453 research outputs found
New Methods of Documenting the Past: Recreating Public Preaching at Paul's Cross, London, in the Post-Reformation Period
My goal is to develop a virtual research environment for study of the performance of sermons at Paul's Cross in the churchyard of St. Paul's Cathedral, England's most important public pulpit in the early modern period, where official religious policies were defended and religious controversies of the Reformation were debated. This innovative use of digital technology will be highly multidisciplinary, combining software for architectural modeling and acoustic simulation with historic visual and textual records as well as recent archaeological evidence. We will be able to hear recordings of Paul's Cross sermons performed in its original pronunciation from various locations within the historic space and in the context of a background of extraneous noises and the hubbub of human activity, recreating the challenges both preachers and worshippers confronted in such large public gatherings
Photon counting for quantum key distribution with Peltier cooled InGaAs/InP APD's
The performance of three types of InGaAs/InP avalanche photodiodes is
investigated for photon counting at 1550 nm in the temperature range of
thermoelectric cooling. The best one yields a dark count probability of per gate (2.4 ns) at a detection efficiency of 10% and a
temperature of -60C. The afterpulse probability and the timing jitter are also
studied. The results obtained are compared with those of other papers and
applied to the simulation of a quantum key distribution system. An error rate
of 10% would be obtained after 54 kilometers.Comment: 8 pages, 10 figures, submitted to Journal of Modern Optic
The HST Key Project on the Extragalactic Distance Scale. XV. A Cepheid Distance to the Fornax Cluster and Its Implications
Using the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) 37 long-period Cepheid variables have
been discovered in the Fornax Cluster spiral galaxy NGC 1365. The resulting V
and I period-luminosity relations yield a true distance modulus of 31.35 +/-
0.07 mag, which corresponds to a distance of 18.6 +/- 0.6 Mpc. This measurement
provides several routes for estimating the Hubble Constant. (1) Assuming this
distance for the Fornax Cluster as a whole yields a local Hubble Constant of 70
+/-18_{random} [+/-7]_{systematic} km/s/Mpc. (2) Nine Cepheid-based distances
to groups of galaxies out to and including the Fornax and Virgo clusters yield
Ho = 73 (+/-16)_r [+/-7]_s km/s/Mpc. (3) Recalibrating the I-band Tully-Fisher
relation using NGC 1365 and six nearby spiral galaxies, and applying it to 15
galaxy clusters out to 100 Mpc gives Ho = 76 (+/-3)_r [+/-8]_s km/s/Mpc. (4)
Using a broad-based set of differential cluster distance moduli ranging from
Fornax to Abell 2147 gives Ho = 72 (+/-)_r [+/-6]_s km/s/Mpc. And finally, (5)
Assuming the NGC 1365 distance for the two additional Type Ia supernovae in
Fornax and adding them to the SnIa calibration (correcting for light curve
shape) gives Ho = 67 (+/-6)_r [+/-7]_s km/s/Mpc out to a distance in excess of
500 Mpc. All five of these Ho determinations agree to within their statistical
errors. The resulting estimate of the Hubble Constant combining all these
determinations is Ho = 72 (+/-5)_r [+/-12]_s km/s/Mpc.Comment: Accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journal, Apr. 10 issue
28 pages, 3 tables, 12 figures (Correct figures and abstract
Population Monte Carlo algorithms
We give a cross-disciplinary survey on ``population'' Monte Carlo algorithms.
In these algorithms, a set of ``walkers'' or ``particles'' is used as a
representation of a high-dimensional vector. The computation is carried out by
a random walk and split/deletion of these objects. The algorithms are developed
in various fields in physics and statistical sciences and called by lots of
different terms -- ``quantum Monte Carlo'', ``transfer-matrix Monte Carlo'',
``Monte Carlo filter (particle filter)'',``sequential Monte Carlo'' and
``PERM'' etc. Here we discuss them in a coherent framework. We also touch on
related algorithms -- genetic algorithms and annealed importance sampling.Comment: Title is changed (Population-based Monte Carlo -> Population Monte
Carlo). A number of small but important corrections and additions. References
are also added. Original Version is read at 2000 Workshop on
Information-Based Induction Sciences (July 17-18, 2000, Syuzenji, Shizuoka,
Japan). No figure
The Properties of the Radio-Selected 1Jy Sample of BL Lacertae Objects
We present new optical and near-IR spectroscopy as well as new high dynamic
range, arcsecond-resolution VLA radio maps of BL Lacs from the complete
radio-selected "1 Jansky" (1Jy) sample (RBLs) for which such data were not
previously available. Unlike BL Lacs from the complete X-ray-selected Einstein
Medium Sensitivity Survey (EMSS) sample (XBLs), most RBLs possess weak but
moderately luminous emission lines. And whereas nearly all XBLs have extended
power levels consistent with FR-1s, more than half of the RBLs have extended
radio power levels too luminous to be beamed FR-1 radio galaxies. In fact, we
find evidence for and examples of three distinct mechanisms for creating the BL
Lac phenomenon in the 1Jy sample: beamed FR-1s, beamed FR-2s and possibly a few
gravitationally-lensed quasars. The v/v_max determined for the 1Jy sample is
0.614+/-0.047, which is markedly different from the negative evolution seen in
the EMSS and other XBL samples. A correlation between logarithmic X-ray to
radio flux ratio and v/v_max is observed across the EMSS and 1Jy samples, from
negative evolution in the more extreme XBLs to positive evolution in the more
extreme RBLs. There is evidence that the selection criteria chosen by Stickel
et al. eliminates some BL Lac objects from the 1Jy sample, although how many is
unknown. And several objects currently in the sample have exhibited strong
emission lines in one or more epochs, suggesting they should be reclassified as
FSRQs. However these selection effects cannot account for the observed
discrepancy in XBL and RBL properties. From these observational properties we
conclude that RBLs and XBLs cannot be related by viewing angle alone, and that
RBLs are more closely related to FSRQs.Comment: 29 pages, 47 figures, accepted A
Orbit structure and (reversing) symmetries of toral endomorphisms on rational lattices
We study various aspects of the dynamics induced by integer matrices on the
invariant rational lattices of the torus in dimension 2 and greater. Firstly,
we investigate the orbit structure when the toral endomorphism is not
invertible on the lattice, characterising the pretails of eventually periodic
orbits. Next we study the nature of the symmetries and reversing symmetries of
toral automorphisms on a given lattice, which has particular relevance to
(quantum) cat maps.Comment: 29 pages, 3 figure
In vitro assembly of a prohead-like structure of the Rhodobacter capsulatus gene transfer agent
AbstractThe gene transfer agent (GTA) is a phage-like particle capable of exchanging double-stranded DNA fragments between cells of the photosynthetic bacterium Rhodobacter capsulatus. Here we show that the major capsid protein of GTA, expressed in E. coli, can be assembled into prohead-like structures in the presence of calcium ions in vitro. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) of uranyl acetate staining material and thin sections of glutaraldehyde-fixed material demonstrates that these associates have spherical structures with diameters in the range of 27–35 nm. The analysis of scanning TEM images revealed particles of mass ∼4.3 MDa, representing 101±11 copies of the monomeric subunit. The establishment of this simple and rapid method to form prohead-like particles permits the GTA system to be used for genome manipulation within the photosynthetic bacterium, for specific targeted drug delivery, and for the construction of biologically based distributed autonomous sensors for environmental monitoring
Towards a global platform for linking soil biodiversity data
Soil biodiversity is immense, with an estimated 10–100 million organisms belonging to over 5000 taxa in a handful of soil. In spite of the importance of soil biodiversity for ecosystem functions and services, information on soil species, from taxonomy to biogeographical patterns, is incomplete and there is no infrastructure to connect pre-existing or future data. Here, we propose a global platform to allow for greater access to soil biodiversity information by linking databases and repositories through a single open portal. The proposed platform would for the first time, link data on soil organisms from different global sites and biomes, and will be inclusive of all data types, from molecular sequences to morphology measurements and other supporting information. Access to soil biodiversity species records and information will be instrumental to progressing scientific research and education. Further, as demonstrated by previous biodiversity synthesis efforts, data availability is key for adapting to, and creating mitigation plans in response to global changes. With the rapid influx of soil biodiversity data, now is the time to take the first steps forward in establishing a global soil biodiversity information platform
Teagasc submission made in response to the Consultation Paper on Interim Review of Ireland’s Nitrates Derogation 2019
Teagasc SubmissionSubmission to governmentThis submission was made in response to the consultation process run jointly by the
Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government (DHPCLG) and the
Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) inviting views and comments on
proposals for the Interim Review of Ireland’s Nitrates Derogation Programme in 2019. It has
been prepared by Teagasc’s Water Quality Working Group in consultation with the Gaseous
Emissions Working Group. These working groups have members drawn from both the
Knowledge Transfer and Research Directorates of Teagasc. It was prepared following
consultation with colleagues across Teagasc using their collective knowledge and expertise
in agri-environmental science and practice and the implementation of the Good Agricultural
Practice (GAP) and Nitrates Derogation Regulations.https://www.teagasc.ie/publications/2019/teagasc-submission-made-in-response-to-the-consultation-paper-on-interim-review-of-irelands-nitrates-derogation-2019.ph
Satisfacción máxima del consumidor y su relación con los atributos de los establecimientos de comida rápida del centro comercial Real Plaza Chiclayo - 2016
El objetivo principal del presente trabajo fue efectuar un análisis de la relación que tiene la satisfacción global que puede obtener un consumidor con los factores que considera importantes en los establecimientos de comida rápida del centro comercial real plaza de Chiclayo. El análisis de datos se hizo sobre una muestra de 196 clientes encuestados que visitan el centro comercial real plaza de la ciudad de Chiclayo. El análisis puso de manifiesto que las dimensiones que guardaban un alto grado de correlación con la satisfacción percibida fueron servicios y conveniencia y calidad e imagen, mientras que el valor económico de la compra no mostró una correlación significativa. Adicionalmente se halló un alto grado de insatisfacción con respecto a los precios y promociones ofrecidas, lo que supone un análisis posterior para comprender mejor estos hallazgos.Tesi
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