9,930 research outputs found
Quasi-local Energy for Spherically Symmetric Spacetimes
We present two complementary approaches for determining the reference for the
covariant Hamiltonian boundary term quasi-local energy and test them on
spherically symmetric spacetimes. On the one hand, we isometrically match the
2-surface and extremize the energy. This can be done in two ways, which we call
programs I (without constraint) and II (with additional constraints). On the
other hand, we match the orthonormal 4-frames of the dynamic and the reference
spacetimes. Then, if we further specify the observer by requiring the reference
displacement to be the timelike Killing vector of the reference, the result is
the same as program I, and the energy can be positive, zero, or even negative.
If, instead, we require that the Lie derivatives of the two-area along the
displacement vector in both the dynamic and reference spacetimes to be the
same, the result is the same as program II, and it satisfies the usual
criteria: the energies are non-negative and vanish only for Minkowski (or
anti-de Sitter) spacetime.Comment: 16 pages, no figure
On the Derivation of Vector Radiative Transfer Equation for Polarized Radiative Transport in Graded Index Media
Light transport in graded index media follows a curved trajectory determined
by the Fermat's principle. Besides the effect of variation of the refractive
index on the transport of radiative intensity, the curved ray trajectory will
induce geometrical effects on the transport of polarization ellipse. This paper
presents a complete derivation of vector radiative transfer equation for
polarized radiation transport in absorption, emission and scattering graded
index media. The derivation is based on the analysis of the conserved
quantities for polarized light transport along curved trajectory and a novel
approach. The obtained transfer equation can be considered as a generalization
of the classic vector radiative transfer equation that is only valid for
uniform refractive index media. Several variant forms of the transport equation
are also presented, which include the form for Stokes parameters defined with a
fixed reference and the Eulerian forms in the ray coordinate and in several
common orthogonal coordinate systems.Comment: This paper has been submitted to JQSR
Multigrid solver for axisymmetrical 2D fluid equations
We have developed an efficient algorithm for steady axisymmetrical 2D fluid
equations. The algorithm employs multigrid method as well as standard implicit
discretization schemes for systems of partial differential equations. Linearity
of the multigrid method with respect to the number of grid points allowed us to
use grid, where we could achieve solutions in several minutes.
Time limitations due to nonlinearity of the system are partially avoided by
using multi level grids(the initial solution on grid was
extrapolated steady solution from grid which allowed using
"long" integration time steps). The fluid solver may be used as the basis for
hybrid codes for DC discharges.Comment: preliminary version; presented at 28 ICPIG, July 15-20, 2007, Prague,
Czech Republi
Occurrence and risk assessment of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in soil from the Tiefa coal mine district, Liaoning, China.
In order to evaluate soil-associated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) pollution from coal mine activities in Tiefa coal mine, Northeast China, 16 PAHs identified as priority pollutants by US Environmental Pollution Agency were determined in mining zone soil (MZS), agricultural soil (AS), local lake bank soil (LBS), a vertical soil profile and three coal gangue samples. The total concentration of 16 PAHs (defined as Σ(16)PAH, dry weight) in surface soil ranged from 5.1 to 5642.3 ng g(-1), with an arithmetic mean of 1118.3 ng g(-1). Σ(16)PAH values at the sites from MZS are significantly higher than those found in AS and LBS. The vertical distribution of PAHs indicated that these compounds can penetrate the deeper layers of the soil, especially the low-rings compounds. A complex of petrogenic origin and pyrolytic sources was found within the study area, as suggested by the isomeric ratios of PAHs. According to principal component analysis (PCA), four factors were identified in the source contribution, including coal combustion, unburned coal particulates, coal gangue and vehicular emissions. The degree of contamination and the PAH toxicity assessment suggested that the soils of the study area have been seriously polluted and pose a high potential health risk.</span
Mechanical characteristics of filter structures for MEMS adaptive infrared detectors
This paper reports the mechanical design and optimization of tunable Fabry-Perot (FP) filter structures for the development of MEMS adaptive infrared detectors using finite element modeling and experimental investigations. The results indicate that the mechanical characteristics of the FP filters are significantly influenced by the structural designs, which eventually affect the filter performance and device integrity
Heavy flavor diffusion in weakly coupled N=4 Super Yang-Mills theory
We use perturbation theory to compute the diffusion coefficient of a heavy
quark or scalar moving in N=4 SU(N_c) Super Yang-Mills plasma to leading order
in the coupling and the ratio T/M<<1. The result is compared both to recent
strong coupling calculations in the same theory and to the corresponding weak
coupling result in QCD. Finally, we present a compact and simple formulation of
the Lagrangian of our theory, N=4 SYM coupled to a massive fundamental N=2
hypermultiplet, which is well-suited for weak coupling expansions.Comment: 22 pages, 4 figures; v3: error corrected in calculations, figures and
discussion modified accordingl
Exploring the mediation role of self-compassion in the association between bullying perpetration and depression:A cross-culture comparison study
BackgroundBullying perpetration is a well-established risk factor for depression. One potential explanation for the elevated depression levels among perpetrators is reduced self-compassion resulting from the process of dehumanisation during bullying perpetration, while the effects of this may vary across culturesObjectiveTo explore the potential role of two dimensions of self-compassion, namely compassionate and uncompassionate self-responding, in the relationship between bullying perpetration and depression, considering cultural differences.Participants and setting3,982 adolescents aged 12–18 years from Hong Kong, Taiwan, United Kingdom, and the Netherlands completed questionnaires regarding traditional bullying and cyberbullying perpetration, self-compassion, and depressive symptoms.MethodsModerated mediation analyses were conducted, considering a potential moderating effect of Eastern and Western culture. Subgroup analyses were conducted to explore cross-cultural differences in the mediation models.ResultsSignificant associations were found between cyberbullying perpetration and depressive symptoms (β = 0.06, SE = 0.02, p = 0.007). Uncompassionate self-response partially mediated the association between traditional bullying perpetration and depressive symptoms (β = 0.08, SE = 0.01, p < 0.001). A significant interaction effect was found between traditional bullying perpetration and culture in predicting compassionate self-responding (β = 0.11, SE = 0.04, p = 0.002). Traditional bullying perpetration and compassionate self-responding were identified only in Western participants (β = 0.12, SE = 0.02, p < 0.001).ConclusionsUncompassionate self-responding mediated the association between traditional bullying perpetration and depression. Interventions and prevention programs should target uncompassionate self-responding among bullying perpetrators to prevent depressive symptoms. The distinct and culturally-specific roles of compassionate and uncompassionate self-compassion were supported, providing insights into the internal structure of self-compassion and its role in bullying behaviour.</div
A Deficiency Problem of the Least Squares Finite Element Method for Solving Radiative Transfer in Strongly Inhomogeneous Media
The accuracy and stability of the least squares finite element method (LSFEM)
and the Galerkin finite element method (GFEM) for solving radiative transfer in
homogeneous and inhomogeneous media are studied theoretically via a frequency
domain technique. The theoretical result confirms the traditional understanding
of the superior stability of the LSFEM as compared to the GFEM. However, it is
demonstrated numerically and proved theoretically that the LSFEM will suffer a
deficiency problem for solving radiative transfer in media with strong
inhomogeneity. This deficiency problem of the LSFEM will cause a severe
accuracy degradation, which compromises too much of the performance of the
LSFEM and makes it not a good choice to solve radiative transfer in strongly
inhomogeneous media. It is also theoretically proved that the LSFEM is
equivalent to a second order form of radiative transfer equation discretized by
the central difference scheme
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