8,056 research outputs found
Bursts in discontinuous Aeolian saltation
Close to the onset of Aeolian particle transport through saltation we find in
wind tunnel experiments a regime of discontinuous flux characterized by bursts
of activity. Scaling laws are observed in the time delay between each burst and
in the measurements of the wind fluctuations at the fluid threshold Shields
number . The time delay between each burst decreases on average with
the increase of the Shields number until sand flux becomes continuous. A
numerical model for saltation including the wind-entrainment from the turbulent
fluctuations can reproduce these observations and gives insight about their
origin. We present here also for the first time measurements showing that with
feeding it becomes possible to sustain discontinuous flux even below the fluid
threshold
Deformed Gaussian Orthogonal Ensemble description of Small-World networks
The study of spectral behavior of networks has gained enthusiasm over the
last few years. In particular, Random Matrix Theory (RMT) concepts have proven
to be useful. In discussing transition from regular behavior to fully chaotic
behavior it has been found that an extrapolation formula of the Brody type can
be used. In the present paper we analyze the regular to chaotic behavior of
Small World (SW) networks using an extension of the Gaussian Orthogonal
Ensemble. This RMT ensemble, coined the Deformed Gaussian Orthogonal Ensemble
(DGOE), supplies a natural foundation of the Brody formula. SW networks follow
GOE statistics till certain range of eigenvalues correlations depending upon
the strength of random connections. We show that for these regimes of SW
networks where spectral correlations do not follow GOE beyond certain range,
DGOE statistics models the correlations very well. The analysis performed in
this paper proves the utility of the DGOE in network physics, as much as it has
been useful in other physical systems.Comment: Replaced with the revised version, accepted for publication in Phys.
Rev.
Non-singular inflation with vacuum decay
On the basis of a semi-classical analysis of vacuum energy in an expanding
spacetime, we describe a non-singular cosmological model in which the vacuum
density decays with time, with a concomitant production of matter. During an
infinitely long period we have an empty, inflationary universe, with H \approx
1. This primordial era ends in a fast phase transition, during which H and
\Lambda decrease to nearly zero in a few Planck times, with release of a huge
amount of radiation. The late-time scenario is similar to the standard model,
with the radiation phase followed by a long dust era, which tends
asymptotically to a de Sitter universe, with vacuum dominating again. An
analysis of the redshift-distance relation for supernovas Ia leads to
cosmological parameters in agreement with other current estimations.Comment: Work presented at IRGAC 2006, Barcelona, July 11-15 2006. To appear
in a special issue of Journal of Physics
Supervising attention in an E-learning system
Until now, the level of attention of a worker has been evaluated through his/her productivity: the more one produces, the better his/her attention at work. First, the worst aspect about this approach is that it only points out a potential decrease of attention after a productivity loss. An approach that could point out, in advance, upcoming breaks in attention could allow active/preventive interventions rather than reactive ones. In this paper we present a distributed system for monitoring attention in teams (of people). It is especially suited for people working with computers and it can be interesting for domains such as the workplace or the classroom. It constantly analyzes the behavior of the user while interacting with the computer and together with knowledge about the task, is able to temporally classify attention.This work has been supported by COMPETE: POCI-01-0145-FEDER-007043 andFCT –Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia within the Project Scope: UID/CEC/00319/2013
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