6,284 research outputs found
COMPARISON OF ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY-INDUCED DEMAND SHIFTS USING TIME-SERIES AND CROSS-SECTION DATA
Almost all applications of the Travel-Cost-Method demand function which include site quality variable(s) are multisite models. The results of this study serve as a note of warning that using the demand equation derived from multisite cross-sectional data to perform a benefit-cost analysis of changes in quality at a single site may not accurately predict the resulting change in the number of trips to that site. In this situation, estimates of the benefits of quality improvements may be unreliable.Demand and Price Analysis, Environmental Economics and Policy, Resource /Energy Economics and Policy,
Microwave Plasma Chemical Vapor Deposited Diamond Tips for Scanning Tunneling Microscopy
Diamond microparticles were grown on etched tungsten wires using a microwave plasma-assisted chemical vapor deposition process. The apexes on cubo-octahedral particles bound by {100} and {111} facets were effectively used as tunneling tips for scanning tunneling microscopy. The atomically resolved surface image of highly oriented pyrolytic graphite was acquired. Tunneling characteristics revealed a higher electron emission from the diamond tips than that from the platinum–iridium tips. The same diamond tips were used to produce surface indentation and its image. © 1997 American Institute of Physics
Observation of quantum oscillations between a Josephson phase qubit and a microscopic resonator using fast readout
We have detected coherent quantum oscillations between Josephson phase qubits
and microscopic critical-current fluctuators by implementing a new state
readout technique that is an order of magnitude faster than previous methods.
The period of the oscillations is consistent with the spectroscopic splittings
observed in the qubit's resonant frequency. The results point to a possible
mechanism for decoherence and reduced measurement fidelity in superconducting
qubits and demonstrate the means to measure two-qubit interactions in the time
domain
A Diamond Thin Film Flow Sensor
We present the results of theoretical modeling and experimental testing of a diamond thin film sensor for flow studies. It is shown that the high thermal conductivity of a diamond film can enhance the frequency response of the flow sensor. One-dimensional heat diffusion equation was solved using the finite difference method for determining the frequency response. Two different sensor structures were analyzed: a Ni film on a quartz substrate (Ni/Q) and an intermediate layer of diamond film between the Ni film and quartz substrate (Ni/D/Q). The theoretical model predicts a frequency response for the Ni/D/Q sensor higher than that of the Ni/Q sensor. Diamond films for the Ni/D/Q sensor were deposited onto the quartz substrate by microwave plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (MPECVD). The conditions for a high nucleation density were established for obtaining a continuous diamond thin film. A subsequent nickel film patterned and deposited serves as the sensing arm in the bridge circuit of an anemometer. The measured frequency response of the Ni/D/Q sensor combination is greater than 220 kHz, as compared to the Ni/Quartz sensor response of 120 kHz
Resumming the large-N approximation for time evolving quantum systems
In this paper we discuss two methods of resumming the leading and next to
leading order in 1/N diagrams for the quartic O(N) model. These two approaches
have the property that they preserve both boundedness and positivity for
expectation values of operators in our numerical simulations. These
approximations can be understood either in terms of a truncation to the
infinitely coupled Schwinger-Dyson hierarchy of equations, or by choosing a
particular two-particle irreducible vacuum energy graph in the effective action
of the Cornwall-Jackiw-Tomboulis formalism. We confine our discussion to the
case of quantum mechanics where the Lagrangian is . The
key to these approximations is to treat both the propagator and the
propagator on similar footing which leads to a theory whose graphs have the
same topology as QED with the propagator playing the role of the photon.
The bare vertex approximation is obtained by replacing the exact vertex
function by the bare one in the exact Schwinger-Dyson equations for the one and
two point functions. The second approximation, which we call the dynamic Debye
screening approximation, makes the further approximation of replacing the exact
propagator by its value at leading order in the 1/N expansion. These two
approximations are compared with exact numerical simulations for the quantum
roll problem. The bare vertex approximation captures the physics at large and
modest better than the dynamic Debye screening approximation.Comment: 30 pages, 12 figures. The color version of a few figures are
separately liste
Exact and approximate dynamics of the quantum mechanical O(N) model
We study a quantum dynamical system of N, O(N) symmetric, nonlinear
oscillators as a toy model to investigate the systematics of a 1/N expansion.
The closed time path (CTP) formalism melded with an expansion in 1/N is used to
derive time evolution equations valid to order 1/N (next-to-leading order). The
effective potential is also obtained to this order and its properties
areelucidated. In order to compare theoretical predictions against numerical
solutions of the time-dependent Schrodinger equation, we consider two initial
conditions consistent with O(N) symmetry, one of them a quantum roll, the other
a wave packet initially to one side of the potential minimum, whose center has
all coordinates equal. For the case of the quantum roll we map out the domain
of validity of the large-N expansion. We discuss unitarity violation in the 1/N
expansion; a well-known problem faced by moment truncation techniques. The 1/N
results, both static and dynamic, are also compared to those given by the
Hartree variational ansatz at given values of N. We conclude that late-time
behavior, where nonlinear effects are significant, is not well-described by
either approximation.Comment: 16 pages, 12 figrures, revte
Schwinger-Dyson approach to non-equilibrium classical field theory
In this paper we discuss a Schwinger-Dyson [SD] approach for determining the
time evolution of the unequal time correlation functions of a non-equilibrium
classical field theory, where the classical system is described by an initial
density matrix at time . We focus on field theory in 1+1
space time dimensions where we can perform exact numerical simulations by
sampling an ensemble of initial conditions specified by the initial density
matrix. We discuss two approaches. The first, the bare vertex approximation
[BVA], is based on ignoring vertex corrections to the SD equations in the
auxiliary field formalism relevant for 1/N expansions. The second approximation
is a related approximation made to the SD equations of the original formulation
in terms of alone. We compare these SD approximations as well as a
Hartree approximation with exact numerical simulations. We find that both
approximations based on the SD equations yield good agreement with exact
numerical simulations and cure the late time oscillation problem of the Hartree
approximation. We also discuss the relationship between the quantum and
classical SD equations.Comment: 36 pages, 5 figure
Proteomic Analysis of a Noninvasive Human Model of Acute Inflammation and Its Resolution: The Twenty-one Day Gingivitis Model
The 21-day experimental gingivitis model, an established noninvasive model of inflammation in response to increasing bacterial accumulation in humans, is designed to enable the study of both the induction and resolution of inflammation. Here, we have analyzed gingival crevicular fluid, an oral fluid comprising a serum transudate and tissue exudates, by LC−MS/MS using Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry and iTRAQ isobaric mass tags, to establish meta-proteomic profiles of inflammation-induced changes in proteins in healthy young volunteers. Across the course of experimentally induced gingivitis, we identified 16 bacterial and 186 human proteins. Although abundances of the bacterial proteins identified did not vary temporally, Fusobacterium outer membrane proteins were detected. Fusobacterium species have previously been associated with periodontal health or disease. The human proteins identified spanned a wide range of compartments (both extracellular and intracellular) and functions, including serum proteins, proteins displaying antibacterial properties, and proteins with functions associated with cellular transcription, DNA binding, the cytoskeleton, cell adhesion, and cilia. PolySNAP3 clustering software was used in a multilayered analytical approach. Clusters of proteins that associated with changes to the clinical parameters included neuronal and synapse associated proteins
Ecology of Conflict: Marine Food Supply Affects Human-Wildlife Interactions on Land
Human-wildlife conflicts impose considerable costs to people and wildlife worldwide. Most research focuses on proximate causes, offering limited generalizable understanding of ultimate drivers. We tested three competing hypotheses (problem individuals, regional population saturation, limited food supply) that relate to underlying processes of human-grizzly bear (Ursus arctos horribilis) conflict, using data from British Columbia, Canada, between 1960–2014. We found most support for the limited food supply hypothesis: in bear populations that feed on spawning salmon (Oncorhynchus spp.), the annual number of bears/km2killed due to conflicts with humans increased by an average of 20% (6–32% [95% CI]) for each 50% decrease in annual salmon biomass. Furthermore, we found that across all bear populations (with or without access to salmon), 81% of attacks on humans and 82% of conflict kills occurred after the approximate onset of hyperphagia (July 1st), a period of intense caloric demand. Contrary to practices by many management agencies, conflict frequency was not reduced by hunting or removal of problem individuals. Our finding that a marine resource affects terrestrial conflict suggests that evidence-based policy for reducing harm to wildlife and humans requires not only insight into ultimate drivers of conflict, but also management that spans ecosystem and jurisdictional boundaries
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