211 research outputs found
Collaboration in the Semantic Grid: a Basis for e-Learning
The CoAKTinG project aims to advance the state of the art in collaborative mediated spaces for the Semantic Grid. This paper presents an overview of the hypertext and knowledge based tools which have been deployed to augment existing collaborative environments, and the ontology which is used to exchange structure, promote enhanced process tracking, and aid navigation of resources before, after, and while a collaboration occurs. While the primary focus of the project has been supporting e-Science, this paper also explores the similarities and application of CoAKTinG technologies as part of a human-centred design approach to e-Learning
Single - particle correlations in events with the total disintegration of nuclei
New experimental data on the behaviour of the single-particle two-dimensional
correlation functions R versus Q (Q is the number of nucleons emitted from nuc-
lei) and Ap (Ap is the mass of projectile nuclei) are presented in this paper.
The interactions of protons, d, 4He and 12C nuclei with carbon nuclei (at a
momentum of 4.2 A GeV/c) are considered.The values of R are obtained separately
for pi minus mesons and protons.In so doing,the values of R are normalized so
that -1=<R=<1.The value of R=0 corresponds to the case of the absence of corre-
lations.It has been found that the Q- and Ap-dependence of R takes place only
for weak correlations (R< 0.3).In the main (90 %),these correlations are con-
nected with the variable pt and have a nonlinear character, that is the regi-
ons with different characters of the Q-dependence of R are separated: there is
a change of regimes in the Q-dependences of R.The correlations weaken with
increasing Ap, and the variable R gets the least values of all the considered
ones in 12CC interactions.Simultaneously with weakening the correlations in the
region of large Q, the character of the Q-dependence of R changes.Comment: 17 pages, submitted to Phys. Rew.
Thermal fluctuations in the interacting pion gas
We derive the two-particle fluctuation correlator in a thermal gas of
pi-mesons to the lowest order in an interaction due to a resonance exchange. A
diagrammatic technique is used. We discuss how this result can be applied to
event-by-event fluctuations in heavy-ion collisions, in particular, to search
for the critical point of QCD. As a practical example, we determine the shape
of the rapidity correlator.Comment: 12 pages, 4 figures, RevTe
The strange-quark chemical potential as an experimentally accessible "order parameter" of the deconfinement phase transition for finite baryon-density
We consider the change of the strange-quark chemical potential in the phase
diagram of nuclear matter, employing the Wilson loop and scalar quark
condensate order parameters, mass-scaled partition functions and enforcing
flavor conservation. Assuming the region beyond the hadronic phase to be
described by massive, correlated and interacting quarks, in the spirit of
lattice and effective QCD calculations, we find the strange-quark chemical
potential to change sign: from positive in the hadronic phase - to zero upon
deconfinement - to negative in the partonic domain. We propose this change in
the sign of the strange-quark chemical potential to be an experimentally
accessible order parameter and a unique, concise and well-defined indication of
the quark-deconfinement phase transition in nuclear matter.Comment: 22 pages, 14 figures within text, 2 figures(6,B3) as separate files.
To be published in J.Phys.G: Nucl.&Part.Phys. G28 (2002
Multiplicity Distributions and Rapidity Gaps
I examine the phenomenology of particle multiplicity distributions, with
special emphasis on the low multiplicities that are a background in the study
of rapidity gaps. In particular, I analyze the multiplicity distribution in a
rapidity interval between two jets, using the HERWIG QCD simulation with some
necessary modifications. The distribution is not of the negative binomial form,
and displays an anomalous enhancement at zero multiplicity. Some useful
mathematical tools for working with multiplicity distributions are presented.
It is demonstrated that ignoring particles with pt<0.2 has theoretical
advantages, in addition to being convenient experimentally.Comment: 24 pages, LaTeX, MSUHEP/94071
Overpopulation of in pp collisions: a way to distinguish statistical hadronization from string dynamics
The ratio originating from string decays is predicted
to be larger than unity in proton proton interactions at SPS energies (=160 GeV). The anti-omega dominance increases with decreasing beam energy.
This surprising behavior is caused by the combinatorics of quark-antiquark
production in small and low-mass strings. Since this behavior is not found in a
statistical description of hadron production in proton proton collisions, it
may serve as a key observable to probe the hadronization mechanism in such
collisions.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure
Charged Particle Production in Proton-, Deuteron-, Oxygen- and Sulphur-Nucleus Collisions at 200 GeV per Nucleon
The transverse momentum and rapidity distributions of net protons and
negatively charged hadrons have been measured for minimum bias proton-nucleus
and deuteron-gold interactions, as well as central oxygen-gold and
sulphur-nucleus collisions at 200 GeV per nucleon. The rapidity density of net
protons at midrapidity in central nucleus-nucleus collisions increases both
with target mass for sulphur projectiles and with the projectile mass for a
gold target. The shape of the rapidity distributions of net protons forward of
midrapidity for d+Au and central S+Au collisions is similar. The average
rapidity loss is larger than 2 units of rapidity for reactions with the gold
target. The transverse momentum spectra of net protons for all reactions can be
described by a thermal distribution with `temperatures' between 145 +- 11 MeV
(p+S interactions) and 244 +- 43 MeV (central S+Au collisions). The
multiplicity of negatively charged hadrons increases with the mass of the
colliding system. The shape of the transverse momentum spectra of negatively
charged hadrons changes from minimum bias p+p and p+S interactions to p+Au and
central nucleus-nucleus collisions. The mean transverse momentum is almost
constant in the vicinity of midrapidity and shows little variation with the
target and projectile masses. The average number of produced negatively charged
hadrons per participant baryon increases slightly from p+p, p+A to central
S+S,Ag collisions.Comment: 47 pages, submitted to Z. Phys.
Relativistic Heavy-Ion Physics: Experimental Overview
The field of relativistic heavy-ion physics is reviewed with emphasis on new
results and highlights from the first run of the Relativistic Heavy-Ion
Collider at BNL and the 15 year research programme at the SPS at CERN and the
AGS at BNL.Comment: 15 pages, 9 figures. Invited Talk at the Fourth International
Conference on Physics and Astrophysics of Quark Gluon Plasma, (ICPAQGP-2001)
Jaipur, India, November 26-30, 200
Experimental Study of the Shortest Reset Word of Random Automata
In this paper we describe an approach to finding the shortest reset word of a
finite synchronizing automaton by using a SAT solver. We use this approach to
perform an experimental study of the length of the shortest reset word of a
finite synchronizing automaton. The largest automata we considered had 100
states. The results of the experiments allow us to formulate a hypothesis that
the length of the shortest reset word of a random finite automaton with
states and 2 input letters with high probability is sublinear with respect to
and can be estimated as $1.95 n^{0.55}.
AORTIC VESSEL WALL PROPERTIES DURING 60 DAYS STRICT HEAD DOWN TILT BEDREST - PRELIMINARY RESULTS OF AGBRESA
Background
Changes in large artery properties including increased arterial compliance and increased carotid artery stiffness have been described after space flight. Altered vascular structure, which heralds cardiovascular risk, and reversible changes in vascular function could contribute to the response. Compared with previous studies, which did not reproduce these findings, AGBRESA applied strict -6° head-down bedrest (HDT) mimicking chronic cephalad fluid shifts in space. In this study, we assessed aortic vessel wall properties using state-of-the art imaging methods and pulse wave analysis and tested for possible protective effects of artificial gravity training.
Material and Methods
We present preliminary data from 12 healthy subjects (8 men, 4 women) obtained during baseline data collection 9-6 days before bedrest (BDC, supine position) and towards the end of two months head down tilt bedrest (MRI on day 56 and echocardiography on day 60 of HDT). Subjects were assigned to 30 minutes per day continuous short arm centrifugation (cAG), 6 times for 5 minutes interval short arm centrifugation, iAG), or a control group (ctr). We assessed aortic pulse wave velocity using oscillometric upper arm and thigh cuffs (PWV-2C, CardioCube, AIT, Vienna, Austria) and 4D-flow cardiac velocity encoded phase contrast magnetic resonance imaging (PWV-4D-MRI). We also measured area, area changes, and distensibility (AoD) of the ascending aorta by 2D-phase contrast cardiac MRI and arterial compliance (Ca) using transthoracic echocardiography.
Results
Mean aortic area increased in all subjects after 60 days head down tilt bedrest (5.3±0.7 vs. 5.8±0.7 cm², p<0.05). Stroke volume decreased from 94±13 to 84±10 ml (p<0.05) and pulse pressure from 56±11 to 46±9 mmHg (p<0.05) in part through reductions in stroke volume. The figure illustrates individual data on aortic properties (red diamonds = women). In contrast to the more consistent changes in aortic area, stroke volume, and pulse pressure, aortic distensibility, compliance, and pulse wave velocity responses show substantial inter-individual variability.
Conclusion
The important finding of our study is that 60 days strict head down bedrest elicit consistent changes in ascending aortic area, pulse pressure, and stroke volume. The resulting changes in vascular loading conditions likely confound vascular function measurements, both, in head down bedrest studies and in space
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