Larvae of the three common North American species of Phylocentropus (Trichoptera: Dipseudopsidae)

The caddisfly genus Phylocentropus includes 7 extant species globally, of which 5 occur in eastern North America and 2 in eastern Asia. Larvae of the 3 most common North American species [Phylocentropus carolinus Carpenter, P. lucidus (Hagen), and P. placidus (Banks)] were associated with identifiable adults and diagnostic characters are described. Larvae ofthese 3 species may be distinguished by overall length of mature larvae, head color pattern, and number of spines on the hind tibiae. Larvae of other species of this genus are unknown

Surface losses and self-pumping effects in a long Josephson junction - a semi-analytical approach

The flux-flow dynamics in a long Josephson junction is studied both analytically and numerically. A realistic model of the junction is considered by taking into account a nonuniform current distribution, surface losses and self-pumping effects. An approximate analytical solution of the modified sine-Gordon equation is derived in the form of a unidirectional dense fluxon train accompanied by two oppositely directed plasma waves. Next, some macroscopic time-averaged quantities are calculated making possible to evaluate the current-voltage characteristic of the junction. The results obtained by the present method are compared with direct numerical simulations both for the current-voltage characteristics and for the loss factor modulated spatially due to the self-pumping. The comparison shows very good agreement for typical junction parameters but indicates also some limitations of the method.Comment: 7 pages, 5 figure

Unsupervised Feature Learning through Divergent Discriminative Feature Accumulation

Unlike unsupervised approaches such as autoencoders that learn to reconstruct their inputs, this paper introduces an alternative approach to unsupervised feature learning called divergent discriminative feature accumulation (DDFA) that instead continually accumulates features that make novel discriminations among the training set. Thus DDFA features are inherently discriminative from the start even though they are trained without knowledge of the ultimate classification problem. Interestingly, DDFA also continues to add new features indefinitely (so it does not depend on a hidden layer size), is not based on minimizing error, and is inherently divergent instead of convergent, thereby providing a unique direction of research for unsupervised feature learning. In this paper the quality of its learned features is demonstrated on the MNIST dataset, where its performance confirms that indeed DDFA is a viable technique for learning useful features.Comment: Corrected citation formattin

Scampering in the City: Examining the Ecological and Social Viability of Black-Tailed Prairie Dogs (Cynomys ludovicianus) in Denver, Colorado

The conservation of prairie dogs is highly contested due to the embedded view that they are pests. This research addressed the ecological and social viability of prairie dog colonies in Denver, Colorado. Remote sensing analysis was applied to identify potentially viable areas for urban prairie dog colonies. In order to assess the social viability of urban colonies, knowledge and attitudinal surveys were distributed to residents near existing colonies and residents near potential colonies. Statistical analysis of responses provided insight into relationships between proximity to colonies, ecological knowledge, attitudes towards prairie dogs, demographics, and the presence of educational literature. Results indicated that women are consistently more favorable towards prairie dogs; knowledge was strongly associated with favorability towards prairie dogs; and residents living near colonies were more favorable towards local prairie dogs than residents living near potential colonies. While additional education and outreach is necessary in order to improve residents\u27 attitudes towards prairie dogs, this species has the potential to be viable in Denver

Semi-classical scattering in two dimensions

The semi-classical limit of quantum-mechanical scattering in two dimensions (2D) is developed. We derive the Wentzel-Kramers-Brillouin and Eikonal results for 2D scattering. No backward or forward glory scattering is present in 2D. Other phenomena, such as rainbow or orbiting do show up.Comment: 6 page

Jamming, relaxation, and memory in a structureless glass former

Real structural glasses form through various out-of-equilibrium processes, including temperature quenches, rapid compression, shear, and aging. Each of these processes should be formally understandable within the recently formulated dynamical mean-field theory of glasses, but many of the numerical tools needed to solve the relevant equations for sufficiently long timescales do not yet exist. Numerical simulations of structureless (and therefore mean-field-like) model glass formers can nevertheless aid searching for and understanding such solutions, thanks to their ability to disentangle structural from dimensional effects. We here study the infinite-range Mari-Kurchan model under simple non-equilibrium processes and compare the results with those from the random Lorentz gas [J. Phys. A: Math. Theor. 55 334001, (2022)], which are both mean-field-like and become formally equivalent in the limit of infinite spatial dimensions. Of particular interest are jamming from crunching and under instantaneous temperature quenches. The study allows for an algorithmic understanding of the jamming density and of its approach to the infinite-dimensional limit. The results provide important insight into the eventual solution of the dynamical mean-field theory, including onsets and anomalous relaxation, as well as into the various algorithmic schemes for jamming.Comment: 13 pages, 6 figure

Local stability of spheres via the convex hull and the radical Voronoi diagram

Jamming is an emergent phenomenon wherein the local stability of individual particles percolates to form a globally rigid structure. However, the onset of rigidity does not imply that every particle becomes rigid, and indeed some remain locally unstable. These particles, if they become unmoored from their neighbors, are called \textit{rattlers}, and their identification is critical to understanding the rigid backbone of a packing, as these particles cannot bear stress. The accurate identification of rattlers, however, can be a time-consuming process, and the currently accepted method lacks a simple geometric interpretation. In this manuscript, we propose two simpler classifications of rattlers based on the convex hull of contacting neighbors and the maximum inscribed sphere of the radical Voronoi cell, each of which provides geometric insight into the source of their instability. Furthermore, the convex hull formulation can be generalized to explore stability in hyperstatic soft sphere packings, spring networks, non-spherical packings, and mean-field non-central-force potentials.Comment: 9 pages, 9 figure