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Surface hydrology, sediment transport dynamics, and remote sensing of disturbed watersheds in a humid temperature region
The specific objectives of this research are to quantify relationships between surface spectral properties and infiltration capacity explore the interaction between surface hydrology and basin morphology, specifically drainage network morphology, and develop a comprehensive process-response model for drainage basin evolution. This research examines the response of the drainage network and drainage basin water discharge to changes in the dominant processes that control infiltration and runoff, namely macropore network development. Infiltration, the primary regulator of runoff, is analyzed with respect to surface spectral characteristics and drainage basin water discharge. Changes in basin discharge measured on a storm event basis in the field are supplemented with simulated discharge events using a distributed hydrologic model. The hydrologic model is evaluated and parameterized by means of a detailed sensitivity analysis. The response of drainage basin water discharge to charges in infiltration properties of minesoils, and the inferred runoff process, and drainage network morphology is examined. The threshold discharge, or stream power, for sediment entrainment and the implications for changes in sediment discharge through time is also discussed. Ritter and Gardner conclude with a process-response model for drainage basin evolution, with implications for natural drainage basin response to climate change. Finally, basic rainfall-runoff relationships developed will be applied to an empirical method for predicting discharge on reclaimed surface mines and compared to standard relationships presently used for discharge prediction. 17 refs., 6 figs., 2 tabs
On the Circular Orbit Approximation for Binary Compact Objects In General Relativity
One often-used approximation in the study of binary compact objects (i.e.,
black holes and neutron stars) in general relativity is the instantaneously
circular orbit assumption. This approximation has been used extensively, from
the calculation of innermost circular orbits to the construction of initial
data for numerical relativity calculations. While this assumption is
inconsistent with generic general relativistic astrophysical inspiral phenomena
where the dissipative effects of gravitational radiation cause the separation
of the compact objects to decrease in time, it is usually argued that the
timescale of this dissipation is much longer than the orbital timescale so that
the approximation of circular orbits is valid. Here, we quantitatively analyze
this approximation using a post-Newtonian approach that includes terms up to
order ({Gm/(rc^2)})^{9/2} for non-spinning particles. By calculating the
evolution of equal mass black hole / black hole binary systems starting with
circular orbit configurations and comparing them to the more astrophysically
relevant quasicircular solutions, we show that a minimum initial separation
corresponding to at least 6 (3.5) orbits before plunge is required in order to
bound the detection event loss rate in gravitational wave detectors to < 5%
(20%). In addition, we show that the detection event loss rate is > 95% for a
range of initial separations that include all modern calculations of the
innermost circular orbit (ICO).Comment: 10 pages, 12 figures, revtex
Interdisciplinary communication in the intensive care unit
Background. Patient safety research has shown poor communication among intensive care unit (ICU) nurses and doctors to be a common causal factor underlying critical incidents in intensive care. This study examines whether ICU doctors and nurses have a shared perception of interdisciplinary communication in the UK ICU. Methods. Cross-sectional survey of ICU nurses and doctors in four UK hospitals using a previously established measure of ICU interdisciplinary collaboration. Results. A sample of 48 doctors and 136 nurses (47% response rate) from four ICUs responded to the survey. Nurses and doctors were found to have differing perceptions of interdisciplinary communication, with nurses reporting lower levels of communication openness between nurses and doctors. Compared with senior doctors, trainee doctors also reported lower levels of communication openness between doctors. A regression path analysis revealed that communication openness among ICU team members predicted the degree to which individuals reported understanding their patient care goals (adjR2 = 0.17). It also showed that perceptions of the quality of unit leadership predicted open communication. Conclusions. Members of ICU teams have divergent perceptions of their communication with one another. Communication openness among team members is also associated with the degree to which they understand patient care goals. It is necessary to create an atmosphere where team members feel they can communicate openly without fear of reprisal or embarrassment
Random walks on finite lattice tubes
Exact results are obtained for random walks on finite lattice tubes with a
single source and absorbing lattice sites at the ends. Explicit formulae are
derived for the absorption probabilities at the ends and for the expectations
that a random walk will visit a particular lattice site before being absorbed.
Results are obtained for lattice tubes of arbitrary size and each of the
regular lattice types; square, triangular and honeycomb. The results include an
adjustable parameter to model the effects of strain, such as surface curvature,
on the surface diffusion. Results for the triangular lattice tubes and the
honeycomb lattice tubes model diffusion of adatoms on single walled zig-zag
carbon nano-tubes with open ends.Comment: 22 pages, 4 figure
Towards a Realistic Neutron Star Binary Inspiral: Initial Data and Multiple Orbit Evolution in Full General Relativity
This paper reports on our effort in modeling realistic astrophysical neutron
star binaries in general relativity. We analyze under what conditions the
conformally flat quasiequilibrium (CFQE) approach can generate
``astrophysically relevant'' initial data, by developing an analysis that
determines the violation of the CFQE approximation in the evolution of the
binary described by the full Einstein theory. We show that the CFQE assumptions
significantly violate the Einstein field equations for corotating neutron stars
at orbital separations nearly double that of the innermost stable circular
orbit (ISCO) separation, thus calling into question the astrophysical relevance
of the ISCO determined in the CFQE approach. With the need to start numerical
simulations at large orbital separation in mind, we push for stable and long
term integrations of the full Einstein equations for the binary neutron star
system. We demonstrate the stability of our numerical treatment and analyze the
stringent requirements on resolution and size of the computational domain for
an accurate simulation of the system.Comment: 22 pages, 18 figures, accepted to Phys. Rev.
Three-dimensional general relativistic hydrodynamics II: long-term dynamics of single relativistic stars
This is the second in a series of papers on the construction and validation
of a three-dimensional code for the solution of the coupled system of the
Einstein equations and of the general relativistic hydrodynamic equations, and
on the application of this code to problems in general relativistic
astrophysics. In particular, we report on the accuracy of our code in the
long-term dynamical evolution of relativistic stars and on some new physics
results obtained in the process of code testing. The tests involve single
non-rotating stars in stable equilibrium, non-rotating stars undergoing radial
and quadrupolar oscillations, non-rotating stars on the unstable branch of the
equilibrium configurations migrating to the stable branch, non-rotating stars
undergoing gravitational collapse to a black hole, and rapidly rotating stars
in stable equilibrium and undergoing quasi-radial oscillations. The numerical
evolutions have been carried out in full general relativity using different
types of polytropic equations of state using either the rest-mass density only,
or the rest-mass density and the internal energy as independent variables. New
variants of the spacetime evolution and new high resolution shock capturing
(HRSC) treatments based on Riemann solvers and slope limiters have been
implemented and the results compared with those obtained from previous methods.
Finally, we have obtained the first eigenfrequencies of rotating stars in full
general relativity and rapid rotation. A long standing problem, such
frequencies have not been obtained by other methods. Overall, and to the best
of our knowledge, the results presented in this paper represent the most
accurate long-term three-dimensional evolutions of relativistic stars available
to date.Comment: 19 pages, 17 figure
Computing gravitational waves from slightly nonspherical stellar collapse to black hole: Odd-parity perturbation
Nonspherical stellar collapse to a black hole is one of the most promising
gravitational wave sources for gravitational wave detectors. We numerically
study gravitational waves from a slightly nonspherical stellar collapse to a
black hole in linearized Einstein theory. We adopt a spherically collapsing
star as the zeroth-order solution and gravitational waves are computed using
perturbation theory on the spherical background. In this paper we focus on the
perturbation of odd-parity modes. Using the polytropic equations of state with
polytropic indices and 3, we qualitatively study gravitational waves
emitted during the collapse of neutron stars and supermassive stars to black
holes from a marginally stable equilibrium configuration. Since the matter
perturbation profiles can be chosen arbitrarily, we provide a few types for
them. For , the gravitational waveforms are mainly characterized by a
black hole quasinormal mode ringing, irrespective of perturbation profiles
given initially. However, for , the waveforms depend strongly on the
initial perturbation profiles. In other words, the gravitational waveforms
strongly depend on the stellar configuration and, in turn, on the ad hoc choice
of the functional form of the perturbation in the case of supermassive stars.Comment: 31 pages, accepted for publication in Phys. Rev. D, typos and minor
errors correcte
Trapping and cooling single atoms with far-off resonance intracavity doughnut modes
We investigate cooling and trapping of single atoms inside an optical cavity
using a quasi-resonant field and a far-off resonant mode of the Laguerre-Gauss
type. The far-off resonant doughnut mode provides an efficient trapping in the
case when it shifts the atomic internal ground and excited state in the same
way, which is particularly useful for quantum information applications of
cavity quantum electrodynamics (QED) systems. Long trapping times can be
achieved, as shown by full 3-D simulations of the quasi-classical motion inside
the resonator.Comment: 18 pages, 18 figures, RevTe
The impact on human health of car-related air pollution in the UK, 1995-2005
We have analysed the impact on human health of emissions produced by the UK car fleet in the years 1995
and 2005. Calculations were based on reported measurements of pollutant concentration, literature values of
exposure response coefficients and data for mortality and morbidity. A share was attributed to the car fleet
based on emissions data. Although the total distance driven in the UK increased by 16% over this period to
460 billion km, there was a significant fall in engine emissions as increasingly stringent regulations (EURO
standards) were introduced. As a result there was a decrease of some 25% in the number of deaths
attributable to car-related air pollution â down to 5589 in 2005. The estimated number of years of life lost at
65 000 (England and Wales) in 2005, was about half that caused by road accidents involving cars in the same
year. We report further calculations which show the effect of car-related pollution on hospital admissions.
Our method is straightforward, providing acceptable estimates for health impacts on the predominantly urban
population of the UK. There remains a need for more work, particularly cohort studies of morbidity, to
establish the long-term effects of air pollution
QED3 theory of underdoped high temperature superconductors
Low-energy theory of d-wave quasiparticles coupled to fluctuating vortex
loops that describes the loss of phase coherence in a two dimensional d-wave
superconductor at T=0 is derived. The theory has the form of 2+1 dimensional
quantum electrodynamics (QED3), and is proposed as an effective description of
the T=0 superconductor-insulator transition in underdoped cuprates. The
coupling constant ("charge") in this theory is proportional to the dual order
parameter of the XY model, which is assumed to be describing the quantum
fluctuations of the phase of the superconducting order parameter. The principal
result is that the destruction of phase coherence in d-wave superconductors
typically, and immediately, leads to antiferromagnetism. The transition can be
understood in terms of the spontaneous breaking of an approximate "chiral"
SU(2) symmetry, which may be discerned at low enough energies in the standard
d-wave superconductor. The mechanism of the symmetry breaking is analogous to
the dynamical mass generation in the QED3, with the "mass" here being
proportional to staggered magnetization. Other insulating phases that break
chiral symmetry include the translationally invariant "d+ip" and "d+is"
insulators, and various one dimensional charge-density and spin-density waves.
The theory offers an explanation for the rounded d-wave-like dispersion seen in
ARPES experiments on Ca2CuO2Cl2 (F. Ronning et. al., Science 282, 2067 (1998)).Comment: Revtex, 20 pages, 5 figures; this is a much extended follow-up to the
Phys. Rev. Lett. vol.88, 047006 (2002) (cond-mat/0110188); improved
presentation, many additional explanations, comments, and references added,
sec. IV rewritten. Final version, to appear in Phys. Rev.
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