Precise dipole moment and quadrupole coupling constants of benzonitrile

We have performed Fourier transform microwave spectroscopy of benzonitrile, without and with applied electric fields. From the field-free hyperfine-resolved microwave transitions we simultaneously derive accurate values for the rotational constants, centrifugal distortion constants, and nitrogen nuclear quadrupole coupling constants of benzonitrile. By measuring the Stark shift of selected hyperfine transitions the electric dipole moment of benzonitrile is determined to $\mu=\mu_a=4.5152 (68)$ D.Comment: 6 pages, 2 tables (elsart

The Structure of the Retail and Service Industries of Jefferson County

The intent of this study is to review the current strengths and weaknesses of the retail and services industries of Jefferson County. We use historical data to look for overall trends and 2004 county sales tax data to provide detailed insights.

Collective Relaxation Dynamics of Small-World Networks

Complex networks exhibit a wide range of collective dynamic phenomena, including synchronization, diffusion, relaxation, and coordination processes. Their asymptotic dynamics is generically characterized by the local Jacobian, graph Laplacian or a similar linear operator. The structure of networks with regular, small-world and random connectivities are reasonably well understood, but their collective dynamical properties remain largely unknown. Here we present a two-stage mean-field theory to derive analytic expressions for network spectra. A single formula covers the spectrum from regular via small-world to strongly randomized topologies in Watts-Strogatz networks, explaining the simultaneous dependencies on network size N, average degree k and topological randomness q. We present simplified analytic predictions for the second largest and smallest eigenvalue, and numerical checks confirm our theoretical predictions for zero, small and moderate topological randomness q, including the entire small-world regime. For large q of the order of one, we apply standard random matrix theory thereby overarching the full range from regular to randomized network topologies. These results may contribute to our analytic and mechanistic understanding of collective relaxation phenomena of network dynamical systems.Comment: 12 pages, 10 figures, published in PR

Survivability of Deterministic Dynamical Systems

The notion of a part of phase space containing desired (or allowed) states of a dynamical system is important in a wide range of complex systems research. It has been called the safe operating space, the viability kernel or the sunny region. In this paper we define the notion of survivability: Given a random initial condition, what is the likelihood that the transient behaviour of a deterministic system does not leave a region of desirable states. We demonstrate the utility of this novel stability measure by considering models from climate science, neuronal networks and power grids. We also show that a semi-analytic lower bound for the survivability of linear systems allows a numerically very efficient survivability analysis in realistic models of power grids. Our numerical and semi-analytic work underlines that the type of stability measured by survivability is not captured by common asymptotic stability measures.Comment: 21 pages, 6 figure

Satellite Derived Volumetric Soil Moisture In A HEC-HMS Model

This research is intended to enhance recent hydrologic research that focused on a rainfall-runoff model of the Devils Lake basin in central North Dakota. This research employs the spatial volumetric soil moisture data collected by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer - Earth Observing System (AMSR-E) instrument. The AMSR-E data, collected from 2002-2011 from the NASA EOS Aqua satellite, was used in the Land Parameter Retrieval Model (LPRM) to estimate the surface soil moisture at a scale of 25-km. AMSR-E data is used in collaboration with the current rainfall-runoff model to better understand the influences of spatial soil moisture data on hydrology in the Devils Lake basin. The hypothesis is that the spatial volumetric soil moisture data will increase the accuracy of a hydrologic model based on single soil moisture data points. The calibrated HEC-HMS model uses the soil moisture accounting method and produces a more accurate lake level hydrograph for Devils Lake. When comparing results from previous studies, this research produces an RMSE value of 0.85 ft during the same time frame in which previous studies produce values of 1.49 ft and 1.73 ft

Survivability : A Unifiying Concept for the Transient Resilience of Deterministic Dynamical Systems

16 pagesNon peer reviewedPreprin

At Death’s Door: Unsuccessful Political Entreaties in Antigone and The Apology

In this paper, I compare the positions of two iconoclasts on the brink of death, Antigone in Sophocles’ Antigone and Socrates in Plato’s Apology, as well as their motivations for addressing the public while facing execution, examining controversial lines from both works. First I assay Antigone’s final lament, focusing on her statement that she would not bestow the same burial honors on a husband or child as she did for her brother (lines 967-970). This is followed by an analysis of Socrates’ defense speech, focusing on his claim to be the wisest human living (23b). I study the contexts of age, honor, political astuteness, and the direct conflict between interests of the State and those of the individual, and I inspect the type and level of impact these have on the aforementioned speeches. I speculate that the human fear of death causes both Antigone and Socrates to temporarily put aside personal motivations and assume the interests of the State in order to sway their respective audiences. Finally, I show that the unflattering portraits Antigone and Socrates create of themselves are not the result of personal flaws but rather their inexperience with public appeal and their ultimate inability, amidst fear, to move the common people