1,051 research outputs found
Cryptic photosynthesis, Extrasolar planetary oxygen without a surface biological signature
On the Earth, photosynthetic organisms are responsible for the production of
virtually all of the oxygen in the atmosphere. On the land, vegetation reflects
in the visible, leading to a red edge that developed about 450 Myr ago and has
been proposed as a biosignature for life on extrasolar planets. However, in
many regions of the Earth, and particularly where surface conditions are
extreme, for example in hot and cold deserts, photosynthetic organisms can be
driven into and under substrates where light is still sufficient for
photosynthesis. These communities exhibit no detectable surface spectral
signature to indicate life. The same is true of the assemblages of
photosynthetic organisms at more than a few metres depth in water bodies. These
communities are widespread and dominate local photosynthetic productivity. We
review known cryptic photosynthetic communities and their productivity. We link
geomicrobiology with observational astronomy by calculating the disk-averaged
spectra of cryptic habitats and identifying detectable features on an exoplanet
dominated by such a biota. The hypothetical cryptic photosynthesis worlds
discussed here are Earth-analogs that show detectable atmospheric biomarkers
like our own planet, but do not exhibit a discernable biological surface
feature in the disc-averaged spectrum.Comment: 23 pages, 2 figures, Astrobiology (TBP) - updated Table 1, typo in
detectable O2 correcte
Quadratic BSDEs driven by a continuous martingale and application to utility maximization problem
In this paper, we study a class of quadratic Backward Stochastic Differential
Equations (BSDEs) which arises naturally when studying the problem of utility
maximization with portfolio constraints. We first establish existence and
uniqueness results for such BSDEs and then, we give an application to the
utility maximization problem. Three cases of utility functions will be
discussed: the exponential, power and logarithmic ones
Elimination Theory for Nonlinear Parameter Estimation
The work presented here exploits elimination theory (solving systems of polynomial equations in several variables) [1][2] to perform nonlinear parameter identification. In particular show how this technique can be used to estimate the rotor time constant and the stator resistance values of an induction machine. Although the example here is restricted to an induction machine, parameter estimation is applicable to many practical engineering problems. In [3], L. Ljung has outlined many of the challenges of nonlinear system identification as well as its particular importance for biological systems. In these types of problems, the model developed for analysis is typically a nonlinear state space model with unknown parameter values. The typical situation is that only a few of the state variables are measurable requiring that the system be reformulated as a nonlinear input-output model. In turn, resulting the nonlinear input-output model is almost always nonlinear in the parameters. Towards that end, differential algebra tools for analysis of nonlinear systems have been developed by Michel Fliess [4][5] and Diop [6]. Moreover, Ollivier [7] as well as Ljung and Glad [8] have developed the use of the characteristic set of an ideal as a tool for identification problems. The use of these differential algebraic methods for system identification have also been considered in [9], [10]. The focus of their research has been the determination of a priori identifiability of a given system model. However, as stated in [10], the development of an efficient algorithm using these differential algebraic techniques is still unknown. Here, in contrast, a method for which one can actually numerically obtain the numerical value of the parameters is presented. We also point out that [11] has also done work applying elimination theory to systems problems
Misdiagnosed and misunderstood’: Insights into rarer forms of dementia through a stepwise approach to co-constructed research poetry
This study investigated co-constructed research poetry as a way to understand the lived experiences of people affected by rarer dementia and as a means to use poetry to convey those experiences to healthcare professionals. Using mixed methods, 71 people living with rarer dementia and care-partners (stakeholders) contributed to co-constructing 27 poems with professional poets; stakeholders’ verbatim words were analysed with descriptive qualitative analysis. Stakeholders were also surveyed and interviewed about their participation. Healthcare professionals (n = 93) were surveyed to elicit their responses to learning through poetry and its acceptability as a learning tool. Poems conveyed a shared narrative of different aspects of lived experience, often owing to atypical symptoms, misunderstandings by professionals, lack of support pathways, and a continuous struggle to adapt. Stakeholder surveys indicated it was a valuable experience to both co-create and respond to the poems, whilst group interviews revealed people’s experiences of the research poetry were characterised by reflection on lived experience, curiosity and exploration. Healthcare professionals’ responses reinforced poetry’s capacity to stimulate cognitive and affective learning specific to rare dementia support and prompt both empathy and critical thinking in practice. As the largest poetry-based study that we are aware of, this novel accessible approach of creating group poems yielded substantial information about the experiences and needs of those affected by rarer dementia and how poetry can contribute to healthcare education and training
Exceptional collections and D-branes probing toric singularities
We demonstrate that a strongly exceptional collection on a singular toric
surface can be used to derive the gauge theory on a stack of D3-branes probing
the Calabi-Yau singularity caused by the surface shrinking to zero size. A
strongly exceptional collection, i.e., an ordered set of sheaves satisfying
special mapping properties, gives a convenient basis of D-branes. We find such
collections and analyze the gauge theories for weighted projective spaces, and
many of the Y^{p,q} and L^{p,q,r} spaces. In particular, we prove the strong
exceptionality for all p in the Y^{p,p-1} case, and similarly for the
Y^{p,p-2r} case.Comment: 49 pages, 6 figures; v2 refs added; v3 published versio
Students as co-creators of teaching approaches, course design and curricula: implications for academic developers
Within higher education, students’ voices are frequently overlooked in the design of teaching approaches, courses and curricula. In this paper we outline the theoretical background to arguments for including students as partners in pedagogical planning processes. We present examples where students have worked collaboratively in design processes along with the beneficial outcomes of these examples. Finally we focus on some of the implications and opportunities for academic developers of proposing collaborative approaches to pedagogical planning
The Local Bubble and Interstellar Material Near the Sun
The properties of interstellar matter (ISM) at the Sun are regulated by our
location with respect to the Local Bubble (LB) void in the ISM. The LB is
bounded by associations of massive stars and fossil supernovae that have
disrupted natal ISM and driven intermediate velocity ISM into the LB interior
void. The Sun is located in such a driven ISM parcel. The Local Fluff has a
bulk velocity of 19 km/s in the LSR, and an upwind direction towards the center
of the gas and dust ring formed by the Loop I supernova remnant interaction
with the LB. When the ram pressure of the LIC is included in the total LIC
pressure, and if magnetic thermal and cosmic ray pressures are similar, the LIC
appears to be in pressure equilibrium with the local hot bubble plasma.Comment: Proceedings of Symposium on the Composition of Matter, honoring
Johannes Geiss on the occasion of his 80th birthday. Space Science Reviews
(in press
Rings and bars: unmasking secular evolution of galaxies
Secular evolution gradually shapes galaxies by internal processes, in
contrast to early cosmological evolution which is more rapid. An important
driver of secular evolution is the flow of gas from the disk into the central
regions, often under the influence of a bar. In this paper, we review several
new observational results on bars and nuclear rings in galaxies. They show that
these components are intimately linked to each other, and to the properties of
their host galaxy. We briefly discuss how upcoming observations, e.g., imaging
from the Spitzer Survey of Stellar Structure in Galaxies (S4G), will lead to
significant further advances in this area of research.Comment: Invited review at "Galaxies and their Masks", celebrating Ken
Freeman's 70-th birthday, Sossusvlei, Namibia, April 2010. To be published by
Springer, New York, editors D.L. Block, K.C. Freeman, & I. Puerari; minor
change
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