335 research outputs found
Dynamical Systems approach to Saffman-Taylor fingering. A Dynamical Solvability Scenario
A dynamical systems approach to competition of Saffman-Taylor fingers in a
channel is developed. This is based on the global study of the phase space
structure of the low-dimensional ODE's defined by the classes of exact
solutions of the problem without surface tension. Some simple examples are
studied in detail, and general proofs concerning properties of fixed points and
existence of finite-time singularities for broad classes of solutions are
given. The existence of a continuum of multifinger fixed points and its
dynamical implications are discussed. The main conclusion is that exact
zero-surface tension solutions taken in a global sense as families of
trajectories in phase space spanning a sufficiently large set of initial
conditions, are unphysical because the multifinger fixed points are
nonhyperbolic, and an unfolding of them does not exist within the same class of
solutions. Hyperbolicity (saddle-point structure) of the multifinger fixed
points is argued to be essential to the physically correct qualitative
description of finger competition. The restoring of hyperbolicity by surface
tension is discussed as the key point for a generic Dynamical Solvability
Scenario which is proposed for a general context of interfacial pattern
selection.Comment: 3 figures added, major rewriting of some sections, submitted to Phys.
Rev.
Fundamental Physical Constants: Looking from Different Angles
We consider fundamental physical constants which are among a few of the most
important pieces of information we have learned about Nature after its
intensive centuries-long studies. We discuss their multifunctional role in
modern physics including problems related to the art of measurement, natural
and practical units, origin of the constants, their possible calculability and
variability etc
The potential of soluble human leukocyte antigen molecules for early cancer detection and therapeutic vaccine design
Human leukocyte antigen (HLA) molecules are essential for anti-tumor immunity, as they display tumor-derived peptides to drive tumor eradication by cytotoxic T lymphocytes. HLA molecules are primarily studied as peptide-loaded complexes on cell membranes (mHLA) and much less attention is given to their secretion as soluble HLA–peptide complexes (sHLA) into bodily fluids. Yet sHLA levels are altered in various pathologies including cancer, and are thus of high interest as biomarkers. Disconcordance in results across studies, however, hampers interpretation and generalization of the relationship between sHLA levels and cancer presence, thereby impairing its use as a biomarker. Furthermore, the question remains to what extent sHLA complexes exert immunomodulatory effects and whether shifts in sHLA levels contribute to disease or are only a consequence of disease. sHLA complexes can also bear tumor-derived peptides and recent advancements in mass spectrometry now permit closer sHLA peptide cargo analysis. sHLA peptide cargo may represent a “liquid biopsy” that could facilitate the use of sHLA for cancer diagnosis and target identification for therapeutic vaccination. This review aims to outline the contradictory and unexplored aspects of sHLA and to provide direction on how the full potential of sHLA as a quantitative and qualitative biomarker can be exploited
Nonlinear stability of oscillatory wave fronts in chains of coupled oscillators
We present a stability theory for kink propagation in chains of coupled
oscillators and a new algorithm for the numerical study of kink dynamics. The
numerical solutions are computed using an equivalent integral equation instead
of a system of differential equations. This avoids uncertainty about the impact
of artificial boundary conditions and discretization in time. Stability results
also follow from the integral version. Stable kinks have a monotone leading
edge and move with a velocity larger than a critical value which depends on the
damping strength.Comment: 11 figure
Aspectos tĂ©cnico-ambientais da produção orgânica na regiĂŁo citrĂcola do Vale do Rio CaĂ, RS.
Há uma preocupação crescente sobre a necessidade de produção e consumo de alimentos mais saudáveis, sem uso de agrotĂłxicos nem fertilizantes sintĂ©tico-industriais. Neste contexto se insere a prática da agricultura orgânica, que, contudo, apresenta resultados ainda pouco avaliados nos meios acadĂŞmicos e cientĂficos. Assim, pretendeu-se nesta pesquisa diagnosticar aspectos tĂ©cnico-ambientais da produção orgânica na regiĂŁo citrĂcola do Vale do Rio CaĂ, no Rio Grande do Sul. Inicialmente, foram selecionadas propriedades de oito agricultores familiares, todas já convertidas ao sistema orgânico de produção, sendo aplicadas entrevistas semi-estruturadas. Os produtores mostram-se satisfeitos com o sistema orgânico de produção e revelam bom conhecimento sobre o ambiente, plantas, solos e processos agroecolĂłgicos, adquiridos atravĂ©s da participação em eventos tĂ©cnicos e em reuniões da Cooperativa Ecocitrus. A constante troca de experiĂŞncias entre esses agricultores tem melhorado sua qualificação tĂ©cnica, alĂ©m de melhor conscientizá-los nos aspectos polĂticos, econĂ´micos e sociais
Methane sources in gas hydrate-bearing cold-seeps : evidence from radiocarbon and stable isotopes
Author Posting. © The Author(s), 2009. This is the author's version of the work. It is posted here by permission of Elsevier B.V. for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Marine Chemistry 115 (2009): 102-109, doi:10.1016/j.marchem.2009.07.001.Fossil methane from the large and dynamic marine gas hydrate reservoir has the potential to influence oceanic and atmospheric carbon pools. However, natural radiocarbon (14C) measurements of gas hydrate methane have been extremely limited, and their use as a source and process indicator has not yet been systematically established. In this study, gas hydrate-bound and dissolved methane recovered from six geologically and geographically distinct high-gas-flux cold seeps was found to be 98 to 100% fossil based on its 14C content. Given this prevalence of fossil methane and the small contribution of gas hydrate (≤1%) to the present-day atmospheric methane flux, non-fossil contributions of gas hydrate methane to the atmosphere are not likely to be quantitatively significant. This conclusion is consistent with contemporary atmospheric methane budget calculations.
In combination with δ13C- and δD-methane measurements, we also determine the extent to which the low, but detectable, amounts of 14C (~ 1-2 percent modern carbon, pMC) in methane from two cold seeps might reflect in situ production from near-seafloor sediment organic carbon (SOC). A 14C mass balance approach using fossil methane and 14C-enriched SOC suggests that as much as 8 to 29% of hydrate-associated methane carbon may originate from SOC contained within the upper 6 meters of sediment. These findings validate the assumption of a predominantly fossil carbon source for marine gas hydrate, but also indicate that structural gas hydrate from at least certain cold seeps contains a component of methane produced during decomposition of non-fossil organic matter in near-surface sediment.This work was supported by the Office of Naval Research and Naval Research
Laboratory (NRL). Partial support was also provided by
the USGS Mendenhall Postdoctoral Research Fellowship Program to JWP, and NSF
Chemical Oceanography (OCE-0327423) and Integrated Carbon Cycle Research (EAR-
0403949) program support to JEB
Pattern formation in directional solidification under shear flow. I: Linear stability analysis and basic patterns
An asymptotic interface equation for directional solidification near the
absolute stabiliy limit is extended by a nonlocal term describing a shear flow
parallel to the interface. In the long-wave limit considered, the flow acts
destabilizing on a planar interface. Moreover, linear stability analysis
suggests that the morphology diagram is modified by the flow near the onset of
the Mullins-Sekerka instability. Via numerical analysis, the bifurcation
structure of the system is shown to change. Besides the known hexagonal cells,
structures consisting of stripes arise. Due to its symmetry-breaking
properties, the flow term induces a lateral drift of the whole pattern, once
the instability has become active. The drift velocity is measured numerically
and described analytically in the framework of a linear analysis. At large flow
strength, the linear description breaks down, which is accompanied by a
transition to flow-dominated morphologies, described in a companion paper.
Small and intermediate flows lead to increased order in the lattice structure
of the pattern, facilitating the elimination of defects. Locally oscillating
structures appear closer to the instability threshold with flow than without.Comment: 20 pages, Latex, accepted for Physical Review
The Southwest Pacific Ocean circulation and climate experiment (SPICE) : report to CLIVAR SSG
The Southwest Pacific Ocean Circulation and Climate Experiment (SPICE) is an international research program under the auspices of CLIVAR. The key objectives are to understand the Southwest Pacific Ocean circulation and the South Pacific Convergence Zone (SPCZ) dynamics, as well as their influence on regional and basin-scale climate patterns. South Pacific thermocline waters are transported in the westward flowing South Equatorial Current (SEC) toward Australia and Papua-New Guinea. On its way, the SEC encounters the numerous islands and straits of the Southwest Pacific and forms boundary currents and jets that eventually redistribute water to the equator and high latitudes. The transit in the Coral, Solomon, and Tasman Seas is of great importance to the climate system because changes in either the temperature or the amount of water arriving at the equator have the capability to modulate the El Nino-Southern Oscillation, while the southward transports influence the climate and biodiversity in the Tasman Sea. After 7 years of substantial in situ oceanic observational and modeling efforts, our understanding of the region has much improved. We have a refined description of the SPCZ behavior, boundary currents, pathways, and water mass transformation, including the previously undocumented Solomon Sea. The transports are large and vary substantially in a counter-intuitive way, with asymmetries and gating effects that depend on time scales. This paper provides a review of recent advancements and discusses our current knowledge gaps and important emerging research directions
Anthropogenic Space Weather
Anthropogenic effects on the space environment started in the late 19th
century and reached their peak in the 1960s when high-altitude nuclear
explosions were carried out by the USA and the Soviet Union. These explosions
created artificial radiation belts near Earth that resulted in major damages to
several satellites. Another, unexpected impact of the high-altitude nuclear
tests was the electromagnetic pulse (EMP) that can have devastating effects
over a large geographic area (as large as the continental United States). Other
anthropogenic impacts on the space environment include chemical release ex-
periments, high-frequency wave heating of the ionosphere and the interaction of
VLF waves with the radiation belts. This paper reviews the fundamental physical
process behind these phenomena and discusses the observations of their impacts.Comment: 71 pages, 35 figure
Effect of initial conditions on the speed of reaction-diffusion fronts
The effect of initial conditions on the speed of propagating fronts in reaction-diffusion equations is examined in the framework of the Hamilton-Jacobi theory. We study the transition between quenched and nonquenched fronts both analytically and numerically for parabolic and hyperbolic reaction diffusion. Nonhomogeneous media are also analyzed and the effect of algebraic initial conditions is also discussed
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