Self-diffusion for a weakly-coupled plasma in a magnetic field

The longitudinal self-diffusion coefficient for a magnetized plasma with a small plasma parameter is calculated from kinetic theory in the weak-coupling approximation. Asymptotic expressions for this coefficient are derived in the limits of weak and of strong magnetic field. For intermediate strength of the magnetic field numerical results are presented

Sums of products of Ramanujan sums

The Ramanujan sum $c_n(k)$ is defined as the sum of $k$-th powers of the primitive $n$-th roots of unity. We investigate arithmetic functions of $r$ variables defined as certain sums of the products $c_{m_1}(g_1(k))...c_{m_r}(g_r(k))$, where $g_1,..., g_r$ are polynomials with integer coefficients. A modified orthogonality relation of the Ramanujan sums is also derived.Comment: 13 pages, revise

Non-perturbative equivalences among large N gauge theories with adjoint and bifundamental matter fields

We prove an equivalence, in the large N limit, between certain U(N) gauge theories containing adjoint representation matter fields and their orbifold projections. Lattice regularization is used to provide a non-perturbative definition of these theories; our proof applies in the strong coupling, large mass phase of the theories. Equivalence is demonstrated by constructing and comparing the loop equations for a parent theory and its orbifold projections. Loop equations for both expectation values of single-trace observables, and for connected correlators of such observables, are considered; hence the demonstrated non-perturbative equivalence applies to the large N limits of both string tensions and particle spectra.Comment: 40 pages, JHEP styl

Multifragmentation of non-spherical nuclei

The shape influence of decaying thermalized source on various characteristics of multifragmentation as well as its interplay with effects of angular momentum and collective expansion are first studied and the most pertinent variables are proposed. The analysis is based on the extension of the statistical microcanonical multifragmentation model.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure

Metabolism and gastrointestinal absorption of neptunium and protactinium in adult baboons

The metabolism of neptunium and protactinium was studied in adult female baboons following intravenous injection and intragastric intubation. Immediately following intravenous injection (10/sup -1/ to 10/sup -10/ mg Np per kg body wt), neptunium cleared rapidly from blood, deposited primarily in the skeleton (54 +- 5%) and liver (3 +- 0.2%), and was excreted predominantly via urine (40 +- 3%). For the first year post injection, neptunium was retained with a biological half-time of approx.100 days in liver and 1.5 +- 0.2 yr in bone. In comparison, injected protactinium (10/sup -9/ mg/kg) was retained in blood in higher concentrations and was initially eliminated in urine to a lesser extent (6 +- 3%). In vivo measurements indicated that protactinium was retained in bone (65 +- 0.3%) with a half-time of 3.5 +- 0.6 yr. Differences in the physicochemical states of the neptunium or protactinium solutions injected did not alter the metabolic behavior of these nuclides. The gastrointestinal absorption value for neptunium in two fasted baboons, sacrificed at 1 day post administration, was determined to be 0.92 +- 0.04%. Of the total amount of neptunium absorbed, 52 +- 3% was retained in bone, 6 +- 2% was in liver, and 42 +- 0.1% was excreted in urine. A method was developed to estimate GI absorption values for both nuclides in baboons which were not sacrificed. Absorption values calculated by this method for neptunium and protactinium in fasted baboons were 1.8 +- 0.8% and 0.65 +- 0.01%, respectively. Values for fed animals were 1 to 2 orders of magnitude less than those for fasted animals. 14 refs., 3 figs., 4 tabs. (DT

Influence of chemical form, feeding regimen, and animal species on the gastrointestinal absorption of plutonium

We evaluated the effect of chemical form and feeding regimen on the gastrointestinal (GI) absorption of plutonium in adult mice at plutonium concentrations relevant to the establishment of drinking water standards. Mean fractional GI absorption values in fasted adult mice were: Pu(VI) bicarbonate, 15 x 10/sup -4/; Pu(IV) bicarbonate, 20 x 10/sup -4/; Pu(IV) nitrate (pH2), 17 x 10/sup -4/; Pu(IV) citrate, 24 x 10/sup -4/; and Pu(IV) polymer, 3 x 10/sup -4/. Values in fed adult mice were: Pu(VI) bicarbonate, 1.4 x 10/sup -4/; Pu(IV) polymer, 0.3 x 10/sup -4/. Pu(VI) is the oxidation state in chlorinated drinking waters and Pu(IV) is the oxidation state in many untreated natural waters. To assess the validity of extrapolating data from mice to humans, we also determined the GI absorption of Pu(VI) bicarbonate in adult baboons with a dual-isotope method that does not require animal sacrifice. Fractional GI absorption values obtained by this method were 23 +- 10 x 10/sup -4/ for fasted baboons (n=5) and 1.4 +- 0.9 x 10/sup -4/ for fed baboons (n=3). We have so far validated this method in one baboon and are currently completing validation in two additional animals. At low plutonium concentrations, plutonium oxidation state (Pu(VI) vs Pu(IV)) and administration medium (bicarbonate vs nitrate vs citrate) had little effect on the GI absorption of plutonium in mice. Formation of Pu(IV) polymers and animal feeding decreased the GI absorption of plutonium 5- to 10-fold. The GI absorption of Pu(VI) bicarbonate in both fed and fasted adult baboons appeared to be the same as in fed and fasted adult mice, respectively. 17 refs., 2 tabs

Generalization of procedural motor sequence learning after a single practice trial

When humans begin learning new motor skills, they typically display early rapid performance improvements. It is not well understood how knowledge acquired during this early skill learning period generalizes to new, related skills. Here, we addressed this question by investigating factors influencing generalization of early learning from a skill A to a different, but related skill B. Early skill generalization was tested over four experiments (N = 2095). Subjects successively learned two related motor sequence skills (skills A and B) over different practice schedules. Skill A and B sequences shared ordinal (i.e., matching keypress locations), transitional (i.e., ordered keypress pairs), parsing rule (i.e., distinct sequence events like repeated keypresses that can be used as a breakpoint for segmenting the sequence into smaller units) structures, or possessed no structure similarities. Results showed generalization for shared parsing rule structure between skills A and B after only a single 10-second practice trial of skill A. Manipulating the initial practice exposure to skill A (1 to 12 trials) and inter-practice rest interval (0–30 s) between skills A and B had no impact on parsing rule structure generalization. Furthermore, this generalization was not explained by stronger sensorimotor mapping between individual keypress actions and their symbolic representations. In contrast, learning from skill A did not generalize to skill B during early learning when the sequences shared only ordinal or transitional structure features. These results document sequence structure that can be very rapidly generalized during initial learning to facilitate generalization of skill

Transpacific Transport of Ozone Pollution and the Effect of Recent Asian Emission Increases on Air Quality in North America: An Integrated Analysis Using Satellite, Aircraft, Ozonesonde, and Surface Observations

We use an ensemble of aircraft, satellite, sonde, and surface observations for April–May 2006 (NASA/INTEX-B aircraft campaign) to better understand the mechanisms for transpacific ozone pollution and its implications for North American air quality. The observations are interpreted with a global 3-D chemical transport model (GEOS-Chem). OMI NO2 satellite observations constrain Asian anthropogenic NOx emissions and indicate a factor of 2 increase from 2000 to 2006 in China. Satellite observations of CO from AIRS and TES indicate two major events of Asian transpacific pollution during INTEX-B. Correlation between TES CO and ozone observations shows evidence for transpacific ozone pollution. The semi-permanent Pacific High and Aleutian Low cause splitting of transpacific pollution plumes over the Northeast Pacific. The northern branch circulates around the Aleutian Low and has little impact on North America. The southern branch circulates around the Pacific High and some of that air impacts western North America. Both aircraft measurements and model results show sustained ozone production driven by peroxyacetylnitrate (PAN) decomposition in the southern branch, roughly doubling the transpacific influence from ozone produced in the Asian boundary layer. Model simulation of ozone observations at Mt. Bachelor Observatory in Oregon (2.7 km altitude) indicates a mean Asian ozone pollution contribution of 9±3 ppbv to the mean observed concentration of 54 ppbv, reflecting mostly an enhancement in background ozone rather than episodic Asian plumes. Asian pollution enhanced surface ozone concentrations by 5–7 ppbv over western North America in spring 2006. The 2000–2006 rise in Asian anthropogenic emissions increased this influence by 1–2 ppbv.Earth and Planetary SciencesEngineering and Applied Science