11,057 research outputs found
The Critical Exponent is Computable for Automatic Sequences
The critical exponent of an infinite word is defined to be the supremum of
the exponent of each of its factors. For k-automatic sequences, we show that
this critical exponent is always either a rational number or infinite, and its
value is computable. Our results also apply to variants of the critical
exponent, such as the initial critical exponent of Berthe, Holton, and Zamboni
and the Diophantine exponent of Adamczewski and Bugeaud. Our work generalizes
or recovers previous results of Krieger and others, and is applicable to other
situations; e.g., the computation of the optimal recurrence constant for a
linearly recurrent k-automatic sequence.Comment: In Proceedings WORDS 2011, arXiv:1108.341
Renormalization and blow up for charge one equivariant critical wave maps
We prove the existence of equivariant finite time blow up solutions for the
wave map problem from 2+1 dimensions into the 2-sphere. These solutions are the
sum of a dynamically rescaled ground-state harmonic map plus a radiation term.
The local energy of the latter tends to zero as time approaches blow up time.
This is accomplished by first "renormalizing" the rescaled ground state
harmonic map profile by solving an elliptic equation, followed by a
perturbative analysis
A new code for Fourier-Legendre analysis of large datasets: first results and a comparison with ring-diagram analysis
Fourier-Legendre decomposition (FLD) of solar Doppler imaging data is a
promising method to estimate the sub-surface solar meridional flow. FLD is
sensible to low-degree oscillation modes and thus has the potential to probe
the deep meridional flow. We present a newly developed code to be used for
large scale FLD analysis of helioseismic data as provided by the Global
Oscillation Network Group (GONG), the Michelson Doppler Imager (MDI)
instrument, and the upcoming Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager (HMI) instrument.
First results obtained with the new code are qualitatively comparable to those
obtained from ring-diagram analyis of the same time series.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures, 4th HELAS International Conference "Seismological
Challenges for Stellar Structure", 1-5 February 2010, Arrecife, Lanzarote
(Canary Islands
Mating frequency and genetic structure of the Argentine ant Linepithema humile
The nest and population genetic structures of the Argentine ant, Linepithema humile were investigated using eight microsatellite loci. Genotypes of the sperm from spermathecae of 87 queens were consistent with all queens being singly inseminated. The probability of a double mating remaining undetected was low (0.012) suggesting that no queens or only a very low proportion mate multiply. The relatedness between the queens and their mates was negative (R = -0.164 +/- 0.044) and significantly different to zero (P = 0.020). However, the high negative relatedness value was caused by a significant allele frequency difference between the sexes at a single locus (Lhum-28). When this locus was removed from the analyses, the relatedness was not significantly different from zero (R = 0.013 +/- 0.050, P = 0.812). Analysis of 10 nests revealed that the genetic differentiation among nests was weak (FST = 0.003) and not distinguishable from zero (P = 0.468). Similarly, the overall relatedness among nestmate females was not significantly different from zero (R = 0.007 +/- 0.018, P = 0.706). These results are consistent with the lack of distinct nest boundaries and the large number of queens per nest in the population studied. Although mating takes place inside the nest, the inbreeding coefficient was close to zero (F = 0.007 +/- 0.025, P = 0.786). Overall, these data indicate substantial local gene flow mediated by movement of reproductives among colonies
Highly conductive molecular junctions based on direct binding of benzene to platinum electrodes
Highly conductive molecular junctions were formed by direct binding of
benzene molecules between two Pt electrodes. Measurements of conductance,
isotopic shift in inelastic spectroscopy and shot noise compared with
calculations provide indications for a stable molecular junction where the
benzene molecule is preserved intact and bonded to the Pt leads via carbon
atoms. The junction has a conductance comparable to that for metallic atomic
junctions (around 0.1-1 Go), where the conductance and the number of
transmission channels are controlled by the molecule's orientation at different
inter-electrode distances.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure
The design and evaluation of grazing incidence relay optics
X-ray astronomy, both solar and celestial, has many needs for high spatial resolution observations which have to be performed with electronic detectors. If the resolution is not to be detector limited, plate scales in excess of 25 microns arc/sec, corresponding to focal lengths greater than 5 m, are required. In situations where the physical size is restricted, the problem can be solved by the use of grazing incidence relay optics. A system was developed which employs externally polished hyperboloid-hyperboloid surfaces to be used in conjunction with a Wolter-Schwarzschild primary. The secondary is located in front of the primary focus and provides a magnification of 4, while the system has a plate scale of 28 microns arc/sec and a length of 1.9 m. The design, tolerance specification, fabrication and performance at visible and X-ray wavelengths of this optical system are described
Electron-vibration interaction in single-molecule junctions: from contact to tunneling regime
Point contact spectroscopy on a H2O molecule bridging Pt electrodes reveals a
clear crossover between enhancement and reduction of the conductance due to
electron-vibration interaction. As single channel models predict such a
crossover at transmission probability of t=0.5, we used shot noise measurements
to analyze the transmission and observed at least two channels across the
junction where the dominant channel has t=0.51+/-0.01 transmission probability
at the crossover conductance, which is consistent with the predictions for
single-channel models.Comment: 4 pages, 1 table, 4 figure
The effects of socioeconomic status and indices of physical environment on reduced birth weight and preterm births in Eastern Massachusetts
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0),
which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.Background: Air pollution and social characteristics have been shown to affect indicators of health. While use of spatial methods to estimate exposure to air pollution has increased the power to detect effects, questions have been raised about potential for confounding by social factors.Methods: A study of singleton births in Eastern Massachusetts was conducted between 1996 and 2002 to examine the association between indicators of traffic, land use, individual and area-based socioeconomic measures (SEM), and birth outcomes ( birth weight, small for gestational age and preterm births), in a two-level hierarchical model.Results: We found effects of both individual ( education, race, prenatal care index) and area-based ( median household income) SEM with all birth outcomes. The associations for traffic and land use variables were mainly seen with birth weight, with an exception for an effect of cumulative traffic density on small for gestational age. Race/ethnicity of mother was an important predictor of birth outcomes and a strong confounder for both area-based SEM and indices of physical environment. The effects of traffic and land use differed by level of education and median household income.Conclusion: Overall, the findings of the study suggested greater likelihood of reduced birth weight and preterm births among the more socially disadvantaged, and a greater risk of reduced birth weight associated with traffic exposures. Results revealed the importance of controlling simultaneously for SEM and environmental exposures as the way to better understand determinants of health.This work is supported by the Harvard Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Center,
Grants R827353 and R-832416, and National Institute for Environmental Health Science (NIEHS) ES-0002
Lesbian and bisexual women's experiences of sexuality-based discrimination and their appearance concerns
Lesbian and bisexual women frequently experience sexuality-based discrimination, which is often based on others' judgements about their appearance. This short article aims to explore whether there is a relationship between lesbian and bisexual women's experiences of sexuality-based discrimination and their satisfaction with the way that they look. Findings from an online survey suggest that discrimination is negatively related to appearance satisfaction for lesbian women, but not for bisexual women. It is argued that this difference exists because lesbian appearance norms are more recognisable and distinctive than bisexual women's appearance norms
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