6,078 research outputs found
Levy-Nearest-Neighbors Bak-Sneppen Model
We study a random neighbor version of the Bak-Sneppen model, where "nearest
neighbors" are chosen according to a probability distribution decaying as a
power-law of the distance from the active site, P(x) \sim |x-x_{ac
}|^{-\omega}. All the exponents characterizing the self-organized critical
state of this model depend on the exponent \omega. As \omega tends to 1 we
recover the usual random nearest neighbor version of the model. The pattern of
results obtained for a range of values of \omega is also compatible with the
results of simulations of the original BS model in high dimensions. Moreover,
our results suggest a critical dimension d_c=6 for the Bak-Sneppen model, in
contrast with previous claims.Comment: To appear on Phys. Rev. E, Rapid Communication
Critical wetting of a class of nonequilibrium interfaces: A mean-field picture
A self-consistent mean-field method is used to study critical wetting
transitions under nonequilibrium conditions by analyzing Kardar-Parisi-Zhang
(KPZ) interfaces in the presence of a bounding substrate. In the case of
positive KPZ nonlinearity a single (Gaussian) regime is found. On the contrary,
interfaces corresponding to negative nonlinearities lead to three different
regimes of critical behavior for the surface order-parameter: (i) a trivial
Gaussian regime, (ii) a weak-fluctuation regime with a trivially located
critical point and nontrivial exponents, and (iii) a highly non-trivial
strong-fluctuation regime, for which we provide a full solution by finding the
zeros of parabolic-cylinder functions. These analytical results are also
verified by solving numerically the self-consistent equation in each case.
Analogies with and differences from equilibrium critical wetting as well as
nonequilibrium complete wetting are also discussed.Comment: 11 pages, 2 figure
Benign Bilateral Adenomyoepithelioma of the Mammary Gland in a Ring-tailed Lemur (Lemur catta)
Naturally occurring mammary tumours are uncommon in prosimians. A 20-year-old female ring-tailed lemur (Lemur catta) developed bilateral enlargement of the mammary glands. Surgical removal revealed that both masses were comprised of multiple nodules and cystic areas that entirely replaced the normal glands. Histologically, a benign neoplastic biphasic cellular proliferation, composed of luminalâepithelial and basalâmyoepithelial components, was identified. Immunohistochemical analysis for expression of cytokeratin (CK) AE1/AE3, CK7, CK5 + 8, CK14, vimentin, p63 and 14-3-3Ï highlighted the biphasic nature of the neoplasm. A low mitotic count, low Ki67 labelling index, expression of oestrogen receptor-α, lack of expression of human epidermal growth factor receptor and a 3-year disease-free period without recurrence supported the benign nature of the tumour. Macroscopically, histologically and immunohistochemically this neoplasm resembled benign adenomyoepithelioma of the breast in women. This is the first complete report of a naturally occurring mammary tumour in a ring-tailed lemur
The Anisotropic Bak-Sneppen model
The Bak-Sneppen model is shown to fall into a different universality class with the introduction of a preferred direction, mirroring the situation in spin systems. This is first demonstrated by numerical simulations and subsequently confirmed by analysis of the multitrait version of the model, which admits exact solutions in the extremes of zero and maximal anisotropy. For intermediate anisotropies, we show that the spatiotemporal evolution of the avalanche has a power law `tail' which passes through the system for any non-zero anisotropy but remains fixed for the isotropic case, thus explaining the crossover in behaviour. Finally, we identify the maximally anisotropic model which is more tractable and yet more generally applicable than the isotropic system
An ultrahigh-speed digitizer for the Harvard College Observatory astronomical plates
A machine capable of digitizing two 8 inch by 10 inch (203 mm by 254 mm)
glass astrophotographic plates or a single 14 inch by 17 inch (356 mm by 432
mm) plate at a resolution of 11 microns per pixel or 2309 dots per inch (dpi)
in 92 seconds is described. The purpose of the machine is to digitize the
\~500,000 plate collection of the Harvard College Observatory in a five year
time frame. The digitization must meet the requirements for scientific work in
astrometry, photometry, and archival preservation of the plates. This paper
describes the requirements for and the design of the subsystems of the machine
that was developed specifically for this task.Comment: 12 pages, 9 figures, 1 table; presented at SPIE (July, 2006) and
published in Proceeding
Finite size effects in nonequilibrium wetting
Models with a nonequilibrium wetting transition display a transition also in
finite systems. This is different from nonequilibrium phase transitions into an
absorbing state, where the stationary state is the absorbing one for any value
of the control parameter in a finite system. In this paper, we study what kind
of transition takes place in finite systems of nonequilibrium wetting models.
By solving exactly a microscopic model with three and four sites and performing
numerical simulations we show that the phase transition taking place in a
finite system is characterized by the average interface height performing a
random walk at criticality and does not discriminate between the bounded-KPZ
classes and the bounded-EW class. We also study the finite size scaling of the
bKPZ universality classes, showing that it presents peculiar features in
comparison with other universality classes of nonequilibrium phase transitions.Comment: 14 pages, 6figures, major change
Radiation Damage Studies of Silicon Photomultipliers
We report on the measurement of the radiation hardness of silicon
photomultipliers (SiPMs) manufactured by
Fondazione Bruno Kessler in Italy (1 mm and 6.2 mm), Center of
Perspective Technology and Apparatus in Russia (1 mm and 4.4 mm), and
Hamamatsu Corporation in Japan (1 mm). The SiPMs were irradiated using a
beam of 212 MeV protons at Massachusetts General Hospital, receiving fluences
of up to protons per cm with the SiPMs at operating
voltage. Leakage currents were read continuously during the irradiation. The
delivery of the protons was paused periodically to record scope traces in
response to calibrated light pulses to monitor the gains, photon detection
efficiencies, and dark counts of the SiPMs. The leakage current and dark noise
are found to increase with fluence. Te leakage current is found to be
proportional to the mean square deviation of the noise distribution, indicating
the dark counts are due to increased random individual pixel activation, while
SiPMs remain fully functional as photon detectors. The SiPMs are found to
anneal at room temperature with a reduction in the leakage current by a factor
of 2 in about 100 days.Comment: 35 pages, 25 figure
Thin and thick cloud top height retrieval algorithm with the Infrared Camera and LIDAR of the JEM-EUSO Space Mission
The origin of cosmic rays have remained a mistery for more than a century.
JEM-EUSO is a pioneer space-based telescope that will be located at the
International Space Station (ISS) and its aim is to detect Ultra High Energy
Cosmic Rays (UHECR) and Extremely High Energy Cosmic Rays (EHECR) by observing
the atmosphere. Unlike ground-based telescopes, JEM-EUSO will observe from
upwards, and therefore, for a properly UHECR reconstruction under cloudy
conditions, a key element of JEM-EUSO is an Atmospheric Monitoring System
(AMS). This AMS consists of a space qualified bi-spectral Infrared Camera, that
will provide the cloud coverage and cloud top height in the JEM-EUSO Field of
View (FoV) and a LIDAR, that will measure the atmospheric optical depth in the
direction it has been shot. In this paper we will explain the effects of clouds
for the determination of the UHECR arrival direction. Moreover, since the cloud
top height retrieval is crucial to analyze the UHECR and EHECR events under
cloudy conditions, the retrieval algorithm that fulfills the technical
requierements of the Infrared Camera of JEM-EUSO to reconstruct the cloud top
height is presently reported.Comment: 5 pages, 6 figures, Atmohead Conference 201
Critical exponents of the anisotropic Bak-Sneppen model
We analyze the behavior of spatially anisotropic Bak-Sneppen model. We
demonstrate that a nontrivial relation between critical exponents tau and
mu=d/D, recently derived for the isotropic Bak-Sneppen model, holds for its
anisotropic version as well. For one-dimensional anisotropic Bak-Sneppen model
we derive a novel exact equation for the distribution of avalanche spatial
sizes, and extract the value gamma=2 for one of the critical exponents of the
model. Other critical exponents are then determined from previously known
exponent relations. Our results are in excellent agreement with Monte Carlo
simulations of the model as well as with direct numerical integration of the
new equation.Comment: 8 pages, three figures included with psfig, some rewriting, + extra
figure and table of exponent
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