786 research outputs found
Aspects of Bifurcation Theory for Piecewise-Smooth, Continuous Systems
Systems that are not smooth can undergo bifurcations that are forbidden in
smooth systems. We review some of the phenomena that can occur for
piecewise-smooth, continuous maps and flows when a fixed point or an
equilibrium collides with a surface on which the system is not smooth. Much of
our understanding of these cases relies on a reduction to piecewise linearity
near the border-collision. We also review a number of codimension-two
bifurcations in which nonlinearity is important.Comment: pdfLaTeX, 9 figure
Andronov-Hopf Bifurcations in Planar, Piecewise-Smooth, Continuous Flows
An equilibrium of a planar, piecewise-, continuous system of
differential equations that crosses a curve of discontinuity of the Jacobian of
its vector field can undergo a number of discontinuous or border-crossing
bifurcations. Here we prove that if the eigenvalues of the Jacobian limit to
on one side of the discontinuity and
on the other, with ,
and the quantity is nonzero, then a
periodic orbit is created or destroyed as the equilibrium crosses the
discontinuity. This bifurcation is analogous to the classical Andronov-Hopf
bifurcation, and is supercritical if and subcritical if .Comment: laTex, 18 pages, 8 figure
Holography and Eternal Inflation
We show that eternal inflation is compatible with holography. In particular,
we emphasize that if a region is asymptotically de Sitter in the future,
holographic arguments by themselves place no bound on the number of past
e-foldings. We also comment briefly on holographic restrictions on the
production of baby universes.Comment: 14 pages, 3 figures, revtex4, (v2 relation with work of Banks and
Fischler clarified, references added
Gravity wave analogs of black holes
It is demonstrated that gravity waves of a flowing fluid in a shallow basin
can be used to simulate phenomena around black holes in the laboratory. Since
the speed of the gravity waves as well as their high-wavenumber dispersion
(subluminal vs. superluminal) can be adjusted easily by varying the height of
the fluid (and its surface tension) this scenario has certain advantages over
the sonic and dielectric black hole analogs, for example, although its use in
testing quantum effects is dubious. It can be used to investigate the various
classical instabilities associated with black (and white) holes experimentally,
including positive and negative norm mode mixing at horizons. PACS: 04.70.-s,
47.90.+a, 92.60.Dj, 04.80.-y.Comment: 14 pages RevTeX, 5 figures, section VI modifie
Discontinuity Induced Bifurcations in a Model of Saccharomyces cerevisiae
We perform a bifurcation analysis of the mathematical model of Jones and
Kompala [K.D. Jones and D.S. Kompala, Cybernetic model of the growth dynamics
of Saccharomyces cerevisiae in batch and continuous cultures, J. Biotech.,
71:105-131, 1999]. Stable oscillations arise via Andronov-Hopf bifurcations and
exist for intermediate values of the dilution rate as has been noted from
experiments previously. A variety of discontinuity induced bifurcations arise
from a lack of global differentiability. We identify and classify discontinuous
bifurcations including several codimension-two scenarios. Bifurcation diagrams
are explained by a general unfolding of these singularities.Comment: 23 pages, 7 figure
The influence of anxiety on the progression of disability
OBJECTIVES: To determine the influence of anxiety on the progression of disability and examine possible mediators of the relationship. DESIGN: Community-based observational study. SETTING: Women's Health and Aging Study I, a prospective observational study with assessments every 6 months for 3 years. PARTICIPANTS: One thousand two functionally limited women aged 65 and older. MEASUREMENTS: Anxiety symptoms were assessed using four questions from the Hopkins Symptom Checklist (nervous or shaky, avoidance of certain things, tense or keyed up, fearful). Participants who reported experiencing two or more of these symptoms at baseline were considered anxious. Anxiety as a predictor of the onset of four types of disability was examined using Cox proportional hazards models. Three models were tested: an unadjusted model, a model adjusted for confounding variables (age, race, vision, number of diseases, physical performance, depressive symptoms), and a mediational model (benzodiazepine and psychotropic medication use, physical activity, emotional support). RESULTS: Nineteen percent of women reported two or more symptoms of anxiety at baseline. Unadjusted models indicate that anxiety was associated with a greater risk of worsening disability: activity of daily living (ADL) disability (relative risk (RR)=1.40, 95% confidence interval (CI)=1.10-1.79), mobility disability (RR=1.41, 95% CI=1.06-1.86), lifting disability (RR=1.54, 95% CI=1.20-1.97), and light housework disability (RR=1.77, 95% CI=1.32-2.37). After adjusting for confounding variables, anxiety continued to predict the development of two types of disability: ADL disability (RR=1.41, 95% CI=1.08-1.84) and light housework disability (RR=1.56, 95% CI=1.14-2.14). Finally, benzodiazepine and psychotropic medication use, physical activity, and emotional support were not significant mediators of the effect of anxiety on the development of a disability. CONCLUSION: Anxiety is a significant risk factor for the progression of disability in older women. Studies are needed to determine whether treatment of anxiety delays or prevents disabilit
Interior Structure of a Charged Spinning Black Hole in -Dimensions
The phenomenon of mass inflation is shown to occur for a rotating black hole.
We demonstrate this feature in dimensions by extending the charged
spinning BTZ black hole to Vaidya form. We find that the mass function diverges
in a manner quantitatively similar to its static counterparts in ,
and dimensions.Comment: 5 pages, 2 figures (appended as postscript files), WATPHYS-TH94/0
Bibbia, cristianesimo e letteratura italiana: uno sguardo d'assieme.
L'A. ripercorre la presenza della Bibbia nella letteratura italiana dalle origini ai giorni nostri, sottolineando la persistenza della ripresa del Sacro testo sia nella poesia che nella prosa
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