8,234 research outputs found
On the Numerical Dispersion of Electromagnetic Particle-In-Cell Code : Finite Grid Instability
The Particle-In-Cell (PIC) method is widely used in relativistic particle
beam and laser plasma modeling. However, the PIC method exhibits numerical
instabilities that can render unphysical simulation results or even destroy the
simulation. For electromagnetic relativistic beam and plasma modeling, the most
relevant numerical instabilities are the finite grid instability and the
numerical Cherenkov instability. We review the numerical dispersion relation of
the electromagnetic PIC algorithm to analyze the origin of these instabilities.
We rigorously derive the faithful 3D numerical dispersion of the PIC algorithm,
and then specialize to the Yee FDTD scheme. In particular, we account for the
manner in which the PIC algorithm updates and samples the fields and
distribution function. Temporal and spatial phase factors from solving
Maxwell's equations on the Yee grid with the leapfrog scheme are also
explicitly accounted for. Numerical solutions to the electrostatic-like modes
in the 1D dispersion relation for a cold drifting plasma are obtained for
parameters of interest. In the succeeding analysis, we investigate how the
finite grid instability arises from the interaction of the numerical 1D modes
admitted in the system and their aliases. The most significant interaction is
due critically to the correct represenation of the operators in the dispersion
relation. We obtain a simple analytic expression for the peak growth rate due
to this interaction.Comment: 25 pages, 6 figure
Children's construction task performance and spatial ability: controlling task complexity and predicting mathematics performance.
This paper presents a methodology to control construction task complexity and examined the relationships between construction performance and spatial and mathematical abilities in children. The study included three groups of children (N = 96); ages 7-8, 10-11, and 13-14 years. Each group constructed seven pre-specified objects. The study replicated and extended previous findings that indicated that the extent of component symmetry and variety, and the number of components for each object and available for selection, significantly predicted construction task difficulty. Results showed that this methodology is a valid and reliable technique for assessing and predicting construction play task difficulty. Furthermore, construction play performance predicted mathematical attainment independently of spatial ability
Predicting the size and probability of epidemics in a population with heterogeneous infectiousness and susceptibility
We analytically address disease outbreaks in large, random networks with
heterogeneous infectivity and susceptibility. The transmissibility
(the probability that infection of causes infection of ) depends on the
infectivity of and the susceptibility of . Initially a single node is
infected, following which a large-scale epidemic may or may not occur. We use a
generating function approach to study how heterogeneity affects the probability
that an epidemic occurs and, if one occurs, its attack rate (the fraction
infected). For fixed average transmissibility, we find upper and lower bounds
on these. An epidemic is most likely if infectivity is homogeneous and least
likely if the variance of infectivity is maximized. Similarly, the attack rate
is largest if susceptibility is homogeneous and smallest if the variance is
maximized. We further show that heterogeneity in infectious period is
important, contrary to assumptions of previous studies. We confirm our
theoretical predictions by simulation. Our results have implications for
control strategy design and identification of populations at higher risk from
an epidemic.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures. Submitted to Physical Review Letter
Plants regenerated from tissue culture contain stable epigenome changes in rice.
Most transgenic crops are produced through tissue culture. The impact of utilizing such methods on the plant epigenome is poorly understood. Here we generated whole-genome, single-nucleotide resolution maps of DNA methylation in several regenerated rice lines. We found that all tested regenerated plants had significant losses of methylation compared to non-regenerated plants. Loss of methylation was largely stable across generations, and certain sites in the genome were particularly susceptible to loss of methylation. Loss of methylation at promoters was associated with deregulated expression of protein-coding genes. Analyses of callus and untransformed plants regenerated from callus indicated that loss of methylation is stochastically induced at the tissue culture step. These changes in methylation may explain a component of somaclonal variation, a phenomenon in which plants derived from tissue culture manifest phenotypic variability. DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.00354.001
Comparison of two computer codes for crack growth analysis: NASCRAC versus NASA/FLAGRO
The service life calculations of two computer codes, NASCRAC and NASA/FLAGRO, are compared. The analysis technique is based on linear elastic fracture mechanics (LEFM), in which stresses remain below the yield strength of an elastic/plastic material. To perform service life calculations, a relationship expressing incremental crack growth, DA/DN, as a function of loading, geometry, and material properties is necessary. Load and geometry are expressed in terms of the cyclic stress intensity factor, delta K. The crack growth rate as a function of delta K is then determined by material tests, plotting DA/DN versus delta K for the given material, loading condition, and environment. Crack growth rate equations such as the Paris, Walker, and modified Forman equations are used to obtain a best fit curve to the laboratory DA/DN versus delta K data
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