335 research outputs found
Application of an automatic cloud tracking technique to Meteosat water vapor and infrared observations
The automatic cloud tracking system was applied to METEOSAT 6.7 micrometers water vapor measurements to learn whether the system can track the motions of water vapor patterns. Data for the midlatitudes, subtropics, and tropics were selected from a sequence of METEOSAT pictures for 25 April 1978. Trackable features in the water vapor patterns were identified using a clustering technique and the features were tracked by two different methods. In flat (low contrast) water vapor fields, the automatic motion computations were not reliable, but in areas where the water vapor fields contained small scale structure (such as in the vicinity of active weather phenomena) the computations were successful. Cloud motions were computed using METEOSAT infrared observations (including tropical convective systems and midlatitude jet stream cirrus)
Application of the SRI cloud-tracking technique to rapid-scan GOES observations
An automatic cloud tracking system was applied to multilayer clouds associated with severe storms. The method was tested using rapid scan observations of Hurricane Eloise obtained by the GOES satellite on 22 September 1975. Cloud tracking was performed using clustering based either on visible or infrared data. The clusters were tracked using two different techniques. The data of 4 km and 8 km resolution of the automatic system yielded comparable in accuracy and coverage to those obtained by NASA analysts using the Atmospheric and Oceanographic Information Processing System
Studies of vertical wind profiles at Cape Kennedy, Florida Final report
Vertical wind profiles spectral analysis and numerical wind forecasts at Cape Kenned
Rho-kinase inhibition blunts renal vasoconstriction induced by distinct signaling pathways in vivo
In addition to intracellular calcium, which activates myosin light chain (MLC) kinase, MLC phosphorylation and hence contraction is importantly regulated by MLC phosphatase (MLCP). Recent evidence suggests that distinct signaling cascades of vasoactive hormones interact with the Rho/Rho kinase (ROK) pathway, affecting the activity of MLCP. The present study measured the impact of ROK inhibition on vascular F-actin distribution and on vasoconstriction induced by activation/inhibition of distinct signaling pathways in vivo in the microcirculation of the split hydronephrotic rat kidney. Local application of the ROK inhibitors Y-27632 or HA-1077 induced marked dilation of pre- and postglomerular vessels. Activation of phospholipase C with the endothelin ET B agonist IRL 1620, inhibition of soluble guanylyl cyclase with 1H-[1,2,4]oxadiazolo-[4,3-a]quinoxalin-1-one (ODQ), or inhibition of adenylyl cyclase with the adenosine A1 agonist N6-cyclopentyladenosine (CPA) reduced glomerular blood flow (GBF) by about 50% through vasoconstriction at different vascular levels. ROK inhibition with Y-27632 or HA-1077, but not protein kinase C inhibition with Ro 31-8220, blunted ET B-induced vasoconstriction. Furthermore, the reduction of GBF and of vascular diameters in response to ODQ or CPA were abolished by pretreatment with Y-27632. ROK inhibitors prevented constriction of preglomerular vessels and of efferent arterioles with equal effectiveness. Confocal microscopy demonstrated that Y-27632 did not change F-actin content and distribution in renal vessels. The results suggest that ROK inhibition might be considered as a potent treatment of renal vasoconstriction, because it interferes with constriction induced by distinct signaling pathways in renal vessels without affecting F-actin structure
Lidar observations in relation to the atmospheric winds aloft
Laser radar observations of clear tropopause compared to other data on atmospheric winds alof
Classical Stability of the Galileon
We consider the classical equations of motion for a single Galileon field
with generic parameters in the presence of non-relativistic sources. We
introduce the concept of absolute stability of a theory: if one can show that a
field at a single point---like infinity for instance---in spacetime is stable,
then stability of the field over the rest of spacetime is guaranteed for any
positive energy source configuration. The Dvali-Gabadadze-Porrati (DGP) model
is stable in this manner, and previous studies of spherically symmetric
solutions suggest that certain classes of the single field Galileon (of which
the DGP model is a subclass) may have this property as well. We find, however,
that when general solutions are considered this is not the case. In fact, when
considering generic solutions there are no choices of free parameters in the
Galileon theory that will lead to absolute stability except the DGP choice. Our
analysis indicates that the DGP model is an exceptional choice among the large
class of possible single field Galileon theories. This implies that if general
solutions (non-spherically symmetric) exist they may be unstable. Given
astrophysical motivation for the Galileon, further investigation into these
unstable solutions may prove fruitful.Comment: 23 pages, 3 figure
Supersymmetric sound in fluids
We consider the hydrodynamics of supersymmetric fluids. Supersymmetry is
broken spontaneously and the low energy spectrum includes a fermionic massless
mode, the . We use two complementary approaches to describe
the system: First, we construct a generating functional from which we derive
the equations of motion of the fluid and of the phonino propagating through the
fluid. We write the form of the leading corrections in the derivative
expansion, and show that the so called diffusion terms in the supercurrent are
in fact not dissipative. Second, we use an effective field theory approach
which utilizes a non-linear realization of supersymmetry to analyze the
interactions between phoninos and phonons, and demonstrate the conservation of
entropy in ideal fluids. We comment on possible phenomenological consequences
for gravitino physics in the early universe.Comment: Modified introduction and discussion of diffusion terms in the
supercurren
Boundary Terms and Junction Conditions for Generalized Scalar-Tensor Theories
We compute the boundary terms and junction conditions for Horndeski's
panoptic class of scalar-tensor theories, and write the bulk and boundary
equations of motion in explicitly second order form. We consider a number of
special subclasses, including galileon theories, and present the corresponding
formulae. Our analysis opens up of the possibility of studying tunnelling
between vacua in generalized scalar-tensor theories, and braneworld dynamics.
The latter follows because our results are independent of spacetime dimension.Comment: 13 pages, Equation corrected. Thanks to Tsutomu Kobayashi for
informing us of the typ
Generalizing Galileons
The Galileons are a set of terms within four-dimensional effective field
theories, obeying symmetries that can be derived from the dynamics of a
3+1-dimensional flat brane embedded in a 5-dimensional Minkowski Bulk. These
theories have some intriguing properties, including freedom from ghosts and a
non-renormalization theorem that hints at possible applications in both
particle physics and cosmology. In this brief review article, we will summarize
our attempts over the last year to extend the Galileon idea in two important
ways. We will discuss the effective field theory construction arising from
co-dimension greater than one flat branes embedded in a flat background - the
multiGalileons - and we will then describe symmetric covariant versions of the
Galileons, more suitable for general cosmological applications. While all these
Galileons can be thought of as interesting four-dimensional field theories in
their own rights, the work described here may also make it easier to embed them
into string theory, with its multiple extra dimensions and more general
gravitational backgrounds.Comment: 16 pages; invited brief review article for a special issue of
Classical and Quantum Gravity. Submitted to CQ
The Imperfect Fluid behind Kinetic Gravity Braiding
We present a standard hydrodynamical description for non-canonical scalar
field theories with kinetic gravity braiding. In particular, this picture
applies to the simplest galileons and k-essence. The fluid variables not only
have a clear physical meaning but also drastically simplify the analysis of the
system. The fluid carries charges corresponding to shifts in field space. This
shift-charge current contains a spatial part responsible for diffusion of the
charges. Moreover, in the incompressible limit, the equation of motion becomes
the standard diffusion equation. The fluid is indeed imperfect because the
energy flows neither along the field gradient nor along the shift current. The
fluid has zero vorticity and is not dissipative: there is no entropy
production, the energy-momentum is exactly conserved, the temperature vanishes
and there is no shear viscosity. Still, in an expansion around a perfect fluid
one can identify terms which correct the pressure in the manner of bulk
viscosity. We close by formulating the non-trivial conditions for the
thermodynamic equilibrium of this imperfect fluid.Comment: 23 pages plus appendices. New version includes extended discussion on
diffusion and dynamics in alternative frames, as well as additional
references. v3 reflects version accepted for publication in JHEP: minor
comments added regarding suitability to numerical approache
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