13,735 research outputs found
Female impersonation as an alternative reproductive strategy in giant cuttlefish
Out of all the animals, cephalopods possess an unrivalled ability to change their shape and body patterns. Our observations of giant cuttlefish (Sepia apama) suggest this ability has allowed them to evolve alternative mating strategies in which males can switch between the appearance of a female and that of a male in order to foil the guarding attempts of larger males. At a mass breeding aggregation in South Australia, we repeatedly observed single small males accompanying mating pairs. While doing so, the small male assumed the body shape and patterns of a female. Such males were never attacked by the larger mate-guarding male. On more than 20 occasions, when the larger male was distracted by another male intruder, these small males, previously indistinguishable from a female, were observed to change body pattern and behaviour to that of a male in mating display. These small males then attempted to mate with the female, often with success. This potential for dynamic sexual mimicry may have played a part in driving the evolution of the remarkable powers of colour and shape transformation which characterize the cephalopods
String effects and the distribution of the glue in mesons at finite temperature
The distribution of the gluon action density in mesonic systems is
investigated at finite temperature. The simulations are performed in quenched
QCD for two temperatures below the deconfinment phase. Unlike the gluonic
profiles displayed at T=0, the action density iso-surfaces display a
prolate-spheroid like shape. The curved width profile of the flux-tube is found
to be consistent with the prediction of the free Bosonic string model at large
distances.Comment: 14 pages,10 figure
Flow of nitrogen-pressurized Halon 1301 in fire extinguishing systems
Halon 1301 which is a halocarbon fire extinguishing agent (CBrF3) used by the U.S. Army for vehicle fire suppression is discussed. Halon 1301 is discharged under nitrogen pressure, and the Halon-nitrogen mixture is a two phase, two component mixture that obeys compressible fluid laws and exhibits choking effects. A computer model was developed to analyze the discharge of Halon and nitrogen from a storage bottle through pipes and nozzles. The model agrees well with data from Halon 1301 discharge tests. The discharge time depends mainly on nozzle area and pipe volume, for given initial conditions. Graphs were developed for estimating discharge times. A nozzle employing multiple concentric converging/diverging nozzles was developed which gave hemispherical coverage
Random division of an interval
The well-known relation between random division of an interval and the Poisson process is interpreted as a Laplace transformation. With the use of this interpretation a number of (in part known) results is derived very easily
‘‘There’s so much more to it than what I initially thought’’: Stepping into researchers’ shoes with a class activity in a first year psychology survey course
In psychology, it is widely agreed that research methods, although central to the discipline, are particularly challenging to learn and teach, particularly at introductory level. This pilot study explored the potential of embedding a student-conducted research activity in a one-semester undergraduate Introduction to Psychology survey course, with the aims of (a) engaging students with the topic of research methods; (b) developing students’ comprehension and application of research methods concepts; and (c) building students’ ability to link research with theory. The research activity explored shoe ownership, examining gender differences and relationships with age, and linking to theories of gender difference and of consumer identity. The process of carrying out the research and reflecting on it created a contextualized, active learning environment in which students themselves raised many issues that research methods lectures seek to cover. Students also wrote richer assignments than standard first year mid-term essay
Precision electromagnetic structure of decuplet baryons in the chiral regime
The electromagnetic properties of the baryon decuplet are calculated in
quenched QCD on a 20^3 x 40 lattice with a lattice spacing of 0.128 fm using
the fat-link irrelevant clover (FLIC) fermion action with quark masses
providing a pion mass as low as 300 MeV. Magnetic moments and charge radii are
extracted from the electric and magnetic form factors for each individual quark
sector. From these, the corresponding baryon properties are constructed. We
present results for the higher order moments of the spin-3/2 baryons, including
the electric quadrupole moment E2 and the magnetic octupole moment M3. The
world's first determination of a non-zero M3 form factor for the Delta baryon
is presented. With these results we provide a conclusive analysis which shows
that decuplet baryons are deformed. We compare the decuplet baryon results from
a similar lattice calculation of the octet baryons. We establish that the
environment sensitivity is far less pronounced in the case of the decuplet
baryons compared to that in the octet baryons. A surprising result is that the
charge radii of the decuplet baryons are generally smaller than that of the
octet baryons. The magnetic moment of the Delta^+ reveals a turn over in the
low quark mass region, making it smaller than the proton magnetic moment. These
results are consistent with the expectations of quenched chiral perturbation
theory. A similar turn over is also noticed in the magnetic moment of the
Sigma^*0, but not for Xi^* where only kaon loops can appear in quenched QCD.
The electric quadrupole moment of the Omega^- baryon is positive when the
negative charge factor is included, and is equal to 0.86 +- 0.12 x 10^-2 fm^2,
indicating an oblate shape.Comment: 30 pages, 32 figure
Performance of the Colorado wind-profiling network, part 1.5A
The Wave Propagation Laboratory (WPL) has operated a network of radar wind Profilers in Colorado for about 1 year. The network consists of four VHF (50-MHz) radars and a UHF (915-MHz) radar. The Platteville VHF radar was developed by the Aeronomy Laboratory (AL) and has been operated jointly by WPL and AL for several years. The other radars were installed between February and May 1983. Experiences with these radars and some general aspects of tropospheric wind measurements with Doppler radar are discussed
Extremality of Gaussian quantum states
We investigate Gaussian quantum states in view of their exceptional role
within the space of all continuous variables states. A general method for
deriving extremality results is provided and applied to entanglement measures,
secret key distillation and the classical capacity of Bosonic quantum channels.
We prove that for every given covariance matrix the distillable secret key rate
and the entanglement, if measured appropriately, are minimized by Gaussian
states. This result leads to a clearer picture of the validity of frequently
made Gaussian approximations. Moreover, it implies that Gaussian encodings are
optimal for the transmission of classical information through Bosonic channels,
if the capacity is additive.Comment: 4 page
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