831 research outputs found
Gender homophily from spatial behavior in a primary school: a sociometric study
We investigate gender homophily in the spatial proximity of children (6 to 12
years old) in a French primary school, using time-resolved data on face-to-face
proximity recorded by means of wearable sensors. For strong ties, i.e., for
pairs of children who interact more than a defined threshold, we find
statistical evidence of gender preference that increases with grade. For weak
ties, conversely, gender homophily is negatively correlated with grade for
girls, and positively correlated with grade for boys. This different evolution
with grade of weak and strong ties exposes a contrasted picture of gender
homophily
Adaptive optics imaging of P Cygni in Halpha
We obtained Halpha diffraction limited data of the LBV star P Cyg using the
ONERA Adaptive Optics (AO) facility BOA at the OHP 1.52m telescope on October
1997. Taking P Cyg and the reference star 59 Cyg AO long exposures we find that
P Cyg clearly exhibits a large and diffuse intensity distribution compared to
the 59 Cyg's point-like source. A deconvolution of P Cyg using 59 Cyg as the
Point Spread Function was performed by means of the Richardson-Lucy algorithm.
P Cyg clearly appears as an unresolved star surrounded by a clumped envelope.
The reconstructed image of P Cyg is compared to similar spatial resolution maps
obtained from radio aperture synthesis imaging. We put independent constraints
on the physics of P Cyg which agree well with radio results. We discuss future
possibilities to constrain the wind structure of P Cyg by using
multi-resolution imaging, coronagraphy and long baseline interferometry to
trace back its evolutionary status.Comment: 10 pages, 19 Encapsulated Postscript figure
The “Mirage” Sensor in a Industrial Environment: Optical and Thermal Losses Determinations
Since the first “Mirage” experiment run in the laboratory of ESPCI in 1979 [1], this method has been used by many other laboratories for the determination of optical and thermal properties and for non destructive evaluation [2] [3] [4]
Heterogeneity of wheat endosperm proteolipids (CM proteins)
Proteins extracted with CHCl3-MeOH from wheat endosperm have been fractionated by Sephadex G-100 and the 15 000–20 000 MW range fraction, designated CM protein, has been examined by combined electrofocusing (pH range 5–8) and electrophoresis (pH 3.2) and the heterogeneity of the electrophoretic components has been ascertained. It has been shown by joint mapping and by sequential extraction that CM proteins are extracted by 70% EtOH but not by H2O, although they can be made water-soluble after dialysis against an acid buffer, pH 3.2, 3 M urea, without losing their solubility in CHCl3-MeOH mixtures. It is concluded that CM proteins fit the definition of a Folch—Lees proteolipid. The Triticum aestivum (genomes ABD) map can be reconstructed by mixing T. durum (AB) and Aegilops squarrosa (D). The low intragenomic variability of CM protein is confirmed
Image reconstruction in optical interferometry: Benchmarking the regularization
With the advent of infrared long-baseline interferometers with more than two
telescopes, both the size and the completeness of interferometric data sets
have significantly increased, allowing images based on models with no a priori
assumptions to be reconstructed. Our main objective is to analyze the multiple
parameters of the image reconstruction process with particular attention to the
regularization term and the study of their behavior in different situations.
The secondary goal is to derive practical rules for the users. Using the
Multi-aperture image Reconstruction Algorithm (MiRA), we performed multiple
systematic tests, analyzing 11 regularization terms commonly used. The tests
are made on different astrophysical objects, different (u,v) plane coverages
and several signal-to-noise ratios to determine the minimal configuration
needed to reconstruct an image. We establish a methodology and we introduce the
mean-square errors (MSE) to discuss the results. From the ~24000 simulations
performed for the benchmarking of image reconstruction with MiRA, we are able
to classify the different regularizations in the context of the observations.
We find typical values of the regularization weight. A minimal (u,v) coverage
is required to reconstruct an acceptable image, whereas no limits are found for
the studied values of the signal-to-noise ratio. We also show that
super-resolution can be achieved with increasing performance with the (u,v)
coverage filling. Using image reconstruction with a sufficient (u,v) coverage
is shown to be reliable. The choice of the main parameters of the
reconstruction is tightly constrained. We recommend that efforts to develop
interferometric infrastructures should first concentrate on the number of
telescopes to combine, and secondly on improving the accuracy and sensitivity
of the arrays.Comment: 15 pages, 16 figures; accepted in A&
Super-resolution in map-making based on a physical instrument model and regularized inversion. Application to SPIRE/Herschel
We investigate super-resolution methods for image reconstruction from data
provided by a family of scanning instruments like the Herschel observatory. To
do this, we constructed a model of the instrument that faithfully reflects the
physical reality, accurately taking the acquisition process into account to
explain the data in a reliable manner. The inversion, ie the image
reconstruction process, is based on a linear approach resulting from a
quadratic regularized criterion and numerical optimization tools. The
application concerns the reconstruction of maps for the SPIRE instrument of the
Herschel observatory. The numerical evaluation uses simulated and real data to
compare the standard tool (coaddition) and the proposed method. The inversion
approach is capable to restore spatial frequencies over a bandwidth four times
that possible with coaddition and thus to correctly show details invisible on
standard maps. The approach is also applied to real data with significant
improvement in spatial resolution.Comment: Astronomy & Astrophysic
Cross-Life Stage Effects of Aquatic Larval Density and Terrestrial Moisture on Growth and Corticosterone in the Spotted Salamander
For organisms with complex life cycles, conditions experienced during early life stages may constrain later growth and survival. Conversely, compensatory mechanisms may attenuate negative effects from early life stages. We used the spotted salamander, Ambystoma maculatum, to test how aquatic larval density and terrestrial moisture influence juvenile growth, food intake, evaporative water loss and water reuptake rates, and corticosterone levels. We conducted an outdoor mesocosm experiment to manipulate larval density and transferred metamorphosed salamanders into low and high terrestrial moisture treatments in laboratory terrariums. After the larval stage, high-density salamanders were significantly smaller and had higher corticosterone release rates than those from low-density treatments. Salamanders in the low terrestrial moisture treatment consumed fewer roaches, had lower mass-specific growth rates, higher water reuptake, and higher corticosterone release rates than salamanders in high terrestrial moisture treatments. Across moisture treatments, smaller salamanders had higher mass-specific growth rates than larger salamanders. Our results suggest that salamanders can partially compensate for competition in the larval aquatic habitat with increased growth as juveniles, but this response is dependent on terrestrial habitat quality. Thus, the persistence of early life stage effects can be an important, yet context-dependent, component of amphibian life cycles
Design of the strut braced wing aircraft in the agile collaborative MDO framework
The paper describes the deployment of the AGILE Development Framework to investigate the Strut Braced Wing aircraft configuration. The design process consists of a multilevel multidisciplinary architecture, progressing from the initial conceptual synthesis to the physics based analysis. All the main disciplinary domains, including on board system design and cost assessment, are accounted for in the assembled workflow. Due to the specific characteristics of the Strut Braced Wing configuration, the aeroelastic analysis is the main focus of the study and it is addressed at both high and low fidelity levels. The integration of the engine-wing system is also included in the design process. All the design competences, which are hosted at the different partners, communicate via CPACS (Common Parametric Aircraft Configuration Schema) data schema. All the results generated, including the multidisciplinary design process itself, will be published and made available as part of the AGILE Overall Aircraft Design database
Benthic oxygen exchange over a heterogeneous Zostera noltei meadow in a temperate coastal ecosystem
Seagrass meadows support intense but highly variable benthic metabolic rates that still need to be better evaluated to determine an accurate trophic status. The present study assessed how seagrasses and associated benthic macrofauna control spatiotemporal changes in benthic oxygen exchanges within a temperate bay. Based on seasonal sampling over a complete year cycle, the diffusive oxygen uptake (DOU), community respiration (CR) and gross primary production (GPP) were measured in a Zostera noltei meadow within Arcachon Bay, taking into account its spatial heterogeneity. Oxygen fluxes were assessed in sediment cores, within which benthic macrofauna and seagrass abundances and biomasses were quantified. The presence of Z. noltei did not significantly affect the DOU. Seasonal changes in CR and GPP correlated strongly with temperature in the presence of Z. noltei. The characteristics of benthic macrofauna associated with Z. noltei only weakly affected seasonal changes in CR. High spatial changes in both GPP and CR were mainly driven by the aboveground biomass of Z. noltei. When extrapolated to the whole intertidal area of the bay, in spite of limitations, our results suggest (1) overall higher contributions to CR and GPP from the seagrass meadow than from bare sediments, even though alternative primary producers in bare sediments (likely microphytobenthos) contributed significantly during winter; (2) an annual decrease in CR and GPP of 35 and 41%, respectively, resulting from the decline in Z. noltei of 25% between 2005 and 2007; and (3) a strong seasonality in the magnitude of this decrease, which was high during autumn and low during winter.
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