412 research outputs found
Scale Invariance and Nonlinear Patterns of Human Activity
We investigate if known extrinsic and intrinsic factors fully account for the
complex features observed in recordings of human activity as measured from
forearm motion in subjects undergoing their regular daily routine. We
demonstrate that the apparently random forearm motion possesses previously
unrecognized dynamic patterns characterized by fractal and nonlinear dynamics.
These patterns are unaffected by changes in the average activity level, and
persist when the same subjects undergo time-isolation laboratory experiments
designed to account for the circadian phase and to control the known extrinsic
factors. We attribute these patterns to a novel intrinsic multi-scale dynamic
regulation of human activity.Comment: 4 pages, three figure
L-Edge Spectroscopy of Dilute, Radiation-Sensitive Systems Using a Transition-Edge-Sensor Array
We present X-ray absorption spectroscopy and resonant inelastic X-ray
scattering (RIXS) measurements on the iron L-edge of 0.5 mM aqueous
ferricyanide. These measurements demonstrate the ability of high-throughput
transition-edge-sensor (TES) spectrometers to access the rich soft X-ray
(100-2000eV) spectroscopy regime for dilute and radiation-sensitive samples.
Our low-concentration data are in agreement with high-concentration
measurements recorded by conventional grating-based spectrometers. These
results show that soft X-ray RIXS spectroscopy acquired by high-throughput TES
spectrometers can be used to study the local electronic structure of dilute
metal-centered complexes relevant to biology, chemistry and catalysis. In
particular, TES spectrometers have a unique ability to characterize frozen
solutions of radiation- and temperature-sensitive samples.Comment: 19 pages, 4 figure
Assembly of the Red Sequence in Infrared-Selected Galaxy Clusters from the IRAC Shallow Cluster Survey
We present results for the assembly and star formation histories of massive
(~L*) red sequence galaxies in 11 spectroscopically confirmed,
infrared-selected galaxy clusters at 1.0 < z < 1.5, the precursors to
present-day massive clusters with M ~ 10^15 M_sun. Using rest-frame optical
photometry, we investigate evolution in the color and scatter of the red
sequence galaxy population, comparing with models of possible star formation
histories. In contrast to studies of central cluster galaxies at lower redshift
(z < 1), these data are clearly inconsistent with the continued evolution of
stars formed and assembled primarily at a single, much-earlier time.
Specifically, we find that the colors of massive cluster galaxies at z = 1.5
imply that the bulk of star formation occurred at z ~ 3, whereas by z = 1 their
colors imply formation at z ~ 2; therefore these galaxies exhibit approximately
the same luminosity-weighted stellar age at 1 < z < 1.5. This likely reflects
star formation that occurs over an extended period, the effects of significant
progenitor bias, or both. Our results generally indicate that massive cluster
galaxy populations began forming a significant mass of stars at z >~ 4,
contained some red spheroids by z ~ 1.5, and were actively assembling much of
their final mass during 1 < z < 2 in the form of younger stars. Qualitatively,
the slopes of the cluster color-magnitude relations are consistent with no
significant evolution relative to local clusters.Comment: 24 pages, 9 figures, accepted to Ap
Assessing the cost of global biodiversity and conservation knowledge
Knowledge products comprise assessments of authoritative information supported by stan-dards, governance, quality control, data, tools, and capacity building mechanisms. Considerable resources are dedicated to developing and maintaining knowledge productsfor biodiversity conservation, and they are widely used to inform policy and advise decisionmakers and practitioners. However, the financial cost of delivering this information is largelyundocumented. We evaluated the costs and funding sources for developing and maintain-ing four global biodiversity and conservation knowledge products: The IUCN Red List ofThreatened Species, the IUCN Red List of Ecosystems, Protected Planet, and the WorldDatabase of Key Biodiversity Areas. These are secondary data sets, built on primary datacollected by extensive networks of expert contributors worldwide. We estimate that US116–204 million), plus 293 person-years of volunteer time (range: 278–308 person-years) valued at US12–16 million), were invested inthese four knowledge products between 1979 and 2013. More than half of this financingwas provided through philanthropy, and nearly three-quarters was spent on personnelcosts. The estimated annual cost of maintaining data and platforms for three of these knowl-edge products (excluding the IUCN Red List of Ecosystems for which annual costs were notpossible to estimate for 2013) is US6.2–6.7 million). We esti-mated that an additional US12 million. These costs are much lower than those tomaintain many other, similarly important, global knowledge products. Ensuring that biodi-versity and conservation knowledge products are sufficiently up to date, comprehensiveand accurate is fundamental to inform decision-making for biodiversity conservation andsustainable development. Thus, the development and implementation of plans for sustain-able long-term financing for them is critical
Kepler Flares II: The Temporal Morphology of White-Light Flares on GJ 1243
We present the largest sample of flares ever compiled for a single M dwarf,
the active M4 star GJ 1243. Over 6100 individual flare events, with energies
ranging from to erg, are found in 11 months of 1-minute
cadence data from Kepler. This sample is unique for its completeness and
dynamic range. We have developed automated tools for finding flares in
short-cadence Kepler light curves, and performed extensive validation and
classification of the sample by eye. From this pristine sample of flares we
generate a median flare template. This template shows that two exponential
cooling phases are present during the white-light flare decay, providing
fundamental constraints for models of flare physics. The template is also used
as a basis function to decompose complex multi-peaked flares, allowing us to
study the energy distribution of these events. Only a small number of flare
events are not well fit by our template. We find that complex, multi-peaked
flares occur in over 80% of flares with a duration of 50 minutes or greater.
The underlying distribution of flare durations for events 10 minutes and longer
appears to follow a broken power law. Our results support the idea that
sympathetic flaring may be responsible for some complex flare events.Comment: 12 pages, 9 figures, accepted for publication in Ap
- …