216,201 research outputs found
Approaches and tools to manipulate the carbonate chemistry
Although the chemistry of ocean acidifi cation is very well understood (see chapter 1), its impact on marine organisms and ecosystems remains poorly known. The biological response to ocean acidifi cation is a recent field
of research, the fi rst purposeful experiments have only been carried out as late as the 1980s (Agegian, 1985)
and most were not performed until the late 1990s. The potentially dire consequences of ocean acidifi cation
have attracted the interest of scientists and students with a limited knowledge of the carbonate chemistry and
its experimental manipulation. Perturbation experiments are one of the key approaches used to investigate
the biological response to elevated p(CO2). Such experiments are based on measurements of physiological or
metabolic processes in organisms and communities exposed to seawater with normal and altered carbonate chemistry. The basics of the carbonate chemistry must be understood to perform meaningful CO2 perturbation experiments (see chapter 1). Briefl y, the marine carbonate system considers
€ CO2 ∗(aq) [the sum of CO2 and H2CO3], € HCO3 −, € CO3 2−,
H+, € OH− , and several weak acid-base systems of which borate-boric acid (€ B(OH)4 − , B(OH)3) is the most
important. As discussed by Dickson (chapter 1), if two components of the carbonate chemistry are known, all
the other components can be calculated for seawater with typical nutrient concentrations at given temperature,
salinity, and pressure. One of the possible pairs is of particular interest because both components can be
measured with precision, accuracy, and are conservative in the sense that their concentrations do not change
with temperature or pressure. Dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) is the sum of all dissolved inorganic carbon
species while total alkalinity (AT) equals € [HCO3 − ] + 2
€ [CO3 2− ] + € [B(OH)4 − ] + € [OH− ] - [H+] + minor components, and refl ects the excess of proton acceptors over proton donors with respect to a zero level of protons (see chapter 1 for a detailed defi nition). AT is determined by the titration of seawater with a strong acid and thus can also be regarded as a measure of the buffering capacity. Any changes in any single component of the carbonate system will lead to changes in several, if not all, other components. In other words, it is not possible to vary a single component of the carbonate system while keeping all other components constant. This interdependency
in the carbonate system is important to consider when performing CO2 perturbation experiments.
To adjust seawater to different p(CO2) levels, the carbonate system can be manipulated in various ways that
usually involve changes in AT or DIC. The goal of this chapter is (1) to examine the benefi ts and drawbacks of
various manipulation methods used to date and (2) to provide a simple software package to assist the design
of perturbation experiments
Disproportionation Transition at Critical Interaction Strength: NaCoO
Charge disproportionation (CD) and spin differentiation in NaCoO
are studied using the correlated band theory approach. The simultaneous CD and
gap opening seen previously is followed through a first order charge
disproportionation transition 2Co Co+Co, whose ionic
identities are connected more closely to spin (S=0, S=1/2 respectively) than to
real charge. Disproportionation in the Co orbital is compensated by
opposing charge rearrangement in other 3d orbitals. At the transition large and
opposing discontinuities in the (all-electron) kinetic and potential energies
are slightly more than balanced by a gain in correlation energy. The CD state
is compared to characteristics of the observed charge-ordered insulating phase
in NaCoO, suggesting the Coulomb repulsion value is
concentration-dependent, with 3.5 eV.Comment: 4 pages and 4 embedded figure
Aging to Equilibrium Dynamics of SiO2
Molecular dynamics computer simulations are used to study the aging dynamics
of SiO2 (modeled by the BKS model). Starting from fully equilibrated
configurations at high temperatures T_i =5000K/3760K the system is quenched to
lower temperatures T_f=2500K, 2750K, 3000K, 3250K and observed after a waiting
time t_w. Since the simulation runs are long enough to reach equilibrium at
T_f, we are able to study the transition from out-of-equilibrium to equilibrium
dynamics. We present results for the partial structure factors, for the
generalized incoherent intermediate scattering function C_q(t_w, t_w+t), and
for the mean square displacement msd(t_w,t_w+t). We conclude that there are
three different t_w regions: (I) At very short waiting times, C_q(t_w, t_w+t)
decays very fast without forming a plateau. Similarly msd(t_w,t_w+t) increases
without forming a plateau. (II) With increasing t_w a plateau develops in
C_q(t_w, t_w+t) and msd(t_w,t_w+t). For intermediate waiting times the plateau
height is independent of t_w and T_i. Time superposition applies, i.e.
C_q=C_q(t/t_r) where t_r=t_r(t_w) is a waiting time dependent decay time.
Furthermore C_q=C(q,t_w,t_w+t) scales as C_q=C(q,z(t_w,t) where z is a function
of t_w and t only, i.e. independent of q. (III) At large t_w the system reaches
equilibrium, i.e. C_q(t_w,t_w+t) and msd(t_w,t_w+t) are independent of t_w and
T_i. For C_q(t_w,t_w+t) we find that the time superposition of intermediate
waiting times (II) includes the equilibrium curve (III).Comment: 9 pages, 11 figures, submission to PR
Sandpiles on multiplex networks
We introduce the sandpile model on multiplex networks with more than one type
of edge and investigate its scaling and dynamical behaviors. We find that the
introduction of multiplexity does not alter the scaling behavior of avalanche
dynamics; the system is critical with an asymptotic power-law avalanche size
distribution with an exponent on duplex random networks. The
detailed cascade dynamics, however, is affected by the multiplex coupling. For
example, higher-degree nodes such as hubs in scale-free networks fail more
often in the multiplex dynamics than in the simplex network counterpart in
which different types of edges are simply aggregated. Our results suggest that
multiplex modeling would be necessary in order to gain a better understanding
of cascading failure phenomena of real-world multiplex complex systems, such as
the global economic crisis.Comment: 7 pages, 7 figure
Mid-infrared wavelength- and frequency-modulation spectroscopy with a pump-modulated singly-resonant optical parametric oscillator
We describe the implementation of the wavelength- and frequency-modulation spectroscopy techniques using a singly-resonant optical parametric oscillator (OPO) pumped by a fiber-amplified diode laser. Frequency modulation of the diode laser was transferred to the OPO¿s mid-infrared idler output, avoiding the need for external modulation devices. This approach thus provides a means of implementing these important techniques with powerful, widely tunable, mid-infrared sources while retaining the simple, flexible modulation properties of diode lasers
Disturbances in the spontaneous attribution of social meaning in schizophrenia
Background. Schizophrenia patients show disturbances on a range of tasks that assess mentalizing or 'Theory of Mind' (ToM). However, these tasks are often developmentally inappropriate, make large demands on verbal abilities and explicit problem-solving skills, and involve after-the-fact reflection as opposed to spontaneous mentalizing.
Method. To address these limitations, 55 clinically stable schizophrenia out-patients and 44 healthy controls completed a validated Animations Task designed to assess spontaneous attributions of social meaning to ambiguous
abstract visual stimuli. In this paradigm, 12 animations depict two geometric shapes' interacting' with each other in three conditions: (1) ToM interactions that elicit attributions of mental states to the agents, (2) Goal-Directed (GO) interactions that elicit attributions of simple actions, and (3) Random scenes in which no interaction occurs. Verbal
descriptions of each animation are rated for the degree of Intentionality attributed to the agents and for accuracy.
Results. Patients had lower Intentionality ratings than controls for ToM and GO scenes but the groups did not significantly differ for Random scenes. The descriptions of the patients less closely matched the situations intended by the developers of the task. Within the schizophrenia group, performance on the Animations Task showed minimal
associations with clinical symptoms.
Conclusions. Patients demonstrated disturbances in the spontaneous attribution of mental states to abstract visual stimuli that normally evoke such attributions. Hence, in addition to previously established impairment on mentalizing tasks that require logical inferences about others' mental states, individuals with schizophrenia show disturbances in implicit aspects of mentalizing
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Generalised additive dependency inflated models including aggregated covariates
Let us assume that X, Y and U are observed and that the conditional mean of U given X and Y can be expressed via an additive dependency of X, λ(X)Y and X + Y for some unspecified function . This structured regression model can be transferred to a hazard model or a density model when applied on some appropriate grid, and has important forecasting applications via structured marker dependent hazards models or structured density models including age-period-cohort relationships. The structured regression model is also important when the severity of the dependent variable has a complicated dependency on waiting times X, Y and the total waiting time X+Y . In case the conditional mean of U approximates a density, the regression model can be used to analyse the age-period-cohort model, also when exposure data are not available. In case the conditional mean of U approximates a marker dependent hazard, the regression model introduces new relevant age-period-cohort time scale interdependencies in understanding longevity. A direct use of the regression relationship introduced in this paper is the estimation of the severity of outstanding liabilities in non-life insurance companies. The technical approach taken is to use B-splines to capture the underlying one-dimensional unspecified functions. It is shown via finite sample simulation studies and an application for forecasting future asbestos related deaths in the UK that the B-spline approach works well in practice. Special consideration has been given to ensure identifiability of all models considered
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