Transition to Stochastic Synchronization in Spatially Extended Systems

Spatially extended dynamical systems, namely coupled map lattices, driven by additive spatio-temporal noise are shown to exhibit stochastic synchronization. In analogy with low-dymensional systems, synchronization can be achieved only if the maximum Lyapunov exponent becomes negative for sufficiently large noise amplitude. Moreover, noise can suppress also the non-linear mechanism of information propagation, that may be present in the spatially extended system. A first example of phase transition is observed when both the linear and the non-linear mechanisms of information production disappear at the same critical value of the noise amplitude. The corresponding critical properties can be hardly identified numerically, but some general argument suggests that they could be ascribed to the Kardar-Parisi-Zhang universality class. Conversely, when the non-linear mechanism prevails on the linear one, another type of phase transition to stochastic synchronization occurs. This one is shown to belong to the universality class of directed percolation.Comment: 21 pages, Latex - 14 EPS Figs - To appear on Physical Review

The impact of using reconditioned correlated observation error covariance matrices in the Met office 1D-Var system

Recent developments in numerical weather prediction have led to the use of correlated observation error covariance (OEC) information in data assimilation and forecasting systems. However, diagnosed OEC matrices are often ill-conditioned and may cause convergence problems for variational data assimilation procedures. Reconditioning methods are used to improve the conditioning of covariance matrices while retaining correlation information. In this paper we studythe impact of using the `ridge regression' method of reconditioning to assimilate Infrared Atmospheric Sounding Interferometer (IASI) observations in the Met Offce 1D-Var system. This is the first systematic investigation of how changing target condition numbers affects convergence of a 1D-Var routine. This procedure is used for quality control, and to estimate key variables (skin temperature, cloud top pressure, cloud fraction) that are not analysed by the main 4D-Var data assimilation system. Our new results show that the current (uncorrelated) OEC matrix requires more iterations to reach convergence than any choice of correlated OEC matrix studied. This suggests that using a correlated OEC matrix in the 1D-Var routine would have computational benefits for IASI observations. Using reconditioned correlated OEC matrices also increases the number of observations that pass quality control. However, the impact on skin temperature, cloud fraction and cloud top pressure is less clear. As the reconditioning parameter is increased, differences between retrieved variables for correlated OEC matrices and the operational diagonal OEC matrix reduce. As correlated choices of OEC matrix yield faster convergence, using stricter convergence criteria along with these matrices may increase efficiency and improve quality control

General Stability Analysis of Synchronized Dynamics in Coupled Systems

We consider the stability of synchronized states (including equilibrium point, periodic orbit or chaotic attractor) in arbitrarily coupled dynamical systems (maps or ordinary differential equations). We develop a general approach, based on the master stability function and Gershgorin disc theory, to yield constraints on the coupling strengths to ensure the stability of synchronized dynamics. Systems with specific coupling schemes are used as examples to illustrate our general method.Comment: 8 pages, 1 figur

Defective Erythrocyte Pyruvate Kinase with Impaired Kinetics and Reduced Optimal Activity

A unique mutant form of erythrocyte pyruvate kinase has been found associated with chronic haemolytic anaemia in a child who is apparently doubly heterozygous for the mutant isoenzyme and for pyruvate kinase deficiency of the classical quantitative type. Clinical and laboratory findings conformed closely to those typically observed in homozygous pyruvate kinase deficiency anaemia. Assayed in fresh haemolysates, the isoenzyme exhibited reduced optimal activity ( c 45% of normal) and an increased Michaelis constant for phosphoenolpyruvate (four to five times greater than normal). The kinetic anomaly was only partially corrected by activation with fructose-1,6-disphosphate. Despite some common characteristics, this isoenzyme appears distinct from others reported in the literature and lends support to the polymorphous nature of heritable baemolytic anaemias secondary to defective pyruvate kinase.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/73844/1/j.1365-2141.1972.tb05713.x.pd

Search for direct production of charginos and neutralinos in events with three leptons and missing transverse momentum in √s = 7 TeV pp collisions with the ATLAS detector

A search for the direct production of charginos and neutralinos in final states with three electrons or muons and missing transverse momentum is presented. The analysis is based on 4.7 fb−1 of proton–proton collision data delivered by the Large Hadron Collider and recorded with the ATLAS detector. Observations are consistent with Standard Model expectations in three signal regions that are either depleted or enriched in Z-boson decays. Upper limits at 95% confidence level are set in R-parity conserving phenomenological minimal supersymmetric models and in simplified models, significantly extending previous results

Jet size dependence of single jet suppression in lead-lead collisions at sqrt(s(NN)) = 2.76 TeV with the ATLAS detector at the LHC

Measurements of inclusive jet suppression in heavy ion collisions at the LHC provide direct sensitivity to the physics of jet quenching. In a sample of lead-lead collisions at sqrt(s) = 2.76 TeV corresponding to an integrated luminosity of approximately 7 inverse microbarns, ATLAS has measured jets with a calorimeter over the pseudorapidity interval |eta| < 2.1 and over the transverse momentum range 38 < pT < 210 GeV. Jets were reconstructed using the anti-kt algorithm with values for the distance parameter that determines the nominal jet radius of R = 0.2, 0.3, 0.4 and 0.5. The centrality dependence of the jet yield is characterized by the jet "central-to-peripheral ratio," Rcp. Jet production is found to be suppressed by approximately a factor of two in the 10% most central collisions relative to peripheral collisions. Rcp varies smoothly with centrality as characterized by the number of participating nucleons. The observed suppression is only weakly dependent on jet radius and transverse momentum. These results provide the first direct measurement of inclusive jet suppression in heavy ion collisions and complement previous measurements of dijet transverse energy imbalance at the LHC.Comment: 15 pages plus author list (30 pages total), 8 figures, 2 tables, submitted to Physics Letters B. All figures including auxiliary figures are available at http://atlas.web.cern.ch/Atlas/GROUPS/PHYSICS/PAPERS/HION-2011-02

TRY plant trait database – enhanced coverage and open access

Plant traits—the morphological, anatomical, physiological, biochemical and phenological characteristics of plants—determine how plants respond to environmental factors, affect other trophic levels, and influence ecosystem properties and their benefits and detriments to people. Plant trait data thus represent the basis for a vast area of research spanning from evolutionary biology, community and functional ecology, to biodiversity conservation, ecosystem and landscape management, restoration, biogeography and earth system modelling. Since its foundation in 2007, the TRY database of plant traits has grown continuously. It now provides unprecedented data coverage under an open access data policy and is the main plant trait database used by the research community worldwide. Increasingly, the TRY database also supports new frontiers of trait‐based plant research, including the identification of data gaps and the subsequent mobilization or measurement of new data. To support this development, in this article we evaluate the extent of the trait data compiled in TRY and analyse emerging patterns of data coverage and representativeness. Best species coverage is achieved for categorical traits—almost complete coverage for ‘plant growth form’. However, most traits relevant for ecology and vegetation modelling are characterized by continuous intraspecific variation and trait–environmental relationships. These traits have to be measured on individual plants in their respective environment. Despite unprecedented data coverage, we observe a humbling lack of completeness and representativeness of these continuous traits in many aspects. We, therefore, conclude that reducing data gaps and biases in the TRY database remains a key challenge and requires a coordinated approach to data mobilization and trait measurements. This can only be achieved in collaboration with other initiatives