5,099 research outputs found
Gender homophily from spatial behavior in a primary school: a sociometric study
We investigate gender homophily in the spatial proximity of children (6 to 12
years old) in a French primary school, using time-resolved data on face-to-face
proximity recorded by means of wearable sensors. For strong ties, i.e., for
pairs of children who interact more than a defined threshold, we find
statistical evidence of gender preference that increases with grade. For weak
ties, conversely, gender homophily is negatively correlated with grade for
girls, and positively correlated with grade for boys. This different evolution
with grade of weak and strong ties exposes a contrasted picture of gender
homophily
Deep Radio Imaging of Globular Clusters and the Cluster Pulsar Population
We have obtained deep multifrequency radio observations of seven globular
clusters using the Very Large Array and the Australia Telescope Compact Array.
Five of these, NGC 6440, NGC 6539, NGC 6544, NGC 6624 and Terzan 5 had
previously been detected in a shallower survey for steep spectrum radio sources
in globular clusters (Fruchter and Goss 1990). The sixth, the rich globular
cluster, Liller 1, had heretofore been undetected in the radio, and the
seventh, 47 Tucanae, was not included in our original survey. High resolution 6
and 20 cm images of three of the clusters, NGC 6440, NGC 6539, NGC 6624 reveal
only point sources coincident with pulsars which have been discovered
subsequent to our first imaging survey. 21 and 18 cm images reveal several
point sources within a few core-radii of the center of 47 Tuc. Two of these are
identified pulsars, and a third, which is both variable and has a steep
spectrum, is also most likely a pulsar previously identified by a pulsed
survey. However, the 6, 20 and 90 cm images of NGC 6544, Liller 1 and Terzan 5
display strong steep-spectrum emission which cannot be associated with known
pulsars. The image of the rich cluster Terzan 5 displays numerous point sources
within , or 4 core radii of the cluster center. The density of these
objects rises rapidly toward the core, where an elongated region of emission is
found. The brightest individual sources, as well as the extended emission,
possess the steep spectra expected of pulsars. Furthermore, the flux
distribution of the sources agrees well with the standard pulsar luminosity
function. The total luminosity and number of objects observed suggest that
Terzan 5 contains more pulsars than any other Galactic globular cluster.Comment: 33 pages, 6 Postscript figures; Accepted for publication in the
Astrophysical Journal; abstract abridged. PDF version also available at
http://nemesis.stsci.edu/~fruchter/fg99/fg99.pd
Genetic variability of muscle biological characteristics of young Limousin bulls
Genetic parameters of 4 muscle biological characteristics (protein to DNA ratio (Pro/DNA), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) activity, isocitrate dehydrogenase (ICDH) activity and the proportion of type I myosin heavy chains (MHC I)), in the Semitendinosus and the Longissimus thoracis, were estimated simultaneously with average daily gain (ADG), 480-d final weight (FW), carcass lean and fat contents (CL% and CF% respectively) in a sample of young Limousin bulls tested in station. The data came from 144 animals, the progeny of 15 sires. Sire and residual variances and covariances were estimated u using an expectation maximization restricted maximum likelihood (EM-REML) procedure applied to a multitrait mixed model. Heritability coefficients of production traits, ADG, FW, CL% and CF%, were 0.19, 0.49, 0.39 and 0.43, respectively, while heritability coefficients of muscle characteristics, Pro/DNA, LDH, ICDH and MHC I, were 0.11, 0.26, 1.03 and 0.35 respectively, in the Semitendinosus muscle and 0.29, 0.31, 0.28 and 0.41, respectively, in the Longissimus thoracis muscle. In both muscles, the oxidative activity of the ICDH appeared to be genetically associated with the proportion of type I myosin heavy chains and opposed to the glycolytic activity of the LDH. The LDH activity was clearly associated with higher muscle-to-fat ratio, while the opposite relationship was observed between that ratio and the ICDH activity or the MHC I proportion.Les paramĂštres gĂ©nĂ©tiques de 4 caractĂ©ristiques biologiques - le rapport protĂ©ines /ADN (Pro/DNA), les activitĂ©s de la lactate dĂ©shydrogĂ©nase (LDH) et de lâisocitrate dĂ©shydrogĂ©nase (ICDH) et la proportion en chaĂźnes lourdes de myosine lente (MHC I) - des muscles Semitendinosus et Longissimus thoracis, et ceux du gain moyen quotidien (ADG), du poids vif finaL Ă 480 j (FW) et des teneurs de la carcasse en muscles et en dĂ©pĂŽts adipeux (CL% and CF% respectivement), ont Ă©tĂ© estimĂ©s simultanĂ©ment Ă partir dâun Ă©chantillon de taurillons Limousins contrĂŽlĂ©s en station. Le fichier comprenait 144 veaux issus de 15 pĂšres testĂ©s sur descendance. Les variances et covariances paternelles et rĂ©siduelles ont Ă©tĂ© estimĂ©es par la mĂ©thode du maximum de vraisemblance restreinte, avec lâalgorithme dâespĂ©rance-maximisation, appliquĂ©e Ă un modĂšle mixte multicaractĂšre (EM-REML). Les coefficients dâhĂ©ritabilitĂ© des variables de production, ADG, FW, CL% et CF%, sâĂ©levaient respectivement Ă 0,19, 0,49, 0,39 et 0,43, tandis que les coefficients dâhĂ©ritabilitĂ© des caractĂ©ristiques musculaires, Pro/DNA, LDH, ICDH et MHC I, valaient respectivement 0,11, 0,26, 1,03 et 0,35 dans le muscle Semitendinosus et 0,29, 0,31, 0,28 et 0,41 dans le muscle Longissimus thoracis. Dans les 2 muscles, lâactivitĂ© oxidative de lâICDH Ă©tait gĂ©nĂ©tiquement associĂ©e Ă la proportion de myosine lente et opposĂ©e Ă lâactivitĂ© glycolytique du LDH. Cette activitĂ© du LDH Ă©tait positivement corrĂ©lĂ©e avec le rapport muscles / dĂ©pĂŽts adipeux, alors quâune relation inverse Ă©tait observĂ©e avec lâactivitĂ© de lâICDH et la proportion de MHC I
GeneSigDBâa curated database of gene expression signatures
The primary objective of most gene expression studies is the identification of one or more gene signatures; lists of genes whose transcriptional levels are uniquely associated with a specific biological phenotype. Whilst thousands of experimentally derived gene signatures are published, their potential value to the community is limited by their computational inaccessibility. Gene signatures are embedded in published article figures, tables or in supplementary materials, and are frequently presented using non-standard gene or probeset nomenclature. We present GeneSigDB (http://compbio.dfci.harvard.edu/genesigdb) a manually curated database of gene expression signatures. GeneSigDB release 1.0 focuses on cancer and stem cells gene signatures and was constructed from more than 850 publications from which we manually transcribed 575 gene signatures. Most gene signatures (n = 560) were successfully mapped to the genome to extract standardized lists of EnsEMBL gene identifiers. GeneSigDB provides the original gene signature, the standardized gene list and a fully traceable gene mapping history for each gene from the original transcribed data table through to the standardized list of genes. The GeneSigDB web portal is easy to search, allows users to compare their own gene list to those in the database, and download gene signatures in most common gene identifier formats
Use of Hawaii Analog Sites for Lunar Science and In-Situ Resource Utilization
In-Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU) and lunar science share similar objectives with respect to analyzing and characterizing the physical, mineral, and volatile materials and resources at sites of robotic and human exploration. To help mature and stress instruments, technologies, and hardware and to evaluate operations and procedures, space agencies have utilized demonstrations at analog sites on Earth before use in future missions. The US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), and the German Space Agency (DLR) have utilized an analog site on the slope of Mauna Kea on the Big Island of Hawaii to test ISRU and lunar science hardware and operations in two previously held analog field tests. NASA and CSA are currently planning on a 3rd analog field test to be held in June, 2012 in Hawaii that will expand upon the successes from the previous two field tests
Specific-Heat Exponent of Random-Field Systems via Ground-State Calculations
Exact ground states of three-dimensional random field Ising magnets (RFIM)
with Gaussian distribution of the disorder are calculated using
graph-theoretical algorithms. Systems for different strengths h of the random
fields and sizes up to N=96^3 are considered. By numerically differentiating
the bond-energy with respect to h a specific-heat like quantity is obtained,
which does not appear to diverge at the critical point but rather exhibits a
cusp. We also consider the effect of a small uniform magnetic field, which
allows us to calculate the T=0 susceptibility. From a finite-size scaling
analysis, we obtain the critical exponents \nu=1.32(7), \alpha=-0.63(7),
\eta=0.50(3) and find that the critical strength of the random field is
h_c=2.28(1). We discuss the significance of the result that \alpha appears to
be strongly negative.Comment: 9 pages, 9 figures, 1 table, revtex revised version, slightly
extende
Parameter estimators of random intersection graphs with thinned communities
This paper studies a statistical network model generated by a large number of
randomly sized overlapping communities, where any pair of nodes sharing a
community is linked with probability via the community. In the special case
with the model reduces to a random intersection graph which is known to
generate high levels of transitivity also in the sparse context. The parameter
adds a degree of freedom and leads to a parsimonious and analytically
tractable network model with tunable density, transitivity, and degree
fluctuations. We prove that the parameters of this model can be consistently
estimated in the large and sparse limiting regime using moment estimators based
on partially observed densities of links, 2-stars, and triangles.Comment: 15 page
A study of the static yield stress in a binary Lennard-Jones glass
The stress-strain relations and the yield behavior of model glass (a 80:20
binary Lennard-Jones mixture) is studied by means of MD simulations. First, a
thorough analysis of the static yield stress is presented via simulations under
imposed stress. Furthermore, using steady shear simulations, the effect of
physical aging, shear rate and temperature on the stress-strain relation is
investigated. In particular, we find that the stress at the yield point (the
``peak''-value of the stress-strain curve) exhibits a logarithmic dependence
both on the imposed shear rate and on the ``age'' of the system in qualitative
agreement with experiments on amorphous polymers and on metallic glasses. In
addition to the very observation of the yield stress which is an important
feature seen in experiments on complex systems like pastes, dense colloidal
suspensions and foams, further links between our model and soft glassy
materials are found. An example are hysteresis loops in the system response to
a varying imposed stress. Finally, we measure the static yield stress for our
model and study its dependence on temperature. We find that for temperatures
far below the mode coupling critical temperature of the model (),
\sigmay decreases slowly upon heating followed by a stronger decrease as
\Tc is approached. We discuss the reliability of results on the static yield
stress and give a criterion for its validity in terms of the time scales
relevant to the problem.Comment: 14 pages, 18 figure
Global embedding of the Kerr black hole event horizon into hyperbolic 3-space
An explicit global and unique isometric embedding into hyperbolic 3-space,
H^3, of an axi-symmetric 2-surface with Gaussian curvature bounded below is
given. In particular, this allows the embedding into H^3 of surfaces of
revolution having negative, but finite, Gaussian curvature at smooth fixed
points of the U(1) isometry. As an example, we exhibit the global embedding of
the Kerr-Newman event horizon into H^3, for arbitrary values of the angular
momentum. For this example, considering a quotient of H^3 by the Picard group,
we show that the hyperbolic embedding fits in a fundamental domain of the group
up to a slightly larger value of the angular momentum than the limit for which
a global embedding into Euclidean 3-space is possible. An embedding of the
double-Kerr event horizon is also presented, as an example of an embedding
which cannot be made global.Comment: 16 pages, 13 figure
- âŠ