25,132 research outputs found
Magmatic focusing to mid-ocean ridges: the role of grain size variability and non-Newtonian viscosity
Melting beneath mid-ocean ridges occurs over a region that is much broader
than the zone of magmatic emplacement to form the oceanic crust. Magma is
focused into this zone by lateral transport. This focusing has typically been
explained by dynamic pressure gradients associated with corner flow, or by a
sub-lithospheric channel sloping upward toward the ridge axis. Here we discuss
a novel mechanism for magmatic focusing: lateral transport driven by gradients
in compaction pressure within the asthenosphere. These gradients arise from the
co-variation of melting rate and compaction viscosity. The compaction
viscosity, in previous models, was given as a function of melt fraction and
temperature. In contrast, we show that the viscosity variations relevant to
melt focusing arise from grain-size variability and non-Newtonian creep. The
asthenospheric distribution of melt fraction predicted by our models provides
an improved ex- planation of the electrical resistivity structure beneath one
location on the East Pacific Rise. More generally, although grain size and
non-Newtonian viscosity are properties of the solid phase, we find that in the
context of mid-ocean ridges, their effect on melt transport is more profound
than their effect on the mantle corner-flow.Comment: 20 pages, 4 figures, 1 tabl
The Chern character of a parabolic bundle, and a parabolic Reznikov theorem in the case of finite order at infinity
In this paper, we obtain an explicit formula for the Chern character of a
locally abelian parabolic bundle in terms of its constituent bundles. Several
features and variants of parabolic structures are discussed. Parabolic bundles
arising from logarithmic connections form an important class of examples. As an
application, we consider the situation when the local monodromies are
semi-simple and are of finite order at infinity. In this case the parabolic
Chern classes of the associated locally abelian parabolic bundle are deduced to
be zero in the rational Deligne cohomology in degrees .Comment: Adds and corrects reference
Regulators of canonical extensions are torsion: the smooth divisor case
In this paper, we prove a generalization of Reznikov's theorem which says
that the Chern-Simons classes and in particular the Deligne Chern classes (in
degrees ) are torsion, of a flat bundle on a smooth complex projective
variety. We consider the case of a smooth quasi--projective variety with an
irreducible smooth divisor at infinity. We define the Chern-Simons classes of
Deligne's canonical extension of a flat vector bundle with unipotent monodromy
at infinity, which lift the Deligne Chern classes and prove that these classes
are torsion
Analysis of interior noise ground and flight test data for advanced turboprop aircraft applications
Interior noise ground tests conducted on a DC-9 aircraft test section are described. The objectives were to study ground test and analysis techniques for evaluating the effectiveness of interior noise control treatments for advanced turboprop aircraft, and to study the sensitivity of the ground test results to changes in various test conditions. Noise and vibration measurements were conducted under simulated advanced turboprop excitation, for two interior noise control treatment configurations. These ground measurement results were compared with results of earlier UHB (Ultra High Bypass) Demonstrator flight tests with comparable interior treatment configurations. The Demonstrator is an MD-80 test aircraft with the left JT8D engine replaced with a prototype UHB advanced turboprop engine
Community-level characteristics of high infant mortality: A tool to identify at-risk communities
Infant mortality (IM) rate is a key indicator of population health and has been gradually improving in the United States. However, it is still a public health problem among minority and low-income communities. Maternal factors explain some of the variation, but community-level factors may also be a contributor. This study examines measures to identify a set of indicators that explain variations in IM at the community-level. Data for 77 communities in a city were obtained from local health databases. We used multivariable linear regression models to examine the strength of the association between IM and maternal, population, community wealth, and social capital characteristics. Community-level IM rates ranged from 2.1 – 25.6 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2000-2002. The final model explained 75% of the variation in IM rates at the community-level (R2=0.75). The model included a high percentage of low birth weight babies, a decline in mothers who began prenatal care in the second trimester, an increase in the percentage of Hispanics, increased unemployment rates, an increase in the percentage of veterans, an increased rate of foreign-born residents, and smaller average family sizes. Social capital variables, homicide rate and vacant housing, were also significant in the final model. Identifying communities at risk for high IM rates is imperative to improve maternal and child health outcomes because of shortages in public health resources. The development of a parsimonious set of community-level indicators can assist public health practitioners in targeting their resources to prevent infant mortality in high-risk communities
Isogeometric FEM-BEM coupled structural-acoustic analysis of shells using subdivision surfaces
We introduce a coupled finite and boundary element formulation for acoustic
scattering analysis over thin shell structures. A triangular Loop subdivision
surface discretisation is used for both geometry and analysis fields. The
Kirchhoff-Love shell equation is discretised with the finite element method and
the Helmholtz equation for the acoustic field with the boundary element method.
The use of the boundary element formulation allows the elegant handling of
infinite domains and precludes the need for volumetric meshing. In the present
work the subdivision control meshes for the shell displacements and the
acoustic pressures have the same resolution. The corresponding smooth
subdivision basis functions have the continuity property required for the
Kirchhoff-Love formulation and are highly efficient for the acoustic field
computations. We validate the proposed isogeometric formulation through a
closed-form solution of acoustic scattering over a thin shell sphere.
Furthermore, we demonstrate the ability of the proposed approach to handle
complex geometries with arbitrary topology that provides an integrated
isogeometric design and analysis workflow for coupled structural-acoustic
analysis of shells
Optimising the assessment of cerebral autoregulation from black box models
Cerebral autoregulation (CA) mechanisms maintain blood flow approximately stable despite changes in arterial blood pressure. Mathematical models that characterise this system have been used extensively in the quantitative assessment of function/impairment of CA. Using spontaneous fluctuations in arterial blood pressure (ABP) as input and cerebral blood flow velocity (CBFV) as output, the autoregulatory mechanism can be modelled using linear and non-linear approaches, from which indexes can be extracted to provide an overall assessment of CA. Previous studies have considered a single – or at most a couple of measures, making it difficult to compare the performance of different CA parameters. We compare the performance of established autoregulatory parameters and propose novel measures. The key objective is to identify which model and index can best distinguish between normal and impaired CA. To this end 26 recordings of ABP and CBFV from normocapnia and hypercapnia (which temporarily impairs CA) in 13 healthy adults were analysed. In the absence of a ‘gold’ standard for the study of dynamic CA, lower inter- and intra-subject variability of the parameters in relation to the difference between normo- and hypercapnia were considered as criteria for identifying improved measures of CA. Significantly improved performance compared to some conventional approaches was achieved, with the simplest method emerging as probably the most promising for future studies
Experimental study of two separating turbulent boundary layers
A detailed study of two strong adverse pressure gradient flows, one with a free-stream velocity of 35 m/sec, at throat (producing a Re sub theta of 27000 at detachment) and another with free-stream velocity of 22 m/sec, at throat (producing a Re sub theta of 19000 at detachment) is presented. In these examples flows separate slowly and reattach very rapidly over a very short distance in a streamwise direction. In the backflow region, there appears to be a semi-logarithmically flat region in the streamwise fluctuating velocity component, u', which spreads over a definite range of y/delta. In power spectra, the flow variables phi sub upsilon upsilon (kappa sub 1 delta)/ -uv bar sub max vs. kappa sub 1 delta forms a unique set of scaling parameters for adverse pressure gradient flows. Experimental results show good agreement with previous studies
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