766 research outputs found
Sign-time distribution for a random walker with a drifting boundary
We present a derivation of the exact sign-time distribution for a random
walker in the presence of a boundary moving with constant velocity.Comment: 5 page
Critical dimensions of the diffusion equation
We study the evolution of a random initial field under pure diffusion in
various space dimensions. From numerical calculations we find that the
persistence properties of the system show sharp transitions at critical
dimensions d1 ~ 26 and d2 ~ 46. We also give refined measurements of the
persistence exponents for low dimensions.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figure
Mathematics difficulties in extremely preterm children : evidence of a specific deficit in basic mathematics processing
Background:
Extremely preterm (EP, <26 wk gestation) children have been observed to have poor academic achievement in comparison to their term-born peers, especially in mathematics. This study investigated potential underlying causes of this difficulty.
Methods:
A total of 219 EP participants were compared with 153 term-born control children at 11 y of age. All children were assessed by a psychologist on a battery of standardized cognitive tests and a number estimation test assessing children’s numerical representations.
Results:
EP children underperformed in all tests in comparison with the term controls (the majority of Ps < 0.001). Different underlying relationships between performance on the number estimation test and mathematical achievement were found in EP as compared with control children. That is, even after controlling for cognitive ability, a relationship between number representations and mathematical performance persisted for EP children only (EP: r = 0.346, n = 186, P < 0.001; control: r = 0.095, n = 146, P = 0.256).
Conclusion:
Interventions for EP children may target improving children’s numerical representations in order to subsequently remediate their mathematical skills
Gravity-mode period spacings as seismic diagnostic for a sample of gamma Doradus stars from Kepler space photometry and high-resolution ground-based spectroscopy
Gamma Doradus stars (hereafter gamma Dor stars) are gravity-mode pulsators of
spectral type A or F. Such modes probe the deep stellar interior, offering a
detailed fingerprint of their structure. Four-year high-precision space-based
Kepler photometry of gamma Dor stars has become available, allowing us to study
these stars with unprecedented detail. We selected, analysed, and characterized
a sample of 67 gamma Dor stars for which we have Kepler observations available.
For all the targets in the sample we assembled high-resolution spectroscopy to
confirm their F-type nature. We found fourteen binaries, among which four
single-lined binaries, five double-lined binaries, two triple systems and three
binaries with no detected radial velocity variations. We estimated the orbital
parameters whenever possible. For the single stars and the single-lined
binaries, fundamental parameter values were determined from spectroscopy. We
searched for period spacing patterns in the photometric data and identified
this diagnostic for 50 of the stars in the sample, 46 of which are single stars
or single-lined binaries. We found a strong correlation between the
spectroscopic vsini and the period spacing values, confirming the influence of
rotation on gamma Dor-type pulsations as predicted by theory. We also found
relations between the dominant g-mode frequency, the longest pulsation period
detected in series of prograde modes, vsini, and log Teff.Comment: 61 pages, 61 figures, 6 tables, accepted for publication in ApJ
Short-term health effects in the general population following a major train accident with acrylonitrile in Belgium
Background: Following a train derailment, several tons of acrylonitrile (ACN) exploded, inflamed and part of the ACN ended up in the sewage system of the village of Wetteren. More than 2000 residents living in the close vicinity of the accident and along the sewage system were evacuated. A human biomonitoring study of the adduct N-2-cyanoethylvaline (CEV) was carried out days 14-21 after the accident.
Objectives: (1) To describe the short-term health effects that were reported by the evacuated residents following the train accident, and (2) to explore the association between the CEV concentrations, extrapolated at the time of the accident, and the self-reported short-term health effects.
Methods: Short-term health effects were reported in a questionnaire (n=191). An omnibus test of independence was used to investigate the association between the CEV concentrations and the symptoms. Dose-response relationships were quantified by Generalized Additive Models (GAMs).
Results: The most frequently reported symptoms were local symptoms of irritation. In non-smokers, dose-dependency was observed between the CEV levels and the self-reporting of irritation (p=0.007) and nausea (p=0.007). Almost all non-smokers with CEV concentrations above 100 pmol/g globin reported irritation symptoms. Both absence and presence of symptoms was reported by non-smokers with CEV concentrations below the reference value and up to 10 times the reference value. Residents who visited the emergency services reported more symptoms. This trend was seen for the whole range of CEV concentrations, and thus independently of the dose.
Discussion and conclusion: The present study is one of the first to relate exposure levels to a chemical released during a chemical incident to short-term (self-reported) health effects. A dose-response relation was observed between the CEV concentrations and the reporting of short-term health effects in the non-smokers. Overall, the value of self-reported symptoms to assess exposure showed to be limited. The results of this study confirm that a critical view should be taken when considering self-reported health complaints and that ideally biomarkers are monitored to allow an objective assessment of exposure
A search for pulsations in the HgMn star HD 45975 with CoRoT photometry and ground-based spectroscopy
The existence of pulsations in HgMn stars is still being debated. To provide
the first unambiguous observational detection of pulsations in this class of
chemically peculiar objects, the bright star HD 45975 was monitored for nearly
two months by the CoRoT satellite. Independent analyses of the light curve
provides evidence of monoperiodic variations with a frequency of 0.7572 c/d and
a peak-to-peak amplitude of ~2800 ppm. Multisite, ground-based spectroscopic
observations overlapping the CoRoT observations show the star to be a
long-period, single-lined binary. Furthermore, with the notable exception of
mercury, they reveal the same periodicity as in photometry in the line moments
of chemical species exhibiting strong overabundances (e.g., Mn and Y). In
contrast, lines of other elements do not show significant variations. As found
in other HgMn stars, the pattern of variability consists in an absorption bump
moving redwards across the line profiles. We argue that the photometric and
spectroscopic changes are more consistent with an interpretation in terms of
rotational modulation of spots at the stellar surface. In this framework, the
existence of pulsations producing photometric variations above the ~50 ppm
level is unlikely in HD 45975. This provides strong constraints on the
excitation/damping of pulsation modes in this HgMn star.Comment: Accepted for publication in A&A, 14 pages, 15 colour figures (revised
version after language editing
Analytical results for generalized persistence properties of smooth processes
We present a general scheme to calculate within the independent interval
approximation generalized (level-dependent) persistence properties for
processes having a finite density of zero-crossings. Our results are especially
relevant for the diffusion equation evolving from random initial conditions,
one of the simplest coarsening systems. Exact results are obtained in certain
limits, and rely on a new method to deal with constrained multiplicative
processes. An excellent agreement of our analytical predictions with direct
numerical simulations of the diffusion equation is found.Comment: 21 pages, 4 figures, to appear in Journal of Physics
Large-Deviation Functions for Nonlinear Functionals of a Gaussian Stationary Markov Process
We introduce a general method, based on a mapping onto quantum mechanics, for
investigating the large-T limit of the distribution P(r,T) of the nonlinear
functional r[V] = (1/T)\int_0^T dT' V[X(T')], where V(X) is an arbitrary
function of the stationary Gaussian Markov process X(T). For T tending to
infinity at fixed r we find that P(r,T) behaves as exp[-theta(r) T], where
theta(r) is a large deviation function. We present explicit results for a
number of special cases, including the case V(X) = X \theta(X) which is related
to the cooling and the heating degree days relevant to weather derivatives.Comment: 8 page
Notch signaling during human T cell development
Notch signaling is critical during multiple stages of T cell development in both mouse and human. Evidence has emerged in recent years that this pathway might regulate T-lineage differentiation differently between both species. Here, we review our current understanding of how Notch signaling is activated and used during human T cell development. First, we set the stage by describing the developmental steps that make up human T cell development before describing the expression profiles of Notch receptors, ligands, and target genes during this process. To delineate stage-specific roles for Notch signaling during human T cell development, we subsequently try to interpret the functional Notch studies that have been performed in light of these expression profiles and compare this to its suggested role in the mouse
Addressing potential sources of variation in several non-destructive techniques for measuring firmness in apples
Measurements of firmness have traditionally been carried out according to the Magness Taylor (MT) procedure; using a texture analyser or penetrometer in reference texture tests. Non-destructive tests like the acoustic impulse response of acoustic firmness sensors (AFSs), a low-mass impact firmness sensor Sinclair International (SIQ-FT) and impact test (Lateral Impact – UPM) have also been used to measure texture and firmness. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the influence of different sources of variation in these three non-destructive tests and to evaluate their respective capabilities of discriminating between fruit maturity at two different harvest dates, turgidity before and after dehydration treatment and ripening after different storage periods. According to our results, fruit studied an unexpected AFS trend with turgidity. Contact measurements (Lateral Impact – UPM and SIQ-FT) appeared highly sensitive to changes in turgidity, but were less able to follow changes in ripening caused by storage period. Contact measurements were suitable for detecting differences between fruits from different harvest dates and showed higher correlation coefficients with reference texture tests than acoustic measurements. The Lateral Impact – UPM test proved better at separating fruits according to turgidity than the SIQ-FT instrumen
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