11,694 research outputs found
Estimating solar radiation for plant simulation models
Five algorithms producing daily solar radiation surrogates using daily temperatures and rainfall were evaluated using measured solar radiation data for seven U.S. locations. The algorithms were compared both in terms of accuracy of daily solar radiation estimates and terms of response when used in a plant growth simulation model (CERES-wheat). Requirements for accuracy of solar radiation for plant growth simulation models are discussed. One algorithm is recommended as being best suited for use in these models when neither measured nor satellite estimated solar radiation values are available
On the dominance of J(P)=0(+) ground states in even-even nuclei from random two-body interactions
Recent calculations using random two-body interactions showed a preponderance
of J(P)=0(+) ground states, despite the fact that there is no strong pairing
character in the force. We carry out an analysis of a system of identical
particles occupying orbits with j=1/2, 3/2 and 5/2 and discuss some general
features of the spectra derived from random two-body interactions. We show that
for random two-body interactions that are not time-reversal invariant the
dominance of 0(+) states in this case is more pronounced, indicating that
time-reversal invariance cannot be the origin of the 0(+) dominance.Comment: 8 pages, 3 tables and 3 figures. Phys. Rev. C, in pres
easySTORM: a robust, lower-cost approach to localisation and TIRF microscopy
TIRF and STORM microscopy are super-resolving fluorescence imaging modalities for which current implementations on standard microscopes can present significant complexity and cost. We present a straightforward and low-cost approach to implement STORM and TIRF taking advantage of multimode optical fibres and multimode diode lasers to provide the required excitation light. Combined with open source software and relatively simple protocols to prepare samples for STORM, including the use of Vectashield for non-TIRF imaging, this approach enables TIRF and STORM imaging of cells labelled with appropriate dyes or expressing suitable fluorescent proteins to become widely accessible at low cost
Three-body monopole corrections to the realistic interactions
It is shown that a very simple three-body monopole term can solve practically
all the spectroscopic problems--in the , and shells--that were
hitherto assumed to need drastic revisions of the realistic potentials.Comment: 4 pages, 5figure
Ranking structured documents using utility theory in the Bayesian network retrieval model
In this paper a new method based on Utility and Decision theory is presented to deal with structured documents. The aim of the application of these methodologies is to refine a first ranking of structural units, generated by means of an Information Retrieval Model based on Bayesian Networks. Units are newly arranged in the new ranking by combining their posterior probabilities, obtained in the first stage, with the expected utility of retrieving them. The experimental work has been developed using the Shakespeare structured collection and the results show an improvement of the effectiveness of this new approach
Adding New Tasks to a Single Network with Weight Transformations using Binary Masks
Visual recognition algorithms are required today to exhibit adaptive
abilities. Given a deep model trained on a specific, given task, it would be
highly desirable to be able to adapt incrementally to new tasks, preserving
scalability as the number of new tasks increases, while at the same time
avoiding catastrophic forgetting issues. Recent work has shown that masking the
internal weights of a given original conv-net through learned binary variables
is a promising strategy. We build upon this intuition and take into account
more elaborated affine transformations of the convolutional weights that
include learned binary masks. We show that with our generalization it is
possible to achieve significantly higher levels of adaptation to new tasks,
enabling the approach to compete with fine tuning strategies by requiring
slightly more than 1 bit per network parameter per additional task. Experiments
on two popular benchmarks showcase the power of our approach, that achieves the
new state of the art on the Visual Decathlon Challenge
Finding the Center of Mass of a Soft Spring
This article shows how to use calculus to find the center of mass position of
a soft cylindrical helical spring that is suspended vertically. The spring is
non-uniformly stretched by the action of gravity. A general expression for the
vertical position of the center of mass is obtained.Comment: LaTeX, 7 pages, 2 figures. Minor changes to agree with published
versio
Phenotypic trait changes in laboratory - reared colonies of the maize herbivore, Diabrotica virgifera virgifera
The North American and European maize pest Diabrotica virgifera virgifera LeConte (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) was used to assess whether conditions of the natal field, subsequent laboratory rearing, or genetic population origin affect phenotypic traits of fitness, activity, or morphometrics. Standardized laboratory bioassays with large sample sizes revealed that none of the 16 tested traits, except crawling behaviours, appeared consistently stable across all seven tested colonies. Environmental conditions in the natal field of the F 0 generation affected trait averages of the subsequently reared F 1 generation in laboratory in ca. 47% of cases, and trait variability in 67% of cases. This was apparent for fitness and morphometrics, but less obvious for activity traits. Early generation laboratory rearing affected trait averages in ca. 56% of cases: morphometrics changed; fecundity and egg survival increased from F 1 to F 2. Trait variability increased or decreased in 38% of cases. Laboratory rearing for over more than 190 generations affected the trait averages in 60% of cases, reflected by decreases in flight activity and increases in body size, weight, and fecundity to some extent. It had little effect on trait variability, especially so for morphometric variability. The genetic population origin affected average levels of 55% and variability of 63% of phenotypic traits. A comparison among D. v. virgifera studies might be difficult if they use different populations or laboratory colonies. It is advised to consider possible effects of original field conditions, laboratory rearing, and population genetics when planning comparative studies targeting fitness, activity, or morphometric questions regarding Diabrotica specie
Epidemiological analysis of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus isolates from adult patients with cystic fibrosis
Using pulsed-field gel electrophoresis, we genotyped 21 methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus isolates from patients attending an adult cystic fibrosis unit. Eleven patients exhibited pulsotypes related to 2 locally endemic strains. Eleven chronically colonized patients were assessed over a period of up to 2 years, and all demonstrated a retention of strain type
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