1,920 research outputs found
Viriato: a Fourier-Hermite spectral code for strongly magnetised fluid-kinetic plasma dynamics
We report on the algorithms and numerical methods used in Viriato, a novel
fluid-kinetic code that solves two distinct sets of equations: (i) the Kinetic
Reduced Electron Heating Model (KREHM) equations [Zocco & Schekochihin, Phys.
Plasmas 18, 102309 (2011)] (which reduce to the standard Reduced-MHD equations
in the appropriate limit) and (ii) the kinetic reduced MHD (KRMHD) equations
[Schekochihin et al., Astrophys. J. Suppl. 182:310 (2009)]. Two main
applications of these equations are magnetised (Alfvenic) plasma turbulence and
magnetic reconnection. Viriato uses operator splitting (Strang or Godunov) to
separate the dynamics parallel and perpendicular to the ambient magnetic field
(assumed strong). Along the magnetic field, Viriato allows for either a
second-order accurate MacCormack method or, for higher accuracy, a
spectral-like scheme composed of the combination of a total variation
diminishing (TVD) third order Runge-Kutta method for the time derivative with a
7th order upwind scheme for the fluxes. Perpendicular to the field Viriato is
pseudo-spectral, and the time integration is performed by means of an iterative
predictor-corrector scheme. In addition, a distinctive feature of Viriato is
its spectral representation of the parallel velocity-space dependence, achieved
by means of a Hermite representation of the perturbed distribution function. A
series of linear and nonlinear benchmarks and tests are presented, including a
detailed analysis of 2D and 3D Orszag-Tang-type decaying turbulence, both in
fluid and kinetic regimes.Comment: 42 pages, 15 figures, submitted to J. Comp. Phy
Wireless Acoustic Measurement System
A prototype wireless acoustic measurement system (WAMS) is one of two main subsystems of the Acoustic Prediction/ Measurement Tool, which comprises software, acoustic instrumentation, and electronic hardware combined to afford integrated capabilities for predicting and measuring noise emitted by rocket and jet engines. The other main subsystem is described in the article on page 8. The WAMS includes analog acoustic measurement instrumentation and analog and digital electronic circuitry combined with computer wireless local-area networking to enable (1) measurement of sound-pressure levels at multiple locations in the sound field of an engine under test and (2) recording and processing of the measurement data. At each field location, the measurements are taken by a portable unit, denoted a field station. There are ten field stations, each of which can take two channels of measurements. Each field station is equipped with two instrumentation microphones, a micro- ATX computer, a wireless network adapter, an environmental enclosure, a directional radio antenna, and a battery power supply. The environmental enclosure shields the computer from weather and from extreme acoustically induced vibrations. The power supply is based on a marine-service lead-acid storage battery that has enough capacity to support operation for as long as 10 hours. A desktop computer serves as a control server for the WAMS. The server is connected to a wireless router for communication with the field stations via a wireless local-area network that complies with wireless-network standard 802.11b of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. The router and the wireless network adapters are controlled by use of Linux-compatible driver software. The server runs custom Linux software for synchronizing the recording of measurement data in the field stations. The software includes a module that provides an intuitive graphical user interface through which an operator at the control server can control the operations of the field stations for calibration and for recording of measurement data. A test engineer positions and activates the WAMS. The WAMS automatically establishes the wireless network. Next, the engineer performs pretest calibrations. Then the engineer executes the test and measurement procedures. After the test, the raw measurement files are copied and transferred, through the wireless network, to a hard disk in the control server. Subsequently, the data are processed into 1.3-octave spectrograms
Considering Fluctuation Energy as a Measure of Gyrokinetic Turbulence
In gyrokinetic theory there are two quadratic measures of fluctuation energy,
left invariant under nonlinear interactions, that constrain the turbulence. The
recent work of Plunk and Tatsuno [Phys. Rev. Lett. 106, 165003 (2011)] reported
on the novel consequences that this constraint has on the direction and
locality of spectral energy transfer. This paper builds on that work. We
provide detailed analysis in support of the results of Plunk and Tatsuno but
also significantly broaden the scope and use additional methods to address the
problem of energy transfer. The perspective taken here is that the fluctuation
energies are not merely formal invariants of an idealized model
(two-dimensional gyrokinetics) but are general measures of gyrokinetic
turbulence, i.e. quantities that can be used to predict the behavior of the
turbulence. Though many open questions remain, this paper collects evidence in
favor of this perspective by demonstrating in several contexts that constrained
spectral energy transfer governs the dynamics.Comment: Final version as published. Some cosmetic changes and update of
reference
Prolonged exercise testing in two children with a mild Multiple Acyl-CoA-Dehydrogenase deficiency
BACKGROUND: Multiple Acyl-CoA-Dehydrogenase deficiency (MADD) is an inherited metabolic disorder characterized by impaired oxidation of fatty acids and some amino acids. METHODS: We were interested whether children with MADD could tolerate a prolonged low-intensity exercise test and if this test could have any additional diagnostic value. Therefore, we performed a maximal exercise test and a low-intensity prolonged exercise test in 2 patients with MADD and in 5 control subjects. During a prolonged exercise test the subjects exercised on a cycle ergometer at a constant workload of 30% of their maximum for 90 minutes and heart rate, oxygen uptake, fuel utilization and changes in relevant blood and urinary parameters were monitored. RESULTS: The tests were tolerated well. During the prolonged exercise test the fatty acid oxidation (FAO) was quite low compared to 5 control subjects, while characteristic metabolites of MADD appeared in plasma and urine. CONCLUSION: We suggest that the prolonged exercise test could be of diagnostic importance and might replace the fasting test as a diagnostic procedure in some cases, particularly in patients with anamnestic signs of intolerance for prolonged exercise
Experimental observation and characterization of the magnetorotational instability
Differential rotation occurs in conducting flows in accretion disks and
planetary cores. In such systems, the magnetorotational instability can arise
from coupling Lorentz and centrifugal forces to cause large radial angular
momentum fluxes. We present the first experimental observation of the
magnetorotational instability. Our system consists of liquid sodium between
differentially rotating spheres, with an imposed coaxial magnetic field. We
characterize the observed patterns, dynamics and torque increases, and
establish that this instability can occur from a hydrodynamic turbulent
background.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figures. Final version, accepted for publication in
Physical Review Letter
X-point collapse and saturation in the nonlinear tearing mode reconnection
We study the nonlinear evolution of the resistive tearing mode in slab
geometry in two dimensions. We show that, in the strongly driven regime (large
Delta'), a collapse of the X-point occurs once the island width exceeds a
certain critical value ~1/Delta'. A current sheet is formed and the
reconnection is exponential in time with a growth rate ~eta^1/2, where eta is
the resistivity. If the aspect ratio of the current sheet is sufficiently
large, the sheet can itself become tearing-mode unstable, giving rise to
secondary islands, which then coalesce with the original island. The saturated
state depends on the value of Delta'. For small Delta', the saturation
amplitude is ~Delta' and quantitatively agrees with the theoretical prediction.
If Delta' is large enough for the X-point collapse to have occured, the
saturation amplitude increases noticeably and becomes independent of Delta'.Comment: revtex4, 4 pages, 18 figure
Structure Determination of Oligosaccharides Isolated from A + , H + and A − H − Hog-Submaxillary-Gland Mucin Glyoproteins, by 360-MHz 1 H-NMR Spectroscopy, Permethylation Analysis and Mass Spectrometry
Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/65915/1/j.1432-1033.1981.tb05545.x.pd
Expanding the clinical spectrum of 3-phosphoglycerate dehydrogenase deficiency
3-Phosphoglycerate dehydrogenase (3-PGDH) deficiency is considered to be a rare cause of congenital microcephaly, infantile onset of intractable seizures and severe psychomotor retardation. Here, we report for the first time a very mild form of genetically confirmed 3-PGDH deficiency in two siblings with juvenile onset of absence seizures and mild developmental delay. Amino acid analysis showed serine values in CSF and plasma identical to what is observed in the severe infantile form. Both patients responded favourably to relatively low dosages of serine supplementation with cessation of seizures, normalisation of their EEG abnormalities and improvement of well-being and behaviour. These cases illustrate that 3-PGDH deficiency can present with mild symptoms and should be considered as a treatable disorder in the differential diagnosis of mild developmental delay and seizures. Synopsis: we present a novel mild phenotype in patients with 3-PGDH deficiency
Phase-space entropy cascade and irreversibility of stochastic heating in nearly collisionless plasma turbulence
We consider a nearly collisionless plasma consisting of a species of `test
particles' in 1D-1V, stirred by an externally imposed stochastic electric
field. The mean effect on the particle distribution function is stochastic
heating. Accompanying this heating is the generation of fine-scale structure in
the distribution function, which we characterize with the collisionless
(Casimir) invariant . We find
that is transferred from large scales to small scales in both position
and velocity space via a phase-space cascade enabled by both particle streaming
and nonlinear interactions between particles and the stochastic electric field.
We compute the steady-state fluxes and spectrum of in Fourier space, with
and denoting spatial and velocity wavenumbers, respectively. Whereas
even the linear phase mixing alone would lead to a constant flux of to
high (towards the collisional dissipation range) at every , the
nonlinearity accelerates this cascade by intertwining velocity and position
space so that the flux of is to both high and high
simultaneously. Integrating over velocity (spatial) wavenumbers, the -space
(-space) flux of is constant down to a dissipation length (velocity)
scale that tends to zero as the collision frequency does, even though the rate
of collisional dissipation remains finite. The resulting spectrum in the
inertial range is a self-similar function in the plane, with power-law
asymptotics at large and . We argue that stochastic heating is made
irreversible by this entropy cascade and that, while collisional dissipation
accessed via phase mixing occurs only at small spatial scales rather than at
every scale as it would in a linear system, the cascade makes phase mixing even
more effective overall in the nonlinear regime than in the linear one.Comment: 26 pages, 6 figure
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