2,075 research outputs found
Validity and Failure of the Boltzmann Weight
The dynamics and thermostatistics of a classical inertial XY model,
characterized by long-range interactions, are investigated on -dimensional
lattices ( and 3), through molecular dynamics. The interactions between
rotators decay with the distance like~ (), where and respectively correspond to the
nearest-neighbor and infinite-range interactions. We verify that the momenta
probability distributions are Maxwellians in the short-range regime, whereas
-Gaussians emerge in the long-range regime. Moreover, in this latter regime,
the individual energy probability distributions are characterized by long
tails, corresponding to -exponential functions. The present investigation
strongly indicates that, in the long-range regime, central properties fall out
of the scope of Boltzmann-Gibbs statistical mechanics, depending on and
through the ratio .Comment: 10 pages, 6 figures. To appear in EP
Where do winds come from? A new theory on how water vapor condensation influences atmospheric pressure and dynamics
Phase transitions of atmospheric water play a ubiquitous role in the Earth's
climate system, but their direct impact on atmospheric dynamics has escaped
wide attention. Here we examine and advance a theory as to how condensation
influences atmospheric pressure through the mass removal of water from the gas
phase with a simultaneous account of the latent heat release. Building from the
fundamental physical principles we show that condensation is associated with a
decline in air pressure in the lower atmosphere. This decline occurs up to a
certain height, which ranges from 3 to 4 km for surface temperatures from 10 to
30 deg C. We then estimate the horizontal pressure differences associated with
water vapor condensation and find that these are comparable in magnitude with
the pressure differences driving observed circulation patterns. The water vapor
delivered to the atmosphere via evaporation represents a store of potential
energy available to accelerate air and thus drive winds. Our estimates suggest
that the global mean power at which this potential energy is released by
condensation is around one per cent of the global solar power -- this is
similar to the known stationary dissipative power of general atmospheric
circulation. We conclude that condensation and evaporation merit attention as
major, if previously overlooked, factors in driving atmospheric dynamics
Heat engines and heat pumps in a hydrostatic atmosphere: How surface pressure and temperature constrain wind power output and circulation cell size
The kinetic energy budget of the atmosphere's meridional circulation cells is
analytically assessed. In the upper atmosphere kinetic energy generation grows
with increasing surface temperature difference \$\Delta T_s\$ between the cold
and warm ends of a circulation cell; in the lower atmosphere it declines. A
requirement that kinetic energy generation is positive in the lower atmosphere
limits the poleward cell extension \$L\$ of Hadley cells via a relationship
between \$\Delta T_s\$ and surface pressure difference \$\Delta p_s\$: an upper
limit exists when \$\Delta p_s\$ does not grow with increasing \$\Delta T_s\$.
This pattern is demonstrated here using monthly data from MERRA re-analysis.
Kinetic energy generation along air streamlines in the boundary layer does not
exceed \$40\$~J~mol\$^{-1}\$; it declines with growing \$L\$ and reaches zero
for the largest observed \$L\$ at 2~km height. The limited meridional cell size
necessitates the appearance of heat pumps -- circulation cells with negative
work output where the low-level air moves towards colder areas. These cells
consume the positive work output of the heat engines -- cells where the
low-level air moves towards the warmer areas -- and can in theory drive the
global efficiency of atmospheric circulation down to zero. Relative
contributions of \$\Delta p_s\$ and \$\Delta T_s\$ to kinetic energy generation
are evaluated: \$\Delta T_s\$ dominates in the upper atmosphere, while \$\Delta
p_s\$ dominates in the lower. Analysis and empirical evidence indicate that the
net kinetic power output on Earth is dominated by surface pressure gradients,
with minor net kinetic energy generation in the upper atmosphere. The role of
condensation in generating surface pressure gradients is discussed.Comment: 26 pages, 9 figures, 2 tables; re-organized presentation, more
discussion and a new figure (Fig. 4) added; in Fig. 3 the previously
invisible dots (observations) can now be see
Identificação das caracterÃsticas dos clientes associadas ao risco de crédito
O processo da tomada de decisão sobre a avaliação de uma solicitação de crédito comercial é por vezes difÃcil para o julgamento humano, devido à imensidão de variáveis que estão em jogo e das suas inter- relações. Neste artigo propomo-nos identificar as caracterÃsticas dos clientes associadas a alto e a baixo risco, com recurso a um modelo aplicacional. A partir de uma base de dados de um cartão de crédito, formada por variáveis de natureza qualitativa e quantitativa, ajustámos um modelo logit binário, com o objectivo de tornar o processo de decisão mais objectivo e quantificável. Em seguida, identificámos oito classes de risco através da aplicação de um método de classificação não hierárquica (K-means) sobre o vector da pontuação do modelo logit. Aferimos temporalmente o comportamento de cada classe de risco ao longo de 70 meses, verificando-se que probabilidades baixas de default estão associadas a classes de risco baixo. As caracterÃsticas dos clientes tipicamente associadas ao risco de crédito foram identificadas através de uma Análise Factorial das Correspondências
ELF Teaching in Portuguese Schools: The Not-so-good Old Days Are Back
With the aim of contributing to the comprehension of the changes that have recently been observed in Portuguese EFL school curriculum, this paper is a critical analysis of curricular factors that contribute to the challenges today’s EFL teachers face in schools. The data analysed comprise the documents published by national educational authorities (EFL learning outcomes) as well as the teachers’ examination test required to enter the EFL teaching profession. The educational principles underlying these documents, as well as the teaching practices they support and encourage, are compared to the principles and the methodological recommendations of previous, more progressive, Portuguese EFL syllabi. The methodological trends identified on the current EFL teaching panorama are also contrasted with the principles of the language teachers education programs taught at Portuguese universities
Comment on "The Tropospheric Land-Sea Warming Contrast as the Driver of Tropical Sea Level Pressure Changes" by Bayr and Dommenget
T Bayr and D Dommenget [J. Climate 26 (2013) 1387] proposed a model of
temperature-driven air redistribution to quantify the ratio between changes of
sea level pressure and mean tropospheric temperature in the
tropics. This model assumes that the height of the tropical troposphere is
isobaric. Here problems with this model are identified. A revised relationship
between and is derived governed by two parameters -- the isobaric
and isothermal heights -- rather than just one. Further insight is provided by
the model of R S Lindzen and S Nigam [J. Atmos. Sci. 44 (1987) 2418], which was
the first to use the concept of isobaric height to relate tropical to air
temperature, and did this by assuming that isobaric height is always around 3
km and isothermal height is likewise near constant. Observational data,
presented here, show that neither of these heights is spatially universal nor
do their mean values match previous assumptions. Analyses show that the ratio
of the long-term changes in and associated with land-sea
temperature contrasts in a warming climate -- the focus of Bayr and Dommenget
[2013] -- is in fact determined by the corresponding ratio of spatial
differences in the annual mean and . The latter ratio, reflecting
lower pressure at higher temperature in the tropics, is dominated by meridional
pressure and temperature differences rather than by land-sea contrasts.
Considerations of isobaric heights are shown to be unable to predict either
spatial or temporal variation in . As noted by Bayr and Dommenget [2013],
the role of moisture dynamics in generating sea level pressure variation
remains in need of further theoretical investigations.Comment: 26 pages, 11 figures. arXiv admin note: text overlap with
arXiv:1404.101
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