha-1. Whilst we find no resistance to the field-rate dose, we reveal that cinmethylin sensitivity can be further reduced through experimental selection with cinmethylin.
CONCLUSION: Cinmethylin therefore represents a much-needed further MOA for blackgrass control, but needs to be carefully managed within a resistance monitoring and integrated weed management (IWM) framework to maximise the effective longevity of this compound
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