1,350 research outputs found
Parametric ordering of complex systems
Cellular automata (CA) dynamics are ordered in terms of two global
parameters, computable {\sl a priori} from the description of rules. While one
of them (activity) has been used before, the second one is new; it estimates
the average sensitivity of rules to small configurational changes. For two
well-known families of rules, the Wolfram complexity Classes cluster
satisfactorily. The observed simultaneous occurrence of sharp and smooth
transitions from ordered to disordered dynamics in CA can be explained with the
two-parameter diagram
Electron-beam-induced shift in the apparent position of a pinned vortex in a thin superconducting film
When an electron beam strikes a superconducting thin film near a pinned
vortex, it locally increases the temperature-dependent London penetration depth
and perturbs the circulating supercurrent, thereby distorting the vortex's
magnetic field toward the heated spot. This phenomenon has been used to
visualize vortices pinned in SQUIDs using low-temperature scanning electron
microscopy. In this paper I develop a quantitative theory to calculate the
displacement of the vortex-generated magnetic-flux distribution as a function
of the distance of the beam spot from the vortex core. The results are
calculated using four different models for the spatial distribution of the
thermal power deposited by the electron beam.Comment: 9 pages, 6 figures, resubmitted to PRB with referee-suggested
revisions, includes new paragraph on numerical evaluatio
On the stability of standing matter waves in a trap
We discuss excited Bose-condensed states and find the criterion of dynamical
stability of a kink-wise state, i.e., a standing matter wave with one nodal
plane perpendicular to the axis of a cylindrical trap. The dynamical stability
requires a strong radial confinement corresponding to the radial frequency
larger than the mean-field interparticle interaction. We address the question
of thermodynamic instability related to the presence of excitations with
negative energy.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure
Phase Diagram of the First-Order Vortex-Core Transition in Superfluid 3He-B
The phase diagram of quantized vortices in 3He-B has been obtained with two techniques. Our NMR measurements show that magnetization displays a pressure-dependent first-order phase change at TV(P). Our gyroscopic experiments reveal a transition curve TG(P) which marks an abrupt change in the critical velocity. Both curves show a weak magnetic field dependence, run similarly in the (P, T) plane, and seem to mark the same vortex-core transition.Peer reviewe
Factors associated with the decision to investigate child protective services referrals: a systematic review
Background: Limited resources for child protection create challenging decision situations for child protective services (CPS) workers at the point of intake. A body of research has examined the factors associated with worker decisions and processes using a variety of methodological approaches to gain knowledge on decision-making. However, few attempts have been made to systematically review this literature.
Objective: As part of a larger project on decision-making at intake, this systematic review addressed the question of the factors associated with worker decisions to investigate alleged maltreatment referrals.
Methods: Quantitative studies that examined factors associated with screening decisions in CPS practice settings were included in the review. Database and other search methods were used to identify research published in English over a 35-year period (1980-2015).
Findings: Of 1,147 identified sources, 18 studies were selected for full data extraction. The studies were conducted in the U.S., Canada, and Sweden and varied in methodological quality. Most studies examined case factors with few studies examining other domains.
Conclusions: To inform CPS policy and practice, additional research is needed to examine the relationships between decision-making factors and case outcomes. Greater attention needs to be given to the organizational and external factors that influence decision-making
Shape deformations and angular momentum transfer in trapped Bose-Einstein condensates
Angular momentum can be transferred to a trapped Bose-Einstein condensate by
distorting its shape with an external rotating field, provided the rotational
frequency is larger than a critical frequency fixed by the energy and angular
momentum of the excited states of the system. By using the Gross-Pitaevskii
equation and sum rules, we explore the dependence of such a critical frequency
on the multipolarity of the excitations and the asymmetry of the confining
potential. We also discuss its possible relevance for vortex nucleation in
rotating traps.Comment: 4 pages revtex, 2 figures include
Nucleation of vortex arrays in rotating anisotropic Bose-Einstein condensates
The nucleation of vortices and the resulting structures of vortex arrays in
dilute, trapped, zero-temperature Bose-Einstein condensates are investigated
numerically. Vortices are generated by rotating a three-dimensional,
anisotropic harmonic atom trap. The condensate ground state is obtained by
propagating the Gross-Pitaevskii equation in imaginary time. Vortices first
appear at a rotation frequency significantly larger than the critical frequency
for vortex stabilization. This is consistent with a critical velocity mechanism
for vortex nucleation. At higher frequencies, the structures of the vortex
arrays are strongly influenced by trap geometry.Comment: 5 pages, two embedded figures. To appear in Phys. Rev. A (RC
Normal Modes of a Vortex in a Trapped Bose-Einstein Condensate
A hydrodynamic description is used to study the normal modes of a vortex in a
zero-temperature Bose-Einstein condensate. In the Thomas-Fermi (TF) limit, the
circulating superfluid velocity far from the vortex core provides a small
perturbation that splits the originally degenerate normal modes of a
vortex-free condensate. The relative frequency shifts are small in all cases
considered (they vanish for the lowest dipole mode with |m|=1), suggesting that
the vortex is stable. The Bogoliubov equations serve to verify the existence of
helical waves, similar to those of a vortex line in an unbounded weakly
interacting Bose gas. In the large-condensate (small-core) limit, the
condensate wave function reduces to that of a straight vortex in an unbounded
condensate; the corresponding Bogoliubov equations have no bound-state
solutions that are uniform along the symmetry axis and decay exponentially far
from the vortex core.Comment: 15 pages, REVTEX, 2 Postscript figures, to appear in Phys. Rev. A. We
have altered the material in Secs. 3B and 4 in connection with the normal
modes that have |m|=1. Our present treatment satisfies the condition that the
fundamental dipole mode of a condensate with (or without) a vortex should
have the bare frequency $\omega_\perp
Anomalous modes drive vortex dynamics in confined Bose-Einstein condensates
The dynamics of vortices in trapped Bose-Einstein condensates are
investigated both analytically and numerically. In axially symmetric traps, the
critical rotation frequency for the metastability of an isolated vortex
coincides with the largest vortex precession frequency (or anomalous mode) in
the Bogoliubov excitation spectrum. As the condensate becomes more elongated,
the number of anomalous modes increases. The largest frequency of these modes
exceeds both the thermodynamic critical frequency and the nucleation frequency
at which vortices are created dynamically. Thus, anomalous modes describe not
only the critical rotation frequency for creation of the first vortex in an
elongated condensate but also the vortex precession in a single-component
spherical condensate.Comment: 4 pages revtex, 3 embedded figure
Blood pressure variability and cardiovascular risk in the PROspective study of pravastatin in the elderly at risk (PROSPER)
Variability in blood pressure predicts cardiovascular disease in young- and middle-aged subjects, but relevant data for older individuals are sparse. We analysed data from the PROspective Study of Pravastatin in the Elderly at Risk (PROSPER) study of 5804 participants aged 70–82 years with a history of, or risk factors for cardiovascular disease. Visit-to-visit variability in blood pressure (standard deviation) was determined using a minimum of five measurements over 1 year; an inception cohort of 4819 subjects had subsequent in-trial 3 years follow-up; longer-term follow-up (mean 7.1 years) was available for 1808 subjects. Higher systolic blood pressure variability independently predicted long-term follow-up vascular and total mortality (hazard ratio per 5 mmHg increase in standard deviation of systolic blood pressure = 1.2, 95% confidence interval 1.1–1.4; hazard ratio 1.1, 95% confidence interval 1.1–1.2, respectively). Variability in diastolic blood pressure associated with increased risk for coronary events (hazard ratio 1.5, 95% confidence interval 1.2–1.8 for each 5 mmHg increase), heart failure hospitalisation (hazard ratio 1.4, 95% confidence interval 1.1–1.8) and vascular (hazard ratio 1.4, 95% confidence interval 1.1–1.7) and total mortality (hazard ratio 1.3, 95% confidence interval 1.1–1.5), all in long-term follow-up. Pulse pressure variability was associated with increased stroke risk (hazard ratio 1.2, 95% confidence interval 1.0–1.4 for each 5 mmHg increase), vascular mortality (hazard ratio 1.2, 95% confidence interval 1.0–1.3) and total mortality (hazard ratio 1.1, 95% confidence interval 1.0–1.2), all in long-term follow-up. All associations were independent of respective mean blood pressure levels, age, gender, in-trial treatment group (pravastatin or placebo) and prior vascular disease and cardiovascular disease risk factors. Our observations suggest variability in diastolic blood pressure is more strongly associated with vascular or total mortality than is systolic pressure variability in older high-risk subjects
- …