1,118 research outputs found
VARIABLE RATE NITROGEN APPLICATION ON CORN FIELDS: THE ROLE OF SPATIAL VARIABILITY AND WEATHER
Meta-response functions for corn yields and nitrogen losses were estimated from EPIC-generated data for three soil types and three weather scenarios. These metamodels were used to evaluate variable rate (VRT) versus uniform rate (URT) nitrogen application technologies for alternative weather scenarios and policy option. Except under very dry conditions, returns per acre for VRT were higher than for URT and the economic advantage of VRT increased as realized rainfall decreased from expected average rainfall. Nitrogen losses to the environment from VRT were lower for all situation examined, except on fields with little spatial variability.Corn, environment, meta-response functions, nitrogen restriction, precision farming, site-specific management, spatial variability, weather variability, Crop Production/Industries,
Equilibrium Directed Search with Multiple Applications
We analyze a model of directed search in which unemployed job seekers observe all wage offers. We allow for the possibility of multiple applications by workers and ex post competition among vacancies. For any number of applications, there is a unique symmetric equilibrium in which vacancies post a common wage. When workers apply to only one vacancy, a single wage is paid and the resulting equilibrium is efficient. When workers make multiple applications, there is dispersion in wages paid, and equilibrium may be inefficient. We show that our results also hold in a steady-state version of the model
A model for the atomic-scale structure of a dense, nonequilibrium fluid: the homogeneous cooling state of granular fluids
It is shown that the equilibrium Generalized Mean Spherical Model of fluid
structure may be extended to nonequilibrium states with equation of state
information used in equilibrium replaced by an exact condition on the two-body
distribution function. The model is applied to the homogeneous cooling state of
granular fluids and upon comparison to molecular dynamics simulations is found
to provide an accurate picture of the pair distribution function.Comment: 29 pages, 11 figures Revision corrects formatting of the figure
Building a Spiking Neural Network Model of the Basal Ganglia on SpiNNaker
We present a biologically-inspired and scalable model of the Basal Ganglia (BG) simulated on the SpiNNaker machine, a biologically-inspired low-power hardware platform allowing parallel, asynchronous computing. Our BG model consists of six cell populations, where the neuro-computational unit is a conductance-based Izhikevich spiking neuron; the number of neurons in each population is proportional to that reported in anatomical literature. This model is treated as a single-channel of action-selection in the BG, and is scaled-up to three channels with lateral cross-channel connections. When tested with two competing inputs, this three-channel model demonstrates action-selection behaviour. The SpiNNaker-based model is mapped exactly on to SpineML running on a conventional computer; both model responses show functional and qualitative similarity, thus validating the usability of SpiNNaker for simulating biologically-plausible networks. Furthermore, the SpiNNaker-based model simulates in real time for time-steps 1 ms; power dissipated during model execution is & #x2248;1.8 W
Modifications of the Fine Structure of the Incisor Pulp of the Guinea Pig during Fxperimental Scurvy
Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/68076/2/10.1177_00220345660450030301.pd
Bioinformatic design of dendritic cell-specific synthetic promoters
Next-generation DNA vectors for cancer immunotherapies and vaccine development require promoters eliciting predefined transcriptional activities specific to target cell types, such as dendritic cells (DCs), which underpin immune response. In this study, we describe the de novo design of DC-specific synthetic promoters via in silico assembly of cis-transcription factor response elements (TFREs) that harness the DC transcriptional landscape. Using computational genome mining approaches, candidate TFREs were identified within promoter sequences of highly expressed DC-specific genes or those exhibiting an upregulated expression during DC maturation. Individual TFREs were then screened in vitro in a target DC line and off-target cell lines derived from skeletal muscle, fibroblast, epithelial, and endothelial cells using homotypic (TFRE repeats in series) reporter constructs. Based on these data, a library of heterotypic promoter assemblies varying in the TFRE composition, copy number, and sequential arrangement was constructed and tested in vitro to identify DC-specific promoters. Analysis of the transcriptional activity and specificity of these promoters unraveled underlying design rules, primarily TFRE composition, which govern the DC-specific synthetic promoter activity. Using these design rules, a second library of exclusively DC-specific promoters exhibiting varied transcriptional activities was generated. All DC-specific synthetic promoter assemblies exhibited >5-fold activity in the target DC line relative to off-target cell lines, with transcriptional activities ranging from 8 to 67% of the nonspecific human cytomegalovirus (hCMV-IE1) promoter. We show that bioinformatic analysis of a mammalian cell transcriptional landscape is an effective strategy for de novo design of cell-type-specific synthetic promoters with precisely controllable transcriptional activities
How does the substrate affect the Raman and excited state spectra of a carbon nanotube?
We study the optical properties of a single, semiconducting single-walled
carbon nanotube (CNT) that is partially suspended across a trench and partially
supported by a SiO2-substrate. By tuning the laser excitation energy across the
E33 excitonic resonance of the suspended CNT segment, the scattering
intensities of the principal Raman transitions, the radial breathing mode
(RBM), the G-mode and the D-mode show strong resonance enhancement of up to
three orders of magnitude. In the supported part of the CNT, despite a loss of
Raman scattering intensity of up to two orders of magnitude, we recover the E33
excitonic resonance suffering a substrate-induced red shift of 50 meV. The peak
intensity ratio between G-band and D-band is highly sensitive to the presence
of the substrate and varies by one order of magnitude, demonstrating the much
higher defect density in the supported CNT segments. By comparing the E33
resonance spectra measured by Raman excitation spectroscopy and
photoluminescence (PL) excitation spectroscopy in the suspended CNT segment, we
observe that the peak energy in the PL excitation spectrum is red-shifted by 40
meV. This shift is associated with the energy difference between the localized
exciton dominating the PL excitation spectrum and the free exciton giving rise
to the Raman excitation spectrum. High-resolution Raman spectra reveal
substrate-induced symmetry breaking, as evidenced by the appearance of
additional peaks in the strongly broadened Raman G band. Laser-induced line
shifts of RBM and G band measured on the suspended CNT segment are both linear
as a function of the laser excitation power. Stokes/anti-Stokes measurements,
however, reveal an increase of the G phonon population while the RBM phonon
population is rather independent of the laser excitation power.Comment: Revised manuscript, 20 pages, 8 figure
Scheme for the implementation of a universal quantum cloning machine via cavity-assisted atomic collisions in cavity QED
We propose a scheme to implement the universal quantum cloning
machine of Buzek et.al [Phys. Rev.A 54, 1844(1996)] in the context of cavity
QED. The scheme requires cavity-assisted collision processes between atoms,
which cross through nonresonant cavity fields in the vacuum states. The cavity
fields are only virtually excited to face the decoherence problem. That's why
the requirements on the cavity quality factor can be loosened.Comment: to appear in PR
Modeling DNA Structure, Elasticity and Deformations at the Base-pair Level
We present a generic model for DNA at the base-pair level. We use a variant
of the Gay-Berne potential to represent the stacking energy between neighboring
base-pairs. The sugar-phosphate backbones are taken into account by semi-rigid
harmonic springs with a non-zero spring length. The competition of these two
interactions and the introduction of a simple geometrical constraint leads to a
stacked right-handed B-DNA-like conformation. The mapping of the presented
model to the Marko-Siggia and the Stack-of-Plates model enables us to optimize
the free model parameters so as to reproduce the experimentally known
observables such as persistence lengths, mean and mean squared base-pair step
parameters. For the optimized model parameters we measured the critical force
where the transition from B- to S-DNA occurs to be approximately . We
observe an overstretched S-DNA conformation with highly inclined bases that
partially preserves the stacking of successive base-pairs.Comment: 15 pages, 25 figures. submitted to PR
Multipartite entangled coherent states
We propose a scheme for generating multipartite entangled coherent states via
entanglement swapping, with an example of a physical realization in ion traps.
Bipartite entanglement of these multipartite states is quantified by the
concurrence. We also use the --tangle to compute multipartite entanglement
for certain systems. Finally we establish that these results for entanglement
can be applied to more general multipartite entangled nonorthogonal states.Comment: 7 pages, two figures. We added more detail discussions on the
generation of multipartite entangled coherent states and multipartite
entangelemen
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