2,605 research outputs found
The dynamics of apparent horizons in Robinson-Trautman spacetimes
We present an alternative scheme of finding apparent horizons based on
spectral methods applied to Robinson-Trautman spacetimes. We have considered
distinct initial data such as representing the spheroids of matter and the
head-on collision of two non-rotating black holes. The evolution of the
apparent horizon is presented. We have obtained in some cases a mass gap
between the final Bondi and apparent horizon masses, whose implications were
briefly commented in the light of the thermodynamics of black holes.Comment: 9 pages, 7 figure
The treatment of the infrared region in perturbative QCD
We discuss the contribution coming from the infrared region to NLO matrix
elements and/or coefficient functions of hard QCD processes. Strictly speaking,
this contribution is not known theoretically, since it is beyond perturbative
QCD. For DGLAP evolution all the infrared contributions are collected in the
phenomenological input parton distribution functions (PDFs), at some relatively
low scale Q_0; functions which are obtained from a fit to the `global' data.
However dimensional regularization sometimes produces a non-zero result coming
from the infrared region. Instead of this conventional regularization
treatment, we argue that the proper procedure is to first subtract from the NLO
matrix element the contribution already generated at the same order in \alpha_s
by the LO DGLAP splitting function convoluted with the LO matrix element. This
prescription eliminates the logarithmic infrared divergence, giving a
well-defined result which is consistent with the original idea that everything
below Q_0 is collected in the PDF input. We quantify the difference between the
proposed treatment and the conventional approach using low-mass Drell-Yan
production and deep inelastic electron-proton scattering as examples; and
discuss the potential impact on the `global' PDF analyses. We present arguments
to show that the difference cannot be regarded as simply the use of an
alternative factorization scheme.Comment: 15 pages, 5 figures, title changed, text considerably modified to
improve presentation, and discussion section enlarge
How citation boosts promote scientific paradigm shifts and Nobel Prizes
Nobel Prizes are commonly seen to be among the most prestigious achievements
of our times. Based on mining several million citations, we quantitatively
analyze the processes driving paradigm shifts in science. We find that
groundbreaking discoveries of Nobel Prize Laureates and other famous scientists
are not only acknowledged by many citations of their landmark papers.
Surprisingly, they also boost the citation rates of their previous
publications. Given that innovations must outcompete the rich-gets-richer
effect for scientific citations, it turns out that they can make their way only
through citation cascades. A quantitative analysis reveals how and why they
happen. Science appears to behave like a self-organized critical system, in
which citation cascades of all sizes occur, from continuous scientific progress
all the way up to scientific revolutions, which change the way we see our
world. Measuring the "boosting effect" of landmark papers, our analysis reveals
how new ideas and new players can make their way and finally triumph in a world
dominated by established paradigms. The underlying "boost factor" is also
useful to discover scientific breakthroughs and talents much earlier than
through classical citation analysis, which by now has become a widespread
method to measure scientific excellence, influencing scientific careers and the
distribution of research funds. Our findings reveal patterns of collective
social behavior, which are also interesting from an attention economics
perspective. Understanding the origin of scientific authority may therefore
ultimately help to explain, how social influence comes about and why the value
of goods depends so strongly on the attention they attract.Comment: 6 pages, 6 figure
Pathogenicity of two Pratylenchus coffeae populations from Brazil on coffee plants
There is limited information on the influence of Pratylenchus coffeae on the growth and development of coffee plants, in spite of the widespread occurrence of this nematode in coffee plantations. In addition, populations of P. coffeae vary in morphological and molecular features, as well as reproductive fitness and pathological potential. The objective of the present study was to compare the pathogenicity of two Brazilian P. coffeae populations, K-5 from Coffea arabica roots and M-2 from Aglaonema sp. roots, in terms of their influence on the plant growth and photosynthesis of Arabian coffee (C. arabica). Five experiments were conducted in controlled conditions, and the results demonstrated that K-5 is pathogenic on coffee, as it can reproduce and causes obvious damage on the plant. Moreover K-5 proved to be very virulent on Arabian coffee, considering its effects on seedling mortality, plant growth and photosynthesis. By contrast, M-2 was considered to be of low virulence, or even non-pathogenic, on coffee because it failed to reproduce. Thus, the results indicate that K-5 and M-2 may be distinct species, supporting the hypothesis of previous authors.9685385
Random Walks on Stochastic Temporal Networks
In the study of dynamical processes on networks, there has been intense focus
on network structure -- i.e., the arrangement of edges and their associated
weights -- but the effects of the temporal patterns of edges remains poorly
understood. In this chapter, we develop a mathematical framework for random
walks on temporal networks using an approach that provides a compromise between
abstract but unrealistic models and data-driven but non-mathematical
approaches. To do this, we introduce a stochastic model for temporal networks
in which we summarize the temporal and structural organization of a system
using a matrix of waiting-time distributions. We show that random walks on
stochastic temporal networks can be described exactly by an
integro-differential master equation and derive an analytical expression for
its asymptotic steady state. We also discuss how our work might be useful to
help build centrality measures for temporal networks.Comment: Chapter in Temporal Networks (Petter Holme and Jari Saramaki
editors). Springer. Berlin, Heidelberg 2013. The book chapter contains minor
corrections and modifications. This chapter is based on arXiv:1112.3324,
which contains additional calculations and numerical simulation
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