512 research outputs found
Roots Structure and Development of Austrobaileya scandens (Austrobaileyaceae) and Implications for Their Evolution in Angiosperms
Since the resolution of the ANA grade [Amborellales, Nymphaeales, Austrobaileyales] as sister to all other flowering plants, a few comparative studies of root structure have suggested that some of their anatomical traits could be of importance to understanding root evolutionary development and angiosperm phylogeny. However, there is still a paucity of information on root structure and apical meristems (RAMs) in these lineages and especially the sister to all other Austrobaileyales, Austrobaileya scandens. We used microtome sections and bright field, epifluorescence, laser confocal, and scanning electron microscopy to study adventitious root RAMs and tissues of A. scandens. Our results indicate that root structure is relatively simple in A. scandens. The epidermis has a thick cuticle and lacks root hairs. The stele is typically diarch, or some modification thereof, and surrounded by a cortex differentiated into a uniseriate endodermis, a middle region sometimes packed with starch, some oil cells, and colonized by arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, and a multiseriate exodermis. Secondary growth produced many vessel elements in the secondary xylem and scattered sclerenchymatous fibers in secondary phloem. The absence of distinct patterning within the RAM and between the RAM and derivative differentiating tissues shows that the RAM is open and characterized by common initials. Roots structure and anatomy of A. scandens are thus essentially similar to some previously described in Amborella or Illicium in the ANA grade and many magnoliids, and suggest that the first woody flowering plants likely had an open RAM with common initials. Their functional and evolutionary significance in woody early-diverging and basal lineages of flowering plants and gymnosperms remains unclear, but they are clearly ancestral traits
A simple model of price formation
A simple Ising spin model which can describe the mechanism of price formation
in financial markets is proposed. In contrast to other agent-based models, the
influence does not flow inward from the surrounding neighbors to the center
site, but spreads outward from the center to the neighbors. The model thus
describes the spread of opinions among traders. It is shown via standard Monte
Carlo simulations that very simple rules lead to dynamics that duplicate those
of asset prices.Comment: Version 2: 4 pages, 4 figures; added more stringent statistical
analysis; to appear in Int. J. Modern Physics C, Vol. 13, No. 1 (2002
Plasmonic interferometry: probing launching dipoles in scanning-probe plasmonics
We develop a semi-analytical method for analyzing surface plasmon
interferometry using near-field scanning optical sources. We compare our
approach to Young double hole interferometry experiments using scanning
tunneling microscope (STM) discussed in the literature and realize experiments
with an aperture near-field scanning optical microscope (NSOM) source
positioned near a ring like aperture slit milled in a thick gold film. In both
cases the agreement between experiments and model is very good. We emphasize
the role of dipole orientations and discuss the role of magnetic versus
electric dipole contributions to the imaging process as well as the
directionality of the effective dipoles associated with the various optical and
plasmonic sources.Comment: To appear in Journal of Applied Physics (2014
Volatility and dividend risk in perpetual American options
American options are financial instruments that can be exercised at any time
before expiration. In this paper we study the problem of pricing this kind of
derivatives within a framework in which some of the properties --volatility and
dividend policy-- of the underlaying stock can change at a random instant of
time, but in such a way that we can forecast their final values. Under this
assumption we can model actual market conditions because some of the most
relevant facts that may potentially affect a firm will entail sharp predictable
effects. We will analyse the consequences of this potential risk on perpetual
American derivatives, a topic connected with a wide class of recurrent problems
in physics: holders of American options must look for the fair price and the
optimal exercise strategy at once, a typical question of free absorbing
boundaries. We present explicit solutions to the most common contract
specifications and derive analytical expressions concerning the mean and higher
moments of the exercise time.Comment: 21 pages, 5 figures, iopart, submitted for publication; deep
revision, two new appendice
Construction of models for bounded price processes: the case of the HKD exchange rate
This paper discusses construction of evolution models for financial time series evolving within a given interval. We calibrated a model for the case of the USD/HKD exchange rate after the separation of strong and weak side convertibility undertakings, in which the rate is confined to a specified corridor. This process represents an interesting example of a tradable bounded process. A 1D model was able to replicate the bounded distribution of the process, but a 2D model better captured dynamics as measured by the volatility without losing features of the 1D model. We briefly consider the ergodic properties of these models
High order vibration modes of glass embedded AgAu nanoparticles
High resolution low frequency Raman scattering measurements from embedded
AgAu nanoparticles unveil efficient scattering by harmonics of both the
quadrupolar and the spherical modes. Comparing the experimental data with
theoretical calculations that account for both the embedding medium and the
resonant Raman process enables a very complete description of the observed
multiple components in terms of harmonics of both the quadrupolar and spherical
modes, with a dominating Raman response from the former ones. It is found that
only selected harmonics of the quadrupolar mode contribute significantly to the
Raman spectra in agreement with earlier theoretical predictions.Comment: 11 pages, 4 figure
On low-sampling-rate Kramers-Moyal coefficients
We analyze the impact of the sampling interval on the estimation of
Kramers-Moyal coefficients. We obtain the finite-time expressions of these
coefficients for several standard processes. We also analyze extreme situations
such as the independence and no-fluctuation limits that constitute useful
references. Our results aim at aiding the proper extraction of information in
data-driven analysis.Comment: 9 pages, 4 figure
Memory-induced anomalous dynamics: emergence of diffusion, subdiffusion, and superdiffusion from a single random walk model
We present a random walk model that exhibits asymptotic subdiffusive,
diffusive, and superdiffusive behavior in different parameter regimes. This
appears to be the first instance of a single random walk model leading to all
three forms of behavior by simply changing parameter values. Furthermore, the
model offers the great advantage of analytic tractability. Our model is
non-Markovian in that the next jump of the walker is (probabilistically)
determined by the history of past jumps. It also has elements of intermittency
in that one possibility at each step is that the walker does not move at all.
This rich encompassing scenario arising from a single model provides useful
insights into the source of different types of asymptotic behavior
Collective behavior of stock price movements in an emerging market
To investigate the universality of the structure of interactions in different
markets, we analyze the cross-correlation matrix C of stock price fluctuations
in the National Stock Exchange (NSE) of India. We find that this emerging
market exhibits strong correlations in the movement of stock prices compared to
developed markets, such as the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). This is shown to
be due to the dominant influence of a common market mode on the stock prices.
By comparison, interactions between related stocks, e.g., those belonging to
the same business sector, are much weaker. This lack of distinct sector
identity in emerging markets is explicitly shown by reconstructing the network
of mutually interacting stocks. Spectral analysis of C for NSE reveals that,
the few largest eigenvalues deviate from the bulk of the spectrum predicted by
random matrix theory, but they are far fewer in number compared to, e.g., NYSE.
We show this to be due to the relative weakness of intra-sector interactions
between stocks, compared to the market mode, by modeling stock price dynamics
with a two-factor model. Our results suggest that the emergence of an internal
structure comprising multiple groups of strongly coupled components is a
signature of market development.Comment: 10 pages, 10 figure
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