3,402 research outputs found
Transition times and stochastic resonance for multidimensional diffusions with time periodic drift: A large deviations approach
We consider potential type dynamical systems in finite dimensions with two
meta-stable states. They are subject to two sources of perturbation: a slow
external periodic perturbation of period and a small Gaussian random
perturbation of intensity , and, therefore, are mathematically
described as weakly time inhomogeneous diffusion processes. A system is in
stochastic resonance, provided the small noisy perturbation is tuned in such a
way that its random trajectories follow the exterior periodic motion in an
optimal fashion, that is, for some optimal intensity . The
physicists' favorite, measures of quality of periodic tuning--and thus
stochastic resonance--such as spectral power amplification or signal-to-noise
ratio, have proven to be defective. They are not robust w.r.t. effective model
reduction, that is, for the passage to a simplified finite state Markov chain
model reducing the dynamics to a pure jumping between the meta-stable states of
the original system. An entirely probabilistic notion of stochastic resonance
based on the transition dynamics between the domains of attraction of the
meta-stable states--and thus failing to suffer from this robustness defect--was
proposed before in the context of one-dimensional diffusions. It is
investigated for higher-dimensional systems here, by using extensions and
refinements of the Freidlin--Wentzell theory of large deviations for time
homogeneous diffusions. Large deviations principles developed for weakly time
inhomogeneous diffusions prove to be key tools for a treatment of the problem
of diffusion exit from a domain and thus for the approach of stochastic
resonance via transition probabilities between meta-stable sets.Comment: Published at http://dx.doi.org/10.1214/105051606000000385 in the
Annals of Applied Probability (http://www.imstat.org/aap/) by the Institute
of Mathematical Statistics (http://www.imstat.org
Testing explosive bubbles with time-varying volatility
This paper considers the problem of testing for an explosive bubble in financial data in the presence of time-varying volatility. We propose a weighted least squares-based variant of the Phillips, Wu and Yu (2011) test for explosive autoregressive behaviour. We find that such an approach has appealing asymptotic power properties, with the potential to deliver substantially greater power than the established OLS-based approach for many volatility and bubble settings. Given that the OLS-based test can outperform the weighted least squares-based test for other volatility and bubble specifications, we also suggested a union of rejections procedure that succeeds in capturing the better power available from the two constituent tests for a given alternative. Our approach involves a nonparametric kernel-based volatility function estimator for computation of the weighted least squares-based statistic, together with the use of a wild bootstrap procedure applied jointly to both individual tests, delivering a powerful testing procedure that is asymptotically size-robust to a wide range of time-varying volatility specifications
Dirac-Surface-State-Dominated Spin to Charge Current Conversion in the Topological Insulator Films at Room Temperature
We report the spin to charge current conversation in an intrinsic topological
insulator (TI) film at room temperature. The spin
currents are generated in a thin layer of permalloy (Py) by two different
processes, spin pumping (SPE) and spin Seebeck effects (SSE). In the first we
use microwave-driven ferromagnetic resonance of the Py film to generate a SPE
spin current that is injected into the TI layer in
direct contact with Py. In the second we use the SSE in the longitudinal
configuration in Py without contamination by the Nernst effect made possible
with a thin NiO layer between the Py and layers.
The spin-to-charge current conversion is attributed to the inverse Edelstein
effect (IEE) made possible by the spin-momentum locking in the electron Fermi
contours due to the Rashba field. The measurements by the two techniques yield
very similar values for the IEE parameter, which are larger than the reported
values in the previous studies on topological insulators.Comment: 18 pages and 7 figure
Antianginal Efficacy of Ranolazine When Added to Treatment With Amlodipine The ERICA (Efficacy of Ranolazine in Chronic Angina) Trial
ObjectivesThe purpose of this study was to determine if ranolazine improves angina in stable coronary patients with persisting symptoms despite maximum recommended dose of amlodipine.BackgroundRanolazine is a unique antianginal agent that has been effective in stable angina, but it has not been studied in the setting of maximum recommended doses of conventional antianginal agents.MethodsStable patients with coronary disease and ≥3 anginal attacks per week despite maximum recommended dosage of amlodipine (10 mg/day) were randomized to 1,000 mg ranolazine or placebo twice a day for 6 weeks. Primary end point was the frequency of angina episodes per week during the double-blind treatment phase. Efficacy was also assessed by nitroglycerin consumption per week and the Seattle Angina Questionnaire (SAQ). Adjustment for multiple testing of secondary end points used a hierarchic closed testing procedure. Efficacy was assessed in subgroups based on baseline angina frequency, concomitant long-acting nitrate use, gender, and age. Safety was assessed by adverse events and electrocardiogram evaluations.ResultsA total of 565 patients were randomized: 281 patients to ranolazine and 284 patients to placebo. Baseline characteristics were similar between treatment groups. At baseline, angina frequency averaged 5.63 ± 0.18 episodes/week, and nitroglycerin consumption averaged 4.72 ± 0.21 tablets/week. Compared with placebo, ranolazine significantly reduced frequency of angina episodes (2.88 ± 0.19 on ranolazine vs. 3.31 ± 0.22 on placebo; p = 0.028) and nitroglycerin consumption (2.03 ± 0.20 on ranolazine vs. 2.68 ± 0.22; p = 0.014), with treatment effect that appeared consistent across subgroups. The median angina weekly episode rate at baseline was 4.5 per week. Subgroup analysis showed statistically significant reductions of angina frequency, nitroglycerin use, and SAQ angina frequency for patients with a baseline frequency >4.5 per week but only of angina frequency for those with baseline frequency ≤4.5 per week. Patients with more frequent angina appeared to have a more pronounced treatment effect. No hemodynamic changes were observed. Ranolazine was well tolerated.ConclusionsRanolazine significantly reduced frequency of angina and nitroglycerin consumption compared with placebo and was well tolerated. (The ERICA [Efficacy of Ranolazine In Chronic Angina] Trial; http://clinicaltrials.gov; NCT00091429
Environmental life cycle assessment and techno-economic analysis of triboelectric nanogenerators
As the world economy grows and industrialization of the developing countries increases, the demand for energy continues to rise. Triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) have been touted as having great potential for low-carbon, non-fossil fuel energy generation. Mechanical energies from, amongst others, body motion, vibration, wind and waves are captured and converted by TENGs to harvest electricity, thereby minimizing global fossil fuel consumption. However, only by ascertaining performance efficiency along with low material and manufacturing costs as well as a favorable environmental profile in comparison with other energy harvesting technologies, can the true potential of TENGs be established. This paper presents a detailed techno-economic lifecycle assessment of two representative examples of TENG modules, one with a high performance efficiency (Module A) and the other with a lower efficiency (Module B) both fabricated using low-cost materials. The results are discussed across a number of sustainability metrics in the context of other energy harvesting technologies, notably photovoltaics. Module A possesses a better environmental profile, lower cost of production, lower CO2 emissions and shorter energy payback period (EPBP) compared to Module B. However, the environmental profile of Module B is slightly degraded due to the higher content of acrylic in its architecture and higher electrical energy consumption during fabrication. The end of life scenario of acrylic is environmentally viable given its recyclability and reuse potential and it does not generate toxic gases that are harmful to humans and the environment during combustion processes due to its stability during exposure to ultraviolet radiation. Despite the adoption of a less optimum laboratory manufacturing route, TENG modules generally have a better environmental profile than commercialized Si based and organic solar cells, but Module B has a slightly higher energy payback period than PV technology based on perovskite-structured methyl ammonium lead iodide. Overall, we recommend that future research into TENGs should focus on improving system performance, material optimization and more importantly improving their lifespan to realize their full potential
Light scattering from an amplifying medium bounded by a randomly rough surface: A numerical study
We study by numerical simulations the scattering of -polarized light from
a rough dielectric film deposited on the planar surface of a semi-infinite
perfect conductor. The dielectric film is allowed to be either active or
passive, situations that we model by assigning negative and positive values,
respectively, to the imaginary part of the dielectric constant of
the film. We study the reflectance and the total scattered energy
for the system as functions of both and the angle of
incidence of the light. Furthermore, the positions and widths of the enhanced
backscattering and satellite peaks are discussed. It is found that these peaks
become narrower and higher when the amplification of the system is increased,
and that their widths scale linearly with . The positions of the
backscattering peaks are found to be independent of , while we find
a weak dependence on this quantity in the positions of the satellite peaks.Comment: Revtex, 9 pages, 9 figure
Physical properties and chemical composition of the cores in the California molecular cloud
We aim to reveal the physical properties and chemical composition of the
cores in the California molecular cloud (CMC), so as to better understand the
initial conditions of star formation. We made a high-resolution column density
map (18.2") with Herschel data, and extracted a complete sample of the cores in
the CMC with the \textsl{fellwalker} algorithm. We performed new
single-pointing observations of molecular lines near 90 GHz with the IRAM 30m
telescope along the main filament of the CMC. In addition, we also performed a
numerical modeling of chemical evolution for the cores under the physical
conditions. We extracted 300 cores, of which 33 are protostellar and 267 are
starless cores. About 51\% (137 of 267) of the starless cores are prestellar
cores. Three cores have the potential to evolve into high-mass stars. The
prestellar core mass function (CMF) can be well fit by a log-normal form. The
high-mass end of the prestellar CMF shows a power-law form with an index
that is shallower than that of the Galactic field stellar
mass function. Combining the mass transformation efficiency ()
from the prestellar core to the star of and the core formation
efficiency (CFE) of 5.5\%, we suggest an overall star formation efficiency of
about 1\% in the CMC. In the single-pointing observations with the IRAM 30m
telescope, we find that 6 cores show blue-skewed profile, while 4 cores show
red-skewed profile. []/[HNC] and []/ in protostellar cores are higher than those in prestellar cores;
this can be used as chemical clocks. The best-fit chemical age of the cores
with line observations is ~years.Comment: Accepted by Astronomy & Astrophysics (A&A
On the discrete spectrum of spin-orbit Hamiltonians with singular interactions
We give a variational proof of the existence of infinitely many bound states
below the continuous spectrum for spin-orbit Hamiltonians (including the Rashba
and Dresselhaus cases) perturbed by measure potentials thus extending the
results of J.Bruening, V.Geyler, K.Pankrashkin: J. Phys. A 40 (2007)
F113--F117.Comment: 10 pages; to appear in Russian Journal of Mathematical Physics
(memorial volume in honor of Vladimir Geyler). Results improved in this
versio
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