12,299 research outputs found
Critical exponents of a three dimensional O(4) spin model
By Monte Carlo simulation we study the critical exponents governing the
transition of the three-dimensional classical O(4) Heisenberg model, which is
considered to be in the same universality class as the finite-temperature QCD
with massless two flavors. We use the single cluster algorithm and the
histogram reweighting technique to obtain observables at the critical
temperature. After estimating an accurate value of the inverse critical
temperature \Kc=0.9360(1), we make non-perturbative estimates for various
critical exponents by finite-size scaling analysis. They are in excellent
agreement with those obtained with the expansion method with
errors reduced to about halves of them.Comment: 25 pages with 8 PS figures, LaTeX, UTHEP-28
A Swendsen-Wang update algorithm for the Symanzik improved sigma model
We study a generalization of Swendsen-Wang algorithm suited for Potts models
with next-next-neighborhood interactions. Using the embedding technique
proposed by Wolff we test it on the Symanzik improved bidimensional non-linear
model. For some long range observables we find a little slowing down
exponent () that we interpret as an effect of the partial
frustration of the induced spin model.Comment: Self extracting archive fil
Provenance and fate of organic carbon in three submarine canyons from the Portuguese Margin: Implications for transport processes of material in continental margins
Submarine canyons are key environments on the continental margin that are affected by unique and dynamic but often episodic and complex processes, and are difficult to study. Canyons are considered hotspots of biodiversity and enhancement of primary productivity at canyon heads has often been postulated to support this, although the evidence is sparse. Additionally canyons are considered to be fast-track corridors for material transported from the land to the deep sea and they are considered major pathways for the transportation and burial of organic carbon, acting as buffers for sediment and carbon storage. Organic geochemical and isotopic markers are often used as reliable indicators for the supply, quality and fate of organic matter in marine systems. In this study they have been used to test the above hypotheses in three contrasting submarine canyons (NazarĂ©, Setubal/Lisbon and Cascais) of the Portuguese Margin. The elemental and lipid biomarker composition of suspended particulate organic matter of surface waters close to the studied canyon heads had a fresh phytoplankton signal, however there was no clear evidence for enhanced primary productivity by comparison to the neighbouring open slope. By contrast, mid-depth waters (700-1600 m), that are dominated by the northward flowing Mediterranean Outflow Water, had high lipid content and abundant mesozooplankton biomarkers, perhaps reflecting zooplankton activity focused at the boundaries of distinct water masses. In the waters close to the floor of the NazarĂ© Canyon the presence of elemental sulphur (a product of sediment diagenesis) and high molecular weight hydrocarbons (recalcitrant, terrestrial markers) indicated high levels of resuspended material, particularly at the Upper section (<2000m depth) of the canyon. Resuspension was less evident in other locations suggesting that NazarĂ© Canyon is the most âactiveâ channel. NazarĂ© Canyon sediments (0-10 cm) had significantly higher total organic carbon concentrations than the other canyons and the neighbouring open slope, whereas the opposite was observed for carbonate contents. Increased organic terrestrial contributions in NazarĂ© are also supported by the high molar C/N ratios and low carbon stable isotopic values of the surface (0-1cm) sediment sections. This suggests that the NazarĂ© Canyon receives more terrestrial, organic-rich material than the other locations, despite the luck of riverine output at the canyon head. By contrast sedimentary organic matter from Setubal/Lisbon and Cascais Canyons had lower C/N ratios suggesting that they received less terrestrial material, despite their proximity to major river systems (Duro, Sado). There is an apparent increasing trend of terrestrial contributions with depth within NazarĂ© Canyon. This is attributed to the preferential removal of labile, marine OM from the surficial sediments, leaving them âenrichedâ in more recalcitrant terrestrial material with increasing depth and distance from the shore. However, OM in the NazarĂ© Canyon surficial sediments is the least altered as a whole. This is supported by the nitrogen stable isotopes and the Oxygen Index (OI; a proxy of OM oxidation state) of surficial sediments. In NazarĂ© Canyon these are low compared to the other canyons and the open slope. The presence of elemental sulphur in the surficial sediments of NazarĂ© canyon (absent in all other sediments), is consistent with a shallow (few mm) boundary of bacterial sulphate reduction/sulphide oxidation. This is probably related to the high sedimentation rates that have been measured in NazarĂ© canyon (but not in any other locations in this study) that limit oxygen exposure time (and hence extensive oxidation) of the sediments. The above observations suggest that NazarĂ© Canyon is both an important depocentre of organic carbon and the main channel for transporting material from the Portuguese Margin to the deep ocean. However the absence of major river systems close to the canyon head implies that there are important and as yet unclear redistribution processes, that are probably related to the complex oceanographic regime of the region
Measuring Extinction Curves of Lensing Galaxies
We critique the method of constructing extinction curves of lensing galaxies
using multiply imaged QSOs. If one of the two QSO images is lightly reddened or
if the dust along both sightlines has the same properties then the method works
well and produces an extinction curve for the lensing galaxy. These cases are
likely rare and hard to confirm. However, if the dust along each sightline has
different properties then the resulting curve is no longer a measurement of
extinction. Instead, it is a measurement of the difference between two
extinction curves. This "lens difference curve'' does contain information about
the dust properties, but extracting a meaningful extinction curve is not
possible without additional, currently unknown information. As a quantitative
example, we show that the combination of two Cardelli, Clayton, & Mathis (CCM)
type extinction curves having different values of R(V) will produce a CCM
extinction curve with a value of R(V) which is dependent on the individual R(V)
values and the ratio of V band extinctions. The resulting lens difference curve
is not an average of the dust along the two sightlines. We find that lens
difference curves with any value of R(V), even negative values, can be produced
by a combination of two reddened sightlines with different CCM extinction
curves with R(V) values consistent with Milky Way dust (2.1 < R(V) < 5.6). This
may explain extreme values of R(V) inferred by this method in previous studies.
But lens difference curves with more normal values of R(V) are just as likely
to be composed of two dust extinction curves with R(V) values different than
that of the lens difference curve. While it is not possible to determine the
individual extinction curves making up a lens difference curve, there is
information about a galaxy's dust contained in the lens difference curves.Comment: 15 pages, 4 figues, ApJ in pres
In-Network Outlier Detection in Wireless Sensor Networks
To address the problem of unsupervised outlier detection in wireless sensor
networks, we develop an approach that (1) is flexible with respect to the
outlier definition, (2) computes the result in-network to reduce both bandwidth
and energy usage,(3) only uses single hop communication thus permitting very
simple node failure detection and message reliability assurance mechanisms
(e.g., carrier-sense), and (4) seamlessly accommodates dynamic updates to data.
We examine performance using simulation with real sensor data streams. Our
results demonstrate that our approach is accurate and imposes a reasonable
communication load and level of power consumption.Comment: Extended version of a paper appearing in the Int'l Conference on
Distributed Computing Systems 200
Recommended from our members
The olfactory basis of orchid pollination by mosquitoes.
Mosquitoes are important vectors of disease and require sources of carbohydrates for reproduction and survival. Unlike host-related behaviors of mosquitoes, comparatively less is understood about the mechanisms involved in nectar-feeding decisions, or how this sensory information is processed in the mosquito brain. Here we show that Aedes spp. mosquitoes, including Aedes aegypti, are effective pollinators of the Platanthera obtusata orchid, and demonstrate this mutualism is mediated by the orchid's scent and the balance of excitation and inhibition in the mosquito's antennal lobe (AL). The P. obtusata orchid emits an attractive, nonanal-rich scent, whereas related Platanthera species-not visited by mosquitoes-emit scents dominated by lilac aldehyde. Calcium imaging experiments in the mosquito AL revealed that nonanal and lilac aldehyde each respectively activate the LC2 and AM2 glomerulus, and remarkably, the AM2 glomerulus is also sensitive to N,N-diethyl-meta-toluamide (DEET), a mosquito repellent. Lateral inhibition between these 2 glomeruli reflects the level of attraction to the orchid scents. Whereas the enriched nonanal scent of P. obtusata activates the LC2 and suppresses AM2, the high level of lilac aldehyde in the other orchid scents inverts this pattern of glomerular activity, and behavioral attraction is lost. These results demonstrate the ecological importance of mosquitoes beyond operating as disease vectors and open the door toward understanding the neural basis of mosquito nectar-seeking behaviors
Monomer dynamics of a wormlike chain
We derive the stochastic equations of motion for a tracer that is tightly
attached to a semiflexible polymer and confined or agitated by an externally
controlled potential. The generalised Langevin equation, the power spectrum,
and the mean-square displacement for the tracer dynamics are explicitly
constructed from the microscopic equations of motion for a weakly bending
wormlike chain by a systematic coarse-graining procedure. Our accurate
analytical expressions should provide a convenient starting point for further
theoretical developments and for the analysis of various single-molecule
experiments and of protein shape fluctuations.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figure
New skeletal tuberculosis cases in past populations from Western Hungary (Transdanubia)
The distribution, antiquity and epidemiology of tuberculosis (TB) have previously been studied in osteoarchaeological material in the eastern part of Hungary, mainly on the Great Plain. The purpose of this study is to map the occurrence of skeletal TB in different centuries in the western part of Hungary, Transdanubia, and to present new cases we have found. Palaeopathological analysis was carried out using macroscopic observation supported by radiographic and molecular methods. A large human osteoarchaeological sample (n = 5684) from Transdanubian archaeological sites ranging from the 2nd to the 18th centuries served as a source of material. Spinal TB was observed in seven individuals (in three specimens with Pott's disease two of which also had cold abscess) and hip TB was assumed in one case. The results of DNA for Mycobacterium tuberculosis were positive in seven of the eight cases identified by paleopathology, and negative in the assumed case of hip TB. However, the molecular results are consistent with highly fragmented DNA, which limited further analysis. Based on the present study and previously published cases, osteotuberculosis was found in Transdanubia mainly during the 9thâ13th centuries. However, there are no signs of TB in many other 9thâ13th century sites, even in those that lie geographically close to those where osteotuberculous cases were found. This may be due to a true absence of TB caused by the different living conditions, way of life, or origin of these populations. An alternative explanation is that TB was present in some individuals with no typical paleopathology, but that death occurred before skeletal morphological features could develop
- âŠ