698 research outputs found
Ewald Sums for One Dimension
We derive analytic solutions for the potential and field in a one-dimensional
system of masses or charges with periodic boundary conditions, in other words
Ewald sums for one dimension. We also provide a set of tools for exploring the
system evolution and show that it's possible to construct an efficient
algorithm for carrying out simulations. In the cosmological setting we show
that two approaches for satisfying periodic boundary conditions, one overly
specified and the other completely general, provide a nearly identical
clustering evolution until the number of clusters becomes small, at which time
the influence of any size-dependent boundary cannot be ignored. Finally we
compare the results with other recent work with the hope of providing
clarification over differences these issues have induced. We explain that
modern formulations of physics require a well defined potential which is not
available if the forces are screened directly.Comment: 2 figures added references expanded discussion of algorithm corrected
figures added discussion of screened forc
On the morphology of the electron-positron annihilation emission as seen by SPI/INTEGRAL
The 511 keV positron annihilation emission remains a mysterious component of
the high energy emission of our Galaxy. Its study was one of the key scientific
objective of the SPI spectrometer on-board the INTEGRAL satellite. In fact, a
lot of observing time has been dedicated to the Galactic disk with a particular
emphasis on the central region. A crucial issue in such an analysis concerns
the reduction technique used to treat this huge quantity of data, and more
particularly the background modeling. Our method, after validation through a
variety of tests, is based on detector pattern determination per ~6 month
periods, together with a normalisation variable on a few hour timescale. The
Galactic bulge is detected at a level of ~70 sigma allowing more detailed
investigations. The main result is that the bulge morphology can be modelled
with two axisymmetric Gaussians of 3.2 deg. and 11.8 deg. FWHM and respective
fluxes of 2.5 and 5.4 x 10^-4 photons/(cm^2.s^1). We found a possible shift of
the bulge centre towards negative longitude at l=-0.6 +/- 0.2 degrees. In
addition to the bulge, a more extended structure is detected significantly with
flux ranging from 1.7 to 2.9 x10^-3 photons/(cm^2.s^1) depending on its assumed
geometry (pure disk or disk plus halo). The disk emission is also found to be
symmetric within the limits of the statistical errors.Comment: This paper has 12 pages and 14 figures. Accepted for publication by
the Astrophysical Journa
Formation of fractal structure in many-body systems with attractive power-law potentials
We study the formation of fractal structure in one-dimensional many-body
systems with attractive power-law potentials. Numerical analysis shows that the
range of the index of the power for which fractal structure emerges is limited.
Dependence of the growth rate on wavenumber and power-index is obtained by
linear analysis of the collisionless Boltzmann equation, which supports the
numerical results.Comment: accepted by PR
A continuous non-linear shadowing model of columnar growth
We propose the first continuous model with long range screening (shadowing)
that described columnar growth in one space dimension, as observed in plasma
sputter deposition. It is based on a new continuous partial derivative equation
with non-linear diffusion and where the shadowing effects apply on all the
different processes.Comment: Fast Track Communicatio
Rapid and MR-Independent IK1 activation by aldosterone during ischemia-reperfusion
In ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) context, clinical studies have shown the deleterious
effect of high aldosterone levels on ventricular arrhythmia occurrence and cardiac
mortality. Previous in vitro reports showed that during ischemia-reperfusion, aldosterone
modulates K+ currents involved in the holding of the resting membrane potential (RMP).
The aim of this study was to assess the electrophysiological impact of aldosterone on IK1
current during myocardial ischemia-reperfusion. We used an in vitro model of “border zone”
using right rabbit ventricle and standard microelectrode technique followed by cell-attached
recordings from freshly isolated rabbit ventricular cardiomyocytes. In microelectrode experiments,
aldosterone (10 and 100 nmol/L, n=7 respectively) increased the action potential
duration (APD) dispersion at 90% between ischemic and normoxic zones (from 95±4ms to
116±6 ms and 127±5 ms respectively, P<0.05) and reperfusion-induced sustained premature
ventricular contractions occurrence (from 2/12 to 5/7 preparations, P<0.05). Conversely,
potassium canrenoate 100 nmol/L and RU 28318 1 ÎĽmol/l alone did not affect AP
parameters and premature ventricular contractions occurrence (except Vmax which was
decreased by potassium canrenoate during simulated-ischemia). Furthermore, aldosterone
induced a RMP hyperpolarization, evoking an implication of a K+ current involved in the
holding of the RMP. Cell-attached recordings showed that aldosterone 10 nmol/L quickly
activated (within 6.2±0.4 min) a 30 pS K+-selective current, inward rectifier, with pharmacological
and biophysical properties consistent with the IK1 current (NPo =1.9±0.4 in control vs
NPo=3.0±0.4, n=10, P<0.05). These deleterious effects persisted in presence of RU 28318,
a specific MR antagonist, and were successfully prevented by potassium canrenoate, a non
specific MR antagonist, in both microelectrode and patch-clamp recordings, thus indicating
a MR-independent IK1 activation. In this ischemia-reperfusion context, aldosterone induced
rapid and MR-independent deleterious effects including an arrhythmia substrate (increased
APD90 dispersion) and triggered activities (increased premature ventricular contractions
occurrence on reperfusion) possibly related to direct IK1 activation
L'usage des systèmes d'informations électroniques en recherche scientifique : le cas de la neurophysiologie.
Nous présentons les premiers résultats d'une enquête destinée à mieux connaître les pratiques de recherche d'information bibliographique et documentaire chez les chercheurs scientifiques. 64 chercheurs et étudiants doctorants en neurophysiologie ont répondu à un questionnaire portant sur les méthodes, les outils, et les objectifs des recherches d'information typiques dans leur activité. De plus, 11 personnes parmi les répondants ont participé à un entretien individuel semi structuré. Il en ressort que l'usage d'outils informatisés de recherche d'information bibliographique (RIB) est désormais pratique courante, au détriment des index et autres sources imprimées. Les principaux outils utilisés sont la base de données bibliographiques PubMed et le moteur de recherche Google, avec toutefois de nombreux autres outils plus spécifiques utilisés à titre complémentaire. Les répondants mentionnent des objectifs très variés, comme l'acquisition de connaissances nouvelles, mais aussi la recherche de techniques expérimentales, la veille documentaire, l'alimentation du débat scientifique, ou l'aide à l'enseignement. Les difficultés que rencontrent les experts en neurosciences intégratives dans l'exploitation des outils informatiques de RIB spécialisés semblent surtout liées à l'absence de formation des experts à ces outils. Les chercheurs définissent l'outil informatique de RIB « idéal » comme fiable et exhaustif, mais aussi rapide et facile à utiliser et apprendre . De fait, le facteur temps apparaît déterminant dans leur choix d'utilisation ou non d'un outil particulier. Cette étude ouvre la voie à des expériences plus spécifiques, qui porteront sur les stratégies cognitives des experts dans ce type de tâches
Characteristics of the summit lakes of Ambae volcano and their potential for generating lahars
Volcanic eruptions through crater lakes often generate lahars, causing loss of life and property. On Ambae volcano, recent eruptive activities have rather tended to reduce the water volume in the crater lake (Lake Voui), in turn, reducing the chances for outburst floods. Lake Voui occupies a central position in the summit caldera and is well enclosed by the caldera relief. Eruptions with significantly higher magnitude than that of 1995 and 2005 are required for an outburst. A more probable scenario for lahar events is the overflow from Lake Manaro Lakua bounded on the eastern side by the caldera wall. Morphology and bathymetry analysis have been used to identify the weakest point of the caldera rim from which water from Lake Manaro Lakua may overflow to initiate lahars. The 1916 disaster described on south-east Ambae was possibly triggered by such an outburst from Lake Manaro Lakua. Taking into account the current level of Lake Manaro Lakua well below a critical overflow point, and the apparently low potential of Lake Voui eruptions to trigger lahars, the Ambae summit lakes may not be directly responsible for numerous lahar deposits identified around the Island
Domestic Livestock and Rewilding: Are They Mutually Exclusive?
Human influence extends across the globe, fromthe tallestmountains to the deep bottom
of the oceans. There is a growing call for nature to be protected from the negative
impacts of human activity (particularly intensive agriculture); so-called “land sparing”.
A relatively new approach is “rewilding”, defined as the restoration of self-sustaining
and complex ecosystems, with interlinked ecological processes that promote and
support one another while minimising or gradually reducing human intervention. The
key theoretical basis of rewilding is to return ecosystems to a “natural” or “self-willed”
state with trophic complexity, dispersal (and connectivity) and stochastic disturbance
in place. However, this is constrained by context-specific factors whereby it may not
be possible to restore the native species that formed part of the trophic structure of
the ecosystem if they are extinct (e.g., mammoths, Mammuthus spp., aurochs, Bos
primigenius); and, populations/communities of native herbivores/predators may not be
able to survive or be acceptable to the public in small scale rewilding projects close to
areas of high human density. Therefore, the restoration of natural trophic complexity and
disturbance regimes within rewilding projects requires careful consideration if the broader
conservation needs of society are to be met. In some circumstances, managers will
require a more flexible deliberate approach to intervening in rewilding projects using the
range of tools in their toolbox (e.g., controlled burning regimes; using domestic livestock
to replicate the impacts of extinct herbivore species), even if this is only in the early stages
of the rewilding process. If this approach is adopted, then larger areas can be given over
to conservation, because of the potential broader benefits to society from these spaces
and the engagement of farmers in practises that are closer to their traditions. We provide
examples, primarily European, where domestic and semi-domestic livestock are used by
managers as part of their rewilding toolbox. Here managers have looked at the broader
phenotype of livestock species as to their suitability in different rewilding systems. We
assess whether there are ways of using livestock in these systems for conservation,
economic (e.g., branded or certified livestock products) and cultural gains
An efficient basis set representation for calculating electrons in molecules
The method of McCurdy, Baertschy, and Rescigno, J. Phys. B, 37, R137 (2004)
is generalized to obtain a straightforward, surprisingly accurate, and scalable
numerical representation for calculating the electronic wave functions of
molecules. It uses a basis set of product sinc functions arrayed on a Cartesian
grid, and yields 1 kcal/mol precision for valence transition energies with a
grid resolution of approximately 0.1 bohr. The Coulomb matrix elements are
replaced with matrix elements obtained from the kinetic energy operator. A
resolution-of-the-identity approximation renders the primitive one- and
two-electron matrix elements diagonal; in other words, the Coulomb operator is
local with respect to the grid indices. The calculation of contracted
two-electron matrix elements among orbitals requires only O(N log(N))
multiplication operations, not O(N^4), where N is the number of basis
functions; N = n^3 on cubic grids. The representation not only is numerically
expedient, but also produces energies and properties superior to those
calculated variationally. Absolute energies, absorption cross sections,
transition energies, and ionization potentials are reported for one- (He^+,
H_2^+ ), two- (H_2, He), ten- (CH_4) and 56-electron (C_8H_8) systems.Comment: Submitted to JC
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