SOCIAL SCIENCE IN THE EXTENSION SERVICE

Teaching/Communication/Extension/Profession,

Fingerprints of Classical Instability in Open Quantum Dynamics

The dynamics near a hyperbolic point in phase space is modelled by an inverted harmonic oscillator. We investigate the effect of the classical instability on the open quantum dynamics of the oscillator, introduced through the interaction with a thermal bath, using both the survival probability function and the rate of von Neumann entropy increase, for large times. In this parameter range we prove, using influence functional techniques, that the survival probability function decreases exponentially at a rate, K', depending not only on the measure of instability in the model but also on the strength of interaction with the environment. We also show that K' determines the rate of von Neumann entropy increase and that this result is independent of the temperature of the environment. This generalises earlier results which are valid in the limit of vanishing dissipation. The validity of inferring similar rates of survival probability decrease and entropy increase for quantum chaotic systems is also discussed.Comment: 13 pages, to be published in Physical Review

Measuring the Effects of Artificial Viscosity in SPH Simulations of Rotating Fluid Flows

A commonly cited drawback of SPH is the introduction of spurious shear viscosity by the artificial viscosity term in situations involving rotation. Existing approaches for quantifying its effect include approximate analytic formulae and disc-averaged be- haviour in specific ring-spreading simulations, based on the kinematic effects produced by the artificial viscosity. These methods have disadvantages, in that they typically are applicable to a very small range of physical scenarios, have a large number of simplifying assumptions, and often are tied to specific SPH formulations which do not include corrective (e.g., Balsara) or time-dependent viscosity terms. In this study we have developed a simple, generally applicable and practical technique for evaluating the local effect of artificial viscosity directly from the creation of specific entropy for each SPH particle. This local approach is simple and quick to implement, and it al- lows a detailed characterization of viscous effects as a function of position. Several advantages of this method are discussed, including its ease in evaluation, its greater accuracy and its broad applicability. In order to compare this new method with ex- isting ones, simple disc flow examples are used. Even in these basic cases, the very roughly approximate nature of the previous methods is shown. Our local method pro- vides a detailed description of the effects of the artificial viscosity throughout the disc, even for extended examples which implement Balsara corrections. As a further use of this approach, explicit dependencies of the effective viscosity in terms of SPH and flow parameters are estimated from the example cases. In an appendix, a method for the initial placement of SPH particles is discussed which is very effective in reducing numerical fluctuations.Comment: 15 pages, 9 figures, resubmitted to MNRA

AN ECONOMETRIC ANALYSIS OF THE ECONOMIC CONTRIBUTION OF SUBTHERAPEUTIC ANTIBIOTIC USE IN PORK PRODUCTION

There is growing concern among public health experts regarding the diminishing efficacy of antimicrobial therapy in human and veterinary medicine, and some have called for a ban on subtherapeutic antibiotic use in pork production. This paper develops an econometric analysis to identify the economic contributions of subtherapeutic antibiotic use in swine production.Livestock Production/Industries,