2,288 research outputs found
Negative-coupling resonances in pump-coupled lasers
We consider coupled lasers, where the intensity deviations from the steady
state, modulate the pump of the other lasers. Most of our results are for two
lasers where the coupling constants are of opposite sign. This leads to a Hopf
bifurcation to periodic output for weak coupling. As the magnitude of the
coupling constants is increased (negatively) we observe novel amplitude effects
such as a weak coupling resonance peak and, strong coupling subharmonic
resonances and chaos. In the weak coupling regime the output is predicted by a
set of slow evolution amplitude equations. Pulsating solutions in the strong
coupling limit are described by discrete map derived from the original model.Comment: 29 pages with 8 figures Physica D, in pres
Genome-wide identification of breed-informative single-nucleotide polymorphisms in three South African indigenous cattle breeds
Access to genotyping assays enables the identification of informative markers that discriminate between cattle breeds. Identification of these markers can assist in breed assignment, improvement and conservation. The objective of this study was to identify breed informative markers to discriminate between three South African indigenous cattle breeds. Data from BovineSNP50 and GeneSeek Genomic Profiler (GGP-80K) assays were generated for Afrikaner, Drakensberger and Nguni, and were analysed for their genetic differentiation. Hereford and Angus were included as outgroups. Breeds were differentiated using principal component analysis (PCA). Single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) within the breeds were determined when minor allele frequency (MAF) was ≥ 0.05. Breed-specific SNPs were identified using Reynolds Fst and extended Lewontin and Krakauer's (FLK) statistics. These SNPs were validated using three African breeds, namely N’Dama, Kuri and Zebu from Madagascar. PCA discriminated among the breeds. A larger number of polymorphic SNPs was detected in Drakensberger (73%) than in Afrikaner (56%) and Nguni (65%). No substantial numbers of informative SNPs (Fst ≥ 0.6) were identified among indigenous breeds. Eleven SNPs were validated as discriminating the indigenous breeds from other African breeds. This is because the SNPs on BovineSNP50 and GGP-80K assays were ascertained as being common in European taurine breeds. Lower MAF and SNP informativeness observed in this study limits the application of these assays in breed assignment, and could have other implications for genome-wide studies in South African indigenous breeds. Sequencing should therefore be considered to discover new SNPs that are common among indigenous South African breeds and also SNPs that discriminate among these indigenous breeds
On the harmonic measure of stable processes
Using three hypergeometric identities, we evaluate the harmonic measure of a
finite interval and of its complementary for a strictly stable real L{\'e}vy
process. This gives a simple and unified proof of several results in the
literature, old and recent. We also provide a full description of the
corresponding Green functions. As a by-product, we compute the hitting
probabilities of points and describe the non-negative harmonic functions for
the stable process killed outside a finite interval
Bound States and Power Counting in Effective Field Theories
The problem of bound states in effective field theories is studied. A
rescaled version of nonrelativistic effective field theory is formulated which
makes the velocity power counting of operators manifest. Results obtained using
the rescaled theory are compared with known results from NRQCD. The same ideas
are then applied to study Yukawa bound states in 1+1 and 3+1 dimensions, and to
analyze when the Yukawa potential can be replaced by a delta-function
potential. The implications of these results for the study of nucleon-nucleon
scattering in chiral perturbation theory is discussed.Comment: 23 pages, eps figures, uses revte
The influence of polarity on flux and rejection behaviour in solvent resistant nanofiltration - experimental observations
The separation characteristics of a dense polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) membrane were studied
using mixtures comprising xylene, cyclohexane or n-heptane with oxygenate components at
concentrations up to 75%. The effects of polarity on flux and rejection performance were
determined through a test matrix of solvent type, concentration, filtration pressure, crossflow rate
and the degree of membrane crosslinking.
In all cases involving alcohols, the more polar compound in the feed mixture was partially rejected
by the membrane and the extent of rejection was dependent on the polarity as quantified by
solubility parameter. The rejection-concentration profiles for several alcohol/solvent mixtures
exhibited a maximum, with the highest rejection around 30%. Mixtures containing MTBE did not
separate, i.e. no rejection was observed.
Rejection increased with increasing pressure and crossflow rate but was largely unaffected by the
degree of membrane crosslinking. Component flux was affected by the oxygenate concentration in
the mixture, which was attributed in part to changes in the degree of membrane swelling with
composition. Experimental findings suggest that the separation is primarily governed by
multicomponent solvent/oxygenate/membrane swelling equilibria, and results compare favourably
with swelling isotherms available in the open literature
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Identification of host odour attractants for tsetse flies. Final report 1986-1990
Tsetse flies, Glossina spp., are blood-feeding insects and vectors of trypanosomes, microorganisms which cause sleeping sickness in man and a similar disease, "nagana" in domestic animals. The economic importance of trypanosomiasis is the constraint it imposes on orderly rural development in Africa, leading to under-exploitation of infested land and over-exploitation and degradation of trypanosomiasis-free areas.
Traps and targets which attract tsetse flies and kill them could provide environmentally-acceptable, appropriate technology for monitoring and control of tsetse in Africa. Unbaited devices providing only visual attraction have proved effective in monitoring and control of riverine species of tsetse, but not the savannah species found in the fly belt of Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia and Zimbabwe covered by the EDF Regional Tsetse and Trypanosomiasis Control Project (RTTCP).
Previously, collaborative was begun between glossinologists of the Zimbabwe Department of Veterinary Services (DVS) and UK Tsetse Research Laboratory (TRL) and chemists at NRI. This brought together the experience of the DVS in the field, the experience of TRL in laboratory bioassay work, and the experience of NRI in using gas chromatography linked to electroantennography (GC-EAG) and chemical techniques to detect and identify insect behaviour-modifying chemicals. Tsetse attractants produced by host animals were identified and synthesised, and dispensing systems for these compounds devised. Traps and targets impregnated with insecticide, baited with these lures were shown to provide effective control of the savannah tsetse species, G. pallidipes and G. m. morsitans
Effects of a Large Mesospheric Temperature Enhancement on the Hydroxyl Rotational Temperature as Observedfrom the Ground
The rotational temperature obtained from the rotational population distribution in the bands of the hydroxyl airglow has been shown to be a suitable proxy for the temperature at a height of 87 km [She and Lowe, 1998]. In this paper we examine in detail simultaneous observations on November 2–3, 1997, at Fort Collins, Colorado (41°N, 105°W), with both a sodium temperature lidar and the Coupling, Energetics, and Dynamics of Atmospheric Regions (CEDAR) OH mesospheric temperature mapper during which significant differences between the hydroxyl and lidar temperatures occur. The large differences are associated with a major temperature enhancement in the region of the peak of the hydroxyl emission. We model the effect on the shape of the emission rate profile of the hydroxyl airglow caused by the large temperature enhancement observed on this night by the lidar. As a result of the temperature sensitivity of the processes that give rise to the airglow, the profile shows major distortions from its normal shape. These distortions in turn lead to hydroxyl rotational temperatures that differ significantly from the 87-km lidar observations. The mean rotational temperature deduced in this way agrees well with the observed values. Such deviations in the temperature are expected to be rare, occurring only when a large temperature enhancement occurs near the peak of the airglow emission profile
Repeated measures regression mixture models
Regression mixture models are one increasingly utilized approach for developing theories about and exploring the heterogeneity of effects. In this study we aimed to extend the current use of regression mixtures to a repeated regression mixture method when repeated measures, such as diary-type and experience-sampling method, data are available. We hypothesized that additional information borrowed from the repeated measures would improve the model performance, in terms of class enumeration and accuracy of the parameter estimates. We specifically compared three types of model specifications in regression mixtures: (a) traditional single-outcome model; (b) repeated measures models with three, five, and seven measures; and (c) a single-outcome model with the average of seven repeated measures. The results showed that the repeated measures regression mixture models substantially outperformed the traditional and average single-outcome models in class enumeration, with less bias in the parameter estimates. For sample size, whereas prior recommendations have suggested that regression mixtures require samples of well over 1,000 participants, even for classes at a large distance from each other (classes with regression weights of.20 vs.70), the present repeated measures regression mixture models allow for samples as low as 200 participants with an increased number (i.e., seven) of repeated measures. We also demonstrate an application of the proposed repeated measures approach using data from the Sleep Research Project. Implications and limitations of the study are discussed
Damage analysis and fracture toughness evaluation in a thin woven composite laminate under static tension using infrared thermography
This work deals with the issue of damage growth in thin woven composite laminates subjected to tensile loading. The conducted tensile tests were monitored on-line with an infrared camera, and tested specimens were analysed using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). Combined with SEM micrographs, observation of heat source fields enabled us to assess the damage sequence. Transverse weft cracking was confirmed to be the main damage mode and fiber breakage was the final damage leading to failure. For cracks which induce little variation of specimen stiffness, the classic “Compliance method” could not be used to compute energy release rate. Hence, we present here a new procedure based on the estimation of heat source fields to calculate the energy release rate associated with transverse weft cracking. The results are then compared to those computed with a simple 3D inverse model of the heat diffusion problem and those presented in the literature
Bogoliubov sound speed in periodically modulated Bose-Einstein condensates
We study the Bogoliubov excitations of a Bose-condensed gas in an optical
lattice. Of primary interest is the long wavelength phonon dispersion for both
current-free and current-carrying condensates. We obtain the dispersion
relation by carrying out a systematic expansion of the Bogoliubov equations in
powers of the phonon wave vector. Our result for the current-carrying case
agrees with the one recently obtained by means of a hydrodynamic theory.Comment: 16 pages, no figure
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