2,318 research outputs found
Effective scraping in a scraped surface heat exchanger: some fluid flow analysis
An outline of mathematical models that have been used to understand the behaviour of scraped surface heat exchangers is presented. In particular the problem of the wear of the blades is considered. A simple model, exploiting known behaviour of viscous flow in corners and in wedges, and accounting for the forces on the blade is derived and solutions generated. The results shows initial rapid wear but that the wear rate goes to zero
Development of real-time PCR and hybridization methods for detection and identification of thermophilic Campylobacter spp. in pig faecal samples
Aims: To develop a real-time (rt) PCR for species differentiation of thermophilic Campylobacter and to develop a method for assessing co-colonization of pigs by Campylobacter spp.
Methods and results: The specificity of a developed 5’nuclease rt-PCR for species-specific identification of C. jejuni, C. coli, C. lari, C. upsaliensis and of a hipO gene nucleotide probe for detection of C. jejuni by colony-blot hybridization were determined by testing a total of 75 reference strains of Campylobacter spp. and related organisms. The rt-PCR method allowed species-specific detection of Campylobacter spp. in naturally infected pig faecal samples after an enrichment step, whereas the hybridization approach enhanced the specific isolation of C. jejuni (present in minority to C. coli) from pigs.
Conclusions: The rt-PCR was specific for Campylobacter jejuni, C. coli, C. lari, and C. upsaliensis and the colony-blot hybridization approach provided an effective tool for isolation of C. jejuni from pig faecal samples typically dominated by C. coli.
Significance and impact of study: Species differentiation between thermophilic Campylobacter is difficult by phenotypic methods and the developed rt-PCR provides an easy and fast method for such differentiation. Detection of C. jejuni by colony hybridization may increase the isolation rate of this species from pig feces
Learning and Forgetting with Local Information of New Objects
The performance of supervised learners depends on the presence of a
relatively large labeled sample. This paper proposes an automatic ongoing
learning system, which is able to incorporate new knowledge from the
experience obtained when classifying new objects and correspondingly, to
improve the efficiency of the system. We employ a stochastic rule for
classifying and editing, along with a condensing algorithm based on local
density to forget superfluous data (and control the sample size). The
effectiveness of the algorithm is experimentally evaluated using a number of
data sets taken from the UCI Machine Learning Database Repository
CHANDRA Observations of X-ray Jet Structure on kpc to Mpc Scales
With its exquisite spatial resolution of better than 0.5 arcsecond, the
Chandra observatory is uniquely capable of resolving and studying the spatial
structure of extragalactic X-ray jets on scales of a few to a few hundred
kilo-parsec. Our analyses of four recent Chandra images of quasar jets
interpret the X-ray emission as inverse Compton scattering of high energy
electrons on the cosmic microwave background. We infer that these jets are in
bulk relativistic motion, carrying kinetic powers upwards of 10^46 ergs/s to
distances of hundreds of kpc, with very high efficiency.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures, to be published in the proceedings of the Bologna
jet workshop, "The Physics of Relativistic Jets in the CHANDRA and XMM Era.
For richer, for poorer: marriage and casualized sex in East African artisanal mining settlements
Migrants to Tanzania's artisanal gold mining sites seek mineral wealth, which is accompanied by high risks of occupational hazards, economic failure, AIDS and social censure from their home communities. Male miners in these settlements compete to attract newly arrived young women who are perceived to be diverting male material support from older women and children's economic survival. This article explores the dynamics of monogamy, polygamy and promiscuity in the context of rapid occupational change. It shows how a wide spectrum of productive and welfare outcomes is generated through sexual experimentation, which calls into question conventional concepts of prostitution, marriage and gender power relations
Hidden non-Fermi liquid behavior due to crystal field quartet
We study a realistic Kondo model for crystal field quartet ground states
having magnetic and non-magnetic (quadrupolar) exchange couplings with
conduction electrons, using the numerical renormalization group method. We
focus on a local effect dependent on singlet excited states coupled to the
quartet, which reduces the non-magnetic coupling significantly and drives
non-Fermi liquid behavior observed in the calculated quadrupolar
susceptibility. A crossover from the non-Fermi liquid state to the Fermi liquid
state is characterized by a small energy scale very sensitive to the
non-magnetic coupling. On the other hand, the Kondo temperature observed in the
magnetic susceptibility is less sensitive. The different crystal-field
dependence of the two exchange couplings may be related to the different
dependence of quadrupolar and magnetic ordering temperatures in
CeLaB.Comment: 7 pages, 5 EPS figures, REVTe
Anderson-Yuval approach to the multichannel Kondo problem
We analyze the structure of the perturbation expansion of the general
multichannel Kondo model with channel anisotropic exchange couplings and in the
presence of an external magnetic field, generalizing to this case the
Anderson-Yuval technique. For two channels, we are able to map the Kondo model
onto a generalized resonant level model. Limiting cases in which the equivalent
resonant level model is solvable are identified. The solution correctly
captures the properties of the two channel Kondo model, and also allows an
analytic description of the cross-over from the non Fermi liquid to the Fermi
liquid behavior caused by the channel anisotropy.Comment: 23 pages, ReVTeX, 4 figures av. on reques
The Amundsen Sea Polynya International Research Expedition (ASPIRE)
In search of an explanation for some of the greenest waters ever seen in coastal Antarctica and their possible link to some of the fastest melting glaciers and declining summer sea ice, the Amundsen Sea Polynya International Research Expedition (ASPIRE) challenged the capabilities of the US Antarctic Program and RVIB Nathaniel B. Palmer during Austral summer 2010–2011. We were well rewarded by both an extraordinary research platform and a truly remarkable oceanic setting. Here we provide further insights into the key questions that motivated our sampling approach during ASPIRE and present some preliminary findings, while highlighting the value of the Palmer for accomplishing complex, multifaceted oceanographic research in such a challenging environment
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