19,019 research outputs found
On a q-analogue of the multiple gamma functions
A -analogue of the multiple gamma functions is introduced, and is shown to
satisfy the generalized Bohr-Morellup theorem. Furthermore we give some
expressions of these function.Comment: 8 pages, AMS-Late
Optimisation of confinement in a fusion reactor using a nonlinear turbulence model
The confinement of heat in the core of a magnetic fusion reactor is optimised
using a multidimensional optimisation algorithm. For the first time in such a
study, the loss of heat due to turbulence is modelled at every stage using
first-principles nonlinear simulations which accurately capture the turbulent
cascade and large-scale zonal flows. The simulations utilise a novel approach,
with gyrofluid treatment of the small-scale drift waves and gyrokinetic
treatment of the large-scale zonal flows. A simple near-circular equilibrium
with standard parameters is chosen as the initial condition. The figure of
merit, fusion power per unit volume, is calculated, and then two control
parameters, the elongation and triangularity of the outer flux surface, are
varied, with the algorithm seeking to optimise the chosen figure of merit. A
two-fold increase in the plasma power per unit volume is achieved by moving to
higher elongation and strongly negative triangularity.Comment: 32 pages, 8 figures, accepted to JP
Activation mechanisms in sodium-doped Silicon MOSFETs
We have studied the temperature dependence of the conductivity of a silicon
MOSFET containing sodium ions in the oxide above 20 K. We find the impurity
band resulting from the presence of charges at the silicon-oxide interface is
split into a lower and an upper band. We have observed activation of electrons
from the upper band to the conduction band edge as well as from the lower to
the upper band. A possible explanation implying the presence of Hubbard bands
is given.Comment: published in J. Phys. : Condens. Matte
Predicting Purchase Intent Using Pragmatic and Hedonic Kansei Engineering Scales: A Case Study of Kitchen Equipment in China
A Chinese premium kitchen equipment manufacturer was interested in knowing what their consumers liked about their product, and how they could use this to strengthen their market position. They wanted a set of repeatable scales that could be used to both evaluate their own products for future development and to benchmark competitors for sales predictions. To be successful, kitchen equipment should function perfectly, be easy to use and have emotional attributes that appeal to consumers. Kansei Engineering methods have previously been used to support the development of scales to improve the emotional response to such products. However within the Kitchen Equipment industry, there is rarely the time or resource available to implement a full and comprehensive Kansei Engineering analysis within a new product development process. We used a simplified Kansei Engineering process with two notable differences. To develop a set of useful scales we used a mix of hedonic and pragmatic adjectives and we used Kano analysis as a means to systematically reduce the number of adjectives. A factor analysis found four Kansei factors and scales were developed to measure them. The major factor was a Hedonic Scale. The next three factors measured more pragmatic attributes and specifically were: User Interface Quality, Smoke Extraction Quality and Ease of Cleaning. The four factors contributed to 70% of the variance. These factors can be used by the company as repeatable measurement scales to both evaluate their own products for future development and to benchmark competitors for sales predictions
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Characterization of mesostasis areas in mare basalts: constraining melt compositions from which apatite crystallizes
Crystallization of major silicate and oxide phases from basaltic melts produces late-stage liquids whose chemical compositions differ from the initial melt. These chemically evolved liquids crystallize phases in the interstitial mesostasis regions in lunar basaltic rocks. Enrichment of incompatible elements, including volatiles such as OH, F, Cl, is characteristic of these late-stage liquids and encourages growth of accessory phases including apatite [Ca5(PO4)2(F,Cl,OH)]. Apatite is the main volatile bearing crystalline phase in lunar rocks. It starts crystallizing after ~95% melt solidification in typical mare basalts, but could crystallize earlier, after ~85-90% solidification in KREEP basalts. Using the OH contents of apatites, several researchers have calculated water contents for parental magmas. These calculated parental magma water contents can then be used to estimate a range of values for water in the mantle source regions of mare basalts [e.g.,2-6]. Therefore, a better characterization of the mesostasis areas, and of the melts in which apatite forms, is paramount to gain further insights and constraints on water in the lunar interior, especially because important parameters such as partitioning of volatiles between late-stage melts and apatite remain poorly constrained
Distinguishing Among Strong Decay Models
Two competing models for strong hadronic decays, the and
models, are currently in use.
Attempts to rule out one or the other have been hindered by a poor
understanding of final state interactions and by ambiguities in the treatment
of relativistic effects.
In this article we study meson decays in both models, focussing on certain
amplitude ratios for which the relativistic uncertainties largely cancel out
(notably the ratios in and
), and using a Quark Born Formalism to estimate the
final state interactions.
We find that the model is strongly favoured.
In addition, we predict a amplitude ratio of for the decay
.
We also study the parameter-dependence of some individual amplitudes (as
opposed to amplitude ratios), in an attempt to identify a ``best'' version of
the model.Comment: 20 pages, uuencoded postscript file with 7 figures, MIT-CTP-2295;
CMU-HEP94-1
Stability of atomic clocks based on entangled atoms
We analyze the effect of realistic noise sources for an atomic clock
consisting of a local oscillator that is actively locked to a spin-squeezed
(entangled) ensemble of atoms. We show that the use of entangled states can
lead to an improvement of the long-term stability of the clock when the
measurement is limited by decoherence associated with instability of the local
oscillator combined with fluctuations in the atomic ensemble's Bloch vector.
Atomic states with a moderate degree of entanglement yield the maximal clock
stability, resulting in an improvement that scales as compared to the
atomic shot noise level.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures, revtex
Cerebral atrophy in mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer disease: rates and acceleration.
OBJECTIVE: To quantify the regional and global cerebral atrophy rates and assess acceleration rates in healthy controls, subjects with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and subjects with mild Alzheimer disease (AD). METHODS: Using 0-, 6-, 12-, 18-, 24-, and 36-month MRI scans of controls and subjects with MCI and AD from the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) database, we calculated volume change of whole brain, hippocampus, and ventricles between all pairs of scans using the boundary shift integral. RESULTS: We found no evidence of acceleration in whole-brain atrophy rates in any group. There was evidence that hippocampal atrophy rates in MCI subjects accelerate by 0.22%/year2 on average (p = 0.037). There was evidence of acceleration in rates of ventricular enlargement in subjects with MCI (p = 0.001) and AD (p < 0.001), with rates estimated to increase by 0.27 mL/year2 (95% confidence interval 0.12, 0.43) and 0.88 mL/year2 (95% confidence interval 0.47, 1.29), respectively. A post hoc analysis suggested that the acceleration of hippocampal loss in MCI subjects was mainly driven by the MCI subjects that were observed to progress to clinical AD within 3 years of baseline, with this group showing hippocampal atrophy rate acceleration of 0.50%/year2 (p = 0.003). CONCLUSIONS: The small acceleration rates suggest a long period of transition to the pathologic losses seen in clinical AD. The acceleration in hippocampal atrophy rates in MCI subjects in the ADNI seems to be driven by those MCI subjects who concurrently progressed to a clinical diagnosis of AD
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