1,246 research outputs found
Gamma-Ray Polarimetry of Two X-Class Solar Flares
We have performed the first polarimetry of solar flare emission at gamma-ray
energies (0.2-1 MeV). These observations were performed with the Reuven Ramaty
High Energy Solar Spectroscopic Imager (RHESSI) for two large flares: the GOES
X4.8-class solar flare of 2002 July 23, and the X17-class flare of 2003 October
28. We have marginal polarization detections in both flares, at levels of 21%
+/- 9% and -11% +/- 5% respectively. These measurements significantly constrain
the levels and directions of solar flare gamma-ray polarization, and begin to
probe the underlying electron distributions.Comment: 33 pages, 12 figures, accepted for publication in Ap
Trajectory and smooth attractors for Cahn-Hilliard equations with inertial term
The paper is devoted to a modification of the classical Cahn-Hilliard
equation proposed by some physicists. This modification is obtained by adding
the second time derivative of the order parameter multiplied by an inertial
coefficient which is usually small in comparison to the other physical
constants. The main feature of this equation is the fact that even a globally
bounded nonlinearity is "supercritical" in the case of two and three space
dimensions. Thus the standard methods used for studying semilinear hyperbolic
equations are not very effective in the present case. Nevertheless, we have
recently proven the global existence and dissipativity of strong solutions in
the 2D case (with a cubic controlled growth nonlinearity) and for the 3D case
with small inertial coefficient and arbitrary growth rate of the nonlinearity.
The present contribution studies the long-time behavior of rather weak (energy)
solutions of that equation and it is a natural complement of the results of our
previous papers. Namely, we prove here that the attractors for energy and
strong solutions coincide for both the cases mentioned above. Thus, the energy
solutions are asymptotically smooth. In addition, we show that the non-smooth
part of any energy solution decays exponentially in time and deduce that the
(smooth) exponential attractor for the strong solutions constructed previously
is simultaneously the exponential attractor for the energy solutions as well
The role of surface roughness, albedo, and Bowen ratio on ecosystem energy balance in the Eastern United States
Land cover and land use influence surface climate through differences in biophysical surface properties, including partitioning of sensible and latent heat (e.g., Bowen ratio), surface roughness, and albedo. Clusters of closely spaced eddy covariance towers (e.g., \u3c10 \u3ekm) over a variety of land cover and land use types provide a unique opportunity to study the local effects of land cover and land use on surface temperature. We assess contributions albedo, energy redistribution due to differences in surface roughness and energy redistribution due to differences in the Bowen ratio using two eddy covariance tower clusters and the coupled (land-atmosphere) Variable-Resolution Community Earth System Model. Results suggest that surface roughness is the dominant biophysical factor contributing to differences in surface temperature between forested and deforested lands. Surface temperature of open land is cooler (â4.8 °C to â0.05 °C) than forest at night and warmer (+0.16 °C to +8.2 °C) during the day at northern and southern tower clusters throughout the year, consistent with modeled calculations. At annual timescales, the biophysical contributions of albedo and Bowen ratio have a negligible impact on surface temperature, however the higher albedo of snow-covered open land compared to forest leads to cooler winter surface temperatures over open lands (â0.4 °C to â0.8 °C). In both the models and observation, the difference in mid-day surface temperature calculated from the sum of the individual biophysical factors is greater than the difference in surface temperature calculated from radiative temperature and potential temperature. Differences in measured and modeled air temperature at the blending height, assumptions about independence of biophysical factors, and model biases in surface energy fluxes may contribute to daytime biases
Echo Delay and Overlap with Emitted Orientation Sounds and Doppler-shift Compensation in the Bat, Rhinolophus ferrumequinum
The compensation of Doppler-shifts by the bat, Rhinolophusferrumequinum,
functions only when certain temporal relations between the echo
and the emitted orientation sound are given. Three echo configurations
were used:
a) Original orientation sounds were electronically Doppler-shifted and
played back either cut at the beginning (variable delay) or at the end (variable
duration) of the echo.
b) Artificial constant frequency echoes with variable delay or duration
were clamped to the frequency of the emitted orientation sound at different
Doppler-shifts.
c) The echoes were only partially Doppler-shifted and the Doppler-shifted
component began after variable delays or had variable durations.
With increasing delay or decreasing duration of the Doppler-shifted echo
the compensation amplitude for a sinusoidally modulated + 3 kHz Dopplershift
(modulation rate 0.08 Hz) decreases for all stimulus configurations
(Figs. 1, 2, 3).
The range of the Doppler-shift compensation system is therefore limited
by the delay due to acoustic travel time to about 4 m distance between
bat and target. In this range the overlap duration of the echo with the
emitted orientation sound is always sufficiently long, when compared with
data on the orientation pulse length during target approach from Schnitzler
(1968) (Fig. 5)
On a diffuse interface model for tumour growth with non-local interactions and degenerate mobilities
We study a non-local variant of a diffuse interface model proposed by
Hawkins--Darrud et al. (2012) for tumour growth in the presence of a chemical
species acting as nutrient. The system consists of a Cahn--Hilliard equation
coupled to a reaction-diffusion equation. For non-degenerate mobilities and
smooth potentials, we derive well-posedness results, which are the non-local
analogue of those obtained in Frigeri et al. (European J. Appl. Math. 2015).
Furthermore, we establish existence of weak solutions for the case of
degenerate mobilities and singular potentials, which serves to confine the
order parameter to its physically relevant interval. Due to the non-local
nature of the equations, under additional assumptions continuous dependence on
initial data can also be shown.Comment: 28 page
On the principal bifurcation branch of a third order nonlinear long-wave equation
We study the principal bifurcation curve of a third order equation which
describes the nonlinear evolution of several systems with a long--wavelength
instability. We show that the main bifurcation branch can be derived from a
variational principle. This allows to obtain a close estimate of the complete
branch. In particular, when the bifurcation is subcritical, the large amplitude
stable branch can be found in a simple manner.Comment: 11 pages, 3 figure
UK science press officers, professional vision and the generation of expectations
Science press officers can play an integral role in helping promote expectations and hype about biomedical research. Using this as a starting point, this article draws on interviews with 10 UK-based science press officers, which explored how they view their role as science reporters and as generators of expectations. Using Goodwinâs notion of âprofessional visionâ, we argue that science press officers have a specific professional vision that shapes how they produce biomedical press releases, engage in promotion of biomedical research and make sense of hype. We discuss how these insights can contribute to the sociology of expectations, as well as inform responsible science communication.This project was funded by the Wellcome Trust (Wellcome Trust Biomedical Strategic Award 086034)
Diffuse-interface model for rapid phase transformations in nonequilibrium systems
A thermodynamic approach to rapid phase transformations within a diffuse
interface in a binary system is developed. Assuming an extended set of
independent thermodynamic variables formed by the union of the classic set of
slow variables and the space of fast variables, we introduce finiteness of the
heat and solute diffusive propagation at the finite speed of the interface
advancing. To describe the transformation within the diffuse interface, we use
the phase-field model which allows us to follow the steep but smooth change of
phases within the width of diffuse interface. The governing equations of the
phase-field model are derived for the hyperbolic model, model with memory, and
for a model of nonlinear evolution of transformation within the
diffuse-interface. The consistency of the model is proved by the condition of
positive entropy production and by the outcomes of the fluctuation-dissipation
theorem. A comparison with the existing sharp-interface and diffuse-interface
versions of the model is given.Comment: 15 pages, regular article submitted to Physical Review
Efficacy and safety of nilotinib in patients with KIT-mutated metastatic or inoperable melanoma: final results from the global, single-arm, phase II TEAM trial
Background: The single-arm, phase II Tasigna Efficacy in Advanced Melanoma (TEAM) trial evaluated the KIT-selective tyrosine kinase inhibitor nilotinib in patients with KIT-mutated advanced melanoma without prior KIT inhibitor treatment. Patients and methods: Forty-two patients with KIT-mutated advanced melanoma were enrolled and treated with nilotinib 400mg twice daily. TEAM originally included a comparator arm of dacarbazine (DTIC)-treated patients;the design was amended to a single-arm trial due to an observed low number of KIT-mutated melanomas. Thirteen patients were randomized to DTIC before the protocol amendment removing this study arm. The primary endpoint was objective response rate (ORR), determined according to Response Evaluation Criteria In Solid Tumors. Results: ORR was 26.2% (n = 11/42;95% CI, 13.9%-42.0%), sufficient to reject the null hypothesis (ORR <= 10%). All observed responses were partial responses (PRs;median response duration, 7.1 months). Twenty patients (47.6%) had stable disease and 10 (23.8%) had progressive disease;1 (2.4%) response was unknown. Ten of the 11 responding patients had exon 11 mutations, four with an L576P mutation. The median progression-free survival and overall survival were 4.2 and 18.0 months, respectively. Three of the 13 patients on DTIC achieved a PR, and another patient had a PR following switch to nilotinib. Conclusion: Nilotinib activity in patients with advanced KIT-mutated melanoma was similar to historical data from imatinib-treated patients. DTIC treatment showed potential activity, although the low patient number limits interpretation. Similar to previously reported results with imatinib, nilotinib showed greater activity among patients with an exon 11 mutation, including L576P, suggesting that nilotinib may be an effective treatment option for patients with specific KIT mutations
Characterizing the diurnal patterns of errors in the prediction of evapotranspiration by several landâsurface models: An NACP analysis
Landâsurface models use different formulations of stomatal conductance and plant hydraulics, and it is unclear which type of model best matches the observed surfaceâatmosphere water flux. We use the North American Carbon Program data set of latent heat flux (LE) measurements from 25 sites and predictions from 9 models to evaluate models' ability to resolve subdaily dynamics of transpiration. Despite overall good forecast at the seasonal scale, the models have difficulty resolving the dynamics of intradaily hysteresis. The majority of models tend to underestimate LE in the prenoon hours and overestimate in the evening. We hypothesize that this is a result of unresolved afternoon stomatal closure due to hydrodynamic stresses. Although no model or stomata parameterization was consistently best or worst in terms of ability to predict LE, errors in modelâsimulated LE were consistently largest and most variable when soil moisture was moderate and vapor pressure deficit was moderate to limiting. Nearly all models demonstrate a tendency to underestimate the degree of maximum hysteresis which, across all sites studied, is most pronounced during moistureâlimited conditions. These diurnal error patterns are consistent with models' diminished ability to accurately simulate the natural hysteresis of transpiration. We propose that the lack of representation of plant hydrodynamics is, in part, responsible for these error patterns. Key Points Landâsurface models produce subdaily patterns of latent heat flux error Error patterns are characterized by the stomatal conductance formulation used Current models lack a mechanism to simulate hysteretic transpirationPeer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/108341/1/jgrg20246.pd
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