196 research outputs found
Langevin dynamics with a tilted periodic potential
We study a Langevin equation for a particle moving in a periodic potential in
the presence of viscosity and subject to a further external field
. For a suitable choice of the parameters and the
related deterministic dynamics yields heteroclinic orbits. In such a regime, in
absence of stochastic noise both confined and unbounded orbits coexist. We
prove that, with the inclusion of an arbitrarly small noise only the confined
orbits survive in a sub-exponential time scale.Comment: 38 pages, 6 figure
Universal features of the order-parameter fluctuations : reversible and irreversible aggregation
We discuss the universal scaling laws of order parameter fluctuations in any
system in which the second-order critical behaviour can be identified. These
scaling laws can be derived rigorously for equilibrium systems when combined
with the finite-size scaling analysis. The relation between order parameter,
criticality and scaling law of fluctuations has been established and the
connexion between the scaling function and the critical exponents has been
found. We give examples in out-of-equilibrium aggregation models such as the
Smoluchowski kinetic equations, or of at-equilibrium Ising and percolation
models.Comment: 19 pages, 10 figure
Geographic Clustering of Leishmaniasis in Northeastern Brazil1
Different forms of this disease are spreading rapidly in distinct geographic clusters in this region
TendĂȘncia genĂ©tica para a produção de leite e de gordura em rebanhos da raça Holandesa no Estado de Minas Gerais
Exceptional skull of huayqueriana (mammalia, litopterna, macraucheniidae) from the late miocene of Argentina: Anatomy, systematics, and peleobiological implications
The HuayquerĂas Formation (Late Miocene, Huayquerian SALMA) is broadly exposed in westcentral Argentina (Mendoza). The target of several major paleontological expeditions in the first half of the 20th century, the Mendozan HuayquerĂas (badlands) have recently yielded a significant number of new fossil finds. In this contribution we describe a complete skull (IANIGLA-PV 29) and place it systematically as Huayqueriana cf. H. cristata (Rovereto, 1914) (Litopterna, Macraucheniidae). The specimen shares some nonexclusive features with H. cristata (similar size, rostral border of the orbit almost level with distal border of M3, convergence of maxillary bones at the level of the P3/P4 embrasure, flat snout, very protruding orbits, round outline of premaxillary area in palatal view, and small diastemata between I3/C and C/P1). Other differences (e.g., lack of sagittal crest) may or may not represent intraspecific variation. In addition to other features described here, endocast reconstruction utilizing computer tomography (CT) revealed the presence of a derived position of the orbitotemporal canal running below the rhinal fissure along the lateroventral aspect of the piriform lobe. CT scanning also established that the maxillary nerve (CN V2) leaves the skull through the sphenoorbital fissure, as in all other litopterns, a point previously contested for macraucheniids. The angle between the lateral semicircular canal and the plane of the base of the skull is about 26°, indicating that in life the head was oriented much as in modern horses. Depending on the variables used, estimates of the body mass of IANIGLA-PV 29 produced somewhat conflicting results. Our preferred body mass estimate is 250 kg, based on the centroid size of 36 3D cranial landmarks and accompanying low prediction error. The advanced degree of tooth wear in IANIGLA-PV 29 implies that the individual died well into old age. However, a count of cementum lines on the sectioned left M2 is consistent with an age at death of 10 or 11 years, younger than expected given its body mass. This suggests that the animal had a very abrasive diet. Phylogenetic analysis failed to resolve the position of IANIGLA-PV 29 satisfactorily, a result possibly influenced by intraspecific variation. There is no decisive evidence for the proposition that Huayqueriana, or any other litoptern, were foregut fermenters.Fil: Forasiepi, Analia Marta. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones CientĂficas y TĂ©cnicas. Centro CientĂfico TecnolĂłgico Conicet - Mendoza. Instituto Argentino de NivologĂa, GlaciologĂa y Ciencias Ambientales. Provincia de Mendoza. Instituto Argentino de NivologĂa, GlaciologĂa y Ciencias Ambientales. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Instituto Argentino de NivologĂa, GlaciologĂa y Ciencias Ambientales; ArgentinaFil: MacPhee, Ross D. E.. American Museum Of Natural History; Estados UnidosFil: HernĂĄndez del Pino, Santiago Ezequiel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones CientĂficas y TĂ©cnicas. Centro CientĂfico TecnolĂłgico Conicet - Mendoza. Instituto Argentino de NivologĂa, GlaciologĂa y Ciencias Ambientales. Provincia de Mendoza. Instituto Argentino de NivologĂa, GlaciologĂa y Ciencias Ambientales. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Instituto Argentino de NivologĂa, GlaciologĂa y Ciencias Ambientales; ArgentinaFil: Schmidt, Gabriela Ines. Provincia de Entre RĂos. Centro de Investigaciones CientĂficas y Transferencia de TecnologĂa a la ProducciĂłn. Universidad AutĂłnoma de Entre RĂos. Centro de Investigaciones CientĂficas y Transferencia de TecnologĂa a la ProducciĂłn. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones CientĂficas y TĂ©cnicas. Centro CientĂfico TecnolĂłgico Conicet - Santa Fe. Centro de Investigaciones CientĂficas y Transferencia de TecnologĂa a la ProducciĂłn; ArgentinaFil: Amson, Eli. Universitat Zurich; SuizaFil: GrohĂ©, Camille. American Museum Of Natural History; Estados Unido
Transporte de compostos nitrogenados em soja cultivada com diferentes fontes de nitrogĂȘnio
The evolution of language: a comparative review
For many years the evolution of language has been seen as a disreputable topic, mired in fanciful "just so stories" about language origins. However, in the last decade a new synthesis of modern linguistics, cognitive neuroscience and neo-Darwinian evolutionary theory has begun to make important contributions to our understanding of the biology and evolution of language. I review some of this recent progress, focusing on the value of the comparative method, which uses data from animal species to draw inferences about language evolution. Discussing speech first, I show how data concerning a wide variety of species, from monkeys to birds, can increase our understanding of the anatomical and neural mechanisms underlying human spoken language, and how bird and whale song provide insights into the ultimate evolutionary function of language. I discuss the ââdescended larynxâ â of humans, a peculiar adaptation for speech that has received much attention in the past, which despite earlier claims is not uniquely human. Then I will turn to the neural mechanisms underlying spoken language, pointing out the difficulties animals apparently experience in perceiving hierarchical structure in sounds, and stressing the importance of vocal imitation in the evolution of a spoken language. Turning to ultimate function, I suggest that communication among kin (especially between parents and offspring) played a crucial but neglected role in driving language evolution. Finally, I briefly discuss phylogeny, discussing hypotheses that offer plausible routes to human language from a non-linguistic chimp-like ancestor. I conclude that comparative data from living animals will be key to developing a richer, more interdisciplinary understanding of our most distinctively human trait: language
ECOLOGICAL AND FUNCTIONAL CLUSTERING OF FORESTAL SPECIES IN THE SOUTH WESTERN AMAZONIA
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