819 research outputs found
The choice of a suitable sampler for benthic macroinvertebrates in deep rivers
Both chemical and biological methods are used to assess the water quality of rivers. Many standard physical and chemical methods are now established, but biological procedures of comparable accuracy and versatility are still lacking. This is unfortunate because the biological assessment of water quality has several advantages over physical and chemical analyses. Several groups of organisms have been used to assess water quality in rivers and these include Bacteria, Protozoa, Algae, macrophytes, macroinvertebrates and fish. Hellawell (1978) provides an excellent review of the advantages and disadvantages of these groups, and concludes that macroinvertebrates are the most useful for monitoring water quality. Although macroinvertebrates are relatively easy to sample in shallow water (depth 1m). The present paper first considers different types of samplers with emphasis on immediate samplers, and then discusses some problems in choosing a suitable sampler for benthic macroinvertebrates in deep rivers
Geometric partial differential equations: Theory, numerics and applications
This workshop concentrated on partial differential equations involving stationary and evolving surfaces in which geometric quantities play a major role. Mutual interest in this emerging field stimulated the interaction between analysis, numerical solution, and applications
The critical role of ants in the extensive dispersal of Acacia seeds revealed by genetic parentage assignment
Ants are prominent seed dispersal agents in many ecosystems, and dispersal distances are small in comparison with vertebrate dispersal agents. However, the distance and distribution of ant-mediated dispersal in arid/semi-arid environments remains poorly explored. We used microsatellite markers and parentage assignment to quantify the distance and distribution of dispersed seeds of Acacia karina, retrieved from the middens of Iridomyrmex agilis and Melophorus turneri perthensis. From parentage assignment, we could not distinguish the maternal from each parent pair assigned to each seed, so we applied two approaches to estimate dispersal distances, one conservative (CONS), where the parent closest to the ant midden was considered to be maternal, and the second where both parents were deemed equally likely (EL) to be maternal, and used both distances. Parentage was assigned to 124 seeds from eight middens. Maximum seed dispersal distances detected were 417 m (CONS) and 423 m (EL), more than double the estimated global maximum. Mean seed dispersal distances of 40 m (±5.8 SE) (CONS) and 79 m (±6.4 SE) (EL) exceeded the published global average of 2.24 m (±7.19 SD) by at least one order of magnitude. For both approaches and both ant species, seed dispersal was predominantly (44–84 % of all seeds) within 50 m from the maternal source, with fewer dispersal events at longer distances. Ants in this semi-arid environment have demonstrated a greater capacity to disperse seeds than estimated elsewhere, which highlights their important role in this system, and suggests significant novel ecological and evolutionary consequences for myrmecochorous species in arid/semi-arid Australia
Isotropic atomic layer etching of GaN using SF<sub>6</sub> plasma and Al(CH<sub>3</sub>)<sub>3</sub>
GaN is an enabling material for light emitting diodes, advanced radio frequency, and power semiconductor devices. However, fabrication of GaN devices often relies on harsh etch processes, which can leave an etch damage layer, limiting final device performance. In this work, an isotropic atomic layer etching (ALE) process involving SF6 plasma and trimethylaluminium [Al(CH3)3] is presented for the controlled etching of GaN, which reduces oxygen and carbon contamination while smoothing the surface. The ALE chemistry was first examined with density functional theory. A comparison between proposed thermal and plasma-driven reactions is made by implementing Natarajan-Elliott analysis, highlighting that the plasma process is a good candidate for GaN ALE. Saturation was experimentally confirmed for both ALE half-cycles at 150 and 300 °C, with etch rates of 0.31 ± 0.01 and 0.40 ± 0.02 nm/cycle, respectively. Analysis of the films post-ALE shows that the RMS roughness of the films decreases from 2.6 ± 0.1 to 1.9 ± 0.1 nm after 25 nm of etching at 300 °C, in agreement with a previously developed curvature-dependent smoothing model. Taken together, this ALE process enables accurate GaN thickness tuning, surface cleaning, and surface smoothing, allowing for further development of GaN devices.</p
Testing Lorentz invariance of dark matter
We study the possibility to constrain deviations from Lorentz invariance in
dark matter (DM) with cosmological observations. Breaking of Lorentz invariance
generically introduces new light gravitational degrees of freedom, which we
represent through a dynamical timelike vector field. If DM does not obey
Lorentz invariance, it couples to this vector field. We find that this coupling
affects the inertial mass of small DM halos which no longer satisfy the
equivalence principle. For large enough lumps of DM we identify a (chameleon)
mechanism that restores the inertial mass to its standard value. As a
consequence, the dynamics of gravitational clustering are modified. Two
prominent effects are a scale dependent enhancement in the growth of large
scale structure and a scale dependent bias between DM and baryon density
perturbations. The comparison with the measured linear matter power spectrum in
principle allows to bound the departure from Lorentz invariance of DM at the
per cent level.Comment: 42 pages, 9 figure
Weak convergence of finite element approximations of linear stochastic evolution equations with additive noise II. Fully discrete schemes
We present an abstract framework for analyzing the weak error of fully
discrete approximation schemes for linear evolution equations driven by
additive Gaussian noise. First, an abstract representation formula is derived
for sufficiently smooth test functions. The formula is then applied to the wave
equation, where the spatial approximation is done via the standard continuous
finite element method and the time discretization via an I-stable rational
approximation to the exponential function. It is found that the rate of weak
convergence is twice that of strong convergence. Furthermore, in contrast to
the parabolic case, higher order schemes in time, such as the Crank-Nicolson
scheme, are worthwhile to use if the solution is not very regular. Finally we
apply the theory to parabolic equations and detail a weak error estimate for
the linearized Cahn-Hilliard-Cook equation as well as comment on the stochastic
heat equation
A Library for Declarative Resolution-Independent 2D Graphics
The design of most 2D graphics frameworks has been guided by what the computer can draw efficiently, instead of by how graphics can best be expressed and composed. As a result, such frameworks restrict expressivity by providing a limited set of shape primitives, a limited set of textures and only affine transformations. For example, non-affine transformations can only be added by invasive modification or complex tricks rather than by simple composition. More general frameworks exist, but they make it harder to describe and analyze shapes. We present a new declarative approach to resolution-independent 2D graphics that generalizes and simplifies the functionality of traditional frameworks, while preserving their efficiency. As a real-world example, we show the implementation of a form of focus+context lenses that gives better image quality and better performance than the state-of-the-art solution at a fraction of the code. Our approach can serve as a versatile foundation for the creation of advanced graphics and higher level frameworks
Special fast diffusion with slow asymptotics. Entropy method and flow on a Riemannian manifold
We consider the asymptotic behaviour of positive solutions of the
fast diffusion equation
posed for x\in\RR^d, , with a precise value for the exponent
. The space dimension is so that , and even
for . This case had been left open in the general study \cite{BBDGV} since
it requires quite different functional analytic methods, due in particular to
the absence of a spectral gap for the operator generating the linearized
evolution.
The linearization of this flow is interpreted here as the heat flow of the
Laplace-Beltrami operator of a suitable Riemannian Manifold (\RR^d,{\bf g}),
with a metric which is conformal to the standard \RR^d metric.
Studying the pointwise heat kernel behaviour allows to prove {suitable
Gagliardo-Nirenberg} inequalities associated to the generator. Such
inequalities in turn allow to study the nonlinear evolution as well, and to
determine its asymptotics, which is identical to the one satisfied by the
linearization. In terms of the rescaled representation, which is a nonlinear
Fokker--Planck equation, the convergence rate turns out to be polynomial in
time. This result is in contrast with the known exponential decay of such
representation for all other values of .Comment: 37 page
Two-magnon Raman scattering in insulating cuprates: Modifications of the effective Raman operator
Calculations of Raman scattering intensities in spin 1/2 square-lattice
Heisenberg model, using the Fleury-Loudon-Elliott theory, have so far been
unable to describe the broad line shape and asymmetry of the two magnon peak
found experimentally in the cuprate materials. Even more notably, the
polarization selection rules are violated with respect to the
Fleury-Loudon-Elliott theory. There is comparable scattering in and
geometries, whereas the theory would predict scattering in only
geometry. We review various suggestions for this discrepency and
suggest that at least part of the problem can be addressed by modifying the
effective Raman Hamiltonian, allowing for two-magnon states with arbitrary
total momentum. Such an approach based on the Sawatzsky-Lorenzana theory of
optical absorption assumes an important role of phonons as momentum sinks. It
leaves the low energy physics of the Heisenberg model unchanged but
substantially alters the Raman line-shape and selection rules, bringing the
results closer to experiments.Comment: 7 pages, 6 figures, revtex. Contains some minor revisions from
previous versio
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