1,194 research outputs found
Microclimate and activity of the lizard Angolosaurus skoogi on a dune slipface
The lizard Angolosaurus skoogi inhabits the surface and subsurface environments of sand dunes of the northern Namib Desert. We have related posture, locomotion, and other aspects of surface activity to the microclimate prevailing above and below the surface. Globe temperature was the best microclimatic correlate of surface activity. From our analysis, we concluded that surface thermoregulatory behaviour of A. skoogi is facultative, and aimed at maintaining a body temperature compatible with foraging and other obligatory surface activities
Generalized Convexity and Inequalities
Let R+ = (0,infinity) and let M be the family of all mean values of two
numbers in R+ (some examples are the arithmetic, geometric, and harmonic
means). Given m1, m2 in M, we say that a function f : R+ to R+ is
(m1,m2)-convex if f(m1(x,y)) < or = m2(f(x),f(y)) for all x, y in R+ . The
usual convexity is the special case when both mean values are arithmetic means.
We study the dependence of (m1,m2)-convexity on m1 and m2 and give sufficient
conditions for (m1,m2)-convexity of functions defined by Maclaurin series. The
criteria involve the Maclaurin coefficients. Our results yield a class of new
inequalities for several special functions such as the Gaussian hypergeometric
function and a generalized Bessel function.Comment: 17 page
Plasticity and learning in a network of coupled phase oscillators
A generalized Kuramoto model of coupled phase oscillators with slowly varying
coupling matrix is studied. The dynamics of the coupling coefficients is driven
by the phase difference of pairs of oscillators in such a way that the coupling
strengthens for synchronized oscillators and weakens for non-synchronized
pairs. The system possesses a family of stable solutions corresponding to
synchronized clusters of different sizes. A particular cluster can be formed by
applying external driving at a given frequency to a group of oscillators. Once
established, the synchronized state is robust against noise and small
variations in natural frequencies. The phase differences between oscillators
within the synchronized cluster can be used for information storage and
retrieval.Comment: 10 page
Conformally symmetric vacuum solutions of the gravitational field equations in the brane-world models
A class of exact solutions of the gravitational field equations in the vacuum
on the brane are obtained by assuming the existence of a conformal Killing
vector field, with non-static and non-central symmetry. In this case the
general solution of the field equations can be obtained in a parametric form in
terms of the Bessel functions. The behavior of the basic physical parameters
describing the non-local effects generated by the gravitational field of the
bulk (dark radiation and dark pressure) is also considered in detail, and the
equation of state satisfied at infinity by these quantities is derived. As a
physical application of the obtained solutions we consider the behavior of the
angular velocity of a test particle moving in a stable circular orbit. The
tangential velocity of the particle is a monotonically increasing function of
the radial distance and, in the limit of large values of the radial coordinate,
tends to a constant value, which is independent on the parameters describing
the model. Therefore a brane geometry admitting a one-parameter group of
conformal motions may provide an explanation for the dynamics of the neutral
hydrogen clouds at large distances from the galactic center, which is usually
explained by postulating the existence of the dark matter.Comment: 15 pages, 5 figures, to appear in Annals of Physic
Selected nucleon form factors and a composite scalar diquark
A covariant, composite scalar diquark, Fadde'ev amplitude model for the
nucleon is used to calculate pseudoscalar, isoscalar- and isovector-vector,
axial-vector and scalar nucleon form factors. The last yields the nucleon
sigma-term and on-shell sigma-nucleon coupling. The calculated form factors are
soft, and the couplings are generally in good agreement with experiment and
other determinations. Elements in the dressed-quark-axial-vector vertex that
are not constrained by the Ward-Takahashi identity contribute ~20% to the
magnitude of g_A. The calculation of the nucleon sigma-term elucidates the only
unambiguous means of extrapolating meson-nucleon couplings off the meson
mass-shell.Comment: 12 pages, REVTEX, 5 figures, epsfi
Masses of ground and excited-state hadrons
We present the first Dyson-Schwinger equation calculation of the light hadron
spectrum that simultaneously correlates the masses of meson and baryon ground-
and excited-states within a single framework. At the core of our analysis is a
symmetry-preserving treatment of a vector-vector contact interaction. In
comparison with relevant quantities the
root-mean-square-relative-error/degree-of freedom is 13%. Notable amongst our
results is agreement between the computed baryon masses and the bare masses
employed in modern dynamical coupled-channels models of pion-nucleon reactions.
Our analysis provides insight into numerous aspects of baryon structure; e.g.,
relationships between the nucleon and Delta masses and those of the
dressed-quark and diquark correlations they contain.Comment: 25 pages, 7 figures, 4 table
Elevated serum ceruloplasmin levels are associated with higher impulsivity in people with Parkinson’s Disease
Background. Heightened impulsivity has been reported in a subset of people with Parkinson’s disease (PwP) and is considered a risk factor for the development of impulse control disorders (ICDs). However, at present, there are no recognised biochemical markers of heightened impulsivity. Objectives. To determine if ceruloplasmin, a serum marker involved in the regulation of iron and copper homeostasis, is associated with trait impulsivity in PwP. Methods. The study measured serum ceruloplasmin and impulsivity using the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale (BIS-11) in an Australian cohort of 214 PwP. Multivariate general linear models (GLMs) were used to identify whether higher serum ceruloplasmin levels (>75th percentile) were significantly predictive of BIS-11 scores. Results. Serum ceruloplasmin was higher in females with PD (p<0.001) and associated with MDS-UPDRS III, Hoehn and Yahr, and ACE-R scores (p<0.05). When correcting for covariates, higher serum ceruloplasmin concentrations were associated with the 2nd order nonplanning impulsivity and with the 1st order self-control and cognitive complexity impulsivity domains. Conclusions. Higher serum ceruloplasmin levels are independently associated with heightened nonplanning impulsivity in PwP. Thus, serum ceruloplasmin levels may have clinical utility as a marker for heightened impulsivity in PD
Relation Between Chiral Susceptibility and Solutions of Gap Equation in Nambu--Jona-Lasinio Model
We study the solutions of the gap equation, the thermodynamic potential and
the chiral susceptibility in and beyond the chiral limit at finite chemical
potential in the Nambu--Jona-Lasinio (NJL) model. We give an explicit relation
between the chiral susceptibility and the thermodynamic potential in the NJL
model. We find that the chiral susceptibility is a quantity being able to
represent the furcation of the solutions of the gap equation and the
concavo-convexity of the thermodynamic potential in NJL model. It indicates
that the chiral susceptibility can identify the stable state and the
possibility of the chiral phase transition in NJL model.Comment: 21 pages, 6 figures, misprints are correcte
Properties of a general quaternion-valued gradient operator and its applications to signal processing
The gradients of a quaternion-valued function are often required for quaternionic signal processing algorithms. The HR gradient operator provides a viable framework and has found a number of applications. However, the applications so far have been limited to mainly real-valued quaternion functions and linear quaternionvalued functions. To generalize the operator to nonlinear quaternion functions, we define a restricted version of the HR operator, which comes in two versions, the left and the right ones. We then present a detailed analysis of the properties of the operators, including several different product rules and chain rules. Using the new rules, we derive explicit expressions for the derivatives of a class of regular nonlinear quaternion-valued functions, and prove that the restricted HR gradients are consistent with the gradients in the real domain. As an application, the derivation of the least mean square algorithm and a nonlinear adaptive algorithm is provided. Simulation results based on vector sensor arrays are presented as an example to demonstrate the effectiveness of the quaternion-valued signal model and the derived signal processing algorithm
Large enhancement of deuteron polarization with frequency modulated microwaves
We report a large enhancement of 1.7 in deuteron polarization up to values of
0.6 due to frequency modulation of the polarizing microwaves in a two liters
polarized target using the method of dynamic nuclear polarization. This target
was used during a deep inelastic polarized muon-deuteron scattering experiment
at CERN. Measurements of the electron paramagnetic resonance absorption spectra
show that frequency modulation gives rise to additional microwave absorption in
the spectral wings. Although these results are not understood theoretically,
they may provide a useful testing ground for the deeper understanding of
dynamic nuclear polarization.Comment: 10 pages, including the figures coming in uuencoded compressed tar
files in poltar.uu, which also brings cernart.sty and crna12.sty files neede
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