86,009 research outputs found
Control system design using optimization techniques Final report
Optimization techniques for control of fuel valve systems for air breathing jet engines and 40-60 inlet control problem
Genetic distance predicts trait differentiation at the subpopulation but not the individual level in eelgrass, Zostera marina.
Ecological studies often assume that genetically similar individuals will be more similar in phenotypic traits, such that genetic diversity can serve as a proxy for trait diversity. Here, we explicitly test the relationship between genetic relatedness and trait distance using 40 eelgrass (Zostera marina) genotypes from five sites within Bodega Harbor, CA. We measured traits related to nutrient uptake, morphology, biomass and growth, photosynthesis, and chemical deterrents for all genotypes. We used these trait measurements to calculate a multivariate pairwise trait distance for all possible genotype combinations. We then estimated pairwise relatedness from 11 microsatellite markers. We found significant trait variation among genotypes for nearly every measured trait; however, there was no evidence of a significant correlation between pairwise genetic relatedness and multivariate trait distance among individuals. However, at the subpopulation level (sites within a harbor), genetic (FST) and trait differentiation were positively correlated. Our work suggests that pairwise relatedness estimated from neutral marker loci is a poor proxy for trait differentiation between individual genotypes. It remains to be seen whether genomewide measures of genetic differentiation or easily measured "master" traits (like body size) might provide good predictions of overall trait differentiation
QUAGMIRE v1.3: a quasi-geostrophic model for investigating rotating fluids experiments
QUAGMIRE is a quasi-geostrophic numerical model for performing fast, high-resolution simulations of multi-layer rotating annulus laboratory experiments on a desktop personal computer. The model uses a hybrid finite-difference/spectral approach to numerically integrate the coupled nonlinear partial differential equations of motion in cylindrical geometry in each layer. Version 1.3 implements the special case of two fluid layers of equal resting depths. The flow is forced either by a differentially rotating lid, or by relaxation to specified streamfunction or potential vorticity fields, or both. Dissipation is achieved through Ekman layer pumping and suction at the horizontal boundaries, including the internal interface. The effects of weak interfacial tension are included, as well as the linear topographic beta-effect and the quadratic centripetal beta-effect. Stochastic forcing may optionally be activated, to represent approximately the effects of random unresolved features. A leapfrog time stepping scheme is used, with a Robert filter. Flows simulated by the model agree well with those observed in the corresponding laboratory experiments
Hinode EUV Imaging Spectrometer Observations of Solar Active Region Dynamics
The EUV Imaging Spectrometer (EIS) on the Hinode satellite is capable of
measuring emission line center positions for Gaussian line profiles to a
fraction of a spectral pixel, resulting in relative solar Doppler-shift
measurements with an accuracy of less than a km/s for strong lines. We show an
example of the application of that capability to an active region sit-and-stare
observation in which the EIS slit is placed at one location on the Sun and many
exposures are taken while the spacecraft tracking keeps the same solar location
within the slit. For the active region examined (NOAA 10930), we find that
significant intensity and Doppler-shift fluctuations as a function of time are
present at a number of locations. These fluctuations appear to be similar to
those observed in high-temperature emission lines with other space-borne
spectroscopic instruments. With its increased sensitivity over earlier
spectrometers and its ability to image many emission lines simultaneously, EIS
should provide significant new constraints on Doppler-shift oscillations in the
corona.Comment: 7 Pages, 7 figure
Answering Conjunctive Queries under Updates
We consider the task of enumerating and counting answers to -ary
conjunctive queries against relational databases that may be updated by
inserting or deleting tuples. We exhibit a new notion of q-hierarchical
conjunctive queries and show that these can be maintained efficiently in the
following sense. During a linear time preprocessing phase, we can build a data
structure that enables constant delay enumeration of the query results; and
when the database is updated, we can update the data structure and restart the
enumeration phase within constant time. For the special case of self-join free
conjunctive queries we obtain a dichotomy: if a query is not q-hierarchical,
then query enumeration with sublinear delay and sublinear update time
(and arbitrary preprocessing time) is impossible.
For answering Boolean conjunctive queries and for the more general problem of
counting the number of solutions of k-ary queries we obtain complete
dichotomies: if the query's homomorphic core is q-hierarchical, then size of
the the query result can be computed in linear time and maintained with
constant update time. Otherwise, the size of the query result cannot be
maintained with sublinear update time. All our lower bounds rely on the
OMv-conjecture, a conjecture on the hardness of online matrix-vector
multiplication that has recently emerged in the field of fine-grained
complexity to characterise the hardness of dynamic problems. The lower bound
for the counting problem additionally relies on the orthogonal vectors
conjecture, which in turn is implied by the strong exponential time hypothesis.
By sublinear we mean for some
, where is the size of the active domain of the current
database
Long-Time Behavior of Velocity Autocorrelation Function for Interacting Particles in a Two-Dimensional Disordered System
The long-time behavior of the velocity autocorrelation function (VACF) is
investigated by the molecular dynamics simulation of a two-dimensional system
which has both a many-body interaction and a random potential. With
strengthening the random potential by increasing the density of impurities, a
crossover behavior of the VACF is observed from a positive tail, which is
proportional to t^{-1}, to a negative tail, proportional to -t^{-2}. The latter
tail exists even when the density of particles is the same order as the density
of impurities. The behavior of the VACF in a nonequilibrium steady state is
also studied. In the linear response regime the behavior is similar to that in
the equilibrium state, whereas it changes drastically in the nonlinear response
regime.Comment: 12 pages, 5 figure
J004457+4123 (Sharov 21): not a remarkable nova in M31 but a background quasar with a spectacular UV flare
We announce the discovery of a quasar behind the disk of M31, which was
previously classified as a remarkable nova in our neighbour galaxy. The paper
is primarily aimed at the outburst of J004457+4123 (Sharov 21), with the first
part focussed on the optical spectroscopy and the improvement in the
photometric database. Both the optical spectrum and the broad band spectral
energy distribution of Sharov 21 are shown to be very similar to that of
normal, radio-quiet type 1 quasars. We present photometric data covering more
than a century and resulting in a long-term light curve that is densely sampled
over the past five decades. The variability of the quasar is characterized by a
ground state with typical fluctuation amplitudes of ~0.2 mag around B~20.5,
superimposed by a singular flare of ~2 yr duration (observer frame) with the
maximum at 1992.81 where the UV flux has increased by a factor of ~20. The
total energy in the flare is at least three orders of magnitudes higher than
the radiated energy of the most luminous supernovae, provided that it comes
from an intrinsic process and the energy is radiated isotropically. The profile
of the flare light curve appears to be in agreement with the standard
predictions for a stellar tidal disruption event where a ~10 M_sun giant star
was shredded in the tidal field of a ~2...5 10^8 M_sun black hole. The short
fallback time derived from the light curve requires an ultra-close encounter
where the pericentre of the stellar orbit is deep within the tidal disruption
radius. Gravitational microlensing provides an alternative explanation, though
the probability of such a high amplification event is very low.Comment: Accepted for publication in Astronomy and Astrophysics, 14 pages, 11
figure
Microbiome manipulation with faecal microbiome transplantation as a therapeutic strategy in Clostridium difficile infection
Faecal microbiome transplantation (FMT) has generated huge recent interest as it presents a potential solution to a significant clinical problem—the increasing incidence of Clostridium difficile infection (CDI). In the short term, however, there remain many practical questions regarding its use, including the optimal selection of donors, material preparation and the mechanics of delivery. In the longer term, enhanced understanding of the mechanisms of action of FMT may potentiate novel therapies, such as targeted manipulation of the microbiome in CDI and beyond
Mechanism, dynamics, and biological existence of multistability in a large class of bursting neurons
Multistability, the coexistence of multiple attractors in a dynamical system,
is explored in bursting nerve cells. A modeling study is performed to show that
a large class of bursting systems, as defined by a shared topology when
represented as dynamical systems, is inherently suited to support
multistability. We derive the bifurcation structure and parametric trends
leading to multistability in these systems. Evidence for the existence of
multirhythmic behavior in neurons of the aquatic mollusc Aplysia californica
that is consistent with our proposed mechanism is presented. Although these
experimental results are preliminary, they indicate that single neurons may be
capable of dynamically storing information for longer time scales than
typically attributed to nonsynaptic mechanisms.Comment: 24 pages, 8 figure
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